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After a few minutes of lazing around in bed, Sofia decided it was time to beat sloth and got up. She quickly got dressed, groomed herself, and after breakfast hurried to take Kas for his morning walk. When she returned, she saw her mother sitting on the sofa, reading the newspaper on her mobile phone and drinking tea. Any other person would have thought this was an everyday morning scene. Sofia knew she was looking for any signs of the presence of cinanthropes, such as an unexplained attack on domestic livestock, an unusually large dog seen roaming the area, things like that.
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“No, I''d rather you concentrated on the task you were supposed to take care of. Have you found the cinanthrope already?” asked the woman, looking at her with those cold gray eyes.
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“I understand. That explains why you were out all night during the full moon, and why you''re all smiles. I was wondering when you were going to realize that that boy isn''t human, nor a pup,” Helena commented in a dispassionate voice, and returned to her task of reading the paper.
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Because she was afraid. Because that monster in front of her took Angel away from her. Because she didn''t want to go through the same thing again, she didn''t want to suffer, she didn''t want to have to live in fear that one day a hunter would find out he’s not human and kill him. That''s why she didn''t want to see it. That''s why she didn''t want to get close to him. Because she knew that she would end up falling in love with that boy who smells like forest, who licks his lips when he is nervous, who has an extraordinary sense of hearing and who is restless on the day when the full moon is going to rise.
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“Because I''ve never promised you anything I haven''t honored,” Helena said. “Besides, I told you I''m not as much of a monster as you think I am.”
Clenching her jaws to stifle the growl she felt bubbling in her throat, Sofia left the house and began to walk towards her school. A clear blue sky decided to accompany her, sporting a translucent, pale waning moon. Sofia looked up at the monarch of the night, her anger flowing into frustration and rage. The words of that adult cinanthrope were still echoing in her head nearly a week later. She understood Dave, she understood him being angry at having to hide when he had done nothing, but that was the way things were. Yet perhaps because she was young and idealistic, she wanted to believe that another future was possible, one in which they would be full citizens, accepted and integrated into society. One in which she could have told her friends that she was not human without fearing they would reject her. One in whichhe would be safe.
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A motorcycle pulled up beside her, and through the helmet visor Sofia could see a pair of sky-colored eyes and the outline of a smile. Immediately the anger and frustration she felt subsided, and her own lips began to bend into a spontaneous smile as a pleasant warmth spread through her body. He had that effect on her, he soothed her, he made her feel safe and calm. Nobody had ever made her feel this way. That''s why that school year had been worth it, because ever since she met him she had become a better version of herself.
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“It''s not very common, but it''s more common than you think.” Dave blushed and licked his lips. “Not having humanity isn''t all that rare either. Most cinanthropes lose it over time. It''s normal, we''re dogs that look like humans, we''re not humans that turn into dogs. What happens is that we are raised in human societies, and we are taught to behave like humans and to hide our natural behavior. When we change, we re-integrate with what we really are, and it''s easier and more natural for us to growl when we''re angry, or pant when we''re nervous, than to huff or shout.”
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“No, I just learned to have a lot of self-control. My mother scolded me a lot when I showed my natural behavior, and believe me, I was horrible. Living with me was like living with a wild wolf. I''d move on all fours, growl, howl, and as soon as I could I''d run off to find wooded places where I could roll on the grass and sniff trails," she said, and laughed sheepishly.
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Dave took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. That look framed by his smile was so full of enthusiasm that Sofia shivered. For years she had been afraid to change, both because of the hunters and because of the risk of rejection that all her kind face. Yet here was this boy, talking excitedly about the moment when her dog nature would emerge. For years, her greatest wish had been to be able to lead a normal life, and now she was daydreaming about waking up in the forest, wrapped by a certain weredog’s arms.
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Embarrassed, Rodrigo ducked his head and tightened his pace. Sofia bit her lip. He was an asshole and a psychopath, and she would have liked to punch him in the face, but bullying him was a totally different story. In a fight there was a direct one-on-one where different points of view, mutual insults and whatnot are exchanged. It was a fair thing. A group of people ridiculing a person who is not fighting back was pure sadism.
The worst thing was that he was being attacked and humiliated for being right. After his last run-in with the cinanthrope, he had told the class about what he saw in the forest. As expected people had taken him for a madman, but Sofia knew perfectly well that everything he was telling was true, because she was the witch. That had lasted a couple of days. On the third day Rodrigo had disappeared. She had asked her mother if she had initiated him, but she had answered, with her typical cold and impassive tone, that others had been faster. Who those others were, Sofia had no idea, although maybe it was something related to what the adult cinanthrope had said about ''recruiting him''. Quiet frankly, she was very confused about the whole thing.
“Let''s go to class. There''s no need for us to be an audience to this sorry show,” said Dave, and started to walk towards the door.
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Dave paused, took several deep breaths and only when he was sure he had his emotions under control did he dare to look at his friend. The short hair on the back of his neck had come down a little but was still bristling, and his face showed a marked expression of annoyance.
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“u more if you are different than if you are cruel. They didn''t humiliate Rodrigo when he talked about killing a dog, they do it now that he''s telling stories about witches and werewolves.”
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“God, Sofia, you''re such an...,” Dave whispered, looking at his friend in wonder.
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Without wasting a second, the three friends dashed up the stairs. Fortunately they arrived a few minutes before their teacher did and were able to go to their desks without problem. As Sofia pulled her notebook out of her backpack, she thought about the warm feeling in her belly, and the idiot''s grin she was holding back with all her might. Dave had never looked at her like that before, as if it was the first time he saw her. She couldn''t help but wonder what he had been about to say.
I am such an...?'' on one of its sides. She then folded it and hissed softly in at her friend, barely a whisper that shouldn''t have been audible. As expected he did hear her and turned to her, his gaze inquisitive. To be honest, their abilities sure were convenient.
amazing girl''. Her heart skipped a beat. A horde of butterflies began to flutter across her belly. Blushing, she turned to her friend. His lips were curved in a warm smile, and again he had that look in his sky-colored eyes. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Yes, Angel had said nice things to her, like how she had a good hand at dog training, that she was cute, and that he loved her. That was the first time anyone had simply thought of her that she was an amazing girl.