《Cyclical Natures》 Chapter One From the doorstep of a charming little potion shop sitting primly on the corner of its street, its exterior navy blue with gold lettering above the door, its interior a mix of periwinkle blue and charcoal grey, its overall appearance one of wholesome cheer¡ª from this tidy entryway came a sharp whisper: ¡°Fuck me.¡± Mel hadn¡¯t slept more than a few hours that afternoon. Though she only worked three days a week, the day before a shift always found her rattled. She¡¯d grown used to this in a way that allowed for her to categorize the constant sensation of overwhelm as utterly normal. Today, however, she could allow that her situation was not normal. Between her last shift and this, the first of the week, one of her friends and coworkers had been turned over to the authorities as a werewolf. Mel fumbled with her key and looked up with worry that her boss would be watching through the window, ready to yell at her for struggling to do something as simple as unlock a door. But she knew Arthur wasn¡¯t in today. He was planning to call into the staff meeting from home. ¡°Good evening,¡± Mel greeted the shop, trying to lift her spirits. She set the code on the alarm and locked the door behind her. ¡°How are we doing today? Need a little dusting on the shelves, I see.¡± Mel added this to her mental to-do list, unlikely as it was that she would find the time. It would be tight getting the orders done in the eight hours she was supposed to be working, but she wouldn¡¯t be allowed to leave until they were finished. Her left shoulder ached¡ª she unconsciously kept most of her tension in her upper back, and a knot had formed behind the shoulder blade there. She spotted the phone basket under the counter and dropped her¡¯s on the pile. Mel did a double-take when she realized Gus¡¯s phone was still in there, too. He¡¯d always been forgetting it. Arthur hated that, and had plastered the shelf with increasingly aggressive notes reminding employees to bring their phones home. Mel was shocked Arthur hadn¡¯t taken it already; she picked it up. Gus had doodled all over his phone¡¯s white case. Little cheeses and goofy faces, all smudged. She blinked away tears and slid it into her pocket on impulse. A werewolf was a remarkably rare thing. Rarer still for one to survive once in the hands of the state. Mel didn¡¯t know what had become of Gus, would never know for certain, but she did know one thing: he didn¡¯t deserve it. She moved through the Employees Only door that led to the lab. It had been left tidy and organized by the day shift¡ª Kit must have been in. Mel smiled. She stepped carefully through the lab, turning so her bag wouldn¡¯t hit anything, and moved further back to the storage room where employees kept their belongings. Kit was inside untying a spotless apron. ¡°This motherfucker!¡± he greeted her, forgetting the knot and moving in to wrap her in his thin arms. ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you!¡± ¡°You too. Come back to day shift, traitor.¡± Mel had been working nights for a couple of months now. She¡¯d asked to change her schedule, keeping her reasons vague, after working alongside Arthur became too much to bear. As manager and owner of the potion shop, he wasn¡¯t exactly escapable, but she¡¯d found a way to limit the time they spent in the same room. It was going okay so far. Mel asked Kit, ¡°Why don¡¯t you join the night crew?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Kit hummed and scratched at his five o¡¯clock shadow. ¡°Arthur¡¯s going to catch on if we all do it.¡± ¡°Whaaat, whatever could you mean? I turned my entire life on its head to become nocturnal for fun. A fun little treat.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Finally free of the apron, Kit stuffed it into the stained cloth laundry sack that hung on the wall. ¡°I saw that fur potion you made last week. Thing of beauty. Seriously.¡± ¡°Aw, thanks, K. I had a lot of fun with that one. Have you seen Rosa yet?¡± ¡°Not yet. She¡¯s got a few minutes. We can always angle the camera so Arthur can¡¯t see her come in late if we have to. You two ready for the new order?¡± ¡°New order? You mean the Henderson batch?¡± ¡°No, the, uh¡­¡± Kit pursed his lips. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you, did he.¡± Mel dropped her bag and kicked it behind the door. ¡°Didn¡¯t tell me anything. Please, please don¡¯t say we took another order for the weekend.¡± ¡°I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how he gets. Said we couldn¡¯t turn down the money.¡± Still unable to fully convince herself that Arthur wasn¡¯t going to appear from some bleak corner of the storage room, Mel whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t even know how we were supposed to get the original orders done tonight. How big are we talking?¡± ¡°Oof, let¡¯s see¡­ it was three dozen basics. I don¡¯t remember which ones, but they were all basics, yeah.¡± Mel hissed, ¡°Three dozen?¡± She jumped when a polite knock interrupted them. Rosa waved, coming into the room and shrugging out of the oversized jacket that had swallowed her small frame. ¡°Hi Kit! How are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good, babe! How about you? How are the wives?¡± ¡°Oh, good!¡± Rosa beamed. ¡°Jenny just got a big promotion, and Vera made a cake to celebrate.¡± With an expression of pure adoration, Kit said, ¡°All I want to do is sit and listen to stories about your home life all day.¡± Rosa tied her chin length black hair into a tiny ponytail. ¡°Move to the night shift, then. Mel had the right idea. I¡¯d make the switch for good if I could swing it.¡± ¡°Nah, somebody¡¯s gotta babysit the boss. That order was originally six dozen.¡± ¡°Six?¡± Mel asked with horror. ¡°I heard you talking about that when I was coming in,¡± Rosa said. ¡°I almost turned right back around. But here I am. I¡¯m going to hit the ladies¡¯ room before the meeting. I¡¯ll see you in the office?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll set up the laptop,¡± Kit agreed. He and Mel headed in the opposite direction from Rosa, down the hall to a dark little room tucked away behind yet more storage. ¡°Hey,¡± Mel said as she turned on the light. ¡°I wanted to ask. Are you doing ok?¡± With an air of both sympathy and apology for broaching a sensitive topic, Mel met Kit¡¯s eyes and held his gaze. ¡°Do I seem worried?¡± ¡°Maybe a little.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my betta fish.¡± Kit shook his head. ¡°I think he¡¯s mad at me.¡± Mel couldn¡¯t find the words to respond. Little had been said between them on the subject of Gus, but Mel assumed tonight they would finally address it together. Kit¡¯s thoughts were clearly elsewhere. He said, ¡°I got this little mirror that you¡¯re supposed to put in the tank, right? And your betta sees his reflection and he tries to fight it. The guy at the pet shop said it was good for them. A kind of enrichment thing, you know? But my little buddy hasn¡¯t been the same since I tried it out. He stopped swimming up to the front of the tank when I walk by. It¡¯s like I breached his trust. I threw the mirror away, but I feel so guilty. I wish I could explain that I wasn¡¯t trying to scare him or upset him. I thought it would be good.¡± ¡°Oh, Kit.¡± Mel pushed aside Gus for the time being. She¡¯d already been doing so every hour for the last few days; at any rate, the meeting would start in another minute or so, and they would discuss it as a team. ¡°He just needs a little time. He¡¯ll forgive you. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Thanks. I hope you¡¯re right.¡± Rosa joined them as Kit opened the laptop. They each took a seat at the scratched and chipped pedestal table in the center of the room. The sound of the metal chairs against the bare concrete floor gave her a sense of familiarity that made Gus¡¯s absence all the more difficult. Chapter Two ¡°CAN YOU HEAR ME?¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Kit said under his breath as he frantically mashed the volume button to turn down Arthur¡¯s voice. He rubbed his head and the back of his neck as he said, ¡°Yeah, we hear you, you¡¯re coming through.¡± ¡°Oh, ok. You weren¡¯t answering, so¡­¡± ¡°Yeah man, sorry, we were on mute.¡± Kit adjusted the laptop as Rosa joined them. Arthur was sitting in his home office¡ª evidenced by the five foot rubber plant in the corner¡ª with the lights down low. It looked to Mel as though a little lamp on his desk was all he had going. She could hardly even make out the greasy, put-upon rectangle that was his face. ¡°Good evening,¡± Rosa chirped, waving. ¡°Hi, everyone,¡± Arthur responded. ¡°I know it¡¯s going to be a busy night, so I¡¯ll try to keep things brief. I don¡¯t know if Kit already mentioned it, but we got an exciting order in. It¡¯s an assortment of three dozen basic-level potions that could lead to a whole lot of future business if it goes well. Pay special attention while you¡¯re brewing these, team. I mean it. Read and reread and reread the order slip. We can¡¯t afford any mistakes.¡± Rosa nodded along. Mel told herself to do the same, but against her better judgment, she said, ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure we can fit three dozen potions into the schedule tonight. We were already over the order limit.¡± Her voice came out shakier than she wanted. If she was going to speak up, she needed to do so confidently, convincingly, or it would only piss him off more. Mel sat up straight and quickly added, ¡°We¡¯re happy to help the business grow, I¡¯m just worried about how to get this one done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried,¡± Arthur laughed. ¡°If it has to get done, it will get done. And guess what? It has to. Rosa was already nice enough to come in and help out tonight, like you asked, and now you¡¯re saying that¡¯s not good enough? We¡¯re talking about basic-level potions, here.¡± Under the table, Rosa reached out to grab Mel¡¯s hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. They made brief eye contact, and Mel knew Rosa hadn¡¯t taken her concerns the wrong way. Kit said, ¡°I can stay another couple of hours.¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Arthur shot him down. ¡°You already worked your shift for the day. Mel, Rosa, quit overthinking things and just get the work done. Understood?¡± Rosa nodded again, and this time, Mel followed suit. ¡°Understood??¡± Arthur repeated, louder and angrier. ¡°We got it,¡± Mel replied. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Thank you. Now, let¡¯s move on to the rest of our agenda. Did everybody remember to put their phones in the basket?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the three of them answered in varying tones. ¡°Good. I know we were having a little trouble remembering to do that. I don¡¯t have to tell you that potion making is a very dangerous job, and I can¡¯t have you getting distracted by your texts while you¡¯re in the middle of brewing. Wolston¡¯s in Old Orchard won¡¯t even let you bring a phone into the building, did you know that?¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Wolston¡¯s also had the highest turnover rate in the state, but Mel didn¡¯t see the need to stir up any more shit than she already had. Arthur went on, ¡°We got the new bottles in today. They¡¯re about half as expensive as the old ones, so try them out, see what you think, and we¡¯ll make the switch next month if there aren¡¯t any problems.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Mel replied, genuinely excited. At half the cost, they could afford to stock as many as they needed instead of bridging the gap with plastic tupperware and waiting for customers to return their used bottles. Many of the potions could handle storage in plastic, so long as you didn¡¯t pour them in too hot, but some were undeniably altered by the material. A perfect batch of energy boosting potion had faded from its usual brilliant silver to a dull grey in the tupperware last week, and the energy it provided decreased noticeably. It was still above the minimum legal requirement, however, and had been sold at the usual price. Mel hated putting out an inferior product. Arthur claimed to as well, but his idea of quality seemed to change by the hour, usually depending more on his mood than any kind of cost-benefit analysis. ¡°We¡¯ll see if they work,¡± Arthur remarked with some skepticism. The new bottles had been Kit¡¯s find. It didn¡¯t sit well with him that he hadn¡¯t come up with the idea. ¡°Moving on, let¡¯s all keep an eye on our stock levels. I can¡¯t order more if I don¡¯t know we¡¯re out. Can anyone think of anything off the top of their head that we need more of?¡± ¡°I mentioned the rose water already,¡± Kit noted. ¡°Uh huh.¡± Mel put her hand to her chin to show that she was thinking it over. Rosa said, ¡°I haven¡¯t noticed anything.¡± ¡°All right,¡± Arthur said, ¡°just make sure you tell me. You forget and we run out, you better be ready to go forage in the woods. Next, I¡¯ve got three interviews lined up next week for a new brewer. I¡¯ll keep everyone posted on how that goes. I¡¯ve sent you all the resumes, so take a look and tell me if you see anything I should be worried about. Hopefully we can get back to a full crew pretty quick here.¡± Mel braced for the topic of Gus to finally come up, but Arthur moved seamlessly to going over an upcoming health, safety, and magical compliance inspection. She looked to Kit, who didn¡¯t notice, and Rosa, who only offered her a supportive smile. ¡°¡­So keep it tight, ok? Ok. Well, did anyone else have anything they wanted to bring before the team? It¡¯s getting pretty late, so we should wrap up soon.¡± Kit looked ready to leave, while Rosa tilted her head in Mel¡¯s direction, inviting her to speak up. Mel cleared her throat. ¡°I thought it might be good to say a few words about Gus.¡± Rosa and Kit both looked down. Arthur pursed his lips, then asked, ¡°What did you want to say?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t have anything prepared, exactly, I just thought¡­ it would be good to make space for it? We haven¡¯t really talked about what happened.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have anything to say. You don¡¯t have anything to say. Kit? Rosa?¡± Neither of them answered; Rosa wouldn¡¯t even raise her eyes. Arthur said, ¡°Ok then. Mel, Rosa, see you in the morning. Kit, see you tomorrow afternoon. Good night.¡± Arthur disappeared from the screen before any of them could answer. ¡°He used to be¡­ different, right?¡± Mel asked. Stress could answer for a lot, but the Arthur she¡¯d met six years ago- the funny, sympathetic, and eager-to-help man who¡¯d hired her- didn¡¯t resemble this one in the slightest. Neither Kit nor Rosa answer. Mel allowed herself a sigh, then stood up with renewed determination to salvage the night. ¡°Rosa,¡± she said, clapping her hands. ¡°It¡¯s you and me. Dream team. Let¡¯s knock out some brews.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll start pulling ingredients if you want to organize the orders!¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± Kit tucked the laptop away in a metal cabinet against the back wall. He squeezed Mel¡¯s shoulder on the way out the door. ¡°Oh, wait, Kit.¡± Mel took the shop key from her pocket and handed it over. ¡°Almost forgot.¡± ¡°Boss man would¡¯ve eaten me alive.¡± Kit took it gratefully. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m sorry about earlier. I knew you were asking me about Gus. The fish stuff is true,¡± he clarified with a helpless laugh, ¡°but obviously not the real problem. I¡¯m not ready to talk about it yet.¡± ¡°Take care of yourself, Kit.¡± She squeezed his arm. ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot.¡± ¡°You, too.¡± Chapter Three Mel met up with Rosa, whose arms were already loaded with various plants and bottles, and pulled an apron from the rack. She wasn¡¯t going to let Arthur ruin her night. Brewing was what she¡¯d always wanted to do. From spending every childhood weekend practicing no-magic brews to attending one of the top potion arts schools in the country, Mel had relentlessly pursued this very moment with her entire heart. Arthur wasn¡¯t allowed to take that from her. She set about categorizing the orders based on how long they would take and what ingredients they had in common. It wasn¡¯t the first time they¡¯d been instructed to do the impossible, and though no amount of clever planning could change the number of hours in a night, nor the time it took to brew, she could do her best to mitigate the disaster ahead. ¡°These always make me a little sad,¡± Mel said, holding up one of the orders. ¡°Familiar bonding potions. They don¡¯t fix anything.¡± ¡°They make the problem worse, if anything,¡± Rosa agreed. ¡°Trouble connecting with your familiar is trouble connecting with yourself. That¡¯s what a familiar is, right? Like an external embodiment of your will.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how they described it in school.¡± ¡°Therapy would be better,¡± Rosa said. ¡°You know, they taught first aid as part of the potions program I went through. I always thought psychology should be included, too.¡± ¡°Maybe you can start your own school someday!¡± Mel added the order back to the stack. ¡°I just wish we¡¯d stop selling these. Gods help anyone who¡¯d try to bring that up to Arthur, though.¡± They slid into a comfortable routine. Rosa pre-measured the liquids, labeling each as she went, while Mel chopped, crushed, boiled, and burned herbs according to their purpose. With the liquids ready, Rosa moved on to unpacking, washing, and laying out the new bottles for them to store the potions as they finished brewing. ¡°Hey, Mel,¡± Rosa broke their focused silence. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°You want to hear something funny?¡± Mel picked up a note of sadness in Rosa¡¯s voice. ¡°Always.¡± ¡°I thought werewolves were made up.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Totally,¡± Rosa laughed. ¡°I thought they were like Bigfoot or something.¡± ¡°I mean, that makes as much sense as anything.¡± Mel blew out the small flame at the end of the sprig of rosemary she held, pinching the blackened tip over a bowl and rolling it between her fingers to crumble burnt needles from the stem. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean, like, recently?¡± Rosa placed the last of the bottles. ¡°No, when I was younger. Did you¡­ You don¡¯t have to answer this. Did you know about Gus?¡± Mel wiped her rosemary-smudged fingers across her apron, already dirtier in the first hour of her shift than Kit¡¯s had been at the end of his. ¡°No. I had no idea. Honestly, how weird is it that werewolves are real?¡± After a beat, it occured to her to ask, ¡°Did you know about Gus?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m losing my mind over it a little bit,¡± Rosa said. ¡°Me, too. Of course we are.¡± Mel couldn¡¯t help her smile, pained though it was. Someone was finally willing to say this out loud with her. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s so incredibly rare.¡± ¡°Are they¡­ Was Gus¡­¡± Mel busied herself with filling the sixty-quart standup mixer, giving Rosa room to collect her thoughts. They¡¯d need twenty cups of powdered rock root. Ideally the day shift would have had time to prep a little more, but the potions would benefit from the delay. Freshly crushed was best. Rosa recovered herself. ¡°It¡¯s just that I always thought I had a good sense for people, you know? Like I was a good judge of character. I thought it was kind of my whole thing.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Rosa?¡± ¡°I never would have guessed in a thousand years about Gus.¡± ¡°Oh, sweetheart, werewolves aren¡¯t bad people. They¡¯re just in a shitty position. They don¡¯t have any control over what they do in their wolf form. Gus was a great person; you were always right about him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. But the people who take the werewolves, the state¡¯s hunters- why do they kill them if they¡¯re not bad people?¡± Suddenly Mel wondered if she was qualified to be having this conversation. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Rosa.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get the rock root,¡± she said quickly, hurrying to the back storage. ¡°He didn¡¯t deserve it,¡± Mel told the standup mixer. ¡°Gods, what the fuck. What the fuck happened.¡± Gus had always made a crinkling sound as he walked by in the lab, his pockets filled with snacks that he would go through one by one over the course of their shifts together. He¡¯d offer them up whenever someone got too overwhelmed by their work. If he¡¯d been on shift tonight, he would have come armed with a feast of chips and cookies. He would¡¯ve made the workload seem half as light, too. Mel had never met a more naturally gifted brewer. She pulled herself together when she heard Rosa come back in. ¡°Thanks. Throw in the rest of that open box. We¡¯ll use it up.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. As she did so, Rosa asked, ¡°Do you think whoever turned Gus in knew what would happen?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure they knew. I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re a monster, whoever did it.¡± Mel gave it a moment. Rosa seemed done for the time being, and Mel didn¡¯t blame her. She hit the on button. The metal paddle¡¯s pulverizing would drown out any attempt at talking for at least ten minutes. But less than a minute in, Mel heard a crash come from the front of the store. She turned to Rosa, who was calibrating the scale with no sign of disturbance, then turned the mixer off to say: ¡°I thought I heard something. Just going to make sure everything¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± They weren¡¯t licensed to produce weapons-grade potions, or even defensive ones, but they had no shortage of freshly sharpened knives. Mel grabbed a small one and slipped through the door to the front. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she spotted it¡ª the phone basket had fallen off its shelf. Mel must have accidentally moved it when she took Gus¡¯s phone. She checked to make sure nothing had been broken and realized Kit had left his phone behind. Mel put everything back in its place and went to check the front door. Kit had remembered to lock up behind himself, at least. Mel reflexively felt the back of the nearby shelf for the store key and found it empty. It wasn¡¯t on any of the shelves, and hadn¡¯t fallen to the floor, either. They weren¡¯t supposed to be without a key. The lock was such that it required one to open the door from inside as well as the outside, meaning Mel and Rosa had no way to leave until the morning shift arrived. She knew she should call Arthur, but no part of her thought it would be worth the grief. She returned to the lab. ¡°It was nothing,¡± Mel reported. ¡°Thanks for checking.¡± Laughing with relief, Rosa showed Mel the pocketbook of sigils she¡¯d taken out, open to the instructions for a protection sign. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I was planning to do. Write this on our foreheads?¡± Mel giggled. ¡°You were ready for action! I love it.¡± She went to the sink to wash her hands after handling the phones. Though most of their potions were self-sterilizing, excepting only those whose makeup couldn¡¯t tolerate the necessary ingredients, Mel didn¡¯t like to introduce germs unnecessarily to the brewing process. They could influence the outcome of the potion even if they were eliminated by it. Rosa smiled to herself, setting the pocketbook on the table next to the bottles. ¡°Did you know the sigil for freshness was derived from the sigil for protection?¡± ¡°I had no idea! That totally makes sense, though.¡± ¡°Right?¡± She cracked her knuckles. ¡°Thanks for checking out that noise. I don¡¯t think I realized how nervous I was, what with the full moon and all.¡± ¡°Yeah, I hear you¡­ Wait, tonight? The full moon is tonight?¡± With an apologetic wince, Rosa nodded. ¡°Shit. I should¡¯ve been paying attention. All right, look, the store key is missing. You haven¡¯t seen it, have you?¡± ¡°No,¡± Rosa said, eyes wide. ¡°Did Kit take it by mistake?¡± ¡°I doubt it. I gave him the employee key right before he left.¡± ¡°Gus must have had it,¡± she suggested in a soft, reluctant tone. Mel expressed agreement with a furrowed brow. ¡°I was just going to let it go, but I don¡¯t like the idea of us being trapped here on the full moon.¡± ¡°We¡¯re safe in here. It¡¯s out there I¡¯d be worried about. As long as no one can get in, we don¡¯t have anything to worry about, right?¡± She chewed the inside of her cheek. As much as Mel agreed with Rosa, as much as she dreaded calling Arthur, she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling something was wrong. ¡°No, we better play it safe. Think about it¡ª what if a fire broke out? Sure, we could break the windows, but that¡¯s dangerous all on its own.¡± ¡°Ok. I¡¯m getting the water boiling.¡± ¡°Thanks. Can we cut any of the brew time on the eye color changing potions?¡± ¡°Not much,¡± Rosa said slowly, thinking it over. ¡°Half an hour, if I raise the temp three to five degrees for the first two hours.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a genius! Let¡¯s do it.¡± Mel grabbed the landline, took a deep breath, and dialed Arthur¡¯s number. He answered on the first ring. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he barked. ¡°Hey, Arthur. Sorry to disturb you. Do you know where the store key is?¡± ¡°It was on the shelf when I left. Did Kit take it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He has the other one.¡± Mel picked at her apron, her heart rate increasing. ¡°I, um¡­ I¡¯m not sure we should be here without a key.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not leaving.¡± Mel recoiled from the receiver, her ear ringing. ¡°Th-That¡¯s not what I was saying. We actually can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Why the hell are you calling me? Get Kit to bring the key back.¡± ¡°I would, but um, he left his phone here. I¡¯m not sure how to get in touch.¡± ¡°Fuck, Mel. I don''t know how many times I have to tell you guys to take your phones with you when you leave. How hard is it to remember? What do I have to do?¡± ¡°So, we really shouldn¡¯t be here with no way to leave,¡± Mel pushed ahead. ¡°It¡¯s one night. Don¡¯t burn the place down and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Legally speaking¡ª¡° ¡°Fuck me.¡± Mel waited. She looked to Rosa, diligently adding flakes of ash bark to a scale with tweezers to get the exact right amount, and doubled down. ¡°You¡¯ll have to bring us a key. It¡¯s not safe.¡± ¡°I just wanted to be home tonight for once in my life.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take five minutes, Arthur.¡± ¡°If the fucking truck even starts.¡± ¡°Do your best. It¡¯s that or I¡¯m calling the police to break us out.¡± Mel hung up the phone. Almost immediately, it started ringing, Arthur¡¯s number displayed on the ID charm crudely zip-tied to the phone. Mel picked it up and set it down again. She called out to Rosa, ¡°He should be here in a few minutes.¡± Mel rolled her shoulders back, sore and scared and not the least bit certain she¡¯d have a job after pulling that stunt. As if reading her mind, Rosa asked, ¡°Why are you still working here, hun?¡± ¡°Why are any of us?¡± ¡°I cleaned up my resume. I¡¯m sending it around next week.¡± Mel gave her a sad but encouraging smile. ¡°Good for you. You¡¯re so talented. You deserve better than this.¡± ¡°You know you do, too, right? Why don¡¯t you apply somewhere else?¡± She didn¡¯t have the heart to tell Rosa that no part of her believed there was better out there. It would have been harder still to admit that after all this time, Mel hadn¡¯t let go of the hope that Arthur would go back to the way he used to be. Joking around with them, giving them advice, sharing his life stories. She¡¯d felt close to him once. Mel only said, ¡°I¡¯ll get around to it one of these days.¡± As the adrenaline rush wore off, a surprising sense of peace took its place. Mel felt more clear-headed and steady than she had in months. She stood up straight¡ª it even felt easier to breathe¡ª and reset her intention to enjoy the night of brewing. Arthur wouldn¡¯t fire her on the spot, as he preferred the drama of a long, drawn-out tension, and she wouldn¡¯t quit. She would fix this. If she just found the right way to show him that he¡¯d been hurting the people around him, things could go back to the way they were. ¡°I¡¯m going to start the enchantments,¡± Mel announced. ¡°Perfect! Would you put the mixer back on, too?¡± ¡°On it.¡± Chapter Four Even in the din of rock root stubbornly resisting powderization, focus came easily to Mel that night. She started with a minor blessing on the water Rosa had set to boil. Her ego slid aside, ushering in the will of the universe to take its place. The merest suggestion from Mel ignited the process: blessings from creation cascaded into the base of her skull, flowing rapidly down her spine toward the earth, into which they would return unless directed otherwise. She split the energy into two even paths down her arms. Rather than letting it pour out in thick streams from her palms, Mel further diverted the flow through her fingertips, allowing her to disperse it slowly and evenly over the water. The last of the blessing left her, and Mel¡¯s own will was invited to return. She opened her eyes. The water was no longer boiling. Still and clear to the point of near invisibility, it shone with one of the strongest enchantments Mel had ever managed. She turned to show Rosa, who was frantically pointing both at the standup mixer and to other side of the lab. Mel could hear yelling now that her senses were coming back into the foreground. She shut off the mixer in time to hear Arthur finish out a particularly spirited string of curses. ¡°I assume the phone must be broken,¡± he bellowed, slamming a key down on the lab table nearest him. ¡°Yes, Arthur,¡± Mel answered, utterly at peace. The sensation would ebb quickly; she tried to make the best of it in the meantime. ¡°I¡¯m glad we weren¡¯t cut off before I could explain the situation to you.¡± ¡°How are things going? I¡¯m surprised you had time to worry about the keys with how busy you kept telling me you were going to be. What were you even doing in the front?¡± ¡°Nothing, really. We heard a sound and I went to check it out. It was nothing.¡± Arthur lost a little of his color. ¡°You didn¡¯t think to mention that on the phone?¡± Rosa chimed in, ¡°We didn¡¯t want to worry you for no reason. Mel checked. Everything¡¯s fine. Oh!¡± She¡¯d caught sight of Mel¡¯s enchantment. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful!¡± Mel had been about to return the compliment by pointing out how quickly and with what impressive precision Rosa had inscribed the bottles with freshness sigils when Arthur announced, ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Someone lock up after me.¡± ¡°Happy to,¡± Mel volunteered. She encouraged Rosa to keep working with a wave and moved to follow Arthur. All three of them froze at the sound of glass breaking from the front of the store. ¡°Are you sure no one¡¯s here?¡± Rosa whispered. Mel was going to say she hadn¡¯t seen anyone, but before she could get a word out, Arthur shouted, ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± He charged ahead and flung the lab door open. Peering around Arthur, Mel caught a silhoutte in the front of the shop. It towered over the display cases, far too large for any human, and turned to face them. Any vagaries in its shape didn¡¯t matter; Mel knew exactly what she was looking at. The werewolf locked its glowing eyes on Arthur. He slammed the door shut and pushed his body up against it. ¡°Help me!¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Rosa asked, approaching them. ¡°Rosa, sweetheart¡ª¡° Mel started, but Arthur interrupted her: ¡°There¡¯s a fucking werewolf out there!¡± It almost, absurdly, sounded like an accusation. The wolf beat itself against the door in a deafening blow. Mel staggered back, watching the hinges cling to the frame by a hair, and shouted, ¡°The door won¡¯t hold!¡± ¡°It has to,¡± Arthur screamed. ¡°The walk-in!¡± Rosa opened the door to the walk-in refrigerator and pulled Mel inside along with her. ¡°Arthur! Get in here!¡± Mel watched in horror as the door began to swing shut. Arthur caught it at the last moment, slipping in just as the werewolf tore through the front-of-house door. It tried to follow Arthur into the walk-in, but misjudged its own size and strength; it accidentally slammed the great metal door shut in its efforts. Rosa half fell and half sat, trying to catch her breath. Arthur pounded and kicked the walk-in wall. Mel stared at him, slowly coming to the realization that she wasn¡¯t half as frightened over being trapped in the lab with the werewolf as she was to be trapped in the walk-in with Arthur. She shook herself out of her thoughts and said: ¡°We¡¯ll be safe in here.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rosa agreed- Mel suspected more out of need for comfort than belief. ¡°It can¡¯t get through that door.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°How did this happen?!¡± Arthur rounded on them, fuming. It was the exact same tone he used when someone misread or misplaced an order. ¡°Did you lock the door when you came in?¡± Mel asked. ¡°Of course not! I was coming in and out! Who would have locked the door?¡± ¡°It probably followed you in, then,¡± Mel suggested. ¡°Oh, okay. It¡¯s all my fault.¡± Mel took a seat next to Rosa. ¡°No one was trying to blame anybody.¡± This was a bold lie, given his accusatory tone, but Mel sold it well. ¡°Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter how it happened. We just need to stay calm and call for help.¡± Rosa and Mel both looked to Arthur, who furrowed his brow and asked, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Our phones are in the basket,¡± Mel reminded him. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t bring mine. This was supposed to be a five minute trip. We¡¯ll get the landline. It can¡¯t be more than ten feet from the walk-in.¡± Mel shook her head rapidly. ¡°It¡¯s too risky. You saw how fast that thing moved. We¡¯ll just have to wait it out. It will either lose interest in us or transform back into a human in the morning. Right?¡± ¡°Right,¡± Rosa echoed. ¡°What time is sunrise?¡± Mel didn¡¯t even know what time it was then. ¡°Around five, I think.¡± The wolf threw itself at the walk-in, but it was fruitless aside from the disturbing sound of muscle and bone bludgeoning metal. ¡°It¡¯s not losing interest. You just said it was probably following me. You saw how it lunged at me. It¡¯s not going anywhere.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that it was targeting you,¡± she said gently. ¡°It would have followed anyone, probably.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not after anyone. It¡¯s after me.¡± Struggling to keep frustration from entering her tone, Mel asked, ¡°Why would it?¡± She went to exchange a look with Rose, but found her staring in horror at Arthur. Mel turned back to him. She asked again, any pretense of patience gone as the realization sunk in, ¡°Why would it be after you, Arthur?¡± Rosa said, ¡°Is it because you were the one who turned Gus in?¡± His refusal to answer or even meet her gaze confirmed it. ¡°Arthur,¡± Mel breathed, stunned. ¡°How could you do that to him?¡± Rosa hugged herself. ¡°What I did was bring him to justice,¡± Arthur yelled. The werewolf crashed into the walk-in again, keening with the pain of impact. Mel looked Arthur over, thinking through the past few hours in a new light. ¡°That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t stay for the team meeting,¡± she said. ¡°Why you were so reluctant to bring the key. You knew something like this might happen.¡± ¡°And I was right, wasn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t even bother to warn us,¡± Mel concluded. Arthur rolled his eyes. ¡°Stop making everything about yourself. It¡¯s after me, not you. You were already so determined to be freaked out over a couple of extra orders; I knew you couldn¡¯t handle anything else.¡± Eyes on Rosa, who was curling herself into as small a shape as possible, Mel said, ¡°You put us both in danger.¡± Arthur laughed incredulously. ¡°I¡¯m not even the one who wanted to be here tonight! That was YOUR idea! Or do you not remember threatening to call the police if I didn¡¯t come before you hung up on me?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was a threat, Arthur. I didn¡¯t know you betrayed a sweet, harmless kid who trusted you. Gus defended you!¡± ¡°How did you speak with Gus?¡± He lost a little of his footing. ¡°Did he escape?¡± ¡°No,¡± she said, putting her hand to her forehead and closing her eyes to keep from screaming. She needed to speak clearly, to make him understand. ¡°Gus didn¡¯t escape. He¡¯s almost certainly dead. I¡¯m saying that he defended your behavior in the past. He wanted to see the best in you, in everyone, and you¡­¡± Mel couldn¡¯t finish. ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense. You¡¯re freaking out and you need to calm down, not make everything worse.¡± Pointing first to Rosa, then to himself, he said, ¡°We¡¯re trying to stay calm and ride this thing out. You need to take a deep breath and stop escalating the tension.¡± Mel¡¯s vision darkened as she considered whether to respond. He could keep going indefinitely without acknowledging fault, she knew, but ending it there would only be admitting that he was right about her needing to calm down. The werewolf took to clawing at the door like a dog begging to come in from the backyard. She wanted to open the door and push Arthur out. Instead, Mel repeated in an even tone, ¡°You betrayed him and you put us in danger.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to talk to you if you can¡¯t be reasonable. We can continue this conversation another time, after you¡¯ve had a chance to cool down.¡± He wasn¡¯t hearing her. She needed to find a different way to get through to him. Exhausted, Mel waved to indicate she was done. Arthur turned his attention to the door. ¡°Probably shredded out there. I¡¯ll be shocked if I don¡¯t have to get it replaced. Fuck, we didn¡¯t need this.¡± Rosa got Mel¡¯s attention and whispered, ¡°At least the door is holding.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re safe,¡± Mel reiterated. ¡°Do you think my wives are going to be ok?¡± ¡°Of course. How do you mean? I don¡¯t think any of us were targets.¡± ¡°No, I mean¡­ Do you think they¡¯d be ok¡­ if I didn¡¯t come home?¡± Mel understood and took Rosa¡¯s hand. Arthur muttered, ¡°It¡¯s just one night. You¡¯re grown women. You¡¯ll all be fine.¡± Rosa said, ¡°Vera and Jenny are strong. They¡¯ve got each other.¡± Leaning in close, she asked, ¡°They¡¯ll be ok if I die, right? Because they know how much I love them, and that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s enough, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Mel assured her. She knew Rosa didn¡¯t want to hear that everything was going to be fine. ¡°We really are safe, but if the worst happened, they¡¯d get through it together.¡± Rosa mouthed the words thank you. Outside, the wolf took a break from clawing at the door to pace the lab. They could hear its claws scraping the linoleum with each step. Chapter Five Mel untied her apron, took it off, and folded it to have something to sit on. Maybe she could try to get some sleep. It might have been sheer denial of the gravity of her situation, but she didn¡¯t feel all that much worse, anxiety-wise, than the average afternoon before work. Arthur had settled down somewhat. He was still standing, still staring at the door as if willing himself to see beyond it, but no longer muttering under his breath. Rosa shivered non-stop. She ran cold naturally. Adrenaline had so far kept Mel from noticing, but they were inside of a refrigerator, after all. One of the round thermometers hanging off the edge of the shelf above her read twenty-eight degrees Fahrenheit. The power switch Arthur had installed next to the door did absolutely nothing other than keep the fridge from failing inspections. Its real switch was located on the top of the unit, an old design no longer compliant with safety regulations. None of them were dressed to spend eight hours at that temperature. They were looking at risking hypothermia before too long. They had few options available to them, though. Glass shattered in the lab. The wolf had likely knocked over the new bottles Rosa had so carefully inscribed. One of those basic orders was going to be a warmth potion; Mel couldn¡¯t help thinking that if all this had happened just an hour later, they wouldn¡¯t have needed to worry about the cold at all. All this, for what? Gus had never hurt anyone. The law was unambiguous¡ª anyone who carried the curse was to turn themselves over to the authorities voluntarily¡ª but she couldn¡¯t blame him for staying hidden. She would have done the same thing. Gus never worked a rigid schedule. Like Mel, he was only there part time, and it seemed he¡¯d always managed to be home on the night of the full moon. She didn¡¯t know how undercover werewolves usually lived. Sometimes the state distributed informational pamphlets on or around the full moon, but these were meant to scare people into turning in their neighbors, not educate them. Arthur wasn¡¯t a rare case, that much she knew. Common knowledge had it that nearly all werewolves taken into custody were given up by someone who knew them. Mel had once read an account of one such informant who deeply regretted that choice years down the road. The authorities had a way of making it seem as though there were no other moral option. How could you live with yourself, the talking point went, if someone you knew to be a werewolf lost track of the time one month, turned, and killed their entire family? Not only would you never be able to forgive yourself, neither would your werewolf friend. It was the best thing for everyone to turn them in. Mel wondered if Arthur had considered keeping Gus¡¯s secret. Did he fall prey to visions of Gus rampaging through the streets inspired by those awful pamphlets? Or was there no hesitation whatsoever, never even a stray thought of sparing his youngest employee? Arthur finally broke away from listening at the door and noticed her staring at him. Mel blinked a few times too many as she averted her gaze. ¡°We should probably try to stay awake,¡± he noted. ¡°For one thing, it¡¯s too cold in here to be losing consciousness for long stretches at a time. For another, there¡¯s no telling what that thing might decide to do. Best to stay alert. We¡¯ve got a lot of night to get through. We can try sleeping in shifts if we have to, but let¡¯s face it¡ª you two were going to be up all night, anyway. I¡¯ve already worked a full fourteen hour shift today.¡± Before her frustration with this remark could fully manifest, Mel saw an opportunity for relief from his anger. ¡°That¡¯s a really good point, Arthur. You should try to get some sleep.¡± He seemed to sense something he didn¡¯t like in her voice, eyeing her with displeasure, but didn¡¯t pursue it. ¡°Fuck knows what I¡¯m going to do tomorrow. Maybe we can push the orders back one day. A lot of people order ahead, so it won¡¯t be a big deal to delay them. We don¡¯t have that many orders- we¡¯ll have to just lump them all together.¡± Arthur sat down. ¡°You and Rosa will move your shift from overnight to morning.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°I think you might be in shock or something, Arthur,¡± Rosa said through chattering teeth. ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t want you to be surprised if we can¡¯t do any brewing tomorrow, is all. There¡¯s a good chance we¡¯ll have to close for a few days, right? Just to do repairs, is all.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t afford repairs,¡± Arthur said. ¡°No, no, I get that, I just think that maybe we won¡¯t really have a choice?¡± As if to make her point, the sound of metal crashing against metal rang from outside. If Mel had to guess, she¡¯d have said the werewolf had thrown one table against the other. Mel quickly said, ¡°We won¡¯t know anything tonight. Let¡¯s figure it out in the morning, all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m getting some sleep,¡± Arthur grumbled, turning away from them. He fell silent. Relieved, Mel relaxed her shoulders and nodded reassuringly to Rosa. Rosa repositioned herself to rest her head on her knees and closed her eyes. They fell into silence, Arthur seemingly asleep, Mel thinking through the events of the evening in an uncontrollable loop, and Rosa doing everything she could to warm herself. Mel scooted off of her apron and wrapped it around Rosa¡¯s shoulders. Rosa almost protested, but couldn¡¯t bring herself to refuse. Following a volley of breaking glass, the werewolf went quiet, too. Mel tried to estimate how much time had passed as she moved closer to Rosa, putting an arm around her, trying to offer body heat she no longer had to give. She guessed anywhere from one to two hours. Arthur was going to get them killed. He already had in Gus¡¯s case. Her eyes landed on his left arm. He had an old scar there from when his father used to put out cigarettes on him, too obscure to make out at the moment, but there nonetheless. Mel often looked at it when she needed to remind herself that he¡¯d had it hard. Mel risked whispering to Rosa, ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Arthur didn¡¯t stir. ¡°I¡¯m tired. But I¡¯m okay. I wanted to tell you something.¡± Lowering her voice further and eyeing Arthur, Rosa said, ¡°You were wrong about him. He was never different.¡± Mel didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°I think I¡¯ll try to get some sleep,¡± Rosa changed the subject. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good idea, sweetheart. I¡¯m a little worried about you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that cold in here,¡± Rosa struggled to protest. ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re in t-shirts. We¡¯ve got a long way to go before sunrise. I¡¯d tell you to do some jumping jacks, but there¡¯s not exactly room to move around.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there some way to shut this thing off?¡± Arthur snapped to attention. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. Do you have any idea how much product is in here? It would cost a fortune just to replace it all, let alone the orders getting even more delayed.¡± ¡°You might need to widen your perspective here,¡± Mel said. ¡°We¡¯re not just talking about the lab or the shop. We¡¯re talking about our lives.¡± ¡°I know you don¡¯t get this, but the shop is my life. It¡¯s my livelihood, and the livelihood of the people who work here. I have to think about all of them, Melody. I can¡¯t be selfish.¡± She wished she hadn¡¯t been forced to put her full legal name on her job application. Arthur used it like a bludgeon. The only other person who¡¯d ever called her that was her sweet grandmother. He was ruining the sound of it. ¡°Whether or not we have jobs in the morning won¡¯t matter if we die of hypothermia tonight,¡± Mel explained, trying to keep as much emotion out of her voice as possible. Arthur leaned toward her. ¡°If you¡¯re not worried about having a job, then good. You don¡¯t. I¡¯m sick of your bad attitude. You¡¯re impossible to please, you¡¯re pessimistic, and you drag everybody else down. You¡¯re fired.¡± ¡°Fired from what? There¡¯s not going to be a shop left! The lab is ruined and we¡¯re all going to freeze to death!¡± Again Mel felt a swell of panic, and again it subsided when a sense of peace rushed over her. Mel didn¡¯t speak to people this way. She didn¡¯t enjoy it, she didn¡¯t want to keep doing it, but gritting her teeth and pretending nothing was wrong with the way he treated her felt a thousand times worse. She wasn¡¯t going to let him get away with it anymore. Arthur slapped her full across the face. Mel had never been hit before¡ª she¡¯d led a fairly charmed life in some ways¡ª and it hurt worse than she¡¯d have imagined. The cold played no small part in this. Mel gasped, holding her face with both hands, cowering as far from Arthur as the cramped space would allow. Though he did frighten her, it was her own fury that caused her to draw back. She wanted to attack him. To break his hand. To rip out his smart-ass tongue. To bash his head against the wall until she¡¯d beaten the lies out of him. He deserved it. She deserved to do it. Rosa, looking around in confusion and shaking uncontrollably next to her, didn¡¯t deserve any of this. It was difficult to tell in the dim light, but her pupils seemed too dilated. The power switch on the top of the freezer¨C Mel could reach it if she climbed the racks. The werewolf hadn¡¯t made a sound in ages. It might¡¯ve moved to another part of the shop; it might have left altogether. Odds were she was wrong and would die in the process, but she believed she could make it to the power switch first. Mel lunged forward and grabbed Arthur¡¯s arm. She pulled hard and fast, knocking him off his balance, and he tumbled away from the door. Mel burst out of the walk-in and slammed the door shut behind her. Chapter Six Mel slid to the ground, tears streaming down her face. A fit of laughter tried to bubble out of her throat when she realized that she usually went into the walk-in to cry. Mel held it back. The lab was empty and utterly ruined. It was as though whatever the wolf had wanted to do to them, it had settled on doing to the building instead. Every glass jar Rosa had prepared was broken. One of the tables was leaning up against the mixer. Three lights were shattered, leaving only one intact in the far right corner of the room. Mel pushed herself off the ground and turned to survey the damage to the door. Long claw marks raked its entire surface, but it didn¡¯t look like it would give out anytime soon. She brushed flecks of white paint from her back as she listened, trying to make sense of a nearby sound. The werewolf was tearing apart the front room¡ª probably the only reason it hadn¡¯t come running when the walk-in door slammed. Mel slid along the walk-in over to its side, next to the open pantry. She wiped her sweaty palms on her shirt and tested her weight on the shelves. Rosa had climbed them a couple of times with no trouble to reach some seldom-used gadget from the top, but she weighed considerably less than Mel. The bottom shelf, only a few inches off the ground, took her weight without protest. She stepped onto the second shelf and gingerly pulled herself up. Her arm brushed a metal measuring cup, knocking it to the ground in a deafening clatter. Mel held her breath. The chaos up front had abated, but the wolf didn¡¯t react to the fallen cup in any way evident to her. With a couple of deep breaths to reset her nerves, Mel climbed to the third shelf. She reached across the space between the shelves and the walk-in. Lacking any footholds or handles to grip, Mel didn¡¯t know exactly how she would get on top of it. She didn¡¯t have time to form a plan. Pulling herself to the top shelf and bending awkwardly to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling, she situated herself such that she was facing the walk-in. She threw herself at it gracelessly. Her ribs slammed against the top edge. Mel grunted, far too loud, and this time heard the wolf huff in response. A surge of adrenaline brought her scrambling onto the top of the walk-in just in time to see the werewolf reenter the lab. Mel pressed herself flat and watched without blinking as it surveyed the room. It sniffed the air, catching and following a scent to the walk-in, beyond her field of vision. It sniffed again, huffed, and hit the door once before stalking away to the back hall. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. From the safety of her hiding spot, she took the chaos in anew. In all honesty¡ª and given her position, how much worse could honesty make things?¡ª the destruction was beautiful. How every broken thing seemed to announce the brokenness of other things. The flickering of the lights catching in the shards of glass. Water dripping from the hand sink¡¯s cracked pipe puddling where the wolf had stomped a small crater in the tiles. A slight breeze coming in through the shattered window scattering shreds of Arthur¡¯s green apron across the dry parts of the floor. Mel wasn¡¯t afraid anymore. She was inspired. If she¡¯d had any water to bless, she would have gladly taken the time to do it with her spirit this light and energized. This thought made her realize that her blessing from earlier in the evening had so far held strong; the pot of water remained untouched. On pure instinct, Mel closed her eyes and let her ego go. The will of the universe came to her, and she greeted it with joy. Mel had never performed this ritual lying down. She¡¯d never had a reason to. At a great distance from herself, she watched her worry arise but find no purchase. Energy unlike any she¡¯d ever felt before streamed through the base of her skull. She directed it away from her spine, over the top of her head, out through the middle of her forehead to the water below. She opened her eyes. The water emitted an iridescent white glow and, if she strained to hear it, a faint and unidentifiable tune. This was far beyond any minor blessing she¡¯d ever performed. ¡°I¡¯ll save you, Rosa,¡± Mel whispered. She added, ¡°And I¡¯ll avenge you, Gus.¡± Mel awkwardly shuffled herself around until she found the off switch for the walk-in. She hit it with more venom than necessary. It took Arthur a few moments to put together what had happened. Then came a flurry of muffled screaming, of fists and boots against the inside of the door. The terror that shot through Mel made no sense. He couldn¡¯t hope to get to her before the wolf got to him. She could already hear its claws clicking in their direction. The wolf walked back into the lab on all fours, watching the walk-in door with frustrated intensity. Mel saw intelligence in its expression. She saw something familiar, too. Arthur cracked the walk-in door open and screamed, ¡°Turn that back on right now!¡± Mel shrank away. The wolf leapt clear across the room, crashing against the door with all of its weight, closing it again. Arthur cried out, then quickly silenced himself. The wolf beat on the door over and over again, the blows reverberating against her belly, before finally stepping back and letting out a long, hate-filled series of barks and growls. It squatted in the middle of the room, its back to Mel, rubbing its head and neck with its front paws in frustration. She squirmed her way slowly, silently forward. She¡¯d seen that body language before. When Arthur¡¯s voice came screaming through the laptop speakers at the start of their team meeting¡ª she¡¯d seen it then. Kit. Chapter Seven Mel looked over the lab again. Rosa¡¯s pocketbook of sigils hadn¡¯t been touched. Nor had any of the other aprons, only Arthur¡¯s. Was it possible Arthur had been right that he was the sole target? He seemed to have more sense of his actions than Mel would have anticipated, but she couldn¡¯t be sure to what extent Kit knew what he was doing. For instance, he hadn¡¯t worked out how to open the walk-in door yet. He might not recognize her. Kit shook off his anger and stalked away to the back room again. Mel slid to the edge of the walk-in, her belly and arms covered in dust. Turning off the walk-in might not be enough to save Rosa. Mel had more to work with than she¡¯d hoped: she had powerfully blessed water, a good chance at recovering one of the freshness sigils, and a poor but extant chance at convincing Kit not to kill her. She swung her legs out and shifted her weight to carefully begin lowering herself. Mindful not to make any noise, she swallowed several grunts on her way down. She couldn¡¯t quite reach the floor. There was nothing else for it; Mel had to drop the last two feet. She hit the ground and rushed to the broken glass to pick up a shard with its sigil intact as Kit ran back to the lab. He halted just inside the door, head low, ears perked, nose working to untangle Mel¡¯s scent from everything around her. ¡°Kit,¡± she ventured, her voice gentle. ¡°Kit, it¡¯s Mel. You know me, right?¡± He cocked his head, eyes locked on hers. Was there enough wolf that she should look away, or enough Kit that she should hold eye contact? She decided to try the latter. If there wasn¡¯t enough Kit, she didn¡¯t have much of a chance for survival, anyway. Kit broke eye contact first. He glanced in the direction of the stove, looked back at her, and then stepped further into the room. Mel moved closer to him as well. She held out the shard of glass for him to see. ¡°I think I can use this to help Rosa. She¡¯s in danger, Kit. I blessed this water,¡± she explained, indicating the pot, ¡°and I think I can use it to enhance the sigil. See, freshness derives from protection,¡± she stammered, feeling like an idiot, ¡°and that sigil is in the same family as healing, isn¡¯t it?¡± He approached her on all fours. Mel¡¯s grip on the shard tightened and she felt it bite into her skin. Kit sniffed her outstretched arm, sat back on his haunches, and to her surprise, nodded. ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much.¡± Mel dipped the glass halfway into the luminous water and held it there. She could sense Kit watching her. Just as she started to shake her head at herself, a flash of light from the water sent her stumbling back involuntarily. The pearlescent glow of the blessing remained with the shard in her hand. Its sharp edges were smoothed, harmless now. The water looked normal again. ¡°Almost looks like an opal,¡± Mel said, showing Kit as though he would have a comment. ¡°Rosa is in the walk-in with Arthur. I think this could work. I¡¯m going to have to go in there to help her.¡± She lowered her eyes and her voice at once. ¡°I know why you¡¯re here. I know that there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop you from doing what you want. But I also know that you can¡¯t get that door open without me. Please, just let me get Rosa to safety. You know she doesn¡¯t deserve to get hurt.¡± Mel held her hand out to his nose. Kit sniffed, stared into her eyes, then bowed so that her palm was on his head. She pressed it gently and said, ¡°I knew you would help. That¡¯s how it¡¯s always been. We stick together, we look out for each other, we do the impossible. You guys have kept me sane the last few years. I love you.¡± Kit pushed past her palm and thrust his head against her shoulder, nuzzling her. She scratched his neck. ¡°Let¡¯s get Rosa.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Mel went to the walk-in and knocked twice to let them know she was coming in. She eased the door open just enough to show herself. Rosa had taken off her shoes and rolled her shirt up to her midriff. Mel remembered the term from her first aid class: paradoxical undressing, a symptom of severe hypothermia. She looked in Mel¡¯s direction, confused. ¡°Oh, sweetheart,¡± Mel said. Arthur hissed, ¡°You are paying for every single item in here. Every one. You didn¡¯t care when it was my money, but I bet you will¡ª¡° He froze when Mel opened the door wider, revealing Kit behind her. She said, ¡°Rosa, can you hear me? You need to come out of there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rosa mumbled. ¡°I know I shouldn¡¯t be barefoot in the lab. I just got so warm.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be okay. We¡¯re all going to be okay. Come on out.¡± When Rosa tried to roll her weight forward, Arthur threw his arm out to stop her, sending her tumbling back against a box of pickled moss. ¡°Don¡¯t fall for it,¡± he barked. ¡°She¡¯s working with that thing. Why else would it just stand there like that?¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Mel spoke over him, ¡°it¡¯s not like that. He¡¯s calmed down. We all just need to calm down.¡± ¡°He?¡± Arthur stood, blocking Rosa from view. ¡°It¡¯s a he now? How could you possibly know that if you weren¡¯t working together?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s¡­¡± Mel caught herself before outing Kit. Arthur had already proven he couldn¡¯t be trusted with that information. ¡°It¡¯s Gus. I recognized him, and he knows who I am, too. He¡¯s not going to hurt Rosa. Just let her out so I can help her.¡± ¡°Gus was arrested over a week ago. He¡¯s long gone by now.¡± His cold acknowledgement of the consequence of what he¡¯d done infuriated her. ¡°Obviously, he got away. Move, Arthur. Can¡¯t you see that she¡¯s seriously in need of medical attention?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot. This whole thing was planned. You think I can¡¯t put two and two together? All of a sudden the key goes missing, you can¡¯t get a hold of Kit, you won¡¯t work without it, I have to come here, and all on a full moon? Oh, the twelve foot werewolf must have followed me in without anyone noticing, right? Bullshit. Every last piece was planned.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being paranoid,¡± Mel snapped, exasperated. ¡°Oh yeah? How do you explain that thing sitting there like a docile puppy when it was ready to rip me limb from limb before?¡± ¡°I already told you, this is Gus.¡± ¡°Then why did he try to attack me at all? Gus never even raised his voice.¡± Squeezing her eyes shut in frustration, Mel screamed, ¡°Because he hates you! We all hate you! You¡¯re a horrible fucking person!¡± She braced for the comeback, but none came. It was the first time she¡¯d ever seen Arthur rendered speechless. Knowing it wouldn¡¯t last, Mel took advantage of his shock and pushed past him to collect Rosa. She helped Rosa stand and guided her out of the walk-in. They moved to a spot relatively clear of glass and debris, then Mel lowered Rosa gently to the ground. Kit sat staring at Arthur. She¡¯d expected him to attack the moment they were out of his way, but he only waited, watched, breathed. ¡°Here,¡± Mel said, holding the shard she¡¯d blessed up to Rosa¡¯s face. ¡°Suck on this. Don¡¯t bite it or try to eat it. Just pretend it¡¯s a lollipop.¡± Rosa took the shard, but she couldn¡¯t make sense of it, and eventually looked back to Mel helplessly. ¡°I¡¯ve got you.¡± Mel moved the shard to Rosa¡¯s lips, grateful its edges had been dulled. Rosa opened her mouth. ¡°Just like that. It¡¯s candy. Good, good,¡± Mel encouraged her. ¡°You¡¯re some piece of work,¡± Arthur broke his silence at last. Mel turned to him. He was still in the walk-in, held there by Kit¡¯s intense unwavering stare. ¡°I¡¯m sure. You can tell me all about it once Rosa¡¯s better.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know WHAT RIGHT you think you have¡ª¡± Arthur began what sounded like an excruciatingly long tirade, but just as his yelling began to trigger a panic response in Mel, it triggered something in Kit, too. Eyes flashing, lips pulled back, he growled as he stepped toward Arthur. ¡°Wait,¡± Mel tried, but she sensed it was a hopeless effort. Kit leapt at Arthur. Arthur ducked and dove under him, sliding along the lab floor until he hit the sink. Kit slammed into the walk-in shelving and yipped. He tried to stand too quickly and fell over. Arthur scrambled to his feet and disappeared through the exit. Chapter Eight ¡°Is Gus okay?¡± Rosa asked. She was sitting up now, her eyes clear and focused, her shirt pulled back down. ¡°Rosa!¡± Mel embraced her. In her relief, her body lowered its defenses, and she shuddered out two long-overdue sobs that quickly devolved into laughter ¡°I can¡¯t believe that worked! I would¡¯ve been laughed out of class for that shit.¡± Rosa took a closer look at the object she¡¯d been sucking on and recognized her carving. ¡°What¡­ you used a freshness sigil for a healing spell? You can do spells?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually a potion,¡± Mel said, not believing it herself. ¡°In a solid object?¡± ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t care how it worked.¡± ¡°Rosa!¡± They both jumped. Rosa¡¯s wives, Jenny and Vera, burst into the room and joined Mel in hugging her. ¡°Wha- what are you doing here?¡± Mel extracted herself, ready to ask more questions, but thought better of it when she saw the desperate relief with which they were squeezing, kissing, and checking Rosa over. She¡¯d never seen Vera without charmingly coiffed hair and a painstakingly coordinated outfit. Even the pajamas she wore now were adorable. Jenny, on the other hand, looked the same as ever in her t-shirt and sweatpants. A sound from behind her reminded Mel that Kit was still in the walk-in. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you hit your head?¡± She approached the walk-in slowly, speaking in loud and clear tones to keep from surprising him. Kit turned to her and fell again. She rushed to him, checking his head for injuries but finding none. Kit¡¯s labored breathing scared her. He lifted one paw and made a weak swipe at his chest. Mel spotted something sticking out of him. Her eyes widened as she realized out loud, ¡°Arthur had a knife on him?¡± From behind her, Jenny said, ¡°It must be silver. He said he suspected there would be retaliation, right? He was prepared for it.¡± ¡°How did you¡ª What do I do? Do I take it out?¡± ¡°We need to restrain him first,¡± Vera said. Rosa told her, ¡°He isn¡¯t normal. I saw it. He¡¯s in control of himself.¡± They each exchanged looks, and Mel watched with admiration as Rosa wordlessly assured her wives they would be safe. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Jenny allowed. ¡°Once the silver is out, he¡¯ll heal.¡± Mel gripped the knife handle and whispered to Kit, ¡°This will help,¡± before yanking it out. She felt a flood of endorphins in her own body when she flung the knife away from him, as though the pain relief had been hers to share. Kit¡¯s breathing calmed and he was able to get to his feet again. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°That¡¯s better, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mel asked, offering her hand. Kit nuzzled his head into her palm. ¡°You¡¯re bonded,¡± Vera said with wonder. She and Jenny were still holding Rosa, who was looking on in astonishment. ¡°We¡¯ve been through some rough shit together, I guess.¡± Mel got the feeling that wasn¡¯t what Vera meant. Rosa showed her wives the glass shard Mel had given her. ¡°That¡¯s how she was able to make this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a healing potion, but in a solid object, and with all the wrong ingredients,¡± Rosa explained breathelessly. ¡°And it still worked better than any I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°What does¡­ Gus have to do with that?¡± Mel hoped her near slip would go unnoticed, but Jenny¡¯s eyes narrowed on her. ¡°Oh, Mel, that¡¯s not Gus,¡± Rosa told her gently. ¡°Wait, how could you know that? What is going ON? Why are your wives here, and how much do you really know?¡± Jenny countered, ¡°You clearly know more than you¡¯re letting on, too. You knew that wasn''t Gus.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I should¡­¡± Kit nudged her shoulder with his nose. He looked her in the eyes. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He nodded. Mel took a deep breath and told them, ¡°This is Kit.¡± ¡°Of course it is,¡± Jenny muttered, rolling her eyes. ¡°You idiot!¡± Vera took off her hat and threw it at Kit, who didn¡¯t flinch. Rosa only gave him a look of pained understanding and sighed. Mel inferred, ¡°You all knew about Kit and Gus before any of this, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°We help people like them. Rosa got both of them this job,¡± Vera said. ¡°For all the good it did,¡± Rosa sighed. ¡°We failed Gus. I should have gotten them both out of here months ago. I knew Arthur wasn¡¯t sympathetic. I just never would have thought he¡¯d¡­¡± ¡°But why here?¡± Mel asked. ¡°Is there something about potions?¡± ¡°No,¡± Vera answered, ¡°it¡¯s just the building. There¡¯s a basement nobody uses. Big, windowless, easy to secure. Gus and Kit would use it to bunker down during full moons.¡± Jenny said, ¡°Which is exactly what Kit is supposed to be doing right now.¡± Mel clenched a fistful of Kit¡¯s fur. ¡°Did you hear Arthur earlier, Rosa? He admitted he knew Gus wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly, werewolf or not. And he still turned him in.¡± ¡°Is everyone ok?¡± Jenny cut in. ¡°We need to get moving as soon as we¡¯re able to.¡± ¡°Moving?¡± Rosa explained, ¡°Arthur¡¯s probably already called the police. You and Kit need to come with us. Anyone who¡¯s been exposed to a werewolf on a full moon is treated as having been bitten until proven otherwise.¡± Jenny added, ¡±Proving otherwise is sometimes a postmortem process.¡± The feeling Mel had identified as inspiration flooded her again, along with the sense that she could do anything¡ª or more to the point, that no one could stop her if they wanted to. It frightened her. She knew it had something to do with Kit. Mel wanted to stay with Rosa, keep an eye on her, and get answers from her and her wives. She had so many questions it was making her lightheaded. But she understood something now that made it impossible for her to run away with them. ¡°Arthur doesn¡¯t deserve to get away,¡± Mel told them. Jenny crossed her arms and said, ¡°We can¡¯t risk it. Absolutely not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unforgivable,¡± Mel said. ¡°What he did. No, I¡¯m not letting him go.¡± ¡°We have to go. This isn¡¯t an argument. State hunters could be here any second.¡± Kit huffed. Mel shared a look with him as the others readied to leave. ¡°We¡¯re not coming. We¡¯re going after Arthur.¡± ¡°Mel,¡± Rosa began, but Jenny cut her off: ¡°We don¡¯t have time to change her mind.¡± Vera slid a purple quartz necklace out from under her shirt and undid the clasp. Rosa touched her own matching necklace, smiling. ¡°At least take this,¡± Vera offered to Mel. ¡°When you focus, you¡¯ll be able to hear through Rosa¡¯s necklace in your mind. It¡¯s only one way, though. Best we can do.¡± Mel accepted it. ¡°So that¡¯s how you knew to come here. Thank you. Please, please stay safe. Will I¡­¡± She touched Rosa¡¯s arm. ¡°Am I ever going to see you again?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get rid of us,¡± Rosa promised. ¡°You have no idea what the two of you could mean.¡± She hugged Mel tightly and added, ¡°Or how much you mean to me.¡± ¡°I think I know,¡± Mel replied. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jenny urged them as gently as she could. ¡°Mel, tune in to that necklace. We have a lot to tell you.¡± ¡°I will.¡± As Mel led Kit out of the lab, Vera called after her, ¡°There¡¯s too much at stake to throw away on that asshole.¡± Chapter Nine Arthur had left the front door unlocked. As Mel and Kit emerged outside, she knew she should usher them to a quieter side street, but her mind wouldn¡¯t accept that as a priority. Every thought, feeling, instinct, and inclination bent inevitably to Arthur. He was getting away from her. Kit sniffed the sidewalk for a few seconds and pointed eastward. He knelt down beside her and nodded at her to climb onto his back. At her fastest, she couldn¡¯t match half his pace. Mel obeyed. She moved carefully in spite of the fact that Kit was far more likely to accidentally hurt her than she him¡ª if she even could hurt him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as though he were giving her a piggy back ride. Kit shook to loosen her grip and rose, standing on all fours. Mel pushed herself upright, found her balance, and took hold of the long fur on Kit¡¯s neck. ¡°I think I¡¯m ready,¡± she whispered. He eased her into his stride, walking for a few paces before picking up speed. Mel¡¯s body seemed to attune itself to Kit¡¯s. Soon they were racing down the sidewalk, eyes gleaming with matched intensity, Kit following Arthur¡¯s scent while Mel scanned the road for his green truck. The necklace bounced against Mel¡¯s chest. It pulled at her mind, asking for attention. When Kit slowed at an intersection to sniff the air, she took a moment to grant that attention. ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t¡­ familiar¡­ If we can¡­¡± Rosa¡¯s voice faded in and out of Mel¡¯s thoughts. She tried to connect long enough to get some sense of the message, but could only catch a couple of words at a time. ¡°¡­Anyone¡­ as long as¡­ Mel, if you¡¯re hearing this, please¡ª¡° Kit picked up the pace again, knocking Rosa¡¯s voice from her mind entirely. There were few lights on in the houses they passed. Fewer cars on the road still. If they could catch up to Arthur quickly, they might actually stand a chance of avoiding too much attention. She could find a place for them to hide¡ª the woods outside town spanned over ten miles¡ª and then listen to Rosa¡¯s message after dealing with Arthur. ¡°There!¡± Mel cried out as they turned a corner. Arthur¡¯s van sat stalled out at a light down the block. She tightened her grip on Kit¡¯s fur and leaned low as he pursued the van in great bounds. She thought she could hear muffled cursing from inside the van as Arthur turned its engine over time and again. As they neared, Kit took one more flying leap over the van. He landed a few feet ahead of Arthur, bared his teeth, and turned around slowly. Mel met Arthur¡¯s eye. She could feel the impact of her gaze as surely as if she¡¯d reached out and struck him. Blank terror fell over his face, and Mel smiled. His horn blared as she slid from Kit¡¯s back. The two of them approached slowly, wary after he¡¯d managed to stab Kit, but Arthur¡¯s entire being was focused solely on pressing the horn. Mel hit the driver¡¯s side window with her palm. Arthur flinched, but didn¡¯t ease off. She tried twice more before asking Kit, ¡°Could you break the window?¡± Gently easing her aside, Kit struck the window while letting out a vicious bark. He broke through. His arm was raked up to the elbow by shards of glass clung together with film. ¡°Fuck¡ª help me!¡± Arthur cried, his voice too shaken to reach its normal bellow. Kit pulled a small sheet of broken glass out as he extracted his arm. His lacerations healed shut. Mel stepped up to the window. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Get out of the car,¡± she said. ¡°Fuck you.¡± Arthur hit the horn again, a short burst this time. ¡°Get out.¡± He wouldn¡¯t even look at her. She¡¯d caught him¡ª he was hers now¡ª and he wouldn¡¯t even look her in the eye. She told Kit, ¡°Pull him out.¡± Arthur threw his arms over his head and yelled in a barely coherent string, ¡°NonostopnoI¡¯ll LEAVE.¡± He shuddered and unbuckled his seatbelt, his head still turned away from them as he opened the door and slid out. He positioned himself so that Mel stood between him and Kit. Mel could feel Kit¡¯s breath on her back. ¡°Arthur.¡± He didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Arthur. Can¡¯t you just look at me? I want to talk.¡± ¡°The fuck you do!¡± She couldn¡¯t help thinking he looked like a little boy afraid to face his parents. ¡°Aren¡¯t you even sorry?¡± His belligerence overtook his fear, and he finally looked at her. ¡°For what?¡± The flare of rage that followed terrified Mel. Her vision darkened, her ears rang, and it suddenly seemed that all the world shrank to this one man. Then Kit growled, sending a visible shiver through Arthur. Mel took a breath and said, ¡°I thought we were friends.¡± ¡°This is how you treat your friends?¡± ¡°Obviously I¡¯m not stupid enough to think that anymore. I meant in the beginning. You said we were like family to you. Did you ever actually care about any of us?¡± This wasn¡¯t what she¡¯d envisioned while pursuing him. None of it was right. ¡°How can you ask that after all I¡¯ve done for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about what you think I owe you. I¡¯m asking if you ever truly gave one fuck about us.¡± He only stared at her. ¡°I thought we were friends,¡± she repeated, trying to relay all that this had once meant to her: the trust, respect, encouragement, and joy wrapped in that word. ¡°Why do you treat people like this? How can you sleep at night? Don¡¯t you understand how badly you¡¯ve hurt everyone?¡± ¡°Ok,¡± he said, throwing up his palms. ¡°Fine. I¡¯m a horrible person. You hunted me down to have a werewolf murder me in the street, but it¡¯s my fault, because I¡¯m so terrible. Is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡° ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?!¡± Kit loomed over Mel, snarling and digging his claws into the van¡¯s roof. He lunged, snapping his great jaws in the air next to Arthur¡¯s head, and withdrew. ¡°No, this isn¡¯t right,¡± Mel hissed. She squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°It can¡¯t be like this. You ruined a man¡¯s life. You told Gus he was family, and you threw away his life like it was nothing. Just be sorry!¡± Mel opened her eyes again and saw only childlike fear on Arthur¡¯s face. He was fixated on Kit now. She finally understood: if he¡¯d been capable of caring about anyone, none of them would be where they were. A sense clearer than words came into Mel¡¯s mind. Kit wanted her to move away from Arthur. She shook her head, tears stinging her eyes, and the sense turned into insistence. ¡°No,¡± she mumbled, ¡°none of this is right.¡± Mel turned away from Arthur and met eyes with Kit. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I can¡¯t do it.¡± Kit took a couple of long strides backwards and sat on his haunches, studying her. There were tears in his eyes, too. He gave a confused keening sound and urged her to explain with a tilt of his head. ¡°I thought I wanted¡­ Please believe me, I thought I did.¡± Kit pushed the thought of Gus at her, hard, but Mel knew she couldn¡¯t change her mind. Rising on his back legs once more, Kit let out a long, sorrowful howl and brought both fists down on Arthur¡¯s van. Mel hadn¡¯t stopped him from killing Arthur; she couldn¡¯t. She¡¯d only stopped giving him her approval, and he wouldn¡¯t proceed without it. On sickeningly unsteady feet, Mel moved toward Kit. She heard Arthur gasping behind her. It didn¡¯t matter. One friend was dead, another on the run for her life, and here her poor, sweet, funny, level-headed Kit was on the verge of losing himself to grief. She reached out and lightly touched his elbow. A flash of light struck him inches above her hand. Mel turned in time to see people in robes running toward her, saw another flash, felt her shoulder hit the pavement, and lost consciousness. Chapter Ten Mel woke up tumbling, sharp pain in the shoulder she¡¯d landed on jolting her back to awareness. She smelled sweet fern and decaying leaves. Rolling over onto her back, she brushed wet pine needles from her face. The faint, intermittent glow of a containment barrier spell provided only enough light to see the people within it. Three figures moved around her. Two darted away, shouting frantically, while the third took halting, cautious steps toward her. Not quite toward her¡ª he was looking beside her, where Kit lay bound in silver shackles, whimpering. Mel shot upright and crawled to him. ¡°Hey, hey, I¡¯m here.¡± She repeated this as she looked him over, but it was only the silver hurting him. She moved her hands over the shackles in search of some way around their locks. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mel glanced at the figure who had approached her¡ª an older looking man in a windbreaker and ball cap. He had curiosity in his ragged, gentle voice. Well behind him, the other two captives pressed themselves against the barrier, as far from Kit as they could manage. Before she could answer the older man, something landed in the pine needles next to her. A set of keys. Someone moved beyond the barrier. Mel could hardly make out a silhouette, but she remembered the flash of light, remembered people dressed in dark robes surrounding her and Kit. The robes of the state hunters. Given that their stun spell had been able to subdue Kit long enough to restrain him, it was no wonder she¡¯d been knocked out. ¡°Take the keys,¡± a voice ordered her from outside. A hunter, Mel guessed. ¡°Take them and let the wolf out, or we¡¯ll¡ª¡± The hunter stopped short as Mel set to work unlocking Kit¡¯s shackles before he could even threaten her properly. A second voice asked the first, ¡°Is she crazy?¡± ¡°Suits our purposes,¡± another one grunted. ¡°It will kill us all,¡± the man in the ballcap told her gently. Still, he hadn¡¯t run away to join the other two. Mel realized the latter were both dressed in white lab coats. One of them waved at her frantically, calling out: ¡°You¡¯re going to get us all killed!¡± ¡°Do not interfere,¡± the hunters replied in unison. A pair of flickering, buzzing lights shone from the dark. Mel recognized it as offensive magic of some kind. She paid it no mind and undid the last of the locks. Unwilling to disobey the hunters, but too terrified to do nothing, the other captive gave a long, low moan cracked and weighted with the certainty of imminent death. Kit only whined. Once she slipped one of the chains loose, he stood and shook the rest from his body, then stepped around Mel as though hiding behind her. ¡°You¡¯re okay,¡± she assured him. ¡°I should have been more careful. Never should have let this happen. I don¡¯t even know why we¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too certain, either,¡± the man with the ball cap said, watching them. Some thirty feet away, the others were still backed against the barrier, but they¡¯d gone quiet. ¡°My name is Carter. It¡¯s very strange to meet you. You know, your friend should be tearing us all apart right now.¡± Mel looked him over. He had the look of a barfly comfortably settling in for the night paired with the voice of a professor in mid-lecture. Uneasy chatter started up from beyond the barrier: ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t it attacking?¡± ¡°Did we manage to hurt it?¡± An authoritative voice cut through. ¡°It¡¯s in a stupor from the silver. When it comes to, trust me, you won¡¯t want to see the scene here.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I¡¯m not squeamish.¡± ¡°You might not think so now,¡± the apparent leader laughed. ¡°We won¡¯t get to find out. Too many others to collect. Let¡¯s go.¡± Many footsteps and indistinct voices retreated from the area. Mel jumped when a new voice screamed from her left, ¡°Let me out! I¡¯m not one of them! I¡¯m out in the full moon, you morons, I¡¯m clearly not one of them!¡± Arthur had been captured alongside Mel and Kit. She spent the length of a long breath letting herself wish either she or Arthur had been killed, but Mel had already proven that wasn¡¯t what she really wanted. Carter laughed softly and asked, ¡°He¡¯s not too observant, is he? Aren¡¯t the rest of us out under the same full moon?¡± Arthur overheard this and quickly added, calling after people who were almost certainly out of earshot, ¡°I¡¯m not a sympathizer. I turned a werewolf in just last month!¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Carter said. ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡± As he walked over to Arthur, Mel got the feeling he gave Kit a wide berth more out of respect than fear. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Arthur demanded. ¡°Who are you people? Can¡¯t you tell them I¡¯m not with you?¡± ¡°I could,¡± Carter supposed, ¡°and it would do about as much good as telling them I¡¯m not a fan of peanut butter. You came in with that wolf, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°They tried to kill me,¡± Arthur answered, glaring at Mel. Carter took a brief look at her and shook his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. You¡¯d very likely be dead if that were true. As for what¡¯s happening, well, it¡¯s simple- when a werewolf is captured in its wolf form, anyone in close enough proximity to have been bitten gets taken into custody. Officially, they¡¯re kept under observation for the night to be sure no transformation takes place, followed by a thorough examination in the morning.¡± Holding a hand out to Arthur, Carter offered, ¡°Let¡¯s get you on your feet. Now, it¡¯s less dangerous for our brave hunters when the wolf has, unfortunately, already slaughtered everyone involved. And all the better if anyone who¡¯s made himself an inconvenience happens to get caught up in the mayhem.¡± He indicated and then reintroduced himself, ¡°Carter. The hunters will have gone to collect anyone else it would be convenient to lose tonight.¡± ¡°Arthur,¡± he replied. ¡°It¡¯s not convenient at all for me. I¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡± ¡°Not really a requirement, I¡¯m afraid. And the two you came in with?¡± ¡°Those murderers are Mel and Gus.¡± ¡°Dramatic asshole,¡± Mel muttered. Carter hummed, the curiosity returning to his voice. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s right, either. It¡¯s extraordinary enough that we¡¯ve had two werewolves in as many months. Now both of them are named Gus?¡± ¡°You knew¡­?¡± Mel instinctively reached for Kit, who¡¯d moved closer to her. ¡°You fucking liar,¡± Arthur spat at her. ¡°It¡¯s very strange indeed that we should be meeting,¡± Carter said evenly. ¡°Do you believe in dying wishes, by chance?¡± ¡°What?¡± Carter threw a right hook at Arthur¡¯s nose. It connected well, sending Arthur sprawling on his back with a wet thump and a groan. Kit¡¯s ears perked. He stood on all fours and took a protective step in front of Mel. Rubbing his right knuckles, Carter went on, ¡°I was very certain I would die tonight. I asked the universe for one thing and one thing only: Make sure whoever put that poor boy on my autopsy table pays for what they¡¯ve done. I¡¯m not so sure about dying, after all, but now I know I¡¯ll be at peace whenever it does happen.¡± He took his leave, moving to sit in the center of the containment field and nurse his injured hand. The thought of Gus on an autopsy table brought Mel a wave of vertigo. Did he have his pockets filled with snacks when they killed him? When they stripped him naked, did it make that same crinkling sound? Arthur continued to gasp and groan as he recovered himself, his hands wrapped over his face. Even now, seeing him in pain didn¡¯t make her feel any better. Though she had to admit that it didn¡¯t make her feel any worse, either. In the quiet, the necklace reminded her of its existence with a light pull on her mind. Mel grazed it with her fingers. There wasn¡¯t much else to be done. She closed her eyes and listened. ¡°¡­Save lives. Please. Don¡¯t let Kit hurt anyone.¡± Hearing Rosa¡¯s voice gave Mel a deep sense of comfort and loss at the same time. It was with great shame that she pictured herself instructing Kit to punch Arthur¡¯s window out. After a pause, Rosa went on, ¡°We¡¯re repeating this message for as long as we can. Mel, If you¡¯re hearing this, please don¡¯t let Kit hurt anyone. The two of you are special. We believe he¡¯s become something like a familiar to you. If we can replicate this, we could save lives. Go to the laundromat on Peck Avenue and Elm Street. Tell them I sent you. Please. Don¡¯t let Kit hurt anyone¡­ We¡¯re repeating this message for as long as we can.¡± A lot of good it did them now that Mel had let the hunters capture Kit. She¡¯d ruined everything. If she¡¯d only listened back at the lab, they could have all run away together, could have figured out what was happening and how to use it. Instead she had thrown everything away to pursue vengeance she hadn¡¯t even wanted. Chapter Eleven What did Mel want? After everything Arthur had done that night, and that week, and the last several years, she¡¯d thought it was to hurt him even a fraction of how much he¡¯d hurt everyone else. Even if that had been the case, she knew him. Anything anyone else did to hurt him only served as a retroactive justification for the pain he¡¯d caused, an excuse for him to lash out and cause even more. On some level, he¡¯d probably be grateful for it. No, the worst thing that could happen to Arthur would be for him to see his own behavior clearly. Not that it mattered now. Even with her life on the line, all she could think about was him. Mel decided to turn her attention to Carter instead. She asked abruptly, ¡°You work for the state? A hunter?¡± Still sitting by himself, Carter turned to face her. He took off his cap and ran his uninjured hand through his hair. ¡°I work with the state, sometimes, but I¡¯ve never been a hunter. I study werewolves. Every few years, the hunters ask me to look at one of the wolves they¡¯ve caught. I don¡¯t condone their methods. I do take advantage of the chance to learn. Last month was the first time they brought me someone still in human form.¡± Carter stared at his hat for a silent moment. He put it back on and continued, ¡°I thought I¡¯d gotten pretty good at hiding my disgust. Turns out I was wrong. Apparently, I was angry enough to get myself labeled as a dangerous sympathizer, along with my assistants, Masha and Suresh.¡± Mel had all but forgotten about the other captives, who Carter indicated now with a wave of his hand. They were too busy trying to comfort one another to notice the introduction. As opposed to Carter¡¯s relaxed attire, Masha and Suresh looked like they¡¯d been snatched straight from a lab. One of them still wore a pair of nitrile gloves they¡¯d clearly forgotten about. Fighting to keep her voice steady, Mel told Carter, ¡°Gus was our friend.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m doubly glad I could punch that man here tonight, where you were able to watch. Surprising that you didn¡¯t beat me to it.¡± He studied her. ¡°Mel and not-Gus. What can I call your friend here?¡± Thinking it over, Mel decided, ¡°He and him pronouns are fine.¡± ¡°So you haven¡¯t given up on surviving the night.¡± Carter¡¯s eyes beamed. ¡°I like you. Has he always had control over his wolf form? I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡± ¡°No. This only started tonight. We think it¡¯s some kind of magician and familiar relationship.¡± ¡°Very unlikely,¡± he mused. ¡°Magicians create their familiars from their own store of magic. They¡¯re terrible at manipulating magic outside of their own. No offense, of course.¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m not actually a magician. I mean, I brew potions, but that¡¯s different, obviously.¡± ¡°Different indeed¡­¡± Carter got to his feet. ¡°You do the blessings in-house?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my specialty,¡± Mel confirmed. ¡°You would be very used to manipulating magic, then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not exactly how I would describe it.¡± As she got her thoughts in order, Mel scratched Kit¡¯s ears, calming him enough that he sat beside her. ¡°I don¡¯t manipulate it, I work with it. Really, if you want to be any good, you¡¯re not taking control- you¡¯re giving it up. The magic uses you as a conduit. Then you present what you want, but it¡¯s a request, not a demand.¡± ¡°I see.¡± He took a step toward them and watched Kit¡¯s eyes intently. ¡°Remarkable. It¡¯s quite the opposite of what you said, I think. He hasn¡¯t become your familiar; you¡¯ve become his.¡± Kit and Mel looked at one another with uncertainty. She asked, ¡°How would I have done that?¡± ¡°The wolf is bent on destruction. We see this in every case, without fail. The human is not in control, and won¡¯t remember anything they did in wolf form, but¡ª now and then, we see something different. Focused destruction. A target or a purpose of some kind. In such cases, the human will remember vague flashes of their actions afterwards, and the damage may be less severe because the wolf will ignore whatever is outside of its focus. Once this goal is either achieved or taken away from the wolf, chaos returns. Are you following so far?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Mel answered. She was picturing the lab after Kit tore through it. Arthur¡¯s green apron torn to pieces. ¡°Am I correct in assuming your friend was focused on something?¡± ¡°Arthur was his target. When I saw how he¡¯d destroyed the lab, there was this feeling that came over me¡­¡± She looked at Arthur. He covered his face with one hand and felt the barrier with the other, muttering to himself, searching for some way out. Mel said, ¡°I stopped feeling afraid. Arthur, he¡­ he¡¯s hurt us so much. Gus was the worst of it, but not everything. My other friend was in danger¡ª Arthur put her in danger¡ª and when I saw what the wolf had done, I had this feeling like I could do anything. I blessed some nearby water so I could heal my friend. It was the most powerful blessing I¡¯ve ever produced. More than powerful. It defied reason.¡± ¡°I would bet my life that was the moment,¡± Carter said. ¡°I wish I could have seen it. You took the raw destructive will of the wolf and channeled it, allowing your friend¡¯s human form to take control again. You shared a target. Imagine that.¡± He chuckled as he nodded toward Arthur. ¡°Imagine being a big enough asshole to potentially change the way we understand magic.¡± Mel couldn¡¯t help laughing. Arthur glared at them, though she didn¡¯t think he¡¯d heard their conversation. She turned to Kit to share an amused look, and saw only anger. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. For the first time, the extent of what he¡¯d been through sank in. They¡¯d each lost someone important to them in Gus. But Kit, he had lost kin, and he had been shown an all too likely vision of his own future in the process. She asked Kit, ¡°Did you know the whole time that it was Arthur who turned Gus in?¡± He shook his head. ¡°But you had a pretty good hunch.¡± Kit turned away from Arthur, huffing, to lie down on the pine needles. She stroked his fur with a light, comforting touch. Mel had thought she and the others shared a bond through their struggles. In truth, she hadn¡¯t had any idea what they were going through. Hadn¡¯t cared to. That wasn¡¯t quite right¡ª Mel cared about them deeply, but she¡¯d been too self-focused to see what was right in front of her. Little good her love from them did in that state. It all came back to Arthur. In this moment, in every moment for longer than she wanted to measure, her frustration with and fixation on how his behavior affected her choked everything else out. When all of this was said and done, even if they somehow managed to get out of it alive, would she go right back to neglecting the people who weren¡¯t hurting her? Mel asked Carter, ¡°Do you think we¡¯re like this forever now? When he¡¯s human again, will we still be bonded?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Like I said before, I¡¯ve never seen anything like this. You may be bonded for life, or you may need to renew it each time he transforms. Finding out would do wonders to advance our knowledge of the werewolf. The question of whether each transformation creates a new being, or reverts back to the same being, is one of the largest in the field.¡± Carter shook his head. ¡°No, we can¡¯t die tonight. We have far too much to do. Mel, I want you to try and channel your friend¡¯s energy again, and this time, direct it at the barrier.¡± Mel pushed her concerns aside for the moment. She needed to secure her survival before worrying about what came after. ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything like that before.¡± She got up and moved to the barrier, pressing, tapping, and scratching it. ¡°How do I use my magic?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not yours. It¡¯s his, and you¡¯ve already done it. You didn¡¯t know what you were doing at the time, but it¡¯s far more astonishing that you were able to use a werewolf¡¯s magic in a blessing. This will be easy. Destruction is its nature. All you need to do is point the energy that way.¡± Carter indicated the barrier with a reassuring smile. ¡°I can try.¡± Mel closed her eyes, trying not to notice that Carter¡¯s assistants were watching her now. ¡°I might need a minute.¡± ¡°Let me know if I can help.¡± With her focus turned inward, Mel realized how exhausted she felt. Her shoulder throbbed. Her muscles ached. Her heart beat slow and heavy, the way it did whenever she tried to fall asleep after too many sleepless nights. She stood straighter with that thought. It wasn¡¯t as though she was new to working under pressure. Mel imagined herself back in the lab, Arthur yelling at Kit for forgetting to order more witch hazel, Rosa shuffling through a stack of orders, and Gus¡­ Kit stood next to her. Her will slid aside easily, and what she now recognized as Kit¡¯s will took its place. Energy poured into her skull. Mel divided it this time: some went through her forehead, the rest down her arms and through both palms. The three points struck the barrier in a visible triangle, forming three holes the size of her fist. She held some energy back for the space of three seconds, then sent it out in a more focused wave. The holes grew to the size of dinner plates. Just as Mel began to feel that she could do this, the stream of energy abruptly ran dry. After catching her breath, she said, ¡°It¡¯s working. One or two more, and¡ª¡° The barrier hummed, flashed, and swiftly closed the holes she¡¯d made. She heard Arthur curse somewhere behind her. ¡°That was very good,¡± Carter spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ve proven the idea works. We only need a little more power. You know what we have to do now, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I have no idea.¡± ¡°Your friend, he needs to turn me. As soon as possible; right now, if you please.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°We only have a few hours of moonlight left. The transformation may be immediate, or it may take some time. We still have a chance. Here. My non-dominant arm. The bites heal strangely sometimes. Just enough to break the skin, my friend.¡± Kit backed up, looking at Mel with confusion. She asked, ¡°What are you talking about? What good will that do us?¡± ¡°We have a unified purpose, don¡¯t we? We both want to live, we both want to escape. When I transform, you do the same thing for me that you do for him. Channel my magic. Direct both at the barrier and break it.¡± Carter¡¯s assistants, Suresh and Masha, rushed to him and tried to pull him aside, but he stood firm. ¡°You can¡¯t do this,¡± Suresh told him. ¡°It¡¯s a lifelong curse.¡± Masha agreed. ¡°Why should you have to? Why not him?¡± She pointed to Arthur, who was fortunately distracted by trying to use a stick to find the bottom of the barrier underground. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t trust him,¡± Carter said simply. ¡°My intentions are clear. His, I couldn¡¯t say. Anyway, I¡¯m the oldest. Lifelong isn¡¯t going to be as long for me as for any of you. Now, enough with the arguments. There isn¡¯t any time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to doubt you,¡± Mel said apologetically, ¡°but how can you be sure this will work? My friend and I had a connection before. You and I might not be able to bond. Shouldn¡¯t Masha or Suresh try it?¡± Both looked willing to accept this responsibility, but Carter hesitated. ¡°They have no experience. Can you teach them? How long did it take you to learn how to bless potions?¡± Mel winced. ¡°About a year of studying and practice.¡± ¡°Well, then, we have no choice. If you and I can¡¯t form a bond then your friend here will have to subdue me. He looks young and strong.¡± With a sigh, Suresh said, ¡°Or you¡¯ll kill us all, which¡­¡± Masha finished the thought, ¡°Which is exactly what the hunters will do, anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather be killed doing research than exterminated by the state,¡± Masha reasoned. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive us,¡± Carter told Mel, who was growing more and more certain that she didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter. ¡°We¡¯ve each already faced the certainty of our deaths tonight, so now that it¡¯s only a possibility, it isn¡¯t so much to bear. But more importantly, I believe in you. This is going to work.¡± Masha snapped and ran behind Mel, grabbing the silver restraints that had held Kit. ¡°We¡¯ll put these on you,¡± she told Carter. ¡°That will give her time to make the connection.¡± ¡°Brilliant. You see, we can¡¯t lose.¡± Carter bared his right arm to Kit. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Mel put her hand on his arm, holding Kit off for a moment. ¡°In case I don¡¯t get a chance to ask you after¡ª what happened to Gus¡¯s body? Did he at least get a proper burial? He was like family to us. We deserve to know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Carter replied. ¡°I know this will be upsetting, but I wish to be honest with you, as his family. The procedure is always the same. There¡¯s a body farm. Werewolf magic does strange things to the decomposition process. He¡¯ll have been taken there for study.¡± ¡°Where? Where exactly?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have much time,¡± Suresh reminded them regretfully. Carter gently moved Mel¡¯s hand from his arm. ¡°It won¡¯t be far from here. After all, that¡¯s where he was intended to go in the morning,¡± he said, indicating Kit. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking of. Do you have anything that belonged to your friend?¡± ¡°Back at the lab, maybe. But there¡¯s no way we could get there safely. Oh!¡± Mel reached into her pocket and pulled out Gus¡¯s phone, the screen now cracked in two places. ¡°That will work. If we succeed in getting out of here, I¡¯ll help you find Gus. I owe him that much.¡± After an approving nod from Mel, Kit wrapped his jaws around Carter¡¯s forearm, bit down with nervous care, and watched Carter¡¯s face all the while. Chapter Twelve Carter pulled his arm back, a single puncture wound dripping blood onto his sneakers. ¡°Very precise. I appreciate that. If it isn¡¯t too much to ask, I think introductions may be in order, at this point.¡± ¡°That seems fair,¡± Mel allowed. ¡°Carter, this is Kit.¡± ¡°Extraordinary to meet you, Kit. Masha, the chains, if you will?¡± He obliged, wrapping the silver shackles over Carter¡¯s shoulders and around his midsection. ¡°I¡¯ll give you space to grow.¡± ¡°Good thinking. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be grateful. Suresh, do you have anything on you for taking notes? I¡¯m feeling strange already¡­ can¡¯t discount anxiety, of course¡­¡± Masha and Suresh each produced notebooks with pens attached. As they began dutifully recording, Mel approached Arthur. He¡¯d given up on the stick and was currently trying to chip away at the barrier using a stone. ¡°Hey.¡± She kicked at the ground, bitter and unable to hide it. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you heard any of that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to get us all killed. What else is new?¡± ¡°If we make it out of here, you¡¯re coming with us.¡± He shot her a baleful look. ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t planning on fucking staying.¡± ¡°I meant you need to stay with us. The hunters will kill you if they find you again. It¡¯s just until morning.¡± ¡°Do I have a choice?¡± Mel turned and walked away, spitting the answer over her shoulder: ¡°No.¡± ¡°Read that back to me, won¡¯t you?¡± Carter was asking Suresh. ¡°Perspiration, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, tingling in your hands. Was there anything else?¡± ¡°No, thank you. Indistinct from a panic attack. This would be much better data if I didn¡¯t know the transformation was coming. Alas.¡± Masha tested the restraints, wrenching them this way and that, and asked, ¡°Do breathing exercises work for you?¡± ¡°Sometimes they help, sometimes they make¡ª¡° Carter suddenly gasped, eyes bulging, and convulsed. He dropped to his knees. ¡°Notes,¡± he wheezed. ¡°Shit, I should have undressed. Ah¡ª notes, notes!¡± ¡°I¡¯m on it,¡± Suresh answered with admirable steadiness. And so he was, alongside Masha, both writing rapidly as Carter bent forward and screamed. Kit ran to Mel¡¯s side. He nuzzled her, wiling her to remain calm and focused. ¡°Right. Right, thank you.¡± Mel patted Kit¡¯s neck. She closed her eyes and started the tenuous work of setting her ego aside while Carter made half-human, half-canine sounds of agony. Kit¡¯s will remained present in the background. Mel expanded her reach, inviting, and was hit with a rage she had never known before. For a split second it felt as though it would rupture her skull, tear the rest of them to shreds, and rather than return to the earth, pierce it irreparably all way through. She withdrew and clung to Kit¡¯s side with a cry. ¡°Let him get through the transformation,¡± Suresh yelled over the din. ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged,¡± Masha added, shooting her a thumbs up. The incongruity of the gesture with her terror might have made her angry, but Mel burst into laughter instead. She buried her face in Kit¡¯s fur. Carter had given her two points over which to attempt their bond: the desire to escape, and the will to live. The latter only spiked her fear to new heights. She would start with the former. They needed to escape. To where, she didn¡¯t know, and the realization muddied her sense of purpose. Each person in this containment field would be hunted for the rest of their lives. Mel didn¡¯t have the first idea of how to go into hiding, how to stay in hiding, how to do anything other than shuffle along the preordained channels of ordinary life. She wouldn¡¯t last a day. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°He¡¯s ready,¡± Suresh called out. Pulling her face away from Kit¡¯s warm side, Mel beheld Carter¡¯s wolf form: shorter, thicker, and grayer than Kit, with a pronounced stoop in his back and far more rage in his eyes. He heaved with great, ragged breaths beneath the silver shackles. He wanted out. Masha saw it, too. He said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long those are going to hold him.¡± He and Suresh exchanged looks and began backing away. Carter gave a growling scream and fought against the chains, thrashing wildly in the dark. It wasn¡¯t like the scene at the lab. Mel saw nothing of herself in the struggle. ¡°Kit,¡± she whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do this.¡± He nudged her good shoulder and turned to Arthur with a bark. ¡°What?¡± Kit barked again. ¡°What the hell do you expect me to do?¡± Arthur yelled. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who got us into this!¡± Kit made meaningful eye contact with Mel, willing her to understand. He was trying to show her the path. Arthur went on, ¡°Even now you expect me to clean up your shit,¡± and Mel got it. She closed her eyes and brought forward every stressful situation, argument, tirade, and disaster Arthur had dragged her into; every time she¡¯d wanted nothing more than to quit, but couldn¡¯t weather the financial consequences of doing so; every time she¡¯d wanted to look for another job, but couldn¡¯t recover the mental or physical wherewithal to begin. Rosa had been right. Arthur was never different. He¡¯d only pretended long enough to finish chiseling away the self-assurance she would have needed to get away from him. Mel had finally internalized Kit¡¯s pain before; now, she saw his anger. Carter let out another wrenching yowl. This time, Mel understood him. She slid her ego aside and greeted his fury as an old friend. The barrier dissolved with nothing more than a look from Mel. Masha and Suresh tended to Carter, working the chains off of him as they ranted excitedly: ¡°Incredible!¡± ¡°It went just like you said!¡± ¡°If only we¡¯d had some way to take a video.¡± ¡°Are you hurt?¡± At this, they both fell silent to watch Carter slip out of and step quickly away from the silver. He joined Mel and Kit with no visible sign of injury, fixing his stare on Arthur, who froze in place. ¡°Incredible,¡± Masha repeated. ¡°Do you have anywhere you can go?¡± Mel asked them. ¡°You know it isn¡¯t safe to return home.¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t captured with a wolf like you,¡± Suresh explained. ¡°We were targeted. The hunters said there were others to collect when they left¡ª in all likelihood, they were talking about our family.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll come with you,¡± she offered. ¡°We can help protect you.¡± ¡°No,¡± Masha declined politely. ¡°You¡¯ll draw too much attention. You should stay out of city limits until the sun rises. Besides, they aren¡¯t supposed to kill anyone themselves if they can help it, and they don¡¯t know you¡¯ve taken away their plan A.¡± ¡°You knew two werewolves,¡± Suresh ventured in a timid voice. ¡°Are you part of the¡­ I don¡¯t know, is there an organization or something?¡± Embarrassed, Mel admitted, ¡°I honestly just stumbled into all of this.¡± ¡°Ah, well. It was worth a shot. Take care of yourself, um¡­ Molly, was it?¡± Kit pressed his cold nose against her cheek and tilted his head at her. Mel said, ¡°Wait. I think we know people who can help you. There¡¯s a laundromat on Peck Avenue and Elm Street. Go there and tell them Rosa sent you.¡± Suresh offered his hand. ¡°Thank you. We owe you our lives.¡± ¡°For however long we still have them,¡± Masha said, getting in line to shake Mel¡¯s hand next. ¡°Good luck,¡± she wished them. ¡°I hope we see you again.¡± Mel climbed onto Kit¡¯s back and gave them a little distance to say goodbye to Carter. ¡°We haven¡¯t forgotten about your family,¡± Masha told him. ¡°You can count on us.¡± ¡°Be well, old man,¡± Suresh said. ¡°At least live long enough for us to discuss what the transformation was like. I want to hear everything, and I¡¯m sure you do, too.¡± Leaving them to it, Mel and Kit approached Arthur. His bruised and bloodied nose, wearied expression, and menacing eyes struck her. If anything, he¡¯d only moved further still from the penitence she wished to see. ¡°Am I dead, then?¡± he asked. ¡°No such luck,¡± she answered. ¡°Climb on Carter¡¯s back when he comes over. We¡¯re finding Gus and giving him the proper burial he deserves.¡± ¡°So you are going to kill me,¡± he deadpanned, ¡°just not on purpose.¡± ¡°You know what would have happened if we¡¯d listened to you at the lab, don¡¯t you?¡± Arthur blinked with exaggerated effect, telegraphing his disdain. ¡°We would have died of hypothermia. Rosa was half dead already. You would have thrown our lives away for a fridge full of supplies.¡± ¡°Your plan has been going so much better. Thank you. Really,¡± he retorted. Carter rejoined them and knelt by Arthur with an unpleasant grunt. Mel watched Masha and Suresh disperse into the trees while Arthur climbed on Carter¡¯s back. Chapter Thirteen Mel took out Gus¡¯s phone and held it out so both Kit and Carter could smell it. ¡°I hope you were right about this place being nearby.¡± Both wolves snapped their heads up at once. Kit took the lead, slowing now and then to let Carter catch up without throwing Arthur. For his part, Arthur held on tight and stayed quiet. They traveled for roughly a mile in this way. Mel kept watch for any people, hunters or otherwise, allowing the wolves to focus on Gus¡¯s scent. As they moved, she noticed just how silent the woods around them fell at their passing. The local wildlife wanted nothing to do with this strange party. Distant lights shone between the trees¡ª too many to be a house. They came upon a chainlink fence. Mel asked, ¡°Are we close?¡± Kit nodded as Carter sized up the fence. She steadied herself and asked Arthur, ¡°How are you doing? Are you staying on okay?¡± ¡°The fuck do you care?¡± ¡°Carter, does he seem to be doing alright?¡± Carter nodded, then shook himself to demonstrate Arthur¡¯s ungraceful but sure grip. ¡°Good. Hold on tight. We¡¯re jumping the fence.¡± Before Arthur could protest, the wolves leapt into the air: Kit cleared the fence in one bound, while Carter hit the upper portion, scrambled over the top, and dropped to the ground on the other side. She gave them a moment before ordering, ¡°If we see anyone, try intimidation first, but I¡¯d rather run than get into a confrontation.¡± Mel led them forward. The reality of her mission sank in as they neared a mound of fur and bones half-buried in the ground. The spot was marked by strips of white plastic tied to a nearby tree. However strange Carter claimed it might have been, werewolf decomposition clearly happened in some form. She took some comfort in knowing that what she was about to see, Arthur would have to see, too. They moved more carefully now. Wolves were laid throughout the property in different conditions: one dissolving into a wet marsh, another wrapped in plastic sheets, one left fully exposed in a clearing. The occasional human body stuck out of the ground as well. Gus might have been the first Carter came across, but he was far from the first to die in human form. It occurred to Mel that the number of corpses didn¡¯t align with the rarity of werewolves. Carter had confirmed it highly unusual to see even two, but here lay at least two dozen yet to fully decompose. She didn¡¯t know what to make of it yet. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. They came to another clearing. Kit and Carter brought them near a small still pond, no bigger than ten feet across, likely constructed to see its effects on the pale body laid in its shallow edge. Kit lowered himself so Mel could climb down. ¡°There?¡± she asked, shivering. Kit whimpered in affirmation. ¡°Arthur. Pull him out.¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who turned him in. You need to see the consequences of your actions.¡± Sliding from Carter¡¯s back, Arthur whispered as though to himself, but clearly audible, ¡°This is sick.¡± Mel positioned herself so she could keep her eyes on Arthur¡¯s face. In the light of the full moon, she could see him well: angry, tired, and hesitant, but not sorry. Never that. He bent over the body, working out how he would get a good enough hold to release it from the grip of the mud, and then Arthur suddenly yelped and fell backwards. Voice cracking, he yelled, ¡°He¡¯s not dead!¡± Mel ran forward, so dizzy with shock she felt as though she were falling. She sensed Carter moving behind her. Gus lay motionless on his side, submerged in the mud up to his left collarbone, and as she circled around him she could see his eyes were open. Mel didn¡¯t have much knowledge of medical science, but he bore no sign of having been the subject of an autopsy. Carter was trying to push calm into her mind. Mel asked, ¡°Is he alive?¡± The old wolf shook his head. With great care, he reached out one claw and cut a line across Gus¡¯s exposed arm. The cut lasted for no more than a few seconds before closing in on itself. No trace remained. Mel dropped to her knees and fought to catch her breath. One week dead, cut open and studied, dumped onto the slimy bank of a cold pond, and Gus looked for all the world as if he¡¯d simply gotten lost in thought. It was no wonder they had so many werewolf bodies to study. The ones that had begun to break down might have been years or even decades old. Closer now to Gus¡¯s body, Mel could see a small hole in his chest half above the water line. A silver bullet through the heart. Just as she¡¯d always heard. The fatal wound was the only one that refused to heal. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± Mel picked herself up and left the water. To Arthur, she snapped, ¡°I told you to pull him out.¡± He opened his mouth, but froze when Kit took a silencing step toward him. Arthur begrudgingly returned to Gus¡¯s side. It was slow, awkward work dislodging the body. Arthur panted, groaned, and once even retched, but he made no attempt to argue his way out. ¡°Turn him over on his back,¡± Mel instructed, ¡°face up.¡± Arthur did so. ¡°Look at him.¡± She waited the space of a minute. ¡°Do you see what you¡¯ve done?¡± she asked him. ¡°No,¡± Arthur answered in all honesty. ¡°I don¡¯t see because I haven¡¯t done anything.¡± He no longer sounded defiant, but rather desperate, if not a little confused. ¡°I can¡¯t understand why you¡¯ve spent this entire night trying to convince me that I¡¯m some kind of horrible monster. I don¡¯t know what made you hate me so much. Why do you keep doing these awful things to me? What do you want from me?¡± He sounded on the verge of tears, voice wet and breaking. Anger from within herself, from Kit, and even from Carter flooded Mel¡¯s body. A terrifying resurgence of the sense that she could do anything, that she was both capable of and would permit herself any course of action, made her look away from Arthur in fear of obliterating him with nothing more than a thought. Energy poured into her skull. She hadn¡¯t invited it this time. It wasn¡¯t traveling through her, either. It burrowed there and screamed for annihilation. As Mel had already known, as she kept pointlessly proving to herself over and over and over again, Arthur wasn¡¯t capable of understanding how his actions affected other people. He couldn¡¯t fully grasp the concept of other people to begin with. Either that part of him had been broken, or it had never been nurtured into existence in the first place. Getting genuine remorse from him wasn¡¯t a matter of confrontation. It was a matter of repair. The cacophony in her mind quieted with the promise of direction. Bracing herself, she pushed her ego to the forefront and asked Kit, Carter, and the will of the universe to follow her. Mel looked to the pond with burning eyes. Directing her energy to it, and likewise leading everyone else there, she blessed and brewed the entire pond into a luminescent, melodious, extraordinary healing potion. Arthur thrashed. He made as if to run away, but it was already on him, already soaking into and illuminating his skin. His entire body glowed. The pearlescent light pulsed in time with his heartbeat. He soaked up the magic in its entirety until no sign of it was left in the water. With one last flash, the light withdrew into him, disappearing completely. Chapter Fourteen Now that the melody of her healing potion had faded, Mel could hear Arthur taking steadying breaths. A laugh of pure wonder escaped him. It was soon followed by a groan. He turned to look at Gus. Arthur¡¯s broken nose had healed. For the first time since she¡¯d known him, he looked as though he¡¯d gotten a good night¡¯s sleep. Even the cigarette burn he¡¯d carried on his forearm since childhood was gone. ¡°Why didn¡¯t,¡± Arthur stammered, taking a step. He looked at Mel. ¡°Why wasn¡¯t Gus healed?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s gone,¡± Mel answered. ¡°But he deserved it.¡± Unspoken but understood was the other side: that Arthur had not deserved it. He hadn¡¯t realize yet that she¡¯d done him no favor. As Arthur stared down at Gus¡¯s body, Mel knew she didn¡¯t have to ask whether he finally felt regret for what he¡¯d done. His expression of horror and shame was so far from anything he¡¯d had ever shown before that he looked like another person entirely. He might well have been- in removing the damage, Mel had all but torn a hole in his psyche. He asked, ¡°Why did you heal me?¡± ¡°Because,¡± Mel answered at length, ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying when I said that I once thought we were friends. I needed you to see how you hurt people.¡± He closed his eyes, breath hitching, and nodded. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to know. How did you find out Gus was a werewolf?¡± ¡°His, ah, his foot. There¡¯s a bite mark on his foot. I saw it when he was getting ready to leave. Changing into thicker socks for the cold. You remember that day it got so cold?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Mel didn¡¯t answer, only listened. His voice had changed, too. It was no longer a bludgeon against imagined rebuttals; Arthur spoke softly now, inviting a response. He went on: ¡°Gus said he got it as a kid. Neighbor¡¯s dog. But I pushed him¡­ he¡¯d turned down night shifts¡­ It all started to come together in my mind¡­ I kept pushing him and I thought he was getting angry and that made me so angry. I don¡¯t understand what I was so angry about. He was just scared. How did I not see that?¡± ¡°Since the healing potion has let you see it now, I think it¡¯s safe to say that you were acting out of pain,¡± Mel told him. ¡°And now it¡¯s just gone?¡± He asked this searchingly, as though he no longer recognized the inside of his own mind. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m a different person now?¡± ¡°You could be, I think, if you wanted. You should know I¡¯ve never made a potion like that before. Maybe no one has. It took away whatever wound you were carrying that made you behave that way. You must have some idea what it was?¡± ¡°I have some idea,¡± he echoed, touching the place on his arm where the scar used to be. Arthur knelt in the water and scooped Gus into his arms, asking, ¡°Was he always this small?¡± ¡°Carter, would you¡­?¡± Nodding, Carter stood on his back legs and went to take Gus¡¯s body from Arthur, cradling him like a sleeping child. ¡°Wait,¡± Arthur said, and took off his long coat. ¡°Please.¡± He draped it over Gus¡¯s body, covering him as best he could. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said weakly. Mel signaled to Kit that it was time they left. As she climbed onto his back, she said to Arthur, ¡°This isn¡¯t how the kind of psychological problem we¡¯re talking about would normally be treated. The mind is complicated. I don¡¯t know what will happen to you now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be that person anymore.¡± Fear tinged his voice. ¡°I won¡¯t be that person again.¡± Mel believed in his sincerity because she recognized the worry behind it. She didn¡¯t want to be the person she had been before, either. ¡°I hope that¡¯s true, Arthur. The hunters will be after you. Take care of yourself.¡± Mel, Kit, and Carter left in the direction they¡¯d come from. Mel looked back only once, a good distance away, to see Arthur¡¯s motionless silhouette looking up at the moon from the water. Chapter 15 They traveled northwest through the sprawling woods, putting a few miles distance between them and the body farm. Mel would have liked to move further out, but pale light on what horizon they could see through the trees meant little time left, and they still needed to dig a proper grave. She stopped them deep in a pine grove. Kit and Carter made short work of the first three feet, then took turns tearing through the packed earth deeper down. Mel kept lookout, walking a ten foot perimeter around the gravesite, and did her best to memorize the surrounding area while she was at it. She wanted to be sure she could find it again. Movement to her left halted Mel. She snapped, alerting Kit and Carter, who were by her side in the blink of an eye. Kit¡¯s ears perked. He raised his head high, wagged his tail, and let out a yip of greeting. A voice came through the trees in response: ¡°Hello! I didn¡¯t mean to sneak up on you!¡± Rosa stepped into view. She¡¯d changed into warmer clothes, boots, and a hiking backpack. ¡°I forgot to tell you the necklace can be used for tracking, too. I mean, I told you through the necklace, after I remembered, but you seem like you¡¯ve been¡­ busy.¡± She indicated Carter, who looked to Mel for instruction. ¡°He¡¯s friendly,¡± Mel assured Rosa quickly. ¡°This is Carter. He helped us escape the hunters. Carter, this is Rosa, one of my best friends. She was Gus¡¯s friend, too.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Rosa said with wonder. Carter bowed. Rosa slid her backpack off. ¡°I brought some clothes for when the sun rises, but I didn¡¯t think there would be two of you. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure any of you would still be alive. It¡¯s really good to see you, Mel.¡± Mel wrapped Rosa in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground slightly in her exuberance. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, too. But where are your wives? Shouldn¡¯t you all be in hiding or something?¡± ¡°We¡¯re laying low for right now. There haven¡¯t been any reports about us yet. They¡¯re just saying that a werewolf destroyed a potion shop. We¡¯ll see how it plays out. A lot depends on what Arthur decides to do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to be a problem anymore. There¡¯s so much to tell you. But first, have you heard anything about a couple of scientists seeking refuge? Suresh and Masha?¡± ¡°Well, we weren¡¯t really supposed to be using names,¡± Rosa laughed. ¡°Shit. I¡¯m so bad at this.¡± ¡°But they came in with their families about half an hour ago, I¡¯m told.¡± ¡°Thank the gods.¡± Mel smiled at Carter, whose joy spilled over into her. A look of worry and regret came over Rosa as she peered beyond Mel to the open grave, her hand on her chest. ¡°Is that Arthur?¡± ¡°Oh! No, no, Arthur isn¡¯t¡ª he¡¯s alive. He¡¯s not here. It¡¯s a long story. It took me too long, but I listened to you, Rosa. We didn¡¯t hurt him.¡± Mel took Rosa''s hand and squeezed. ¡°We found Gus¡¯s body. I just wanted to give him a proper burial.¡± Rosa gasped, staring at Mel with tears in her eyes. ¡°How?¡± ¡°Carter helped us with that, too. He can probably tell you himself soon. We must be less than a few minutes away by now.¡± Wiping her eyes, Rosa said, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. Here,¡± she told Kit and Carter. ¡°I brought some clothes for you. I think there¡¯s enough to at least get you both covered up, if not warm. We¡¯ll let you transform in privacy. Mel, would you come with me to see Gus?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Mel first went to Kit, scratching his ears, nuzzling his head, and hugging him around the neck. ¡°Thank you for everything. And you too, Carter. I¡¯ll see you both soon.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. She took her leave, leading Rosa to the makeshift gravesite. Kit and Carter had gotten the hole deep enough for their purposes. Laid out among a tangle of old roots, Gus awaited burial. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about this,¡± Rosa whispered, ¡°but seeing it is... He looks like he could wake up at any moment. You must have gotten him from the farm, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°We did. You know pretty much everything, huh?¡± Rosa gave a sad smile. ¡°There¡¯s been talk of recovering bodies from there before. Didn¡¯t want to put our sources in a bad spot, though. I never thought we¡¯d be able to use werewolves for the job. Oh, Mel. I¡¯ve wanted to bring you in on all this for ages. I knew you would be a great asset. There was worry that Arthur could have been a bad influence on you.¡± ¡°He definitely was. I think I let him be. But that¡¯s why you were asking me about Gus being a good person, right? Why you wore the necklace. You were testing me? With Jenny and Vera listening in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for tricking you like that. I already knew you were good. I had to prove my case, is all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my own fault. I was always so focused on just getting through the day, I couldn¡¯t see anything else happening around me. If I¡¯d been paying more attention¡­ None of this had to happen, you know? Maybe I could have-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that to yourself,¡± Rosa cut her off. ¡°Well, how about this. I won¡¯t if you won¡¯t.¡± Rosa huffed. ¡°That¡¯s just not playing fair. Listen, though. I¡¯m serious. There¡¯s a lot of good we can still do.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Mel heard rustling and voices in the trees behind them. ¡°I think the funeral is starting soon. Would you like a minute with Gus?¡± ¡°I would.¡± Finding a relatively dry root to sit on, Mel took the opportunity to assess herself. Her back and especially her shoulder ached. She had the beginnings of a sleep deprived headache, and when she made the mistake of wondering, she found herself to be starving. A hot breakfast, a healing potion, and a soft bed would do wonders. ¡°¡­The most remarkable thing,¡± Carter was saying as he and Kit approached. ¡°Unheard of. I remember everything with perfect clarity. You do, too?¡± ¡°Everything after seeing Mel in the lab,¡± Kit confirmed. ¡°Never happened like that before. Not once in seven years of this. Oh.¡± He smiled at her with embarrassment. ¡°This motherfucker.¡± Carter and Kit had split the clothes up between them. Kit wore a jacket, boxers, and boots, while Carter had an ill-fitting t-shirt, sweatpants, and socks. ¡°You really remember everything?¡± Mel asked. ¡°All of it. Like it was me. It was me. Mel, I can¡¯t thank you enough for stopping me when I wanted to attack Arthur. I never would have forgiven myself for that. And what you did back there, with the healing potion¡­ that was the most incredible thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°Potions aren¡¯t my field,¡± Carter added, ¡°but I have to agree.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t just talking about the potion.¡± ¡°There¡¯s been enough death,¡± Mel said. ¡°More than enough of that.¡± She stood up and hugged Kit tight. Rosa snuck up and threw herself into the hug, laughing mischievously. ¡°Kit! I was so worried about you! I should have kept an eye on you at the lab. I knew you were angry with Arthur, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d try something like that.¡± ¡°It was an accident, I swear.¡± Kit pulled away. ¡°I was in the basement and I remembered seeing Gus¡¯s phone in the basket. I just knew Arthur would throw it away. It¡¯s the only thing we had left. I went up to get it, but I didn¡¯t know Mel had grabbed it, and I went looking through the trash, and then Mel must have heard me and she came up front and I had to hide. I went looking for the phone again, but before you know it, Arthur¡¯s there and I¡¯m hiding again. I was going to get myself back to the basement¡­ I must have caught moonlight through the window. That¡¯s the last I remember before I saw Mel in the lab. Thank the gods I didn¡¯t hurt any of you. You must have been terrified. I¡¯m so¡ª¡° ¡°Don¡¯t you dare.¡± Rosa gently hit him on the arm. ¡°I signed up for this. All of this. Do not apologize.¡± ¡°All right,¡± Mel said, clapping. ¡°No one apologize and no one blame themselves. Those are the rules.¡± A round of soft, polite laughter rippled through them, followed by awkward silence. At length, Rosa asked, ¡°Should we let Gus rest?¡± ¡°Good idea,¡± Mel said, leading the way. Rosa took a pack of cookies from her jacket and slid it into the pocket of the jacket Arthur had given Gus. Then she, Mel, and Kit worked together gently lowering Gus into the ground as Carter looked on respectfully. They each took a handful of earth and said their final goodbyes before sprinkling it over his body. When it came time to fill in the grave, Carter joined them to make the work lighter. Kit found a short log carpeted in lichen and turkey tail mushrooms. He laid it across the top of Gus¡¯s grave as a kind of temporary headstone. The bark would return to earth long before Gus¡¯s body. Everyone promised to visit and to bring him a real grave marker soon. The work that lay ahead of each of them¡ª the research, reporting, rebuilding; the tedium of looking for a new job and the intrigue of hiding from state actors; the long grief into which they had hardly taken the first few steps¡ª it all waited patiently beyond the sunlight-tinged pine boughs sheltering Gus¡¯s final resting place.