Puppy Love!

by Sienna Mercer

  The clouds pulled apart like cotton candy separating, and the moon was revealed overhead. Before Justin could even take in the sight, his body resonated with the eerie sound of high, echoing howls breaking out all around him. Every inch of skin on Justin’s body prickled with primal reaction to the sound. When he looked down at his arm, he could see all the hairs standing on end.

  It’s show time! As surreptitiously as he could, Justin reached into the pocket of his shirt and pressed the button he’d programmed on his phone.

  ‘Ah-woooooooo!’ Daniel’s howls projected out from his chest, high and strong and perfectly pitched. I gotta hand it to you, Bro, he thought with a grin, you really do know your acoustics.

  Justin tipped back his head and opened his mouth. As ‘his’ howls joined all the rest, he just tried not to think of his twin shaking with outrage as he sensed the lip-syncing taking place.

  After a moment, even that thought was gone, as Justin was swept up into the eerie beauty of the moment. As the wolves all around him howled in unison, his exhilaration gave way to a bittersweet thought.

  I wish I didn’t have to pretend.

  He felt right here. He’d kept up with the Beasts at running, and football. He loved the gathering in a way that Daniel never could.

  But Justin would never be a werewolf, no matter how much he wanted to be.

  Forget it, he ordered himself, and tipped his head back farther. You don’t have to turn into a wolf to be awesome. Just enjoy the moment!

  And for that moment, it was genuinely perfect . . .

  Until Kyle turned and gave Justin a friendly slap in the chest.

  The sound of Daniel’s howling switched off abruptly – to be replaced by the music of In Sheep’s Clothing !

  Kyle had hit the ‘skip’ button on Justin’s phone!

  ‘. . . a smile as bright as stars . . . ’

  And of all the songs to blare out into the still night . . .

  ‘. . . hair that shines like fire . . . ’

  Every werewolf in the clearing was silent. They turned to stare at him as a group. As the music played and played, Justin scrabbled to pull out the phone from his pocket. His fingers, slick with sweat, slipped and fumbled.

  Oh no, oh no, oh no!

  Panic thundered through his chest. The weight of stares felt crushing as the music played on and on.

  Now they’ll know I’ve been faking it!

  ‘Hey . . .’ Ed Yancey’s face broke into a grin. His long teeth glinted in the firelight. ‘I like it! Turn it up, dawg.’

  Justin took out the phone and the mini-speaker and turned up the volume.

  ‘A song about the moon, man!’ Chris grooved to the beat, the hair on his face rippling as he broke out into a dance. ‘Right on!’

  As Justin watched, sharp-toothed grins broke out across the clearing, from kids and adults alike. The werewolves were totally digging the music!

  Daniel is never going to believe this, he thought. Laughing, he watched their dad lead the other adult werewolves in an unbelievably embarrassing, old-fashioned dance. Have I started a whole new werewolf tradition?

  He let the music play on as the wolves grooved all around him. It was only when the song came to an end that he finally hit the button to turn it all off . . . and then, grinning, he waved.

  The other wolves yipped and cheered their applause, and Justin saw his dad smiling across the clearing – he looked as relieved as Justin felt.

  The wolves were all still laughing as they moved back to take their original places. As the sound of howling rose up again to fill the clearing, Justin slipped his phone back into his pocket. He waited until everyone’s heads were safely tipped back before he put his phone back in his pocket and pushed the button to re-start Daniel’s howl-loop.

  Then he felt someone watching him.

  He glanced up quickly. Kyle had turned away from the moon to stare at him, eyes narrowed.

  Justin tipped his head back fast and dropped his hand away from his pocket as if he’d been burned.

  Sorry, Bro, he thought, as he felt Kyle’s suspicious gaze rest on him. He closed his eyes and threw himself into matching the timings of his brother’s recorded howls. It’s time for me to get really, really good at lip-syncing . . .

  Chapter Seven

  By the time the school bell rang for lunch the next day, Daniel was staggering with exhaustion. Just outside his last classroom, he stumbled to a halt next to one of Riley’s campaign posters and found himself staring at it in a daze, unable to look away from the photograph of Debi in mid-cheer. Her curly red hair streamed down her back as she raised her pom-poms, laughing with delight. Big red letters above and below the picture read:

  ‘Vote Debi! Vote Debi! VOTE DEBI! ’

  The words ran together in Daniel’s bleary gaze. DebiDebiDebiDebiDebi . . .

  Whoa! He blinked hard, trying to snap himself awake. How does Riley do it? He knew for a fact that Riley must have been getting even less sleep than he had for the past several nights, yet she had somehow managed to plaster bright posters all over the school at the same time as doing all her homework and organising every single detail for the Homecoming Game and the Dance.

  Daniel, on the other hand, could barely walk!

  Sighing, he shook his head and started forward. But the sight of Debi’s delighted grin on the poster pulled him back.

  There was a reason he had not slept last night, and it had everything to do with her. Now that Milo had lost the Battle of the Bands, what was he going to do with the stolen lyrics? It would be bad enough just to have another band using Daniel’s song. But if Milo ever went to Debi and told her that the song was about her . . .

  Daniel shuddered. Maybe he doesn’t even know. How could he be sure?

  Then he looked back at the poster and sighed. Come on. It’s pretty obvious. Who else at this school is worth writing a song about? Even a jerk like Milo had to be smart enough to figure that out. I might as well have written Debi’s name on a sheet of paper bordered by a big red heart with an arrow through it!

  Closing his eyes, he ran through the lyrics in his head . . . and cringed. How many times had he used the word ‘red’? At least three times before the end of the second verse, he answered himself silently.

  Opening his eyes again, he looked straight at the poster – and at Debi’s distinctive bright red hair in her photograph. He swallowed hard.

  I have to do something about this!

  He turned around just as Milo walked past, staring intently at an expensive-looking smartphone. Steeling himself, Daniel followed him.

  He caught up with the other boy at Milo’s locker. ‘Hey.’

  Milo blinked, lowering his phone. ‘Packer?’ Then his lip curled into a sneer. He tossed the phone into his open locker, which was plastered with promo stickers for his new band – and drawing after drawing of Milo himself in rock-star poses, surrounded by adoring crowds, holding up signs saying ‘Victor Venjeance ’. Daniel hoped the misspelling was intentional.

  ‘What do you want?’ Milo asked.

  Daniel gritted his teeth and leaned closer. The hallway was too crowded to take any chances, and he couldn’t afford for anyone else to hear what he was about to say. ‘I want to know,’ he said quietly, ‘what you’re planning to do with what you’ve got.’

  ‘Excuse me?’ Milo widened his eyes. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about . . . unless you mean my rocking new band? I’m afraid we’re not hiring.’ He shook his head in pity. ‘Sorry, Packer. You just don’t “fit the band”.’

  That sounded like what Daniel had said when he told Milo he couldn’t be in In Sheep’s Clothing.

  ‘That’s not . . . ’ Daniel began. Then he saw Milo’s lips twitch.

  Oh, yeah. He knows exactly what I’m talking about. This is his idea of being ‘funny’!

  Hot anger flashed in Daniel’s chest, and a wave of itchiness prickled across his arms. Don’t let me change now! He took a deep breath, trying to shove his emotions d
own. ‘Milo, I know you took my lyrics. I want them back!’

  ‘Oh, that?’ Milo smirked. ‘Are you sure you actually want to claim credit for those lyrics, Packer?’

  The itchy prickle on Daniel’s arms was shifting into a burn. He ignored the pain, but he couldn’t stop the itching feeling as it spread across his scalp. He could actually feel the hair on his head growing now. Could Milo see it happening?

  Just walk away, son. That was what Dad would have told him . . . and he knew it would have been the right thing to do. But he couldn’t – not while Milo was standing there smirking at him. As long as Milo kept those lyrics, he could show them to Debi at any time.

  ‘Just give them back,’ Daniel growled, his gums beginning to itch. ‘Now!’

  Milo snorted. ‘Why do you even care? We both know that they suck.’

  Oh, yeah? Then why did you use them for your big audition? Daniel wanted to snarl the question like an accusation. But he didn’t dare. The transformation had begun. If he opened his mouth now, Milo would see long, sharp wolf-teeth, fully revealed.

  ‘Ha!’ Milo grinned triumphantly. Turning to beckon in the passers-by, he raised his voice. ‘Look at this – the great Daniel Packer finally has nothing to say . . . because he knows I’m right – he is a terrible songwriter!’

  ‘Grrrrrrr! ’ The growl that emerged through Daniel’s closed lips was so deep and feral, Milo flinched. A ripple of shock ran through the watching crowd, which was getting larger and larger.

  Just great. I still don’t have the lyrics . . . and if I don’t get out of here fast, everyone will see me go ‘furry’!

  Daniel swung around, physically shaking with frustration. He stormed off down the hall without looking back. Still, he could hear the excited whispers that erupted behind him.

  He couldn’t turn and talk his way out of this, because his mouth was having trouble containing his fangs. He couldn’t even give a dismissive, ‘he’s talking nonsense’ wave, because his hands were covered in thick fur.

  When he saw a darkened, empty classroom to his left, he lunged inside, quickly closing the door behind him. Then he hurried around the room, pulling down the blinds to cover all the windows. It was only when the whole room was a safe pitch-black that he finally let himself collapse on to the floor in the far corner, wrapping his arms around his legs and opening his mouth before his teeth burst through his whole face. Closing his eyes, he took a long, deep breath, the way his dad had shown him.

  Just calm down and the changes will go away. Just calm down . . .

  The door opened. A slanted shaft of light fell across the floor, stopping just at the edge of his sneakers. If it opened just a few inches more, that light would reveal a freaky fur-boy sat in the corner, feeling sorry for himself. Daniel started to move to his left, thinking he could hide in a cupboard, when . . .

  ‘Daniel?’

  It was Debi. Daniel could see her, but she couldn’t see him. She stood in the doorway, peering into the darkness. ‘Are you in here?’ She lifted one hand, reaching for the light switch.

  ‘Don’t!’ Daniel rasped. His words were muffled by his long, sharp teeth. Fur prickled along his arms. His hair brushed against his shoulders, a full three inches longer than it had been only ten minutes ago. He held himself frozen still.

  Debi dropped her hand to her side and shut the door behind her, closing them both in full darkness. ‘It’s OK.’ Her voice was low and sweet. ‘We all cry sometimes.’

  What?! Daniel’s mouth dropped open in outrage. He scrambled to his feet. I am NOT crying! ‘I –’

  But he slammed his mouth shut as his brain caught up with him. What else is she supposed to think? I can’t exactly tell her, ‘It’s OK, I’m just turning into a werewolf!’

  ‘Right,’ he finally mumbled. His fingers curled into painful fists, his claws pricking into his palms as he mumbled, ‘Thank you . . . for understanding.’

  ‘I don’t just understand. I’m impressed.’ Debi moved gracefully through the darkness but stopped several feet away from him, a shadow in the dark. Her voice was gentle. ‘You did the right thing, walking away from that argument. Most boys I know would have argued back and made more trouble.’ She sighed, and the air stirred softly between them. ‘I think it’s braver to walk away. It means you’re a really strong person.’

  ‘Um . . .’ Daniel coughed uncomfortably. ‘I don’t know about that.’

  The truth was, if he hadn’t had to escape before the transformation was complete, he definitely would have had a full-on argument with Milo. Then Debi wouldn’t have been anywhere near as impressed with him. I never thought there could be an upside to my werewolfness being out of control!

  ‘Everyone could tell that Milo was acting like a jerk,’ Debi said. ‘The fact that you left instead of staying to yell back at him . . . that means that you were willing to be the bigger person.’ Her voice dropped to a whisper. ‘I . . . really like that about you.’

  It was a relief that the darkness was hiding the stupid grin he knew was on his face . . . because if Debi saw it, she would know exactly how he felt.

  And yet, at the same time, he hated that the darkness was hiding his stupid grin. If Debi saw it, she would know exactly how he felt – and then, maybe, he’d finally find out how she felt, too.

  But then, if that wasn’t the way he hoped . . .

  Argh! He almost groaned. How could he feel so much relief and heartache at the same time? Was this even normal? And why did it always seem so . . . vital that the girl he liked never actually found out that he liked her?

  ‘Daniel?’ Debi said. ‘You’re being really quiet. Are you sure you’re OK?’

  If he spoke now, with his emotions this torn, it would definitely come out as a growl. Daniel closed his mouth . . . but the sound that came out was a high-pitched, puppy-like whine that made him cringe with embarrassment.

  It was even worse than growling.

  ‘Oh, Daniel! ’ Debi let out a soft cry of sympathy. ‘You’re still crying! You poor thing!’

  What? No! Daniel cleared his throat, desperately trying to find a way to speak.

  She raced through the darkened room and flung her arms around him before he could say a word.

  Oh, no! She’s going to figure it all out! Even as Daniel soaked in the feeling of her arms around him, he tensed up. She’s going to feel my long hair . . . and smell the stench of wolf . . . and then she’s going to run away, because she’ll know that I’m a big freak!

  Wait a minute. She’s not running.

  In fact, she was nestling against him in the sweetest, best hug of his life.

  I can’t believe this!

  Slowly, cautiously, Daniel lifted his arms . . . and hugged her back.

  Debi’s hair brushed against his cheek, smelling of summer. Her arms were warm around his back. He tipped down his head to rest it against her hair. Closing his eyes, he took a long, deep breath. His wolf-senses open made the sensation seem impossibly perfect, but he had a feeling it would have been even if he was just a regular boy.

  All of a sudden, he did not know why he had such trouble talking to her in the hallways, or in the front yards of their homes. Talking to Debi just felt . . .

  Absolutely perfect, he thought.

  ‘So . . .’ Debi finally stepped back a full minute later. She let out a breathy laugh, sounding suddenly shy. ‘I, um . . . I’ll see you in Spanish, then?’

  ‘Right.’ Daniel stuck his hands in his jeans pockets, nodding even though he knew she couldn’t see him. He rocked back and forth on his heels, feeling off-balance. ‘See you there. I just need a minute first to . . . uh . . .’

  ‘Don’t worry.’ Debi put her hand on his arm in a quick, reassuring touch. ‘I understand. And I promise, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.’

  Her soft footsteps hurried across the room. The door opened and closed behind her.

  Daniel took a deep breath, replaying the hug in his mind, even though he had not been able to see anything the e
ntire time. Running his tongue over his teeth, he found them just the same size as normal – not sharp, or ‘fang-y’ at all.

  Have I been de-werewolfed by Debi?

  He turned on the light a moment later, and let out a relieved sigh. His arms and hands were completely fur-free. Being with Debi was so nice, so relaxing, that it made him human again. All he still had to do was a quick fix-up of his hair and nails, and he would be officially back to normal.

  Well . . . He rolled his eyes at himself even as he knelt down to dig through his backpack for the scissors he always carried with him nowadays to cut his wolf-lengthened nails and hair.

  At least I’ll be back to my version of normal.

  Chapter Eight

  By the time school ended for the day, Justin was itching to find Riley. She was hard to catch up with these days – as the countdown to Homecoming started, she could be almost anywhere in the whole school. Even the world. Luckily, he’d figured out a perfect strategy to track her down.

  He moved along the hallways with a mission: See this school the way Riley would! Which corners were missing posters for Debi’s campaign? Which hallways weren’t bannered enough yet for the Homecoming Game? He narrowed his eyes as he turned a corner. If he could just figure out where she was headed next . . .

  ‘Ahhh!’ He collided straight into somebody. ‘Sorry!’ He flung out his hands to catch his victim, wincing when he noticed who it was.

  Beaming, Mackenzie Barton clutched his hands and gracefully pirouetted right into Justin’s arms. ‘You see?’ She gestured sweepingly to the other students lingering in the hallway, drawing them all in to watch. ‘Look how well I dance. And even Justin . . .’ She raised her eyebrows as she gestured to him. ‘. . . Well, he’s hardly even clumsy, is he? As boys go, anyway.’

  There was a smattering of catcalls, and Justin felt his cheeks heat up. ‘I don’t know about that,’ he mumbled, ducking his head. ‘Mackenzie, I’m just –’

  She spoke over him, aiming her words straight at the others. ‘Why, we make a pretty good team – wouldn’t you agree, Justin?’