by Wendi Wilson
That note was a work of pure genius. Precise enough that she’d know it was him, without a doubt, but vague enough that anyone else would think it’s a prank. He’d been watching when she opened the note. Saw her face go white and then red. Saw the look of skepticism on that punk Jeremy’s face. He’d deal with that little pain in the ass later. After Melanie was finally and truly his, he’d get his revenge on Jeremy Stevens for touching what belonged to him!
“Maybe I’ll break every one of his fingers that has touched her. And both arms for holding her. Oh, and his jaw for kissing her,” he growled under his breath.
Just then the front door of the house opened and he gasped. Melanie walked out with Tara, whose car had been in the driveway. She walked Tara to the car, they hugged and Tara got in and peeled out of the driveway, leaving Melanie standing there alone.
It took all his strength to keep himself planted in the car. His body surged to life and he got uncomfortably hard, but he stayed where he was and just watched her. Now was not the time. Broad daylight, in her own yard? No, not the right time. But soon. Real soon.
He watched as she scanned the street and he ducked a little so she wouldn’t see him as her eyes glanced past the car. Then she seemed to shiver as she turned and walked back inside.
“Soon,” he whispered. He started the car and drove away.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Mel, are you okay?” her mom asked when she came back in from walking Tara to her car.
“Yeah, I just got a creepy feeling outside. Like someone was watching me or something.”
“Well, no one can blame you for having a case of nerves after everything you’ve been through.” Melanie shrugged. “Anyway,” her mom continued, “do you want some bacon and eggs?”
Melanie shook off her unease and smiled. “Sure, sounds good.”
After breakfast, Melanie laid on her bed for over an hour, trying to concentrate on her homework, but it wasn’t working. She was still feeling jumpy about the note and decided to go outside for some fresh air.
She went out into the backyard and walked along the edges, peering into the woods. She didn’t see anything and sighed.
“I don’t know why I keep looking for you, dog,” she whispered.
Just then, she heard a twig snap somewhere to her left and just about jumped out of her skin.
“Hello?” she called out. Silence.
“Is anyone there?”
Melanie was just about to move on, when she heard another noise. It sounded like leaves crackling under a large foot. She started to panic.
Oh, God, what if it’s him? What if he’s finally come for me like the note said?
“Hello? Who’s there?” she yelled as she backed away slowly, back towards the house.
Just as she was about to turn and run in terror, she heard a quick huff then a whine. She stopped her backpedaling and squinted her eyes, trying to focus on the area she heard the noise coming from. Suddenly, a dark form materialized from around a copse of trees and slowly crept forward, head lowered, toward her and out of the woods.
“Dog!” she said excitedly and squatted down, holding her hand out, palm down. He huffed again and walked slowly toward her hand, sniffing, then licking it once he got close enough.
Melanie plopped down on her butt and patted the grass next to her. “Come here, boy. Lay down.”
He complied, lying down right in front of her and placing his head in her lap. Melanie laughed softly and scratched him behind the ears.
“Good boy,” she said softly. “You’re a good boy, dog. I’ve missed you.”
At that, he whimpered and licked his chops. She laughed again. “You understood me, didn’t you? What a smart boy you are!”
They sat in silence for several minutes while she pet him. “Well,” she said, “I can’t keep calling you ‘dog,’ can I? You need a real name. How about...Fido?” The dog lifted his head and chirped out a short bark.
Melanie laughed. “Okay, okay, no to Fido. What about Midnight?” This time she heard a growl. “Okay, no to that too.” She thought it over for a few moments, then said loudly, “I’ve got it! I’ll call you Ace! How do you like that?”
His ears perked up and he cocked his head to the side for a moment before he barked loudly and stood up. Melanie stood up too and started scratching his back and ruffling his fur.
“Good boy, Ace. Good boy. You hungry? Come on, boy.”
Melanie patted her hand against her outer thigh and walked slowly toward the house, but Ace didn’t follow. He just sat back on his haunches and looked at her with his head cocked to the side.
“What’s the matter, Ace? Huh? You’re not hungry?” She walked back up to him and stroked his head.
He stood back up on all fours and licked her hand. Melanie leaned down and hugged him around his neck and laughed as he rained doggy kisses all over her face.
“Oh, Ace,” she laughed, “I love you, too.”
At those words, he jumped back out of her arms and froze. Melanie looked at him curiously, shaking her head.
“What’s the matter, boy?”
Ace made a chuffing noise and darted out of her yard and into the woods. He was so fast, she lost sight of him almost instantly. She called his name a few times, but to no avail. After several minutes of waiting for him to come back, she gave up and slowly turned and walked back to the house.
“Weird,” she whispered quietly as she opened the back door and went inside.
Chapter 13
The next morning, Melanie was waiting outside for Tara to pick her up when Jeremy’s truck came cruising down the street and pulled into her driveway. She stood there with a shocked look on her face as he threw the truck into park and jumped out.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as he ran to her and picked her up in a big bear hug. “And what was that for?”
He gave her a loud, smacking kiss on the lips before he replied, “Can’t I be happy to see my beautiful girlfriend on a wonderful Monday morning?”
“Uh, I guess. Why’s it so wonderful and why are you here instead of Tara?”
“It’s wonderful because I’m here with you, and I’m here with you because I called Tara and informed her that she is officially off taxi duty today.”
“You want to drive me to school today?” she asked happily.
“I want to drive you to school every day, but I don’t think Tara would ever forgive me if I stole you from her,” he smirked. “And no, I do not want to drive you to school today.”
“Wait, what? Now I’m confused.”
“You and I are skipping.”
“Skipping? As in school? Jeremy, I don’t know. I have never skipped a day of school in my life before we left when I got that note last week! My mom would kill me if she found out.” She lowered her voice on that last bit, just to be safe.
“That’s exactly why you should do it! Listen, it’ll be fine. They never call parents to let them know anymore. And if they do, you can just tell your mom you needed a mental health day. Come on, please?”
“I don’t know, Jer-”
“Pretty please,” he said again while giving her sad, puppy dog eyes.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay.”
“Okay?” he said back, nodding his head with an excited look on his face. “Yes!” he yelled while pumping his fist in the air.
She grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the truck. “Shh, before my mom hears you and our day is over before it even began.”
A few minutes later, they were pulling into the apartment complex where Jeremy was staying with Chris. They were silent on the drive over and Melanie kept fidgeting nervously in her seat. Her fear of getting caught skipping school was superseded by her fear of what was going to happen next. For all his exuberance at her house, Jeremy was unusually quiet and tense during the short ride.
Jeremy parked in his designated spot and got out of the truck without a word. She watched him as he walked around the
front to her side and opened the door for her. Melanie grabbed her purse and got out, but left her backpack on the floorboard. She wasn’t sure what was going on in his head, and it was starting to freak her out a little.
He threaded his fingers through hers and led her to the apartment. Letting go of her hand to unlock the door, Jeremy ushered her inside with his palm flat on her lower back. Melanie didn’t look at him as he turned to shut and lock the door, nor did she when he took her hand and led her to his bedroom.
He pulled her inside and kicked the door shut behind her, then gently pushed her back until she was pressed against the door. He put both hands on her cheeks and kissed her gently. Her emotions were at war. Part of her was freaking out because she was alone, with Jeremy, in his bedroom and he still hadn’t spoken. The other part of her melted a little, reveling in the spark of heat his kisses caused inside of her.
Jeremy pulled back, way too soon for her liking, and gave her a sad smile. “Melanie, can you please sit down? I need to talk to you.”
She turned and walked to the bed and sat down, tears swimming in her eyes. Jeremy saw them and walked over and sat beside her. He used the pad of his thumb to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
“Why are you crying?” he asked incredulously.
She sniffed and took a deep breath. “Are you breaking up with me?”
His head reared back. “What? Why would you ask me that?”
“Well,” she sniffed again, “you were so serious and quiet on the ride over here, then you kissed me, but you looked sad. Then you said ‘we need to talk.’”
Jeremy chuckled and pulled her forward for a hug. “You are so crazy,” he said, his voice muffled by her hair. Then she thought she heard him mumble something like “you got that backwards,” but when she asked him to repeat it, he just shrugged and said “Never mind.”
He pulled back and stared into her eyes. “I am not breaking up with you. Never think that. But I do need to talk to you about something important.”
“Is that the real reason why we’re skipping school?” He nodded. She took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready. Lay it on me.”
He smiled at her for a brief moment, then it slipped from his face again. He stood up and started pacing back and forth on the carpet in front of her. His eyebrows were pulled down over his beautiful dark eyes and a muscle was ticking in his jaw.
Melanie let this go on for a few minutes before she blurted out “Jeremy! Speak! You are going to give me a stroke if you don’t get to it.”
He stopped in front of her and looked down at her with a serious expression. “I’m sorry I ran away from you when you told me that you loved me.”
Melanie’s whole body reared back for a moment in shock and confusion. “Wha...what?” she stammered. “I never said that to you.”
He just stared at her with that same serious look on his face and nodded. “Yes, you did.”
Melanie shook her head in denial. She had never told Jeremy that. She had never told any boy that, ever. But he was still staring at her, as if willing her to remember something that didn’t happen.
“No Jeremy, I didn’t.”
“Yes Mel, you did. Yesterday.”
“But I didn’t even see you yesterday. Are you ok? Did you hit your head or something?”
He didn’t reply. He just kept his eyes locked on hers and waited. She thought back to the weekend. Yesterday she walked Tara out after their sleepover and went back inside, where she spent most of the day studying. Later, she went outside and saw… Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath. Jeremy seemed to sag a little then walked over and sat back down next to her on the bed.
“I only saw Tara, my mom, and the dog yesterday, Jeremy.”
“Ace,” he said.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Were you out in the woods watching me play with him?”
“No.”
“No? Then how do you know his name?”
“You told me.”
“Jeremy I am so confused. Are you playing some kind of mind game with me? You must have been there if you know about the name I gave him. Why are you lying?”
Jeremy leaned towards her and held her face between his hands. He stared deep into her eyes and said “I was there, but I am not lying about being in the woods.” He paused for a second. “I am Ace.”
Melanie jerked her head back. Jeremy straightened up and let his hands drop to his sides. She hopped off the bed and stood over him with her hands on her hips.
“That is not funny, Jeremy.”
He didn’t say anything. He just stared at her with an anguished look on his face. Now it was her turn to pace.
“Why are you doing this? Is this all some big joke? Make Melanie think you really like her, then rip the rug out from under her?”
“No, Mel, I’m telling you the tru-”
She interrupted him with a harsh laugh. “How stupid do you think I am? So what, you’re some kind of werewolf or something?”
“No,” he said quietly, staring down at his feet with his elbows braced on his knees. “Not a werewolf, a shapeshifter.”
“Oh, well that makes it so much better!” she said sarcastically. “I want to go home. Now.”
“Melanie, please, I…”
“Now! I am not going to let you humiliate me any longer. Take. Me. Home. You know what? Never mind. I’ll walk.”
She stomped to the bedroom door and flung it open. She started to walk through, but changed her mind at the last minute and turned around to blast him again. She took a deep breath as she turned and choked on it. Sitting on the floor in front of the bed was the dog.
“Ace?” she whispered.
He didn’t move or blink, just sat there staring at her through soulful dark eyes. She looked around the room and didn’t see Jeremy anywhere. She rushed to the closet and peeked in, but he wasn’t there either.
“Jeremy, where are you?” Ace huffed, stood up and wagged his tail.
No, no, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. This can’t be real, she thought.
She took a few hesitant steps forward, then kneeled on the floor in front of Ace. She touched his face, rubbed the fur of his neck and chest.
“Jeremy?” she croaked out. He licked her cheek in response.
“No. No! I don’t believe this. I can’t believe this!” She stood back up and pointed at him. “You know what? I got it. Change back. Change back right here, right now, and I’ll believe it.”
Ace let out a little whine and turned around and looked at the floor behind him. Melanie took a step forward to see what he was looking at. Her eyes widened at the sight.
“Oh. Oh!” She blushed as she noted the haphazard pile of clothes on the floor. Not just any clothes, but the clothes Jeremy was wearing just a few minutes earlier.
Ace got up, turned around and scooped the pair of jeans up in his mouth, then trotted around her and into the closet. Melanie quickly turned her back and waited. Several seconds later, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped away quickly and spun around.
Jeremy stood there in just the jeans, hands up in a placating gesture. “Melanie, please, I can explain.”
“Explain what? That you’re a part-time dog? That you’ve been lying to me for over a year? Oh, God. Wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up.”
Melanie walked over to the bed and sat back down. Her hands were shaking and her breath was coming in quick, harsh, gasps. Jeremy hurried over and dropped his knees to the floor in front of her.
“Mel, you’re going to hyperventilate. Concentrate on slowing down your breathing. Slow, steady breaths, Mel. Slow and steady.”
Listening to his voice, Melanie managed to calm down her breathing enough to speak again. “Tell me the truth, Jeremy.”
The tension in his shoulders melted and he stood up then sat on the bed next to her. When she didn’t flinch or scoot back, he took her hand in his and rubbed soothing circles along the back of it.
“I’m still Jeremy. I am the guy you’ve kn
own and cared about, the one who’s cared about you, all this time. There are just parts of my life I’ve had to keep hidden, for obvious reasons.”
Melanie stared at their joined hands and thought hard about what to ask next. She had so many questions, she didn’t know where to start.
“Have you always been this way?”
“Sort of. I was born a shapeshifter, as were both my parents, but I didn’t actually shift for the first time until I turned seventeen.”
“But you’re seventeen now.”
“Yes, but I’ve known my whole life that this would happen, so I was ready when it did. Listen, Mel, I wanted to tell you from the beginning, really I did. But there are rules. Rules my parents have ingrained in me. I can’t tell anyone. I can’t shift in front of anyone. We’d be in a lot of danger if anyone found out.”
“Then why? Why are you telling me?”
Jeremy’s grip on her hand tightened. “I always planned on telling you, Mel, no matter what my parents said. I don’t want there to be secrets between us, and you have to agree, this is a big one.” She nodded slowly.
“I just didn’t plan on telling you this soon. I thought we’d have time. Time to get to know each other better, time for our feelings to grow, time for me to figure out how the hell to do this without freaking you out.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Failed on that one, for sure.”
“What made you change your mind and tell me now, Jeremy?”
“You. I’ve been working so hard trying to protect you, as myself and as…Ace, and you weren’t scared of me in that form. You showed me kindness and affection, and yesterday-“
“I said I love you,” she interrupted, remembering how this insane conversation started.
“Yes. And I ran.”
She looked down at her lap and pulled her hand out of his. “Yes, I guess you did. It’s okay, you know. I was saying that to a dog, not to you. No need to have a boy-freak-out because a girl said those words,” she said without looking up.
“Melanie, look at me, please.” She lifted her head and met his eyes. “I was not having a ‘boy-freak-out.’ I ran because I hated hearing those words from you, for the first time, when I was in that form. I wanted to be in this form,” he took her hand again, “so I could say them back.”