Author: Erik Schubach
Date: 2015-10-30T04:00:00+00:00

The Paranormals: Fleas

By Erik Schubach

Copyright © 2015 by Erik Schubach

Self publishing

P.O. Box 523

Nine Mile Falls, WA 99026

Cover Photo © 2015 Marharyta Holodenko / ShutterStock.com license

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties.  Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, blog, or broadcast.

This is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Manufactured in the United States of America

FIRST EDITION

ISBN 978-0-9966241-4-5

Chapter 1 – A Day In The Life

I stood in line in the gym as the teams were picked for volleyball.  Kristy Higgins was one of the team captains and, of course, her wanna be mini me Josie Wells was the other.  Like any team sport at Margaret H. Thatcher High School, here in Vancouver, British Columbia, teams had to have a balance of pure humans and shifters.

You'd think that would put me up at the top of the picks since I was a lycanthrope shifter.  Lycans aren't quite as fast as the felidaethrope, cat shifters, like Kristy and Josie, but we were much stronger.  But no... Though I was gifted with the lycanthrope gene, I seemed to lack the enhanced coordination and reflexes of the other school wolves.

At least my previously gangly body developed quite shapely and tone like others with the gene.  Though I still felt and acted like the awkward and gangly girl that I was beneath the pleasant exterior.

So that brings us to the last two people waiting to be picked.  Me and Agnes Ongers, the girl who always wore four layered sweaters, even in gym class, and collected plastic spoons for some odd reason.  Not plastic knives and forks... just spoons.  She was a low-level witch who seemed to live in her own world.  An odd platypus.

Josie hissed at Kristy, “Oh, you did this on purpose, you have three shifters on your team and I only have two.  You are so going to pay.  I guess I gotta take Fleas.”  The girls chuckled.

Yup, that was me, Steph Ryder.  I got stuck with the Fleas nickname in junior high, just after my first shift when I hit puberty.  Kristy and Josie had infested the clothing in my locker with fleas after they found out I was possibly the most pathetic werewolf ever.  Sure I gained the strength and senses of a lycan shifter, but I was still as clumsy as hell and most pathetically, was allergic to both dog and cat dander.  I would shift every time I sneezed.

Back then, Kristy had walked up to me as I was getting out of my gym clothes and said, “Hey Steph, would you say my fur is tawny, or cream?”  Then sprouted soft, delicate fur on her arm and I sneezed, right there in the locker room.  All the girls laughed, and for the coup de grace, Kristy opened my locker and my flea infested clothing fell on top of me in my canine form.  I must have itched for a month.

Mom said Kristy was just jealous because of my lycan strength, Kristy had been excited to find she had shifter genes, but saddened by it being cat and not wolf.  Her and Josie have made it their sacred duty to embarrass me every day of my life since then.  Not for much longer, though, we would be graduating next week and I would be free of them forever.

There were times I wished I was just a normal kid like ninety-five percent of the people, then the Bitchly Twins wouldn't even know I existed.  Nah, I liked being a shifter, even a cut-rate one.  I shook myself out of my thoughts and went to stand in line with Josie's team.

Kristy smirked at her friend then looked at the last girl and said, “Spoons, you're with me.”   Agnes looked up and around like she had just realized where she was then hustled over to Kristy's side of the net.

Mrs. Coats blew the whistle and said, “Okay ladies lets get this started.”

We all spread out on our sides of the net.  Kristy moved back to serve.  I thought it was unfair that she and Josie could wear their cheerleader uniforms instead of the gawky and gaudy shirts and shorts in the school's purple and gold the rest of us had to wear.

Coach Coats threw Kristy the ball and my nemesis called out, “Zero zero service.”  Then got a wicked gleam in her eye and jumped straight up, at least four feet into the air, and served the ball with all of her enhanced strength directly at me.

It barreled down at me like a cannonball, and with all my athletic grace, I squeaked like a freshman and held my hands up to protect my face.  The ball hit my arms and sent me falling backward, by happenstance, the ball just barely bounced over the net and onto the floor.  We scored!

I was wondering why I hadn't fallen on my butt and looked back to see Violet Parsons holding me up with one hand.  She quickly noted that and put her second hand behind me and then put a fake strained look on her face as she stood me up.

I've always liked Violet, she has always been friendly and never joined into the teasing of ol' Fleas.  She's an oddball like me but as far as I knew, she wasn't any sort of paranormal.  How was she so strong?  If anything, the past couple years I have thought she was sick.  She was so pale and always wore sunglasses outside, even in the winter.  She and Cindy Tanner have been almost connected at the hip the past two years.  And she keeps a hamster in a pocket of her purse.  I know, because I can smell it.

Violet herself has smelled... off... the past couple years but I couldn't put my finger on how or why, but I counted her as a friend.  Us oddballs sort of stick together.

She asked, “Are you okay?  That's going to bruise.”

I shrugged and said, “No, it takes a lot more than that to hurt me now.  Thanks for catching me.”

She smiled then locked her eyes on me, and said, “No problem.”  Then her voice seemed to thrum through me with power... but, she wasn't a witch was she?  “I think you are a lot more graceful than you think.”

She looked away as we all shifted around as Josie moved back to serve.  I felt suddenly more confident of myself and my ability.  Josie sent a rocket shaped like a volleyball over the net, Clarissa James, was a blur as she stepped forward and dove into the air.  I started moving with a surety I had never felt and launched myself into the air too.

In another blur, Clarissa's hand shot out to spike the ball down on us, but I was already there at the net in front of her and blocked her at the net.  I spiked her spike right back at her.  I twisted my body so it didn't touch the net on the way down and I landed lithely in a three-point stance as the ball hurtled into the ground on their side of the net.

Wow!  How the hell had I done that?  I glanced back at Violet, who gave me a cute grin back.  After we got two more points, with me dashing all over to save the ball.  They scored on Violet, who I swear was holding back.  She had always been almost as clumsy and uncoordinated as me, but now she looked almost timid as she played.

We moved around again and Kristy came up to the net, then looked over to make sure Coach was retrieving the errant ball and her tawny colored tail whipped out from behind her as she asked, “What has gotten into you today Fleas?  You're almost good.”

We're not allowed to do partial shifts in class, it made for an even more unfair situation for the normals.  She caressed my cheek with her tail and ran it under my nose, then it disappeared as quickly as she had made it appear before the returning coach could see.

My eyes were watering and just as Christine Ingles was about to serve, I sneezed and just stood there as everyone in the gym started laughing at me when I instantly shifted into my lupus form.  The laughing caught the attention of the boys on the other side of the gym and they joined in.

Oh, did I fail to mention that not only was I a cut rate lycanthrope, but I lacked the power to bring out my true wolf form.  The most I could manage so far was...

“Hey little fox, let's see you play now.”

I looked out of the clothes piled around me and sighed, then stepped out of the folds of fabric.  I growled at Kristy as the coach blew her whistle, “Ryder, locker room!  No use of powers on the gym floor!”

I cussed in my head as my little fox form just grumbled in my squeaky growl as I took my clothes in my teeth and headed for the lockers.  I could switch back in there without exposing myself to everyone.  I could have slapped myself for cursing things by thinking that.  As I reached the door, I sneezed again then clutched my clothes to my naked human body as I ran through the door to more laughing in the gym.

“Fuck!”  I screamed then stomped over to my locker and started putting on my street clothes as I fought off the tears.

I remembered my extreme excitement when I was ten and was tested for any of the genetic mutations that were a result of “The Incident.”  When they say an experimental, mile long particle collider built in orbit at LaGrange point L1, caused a rupture in space near the moon fifty-three years ago, and the Earth was bathed in some sort of radiation, they couldn't identify.  But the United States government adamantly denies any fault in the incident.  Right, as if.

The moon split and was now a cracked egg shape, and children born after the event had a five percent chance of developing one of the paranormal genes that would allow them to become shapeshifters, or magic users when they hit puberty.  Unfortunately, other less savory things happened as well, such as the mutation of some into vampires, or ghouls.

Vampires aren't too bad, they have to be registered, and their blood intake is regulated to volunteers only.  Besides that, they are pretty normal people, just night dwellers.  Ghouls, on the other hand, eat emotion instead of blood and are imprisoned as soon as the gene is identified in a subject.

Imagine my excitement when we were told I had a shifter gene and a lycanthrope at that!  I imagined the enhanced agility and body shape.  I would finally not be the gangly, four-eyed, clumsy, red-headed geek anymore.

As it was approaching time for my first shift, the doctors were telling us that my readings were a little off, and it seemed that I was pulling only low-level power from the quantum fields that powered all paranormals.  In a witch, that caused a delay of almost a decade for their powers to be fully realized, they called those magic users, stringers.  Like Jinx, Jessica, a girl in our class who was a barrel of fun, but had virtually no control of her magic.  I liked her, she had an awesome sense of humor.

So like everything else, I couldn't even be a proper wolf.  No, I had to be the first documented Shifter Stringer.  I wouldn't have enough power for a proper shift until my mid-twenties.

When I finally shifted my first time when I was thirteen, imagine my embarrassment when I became a tiny wild dog that looked a cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and a wiener dog.  At least my eyesight improved and I didn't need my glasses anymore.

Then to find out I was allergic to furred animals.  How the hell can someone be allergic to themselves?  That's when Kristy found out and started the whole Fleas thing.

I've worked my way up to a large fox now, I might be able to handle a coyote form in a couple years.

On that thought, I grabbed my bag and pulled out my allergy pills.  I should have taken one before I came to school, but I forgot.  I washed it down with a swallow from a little bottle of water I carried.  I inhaled deeply and waited for it to take effect.  Then whined as my nose twitched. “Oh not now, I just got dressed!”  Then sneezed again.

I said, “Grruuffle wuff grrrr rowl!”  You really don't want me to translate.  I stepped out of the clothing piled over me, then sighed and concentrated and instantly became human again.  I cussed while I dressed yet again.

At least that was one thing I could do which the other shifters couldn't.  My changes were instantaneous, the doctors still don't know why.  For a shifter to change, it usually takes a minute or two for a full transformation.  The other girls came streaming in as I pulled my shirt back on.

Violet gave me an apologetic look and I shrugged as Kristy and Josie snickered at me.  Violet stepped in front of Kristy and whispered something then wandered off to shower and get dressed.  A few minutes later, the bell rang and I blinked when Kristy stepped up to the door to the hall then pulled her cheerleader skirt off and put it over her shoulder like a jacket and walked out wearing her spanks!

I swear I heard Violet chuckle at Kristy's scream about five seconds later.  I looked over at the pale girl, she just shrugged innocently at me then headed to class.  I followed a second later to see Kristy running down the hall toward her locker, pulling her skirt on again.  I had to chuckle too, then narrowed my eyes at Violet, and sniffed the air as she left.  Did she cause that?  I didn't smell any magic around her, and my sense of smell rivaled that of a bloodhound.

Though I did smell the little hamster that was peeking its head out of her bag and looking up at her.  She must have trained the cute little thing to stay in there.  I licked my lips then shook my head, damn it.  I hadn't been paying attention and my hunting instinct was kicking in.  I forced it down, mentally chastising my fox.  “No, that is Violet's pet. She is our friend, and that little fuzzy guy was cute.”  I could feel my animal side back her way into my mental lair, rolling its eyes at me.  I sent a mental hug to my fox and rushed off to class.

By lunch, I was a little sleepy as the antihistamines were kicking in.  I yawned as I made my way through the halls to the cafeteria, responding to the occasional, “Hey Fleas”, or “Hi Steph,” greetings.  And almost walked into an open locker door when my secret crush, Lance Jameson, class president, and our upcoming valedictorian inclined his head and said, “Fleas,” as I walked past.

I blushed as Penny pulled me aside just in time, saving me again like she always does. “Watch it Fuzzbucket.”

I scrunched my head to my shoulders in apology as she looped her arm through mine and pulled me off to the cafeteria.  I whispered, “Sorry, he knows my name.”  I gave her a cheesy grin.

She rolled her eyes and said in an exasperated tone, “Fleas is not your name, Steph.”

I gave her a playful shove as we stood in line for our meal.  “Close enough, at least it wasn't 'Hey You' or something.”

She grinned, her blue eyes twinkling.  “Your head is in the clouds again lady.  He's in a whole different world than us.”

I gave an exaggerated sigh.  “I know, just let me dream a bit okay Pen?”

She crinkled her nose and we grabbed trays and silverware as we passed.  After loading up a double portion onto my tray, hey us shifters need a ton of calories to power our bodies, we sat at our usual table in the far back corner, where even the geeks and nerds don't sit.

This was sort of our space... the oddball rejects of the school.  I smiled at the table next to us where Violet and her best friend, Cindy, sat with Jinx and her friend, Melinda.  I didn't miss Violet dropping a little piece of carrot into her bag for her furry friend.  She saw me and followed my eyes to her bag.  She smiled and shrugged then said, “Sorry for what Miss All That and her minion did in gym.”

I just shrugged and smiled then cringed as Penny started to stand, her voice acidic as she hissed, “What did they do this time?”  She should have been a redhead instead of a blonde, the way her temper flared at the smallest thing.

I looked down embarrassed as I stuffed half a slice of meatloaf in my mouth and spoke around it without meeting her eyes, “Nothing, it's fine.”

Violet volunteered, “Kristy forced a shift on her because she was making her look bad in volleyball.”

I slumped more.  And Penny slowly sat as she looked at me.  “Steph was making her look bad?”

I shrugged again. “I was in the zone somehow, I was graceful like my kind is supposed to be.  It felt awesome until...”

Violet was squinting at the meatloaf on her fork like she was trying to determine just what it was really made of, my guess was beef flavored cardboard.  She absently said, “You were just playing without all the baggage you put on yourself.  The clumsiness is all in your head.  Same with the limitations of your shift.”  She took an experimental bite of the meat-ish substance then shrugged and started shoveling it in like the rest of us.

I blinked at her a couple times and it seemed the pale girl was done speaking so I turned back to Penny and we just dropped into our usual gossip.  Hammond joined us, he looked excited about something.  I grinned at the heavyset guy. “You're about to burst Ham.  What's up?”

He pushed his glasses higher onto the bridge of his nose and said with pride,  “Mr. Laurel said I can set up the multimedia presentation for our graduation.”  We congratulated him, he was sort of geeky when it came to electronics and computers.  Penny, Ham, and I had been friends for as long as I could remember.

And to my embarrassment, we were always in our own little group in the corner during all the school events like homecoming.  Penny keeps saying, “You really need to get out of the dowdy clothes you wear, style your hair, and show off that rockin' body your animal side gave you.  Then all the boys would be drooling over themselves to dance with you.”

I 'd always just shrug.  I didn't feel any different, I was still just mousy Steph inside, nobody seemed to understand that.  It was just like I was hidden in this different wrapper.  Then we'd always dance at least once as the terrible trio we were.

After lunch, Pen and I were off to art.  I loved art class, I always drew the wolf I could feel waiting inside of me to be born.  To be funny, Penny drew a cartoon fox with a collar that read Steph.  I giggled and she made a silly face at me.  She was always good at making me feel like I belonged somewhere.

I took the time to really look at her.  She had changed so much since we met in first grade.  She was still taller than me. Even though she didn't benefit from the shape my genes gave me she's turned into quite a catch for anyone if she didn't hang out with Ham and I.  I always felt like we were holding her back, but she assured me that she was where she wanted to be.  With real friends, that had her back.

Since I started getting my powers including my enhanced strength, I sort of withdrew into myself more.  I didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone with my new power.  So she sort of became the protector of our little group instead of me, since junior high.  And I'm pretty certain, that nothing phases Ham.  He's always in his own little world and all the teasing we got sort of just rolls off of him.

After school, I made my way through the halls, changing direction and taking the back hall when I saw Kristy and Josie near the front doors talking to Lance.  They were pouring on the feline charm.  It just wasn't fair, how were the rest of us girls supposed to compete with that?

I shrank back into my oversize sweater and headed out the back door and walked to the gravel student parking lot.  I grinned.  Penny was already putting on her goggles and her leather riding helmet.  I hopped over to her run down 1939 BMW R12 motorcycle with its rickety sidecar.  It was a relic from World War Two.  We called it the Beast.

Her father is the best motorcycle mechanic in Vancouver and he got the rolling deathtrap as a trade for some work when we all turned sixteen and she begged for a car.  Instead, she got the Beast.  We can't complain though since neither my mom or Ham's parents make enough money for either of us to have a car.  And it was on rare occasions that I could borrow my mom's.

So Penny and the Beast were our transportation, on our road to freedom.  I grinned and waved from my hip she just rolled her eyes with a smile and tossed me my burnt orange and white helmet.  The fox colors are her sly joke.  I slid my backpack into the little trunk on the sidecar.

Penny swung her leg over the seat and I settled in behind her.  Then she started the long, arduous task of kick-starting the motor.  She asked, “So how was history.”  Pluhbluhbluh.

“I almost fell asleep in Mrs. Lister's class.  Economics is sooo boring, and now it is all lectures since school is almost out.  Then we're free!”  Pluhbluhbluh.

I nodded. “Just one more week!  I swear that all of our teachers are coasting just as much as we are.”  Pluhbluhbluh.  I waved at Ham in my awkward way as he came up to us, his books clasped to his chest like someone would steal them from him.

He said in his Doctor Who voice, “Ladies.”  As he put his books on the floorboards of the sidecar and pulled out his old, battered, white football helmet, with its two red stripes. Pluhbluhbluh.

He hopped into the sidecar and it squeaked and swayed and I could feel Beasts shocks fighting against our combined weight.  My muscles are dense now so I weigh as much as Ham.  Just over one seventy.  I weighed just under eighty before puberty and look like I weigh just over a hundred ten now like Penny.

One last kick and the motor haltingly roared to life, then settled into a throaty growl.  Once he was running, he took on his namesake.  I cringed when Kristy and Josie came walking past laughing at us on their way to Kristy's Mercedes convertible, “Geek alert.”  They chuckled to themselves.

I could feel Penny tensing as she started to rev the motor.  Oh shit.  I wrapped my arms around her waist tightly as Josie chimed in, “The three...”  Penny gunned it and popped the clutch, turning sharply, sending a rooster tail of dirt and gravel spraying the two cheerleaders as we went rocketing out of the parking lot.

I laughed in glee at the indignant screams we left behind us as the bike swayed back and forth on the road, finding its equilibrium, shocks squeaking.  I yelled over the wind, “Are you scared of anything Pen?”  She shot a smirk over her shoulder and answered by shifting gears and sending us lurching forward under the driving power of Beast's heart.  I glanced over to see Ham holding onto the sides of the sidecar for dear life.  The poor boy was white as a sheet.

We got back into our normal rhythm as we approached my place.  Ham started digging into the trunk and produced my backpack and handed it to me and I traded my helmet for it.  I shouted to Pen, “Thanks for the ride.”

Penny nodded and looked back.  “Okay.  See you tonight after dinner.  We can talk about the senior prom.”  I nodded back as we approached my place without slowing.  I hopped up on the seat then launched into the air as we passed.  I landed in a sliding three-point stance in my yard and waved to them as they sped off to drop Ham off at his place a couple blocks over.

I grinned.  It was such a rush to do that.  Even with my lack of coordination it was something I perfected with Penny when she first got her bike.  Ha, who says I can't be graceful at times?  Then I promptly tripped over the garden hose and face-planted into the grass.  Oh, that's right, me. Ow.

Chapter 2 – Expelled

After dinner, I was sitting on the roof outside my window, sketching a wolf when a hand waggled over the edge by the trellis.  I grinned and reached over as I lifted Penny with one hand to the roof.  She grinned and said as she leaned her back against my window sill, “Hey Fuzzbucket.”

I grinned at the familiar greeting.  “Hey, Pen.”  I settled in beside her.  “So I was thinking.  Who really needs to go to the senior prom?  I mean, it's just a bunch of people we'll probably never see again after we graduate.  And what if we go to college?  Then for sure we'd never...”

She squished my lips into duck lips between two of her fingers.  “And that's why you're not allowed to think.  It is our last hurrah, a rite of passage if you will.  Your last chance to dance with Lance Jameson.”

I stared at her a second then deflated.  “Fifff.  Cnaa I hfff moi liffs bock?”

She squinted one eye and stared at me like I was speaking a foreign language, “Huh?”  She released my lips.

I grinned and said as I scrunched down into my sweater, “I said... fine, can I have my lips back?”

She shot me a cheesy grin then opened a scrapbook she had in her bag and put it half on my lap, half on hers. “Here are the ideas I picked for our dresses.  Ham's mom said she can sew them up in just a few days.”

Right on cue, we heard some huffing and puffing and gasping.  Then one hand flopped up on the roof edge, followed by another.  Moments later Ham came scrambling up with some of mom's Purple Wisteria vines in his hair.

He affected his favorite greeting again as he scrambled up on Penny's other side.  “Ladies.”

We each said, “Hey Ham.”  And we started planning a night that was sure to be another embarrassing footnote in my personal life history as I picked the vines out of the poor boy's hair.  Mom popped her head out my window from time to time to check on us and deliver snacks.  I have the most awesome mom ever.

After settling on designs, we started winding down and doing more star watching than planning.  Then Ham asked, “So have we given any thought to what Jinx and Melinda have proposed for after graduation?”

I smiled.  All of our plans are always start with 'we', I'm pretty sure that the three of us are all going to be friends forever.

Jinx and Melinda are fast friends like that.  They are in the same boat as us, after graduation they can't afford college. Well, Ham and I... Pen could have her choice of colleges, her dad has been tucking a dollar here, a dollar there, away since the day she was born in case she decides to go on to higher education.  She hasn't expressed an interest to, she's so laid back about it.

But we wound up in a conversation with Jinx and Melinda at the mall one day, and they are planning an epic road trip from here in Vancouver, British Columbia to New York City after graduation.  When they return, they want to start an odd jobs service.  They asked if we wanted in on the action, because each of us has a unique skill set to offer, and the more odd jobs we can take the better off the business would be.

Those two have always been enterprising.  They already make pretty good money hiring out Jinx to other magic users as a Channel.  That is where other magic users can dip into the reservoir of magic in another willing to lend it.  It was smart really, seeing as how every spell Jinx casts, goes a little haywire; the bald goat down the street can attest to it, she was just trying to trim his hooves a bit, but renting herself out as a battery is perfect since it doesn't require her to cast any spells.

I actually think their idea would be brilliant.  They pointed out that with my strength, I could help in jobs that require hauling or heavy lifting.  Penny is awesome at organization, and Ham could help with any technical jobs as well as setting up our own network.  Jinx would still be a Channel and general grunt, and Melinda has proven herself with creative marketing and advertising.

There was some mention of the possibility of asking Violet into the fold, she has these awesome powers of persuasion.  I swear she can convince anyone to do just about anything.  So that would be a smart match too.  Between all of us, we could handle any odd job, no matter how strange.

I looked to Penny.  She shrugged. “I'm in if you two are.  Friends to the end.”

I grinned and nodded. “It's settled then.  Friends to the end.”

Ham nodded and we stacked our hands and then turned when mom stuck her head out the window.

She grinned at us and looked at an imaginary watch.  Imaginary curfew is nine o'clock on a school night.  Just a few more and then graduation!  We hopped up and Penny backed to the edge and said,  “Night Steph, night Mrs. Ryder.”  Then she just hopped off the edge.  I caught her raised arm with one hand as she fell, then lowered her down gently and she dropped the last couple feet to the ground with a giggle.

Mom just shook her head at our antics.  Then Ham swung his legs over the edge and started to climb down the trellis, calling out, “G'night Steph, g'night Mrs. Ryder.”  We watched him disappear and heard his grunting and panting until he got down and Penny said, “Come on pumpkin, let's get you home before you turn into a boy.”

Mom called out, “You know you can use a door like normal people?”  She was answered by chuckles from my friends.  The trellis was our thing, it was like a custom.  Then she turned her grin to me.  “Can you take the trash to the road before you come in sweetie?”

I nodded and grinned then said, “Okay mom.” I hopped backward off the roof, to her gasp.  I landed lightly on the lawn and headed to the garage to get the can to carry it to the curb.

I noticed a swift blur moving across the street a couple blocks down, it went from Cindy's to Violet's house.  It almost looked human, but it was gone before I could really focus.  I set the can down and grinned, when I was little, we had a little-wheeled cart to bring the trash to the curb.  Now I had my dense musculature and it was pretty simple now without the wheels.  I walked across the grass toward the front door, feeling a little smug with myself, and I tripped over that damn hose again.  I face planted with a “Gleep!”

Then I giggled at myself and went to get up when the grass caused me to sneeze.  I muttered to myself, looking around the neighborhood, hoping nobody saw.  Mrs. Thompson's curtains moved, of course that nosy old lady next door saw.  I stepped out of the pile of clothing grumbling and cussing in my fox form, it sounded something like, “grrr, raffle, rawl, gruff.” I gathered my clothes in my jaws and got to the front door.  Damn lack of thumbs.

I wasn't about to shift to human and let Mrs. Thompson see me in all my naked glory.  I hung my head then scratched at the door.  Mom opened the door a few seconds later with that knowing look shared by all mothers across the globe as she asked, “Forgot to take your allergy medicine tonight didn't you?”

I trotted in and looked up at her and said, “Grafflerawl.”  As I became me again when she shut the door and started dressing.

She squinted at me. “Stephanie Louise Ryder, don't use that tone with me.  I know when you are cussing even if I don't understand it.”

I smiled an apology and reinforced it with “Sorry mom.”  She gave her half smile to me and I trudged upstairs to get ready for bed.  Maybe I could watch that latest zombie apocalypse movie, Snack Run before I went to sleep.

***

The next morning, after breakfast I went upstairs gathered my things into my backpack then hopped out my window.  I could already hear Beast's throaty growl coming down the lane.  Pen whizzed past without slowing and I took off running.

I caught up quickly and leapt to land on the seat behind her.  The front shocks groaned, bobbed and complained as the sidecar creaked.  I handed my backpack over to Ham, who tucked it into the little trunk as I put on my helmet.  Then Pen gunned it and we went screaming off to school, almost literally in Ham's case.

We arrived and parked and watched the sneering Bitchly Twins walk past in the parking lot, raising their noses in disdain as we stowed our helmets.  Then Lance pulled up and parked beside us, in his huge, red, Dodge Ram pickup.

He hopped out and I shrank into my sweater and almost drooled over his chiseled features, he reminded me of the statue of Apollo I saw on the field trip to the museum last year.  Okay, so maybe he was merely cute for a high school jock, but I was in lust mode so he looked like a Greek god to me.

Penny grinned, reached out and closed my mouth for me, she's always looking out for me like that.  Lance glanced over as he walked past and smiled, saying, “Fleas.  Ummm... Fleas' weird friend.”  Then added.  “And Hammond.  Did you finish that programming exercise for me for advanced computers Ham-bone?”

I blinked out of my fantasies at him warping our nickname for our friend to be unkind, Ham was starting to nod, but I blurted out, “Hey!  That was uncalled for!  Why don't you try doing your own homework and see how funny things are then.”

He paused and grinned, oh dear lord, my resolve wavered.  He inclined his head in acceptance and said, “You're kind of cute when you're defending your friends Fleas.”  Then he looked over at Ham.  “I apologize, Hammond, I know I shouldn't tease.  You're a good egg.”

Ham just nodded and stepped behind Penny.  Who was looking between him and the now steamless me.  She took a step forward and said firmly, “Respect gets you farther with sincerity, Jock-itch.  Now make like a tree and leave.”

He chuckled and pointed at her.  “Umm... Penny right?  I like you.  I was planning on asking Kristy to the prom, but she has been so demanding lately and is just expecting it.  You want to go with me instead?”

I deflated utterly, but I understood, Penny was pretty and confident, not like me.  But she looped one arm in mine and one in Ham's and said, “As privileged as it makes me feel, knowing I'd be your stick in the eye to Kristy, I already have my dates for the prom.  People I actually respect, soooo if you don't mind, we need to get to class.”

Oh, dear lord, she told off Lance Jameson.  “Glurk!”  I was dragged physically off toward the main building by my beaming friend.

I whispered, “You... you said no to Lance.”

She shrugged. “He was being an ass waffle, and I don't poach my friend's crushes.”

Ham seemed oblivious to everything as he started a new topic. “Mom says she can have the dresses done for you two on Friday.  She just needs you before the prom for a final fitting.”

Pen and I looked at each other and grinned excitedly.  Okay fine, I was getting excited for prom.  It really was like a rite of passage.   Hammond was looking nervous.  I watched him for a second then asked, “What's up Ham?”

He started wringing his fingers then said as he looked down at his hands.  “Ummm... I sort of, well, someone asked me to the prom.”

Penny and I squeed so loudly, I'm surprised the windows of the school didn't shatter.  Everyone was staring at us as we excitedly pulled our friend into the main hall.  I whispered, “Who is it?” Penny was nodding approval for the question.

The poor boy was blushing when he said to his feet quietly, “Agnes Ongers.”

Oh... I blinked, thinking about Spoons.  You know, she was pretty cute when you got past the weird obsession with plastic spoons.  She was so quiet and I have never really taken a good look at her.

I smiled because she had the good taste to ask out our Hammond, and that made her first rate in my book, and said honestly, “That, Ham, is brilliant.”

Penny blanched and we both looked at her, worried about her approval.  We shouldn't have even entertained that she wouldn't, as she blurted to me, “Good Lord, we don't have much time to get him a better tux than that old hand-me-down from his Uncle Chuck!”

I paled, she was right!  I ran my fingers through Hammond's hair. “And we need to do something about this mop.  My mom can clean it up and make it more presentable.”

He windmilled his hands, knocking my hand away and chugged away from us down the hall mumbling, “That's exactly why I was afraid to tell you.”

We chuckled as he retreated toward his locker then looked at each other, after a heartbeat we both started jumping up and down and squeeing again.  Ham was going to have his first date!

I'd have to talk to Spoons in gym to see what she was wearing.  We could make sure that Ham matched.  I paused in my scheming. Oh, dear lord, now I knew why Ham was afraid to tell us too.  I chuckled to myself.  We were so bad.

I detached from Penny's arm as I peeled off to my first class.  She called after me, “See you at lunch Fuzzbucket.”

I nodded and almost ran into Greg McCallister, our resident emo, he was looking into a little mirror on the inside of his locker door.

I felt power build in the air, it tickled my nose and I fought off a sneeze.  Then he pointed at his head.  A shock of his shiny black hair turned electric blue.  I always wondered how he always had the coolest hair in school, it hadn't occurred to me that he was using his magic to do it.

I grinned when he noticed I was watching and I said, “That is so cool.”

He grinned back almost a little bashfully, “You think?”  He looked at my red locks.  “I could do the same for you if you want.”

Oh wow, I absently touched my hair.  I shrank back into my sweater a little, I didn't like to stand out or draw attention, I preferred to fly under the radar.  Then I stood a little taller, these were the last few days of school.  I'd never see most of the people here again after graduation, so why should I care what they thought.

I shyly nodded and he grinned, moving his hand toward me then he paused with a thoughtful look and asked, “What color would you like, there's not a whole lot of choices with your awesome red hair.”

I blushed at the compliment then thought about it, then in a sudden act of inspiration and defiance I said, “White please.”

His grin bloomed into a smile of understanding, “That's brilliant, Fleas!  Let's bring out your inner fox shall we?”

I silently corrected my name to Steph in my head.  I felt the power bloom around us again and I put a finger to my nose to stop a sneeze and my scalp tingled.

“There,” he said.

I glanced into his little mirror and there was a shock of white on my left side.  Good lord what was I thinking, it made me look more like my fox, but... I thought it looked great and I crinkled my nose at him and said, “Thanks, Greg.” I placed a hand absently on the new highlight.

He smiled and shut his locker and sped away toward his first-period class, calling back, “It looks good on you Fleas, you really rock it.”

I blushed again, looked around self-consciously, lowered my head and shuffled off to class.

I felt like everyone was staring at me all morning, but I know it was my imagination.  Penny gave me an appraising look when we met in the hall to go to lunch.  She reached out and brushed the white in my hair with a fingertip.  “This is far too cute, when did you have the time to do this?  You didn't have it this morning.”

I grinned and looked down.  “I'm embracing my inner fox.  Greg did it for me, you really like?”

She nodded. “Yes, I love it.” She furrowed her brow then prompted, “Emo punker, wears orange lip gloss and black leather, Greg?”

I nodded.

She nodded back then grinned. “Now if I could just get you to dress to show off that rockin' bod of yours, you'd be turning every head in school.  You'd be fighting the boys off of you with a stick.”  Right, as if.

I pushed her shoulder, “Shut up Pen.  Come on, I'm starved.”

She rolled her eyes playfully.  “You're always hungry Steph.”  Then she looped our arms and dragged me faster down the hall, propelling us to a familiar boy.  She latched on to Hammond. “So Ham, what kind of corsage are you getting for Agnes?  Make sure it coordinates with the color of her dress.”

With his free hand, he palmed his face and shook his head. “I knew I shouldn't have told you two.”  We girls laughed maniacally and I caught a hint of a smile on his face.  He knew we fussed because we loved him and were excited for him.

He did a double-take when he looked at me.   He started to point and open his mouth to speak.  Penny interrupted, “Yes yes, Steph's a cute fox, old news.  Keep up man, we need to plan for your first date.”

When we sat down, me with my heaping tray of food, Pen looked around then called out, “Agnes.  Over here woman, sit with us.”

The shy girl turned back to look at us and I swear Ham blushed.  She bit her lip nervously and looked around and stood then shuffled over to our table.  She didn't even pause at one of the popular girl's tables as she snatched a plastic spoon from Michelle Tran's tray when she passed.  The girls were saying stuff like, “Eww... gross Spoons.” or “Now you have to sterilize your tray Chelle.”

She pocketed the spoon and sat on the far side of the table from Ham.  Penny stood and moved around and sat on the edge of the seat next to Agnes and started bouncing playfully and shoving Agnes until she was directly in front of Ham.  When she was happy with her evilness, Pen scooted over and pulled her tray across the table and started eating like nothing had occurred.

It took some prodding but we got the Agnes and Ham talking and we planned their grand entrance at the prom.  When I had finished off my tray and the leftovers on everyone else's trays, I wiped my plastic pudding spoon off and handed it to Spoons.  She grinned and snatched it from me and stuffed it in her pocket.

Pen said, “You two sit and make googly eyes at each other, Steph and I need to buy the tickets.”  She stressed, “Four, not three.”  That made me smile.  I was in such a good spirits.

We got to the table in the hall where the prom tickets were being sold and cringed, the Bitchly Twins were manning it.  Josie looked at us and spoke plainly behind her hand to Kristy.  “The sad losers are here to get their three singles tickets.”

Kristy wasn't smiling like Josie was. Instead, she was shooting daggers from her eyes at Penny.  She looked around and saw Mr. Klien at the end of the hall with his back to us, talking to a student.  Her cat tail lashed out and wrapped tightly around Penny's wrist and yanked her close.  She hissed like her inner cat and growled out, “I hear that Lance asked you to the prom.  Back off bitch.”

I surprised myself, I was suddenly between them, grasping Kristy's tail roughly and growling like a larger canine than my fox.  She actually paled at that and I felt her tail melt away into the quantum flux it came from.  Penny rubbed her wrist. “He asked me... I turned him down.  You two can go be king and queen of the prom and leave us alone.”

Penny threw the money on the table in front of Josie as Kristy stood and stomped off.  Penny said clearly enunciating, “FOUR please.”  Josie blinked at that, then took the money.

As she tore off four tickets from the roll, she smirked a little.  “You know, she didn't mean to act out like that.  It's just our wild cat nature, were pretty territorial.  I have to use the ladies room, would you two mind manning the table for me?  I'll just be a minute.”  She was almost purring, she was up to something.

I said, “I have to meet with the counselor before class, sorry Josie.”

Penny, always too nice, said, “That's okay, I can watch it for you, but hurry.”  Then she looked at me, “See you after sixth period.”

I nodded and wandered off with an uneasy feeling in my gut as I watched her sit while Josie headed to the restrooms, fully purring now.

My mind wandered the rest of the day since all the teachers seemed to be coasting into the end of the school year.  When school was out, I weaved through the halls and out to the student lot where I stutter stepped to a halt.  There was an empty spot where the Beast usually sat.

I looked around and felt self-conscious for some reason.  I hugged my backpack to my chest and looked around.  Pen was nowhere to be seen.  Had she and Ham taken off without me?  That awful fear was alleviated as Hammond clomped up next to me and blinked at the empty parking spot as other students started driving off.

He squinted his eyes in confusion, then looked at me.  “Umm?”

I looked back at him and shrugged. “Dunno.  She was gone when I got here.”  Oh, wait.  I pulled my cell phone out of my backpack and turned it on, we weren't allowed to use them inside the school.

As soon as it powered up I saw I had two texts from Penny.  Ham was doing the same and he had a text from her too.  I read my first text.  “Got expelled.  Josie is a lying bitch.”  What the hell?  Expelled?  But graduation was Monday, what was going on?

The second was, “At home.  Josie says I stole all the money from the prom ticket money box.  Dad fuming.  Steer clear for a bit.”  I sighed.  Worrying about what had happened wasn't going to help.

I needed to find out what was going on, but if her dad was mad, it was best to steer clear.  He had an explosive temper and made a lot of noise when he was mad.  Don't get me wrong, he was never violent or anything, besides throwing things around his shop.  He loved Pen to death and treated her with kid gloves.

I idly wondered if he was mad at her or at the school.  That sort of answered itself though since there was no way he could believe that she could be involved in something like that.  I almost called her, but thought better of it so just sent a quick text in reply.  “Ok, meet on the roof when able.”

Just great, now I was going to be a nervous wreck until I could talk to her.  I was going to have to... I sneezed.  I cussed, “Graffle grrr grruff.”  I stepped out of my pile of clothes and looked around.  There was no way I was going to change back in the open for everyone to see.  I looked up apologetically at Ham.

The big guy shared the look with me, exhaled then reached down and started stuffing my clothes and my cell into my backpack.  He slung it over the shoulder opposite his, then he turned and started walking. “Come on Steph, let's get you home.”

I padded alongside him. “Grawl gruffle grr.”

He grinned. “You kiss your momma with that mouth?”

I stuck my fox tongue out at him, then looked back when I heard laughing.  Of course... the Bitchly Twins were getting into Kristy's car.  They were pointing and mocking me as we walked away.

To tell you the truth, it was a rush being in my fox form. All of my senses were sharper and I was so much quicker.  I sort of felt free.  It was almost enough to assuage my embarrassment for not being able to shift into a wolf yet.

As luck would have it, when we were a couple blocks from my place, a cop pulled up alongside us.  We stopped and the man asked Ham, “We have a leash law here in Vancouver, son.”  Then he paused and looked closer at me.  “Is that a fox?”

Poor Ham looked to be ready to hyperventilate.  I bumped his leg with my shoulder.  Then he said, “Oh, no.  This isn't a pet.  This is my friend, Stephanie Ryder.  She's a werewolf shifter.”

The man got out of the car and squinted at me then Ham.  “That's not a wolf son.  Pull the other leg.”

I was sort of proud of Hammond, he was quick to defend me.  “She is sir.  She's a shifter stringer.  Doesn't have the power yet for a full wolf shift.  She accidentally shifted after school, so I'm walking home with her with her clothes and school stuff.”  He held up my backpack.

The officer squinted again then said, “Stay here for a second.”

I sighed and sat down.  He sat in his cruiser on the radio for a minute, I could hear the conversation easily with my big fox ears.  He was checking with the station to see if there was a such thing as a shifter stringer, then ran a check on Stephanie Ryder.

He stepped back out and said, “Alright.  I still have never heard of something like this.  Get her home.”  Then he added as an afterthought as we started walking again, “And Miss Ryder.”

I stopped and turned back to look at him.

“It’s not a good idea to shift and walk around in public, it makes some people nervous.”

Ahh, got it, loud and clear.  He was one of the ninety-five percent not affected by the Incident and saw us as freaks.

I nodded and called him a choice name while acting like I was agreeing, “Grifflruff.”

Then Ham and I made haste to my place.  He wasn't fooled by my act of contrition as he whispered, “Darn it Steph, if he knew you, you wouldn't have got away with that.”

I grinned.  Good thing the cop doesn't speak Stephie-fox then isn't it?

We stepped up onto my porch and he reached above the door frame and took down the spare key and unlocked the door.  He stepped in and I padded in behind him.  He placed my backpack and the key on the entry table and said, “I'll be here after supper and we can find out what the heck is going on with Penny.”

He held a hand palm out low toward me, I slapped him five with a paw and he stepped back out and closed the door.  I was instantly human and leaning with my back against the door.  I exhaled and closed my eyes for a second. Then headed to my room with my backpack to get cleaned up and dressed.

Chapter 3 – Expelled

It was just after dinner when I headed out onto my roof to watch the goings on around the neighborhood.  I swear I saw something blur across the street from Cindy's to Violet's again.  In my distraction, I didn't hear someone climbing the trellis.

The hand grasping comically at the air knocked me out of it.  I grinned and moved over and hoisted Penny up, using one arm.  Her eyes were red and puffy from lots of crying.  I could almost feel her depression in the air, so I frowned and hugged her.  She cried into my shoulder as I shushed her.  “It's okay Pen.  We'll get it all straightened out.  So tell me, what is going on?”

She nodded and pulled back and wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her arm.  She settled in beside me to explain when we heard huffing, puffing, and the creaking of the trellis.  Even in her gloom she grinned over at me then we watched as first one, then a second arm flopped over the roof and Ham pulled himself up onto it.  He gave us a cheesy smile and then scuttled over to sit beside us.

I told him, “Pen was about to tell us what the heck is going on.”

He nodded and we both looked at our upset friend.

I cocked an eyebrow at her and she hissed with venom, “That bitch Josie set me up!”

Hammond and I shared a look then looked back at her.  “She must have taken the cash from the cash box when she left to the restroom.  When she came back out she asked, 'Oh my Penny, what have you done with all the ticket money?'.  Then she called a teacher over.”

She violently wiped away the vestiges of the last tear with the back of her sleeve and anger replaced her sadness.  “They brought me to the principal's office.  Mr. Thacker called dad.  Nobody will listen to me.  They are taking Josie and Kristy's word over mine.  They are so 'well respected' in the student body, and I'm the black sheep outcast who rides a motorcycle to school.”

Then she tossed a small branch off the roof.  “Dad believes me but they told him they have a zero tolerance policy about theft of school property and expelled me.”  Her tears threatened again.  “I'm not allowed to graduate and they say it will be on my permanent academic record.  I'll have to take my senior year over again.”

I found myself growling and grabbing the windowsill behind me.  The wood started cracking and she smiled behind her watery eyes.  “Hey, easy there Fuzzbucket.”  I looked back at my hand and then blushed and released the windowsill.

She patted my shoulder like she was calming a wild animal.  Then added, “They say they won't press charges if I return the twenty three hundred dollars by Friday.  We don't have that kind of money.  Dad is contacting a lawyer friend of his to see if there is anything that can be done.”

I started growling again and she twapped my nose.  I batted her hand away playfully, then got serious.  “Actually isn't that a good thing?  If the police investigate, you will be cleared.  What kind of evidence could they possibly have?  It's your word against hers.”

Ham nodded at that until Penny threw a bucket of cold water on that.  “You mean like my fingerprints on the money box, and on the bills left in the box that I handled from the three tickets I sold?”  Oh.  Right.  This was so screwed up.

I straightened up, and said, “We'll figure something out.  We have three days.  We'll get your name cleared!  To hell if I'm not graduating with one of my two best friends!”

Ham chimed in, “Darn skippy.”

Pen and I winced, then she chuckled as she patted his shoulder. “Come on Ham, try cussing just once.”

He looked embarrassed but then said, “Damn skippy!”

We laughed and I said, “Close enough.”

Penny relaxed back, propping herself on her arms behind her and just stared at the sky, “What if... what if we can't?”

I leapt forward and tumbled off the roof at a voice behind us saying, “Then we take it a day at a time.”  I hit the ground with a thud and a whump as I rolled back to my feet.

I whined up at the roof, “Mooom.  Don't sneak up on us like that.”

I leapt at the roof only to get my feet tangled in the fricking garden hose again.  There was a repeat performance of the thud, whump, then I stood dusted myself off.  Took a giant, exaggerated step over the hose and leapt at the roof, catching it with one hand and swung myself up to land back beside Penny.

All three of the traitors were grinning at me.  I blew some grass off my eyelash as mom said, “I told you it was dangerous up here.”

Pen started picking grass and leaves out of my hair.  She paused as she held the white shock in my hair, and said, “I really do like how this looks.  It draws attention to you even though you try to hide.”

Mom chimed in from where she stood at my window, looking out at us, “Ooo that's gorgeous.”  Then she beamed brightly. “Fox colors.”

I blushed and looked away, “Mooom, stop.”  Then I looked up at her hopefully.  “How do we prove that Penny didn't take that money?”

She tilted her head as she passed lemonade and potato chips out to us.  I really loved how mom always took care of us, even Pen and Ham like they were her own kids.  Their parents were the same.  She said, “It seems to me that if Penny doesn't have the money, then where is it?  All those police dramas you watch, and you forget the first rule?”

We all said in a chorus, “Follow the money.”  That was brilliant, just... how the heck did we do that?  I hadn't the slightest idea.

Penny changed the subject be looking at Ham and running her fingers through his hair.  He clawed at the air with both hands, swatting her away.  “Instead of talking about something we can't control right now, how about we talk about something we can?”

Hammond went pale... well, paler, and Pen said, “Mrs. Ryder, Ham here has himself a date for the prom!  We were wondering if you could do something with this mop he calls hair.”

Mom brightened up and reached out and ran her hand through his hair too.  He squeaked as he batted her hand away.  Mom nodded once with a sly smile.  “That, we can do.  Come on in Hammond, I'll get my scissors and clippers.”

He made a meek sound as we stood on either side of him, blocking his escape.  He hung his head and stepped through the open window into my room, we followed.  This was going to be so much fun!  Little more than a half hour later, we had one clean cut Ham, looking quite dapper with a short Brit style that made him look sort of like a young David Tennant.

I ruffled the front of his hair to make it stand up a bit and grinned at mom.  “This'll do.  Great job mom.”

Hammond batted at my hand as Pen chimed in, “Much better.  You don't look like you're living in a basement somewhere playing video games for a living and drinking liters of energy drinks.”

He blushed and growled at us. “There isn't a word for how much I hate you two right now.”

Penny and I exchanged a look then hugged him between us as he tried to escape.  Mom just rolled her eyes and chuckled at our antics.

Before long I was saying goodnight to my friends again on my roof.  Penny said, as she simply hopped off the roof, “Night Steph, I'll drive you two to school tomorrow.  I can't be on school grounds so you'll have to walk the last block.”

I caught her raised arm with one hand then lowered her down to drop lightly into the grass.

Ham gave me a mock salute and started climbing down the trellis, huffing and puffing.  As he disappeared over the edge, he paused and asked, “Hey, how come I always have to climb and you always give Penny an airlift.”

I chuckled at him. “Physics dear boy.  I can cantilever someone who barely weighs over a hundred pounds over the edge, as I weigh almost twice that.  You and I weigh about the same, I'd find the quick way down to the ground with you if I did the same with you.”

Then I grinned.  “Anyway, aren't boys supposed to like climbing and stuff?”

He gave me a sour look then grinned as he started moving down again.

I chuckled when I heard him slip off the trellis about half way down and a thud and “oof” was followed by, “I'm okay, the ground broke my fall.”

I called down, “Gravity check.”

Penny was muttering, “Come on, let's get you home before you break something important instead of just your head.”

Which was followed by a weakly protested, “Hey!”

I grinned as I listened to their banter as they walked down the street a bit before returning inside for a fitful night of sleep.

Chapter 4 – The Nose Knows

The next morning I leapt onto the Beast as my friends roared past the house.  We exchanged nods and then I held on for dear life as Penny gunned it and we rocketed down the street.  Okay fine, maybe I wasn't holding on for dear life.  More like I was standing up on the foot pegs with my arms in the air whooping in elation, while Ham leaned over in the sidecar, trying to pull me back down into my seat.  That's the same right?

Pen glanced back with a fierce smile.  All too soon she was pulling up at the curb a block from the high school.  I caught the pained look on her face as she looked down the way at it, before she schooled her face.  No pun intended.

She said, “I'll pick you up here after school.  Dad should know more from the lawyer by then.  I'll fill you in.”

Ham said, “There has to be a way we can prove that Kristie and Josie did this.”

I nodded as a plan started to form.  I pulled my backpack from the trunk of the sidecar as I stared at the school and the student lot.  I said absently, “Maybe there is.”  I nodded to myself then brightened.  “You two go along without me tonight.  I'll be staying late, there's something I want to check out.”

Penny squinted. “That's your scatterbrained plan look, Fuzzbucket.  What are you up to?”

I shook my head and said absently, “Maybe nothing... maybe everything.”

She squinted at me then turned to Ham.  “Keep our girl out of trouble?”

He nodded and said as we waved goodbye and started hoofing it before the first bell rang, “Once she has her mind set on something...”  He left it hanging at that.

A few seconds later, a maniacally laughing Penny buzzed past us in the Beast and turned down Walnut.  I told Ham I'd see him inside, I wanted to check something first.  Then I headed into the student lot.  I got to Kristy's car and looked around, almost everyone had migrated to the doors of the school, the bell was bout to ring in a minute.

I concentrated hard, partial transformation was much harder for me than normal shifters.  It really sucked being the first stringer shifter.  My nose started to widen and turn black as a muzzle started to stretch out my jaws.  I could feel my teeth lengthening and my oversize tongue lolling.

The world cam alive in scents and tastes on the air.  In my human form, my senses were many times magnified from normal, but in my fox form, it was an exponential shift in perception.

Over the years I had to learn to determine what I was smelling or tasting on the air.  It all comes at me from everywhere, and at first I had problems isolating one scent mingled with the myriad of scents in the world around me.  There are always things in the background that I can't make sense of, because I haven't associated those scents with anything in particular yet, but once I understand a scent, I can identify it with eerie accuracy.

I inhaled deeply a few times at Kristy's doors, taking in the almost overwhelming smell of perfume and cosmetics.  I knew that the girls wore virtually nothing and that this was extremely subtle compared to what most of the girls wore, because their cat noses were almost as good as mine.

I parsed out all the scents I understood.  And concentrated on all the scents I couldn't identify, and just filed all the unknowns away.  Then I concentrated again and I could feel my muzzle melt back into my Stephanie face.  Then I was darting toward the school as the first bell rang.  I had five minutes to get to class.

I was preoccupied most of the morning, it was odd knowing that Penny wasn't in the school in class.  She had always been there, and I sort of felt exposed without her there as my safety net.  Hammond was always the stability guy, but Penny was sort of my champion.

In the locker room before gym, Kristie and Josie were smirking at me with looks of self-satisfaction as they whispered to each other.  Normally I could pick up a whisper in a room but not in this noisy environment with all theses girls voices talking over each other and lockers slamming.

I finally had enough, they had got my lifelong friend expelled with only days left before graduation.  This would effectively ruin her future and they seemed pleased with it.  I slammed my locker door and started stalking toward them as I said loudly with venom in my voice, “What?”

I smelled rather than heard Violet at my side, she moved so silently at times.  The girls smirked at me and spoke like they were speaking to a toddler, “Oh, is the little Fleas upset?  What?  You miss your little felon friend?”

I snapped out, “I know you had something to do with the theft.  I just don't know why you did it.”

Josie put a hand on her chest dramatically and spoke like she was shocked, “You think we had something to do with your snitty little friend's theft of the school's dance funds?  Heaven forbid.”

My pulse was racing and I could feel heat and fury rising in me.  My blood felt hot in my veins.  Kristie's smile dropped suddenly and she spoke next to my ear so nobody else could hear.  “Your little friend shouldn't have asked MY boyfriend to the dance.  Lance is mine, Fleas.”

I said clearly for everyone to hear, “Lance asked Penny out, and she said no!  I'm going to prove that you two bitches stole the schools money to frame Penny.”

They both hissed like cats, lunging toward me with fingers that now had razor sharp claws on their ends, and their teeth were sharp as needles.  I growled at them and lunged back.  The growl was so primal, and sounded more wolf than fox, it surprised me almost as much as it did them.  Their eyes went wide and they shrank back, looking for escape.

An arm that felt as unyielding as coiled steel wrapped around my waist and prevented my advance on the cowering felines.  I looked over as Violet said in a low voice, “Steph, not here, not now.  They are provoking you.  Don't get yourself expelled like Penny.  They want that.”

I stared at her a moment then back at the two girls who were just looking at me in fear, then around the now silent locker room.  Some girls looked at me in alarm and some with exited anticipation of a fight.  Some with... pity?

I relaxed and said in a deep growling voice I barely recognized as mine, “You're right.”  I clenched my hands into fists and pushed the fire in my blood down, quenching the fire.  The world dimmed around me, my eyes must have went canine and I didn't realize it.  I felt the ache in my jaw that told me maybe my teeth has lengthened too as they shrank back down.

She led me back to my locker and I noted some of the girls had looks of disappointment.  There were quite a few who would like to see Kristy and her mini-me put in their place.  I heard the two chuckling, and before I could react, Violet had spun around and was snapping in a dangerous tone, “Don't push your luck!”

They shut up instantly and hustled out to the gym.  I hear murmurs among the other girls that echoed my thoughts. “When did Violet get so assertive?”

I smiled at her and she gave a toothy grin when I said, “Thanks.”

She shrugged. “Us misfits have to stick together.”  Besides being a little odd and having an odd smell that I couldn't place, what made her a misfit?  There are times I wish I was just a normal girl like her.  It didn't really matter, she was good people.

Then she headed out to the gym.  I listened carefully and couldn't pick up any sound as she walked swiftly out.  I narrowed my eyes.  Maybe there was more to that girl than meets the eye.

By the time lunch rolled around I was getting antsy.  I wanted to start some snooping around but I had to wait until after school.  I was distracted as I ate with Hammond and Agnes.  It was so unsettling not to have Penny with us.

Violet and Cindy joined us at our table.  I had to suppress a little smile that was teasing the corner of my mouth when I looked at the way Vi looked at Cindy.  She was clearly smitten by her friend, and always followed her around like a lovesick puppy.  I never knew Violet was gay.  They'd be such a cute couple, but I didn't know if Cindy swung that way or not, she was hard to read the way she kept herself locked down around her friend.

It was sort of nice to have others sit with us.  It was a shame I was just realizing that, as school was coming to an end, maybe we could have hung out more.  Jinx and Melinda glanced over at us from their usual table, and they did a silly sneak on over to our table.

Jessica was grinning as she asked, “You ladies and Hamm-tlemen discussing our proposal?”

I simply loved the errant witch's humor.  She was possibly the funniest person in the school, and she could joke about her own misbehaving magic with the best of them.  I thought about her and Melinda's idea of all of us banding together to start our own odd jobs business, after they get back from their trip to New York after graduation.  It was a novel idea and we all had something different to bring to the table so we could accept a wide range of odd jobs.

I shook my head.  “No, sorry, ask again later because at least Pen, Ham, and I have decided.  Were sort of trying to exonerate Penny right now.  I know that Kristie and Josie had something to do with the theft, and pinning it on Pen.”

By reflex, we all looked over to the two cheerleaders as they got up to stack their trays by the trash cans.  Jinx shrugged. “Don't any of you watch crime dramas on TV?  The number one rule of investigation is, follow the money.  If Penny doesn't have it, then where is it?”

I nodded and grinned.  “My mom pointed that out too.  I'm sort of working that angle.  I just need to get a good whiff of the smells around the collection box.”  A couple of the people including Ham cocked their eyebrows and then smiled.  They knew what a canine nose could do.

Then Jinx started to say, “I could whip up a detection spell for...”

We all yelled “No!” in unison.  Melinda was pushing Jessica's hands down onto the table.  A round of laughter ensued as we all looked at each other.  Nobody wanted Jinxy to try a spell.  We might all wind up with our clothes inside out or something.  Jinx looked around scrunched her nose up and stuck her tongue out at us then winked.

She was a barrel of laughs.  Though I have heard word from around town, that though she may be a stringer, she had one of the most powerful magic reservoirs in the city within her.  As I told you earlier, a lot of witches around town sought her out as a Channel for them.  They could tap into her reservoir to boost their own spells if she lets them.

I see fliers all around the neighborhood. “Need a channel?  Call Jinxy.”  I always snort at that but it isn't a laughing matter.  She has more money than the rest of us combined, and is funding her cross country graduation trip in cash, because of it.

I know Mrs. Nakagowa, the next street over, uses her to put a ward against birds on her prize winning strawberries.  With Jinx as a channel, she only needs to cast the spell once for the full growing season instead of every week without her.

I hope she gets a handle on her own magic sooner rather than later.  I bet it gets frustrating for her to have everything she tries, backfire on her.

I stood and everyone looked at me as Ham asked, “Leaving so soon?”

I nodded and winked at our little group, tapping my nose. “Going to follow the money.”

I dumped my tray and stacked it with the others then headed out into the main hallway.  The bitchlies were at the little table selling tickets again.  I stepped up and they sneered at me as I sucked in air through my nose and over my tongue, parsing as many scents as I could without my fox nose. Josie asked, “What do you want now Fleas?”

I ignored her and I looked down at the old chocolates box that had been decorated in shells and glitter, painted in the school's colors.  Then I held out a twenty.  I had to dip into my emergency fund.  Then said, “One please.”

She stared at the money and said, “Your little felon friend already bought your ticket.”  Then she looked surprised before I could answer.  “Don't tell me that Fleas has a date.  What kind of loser is going with you that they can't afford their own ticket?”

I snapped back, “Wouldn't you like to know?”  Then she took the twenty with two fingers like it would give her cooties or something, and took out two fives from the box.  Then she handed me my change and a ticket and I heard them chuckling as I left.

I made a beeline for the back hall restroom.  Once inside I stuffed the two fives that Josie handed me into a little ziplock sandwich bag.  I was about to leave to get to my next class, but curiosity was killing me.  I sat in a stall and opened the baggie and with a little effort my nose widened a little turning dark and wet.

I looked at the baggie, then opened it and then inhaled deeply, taking air through my nose and over the scent receptors over my tongue and the roof of my mouth.  There were all sorts of scents, I could even smell some drugs the bills had come into contact with sometime in its past.  It would take a while to parse the new scents from the old.

I was disappointed, it would take time, I'd have to do this after school after all.  I snorted at myself and whispered as my nose returned to human, “What did you expect Steph, a big flashing sign with the culprit's name and an arrow pointing to where the money was?”

I had picked up a couple familiar scents though, which encouraged me as I made my way to class.  I caught Josie's scent, and her moisturizing cream, my scent, and the faint scent of milk chocolate and nuts that covered the bills, from the chocolate box they used as the moneybox.  Just maybe I could pull this off.

After school, instead of heading out, I snuck down into the basement where the old abandoned boilers were.  The huge iron beasts used to heat the school before a modern heating system was installed like ten years ago.  There were all kinds of nooks and crannies and a little steam tunnel than ran the length of the campus, with the pipes and valves and tanks that had delivered steam for heating to the entire school.

I looked and listened to make sure I was alone then stashed my backpack behind a valve assembly in the tunnel and then stripped.  Folding my clothes and stacking them neatly on top of my backpack.  Then I took the money out of the baggie and placed it on the cement of the tunnel floor and the world grew around me as I shrunk and landed lightly on my four paws.

Sometimes I took in the wonder of the transformation, pushing aside the little bit of vertigo as everything seemed to take on different proportions as I shrank and fuzzed out.  I wondered what it was like for normal shifters who took much longer to shift into their animal form.

I shook off the last tingles of the transformation then stretched from the tip of my nose to the end of my tail.  Gawd I felt awesome.  I sat for a second and scratched behind my ear with one of my back paws.  I moaned, that was the spot.

Then I just took in the world with all of my enhanced senses, I could see the world much more clearly with my fox hearing, sight, smelling and taste.  It was like my black and white world suddenly blossomed with color. I grinned to myself then padded two steps forward.

I lowered my nose and snuffled the bills, then inhaled deeply.  Some dust from the unused tunnel came with the world of scents that assaulted me and I sneezed.  And promptly fell face first into the pipes in my human form. “Shit!”

I shook my head at myself then the next moment I went furry again, cussing up a storm, “Gruffle, graawl, grrrr, gral.”

I rolled my fox eyes then took another deep breath over the bills.  Suppressing another sneeze, then closed my eyes and reveled in all the smells that had attached themselves to the bills.  There were worlds of smells that even my partial shift had not picked up.

I took some time, snuffling the bills as I parsed all the scents into the categories I understood and the ones I didn't.  Taking another whiff at times to make sure of things. When it was all said and done, there wasn't much I could use.  Like before, I could smell that Josie had handled those two bills, which I knew since she handed them to me.  And there was the chocolate smell and a very faint scent that reminded me of Elmer's glue.

I tilted my head in thought at that, then examined the bills closely.  There were a couple loose sparkles of glitter that had come off the box on one bill, I sniffed carefully.  That was the glue smell.  I cocked my head to the other side and gave a doggy grin  That was it.  Alone none of the scents were helpful.  But if I looked for them all together.  Josie, the chocolate and glue; and I knew Kristy's scent; then maybe my super sniffer could root out the truth.

I added to myself as I laid down on the cool concrete to wait until all the teachers left for the day, that some of the bills would have Penny's scent on them too since she paid for our tickets.  How hard would it be to track down something in the school with all those scents?  I had this in the bag, the nose knows.

***

As it turns out the answer to that would be, very hard.  Very, very hard.  Especially in a school where the three girls and the smell of milk chocolate were everywhere.

I really hadn't thought my plan through thoroughly.  The first hurdle?  Thumbs.  “Graffle grrr.”  Every door was an obstacle.  I hoped to god that the school didn't have surveillance cameras in the halls.  If they did, they'd be treated to a little fox scuttling through the school changing into an embarrassed Steph Ryder in a state of undress at each door I had to pass through.  I tried to cover my modesty in the directions that would be most likely to have cameras if there were any.

After a few minutes of following false trails, I sat my fuzzy butt down and thought.  The ticket table in the hall!  The scents would be strongest there.  I padded down toward the lunchroom and up to the empty table.

I inhaled deeply and fell to the ground covering my nose with both paws to prevent from sneezing.  Ewww... concentrated Bitchly Twins.  Their scents and the smell of their cosmetics, soaps, lotions, and light perfume almost gagged me.  Even though I knew that it was extremely subtle compared to a lot of the girls in school, since their noses were better than normal humans too.

I closed my eyes and snuffled a little, searching for that combination of scents.  Then I had it.  There were two trails.  One to the main office, where the money box was stored.  It barely had any of Penny's scent, though.  Then the other trail headed toward the back hall.  Bingo!

At the back hall girl's restroom is where things started going south on me.  Josie's scent was weaker and Kristy's was heightened.  Had Josie handed the money off to her?  It was much harder to follow after that since newer scents of both girls crisscrossed the hall from their normal travels to classes today.

I concentrated only on the scent of Kristy with the chocolate smell.  I got to the graphic arts classroom, where they had a little side room for the student staff of the school newsletter and yearbook. Then I lost the scent of the chocolate.  I circled around a few times then caught it again.  But it was mingled with Margret Tanner's scent.  She was another cheerleader.

It wasn't until another two switch offs that I realized they were playing a shell game.  Kristy knew I wouldn't let Penny take the fall and would try this.  They were handing off the money to every one of the cheerleaders who went to different locations in the school.  No wonder it was such a convoluted mess in the halls trying to track the cash.

I growled then got an idea.  I went to the back door to the sports fields and was happy to see the high vent windows in the gym were still open, I didn't want to use a door.  They may not have cameras but I knew they had alarms if I opened one.  With two graceful bounds I gathered speed and with my enhanced strength, sprang up the fifteen feet easily and landed on the window sill under the glass that was slanted up at an angle.

I looked outside, it was dark already, but the field was lit up with the overhead lights.  It cast eerie shadows on the school grounds.

With a strike from my shoulder, the screen popped out and the plastic frame clattered to the blacktop below.  I hopped down and then put my nose to the ground at the back door.  Sniffing, snuffling and drawing in huge amounts of air, sorting out the hundreds of scents of students and teachers.  And while I caught a few of the cheerleader's scents, none had the particular combination I was looking for.

I circled the entire building checking every door, and chuffed with excitement.  The money never left the school!  It was inside somewhere!  I was getting very familiar with the scent of my quarry, and could pick it out now no matter who they handed it to.  So with a quick leap back into the window and back down onto the gym floor, I was off.

I excitedly prowled the building, from top to bottom, checking every room I could get into, even the closets.  I was about half way through the school, working my way from front to back toward the gym when I heard a noise.  A key in a lock.  I ran to the front hall and looked down it's length as Mr. Lawrence, the janitor stepped in, carrying his old-school black domed lunchbox.

We both froze as we saw each other.  He started waving his arms wide as he trotted down the corridor shouting, “Hey!  How'd you get in here you mangy varmint?”  He grabbed a broom from the hallway closet as he approached, fumbling with a flashlight.  I was frozen in indecision.  He was squinting at me in the dark, I was going to be expelled too.  How would I explain this to mom?

My heart felt like it was going to explode as my fox fight or flight instincts screamed at me.  Then I bolted, my clawed paws scrabbling on the waxed floors.  I didn't stop until I I turned into the back hall and had to change back to human to open the door to the basement.  I foxed, then dove over the railing of the metal stairs to land lightly on the boiler room floor. Then I was human, darting through the maze of pipes.  I dove into the air and foxed, my body lithely sailing between the gap in two large pipes in a shortcut to the tunnels.

I heard the door to the boiler room slam open.  “I hear you down there you flea bitten mongrel!”  His heavy footsteps on the metal stairs clanged in my ears.  I didn't even slow down as I spun into the tunnel and was human again as I scooped up my clothes and backpack as I passed them.  I winced at the fact that I left the money on the tunnel floor.  I couldn't afford to waste money like that.

I reached the far end of the tunnel as I looked back to see a flashlight beam turning the corner at the other end of the tunnel.  I skittered up the ladder up to the metal door at the end of the tunnel and pulled myself up beside the bleachers on the far side of the field.

I slammed the door down then looked around.  There was one of the concrete trash cans between two bleachers maybe five feet away.  They slid plastic cans into them, they were sprinkled all around campus.  I think it was more to prevent vandalism to the trash cans rather than they were supposed to be architectural decoration, since they were ugly as sin.

I dropped my stuff and grabbed the ugly cement eyesore.  I grunted and used all the unnatural muscle I had and gasped as I dragged it over the steel trapdoor.  The dang thing must have weighed over four hundred pounds.  In gym, I can bench press three hundred.

I heard pounding on the door below a few seconds later and I took a moment to breathe and calm down.  I laid back on the ground and after I heard a grumbling man's cussing receded back in the tunnel below I started laughing.

How lame was I?  Laying out naked on the school field, scared out of my mind.  I grinned and sat up and dressed quickly and threw my backpack over my shoulder and headed under the bleachers the the gap in the fence into the student's gravel parking lot.  It was damaged a couple years back when a guy who had just got his driver's license a day earlier put his truck in reverse instead of drive.  It bent a post of the chain-link and tore some of the metal fabric.  The school never repaired it and all the kids with classes near the field used it as a shortcut instead of walking around the school at the end of the day.

I was less than two blocks from school when I heard the throaty sound of a familiar engine, idle out of an alley and drift up beside me.  I grinned over at Penny and Ham.  Of course they would be here.  I tossed Ham my backpack and stepped up onto the front of the slowly moving sidecar and then dropped over the seat of the Beast behind Penny.

She glanced back with a sarcastic grin as I fastened my helmet.  “What are you thinking Fuzzbucket?  What if you got caught?”

I gave a pathetic smile and shrugged, hiding away I my sweater.  She sighed in defeat then said, “Your mother is worried out of her gourd.  She called looking for you, saying your phone was off.  I told her you dropped by to cheer me up.  That seemed to placate her.”

I flipped my head and squished my face up in shame.  “Sorry.”

She gave me a toothy grin with an evil glint in her eyes and said, “Oh, you're not sorry yet.  Hold on!”

Oh shit!  I wrapped my arms firmly around her waist as she gunned Beast's motor and we tore out, Hammond screaming like a little girl the whole way.

I gave an elated giggle and leaned my face into the wind as I released Penny and jumped lithely to to stand on the seat, one hand on her shoulder until I could brace my knees on her back.  I spread my arms wide and took in the feeling of flying down the road.  I leaned with each turn, then as we turned onto my street, Ham tossed my backpack up to me and I dropped my helmet in his hands and leapt off as we passed my house.

I landed in my sliding three-point stance and then gulped as my mothers house slippers came into view.  I looked up sheepishly and she looked at me and shook her head.  “One day you're going to break your fool neck doing that Steph.  Come inside, I'll warm up your dinner.  You could have at least told me you were going to be with Penny.”

I sighed and my shoulders sagged as I marched across the lawn with her.  I whined, “It's perfectly safe mom.  With my enhanced speed and reflexes I can...”  I gleeped as my feet tangled in that god-forsaken hose again and I face planted in front of my mother.  Dear lord, kill me now.

She started chuckling, and the chuckle turned into a giggle, and I couldn't help but join in as I stood.  She wiped happy tear from her eyes as she giggled.  “It isn't your fox I'm worried about, it's your coordination dear.”

I shared a meal with mom then went to my room to call Pen and relay what I had found so far, and that I believed the money was still somewhere in the school.

I was nervous all night until I finally drifted off to sleep.  When Mr. Lawrence told the school of the fox he chased out of the school, all fingers were going to point right at me.

Chapter 5 – Exoneration

It turned out that I had nothing to worry about.  I always forget that normals can't see as well in the dark as us shifters.  The halls were abuzz with rumors about the rabid raccoon that Mr. Lawrence had chased through the halls that night.  He lost it in the tunnels in the basement, so they were keeping the basement locked up until animal control could come trap it.  That was a huge relief.

There was also an announcement about vandalism in homeroom over the intercom.  Apparently a group of students thought it would be funny to move a concrete waste can over an exit from the steam tunnels.  That was a fire hazard and if anyone knew who played the prank, they were to inform the office.

I almost skipped out of homeroom.  Roses, everything is turning up ro... there was a bang and a sharp pain in my forehead as I walked into Larry Wilkes open locker door.  I said, “Ow.”

He blinked at me. “Jesus Fleas, are you okay?  Are you hurt?”

I grinned at him and shrank into my sweater a bit as I said, “Just my pride.”  I hurried off down the hall with a nervous chuckle as he just shook his head and looked at his locker door.

I muttered to myself, “Good one Steph.  Keep your flippin' eyes open and don't get smug.”  I knew there was a reason nobody asked me to the dance.

I self consciously pushed my white shock of hair back behind my ear and paused as I looked at it.  Was it bad form for a girl to ask a guy to the dance?  I wonder if Greg McCallister would go with me if I had the courage to ask.  He was a little weird, but so are we all.  And he was really cute and had a positive self image.  I blushed at another thought, that Lisa Verner was cute too, and she could dance.  I wonder if she likes foxes.  I blushed deeper at my own little secret.

Maybe one day I'd have to sit down and really pin down my sexuality, but that was a frightening concept.  I rolled my eyes as I slipped into class.  Don't get too far ahead of yourself Steph, someone needs to ask you out first, or show just a little bit of interest.  I tried to shrink down in my chair and make myself as small as a fox.

Voilet walked in, and flopped into her chair a couple rows over and she adjusted her bag so that her little hamster could peek out.  She paused as she looked at me, cocked her head, and moved her sunglasses to the top of her head.  It almost looked like sympathy in her eyes before she turned to the front when the bell rang and dropped her sunglasses in place.

I looked from her, wondering what that was all about then down to her bag.  My inner fox growled, she wanted to hunt.  I chastised her again in my head, “No that is Violet's pet.”  Then I gave my fox a mental hug, promising we'd go out running soon.

I sighed, realizing how mental I was, treating my inner fox as a different person than me.  It's all you Steph.  I realized how big the school seemed without Penny out there as my safety net.

I tried to get good sniffs in the rooms I hadn't visited as a fox, but my human and partially shifted nose were good, but not as good as when I foxed.  I didn't know how I was going to explore the other rooms now that the basement was locked.  I had to do it tonight though since the dance was tomorrow night.

In gym I paused after I got into my gym uniform as I watched a couple of the cheerleaders bounce up to one of the three big equipment cages.  The one that was for the cheer-leading gear.  The cages were maybe ten by ten with a bench down the center of each.

The other two had all the track and sports gear.  I watched them unlock the cage with a key, then they retrieved their pom poms and headed out dropping the key in Kristy's hand.  I pondered a moment on the fact that the Bitchly Twins had used the other cheerleaders in the shell game.  Only Kristy and Coach Coats had keys to the cheerleader cage.

Now if I were an evil, good for nothing, jealous cheerleader captain, where would I hide the money where nobody would even think to look.  I stared at the cage for a minute.  On a top back shelf, which was empty because it was out of reach by most of the girls, was a single white towel folded neatly.  The other towels were in a stack by the cage door.  I started humming, One of These Things is Not Like the Others.

I glanced over as I heard Coach blow the whistle out in the gym, almost everyone was out there already, and a few stragglers were heading out the door.  Kristie was looking between me and to where I had been looking in the cage.  The key was still in her hand and she took one step toward the cage.

I pulled in all my power... every iota of my lame stringer power and felt my jaw elongate and my ears move higher on my head as my face sprouted long coarse black tipped grey fur.  I curled my lips back from two inch long fangs and growled.  It surprised me, it wasn't my high fox growl, it was a threateningly deep wolf growl.  I had done a partial wolf shift!

Kristie froze and paled, then she took a slow step backward and hissed like her inner cat.  We both glanced back at the door when the coach whistled again.  She looked hesitantly at me then the key in her hand.  Then she smirked and held the key up and then just spun around and virtually pranced out the door.

I looked at the cage one last time and inhaled deeply, pulling in air over my tongue and through my nose.  It was almost like a beacon to me, the money had to be there, wrapped in that towel.

I was shocked at how little my fox nose could smell compared to this.  The whole world was alive with scents.  If my fox could smell ten times better than a human, this wolf nose was twice as sensitive yet.

Another scent hit me and I started to salivate.  I shook my head.  No Steph that's Violet's pet!  I shook my head again, letting loose of my wolf and then I saw my white streaked red hair in my vision as all my senses seemed to deaden as I assumed my full human form again.

Then my head snapped over to the door as it swung open.  Coach Coats stood there tapping her wrist like a watch and said, “Come on Ryder, we don't have all day out here!”

I nodded and then looked down as I hustled past her.  Should I say something to her?  Who should I tell?  And how would I explain how I knew it was there?

I didn't have time to contemplate it much as Coach was blowing her whistle and we started lining up for the weights.  I split my attention between spotting Agnes on the bench press and making sure none of the cheerleaders moved toward the locker room door.

When it was my turn, I laid on the bench as Agnes, who could barely lift the bar, tried putting fifty pound plates on the bar for me.  Violet told her, “Switch with me, I got this.”  They traded partners and she lifted a couple of the plates then quickly looked up and set one down and put a strained look on her face and started loading the bar up for me.

She kept glancing back the way I was looking.  She asked, “One hundred?”

I turned my attention to her and blushed, “Umm... three hundred.  Since we won't have weights again 'til school is out, let me try to beat my record.  Three fifty?”

She gave a cute lopsided grin. “Holy schemoly girl!  That's what the male, full lycan shifters can press, if not just a little more.”

I squished my head down to my shoulders in a shrug and smiled awkwardly. “Sorry?”

She blurted out an explosive burst of laughter.  “Why apologize?  That's badass Steph.”

Then she followed my gaze again.  “What up girl?”

I grunted and lifted the bar.  My arms were shaky but I lowered it and lifted it again.  I had started the year with just two hundred pounds, which was more than most of the normal boys could bench.  But I have slowly worked my way up to three hundred.  This was my new personal best if I could lift it ten times.

I whispered as I kept pushing the bar up and letting it down to touch my chest.  “I think I found the money.”

She cocked an eyebrow and I looked at her for a moment.  The past couple years, she hasn't really changed much at all, she still looked so young.  Young and pale.  I wondered if she had some sort of disease.  Maybe that is what smelled off about her.  A disease that slowed her from physically maturing as fast as the rest of us.

I nudged my head toward Kristy.  “I followed the scent of the money all over campus, they kept handing it off between all the cheerleaders.  It never left the school.  I checked all of the exits.”

She giggled.  “I take it you were the rabid raccoon?”

I rolled my eyes at her with a guilty grin, then looked over toward Josie, who was spotting Kristie at another bench. “While I was changing in the locker room I noticed a towel on the top shelf in the back of the cheerleader's equipment cage.  I got a good whiff of it before I came out here.  It's there and only Kristy and Coach Coats have keys to it.”

She nodded. “So let's turn them in and get Penny exonerated.  You're like a third of a person without her and Hammond to back you up.”

I blinked. “Just like that?  How will I explain how I know it is there?”

She gave me a toothy grin.  “That's easy.  Tell the truth.  The most damming evidence is who has access to the cage.  Both you and Penny are not on the list.  That alone should clear her.”  Then she said, “I'll back you if you need it.”

I shook my head. “No I should do it myself.  But if you could keep the girls away from the cage when I tell Coach at the end of class.”

She nodded.  “Done.”  Then she tipped her head side to side cutely and changed topics.  “Who you taking to the dance?  I'm going with Cindy.”  I knew it!  She cutely fluttered her eyes and held her hands over her heart when she said Cindy.  “We're sort of like... a couple now.  Gawd can she kiss.”

I blushed and said, “Nobody, it is just Pen and I.  Ham and Agnes are going with us.”

She grinned. “Maybe Lance Jameson will ask you before tomorrow night.  I hear Penny turned him down.”

I snorted then lowered the bar from the ninth repetition and started pushing up one last time, my arms were on fire as I said, “Yeah, as if.  He still thinks my name is Fleas.  I entertained asking Greg out, he calls me Fleas too but he's always nice to me and he's cute.”

She said with a sly look on her face as I straightened my arms in triumph, “Or Lisa Verner.  She's cute too.”

I faltered as I sputtered and I couldn't stop the bar from falling down toward my chest as my arms gave out in my surprise.  Violet's arm blurred and with a clink of weight plates she arrested the bar's downward momentum.  She looked at the bar then me and then put her other hand on the bar and acted like it was an immense strain suddenly as she let it slowly move down toward me until I pushed it up and we placed the bar in the cradle.

I sat up and turned to her, cocking an eyebrow at her.  Again I wondered just what she really was, because normal human girls couldn't do that, let alone with one hand.  She changed my focus by saying, “Don't sweat it Steph, you're bi, I'm gay, it's no big deal.  I'm just really observant, and I notice how you check a couple people out.  To tell you the truth, I always thought you would end up with Penny or Hammond... or both.”

I made a sour face. “Eww!  That's just wrong!  Oh good lord, could you imagine kissing someone you saw as your own brother or sister?”  I jokingly wiped my tongue with both hands rapidly like I was getting a bad taste off of it.  I shuddered.  I really saw Penny as my better looking sister and Ham as my awkward brother and have never entertained any thoughts contrary.

She held up her hands in surrender.  “My bad.”

But then I leaned into her and bumped her shoulder. “But you and Cindy huh?  You've known each other as long as Pen, Ham, and me.”

She wiggled her eyebrows.  “What can I say, I'd do anything for her and her sexy smile.”

We giggled, then I paused and exhaled.  Huh, that wasn't so bad.  Someone knows now, and I didn't burst into flames or anything.  I smiled and felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest, as well as having the weights literally lifted off my chest.  I snickered at my cornball thought process.

I looked at the wall clock, it was almost ten til.  Coach would blow the whistle soon.

We glanced over to Josie and Kristy, who was holding the key up teasingly as she inched toward the locker room with one eye on the clock.  I started to rise.  Violet put a hand on my shoulder.  “I got them, best talk to Coach now, before everyone goes to the locker room.”

I nodded and stood, then looked over at her, but she was gone.  I looked around and she was leaning against the wall by the locker room doors with her arms crossed over her chest.  I narrowed my eyes at her and she grinned and shrugged.

I chuckled and headed over to Coach Coats.  She started to raise her whistle to signal time to hit the showers and I stopped her and spoke low so that nobody else could hear, “Wait Coach, before you do that...  You might want to ask Kristy what the missing ticket money is doing wrapped in a towel on the back shelf of the cheerleader equipment cage.  From what I hear, only two people have a key.”

The coach lowered her whistle slowly as she looked at me then at Kristy and Josie who were standing near the locker room door, staring at Violet, unmoving.  What was going on there?  Then the coach said loudly, “Higgins, Ryder, with me.  The rest of you hit the showers.”

The girls seemed to snap out of it when the coach said Kristy's name.  I had to resist smiling at how pale Kristy got as the coach and I joined her and we went into the locker room together.

If I didn't get expelled for my snooping after hours, I was going to immensely enjoy watching Kristy squirm.  I didn't care what happened to me so long as Pen's record got cleaned up.

Chapter 6 – Lawyers

The next few hours dragged by excruciatingly slow.  After Coach Coats marched me and Kristy into the locker room and she asked me, “Where?”  I pointed at the towel on the back shelf of the equipment cage.  The Coach pulled her keys out of her pocket and held up a key then asked Kristy, “Do you have your key?”

I had never seen Kristy so pale or nervous as she showed her key to the coach.  Coats told her, “Unlock it.”  Kristy shot me an 'eat shit and live' look then unlocked the cage.  The coach pushed past her and stepped to the back of the cage and grabbed the towel and rejoined us.  She looked between us then unwrapped the towel and there was a stack of cash, smelling like chocolate.

I spent the rest of the school day at telling and retelling how I located the money to first Mr. Thacker and Coach Coats.  Then my mother, who they had called in.  She had to take time off of work.  We can't afford that.

They questioned Kristy who vehemently denied it, then called in the other cheerleaders and all of them denied it but I could hear all of their heart rates increase as they lied.  When Kristy's parents arrived, they arrived with two lawyers.  What the hell?  The police weren't involved.  Mom told me it was just a strong arm tactic to have the school back down.

I couldn't stop smiling when Penny arrived with her father.  They wouldn't let us talk to each other and we sat on different sides of the main office outside the principal's office.

The worst part was when the principal brought us all into the office together and they let the Higgins' lawyers ask me questions.  Why did I think it was the money that Penny stole?  “Penny didn't steal anything, and she certainly doesn't have access to the cheerleaders cage.  It's the money from the cash box, I can smell it.”

Again, what made me think it was the same money?  “It smells like chocolate and the cheerleaders just like the box.”

They were talking about teenage girls, isn't there chocolate everywhere in the school?  And they are expected to believe my nose when they had no way of proving it?  I was getting nervous that they were going to get away with it and Penny would still be thrown under the bus.  My mom was getting more and more agitated, she didn't like how they were manipulating my answers either.

I stared at the money sitting on the towel on the principal's desk and tried to figure out how to prove it.  I concentrated a second and my nose widened a bit and I sucked in air through my nose and over my tongue.  All the scents were there.  Then my eyes went wide at a faint scent I forgot about, and I looked closely at the bills from where I sat and let my nose return to human.

Then I grinned in triumph.  “I also smell glue on the bills there, you see the glitter on the money?  That is from the decorations on the ticket box.  If we get the police involved, I'm sure that's what they would call, physical evidence, that will tie the money to the box.  And nobody but Kristy and Coach Coats have keys to the cage the money was hidden in!”  I was suddenly proud of watching crime dramas.

Then chaos erupted as the lawyers started arguing with the principal and Penny's dad at the mention of police.  Mr. Dennison was awesome.  He didn't speak lawyer-ese but he was quite adamant that he was more comfortable with the police handling this than the school.  Since his 'little girl' had been railroaded once already.

The chaos devolved into panic with the Higgins' and their lawyers getting into an even more animated discussion.  Penny and I were trying hard not to smile...  Until the principal had had enough.  Mr. Thacker dropped a dictionary on his desk with a boom and silence ensued.  “Mr. Dennison, could you and Mrs. Ryder please wait in the main office with your daughters?”

As soon as we exited the office and the door was closed we could hear low murmurs.  I started to listen in, but Kristy said, “She can hear us you know.  She's a shiftier like me.”  The principal stuck his head out the door and I acted all innocent.  He gave me a wry grin and rolled his eyes then flipped on the privacy switch and closed the door.

I grinned and looked around sheepishly as the white noise curtain hummed to life and the murmurs were drown out.  I scrunched my head to my shoulders, and said, “Sorry, I know you all wanted to hear.”

Mom smiled and shook her head as she gave me a one arm hug.  Pen plopped down beside me and we all took a collective deep breath and waited, not speaking.  I heard the last bell ring in the hall.  Had we been at this that long?

It was an hour later that the door opened again and the Higgins family walked out with their lawyers, all with smug looks on their faces.  Kristy looked the smuggest of all.  Coach Coats stood in the doorway with a look of contempt on her face as she watched them go.

Mr. Thacker poked his head out beside the coach and exhaled, he looked mentally beat up.  He waved us all in.  Once we were all seated, Coach Coats leaned up against the wall, visibly aggravated.  This couldn't be good.

The principal ran his fingers through his silvering hair then exhaled as he looked over at Penny and her father and said, “Mr. Dennison, Miss Dennison.  Penny's expulsion is to be revoked and her record expunged.”

Mr. Dennison sat back in his chair, smiled, then asked, “And the Higgins girl will be instead?”

The man behind the desk looked peeved and took a second, then answered.  “No actions will be taken against her at this time.”

I almost stood in shock but mom placed her hand on my arm to restrain me.  Mr. Dennison had no such restriction, and he popped out of his seat, his fists on the desk as he leaned in and asked incredulously, “What?  You throw my little girl out, simply on the word of one of those plastic prima donnas, and you catch one of them red handed and you let her walk?”  The coach grunted in agreement.

Mr. T. sort of deflated back into his chair and said, “Yes.  Unfortunately their lawyers pointed out that Kristy lends her key out to the other cheerleaders all the time, so they all had access to the cage.  Unless we want to expelled the entire squad, there is nothing we can do.”

I blurted, “But they were all involved!  They all took the money in hand offs just to confuse someone like me that could follow scents!  All eight of them touched the money!”

He nodded. “And there is no way to prove that except by the word of a paranormal.  Which can't be used in court.  And until the courts allow evidence found via paranormal abilities, our hands are tied.”

Mr. Dennison flopped back in his chair, his studded leather jacket creaking.  He raised a tattooed arm and mirrored the principal's earlier action and ran his hand through his wavy, shoulder length, black hair.  Then he asked, like he already knew the answer.  “And if we want to involve the police?”

Mr. Thacker shrugged. “They would have the same difficulty proving which of the cheerleaders were involved as well.  Mrs. Coats alluded to the fact that word might get out to the press about the Higgins' getting a theft dusted under the rug.”

Then he turned to us.  “Their response was that it would be a shame and they would have no recourse but to push the school board for expulsion of Miss Ryder here for trespassing and hooliganism for blocking the tunnel door, since that is the punishment for that under our zero tolerance rules.”

He looked over at mom who was about to say something.  He held up a hand to stop her.  “I know that she wouldn't have done it if not to help a friend in need.  It is commendable, bit it was also reckless and dangerous.  Rules are there for a reason.  But, since she did bring a tragic injustice to light with her actions, we are willing to let it pass on this occasion, especially with graduation in a few days.”

Then he cautioned us all, “BUT, we can only do that if we comply with the wishes of the Higgins' and their council and let the matter drop.”

Penny finally spoke, “And they get off Scott free.”

Coach pushed herself gently off the wall at that and grinned. “Well not Scott free as it were.  The cheer leading squad is to be disbanded until the end of the year.  And the underclassmen who participated in this will not be eligible for the squad next year.  I know it is nothing but a slap of the hand, but it was the only concession we could get.”

Mom nodded and said, “Thank you for that at least.  Penny didn't deserve what happened to her.”

I've never been a fan of the principal... teen rebellion I guess, but what he said to Penny next gave me a new respect for the man.  “Miss Dennison, please accept my apology for my part in this.  In light of the new facts, I was wrong.”  Pen just nodded.

Then a minute later we were all heading out of the school, walking past the janitor and a couple men from county pest control carrying some cage traps.  Mr. Thacker held up a finger and the coach chuckled and peeled off from the group to pursue the janitor.

I had to grin.  Parked in front of the school was mom's SUV, Mr. Dennision's 1966 Harley Shovelhead, and Beast.  Ham was sitting in the sidecar waving at us with his football helmet on.  He had been out here since school got out?  He's an awesome friend.

Pen turned around and hugged me, rocking side to side.  “Thanks Fuzzbucket!  I can't believe you did that for me.”

She released me and I'm sure my smile was as huge as hers as I said our motto, “Friends to the end.”

She repeated, “Friends to the end.”

Then mom cleared her throat.  “Don't think you're getting off that easy Stephanie Louise Ryder.  You're on dish duty for a month for sneaking around the school at night.  What if you got hurt?”  I lowered my head and nodded, it was worth it to get Pen cleared.

Then Penny asked, “Drive you home Fuzzbucket?”

I looked back at mom and she exhaled and just nodded, then us girls ran to join Ham at the Beast.  I looked back to see mom and Mr. Dennison spoke for a moment.  They were awfully smiley and mom brushed her hair bashfully behind her ear.  I blinked, were they flirting?  Oh gawd, how cool would that be?  Penny and I exchanged matching grins then hopped onto Beast.

We helmeted up as Mr. Dennison saddled up on his metal stallion and it roared to life.  Between roars of the engine as he revved it, he said, “See you at home kiddo.”  Penny nodded and started up the Beast, he sputtered to life on the second kick, then we waved at mom as she got into her car and drove off.

A minute later we were roaring down the street, Ham holding on for dear life, the wind flowing over us as I looked at the setting sun.

When I dove off of Beast, saying, “See you in the morning,”  I shivered at the frightening fact that the prom was one night away!

Chapter 7 – Yearbooks

I slept like a content fox in her warm den that night, with the knowledge that Penny was going to be okay now and her school record unblemished.

The next morning I couldn't believe how good I felt.  Mom just rolled her eyes at me and grinned before she took off for work.

I stepped outside without my backpack, which felt odd.  There would be no real classes today, it was the last day of school for the seniors and we would be receiving our yearbooks today.  It was the designated yearbook singing day, and the day for us all to say goodbye to our teachers before graduation on Monday and they let us loose on the world.

I checked my little Invader Zim handbag slung over my shoulder, for my wallet, keys, and my cell for like the gajillionth time.  Then I heard the throaty growl of the Beast turning down my street.

I grinned and started jogging and that turned into a full sprint as they whizzed past my house.  I vaulted into the air and landed on the back seat and dropped down behind Pen.  The shocks squeaked and protested. I wrapped one arm around Pen's waist and gave Ham a high five.  It seemed everyone was in a good mood.  I helmeted up and Penny gunned the engine.  Hammond screamed as she opened the Beast up, chuckling at our brave friend the whole way.

When we arrived at school, everything felt off, like everyone in the parking lot was staring at us as we stowed our helmets.  I thought of how unfair life was when I saw Kristy's Mercedes parked there.  She should have been expelled just like they did to Pen, but no, money and spendy lawyers can get you off from anything.

I didn't like feeling petty so I concentrated on the excitement of the last day of school with my two best friends.  Penny was reading my mind, like always, and looped her arms in mine and Hammond's, and dragged us toward the main building.  “Let's do this, peeps.”

When we stepped inside into the main hall, we stuttered to a halt when most of the kids started cheering at us.  There were the socialites and popular crowd that were looking down their noses at us in disdain, but I didn't care.  I'd never see them again after graduation.  I was too busy smiling as we slowly made our way to our lockers.

Kids were congratulating us with platitudes like, “Welcome back Penny!” or “Way to go Fleas!”  I had to blush and try to hide away in my heavy sweater and light jacket I picked out today.  Ham just had a perma-grin on his face and walked with his head held high like a royal on parade.

Then all the commotion seemed to suspend itself in mid breath when we turned into the back hall and pulled up short right in front of Josie and Kristy, who looked kind of odd without their ever present cheerleader uniforms on.  They just looked like your average, pretty, rich girls.

The look Kristy gave us could have melted battleship steel.  She just looked down and gritted her teeth and said cordially, “Penny, Fleas, Spaz.”  Then they stepped around us to head to their homeroom.

Ham called back, oblivious, “Actually, it's Hammond, Kristy.” Penny rolled her eyes at our erstwhile friend and grabbed his arm with both hands and pulled him down to his locker as I chuckled at them.

In homeroom they had us go back to our lockers and clear them out.  Mine was empty already except for my light jacket.  When we got back to our homeroom, the teacher handed out yearbooks to everyone who bought one.

We could never really afford them.  Even with how hard mom works, we can barely make ends meet, but she had squirreled away enough this year to buy me one.  She said it was important.  I smiled when I was handed one.

I glanced around and everyone was doing exactly what I was, flipping through the pages.  I was surprised, I was in a couple of the pictures here and there, but blushed fiercely at the captions, where they called me Fleas Ryder.  I quickly crossed them out and wrote Steph instead.  Then I went to the senior class pictures and cringed at mine.

Penny was right, I needed to stop dressing so dowdy.  I thought I looked okay, I'd never be a model or anything, but my hairstyle and clothes didn't help at all.  I absently touched the white streak in my hair that I had started to really like.  I wondered if mom would have time to style mine that night before the prom.

I was a little surprised when Jake Verner plopped his yearbook down in front of me.  I glanced around and grinned at everyone signing each others yearbooks.  Now don't look at me oddly, but I found that exciting.  This was alike a rite of passage to me, more-so than our upcoming graduation to me.  I wrote a sentence about how I knew he'd do great in life, and signed it.  He took mine and did the same.

After that I tried to be as creative as I could for everyone.  They'd have these yearbooks the rest of their lives.  I catch mom sometimes going through hers and reminiscing.  I knew dad's inscription for her by heart.  “Loraine, well we made it.  I'm looking forward to finding out what kind of adults we will become.  Whatever you wind up doing, I know you'll be great.  I hope I'll be there by your side.”

Ten months later, after completing basic training in boot camp, he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on his first deployment, he had just celebrated his nineteenth birthday.  They found a ring in his pocket.  He was going to ask mom to marry him when he got back, she found out she was pregnant with me just after he was deployed, and hadn't told him yet.

I shook the sad thoughts out of my head and went about trying to leave happy memories in everyone's books.  Even if I didn't know them very well.  I reflected on that a bit.  A lot of the kids had gone to all the same schools as me, yet I didn't know much about many of them.  Was it just because I tried to hide myself away all the time, or did all the kids feel this way?  I guess we all sort of stayed in our own little clicks, where we felt safe... insulated.

The rest of the morning went that way.  In gym, we emptied our lockers and then sat in the bleachers signing yearbooks.  I sat against the wall on the floor, reading what some people wrote.  I think half of them really thought my name was Fleas.  They wrote nice things though.  At least there were some people who knew my name was Steph.

I paused in my reading when two sets of identical Lane Tourville kitten heels stopped in front of me.  I paused then froze, I could smell them before I looked up.  The Bitchley Twins were there holding their yearbooks to their chests.

Kristy exhaled and shoved her book toward me with one hand and put her hand out for mine.  I looked around, was this a joke or something?  Did they have some sort of bet going on with the other ex-cheerleaders?

She snapped impatiently, “Come on Fleas, we don't have all day.”  Then she softened a bit and spoke calmly.  “Listen Steph...”  Hell, I thought she had forgotten my real name.  She continued, “You and your band of misfit toys are a pain in my ass, but... we sort have known each other most of our lives.”  She nudged her eyes to book and I took it hesitantly and handed mine to her.

I wondered what venom she was going to write.  I could always put a Doctor Who sticker over it.  I looked at my pen then at her book.  I thought about it, but decided to take the high road and wrote, “Kristy, I know we didn't always see eye to eye, but I truly wish you nothing but good things in the future.  Steph Ryder.”

I passed her book back, and she handed mine to Josie as Josie handed me hers. I wrote something similar for Josie.  When we exchanged them back, they just walked off without a word.  I took a deep breath and prepared myself and then looked.  I blinked a couple times.

Kristy's said, “Stephanie, you've got backbone and heart.  You'll succeed in anything you put your mind to.  Kristy Higgins.”  Then there was a little cartoon cat drawn under her name.

Josie's said simply, “Fleas, you're ok for a fox. Josie Wells.”

I chuckled.  I'll be damned.  They could be human after all.

Lunch was chaos with everyone seeking out people that didn't have any classes with.  Our table was crowded for once.  With Pen and Ham on either side of me.  Agnes beside Ham, their legs cutely touching.  I'll kill the boy myself if he doesn't go out with her after we graduate.

On the other side we had Violet and Cindy, Jessica and Melinda.  We of course passed our yearbooks around as we discussed Jinx's business plan.  Pen said with a head bob toward Ham and me, “We're in.  Dad heard your plan and he wants us all to stop by the shop after graduation, before you two drive off for your New York trip.”

I wondered what was up with that.  Jessica and  Melinda just nodded.  Then all eyes swung to Violet and Cindy who were looking at each other like lovesick puppies.  Cindy noticed the attention on them and cleared her throat and motioned her eyes to us.

I chuckled as I looked in my yearbook, Pen and Ham wrote the exact same thing I wrote in theirs.  “Friends to the end.”

Violet glanced over with a super silly toothy grin.  “Sure fine whatever.  We're in.”  We all chuckled and then Agnes spoke up.  “I could umm... help out from time to time.  Umm... if you need like any spells or anything.”  Then she blushed and blurted out, “Not that Jessica can't do spells.”

We all laughed as Jinx waved her hand, muttered a word and her pudding exploded on her plate.  She grinned and said to Agnes, “Would be safer for all those around if we use your services if we need any witchy ways until I get my power under control.”  She wiggled her eyebrows then squinted and asked quickly, “Partners?”  We all agreed.  Cool, we had our first contractor.

As the end of school rapidly approached, I could feel a knot in my gut.  This was really it.  We weren't going to see this school, or most of the people in at again.  We'd see some at the Prom at the Vancouver Dance Academy down the street where the Senior Dance was being held, but this was it.

The graduation was just a formality now, when the final bell rang we would be high school graduates.  Closing a twelve year chapter of our lives.  My heart was beating faster and I was hyperventilating a bit as the reality sort of hit me.  I wasn't ready to be an adult.  I took deep breaths to calm myself and my nose twitched.

No, no, no... I sneezed and foxed as the final bell rang and cussed as everyone laughed while I stepped out of my pile of clothes. “Grrr, raffle, rawl, gruff.”

Mrs. Flemming chuckled and grabbed my clothes, bag and yearbook and shook her head at me and said, “Come on Miss Ryder.  I'll walk you to the restrooms.”

I chuffed and hung my head, then gave her a doggy grin as she held the door open for me. Everyone in the hall started laughing as she walked me to the nearest girl's room and set my stuff on the counter.  I'll see you at graduation Miss Ryder.

I nodded and said, “Graffle wuff.” As she left me in there with a couple girls.  I sighed as they looked at me, one had the “oh so cute” look in her eyes, an obvious dog lover.  I turned my back to them, tail high and went human again and quickly got into my clothes.

I looked back in embarrassment, moving the white lock of hair out of my eyes and then quickly exited.  Well, there went my chance of finishing my senior year in dignity.  I got out to the Beast, where Ham and Pen were waiting.  As soon as I slid behind her on the seat I yelled, “Go, go, go!”  Then buried my face in her back.  It wasn't until the school was out of sight when I started breathing again.

Penny glanced back and saw the look on my face and asked, “Foxed?”

I echoed, “Foxed.”

She just tittered with laughter and yelled back over the wind, “You just had to go out in style.”

I grinned at the back of her head and glanced over at Ham who was grinning too.  Yeah, I suppose not many kids turn into a fox the last moment of their senior year.

Chapter 8 – Senior Prom

The moment I got home, I noted mom's car was already in the garage.  I waved at my friends as they drove off and hurried inside, a bit worried.  Mom was rarely ever home early.

When I stepped through the side door into the kitchen, I knew I should have been afraid instead of worried.  There was the stool mom used to cut my hair, and all of her supplies on the counter beside it.  She was sitting there reading one of her magazines.  She looked up with an evil grin only a mother can give their poor defenseless child.

I was doomed.

She said, “Leave your purse here and go drop your stuff in your room.  We don't have long before you have to go to Hammond's so that Marjorie can fit your dress.  I wasn't going to let my daughter go to her senior prom with her hair looking like this, so I took some time off.”

I pouted as I passed her, absently touching my hair.  “There's nothing wrong with my hairstyle.”

She chuckled. “True, if you were a forty five year old woman.  News flash hon, you're not.  I'm under orders to bring out your inner fox.”

I hissed in mock frustration, “Penny?”

She nodded as I hit the stairs. “Penny.”  Then she yelled up the stairs as I went up them in two bounds, “And she's right.  You need to stop hiding yourself away.  Show people who you have been hiding away under those ridiculous clothes and that frumpy hairstyle you insist on.”

I called out as I dropped my stuff in my room and looked in the mirror on the back of my door.  “La la la, I can't hear you.”  I saw every one of my flaws in the mirror.  What was I worried about?  I exhaled as I admitted to myself that I was afraid that if I did up my hair and clothes a little more age appropriate, that I wouldn't look any better.  Or I'd look odd, like I were wearing a costume.

I walked down the stairs, drooping more and more each step. I slogged into the kitchen like a convict on death row.  Mom looked up and a bark of laughter exploded from her.  “Get over here and sit down.  You look like you're going to your own funeral.”

I crinkled my nose at her and gave a sheepish smile as I sat and she put the apron around me.  She first ran her fingers through my red hair, tapping her scissors absently on her lips as she contemplated my fate.  Then she squinted and looked closer, pulling some hair aside. “How long has it been since your friend gave you this white streak?”

I honestly couldn't remember. “Three maybe four days.”

She hmm-ed then said, “You'd expect dark roots from your natural color to be showing up, but this is snow white down to the roots.”

I blinked, what Greg did was permanent?  I said, “Oh wow, I'll have to track down Greg at the dance or at graduation to change it back.”

She nodded then said, “Or that Jessica girl you kids hang out with.”

I chuckled. “I'd prefer to keep my hair and not wind up with a beard or something instead mom.”

She rolled her eyes and wetted my hair. “She isn't that bad Steph.”  Then started clipping.  I cringed at the clumps of red and white hair that fell to the floor.

I knew better than to shake my head when mom wielded her shears and settled for, “Jinxy would be the first to agree with me.  Were both stringers.”

She made a dismissive sound and said, “I think both of you are more capable than you think you are.  Your own limitations are your own self-doubt.”  I didn't respond.  Violet had said something similar.

It took almost forty five minutes for her to finish.  She smiled at the result, then she stubbornly stopped me from going to check it out in a mirror.  “There will be time enough for that later.  Right now we need to get over to Marjorie.  She has everything you and Penny will need over there.”

She hustled me out to the car and once we got in, she slapped my hand playfully when I tried to adjust the rear view mirror to see my hair.  She grinned. “Not yet.  Be patient.”

I sank into my seat and pouted all the way to Ham's.  Penny pulled up behind us on the Beast.  She took a garment bag and a box out of the sidecar and grinned as we joined her.  Her grin became a full blown smile as she reached out and fluffed up my now much shorter hair.  My head was so light I feared mom had shaved me bald.

But Pen looked over to mom and said, “It's perfect Mrs. Ryder.”  Mom beamed at the compliment.  Okay, priority one, a mirror.

Ham met us at the door.  He looked debonair in his new rented tux.  He blinked twice at me then smiled and just stepped aside and we all filed into his living room.  Mrs. O'Donnell was there grinning.  I veered off toward the mirror over the mantle but mom and Pen caught my arms and dragged me into the O'Donnell's kitchen.

Penny and I played living dress forms for our fittings.  Penny was going to look spectacular as always.  She was going to have to fend the boys off with a stick.  The simple maroon dress just stuck to her curves and made her look much more mature.

My midnight blue dress was too short for my liking, ending just above my knee.  I wanted something more akin to a summer dress.  This one was sleeveless, pleated and form fitting, with lapels.  It had a vee back that made me feel almost naked.  But all the women assured me it covered a lot more than a lot of the prom dresses out there.  This was more a dress for a formal dinner party.

I whined, “I want my layers.”

Mrs. O'Donnell chuckled.  “You always hide in those hideous sweaters dear. And you will have layers.”  She pointed at the tiny white short sleeve jacket that was too small to even button in front and only hit my waist.  Again they all assured me that is what it was supposed to do.

I countered, “Hey, you gave me some of those sweaters on my birthdays, Mrs. O.”  She just chuckled as she worked on the dresses on her sewing machine.

We all ate a light supper, and by then Ham looked as if he were about to pass out.  He was pacing with the corsage his dad got for him to give to Agnes.  We had to let him know that he'd do just fine.  Not that I'd know, Penny was the only one of us who ever went out on a date.  Though she seemed to just prefer hanging out with us.  I always felt we were holding her back.

Mr. O'Donnell arrived home just as we finished getting into our dresses.  I was impressed, my dress fit me like a glove.  Then I sat at the counter as Pen did my makeup with input from the other women.  I whined again, “I'm not a dress-up doll.”

Mom said, “Oh shush. You like the pampering.”

I grinned and blushed.  Busted.  It was kind of nice having people fuss over me.

Then Penny grinned and said, “Now for the piece-de-resistance.”  She pulled two pairs of kitten heels out of the box she had with her.  One pair was a maroon that matched her dress.  One pair white to match my white jacket.  “Dad squirreled a bit of money away for these for the dance.”

I slid them on and smiled, I had never worn heels before, except when I was a little kid wearing some of mom's when I played dress up. I stood and moved experimentally, my footing was sure, not shaky like I thought it would be.  So I pranced around jokingly for a second, ending in a twirl.

Pen shook her head as she slipped her's on.  “Sometimes I am so jealous of your enhanced balance and fluid grace.  You walk in those like you were born in them.  The rest of us had to learn to walk in them.”  She wore heels on special occasions and they always made her even taller, and she looked so elegant in them now.

She looked at everyone and motioned her hand down at herself and asked, “Well?”

I and the other ladies were grinning like idiots.  I don't think I've ever seen Penny looking so spectacular.  I said, “You look like a fashion model, lady.”  Then I looked over the O'Donnell men.  “Gentlemen?”

Mr. O'Donnell inclined his head. “You look lovely Penny.”

Hammond just said, “Wow.”

He had been staring at both of us since he was allowed back in the room after we dressed.  It sort of made me blush.  His mom chuckled and said, “Oh dear... it seems Hammond has realized his two best friends are women.”

Mr. O'Donnell smirked a little.  “Son.  Close your mouth.”  Ham snapped his jaw shut and blushed and looked away.  His dad looked at me and said, “And Stephanie, you look lovely too.  This is a good look for you.”

I blushed at the compliment.  Someone thought I looked lovely?  I started hopping a bit, looked at Penny, and whined, “Can I see a mirror now?”  She covered her mouth, was she smiling?  Oh, dear lord, I looked like little girl playing dress up, didn't I?  Oh crap, there was a tickle in my nose. No no no, not here, not now.

I pulled back to sneeze, but mom and Penny's hands shot out under my nose, plugging the airways and the sneeze was aborted.  I exhaled in relief and mumbled, “Thanks.”

Then they led me to the bathroom and opened the door so I could look in the full-length mirror.  I caught the look of anticipation on Pen's face as she placed her hands together and pressed them against her lips.  A sparkle in her eyes.  I looked up and stopped.  Just stopped.

I don't know how long I stood there, just staring at the cute young lady in the mirror before I remembered to breathe again.  There was something said in biology class about people needing oxygen to breathe.

I wasn't beautiful or anything like that, but I looked like a cute co-ed in a sublime dress.  The cute swooshy hairdo just brushed my shoulders and framed my face.  I liked my hair bulky to hide my face a bit.  But the girl I saw there had a light hairstyle that exposed my girl next door face.  I actually liked it.

I swallowed.  One thing my shifter genes did right was how my body developed.  The dress outlined my very feminine curves that I didn't like people seeing.  The overall effect was that of a college aged girl attending a tea social.

For the first time in my life I thought, “I look good.”  And I blushed and turned to everyone who seemed to be holding their breath waiting for my response.

I shrugged and fought off a smile. “I don't look hideous.  I feel so exposed.”

Penny slapped my arm.  “Oh shut up Fuzzbucket.  You look cute as hell.  I told you that you needed to show off that rockin' bod of yours.”

I looked at mom and she smiled and nodded, “This is the you that you hide from the world hon.  This is who we all see.”

Then Mr. O'Donnell held up a finger.  “Oh!  I almost forgot.”  He ran off toward the kitchen and returned with two corsages.  He put them on our wrists and said, “There.”

Then we had to endure the torture of the grownups taking ninety-seven hexizillion pictures with all their cameras, phones, and tablets.  Ok, fine whatever, I had mom take one with my phone too. Are you happy now?

Mr. O looked at the time and said, “Isn't it time to pick up your date son?”

Ham looked like he was about to throw up he was so nervous.  But he nodded once.  Mrs. O'Donnell grinned at him and led us all to the door.  We thought we were going to be going in their mini-van. But Ham's dad said as he opened the door,  “One last surprise.  If my son is going on his first date, he's going in style.”  We all squealed when we saw the limousine pull up to the curb.

His mom smirked and kissed Hammond on the forehead and said, “I bet none of the other boys will walk in with three girls on his arm.”

The poor boy looked like he was about to blush his way into a temporal vortex as he whined, “Moooom.”

His dad chuckled as we all hustled out to the limo as he called out, “Have fun storming the castle!”  Princess Bride?  Really?  Just how cool were Ham's parents?

We slid in and Pen rolled the window down and we waved goodbye as the limo pulled away from the curb.  Mom blew me a kiss.

Agnes was shocked when the limo pulled up.  And let me tell you, she looked cute.  She had a knee length dress on that looked to be made of fringes that moved in waves at every movement.  We had to almost push Hammond out of the car to get her, where she waited on the porch with her parents.

I thought he was going to pass out.  I whispered, “You got this Ham.”

He nodded and walked mechanically up to her.  He shook her parent's hands then offered Agnes the corsage.  He couldn't figure out how to pin it on and he was all thumbs.  Penny and I were trying hard not to squee in excitement for him.  Agnes' mother gave him a sympathetic look and pinned it on her for him.

He turned to walk toward us and Penny was pushing an elbow out the window and slapping at it.  He froze, turned back and offered his arm.  Casanova he wasn't, but I hoped Agnes could see how cute and earnest he was.  Agnes blushed and took it and he hustled with her to the limo and we were off.

I had to blink at her dress and I felt my smile blooming.  “Agnes, your dress is brilliant!  How did you do that?”  Her dress was covered artistically in layers of plastic spoons, the same color as the fabric below.  It was not only pretty but amazing they way the layers flowed whenever she moved, they seemed to shimmer with unnatural light.

She squashed her head to her shoulders and crinkled her nose cutely and whispered to us, “I like spoons.”

We all chuckled and then Penny said, “Well I think you two make a smart couple.”  I nodded my agreement.  Then she said, “Maybe I'll dance with a couple guys tonight.”

I'd think so.  She was the pretty one of our group, she could have had Lance if she wanted to.  I was actually really proud of how pretty she was, and that she had class and smarts to back it up.  Any guy would be stupid not to like her.

Hammond found his voice finally and said, “And Steph will have more than her share of guys wanting to dance with her.”  I grinned when I noticed he was holding Agnes' hand.

Then I froze as Penny added plainly, “Or girls.”  I swallowed and looked between them.  Oh god.  My life was over.

I whispered to her. “You know?”

Ham rolled his eyes and Penny shook her head with a crooked smile on her face and said, “Duh.  Of course, we know.  We've been friends forever Fuzzbucket.”

Ham nodded.

They didn't seem upset.  I don't know what I expected, it was all so scary to me.  I realized how stupid I had been, they were awesome, that's why we were friends.

So I just blushed and echoed, “Or girls.”

Agnes didn't even seem shocked.

Then I admitted to my two lifelong friends, “I was sort of hoping maybe Greg would ask me to dance... or  Lisa Verner.”

Penny's instant response was, “They'd be stupid not to, especially with you looking this hawt.”  Ham nodded again.

I squeaked. “I love you guys.”

They just beamed smiled back.

The limo came to a stop and the driver opened the door for us.  He held out a card to Ham and said, “Just call the number on the card when you are ready for the car again sir.”

I bit back a smile at the regal look on my friend's face as he nodded and said, “Thank you.”

With Agnes on one arm, and Penny on the other, me on Penny's other arm, we stepped toward the Vancouver Dance Academy and the senior prom.  The slack-jawed looks on Kristy and Josie's faces as they watched us approach the door were priceless.

I took a deep breath, and we all looked at each other, exchanging nods.  We could do this, we could do anything.  Friends to the end.

Epilogue

The dance was amazing and frightening.  Penny danced with all comers.  But for every dance with someone else, she would dance with our own little group.  She made me dance with a couple guys from our history class that asked me, but Greg never showed.  I hear that his family was moving up to Calgary and had taken off after his last class.  I was stuck with the white streak in my hair unless I could get another witch to change it, but I wasn't sure I wanted to.  It was me, my inner fox, and I liked it.

I did get my dance with Lisa Verner.  I almost died of a heart attack when I got up the nerve to ask her.  She was super sweet and nice when she told me she wasn't a lesbian, but I looked really cute that night and she always thought I was nice, so she'd be happy to dance with me.  I again enjoyed the stunned looks on the Bitchly Twins faces when they saw me on the dance floor with Lisa.

But my favorite part of the night, was the final dance of the night with my best friends.  That was another chapter of our lives closed and I was looking forward to what would come next.

Graduation was possibly the most boring and excruciatingly long two hours of my life.  I knew I was supposed to be excited, but my only thought was “Oh come on already, no more speeches!  Just let us out into the world already!”  My fox was pacing frantically in my mind.  I needed to let her out to run.

That brings us to today.  Jinxy and Melinda were ready to start their cross country international road trip, but Mr. Dennison had something he needed to see our group about.  When the girls got back from their vacation, we were going to form our little odd jobs company and see if we couldn't make a living at it.

Ham piled out of the sidecar with Agnes, his first girl and first kiss.  She had him wrapped around her pinky, but it was mutual.  They were too cute together.  They took off their helmets as Pen and I slid off the seat and removed ours.  The girls pulled up behind us.  I really loved Penny's father's shop, it was so rustic and he had a sort of motorcycle boneyard in the back, behind a corrugated steel fence.  He routinely cannibalized the yard for parts for classic and obscure bikes.

He was the only worker there and sometimes Penny, Ham, and I would be grease monkey tool wranglers for him.  If I ever get a car of my own, I won't be intimidated about changing my own oil.

Mr. D looked up when we all pulled up, and he smiled at us and wiped his greasy hands on a shop rag hanging from his belt.  The heavy chains to his keys and wallet in his pockets clinking.  “Hey, kids.”

We all greeted him as he hugged Pen one-handed, keeping the greasy rag away from her.  Curiosity was killing all of us as.  She said, “What did you need to discuss with us Pop?”

He smiled and said, “Follow me.”

We all followed him through the converted shop that used to be a gas station in another life, and toward the back door into the fenced off boneyard.  “You're all going to need a place of business if you are going to do your odd jobs service right.  I'm proud of you all wanting to make it on your own.”

We followed him through the stacks of frames and tanks and rusted out hulks of motorcycles stacked almost ten feet tall.  We got to the back of the yard, Penny, Ham and I had explored the maze thoroughly as we grew up.

He started polishing an adjustable wrench with his rag and nudged his head toward an old nineteen fifties delivery van that used to be full of front forks and had cycle tires stacked on the hood and roof of the van for as long as I could remember.  It was fairly clean now, the white paint was faded and you could see the old furniture shop logo bleeding through it.  It was a monster, the enclosed back had to be twenty feet long, the whole thing twenty-eight or thirty feet long.

He brought us to the back and rolled the door up.  He said, “She's not pretty, but she runs now.  I've been putting a few hours here and there on old Claribelle since I heard what you kids had planned.”

At the far end, there were a couple desks and filing cabinets bolted to the wall, with some overhead LED strip lights illuminating the interior.  It was like a mini office.  “She'll haul about anything you need, and she's dependable.  I figure she'd be a good mobile office and hauler for you until you get a permanent place.”

He looked at Penny.  “This was my mobile bike repair truck when I met your mother.  Until she encouraged me to get the shop before she passed.”  He tossed her the keys. “She's yours now.”  He looked around at all of us letting us know he was speaking to all of us.  He smiled and said, “I have an Electra Glide to finish up today.  See you kids later.”  Then he wandered back into the shop.

We all looked around then exploded into squees of excitement and we all piled into the truck to look around.  Penny got in the cab and started her up.  I almost chuckled, she sounded just like the Beast starting up.  She shut her back down and joined us as we piled back out and closed the door.

Violet was saying, “We could give her a good paint job.”

Jessica nodded and said, “And paint our logo on the side.”

Ham asked, “Are we settled on the name?  The Paranormals?”

We all nodded.

Then Cindy held her hands up, making a frame as she squinted at the van.  “That is a lot of real estate there.  Maybe our number and a catchphrase.”

I liked that idea and I mumbled something.  Melinda squinted at me.  “What was that Fleas?”

I blinked, that was the first time someone called me that while making it sound cute, and not a slight at all.  I found myself not minding.  This must be how Jessica feels when her friends call her Jinxy.  We were all friends here.

I spoke up a little, repeating what I had mumbled.  “I just said something stupid.  Like... 'Need help?  Call the Paranormals.  No job too strange.  Reasonable rates.' or something like that.”

They all grinned and Ham said, “That's brilliant!”

They all nodded.

We spent the next hour discussing how to get Claribelle ready for business.  Computers, phones, the works.  It hit me.  This was real.  We were fresh out of high school and we were going to try to run our own business.  How exciting was that?  Business owners.

After we said our goodbyes and saw Jinx and Melinda off on their trip, Penny drove Ham, Agnes, and me home in the Beast.

Damn what an awesome day.  I handed my helmet to Ham, who stowed it.  I said, “Bye guys.  See you on the roof tonight.”  Then dove off the bike as they roared past my place.  I landed in my skidding three-point stance.  I was in such a great mood and I felt so alive that I used the last bit of my momentum to do a little flip, and landed on my feet.

Huh.  I contemplated that.  I was getting more and more graceful.  Maybe I've finally beaten my perpetual clumsiness.

I grinned and started toward the house where my mom waited in the doorway, and promptly tripped on the garden hose and face planted.  “Son of a...”  I sneezed.

The End

Table of Contents

Copyright © 2015 by Erik Schubach

Chapter 1 – A Day In The Life

Chapter 2 – Expelled

Chapter 3 – Expelled

Chapter 4 – The Nose Knows

Chapter 5 – Exoneration

Chapter 6 – Lawyers

Chapter 7 – Yearbooks

Chapter 8 – Senior Prom

Epilogue