The girl who saves werewolves

15. A Harum-Scarum way to make me understand

Though I knew to expect the unexpected, I couldn't believe what these women told me. I sat on the lowest step of

my mind going blank every time I tried to repeat the word Fay had just told me.

W- no. Not possible.

We-

Were- Seriously. Not possible.

"Ok..." I let out and shook my head. 

The two women stood in front of me.  According to their eyes, the strangeness of the situation affected them too.

"Lucy?" Fay whispered.

"What?" I whispered too. 

"What... um... What are you thinking?"

I snorted.

"What am I thinking? Well... I'm not thinking! Because if I try to, my mind is yelling how insane this is! I don't believe you. There has to be a logical explanation to all this."

"You don't believe me?" Fay said. She gave an uncomfortable glance at the other woman, who frowned.

"Fay," she moaned. "Don't make me do it."

"I'm sorry Qiana," Fay sighed. "I think there's no other way. You know I can't."

Qiana lifted her hands.

"Fine! I'll do it. But this can't keep happening."

Fay took Qiana's hand. She squeezed it.

"Thank you. I would do it if I could. You know that, right?"

"Do what?" I asked hating how I had no idea what these two were talking about. I had been an outsider all my life, but for the first time it bothered me so much I was willing to do whatever to change that.

"You don't believe what I just told you. We need to prove it to you-"

"I need to," Qiana interrupted.

"Ah, yes... Qiana will prove you it's the truth," Fay finished.

Ok. I was going insane. Or maybe I was in a middle of a weird dream.

I watched as this gazelle-like creature backed away. Qiana took off her jacket and gave it to Fay who pressed it against her chest.

"I should have known why you packed me extra clothes," Qiana said.

Then happened the coolest and the creepiest thing I've ever seen. Qiana took a step forward, but before her foot touched the floor, her body started to transform. It happened so quickly that I don't quite know how it happened. Her beautiful golden brown skin gave way to dark black fur with a blueish hue to it. What used to be her feet and hands changed into paws that stood on torn clothes. Her face had disappeared too. What stared into my eyes were animal eyes. Wolf's eyes.

"Harum-scarum," my mouth mumbled.

"Do you believe us now?" Fay asked. She ran her hand through the fur of the creature.

"Yes," I said. A giggle escaped my body. Then another and another. In the end, I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. I guess it's my way to deal with a shock.

"You are a werewolf. She is a werewolf. Werewolves are real." I was able to speak through my laughter.

Then it hit me!

"My mom is allergic to dogs!"

My parents had started to - I don't know - wake up. We rushed upstairs into my room. It would have been quite inconvenient to explain to mom and dad the two strangers in their house. Especially the one without any clothes on. But there was still a lot to explain. I needed to know why they had come. And who this Harriet-lady was. And was I, or my parents, in danger.

TV sounds kept coming from downstairs, but we could also hear my dad's comments about the news. Just in case, we kept our voices down.

"We are here because I made a mistake," Fay said. She sat next to Qiana on my bed. Qiana had just put on some untorn clothes. I sat on my armchair, which dad had bought me from some old lady. It was perfect for getting lost in a book. Now I was getting lost in this new Narnia-world, where everything was possible.

"It was more than a mistake. She broke the rules," Qiana corrected.

"What rules? The ten commandments of werewolves?" I joked.

Fay smiled. Qiana didn't.

"We," Fay started and motioned Qiana and herself, "live a special kind of life."

"Duh," I snorted. Special is an understatement, don't you think.

"Yeah... I know what we are is still - unbelievable to you. But we live very unconventional lives. Compared to others of our kind, of course. And for us to be able to do that, we have made a deal with a very powerful person, Harriet Trinh. That deal includes us following her rules. And as Qiana so graciously stated, I broke the rules. Harriet sent one of her employees here to do whatever she did to you and your parents to remind me to stay in line. I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess."

"Why am I in this mess?" I asked.

"Because she didn't listen to me," Qiana moaned. Fay ignored her.

"Because of what happened in New York."

What happened in New York? The shoe. The dude in steroids. Fay and him jumping over the fence, in inhumanly way. Me hitting my head. And meeting Fay. Slowly I started to understand; I was not supposed to see any of that. I shouldn't have met Fay. I should be oblivious.

"I knew you hit your head bad. Qiana, who by the way is a doctor, told me to make sure you were alright. That's why I sneak into your hostel and woke you up during the night. Unfortunately, you caught me. And I just couldn't walk away when you fell. Harriet forbids us from getting humans involved. She feels very strongly that humans shouldn't know we exist. We are allowed in her city and do what we do, but only on her terms."

"And we are expected to report to her. Fay just thought it was a great idea to try to keep this from her," Qiana said. "Like Harriet Trinh wouldn't find out a human saw you while trying to get rid of a male wolf." That last part she said more to Fay than to me.

"It was Brooklyn. Not Manhattan," Fay said. I could hear the annoyance in her voice.

"Is that what you're going to tell her the next time you meet her?" Qiana asked her friend. There clearly was something going on between them. A pent-up argument. Well.. to be honest, it's an ongoing pent-up argument that surfaces every now and then, but I didn't know it back then.

"Oh come on, Q. I'm not an idiot." Annoyance had turned into frustration.

"You better not be! We have worked so hard for this, Fay."

Enough was enough. They had been mysterious far too long.

"Worked hard for what?" I asked.

They looked flustered. They had forgotten I was there.

"We save female werewolves from...um, abusive relationship. We help them escape and hide from their abusers."