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Ophelia spent three days at home before she finally agreed to go to school. She spent the time back in Beacon Hills in the forest. All three days. Marcel Gerard's words had hit her like a truck, and even though her family had tried their best to comfort her like Klaus had, all she could think about was that she was and always would be a monster. A cold-blooded, blood-sucking monster. Staying as a wolf for the time allowed her to partially detach from reality. She understands why Malia would have preferred to stay as a coyote; there's something about running through the trees and feeling the wind rush through fur. It's freeing.
When she returns home, she finds Lydia in the backyard with a pile of clothes on the glass table waiting. The banshee gives a small smile as the white wolf trots toward her, and she gently runs her hand along the animal's back, scratching her ears for a moment before allowing her privacy to change.
As Ophelia buttons up her jeans, she clears her throat and Lydia turns back around. "Hey," she says quietly. "I, uh, I didn't know you'd be here."
Lydia frowns in concern. "Fi, all you've said since you got back was, 'I'm home.' And that was through a text message." She watches the girl's eyes dart to the ground. "Are you okay?"
