The Rules of the Red - 2014 Watty Award Winner |✓|

Chapter Seventeen - Part Four

“Look,” I said, taking a tenacious step forward. “We have a mutual friend – her name is Claudia. She sent me here because she needs ingredients for a spell. And she said you three would be able to help me out.”

The triplet on the right let out a short, amused scream of laughter, covering her mouth with one hand and her stomach with the other. And the one on the left had finally looked up, but was now staring fearfully to the sister in the middle, who was standing perfectly still but now with an almost savage sneer across her face. Ethan and I whirled in reflex as the shop’s blinds suddenly flipped closed, instantly darkening the room and blocking our view from the street.

“That hood rat,” the middle witch began. “Stuck me and my sisters with a tab for a six-hundred dollar balance, so hopefully you understand if I’m not really in the mood for doing her friends any favors.”

“Yeah? Well, what if I pay Claudia’s tab?” Ethan said, speaking up. “Then would that cover it?”

The three sisters seemed to be silently considering this amongst themselves as they exchanged quick looks.

“We know that you’re Wolves,” the sister on the left said. “So what color is your fur?”

“Come again?” Ethan said.

“Your fur. The color. What is it?” she replied with impatience.

“Uh, brown?” he replied, with a blink.

“And yours?” she said to me.

“It’s white. My fur is white, why?”

All three women were smiling now, looking positively evil with glee.

“You’re lying,” accused the middle sister. “Your fur isn’t white.”

I rolled my eyes. I hoped it wasn’t going to turn into one of those conversations.

“Seriously guys? Please tell me that this doesn’t have anything to do with skin color.”

“Naomi,” Ethan said. “Is that true? Is your coat really white?”

“What?” I said, with a smile that masked exasperation. “Do I have to show all of you to prove it? Is that it?”

“White werewolves can’t take human form,” said the sister on the right. “It’s impossible – you should be impossible.”

“Well, last time I checked I still existed. Why are you asking about our fur anyway?”

“Werewolf fur can be very useful in certain spells,” she replied. “Harmless ones of course.”

“Alright then. That’s all I need to hear.” I said, already knowing where it was that this was headed. Shoving the warnings of the stranger’s note to the back of my mind, I took off my jacket, and handed it to Ethan before stopping down to unlace the Doc Martens that I had borrowed from Addy.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked in disbelief.

“What? Like you don’t dream of seeing me naked?” I said to his blush. “Try not to take too much off the top, m’kay?” I said, with a single nod to the middle sister, whose smile was anything but reassuring.

But I could do this. I had suffered worse indignities than having to merely stand, naked and exposed, in front of a bunch of other people who were all fully clothed. So this sudden, unprepared publicity actually didn’t cause me to cross my legs or fold my arms over my chest. Instead, I removed all the rest of my clothing and stood, unashamed, with my hands hanging calmly down at my sides.