The Stray Human: A college age urban fantasy with werewolves, werewolf community center book 1

by Abigail Smith

  “Eh, just a thought, why exactly are you arming the new girl? That doesn’t seem… safe,” Carlson said.

  “I’m getting attacked by some black-clad freaks. I may as well get some cool alchemical weapon out of the ordeal,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

  I looked to Silvia, expecting a response from her. Her eyes started to squint, and she held up a finger as if waiting for a sneeze or something.

  “We’re not arming her, we’re just thinking of ways she could be armed, once she proves herself.”

  I squeaked. I’d saved this girl’s life, and that wasn’t proving myself? My phone buzzed, and I took a look at it quickly.

  A text from Silvia, which read, ‘Play along.’

  I raised an eyebrow, but my objection died in my throat as I looked to Silvia.

  “So, could you, like, draw a blueprint for the thing you’re thinking of?” Silvia asked.

  Carlson looked from her to me and back again and shrugged.

  “It’s not too hard to fabricate, just a metal frame and some welding.”

  “Should be pretty easy to draw up then!” Silvia said as she took my hand and walked out. “See you in a bit.”

  She got outside with me and texted me. Her fingers went nearly a mile a moment. Having grown up in the era of smartphones, she had got used to the ease of texting, while I had to hit buttons up to three times to get the right letter.

  “If this place is bugged, we might also have a mole, someone to place the bugs, and use the information to coordinate attacks.”

  I took out my phone, shook my head, and grabbed hers to type out my message. “So, we’re just going to seed out false information to various places?”

  Silvia nodded. “You like urban fantasy, I like spy movies,” she said.

  Ohhhh, neat.

  She then typed in her phone again, this time just holding it up. “Speaking of spying, let’s see if we picked up anything on the cameras.”

  Chapter 21

  We shuffled into the room, squeezing Lorenz a bit too close to the monitors. “Any luck?” I asked, pretty much knowing the answer was negative.

  “I haven’t found any suspicious characters on the footage. Means they’ve probably been here a while.”

  “Hmmm. Anyone who isn’t as trusted in the group?” I asked Silvia.

  “What do you mean?” Lorenz asked, sneering as though insulted.

  “What if the bugs came with a mole, someone to keep an eye on things and possibly review the audio for specific weaknesses and new people?”

  Silvia smiled as I was getting into the spy work now.

  “Hmmm, I’ll talk to David about it. Right now, though, it’s six o’clock, and all this worry is making me thirsty if you catch my drift.”

  “I guess I’ll take a look at the security footage while you’re doing the booze stuff?” Silvia asked.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get you a Coke and tell Gavin to bring you some supper.”

  “Don’t let Gavin cook. He doesn’t do it right,” Silvia whined.

  Silvia went off to the security room, as the few people I recognized came into the bar. Minerva and Dan were walking in with a wolf, who I assumed was Cassy, and I started to work on their drinks.

  Lorenz and I left for the bar after a few people ordered and were served. We met up with Silvia in the security room.

  Both me and Silvia were fairly skinny. Even then, we pressed the limits of what was comfortable in this room. I took a look at all the wires, thinking of some mage or werewolf trying to put together this high-tech security station.

  Silvia panned through the list of dates and showed one from nearly a month ago. The wibbly-wobbly portal was going back and forth, and seemed to have some smoke coming through it.

  The doorway was left open for a while. It’d been in the days of the liquor cabinet, since werewolves were grabbing tubs of vodka and dipping in random assortments of alchemicals, some of which were drunk, given a bad face, and set down as they transformed into wolves.

  I saw Cassy frequenting the bar, downing entire bottles of whiskey and vodka before heading back to dance or to flirt.

  I adjusted Silvia so we both fit onto the chair, which ended up with her sitting on my lap, obscuring my view of the left screens.

  “Hey, uh…” Silvia said suddenly.

  Her voice seemed to die in her throat or something. “What’s up?”

  “T-thank you again for saving me,” she said.

  She was quite adorable. I gave her a little squeeze like she was a teddy bear. “Don’t mention it. As I said before, I couldn’t let such an injustice stand,” I said.

  It was about then I noticed the time. “I should get back to the bar. Keep looking for… that missing chip bag, and I’ll text you soon,” I said, shooting her a coy smile.

  Chapter 22

  Dan and Cassy were at the bar when I got there. “Hey, guys, where’s Minerva?” I asked since they were always together.

  They both looked at each other, and then Dan smacked himself in the face. “Forgot you don’t have that. She’s the wolf over there,” Dan said, pointing to the corner dog bed.

  “Okay, don’t have what and why’s she over there?”

  “Scent. Dogs and wolves can identify people, places, and things by their scent. Everyone here has their own, and that’s usually how we identify them. Even if you preferred sight, you would associate a scent with them,” Cassy explained.

  “Oh, gosh. I hope my scent isn’t bad,” I said.

  Dan and Cassy chuckled. “It’s a unique scent. it’s not a bad or good thing, just an identifier,” Dan explained.

  “That being said, try and get the soap under your nails,” Cassy mocked.

  “Huh. So, guess I’m going to end up asking people who the wolves are every time,” I admitted.

  “I mean, if you stay with us,” Cassy said.

  Dan gave her a look, but she wasn’t paying attention.

  “Anyway, what can I get you two?”

  “Dragon Sunrise.” Dan’s usual.

  “I’m feeling adventurous today. How about that shadow one?”

  I started on Dan’s drink as I flipped through the drink book. I yawned as I got to work and grabbed the properly labelled Tupperware.

  “Guess that scent thing is also how these things were labelled, huh?” I said wistfully.

  “Kinda, but not how you’re thinking,” Dan said.

  “How’s that?”

  “We’ve got a special scent ink thing, which can be used for messages and the like since the containers are sealed, and we don’t want to be sniffing each one. We put that chemical on them and can tell what they say.”

  “Oh, that’s interesting. Send a lot of secret messages that way?” I asked, thinking back to Silvia.

  “No, we mainly label things with it. For example, our drink-compatible alchemical components.”

  “Drink-compatible. Does that mean other things aren’t drink-compatible?”

  “Yeah, you know, the stuff we make poisons out of. And while a human could drink some alchemical silver distilled in a brew, we typically avoid that for obvious reasons.”

  “What would ingesting alchemical silver do?” I asked.

  “Are you asking about humans or us?” Cassy asked, looking at me like I was an idiot.

  “To a human. After seeing David take a stab from the stuff, I believe the term is heartburn like you wouldn’t believe.” Cassy snorted at that one.

  “Going by what silver does in the human body normally, make them blue?” Dan hazarded a guess.

  I made the two their drinks, and Lorenz sat down. “So, these Firecrackers!” he said, rubbing his hands together.

  I checked the listing for them now that Lorenz had sobered up. “Needs ten shot glasses?”

  “Double the recipe, that way we can share some around,” Lorenz said.

  “What’s with this recipe?” I read it up and down. “Oh, mix it in a shaker to kill the bacteria on the alchemical com
ponents, but then it’s a shot glass kind of drink.”

  “It also lets someone burp fire,” Dan added while sipping his drink.

  “These things are crazy,” I said as I got out a shaker.

  These things were made with some pyro putty powder, which when poured in became a solid lump of what I could only assume was pyro putty. Couldn’t be sure, though. Then some powdered burrow root. It was listed as something tasty enough but still burnable in brackets, so I assumed it could be substituted. And, finally, there was just a smidge of electromoss.

  I put them all in and shook it. “Guess I have a question to bring up with the alchemy experts,” I said, thinking about using the electromoss and pyro putty together in two different ways.

  I shook it real good, and pressure slowly built in the shaker; when I let go a rush of air shot out from it. I slowly poured the twenty shot glasses for the three regulars. I gave a bemused smile at the thought of regulars since I hadn’t even been here enough to be considered regular.

  Lorenz took one of the glasses and downed it. He leaned back, tilted his head up and burped. A flame shot out about a foot away from him.

  “Talk about a fire hazard,” I said, looking back towards the bottles of booze.

  “The materials used have been alchemically and magically treated with various things to make them burn-proof and earthquake-proof. That one we use more often than our neighbours, etc., etc.”

  “Oh, good, so the only thing flammable here is me, next to all the booze,” I said.

  “Don’t worry, it’s not like someone’s just going to burp fire on you.”

  I looked at Cassy who was about to take a drink. “Might wanna wait till that jinx passes,” I said.

  “Huh?” she asked, her attention suddenly shifting.

  “He said no one’s going to burp fire on me. In the books, there were always these moments of this isn’t going to happen, and BOOM, it happens.”

  “Silly, E-lis. Those are stories. That kind of stuff doesn’t happen in real life,” she said, downing the shot.

  I grabbed a metal serving tray and held it up over my chest. Cassy tilted her head back and tried to burp, but nothing came out. As expected, she lowered her head, then burped, causing the centre of the tray to turn red.

  I dropped it in the sink, not just like it was hot—it was actually hot. I then moved the rest of the Firecrackers over to Lorenz.

  “Ahhh,” Cassy said, not only for losing booze but for being predictable, I’d assume.

  The three sat together for a little while. Dan had defaulted to his just look at life and let things slow down approach. Lorenz was having fun spitting hot fire, literally, and Cassy… Cassy seemed to be trying to pickpocket Dan. He kept slapping her hands away when she did it. It was almost as if it was reflex, and he didn’t know she was trying to pickpocket him.

  Carl stepped down and looked around the room. He then strode up to the bar. I approached him and looked him in the eye.

  “Hey, can I get a Martini?” he asked, putting his hand onto the bar top.

  “Sure. Double-sized to make maximum usage of those livers?” I asked, getting the recipe book.

  Martini was that recipe I kinda knew. I still needed the book, but most of it was memorized.

  “N-no thanks, just a bit of light, flavourful drink,” he said.

  I shrugged and made him one. Anderson liked light beer, and that must be nothing for werewolves. I handed him the Martini, and he started to sip it.

  “So, drawn any blueprints yet? Or are you busy with something else?” I asked.

  “Uh, no. I mean, yes. I’ve gotta do something for my family back in upstate New York,” he said, looking to the others at the table.

  “Oh, interesting. Some werewolf circle of trade, something alchemical, or is it something mundane, but they can’t ask a regular person because they like their wolf space?” I said.

  Cassy got up and poked Lorenz, who moved aside, letting her at the Firecrackers. This time, though, she turned around to burp her fire.

  “Uh, kinda both. They were very into alchemy, and it’s science. They need to replace a chemical plant part, which they wouldn’t have a permit for, since, you know… Which is doing alchemicals instead of normal chemicals. They know I could help design and fabricate it.”

  “Oh, cool! That sounds super interesting,” I said, leaning over the counter.

  “It’s not really. Just a bunch of math and calculations,” he admitted. He downed the drink and set the glass down on the counter before walking back towards the stairs.

  Though he nearly tripped over the dog beds.

  Cassy burped, and the flame was right over top of me. “Cassy!” I growled.

  “Oops, sorry!” she said, giggling.

  I sighed and started to clean the Martini glass as Cassy took out a sheet of paper and looked at it.

  Lorenz ordered me and him some fries, and Dan got down off his stool to curl up in the dog beds.

  As I reflected on it, it was a rather nice change from running for my life and doing schoolwork. Just a warm, welcoming bar, smelling of dogs and mostly vodka. If it wasn’t for Carl and me, I’d be confused as to why they stocked anything other than vodka, light and craft beer.

  Maybe I just hadn’t met all the regulars, or they were a bit wary of the new girl. Surely, a non-werewolf suddenly thrust into the mix on the whim of some younger girl wasn’t the most trustworthy of people just yet.

  I sighed and went out of the bar to where Dan rested and gave him a pet.

  His tail wagged without him even knowing, and it was rather cute. “Hey, um, does this look like any regular math to you?” Cassy asked.

  Chapter 23

  I looked at the sheet of paper with confused interest. It wasn’t anything you’d see in mathematics. It didn’t even have any formulas. It was a whole lot of numbers. They were in a small font, too, as if to help them fit onto the page.

  Behind it was the napkin scribbling of something with three sealed chambers… with the words reagent chamber on the ends.

  “Where did you… You pickpocketed this from Carl, didn’t you?” I asked Cassy, thinking back to the discussion me and Silvia had with him.

  She gave a mischievous grin but said nothing. I sighed as I gave it another look over. It was printed out freshly, too, and was quickly folded up with near-perfect precision. Much like the precision I’d expect from an engineer.

  Carl had been the only one who’d come in that Cassy could pickpocket. Dan knew her and her quirks, and I’d seen him resisting it without even paying attention. So, if that was the case, what was this?

  As I pondered that, big heavy boots slammed into the ground outside, and the front door opened. In stepped a rather dashing young man. He wore a white suit, with a black dress shirt underneath. His face was solidly built, and he had well-groomed blond hair. I looked at his shoes, wondering where that boot sound had come from, but finding only dress shoes, I was left confused.

  That was until the man snapped. All at once, his suit expanded outwards. The shoulders grew, forming spiked pauldrons. A shiny breastplate with a glyph-like crest formed from his dress shirt and suit. Around his arms were metal bracers, with several golden rings around them. His pants formed metal leggings, with similar rings around them. His boots changed into a heavy combat style.

  He waved his hand, and a small glowing glyph appeared, which flew to his face, where it sunk in and disappeared. He looked around, then noticed me, and raised an eyebrow.

  “Excuse me, miss. Might I ask, who the hell are you?” he started politely, but it broke down quickly.

  “I’m E-lis, the new bartender,” I explained, hiding the note.

  “Hmmm. Woofer?” he asked as if that was understandable.

  “Pardon?” I asked.

  “Wizard?” he asked, still not explaining what he was talking about.

  “Wizard? What?” I said.

  “Then maybe a witch perhaps? No, you’d have the crystal ball atop the count
er, wouldn’t you? That must mean that you’re… a sorceress!” he said with a smile.

  “I beg your pardon?” I said, utterly confused at this point.

  “Yes, that must be it. My father would never let me fraternize with the lower classes for long. So, he’s delivered onto me his best pick for Mrs. Galvos, and you already slotted yourself into the organization to best suit the requirements we’ve been sorely lacking!”

  He thrust out his hand, and I was able to admire the craftsmanship on the gauntlet, but I didn’t shake.

  “Listen, I think you’ve jumped to conclusions here. I’m not a—”

  “She’s a sub-woofer!” Cassy said suddenly, looking intently at the man’s face.

  His polite air melted like ice in Hell, and he glared at me. “What is a sub-woofer doing in a place like this? Who allowed her to be here? I want them here now!” he shouted, pointing to the ground.

  “Look here, dick!” I yelled. I wasn’t going to take his crap. “I got hired into this place fair and square. I don’t care that I’m not one of your whatever, but you have no right to treat me this way!”

  We both shot death glares at each other. If it was a literal term, there’d be daggers flying all over the place.

  “Your hiring was a mistake. Consider yourself terminated,” the man said. His eyes glowed with an ethereal blue light, which spread to his armour.

  “No!”

  He growled in response.

  “I’m getting hunted down for being a part of this group, and you’re mad if you think I’m going to leave just because you don’t like sub-whatever the hell you said.”

  At this point, Minerva and Dan woke up and moved into a position to stop a fight. Gavin, who had been in the kitchen until now peeked his head out and rushed over in an instant.

  “Oh, by the by, this is Leonardo. He’s, like, the leader of this branch of the magical community!” Cassy said.

  Why couldn’t she have said that before he came in so I could say yes to the whole you’re what I think you are?