Phase

by E. C. Newman

  Trapping me.

  My heart started to pound. I hadn’t done anything to annoy her, but apparently that didn’t matter. I existed, and for people like Summer, that was enough.

  “We’re friends. Like you and them.” I pointed at the minions.

  She laughed cruelly. “We’re nothing like the two of you. We’re normal. And pretty.”

  My eyes tingled with unshed tears. “Sure, Summer. Whatever. Can I go now?” I moved to leave.

  She blocked me. “Do your parents know? That their little church girl is getting her jollies—”

  I covered my ears. I was being immature, but I didn’t want to hear it.

  She grabbed my wrists and pulled down my hands. She was strong. “Listen here, you stupid little goody goody—”

  “Problems?” A familiar male voice entered the fray. Ezra approached us, followed by Nick.

  Summer’s hands dropped from my wrists. “Ezra, Nick…” Her voice softened and got breathy. “Hi. Sophie and I were just chatting.”

  Nick draped an arm over my shoulders.

  “Bet you were,” Ezra said. He touched my arm, his eyes meeting mine. “You all right?”

  I nodded. Nick’s arm tightened around my shoulders.

  To Summer, Ezra said, “You’re a girl, so I won’t do anything. But I have two sisters that could wipe the floor with you. Don’t mess with Sophie, all right?” His eyes were the coldest I’d ever seen them.

  “I wasn’t…” She stopped at his glare. She gave up all pretense and sneered at me. “Thought you boys had taste.”

  “We do. Doesn’t run toward stuck-up skank,” Nick said calmly. “’Bye now.” He wiggled his fingers at her.

  Summer huffed and left quickly, her two friends tagging along.

  “It’s a crime to be that hot and yet, that evil.” Nick patted my shoulder before dropping his arm.

  I stared at them. “Why…why did you guys do that?”

  Ezra rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes elsewhere.

  Nick smirked. “You’re practically pack. Gotta protect our own, right, Ez?” He wiggled his eyebrows at Ezra. Ezra shoved him into the lockers, and Nick laughed. “She ever bothers you again, let us know. Jules would kick her ass easy.” He grinned bigger. “I’d pay good money to see that go down.”

  “You’re a dumbass.” Ezra looked at me. “Going to lunch?”

  I nodded, still shocked into silence.

  “We’ll walk with you.”

  “Protect our very own Red Riding Hood.” Nick’s arm wrapped around my shoulders again as he shot a smug look at Ezra. Ezra just glowered at him.

  Chapter Ten

  In fifth period Chemistry, a student came in to hand Mrs. Marino a note. She read it, looked at the student as he left, then back at the note. “Sophie?” The whole class paid attention.

  “Yes?” Surely…

  “Please report to the principal’s office.”

  It went silent. Except for the Bunsen burners. I glanced at Ezra and Nick, who both wore looks of concern.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked, my voice all wobbly.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “But you better get going.”

  I stood up, my legs shaking, and walked to the door.

  “Are you sure it’s my name?” Dumb question. There really weren’t scads of Sophies in southeast Tennessee.

  She gave me an impatient look, and I zipped out the door. I looked back and locked gazes with Ezra, who looked…questioning. I shook my head and mouthed, “I don’t know.”

  I went to the office to see Jules already there. I stopped at the same time she looked up from her seat.

  “What?” She tucked her white streak behind her ear. “What are you doing here?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know.” I sat next to her. “You?”

  “No idea. I haven’t run into Summer lately, so things have been good.”

  “Maybe someone died?”

  “For both of us?”

  My hands shaking, I could only shrug, my mind running through a billion scenarios.

  “Hey,” she said, noticing and grabbing my hand. “Don’t worry. It’s probably nothing. I mean, what do you ever do wrong?”

  My heart was pounding. “I almost cheated once.”

  “What?”

  “My folder with the answers was next to my desk and I pushed it open a little and saw an answer, but I felt so bad that I answered that question wrong on purpose.”

  She opened her mouth, then shut it, then opened it again. “When was this?”

  “Fifth grade.”

  She laughed. “Oh, Sophie. You are so paranoid. It’s almost cute, if not sad.”

  I glared at her. “Thanks so much.”

  The door opened to show Dr. Mack sternly regarding us. His eyes dropped to our handhold, and Jules let go.

  “Ladies, please come in.” He stepped back into his office.

  Jules and I followed. She gave me another “what the heck?” look. We both sat across from Dr. Mack as he settled himself into his office chair.

  “So we have a problem.” He clasped his hands together, gazing at us both with disappointed eyes.

  “We do?” My voice went squeaky.

  The quick glare from him told me to be quiet. I pressed my lips together.

  “You two have been making your classmates uncomfortable.”

  Jules and I turned to each other, then back at Dr. Mack.

  “How are we making them uncomfortable?” I asked stiffly.

  “No one is judging you,” he said. “I come down hard on all forms of public displays of affection for all couples.”

  My eyes widened.

  “I was shown a photo of you two being intimate. On a student’s cell phone.”

  “What?” Jules shouted.

  “Now, the picture was very clear and I’m glad it was brought to my attention. We haven’t addressed this issue here at Gregory High, but it’s very important.” He paused.

  “We are not…” Jules said. “We’re just friends.” She sounded as flabbergasted as I felt.

  I nodded. “Just friends.”

  “I understand if you’re not ready to share with me, but the fact is that your behavior is inappropriate.”

  I swallowed, still in shock. “Dr. Mack, we’ve never done anything but hugged. As friends. Surely that’s not…bad?”

  He sat back, glancing at both of us with his eyebrows all scrunched. “You’re saying that you’re not—”

  He couldn’t even say it.

  Jules and I both shook our heads vehemently.

  He cleared his throat. “Well, then. Just don’t cross the line on platonic affection, girls.”

  We both mumbled agreements.

  “You can go.”

  We both stood and walked out. I was in a daze.

  “It was Summer,” Jules said between clenched teeth.

  “What? How do you know?”

  “Who else would it be? Besides, I think I could smell her toxic perfume. She’d been in that office recently.” Jules moved her neck from side to side, cracking it. “I don’t want to end up back in his office, but I really want to punch her. Break her nose. A few times.”

  “She’d just get her dad to pay for a new one,” I said dully. “Did that just happen?”

  “Yeah.” She paused before heading down the opposite hallway. “So—”

  “I really like boys.” The words rushed out of my mouth.

  She smirked. “Yeah. I know.” She laughed and waved before striding away. I had to take a minute to calm myself down before going back to class. I walked in and everyone looked up. But I saw only Ezra.

  My face warmed right up.

  * * *

  I’d started keeping track of full moons, knowing that Jules might go moody on me. In October, just before the moon was going to hit the full, Jules showed up at my locker that Thursday morning with her eyes full of trepidation.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s this
big thing.” She didn’t hesitate these days. She told me everything she could. I loved it. “Some pack thing that’s happening Saturday night. They won’t tell me anything, but I just get the feeling that it’s something I’m not gonna like.”

  “You’ve liked everything else.” I sounded reassuring while I checked to make sure I had the right books for the next class.

  “Liked? Running’s fine, but ‘tolerated’ would be a better word. Having a bunch of stupid guys watching your every move, making sure you don’t give anything away is not something I like.” She leaned her head against the locker. “I don’t know. This seems like some big deal. Like lots of whispering and plans and stuff.”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing.” I closed my locker and we started toward English. “First full moon with you knowing what you are. Maybe it’s a party.” I wondered if I was invited.

  She raised one eyebrow in skepticism.

  “Or something.”

  “Maybe.” She swallowed. “I dunno. Something bugs me.”

  “Can I come? I’ll watch out for you.”

  She dropped her gaze.

  “That’d be a no.”

  “I want you there, you know? They’re so cagey about stuff.” She sighed.

  “Shame I can’t spy.”

  Her eyes lit up. “You could.”

  “What? No way.” I hadn’t been serious. “Besides, can’t you smell me?”

  Her face fell. “That’s true. Crap, I’d feel so much better if you were there.”

  We started walking toward English, silent. I hated this part. Everything else was great. They’d been fine with me watching Nick and Ezra fight as wolves, play-fight. They were like dogs in that way. Playful, affectionate, and always fighting. Wolves weren’t that much different from boys.

  But then most things were off-limits to me.

  I got through my next three classes and ran into Jules again before lunch. She grabbed me by the sleeve and pulled me outside.

  “What the…?”

  “I got an idea,” she said, looking around. No one was about.

  “O…K.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “So you can spy on the thing in two days.”

  I raised my hands. “No way. Remember last time?”

  “You have to be there. I might need to run away, and you can take me to your house.” She looked so sad.

  I felt awful. “I’m sure it’s nothing bad, Jules. What was your idea?”

  Her smile returned. “We rub leaves, flowers, some plant on you. Leave their oils on your skin. Mask your Sophie scent.”

  “Uhhhh.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s not poison oak or anything. I’ll roam the woods tonight to find something strong enough. I’ll plan it all.” She moved toward the door to head to lunch. “OK?”

  Though it was possibly the worst idea of all time, I’d seen the fear in Jules’s eyes.

  And I couldn’t say no.

  * * *

  “Ezra?” I walked up to his desk after class the next day. Jules had called me the night before, spouting off about how it was all gonna go down, disregarding any of my concerns. I was overwhelmed.

  I wanted to know. But part of me was scared.

  Ezra stopped writing in his notebook. “What’s up?”

  “What’s happening tomorrow night?”

  His eyebrows scrunched. “What?”

  “The thing you guys are doing. Jules mentioned it.”

  He sighed. “That’s kinda supposed to be a secret. Girls.”

  “She doesn’t know what it is. So I don’t either, so don’t worry or anything, but she’s really nervous about it and when she’s worried, then I worry and I’m a mess when I worry about other people and—”

  “So you’re worried.” He tried to conceal a smile. “I can’t tell you anything.”

  I deflated. “Right. Of course. But if she gets hurt…” I wagged my finger at him. Feeling completely idiotic, I headed out of the classroom.

  “Sophie.” He caught up to me, taking my arm. He touched me a lot more these days. And it always wreaked havoc with my body, my heart, my breathing. “I can’t tell you anything, but I promise Jules will be fine. OK?”

  I waited a second, watching him and measuring if he was telling me the truth or just trying to make me feel better. He didn’t look away.

  It ought to be illegal to have eyes like that.

  “OK.”

  “You’d make a good wolf, you know that?” He let go of my arm.

  “Is that a compliment?”

  “Considering the source, I’d think so.” He grinned. “See ya, human.” And he darted toward the outside doors.

  It took me a few seconds to get my bearings. A real compliment. From a boy. The boy. Didn’t take much, did it, Sophie?

  I met Jules after classes. She smiled at me.

  “I talked to Ezra.”

  Her smile dropped.

  “He said you’ll be fine. That’s all he would tell me.”

  “Look, Sophie, if you don’t want to, just say so,” she snapped, her eyes narrowing. “I’ll be fine.” She started walking away.

  I ran up to her. “No, I’m sorry. I do. I want to know what’s going on, but I’m not very sneaky.”

  She smiled a bit. “You walked into my room when I was phasing. Think that’s sneaky enough. And kinda creepy.”

  I laughed.

  * * *

  I told my parents I was sleeping over at Jules’s. I got a very quick, but stern lecture about asking, not telling them things. I almost shouted, I’m seventeen! but resisted, knowing it wouldn’t help my case.

  I drove out and pulled off the road near Fangorn, parking my car in the brush by the paving. I sat on the hood on my car and tried not feel too terribly scared.

  Which I was.

  I heard Jules before I saw her. She hadn’t phased, and was carrying a bag over her shoulder. Seeing me, she gave a big phony grin. I wasn’t the only one scared.

  “Hey.” She set the bag on the hood, opening it. Bright maroon little flowers, attached to twigs and stems, overflowed.

  “What’s that?”

  “Meredith said it’s crape myrtle. Not poisonous,” she said quickly. “And it’s pretty common around here, so the smell shouldn’t alert anyone. You wear your bathing suit underneath?”

  I nodded, sliding off the hood. “But a car might come by.”

  “OK.” She chuckled nervously and led me closer to the trees.

  I looked around quickly before taking off my shirt. I hated bathing suits. Hated wearing one. I always wanted to swim completely dressed. But I had a one-piece that wasn’t too bad and kinda old, so I didn’t care if the plant stained it. As I slipped off my pants, Jules crushed the crape myrtle petals and rubbed them on my arms. I wrinkled my nose.

  “Could be worse,” she said. “I also have some of my clothes for you to wear.”

  “Really?”

  “Smells like me.” She handed me some leaves. She did my back as I got my legs. It was sticky and rather gross. She even did my hair some. She pulled out a black T-shirt for me.

  I slipped it on. “Oh my gosh. This does not smell like you. What did you…?”

  She looked abashed.

  “Jules?”

  “I found a dead squirrel. Just you know, dead from falling out of a tree. I sorta wrapped it up in that shirt for a bit.”

  I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t throw up. “You serious?”

  She shrugged. “Figured it’d be strong enough to mask.”

  “You better get me the nicest birthday present ever,” I said, slipping on her sweatpants. The elastic waistband stretched so I could fit. I was curvy, and Jules was decidedly not.

  “When is your birthday?”

  “January. Cold and gray.” I smiled at her, already getting used to the smell. Kinda. Ugh.

  She inhaled deeply. “I think that’s gonna work. Hold on.” She stepped behind some trees. After I heard the phasing noise, she popped back out, a
ll white and fluffy. She did another deep breath, pausing after it with a cock of her head, like she was thinking.

  I had spent way too much time with a wolf.

  She wagged her tail and hid again. I wiggled in her clothing, her pants way too long for me. I leaned over to roll up the hems, already really wanting a shower. I tossed my things in my car as she came back out. I grabbed more flowers and rubbed them between my hands, leaning against the trunk.

  “So, I know where it’s gonna be.”

  I straightened, touching my head as I got a little dizzy. “Yeah?”

  She looked up at the sky. The sun had completely set. “I’ll take you to a good spot. It’s far enough away, but you can hear. In a tree.”

  “In a tree?”

  “Above their eyeline.” She wiped off her hands on her pants. “Ready?”

  No, I wasn’t. This was an even worse idea than the first time we spied. I’d get caught and something bad would happen. I just knew it would because I don’t have a sneaky bone in my body. But I wanted to know. And I was happy she wanted me there.

  “Guess so.”

  I followed her deep into the darkening woods, stumbling less than before. Progress on my spy career.

  Jules paused once or twice, cocking her head to the side like her wolfself. Listening. But we kept moving, so I guessed she didn’t hear anything. When it was almost too dark to see, she stopped. “Up you go.”

  I eyed the tree. “Um, need a boost?” The best branch for climbing up was higher than my arm reach.

  “Shortie.” She clasped her hands together for a foothold.

  “I’m perfectly normal at my height, thank you,” I replied, stepping into her cupped hands and grabbing the branch. She pushed me up, nearly taking all my weight as I scrambled to find a safe place to sit. “You’re so strong.”

  “Wolf thing too, apparently. I always thought it was because I ate spinach.” She snorted. “Now can you see the clearing?”

  I looked around, squinting in the darkness. Lots and lots of trees. I opened my mouth to say I couldn’t, but I did notice a blank darkness, unhindered by trees. “Yeah, think so.”

  “That’s where it is.” Agile, she practically jumped into the tree, then fished something out of her pocket and shoved it into my hand. It felt like a protein bar. “Something to eat. In case. Take it out of the wrapper now.”