by Mac Flynn
"Who are you?" she asked, and she thought it infinitely ridiculous when the beast shrugged. This wasn't just an offhand meeting between two people. This was a traumatic experience for her. "Don't you have a name or something?" Now it shook its head. "If you don't want to tell me, can you at least explain to me what the hell is going on?" she pleaded. She gestured at the beast and then at her arm. "What the hell are you? What the hell is wrong with me?"
The beast whimpered and stepped back a few feet. Stephanie was confused with this reaction, and for a moment she was afraid the wounds along the creature's arms were causing it pain.
"Are you all right? Do you need a doctor or something?" she wondered, but again there was an emphatic shake of its head. It instead nodded at her arm, and then pointed at itself before hanging its head in shame. "You...you did this, didn't you?" she slowly, quietly asked. The creature didn't move but for a flinch. "When you tried to grab me in the alley, you scratched me and this is why my arm looks like this." Her voice was raising, and so was her anger and frustration. This monster had been the cause of all her suffering these last few days. "What the hell did you do to me?"
The beast whimpered again and retreated a few steps at her ire. The faint sound of police cars and fire trucks caught both their attention, and the beast raised its head to sniff at the air. Maybe it was afraid they'd been followed, but it found nothing to worry about and turned its attention back to Stephanie. She was staring down at her furry, twitching arm. The pain was still there, but more dull than before. Her only hope was that it wouldn't move farther up and overtake her entire body. The creature in front of her cautiously stepped toward her, still on his haunches as a sign of non-hostility.
Stephanie turned her tear-filled eyes on it, and the beast held out his arm which mirrored her own. He turned his arm up so his palm was facing upward, and then it flexed the strong muscles beneath the fur. Then he gestured for her to do the same. Shaking from the pain, fear and exhaustion, she lifted her changed arm and did the same. She couldn't help but wince as the movement caused her more discomfort. The beast moved as though to comfort her, but then hit flinched and pulled back with a whimper.
"I'll live," she replied through clenched teeth.
The beast nodded and held out its arm again. It made sure Stephanie was paying attention, and then closed its eyes. She looked between the creature's furry face and arm, and then her eyes widened. The heavy matted fur began to recede. The claws, so long and terrible, retreated back into a pale hand of a human male. In a matter of seconds the beast's arm was that of a normal human. The change, though, reached up only to the elbow. Everything else was still bestial. The creature held up his hand and showed her how normal it was, and then gestured at her. She got the hint. He wanted her to do what he had just done.
"I don't know how," she pointed out. All she'd see him do was close his eyes and relax. She felt there had to be something else involved. The creature pointed its human hand at her normal arm, then her transformed limb and back at herself. "So I...I need to focus on me? Like me being human?" she guessed, and he nodded. "I'll try," she answered, and she closed her eyes.
Stephanie frowned as she tried to imagine all the times she'd seen her reflection. She imagined herself holding up her transformed arm and wishing it was like the other human limb. How her pink, normals fingers would flex and the hairs on her arm would be the right, typical length. She felt something shift inside of herself, and the feeling reminded her of being tickled. She giggled and that broke her concentration. With a feeling of defeat she opened her eyes and glanced down at her transformed arm.
It was normal. Her mouth widened in a grin of sheer joy. She lifted the arm and flexed the normal fingers. No hair, no claws, no nothing. It was just as it should have been. Then Stephanie proudly glanced over to the beast.
He was gone. There was no sign of him.
"Hello?" she called out as she stood to her feet. Her eyes traveled around the expansive park, but he had vanished.
Stephanie lifted her arm and glanced over it with a more careful eye. It was indeed back to normal, but she noticed the scar was more pronounced with a reddish color, as though it was slightly irritated. That was better than before, however, and she hugged the normal arm to herself. After a few moments of silent prayer she stood and began the short walk home.
SLEEPOVER (IN THE LOUP: BOOK #7)
Stephanie stumbled toward her home and arrived there after a few minutes walk, exhausted but still her human self. Police had cordoned off the area and the neighbors stood gawking on the sidewalk. The gate to the backyard was open. That's when she recalled the smaller beast and she had left the larger opponent behind the house. She had no idea how she was going to explain that to the police even as she saw the officers swarming the area.
Stephanie noticed her vehicle which Bob had taken was parked on the street, and the gentleman was out on the lawn talking with one of the policeman. She stumbled up to them and both men noticed her pretty quickly. Her gaunt appearance and the way she cradled her scarred arm attracted a lot of attention.
"You're safe!" Bob exclaimed as he and the officer raced over to her. He clasped his hands on her shoulders and looked her over. "Are you okay? What the hell happened?"
"There was some...there was an intruder," she struggled to explain. She hadn't thought up a good lie, so she'd stick as close to the truth as she could. It was easier to remember that later. "A burglar charged in and tried to get me. I ran away after I knocked him down in the backyard." By the interested expression on the officer's face, she guessed they hadn't found anyone back there during their inspections.
"So you were actually there when the crime occurred?" the cop asked her as he flipped to a new page in his notepad.
"Yes, I was just getting the dishes cleaned up when someone broke through the back door," Stephanie continued. So far so good. "I tried to get to the door but one of them grabbed me and I tried to get him off, but then somebody else came in through the back and got him off. I didn't get a good look at him because I ran out through the back and over the fence." She turned away to play at embarrassment. "I didn't turn back until I was at the park a few blocks down." She rubbed her injured arm when she recalled the lesson there.
"Are you hurt at all?" the cop asked as he waved to the waiting ambulance on the street.
"Only my arm," Stephanie replied as she held up the limb. "I hurt it a few days ago and it kind of flared up again." In the worst possible way.
"Could you describe either of them if you saw them again?" the officer continued the questioning.
"It happened so fast, I don't think I could," she lied. Bob gave her a pointed glance, but she ignored him. They both knew she wasn't a very good liar, and right now she was showing that lack of skill. The officer, however, was busy writing down some notes as the medical crew came over.
"This lady needs attention," the officer explained to the paramedics.
"No no, I'm fine, really," she reassured them.
"You were just at the hospital, Steph, maybe the docs need another look at you just to make sure everything's good," Bob insisted. He did, however, shoo off the paramedics. "It's fine, I can take her myself." They backed off with some shrugging, especially since they didn't see anything physically wrong with the woman. "Can we go to the hospital before she gives a statement?" he asked the officer.
"Certainly, but don't go too far. We'll need to speak to your wife in the next few days," the officer answered as he held out a contact information card. "Is there a number we can reach you at?"
After all the information sharing was done, Bob escorted Stephanie to the car. He was very careful to get her inside first and then jump into the driver's seat. In a minute they were down the road, and that's when things changed.
"What was that back there?" he asked as they sped along the road. His tone had changed from the kind, caring husband to an interrogator bent on getting the info he wanted.
"What was what?" she returned. She tried
to make her voice as innocent as possible, but he wasn't buying it.
"You just lied to that cop back there. Why the hell would you do anything that stupid?"
"Believe me, if you knew the truth it wouldn't be that stupid," Stephanie replied as she glanced out the window. "Remember how I told you I was attacked by something in the alley at our last conference?"
"Yeah, some dog or something. What about it?" He was casting worried glances in her direction, but more for the safety of himself and doubting for her sanity.
"They came back tonight. Both of them," she explained. She rubbed her sore arm. "That's what destroyed the house."
"So lemme get this straight," Bob asked as a deep frown marred his expression. "You've got two dogs stalking you this far just to what? Hump your leg?"
"You think this is just a joke or something?" Stephanie shot back. She couldn't blame him for not believing her, but the insult was uncalled for. "Did you even see the inside of that house? Those two things were bashing each other around like the walls were made out of cardboard." Bob apparently had seen the inside of the house, as he didn't argue with her on any of those points.
"Were you going to keep that a secret from me, too?" he accused. Stephanie glared at him with disgust on her face.
"Why the hell would you think that?" she asked him. In answer he nodded toward her arm.
"Because your arm wasn't looking that bad last time I saw it, so you're not telling me everything that went on, are you?" Bob commented.
Stephanie turned away from him, but she didn't deny his accusation. To be honest, she was still considering whether or not she would have told him as much as she just did if he hadn't guessed her lying expression. Her husband growled at her uncooperative manner, and Stephanie screamed out when he suddenly and violently pulled the car over to the side of the road. Her seatbelt whipped her forward and she felt the lash, but he just turned toward her with anger in his face. His voice was raised to almost a high-pitched scream.
"You're going to tell me what the hell is going on, or you get out!" he demanded. Stephanie looked at him in shock and horror. His face was twisted by his ire and his teeth were clenched. His eyes were blazing with fire and she shrank back from him. "What?!"
To his utter shock and disbelief she slowly began to shake her head. Her hands fumbled for her seatbelt, and when she was free of that she hurriedly tried to open the door. She was trying to escape him, and he wasn't taking that realization very well.
"Oh no you don't!" he ordered as he lunged at her. His own seatbelt pulled him back and he scratched at the clasp as she escaped out the door.
Stephanie ran from the car as fast as she could. Fortunately she could see the hospital lights from where they had stopped, and she sprinted toward them. Behind her she could hear the car door open and Bob stepped out, but he didn't pursue. He just stood beside the vehicle and glared as she turned down the block and went out of sight.
In a minute Stephanie was rushing up to the front of the hospital. She didn't stop until she was safely in the lobby. Her loud and terrified entrance caught the desk nurse by surprise, and the kind woman scurried around the desk to see what assistance she could render the poor woman.
"Are you all right? What's wrong?" she asked Stephanie as she put her hands gently on her shoulders. The desk clerk was terrified when she saw Stephanie's pale face and scared eyes. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"N-no, I think I'm fine," Stephanie stuttered out, but she was glad when the nurse led her to a seat. "I just...I just had a scare, that's all."
"Did you need to see a doctor?" the employee wondered, and the young woman shook her head. "Is there someone I can call to come get you? A relative or spouse?"
"There's...there's a friend you can call for me," Stephanie suddenly realized. She gave the number for Chuck. He would take her in, especially when he found out what had just taken place between her and Bob. "Could I wait here for him?"
"Of course, you just sit there and rest while I ring him up," the nursed assured her.
After making sure Stephanie was comfortable and not in need of medical assistance, the nurse went back to the desk and called Chuck. He picked up pretty quick, and the nurse explained the situation, at least as she saw it, after getting the young woman's name. Stephanie listened attentively to what she could of the phone conversation, and she was glad to hear the nurse's voice sound relieved. Then the hospital employee hung up the phone and moved over to sit beside the pale young woman.
"Your friend said he'd be here in a few minutes," the nurse informed Stephanie with a smile. "He sounded very worried."
"He likes to worry about me a lot," Stephanie replied with a small, weak laugh.
"Are you sure you don't need a doctor to take a look at you?" the kind nurse asked again. The young woman was not looking well at all, and the red mark on her arm looked like an infection. "Maybe just for a look over?"
"No, I'm fine, really, just tired," Stephanie brushed aside her concern. She'd only had two scares that had shaken her mentally, and that in turn was effecting her physically. Then again, there was the strange and painful transformation of her arm. She wouldn't mention that to anyone, though, for fear of being committed to a lunatic asylum. "I just want to wait for my friend here."
"All right," the nurse answered, but she still wasn't convinced the woman didn't need a doctor. "But call if you need something."
"Thanks," Stephanie answered with an appreciative smile.
The nurse went back to the desk and fielded some calls while Stephanie impatiently waited for her partner. Her eyes kept dodging over to the doors, fearful that Bob would come in at any moment and try to persuade her back to the car. Hell would freeze over before she agreed, but the thought of seeing his face again scared her. He'd looked like some sort of monster, like the larger beast that had attacked her earlier. She honestly believed he would have attacked her if she hadn't run off.
A few minutes later and Stephanie was overjoyed to see Chuck at the doors. He rushed through them and straight toward her. Her partner took a seat beside her and looked her over with almost frantic concern.
"What happened, Boss?" Chuck asked as he took her hands. He was surprised by their lack of warm stemming from her fear. "Your hands are freezing."
"I had a fight with Bob," she vaguely explained. Her eyes dodged over to the nurse who's ears were no doubt listening in on their conversation. "And something else happened at the house."
"I see..." he replied as he read her expression. "How you feeling? Did you need to get out of here?"
"I'm not really feeling all that great," she replied as she shook her head. Her arm and head still pounded. A thin smile appeared on her lips, though. "Think maybe you can put up with my whining for a while if I stayed at your place?"
"I've got an extra bedroom with your name on it," he assured her. He stood to his feet and helped her up out of her chair. She felt better than when she'd raced into the hospital, but her legs were still rubbery with the fear. "You're not going to make it very far on those legs," he teased as her knees practically knocked together.
"I don't really have a choice, unless you have a better idea," Stephanie pointed out.
"Maybe I do," Chuck answered as a smirk grew on his lips. Stephanie yelped as he swooped down and picked her up. The nurse glanced up from her work and laughed at the two. Chuck's eyes were laughing at her while her own glared back at him. "This should get you at least as far as the car."
"You're getting to be impossible to deal with," Stephanie grumbled, but she didn't try to get out of his arms as he carried her out the doors.
His word held true as he shuttled her to the car parked close to the hospital. He put her down and they both slipped into the vehicle. Her partner was all smiles until both doors were shut. Then he turned to her with the most serious expression she had ever beheld on his face.
"All right, what really happened?" he asked her. "And yeah, I already heard about the burglary attempt on the house."<
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"I...we had a fight," Stephanie explained as she glanced away. Her hands fidgeted in her lap. "Bob was driving me to the hospital to get looked at and he started asking me questions. He wanted to know what happened at the house and when I told him, he got mad at me, so I ran."
"Wait, let me get this straight," Chuck wondered as he frowned. This sounded ridiculous, even for that man for which he had no respect. "He got mad at you because you told him what happened?"
"Not exactly," she admitted. She cringed when she recalled the anger in Bob's eyes. "He...he thought I was keeping something from him. Like I wasn't telling him everything." Chuck narrowed his eyes and glanced tentatively into her face.
"Was he right?" he finally asked.
"Yes..." Stephanie softly replied.
"Well, he got mad at you for that and then what?" Chuck inquired. She was grateful he wasn't asking what secrets she was keeping.
"He stopped the car really quick and ordered me to tell him," she continued as she gave a shudder. "The look in his eyes scared me, so I ran."
"And you ended up at the hospital and had the nurse call me?" he finished for her, and she nodded. He looked forward, leaned back in his seat and sighed. "This is pretty serious, Boss."
"You think I don't know that?" she shot back. The words would have come out meaner if her voice wouldn't have sounded so tired. "My house is a wreck, my husband threatened to beat me, and I'm having to depend on my partner's extra bedroom for a place to stay."
The weight of her troubles finally took its toll, and she burst out into tears. Chuck watched with pity as she woman sobbed into her hands. The sound was heartbreaking, and after a moment he slid along the seat and gently took her by the shoulders. He pulled her against himself and she turned to take comfort in his strong, warm chest. They sat their for a long moment as she washed away all her fear and pain. The exhaustion, however, remained, but Stephanie couldn't accept any more of his kindness. He'd already helped her so much.
