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Chapter 37
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Mated To A Human Chapter 1
The summer before eighth grade, Abby and I had been playing pretend fairies outside for the past week, fluttering and skipping in the humidity of the woods. I liked the idea of fantastical things — fairies, dragons, wizards, vampires, and the rest of them — but Abby seemed to believe it. She came to me with love spells, and we performed them with our whole hearts. She smeared us with red clay so we would live forever, and when she told me not to go into the woods alone because of preying beasts, she didn't stammer or flinch.Our schoolmates made fun of us for playing like little kids when we were officially teenagers, but as long as we had each other, we didn't mind their teasing.Moody Pond was our favorite spot to play pretend. Something about it was magical; the way the water ripples under skater bugs, the maple seedlings that twirl on the breeze, and the reeds that curve like bridges for real fairies. Abby's house was next door, and her mother let us wander out without a mere peek
Mated To A Human Chapter 2
The last time I saw Abby was over the summer. She was very tan as though she'd been on vacation, and she was with a guy I may have seen around town over the years. They were holding hands walking along the lake, and I was standing on the waterfront deck of the Lodge.She laughed and smooshed her cheek into his shoulder. They stopped at the lapping edge and stared out and the water for a few minutes before Abby peered over her shoulder, and I ducked fast. I searched for the glint of an engagement ring on her finger but didn't see one."So, are you two excited for school tomorrow? What are you going to wear?"Perry pokes his fork at his plate. "Clothes.""Well, that's a relief," Dad says."What about you?" My mom asks Harper. "Do you have a special outfit planned? Maybe that cute sweater with the stripes?"She shrugs. "Probably my black jeans and a black shirt.""I do miss the days I got to dress you two myself. Oh, the tiny overalls and jackets and rain boots. How all three of you woul
Mated To A Human Chapter 3
Perry rode his bike into the garage door, and the wheel scuffed the bottom of it, leaving a streak of black. The other night, I heard Mom scolding him about it across the hall while I was on my computer in my bedroom; it was background noise, but I see it now — the scuff — along with so many little things. The number of smudges and marks on my windshield. The spiderweb tucked in the white gable of the garage roof. I see the speckles of dust and crumbs in my cupholders, the fifty-five cents and hair tie in another small compartment, and the slight droop of the mirror cover on my sun visor.Every time I close my eyes, I see those bright, animal-like ones in the black of the woods, beaming at me.Time doesn't seem to pass as I sit in my car, but the sun rises, making me rouse. My phone died while I was at work — I never called home to tell anyone I'm stuck in the driveway.My eyes are dry from my sleeplessness, and my body moves sluggishly. I pop open my door and shiver when fresh air bl
Mated To A Human Chapter 4
Last night I had a nightmare about the thing I saw. Most memories of the dream faded in the few seconds it took me to open my eyes, but the instance of its piercing stare remains as clear as day; I can still see it.The thing's gaze is so lively — it must be alive, but somehow that seems more terrifying than the beast being dead."Mia? Honey? The laminator sucking you in?"I look up from the white tabletop machine. "Oh, no, just concentrating."Mom smiles. "Alrighty. That the last bulletin photo coming out now?"I nod and take the picture, stacking it with the others once the laminator spits it out. "I just have to trim them.""Why don't I do that, and you take that box downstairs for me?" She points to the brown box Harvey dropped off the other day. "Walking down the steps with that big thing at my age makes me nervous.""Your age? Mom, you're not old."She pets my head as I pass her. "Aren't you just my favorite thing ever? Thanks, Babe. Careful on the last step — remember it's shor
Mated To A Human Chapter 5
I drive home from the café after work and stare for a minute at the tree line from the driveway. At seven o'clock, everyone is home. I enter the house and find Perry watching a baseball game on TV with Mom while Dad sautés at the stove behind them. Mom doesn't seem to be paying much attention to the game; her attention is fixated on her pink-covered tablet.She looks as I appear in the archway and then reverts. "Mia. Hi, Love. How was work?""Fine. We were pretty busy.""Well, that's Friday for you."I place my bag on a counter island stool and sit on the seat beside it. "What's for dinner?""Got a cottage pie in the oven and green beans on the stove," Dad says. "Should be ready in about five minutes.""Speaking of dinner." Mom announces, "It turns out Cathy can't do the Society dinner at her house next week, so I told everyone we would do it here tomorrow."I swivel the stool, first facing Dad and then Mom. He asks, "Are we expecting the whole Society?""Not Louanne, but Marianne, Ca
Mated To A Human Chapter 6
"Whipped cream?"I grab a new bag of expresso beans and begin pouring it into the top compartment of the hefty expresso machine that sits on the counter behind the pastry display and register."Excuse me, I asked for whipped cream."I turn and see the young woman I just handed a drink to. She gives me an apologetic smile. I gasp a little and pause to say, "Oh, sorry, my bad. Let me get that for you."I set the expresso beans down and take the pumpkin latte from her, popping off the lid and foaming a large dollop of whipped cream on the top even though I know she requested no such thing. I switch the lid for a domed lid and give it back. She inspects the latte quickly before taking a straw and saying, "Thanks."She walks out of the café doors, and the room is calm again. Two people sit near the fireplace while a guy works on his laptop at one of the small tables against the windows. Weekday afternoons have much-needed lulls, but some days it feels like everyone in town gets their coffe
Mated To A Human Chapter 7
The sun reaches into the sky over the lower lake, shimmering in the water and chasing the morning fog away. Harvey and I walk down the main street sidewalk in the direction of the laboratory. My mom sent us on a task to retrieve three cases of water bottles, but luckily, the laboratory is only two blocks away.I know my mom has been shoving Harvey and me together whenever she can — maybe she's worried I'll end up a spinster — but when she assigned this particular favor, it didn't seem to be about my love life. I think she knew I wouldn't be able to carry all three cases by myself. Her head is scrambled by the Festival, and these waters are for working volunteers, so I'm happy to help. Besides, Harvey being here isn't a bad thing either. The awkwardness I felt at the Society dinner is clearing the more we talk.Thankfully, Harvey is easy to talk to."Did you go to Black Lake High, then?""No, the charter school."Where Abby went. "My mom looked into it for my younger siblings, but she
Mated To A Human Chapter 8
"What I'm about to do is called shifting. It's fast, so don't be scared, okay?"My lips downturn. Wind sweeps through the forest canopy, drowning out all other sounds. There's only the swishing and rustling of branches as they shake more orange and brown leaves free."You ready?" She calls over the wind.I hold onto myself as though I'm tipping over the peak of a rollercoaster. There's no going back now, so I say, "Just do it."Let's get this over with. Abby can finish her scheme, laugh at me for giving her an inkling of trust, and I can go back to my booth at the festival.She shakes out her arms and mumbles something under her breath that I can't make out. The last thing I hear is her huff, "Here we go." Then it all happens in seconds — fractions of seconds. Abby's upper body jerks towards me as something rakes through her, and her hands touch the dirt, but they aren't her hands anymore. It's like watching a firework; Abby burns away, contorts, and grows all it a flash.I move away
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