The bell rang to signal the end of the school day. As if propelled by a spring the kids stood up, making a tremendous racket of moving chairs and excited voices. As she did every day, Sofia took her time to put her things away, allowing the rest of her classmates to leave before she got up. Sara, as always, waited by the door for her friend to finish packing up. Happiness seemed to be Sara’s usual mood, but that day she seemed unable to hide the broad smile on her face, something that pissed Sofia off.
“I didn't say I would go,” she said, frowning.
“You didn't say you wouldn’t, either.”
The two girls left the classroom and joined the tide of people that flowed through the aseptic hallways and down the stairs toward the exit door. Although the gates were broad and wide open, there were so many students who came to the school every day that there was always a tremendous congestion. Step by step, the two girls moved forward as best they could. A kid, who seemed to be in a hurry, hit Sofia in the shoulder so hard that it hurt. It was the pain that tore that instinctive gesture from her guts, that dry and rough growl, that way of curling her lip to bare her teeth.
As soon as she realized what she had just done, Sofia turned her head and shut her lips so tight they turned white. Making an effort to control the need to pant out of anxiety, she looked at the tide of people in search for any sign that someone had noticed what she had just done. Nothing, just a mixture of faces, each with its own emotion, but nothing in them made her think that they had noticed her strange behavior. The blare of voices, so unbearable for her, had also been her ally in hiding her growl. That slip up had been enough to remind her of the reasons why she had stayed away from people for the past two years. No matter how many years went by, she would never forget that night.
“Sara, I don't want to meet more people, and you know that. I don't need any more friends. With you and Kas I have enough,” said Sofia, almost whimpering at the thought of Sara introducing her to someone else, a boy no less.
“Kas is a dog, mate.”
“Yeah, So? Are you trying to find me a boyfriend?” she spat.
“Don't be silly, I'm not trying to find you a boyfriend. The guy is just as alone as you are and he could use a buddy or two. I'm just one person and I can't split up, but I don't want to leave him alone either. Are you really going to make me choose? Because it would piss me off a load.”
“I…” Sofia bit her lip and looked away.
“I'm meeting him for lunch. Don't come if you don't want to, I'm not going to force you, but I wish you wouldn't be so pig-headed and come. I'm sure you'll have a great time in the end,” continued Sara.
“All right, I'll go, but let's be clear that I'm doing it for you. This doesn't mean that I'm going to be friends with that boy.”
“You're as stubborn as a mule…”
The two girls managed to get through the wide gates and out into the front yard, where the crowd was spreading out like a fan. Since it was still raining, some of her schoolmates opened their umbrellas, others ran trying to escape the water as if it was acid, and a few resigned themselves to getting wet. Sofia was one of the latter, and she preferred it that way. The water sliding over her face was one of the few things that still made her feel alive. Besides, her clothes were already muddy, so it wasn't going to make her look much worse.
After leaving the high school behind they walked through the narrow streets of El Cerro. The place had its charm, with its old, low farmhouses mixed with more modern buildings. The foggy atmosphere increased its charm even more. At least that’s what Sofia thought, but she liked the cold, damp, gray weather, even if the smells were so intense that they were overwhelming.
Both girls usually ate together in one of the few bars and restaurants in town. Sara was the youngest of four sisters, and, at that hour, her whole family was working to make ends meet. Sofia's mother was also absent during the day, although in her case the job was a cover that she used in order to have a paycheck with which she could take out loans and sign a lease.
For both of them, their father was absent in their lives. Sara's dad had been killed by a deer, something the big girl considered a blessing since he had been a violent bastard and an alcoholic. Sofia's father had also been a bastard, but in his case it was because he had abandoned her mother while pregnant. Sometimes she wondered what it would have been like to live with someone like him, with someone who could tell her everything about her nature and help her when the time for the first change came. Also, if he hadn’t left perhaps her mother would not have become the monster she had ended up turning into.
After walking for about ten minutes they arrived at what was the only burger joint in town; a cheap copy of an American chain but the food was way better. Before going inside the two girls squeezed the excess water out of their hair. Sofia had to fight her urge to shake and it wasn't being easy. It was something she used to do every time she got out of the shower.
For years she had been indulging in her natural behavior whenever she was alone, but she was trying to control herself on those occasions as well. If she didn't she was bound to have a slip-up, and she couldn’t risk it. Not only was it too dangerous, she also didn't want the same thing that made her have to leave her home to move to El Cerro to happen again. ‘They already think of me as a wild beast, and they don't even know what I am...’ Sofia hugged herself and swallowed the whimper that rose to her throat.
“Y’know? I'd like you to tell me one day why you don't want to get close to the people. Something really bad must have happened to you to make you so distrustful of everyone,” commented Sara as she chewed on a fry from the menu she had just ordered.
Sofia took a sip of her soda and turned her gaze towards one of the large windows. The rain pounded the glass mercilessly and the street on the other side looked blurred.
“You know why,” she murmured.
“Yeah, yeah, your father's blood and all that, but there's a lot of folk who live normal lives, have their buddies and all that. Look at me,” said the girl with a broad smile.
“You're a witch, it's not the same. You don't have to constantly fight your instincts and your behavior. It's better this way. Anyway, I'm not very good company,” Sofia replied, and looked away to make it clear that she didn't want to talk about it any more.
The restaurant’s door opened. Through it entered a boy who must have been about the same age as Sofia. He wore a pair of jeans and a black, waterproof jacket, and under one of his arms he carried a bulky motorcycle helmet. His white-skinned face showed sweet features highlighted by the straight blonde hair that fell over his forehead. When he saw Sara, his lips curved into a pleasant smile and he approached them.
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As he reached the table where the two girls were seated Sofia caught his scent, and the hair on the back of her neck bristled. It was a strange mixture of gasoline and the scents of the forest, pine and greenery, but underneath it all was his own, a masculine musk that she found very appealing. When their eyes met, a small spark of curiosity appeared in his gaze which showed in the way he tilted his head slightly to one side. ‘They're blue, as blue as the sky on a clear day’. Something stirred in the back of her mind and made her feel a strange uneasiness. Uncomfortable and confused, she looked away from those bright, vivid eyes so that the boy couldn't see her licking her lips.
“Hello dude, it’s cool that you have arrived. This is Sofia, the classmate I told you about.”
“Hi, nice to meet you. My name is David but you can call me Dave.”
“Nice to meet you.”
The girl got up so that both could exchange the usual two kisses, an absurd Spanish custom that Sofia did not understand but that she had to comply with. As her cheek collided with his, she noticed a certain roughness on his face, the first signs of a beard that, though shaved, was already growing back. The greeting was so strained between the two, especially as Sofia was fighting the impulse to take advantage of his proximity to sniff his scent. From the tension that she could see in him as he leaned towards her, it was obvious that he didn't seem to like that custom either. ‘Or maybe he noticed what I felt tempted to do... No, don't be an idiot. He couldn't have noticed’.
After the introductions, the boy ordered a hamburger for himself and sat down at the table to eat. Dave was not doing anything abnormal but Sofia was so uncomfortable that she focused on eating in silence while Sara chatted with the boy. From time to time, she took advantage of the fact that he wasn't paying attention to her to sneak glances at him. He was a decent, kind, and polite boy, but there was a certain tension in his gestures that caught her attention, as if he was trying too hard to show himself that way.
“I didn't ask you, dude, have the papers for school been arranged yet?” asked Sara.
“No, not yet. Martin... my godfather is working on it, but they still have to do some things before I can join the classes,” explained the boy.
“Hold on, you're going to our high school?” Sofia exclaimed.
Dave looked at her with an expression that was a mixture of confusion and resignation. Embarrassed by her reaction, Sofia licked her lips and looked down to focus on the hamburger leftovers on her plastic tray. It wasn’t like they were very interesting but at least she could hide the blush on her cheeks.
“Of course, mate, where do you want him to go? There's no other school here.”
Sofia opened her mouth and had to close it at once. No, there was definitely no other high school in this small mountain town. While he returned his attention to Sara, Sofia watched him intrigued, wondering where this boy, who was starting his studies two weeks after classes had already started, had come from.
“Are you excited? Maybe you'll be in my class, I can introduce you to a lot of people.”
“I...” Dave let out a quiet sigh and exchanged a fleeting glance with Sofia. “I'd appreciate it. I don't usually make a good first impression. It'll take me some time to make friends.”
Sofia looked down again and bit her lip.
“Nonsense, man. You're a cool guy, you'll see that as soon as they get to know you a little you'll have a lot of people flocking around you.”
Dave laughed and scratched the back of his neck, though beyond his embarrassed smile Sofia could see a gaze of genuine gratitude. There was something about those blue eyes that she found striking, a sincere innocence that didn't match his smile. It wasn't that the smile wasn't sincere, but he seemed to hold it back. He curved his lips but did not open them, did not show his teeth. There was a certain tension in his gestures, as if he had every movement under control.
“I don't think that's it. At my previous high school I wasn't the most popular kid either. I only had three friends, three very good friends. For me that was enough.”
The boy's lips twisted into a faint smile that gave off a certain sadness, as if those friends he was talking about were so far away that they were inaccessible to him. As Sofia observed him better, she realized that perhaps that idea was not so far from reality. Dave did not look Spanish, not entirely. There was something in his features that seemed to indicate the presence of German blood in his veins, although his Spanish was perfect, without a hint of an accent.
The boy turned towards her so unexpectedly that he caught her full on the spot. The moment their eyes met, she gasped, looked away and began to blush. That made her feel even more dumb. ‘Fuck, I bet he now thinks I'm drooling over him like a fool’.
“My pal Sofia is the same, it's hard for her to make friends, right?” said Sara, nudging her with her elbow in an attempt to bring her into the conversation.
Sofia frowned and swallowed hard the urge to curl her lip and growl.
“I'm not looking for them. I don't need any more friends,” she snapped.
“You’re as stubborn as a mule. Didn't you have any buddies when you were a kid? Or back at your other school?”
Sofía looked away again and ran her tongue over her lips.
“I had them. It didn't go well. I’d rather be alone,” she replied, her voice weak.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Dave, who was looking at her in a different way than before. He not only seemed to be curious because of her hostile attitude, he was also studying her as if he was looking for something. That analytical gaze, which reminded her too much of her own mother, sent a powerful shiver up and down her spine and made the hair on the back of her neck bristle. A new growl ascended into her throat, where it choked under the iron grip Sofia had on those damned urges.
Before she ended up baring her little puppy fangs, Sofia turned her head away in a movement so blunt that it seemed contemptuous. The boy sighed, and that tired, dejected sigh made her feel a little remorseful. Maybe she should apologize to him. It wasn’t like he had done anything to her. ‘No, it’s better this way’ she told herself, biting her lip.
“I'd better go, Sara. I don't think your friend likes me and I don’t want to cause any more problems. I appreciate the effort but we'll have another chance to meet, you and me alone,” he said.
“Take care, man.”
“I will.”
After shaking their forearms in farewell, Dave grabbed his helmet and hurried off. He had not finished walking out the door when Sara, who was as patient as a Buddhist monk, exploded in a way Sofia had never seen before.
“I honestly can't stand you sometimes, buddy. I meet a nice guy that I think you're going to like, and I'm really excited for you to meet him so the three of us can have a little group of friends, small but cool, and you make a mega effort to fuck everything up. What the fuck did he do to you to make you be such an asshole to him?”
“I didn't ask you to find me friends. I don't need friends, I’ve already told you that.” Sofia glared at her friend.
“But I do, I'm a sociable girl and I like to meet more people. I just wanted to share my other friends with you, you selfish fuck.”
Sofia had to admit that her words hurt, because she was right in each and every one of them. She was being selfish. She may believe that she had every reason to act the way she did, but to be honest she was just thinking about herself because she didn’t want to suffer again.
“I'm sorry, Sara, but I'm just not going to like the typical cocky pretty boy,” she mumbled.
“The typical cocky pretty boy?” Sara's anger vanished and was replaced by surprise.
“Haven't you noticed? He is always tense and he controls every expression, the way he smiles, the way he moves, even the slightest gesture on his face. He is so kind, so polite, so handsome and so perfect that he seems unreal.”
Sara burst out laughing, and her voice boomed through the almost empty restaurant. Displeased by her friend's reaction, Sofia folded her arms and pouted.
“Are you seriously telling me that you've been the queen of all jerks because you like him?”
“What? Don't be silly, Sara, I don't even know him.” Sofia’s cheeks lit up with a telltale blush that was anything but discreet.
“But you like him.”
“It doesn't matter. He won't like me, not when he finds out what I am.” Sofia hugged herself and looked away to sniff the air. She hated herself for giving in to her natural behavior like that, but it was a way to calm down, and she needed it.
“You don't know that, mate. Besides, he doesn't have to know unless you tell him.” Sara crossed her arms.
“I wish it were that easy, but they always find out. Try as I might, I can't suppress my behavior all the time, and the moment I accidentally whimper or growl, he'll know I'm not normal.”
“And why do you think he would care about that?” Sara insisted.
“Because that's what always happens,” she replied in a weak voice.
Sofia bit her lip and hugged herself in an attempt to mitigate the cold feeling that had settled inside her body. The memory of a brown-eyed gaze came to her mind and sent a shiver down her spine, and she had to blink several times to keep from crying. The thought of those blue eyes so full of innocence looking at her the way Angel did was too painful. ‘It's better this way. Anyways, why would a handsome boy like that be interested in an insecure and frightened she-wolf like me?’