Sofia's mind was a foggy thing. In fact that was the best way to define it, since she felt as if she was moving through a thick fog. She had been reasonably well all day, perhaps a little tired and with a bit of a sore throat but nothing more. However, as soon as they sat down on the bench she was shaken by an intense chill, and soon after she started feeling so drowsy that keeping her eyes open had been a real struggle. Not only that, but she had not been able to think clearly either. Yes, she naturally remembered the moment when she curled up next to her friend, seeking his arms, his warmth and the smell of his skin, and a part of her had been horrified by what she was doing. The other part had decided to silence the first and seek the comfort and security he provided. That was why she had done it, because she was sick and she felt calm and safe with him.

What happened next was even hazier. She remembered walking part of the way, practically shuffling, and at some point someone took her in their arms and carried her the rest of the way. She heard Sara's voice, so it might have been her. Her friend was strong enough to lift her if she wanted to. However the memory in her nose was another one. That scent and the reassuring heartbeat did not belong to Sara.

She didn't know at what point they arrived at her house, and she didn't know, nor did she really want to know, who took off her street clothes and helped her into her pajamas. It was a horrible, childish pajama, with little sheep on it, but it was the warmest one she had and she was grateful that they had chosen that one despite how embarrassing it was. There she was right now, lying on her bed, leaning against the pillow and headboard in a sitting position, with her blanket covering her. Despite the layers of cloth she was still shivering with a cold, caused by the high fever, that had crept into her. Perhaps the most curious thing about it all was that her energy had stirred in her chest, seemingly unmoved by the fact that she was sick. The moon had risen, and perhaps that was what had awakened Sofia, who was still drowsy. It may also have been the smells that reached her nose and whetted her appetite. After a few minutes Dave returned to the room with a tray that he placed on her old, rickety desk.

“I've made soup. It has chicken, eggs and some vegetables I found in the fridge. I don't know if you'll like it, but my mother always made it for me when I had a cold. I also made you some tea with honey and lemon, and I found some fever-reducing medicine. You should drink it,” he said, handing her a glass with a white liquid that looked disgusting and smelled even worse.

“Thank you, but you didn't have to go through all that trouble,” Sofia said.

“I don't mind at all.”

In one gulp Sofia drank the contents, then grimaced. It was a bitter concoction that tasted like crap, but she knew it would bring her fever down pretty quickly. Her friend took the glass from her hands when she handed it to him, responding to her expression of disgust with an apologetic smile, and went to her desk to get the dinner he had prepared.

“Where's Kas?” she asked, realizing at that moment that her dog wasn't there.

“Sara is taking him for a walk. Don't worry.”

Dave knelt down on the floor next to her bed and put the tray on her legs, holding it with his hands so it wouldn't tip over. Sofia was overwhelmed with gratitude for everything her friends were doing for her, and she felt her cheeks turn pink. The soup looked very good, and the tea gave off a distinctive honey smell that made it very appetizing. Carefully, Sofia picked up the spoon and began to eat. The hot broth and chicken meat filled her stomach and chased away some of the cold that had crept into her bones. Between spoonfuls she also took sips of the tea. It was sweet and she could taste the distinctive honey flavor. When she finished her dinner, Dave removed the tray and put it back on the desk.

It was just then that Sara came in from the walk. Kas ran into the bedroom and climbed on the bed to give Sofia wet licks. She laughingly stroked the Dobermann's back, though a brief glance at her friend, who was standing by her bed, allowed her to see an expression marked by a smile and a look of nostalgic sorrow. When the dog finished saying hello, he laid down at his owner's feet, something she was grateful for because he would keep her warm during the night. Dave walked over to the bed and helped Sofia settle down to sleep. As he fixed her pillow, Sofia noticed that his hands were shaking slightly, and his breathing seemed a little more agitated.

“Are you feeling sick too?”

Dave shook his head.

“It's just my muscle contraction. Don't worry,” he said, and although his smile tried to be reassuring, Sofia couldn't help but notice that it was controlled again, just like when they first met.

“Are you worried about me?” asked Sofia, who could barely stifle a yawn and felt her eyes begin to close.

“Of course, how could I not be? Now try to get some sleep, okay?”

“Mmmhmmm...” Sofia murmured, no longer able to vocalize as sleep began to drag her into the dream world.

Once again she was immersed in a nebulous reality in which dreams and reality seemed to mix. In one of these dreams she heard muffled moans that seemed to come from far away, and in another she saw herself in the forest, although it was not the forest she knew. The brain had an interesting way of distorting reality to turn it into a sort of Salvador Dali painting. That one was a greener, brighter forest, and with larger and somewhat misshapen trees, as if she were looking at them through the thick bottom of a glass bottle. Her two friends were also there, although both of their features were more precise.

“Dude, you can't keep holding it in. You're totally losing it.”

“God, I know...” That voice sounded strange, like choked. “You know I'm not one to break the rules, but I'm going to have to go out... I can't take it any more...”

“Man, I'm not saying anything, you know that, but be careful.”

“Take care of her. I'll be back soon, I promise.”

While that strange conversation was going on between her two friends, Sofia felt the full moon rising over the sky and the energy in her chest stirred. She was startled, not expecting it to rise so soon, when the sun was still shining brightly. She tried to escape from there before she was seen, but she was beginning to feel the changes happening in her body. As she ran, fur sprouted from her skin, her fingertips became pads and a tail grew from the base of her back. For some reason, only understandable with dream logic, Sofia decided to stop running and turned around in horror. She was sure she had run a long way, but her friends were still there.

“I'm sorry! I should have told you!” Sofia whimpered, dropping to her knees and covering her misshapen face with hands that looked like paws.

Dave knelt down in front of her and gently pushed her hands away so he could see her face. There was no fear or rejection in his gaze, quite the opposite. He watched her closely to study her beastly features with interest, as his lips curved into that gorgeous smile that made her shudder inside. Not the restrained smile, but the spontaneous one, the real one. Her hear skipped a beat when she saw four large fangs, and instantly knew what that meant. She was not alone.

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“Dave…” she whimpered, feeling tears running down her fur covered cheeks.

Suddenly, the boy leaned toward her and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that made Sofia feel butterflies flutter suddenly across her belly, a pleasant sensation that had joined the warmth she already felt inside. When he pulled away from her he smiled again and gently stroked that face covered in thick fur.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered.

The whimper that emerged from her throat as she threw herself into his arms didn't sound human at all. Laughing, he hugged her tightly, and she sighed in relief and buried her face in his neck to breathe in his scent. Her greatest fear had always been that she would be discovered, that she would be rejected for not being human. Yet, there he was, her best friend, kissing her lips and looking at her with deep affection even when she was in a grotesque version of the dog form.

Then her mind began to emerge from that dream world, prompting her to wake up. Slowly she began to become aware of reality, of the blankets covering her body giving her warmth, of the comfort of her pillow and of Kas's presence next to her legs. As she opened her eyes she noticed morning light streaming in through the window, though she didn't know how many hours she could have slept. Sofia pulled her hand out from under the covers. Nothing abnormal, as human as ever.

Then she let out a quiet sigh and looked at the spot where Dave had knelt to help her with dinner. It had only been her desires and wishes represented in the form of a dream, and nothing more. For the moment she was still human, her friend's lips had never touched hers, and she had never seen him with canine fangs. What had been real about that dream was the warm shudder that shook her belly when he kissed her, the same shudder she felt at that very moment as she remembered it.

“Don't be an idiot. We agreed that we were just friends, and he's not looking to date anyone, and neither am I. Start thinking of him as a friend before you fall in love and get disappointed when he doesn't reciprocate,” she said, and Kas lifted his head and looked at her with interest, as if he really cared about what she had to say.

Smiling, Sofia stroked his head and got out of bed. Kas didn't understand any words other than those that might actually be relevant to his day-to-day life. Of matters of the heart he obviously didn’t understand anything. Yet he always looked at her as if whatever she said was the most fascinating thing in the world. Dogs were like that.

After stretching to loosen her muscles, Sofia left the room and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. There she found her friend, who was preparing a breakfast of toast with olive oil and tea with honey and lemon. When he saw her, he smiled and approached her. His smile was again more spontaneous and wide than the night before, and he himself seemed to be well rested. Discreetly, Sofia glanced at his teeth, visible under the parted lip, and noticed that his fangs were indeed sharp, but they were of normal size. Plenty of humans had them like that. What surprised her was the brief twinge of disappointment she felt.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?” he asked, placing a hand against her forehead. “Your fever seems to be down.”

“I feel better,” Sofia said, joining in his smile.

With him this close to her, she as able to observe his features better, and was aware that the dream version had also been distorted. In person he was even more attractive. As always, he wore his blond hair tousled, and the sun streaming in through the window highlighted its color. His eyes were a shade similar to the clear summer sky, a deep, vivid blue. He had not yet shaved, so a blond fuzz was growing on his chin and under his cheeks, making him look more mature, more like a man than a boy.

“I'm glad. You gave me quite a scare yesterday, you had a high fever and I didn't know if I could bring it down,” Dave replied, returning to his task of preparing breakfast.

When he turned around, something seemed to fall out of his hair onto the floor. Sofia bent down and picked it up. It was a deep green, needle-shaped leaf. She recognized it, it belonged to the wild pines that populated the patch of sierra above El Cerro. The same pine whose scent the young man carried impregnated in his body like a perfume, the one that caught her attention when she first met him. He always smelled of pine and gasoline, in addition to his own body odor which she found pleasant, but for the past several weeks he had been losing it. Once again he was strongly giving off that scent that reminded her of the woods.

“Have you been here all night?” asked the young woman, looking up at her friend.

“I went home for a moment to change my clothes and get something for dinner. I didn't want to take advantage of your kitchen. Sara stayed until I got back, so yes, I've been here all night. I slept on the couch, I hope you don't mind.”

“Not at all, thanks for staying,” she said, unable to suppress a blush. “Your godfather doesn't mind?” she asked as she prepared a bowl of kibble for Kas.

Dave let out a quiet sigh.

“Fede is not a bad person and he cares about me, but he's a solitary and bitter man. As long as I stay out of trouble and fulfill my obligations, he doesn't mind too much if I stay out all night. He's not my father, he's just someone who has to take care of me.”

“Do you miss them?” Sofia asked, approaching him.

“Yes, I miss them,” he answered, looking out the window without really seeing the street outside.

“What about the rest of your family? You told me you have a sister and a grandmother,” Sofia asked.

“It's... complicated.” Dave took a deep breath before continuing, and Sofia could see he was forcing his lips into a smile because he wanted to push those thoughts out of his head. “Listen, I thought we could celebrate Christmas Eve here, if you want.”

“Weren't we going to Sara's?” Sofia asked.

“We shouldn't. You had a high fever last night and it's better if you stay home and rest,” said Dave, putting the toasts on a plate and taking them to the table. “I can make some dinner with what's around here, or I can go out and buy something for the two of us. I don't have a lot of money, but I think I could fix something, and Sara said she'd drop by after dinner.”

“I feel fine now!” Sofia protested.

“Yes, but if you go out and get cold, you'll get a fever again. You'd better rest for a few days to recover completely,” he said with a warm smile, and went to get the two teas with honey. “Besides, I'll be here, and Sara will come later. I know I may not be as much fun as Sara's sisters, but I'm sure we can play a card game or something.”

No, Sofia thought, blushing visibly, Dave wasn't like Sara's sisters. In fact he was better. Maybe he didn't have that chatty spark but he had stayed there all night to take care of her, had cooked her hot soup and tea, and even prepared breakfast. The idea of spending Christmas Eve with him seemed perfect. Perhaps she was a little sad to miss the party at Sara's house, because the previous year she had such a great time with her family's craziness, but the warmth that welled up in her belly made it quite clear what her preferences were. Smiling, she ran over to him and closed her hands over one of the teacups, tucking his fingers in the process. The boy was a little surprised, and his cheeks turned pink, but his lips responded by opening into a smile.

“Okay, but let me help you with dinner,” Sofia said, taking the cup from his hands to walk over to the table.

“Sure.”

They both sat down to enjoy the breakfast the boy had prepared. Sofia thought the situation was simply perfect, one of those things her mother had taken away from her, the simple possibility of being able to invite a friend over. It was something she could do now because she was away. Again, she allowed herself to dream of another life, one her mother was no longer a part of and Sofia was able to do all those normal things. Suddenly she imagined herself living on her own and being able to afford to lead a normal life for the first time. A simple, mundane, human life, and she wanted Sara and Dave by her side.