It was hot. You couldn't say it wasn't hot, considering it was the beginning of June and it was their last day of school. Although the windows were open to keep the classroom from turning into an oven, the morning sun still heated the air that was pouring inside. Rosa, their class tutor, was there. She was at that moment talking to Sara about her future career and about taking the university entrance exam, something the girl had already said was not possible for her. The report cards had not yet been handed out, but from what Sofia could hear thanks to her keen hearing, Sara had done well enough for Rosa to suggest with some insistence that she should think about it. It wasn't that Sara didn't want to, it was that she couldn't. Her family depended on her to bring money home and they couldn't afford to support her during the five years that a career lasted. Her situation was complicated.
Sofia, her cheek resting on her hand in a gesture of boredom, looked at her other friend. Again he was restless, fidgeting in the chair as if he was not comfortable in any posture. Occasionally, he rubbed the base of his back as if he had some kind of discomfort. He was nervous, and she couldn’t blame him considering how much he had at stake, but it wasn’t only that. The moon had been full three days ago, but it was still visible in the sky. She knew he was dealing with what he called partial changes, which meant that his fangs were larger and his tail was hidden inside his pants. Dave had told her it was really uncomfortable.
The heat surely wasn’t helping. From time to time he tugged at the collar of his t-shirt, as if he wanted to let some air in to cool down his body. He didn’t sweat. The other boys did and that allowed them to regulate their body temperature a bit but he didn't, just like Sofia. The girl managed to cool herself by trying to keep her face as far away as possible from other people's eyes to allow herself a few seconds of discreet panting. It was imperfect but she couldn't do anything else without attracting attention. Her friend had been withstanding the heat all that time without even opening his lips and he was beginning to swelter.
“Pant,” she whispered in a voice so quiet she knew only he would be able to hear.
Dave looked at her, then swept his gaze around the rest of the classroom. Their classmates were scattered all over the place, chatting with their friends while they waited for Rosa to hand out the report cards. It was easier when everyone was facing forward, she knew.
“You have to pant," Sofia insisted.
“I know..." he said, and in his whisper came a canine whimper that let him know he was taking a very big risk.
Desperate, still fidgeting and starting to shake a little, Dave put his hands in his hair and lowered his head, focusing his gaze on the desk. There it was. The boy parted his lips and Sofia saw his sides start to move faster. As much as a cinanthrope tried to suppress their natural instincts, the body was wise and forced them to use them. Not panting meant a real risk of suffering a heat stroke, and before it came to that the instincts were going to take over. Sofia knew this, she had suffered it all her life and she always ended up panting when she was hot, whether she tried to avoid it or not.
“Well, guys, I'm going to go see if the report cards are ready and I'll be right back. Don't make a racket and bother your classmates in the lower grades,” said Rosa, getting up from her chair when she finished talking to Sara.
As was always the case when a teacher left, the students began to talk louder and louder, and a group of them started to play hangman using the blackboard. The game caught other classmates' attention, and within minutes the letters were flying around the classroom amidst laughter and excited shouts. The only one who wasn't participating was Dave, who kept looking at his desk, panting and visibly nervous. Sofia sighed and walked over to him, seeking to get his attention by gently stroking the blond hair on his arm. It was a thick enough hair that it wouldn't go unnoticed, but it was also surprisingly soft.
“Hey, take it easy. You passed all your exams, even the Stuck-up's ones. It's all good,” she said with a smile, trying to encourage him.
Dave took a deep breath and forced his breathing to return to a normal rhythm.
“I know, it's just that this marks the home stretch. Soon we're going to take the entrance exams and in a few months we could be in Baeza... God, it's getting so real it's making me feel a little dizzy,” he said, looking down at his hands, which had begun to shake.
“You've been able to handle the Stuck-up. You'll get through this, you'll see,” Sofia said, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Thank you. How do you manage to be so calm?” He asked, closing his fingers around her hand in a gesture of affection.
“Let's just say I've learned to keep a cool head in tense situations. Getting nervous isn't going to help me pass my exams,” Sofia explained, shrugging. “I imagine that never having changed helps, too. I feel the moon, but it doesn't affect me the same way it affects you,” she said with a small, apologetic smile. She didn't know if she should be relieved or annoyed by that fact.
Dave sighed, and let his eyes wander to the window. In the sky, like a translucent ghost, he could see the waning moon. Absent-mindedly, he stretched out his leg. On the pant’s cloth the silhouette of his tail was subtly visible.
“These are the worst days. You don't know how hard I'm fighting to keep from changing. It's... uncomfortable, and the temptation is very strong,” he confessed, embarrassed.
“We can go for a run later, so you can let yourself go a bit. You don't necessarily have to do it as a human,” the girl proposed, blushing.
“I'd like that, but I don't want to take advantage of your friendship, either. I guess running with a dog isn't as fun as going for a walk and chatting with a normal guy,” Dave replied, licking his lips and looking away. “I'm... aware that I'm too wild. I like the forest, I feel relaxed and free. I don't want you to feel obliged to come with me because I'm not able to function as a human being.”
“Hey! You're my best friend, and I like spending time with you. Stop thinking that your nature is a problem, okay?” Sofia grabbed his chin and gently prompted him to look into her eyes, where he met her encouraging smile. “Besides, I had a good time with you the other night. You're teaching me a lot about my nature that I didn't know, and I appreciate it,” she added, her smile softening to a shy one.
“Thank you. I... God, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your company on full moon nights. I... I like what I am, but I was so lonely.”
“We're pack animals,” she said.
“Yes, we are.”
He smiled, and in doing so he showed how much he relaxed when he was with her, because he let the tips of his fangs show. They weren't so big that their classmates on the other side of the room would notice, but it was obvious they weren't human. With flushed cheeks she had to admit that this was another feature she found strangely attractive. It matched his pretty boy face, made him look more wild and dangerous.
“Hey, Rodri, what are you doing this weekend? Would you like to go hunt some wood pigeons?” said Luis.
Both Sofia and Dave frowned. Those two broke the rules as they pleased. They could have reported them a long time ago, but not only was Luis' father one of the town’s Civil Guard officers, but also, being a small place where everyone knew each other, they were less inclined to pursue those kind of offenses. Not every officer was honest, despite wearing the uniform. The only remarkable thing was that, since the week he had been missing, Rodrigo had radically stopped talking about werewolves and black witches. That didn't change the fact that he had become the target of cowards and wretches, but it had made him and Luis become like brothers again.
“I can't, man. I have... something important to do,” Rodrigo said.
“Damn, man, you're always busy lately,” Luis protested.
“Maybe he has to go look for his werewolf,” said one of Lola's friends.
“Auuuuuu!” Another one tried to imitate the howl of a wolf with that pathetic imitation they used to do.
All the girls in the little group began to laugh. All except Lola, who squinted her eyes and clicked her tongue before getting up to approach Sofia and Dave. The girl had been distancing herself from those girls to spend more time with Sara, Dave and Sofia, much to the latter’s displeasure, who still couldn't stand her. However, she had changed a little, that was evident. It seemed as if the three friend’s influence, who demanded others nothing more than to be a decent human being, had made Lola abandon her arrogance and pride to start being a good person.
Rodrigo put his hands to his head and clenched his jaw tightly. His eyes bugged out in an expression of utter despair. Months had gone by and they never got tired of humiliating him whenever they could. Not just some of his classmates, since it really wasn't all of them, but people from all over the school as well. Van Helsing they called him, and not in a good way. It was bad luck that a movie about a hunter of supernatural creatures featuring werewolves had just come out. Not all of the class participated in the humiliation, but most of them simply looked the other way. Yeah, she did too, Sofia thought biting her lip. Rodrigo was a miserable psychopath who hadn't minded pointing a gun at a creature he suspected could transform into a man, but she couldn't justify this bullying.
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“Well, that's enough, don't you think?” Dave exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table and standing up as tall as he was.
The blow was forceful and abrupt enough to take everyone by surprise. Suddenly there was a stony silence, and thirty pairs of eyes were focused on the young man who was slowly moving his gaze around the classroom. Sofia saw in him an attitude she had never seen him before. He stood as tall as he was and raised his shoulders and head with integrity and pride, but he was the image of serenity and strength, like a gallant tree. His breathing was slow as he looked at the rest of his class, and the bulge in the back of his trousers showed that he would have raised his tail if he could..
“You've been harassing one of your classmates for three months over a stupid thing. Not just you, you've ended up involving the whole school. Does that seem normal to you?” He said, moving his gaze around the class, a gaze so intense that it made many of them duck their heads.
“He says he saw a werewolf and a witch in the woods,” said one of Lola's friends, emboldened.
“He did, yes, and that justifies what you're doing to him? Why?” he said, staring so hard at the girl that she suddenly ducked her head. “Think about it for a moment. He thinks he saw a werewolf and tells you about it. You could have chosen not to believe him, to ignore him and let it go, but what you do is laugh at him and humiliate him every single day. He hasn't talked about it for months, but you keep insisting. Which of you is worse?”
Again there was silence. Some people looked at Dave in wonder, seeing in him just the light that some need to find their way, to dare to speak out. Others lowered their heads in shame, suddenly aware of what they were doing. They had gone along with the crowd without a second thought, simply because there had been no one to punch the table and tell them it was wrong. A small group refused to admit that they had done anything wrong, but the hatred in their eyes showed that, deep down, they knew he was right.
“He's a great catch. Don't let him get away,” Lola whispered in Sofia's ear, causing her to blush visibly.
Then it happened. The miracle. The first step that inspires others to dare take their own had taken effect. Another classmate stood up and he too looked at his classmates, one of many who, without participating in the outrage, had remained silent so that he would not be caught in the dirt. Then another girl did the same. Before they knew it, several students were on their feet, staring that rest of the class with the same annoyance as the young man.
“David is right. That's enough, don't you think?”
“He says he saw a werewolf. So what? Why are you doing this to him?”
“You're really quite pitiful.”
Gradually more voices rose, emboldened by the first ones. The bullies, suddenly seeing themselves cornered, tried to defend themselves because they refused to accept that they had done something wrong. Rodrigo looked around the class surprised at the amount of support he was suddenly receiving. Yet he was still the same miserable bastard he had always been, the bastard who was bullied for talking about witches and werewolves, not for saying he wanted to kill a feral dog. For that alone Sofia could have no sympathy for him, but neither was she going to defend attitudes such as those displayed by some of her classmates.
Seeing his classmates reacting to his words, Dave let out a quiet sigh and relaxed. Suddenly he gritted his teeth slightly and brought one hand to his chest, holding onto the table with the other to keep himself upright. Immediately, Sofia was at his side, holding his arm to help him remain standing. As on other occasions, she felt the electric throbbing of his muscles under the skin. By now she knew what it was, because he had told her, and she looked at him worriedly. The moon's influence was strong, and that meant his control over the change was more precarious.
“Dave?” Lola asked, concerned.
“Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with him, it's just a stress contracture. It will go away in a moment,” said Sofia.
“Yes, don't worry, I'm fine," the boy replied, while trying to keep his breathing slow and deep. “I'm going to the bathroom for a moment to stretch my legs a bit and get some water. This heat is oppressive.”
After apologizing with a small smile, the boy hurried off to the bathroom. Sofia imagined he wasn't just going to get some water as he had said. In those months, Dave had told her many things about what it was like to be a cinanthrope and live among humans while hiding his nature. If for her it felt oppressive, and the only thing she repressed was her behaviour, for him it was exhausting. He had admitted that he managed to endure because, when he was alone, he very rarely remained human. He slept in his natural form every night, many of them in the forest, because he rested better when his body was not trying to change. However, when the moon's influence was strongest, even that was insufficient to help him maintain control, especially in situations where intense emotions surfaced.
“Marry him. I mean, baby, you've seen what he's like. He's going to treat you like a queen,” said Lola, perhaps a little too excited.
“Lola...” Sofia rolled her eyes.
“He adores you!” she insisted.
“We're just friends,” she replied, blushing visibly.
“But you'd love to be something more, wouldn't you?”
“It's not just up to me, and he doesn't want to. He made it very clear. I'm not his type.”
“No way you really believe that, girl. He was on the verge of kissing you, we all saw it,” said Lola.
Sofia sighed and felt her cheeks reddening even more. Yes, that was true, and they had talked about it. Dave himself had confessed that there had been a moment in which he had considered taking the leap, but that didn't necessarily mean that he liked her. Besides, things weren't that simple.
As she pondered those thoughts, Rodrigo abruptly stood up and stormed angrily toward the classroom’s door. Sofia felt the hair on the back of her neck bristle. The boy was white with rage, all his muscles were tense and his fists were so tight that his knuckles had turned pale. Confused, Sofia exchanged a quick glance with Luis who shrugged, and an icy chill began to run through her veins.
“Oh, shit...”
Outside there was a commotion, a roar of unleashed rage followed by the unmistakable sound of glass shattering. The whole class, still immersed in their discussion, gradually fell silent. For Sofia that was all she needed to rush to the door. As she ran past Sara, she nodded at her and the girl stood up brusquely and followed her. A handful of other classmates also joined them, mainly because they wanted to know what had happened, not because they had any intention of helping. As they stepped out into the hallway, they saw that the door to the toilets was open, and there stood Rodrigo, shaking with rage right in front of Dave, who was holding onto the sink. His breathing was very fast, and his lips were pursed in a grimace of restrained anger. The mirror right next to him was broken and there was blood between the pieces.
“No one asked you to stand up for me!”
“Get away from him, you ungrateful bastard!” Sofia interjected, standing in front of her friend while Luis and Sara grabbed Rodrigo to pull him away from the other boy.
“I don't want your help! Do you understand me? I don't want your help!” the young man shouted as the other two dragged him out of the bathroom.
He was making such a scene that the teachers from other classes, alerted by his screams, came out of their classrooms and surrounded Rodrigo to try to calm him down. Rosa, who had appeared at that moment, hurried to ask her co-workers what had happened there. While all this was going on Dave, who had begun to tremble and had a grimace of restrained pain, finished cleaning his hands as he had been doing before Rodrigo assaulted him. Sofia realized he had them more than clean, and was looking for a way to distract himself.
“Why did he do that?” Sofia asked.
“The fuck I know!” Dave spat with disdain, and she heard the growl in his suddenly deep, husky voice.
Then he left the bathroom and went downstairs, ignoring Rosa's calls and those of his own friend. Sofia would have followed him but Sara stopped her, holding her by the arm.
“Let him cool down for a while, mate. He doesn't usually lose his temper but when he does he needs to get away, get some air and so until he he gets over it. As soon as he calms down he'll come up, you'll see, but now it's better if you leave him to his own devices for a while.”
It wasn't just that, Sofia knew it well. He was losing control and needed to change, and he couldn't do it in front of his classmates. Biting her lip, she looked back towards the bathroom. Both on the sink and on the floor were bloodstained shards of glass, and neither of them had any wounds. What was less clear to her was who had broken the mirror; whether Rodrigo had punched it, or whether he had pushed her friend against it. Considering what she knew, she didn't have much doubt as to who the blood belonged to.