The night was finally giving way to dawn, bleeding grey light through the stained glass windows.

  ?Two girls hadn't left. Sarah was in wolf form, curled up and sleeping near the heater vent. Kim was sitting at the small round table in the church kitchen, watching the steam rise from a mug she hadn't touched. Father Jeffery was pacing slowly, drinking his own coffee as he walked.

  ?"So, did you know Sekwan?" Kim asked, her voice quiet in the empty room.

  ?"No, Kim. I didn't know her. I don't have a lot of Native parishioners who come to this church," he said, shrugging apologetically. "And I came here long after I became a priest."

  ?Kim nodded, staring into the dark liquid in her cup. She had been slowly learning how little Sekwan said was actually true. She had no place in town, despite claiming she did. No one knew her anywhere, except in relation to Kim. Even her mother couldn't clearly remember hiring her.

  ?"It's a lot to take in," Kim murmured. "It just seems like everything in my life is a lie. The only honest people were my drunk mother and my absent, dead father. And I think that's only because they barely talked to me."

  ?Jeffery stopped pacing. He looked at her with profound sadness. "I wish I had words that could make the pain bearable."

  ?He was interrupted by three heavy bangs coming from the basement door.

  ?Sarah's ears went back instantly. She lifted her head and growled, a low rumble in her chest.

  ?"Is he like this every night?" Kim asked.

  ?"Three days out of the month for sure," Jeffery sighed, setting his mug down. "The day before the full moon, the day of, and the day after. But if he is triggered by anger or fear, he can transform then, too."

  ?"How long have you been helping him?" she asked as he moved toward the door.

  ?"Oh my... I guess going on five years now. But you'll forgive me, it's not really my story to tell."

  ?Jeffery went down into the dark basement and unlocked the heavy door to the sub basement.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  ?Kim turned to the wolf on the floor and handed Sarah her bundle of clothes. "Come on. Let's play nice."

  ?Sarah huffed, but she shifted quickly, pulling on her jeans and Mickey Mouse shirt just as heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs.

  ?Samuel emerged into the kitchen light.

  In his human form, the "monster" was undeniably striking. He had high cheekbones and the dark, warm complexion of the local First Nations people. But there was nothing noble about his posture; he looked wrecked. His thick black hair fell messily over his face, hiding eyes that looked far too old and too tired for a teenage boy. He was handsome, in a jagged sort of way, but he hunched his shoulders as if trying to disappear inside his own clothes.

  ?He led the way up the stairs, his shoulders hunched.

  ?His eyes-brown with those unmistakable gold flecks-found Kim's navy blues across the room.

  ?Her heart skipped a beat. She could almost hear his doing the same, a phantom rhythm in her head.

  ?"Father Jeffery speaks highly of you," Kim said, breaking the silence.

  ?Samuel looked at Jeffery, then back at the floor. "I would prefer he speak never of me."

  ?Sarah stood tense at Kim's side. She was poised to attack, vibrating with stored aggression, but she remained calm.

  ?"What, would you like my origin story?" Samuel asked, unimpressed by the glare he was getting from the girl in the Disney shirt. He didn't run away, but he didn't step closer either.

  ?"I don't care about your origin," Sarah responded coldly.

  ?"Sarah, we agreed," Kim reminded her, nudging her ribs.

  ?"Look, I'm a werewolf," he said, sounding bored with his own existence.

  ?"Dog Man!" Sarah corrected sharply. "We are Werewolves!"

  ?"Okay, so now you know. Nice to meet you. It's Cat-Man for all I care!"

  ?He looked intently at Sarah, stepping forward until he was almost right in her face. "You want to kill me, kid? Go ahead. That makes two of us. I've tried many times. It only brings out the whatever-you-call-it. And I wake up the next day with a headache."

  ?Sarah blinked, thrown off by his total lack of self-preservation.

  ?"Look, I gotta go," Samuel muttered, checking a cheap watch on his wrist. "My housing requires me to attend a minimum amount of school each month to keep my bed."

  ?He walked backward toward the exit, keeping his eyes on Sarah. "You think you hate me, little girl? I hate me a lot more."

  ?He burst out of the church door into the morning light.

  ?"Do your worst, I deserve it!" he called back over his shoulder as he walked away.

  ?The door slammed shut, leaving the church quiet again.

  ?"Girls, I'm sorry that didn't go better," Jeffery sighed, rubbing his temples. "He's not like you. He doesn't see himself as part of a 'people.' He doesn't sleep over at the house of the guy who made him. He grew up in foster homes. He had anger issues he didn't understand and long blackouts where he would run off. He was your age when I met him. Lucky I did."

  ?Kim felt a deep, aching remorse wash over her.

  ?"The only constant in his life has been coming here when he's ready to change," Jeffery continued softly. "That, and the D&D club at the school."

  ?Kim watched the door where he had exited. She felt remorse not just for him, but for herself. And a dread for what would happen next... after Sarah told Macy he was in D&D club.