Epilogue

            "So, you wanna hit the factory?" Tommy asked, threading his hands through Merton's hair. "School's out. Lori will want an explanation."

            Merton had wide eyes again. "What are we going to tell her?"

            "I hit on you last night, knocked you for a loop, but we decided that we could do this after we slept together."

            "Tommy!"

            "That you're an incredible kisser?"

            "Tommy! . . . Well, actually that's okay, if you say that it's your beautiful cousin Belinda's opinion."

            Tommy cracked up. He gasped. He wheezed. And he finally managed to speak. "How about we let people think what they want to think. I doubt that being your boyfriend is going to make much difference how I treat you in public. We were practically dating before we ever kissed . . . And what we do in private is our own business."

            "Boyfriend?" Merton asked, feeling a little bit of that old quivering feeling. He was surprised to learn that he was starting to like it when his bones felt like jelly, and he wasn't sure which way was up.

Tommy ran a finger over Merton's cheekbones. "Boyfriend." He laughed. "You got to face it, two best friends, a werewolf and a Goth. It's just cliché."  

Merton could only nod at the floor. He was turning pink again, he knew it, and in an act of supreme bravery, he looked up at Tommy. "So you're not ready to ride around in the Ice Cream Truck and announce it over the speakers?"

            "I don't think people are ready to know yet, that's all. I don't think we're ready for everyone to know. But it's your call." Tommy looked at Merton, forcing him deep into that pool of green. "Telling the world I finally managed to grab Merton Dingle is no real hardship for me."

            And the funny thing was, Merton knew Tommy meant it.  "Okay, let's go to the factory."

            The factory was, as usual, incredibly crowded. Tommy grabbed a table, sat down, and ordered two sodas. Root beer, which was Merton's favourite.

            "I just realized," Merton whispered, so low that Tommy had to use his wolf-hearing. "That you've been ordering for me for two months."

            Tommy looked at Merton who was bereft of wolf-hearing, reached under the table, and squeezed his knee.

            "Hey guys!" Lori twirled her hair. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her gaze was tired, but Tommy had never seen her look happier. "Sorry, I missed you in school today, but I had a crazy night."

            "We didn't go either." Merton blurted out. "We were up late researching."

            Tommy could sense that Lori's interest was piqued and sighed inwardly. He was suddenly reminded of the time Merton had learnt voodoo, and was not supposed to tell anyone, but was completely unable to keep his mouth shut. Of course, that had resulted in serious bad guy butt-kicking. But Tommy had a feeling that that wouldn't be the case this time. 

            "What were you researching."

            "Nereids. They're water spirits . . ."

            "That drain the local water resources of mystical energy that they use to cause mischief. They feed off of discordant emotions."

            Tommy and Merton just looked at her.

            She shrugged. "What? I read, too."

            "Yeah, well, Merton suspects there might be one of these creatures running around Pleasantville. We were up all night trying to find a way to imprison them, exorcise them, whatever." Tommy did his best to sound both bored and tired.

            "Oh, that's an easy one." Lori smiled. "You have to fight them with a weapon of the opposing element. A good iron sword would take care of that no problem."

            Merton's face light up. "That would make sense! Iron being forged and tempered in fire! Lori, don't you have a sword that belonged to your great-grandfather when he was in the military? Could we borrow it?"

            "Sure. It's in my locker at school. Homework project." Lori smiled, and there was something different about it and Tommy had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Go kill the big bad. Now, if you'll excuse me, I owe Fred Haicks and Dean Haze a couple of dances."

            "She's acting weird." Tommy commented as Lori made her way through the mass of people.

            "It's Pleasantville," Merton waved it away. "Do you realize what this means? We have to set up a game plan, search for possible suspects -"

            "Hey, Tommy!" Alex Tracek waved at him from about five feet away. "Missed you at school today. Do you realize we get the day off tomorrow?"

            "Really? Did they finally declare national pancake day a holiday?" Merton asked.

            Alex looked at him. "No, the basement of the school flooded. They had to hold all the classes in the gym today."