Chapter 9


"How do I look?"

Yumi glanced up at Aelita, who was modeling a copper-colored dress with a short skirt and a top that looked suspiciously like it was made of wolf hair. "Not bad; it suits your figure nicely."

"Thanks," Aelita smiled. Then she held up the shoes, which had very high stiletto heels and almost looked like they were made entirely of straps. "Can I get walking instructions for these?"

"Sure," Yumi laughed, taking one of the shoes and looking it over. "You know, somehow I thought werewolves would be into heavy-duty superhero boots."

"That's what I said; Emily said that shoes like these are easier to kick off if one has to morph in a hurry."

Yumi helped Aelita into her shoes and stood her up, holding her steady until she regained some semblance of balance. "If you keep centered, you'll have an easier time maintaining your balance."

Aelita looked down at her feet. "I can do that standing still, but how do I do that when I'm walking?"

"Here," Yumi took her hands and led her forward. "The trick, basically, is not to lean too far to either side. Pretend you're riding your scooter, or the Overboard."

Ten minutes later Aelita was doing better. Yumi suspected that Aelita would have to lose the shoes if something happened and she had to run for it, though.

"I'm going to have strap burns before the party's over," Aelita said ruefully.

"You'll be okay. Maybe Ulrich can find you a few places to sit down and take the shoes off over the course of the day."

Aelita suddenly grinned. "Hey, have you heard about Odd?"

"What about Odd?"

"He's moved into Jeremy's room. Last I heard, they were arguing about how much noise Odd could get away with making."

Yumi laughed. "Those guys…comedians, both of them."

"Aren't they? I showed them my dress and Odd looked like he wanted to howl; I don't think he quite dared while Jeremy was still in the room."

"And what did Jeremy think?"

"He had to pick his jaw back up off the floor first, but he said he liked it." Aelita smiled happily. "I'm glad he's back to normal."

"So am I."

"So, anyway, do you have any suggestions about how to behave at this party?"

Yumi considered. "Offhand, I would say that your first rule should be not to panic: werewolves can smell fear."

Aelita smirked. "Aren't you going to tell me not to say anything there?"

"That might be the second rule: say as little as possible. But silence would be more important if it was a vampire party."

"Ah."

"I don't know if there's a third rule; I haven't been to one of these either."

Aelita sighed. "And possibly you never will, right?"

"Right – not unless things improve dramatically." Yumi thought for a moment. "One more thing: you'll be able to recognize the Alpha on sight, he's the guy with the money and the power and he looks the part, and it's better if you avoid him. If you can't, follow first rule."

"Don't panic, right; I got that part. This is crazy."

"Crazier than some of the stuff we do day after day?"

"Good point," Aelita laughed.

"Seriously: you are a warrior. You've fought monsters three times your height and come out victorious. Oh yeah, and you're really in your twenties. You can handle this."

Aelita smiled at Yumi with a sigh. "Thanks, Yumi; sometimes I just need somebody to remind me of all that."

"You're welcome."

Yumi watched Aelita leave; the girl still teetered a bit on those heels, but at least she was going in a straight line.

She's still scared. Yumi sighed and shook her head. It's not like I can blame her for that: she's walking headfirst into a den of wolves. Literally. She'd have to be crazy not to be scared.


A/N: I know that this chapter's on the short side. I wasn't all that interested in this part to begin with, but I couldn't go straight to the Lunar Gathering without this bridge first. Next chapter will be longer.