Roman awoke as he felt something soft brush against his face. He opened his eyes and waited for his vision to adjust. Once he could see clearly he simply stared blankly at the sight in front of him. Selena was still asleep, but she was different now.
"What the hell," he muttered groggily as he realized that what he had felt had indeed been ears. Large cat ears to be in fact. He looked down and noticed that she had a large fluffy tail that had appeared and pushed her shorts down just slightly.
"Shit." For some reason the only word he could think to describe it was weird. He wasn't scared and he didn't overreact. How could he after he'd just seen his friend shed all his skin and emerge as a wolf. Compared to that, waking up to a girl with ears and a tail was nothing.
"I'm gone for a couple hours and you're already trying to sleep with her?" Peter asked, annoyance evident in his voice. Roman had been so caught up with Selena that he hadn't noticed him walk in.
"So what if I was? Is she yours or something?" He replied as he sat up. Selena opened her eyes at the sudden movement and loss of warmth behind her. Peter glared at Roman who simply held his gaze.
"What the fuck," she said groggily as she sat up as well. She yawned before rubbing her eyes. "Peter!" She exclaimed happily when she was more awake and aware of his presence. She bounced over to him and gave him a hug, her tail wagging slightly.
"Hey kitten," he said as he embraced her. He ran a hand against her ear causing her to make a soft purring noise at the physical contact. "Wow, these have grown a lot," he commented.
"Yeah, well. I've grown up too," she shrugged before walking into the kitchen and grabbing the milk.
"Wait. What exactly are you?" Roman interrupted. He stared at her and couldn't deny that she actually looked pretty cute with her ears. It reminded him of that Japanese shit that he'd pass by in bookstores every once in a while.
"Nekojin. Just as Peter's ancestors were part wolf, Selena's were cat. The only difference is that it's not as painful for them and they don't turn once a month. Instead they turn when they want to, or if they're extremely relaxed, certain physical traits will appear. Like now," Lynda interrupted as she emerged from her room. Selena smiled to her "aunt" with whom she'd spent the majority of her childhood.
"Weird." Selena glared at his response and he quickly put his hands up. "Weird but not bad. Cute actually," he said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes at his comment and his smirk grew. "So how was it?" He asked as Peter sat down, now fully clothed.
"There was something out there. A scent."
"Of what? A milkbone?" Roman smirked at his own joke.
"Something bad," he replied seriously. Lynda and Selena frowned. If it was what Selena was thinking, this wasn't good.
"Look, last night, you, Selena and my mom, you're the only ones who know. Keep it that way," Peter stared at Roman, almost challenging him.
"Who would I tell?" Peter gave him a look that would've shut even Selena's attitude down. "Scout's honor."
Roman stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I'm gonna go home and change. Should I pick you up later?" He asked, directing his question towards the werewolf. Lynda shook her head as Peter was already knocked out.
"It takes a lot out of him." She said simply. He nodded and looked towards Selena.
"Should I pick you up?" He asked, almost carefully. Selena contemplated his proposal. She really didn't want to take the bus again. Too many idiots in one vehicle.
"Sure," she replied. Roman nodded and headed out leaving them alone.
"Be careful with these people," Lynda warned. "Especially the mother."
"What's so bad about mama upir?" She asked as she dug through the refrigerator and emerged with some yogurt.
"Stay away from her. Once she knows what you are she'll suck you dry." Selena's eyes widened at her reply. She knew that the nekojin were one of the upir's favorite snacks. She shivered just thinking about it. Maybe hitching a ride with Roman wasn't such a good idea.
"Roman still has no idea does he?" She asked as she leaned against the table. She threw her now empty yogurt container into the trash in one motion.
"Peter thinks he doesn't. But he'll figure it out. He won't be able to contain his urges much longer."
Selena nodded and excused herself to shower. She took a long warm shower that helped relax her muscles. She began to regret not taking Peter's bed as her muscles were twisted from the couch and she felt sore everywhere.
She dressed quickly in a plain short black dress and some ankle boots. She had just thrown on a black onyx necklace for protection when there was a knock on the door. She said goodbye to Lynda and walked out, coming face to face with Roman.
"You look nice," he complimented as he looked her up and down. She felt flattered instead of annoyed which came as a surprise to her. But even then she couldn't let her guard down.
"No shit. Now let's go," she replied as she led the way towards his car. Roman was surprised at her self confidence but it was actually refreshing. He hated listening to girls drone on and on about how they weren't pretty when in reality they were simply fishing for compliments.
"So how do you know Peter?" Roman asked on the way.
"Our families used to travel together so I knew him as a kid. We were best friends until one day his mom decided to leave. Haven't seen each other til now." She explained briefly.
"Why wait until now?"
"My parents died so I needed a place to stay. Lynda was kind enough to offer me a home," she replied shortly. Roman felt bad about asking and almost felt as if he had been intrusive. He could see that her mood had almost instantly deflated at the thought of her parents. He reached out and placed a hand on her thigh while using the other to steer. To his surprise it didn't get swatted away. Instead she just placed her hand over his, gripping it slightly.
"My dad died when I was a kid. Sucks." He said, giving her hand a squeeze.
"Yes it does," she replied quietly as she stared straight at the road.
They arrived at the school and received looks from every direction. They both ignored the burning stares as they grabbed their stuff out of the trunk.
"So are you and Peter a thing?" He asked as he slammed the trunk shut. She smiled slightly at the question.
"No, we're not. Although we did get married when we were ten years old, but I doubt it's valid considering a 12 year old officiated," she joked. She'd never stopped thinking about Peter when they'd left and now that they were back together it brought back some old feelings. She had decided to push those down for now.
They began to walk towards the school entrance and Roman threw his arm around Selena's shoulder. She scoffed and shrugged him off.
"Psh as if, Godfrey," she commented, holding herself with confidence. He rolled his eyes.
"Whatever. Girls like that shit." He replied. She rolled her eyes. Of course he thought he could do whatever he wanted. She'd never met someone so arrogant.
"Yeah well I don't let just anyone do that shit to me," she said bluntly. He shrugged nonchalantly but inside he felt sad and rejected which was something he wasn't accustomed to.
"What's going on over there?" Selena asked as she saw a crowd of freshman. One boy moved over and her eyes widened as she saw Shelly on the floor.
"Shelly!" She exclaimed as she and Roman rushed over. Roman knelt down to make sure she was okay while Selena stood fuming.
"Alright, which one is going to get their ass kicked," she threatened as she threw her stuff down. The freshman cowered at her intense glare. Roman placed a hand on her shoulder as he stood up, walking closer to one of the boys.
"Kiss him. Kiss his little pretty mouth," he said with an intense stare. The boy did as he was told and the other freshman burst into laughter.
"Get the hell out of here," Selena yelled at them all. They left in giggles as she turned back to Roman. He was wiping his nose that was now bleeding. She frowned. He still didn't know how to use his upir powers.
To their surprise they bumped into Peter afterwards. He looked tired and was dressed in his old worn out clothes as usual.
"Hey, you look like shit," Selena greeted. Peter rolled his eyes as he threw an arm around her shoulder and gave her head a kiss.
"Nice to see you too," he replied sarcastically. Roman watched as Selena stayed where she was, not pushing his arm off of her. Peter grinned as he noticed the upir's rising jealousy.
"Are you sure it wasn't you?" Roman asked as they made their way out of the building. Selena glared at Roman for even suggesting that her friend would kill some girl.
"Fuck you Roman," she said dismissively. Peter grinned.
"Exactly. Fuck you." He stated as he led them to the stairs that led to the weird underground classrooms. Selena couldn't help but think how odd this place was.
Peter went on to explain how what was out there was a Vargulf. Roman had lots of questions but Selena just sat behind them. She knew what a Vargulf was and it wasn't anything good. Roman of course wanted to find the thing.
"You're fucking crazy," she told him. He'd get himself killed. She shook her head as she looked towards Peter. His gaze shifted between the two.
Roman went on to tell them about the order of the dragon and how he wanted to be a warrior. Selena's eyes softened as she realized that Roman was just a lost kid who needed some sort of validation.
"I see things sometimes. I hear stuff and I don't always know if it's real but I need to do something about it," Roman stated. Peter's physical language changed immediately. Selena stood up on edge.
"Maybe this is something you should be telling your guidance counselor," Peter spat out. Selena cringed, already heading towards the door. She remembered this side of Peter all too well.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Roman yelled obviously offended.
"It means no! I know it's not a word you're used to hearing but no. I'm sorry," Peter replied as he ran out the door. Selena had already made her way out as soon as she had heard Roman yell back.
Peter grabbed her hand and began leading them away. She turned to look back and saw Roman emerging from the building. She gave a small wave and he simply nodded before walking in the opposite direction.
Roman was absolutely crazy, she decided.
"Where are we going?" Peter had begun walking down the road towards the town. It was the opposite direction of their house.
"To visit Destiny."