The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the ache. Not just sore muscles, the kind of deep, bone-heavy ache that felt like my body had run a marathon while getting hit by a truck and then set on fire for fun.
The second thing I noticed was that I wasn't alone.
Chloe was slumped sideways in my desk chair, one arm dangling toward the floor, her mouth open as she snored soft little hiccup snores. Ethan was curled in a blanket on the rug, glasses crooked on his face, looking like he'd lost a fight with gravity.
And Mom was sitting at the edge of my bed, hair pulled back, eyes watching me like she hadn't moved all night.
"Morning," she said quietly.
"Define 'morning,'" I croaked. My throat felt raw, like I'd swallowed gravel.
Her lips quirked. "Late morning. Around ten. You slept."
"I didn't sleep," I mumbled, pulling the blanket tighter around me. "I died and respawned."
Chloe stirred at my voice, blinking awake. Her eyes landed on me, and for a split second, pure panic flared there before she shoved it down. "You're—" She rubbed her eyes. "You're you again."
Ethan sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. Two arms, two legs, not a wolf anymore." His voice was flat, like he was narrating a documentary no one asked for.
"Please don't say that word," I muttered, clutching the blanket tighter. The memory of claws and fur and Chloe's scream rushed back too vividly.
"Sorry," Ethan said immediately.
Chloe leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "So, like... do we talk about this? Or do we just pretend last night was a weird dream where you turned into something out of Twilight?"
"Chloe," Mom warned.
"What?" Chloe's voice shot higher. "She turned into a freaking wolf, Mrs. Hayes. I threw a pillow at her. Ethan almost fainted. I think I lost a year off my life!"
Ethan gave her a look. "You screamed so loud my ears are still ringing."
"Excuse me for reacting like a normal human being!" Chloe hissed.
"You guys..." My voice cracked, shaky. "Can we not right now?"
That shut them up.
Mom smoothed the blanket over my legs, her hand steady. "It's going to take time," she said softly. "Your body feels wrong because it's new. But you'll learn control. And secrecy." Her eyes sharpened on Chloe and Ethan. "Which is why this stays between us. No one else. Ever."
Chloe raised her hand like she was swearing an oath. "Cross my heart. Though I still think a priest—"
"Chloe," Mom said again.
Chloe zipped her lips.
Ethan adjusted his glasses, still pale but calmer now. "So she's... like her dad?"
"Yes," Mom said quietly.
"And like you," Ethan added carefully. "Not human."
Mom didn't flinch. "Not entirely."
The air thickened. The word fae from last night echoed in my head, still unreal.
I pressed my hands into my temples. "Can everyone stop labeling me for two seconds? I literally grew fur last night. I'm still processing."
Silence. Then Chloe blurted, "At least you have pretty fur. Like, shiny. I thought you'd be all mangy, but no, you were like, magical wolf Barbie."
I groaned into the blanket. "Chloe."
"What? It's a compliment!"
Mom shook her head but didn't correct her. Instead, she leaned closer to me. "You'll start noticing changes now. Your senses will be sharper. Your strength, too. It'll feel overwhelming, especially at first. But it's not something to fear."
As if on cue, the room tilted. The steady hum of the refrigerator downstairs sounded like a roar in my skull. Chloe's perfume, cheap vanilla body spray, hit my nose like a wall. Ethan shifted his blanket and the whisper of fabric was so loud I flinched.
"Too much," I gasped.
"Focus," Mom said firmly. "In through your nose. Out through your mouth. Narrow it down. One sound. One smell."
I tried. My breaths came fast at first, chest heaving. But then I locked onto the faint scent of Mom's lavender lotion. Just that. I pulled it in. Let it anchor me. The other noises blurred, faded to background.
"Better?" she asked.
I nodded shakily.
"Good. That's the beginning."
"Beginning of what?" I muttered.
"Your life," Mom said simply.
I flopped back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling. "Great. Can I get a refund?"
Chloe snorted, though it came out half-nervous. "No refunds, Evie. Only store credit."
Ethan gave her a side-eye. "Not helping."
"Hey, I'm processing in my own way!" she shot back. "Which involves sarcasm and snacks."
"Snacks," I repeated faintly, my stomach growling like it hadn't eaten since... well, since before I shifted. "I'm starving."
"I'll make something," Mom said, standing smoothly. She paused at the door. "Don't shift again in the meantime."
"Yeah, because I totally know how to control that," I muttered.
Her smile was dry. "You'll learn."
She left, footsteps soft.
The room went quiet except for Chloe chewing her lip and Ethan fiddling with his glasses. Then Chloe leaned forward with a grin that was just a little too wide.
"Okay, but like, when you're in wolf mode, can you fetch? Or is that offensive?"
I groaned into the blanket again.
"I'm serious!" she said. "Do you get cravings for steak? Should we hide Ethan's cat? Will you howl at the moon?"
Ethan rubbed his face. "Chloe—"
"What?" she said, feigning innocence. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood." She glanced at me. "You're not gonna, like, eat me in my sleep, right?"
I lifted my head just enough to glare. "Chloe."
She winced. "Sorry. Too soon."
Ethan finally spoke, voice quiet but steady. "We'll figure it out. Right?" He looked at me directly. "We've got your back."
That... helped. More than I could admit out loud.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. "Yeah. Okay."
But deep down, the truth buzzed like static: I didn't even know who I was anymore.
And now, I had to learn fast.