To Grow

"Here," Summer said, handing me the paper package, but not before looking left and right, as if there were other people here other than us. 

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"Nothing, really. Mostly doing it for the ambiance. The vibe, you dig?" Summer said, then threw the package at me. At this point, I'm pretty sure she was being incomprehensible on purpose. I easily caught it, and asked, "So I keep if on me all the time for three days?"

"Yeah," She replied. "You're way too scary. Even the teachers are scared of you, and they're all ex-army or some other bad-ass job."

I stored that piece of information for later, and put the package under my pillow. I didn't really use it, so there was no risk of it getting squished. I then shifted back into my human form, and sat up, leaning back onto the bed to get comfortable. 

"So how can you help me court Em?" I asked. 

"Well, first things first, stop staring at her so creepy," Summer immediately responded. 

"Staring at her?" I asked. I was staring? 

"Yeah, staring. Actually, you stare at everyone. Stop doing that, it's creepy," Summer said. "Just like now. At least blink once in a while."

"But I was informed by the Teaching Assistant that blinking was done to lubricate the eyes. My eyes don't feel dry enough to blink," I replied. Then I deliberately blinked. "Is this better?"

"Don't make it so obvious you're blinking on purpose. You look like some psycho pretending to be human," Summer said, wincing slightly. That statement was actually pretty correct. I was something pretending to be human, in a way.

"Also, Teaching Assistant? Like a TA? I'm like, so curious," Summer said, leaning forward. A profession of interest, I remembered from studying some of the other students and teachers. But when I tried to open my mouth to explain, I couldn't get a single word out. I continued trying, until I began gagging and my eyes watered.

"Okay, okay, it's fine. I don't really care," Summer said hurriedly. "So the second thing you should do is brush your hair. It's so messy that it looks dirty even if it isn't. Actually, just get better hygiene, and be cleaner. You're always walking around with twigs in your hair or speckles of blood on your clothes. Yes, I know. Yes, everyone can see." I froze. I was sure I'd been very thorough with the cleaning process.

"Blood just sticks like that for some reason. It gets everywhere and you can't remove it. Trust me, I know," Summer said knowingly.

"Why do you pay so much attention to me?" I asked. From the things she'd stated, it felt like she'd been watching me a lot. My skin was prickling, like non-existent fur trying to bristle up. 

"Everyone stares," Summer replied nonchalantly. Everyone? It was true that my senses have been getting duller, but have I been spending so long in a human school that my senses have dulled to the extent that anyone could look and I wouldn't sense it? I needed to counteract this. How could I return to the Fingard forest in this state? I would be ambushed and cool-killed immediately. But there were also so many humans watching me all the time that I had gotten used to the prickles whenever someone looked.

"And that's it for tonight. I'm tired. We'll continue tomorrow," Summer said, then promptly laid down and turned her back on me. I suppressed the urge to pounce, and begrudgingly laid down again. 

-==-

Summer tried to keep her breathing as even as possible so the actual, literal, sleeping beast couldn't detect her excitement. She'd done it. She'd found a way to tame the Storm. The person everyone was so afraid of. If she could get her to do anything, Summer would be the queen of this school! And the solution was so laughably simple. She just had to throw out some bones occasionally and Storm would fall for them hook, line, and sinker! Now, she just had to make sure that Storm would never get with Em. Or of they did get together, she'd have to make it obvious that it was all because of her, Summer, that Storm was able to get the girl. Imagine if she was able to bring her once they'd both graduated the school. Forget being the queen of the school. She'd be able to break free from her creditors and become the King of the Underworld! She'd be able to start her own organization if she played her cards right!

It was a sleepless night for Summer as her mind raced with all the possibilities.

When dawn broke, Summer still hadn't slept a wink, but she did make great progress in her plans.

She turned around, and almost screamed when she saw her roommate's face way too close for comfort. 

"So?" Storm asked.

"So what?" Summer said, trying to calm her heart down.

"My hair. You told me to brush it," Storm replied, still staring without blinking at Summer. That was when Summer noticed that unlike the usual shaggy mane of hair that completely covered Storm's face, it was instead somewhat tamed and slicked down with water. For the first time, Summer actually had an unobstructed view of Storm's whole face. It was actually really hot, but in a feral way that would make both her heart and something else...lower, pulse.

"That's better, turn around. I'll tie it up," Summer said, taking out an elastic from her wrist. Storm looked at her suspiciously, and seemed to consider something for a long moment. Summer was getting fidgety under the baleful yellow eyes that pierced into her. "I mean, you can tie if yourself if you want."

Storm hesitated a bit more, until she slowly turned around and kneeled down so Summer would be able to reach her head. When Summer reached for Storm's hair, her whole body seemed to tense up and Storm did a half turn. 

"Woah! If you don't wanna tie your hair up, it's okay!" Summer said, throwing her hands up in surrender. That seemed to calm Storm down somewhat. Actually, she really reminded Summer if those wild dogs that wandered the streets in feral packs in the gutters of the city. Except Storm was probably hundreds of times more dangerous than a pack of half-starving slavering dogs. But...she could see a lot of similarities between the two, now she thought about it. She made a note of it and slowly tied up Storm's hair, making sure to tell her what she was about to do every step of the way. When her hair was finally tied up, Summer really couldn't believe just how much Storm had been hiding away. If before she looked like a half-feral person raised by wolves, she now looked like a quarter-feral person raised by wolves. 

"Alright, we're finished! Let's get changed," Summer said. Storm immediately whipped around and ...growled? She honest to god growled like a dog.

"You don't tell me what to do," Storm said in a deep voice. Summer swallowed, both from fear and something else. She almost wanted to say 'Mommy?' but kept it in at the last moment.

"Okay, okay. Then, I'll get changed, and you should wear some clothes. I don't think Em would think you're girlfriend material if you streak down the hallways naked."

Storm finally turned around and began dressing herself.

This time, Summer was more cautious, and said, "To give you tips more easily, can you follow me until class starts? Then I'd be able to tell you everything more easily. Also, don't forget to bring the package."

"I won't," Storm said curtly. She picked up the package from beneath her pillow and tucked it carefully into her pocket. To be honest, the paper package actually held nothing. She'd only used it to talk to Storm.

Summer stepped out of the room, followed by Storm. She walked to the cafeteria, all the while completely aware of the shocked stare of the other students as they saw Storm following behind Summer dutifully. Summer smirked slightly. Looks like my plan's working.