Angelina

I stared at Eric’s face. “I… you… know, if you like dogs like that, I could get you one. It will cost a lot, though.”

He shook his head. He hadn’t actually said anything about getting a dog before now. He never liked them or hated them. He just wouldn’t get one for himself.

“I was just curious. I saw it last night, and a lot of things have changed. I want to know the breed.”

“His name is Col. Call him that….”

“Oh, okay,” he said. He nodded, then gritted his teeth.

He was watching me. I picked up my bag from the table and got up. “Bye bye, Eric,” I said and walked out of the office. I didn’t hear him move as I walked down the room, and when I got to the door and turned a little, he was still watching me.

I headed out to the parking lot and drove home. Someone was waiting for me, and I had to hurry. I wanted to know how Collins had spent his first day alone. I wanted to know if he hadn’t stepped outside and done something dangerous.

My mother used to say the most difficult thing about being a wolf is that you are not you anymore when you transform. Your animal instincts take over.

I arrived home some minutes later. When I parked, I sat in the car for a short second, trying to know if Collins was at home. I could smell him. I lifted my head and looked around the building. He was standing in the bedroom and looking out of the window at me.

I smiled at him.

Then I walked into the house. By the time I got to the door, Collins was waiting behind it. He looked up at me and came for a hug.

“Hey. How was your day?” I asked.

“Great,” he said.

I got up and walked to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. He had eaten all of the bacon I had prepared and left the plate empty.

I asked him to join me.

“I am okay,” he said with his mind.

“I see you have eaten,” I said.

He nodded.

After eating, I pulled out my phone and logged in to Reddit. I wanted to read the comments I had left some days ago and the recommendations people gave. Our lives could be in danger if anyone should find out werewolves lived among humans in Los Angeles.

The app indicated I had a few messages, and I clicked the messages box. I scrolled through the messages I got to my post about finding a witch and started reading. I had used the identity of a woman, a very terrible mistake.

KUrt\Crayfish233

I know of a magician. Dude has been practicing magic for the past year. We could hangout a couple of hours in New York, and all go see him in the morning.

Rihannasex

I don’t know why you want to see a magician, but I don’t think you can find anyone in this country. India is the best place, though. I lived there for 4 years. You can find witches in Mayong Village.

TheSeekerOfFaith

I had the fortune of meeting a magician some years ago in a small town in Greece. It was a wholesome experience. I can’t remember the name, but you and I can search for him. I will volunteer. We can ask around from the locals. This happened 18 years ago.

I sighed and would have put the phone down completely, but the next message sounded interesting. The user had been on Reddit for five years.

ClaraH15

I live in California. I can help you with what you want, but you have to make a few promises. We will meet in a public place. You will wear a yellow shirt, and come alone (I mean no cop). Tell me when and where and I will give you a time.

I read it again and clicked on the profile to see some of their past comments. They had spent most of their time in r/darkmagic and r/fantasy. One of the topics they shared in their comments was, “how do you explain something as coincidence and not supernatural.” They wrote, “there is a lot we can’t explain in life. So many things we do not understand. Mystery of the dead, life after death, and witchcraft. It’s easier to classify such supernatural things as coincidence. When people talk about coincidence, they might talk about forces they can’t see or need help understanding.”

The post had a hundred downvotes and ten upvotes.

I nodded. Something was clear to me. If I wrote that I was a werewolf or told these people the story of my life, they would also downvote it. Like ClaraH15 said, when people talk about coincidence, they might speak of forces they don’t understand.

I sent her a message: Hi, how can we meet?

I put the phone down and turned to Collins. He was standing next to the dining chair beside me, so I pulled the chair out for him to jump on.

“I am trying to find a witch. I think I should read this to you,” I said.

I reread the message from ClaraH15 and watched Collins’s reaction. He listened patiently until I finished. “It’s fake…” he said.

“How can you say that?”

“I don’t trust people on the internet that much. It could be some kid messing with you.”

“How about we try. We can leave if she’s lying. And there is no need to fear. We are choosing the meeting place and it’s public,” I said.

He nodded and watched my face. I waited for ClaraH15 reply, but it didn’t come. I picked up my phone, walked to the living room, and sat on the couch. I would check my phone every few seconds and watch television. Collins was sitting there and waiting for me to say something. He would watch the T.V. and turn to me when I turned to my phone again and again.

Fifteen minutes went by before ClaraH15 responded. “Choose a date, location and time. Wear yellow so I can spot you easily.”

“She responded,” I said.

Collins got up quickly, his anticipation a little frightening. He stood beside me as I read and wrote my response.

“What about today?” I typed.

ClaraH15: “That’s okay. A place and location.”

I turned to Collins and waited for him to say something. “You have a better idea of this city than me,” he said.

I started typing. “We will meet at Frolic Room,” I typed. “I will be there in an hour.”

I had to wait even longer before I got a response. At that time, I sat on the chair and tried not to celebrate yet, even though I could feel the corners of my cheeks melting with excitement. If everything went well, my boyfriend would have superpowers, and we wouldn’t have to go to Japan.

Collins sat down. Legs stretched in front of him. He wasn’t saying things with his mind, just staring at me. His doubts were evident from the sitting position to the “I have no idea if this is right” face he gave whenever our eyes met.

“Okay,” ClaraH15 responded. And then it dawned on us that we would be taking a thirty-minute drive to Frolic Room. It could be dangerous if ClaraH15 turned out to be someone different. The only good thing was that we chose the location, which was somewhere big and public.

I waited for another fifteen minutes. I told her we were coming in an hour and it would be unwise to let her know we lived closer than she had thought. Afterward, I entered the bedroom and changed into more comfortable running shoes, jogger pants, and a long coat.

Then Collins and I headed to the car.

We went over our plan briefly.

“We would stay connected through the mind and scents,” I said. “If things go as planned, I will get back to the car. If things get out of hand, you will pick my scent and find me.”

He shook his head and stared.

“I know. It’s a big risk. But we can let you waste time when there is a big opportunity right here.”

“Okay,” he said.

Then I started the car and drove out of the house.

When I newly arrived in L.A., I used to stay at home most of the time. Then it got really boring, and I started going to places to have dinner alone. It was tiring. In each restaurant I went to, an admirer or two would come over for a conversation. It was part of my getting-to-know-the-city phase. At that time, I was learning new to Eric, the job as his accountant/secretary, and the city.

We arrived at Frolic Room. When I first visited the place a year ago, I said one day I would invite Collins to this place. The day had arrived, but not the way I wanted, not the best way it could have been. I looked back at Collins and nodded at him.

“You wait for me and please stick to the plan,” I said.

Then I alighted from the car and took off my coat. She said I should wear a yellow vest and that I would do it - a yellow Nike shirt with “Just do it” written on it. Sorry, that was all I had was a yellow vest.

Inside, the place had many empty seats and a few people sitting and drinking. I took my seat near a man wearing a gray suit and glasses. I brought out my phone and sent a message to ClaraH15. I am at Frolic Room, I wrote.

Then I waited. I could still smell Collins’s scent, which meant everything was in order. It was time to act normal.

“Hey,” I called the bartender. “Whiskey, please.”

The male bartender nodded.

I glanced at the shelf behind the bottles of wine and alcohol. They were of different color sizes, but black was the dominant color. He returned after a few seconds with a glass and a bottle. He served me the drink. I lifted the bottle and held my phone in one hand. That was when I opened the message and saw ClaraH15’s message.

“Hahaha. Don’t tell me you’re being serious.” I stared around as if people everywhere could see my foolishness for trusting a random stranger on the internet.

I gulped the whole whiskey and set the cup down.

“You are an asshole. And you know that,” I wrote. Then I locked my phone and slid it back into my pocket.

I took a deep breath and tried to smell Collins. He wasn’t there anymore. I got up and wanted to start running to the car, but the bartender called me back.

“Ma’am,” he said.

So, I put my hands in my pocket, brought out two dollar notes, and placed them on the table. Then, I started running again to the car. I should be worried for many reasons. For one, he was new to this city and in a werewolf form. And, two, I didn’t know a lot about this part of this city. I didn’t know where to look.

The car was empty when I got outside.