Full Moon Frenzy

I didn't sleep well last night. That probably had something to do with all the moon pies I ate at the Moon festival. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that a werewolf smashed my favorite keyboard. I'm leaning towards that one. The sun was finally up, and I just learned that there wouldn't be any lunch today. I rolled out of bed only to remember that my shoes were gone too. This day just keeps getting better.

Barefoot, I stepped out of my cabin to go confront Hedgehog. Werewolf or not, I still wanted my keyboard back. Or what was left of it. I mean, I barely know her, and she goes and breaks not just mine, but everyone elses stuff? Who does that? The more dirt got between my toes, the angrier I became. I HATE being dirty, and nothing is more gross to me than dirty feet. Thankfully, her cabin was pretty close to mine, so I didn't have to walk far.

I got to her door and took some of my anger out on it. Eventually, Hedgehog answered the door. She looked rough to say the least. "Oh, hey Oliver." She said, a hand resting on her belly. She'd probably downed at least five pairs of shoes last night.  "I don't remember too much from last night, so I'm just going to apologize in advance for whatever I ate... or broke..." she sighed.

I was pretty steamed when I knocked, but now I just felt kinda bad for her. That is, until I saw the two halves of my keyboard on her floor.

"Yeah, you broke my favorite keyboard," I said, pointing to it.

"I'm sorry," she said, inviting me in. The moment I stepped in her cabin, something smelled... off. Not in like, a smelly trash way or anything, but it was just... unusual. I can't really describe it, because I know I've never smelled it before. But the moment I smelled it, my mind just kinda blanked. I was staring at my broken keyboard on the ground. I should have been mad, but I wasn't for some reason. It kinda felt like there was a beehive in my stomach, and I could feel my heart racing, but I had no idea why.

"...Repair it for you?"

Hedgehog's voice pulled me out of my own head.

"What?" I asked.

"I said, if you want, I could try to fix it for you." She repeated. "I feel really awful about breaking it... and eating your shoes,"

I thought about it for a second. I didn't know her that well, but I knew she was pretty smart. The way she went on about physics and carnival games last night made me think she could actually pull it off. And honestly, she was my best bet. Who else could I have gone to? The witches? Not without fifty bucks. And I didn't have fifty bucks.

I smiled at her. For some reason when I looked at her, I couldn't help it. I mean, I came over here angry, and ready to tell her off! Now I was smiling at her and telling her not to worry about my shoes. This wasn't exactly how I thought this would play out.

"You think you can fix it?" I asked.

"Yeah, I've got a solder kit, I think I can," Hedgehog replied. "It's the least I could do."

Well, it was either that or nothing. Besides, it wasn't like it could get any more broke.

"Thanks," I said, turning to leave.

Soon after, I found myself standing on her cabin porch, still keyboardless, and still barefoot.

I came over there to give Hedgehog a piece of my mind, and somehow I did neither of those things. That, and... there was something about her cabin. I think it was the smell. What was that?

Well, with no lunch being served today, it was looking like it was going to shape up to be a pretty boring day. I looked down at my feet, my irritation rising. 'First thing's first,' I thought.

I walked back down to my cabin to get my wallet. It was going to be another trip to the witches cabins to buy a spell. Sure, I could go to the convenience tree, and most of the time that's what all of us did. We really try to avoid the witches. Even though Betsy is the nicest, that's only when she's in a good mood.

But, the convenience tree was pretty far away, and no way I was walking through the forest barefoot. Do you know how much pine cones hurt to step on? I walked into my cabin and looked to my dresser. There was my wallet, and underneath it was some sheet music I'd been working on. Now that I was back in my room, the fact that I couldn't practice the songs I wrote just riled me further.

"Stupid Hedgehog!" I muttered under my breath to no one in particular. I took a deep breath and began to calm down. I mean, at least she offered to fix it for me, and she looked like I wasn't the first person to come knocking with their gripes about her behavior last night. I shoved my wallet in my back pocket and headed back outside. It was a bit of a hike to the counselor's cabins, but at least it was on a path, mostly cleared of sharp things to step on.

At least I wasn't alone in my shoelessness. Pretty much every camper was either in socks or barefoot, with some lucky enough to have hidden away flip flops that Hedgehog didn't manage to find during her footwear feast. Gah, I couldn't stop thinking about the craziness last night! Hedgehog was a werewolf! How does that even happen? Up until now, I didn't even think those existed! But, I guess there were a lot of things I didn't think were real before I got here, so maybe that's not so unusual. Plus, I'm really the only dog kid on the island, so at least now there's someone I can kinda relate to... as long as she doesn't try to eat my shoes or break my stuff again, I mean.

I looked up from the road to see I was almost to the witch's cabins. Of course, the moment I stopped looking where I was walking, that's when I felt it. All my body weight right on top of a pine cone. I yelped and almost fell trying to hold my foot with my hands. I looked at my sole and sure enough; a little blood started to seep out.

"That's your fault too, Hedgehog." I grumbled, continuing the short limp to the counselor's cabins. When I crested the hill, I saw campers lined up in front of a table staffed by Alice and Susie, with a sign that read: New Shoes, $10.

I should have known.

I got in line and checked my wallet. I had fourteen bucks. I sighed and waited like everyone else. Finally, when I got up to the front, I handed Alice my ten. "Another victim of the shoe gobbler," Susie said, putting my money in a small lockbox. "She should really be ashamed,"

With a flick of her wand, a set of pink ballet shoes appeared on my feet. "Are you serious?" I asked indignantly.

"Take 'em or leave 'em, you're holding up the line Oliver," Susie replied. I groaned, but accepted my fate. At least they fit. I saw Max and Alexa looking over each other's new shoes and walked over. You could really feel every rock on the ground in these things.

"Nice kicks," Alexa giggled as I walked up. Granted, they weren't as stylish as Alexa's loafers, or Max's golf shoes, but they were shoes, at least.

"Luck of the draw I guess." I replied, kicking a rock.

"Well, at least you didn't end up like Lucy," Max said, pointing to her across the way, attempting to head back to her cabin. "Those timbs are like three sizes too big." It looked like it was taking everything she had just to lift each leg.

"Yikes," I guess I did get off easy. "You guys want to head to the convenience tree?" I asked. At least then I had a shot at getting regular shoes.

"Sorry, she's sold out, that was the first thing I tried," Alexa replied. "She said it'll take a few weeks to grow more shoes."

I sighed and rubbed my eyes. My only other option now was to write back to my folks and have them send me another pair. And naturally, they'd wonder what happened to my old pair. I'm sure they'd buy my explanation of how a fellow camper turned into a werewolf and ate them. I'd just tell them I lost them in a lake or something. I mean, what choice did I have? I can't rock these for the rest of the summer.

Alexa checked her watch. "C'mon Max, we got a basketball game in an hour."

"You should come watch, it's not like you'll miss lunch or anything," Max said as they left.

"Yeah, I'll see you guys there," I said, heading back to my cabin. Thankfully, I had a few snacks in my cabin to help me through the lunch gap. When I got to my door, I saw a note taped to it.

"Oliver,
I started work on your keyboard, but there's still a couple of things I need to fix it. Do you have a manual or something for it? It might help me fix it faster. Anyway, I have a basketball game today, so if you find a manual, you could bring it to the game! Hope to see you there!

-Hedgehog

There it was again... that smell...

Was that her? Had she always had that scent? I feel like I would have noticed it before now if she did, but what if I just never hung around her that much?

Before I knew it, I had been standing on my porch staring at the note for five straight minutes, and to top it off, the butterflies were back. What is this sorcery? Why is it happening to me, and why does it happen because of her? What is going on with me?

I stuffed the note into my pocket and headed inside to compose my letter to my folks. I set the note on the table on top of my sheet music and sat down at my desk. I stared at the blank paper, but couldn't help but glance back at her note. This was going to take some concentration, and the basketball game was starting soon. I abandoned the letter for the time being  and tried to remember where I put the manual for my keyboard. Hopefully I remembered to pack it!

It took some digging, but I managed to find the manual to my keyboard. The words "Tonemaster 4X Pro" stared back at me. With that out of the way, I managed to finish my letter to my parents asking for a new pair of shoes. Sure, they might not be too happy that I 'lost them in the lake' but they'd get over it. According to my watch, the game was going to start soon, so I needed to head out if I wanted a seat. I grabbed my backpack, put in the manual, and a couple of sheets of music I'd been working on.

To be honest, I didn't really care about the outcome of the game. As you might have guessed, I'm not much of a sports guy, or an athlete in general. Casually tossing the frisbee is about as competitive as I like to get. Before I left, I took off my dumb ballet shoes and put a bandage on my foot. It didn't help the pain much, but at least it would do something... probably... I don't know, I'm not a doctor.

I tried to lace the shoes back up, but I had no idea how you were supposed to do that. Ballet shoes don't have actual laces, just these weird strips of cloth that are supposed to go around your ankles or something. Lucy would know how to do it, but she was nowhere to be found. I did the best I could and headed towards the courts.

I got their early enough for a pretty good seat as the other campers and a few monsters filed in. I watched our team warming up and caught Hedgehog's eye. She smiled and waved at me, and I returned the gesture. Unfortunately while she was looking at me, a stray rebound (I think that's what they're called) and bopped her right on the head. I felt kinda bad for having to hide a giggle, but it was pretty funny. The game began and I watched it for as long as it held my interest, which really was all of a few minutes. I pulled the sheet music I was working on out from my pack and found my pencil. I was still stuck on the right melody composition in the fourth measure. I had been for a day or two now, and it was really driving me up the wall.

As I lost track of what was happening on the court, I immediately recognized something. It was faint, like what was on the note, but it was there. It was Hedgehog, it had to be! I looked up from my sheet music to see her staying step for step with her opponent, her shirt stained with sweat below her neck and armpits. Last I checked, I wasn't some weirdo into sweaty chicks, and even if I was, Alexa was just as sweaty... but there was something about Hedgehog I couldn't place, but absolutely couldn't ignore. I couldn't keep my eyes off her as she played, and everytime she glanced towards me I felt my face heat up.

Eventually I heard a whistle blow, and our team formed a huddle near where I was sitting.

That's when it happened.

Hedgehog's back was to me, but she was really only three feet away at most. That's when that faint but intoxicating scent I smelled from her before magnified almost ten times, just about punching me right in the nose. My mind went blank and I swear my ears started to ring. The feeling was really hard to explain, but the closest I can describe it is that I just wanted that smell around me forever. I wanted to own whatever smelled like that, I wanted it to be the last thing I smelled before I went to sleep and the first thing I smelled when I woke up in the morning. It was better than frying bacon, fresh cookies, grilling steak and roasted chicken all rolled into one! But unfortunately, while I was busy being lost in my own head, little Oliver decided he liked the smell, too. He liked it a lot.

That was the only thing that managed to pull me back to reality as I glanced down, seeing the developing situation behind the zipper of my jeans. 'Oh come on, really? It's not even morning!' I thought, considering that was usually the only time this happened.

"Oliver?" I heard a decidedly feminine voice say to me.

Oh sweet canine Jesus not now.

I looked up to see Hedgehog smiling down at me, still breathing heavily with a basketball tucked underneath one arm. If there was any doubt in my mind before as to where the scent was coming from before, it was gone now. It practically radiated from her, and it was all I could do to concentrate on the conversation at hand. Thankfully I had the capacity to immediately cross my legs before she noticed anything.

"Hey Hedgehog, great game!" I said, thinking of the first thing someone who wasn't trying embarrass himself in front of a girl at camp would say.

"Uh, thanks, but the game isn't over yet."

Wow I'm an idiot.

"B-but you guys still played well so far!" I think. I have no idea what constitutes 'playing well' in basketball.

Even through my dumb attempts at complimenting her, she never lost her smile.

"Thanks!" she said, setting the basketball on the ground and taking a seat on it. "Did you get my note?"

"Yeah, I found the manual. I'm glad I remembered to pack it," I replied.

She noticed the sheet music still in my hand. "What's that?"

I panicked. 'Did I dare admit I was working on my music instead of watching her? Wait, why would she even care? Would she think I'm a nerd? Wait a second, WHY WOULD I CARE IF SHE THINKS I'M A NERD?' All these thoughts trainwrecked in my mind as the first thing that popped into my head tumbled out of my mouth.

"Homework,"

At this point, my inner thoughts were ready to call it quits. 'Homework?! Did I really just say that?' I chastised myself.

"Homework?" Hedgehog repeated, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "You're doing homework, at a basketball game, at summer camp?"

If canine Jesus was merciful, he would have euthanized me at that exact moment. But as it turns out, Hedgehog is the merciful one.

"Oh man, I know that feeling. My pops made me pack AP text books."

Finally, the whistle blew again, and signaled the restart of the game.

"After the game, just bring the manual by my place and we can work on your synth."

I nodded. "Sounds good!"

She stood up and headed back onto the court. Other than awkwardly stumbling through small talk, I had finally gotten little Oliver to go back to sleep. And to think, all it took was me making myself look like an idiot. i'll have to remember that next time.

Hang on, did she say, 'We'?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I felt terrible about breaking Oliver's stuff... and eating everyone's shoes. I saw the line at the counselors cabins for new ones, and that definitely didn't help. Day two of being a werewolf wasn't off to a stellar start. I headed towards the locker room, lost in my own thoughts about the events of the night before. When I woke up this morning, I had really hoped it had all been some kind of weird nightmare brought on by too much carnival food.

But Oscar, and my upset stomach assured me that wasn't the case. Once I got to the Gold League locker room, I noticed Max and Alexa both made an extra effort to secure their basketball shoes before I showed up. I can't really blame them, but it still hurt my feelings.

"Good shooting today Hedgehog," Max said, hoisting his gym bag over his shoulder. I could barely be bothered to acknowledge his compliment. Believe it or not, transforming into a werewolf and staying up all night was incredibly tiring. On top of all this, I still had to report to the counselor's cabin for punishment. Like it was my fault I became a werewolf! I did something nice, and look what happened!

Once I had changed and showered, I headed towards my fate. While I walked, I had time to think about everything that's happened. Basketball was at least a small semblance of normalcy after the previous night, even though almost everyone but Oscar and Max still avoided me. I can't say I blame them, I mean, who would want to hang out with someone who did what I did? It's just like back home... Just me and Oscar again...

 As I walked barefoot to the counselor's cabins, Betsy met me halfway. I couldn't help but smile at her. After learning her secret, it felt like a had a friend who could truly get what I was going through, and plus, we had the special bond of sharing out secret identities! Well, her secret identity anyway.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Sore, but okay," I replied. She looked down and noticed my lack of shoes.

"I didn't have ten bucks for another pair..." I laughed nervously.

All she did was smile at me, and snap her fingers. My normal shoes and socks appeared on my feet.

"On the house," she said. "So, on your way to your punishment, huh?" Betsy asked as we continued to walk.

"Yeah... I feel bad enough, but of course Susie had to pile it on..." I answered.

"Don't be so sure," Betsy replied. "I talked to Susie, and I'm going to be responsible for your 'punishment'."

A wave of relief washed over me. But, I still had a lot of questions about being a werewolf. We arrived at her cabin, and she took a seat on her couch, patting the cushion beside her. I took my spot, my hands in my lap, just staring at them. Even though I was with Betsy, I was still pretty uneasy about everything.

"Hedgehog, the first part of your punishment, is that I order you to relax," she said to my surprise. "Lean back against the couch, it doesn't bite."

I decompressed a bit and sat back. After a second or two, I finally felt ready to talk.

"What am I supposed to do, Betsy? How can I show my face around the island after how terrible I acted?"

She put a comforting hand on my shoulder. Her touch was very calming. I think of all the counselors, she was certainly the best suited for the job.

"When I first became a werewolf, I did the same thing you did."

I looked up at her through my watery eyes. "You mean... you ate everyone's shoes too?"

"Not just the camper's shoes, either. Susie's and Alice's, too," she laughed.

"But, how did you not get caught?"

"To be honest, it was just blind luck," she replied. "But, I knew that since the werewolf queen was on the island, it was just a matter of time before she turned a camper."

"Ugh, but why did it have to be me?" I moaned. I still wasn't sold on the whole werewolf every month idea, even after her 'embrace your wild side' pep talk at the werewolf, full moon festival or whatever it was.

"Hedgehog, you're looking at this like a curse, but I promise that once you get used to it, you'll realize what a blessing it really is."

Assurances were one thing, but repairing my shattered reputation was something else.

"Just so you know, it's normal to feel guilty about what happened." Betsy continued. "When things like this happen, it's important to remember who you can count on to help you. Who comes to mind?"

"Oscar," I spat out instantly. "And I guess Max,"

"Right, so maybe they can help smooth things over with the other campers?" She suggested.

"I mean, I guess they could, but can't you do anything to help? Like cast a spell to make everyone forget it ever happened?" I asked. It was worth a shot; she was the nicest witch.

Betsy sat back and smirked. "C'mon, your mom and dad didn't send you here just to trade one set of parents for another." She stood from the couch and went to her kitchen. "You like green tea, right? Or was it earl gray?"

"Either one is fine," I replied. I really hadn't started drinking tea until I came to the island and started my secret magic lessons with Betsy. I guess becoming a werewolf was just one more thing that brought us closer. Funny how those things work out.

"So, you've got Oscar and Max in your corner, but what have YOU done to help patch things up with the other campers?" she asked. Other than a verbal apology, nothing came to mind. Except one thing...

"Oh, I offered to try and fix Oliver's keyboard. I kinda smashed it."

I heard a spoon clatter from the kitchen, drawing my attention towards Betsy.

"Oliver? He's the dog boy right?" she said seriously.

"Uh, yeah..." I replied. Why would him being a dog matter? "Is that bad?"

She turned back towards me with two mugs, steam rising off them and dancing into the air. "No, nothing wrong, but there is something you need to be aware of." She sat back down next to me and slid my mug next to me. "Now that you're a werewolf, you'll start noticing things you never noticed before, even in your normal form."

I took a sip of tea and instantly burned my tongue. I set it back down, waiting for it to cool off. "Like what?"

"For example... have you smelled anything unusual lately?"

I had to think for a moment, but nothing really jumped out at me. "Well, I feel like I can smell a little better than I could before... Oh, and did you know each camper has their own scent? I didn't realize that until the basketball game today."

Betsy nodded, somehow taking a sip of her piping hot tea without so much as blowing on it. "Yeah, everyone has their own scent, but did any really make you stop and say, 'wow'?"

Honestly there wasn't one that stopped me in my tracks. I mean, sure they all smelled different. The girls were mostly sweeter, while the boys were more earthy. Except for Pepper... he was kinda both somehow.

"Not that I remember," I answered.

We finished our tea as we talked about what it was like for Betsy when she had just turned. There was a lot more trial and error for her, and on top of that, she had to keep it a secret from the other counselors! Even though most everyone on the island either hated or feared me, at least I didn't have to worry about having to hide it.

"Alright, I think that's enough 'punishment' for one day." Betsy said draining the last of her tea. "If anyone asks, you cleaned my bathroom."

We stood from her couch and she faced me. "If anything else comes up, or you have any other questions, I want you to have this." She snapped her fingers, and a pager with a blue crescent moon appeared in her palm. I seriously didn't even think they made these anymore. "It'll let me know where you are, and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Wow, thanks Betsy!" Antiquated technology or not, it was still pretty cool to have the nicest witch in camp on speedial. We hugged before she led me out of her cabin. I put the pager in my pocket and started back towards the camp. Betsy was right, the more my friends and I make an effort to patch things up with the rest of the campers, the quicker I can go back to being Hedgehog, and not Hedgehog the werewolf.

I would just have to take it one camper at a time. And the first camper up to receive the fruits of my apology, was Oliver.

She did say we. Holy moly. Was this a date? No, of course not, that's crazy! She just wants to help make amends. But what if she's into me? WAIT, WHY WOULD I EVEN THINK THAT? I have no evidence, and other than breaking my stuff, this was the first time we've interacted for longer than that sleepover with everyone else in her cabin!

I needed to get my head on straight. By the time I was done arguing with myself, everyone had left the basketball courts. I headed back to my cabin to listen to some tunes. Good music always helped put me back where I needed to be. I made it back and kicked off my stupid shoes. I was beginning to think I may have been better off barefoot. I seriously have no idea how ballerinas and... whatever you call dude ballerinas wear these AND dance in them. My toes were seriously starting to cramp.

I grabbed my headphones and hit play. I brought a whole backpack full of mixtapes to the island. I usually had a few of them wherever I went back home, but since I was going to be here all summer, I brought my top picks. I popped in one of my favorites and pressed play.

"Breathe... breath in the air... don't be afraid to care..."

I laid back on my bed and took a deep breath, closing my eyes. This really was a great album. As I let myself go, my mind began to wander, as it usually did. I thought about that stubborn melody that seemed just beyond my reach, the fact that I was going to absolutely demolish whatever was for dinner since no one got lunch today, and... her. But, not the girl I saw today, the one I saw last night.

I was back in the woods, the moonlight shining through the trees. Only this time, I was alone in a clearing, no path leading in or out. Even more startling, I was naked! Ordinarily, I would be embarrassed, and rush to find something to cover myself, but... for some reason, I wasn't. It felt... natural, like some ancient voice was soothing my anxiety, telling me this was they way I was always supposed to be.

I looked down at my hands, then out into the treeline. I sensed something... something was out there, watching me. I saw a blurry shadow dart between the trees. As I tried to get a closer look, the moonlight intensified. It was bright, so bright I had to try and block it with my hand, but it didn't help. I felt a heat I'd never felt before, it started in my chest, and spread, radiating outwards until it was everywhere from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. It felt like I was on fire, and I fell to my knees. I clenched my fists as it continued to burn, and I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. I inhaled for a scream, but what came out was unmistakable.

It was a howl.

And once I let it out, it was like the fire left with it. I howled until my lungs cried out for air.

I gasped, drinking in the sweet air as I panted, still on my knees. The moonlight seemed less intense now, but I could see into the depths of the forest perfectly. I raised my head, and there it was. The thing that was watching me. It was black, and at least twice my height, but there was no mistaking what it was.

A werewolf. It's yellow eyes seemed to look straight into my soul. It stood on its hind legs and towered over me. Slowly, I got to my feet and stared back at it. Even though I could see its fangs hanging down from its closed mouth, and its razor sharp claws at its side, I wasn't afraid. Something about it seemed so familiar. It leaned forward, its snout now mere centimeters from my face. I felt it's breath, inhaling and exhaling in rapid succession, taking in my scent, learning it, learning me.

It bared its fangs at me, a low growl tickling my face as I took a cautious step back. My foot caught a root, and in an instant I was on my back, waiting for a killing blow. As I waited, and waited, I gathered the courage to crack one eye. The full moon still shone brightly in the sky, but the beast was gone, instead replaced by a smaller, but still similar creature. All I could see was its silhouette against the moon, until my eyes adjusted.

My breath caught in my throat as I realized who was standing over me. Hedgehog, in her werewolf form, stared down, her hand extended towards me. She was just as I remembered her from the night before, and strangely enough, I wasn't mortified by the fact that I was naked and she wasn't. In fact, she didn't even seem to care. The longer I met her gaze, the more beautiful I realized she was. I put her hand in mine, and she lifted me to my feet with a surprising swiftness. Once I was standing, she kept hold of my hand, and I was in no hurry to release hers.

As we stood there in silence, she pulled my hand closer, until our bodies were almost touching. We were too close. I had never been this close to anyone before, and had no idea what was to happen next, until I felt her lips on mine.

I sat up in bed with a start, my headphones by my side near my head. I was drenched in sweat as I caught my breath. 'Okay, so you just had a dream about a girl you know who saw you naked and then kissed you as a werewolf. I'm sure that happens to all the boys!' I thought to myself, trying to rationalize whatever the heck had just happened. 'That doesn't mean you have a crush on her, it was just a weird dream, those happen all the time!'

As my breathing rhythm slowed, I caught a whiff of a somewhat familiar scent. It was that smell from Hedgehog's cabin, and her note, and uh... her! Except, it wasn't. It was heavier, earthier, and more... local. I put my nose to my armpit and gave a short inhale.

It was me! I had never smelled like this before! Or at least, I don't think I had. I picked up my headphones and put one side to my ear, unsure of how long I'd slept.

"...and the sun is eclipsed by the moon"

Dang, that was the whole album! I needed to get to Hedgehog's! I hopped out of bed, but not before catching another sniff of myself. I'd definitely need to shower before I left... and try to put that bizarre dream out of my head.

As I stepped out of the shower, I went to grab the towel from the rack, but something gave me pause. My mom would always tell me not to dry off this way, that drying off like this was 'for animals and poor people,'. But, she wasn't here, and despite what she said, this was more fun. I shook the water off my coat, starting to shake from my butt all the way to my head, my ears flopping from side to side as I coated my bathroom with water droplets. Sure, it kind of made a mess, but it would dry.

I got dressed and for a moment, forgot that I had to now put my ballet shoes back on. Those replacement shoes couldn't come soon enough. I stopped in front of my mirror and noticed my hair was kinda all over the place. I grabbed a comb and brushed it, but I had a stubborn cowlick that just wouldn't lay down. I was combing it as hard as I could, gritting my teeth before I realized I was getting mad at my HAIR. I wear a hat most of the time!

I was clearly losing my mind as I grabbed my hat and put it on. I picked up my backpack and headed out the door starting towards her cabin. I was still kind of flustered by that wacko dream, but once I saw the other campers going about their day, and the witches doing witch stuff, I began to calm down. It was just a dream after all.

When I got close, I saw Oscar leaving her place.

"Hey, Oliver!" he greeted. He was a pretty nice kid, if not kind of a dork. And this was coming from a music nerd. Still though, I liked Oscar.

"Hey, Oscar, is Hedgehog home?"

"Uh, yeah..." he began. "Listen, she feels really bad about what happened last night, and she's really sorry,"

If there was one thing Oscar had going for him, it was loyalty. I'm pretty sure he'd throw himself in front of a bus for Hedgehog, and she'd probably do the same for him.

"Yeah, I know, she already apologized to me," I replied. "She actually offered to help me fix my synth, I'm bringing her the manual now."

That seemed to brighten his mood. "Oh, really? So you aren't mad at her?"

I waved him off casually. "Nah, she's really awesome for trying to help, and I think that's really cool."

"Man, she'll be so relieved to hear that!" he said. "Hey, if you see any of the other campers talking bad about her, you think you could spread the word? She feels terrible, and I know she'd appreciate it if you helped smooth things over for her."

I gave him a thumbs up. "No problem,"

"Great, see ya at dinner!" Oscar thanked me with a high five and set off the opposite direction.

Seeing how apologetic she was, I would kinda feel bad if the other campers were still ragging on her. I mean, they had a right to be upset, but it's never fun to be hated when you're genuinely sorry for something you did.

 I knocked on her door, and she answered it quicker than last time. She was back in her normal clothes, and that 'Hedgehog smell' I guess you could call it, was way less prevalent than it was this morning. Which was nice, because without that weird scent distracting me, we might actually be able to make some progress.

"Oh, hey Oliver!" she said happily. "I wasn't sure you were going to make it,"

"No worries," I replied. "Can't make music if I don't have anything to do it with."

"Heh, yeah thats—" she paused mid sentence as she glanced down at my feet.

Her cheeks began to puff out as she bit her bottom lip, trying and failing to contain her laughter.

"Ahaha, I'm so sorry for laughing," she giggled, "But is that really what the witches gave you?"

I obviously didn't find it as funny as she did, but I could see the humor. "Yeah, this is what ten bucks buys you,"

As she finished laughing she invited me in. "I managed to fix some of it, but the wiring inside is where the manual comes in."  she said, leading me over to her desk, where she had a lamp, solder kit, and the remains of my beloved synth laid out like a surgeon operating on a patient. Or I guess a better simile would be a mortician preparing a corpse.

 "Wow," I remarked. "You've really made progress,"

"Most of it was just getting the case and keyboard back together," she said, pulling up a stool next to hers "The hard part is gonna be the internals"

I set my pack against the leg of the desk and unzipped it, producing the manual. I put it on the table and opened to a schematic diagram. We both looked it over before she took the soldering iron in her hand. "Okay, it looks like these blue wires connect to the board here, and these red ones go here," I said, pointing to the exposed electronics.

"Yep, looks like it. Let me get those—"

"I'll just get the—"

Our hands converged over the loose wires on the table, mine on top of hers. In reality, it was only for one, maybe two seconds at most. But with my hand on hers, I froze, and so did she. Just before we reclaimed them, I glanced at her, the heat on my face surely reddening my face.

"Heh, sorry," She said,

"My bad," I said at the same time.

I don't know what I saw... I really can't say for sure.

But I think I saw her blush, too.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, that was kinda awkward, but friends bump hands all the time, especially working in close quarters! With Oliver reading me the schematics, we were making real progress! However, it was tedious work if anything, and after about an hour and a half, I could sense we needed to take a break. My wrists were killing me!

"I think this is a good stopping point," Oliver said, putting the manual down. Looks like we were on the same page!

"Me too," I agreed. I checked my watch. "It's only four, dinner won't be for another hour and a half,"

"Yeah," Oliver replied, looking around my cabin. "Got any movies? They usually take about that long."

"Oh, yeah look on top of the TV," I said. He got up and headed over, rifling through the VHS' as I put my tools away.

"So... you have a lot of werewolf movies..." He commented. The ones Oscar had gotten for me right after I'd turned.

"Yeah, I was doing a bit of research," I admitted sheepishly.

"So, I'm guessing you probably don't want to watch another one," he said, still looking through the tapes.

"Oh, you have 'Tropic Lightning'? I love that movie!" Oliver said, opening the case. "The whole cast is hilarious,"

It had been a while sense I'd seen it, and the convenience tree didn't need it back until wednesday. "Yeah, sounds good, I'll be there in a sec. I put my solder kit away and joined him on the couch. We set our feet on the coffee table, only reminding me of Oliver's embarrassing shoe situation, which was my fault to begin with.

"You can take those off if you want," I giggled, like I said, I know it was my fault, but it was pretty funny.

"Thanks, weirdly enough, they're not very comfortable." He replied sarcastically. "My folks are hopefully sending me another pair, but until then," Oliver pointed at his feet as he removed them.

The movie began as we fast forwarded through the previews. "Oh, duh, popcorn!" I said, getting up. "I hope I still have some left from last night," As I rifled through my cupboards, I could hear Oliver laughing at the previews. I liked the way he laughed. Is that weird? I mean, having a nice laugh is a good thing I guess. I wouldn't want a bad one... anyway I started up the popcorn and looked for a bowl by the microwave.

As the kernels popped in the bag rapidly, I thought about my werewolf form. I still had amends to make with the rest of the campers, but so far Oliver seemed to be going well. The microwave dinged and I carefully picked the bag up by the corner.

"Hey, you do butter on your popcorn?" I called from the kitchen.

"Who doesn't?" He replied. Good answer. I poured the extremely hot popcorn into a bowl and added a little butter.

I headed back over to the couch, grabbed a handful of popcorn and sat back next to him. One thing I am now only just now realizing is there is absolutely no graceful way to eat popcorn. Seriously, you either eat one at a time, or you're just shoveling it into your mouth. There's literally no middle ground.

The movie started, and in a few minutes I was laughing. It was a pretty funny movie. Once again I reached for the popcorn, just when he did. Our hands touched again, and we both paused and looked at each other. Sweet god this is probably the most awkward single moment of my life. And that's saying something.

How long were we just going to stare at each other? Forever? He was blushing, and if the fire on my face meant anything, so was I. We had to do something. I had to do something. If there was one thing I knew about awkwardness, it was how to get rid of it. Well sort of.

I wasn't the same quiet, studious girl from back home with Oscar. Coming to summer camp was a fresh start, a place where I could be the smart, confident girl like the heroes in my Sci-Fi novels. So I had to ask myself, how would one of them react to this situation? Plus... Oliver was pretty cute.

I took his hand. "There, let's just get this out of the way." He smiled, and I smiled back. We sat back on the couch, a little closer to each other than we were before. I could get used to this.

But this development presented another problem I hadn't expected.

I was holding his left hand with my right.

And I still wanted popcorn.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh god, oh god, oh god! She just grabbed my hand! She's holding it right now! What do I do, what do I do?

I just smiled at her. That's really all I could do, because I was too nervous to do anything else. I don't know how she couldn't feel my heartbeat in my palm. I settled into the couch as the movie continued, and the popcorn got colder. I kinda wanted some, but I wasn't about to let go of her.

But, I did want more popcorn. I reached over awkwardly with my right hand and got some. Not exactly graceful, but it got the job done. I could hardly concentrate on the movie, my mind was racing with questions. What did this mean? Was she in to me? I mean, I've seen her hold Oscar's hand all the time, but they don't 'like like' each other. Do they? Then there's Max... when she's not with Oscar, she's with him! They seem pretty... close.

I have no idea what this means. What if it means nothing? What if this is her game, just leading on innocent boys at summer camp! Is that how she gets her sick kicks?

'Okay, let's not overthink this' I reminded myself. I tend to do that a lot. Right now, I was just holding a cute girls hand, and I was gonna leave it at that. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She giggled at a joke on the screen.

Wow, I really liked it when she did that. I never noticed how cute her laugh was until now. It was like the finest melody, something I could never come up with on my own. Something that could only be composed by the god of music himself. That was just the start of what I was picking up on about her. Her fur wasn't just brown. It was more chestnut, and the plushness of it... I couldn't believe something that soft could exist. I could feel it on her palms.

I had to feel more. My thumb brushed against the back of her hand, slowly stroking back and forth across it. The yeti's had nothing on Hedgehog.

Her thumb mimicked my own, arcing across the back of my hand. My fur was probably sandpaper compared to hers, but we kept it up. It was such a subtle and innocuous way of exploring each other, and I couldn't believe my initial gamble paid off. The thoughts of her just teasing me or leading me on vanished. How much better could today get? This was the farthest I've ever gotten with a girl. I realize how sad that might sound, but I'm only eleven!

We spent the rest of the movie that way, and pretty much wasted the rest of the popcorn. I didn't care, I'd waste all the popcorn on earth to stay with her like this. It was also on this couch, that I realized something that I'd been trying to avoid admitting to myself.

I liked Hedgehog.

It was so... unexpected. I mean, I've seen her and hung out with her for weeks now, and I didn't think anything of her. I mean, she was nice, smart, and confident, but I never saw anything attractive about her... in that way. But after her werewolf incident... I can't figure it out, but I'm not going to fight it. Besides, isn't that what summer camp is for?

Before I knew it, the credits were rolling. That movie was criminally short.

Hedgehog let go of my hand to check her watch. I discreetly wiped the building sweat off my palm and onto my jeans.

"Looks like the mess hall is open for dinner," she said. "Feeling hungry?"

I couldn't lie there. "Starving," I replied.

She hopped off the couch and turned off the tv. I joined her, after putting on my ridiculous shoes. She couldn't help but hide a chuckle behind her hand as she watched. I heard her, but I let it go. I stood up and smiled at her, doing one of those ballet poses. "Ready to go?"

She dropped her hand and laughed in earnest. I think I'm getting addicted to hearing her laugh. We headed to the mess hall, where there was already a line since everyone had been denied lunch. I decided not to try and hold her hand again on the way up to dinner. I didn't want to push my luck in case she was just messing with me, plus no one likes a clinger.

As we got close to the line, more than a few campers in their odd shoes gave her the stink eye. I could tell it was bumming her out, but Oscar and Max spotted us and headed over. Her smile came back quickly once her friends gathered around her.

"Don't worry about them, Hedgehog," Oscar said "They'll come around eventually,"

"Yeah, they'll get over it." Max added. "Hey dude, what's up?" he said, turning to me, hand raised for a high five.

"Just hanging out," I replied.

"We were working on fixing his synth," Hedgehog said, glancing over to me. "We're getting there."

"Oh, nice, I can't wait to hear some more tunes," Max answered as the line began moving.

We all sat at the same table, seeing as most of the other campers were still giving Hedgehog the cold shoulder. The dinner wasn't anything special, but everyone devoured it, with little to no conversation at the table. Once dinner was over, we talked about plans for the evening. Everyone was still pretty wiped from the full moon festival, so the consensus was to catch up on sleep.

We left the mess hall, I was about to head back to my cabin when Hedgehog stopped me.

"Hey, so..." she hesitated, scratching one arm with the other. "I think we were making good progress with the synth, and I'm not really that tired, so, if you weren't too tired... you could come by—"

"Yeah!" I answered quickly, nearly startling her. "I mean, yeah, I'm not really that tired."

She smiled at me. "Okay great!" I can't believe I've never noticed how wonderfully beautiful she was when she smiled. Canine Jesus I have it bad for this girl!

"Hey Hedgehog, try not to eat any shoes on your way home!" someone shouted from the crowd of campers leaving the mess hall.

Her smile evaporated, replaced by the guilt and sadness I'm sure she'd known all too well since becoming a werewolf. I forgot how unbelievable hurtful and cruel kids can be. I hated seeing her like this, I had to do something, but what? Words wouldn't do it this time, so what would?

That's when it hit me.

I took her hand in mine, and she looked up at me. I couldn't quite place her expression, but the most important thing was that I got that horribly sad expression off her face.

"C'mon, let's fix that keyboard," I said, leading her back to her cabin by the hand.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Oliver and I walked back to my cabin, hand in hand. I had to admit, I liked it. I knew the other campers would eventually forget about my little... incident, but I guess I should just expect a few more rude comments before it all blows over. At least I had some friends who understood what happened.

The walk was way too short, but we were back at my cabin before I knew it.

Before we went inside, I had to stop him.

"Hey... so thanks for that back there..." I managed. I really wasn't sure what to call what he did. Chivalry? Ugh, that's such an outdated word, this isn't 1520.

He smiled at me. I really like it when he does that.

"If I changed into a shoe-eating werewolf, you'd do the same for me."

He's right, but I'm glad he was my friend, and I'm glad he was there for me.

We got back to my cabin and set to work where we'd left off. Once we settled back down, I couldn't help but ask Oliver something that had been on my mind since I turned.

"So... I ever since I became a werewolf, I kinda... well, I don't want to offend you or anything," I was already off to a bad start.  I didn't really have any canine friends, so this was new ground, and I had no idea how to approach it. "But, since I'm a werewolf, and I know that wolves are part of the canine genus, I guess I was just wondering..."

"What dog culture is like?" he completed. I really didn't like calling his kind 'dogs'. It seems kinda derogatory, especially coming from someone who isn't a canine. But even though I was stumbling through my question, he was very understanding.

"Uh, yeah," I admitted sheepishly.

"Well, I only know what my parents taught me from the old country, but I could tell you what I know." He replied as I got our tools back out, and turned on the desk lap, still looking at the busted synth before us.

"So, we aren't really different from any other group, but there is some stuff we do that seems unique to us," Oliver explained, handing me fresh solder and glancing at the schematics.

"Like what?" I asked, connecting two similarly colored wires.

"Well, other than wanting to eat shoes, was there anything else you felt an urge to do?"

I had to think for a minute. Most of what I remembered from that day was a blur, and I had to hear it from others. "Hm... I think I remember wanting to bury some of the shoes instead of eating them," That certainly wasn't my proudest moment. But to my surprise, he just smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, we like to bury things we consider valuable, and sometimes we dig holes just for practice."

"Wow, have you dug any holes here?" I asked.

He looked away, but kept a guilty grin. "Maybe... Some canines are really good a digging holes, and some pay them lots of money to dig holes for them, but it's mostly the rich ones that pay others to dig for them."

I went back to soldering, suppressing a giggle at the idea of Oliver burying shoes in his parents yard.

"So, what do dogs find offensive?" she asked.

"Well, you really need to know a canine well before you can call him a dog,"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I was mortified. I mean, I didn't have any dog—er, canine friends, and now I had gone and possibly called one a racial epithet!

"No, it's okay, you didn't know," he assured me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's really more about how you say it rather than you saying it. My kind are a lot more sensitive to tone than most."

I had never considered that. I had studied some canine history back in school, and the ancient cultures language was more based on body language and verbal cues like growls and howls.

"So..." I began, still not sure how he would take this, but I figured I'd ask. "Have you ever... howled?"

"That's kind of personal,"

"Sorry, I—"

"Not the question, the howling," he corrected. "When you show someone your howl... it means, well... it means you're showing them something unique to you, and that..." He glanced up at me and then looked away, his face getting a bit red. "That you really like them, like, a lot."

"Oh," I replied dumbly. Canine culture was pretty vast and nuanced, and I'm sure I'd only scratched the surface. Tired of showing my ignorance for one night, and reminding myself to check the library for a book on my adopted culture, I decided to change the subject. "So, where are you from?"

"New York City," he answered, holding another wire while I joined it with its mate, the smoke from the solder curling into the air between us. "I go to what's called a 'performing arts' school, so it's a little different than a regular school. It's more focused on the arts and stuff than things like really hard math and science,"

I nodded. "I bet I can guess which performing art you're there to study," I laughed.

"The synth isn't just for show," he replied. "My parents were worried I wasn't getting enough, 'outdoor experience' in the city, and because 'Julliard loves a well rounded musician'," he mocked in a grown up voice. "But as much as I'd hate to admit they were right, I actually like it here."

"What about you?" he asked. i had to set the iron down for this one. He and I couldn't be more different.

"Well, Oscar and I are from Portland, and we go to a pretty normal school. My dad didn't even want me to come here, it took Oscar's parents to talk him into the benefits, and even then he tried to get me to leave here for business camp instead." I'm not usually one to get into a contest about stuff like this, but I felt like my story was a little more depressing than his. "All he cares about is me studying, so I can get a good job, and save for my retirement." I sighed. "It's like he had my whole life planned out from the day I was born."

Silence hung heavy in the air. Maybe I overdid it, but I didn't want to lie.

"Wow, that's... pretty rough," He mumbled. I picked the up the iron as he held the last wire in place for me to join. Once we'd reconnected all the wired, and replaced all the keys, the only thing left to do was re-seal the outer casing.

"So, I don't mean to badmouth our progress, but just using superglue on this thing may not make it as durable as it was before," he said as I stood from the desk.

"I know, but we won't use superglue." I went to the nightstand by my bed and rummaged through the drawer before finding what I was looking for.

"Woah, i-is that a counselor's wand?" he asked, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Nope," I said, giving it a twirl as a few pink and blue sparks flew harmlessly from its tip. "Can you keep a secret?"

He nodded wordlessly.

"Betsy's been teaching me magic in secret, and she gave me her old wand."

Oliver gasped. "So, you can do magic?"

"I can do SOME magic." I replied confidently, striding over to the desk. I took off my hat and removed my notebook paper with spells written on it. "I can make basic repairs on stuff, bring inanimate objects to life, and... oh yeah! I can summon frogs. Need any?" I asked.

"Uh, not right now," he replied.

"Okay," I said, flattening the folded paper against the desk and reading the incantation. I read it aloud and waved the wand, causing a puff of blue smoke to envelope our project. Secretly, I had my fingers crossed. I had never actually tried this spell on anything harder than a graham cracker. Once the smoke cleared, there sat one intact keyboard, good as new.

"Wow!" Oliver shouted, picking it up and looking it over. "Hedgehog, you're amazing!"

I felt my face turn red. I mean, I knew it was true, but it's nice to know someone else does too. He flipped the power switch and it turned on. He belted out a smooth lo fi synth solo for a few bars before setting it down.

"I can't believe we fixed it, I thought it was gone for sure!"

"Well, I felt terrible about breaking it, and I've been tinkering with old appliances in my dad's garage, so I figured it was worth a shot."

He unzipped his backpack and pulled out some sheet music, setting it on the table between us. "Want to hear a song I've been working on?"

"Sure!" I said, maybe a little too enthusiastically. "My butt's falling asleep, why don't we move over to the couch?"

"Heh, mine too, good idea."

We sat next to each other and he laid the keyboard across his lap, his music on the coffee table in front of him.

The moment he began, it was like he was playing three instruments at once. I mean, I knew he was talented, but this was something else. If he had done this at the talent show, he might have wiped the floor with Oscar and I. But he didn't seem to be attracting any giant monsters, so we might have still pulled it off.

The song was absolutely beautiful, and by the time it was over, I honestly didn't know what to say.

"So, there's still a little bit of work I need to do towards the end, but what do you think?"

"It's... wow," I replied. I didn't necessarily have an ear for music, and even if I did, I wasn't eloquent enough to tell him what I thought like I'm sure he was used to.

"Heh, thanks. You want to try?" he asked, offering it to me. "I saw you and Oscar at the talent show; you're really good!"

"Ah, well... It's only really a hobby, I'm not that good," I hesitated. I mean, I took lessons for a few years, but I doubt I could do anything like what I just heard.

"C'mon, please?" Oliver persisted.

Goodness I just could not say no to that face. I guess 'puppy dog eyes' are a real thing, and not just a stereotype.

"Okay," I relented, taking the keyboard across my lap. I set my hands to it before remembering I had nothing in mind to play. Once glance at the almost maddening looking criss cross of notes, bridges and crescendos on the music sheet Oliver had played and I knew there was no way I was playing that.

Only once song came to mind. Oscar would have to forgive me for this one. I began playing the song he wrote me for my tenth birthday. It was a simple melody, really only a few notes repeating over and over until my fingers got tired, but it was all I had. My playing came to an abrupt halt when my index finger began to cramp. It had been a while since the talent show.

"Ah," I rubbed it with my other hand, glancing up at Oliver. He was still smiling at me, like I'd just played him flawless Bach.

"That was really good!" he said honestly. "Did you just think of that on the spot?"

"No," I chuckled nervously, "Oscar wrote that on my tenth birthday as a present,"

"Why'd you stop?" he asked before noticing my hands. "Oh, finger cramps?"

"Yeah," I admitted, my hand rubbing really not doing much to help.

"Here, my music teacher showed us how to get rid of them," he said, "which hand is it?"

I told him, and without warning he took my hand in both of his, and began massaging my palm, working his way to my fingers. Sure enough, the cramp was beginning to fade away.

Long after the pain had subsided, he stopped, but still held my hand. I looked at him, and he stared back at me. I don't think I could have pulled my eyes away from his if I tried.

"Is that better?" He asked softly.

I didn't know what to say. It was like my tongue was frozen in my mouth. As I sat in silence, I noticed he seemed to be getting closer to me... or maybe I was getting closer to him? I couldn't tell, but it took everything I had to whisper back.

"Yeah..."

And then it happened. Back in school, I never thought it would happen until I was at least in high school. Heck, maybe even college. There were always girls prettier than me, and I know worrying about things like that is shallow and petty, and it's everything I hate about the girls back home that make me feel inadequate. But as much as I tried to hide it, deep down I just wanted someone to tell me how pretty they thought I was, just once! I buried myself in my homework and school, only hanging out with Oscar on the rare occasion I wasn't studying or at some academic after school thing.

But, here I was, on a magical island summer camp run by witches, kissing my first boy.