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Chapter Two

I’d heard the expression “it’s not the fall that kills you”, but I forgot how the rest of it went. Wasn’t this kind of how Gwen Stacy died? It’s weird the stuff you think of as you fall for so long. It must have been over five minutes, yet I never stopped screaming. At first it was words, insulting Rose, then telling myself to wake up, then wanting my mom, and eventually it dissolved into your typical AHHH! When I ran out of breath and readied myself to scream again, I realized that my fall had begun to slow down, defying gravity. I was too confused to make a Broadway joke.

I also saw that the insides of the hole were mirrored, reflecting my slow turn downwards. Rose was upside down, her fingers in her ears until she saw I had stopped screaming.

“Sorry.” I sheepishly smiled.

“Stop apologizing.”

“Sorry.” We were coming to a complete stop on top of a mirrored floor, and Rose had righted herself up by this time. I fell on my back, and since she wouldn’t help me up, I had to do it myself. She tapped the mirror wall with her knuckles, and then the mirrors shrunk down, revealing we were in a lavish bedroom, the kind that only multi-millionaires could afford. All traces of the mirror hole shrunk down until it was only a hand mirror again. “Wow.” Rose picked it up, and I tapped the space where it had been with my foot. It was completely solid. “No chance this is all a dream, right?” She was scowling again. “Sorry.”

“Must you apologize for everything?” She stowed the pocket mirror back in her armor. “Where is your instinct?”

“I, uh, I don’t think I have one.” I shrugged. “I mean, I try not to get angry, or get in fights, and stuff like that.”

“And why is that?” The room was lit up by torches, and the more I saw, the less I liked. There wasn’t a single hint of technology anywhere. No computers, wires, or even a light bulb. The walls were stone, not brick, and the fabric was stitched by hand. It had the workings of a renaissance faire, except it didn’t have the same obvious fakeness.

I shrugged again, my worry showing as I kept observing my surroundings. “I’m not good at fighting. You just decked a guy six times my size. What good would being angry at you do?”

The answer surprised her, and she roughly turned around, almost smacking me in the face with her hair. “The princess is expecting us. Come.” She headed for the door, and I followed. What else could I do? The door was wooden and I politely closed it as we left the room.

I tried to remember everything she had said earlier, walking down a brown stone corridor. Stone was everywhere in this place. “So, this princess… Mary-Sue?”

“Marianne.” Her voice tightened. I’d have to speak very nicely about this princess.

“Marianne. She sent you to fetch me, and to protect me…” I thought long and hard, but as far as I knew, there weren’t any living princesses in the world. I thought Japan had an emperor, Russia’s got that Vlad Putin guy, but there were some British princes. I think they were married, so did that make their wives princesses? “Are we in England? Are there princesses in England?”

“She is not a princess of your world.”

‘World’. She had said that before, though I had thought it was a slip of the tongue. “You’re not really saying that right now, we’re in another…” She stopped and gave me another one of those ‘stop being so stupid’ looks. I was going to have to get used to that expression. “Seriously? You… no, that’s… no.” It couldn’t be. “There’s no such thing. We’re in some… new… high-tech tunnel thing.” It sounded dumb coming out of my mouth but it was a better alternative than ‘travel by mirror’. Besides, Disneyworld had tunnels underground, so it wasn’t that weird, right? Right?

“As I said before, Princess Marianne is better suited to discuss this.” The hallway was expanding, and flags bearing more odd symbols were hung from the walls. Men in armor similar to Rose’s were standing at a pair of wooden doors, also holding axes, though theirs were ordinary silver. They glared at me, tightening the grip on their weapons, until Rose held up a hand. “This is the one.” That was enough for them, and they opened the doors with one shove. I meekly waved to them, but that only made them glare harder. I scooted up closer to Rose as we entered.

More knights were inside, lined up in rows next to a long red and yellow carpet. At the end of the room was a wooden throne, and rising up from the throne was…

I love blondes! And she was strawberry blonde! You couldn’t ask for a better babe than that! That utterly lovable hair was in perfect ringlets, going past her shoulders, almost bouncing with every step she took on the red carpet. Baby blue eyes, pretty pale competition, she could have been a doll, a Barbie doll with that sparkly outfit she was wearing. It was pink, with jewels attached every other inch, making me wonder how she was even walking in that thing. Three red jewels shone in her tiara, and she was holding a silver staff – the top was a circle with a star shape inside. And her breasts were absolutely –

Rose was grabbing my tail, which I only realized then had started to wag. Wolves can’t blush, but my face was very hot as I took it back and quickly pushed it into my pants, whispering sorry after sorry in an effort to stop Rose from killing me right then and there. Rose had started bowing, so I copied the gesture, and the knights all around followed suit.

“Please rise.” Even her voice was sweet, and I smiled stupidly at the sound of it. We all stood up, and she looked me right in the eyes. I shot my eyes down, as I typically did with eye contact, but a shove from Rose made me look back up. I didn’t look at most people for long due to fear. She studied me, her pink lips pushing around for the right thing to say. “… May I know your name?”

Rose had never asked, now that I remembered. “Br… Brian.” I had been named after my grandfather on my dad’s side. It was only a few seconds, but my discomfort was already showing. I did not look at people’s eyes long, period, no matter how nice looking they were. And boy was she ever.

She almost seemed to sense my unease, and took a step backwards, a gloved hand held out. “I mean you no ill will, Brian.”

“Just a habit.” I mumbled out of the side of my mouth, thinking this had given me permission to finally put my eyes around the place. There was a gilded throne in the back, with more pink cuteness and jewels embedded in there. Glass windows perched on the walls, showing a bright blue sky and nothing else. The knights were stoic, though they would gaze at me when they thought they could get away with it, which really wasn’t too different from when I was at crowds at home. “So, um… can you tell me… anything?”

Marianne picked up part of her dress and did a formal curtsy. “My name is Princess Marianne. Welcome to the World of Pages.”

“Pages?” I repeated automatically. That made it sound like we were trapped inside a book. “I’m really in another world?” I had hoped this was the part where everyone revealed this was really just the worst surprise party in the world.

Marianne held up her staff, and spoke, “Cast My Illusions.” It started to glow a faint white. A sphere emitted from the staff, hovering above our heads. The white melted off into nothingness, and now the sphere resembled a globe, like the one from my geography class. It was Earth. “In the beginning, there was only one world, our world. But the Creators saw how we had abused the power of magic, and decided our existence was a mistake.”

I opened my mouth to say that magic didn’t exist, and then closed it before I emitted a single sound.

“Thus, they created your world.” Marianne created a second ‘sphere earth’, and the two worlds hovered side by side. “A world without magic. But this world had its flaws too, and the Creators realized they could not create perfection… perfection does not exist. They regretted their prideful actions, and by way of apology, created a unique way of connecting the worlds.” A rainbow emitted from the ‘first world’ and touched the second one. “They bestowed upon your world’s people the power of ‘imagination’. If they concentrated, they could see glimpses of our world.”

Oh, I did not like where this was going.

Marianne waved her hand, and the two earths began to disappear. “But, over time, your people forgot about the other world, and believed that imagination was their own doing. Our stories became your stories, in different turns and twists. I believe they are mostly deemed fairy tales.”

I was almost biting my mouth now to keep from speaking, because from the bottom of my heart I wanted to yell ‘The trapped in Fairy Tale World cliché? That’s the oldest trope in the book! It is literally in books! And movies! Movies that can’t come up with their own ideas anymore! Are you kidding me?! Am I on a high definition screen where little kids are throwing their popcorn at the screen?!’ Rose quirked an eyebrow, able to tell I was holding something back again, and all I said was “Huh. Is that so?”

Marianne smiled, tilting her head a bit. “You’re taking this very well.”

“Not like I have much of a choice.” My hands were feeling awkward, and I didn’t know what to do with them. “So, how did you get to mine, if we don’t, um, believe anymore?” If the moral of my life story was to just believe in the power of imagination, I don’t think I could keep back a groan. But then I thought of the obvious answer. “Oh, right. Magic.”

Marianne nodded, still smiling in that sweet petite way. I couldn’t get mad at her, so I only got mad at the circumstances. “I take it you have heard the tale of Alice and the Looking Glass?”

“Oh.” I wanted to say that made sense, but nothing had done that today.

“May I join in, your highness?” Rose suddenly spoke up, giving me a start since I’d nearly forgotten she was there, having been so quiet. That and my entire attention was devoted to Marianne.

“Of course, Lady Rose.” Marianne’s smile brightened, definitely happy to have Rose speak with us. I guess they must be really good friends, or something like that. I saw then that as long as Rose was looking at Marianne, she wasn’t giving her ugly scowl. She wasn’t smiling, either, but it was a kind of good looking neutrality, maybe respectful if I needed a better word for it. But now that she was looking back to me, she was scowling again, and I remembered the saying “Your face will get stuck like that”. That’d suck for her, and maybe it’d serve her right.

“Travel to the other world is forbidden.”Rose began, arms crossed. What had I done too piss her off now? Or was she always this angry? It couldn’t be good for her blood pressure. “It is only done in extreme situations. The kind of magic it requires is only known to a select chosen few.”

“Axe guy knew it.” I winced after saying it, knowing I had spoken out of turn. “… Well, he did.”

Marianne was puzzled, lips parted but unsure what to follow up with. Rose sighed heavily. “A member of the Brother of Blade found the wolf-”

“Brian.” Marianne interjected. I liked her.

“… Found… Brian…” Rose wasn’t too fond of addressing me by name. “And attempted to kill him. I dealt with him, and he should return on his own.”

Marianne twisted one of her hair ringlets around her finger. “I see… that certainly does explain a few things.”

Like hell it did! I cleared my throat, hoping to be brought back into the conversation. Marianne let go of her hair, looking apologetic for her slip, and she explained to make up for it. “Ah… the Brother of Blade are a renegade group of vigilantes, who have a twisted sense of justice and honor. A month ago, they raided my castle and stole some of my spell books. That’s most likely how they learned how to travel to your world. Rest assured, you will be protected here. I have made it an order that you are not to be harmed.”

“Thanks.” I smiled back at her, doing my best not to show any of my teeth. I didn’t want to scare her off and make her regret this decision. “Looks like I really owe you one.”

The princess shook her head, now sadder with every passing minute. “On the contrary, dear Brian.” Dear? I liked her more. “It is I who owes you a great and horrible debt.” She looked down, holding onto her staff like it was a precious teddy bear. “… I am the reason you are Brian the wolf, and not Brian the boy.”

I looked down at my paws, and then up at her, then back down again. When I was born, absolutely no one had an explanation for the way I was. When I was in Mom, I looked normal to every doctor. Every health test had been passed with flying colors. I was a planned baby, and my parents had a name picked out, schools picked out, even decorated a room for me ahead of time. But when I popped out, I was a furry puppy, and a nurse had fainted when she saw me. Mom only let people examine me to see if I was in good health, and aside from the species mix-up, I was a healthy baby. There was no scientific term for normal baby one second and wolf the next. There were conditions where humans can grow excessive amounts of hair, but I wasn’t human at all. Even today people were still making guesses, and no one could prove anything. At least not without dissecting me.

“What do you mean?” I said after a very long silence.

Marianne turned her back to us. “Please follow me.” She stepped off of the carpet, and the knights parted to let her pass. Rose and I walked behind Marianne, following her out of the room and into a different hallway, where a large stain glass window was placed. I’d seen some at churches, usually depicting an honorable moment in the bible. Mom and I tried to go every Sunday, but we weren’t really welcomed with open arms. This one had a knight and a wolf ready to do battle, but the wolf was like me – standing on its hind legs like a person. They were on opposing sides of an hourglass, stuck in eternal battle. A chill ran down my back, but I couldn’t explain it. Marianne pushed on the knight’s legs, and the window opened in two, spilling the hour glass in half by its sides.

I’m afraid of a lot of things, but thankfully heights aren’t one of them. Otherwise I would have run when I had seen how high up we were, barely able to make out any buildings below. But I could see across the land, with tall trees and colored mountains. There was smoke coming out of the tall forest, and the air was chilly. For a world of fairy tales and make-believe, it all seemed kind of plain. It wasn’t anything unordinary, I could have easily been watching the Discovery channel. Had I expected some fairies to come flittering by? I waited for Marianne to speak some more.

“Since our creation,” Marianne started up again, her voice heavy as her heart, “We have always been at war with the wolves. They seek to conquer my kingdom, and eventually rule the entire world. That is how it is always been, but when it came my time to rule, I wanted to change things. It pained me to see fear so average in the face of every citizen. So, I looked for a spell to help me understand the wolves.”

Did she want to become the Wolf Whisperer? How were you supposed to understand wolves, they were wild animals! But instead of saying any of that, I glanced back at the window, at the wolf that stood like I stood. That unsettling feeling was creeping up on the back of my neck. “Princess…” I spoke slowly, not comfortable with any words coming out of my mouth. “... What are… your wolves like?” Both girls looked at me, confused, and I shut my eyes as I kept talking. “… In my… world…” I still couldn’t believe I had to say that. “… Wolves aren’t supposed to stand. And speak. And dress. And… pretty much anything I do, wolves aren’t supposed to do. They’re animals, wild animals.”

Marianne and Rose exchanged an astonished look, and then Marianne took up speaking again once she had regained herself. “You are how wolves are in our world. They have always been intelligent-”

“There is no need to go that far, your highness.” Rose cut in, snorting derisively. “Just because something can speak hardly means it is intelligent.” You bet she was looking at me as she said that. “Wolves are savage, bloodthirsty creatures that only care for their own kind, and the destruction they can cause. They are born evil, and shall die evil, without a single regret in their bones.” She suddenly stopped, seeing pain in Marianne’s expression. I didn’t think Rose was capable of it, but she looked regretful of what she had done, and stumbled for words. “I… mean you no insult, your highness. You were trying to help.”

“No, you may be right.” Marianne forlornly gazed out the window, her eyes on the smoke. “It was my naivety that caused this tragedy in the first place, and thus I must correct it.” She swallowed, and faced me. “I found a unique spell book locked up in my father’s belongings, but the pages had been worn out, making it very difficult to read. But I was confident it had the answers, from what I could make out. I thought it would help me understand the wolves, and so I cast it. But between my misunderstanding of the book and my own weak magic at the time, the spell went awry, and a switch was made between our worlds. A body of a wolf from our world and a body of a boy from your world switched at birth.” She stopped talking, allowing all of that to sink in.

On the one hand, it explained why all of a sudden I was a human baby inside mom and popped out a wolf. On the other hand, WHAT THE EVERLOVING HECK?! What sense did that make? What sense did any of this make? I opened and closed my mouth many times, but nothing came out. What was I supposed to say to that? What was I supposed to think to that? I even lifted my paws a few times, but I couldn’t create a gesture out of anything. The girls were watching me expectantly, thinking I’d do something. Rose was holding onto her axe, just in case. But all I did was stand there and gape like a goldfish.

“Don’t you wish to yell at me?” Marianne broke the silence, taking a step forward while putting a hand to her heart. “Your life must not have been easy, and it is my fault. You may lash out your grievances at me.” Rose’s face wasn’t agreeing to that, but she too expected a loud reaction out of me.

I couldn’t give it to them, even if I wanted to. I was angry, yes, but… I dropped my paws. “I can’t… really get mad at you. It’s not like you wanted this to happen. And… being mad at you isn’t going to solve anything. I’ve been this way for fourteen years… I think I already used up all my ‘grievance giving.’” I had never really thought this was someone’s fault. It had been an accident, a slip of nature’s tongue. Or maybe everything here was so surreal that it seemed pointless to get mad. “But, um, I guess… why tell me now?”

Rose was easing her touch on her axe, but was still wary of me. Was she hoping for a delayed reaction? “The you of your world may be a peaceful coward, but the you of this world is one of the greatest threats our world has ever seen.”

I’d nearly overlooked that tidbit, and I looked out the window. “Oh, that’s right… if I was born a wolf among humans, he must have been born a human among wolves… He didn’t get eaten?”

“I had hoped,” Marianne was holding herself again, giving herself the guilt I refused to give her. “That with this accident, at least the wolves would love and care for that human, and understand us better. They did keep him and raised him as one of their own… he has no love in his heart for humans. He is their Alpha, their leader.”

“Before him, the wolves were dangerous, but they were also disorganized.” Rose placed a hand on Marianne’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. There was more here than a knight being loyal to a princess, but it was none of my business. “They had no plan set except for mindless destruction. But the Alpha has supreme strategy and wits to him. He’s made several critical attacks against the kingdom, striking one place to distract us while he sent others to steal weapons and supplies from our barracks. He has killed many, and one day ago, he made a declaration to us.” She seemed to be pulling Marianne closer to her, protecting her from an unseen force. “He is demanding Marianne’s hand in marriage, thereby making him ruler of the kingdom. If he we do not meet his demand by the end of the month, he swears to go after every child in the kingdom, and devour them alive.”

Instant nausea struck me, and I held my mouth, trying not to gag. Of all the fairy tales to land in, I had to be in the one with cannibalism. I felt my legs go weak, and I had to lean against the wall for support. What happened to bad guys just locking up people in dungeons or putting them under sleeping curses? This was beyond sick.

I heard Marianne timidly ask “Are you all right?”

“No.” I may as well be honest about that. “Can I get a glass of water?” I would’ve asked for ginger ale but I seriously doubted they had it.

Marianne held out her staff, murmured softly “Healing Breath”, and it began to glow again. I didn’t want to see another rainbow show, but instead she tapped me on the head with it, and just like that, my nausea was gone. I didn’t feel a single stir of my stomach. I patted my belly, and she pulled her staff back as I stood up straight. “Wow. Thanks.” I smiled at her, and she smiled back. Maybe that smile alone would have cured me. I shook my head, trying to fight away my puberty to stay on target. “Okay, so you don’t wanna marry the guy, which is pretty understandable. Rose said I can get my human body back. What are we waiting for?” I mentally bid ten bucks on needing a full moon.

Marianne shook her head. “It isn’t so simple.” Of course it wouldn’t be. Why should life be fair now? “In order to change you both back, you two must be within close quarters of one another. A ritual must be completed. Therefore, you and Lady Rose must go to the Lair of the Wolves, deep within the Forest of Death.” She pointed to the forest that had the worst name ever.”That smoke is where they are. ”

I wondered what the smoke could have come from, and my first thought was barbeque. My second thought was barbequed babies. The nausea came back and I doubled over, nearly on my knees. “Oooh man. No way. Uh uh. Cannot do it.” Marianne did her healing touch again, and I heard Rose make an exasperated sigh. “Why can’t he come here?”

“He does not trust us.” Marianne decided to keep close to me in case I got sick again, which I wasn’t objecting to. I could smell peaches off her, her sweet perfume. I like peaches. “As I said, he hates all humans. But he would want to meet with a fellow wolf and hear what he has to say. Lady Rose will guarantee your protection.”

I lifted my head. “Why aren’t you coming? Can’t you use your magic wand to make them all explode?”

“The princess is needed here.” Rose grabbed me by the shoulder and forced me to stand up straight. She would not be having any of my sass. “We can perform the ritual without her. All we need is the Staff of Eternity.”

My eyes went straight to the staff, which sounded like something out of a RPG. Marianne wore a proud smile now, holding the staff sideways in both hands. Now that I was supposed to be studying it, it was very thick, it could be used as a blunt instrument if someone got creative.“The Staff of Eternity has been passed down in my family since the first days of creation. It contains the greatest magic in the world, and it will help you through your difficult journey.”

“And you’re just giving it to me?” I had to say it out loud to make sure it was correct. “But you don’t even know me!”Handing over the most powerful magic in the world seemed like a third base gift.

“You have the body of a wolf… but you have the heart of a human.” Her voice was soft, the kind of hushed tone ladies can have when they’re being both genuine and convincing. “I trust your heart, Brian. If you place the same trust in yourself, then you will able to take on this task. Please…” She held out her hands further, and I was faced with those impossibly perfect eyes. With her this close, I could see that the pink in her cheeks was natural and she didn’t use much make-up. The smell of peaches was mostly around her neck, and even her collar bone was placed ever so perfectly on her body. “Allow me to atone for my mistake.”

I glanced at Rose – she was frowning so hard I thought her face muscles would snap. I tried to play it safe and locked on Marianne. She had wanted me to make her feel guilty, but now I was the one feeling guilty. I couldn’t stand seeing this sweet, innocent little lady prostrating herself for a mistake that put her world in danger. Maybe my stay here wouldn’t be so bad. I’d already spent more time with two beautiful women than I thought I’d ever have in my entire life. Maybe I could spend some more with them – Marianne mostly – when this was over, and when I had a human body that wouldn’t have a tail to wag. I’d have normal arms to hold her, normal lips to kiss her. I might have been getting ahead of myself, but didn’t fairy tales usually wind up in a wedding after a month or two? This could be the happily ever after I never would have gotten back home.

I slowly took out my paws. “If… If you believe I can do this, then… I guess… I can do my best.” My heart was pounding as I tried to take it, but I wound up putting my paws under her hands by mistake. My body froze – this was the first time I had touched a woman who wasn’t my mom. Major difference. Major awesome.

Her hands were in gloves, silky soft, a dainty touch of warmth. Her curly eyelashes fluttered. A demure giggle parted her poised lips, and she began to withdraw her hands in order to hand over the staff. “I thank you, Brian.”

“And I… th-thank you, prin-” The staff dropped to the ground, taking me with it. My paws were crushed to the floor, and I yelled in pain. That thing had to weigh a ton – a LITERAL ton! I howled and whined, trying to pull my hands free, but I was trapped, no matter how much I pulled and pushed. The smart thing to do would have been to ask for help, but instead I kept pulling, hoping that I hadn’t suddenly been knocked off Marianne’s potential suitor list. “H-Hold on… I… I got this… Just… gimmie a minute… I think I can…” So this is what I got for spending P.E. reading Harry Potter instead of doing anything actually physical. Curse you, boy who lived! “Oookay, nobody panic, but I think I popped my spine…”

Rose slapped a palm to her face, and slowly dragged it down. “The time spent in the other world has softened him greatly, your highness.”

“Oh, dear.” Marianne held a hand to her cheek. “I wish I could send more knights along, but that would make the Alpha suspicious. We must make do with what we have.” She bent over, and lightly touched the staff with one hand. “If this form is too difficult for you, hold it tightly and say the words ‘Eternal Depth.’”

“Eternal Depth Eternal Depth Eternal Depth!” I shouted as quickly as possible, and to my relief the staff began to shrink from both ends, until it could fit in the palm of my hand. It was also much lighter, and could fit in my pants pocket. “That helps.”

“And if you wish it to return to full size, when it is at its most powerful,” Marianne stood back up. “Say the words ‘Eternal Length.’”

“That’s all? Eternal Length?” Oh hell – it was ‘normal’ sized again and I was down on the floor again. I think the girls were making excuses not to look at me now, and I couldn’t blame them. Marianne must have some muscles on her. I wonder if I’d get to see them.

Marianne stepped back. “Your journey starts tomorrow. You should both rest now… Lady Rose will take you to your room, Brian. I have much to attend to so that you are both fully prepared.” She curtseyed by the time I was able to stand up again, though that mostly was due to Rose grabbing me by the back of my sweater and forcing me up. “I will see you off in the early morning.” She didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands without her staff, so she held her hands together in front of her after some fidgeting, and walked off.

“See you.” I waved a little, but I don’t think she saw me. Rose had already started walking in the other direction, so I hurriedly stuffed the small staff in my pants pocket and caught up to her. “Nice lady. Is she seeing anyone?”

“Princess Marianne sees everyone.” Rose was keeping her eyes forward, not wanting to look at me without good reason. She was a very linear sort of person, who only does and says things if they had a logical reason to them. It was something I could admire if she wasn’t rude about it.

I paused as I thought of how one would word my follow up question it if they were in a Medieval Times restaurant. “Is anyone… courting her?”

If looks could kill, Rose would have murdered me six times over. “You lay a single paw on her highness, and I will see you hung from the highest tower, and that would only be if I was feeling merciful.”

“Sorry.” I inched away from her a little. “You’re a loyal knight. That’s… good. Very good.” I was trying to make a compliment, but it only sounded weird.

Rose turned a corner, and so did I. “I owe her highness a great debt. I will be faithful to her until the day I am slain in battle.” I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t, so I didn’t push it. Neither of us said another word until we reached what I supposed was my room, given the way Rose opened the wooden door, and then walked away from me.

“See you.” I tried my little wave again, and surprisingly Rose actually stopped to look back at me. It wasn’t for long, and she was walking again within the second. But I figured it was something, at least. If we were going to go on an adventure together, we should at least get along.

I closed the door behind me as I entered the room, which didn’t look too different from the room I had first fallen into from the mirror hole. It was only lit by torches, yet it looked very fancy. Since there were no books to read or any computers to type on, I knew I’d be bored, so I went to the bed and laid down on top of the covers. I had no idea what time it was anymore. Everything that had happened since the Brother guy flew by so fast, yet I had no real way of knowing. I stared at the ceiling and went through the entire day’s events.

If this was all real, if I could actually get the body I was supposed to have, things might actually start working out for me. When I got home, people would be surprised, ask a million questions, and want to do more experiments, but that would all end in time. I’d be a regular kid, with regular legs and arms and hands and a face that didn’t have fangs. Mom would be so happy. She could get a better job, where people wouldn’t bother her over her freak of a son. No more staring or touching or harassment from anyone or any group, no one would want me dead or dissected. Maybe I could even have friends. Maybe I could get a girlfriend. Maybe Dad would…

I forced myself to stop thinking about that. Thinking about Dad never ended well. Besides, I told myself in an effort to keep my eyes dry, this was all speculation. I still had no real guarantee that I’d make it to the Alpha alive. Is that really what he was calling himself? I guess it was a little better than Brian. I turned over in bed, and before Dad could barge his way in my head again, I noticed movement on the wooden head post. I rubbed my eyes a bit, and sat up to get a better look.

Crawling down the head board was a small spider, black with yellow stripes. Since I also see bugs as fellow animals, I’d always done my best not to kill any, even the most annoying fly. Mom would always call out for me when there was a bug in the house, and I’d help get it out before she grabbed the newspaper. I watched it move down and stay on my pillow. It didn’t look deadly, so I felt safe. “Well,” I spoke out loud, feeling safe to voice my thoughts since I was alone. “So far you’re nicer to me than Rose has been.”

“That’s not a difficult task, but thank you all the same.” Said the spider.

Description
Chapter Two

I’d heard the expression “it’s not the fall that kills you”, but I forgot how the rest of it went. Wasn’t this kind of how Gwen Stacy died? It’s weird the stuff you think of as you fall for so long. It must have been over five minutes, yet I never stopped screaming. At first it was words, insulting Rose, then telling myself to wake up, then wanting my mom, and eventually it dissolved into your typical AHHH! When I ran out of breath and readied myself to scream again, I realized that my fall had begun to slow down, defying gravity. I was too confused to make a Broadway joke.

I also saw that the insides of the hole were mirrored, reflecting my slow turn downwards. Rose was upside down, her fingers in her ears until she saw I had stopped screaming.

“Sorry.” I sheepishly smiled.

“Stop apologizing.”

“Sorry.” We were coming to a complete stop on top of a mirrored floor, and Rose had righted herself up by this time. I fell on my back, and since she wouldn’t help me up, I had to do it myself. She tapped the mirror wall with her knuckles, and then the mirrors shrunk down, revealing we were in a lavish bedroom, the kind that only multi-millionaires could afford. All traces of the mirror hole shrunk down until it was only a hand mirror again. “Wow.” Rose picked it up, and I tapped the space where it had been with my foot. It was completely solid. “No chance this is all a dream, right?” She was scowling again. “Sorry.”

“Must you apologize for everything?” She stowed the pocket mirror back in her armor. “Where is your instinct?”

“I, uh, I don’t think I have one.” I shrugged. “I mean, I try not to get angry, or get in fights, and stuff like that.”

“And why is that?” The room was lit up by torches, and the more I saw, the less I liked. There wasn’t a single hint of technology anywhere. No computers, wires, or even a light bulb. The walls were stone, not brick, and the fabric was stitched by hand. It had the workings of a renaissance faire, except it didn’t have the same obvious fakeness.

I shrugged again, my worry showing as I kept observing my surroundings. “I’m not good at fighting. You just decked a guy six times my size. What good would being angry at you do?”

The answer surprised her, and she roughly turned around, almost smacking me in the face with her hair. “The princess is expecting us. Come.” She headed for the door, and I followed. What else could I do? The door was wooden and I politely closed it as we left the room.

I tried to remember everything she had said earlier, walking down a brown stone corridor. Stone was everywhere in this place. “So, this princess… Mary-Sue?”

“Marianne.” Her voice tightened. I’d have to speak very nicely about this princess.

“Marianne. She sent you to fetch me, and to protect me…” I thought long and hard, but as far as I knew, there weren’t any living princesses in the world. I thought Japan had an emperor, Russia’s got that Vlad Putin guy, but there were some British princes. I think they were married, so did that make their wives princesses? “Are we in England? Are there princesses in England?”

“She is not a princess of your world.”

‘World’. She had said that before, though I had thought it was a slip of the tongue. “You’re not really saying that right now, we’re in another…” She stopped and gave me another one of those ‘stop being so stupid’ looks. I was going to have to get used to that expression. “Seriously? You… no, that’s… no.” It couldn’t be. “There’s no such thing. We’re in some… new… high-tech tunnel thing.” It sounded dumb coming out of my mouth but it was a better alternative than ‘travel by mirror’. Besides, Disneyworld had tunnels underground, so it wasn’t that weird, right? Right?

“As I said before, Princess Marianne is better suited to discuss this.” The hallway was expanding, and flags bearing more odd symbols were hung from the walls. Men in armor similar to Rose’s were standing at a pair of wooden doors, also holding axes, though theirs were ordinary silver. They glared at me, tightening the grip on their weapons, until Rose held up a hand. “This is the one.” That was enough for them, and they opened the doors with one shove. I meekly waved to them, but that only made them glare harder. I scooted up closer to Rose as we entered.

More knights were inside, lined up in rows next to a long red and yellow carpet. At the end of the room was a wooden throne, and rising up from the throne was…

I love blondes! And she was strawberry blonde! You couldn’t ask for a better babe than that! That utterly lovable hair was in perfect ringlets, going past her shoulders, almost bouncing with every step she took on the red carpet. Baby blue eyes, pretty pale competition, she could have been a doll, a Barbie doll with that sparkly outfit she was wearing. It was pink, with jewels attached every other inch, making me wonder how she was even walking in that thing. Three red jewels shone in her tiara, and she was holding a silver staff – the top was a circle with a star shape inside. And her breasts were absolutely –

Rose was grabbing my tail, which I only realized then had started to wag. Wolves can’t blush, but my face was very hot as I took it back and quickly pushed it into my pants, whispering sorry after sorry in an effort to stop Rose from killing me right then and there. Rose had started bowing, so I copied the gesture, and the knights all around followed suit.

“Please rise.” Even her voice was sweet, and I smiled stupidly at the sound of it. We all stood up, and she looked me right in the eyes. I shot my eyes down, as I typically did with eye contact, but a shove from Rose made me look back up. I didn’t look at most people for long due to fear. She studied me, her pink lips pushing around for the right thing to say. “… May I know your name?”

Rose had never asked, now that I remembered. “Br… Brian.” I had been named after my grandfather on my dad’s side. It was only a few seconds, but my discomfort was already showing. I did not look at people’s eyes long, period, no matter how nice looking they were. And boy was she ever.

She almost seemed to sense my unease, and took a step backwards, a gloved hand held out. “I mean you no ill will, Brian.”

“Just a habit.” I mumbled out of the side of my mouth, thinking this had given me permission to finally put my eyes around the place. There was a gilded throne in the back, with more pink cuteness and jewels embedded in there. Glass windows perched on the walls, showing a bright blue sky and nothing else. The knights were stoic, though they would gaze at me when they thought they could get away with it, which really wasn’t too different from when I was at crowds at home. “So, um… can you tell me… anything?”

Marianne picked up part of her dress and did a formal curtsy. “My name is Princess Marianne. Welcome to the World of Pages.”

“Pages?” I repeated automatically. That made it sound like we were trapped inside a book. “I’m really in another world?” I had hoped this was the part where everyone revealed this was really just the worst surprise party in the world.

Marianne held up her staff, and spoke, “Cast My Illusions.” It started to glow a faint white. A sphere emitted from the staff, hovering above our heads. The white melted off into nothingness, and now the sphere resembled a globe, like the one from my geography class. It was Earth. “In the beginning, there was only one world, our world. But the Creators saw how we had abused the power of magic, and decided our existence was a mistake.”

I opened my mouth to say that magic didn’t exist, and then closed it before I emitted a single sound.

“Thus, they created your world.” Marianne created a second ‘sphere earth’, and the two worlds hovered side by side. “A world without magic. But this world had its flaws too, and the Creators realized they could not create perfection… perfection does not exist. They regretted their prideful actions, and by way of apology, created a unique way of connecting the worlds.” A rainbow emitted from the ‘first world’ and touched the second one. “They bestowed upon your world’s people the power of ‘imagination’. If they concentrated, they could see glimpses of our world.”

Oh, I did not like where this was going.

Marianne waved her hand, and the two earths began to disappear. “But, over time, your people forgot about the other world, and believed that imagination was their own doing. Our stories became your stories, in different turns and twists. I believe they are mostly deemed fairy tales.”

I was almost biting my mouth now to keep from speaking, because from the bottom of my heart I wanted to yell ‘The trapped in Fairy Tale World cliché? That’s the oldest trope in the book! It is literally in books! And movies! Movies that can’t come up with their own ideas anymore! Are you kidding me?! Am I on a high definition screen where little kids are throwing their popcorn at the screen?!’ Rose quirked an eyebrow, able to tell I was holding something back again, and all I said was “Huh. Is that so?”

Marianne smiled, tilting her head a bit. “You’re taking this very well.”

“Not like I have much of a choice.” My hands were feeling awkward, and I didn’t know what to do with them. “So, how did you get to mine, if we don’t, um, believe anymore?” If the moral of my life story was to just believe in the power of imagination, I don’t think I could keep back a groan. But then I thought of the obvious answer. “Oh, right. Magic.”

Marianne nodded, still smiling in that sweet petite way. I couldn’t get mad at her, so I only got mad at the circumstances. “I take it you have heard the tale of Alice and the Looking Glass?”

“Oh.” I wanted to say that made sense, but nothing had done that today.

“May I join in, your highness?” Rose suddenly spoke up, giving me a start since I’d nearly forgotten she was there, having been so quiet. That and my entire attention was devoted to Marianne.

“Of course, Lady Rose.” Marianne’s smile brightened, definitely happy to have Rose speak with us. I guess they must be really good friends, or something like that. I saw then that as long as Rose was looking at Marianne, she wasn’t giving her ugly scowl. She wasn’t smiling, either, but it was a kind of good looking neutrality, maybe respectful if I needed a better word for it. But now that she was looking back to me, she was scowling again, and I remembered the saying “Your face will get stuck like that”. That’d suck for her, and maybe it’d serve her right.

“Travel to the other world is forbidden.”Rose began, arms crossed. What had I done too piss her off now? Or was she always this angry? It couldn’t be good for her blood pressure. “It is only done in extreme situations. The kind of magic it requires is only known to a select chosen few.”

“Axe guy knew it.” I winced after saying it, knowing I had spoken out of turn. “… Well, he did.”

Marianne was puzzled, lips parted but unsure what to follow up with. Rose sighed heavily. “A member of the Brother of Blade found the wolf-”

“Brian.” Marianne interjected. I liked her.

“… Found… Brian…” Rose wasn’t too fond of addressing me by name. “And attempted to kill him. I dealt with him, and he should return on his own.”

Marianne twisted one of her hair ringlets around her finger. “I see… that certainly does explain a few things.”

Like hell it did! I cleared my throat, hoping to be brought back into the conversation. Marianne let go of her hair, looking apologetic for her slip, and she explained to make up for it. “Ah… the Brother of Blade are a renegade group of vigilantes, who have a twisted sense of justice and honor. A month ago, they raided my castle and stole some of my spell books. That’s most likely how they learned how to travel to your world. Rest assured, you will be protected here. I have made it an order that you are not to be harmed.”

“Thanks.” I smiled back at her, doing my best not to show any of my teeth. I didn’t want to scare her off and make her regret this decision. “Looks like I really owe you one.”

The princess shook her head, now sadder with every passing minute. “On the contrary, dear Brian.” Dear? I liked her more. “It is I who owes you a great and horrible debt.” She looked down, holding onto her staff like it was a precious teddy bear. “… I am the reason you are Brian the wolf, and not Brian the boy.”

I looked down at my paws, and then up at her, then back down again. When I was born, absolutely no one had an explanation for the way I was. When I was in Mom, I looked normal to every doctor. Every health test had been passed with flying colors. I was a planned baby, and my parents had a name picked out, schools picked out, even decorated a room for me ahead of time. But when I popped out, I was a furry puppy, and a nurse had fainted when she saw me. Mom only let people examine me to see if I was in good health, and aside from the species mix-up, I was a healthy baby. There was no scientific term for normal baby one second and wolf the next. There were conditions where humans can grow excessive amounts of hair, but I wasn’t human at all. Even today people were still making guesses, and no one could prove anything. At least not without dissecting me.

“What do you mean?” I said after a very long silence.

Marianne turned her back to us. “Please follow me.” She stepped off of the carpet, and the knights parted to let her pass. Rose and I walked behind Marianne, following her out of the room and into a different hallway, where a large stain glass window was placed. I’d seen some at churches, usually depicting an honorable moment in the bible. Mom and I tried to go every Sunday, but we weren’t really welcomed with open arms. This one had a knight and a wolf ready to do battle, but the wolf was like me – standing on its hind legs like a person. They were on opposing sides of an hourglass, stuck in eternal battle. A chill ran down my back, but I couldn’t explain it. Marianne pushed on the knight’s legs, and the window opened in two, spilling the hour glass in half by its sides.

I’m afraid of a lot of things, but thankfully heights aren’t one of them. Otherwise I would have run when I had seen how high up we were, barely able to make out any buildings below. But I could see across the land, with tall trees and colored mountains. There was smoke coming out of the tall forest, and the air was chilly. For a world of fairy tales and make-believe, it all seemed kind of plain. It wasn’t anything unordinary, I could have easily been watching the Discovery channel. Had I expected some fairies to come flittering by? I waited for Marianne to speak some more.

“Since our creation,” Marianne started up again, her voice heavy as her heart, “We have always been at war with the wolves. They seek to conquer my kingdom, and eventually rule the entire world. That is how it is always been, but when it came my time to rule, I wanted to change things. It pained me to see fear so average in the face of every citizen. So, I looked for a spell to help me understand the wolves.”

Did she want to become the Wolf Whisperer? How were you supposed to understand wolves, they were wild animals! But instead of saying any of that, I glanced back at the window, at the wolf that stood like I stood. That unsettling feeling was creeping up on the back of my neck. “Princess…” I spoke slowly, not comfortable with any words coming out of my mouth. “... What are… your wolves like?” Both girls looked at me, confused, and I shut my eyes as I kept talking. “… In my… world…” I still couldn’t believe I had to say that. “… Wolves aren’t supposed to stand. And speak. And dress. And… pretty much anything I do, wolves aren’t supposed to do. They’re animals, wild animals.”

Marianne and Rose exchanged an astonished look, and then Marianne took up speaking again once she had regained herself. “You are how wolves are in our world. They have always been intelligent-”

“There is no need to go that far, your highness.” Rose cut in, snorting derisively. “Just because something can speak hardly means it is intelligent.” You bet she was looking at me as she said that. “Wolves are savage, bloodthirsty creatures that only care for their own kind, and the destruction they can cause. They are born evil, and shall die evil, without a single regret in their bones.” She suddenly stopped, seeing pain in Marianne’s expression. I didn’t think Rose was capable of it, but she looked regretful of what she had done, and stumbled for words. “I… mean you no insult, your highness. You were trying to help.”

“No, you may be right.” Marianne forlornly gazed out the window, her eyes on the smoke. “It was my naivety that caused this tragedy in the first place, and thus I must correct it.” She swallowed, and faced me. “I found a unique spell book locked up in my father’s belongings, but the pages had been worn out, making it very difficult to read. But I was confident it had the answers, from what I could make out. I thought it would help me understand the wolves, and so I cast it. But between my misunderstanding of the book and my own weak magic at the time, the spell went awry, and a switch was made between our worlds. A body of a wolf from our world and a body of a boy from your world switched at birth.” She stopped talking, allowing all of that to sink in.

On the one hand, it explained why all of a sudden I was a human baby inside mom and popped out a wolf. On the other hand, WHAT THE EVERLOVING HECK?! What sense did that make? What sense did any of this make? I opened and closed my mouth many times, but nothing came out. What was I supposed to say to that? What was I supposed to think to that? I even lifted my paws a few times, but I couldn’t create a gesture out of anything. The girls were watching me expectantly, thinking I’d do something. Rose was holding onto her axe, just in case. But all I did was stand there and gape like a goldfish.

“Don’t you wish to yell at me?” Marianne broke the silence, taking a step forward while putting a hand to her heart. “Your life must not have been easy, and it is my fault. You may lash out your grievances at me.” Rose’s face wasn’t agreeing to that, but she too expected a loud reaction out of me.

I couldn’t give it to them, even if I wanted to. I was angry, yes, but… I dropped my paws. “I can’t… really get mad at you. It’s not like you wanted this to happen. And… being mad at you isn’t going to solve anything. I’ve been this way for fourteen years… I think I already used up all my ‘grievance giving.’” I had never really thought this was someone’s fault. It had been an accident, a slip of nature’s tongue. Or maybe everything here was so surreal that it seemed pointless to get mad. “But, um, I guess… why tell me now?”

Rose was easing her touch on her axe, but was still wary of me. Was she hoping for a delayed reaction? “The you of your world may be a peaceful coward, but the you of this world is one of the greatest threats our world has ever seen.”

I’d nearly overlooked that tidbit, and I looked out the window. “Oh, that’s right… if I was born a wolf among humans, he must have been born a human among wolves… He didn’t get eaten?”

“I had hoped,” Marianne was holding herself again, giving herself the guilt I refused to give her. “That with this accident, at least the wolves would love and care for that human, and understand us better. They did keep him and raised him as one of their own… he has no love in his heart for humans. He is their Alpha, their leader.”

“Before him, the wolves were dangerous, but they were also disorganized.” Rose placed a hand on Marianne’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. There was more here than a knight being loyal to a princess, but it was none of my business. “They had no plan set except for mindless destruction. But the Alpha has supreme strategy and wits to him. He’s made several critical attacks against the kingdom, striking one place to distract us while he sent others to steal weapons and supplies from our barracks. He has killed many, and one day ago, he made a declaration to us.” She seemed to be pulling Marianne closer to her, protecting her from an unseen force. “He is demanding Marianne’s hand in marriage, thereby making him ruler of the kingdom. If he we do not meet his demand by the end of the month, he swears to go after every child in the kingdom, and devour them alive.”

Instant nausea struck me, and I held my mouth, trying not to gag. Of all the fairy tales to land in, I had to be in the one with cannibalism. I felt my legs go weak, and I had to lean against the wall for support. What happened to bad guys just locking up people in dungeons or putting them under sleeping curses? This was beyond sick.

I heard Marianne timidly ask “Are you all right?”

“No.” I may as well be honest about that. “Can I get a glass of water?” I would’ve asked for ginger ale but I seriously doubted they had it.

Marianne held out her staff, murmured softly “Healing Breath”, and it began to glow again. I didn’t want to see another rainbow show, but instead she tapped me on the head with it, and just like that, my nausea was gone. I didn’t feel a single stir of my stomach. I patted my belly, and she pulled her staff back as I stood up straight. “Wow. Thanks.” I smiled at her, and she smiled back. Maybe that smile alone would have cured me. I shook my head, trying to fight away my puberty to stay on target. “Okay, so you don’t wanna marry the guy, which is pretty understandable. Rose said I can get my human body back. What are we waiting for?” I mentally bid ten bucks on needing a full moon.

Marianne shook her head. “It isn’t so simple.” Of course it wouldn’t be. Why should life be fair now? “In order to change you both back, you two must be within close quarters of one another. A ritual must be completed. Therefore, you and Lady Rose must go to the Lair of the Wolves, deep within the Forest of Death.” She pointed to the forest that had the worst name ever.”That smoke is where they are. ”

I wondered what the smoke could have come from, and my first thought was barbeque. My second thought was barbequed babies. The nausea came back and I doubled over, nearly on my knees. “Oooh man. No way. Uh uh. Cannot do it.” Marianne did her healing touch again, and I heard Rose make an exasperated sigh. “Why can’t he come here?”

“He does not trust us.” Marianne decided to keep close to me in case I got sick again, which I wasn’t objecting to. I could smell peaches off her, her sweet perfume. I like peaches. “As I said, he hates all humans. But he would want to meet with a fellow wolf and hear what he has to say. Lady Rose will guarantee your protection.”

I lifted my head. “Why aren’t you coming? Can’t you use your magic wand to make them all explode?”

“The princess is needed here.” Rose grabbed me by the shoulder and forced me to stand up straight. She would not be having any of my sass. “We can perform the ritual without her. All we need is the Staff of Eternity.”

My eyes went straight to the staff, which sounded like something out of a RPG. Marianne wore a proud smile now, holding the staff sideways in both hands. Now that I was supposed to be studying it, it was very thick, it could be used as a blunt instrument if someone got creative.“The Staff of Eternity has been passed down in my family since the first days of creation. It contains the greatest magic in the world, and it will help you through your difficult journey.”

“And you’re just giving it to me?” I had to say it out loud to make sure it was correct. “But you don’t even know me!”Handing over the most powerful magic in the world seemed like a third base gift.

“You have the body of a wolf… but you have the heart of a human.” Her voice was soft, the kind of hushed tone ladies can have when they’re being both genuine and convincing. “I trust your heart, Brian. If you place the same trust in yourself, then you will able to take on this task. Please…” She held out her hands further, and I was faced with those impossibly perfect eyes. With her this close, I could see that the pink in her cheeks was natural and she didn’t use much make-up. The smell of peaches was mostly around her neck, and even her collar bone was placed ever so perfectly on her body. “Allow me to atone for my mistake.”

I glanced at Rose – she was frowning so hard I thought her face muscles would snap. I tried to play it safe and locked on Marianne. She had wanted me to make her feel guilty, but now I was the one feeling guilty. I couldn’t stand seeing this sweet, innocent little lady prostrating herself for a mistake that put her world in danger. Maybe my stay here wouldn’t be so bad. I’d already spent more time with two beautiful women than I thought I’d ever have in my entire life. Maybe I could spend some more with them – Marianne mostly – when this was over, and when I had a human body that wouldn’t have a tail to wag. I’d have normal arms to hold her, normal lips to kiss her. I might have been getting ahead of myself, but didn’t fairy tales usually wind up in a wedding after a month or two? This could be the happily ever after I never would have gotten back home.

I slowly took out my paws. “If… If you believe I can do this, then… I guess… I can do my best.” My heart was pounding as I tried to take it, but I wound up putting my paws under her hands by mistake. My body froze – this was the first time I had touched a woman who wasn’t my mom. Major difference. Major awesome.

Her hands were in gloves, silky soft, a dainty touch of warmth. Her curly eyelashes fluttered. A demure giggle parted her poised lips, and she began to withdraw her hands in order to hand over the staff. “I thank you, Brian.”

“And I… th-thank you, prin-” The staff dropped to the ground, taking me with it. My paws were crushed to the floor, and I yelled in pain. That thing had to weigh a ton – a LITERAL ton! I howled and whined, trying to pull my hands free, but I was trapped, no matter how much I pulled and pushed. The smart thing to do would have been to ask for help, but instead I kept pulling, hoping that I hadn’t suddenly been knocked off Marianne’s potential suitor list. “H-Hold on… I… I got this… Just… gimmie a minute… I think I can…” So this is what I got for spending P.E. reading Harry Potter instead of doing anything actually physical. Curse you, boy who lived! “Oookay, nobody panic, but I think I popped my spine…”

Rose slapped a palm to her face, and slowly dragged it down. “The time spent in the other world has softened him greatly, your highness.”

“Oh, dear.” Marianne held a hand to her cheek. “I wish I could send more knights along, but that would make the Alpha suspicious. We must make do with what we have.” She bent over, and lightly touched the staff with one hand. “If this form is too difficult for you, hold it tightly and say the words ‘Eternal Depth.’”

“Eternal Depth Eternal Depth Eternal Depth!” I shouted as quickly as possible, and to my relief the staff began to shrink from both ends, until it could fit in the palm of my hand. It was also much lighter, and could fit in my pants pocket. “That helps.”

“And if you wish it to return to full size, when it is at its most powerful,” Marianne stood back up. “Say the words ‘Eternal Length.’”

“That’s all? Eternal Length?” Oh hell – it was ‘normal’ sized again and I was down on the floor again. I think the girls were making excuses not to look at me now, and I couldn’t blame them. Marianne must have some muscles on her. I wonder if I’d get to see them.

Marianne stepped back. “Your journey starts tomorrow. You should both rest now… Lady Rose will take you to your room, Brian. I have much to attend to so that you are both fully prepared.” She curtseyed by the time I was able to stand up again, though that mostly was due to Rose grabbing me by the back of my sweater and forcing me up. “I will see you off in the early morning.” She didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands without her staff, so she held her hands together in front of her after some fidgeting, and walked off.

“See you.” I waved a little, but I don’t think she saw me. Rose had already started walking in the other direction, so I hurriedly stuffed the small staff in my pants pocket and caught up to her. “Nice lady. Is she seeing anyone?”

“Princess Marianne sees everyone.” Rose was keeping her eyes forward, not wanting to look at me without good reason. She was a very linear sort of person, who only does and says things if they had a logical reason to them. It was something I could admire if she wasn’t rude about it.

I paused as I thought of how one would word my follow up question it if they were in a Medieval Times restaurant. “Is anyone… courting her?”

If looks could kill, Rose would have murdered me six times over. “You lay a single paw on her highness, and I will see you hung from the highest tower, and that would only be if I was feeling merciful.”

“Sorry.” I inched away from her a little. “You’re a loyal knight. That’s… good. Very good.” I was trying to make a compliment, but it only sounded weird.

Rose turned a corner, and so did I. “I owe her highness a great debt. I will be faithful to her until the day I am slain in battle.” I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t, so I didn’t push it. Neither of us said another word until we reached what I supposed was my room, given the way Rose opened the wooden door, and then walked away from me.

“See you.” I tried my little wave again, and surprisingly Rose actually stopped to look back at me. It wasn’t for long, and she was walking again within the second. But I figured it was something, at least. If we were going to go on an adventure together, we should at least get along.

I closed the door behind me as I entered the room, which didn’t look too different from the room I had first fallen into from the mirror hole. It was only lit by torches, yet it looked very fancy. Since there were no books to read or any computers to type on, I knew I’d be bored, so I went to the bed and laid down on top of the covers. I had no idea what time it was anymore. Everything that had happened since the Brother guy flew by so fast, yet I had no real way of knowing. I stared at the ceiling and went through the entire day’s events.

If this was all real, if I could actually get the body I was supposed to have, things might actually start working out for me. When I got home, people would be surprised, ask a million questions, and want to do more experiments, but that would all end in time. I’d be a regular kid, with regular legs and arms and hands and a face that didn’t have fangs. Mom would be so happy. She could get a better job, where people wouldn’t bother her over her freak of a son. No more staring or touching or harassment from anyone or any group, no one would want me dead or dissected. Maybe I could even have friends. Maybe I could get a girlfriend. Maybe Dad would…

I forced myself to stop thinking about that. Thinking about Dad never ended well. Besides, I told myself in an effort to keep my eyes dry, this was all speculation. I still had no real guarantee that I’d make it to the Alpha alive. Is that really what he was calling himself? I guess it was a little better than Brian. I turned over in bed, and before Dad could barge his way in my head again, I noticed movement on the wooden head post. I rubbed my eyes a bit, and sat up to get a better look.

Crawling down the head board was a small spider, black with yellow stripes. Since I also see bugs as fellow animals, I’d always done my best not to kill any, even the most annoying fly. Mom would always call out for me when there was a bug in the house, and I’d help get it out before she grabbed the newspaper. I watched it move down and stay on my pillow. It didn’t look deadly, so I felt safe. “Well,” I spoke out loud, feeling safe to voice my thoughts since I was alone. “So far you’re nicer to me than Rose has been.”

“That’s not a difficult task, but thank you all the same.” Said the spider.