Currently in Saint Claire, it's a sunny day. The temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius). The wind is currently coming in from the north at 9 mph. The barometric pressure reading is 29.94 and falling, and the relative humidity is 53 percent. The dewpoint is 57 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius.)
Currently the moon is in the waning Gibbous Moon phase (67% full).
It is currently 20:22 Pacific Time on Tue Jul 10 2001.
McDonald's(#1393RJ)
A small McDonald's which is devoid of any sort of garish trappings. Instead, it seems to focus on fast, friendly service with a smile and good food. Above the counter to the north, you can see the glowing yellow billboard which details the food and prices. Behind the cashiers, a few people can be seen scurrying about near the grill, making drinks or tossing finished burgers down a small metal chute toward the cashiers. Along the side wall, children's high chairs can be seen, each with the grinning face of Ronald McDonald. A wall poster asks you to donate money to the Ronald McDonald House. Opposite the cashier counter are both Smoking and Non-Smoking sections for in-house dining. Fake plastic plants hang from the ceiling and below the skylight in the center of the room is a square wooden basin that rises 3 feet into the air. In the basin are live potted plants, including a rather stumpy tree.
A glass door on the western side of the fast food joint leads back out onto the street.
Dizzy is sitting at a table, idly picking at her french fries. A mostly eaten chicken sandwich lays on a napkin in front of her next to her very large drink. She appears to be a bit on either the depressed or bored side.
Jeremy heads inside the McDonald's quickly on shuffling feet, running a hand back through his hair. He doesn't look to be very happy, perhaps frustrated, or disapointed.
Here stands a young man just barely past the age of 18. Thin and with a pale complexion, it looks as if he didn't get enough sunshine during his years. Perhaps the most attractive feature Jeremy really has is the pair of beautiful blue eyes that usually seem to shine with a hint of curiousity. To finish off the slender frame of his face, he wears a pair of wire rimmed glasses. His hair is natural blonde, which has actually been dyed dark black, perhaps the only rebellious moment he's ever had in his life before graduation. The cheek length bangs are still blonde, giving an off-balance pattern when he combs them back. He isn't very athletically built, even though he has the potential to be 'good looking' if he gave himself half the chance.
The way he dresses is quite plain. He typically has on a clean pair of blue jeans, not too baggy or too loose, but fitted enough to not give him too much of a dorky appearance. He tends to stick to plain T-shirts, or casual button downs. He wears a pair of ordinary looking shoes from a no name brand. He's pretty consertive in his looks, not finding much use for popular trends or fads.
Dizzy looks up at the sound of the door entering, and then goes back to her fry picking. What was she expecting, a circus?
The circus is nothing compared to this boring, dorky looking kid with the oddly dyed hair. Jeremy steps up in line and quickly orders a number three, no smelly's or green things, and takes his cup for a soda fill. He seems quick to rush everything he does, smile, talk, order, glance about. Fidgety, yes?
Dizzy starts to stare at the kid, he's up rather late, and looks like he's on something, he could know of a happening place in this unfamilliar city. She motions him over, "Hey, over here. Come from a party?"
After filling his coke with three choice flavors of soda, Jeremy glances up at the voice and turns around quickly on his worn sneakers, peering at her. He blinks for a quick moment, then takes out his palm pilot from his belt hook and taps the screen on. A few more taps is followed, a glance from her, to the device.
A bit of blinking as the boy fiddles with his toy, Dizzy asks, "Are you wasted or something?"
Jeremy takes another look at her, then peers at the screen -- drawing his small stick up it. "Hmm.. Amanda?" He asks, peering back at her now with his own bright, blue eyes. He's definitly not stoned, just preoccupied.
Shocked would be putting it lightly, Dizzy jumps in her seat and stares at the boy with eyes wide open, "How'd you know my name?" she demands. She holds the table edge tightly with one hand, looking very defensive, maybe even ready to bolt.
Turning the small PDA around in his hand, he shows her well, her picture. A slight smile tugs upon the end of Jeremy's lips, then oh's to himself. His order is ready. Turning around, he picks up the tray and carries it off to another table, flickering only a brief glance to her.
Hurridly, Dizzy tries to come up with a valid explanation on why this boy has her picture on his PDA, it appears to be a school photo, so it probably wasn't something grabbed of the internet that a mad ex-boyfriend could possibly have posted.
Jeremy plops down into a seat and turns the device off, tucking it back onto his belt. And with that, he just simply goes to eating, almost dismissivly of the act a few moments ago.
"So... who are you?" the young woman asks slowly, calmly, knowing there must be a logical explanation, she just can't come up with it. Suddenly, her face brightens. Of course! Daddy had said she had distant cousins living up here, maybe this was one of them. "What's your name?" She asks the silent boy.
Jeremy pops a fry into his mouth and chews absently, then swallows. "Jeremy Winters." Peering back to her, he stares at her from behind his glasses. "I got an email from your father a few days ago."
Ah! So he can talk! Amazing. At the news Dizzy is instantly more relaxed. She smiles at Jeremy, "Okay, you about gave me a heart attack like that, Jeremy." Picking up her soda for a drink she informs him, "You really should call me Dizzy, that's what my friends call me."
"A lot of people call me things too, just nothing real nice." Jeremy peers up at her for a moment, then absently shrugs. "Jeremy is just fine for me.. So.. how are you doing? St. Claire treating you alright?"
Dizzy takes a sip and sets her drink back down, "Not too bad, I've only been in town a couple days now. Trying to finish everything before the next semester starts. I'm not even sure if I should apply for a dorm room. I'm staying at a motel right now. Dads hinted that I might stay with you guys." Apparently she already figures Jeremy for her cousin.
"I'll talk to Roger and John, about setting you up with a place. The family needs to know about you here." Reaching into his jacket, Jeremy wishes out a phone and dials a number, placing it to his ear.
Jeremy talks into the phone, softly. "Its me Jeremy, a cub of the tribe is here at the local McDonald's.. um.. Amanda Bradstreet." He waits for a few moments, searching for a response.
Dizzy makes a mental note to remember the names, Roger and John. She pics at her fries some more as Jeremy makes the call.
Cub? Tribe? What the heck is this boy talking about, she gives Jeremy a quizzical look, trying to get him to explain what the heck he's talking about.
"Her father emailed me a few nights and told me that she will be coming to the area to study for college, but she is unclued, living in a motel. And um.. Roger's place? But he isn't there right now..." Jeremy continues into the phone.
Dizzy is unclued? Clued about what? Something to do with cubs and tribes evedently, she tries listening as hard as she can, something strange is going on. All of her attention is devoted now to Jeremy and his cell phone, the food sitting there forgotten.
Jeremy sighs slightly as he bites his lip, then softly responds back into the phone.
Jeremy muffles his voice this time, turning around so she can't hear. He looks obviously frustrated and confused, as if he doesn't know what to do.
The obvious hiding only succeeds in making Dizzy more curious, she strains to hear, however fruitless, impatiently awaiting the end of the call so she can get some explanation.
Jeremy sighs and hangs up the phone and tucks it back into his jacket, mummuring to himself. "Great.. what good is it that he's the god damn fucking..." He pauses, sighing. Then, he peers back to Dizzy.
Dizzy peers back, obviously hoping for some explanation. So intent on this that she's ignorantly placed an elbow in the remains of her sandwich.
"You are going to have to use bleach to get that out." Jeremy says, motioning to her elbow. "Um.. looks like you get to go to.. my place tonight."
Dizzy blinks and glances down, "Holy...!" She stands up and surveys the damage, not to the burger, but to her blouse. She turns to face Jeremy and answer him. "Huh, your place?" she inquires.
Dizzy dabs the stain with a napkin, it doesn't seem to be as bad as she had thought. A little stain cleaner and a wash should get it clean again. "I've got to get my things, of course. That shouldn't take long."
Jeremy nods his head with a slight sigh, standing up, forgetting about his food. "Um.. sure.. I'll walk you there and um.. help you out." Great, Roger is going to kill him.
Gathering the smooshed sandwich and the remaining fries, Dizzy dumps them all onto her tray. She takes one last sip of her drink and sets in on the tray and dumps it. "We don't need to walk, you know. I drive," she informs Jeremy.
Jeremy ohs slightly as he glances over to the unclued cub, then nods. "Um.. sure.. if you want.. Yah.."
Whispering Pines - Roger's Apt(#2598RAJL)
This apartment gives a look of high expense, not in the building itself, but it's contents. The walls and ceiling are painted pure black, and the carpet matches the darkness, save for some off color fuzz, being that it's a pretty new carpet. Across from the door in the living area is a large black entertainment center consisting of a not suprisingly black 42" TV, a large fully digital stereo system with CD and tape players, AM/FM stereo, a setting for the TV, and a useless setting called 'phono'. There are various gaming systems tucked into the entertainment center as well, baring names like Dreamcast, Playstation and Playstation 2, various systems with the word 'Nintendo' upon them... 3D0, NeoGeo, and finally something called a 'colecovision'. This system is complemented nicely by a high quality Bose surround sound speaker system. Two black leather couches are on the left and right of the living area, angled at the entertainment center. A large chest rests on the ground between the couches and the entertainment center, working as a foot rest. The only sources of light are the LEDs on the stereo, the TV, and a small blacklight bulb in the fan in the center of the apartment. A door to the right of the apartment leads to Roger's bedroom(+view) and the small kitchen is visable on the right side of the apartment, almost a part of the living room. The kitchen is lit up by a hallogen lamp, resting next to the front door, pointed towards it.
A black door to on the left wall of the apartment leads into the bedroom. The bedroom itself is oddly contrasted to the main living room of the apartment, being that it is completly white, the walls, the bed, and the closet.
Dizzy 's jaw drops as she enters, she sets down the suitcase she was carrying and removes her sunglasses and puts them in her coat's inside pocket. "It's like some guy's wetdream. I take it you bachelors live alone? Without female companionship, I mean."
Jeremy glances over his shoulder to her. "Do I look like I can attract females?" The young kin places some bags down on the ground and closes the door behind him. "Roger is rich.. I just live here."
Dizzy continues looking around. "Well, some girls like dorky guys," is what she says. Mostly fat and ugly ones is what is not added. "I'm a bit confused," she confesses to Jeremy, "How exactly are you related to Roger?" She glances around and adds, "And just where am I going to be sleeping?"
"Um... the couch, its a fold out. I guess I'll.. um.. sleep on the floor, or with Roger." Jeremy doesn't seem to pleased with that last idea. "I'm related to Roger by um.. in a way." Is all he can really offer, sighing. "Its hard to explain, perhaps he, or John can. They know the family tree better."
Dizzy doesn't seem too keen on the idea of sleeping on a foldout, and seems generally disgusted with this new situation. "Well, then," she asks, "Where should I put my things?"
Jeremy glances about slowly, then ums. "On the floor if you want.. We should wait for Roger to get home tho' until we really get into much details of stuff. It is his house afterall." He slips onto the couch and leans back a bit, adjusting his glasses.
Dizzy tilts her head to the side, this all feeling mishmashed together at the last minute, which it apparently has. A wild thought comes to her head, this could easily be the home of some hacker-type. Someone who could infiltrate email. The boy did say that he wasn't sure of the relationship. She takes out her cell phone, "Do you mind if I make a call?" she asks.
Jeremy shrugs his shoulders. "I don't pay your cell bill, so go ahead." He mummurs quietly as he leans into the cushions, offering a slight sigh.
Dizzy hits an button on the phone and turns away as it apparently rings, "Hello?" she says finally, "Mom! Hey is dad there?" A pause, "Dads? Hey... yeah, everything is all right... yeah, school is starting soon... Dads... Dads, what's the name of those cousins you said lived up here?" Another pause, longer. "Yeah... uh huh... uh huh... okay. Yeah, I love you too dad." She frowns as turns the phone off and puts it away and turns back around, "I'll just leave the rest of my stuff in the car for now, then. Until Roger gets here, I guess. Do you expect him back tonight?"
"So, what names did he give you?" Jeremy asks, avoiding the first question, eyes lifting up curiously to peer back at her.
"Your name," she sighs, "Forgive me for being suspicious, but you don't look very prepared, plus... I'm just surprised that Dads expects me to room with two guys. Or three, does that John live here too?" She regrets asking as the words leave her mouth. No is the obvious answer, there is hardly room for two people already.
Jeremy shakes his head. "No. Um. John lives down town or something. I'm sure you won't be living here once Roger gets home from his job tonight. And I'm sure once he finds out, I won't be either." Grumbling, he rubs the back of his neck, sighing. "Anyways, you been having some really weird dreams lately eh'?"
Dizzy avoids the dream question for the dual purpose of not talking about something she feels is very personal and to inquire further into this curious situation, "You won't be either? What is going on here. Why even take me here if this Roger fellow is going to kick you out for it?"
"Because John is in a bad mood." Jeremy offers slightly with a smile, then continues. "So.. dreaming about wolves huh? Growing into one, getting real big -- going rarr?" He asks, making a swiping motion with his fingers, as if they were claws.
Dizzy shakes her head. She's not usually one to cave, but this kid is on the ball. "Not like that, more like I'm being chased. I think by wolves, but I'm not sure. I've had it for a while. Dads said not to worry about it, but... I've been having the same dream for a long time, though." She finds a place to sit on the floor and looks up to Jeremy, "How did you know, about the dreams?"
Jeremy glances up at her and shrugs slightly. "Everyone has dreams you know.. just... um..everyone 'here' has those dreams, well.. not me. cuz' I'm not special enough to, ya'know?" Shaking his head, he sighs. "Its hard to explain.. You been getting angry real easy eh'?"
"Getting angry? I know that if you wake someone up from a dream they're supposed to be grouchy. I know I get that way, but otherwise, no. I'm a pretty calm person. You still haven't answered my question, though." Dizzy prods, hoping for an explanation.
"Which one? You've asked a few." Jeremy says slightly as he stands up, moving across the room now. "I thought you'd notice I was avoiding them."
Dizzy is a little miffed at that, "So, you gonna tell me or not? Something doesn't seem right ever since I saw you at McDonalds."
"Duh." Jeremy says as he reaches the stereo, fishing through a few CD's. "Taking you this long to say something about it? Hello, you let me get into your car, not knowing anything past a name I gave you, and now you took all of your stuff here. For all you know, I'm just some really freaky guy who killed the real Jeremy and is now holding you hostage, because unknowingly, I got a few people here watching on camera's, an they all got guns or whatever, and I'm the skinny lil nerd guy who's used as easy to lure eye candy." He says that almost wickedly.
Dizzy watches him, a tad ticked now. No one likes having their failings pointed out to them, and she gets really riled at the last part, but she blows it off, opting to rationalize it, "Yeah, but you knew who I was. And I talked to Dads. You don't look like you could kill anyone, either" It's apparent she hasn't fully convinced herself as much as she pretends to have.
"Guns can kill anyone, no matter who's hands they are in." Jeremy replies back wittily as he whirls back at her, smirking a bit. "Like I said, 'maybe' this is all planned out and we kidnapped you for a reason. Ransom money perhaps? Why not you. Young girl, living in a hotel with no true ties here, family off in who knows where. Now that we got you, we make a call and we get money. Then, just to have fun, we tie you up, cut your throat, leave your body in some river and the world hopes you get found before you decompose into a batch of ceullar nothingness."
Dizzy is flabbergasted, the wole story could be true, and he certanly sounds convincing enough. No mind that if it were true, he probably wouldn't be telling her. Slowly, she rises, planning to bolt for the door.
"Don't bother running, door is locked and there's two men standing outside, waiting with fully automatic rifles." Jeremy pulls out a CD and runs his finger along the outside of it, walking slowly, almost as if on guard. His eyes watch her carefully, making sure to drop the charade in case he has to. "Stupid, stupid girl. And just to let you know, Eric just loves his knife collection."
Glancing from the door to the boy calling himself Jeremy and back again, Dizzy decides to bolt from the door, but when she finds it locked and then someone knocks on it, she falls into fully beliving ths story. Qucikly she turns to face Jeremy, her back against the door, "Don't come near me!" She commands.
Jeremy nearly jumps out of his shoes as he hears the knocking, a soft 'eep' coming from his lips. Whirling around, he faces the door, eyes widened. "Ok! um.. this isn't part of the joke..really."
After a pause, there is another knock at the door. "Jeremy? Hello?"
Dizzy is livid, "Joke? Joke? This is just a _joke_?" She storms towards Jeremy.
Jeremy blinks as Dizzy starts to approach, quickly back peddling himself. Eyes widened behind his glasses, the young kin looks like he may piss the proverbial pants. "Sophia, Um... Help!"
Sophia quickly pulls the keys out of her pocket, fumbling as she unlocks the door. She moves in swiftly, sizing up the situation.
Dizzy growls as low as her vocal chords allow, "A joke?" She asks one more time as she comes ever closer and... bigger.
Jeremy glances to Dizzy, then to Sophia, to Dizzy, to Sophia. And soon quickly, the color from his face vanishes. What color? Oh yes, thats right, computer nerd, he doesn't get much in the way of sun, but he can do a pretty good casper impersonation right now. Swallowing, he continues to back peddle. "Um.. no.. more like a test..which..um.. you.. um.. are.. passing.."
Sophia looks to Jeremy, slamming the door behind her. "Who is this girl?" She steps between him and the unknown person.
Jeremy has done what he set out to do... theoretically. He achieved what two years of mundane college life could not do. Dizzy finally rages, gaing a couple of feet and height, and much weight too. A coat of grey and white splotchy fur begins to cover her body, her clothes breaking past their limit and tearing, her face becoming more and more canine.
Sophia growls at the girl. "Back down. Now."
That which was once a mild young woman turns to the new voice and growls at her.
Jeremy scoots behind Sophia quickly and closes the door, locking it. "Shit.. oh shit.. um.. shit.. "
It is not a comforting sight. Towering, covered in mottled brown-and-white fur, and decked with fang and claw, it does not look capable of rest. It speaks only in grunts and growls, spraying spittle and gnashing teeth. If it could just be kept talking, maybe it wouldn't do anything else - anything /worse/.
Sophia turns to Jeremy. "Get to a safe place." The other girl is in her full height now, teeth bared. Unable to do more than growl, she makes sure that her growl can be understood. She steps toward the newly changed cub, ready to defend herself and her kin.
The newly changed werewolf follows the boy's movements with her head, the target of her rage. Unfortunately, another beast seems to be keeping her from getting what she wants. She growls as loud as she can, hoping to scare the other away and let her at her prey.
The only safe place Jeremy can find is well, behind his girlfriend. Taking a deep breath, he calls out to her. "Calm down! Look, I was making the story up so that you would do this.. look at yourself, you changed, you are a werewolf! Just.... calm.. please.. an I'll explain."
Spot lets out a low rumble in warning, shifting back to glabro so she can communicate. "Look. This is not an emergency situation. You need to calm down. I can explain things to you. No bullshit."
Dizzy blinks and seems to suddenly become aware of her situation. She looks around, and seems to calm down. A bit afraid, she unconsiously shifts back to being human.
Jeremy lets out a deep breath and heads to the couch to snag a blanket. Holding it out to her, he offers it so that she can hide her nakedness. His eyes are averted, blushing.
Sophia sighs, shifting down as well. "I'm sure you have hundreds of questions. First, though, my name is Sophia. What's yours?"
Dizzy snatches the blanket quickly and covers up as she tries to rationalize to herself what is happening. A dream would be a good choice, maybe she fell asleep on the couch at her cousin's house. Or maybe at the McDonalds.
Jeremy sighs loudly. "Um.. yah.. she'll explain." Mummuring, he heads over to the kitchen to fix something to eat, feeling stupid, and very, very scared.
"My... my name is A-Amanda," she stutters a bit, looking around for any sign of an explanation.
Sophia has vivid green eyes and a face covered in freckles. She appears to have aimed for a specific look, but it's not entirely clear what that might be. Her jeans, though flattering, are much too long and nearly cover her scuffed-up motorcycle boots. She is wearing a plain white tank top. Her hair is in clipped in a twist at the nape of her neck.
Sophia smiles. "Nice to meet you, Amanda. Now, what have you been told so far?"
"What's going on?" Dizzy half demands. Things have been pretty strange tonight, but this takes the cake.
Sophia sighs. "Ok. Jeremy, can you give me any more information?"
Jeremy glances to Sophia and sighs. "Her father contacted me through the kin network a few days ago and told me that she'll be heading up here real soon, even sent me a picture. So um.. I bumped into her and took her home, then.. during idle small talk, I got this great idea." Sarcasm here. "I thought.. 'wow, maybe I can get her to shift.'. I just didn't think far enough ahead to ponder what'd happen if she shifted so.. um.... I made up this story about how I 'possibly' could have kidnapped her so that we can get money from her father and that there was two guys out front with guns and then you knocked at the same time and freaked both of us out an um.. insert you."
Dizzy affixes the blanket around her like a towel so it won't fall off and sits on the couch, breathing slowly to calm herself.
Sophia slaps herself on the forehead. "Oh, Jeremy.... Gaia, help me out here. Ok, Amanda? Listen to me now. You are a Garou. A changer. A werewolf. The way you became something else when you got angry there? That's natural for you. And for me. Jeremy, though he's related to us, he's /kin/ to us, he isn't a Garou. Are you following so far?"
Dizzy takes a couple of seconds for the information to settle in. She nods silently, hoping that Sophia will continue explaining. Explanation is good, logic dictates that explanation will clear up all the strangeness.
Jeremy heads into the kitchen to fix up something to eat, feeling stupid.
Sophia glances at the girl with just a hint of pity. "Jeremy?" Sophia calls, "Surely you have a T-shirt and some shorts around here Amanda could borrow?"
Jeremy calls back from the kitchen. "Um.. in my suit case.. all my stuff is there."
Dizzy stares at her own hands, and glances up as Sophia mentions clothes, "I.. have some more clothes." she says quietly and points to the suitcase she brought in.
Sophia brings the suitcase over to the girl. "Here... the bathroom is over there. Go put something comfy on, because we have a lot of talking to do."
Dizzy nods silently in angreement and drags her suitcase into the bathroom while making sure the blanket stays up. She sets the suitcase down inside, drags the rest of the blanket in, and shuts the door.
Sophia turns to Jeremy. "Big day, huh? I'll spare you the story of the moot; it was boring as hell. So, tell me, light of my life.... got any hot chocolate? I think Amanda could really use some right about now. Or... a coke maybe?"
Jeremy nods his head and motions to the kitchen as he heads back in, letting out a sigh. "Big day."
The sound of running water can be heard in the bathroom briefly, along with a lot of moving around. A couple of seconds of silence here and there as Dizzy attempts to keep herself calm. She changes clothes and fixes her makeup. The torn remnants of what she was wearing get tossed in the trash. It was a nice outfit, oh well.
Sophia grabs three coke cans out of the fridge and heads into the living room, waiting for the girl to emerge.
Dizzy comes out, feeling a lot better. She tosses the slightly folded blanket over the couch, and presents herself, "Okay... I'm a werewolf... so I've gotta watch out for full moons then?"
Sophia shakes her head. "No, there's a lot more to it than that. There's a whole society of Garou out there, all over the place. And we're working toward something, not just trying to cope with our tempers. Controlling your rage is a good place to start, but there is much, much more you need to learn to be who you really are."
Jeremy heads back out from the kitchen and sinks down quietly next to Sophia, letting out a soft sigh.
Dizzy stares as if Sophia is speaking some sort of alian language. "All over the place?" she repeats, "There are a bunch of werewolves running around?" It is a bit hard to grasp the concept. The story about Jeremy being some insane psycho was a tad easier to belive.
Sophia nods with approval. "Yes. We have a closely knit society, and although we are around, and normal humans do see us, most of us avoid people if we can. Except the kin who know about us. But listen, now. It's very important that normal humans don't find out about us, because they'd come after us, crazed with fear, even though we don't mean them any harm."
Jeremy takes his phone out of his jacket and calls John, sighing.
Dizzy nods, as that makes sense. Probably for the same reasons bigfoot stays hidden.
Jeremy hangs up the phone as he gets no answer and sighs, then tucks it back into his jacket. He mutters something under his breath.
Sophia continues. "Now, that is one of the first rules you must learn. And I mean /must/ learn. There are thirteen of these rules, called the 'Litany'. The Litany is what allows our way of life to survive, and it is what guides us to helping the world, mother earth, which we call 'Gaia' to become a better place. So, when you hear someone say 'The veil shall not be lifted,' this is what they're talking about; Normal humans cannot know what we are. They cannot see us shift, or see us in our war form. So you can't just change forms out in the open."
Dizzy looks over to Jeremy, then back to Sophia, "So... what makes werewol... me... change then?"
Sophia frowns faintly. "To tell you the truth? I'm not really sure. It's just kinda... magic. But you can do it at will, once you learn how. And the war form, crinos, is not the only form you can take. You can also become a wolf, and once you get good at it, you can become a big human, called glabro, or a big wolf, called hispo. Er... that's a tad simplistic, but it'll do for now."
Jeremy listens to them for a few moments, then rubs his neck. "Um.. I know it sounds weird an all, but John and Roger are better at this stuff really, they are older and have more experience.."
Dizzy looks down at her hands again, and then back up at Sophia, "Okay. So... why don't we just not change at all... I mean, if we have to hide all the time."
"Heh. That's a good question. Um..." Sophia has to think for a bit, to sort this one out. "Ok. First of all, you need to know what it feels like, so that you can keep it from happening accidentally. But also, it can be useful. Let me ask you something... What religion were you raised in? Do you believe in a higher power, in a god?"