Professor Pops and Troy froze.

Cole moved closer. “You can’t hurt me, Beatrice. If you’re angry or scared, take it out on me.” His eyes turned a darker gray.

“Who do you think would win in a fight between a werecat and a gargoyle?” I asked, timidly.

Cole laughed. “A gargoyle, for sure.”

I chuffed, a noise that sounded like a cat.

Troy seemed to perk up at the prospect of a fight.

“Should we find out? Test your strength?” Cole asked. He still sat cross-legged on the floor.

Professor Pops chuckled. “I think we’ll need a bigger room.” He went over to the back wall. The dragon had covered most of it, but with the head gone and the awkward way the rest of its body was turned, he had at least some access. He pressed an area on the wall a little above his head and a door popped open.

“What’s in there?” Troy asked, his interest causing him to forget how close he was to me. I batted at him with one of my paws. His skin turned a strange color for the briefest second. Troy glanced at his arm and then me. “Sorry, Bea.” He backed away.

Professor Pops called Cole and me over. “Let’s go.”

Cole went first and I followed him, swishing my tail. I decided I liked it. It helped me feel the vibrations of moving objects.

Troy and Professor Pops had already disappeared through the door. Cole stopped at the door. I peered inside and noticed it led to set of stairs. More stairs, I thought, uncomfortable with the prospect of going further down.

“You want to go down there?”

I smacked him on the back with my tail. “Might as well.”

There was room enough that Cole and I walked down side by side. Cole rested a hand on my back. My first instinct was to attack and my body tensed. But then he ran his fingers through my fur. It felt amazing. I lifted my body into his hand.

“Your fur is really soft. The werewolf fur in Professor Pops’ museum was wiry and tough. Prickly.”

“Maybe it’s a cat thing? The Locanis may have prickly fur.”

“That’s possible.”

We reached the bottom on the stairs. There was a door but it was propped open. We went in. The room was vast, like, bigger than a football field. The ceiling was really high, probably thirty feet.

“How deep underground are we?” I asked.

“I have no idea. I didn’t even know this room existed.” Cole still stroked my fur. It felt really, really good. I actually caught myself almost purring twice. That was annoying, but I liked the way it felt too much to make him stop.

I needed him to though. It was hard to focus on anything but his hand. So I stepped out of his reach.

“Awww,” Cole said.

“I won’t have you beat me because I can’t concentrate.”

“Understood.”

The floor was a strange material. It was cool against my paws, like concrete, but it had more give. The walls were covered in paintings of supernatural creatures. There was a large dragon, several vampires, a troll, a black unicorn, an elf, and other creatures I hadn’t ever seen, including a human-looking girl with black wings. The ceiling appeared to be made of concrete and was covered in dozens of large fluorescent lights.

“This is amazing,” Cole said.

“I know, right,” Troy agreed. He and Professor Pops were tossing a football back and forth. “Why didn’t you tell us this was here?”

“I have my reasons,” Professor Pops said, chucking the football at Troy.

Troy caught it and tossed it back.

“We used this for training. No one’s been down here in a very long time.” Professor Pops caught the football and tossed it to Cole. “I think it’s time to open it up again. Don’t you?”

“It’s an amazing space,” Cole said. I detected a hint of worry in his voice. What was he nervous about?

Troy clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Who’s going to make the first move?” His eyes sparkled with excitement. If I hadn’t known what was going on, I would’ve assumed Troy was talking about Cole and me making out.

Cole snickered, giving me a half-smile, and I knew he was thinking the same thing. “I don’t think we should do this. Who knows when you’ll change back and I . . .” He stopped, tugging on his ear.

“You are worried you’ll hurt me.”

“Yes.”

Professor Pops heard the interchange. “Hang on.” He jogged over to one of the walls, pushed and the wall opened.

“Another room?” Cole asked.

“It’s where we kept weapons and where I found that football.” Professor Pops turned on the light. There were a few swords, a couple of sticks, and some free weights. “Darn, nothing in here will work.”

“I can’t hold a weapon anyway. I have paws.” I stood on my back legs and stuck out my paws.

“Okay, well how about Rocky turns himself to stone and we see if Beatrice can scratch it?” Troy said, frustrated that Cole and I weren’t just going at it.

Cole shrugged. “I can do that.” He obviously wanted to make Troy happy. In the blink of an eye he went from Cole with black hair and gray eyes to Cole with white hair and black eyes. “Go ahead, try to scratch me.”

I walked over. In my werecat form I was taller than Cole. He gave me a once-over. “You’re seriously impressive.”

I tried to smile, but my lips felt weird against my giant, sharp teeth.

“Do it. As hard as you can.”

I took a swipe at his arm. It was like striking rock. “There,” I said.

He shook his head. “Again and this time mean it. Who are you angry at?”

My Adam’s face came into view. It seemed he held my happiest memory as well as my angriest. I swiped at Cole again, this time putting my legs into it. Cole went flying, landing on the ground. He quickly got up, unhurt.

“Nice,” Troy shouted.

Professor Pops remained quiet.

“Now, Rocky, go after her.”

Cole came closer. The black lines across his face pulsed furiously. His eyes glared, pitch black. “Rocky, huh?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah.” He tapped his knuckles against his head. Smiling maliciously, he said, “My turn.” Before I realized what was happening, his fist slammed into my head.

I shook back and forth as a strange sound left my throat. His fist against my face hadn’t hurt, but it’d made me momentarily dizzy.

“Again,” Troy shouted.

Cole punched me in the face with his other hand. This time I moved slightly. But something unexplainable happened within. All of my feelings and needs took a back seat to one thing. Instinct. I jumped on Cole, trying to tear out his throat. But I wasn’t prepared for how hard his skin would be and I wasn’t able to grab hold. He punched me in the stomach and used his feet to send me flying over his head. I flipped and landed on my feet with a thud, my claws scraping into the ground.

Cole’s features were twisted and furious.

“Control your rage,” I heard Professor Pops shout.

I didn’t think he was talking to me. My emotions simmered in the background, but my instinct had full control.

Cole’s eyes blinked and I knew the professor was talking to him. He turned away and walked to the door.

“Cole,” I called. But he disappeared up the steps.

Now that the fight was over, my instincts took a back seat to the other feelings. I was sad. I hadn’t meant to make him mad. I didn’t want our friendship to end the same day it began. I noticed something else. My body was about to shift. And then I’d be naked.

“Oh no.”

I glanced at Professor Pops and then I ran. Across the field made of strange concrete, through the door, and up, up, up the stairs. My face already felt human. I burst through the opening to the Museum for the Supernatural, slamming the door into the dragon body, knocking it over. My body changed as I stepped through to the weapon’s room.

“This whole naked thing is not cool,” I whispered, opening the drawers and grabbing clothes. I’d have to replenish the workout clothes before I left. When I was dressed I sat on the cot. It groaned and I remembered that I’d broken it. “Dammit.” Tears stung my lashes. I knew it was because I was sad about Cole, but I was also frustrated with Adam. Why hadn’t he texted me?