Disasterous Dinner Party?

"Hello." It was Amy and she wasn't kidding about being here with bells on. She was wearing an Santa Claus themed coat with little jingle bells for buttons. "Do you like it? Sabrina gave it to me. It's part of her mom's Christmas line."

"It's cool. But you always looked good in blue." Yeah blue was always her color. It's almost all she ever wears.

"Well you're in luck." She said as she took off the coat. She was in a dark blue dress with a white blouse. She even wore blue lipstick and blue fingernail polish. She kinda reminded me of that one girl from the Sailor Moon anime. Sailor Mercury, but in her civilian form. I forgot her name. Anyway she looked amazing.

Suddenly I sensed a dark presence watching me. "Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Amera." Was it me or was Amera's tone a little begrudging? It sounded like she was speaking through gritted teeth.

I turned to see how mad she was and oh crap! Her ears were out.

"Nice to meet you Amera. I'm Amy." She said with a pleasent smile. "You really like those wolf ears, huh?"

Amera felt the top of her head. "Whoops! I guess I forgot to take them off. I'll go put them away. Myer, would you help me please?"

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat as she seemed extremely pissed. "Yeah. Sure." I looked back at Amy. "We'll be right back."

I followed Amera up to my room. When we I shut the door she turned on me and growled. "What was that?!"

"What was what?" I think it's a natural instinct for guys to feign ignorance when they screw up. I really should know better.

"You always looked good in blue?!" She quoted me. That's never good.

"She's an old friend. That's all." I explained.

"How old?" She asked.

"Since we were seven." I grimaced.

She crossed her arms scowling at me.

"Look she moved out of town six months ago. She's only visiting for a few days."

"Are we courting?" She asked, not hiding her anger.

"Well, we call it dating, but yes."

Her arms were still crossed. "Are you sure?" At least her tone was a little less aggressive.

I walked up to her and held her. "I'm sure. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all that." I kissed her deeply. It was almost a perfect moment as she wrapped her arms around me.

"Myer! Come back down. Julio's here." Came Nicole's voice from downstairs.

"Damn." I said. Then I opened the door and yelled back down the stairs. "Ok. Just let me change first."

She called back up. "Ok. Just remember to keep it in your pants."

"NICOLE!!!" I was so embarrassed.

"What? We're all adults here." I could here them all laughing downstairs.

I turned back to Amera, she pounced on me and kissed me passionately. I had never been drunk, as I don't partake of alcohol. But I imagine it feels a little like how I felt now. "She's got the worst timing." She said tracing her finger along my lips.

"Yeah. If I didn't know better I'd swear she was watching us now."

Amera shrugged then closed her eyes and her ears vanished. "Better?" She asked.

"Yeah." I replied. "Could you go downstairs and tell everyone I'll be down as soon as I change?"

"Sure." She went to leave, then stopped before opening the door. "Myer, are you really sure you like me, even though I'm not quite human?"

I smiled at her. "To be honest I'm not sure if that even matters. But for now I'm gonna roll with it. Besides, the ears are kinda sexy. And don't get me started about that tail. And I'm gonna be honest. I kinda liked it when you growled."

She giggled. "So you actually liked all that? Shame I can't walk around like that all the time."

"I know. I'll be down soon." As she made her way downstairs, I began looking for my clothes. I searched high and low but couldn't find my blue hoodie or my other pair of jeans. After a few minutes I settled on my black T-shirt and khakis. Then I went downstairs and greeted Julio. "Hey man. How's Elisa?"

"She's ok for now, but she's happy that you guys are thinking about her." Then he turned to Amera. "So, you sure you want this guy? It's not too late to upgrade."

Amera's girn widened. "I thought that upgrading meant to aquire something better, not worse."

Amy and I both burst out laughing.

Nicole walked in from the kitchen. "Hey, what's with all this ruckus?"

"Oh, nothing." Amy said through her laughter. "Heart Breaker here just got shot down again."

"I see." Nicole chuckled.

Then I asked Nicole about my blue hoodie and jeans.

"About that. While you were out, I was doing laundry in the basement. I had just pulled them out of the dryer when I heard the doorbell ring. When I got back one of the windows was open and your hoodie was gone. I didn't notice the jeans. I think they might have been snatched up by a wild animal." She sighed. "I can order you a new hoodie and jeans after dinner."

"Damn. I really liked that hoodie too. Oh well. Don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry Myer."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. I went to answer it to find Sabrina. "Hey guys." Fashionably late as usual. She spotted Amera and dashed over to her. "So you're what all the fuss is about. I got to ask. How did you get your tail to wag like that on your costume? It looked so realistic. And your slippers are so cute. Where'd you get them? And. . ."

"Down Sabrina." I interrupted. "She needs pauses between questions in order to answer them."

"Right. Sorry. Sometimes I just get so excited. Oh! I almost forgot." She looked out the door. "Come on in. They don't bite." Then she addressed the rest of us. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Ray Ichihanna."

My jaw dropped as that psychic girl from the grocery store entered. "Hello." She greeted us.

"You?! I thought you said you had planes tonight."

She shrugged. "I do. My planes were to hang out with Sabrina and she wanted to come here. So I am hanging out with her here." Strong logic and little to no emotion. Who's her mentor? Mr. Spock?

"Oh? So you two know each other?" Asked Sabrina. "That's great."

"By the way, if Ms. Brice had to answer a doorbell earlier then why did we have to knock?" Ray asks you, the reader. "Sounds to me like the writer forgot there was a doorbell."

Amera walked up next to me. "Is that the psychic?" She asked.

"That would be her." I whispered back. I could tell we were headed for disaster.

Nicole went back to the kitchen. For some reason Ray followed her. If we're lucky Nicole may ask her to help and keep her too busy to notice Amera.

The rest of us took our places at the table. One particular topic of discussion was Elisa.

"I'm sorry to hear she back in the hospital so soon. I'll make sure to visit her before I go home." Amy said placing a hand on Julio's shoulder.

"Thanks Amy." He really looked down tonight.

"I'll bring her something nice to wear." Sabrina added. "Those hospital gowns are so atrocious."

"We could all go see her tomorrow." I suggested. "Or have the doctor's band large groups?"

Julio shook his head. "So far no. But I wouldn't have more than three at a time in there."

"I'll come too. If I can, I mean." Said Amera.

"I too would be happy to attend." Amera jumped when Ray spoke up behind her. Damn she's quiet.

Wait! Amera's ears and tail?! "Don't sneak up on me like that." Amera said as I looked her over and saw no sign of her wolf features. Thank God she kept her focus.

Nicole finally came in with a huge pot. "Dinner is served." She announced as she placed the pot at the center of the table.

We all said grace. I was very surprised that Amera knew this custom without anyone explaining it to her. Then everyone helped themselves.

"So Amy, you're only here for a few more days?" Julio asked.

"Yes. It's too bad. I've really missed this place." She looked down the hall. "Remember when we were kid's we'd run up and down the halls and play games in the Game Room?"

"Good times." I added as I forked a meatball.

"So Amera, is it true that you met Myer at my Halloween Party the other night?" Sabrina asked.

Amera gave that charming smile. "Yep. I love Halloween. It's the one night of the year I can be myself."

Then Nicole asked "So Amera, what do you think of our little group?"

"Well, you all seem really nice. And you guys seem to have a lot of fun. I wish I had friends like you."

Sabrina took her hand. "You do now." She said to Amera with a smile.

Amera smiled back.

"Well I'm glad to hear it." Nicole added. "How about you Ray?"

"Well Myer, I have to admit you keep interesting company." Ray looked at Sabrina. "An entrepreneur." Then to Amy. "A repressed romantic." Then to Julio. "A playboy." Then she turned to Nicole.

Nicole cocked an eyebrow and cleared her throat.

Then she moved on to Amera. OH CRAP! OH CRAP! OH CRAP! "And a kitsune." She finished.

"A what?" Amera asked.

"Roughly translated, it means fox spirit." Ray explained.

Amera looked so flustered when she heard this. He ears and tail appeared. Oh well so much for a peaceful dinner. "I AM NOT SOME MANGY FOX!" Amera said angerly. "I am a Wolf!" And there it goes. She must have realized her mistake because she covered her mouth with one hand and tried to cover her ears with the other.

The silence was palpable. We all sat quietly for almost a minute.

Suddenly Sabrina wrapped her arms around Amera. "What a cutie!" She screamed excitedly. "OMG You're so adorable!"

Julio grabbed my shoulder. "Myer, did you know about this?"

Amy blinked checking to see if her eyes were playing tricks. "I just don't know what to say."

"Ok. Everyone calm down. Let's give them a chance to explain." Nicole to the rescue. Everyone went quiet. "Now I'm not expert. . ."

"Oh?" Ray shot Nicole a quizzical look.

Nicole gave Ray a dirty look in return, then continued. "Maybe you could tell us what this is all about."

Amera looked around at everyone. "May as well state the obvious. I'm not really human. I'm a kind of magical Wolf."

"Oh! So you are Okami then." Added Ray. "My apologies."

"Wait. Like the video game?" Asked Julio.

"Sort of, but not exactly. It would seem in this case truth is stranger than fiction." Explained Ray.

Amera began to rub her hands together nervously. "I can take human form and I. . . I." She began to cry.

I took her hand and held her close to me. "I got this." I said to her. Then I looked to the others. "She's not a monster, ok? She's just different is all. I know you guys just met her, but I've spent the past couple days with her. She's just fascinated by us humans."

Julio shrugged. "Man, you really suck at speeches. But I think I get it. By the time you found out, you both were into one another. It could have easily been me. Hell, I'd have done the same thing."

"I seriously doubt it Julio." Sabrina said with a mischievous grin.

"Why do you say that?" Asked Amy.

"Because this Wolf has good taste." Sabrina laughed as she put her arm around Amera. We all laughed.

"Man! Why do all the women line up for Myer?" Julio salked.

"That's simple. He knows how to treat a lady." Nicole answered.

I chuckled at that. "So, you guys won't tell?" I asked them all.

"Nah." Said Julio. Good enough for me.

"No. I think it'll be fun having a secret friend." Added Amy.

"My lips are sealed." Said Sabrina. "Besides I got a lot of cute outfits I want you to try on her with the ears and tail." Wow Sabrina had an ulterior motive. Who knew?

"Hey, you're the boss Myer. I just work here." Nicole said.

"Thanks everyone." I replied.

Then we all turned to Ray, who quietly drank her coffee. "I have no reason to tell anyone. She is doing no harm and as far as I am concerned she is as much a part of the forest as the trees."

Amera got up and walked over to Ray and hugged her. "Thank you Ray."

"Hmmm. Strange. What is this feeling? It feels almost like joy." She said.

The rest of that evening's discussion was about Amera, her family, and her magic. Around 9PM everyone started to leave.

"Amera, do you mind if I steal Myer for a bit?"Sabrina asked leading me outside. "I just want to talk to him about something."

"Sure."

I walked out with Sabrina.

This next part I was told about later. Amera was helping Nicole with the dishes. "Ms. Brice?"

"You can just call me Nicole, dear."

"I just wanted to thank you Nicole. For speaking up for us."

Nicole hugged her. "I should be thanking you Amera."

"But why?" Amera looked completely puzzled.

"When Juliet died, it was like Myer's whole world shattered. You know his father left when he was just four years old. Not by his own choice, mind you. Then his mom died and he refused to eat or sleep until hunger and exhaustion took hold of him. Julio and I had to practically pry him out the door just to get him to go to that Halloween Party. And in one night you gave him a reason to come back out to the world."

"How so?"

"By giving him a what you were seeking. A connection. I take it the other Wolves don't understand you?"

Amera looked down. "Not really. No."

"You both felt you needed something. He lost his connection and you had trouble making one. Then you both met and found one in each other. Even if you guys didn't realize it."

Then Amera's face brightened up. "You really think so?"

"Honey I know so. Now, would ya give me a hand with the dishes?"

"Of course, Nicole."

Meanwhile, outside Sabrina and I were having a totally different discussion.

"I think it's really cool that you and her like each other." Sabrina didn't have her usual enthusiasm behind those words.

"Thanks. And I am sorry I didn't tell you guys about her right away. I wanted you all to get to know her first."

"Are you kidding?" She laughed. "Finding out this way was way more fun. But still."

"But still what?"

Before I could react Sabrina grabbed me and pulled me in and kissed me.

My eyes widened in surprise and I gently pulled away from her. "What the Hell Sabrina?"

"MYER YOU STUPID JERK!" She cried. "The only reason I broke up with you after prom was because I knew you were still in love with Amy. And she was in love with you."

"Amy's in love with me?" This was a shock.

"WAKE UP MYER! Everyone in town knows you two were in love with one another. Everyone but you and her that is. Haven't you ever noticed that she only gets shy around you. When you're not around she almost as out going as I am. And now there's Amera." She fell to her knees.

"But there was a six month gap between Amy moving and Amera showing up. Why didn't you say anything?"

I must have said something wrong, because she got really flustered. "You're so thick! I knew Amy would be coming back in the spring to go to Wood Holme University. Remember? And with her grades, what school wouldn't accept her. And the way you look at Amera is actually with even more desire than you ever had for Amy. And to top it all off she's so amazing. I mean she can use magic."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "But you're pretty amazing too."

"I'm a rich girl. No one worth a damn wants me for anything but my money. Not to mention there's a million more girls like me. How many are there like Amera?" Her car rolled up with her housekeeper driving. She got up and looked at me. "You're such a jerk!" And she climbed in the car.

Feeling like shit I turned back towards the house only to find Ray blocking my way.

"If it is any consolation I have no plans on kissing you." She said.

"I thought you left." I could have sworn she did.

"Do not blame me for your forgetting to mention if I left or stayed in your monologue. Besides, Sabrina is my ride."

I sighed and walked around her and into the house.

"What was that all about?" Asked Nicole.

I sat on the couch feeling pretty low.

Amera grabbed her coat. "I better get going. Good bye Myer." She hugged me and gave me a kiss. I wasn't feeling into it, but I think she understood. Then she left.

"I'm going to bed." I told Nicole.

"Ok. Do you need anything?" She asked.

"A time machine would be nice." And I went to bed.

Little did we know while all this happened, we were being watched by another Wolf girl wearing my blue hoodie and jeans and stroking the fur of a giant black wolf.

"I can't believe it. She's actually in love with a human. Come on Arger. We need to tell mother."