those animal people
in the city a few months back. You look like one of them, sort of.
I thought it was a joke, but maybe they were on the up and
up.”
“ No problem and no trouble,” Harry
repeated, eyeing the door. The man’s other friend stepped in front
of the entrance, barring all possibility of escape.
“ Hear that, Joey?” the large dude said to
his friend at the door. “This guy doesn’t want any trouble.” He
snatched the basket from Harry’s hand and his voice dripped with
sarcasm—that, and malice. “Well, let’s see what Mr. I no want
trouble has.” His meaty hand dipped into the goods. “You got
razors, candy bars and tampons. So, are the tampons for you or for
your girlfriend?” he asked with a throaty chuckle.
At that point, Harry really wanted to let
fly... but insult or not, he decided to give it a pass. He’d pay
and leave—that was the plan. With a lightning-fast move, he grabbed
the basket back, but the other man noticed his hand. “What’s going
on here?” he asked. “You got yellow eyes and... fur?”
Harry didn’t bother answering. These morons
would find out sooner or later, so he rolled up his sleeve and
showed off his forearm, fur and all. “If it makes you feel any
better, I’m the same all over. Is there a problem?”
In an instant, the big dude’s mean look
disappeared. An expression of fear replaced it and he gulped. Legs
shaking, he took a step back, but reached for his pocket. “You’re
some kind of a freak and...”
He never got a chance to answer, as Harry
dropped the basket, trapped the man’s arm with his left hand and
extended his claws on his right hand. Wicked-looking things, he
shoved them under the man’s chin to the point of nearly breaking
the skin. There were times when a person could stand the insults.
Right there and then, he decided that this time was not one of
them. “That wouldn’t be the word I’d use, buddy,” he growled. “I’m
the kind of person you don’t want to meet.”
“ Aah...” the large dude said in a choked
voice. The front of his pants suddenly got wet. “I’m... I’m sorry.”
He twisted his head around to look for his friend. “Joey, you gonna
help me, man?”
“ I don’t think he can,” a familiar voice
sang out.
Harry swiveled his head around and saw
Anastasia at the doorway, her hoodie down. The fur on her neck and
the top of her head stood on end and her tail lashed the air. She
took up a position right behind Joey with her claws near his
throat. Joey was trembling all over and seemed incapable of speech.
“Now, here’s what you’re going to do,” Anastasia instructed the
quivering Joey. “You’re going to leave. My boyfriend and I are
busy. Do you understand that?”
“ Yeah... yeah, I got it,” he managed to
squeak out.
She released him and he took off. Harry let
go of the other punk and he made a beeline for the door. Anastasia
stepped aside to let him pass, but stuck her foot out at the last
second. He tripped and sprawled flat on his face. “Leave!” she
hissed.
Wet pants and all, he picked himself up and
ran to join his friend, stumbling as he went. Harry felt a faint
smile come over his face and turned to the cashier, who was by now
shaking like a leaf in a storm. His face read fifty shades of
terrified. “Hey, I support PETA, you know?”
Harry laid down thirty dollars. “So do I.
Keep the change.”
Sticking out his elbow, Anastasia linked arms
with him and together they strolled out into the sunshine. “Nice
job with the other punk,” he offered.
Once they were back in the car, Anastasia’s
mood of jauntiness vanished. She sat in her seat, hands clasped in
her lap. When she looked at him, it was with a mixture of amusement
and despair. “You can talk about easy, but I don’t want to have to
go through this every day. I just want to have a normal life, as
normal as possible, I mean.”
“ I know. That’s why I’m working on a way
to turn us back to, uh, what we
in the city a few months back. You look like one of them, sort of.
I thought it was a joke, but maybe they were on the up and
up.”
“ No problem and no trouble,” Harry
repeated, eyeing the door. The man’s other friend stepped in front
of the entrance, barring all possibility of escape.
“ Hear that, Joey?” the large dude said to
his friend at the door. “This guy doesn’t want any trouble.” He
snatched the basket from Harry’s hand and his voice dripped with
sarcasm—that, and malice. “Well, let’s see what Mr. I no want
trouble has.” His meaty hand dipped into the goods. “You got
razors, candy bars and tampons. So, are the tampons for you or for
your girlfriend?” he asked with a throaty chuckle.
At that point, Harry really wanted to let
fly... but insult or not, he decided to give it a pass. He’d pay
and leave—that was the plan. With a lightning-fast move, he grabbed
the basket back, but the other man noticed his hand. “What’s going
on here?” he asked. “You got yellow eyes and... fur?”
Harry didn’t bother answering. These morons
would find out sooner or later, so he rolled up his sleeve and
showed off his forearm, fur and all. “If it makes you feel any
better, I’m the same all over. Is there a problem?”
In an instant, the big dude’s mean look
disappeared. An expression of fear replaced it and he gulped. Legs
shaking, he took a step back, but reached for his pocket. “You’re
some kind of a freak and...”
He never got a chance to answer, as Harry
dropped the basket, trapped the man’s arm with his left hand and
extended his claws on his right hand. Wicked-looking things, he
shoved them under the man’s chin to the point of nearly breaking
the skin. There were times when a person could stand the insults.
Right there and then, he decided that this time was not one of
them. “That wouldn’t be the word I’d use, buddy,” he growled. “I’m
the kind of person you don’t want to meet.”
“ Aah...” the large dude said in a choked
voice. The front of his pants suddenly got wet. “I’m... I’m sorry.”
He twisted his head around to look for his friend. “Joey, you gonna
help me, man?”
“ I don’t think he can,” a familiar voice
sang out.
Harry swiveled his head around and saw
Anastasia at the doorway, her hoodie down. The fur on her neck and
the top of her head stood on end and her tail lashed the air. She
took up a position right behind Joey with her claws near his
throat. Joey was trembling all over and seemed incapable of speech.
“Now, here’s what you’re going to do,” Anastasia instructed the
quivering Joey. “You’re going to leave. My boyfriend and I are
busy. Do you understand that?”
“ Yeah... yeah, I got it,” he managed to
squeak out.
She released him and he took off. Harry let
go of the other punk and he made a beeline for the door. Anastasia
stepped aside to let him pass, but stuck her foot out at the last
second. He tripped and sprawled flat on his face. “Leave!” she
hissed.
Wet pants and all, he picked himself up and
ran to join his friend, stumbling as he went. Harry felt a faint
smile come over his face and turned to the cashier, who was by now
shaking like a leaf in a storm. His face read fifty shades of
terrified. “Hey, I support PETA, you know?”
Harry laid down thirty dollars. “So do I.
Keep the change.”
Sticking out his elbow, Anastasia linked arms
with him and together they strolled out into the sunshine. “Nice
job with the other punk,” he offered.
Once they were back in the car, Anastasia’s
mood of jauntiness vanished. She sat in her seat, hands clasped in
her lap. When she looked at him, it was with a mixture of amusement
and despair. “You can talk about easy, but I don’t want to have to
go through this every day. I just want to have a normal life, as
normal as possible, I mean.”
“ I know. That’s why I’m working on a way
to turn us back to, uh, what we
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