ONE WEEK LATER...
"I don't want to go to school anymore," I cried.
Ian held my hand as I cried, both of us standing in the living room with our backpacks still on. School was a horrible place. People were mean and had called me names since the first day of classes. I didn't like how they made fun of my imaginary friend. Now she didn't want to talk to anyone, and it scared me.
"Harper," Sam said softly, and Dolly walked over to where we stood.
She knelt down and wiped my tears before she gave me a hug. Ian let go of my hand so that Dolly could pick me up, and she walked back to where she'd been sitting and sat down again, placing me on her lap. Ian made his way over to where Sam was and put his backpack down, and then he helped me take mine off as I continued to cry my eyes out.
"They won't stop picking on us, Sam. We don't talk to them and they still bother us. They poured milk all over Harper today. She had to change her clothes," Ian admitted; the story made me cry harder.
"They don't like my imaginary friend. They said she's not real and poured milk on me. Ian told them to leave me alone or he'd hit them. They told the teachers we were being mean. They started it, Dolly." I explained the best I could through sobs, lifting my hands to rub at my eyes and wet cheeks.
"Harper, who's your imaginary friend?" Sam asked.
I didn't reply, not wanting to answer them. My imaginary friend didn't want me to answer them. They would just say she wasn't real and I didn't like that. She was real, and I knew she was.
"Sam." Ian climbed onto Sam’s lap and whispered something in his ear. I took a peek at Sam who seemed a little surprised, but he slowly nodded.
"Ah. Okay. So, your imaginary friend is shy?" Sam questioned.
I glanced at Ian who had a small smile on his lips, and I quickly nodded. "She doesn't like when everyone says she's not real. It makes her sad and then I'm sad. She won't talk to me now and it makes me more sad. She's my friend. Why can't people understand?" I asked.
"They're just mean, Harper. They don't like Wolfie either."
"They don't?! But, but Wolfie is nice to hug. You got to bring Wolfie to school?" I asked.
Dolly giggled quietly and shook her head. "Something like that." She smiled and helped me wipe my tears. "No more crying, Harper."
"But I don't want to go tomorrow." I sniffled.
"You won't need to go tomorrow. Neither of you," Dolly announced.
When I looked at Ian, he had a puzzled expression on his face. He tilted his head to the left. "Where are we going?"
"You're both staying home." Dolly picked me up from her lap and lowered me to the carpet.
I walked back to Ian, and he immediately reached out for my hand, squeezing it gently and then wiping away another tear that ran down my right cheek.
"Staying home? What about school?" Ian asked.
Dolly and Sam exchanged looks and turned to look at both of us. "Sam and I've been thinking. Since the kids at school have been picking on Ian for some time now and he's been ignoring them as best he could, we had a hunch they wouldn't be nice to Harper either."
"Why are they mean to Ian? He's nice to me." I gave them a curious look.
Sam chuckled. "Ian's a good boy and very smart. Sometimes kids don't like people who are better than them."
"Ya! I get perfect marks on my tests and can color in the lines. I also don't get in trouble with the teacher," Ian stressed.
Dolly looked happy as she spoke. "Sam and I decided that we'll homeschool the both of you."
"Homeschool?" I asked, but Ian began jumping up and down.
"YES!" He moved to look at me, blocking my view of Sam and Dolly as he pressed his hands on my cheeks. "Harper! Homeschool means we can stay home and learn!"
"We can?"
"Yes! We can wear our pajamas and sleep in and learn about stuff at home! Dolly and Sam will be our teachers and...and we just get to do cool stuff! AT HOME!"
"That means I don't need to go to school anymore? We can stay here with Dolly and Sam? Muffin can come to class with us?"
"Meow!"
Muffin popped out from one of the boxes that held some of Ian's toys that he let me share. She hopped down to the dark wood floor and ran to where we stood. Her gaze landed on me as she reached her paws up for me to hold her.
"Yes! Muffin can come to class with us. As long as she doesn't scratch me." Ian stared at Muffin who looked innocently at us.
I giggled and picked her up. "That's awesome!" I shouted happily. Homeschool! We get to stay home!
"Home? No more mean people?"
No more mean people! Just Dolly, Sam, Ian, and Muffin!
"Happy!"
"My imaginary friend is happy!" I exclaimed, and Ian laughed.
"I'm happy too! I'm gonna tell Wolfie when he wakes up."
We laughed and hopped up and down with Muffin. Dolly and Sam just smiled and watched us as we celebrated.
"Can we go change now?" Ian asked, looking at Dolly and Sam who nodded.
"Go change and come get a snack. Remember I promised we'd show Harper around the sanctuary today," Dolly instructed.
"Yes!" Ian fist pumped the air.
"San...Sanc..." I frowned, unable to say the weird word.
Sam smirked and headed over to where I was and knelt in front of me. "Our home is called the Sacred Moon Shelter for Endangered Wolves."
"Sacred...Moon...Shelter for En...dang...Wolves!" I tried to repeat his words, which made Sam's smile widen and he reached out to ruffle my shoulder-length brown hair.
"Good job."
"There are more wolves like Wolfie here?" I asked.
"Yes." Sam looked at Ian who was patting Muffin on the head; she was still in my arms. "Our home takes care of wolves who are almost extinct."
"What's that?" I asked, never having heard the word.
"It means there aren’t many left, Harper. Wolfie is the only one of his kind. Same with the others."
"Only one? Only one Wolfie in the WHOLE world?"
"Yup!" Ian said proudly, and Dolly cleared her throat. We looked at her, and I noticed her arched eyebrow at Ian. He blushed and pouted his lips.
"They're endangered, Harper. That means that there is only a small amount of them left. Hunters try to kill them for money and that's why we protect them."
"Oh..." I replied. Remembering the scary Hunters made me shiver.
Ian moved to give me a side hug. "You're safe here, Harper. No one around here are Hunters."
"Does that mean I'm en...endanger? Is my imaginary friend the only one left?" I asked.
Dolly and Sam both frowned and didn't say anything. Ian shook his head and moved between me and Sam.
"I don't think so! Those Hunters were evil. They won't come here. You and your imaginary friend are safe, Harper. I'll protect you both!" Ian vowed.
"Okay," I said softly. "Just...don't die. I don't want to lose my friend." I let muffin down to give Ian a hug.
He laughed and hugged me tightly. "I'll never die! I need to protect you, Harper."
We pulled back and I nodded. "I'll protect you too, Ian!"
"Yeah! We can protect each other!" Ian nodded his head and then turned to look at Sam and Dolly. "We're going to change now."
We moved away before they could reply, heading to my room to get our pajamas. Ian and I didn't normally sleep in the same room, but he'd come early in the morning to wake me up for school.
It was always Ian during the day, and at night, Wolfie would come and visit me. It wasn't all the time, but I loved whenever he showed up. I always slept the best when he snuggled with me in bed. His fur was so soft, and my imaginary friend really liked him.
"We should think of a name for your friend, Harper."
"Why? She's me...well um...she reminds me of Wolfie, but she's all white with nice blue eyes," I explained.
"Hmm. You can't tell anyone else that," Ian said with a serious tone that made me stop midway from getting my unicorn pajama top.
"Why? Is it bad?" I asked. "Will they hunt my friend?"
"No," Ian replied but moved to the door. He poked his head into the hall, looking both ways before he moved back in and closed the door. Muffin hopped onto the bed next to my unicorn pajama bottoms and curled up in a ball.
Ian came back over and whispered, "Dolly and Sam said I'm not supposed to tell you."
He fidgeted in place, looking uncomfortable and his cheeks turned red. "But...I like you, Harper. I want you to know, but you can't tell them. No matter what."
"Can't tell Dolly and Sam? Is it bad?"
"No. It's not bad, but I think I know why Hunters were after you. They did the same thing to me. That's why I live with Dolly and Sam here."
My imaginary friend was interested and so was I. "Why would Hunters be after you?"
Ian slipped his hand into mine and we walked around my bed. Sitting down crossed legged with our backs against the bottom bed frame we stared at the window, the curtains drawn out to give us a good glimpse of the half moon.
"You promise you won't tell? I think I'll get in trouble if Dolly and Sam find out."
"Trouble, as in you can't live here anymore?"
"Maybe." Ian lowered his head. "I...was like you. My family...they're not here anymore."
I stared at him in disbelief. "Not here...did..." I trailed off and Ian nodded his head slowly.
"It was two years ago. When I was five too. They tried to get me a new family, but they wanted a normal child."
"That's what they said to me too! Are we not normal?" I whispered, feeling depressed about it. If we’re not normal...what are we?
"Different."
Ian reached out and placed his hand on my left cheek. "We're just different, Harper. Nothing bad about being different," he whispered, and those silver eyes were so pretty in the moonlight that shone down on us from the window.
"Okay. Different is good."
He nodded. "See? Your imaginary friend is inside your mind, right?"
"Yes. She helps me make good choices and protects me."
"Can you change yet?"
"Change?" I looked at my clothes. "Change clothes?"
"No. Change into a wolf."
"No..." I pouted my lips. "We can change into a wolf?" I asked.
Ian straightened his back to peek above the bed at the door, making sure it was still closed.
He lowered back and moved slightly to face me. "We're wolf shifters, Harper. Well...I am. I think you are too. Dolly and Sam don't know for sure because you haven't shifted yet. We don't know your family background either."
"Wolf shifter. I may be a wolf?"
"Maybe." Ian looked away and he reached out to hold my hand, his fingers randomly playing with mine. "Um...and...um."
"Wolfie."
"Ian?"
He lifted his head, those silver eyes locking onto mine.
"Are you Wolfie?"
Silence was what greeted me, and I could see the fear in his eyes before he looked away. "If I was...would you hate me?"
His voice was so low, and my imaginary friend and I felt so grateful. He's Wolfie. He saved me. He...saved me and my imaginary friend.
I reached out to hug him tightly, my arms wrapping around the back of his neck.
"Harper?"
No words could say how happy I was for being saved. I didn't want to die. I was scared of dying. It was lonely, dark, and cold, but Ian saved me, and Wolfie would keep me warm at night when the nightmares tried to scare me.
"Thank you, Ian." I sniffed as tears rolled down my cheeks. "Thank you, Wolfie."
He hugged me back and whispered, "I said I'd protect you. I'll always protect you, Harper."
I nodded and leaned back with a smile. "And be my friend!"
"Yes," Ian replied.
I sat back down, and Ian got up to get some tissue to help me wipe the tears from my cheeks. When we were both settled again, he continued.
"Until we find out why you can't shift yet, you need a name for your imaginary friend."
"Do we have to? She doesn't know what to choose." I felt my imaginary friend’s hesitation. "She's also a wolf, like Wolfie?"
"Yes, but Sam and Dolly can't find out that you know she's a wolf. I overheard them talking with that lady who wears white all the time."
"The psy...psych...the mental lady."
"Yes. She thinks it's a phase. She said the same thing about Wolfie."
"When did you shift?" I asked.
"In February. During the winter storm. I was exploring and got caught in the blizzard. Wolfie saved me and brought me back home. Sam said everyone is different. You can shift when you’re a baby or shift when you’re an adult. It's all different."
"So...my wolf...or imaginary friend...or hmmm." I was trying to think of a name that would work with my imaginary friend. If she was a wolf and I wasn't allowed to call her a wolf, I'd have to think of something pretty so Ian wouldn't get in trouble.
"Reika?" Ian suggested.
"What does that mean?" I asked. My Imaginary friend, or wolf, seemed happy with the name.
"I read it in a book. It's a girl who has the power of the wolf and is the um...foundation of the home. Sam explained it to me. I think it suits your wolf. She's powerful and always protects you and led you home!"
"Home..." I whispered and looked down at my hands.
Ian reached for my hands, holding both of them in his.
"Meow." Muffin walked to us and placed herself on top of our hands which made the both of us giggle.
Ian smiled and said softly, "This is your home now, Harper. You and Reika. I'll help you and show you around."
"Are there more of us?" I asked.
"Yes, but I'm not allowed to tell you who they are. It's complicated," Ian explained.
"That's okay. As long as you are with me, I don't care. I'm happy!" I smiled widely.
"Meow?" Muffin looked between the two of us, rolling onto her back and still resting on our joined hands.
"You too, Muffin." I giggled.
"Hmm. When's your birthday, Harper?" Ian asked.
"Oh," I replied. Muffin moved from our hands to walk onto my crossed legs. "Um. It passed."
"Huh? Passed as in it was months ago?"
"No. September 5th."
"One week ago?! Wait, was that the day..." Ian didn't finish because I nodded.
"The man said if I was good he'd get me a cake. I didn't really want one. I just...wanted to see my family again."
Ian frowned and uncrossed his legs. He shuffled forward on his knees and wrapped his arms around me. "Dolly said she's going to get a nice area here for your family. They don't have anywhere to put them...you know. The ashes."
I nodded and closed my eyes. "I still miss them." Leaning back, I blinked away my tears. "Will I always miss them? I don't want to forget them...but I don't want to miss them all the time either."
"It will get better. Time. That's what Dolly tells me." Ian stroked my head softly.
"Meow."
We looked down to see Muffin reach up for me to hold her. I grinned. "Muffin wants a hug too."
"Seems like it," Ian replied. I lifted Muffin up and hugged her, and Ian gave me another hug. "I'll ask Dolly to make you a cake!"
"You don't have to. It passed." I felt bad that he wanted to go to that much trouble for me.
Ian shook his head and stood up, putting his hands on his hips. "Harper gets a nice cake! No excuses!"
I giggled. "When is your birthday, Ian?"
"May 5th."
"Can we celebrate together?"
"But it was months ago," Ian pointed out.
"Ian gets a cake too!" I declared proudly. We both laughed.
"Let's share a cake! Dolly makes tasty cakes."
"Okay! We should change before they come back!" I suggested.
"RACE YOU!" Ian ran to the other side where his pajamas were.
"HEY! That's cheating. I have Muffin!" I lifted Muffin in the air.
"Meow?"
I worked to get up and carried Muffin with me to where Ian stood. He had already pulled his shirt off and was trying to put on his pajama top. "Why are long sleeves so hard to put on?"
"They're not hard." I laughed, putting Muffin down. I pulled off my shirt and got my pajama top that was also long sleeved. Ian stared at me for about five seconds before he turned around.
"What?" I asked.
"Oh...um. Carter said I should always turn around when a lady is changing."
"Why?"
"It's...um...privacy?! Or manners or something?" Ian mumbled.
"Oh. Okay. Thank you, Ian." I quickly put my top on before I moved on to getting my pajama pants on. I noticed his ears were red as he shuffled to take his pants off and put on his Batman pants.
"I WIN!" I announced, putting my hands in the air.
"That's because I took a break," Ian replied.
I looked at him and giggled. "You put your shirt on wrong."
He glanced down at his shirt and noticed the tag sticking out of the neck part. "Aww man. Clothes are so confusing."
"I'll help you," I offered. I helped him take his hand out of the sleeves, and he turned around once so that the tag was at the back. I was helping him with his left sleeve when the door opened; Dolly, Sam, and Officer O'Neil looked down at us.
I helped Ian with the other sleeve and we high fived each other. "Teamwork!" we said together. Dolly smiled.
"Were you two helping each other?" she asked.
"Ian wore his shirt backward." I giggled.
"By accident! I was being a man and giving Harper...privacy!"
"Were you now? That's really good," Sam praised, and Ian stood proudly like he'd won an award. I smiled and looked at the three adults.
"Do...I get to stay here?" I asked. They exchanged looks, and Ian reached out to hold my hand, both of us waiting for their final decision. Dolly walked up to us and knelt down with a huge smile on her face.
"I think we're going to have a big dinner to celebrate Harper's new home," she announced.
"YEAH!" Ian and I cheered, both reaching out to hug Dolly who laughed with tears in her eyes.
"I have a family!" I exclaimed happily.
"Yeah! Harper's my friend forever!" Ian added. Dolly laughed again and hugged both of us. I moved out of Dolly’s arms to hug Sam and then Officer O'Neil.
"Officer O'Neil, does that mean I won't see you again?" I asked with sad eyes.
He gave me a smile and pressed his forehead against mine. "I'll come to see you whenever you want me to. I'm sometimes really busy, but I'll come by when I can. You can just call me O'Neil, Harper."
"Yeah!!!" I cheered and hugged him again.
He lowered me down and I moved back to stand beside Ian. He reached out and grabbed my hand. "Let's go help set the table while Dolly gets started."
"Okay!" I replied.
We moved to the door and Ian stopped, turning toward the others and tugging me to stop with him. "Oh. Reika is Harper's imaginary friend's name. She's nice."
The three of them were silent, but they all nodded.
Ian smiled and glanced at me. "Let's go, Harper."
"Okay. Muffin?" I looked at the little cat who was rolling around on the bed. She paused and got up, hopping off the bed to reach my feet.
"Good girl. Let's get you food too," I suggested.
"Meow." We moved away to the kitchen and I couldn't be happier. I had a new family that liked me. I wasn't weird, mutt, dog, or bad. I knew what I was now.
"Wolf Shifter."
Yes. A Wolf shifter, but if we want to stay here forever with Ian, no one can know. Just between us.
"Yes. Us."
A smile formed on my lips, and the first time since my family's passing, I was truly happy.
Happy to be alive.