Meghan's alarm clock went off the next morning at 7:00. Yawning, she sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. She looked at the chair and saw the dark outline of the stain on it, so whatever she saw last night was real. She had a lion frat next to her house. She looked at the calendar hung above her bed and groaned when she saw it was Thursday. She had a huge presentation to give in her Junior English class today. She got up, dressed quickly in a red blouse and white jeans, grabbed her backpack, and headed downstairs to eat breakfast.
Whitney was pouring cereal for Zoe while Grace was washing her bowl out in the sink and Lucy was putting stuff in her backpack. She had a Senior final today. "I don't know WHAT Gallagher was thinking." Lucy moaned to no one in particular. "Two essays, a presentation, AND a dialectical notebook? Who does he think I am, a..." her words where cut off by a thump on the front porch. "Meghan, will you go get the paper, please?" Whitney asked. Dropping her things on the living room couch, Meghan opened the front door to the rapidly brightening sky and saw, on the welcome mat, the paper... and a lion's tooth necklace.
Puzzled, Meghan picked up the necklace and turned it around her hand. It was a sharp, long tooth, with a dark stain on it that might be blood. Around it were several wooden beads and a small charm with a paw on it. It was all on a thick black piece of nylon. A small note was attached to it:
'Hey Meghan, Thanks for the beer last night - we got wasted! This is a thank-you token for all your help. Of you ever want to come over, you can come anytime, cause it gets pretty lonely over here... if you know what we mean :)
-Eric and Murphy'
Smiling, Meghan thought of the events of last night and felt a little woozy. Coming back to her senses, she unclasped the necklace, put it around her neck, and reclasped it. Suddenly, a wave of warm air overtook her. A roaring sound filled her ears, and she clapped her hands to her head and moaned at the sound. After a few seconds, the warm feeling passed and she felt normal again. Shaking her head, Meghan gathered up the paper, gave it to her mom, ate breakfast, and had just enough time to rush out to the bus, the lion's tooth still around her neck.
At school that day, Meghan felt more confident than usual. She usually slouched through the halls, head hanging down, but today she walked briskly through them, head held high. A few of the boys in the hallway eyed her as she walked past. She stopped by her locker and her friend Julia walked up. "Hey, Meg!" she said cheerfully. "Hey, Jules!" Meghan said, and the both hugged. "Are you ready for your presentation in Sharpe's class today? You were a nervous wreck about it yesterday." Julia said in a concerned voice. Smiling, Meghan replied, "I feel like I'm the king of the world today. And I owe it all the this." She reached into her blouse and pulled out the necklace. "Woah! Cool..." Julia whistled, eyeing it. "Where'd you get it?" "Oh, our new neighbors gave it to me." She said coyly. "That's nice!" Julia said. "Remember, it's Thursday Movie Night! Bye!" As Julia walked away, Meghan realized she had forgotten all about it: every Thursday, Julia rode the bus home with her and they watched a movie at her house.
Meghan excelled in her presentation, she got the highest grade in the class. Afterwards, she went to the bathroom and saw herself in the mirror: she looked in it, puzzled. Her dirty blonde hair color had appeared to have turned a dark honey color, and her eyes seemed to have a golden tint to them. Shaking her head, she dismissed it as a trick of the light.
Later that afternoon, Julia and Meghan got off the bus right in front of her house. "What are you feeling like today?" Julia asked. "The Conjuring, There's Something About Mary, or..."
"HEY! MEGHAN!"
Julia and Meghan looked up at the frat house's porch. Eric was sitting on the steps, turning a football in his paws. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, and the same sneakers from last night. His tail coiled out of the sweatpants and lay on the stairs beside him. His massive head and mane moved as he opened his muzzle. "Did you get me and Murph's present?" he asked, smiling, baring his fangs. "Yeah! I liked it a lot! Thanks!" Meghan replied eagerly. She looked at Julia, who had stepped back a few steps, mouth hanging open. "Don't worry, toots, it takes some getting used too." Eric said, rising and walking towards the girls.
"Listen, me and Julia were going to go watch a movie at my house. You wanna come? None of my family is home yet." Meghan said. Eric rested his chin on his paw and said, "I dunno, I gotta practice for football tryouts, they're next week." Eric flexed a little, the sleeves of the sweatshirt straining to hold his huge forearms. "But I guess I could spare an hour or two... or you know what? We have a TV in the house! Why don't we watch it there?" Meghan pondered this for a minute.