While his father tried to wrestle his way out of the Mandatory Were Law at the college and his older sister spent her morning trying to go over how to avoid things she'd seen in some nightmares, Rob Van Direstag made his way through his own morning, which the high school freshman found particularly frustrating. A lot of it was in the entire "were-thing" that he couldn't quite believe. He'd seen the guidebook that had been left behind by his home's previous residents and while the artwork in it would then tie some things together with how healthy people in Moon Lake seemed to be, both teachers and students, Rob couldn't quite believe that was real
His parents and Rachel had insisted it was in fact real, based on what they saw and what Rachel had said "Melissa" told her. However, he hadn't seen any were transform, and while he accepted that Melissa Jenkins had moved to Moon Lake, he saw it as far more likely that his older sister's friend was playing some joke on her. He'd had some contact with the other students, but if they were weres, they never showed it. Some did answer and said that they were, but also said they couldn't show him, which only told Rob that this was something a joke. Though a part of him also admitted that if he was being pranked by someone, than that someone had to have done a good job to get his parents, his sister, and the student body in on it.
When he entered the library as part of his own study hall period, he looked around trying to find some sort of answers the questions that he had, but there wasn't too much there. The only thing that might change that was from a small chorus of giggles that rose from a section of the library that was more of a study area near the reference section. It was made up of six moderately sized rectangular tables and each had at least two students working on some homework, however, the one that had attracted his attention had a small collection of female students, one of which he recognized as "Amy." And adding into all of the stuff he wanted to figure out about Moon Lake, a good part of him found her to be rather intriguing in its own mysterious way.
She was built the way many of the other high school freshman were, but that was still more than what he would have expected from otherwise, and at the times when he'd been able to talk with her, she'd sent some mixed signals on some of these things. He'd already asked her once about all this were business, hoping that she'd give him something that would be rational and something that could be explained reasonably, but her answer was vague and playful. It was almost like teasing him was something of a game. That also frustrated him, because on certain levels, Rob also found himself a bit attracted to that which made trying to figure things out even harder. Because if she didn't want to tell, he could very easily find himself being led astray by it, particularly as he tried to remember to be polite and respectful.
"Come on Rob," Rob thought to himself for a moment, "get it together... see if you can get some answers. This whole town cant all be in on this prank..."
He made his way carefully across the carpeted floor toward the group, and hoped that this didn't turn into something where they accused him of being a creep or anything like that. For the most part the group didn't seem to respond all that much as he approached and that let him get close enough to where he could set his things down on the table next to them when Amy looked up her own school work for a moment and flashed a rather knowing smile, which Rob wasn't sure how to respond to.
"Ah... here he is now," Amy smiled, "girls, meet Rob Van Direstag."
The group paused and turned to him. There were four others at the table who looked to him and waved. One was an African American girl with her hair done in braids and with the most "normal" build among the group. One was a blonde with fairly wavy hair that was seated to Amy's right. There were two brunettes sitting opposite Amy, one had her hair back in a pony tail while the other actually had shorter hair that was combed forward under her ears. They all waved and said hello while Amy leaned over to a side and pulled chair that Rob had been approaching and pulled it so that it was facing the narrow side of the table.
"Hello..." Rob said nervously as he hadn't planned on being "discovered" before he could be ready to try and get some answers and now that plan was pretty much dead.
Amy continued on without missing a beat and began to introduce the others at the table, she started with the African American girl, "Rob, this is Carla... or Carlee, depending on if you're feeling playful." She then motioned to the blonde seated beside her, "this is Theresa." Amy then finished with the two brunettes and pointed to first the one with her hair in a pony tail, "this is Stephanie" then to the girl with shorter hair, "and this is Betty."
"Hello!" Amy's friends said together with bright and playful smiles, which only left Rob a bit nervous.
"He is kinda cute," Theresa said to Amy, though while it was said in a way that one would think would be private, it had enough volume that Rob could hear it.
"So, you're new to Moon Lake?" Betty asked, "did the Town Chancellor visit your family, yet?"
"Supposedly," Rob managed, trying to hold back a blush, "though it's only left me with a bunch of questions, because it sounds unbelievable. Werewolves and all that kind of stuff... that can't really be real... can it?"
Rob was only answered by a chorus of giggles that left him a bit embarrassed. The only one who didn't chuckle at all that was Carla who gave something of a glare to the two seated to her left and right and then looked across the length of the table to Rob.
"It's not something you believed in before moving to Moon Lake... is it?" Carla asked.
"Not really... I mean I've seen picks and stories on the internet," Rob answered, "but some of that is just story telling..."
"All stories will have some degree of truth to them," Carla answered, "even fictional stories..."
"So you're..." Rob began as he looked to her and then to Amy, hoping that this setting might finally give an answer to the question he'd asked earlier.
"I'm actually a Moon Lake normal," Carla answered, "my grandparents moved here during the Vietnam era and they had two kids, though below the age that Moon Lake would tolerate for their being transformed. In that my grandparents became werewolves and my father and my uncle were able to grow up live in Moon Lake. My father met and married a girl who's older brother had become a werecougar when her family moved to Moon Lake and they got married and had me. Because my parents grew up with members of their family being weres, they didn't have to change and because I was born in Moon Lake... I didn't have to change."
"Which shows that a lot of those old stories are just made up stuff," Amy nodded, "weres aren't monsters For if they were monsters... Moon Lake wouldn't exist."
"Maybe," Rob admitted, though while some of that was helpful it didn't really help him much with regard to figuring out who Amy was, which was the thing he had the most interest in. "But I found this old guidebook that the previous owners left behind... but from what they describe with regard to the appearance of weres..."
"We are well built, aren't we?" Stephanie smiled, "the specific builds may vary between each "group," but my dad always says that whoever created the spell that created weres had certain carnal thoughts on his mind."
"My mom always says its more that the virus pushes some instinct that would lead to the virus being spread... either by turning new weres or between a pair conceiving children," Theresa countered.
"It's a debate on the origins of the were virus," Carla commented, noting Rob's puzzled look at the exchange, "let's just say that no one's settled it."
"Regardless... it's something that inspires weres to be fairly active, be they weredogs, like me," Stephanie spoke. This got some of Rob's attention as he might get an answer to the question he'd asked Amy earlier.
"Or werecats," said Betty.
"Or werelions," Theresa finished and allowed Rob to turn his head to look to Amy who'd stayed silent for the most part, "and you already know Amy..."
"I've met her..." Rob began as Amy smiled, "but I haven't been able to find out what kind of were she is... if she is one... Neither have I seen an actual were, so... there's a part of me that isn't sure as to whether or not I'm being pranked."
"Well... when did your family move here?" Stephanie asked.
"We arrived this past Sunday," Rob answered to Stephanie and not noticing a more hopeful smile on Amy's face.
"Ah..." Stephanie said slowly, "well I'd guess you haven't been around much to see much of Moon Lake's night time actions. See... unless we're inside our own homes or it's after dark, a were cannot be transformed outside."
"Why?" Rob wondered.
"It helps us stay out of sight and protects the were secret," Betty answered, "for if someone saw us transformed... the response might not be good because so many of the stories treat werewolves as monsters. At night people may not see as well..."
"Though in some parts of town, even at night a were can't be transformed in because of the light available," Stephanie added, "and why we also have the mandatory were law with regard to new families."
"Well... were inside now..." Rob began.
"Nice try... but outside of things like the Halloween Dance," Amy answered, "we can't be transformed in school either."
"Why?" Rob asked.
"To make sure weres that are romantically involved don't get any intimate ideas during school," Theresa spoke, "and making sure that there is no destroyed clothing. My were form is too big for any of the clothes that would fit my human form. While Stephanie and Betty's were forms are small enough that they could keep their clothes on... Which means small weres could, but big weres would have to strip before transforming... which cycles back to the school not wanting to deal with a bunch of aroused teenagers."
Rob's eyes turned to Theresa as she spoke and actually missed Amy shudder slightly. The answers he'd gotten might be a bit helpful, but wasn't quite enough to prove anything with regard to the truth. It might be likely, given how well built everyone but Carla was, but a part of him still wasn't sure and wouldn't quite believe fully until he could see a were transform. Otherwise things would just come off as part of the prank, which would hurt as it would mean that this group were pranking him more than anyone else might have with regard to his sister and family.
"This is all quite a lot," Rob said after a moment as he looked back to Amy, "and one could make it double when I've had a girl who's out of my league practically flirt with me..."
"Because you're cute, isn't he girls?" Amy smiled and rubbed one shoed foot against Rob's shin.
"For a boy, I suppose," Betty shrugged and gave a small chuckle.
"And the confusion is likely because it's only his third day here," Carla added with a glance to Amy, "so some things he hasn't fully adjusted to yet."
"I wouldn't mind learning," Rob looked over to Amy, "figure everything out..."
"Follow me home after school... and maybe you'll find out," Amy smiled to him just as the bell rang and indicated the end of the study period.
Rob sighed heavily as Amy stood up, playfully ruffled his hair and made her way out with her friends following closely behind. Carla seemed to pat him on the shoulder as she passed him, it was as if to say, "it'll be okay" and then walked along after her friends. Rob got to his feet and sighed heavily, as he didn't think he'd gotten any real answers. The group had seemed to provide enough a hint that he could think that Amy was a were, but he didn't get enough to know what kind of were, and with the school's rules not allowing any transformations in school, he couldn't get full confirmation on the thing that his parents had said the Town Chancellor had showed them or that Rachel had said her best friend told her about. So he'd gotten some information, but nothing that would fully confirm anything.