"Do a squirrel," said a voice. "Squirrels've always been my favorite animals."
Selena and Tatiana flinched, swiveling around to see who had spoken. They saw tall, skinny girl with waist-length brown hair leaning against a tree and taking drags from a bong. She was wearing cargo shorts, a green flannel shirt, sandals, and a beanie with a marijuana leaf embroidered on it. It was Marley Roberts, the resident stoner chick of Selena and Tatiana's class.
"How much did you overhear?!" Selena gasped.
Marley blew out a cloud of white pot smoke. "Enough to know Tats is a vampire and you're trying to become a werebeast. Cool."
"You're taking that awfully in your stride," Tatiana remarked.
Marley shrugged. "Maybe it's the weed, maybe I'm just quirky like that. Anyway, if you're going to become a werebeast, I say being a squirrel would be wicked cute. It'd be real fun to watch you turn into a squirrel girl while I smoke, Lena."
"You know," Selena mused, "that actually sounds fun. You know where I can find a squirrel?"
"Got ya covered, dude!" Marley said, triumphantly holding up a red squirrel she'd been petting. "I have a way with these little guys."
"Wow thanks, Marley!" Selena cheered as she took out the Werebrush. "This is what I'll use to shift, Marley. I bought it from Morgana, the witch who runs that magic store in town. She tolf Tats and me that this little trinket's called the Werebrush. You brush and animal to charge it, and then you brush your own hair. Once you've done that, you're set to have your first change on the night of the full moon. Tanks to the brush's magic, I'm gonna shift tonight."