Eric entered the gate and looked around. Despite the fact that his backyard wasn't fenced in and opened out to the surrounding forest, Julie's was much bigger. The swimming pool was about normal size, with plenty of open grass around it and a little cabana in the rear.
But what puzzled Eric was that there was no one around! There was a radio on a table under an umbrella playing music that was surrounded by snacks and a cooler that he presumed was full of drinks, But where is everybody? I know I'm not late. Did the party get canceled or are they inside for some reason?
Eric was about to walk to the back door of the house when Julie's head popped out above the edge of the pool. "Oh good! You're here! Sorry I didn't hear you come in," she said apologetically as she got out of the pool.
She was wearing a modest two piece blue bikini, and with her budding figure, Eric couldn't help but stare as Julie stood by a pool chair and dried off with the towel she left draped across its back.
"Thanks for inviting me, but where is everybody?" asked Eric.
"I said I was having a pool party today. I never said how many people I invited," replied Julie, looking at her lone guest.
"Oh?" said Eric. For some reason, his shorts started becoming uncomfortable, so he moved his small travel bag from his side to the front to block Julie from noticing.
"After what you've told me about the last few months of your life, I figured you could use some time to kick back and relax. Here, sit," offered Julie, while going over to the table. She pulled out one of the chairs, sat down, and opened a bag of chips to munch on.
"It has been rough of late," admitted Eric, as he sat down. "Do you mind?" he asked, pointing to the cooler.
"No. Go right ahead," replied Julie. "You can get me a bottle of water too while you're in there."
Eric did so, and after each teenager had a brief drink, Julie asked, "So, what's your answer to my last question?"
"I'm afraid you have to remind me. What question was that?"
"Whether or not it matters if I'm a were?"
Eric didn't hesitate to answer when he said, "No. I did have to stop and think about it," he admitted. "But while the whole concept was a lot to take in, let alone my family's recent dealings with them, I do like you."
"Good. I like you too," said Julie with a genuine smile. "But don't you worry. Samantha and Frances Twist wouldn't do anything to anyone unless the other person was completely willing, and that were-vixen will be punished to the full extent of our laws."
Eric was in shock. "How do you—"
"Besides the fact that weres maintain a pretty tight community amongst ourselves, my father is the Mayor of Moon Lake," revealed Julie. "As his only child, I can't help hearing things from time to time," she said with a wink and another smile.
Eric didn't know which part of what she just said to respond to first, so Julie said, "I see I caught you by surprise. Don't worry. I'm friendly." And I can be so much more with the right person.
"I don't know where to begin," admitted Eric, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Then I'll start," said Julie.
"First off, in this case, the were prefix just means that the person is more than a normal human," she began. "Ignore all that B.S. from Hollywood and other media. A lot of it is old superstitions and stuff the various weres spread on their own to keep people from finding out the truth about us anyway. What is true is that, depending upon the species, you gain extra skills in either form, and some special abilities in both."
"Like what?" asked Eric.
"In my case, I'm technically considered a were-mermaid," said Julie.
"Really?"
"Really! I can breathe, see, and hear underwater in any form. Disqualifies me from ever swimming professionally, but oh well," explained Julie.
"Wait a second. You said any form. How many do you have?" asked Eric.
"Well, this is my normal appearance," said Julie, standing up and spinning around so Eric could get a good look at her. "But mers can transform in stages, as necessary. This is the basic," she added, spreading out her hands and bare feet to show webbing grow between her fingers and toes.
"The second stage is more detailed," revealed Julie, as scales started spreading across her feet and up her legs. The webbing between her toes became more noticeable, but everything from her waist up remained the same.
"In the final stage, I develop the classic mermaid tail, but for that I'd have to go into the pool and remove my bikini bottom first," Julie said with a bit of a blushing flush to her cheeks. Instead, she reverted back to normal and sat down again.
"So you were born like this?" asked Eric.
"Yes. I'm a fifth generation were-mer," Julie said proudly. "The river that feeds Moon Lake eventually leads back to the coast and the open sea. My great-great grandparents were exploring and stumbled upon Moon Lake long ago. They liked the place so much they decided to stay."
Eric just sat there, thinking about all of this, so Julie added, "I know it's a lot to take in. I had considered inviting some of the weres from school over so you could get to know them better, but I didn't want you to be overwhelmed more than you might already be from everything that's happened. It does take new arrivals time to adjust to our ways."
Eric had so many questions, that he wasn't sure which one to ask first, so Julie added, "You don't have to worry. Like I said, that were-vixen will be punished. She's an unusual exception. Normally, no one intentionally changes a person unless they want to be a were."
"How does a normal person become a were?" asked Eric.
As Julie went on to explain the various methods in greater detail, Eric couldn't help wondering which method Nate was going to choose at his induction ceremony later tonight. Knowing my big brother, he'll probably go for either being bitten or scratched. He wouldn't have sex with a werewolf, would he?