Page 38 of More Than a Match

“Think of it this way. They’re normal people with a genetic condition.”

“Yeah, they seemed nice enough when I saw them outside.”

“They are,” I reassure her. “They’re the nicest people. They just also happen to not be people, exactly.”

She chuckles, resting her head against my shoulder as the growling fuck-fest continues through the wall behind us. “I guess. At least they’re enjoying themselves.”

“And you? Are you enjoying yourself?”

She looks up at me, and I can practically see the universe in her eyes. “Every minute I’m with you is heaven.”

CHAPTER 27: MINA

“I’m serious, Katie! I think they really are werewolves.”

“There’s no fucking way that’s real,” Katie replies, and I can practically hear her eyeroll through the phone.

“I swear on everything, girl. I didn’t believe it either, until I heard it.” I pause for a moment, my head still reeling with the implications of what I’d learned the night before. “What if everything is true? What if it all exists?”

“What do you mean?”

“Werewolves, vampires, witches, fairies… all of that.”

“Oh, and Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster?”

I can tell she’s teasing me, but I don’t even care. “Yeah, why not! What if it’s all true?”

“Well, then humanity is fucked.”

“No, I’m serious!”

“So am I! If all those things really do exist, it’s only a matter of time before they can’t hide anymore. What if they, all combined, outnumber humans? What will our world look like if they come out of hiding?”

“Oh shit. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Of course you hadn’t. These things supposedly are super-human. Why would they hide when they could come out and just dominate the human population? It doesn’t make sense.”

I pause for a minute, considering her words. She does have a certain point. “But what if there’s only a few out there? What if they’re all like, endangered species?”

“Then it makes sense for them to hide. You know how people are, hunting and exterminating everything that isn’t up to their standard of ‘normal’, whatever that means.”

“Yeah.”

Katie’s tone becomes more serious. “But you’re for real? You, my logical, woman-of-science best friend, genuinely believe you heard real werewolves?”

“I do.”

She sighs into the phone. “Then I believe you.”

“I—wait. You believe me?”

“I do. You’ve never lied to me before, and I know you wouldn’t tell me about it if you didn’t believe it with your whole heart. So I believe you.”

“I wish there was a way I could prove it to you.”

“Time will tell, I guess. Hey, I gotta run, but we’ll talk later, alright?”

“Definitely.”

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