Page 74 of The Howl
I couldn’t believe she was even asking that.
“Why can’t you be a normal mom?”
“I think you have the best mom ever,” the grinning boy said. “I wish my mom would have invited friends over for me.”
“Hush, Michael,” Mom said. “Entertain yourself for a moment.”
His eyes glazed over, and he reached for his groin.
I quickly studied my ceiling.
“I am normal,” Mom said, coming around the bed to grab my shoulders.
“Normal moms don’t invite two strangers into their daughter’s bed.”
“I’m normal for what I am. And I’m worried about you, so I’m just trying to help.”
“No, you’re not helping. You’re being like Adira and trying to force things.”
“I’m not forcing anything. If you don’t like these two, I’ll have Mrs. Quill return them. Do you prefer girls? It’s okay if you do. Knowing your preferences will make it a little easier to pick—”
“I don’t want you to pick, Mom. I want you to let me decide who I “see” and when I see them. I’m not like you: hungry all the time.”
I realized what we were saying and glanced at the two boys. The groaner was quiet now but still holding his parts.
“Don’t worry about them,” Mom said. “They know they’ll see weird things here and won’t remember any of it. One of your druid classmates will do a mind wipe. Part of their studies. See? I’m helping other kids. Don’t you want to graduate?”
I couldn’t believe she was having a student doing a mind wipe of them. The boys in my bed would be lucky if they weren’t drooling when the druid was done.
I looked at the pair.
“And you’re okay with this?”
They both shrugged.
“She said we’d wake up in our own beds,” the one playing with his bits, instead of protecting them, said. “We’ll vaguely remember doing yard work for a rich lady and getting well paid and well laid. Getting a cougar is on my bucket list.”
Is that all boys thought about? Money and sex?
“Darling, I’m barely a puma,” Mom said with a purr to her tone.
I felt a little gaggy.
“So you brought them here with the promise of sex with me? Like I’m some whore?” I said, more hurt than angry.
“Of course not. They don’t have to have sex with you for you to feed. You know that. They can have sex with each other.”
“Hey now,” the smiler said, losing his humor.
“Hush.”
The boys went quiet and looked at each other. I could see my mom’s influence and quickly fled before they started touching each other.
“I don’t want any part of this,” I said just before I closed the bathroom door.
I felt dirty. And cheap. Stripping, I stepped into the shower, which was already running. Mom had probably started it, thinking the two boys and I would end up in there. I shuddered and grabbed the soap.
A sudden buzzing filled the air, and I looked up at Piepen.
