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Books were piled up around her room, cracked open to the magical spells Emily needed to study for class the next day. Her finger traced over the words as her lips pushed together, a stray lock of hair sticking out from one of the pigtails she’d pulled her thin hair into before pushing up her heavy-rimmed eyeglasses and sighing.
“You should really take a break,” said a voice from her bedroom doorway, making Emily look up.
“Oh. Uncle Drac,” Emily said, turning to look at her uncle. He was a vampire, like her grandmother was, making her father a half-vampire and her a quarter-vampire. She frowned, her fingers curling under her hands while her mouth pushed together. “I need to make sure I get this. If I don’t get this,” she said, only to stop speaking, not wanting to say out loud how every time she didn’t do well with magic, she still felt like an outsider.
And as she got older, the magic became more complicated and harder to grasp while it seemed everyone managed to get what she couldn’t. Her uncle sighed. “You should still get out. Get some fresh air. See your friends.”
Emily’s mouth twitched slightly, not wanting to point out that her friends were off doing their own thing, with Hector doing the sports thing and Winnie had gotten into cheer. As for Wolfie, she honestly didn’t know what he got up to after school beyond Hector, and he wasn’t speaking because Wolfie didn’t do the sports thing either.
“Well?”
Emily took a deep breath before getting up and heading out of her room, passing her brother. He was watching television, making her want to say something about how Elliot wasn’t expected to get some fresh air, let alone how her brother could possibly do with more studying, only to not do so, knowing full well it never would go well. She took a deep breath and headed out, unsure of what she would do, let alone where she would go.
The air in Transylvania, Pennsylvania, the small colony town for monsters that most normal people didn’t know about, was crisp as usual, the weather cloudy as everyone there preferred rather than the sunshine others did, and yet the stars were waiting to break out. She jammed her hands into her pockets. The leaves were crisp, changing color with the time of the year, and fitting such a spooky, yet not like in horror movies kind of way place.
“What ya doing?”
Emily’s eyes blinked, her head turning to look at the person. “Oh.” She frowned. “What are you up to, Wolfie?”
The young werewolf frowned, his hands jammed into jeans pockets as he caught up to her. “Uh, that’s my question, isn’t it?” He then said, “I’m out for a walk.”
“Same,” Emily said, looking away, wondering why the question of what she was up to even come up with.
“Except you don’t go for a walk every day,” Wolfie said. “It’s not a part of your routine.”
“It’s a part of yours?” Emily frowned. “I thought you weren’t into the sports thing.”
“I’m what?”
The confusion made Emily look at him, to see a look of confusion. “You’re not into sports. It’s what you and Hector have been arguing about, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure how you came to that conclusion.”
“Because Hector says it’s true.”
“Hector confuses me not being into the same sports as him as me not being into sports. If he wants to cream his head on the playing field, that’s his choice,” Wolfie said, his nose wrinkling in disgust.
“But what other sport is there?”
He stared, and then he chuckled. “Plenty. But then, you’re not a sports person, so does it really matter?”
“That’s kind of mean,” Emily said.
“I meant, does it really matter what sports I’m into? You’re not into them. Hector’s not really seeing anything but that. So, yeah.” He tilted his head. “But you being out for a walk? What’s up?”
“Uncle Drac told me I should take a break from studying,” Emily said. She frowned. “If you take walks every day, doesn’t that mean you don’t worry about studying?”
“Ah, well,” Wolfie frowned. “Not sure I can say I really study.”
Emily shook her head. “You should, though.”
“Aren’t you assuming that my grades are bad?” Wolfie asked.
“Don’t you sleep through tests?”
“Only after I finish them,” Wolfie said.
“How?” Emily asked. “You sleep for almost the entire test period?”
“I finish quickly.”
“Yet still get good grades?” Emily asked, pressing.
“Yes.”
“What is your idea of good grades?”
Wolfie frowned. “What do you mean, what is my idea of good grades?”
“As in passing?” Emily said. “Simply passing?”
“Uh, no. That’s Hector. And maybe Winnie?” Wolfie frowned. “Actually, I’d like to correct myself and say Winnie’s idea of good grades. It’s the grades she ends up getting. And while Hector doesn’t care as long as he’s passing, he does make good grades depending on what class it is.”
“So you’re telling me you actually score well on the tests?” Emily shook her head. “Yet don’t study.”
“Never said I don’t study. I do have to memorize some things,” Wolfie said, hopping up on a fence. “But it’s not that hard. In fact, it’s easier after I’ve been active. Go for a walk.”
“Sure.”
“Exercise is good for the brain,” Wolfie said. “It improves your smarts. Unless, of course, you’re injuring your head constantly. Hence why I didn’t try out for the team like Hector did. Not doing that to my brain.”
“Are you actually suggesting I improve my grades by getting exercise?” Emily shook her head.
Wolfie shrugged. “It’s your choice. I think everyone has different ways of studying for success.”
"But you really pay more attention in class than I thought?" Emily asked.
"Well, yes." Wolfie frowned.