“You mask your sadness by clowning around. I read it in a mag-
azine. One day you’re going to have some kind of a breakdown.
Anyway, that’s what the article said.”

Wolf Boy frowned. “You really are uptight, aren’t you?”

“Are you kidding?” snapped Sonja. “I’m a musician! Artists are
not uptight!”

“Some musician. You can’t even play a note.”

Sonja stopped in her tracks. All the strength went out of her
body at once. She burst into tears and covered her face. Charlotte
was the only person who truly knew her. She understood how sad
she was at being abandoned. She understood how much music
meant to her. She understood every dream and aspiration she ever
had. They had been sole companions for twelve and a half years.
Now she had nobody. Her voice grew very quiet. “I don’t really
know who I am anymore.”

Wolf Boy stared at Sonja. He bit his lip, then gently said,
“Nobody knows who they really are.” He pulled her hands off her
face. “Look at me. Sometimes a boy, sometimes a wolf. Imagine
how confusing that feels.”

Sonja wiped her tears away with the back of her sleeve. “What’s
it feel like to transform?”

“Sort of like changing expressions on your face from happy to
sad.” Wolf Boy thought for a moment. “I’ve got two versions of
myself. Sometimes, I feel like being one; sometimes, I feel like being
the other.”

Sonja nodded. “Kind of like being a twin. The only problem is
the other version of myself has abandoned me.”