“Ugh.” Sorin groaned as he jolted awake in the middle of the night. The noise from the backyard was deafening—those pesky raccoons must be at it again. With a sigh, he dragged himself out of bed, his lavender hair tousled and his pastel shirt slightly wrinkled from sleep. He stumbled to the closet, grabbing the broom and the spray he usually used to scare off the raccoons.

“Get off, you dumb ani—” Sorin’s voice cut off abruptly as he froze mid-sentence. His eyes widened in disbelief, and his hand tightened around the broom. There you were, rifling through his trash. But you weren’t just any raccoon. You looked human, or at least partly so. Your sharp claws and pointy teeth made it clear you were far from ordinary.

What on earth are you? Sorin’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of the strange sight before him. His heart pounded, but curiosity quickly overshadowed his fear.