Page 3 of First Kiss with a Mothman

“But we weren’t executive board then. Now we’re juniors and heads of the frat, and more importantly…” He looks away and claps his hands. When he makes eye contact again, I notice something else in his brown eyes: sympathy.

“Mort, I’m worried about you.”

“Why?”

“The others might ask you ‘oh, when was the last time you got to smash a hot monster dude?’, but you know I’m not like everyone else.”

I nod. Despite his rich-boy demeanor, Caleb has a softer side. He’s always treated me with respect and understanding. He knows I hate being around people in general. So why does he want me at parties now?

“Mort, I don’t want the world to pass you by.”

“Caleb―”

“Look, I get that some people know about your past, but many of us don’t. College is winding down, and I don’t want you staying in your attic or in the music department the whole time. Making friends with humans or even other monsters would do you some good.”

I leer at him. I don’t appreciate this type of peer pressure.

“If you stay afraid of the world, you’ll lose out on the Creepin U experience.”

“I’m not…afraid of the world,” I mutter. Caleb has no idea just how much of the world I’ve seen and what I’ve had to do to survive.

“Then you’ll come? As a brother of Alpha Claw Omega?” He smiles and turns on that pretty-boy huldrekall charm. I can see why he breaks hearts all over campus. I also recall how weird it was the one time we tried dating as freshmen and immediately decided to just be bros.

“Fine. But I’m not gonna try to make any friends.” I briskly turn and stride up the stairs.

“Well, it wouldn’t kill you to try to get laid!” he hollers. Other dudes in the house laugh and howl, and I wince. Sometimes I hate my frat.

But a minute later, when I stand in the silent solitude of my attic apartment, I take a deep breath. My queen-sized bed has been rather cold lately. When was the last time I felt the intimate touch of a guy? I was so hopeful when I thought the dude at the hotel was flirting with me.

I casually smooth out a wrinkle on my comforter. Maybe Caleb is right―one or two parties this year won’t be the death of me. And hooking up with a dude would be nice. I’m not the friendliest monster, but maybe it would be fun to have someone to lie with.

Chapter

Two

ARIE

“Squawk!”

I frown at my pet raven, chirping on my windowsill. By my understanding, most dorm windows don’t have screen doors, but Creelin University has been super accommodating about my service animal having feathers and a beak, and how I need my third-floor window to open and close at will.

I also get a single room. One of the few perks of being classified as disabled on campus.

But now I need to make my seeing-eye bird comply. After feeling for the top of his head, I pick up the fabric in my right hand. “Squawk!” he says in frustration.

“You know the rules, Reginald. To be my service bird, you gotta put this on.”

“Squawk,” he mutters.

I smile and gradually pull the fabric over his little head. I feel the Braille as well as the letters dictating that he’s in service to me, a neat accessory that someone on Fangstagram knitted for me. It’s a hassle for both of us, but I want Reginald here with me at college, and as far as I can tell, he wants to be with me, too. He’s the one who found me years ago and decided to be in lockstep with me wherever I went.

So I told him he has to wear this identifying scarf. And he understood…I think. I’m a human, not a bird monster, after all.

“Good little Reginald,” I coo, rubbing his feathery head. I don’t need to be visual to know he’s unhappy. “Now time for the leash.” I reach to my right and pick up the small rope.

“Squawk, squawk!” he chirps, hopping left and right, bouncing from underneath my hand.

Before I can chastise him more, my phone vibrates. “Call from…Mom,” the robotic voice says.