The Werewolf and the Human

Educated Guess

I started walking Bartholomew toward my front door. I could feel my hands shaking slightly. I was drained. I was doing the best I could not show that fact. I was wringing my hands and took a second to breathe before opening the door. I brushed my fingers through my hair as the door opened. I let Bartholomew walk outside. I followed closely behind him. “Thank you, Bartholomew,” I said, smiling.

              He was facing away from me. “For?” he asked, taking a step away from my house.

              I tucked my hair behind my ear and tried to push out a smile. “You helped me get the answers that I needed for them.”

              Bartholomew was about to take a step, but he froze and turned back to look at me. “I didn’t give you the answers.”

              “You did.” I nodded, giving him a smile. “Remember the conversation we had when we first talked to each other?”

              He took a step back toward me. “Yes?”

              I nodded my head slightly. “Those comments made me realize that most of the town probably thought about the same thing you did.” I gave him another smile.

              “You took a guess?” he asked me. His face had shock clearly written on it.

              “Educated guess, if I am calling that,” I said, closing my eyes.

              “It was a good guess,” Bartholomew said, looking around.

              I shrugged and wrapped my arms around me slightly. “Maybe, but that is all it was.”

              He smiled and took another step closer to me. “Whatever it was, it worked well in your favor.”

              I sighed and thought for a second. “Maybe, but I don’t know if they appreciated me. I don’t think they think very highly of me.”

              He looked around. He was probably making a judgment call that I was not allowed to help make. “They probably won’t.”

              I pulled my arms a little closer to my body. All of my life choices were being played out in front of me, and I quickly debated if I had done the right thing. “That’s a real confidence booster there.”

              He looked down at the ground. I could see the wheels slowly deciding what was right for him to say. “It’s not your fault, though. They wouldn’t have liked you even if you got all the answers perfectly right.”

              I bit my lip a little harder. “Why do they not like me? Is it simply because I am a stranger?”