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5_ A harmless game

The night was already electric, the sound of laughter and music spilling out from the house as Dylan, Claudia, and I approached. The air smelled strange—something bitter and sharp, almost intoxicating. I’d never been around so many humans at once, never felt the weight of so many bodies moving, talking, laughing together. It was overwhelming.

As soon as we stepped inside, the room was alive with warmth and noise, people packed together in clusters, holding drinks, shouting over each other to be heard. My heart raced as the unfamiliar scent of so many humans hit me at once. My skin prickled, and I instinctively took a step closer to Dylan, the anxiety creeping in slowly but surely.

“This is a party,” Dylan said, turning to me with a reassuring smile. “You’re going to be fine.”

I forced a small smile, trying to push down the nervous energy bubbling inside me. The space was tight, filled with moving bodies and loud music. It felt… unnatural. My instincts were on high alert, every face I passed was a stranger, every scent unfamiliar.

But there was also curiosity building inside me. This was a chance to observe humans in their element, to see how they interacted, and how different they were from me. I scanned the crowd, comparing myself to the people around me—girls laughing, guys leaning in close to speak to them, bodies pressed together in a way that seemed intimate and strange. They were so unaware, so relaxed.

When Dylan’s friends finally spotted us, I noticed the sudden shift in the room. Their faces lit up with surprise, eyes widening as they looked at me.

“Whoa, who’s this?” one of them asked, a guy with messy hair and a drink in his hand. He looked me up and down in a way that made me feel exposed, even though I was fully dressed. “Damn, she’s hot.”

Hot? I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment, but the way Dylan’s friends looked at me made me feel uncomfortable. Their eyes lingered on my body in a way that made my skin crawl, but I held my head high, not letting the unease show. Dylan didn’t seem to notice the way his friends were staring at me; instead, he just smiled and handed me a drink, something cold and fizzy in a plastic cup.

“Here, try this,” he said.

I sniffed the liquid suspiciously before taking a small sip. The taste was bitter and strange, burning slightly as it slid down my throat. I winced but forced a smile.

Before I could ask what it was, a girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere, her voice loud and excited. “Hey, let’s play a game!” she announced, catching the attention of the group.

“What game?” Dylan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Truth, dare, or strip,” the girl replied with a mischievous grin. “If you can’t tell the truth or do the dare, you lose a piece of clothing.”

The group erupted in laughter and cheers. I stood there, blinking in confusion. Truth? Dare? Strip? The words swirled in my head, none of them making sense. I looked at Dylan for guidance, hoping he’d explain.

He leaned in close to me, his breath warm against my ear. “It’s simple. You either answer a question truthfully, do a dare, or take off a piece of clothing if you can’t do either. Don’t worry, it’s all just for fun.”

Fun? I wasn’t sure I understood how this could be fun, but I nodded anyway, deciding to go along with it. Everyone else seemed excited, gathering in a loose circle as they prepared to start the game. I followed Dylan, sitting next to him and Claudia, feeling the weight of so many eyes on me as we all settled into our spots.

The game began, people laughing as they answered embarrassing truths or took on ridiculous dares. The mood was light, the energy in the room buzzing with amusement. But as each person took their turn, I couldn’t help but feel an odd tension building inside me. It was something I couldn’t name—an unfamiliar sensation, a discomfort.

When it was Dylan’s turn, the girl next to him grinned wickedly. “Truth or dare?” she asked.

Dylan hesitated for a moment, then smirked. “Truth.”

The girl’s smile widened. “Who in this room would you want to make out with right now?”

Dylan hesitated. His jaw tightened, and I noticed a flicker of discomfort pass across his face. He didn’t answer. Instead, he reached down and, to my surprise, grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head in one swift motion.

My breath caught in my throat.

I’d seen Dylan shirtless before, but there was something about the way the light played over the ridges of his muscles now, something about the way his skin gleamed with a faint sheen of sweat, that made my heart race. His chest was broad and strong, the lines of his muscles firm and defined. His skin was smooth, and golden under the dim light, and I found my eyes tracing every inch of him, unable to look away.

The others cheered, whistling and teasing him, but I couldn’t hear them anymore. All I could see was Dylan, his bare chest, the warmth of his skin. I didn’t understand why, but the sight of him made something flutter inside me—something strange, something I couldn’t name.

When it was my turn, I barely registered what was happening. The girl beside me, the same one who had asked Dylan, turned to me with a smirk. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” I said, unsure of what else to say.

Her grin widened. “What’s the craziest place you’ve had sex?”

The question hung in the air, and for a moment, I just stared at her, my mind blank. Sex? What was that? I glanced around the circle, everyone’s eyes on me, waiting for my answer. But I didn’t know what she was asking. Panic flickered in my chest, and I looked at Dylan, hoping he could help me.

But he just stared back, his face frozen in shock. I could see his mind racing, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t help.

The girl raised an eyebrow, her smile fading into impatience. “If you can’t answer, you know what to do.”

I blinked at her, trying to understand. The rules. I had to take off something if I couldn’t answer. That’s what the game was.

Without hesitation, I stood up, reaching for the hem of my dress, prepared to take it off.

“Katrina, no!” Dylan’s voice came out in a rush, and he sprang to his feet, grabbing my wrist before I could pull the dress over my head. His eyes were wide with panic. “Not that. Just… just take off your sandals.”

Confused, I looked down at my feet and then at the others, who were all watching, some with amused smiles, others with wide eyes. I nodded slowly, realizing I had misunderstood, and bent down to remove my sandals. The tension in the room eased, and people laughed again, but my heart still pounded with embarrassment. I sat back down, feeling strange as if I had just made a fool of myself.

The game continued, moving on to Claudia’s turn. She hesitated when asked her question, something about her love life, and after a long pause, she sighed and removed her top, leaving her in just her bra. The guys around us whistled and cheered, their eyes hungrily watching her.

I didn’t understand why they reacted that way, but it made me uncomfortable. The way their gazes lingered on Claudia’s body, the way they seemed to expect something from her. Was this normal?

A few more rounds passed, and then it happened. One of the girls dared another to make out with someone in the room. She smiled wickedly and turned toward Dylan, walking over to him with a sway in her step. My body tensed immediately, a strange sensation rising inside me, one that I didn’t recognize but couldn’t ignore. The girl reached for Dylan, her eyes locking with his as she leaned in.

My heart thundered in my chest. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like her being so close to him. Something inside me screamed, something primal, territorial. I clenched my fists, feeling the urge to step in, to push her away. But I didn’t understand why.

Dylan raised a hand, stopping her before she could get any closer. “I’ll pass,” he said, his voice calm but firm.

The girl pouted, but the group cheered anyway, laughing as Dylan unbuckled his belt and removed it, tossing it aside. I exhaled slowly, the tension in my chest easing slightly, but I still felt unsettled.

Then it happened. A guy turned to me, a smug grin on his face. “I dare you to make out with Katrina,” he said to another boy.

The guy grinned, moving toward me with a confidence that made my skin crawl. His smile was too wide, his eyes too bright as he approached. There was something in his eyes that made my muscles tense. My instincts screamed at me, warning me that something wasn’t right. He got closer, too close. His smile widened, but it wasn’t friendly. It felt predatory, and I knew what that meant. I was the prey.

As he got closer, his hand reaching out towards me, I felt something snap inside me. My instincts flared to life, the wolf within me roaring in response. I didn’t think—I just reacted.

My hand shot out, pressing against his chest, and his body flew backward. The force of my push sent him crashing into a glass table, shattering it beneath him. He landed with a loud thud, shards of glass scattering everywhere.

There was a deafening silence. Everyone around me froze, eyes wide with shock. I could hear their hearts pounding, their breaths coming out in startled gasps. Someone muttered, “What the hell?”

I stood there, staring at the boy sprawled on the floor, his body tangled in the wreckage of the table. I didn’t understand why everyone was so surprised. He was a threat. I dealt with him. That’s what you’re supposed to do, right?

Dylan quickly grabbed his shirt and belt, his hand gripping my wrist as he pulled me to my feet. “We need to go,” he whispered harshly, his eyes darting around the room.

He didn’t say anything to the others, just tugged me along, and we left the house without looking back.

The walk home was quiet, but I could feel the tension radiating off Dylan. I didn’t know if he was mad or scared, but I could tell something was bothering him.

When we got inside, Dylan finally let out a breath he’d been holding. “You did the right thing,” he said softly. “He was getting too close. You were right to push him.”

I tilted my head, studying him. “Then why were they all looking at me like that?”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “People...aren’t used to that kind of strength, Katrina. It scared them. But don’t worry about it.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t entirely convinced. The way they’d stared at me had felt...wrong. Like I had done something unforgivable.

Dylan took a step closer to me, his eyes softening. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Katrina. Yes, he may be a little hurt, but he'll be fine."

Dylan stepped closer, his eyes locked on mine, and the air between us charged. My heart raced as he gently brushed a strand of hair from my face, his touch sending shivers down my spine. His warmth, the intensity in his gaze—it made me feel something unfamiliar, something I couldn’t name. As he leaned in, our faces inches apart, my breath caught, anticipation building. But then, he hesitated, pulling back with a shaky breath. “We should get some sleep,” he whispered, breaking the moment. I went to my room, my mind swirling with emotions I didn’t yet understand.

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