Okay, Marilyn, you got this. Just get far enough away from other people...Find an empty area and the right words to tell him...Ask him even...

"Hey, Hugo..."I say after glancing around

"Are you okay?"He asks

"I just have some things on my mind...."I say

"Like what?"He asks

"Ya know how I want to find out more about my mom?"I ask

"Yeah? Your dad doesn't want to talk about her and is too busy, right?"He says

"Well, I went to the attic and found her old stuff...Which includes this."I say, showing the necklace with the crest.

His eyes widen at the sight, twinkling with recognition. For a second he reaches for it before tucking his hand away. He glances at me, seeming to realize that he's slipping up. He clears his throat, tearing his gaze away.

"The River's Guild...Raiden has so many theories about them..."He says, clearly trying to cover up.

"It was originally a set of armor before taking this shape...And um...it gave me some information...About the Guild's duty to protect..."I say, gripping it tighter.

I watch him carefully and see his body stiffen up.

"Oh yeah! The legends say that they either protected centaurs or something called Maplesons I think..."He says, trying to play clueless

"Maplesouls...Protect Maplesouls...Raiden made it clear to both of us how to say it..."I say

I see the necklace glow brighter and he frowns, slowing down and watching it with a gaze full of fear. I've never seen him so scared before. He always wore such a bright smile. Then again, perhaps it is more literal than that passing thought. He wore a smile, wore confidence and happiness when really he must've been terrified every second. Perhaps he was having a breakdown at Halloween from fear, not exhaustion. Perhaps that was a glimpse into what he really felt, what was really going through his head. The thought of him internally scared around us to that degree where he was physically shaking...is terrible. His own friends...He was terrified of his own friends. I can see that same fear in his eyes now as he tries to act clueless, hide what I now know. He's quick to catch on to where this is going. But I have to tell him. It wouldn't feel right to back out now, knowing his secret and him being so unsettled. It would be a cruel taunt to just hint at it since being exposed must be the worst thing to imagine. He has a right to know and it wouldn't feel right to keep it from him.

"What did it tell you?"He asks

"That a Maplesoul is nearby...And a Hoodoosoul..."I reply

"Really?"He asks, slowing to a stop.

I stop beside him.

"Yes...It indicated that you're the Maplesoul to be specific."I say

"What?"He gasps

I can see the panic consuming him and can only imagine what's going through his head. His hands start trembling, then his entire body quivers as his chest heaves with difficulty to breathe. Tears form in his eyes as his expression is one that's...shattered. Completely broken. All the warmth left his eyes as they focus on me, wide in shock as his face goes pale.

It's clear that it's true since nobody would react so scared if it weren't true.

"I haven't told anyone about this. I won't tell anyone. That's why I'm telling you this. It felt right to do."I say

"You're...serious?"He asks, his voice cracking and shaking.

"Of course. I don't trust anyone with this info and the last thing I want is for you to get into trouble. I don't know what brings you here, but you certainly came here for safety. I don't want you to lose that. You're still my friend after all. I'm guessing it's true since you're not denying it or calling me crazy for this accusation..."I say, clipping the necklace around my neck.

"R-Really?"He stutters

"Of course. Human or not, that doesn't change who you are. You're still the sweet friend I know. Not much has changed besides the fact that I probably won't just be your school guide any longer. If you have any questions about how things work around here or history and stuff, I can help. I will help you with any problems that you have. And if you ever want to talk, I'm here. I'm sure it's tough to keep stuff to yourself without anyone that understands you besides books of legends."I say

He clearly hesitates for a moment, likely in disbelief. I extend my hand and he takes it with a firm squeeze as tears pour down his face over his spotted freckles.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank yoooou....Marilyn, you have no idea how much that means to me...This is the best outcome I could ever dream of...Keeping friends..."He cries, completely breaking down.

I hug him close, rubbing circles on his back as he lets everything out. Then we continue walking along.

"So your mom was in the guild?"He asks

"I guess so...I had no idea. It's all been kept in the attic and I never had the chance to check."I say

"Your headscarf looks nice."He says

"Thanks, my mom left it for me..."I say

He smiles, nodding.

"Now I'm guessing that your Halloween costume wasn't completely a costume, hmm?"I say, glancing at him.

"No...It wasn't...Well, most of it was but I couldn't get my antlers to go away by the time Marc came so I just went along with his assumption."He says

I nod, smiling a bit. Marc certainly gave a good excuse.

"I see...So, do you get along with Hoodoosouls?"I ask

"Yep, as far as I recall unless things changed while I've been living here. Each group lives a good distance from each other so we don't really interact that much unless we decide to take the journey for a visit or even join each other's communities. A few friends left the mountains to join me from what I recall. If anything, the third group called Loomsouls had tricky relationships with us since they considered the water their home and didn't like it being used for farming crops. They didn't always understand the cycle of nature and how they lived in a resource that was needed to keep nature alive. I often heard about debates among the elders concerning them."He explains

"Interesting...So if we meet this Hoodoosoul, you'll be okay with them?"I ask

He nods.

"Okay, good."I say

We continue walking, quietly discussing things as he answers a lot of my questions and gives me a better understanding of his past and what it means to be in this guild. I smile, feeling him squeeze my hand gently. He seems so happy now instead of the fearful expression he had moments before. He must be so relieved. I know I would be.

He walks me home and I watch him continue down the street after he thanked me again for keeping his secret. Well, our secret now. I shut the door and sighed, shaking my head. That went a lot better than I thought it would.

A few weeks later, I glance out the window to see that it's the first snowfall of the year and it's coming down hard. I yawn and stretch as I hear the voicemail of the house phone saying that school is canceled for today. I climb out of bed, throw slippers on, and go to the bathroom to wash up. I glance in the mirror and pause, seeing that flowers are blooming on my head. Right at the top near my forehead. Yet as soon as I notice this, they close back up. I shrug it off, thinking that the cold air might've been the cause. I tiredly go into the kitchen, making some cereal to wake up. I glance out the window, seeing an empty driveway to indicate that my dad has already left. I glance at the clock to see that it's hardly seven in the morning yet.  The snow is already building up and I sigh, knowing that I'll have to shovel that if there's any hope of him actually returning home and staying for once.

I had just finished my cereal and was doing the dishes when I heard a knock at the door. I go to it curiously with a bit of concern. It's reaching the level of a horrible blizzard out there so who would be crazy enough to come to the door at this hour? I open the door to find Hugo smiling back at me.

Oh. That's who.

"Hi, Marilyn! Are you enjoying the snow?'He asks

"I like being inside from the blizzard. Hugo, it's not even eight in the morning, what are you doing out here?"I ask

"I made hot chocolate and want to share it! My aunt and uncle hate chocolate milk so I've been going to our friends!"He says with a big smile.

"Out here in the cold?"I ask

"I love it! It's fun and I haven't slipped!"He replies, tugging at his backpack straps

I take in his appearance carefully. He is heavily bundled up with jackets and gloves with a fluffy hood and scarf. But then I see that his boots are ripped, revealing claws digging into the ground. That explains why he hasn't slipped. Wait....

He's been going to other friends? Hopefully, they weren't ripped or our friends were too tired to notice or there might be problems...

"Do you have any other houses that you plan to visit?"I ask

"Nobody else is home. I already checked. But I could try to sneak back to get Raiden to accept...Hmmm...."He says, clearly planning and glancing back at his trail of footprints.

"Yeah, no. You're coming inside to warm up now."I say, pulling him inside.

I shut the door and set his bag aside.

"But I'm not cold!"He says

"But you could be exposed if you go anywhere else!"I tell him.

"How?"He asks

How has he kept this secret for so long? Has the only method of protection been isolation instead of actually teaching him how to control it? What has that uncle and aunt been doing?

"Check your boots."I say

He glances down and realizes the mistake. He jolts at the sight, then shakes his head.

"Whoops, guess my body adapted."He says

"You should really be more aware of that or it might be risky. "I say

He nods.

"Doesn't it hurt? How do you not notice it?"I ask

"No, it doesn't really hurt. It's a natural process...The only thing that we are aware of and focus on is working to control what features we reveal."He says

I nod, humming. That's impressive. 

"Why don't you take a seat?"I ask, turning on the electric fireplace. 

He takes off layers of clothes, hanging them up on hooks as he sits on the couch. I glance over, seeing his claws turn into deer hooves as he smiles.  Then antlers start growing from his head.

"Umm, does this mean your body shifts to imitate any animal?"I ask

"Any that live in forests. Other animals require more effort depending on the habitat, like mountains or seas. Other groups are better at those transformations."He says

"And deer hold a specific importance for you?"I ask

"Mhm. It's what my family...my people model ourselves to live by. They symbolize grace, strength, and a caring nature. So they are quite sacred and represent goodness. They were said to be our creator's favorite animal. Though we are the people of our Creator."He says, glancing around hesitantly.

"I see..."I say

"I'll go get the hot chocolate ready! Is Logan and your dad here? I'll pour four cups!"He says, getting up and grabbing his bag.

"I'll get the cups. My dad is at work again, and Logan is probably asleep since it's so early. He probably doesn't know that there's no school yet."I say

We go into the kitchen and he unpacks his bag with a thermos and bottle of whipped cream while I get mugs from the cabinet. I glance over, seeing ears pop out of his hair and a tail pop out as his antlers grow higher.

"Umm, Hugo...?"I say, uncertain if I should say anything.

This seems normal for him so is it just something I have to get used to? Or should I tell him to avoid getting caught by Logan?

"Yeah?"He says, pouring from the thermos.

"You're umm...shifting again."I say

He glances at himself, then shakes his head.

"Right...I remember what today is now..."He says

"That being?"I ask

"The anniversary of the antler ceremony...A special occasion for every boy in my culture at a certain age...It was the last time that I was with my parents. It celebrates a boy's ability to grow antlers which at the time were just stubs but they return bigger each year since then..."He says

"Ooh..."I say

"My aunt was the only one home today, and she hates any hint of me revealing my culture, as you know. So I avoid being around her today since it's the one time that I can't control my shifting and feel connected with my home..."He sighs

"I see...Let's get you on the couch. You can vent to me more later if you'd like. I just don't want to risk Logan hearing."I say

Then the floor upstairs starts creaking, and a sleepy groan echoes down. Hugo pours three cups and sits on the couch. I grab a blanket, putting it over him to hide his tail or hooves. He pulls a hat down, trying to hide his ears as he tries to force his antlers to shrink. His expression could best be described as...intense constipation, perhaps? Yet it works as I watch his antlers shrink away, hidden beneath his wild hair. 

"Morning, Mar..." Logan says, coming down the stairs.

"Morning, Logan. The school was canceled."I say

"Alright, soooooo  what's he doing here?"He asks, glancing at Hugo.

"His shoes ripped, so he is here to warm up. "I say, sitting beside Hugo.

He smiles, spreading the blanket to cover me as well.

I smile at him before he glances at my brother. 

"I got you hot coco, Logan!"Hugo says

Logan glances between us.

"Uh-huh...Thanks..."He says, grabbing the mug.

He sits on another side of the couch, watching us with a careful sip.

"You can borrow a pair of my boots. I share clothes with Kelvin anyway."Logan says

"Thanks."He says

"Do you think that the snow will pass so that we can play?"Logan asks

I shrug and smile as Hugo leans a bit on me as Logan watches.

"I hope so...It would be fun with a fort and everything! A nice snowman, too."He says

"That does sound nice. It has been a while since I made snow angels."I say

"I'll go get something to eat."Logan says, going to the kitchen.

"Just try not to get up, okay? Don't want anything exposed."I whisper

He nods, sipping from his mug. I frown, thinking that those words might hurt him. Bad enough that he has to hide, I don't want him to dislike what's hidden...

"They look nice though. A nice skill of yours..."I whisper

He smiles wider at me.

"Thank you..."He says softly

"We'll find a way to get out after the snow passes. Do you mind staying here until then?"I say softly

"I don't mind at all."He says

The three of us spent the day watching TV until the blizzard passed. I did my best to keep his secret.

TBC