Dear Lori,

I was so happy to get your letter! I was starting to wonder if I’d ever get a pen pal. Werewolves freak some people out so I’m not surprised, but it’s nice when I’m not thought of as this frothing, mindless monster the movies always make werewolves out to be. Grandda Tyrone says the movies use a lot of Hollywood smoke and mirrors and that most wolves aren’t like that. There are different branches though and some packs are feral when they transform. I guess that can be good and bad, but I like being able to keep my mind. It makes being a werewolf beneficial in some ways.

I’ve never written to a ghost or even met one up close. What was it like to die? Sorry if it sounds rude. Did it hurt and were you afraid as it happened? To me, it would kinda suck to croak when you’re a kid. Adults like telling kids what to do all the tine and I bet it’s no different when you’re a ghost.

I suppose it makes sense that you might not believe in Hell. I mean, dying and ending up as a ghost makes it hard to go to the Bad Place or even the Good Place. I mean, you’re still in the world but in a way you’re not because most people can’t see or hear you, right? That must have been awfully lonely.

Oh yes! Fairies really do exist. One of my besties, Bliss, is a fairy, and of course, there’s Da and Aunt Crystal and my cousins Albus and Cody. Plus, there’s the fairy queen and Cousin Carson. They definitely can fly and their wings are so pretty! Da says the colors of their wings match whatever personality the fairy has, I don’t quite understand it all but I guess fairies can sort of see inside people or something.

Most of the time, fairies are regular size but they can shrink down really small. Da likes to shrink down to this teeny, tiny speck and all you can see is a spot of red, which are his wings. He likes to tickle me and brush my nose with his wings, which makes me giggle. They can even shrink down so small that you can’t see them. They can see you but you can’t see them. It’s kinda like being invisible, which would be really cool, especially if you needed to see something and don’t want anyone knowing you’re there.

I’m not sure about what kind of babies a werewolf and fairy would have. It would be really cool to be a winged wolf but I don’t think that’s how it works most of the time. I guess you’re either one or the other but you might have something in your blood that has both fairy and werewolf stuff. I’ll have to ask Da if winged wolves have ever happened.

It really is kinda funny, me being a werewolf and getting to be a princess in a fairy kingdom. Having a title is going to be really cool but I don’t know if it’ll mean that much here. We won’t live in the fairy kingdom regularly so I guess it’ll be back to business as usual once we go back home after the wedding and stuff. Still, I love the idea of being a princess no matter what. 🙂

Oh gosh! Listen to me talking about traveling to other lands while you’re stuck where you are! Man, that has to totally suck chicken balls. I mean, if I couldn’t go anywhere, the guys in white coats would be hauling me away in a straight jacket, kicking and screaming. Let me explain. The guys in white coats are doctors that take care of people who are sick in the head. You know, crazy, loony, insane, that kind of thing. A straight jacket is this white jacket thing they strap you into if you’re barking so you can’t hurt yourself or others. It laces up the back and forces your arms in front of you like you’re hugging yourself. I’ve never had to wear one but I heard tell it’s really uncomfortable. Anyway, it can’t be much fun to be forced to stay in one place.

I saw this movie once called “Ghost” and it was about this guy who died and became a ghost. He couldn’t pick up anything solid and he could walk through walls. White Wolf wasn’t happy that Bliss, Lisa, and I watched that movie because it had some bad words and a bedroom scene. Anyhow, Sam – that was the ghost – had to concentrate really hard to learn how to pick up stuff like a book or a pencil. Is it like that for you?

There’s someone very special in my life named Stefano. You see, wolves have this thing that sometimes happens to them called Imprinting or Indenting. It’s when this magic that guides this kind of thing kicks in when they meet their true soulmate for the very first time. It’s hard to explain. it’s kind of like Stefano is the person who makes it so I don’t float away from the earth, Anyway, he says that “nice” is a subjective concept and that “good” and “bad’ isn’t necessarily black and white. He says that in his work, he has to deal with some nasty people like murderers and drug dealers and stuff. Some people don’t consider him nice at all but I think he’s absolutely wonderful! He’s Da’s bestie and Ma likes him a lot, so that has to count for something. I guess what I’m saying is, you don’t have to smell like a flower or sing sunshine songs to be nice. I mean, if you were ALL bad, you wouldn’t want to talk to anyone, let alone be someone’s pen pal, right?

When your adopted mom died, did she get to come back to be with you? It would suck if she had to go to another place where you wouldn’t be able to see her again. What is it like to have a vampire visit you? My Stefano is a vampire and is the only one I know, really. His hands are always cold and he doesn’t have a heartbeat. He doesn’t even need to breathe but he can still talk anyway. He has this glorious Italian accent that I think is totally romantic!

A waltz is a kind of dance, like ballet, but different. It’s beautiful when it’s done right. The couple just glides across the floor so gracefully to this happy music you feel in threes. Like if you count, ONE, two, three. ONE, two, three. It’s done a lot at weddings and other parties. And yes, that is exactly what an actress is. They pretend to be a different character and put on shows and plays and such. I guess it’s sort of like the bards in Medieval times. Sometimes they can sing and play instruments but that’s not always the case anymore unless they’re performing in a musical or something. It would be such a fun job and something I would love to do.

Ma does performing too but for her, it’s a little different. She gets on stage and sings a bunch of songs. She’s a singer and her shows are called concerts. It’s so cool, especiaily because she doesn’t get stage fright. She can even do magic when she sings and plays the piano or guitar. She can heal people from whatever makes them sick when she sings or plays, and she can get people to feel a certain way if she wants them to. Da says it takes a special and rare kind of magic to be able to do it. She did it once for me when I had a tummy ache and fever. Instead of having to drink some awful medicine, she sang to me and it went away How cool is that!

I’ve been playing the piano about two years now. I’m getting quite good, if I may say so. We were lucky. White Wolf was always able to find us special teachers for those kinds of things, so I was able to take piano and ballet lessons. Ma says I can start vocal and guitar lessons soon, and Grandda and Grams are getting me a drama coach. I’m so excited!

Your questions are fine by me. I guess we’re a lot alike in that way. I ask a lot of questions, too. Ma says it’s rude to ask certain questions but hey, I’m just curious. Life is too short to live it in the dark, after all. As far as afterlife goes, I reckon you gotta get your kicks somehow, so why not ask questions? Nobody can take a swat at you for it anyway since you can just drift away or something, right?

I hope you can write back really soon.

Your friend,

Tara