At first, I thought I was dreaming. But dreams don’t leave scars or horns.

  I freaked out. I couldn’t believe it. It started as a bump the other night, so I ignored it. Now? Full-on horns. Let’s hope they stay this small.

  Guess who’s wearing hats to school now? Yeah me. I’m so screwed.

  I live in a barn in the middle of nowhere. Parents are never home thank God for that. I can’t even imagine what they’d do. Probably think it’s some weird cosplay.

  Lately I’ve been feeling… off. Like something’s crawling under my skin. Maybe it’s the horns. Or maybe it’s something worse.

  At least I’ve got Buddy He’s been with me longer than I can remember Big ol’ German Shepherd Loyal Sharp He was the first to notice something was wrong.

  I give him some head pats letting him know everything's OK i'm not going to fall over and die, anytime soon that is, I said with a chuckle i decided to get moving I gotta make some breakfast feed buddy and head to school I why cant today just be a Saturday I cried out buddy just sit and watch you think I'm weird huh he lets out a soft whimper and licks my hand I pat him on the head com on boy lets go get you something to eat buddy barks tail wagging like crazy I make my way to the kitchen its a decent house kitchen not to big not to small that reminds I need to restock on somethings and specially dog food

  I look at Buddy, right into his big, goofy eyes. “I got something for you,” I said, rubbing his ears I poured his food into his special bowl, and Buddy started eating happily, tail wagging like crazy I made my way to the bathroom for a nice shower. Should I brush my teeth in the shower or at the sink?

  Eh, I’m already by the sink. Might as well While brushing, I noticed the horns.

  Did these things get longer?

  They used to be the size of my thumbs. Now? Two inches, easy. I know that’s not huge, but still...

  I decided to ignore it and hopped into the shower. As the hot water ran down my head, thoughts started creeping in.

  What if somebody sees? What would Charles think? Or David?

  Especially Clover he always has something to say, I got out, dried off, and threw on a black hoodie, some blue jeans, a beanie, and my black boots.

  I looked in the mirror Not bad.

  I made my way to the car.

  I know I’m only 16, and I have a car well, not really mine, but it’s my stepdad’s. He’s never around to drive it, though, and I’ve got a license. Why let it go to waste?

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  deer old stepdad has a white truck honestly I would have picked black It's my favorite color, I slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. It coughed a little, like it was waking up from a long nap, but it came to life.

  The road stretched ahead, empty like always. Just trees, fields, and old fences. The kind of quiet that makes you think too much.

  I turned up the music not loud enough to disturb anybody, but enough to keep my thoughts from thinking about these horns.

  I made it to Tiger High only ten minutes from home.

  The car really comes in handy, if I do say so myself, I thought, smirking as I pulled into the parking lot.

  I stepped out of the car, tugged my beanie down low over the horns, and headed toward the front entrance.

  The usual buzz of students hanging around the steps, some talking, some half-asleep. Just another Monday.

  That’s when I spotted Charles leaning against the wall near the doors, cracking jokes with Clover, who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

  “Yo!” I called out, walking up. “You clowns miss me already?”

  Charles grinned. “Took you long enough. You oversleep or fighting demons again?”

  I laughed, but my fingers itched under the beanie. “Something like that.”

  “You don’t usually wear beanies,” Charles said, eyeing me.

  “I’m trying a new look,” I said, flashing a big smile. “Thought I looked good in them.”

  “As your friend, I can’t lie to you,” Charles replied.

  “You don’t look good,” Clover cut in, loud and blunt as ever. “I don’t know if you’ve looked in the mirror lately, buddy.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the boost of confidence, guys.”

  “You’re welcome,” Clover said, walking off toward class. “See you at lunch.”

  I looked at Charles. “We better get going unless we want to get yelled at again.”

  “Right with you on that,” Charles replied.

  As we walked, I leaned in closer and lowered my voice. “Dude, there’s something I gotta show you. But you can’t tell anybody else. Promise me.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “What? You hiding some alien in your barn or something?”

  I chuckled. “You watch too many movies, man. It’s not that. I’ll show you in the bathroom. I’m gonna ask for a hall pass, then you come in after me.”

  We reached Ms. Richardson’s class. Charles gave me a small nod, letting me know he was down.

  I raised my hand.“Ms. Richardson, can I use the restroom?”She nodded without even looking up from her attendance sheet.

  Once I was in the hall, I walked fast. My heart was beating louder than my footsteps. I pushed open the bathroom door, checked to make sure no one else was inside, and locked the door behind me.

  A minute later, it creaked open again. Charles slipped in, giving me a weird look.“Bro, what’s with the secret mission vibes?”

  I took a deep breath, then pulled off my beanie.

  Charles blinked. “Yo… what the hell.”He stepped closer, squinting. “Are those—horns?”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “They started as little bumps, but now look.” I turned my head to show him the curve. “They’re getting bigger.”

  Charles didn’t say anything at first. He just stared.

  “Say something, man.”

  “Dude,” he said, his eyes wide, “this is actually kinda bad ass.”