This was not at all how Bruno had anticipated coming clean with Clarice. He was keenly aware of the ketchup stain on his shirt, of Gil, who was tackling his hot dog at last, and Clarice, who was nibbling daintily from her broken chips. (Not many had survived whole.)
“We call ourselves shifters, and no, we’re not all armadillos. In fact, not many are at all. I know a few wolves, a bear, a stallion, ah…some other things.” Some secrets weren’t Bruno’s to share. “We’re not dangerous, we’re just people, like you are.”
“Except that you’re not just people, you can change intoother things,” Clarice pointed out. “You know, I was sure that Gil had teleported into my car because I couldn’t figure out how else he could possibly have gotten there. Ithought you must bewizards. I didn’t evenconsidershapeshifters.”
Bruno chuckled. “Nope, not wizards. All we can do is change into our other selves.”
“JACKSON can teleport!” Gil announced.
“GIL!” Bruno was appalled.
“I ALREADY TOLD HER,” Gil said unrepentantly.
“I canseewhy you’d need a special day care,” Clarice said with a helpless giggle.
“They’re little truth canons,” Bruno chuckled. “It can be hard.”
Clarice gave a little smirk. “And I guess youlikeme. From the mouths of babes.”
Bruno was glad for the surreal lighting. Men were not supposed to blush. “You have a very unfair advantage here.”
“I’d think that being a shifter givesyouthe advantage,” Clarice pointed out. “If things get too awkward, you can just…turn into a ball and roll away. I’d love to be able to do that.”
“That’s not always the best policy,” Bruno said, grinning. “Anyway, I’m glad you know. It’s always a big hurdle in a relationship with a human to let them in on the secret.”
“I can imagine,” Clarice said. “Can you tell who’s a shifter by sight? I mean, you’re speaking pretty confidently like you think I’m not, so I’m guessing I’ve got some kind of tell, or maybe there’s a secret shifter handshake that I don’t know.”
“I can tell,” Bruno said, coming to sit next to her on the picnic table. “Please finish your hot dog, Gil. They’re going to close the place soon.”
“I’m EATING,” Gil said, with his mouth full for emphasis.
“There’s a thing we shifters have called instinct,” Bruno said thoughtfully. “It’s like a bird’s sense of direction during migration, or a gut feeling. Shifters have a certain feel to them, when they are close enough. It’s like a hum, but not audible. A tingle.”
“That would definitely simplify things,” Clarice said. “Having a tingle, I mean.”
“I HAVE TO TINKLE!” Gil said, his mouth full of the last of his hot dog.
“Let’s find a rest room,” Bruno said with a sigh while Clarice looked like she was trying not to laugh again. “Wash your hands before you touch anything.”
“I have to touch the doors before I can wash them,” Gil pointed out helpfully.
“I can open them for you,” Bruno countered.
“Aren’t YOUR hands dirty?” Gil asked.
“Not as dirty as yours.”
Clarice just giggled helplessly and Bruno could only guess where her mind had gone.
27
CLARICE
Clarice gathered up the trash and drank the rest of her soda while Bruno herded Gil to a restroom marked on their map. Gil’s shrill voice carried pretty well at first, but faded under the piped-in classic rock music, leaving Clarice alone in the darkness with her own thoughts.
Brunolikedher!
Clarice figured he must, to have come on a second date with her. But it seemed more real now that Gil had candidly said so. And Bruno had taken her hand once, walking between holes seven and eight.
