The week before the big event, Noam sneaked into the auditorium to watch play practice. The third-graders were there with big, bright smiles. A couple of the kids looked nervous, but for the most part, they were all grinning widely. They all seemed happy to be there, and that was more than Noam could possibly ask for.

  “From the top,” the director of the play said. She was a mouse shifter with soft grey hair that hung past her hips. She’d once told Noam that her hair took so long to grow that she’d been working on it for nearly fifteen years.

  Instantly, the students gathered in a circle and started walking around, singing a song Noam hadn’t heard since he was a little boy. It was a shifter Christmas song his mother used to sing, and it was one that warmed his heart a little. The entire premise of the song was that there was a little shifter bear who didn’t want to be alone on Christmas.

  By the end of the song, the bear had not only found happiness with his family, but with his friends and the people in his community. He’d found that sometimes, believing in something bigger than yourself was the best Christmas miracle of all. Noam sat back and closed his eyes, listening to the students sing. Okay, having the play had been a good idea.

  After the first song, the play actually began. It was based off of the song, Noam quickly realized. There was a little shifter – in this case, Rory – who was lost. Throughout the play, the shifter child tried to find a way to believe in miracles.

  “I don’t want to be alone on Christmas,” the little boy called out.

  “Good,” the director nodded, gesturing for him to keep going.

  “Christmas is a season for giving,” the play continued. Rory, as the shifter star of the play, led his fellow students on an adventure where they learned about the miracles of Christmas, the magic, and the wonderous feeling of knowing that you aren’t alone in the universe.

  Everyone feels lonely sometimes but knowing that other people feel the same way can be soothing. That was what Noam realized, suddenly. As he watched the kids on stage giving it their all, he thought that perhaps Christmas didn’t have to be something that was totally lost on him. Maybe it wasn’t just for kids, and it wasn’t just for families who had been together for many years.

  Maybe Christmas could be for an old dragon shifter like him, too.

  Noam was watching the play, relaxed and content, when suddenly, there was a shout. He looked to the side of the stage where Rory had been standing just minutes ago. He had been replaced with a dragon about the same size as his human self. He’d shifted.

  And it seemed as though he couldn’t shift back.

  He was starting to panic, Noam realized quickly, and he got up out of his seat and ran toward the stage.

  “It’s no big deal,” the director, Sally, said. “Rory, you’re totally okay.”

  The other students sat down and crossed their legs, patiently staying out of the way. They hadn’t exactly had drills that discussed how to handle it if someone shifted unexpectedly at school, but they’d all talked about what to expect when they themselves began the process of shifting.

  It was something that a lot of students were excited about, Noam knew. Everyone wanted to know when they would start to shift and what they could expect when it was finally their turn. For most kids, learning to shift was a rite of passage. They were excited about the possibility that they might have their first shift before their older brothers or sisters did. They liked the idea of being the first of their friends to do it.

  And now Rory had shifted at school.

  Perhaps Noam should have stayed out of it, but he was the only other dragon at the school aside from Paul, as far as he knew. He rushed over to Rory. Sally was already kneeling beside him, promising him that everything was okay.

  “Deep breaths, Rory,” she said.

  Rory only shook his head and flapped his wings. His tail moved, hitting the wall and then the floor. He growled a little. He was becoming more and more agitated, and perhaps, more and more embarrassed. He didn’t need to be.

  “Miss Sally,” Noam said, suddenly having an idea. “Would it be possible for you and the other students to go ahead and start your lunch hour? I know it’s a bit early, but I’d like to talk to Rory alone, if that’s okay.”

  Sally had worked with Noam long enough to trust him. She knew that if he was asking her to do something like this, there was a reason for it, so she nodded.

  “Come on, kids. Nothing more to see here.”

  Sally wrangled up the other students, which didn’t take long, and they headed out to the cafeteria. Paul, Noam’s nephew, stayed behind.

  “You too, Paul,” Noam said. “Go to lunch.”

  “No,” Paul crossed his arms over his chest and jutted his chin out.

  “Please go to lunch,” Noam said. He was surprised to see his nephew being defiant. Had Paul ever actually told him “no” before?

  “No, Uncle Noam,” Paul said. He was nervous. Noam could scent the anxiety, but he could also scent something else. Rory was starting to calm down. “Rory is my friend. I’m staying. You can expel me if you want.”

  Noam just shook his head. He wasn’t going to expel his nephew. Not over something like this.

  “I’m not going to expel you for helping your friend, kiddo,” Noam said gently.

  “You aren’t?” Paul seemed shocked. Then, he nodded, collecting himself. “You aren’t,” he repeated.

  “You thought I was going to expel you, and you still stood up for your friend?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re a good kid, Paul.”

  Noam turned back to Rory. The little boy was still stuck in his dragon form, but he had stopped flailing around and causing chaos. The fact that nobody else was watching anymore probably made it a little easier.

  “Rory, everything’s going to be fine.”

  Rory grunted in response. One of the downsides to being a shifter was that you couldn’t speak in your animal form. It could be frustrating to try to communicate that way, but over time, it became easier.

  “I promise that everything’s going to be fine.”

  Noam settled down beside Rory. He sat down and crossed his legs. Then he looked at the little guy.

  “When I shifted for the first time, I was scared.”

  “You were?” Paul looked at his uncle in shock.

  “I was,” Noam nodded. “I wasn’t at school. That would have been easier.”

  “Where were you?”

  “I was at my best friend’s house.”

  “Who?”

  “Quinton,” Noam said.

  “Hey,” Paul wrinkled his nose. “That’s my dad!”

  “Yep,” Noam nodded. “Me and your dad go way back, kiddo.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “Well, we were hanging out playing video games, and all of a sudden, I started to feel kind of funny.”

  Noam still remembered it like it was yesterday. He’d changed so quickly that he hadn’t even realized it had happened at first. He’d just wondered why he wasn’t able to hold the controller anymore. He kept trying to grab at it. Then Quinton had gasped.

  “What did you do?”

  “Quinton screamed,” Noam cringed at the memory. He felt Rory tense beside him. “No, he wasn’t scared,” he quickly told Rory. “Quinton wasn’t afraid of me. He was just surprised. That was what happened. Something scary happened, and he was surprised.”

  “I get surprised sometimes,” Paul said.

  “Me too.”

  Noam looked over at Rory.

  “When it was time for me to shift back, I didn’t know what to do.”

  “Did my dad know?” Paul asked.

  “Nope. Neither one of us had shifted before.”

  “So, what did you do? What happened next?”

  “I was stuck as a dragon forever,” Noam winked at him.

  “What!?!” Paul shrieked.

  “Dude,” Noam chuckled. “I’m not a dragon right now. I’m in my human form. I’m just playing with you. As you can see, no matter what happens, you’ll always shift back eventually. There are some ways you can move it along, though.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like, well, close your eyes.”

  Paul closed his eyes. So did Rory. Rory was the one Noam was trying to help, but he was feeling pretty pleased that his nephew had decided to stay, too. Paul was a pretty good friend, he thought. He was a good friend to Rory.

  “Take a deep breath.”

  Noam thought about the advice his friend’s father had given him. Quinton’s dad had come quickly and was happy to help them. Later, Noam’s own father had thanked him. So had his mother. If Noam was being honest, he thought that was the day his sister had fallen in love with Quinton.

  Debbie had thought it was magical that Quinton’s family took care of her brother. Shortly after that day, Debbie and Quinton had started dating. They’d known early on that they were mates, and as soon as they were old enough, they made it official. Then Paul had come along, and the rest was history.

  “The dad who helped me wasn’t my own. My dad was at work. My best friend’s dad helped me.”

  “What did he say?” Paul whispered. His eyes were still closed, though.

  “He told me to try to clear my mind.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that if you’re thinking about your homework, stop. If you’re thinking about that pretty girl in class, stop. No matter what’s on your mind, try to stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about absolutely everything if you can.”

  Noam looked over at Rory. The dragon’s eyes were still closed, and his breathing had deepened. That was good. It meant Rory was really listening to what Noam was trying to tell him. Being a dragon wasn’t easy for anyone. It especially wasn’t easy at a time like this, but he knew the little dude could do it.

  “Just thinking about nothing, if you can.”

  “I can’t,” Paul piped up.

  “Then think about the way you feel on Christmas morning,” Noam said on a whim. “Think about how excited you are when you wake up.”

  “I feel pretty good about that,” Paul said.

  Rory made a noise, but kept his eyes closed. The dragon had completely relaxed his body, though. He was lying flat on the stage now, and Noam thought it wouldn’t be long before Rory figured out how to change back.

  It was easy once you knew how. He knew perfectly well that Rory could change back. He had, once before. He just had to remember. He was in a new place, and he was nervous, and maybe he even felt a little scared.

  Still, he could do it.

  Noam knew that he could.

  “Come on, little guy,” he whispered.

  “What do you do once you’re not thinking of anything?” Paul whispered.

  “That’s when it’s time to change back. When your mind is clear, you have nothing to think about except for your human self. Just keep breathing. Think about what you look like as a human, and then slowly focus on that.”

  The key was to not panic. If you panicked, or you freaked out, you weren’t going to be able to shift. That was one of the worst things about being a dragon in particular. If you got scared. You were going to get stuck. You had to learn how to calm yourself long enough to focus on changing back into your human form.

  Rory could do it. Noam and Paul both believed in him. They both trusted him. They both knew that if he just kept focusing, he’d be able to get it.

  “Hey,” Rory said all of a sudden. “It actually worked.”

  Noam breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked. Rory was now a human, in human form, and Noam wouldn’t have to call Heather and explain that her kid had gotten stuck as a dragon. Paul laughed from beside Noam and pointed.

  “I can see your booty,” he snickered.

  “Oh, for dragon’s sake,” Noam slid his jacket off and tossed it toward Rory. The poor kid’s clothes had shredded when he shifted. “Let’s go get you something to wear.”

  Chapter 6

  Heather was in the middle of helping Jeanette Elverstein schedule an appointment when her cell phone rang. She glanced down to see that it was an unknown number. That was strange. She pushed her phone aside, finished helping Jeanette, and then looked back at her phone. There were three more missed calls from the same number, as well as a missed call from Rory’s school.

  Well, crap.

  There was a voicemail, too, so Heather listened to that quickly. She was surprised to hear Noam’s deep, sultry voice explaining that she should give him a call as soon as possible. That didn’t sound good, and instantly, she wondered what could possibly be wrong.

  There was no one else in the waiting room, so Heather called Noam back right away. He answered on the first ring, and he didn’t seem surprised at all that it was her.

  “Heather.”

  “Noam...um...Mr. King? You called?”

  Oh, she hoped Rory was okay. He’d been enjoying his time at his new school. In fact, he’d been downright flourishing. Heather had been surprised at just how content he’d been with the school since starting. It seemed like every day, Rory came home with a new exciting story or a new adventure to share with his mom.

  Every day, something seemed new and fresh.

  Now, a wave of anxiety washed over her. Noam’s voice was calming, though, and smooth. It reminded her of whiskey.

  “Everything is okay,” he said.

  She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I’m sorry for not being clearer on my voicemail,” he continued.

  “Rory’s okay?”

  “He’s fine. He shifted today during play practice. That’s why I called you.”

  He’d shifted. He’d shifted again. It had happened at school, again. Was Rory scared? Embarrassed? Horrified? Was the entire school going to think he was a freak? Suddenly, Heather felt like she was going to be sick. It was like the last school all over again. She thought about the day the principal had called her to tell her there had been “an incident.”

  That was how they’d described it to her.

  They’d said there had been an incident, as though having a kid who could freaking shapeshift into a dragon was just something that happened on the fly. Nope. Rory was more than an incident. He was a good kid. He was cool and interesting and wonderful. Heather knew he was going to do great things. She also knew that most people probably wouldn’t understand.

  But Noam might.

  Noam was a shapeshifter, too. More than that, he was a dragon. He was just like Rory. He knew what it was like to change into a big, magnificent creature. He understood that sometimes, life could be hard or tricky or chaotic, and he knew that being able to shift could be a wonderful experience.

  “What happened?”

  “He got excited,” Noam chuckled. “I think he was having fun during practice. He’s the star, you know. Did he tell you?”

  Noam didn’t sound worried at all. That was good. That meant whatever had happened wasn’t too bad, but no, she hadn’t known about Rory. He was the star of the school Christmas play? How hadn’t she known? That was incredible.

  “No,” she said.

  “Well, that’s okay. He is. He was doing a great job singing and speaking. That kid can project, I’ll tell you that much. He could have a future in theater if he wanted it.”

  “Noam?”

  “Oh, right, sorry about that. So, he shifted, and then he got a bit...stuck.”

  “He got stuck.” Heather repeated the words and let them roll around. What did that mean? How had he gotten stuck?

  “He tried to shift back, but he couldn’t right away. Not at first. Luckily, Paul and I were both there, and we helped him change back.”

  “Paul helped?”

  “Paul helped,” Noam repeated. “He’s a good kid. He cares a lot about Rory.”

  “Rory’s lucky to have a good friend like him, and a good principal like you.”

  Heather didn’t know how she was supposed to feel. Part of her felt bad that she hadn’t been there for Rory. He was at school, after all, which was supposed to be a safe, wonderful place, and it sounded like it actually was. It sounded like Noam had handled everything really well, and it sounded like her kid was going to be just fine.

  How wonderful was that?

  Heather had spent a lot of time worrying about the future. She’d spent far too much time feeling anxious and concerned about how things were going to turn out for her and her son. Knowing that Rory had other people who cared about him meant everything to her.

  “Thank you for helping him.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I’m really glad that you were there.”

  “Listen,” Noam cleared his throat, “you don’t have to come pick him up. If you want to, you can, but it seems as though he’s already forgotten about the entire thing.”

  Heather didn’t want to make it a bigger deal than it was. Shifting was something both she and Rory were going to have to get used to. It would take time for him to perfect his shifting abilities, she knew, and it was something she’d have to learn to help him with.

  In the meantime, she was beyond thrilled that Noam had helped her little boy, and she wanted to let him know just what it meant to her.

  “Come over for dinner,” she blurted out before she could stop herself. There was silence on the other end of the phone, and she wondered, for a moment, if he had heard her.

  “Excuse me?”

  Yeah, he’d heard her.

  She couldn’t back down now, though. Even though she was suddenly scared, and suddenly filled with the urge to say something like, “forget it,” she didn’t. Instead, Heather doubled down.

  “Come for dinner,” she whispered. “Tomorrow night.”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Really?”

  “Really,” Noam whispered. Was it just Heather, or had his voice gotten a bit huskier? More masculine?

  “Good,” Heather said. “I get off work at five, so...why don’t we say six?”

  “That sounds like heaven,” Noam said.