Dear Dylan Jenkins,

First off I would like to introduce myself. My name is Hector Gonzales. I’m glad you’ve decided to seek help during your “transition” and chose us. I am assigned to be your hound-master. Although the term is quite antiquated (and HR are working on alternatives), it shouldn’t really trouble you. Throughout the years, hound-masters have been there to help people like you establish a new home and adjust to their new way of life. We have been modernizing, so I will also act as a sort therapist/sponsor. I can not, in any way, shape or form, truly imagine what you are going through, but I will be there for you throughout your journey, to help you in your lows and celebrate with you in your highs. If you have any questions, troubles, or even if you just want to grab a beer, I will be there for you. Ready, willing and able. We might have to wait a few years for the beer offer, but it will still stand.

I should tell you though, I’ve just recently finished my training and you are going to be my first and, for now, only “hound” (I despise the terminology but it’s what we work with), but there is no need to worry. I may lack experience, but I did graduate top of my class and since I won’t be working with anyone else, that means that my entire attention will be yours. So, I’m looking forward to working with you in the future.

Now, Ms. Clara Summers has sent me your file and I just have a few questions. Just some things I would like to iron out.

Under “location” you wrote “the same if possible”. It’s an odd choice since most people going through the transition normally choose a different country altogether, but I will see what I can do. Depending on the neighborhood and if you have gotten yourself in any trouble before, it might be possible, but you shouldn’t really keep your hopes up for it. From what I understand, you live in the suburb of the town of Clementine. Small town suburbs tend to be the hardest, but I will do whatever I can.

I’m going through the rest of the form as I’m writing this (I find it easier to conceptualize what I’m going to write this way) and under “cause of transition” you’ve checked “curse” and underneath you’ve stated “an unknown girl from your school has cursed you”.  I don’t really understand that. How can she be unknown and at the same time know she’s from your school? I’m not trying to be rude or insensitive, but what she’s done is considered by many to be inhumane. If you know who she is, it will be best to tell us, otherwise you might get yourself into trouble. I’m not threatening you, but the “hunters” don’t really share my outlook on the whole problem.

Otherwise, everything else in your form seems in order. I’ll write you again soon.

-Hector

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Dear Dylan,

I hope you’ve received my previous e-mail, since I haven’t heard of you as of yet. If you don’t know what to write, you can just send me an emoticon (or was it an emoji; I still mix those up. I’m about ten years older than you and some habits are a bit harder to kill off =D).

In any case, I’ve been looking into your wish to live in your old house. As I said in my previous e-mail, small towns are best avoided, since people tend to notice and gossip, but if you keep everything on the down low, it should be fine. There might be some troubles with some of the neighbors, but since your family recently moved there, most of them either don’t remember you, don’t know you or even didn’t get the memo that your house had been bought. Naturally this is all excluding the accident. So, your old house will be a perfectly suitable place to remain.

There is the issue with your guardians. After the incident, I understand it might be hard, but to ward off suspicion and to keep up the façade, guardians are necessary for anyone under the age of 21. There is a big chance that the organization will send me to be your guardian, but keep in mind that it’s not a certainty.

In any case, I’m going through your cover letter as we speak. Since I need it for my report, I’ll just send you the summary as I’ve understood it. I understand that it might be hard reading this, but I just want you to check it out, so we can begin the process.

You and your friends, Billy and Roger, were making fun of a girl. You claim that she pulled out a book of spells, yellow in color, she mumbled something underneath her breath, waving her hand. A wind blew and you felt strange. The next couple of weeks, animals would attack or run away from you, your sense of smell had sharpened to a disgusting extent (i.e. everything smelled like excrement) and your hunger had become almost insatiable. All this apparently frustrated you more and more, or that frustration grew on its own. Finally, on the night of the full moon, it finally happened. You finally transformed and during the blood frenzy you committed some unspeakable acts. You were the only survivor in your house and you went through some of your neighbor’s houses, then Billy and later Roger, probably searching for help, but killing the residents there as well. After what happened, you ran away into the forest, where, in a few days, a man of about 50 years stumbled upon you, told you that he could smell you and offered you our company’s address. You haven’t seen him since then. You’ve been living in your old house since the accident, the police having abandoned the crime scene.

I wanted you to know that I am truly sorry for your loss. The first night is always the worst part of the experience. Some would say the morning after is usually worse. In either case, just remember that you were not responsible for your actions. I know things might seem horrible, but I promise you they will get better.

Just so you know, I’ve been looking into this girl you mentioned and I still don’t have anything. But don’t worry, I’ll do my best to find her. The mountain-man you mentioned is a bit weird though. We don’t have any hounds or hound-masters in the area (again, pardon the jargon). I’ll be sure to look into it as well. Hold on tight.

Yours truly,

-Hector

#

Hey.

So.

I think I’ve figured out why you haven’t returned any of my emails. I doubt you’ll answer this one as well. But still…I’m just a sentimental guy I guess.

You got unlucky with me. Most other hound-masters don’t really dig that much. I guess there was a reason I finished top of the class.

I looked through all the records looking for the mountain-man and I guess there never really was one, right?

Funnily enough, it turned out that there was a hound visiting your town around the time of your transformation. We took her in for questioning. That was the original intent anyway. Just to ask her a few simple questions. One question lead to another. Things started unravelling. It didn’t take long for her to start singing. Or howling.

I am truly sorry, Dylan. Truly and utterly sorry for what your father and mother put you through. Sorry for what your classmates did as well.

But there are other ways.

And unregistered, consensual lycanthropication with the intent of murder shouldn’t have been on your list.

The hunters have been sent. There is a high chance that the deed will be done even before I’m finished with the e-mail.

I really looked forward to us working together. Really. I did.

Your former hound-master,

-Hector Gonzales

END