The cabin he'd rented wasn't ready yet, and he was impatient to start his work. He spent as little time there as possible. Unfortunately, the small hotel room he occupied in Mad Creek was out of the question-there was no space and it had a lingering odor of wet cat. How could he expect his test subjects to discuss sensitive topics here? Worse yet, he had no control over the environment, and thus he couldn’t simply lock his subjects in until they responded. It was ridiculous trying to do serious research work in a public setting like this. The problem, as Jason saw it, was the diner. Then he took the unused forms he'd given to Gus and placed each one in its respective spot in the stack before neatening the pile again. With a grumble, he sat back down and arranged his papers and notepad into a neat pile that paralleled the lip of the table. And now everyone in the place was staring at Jason like he had a forked tail and had just composed the Ten Satanic Commandments. He hurried out of the diner in an anxious trot. 'Wait! I haven't gotten your blood and urine samples yet!' Jason called after him, standing up from the booth.īut Gus didn't turn around. Gus covered his face with his hands, got up from the table in the Mad Creek diner, and stumbled to the door. Oh, and sexual urges are defined as anything from an actual erection to obsessive licking. Anderson an average of three times a week, you might assign that category a 'two'. 'If you have difficulty with the concept of percentages, might I suggest a one-to-ten scale? For example, if you felt resentful toward Mrs. Jason nudged the paper in front of Gus closer to his hand and pen, silently willing him to pick it up and write something. His expression was one of deep confusion, as if Jason were speaking Swahili. Now he appeared to be a gentle-looking older man with white hair, blue eyes, a round face, and a serious belly. That is to say, he gained the ability to shift into human form. But he’d become ‘quickened’ due to the deep bond he had with his owner.

Gus had once been a sixty-pound bulldog addicted to the couch. I want you to assign a percentage to the emotions you experienced for her before you became quickened. Mrs-' Jason shifted his notes to see the name. 'Your primary caregiver when you were merely a dog.

'It's a simple question,' Jason said impatiently. Jason Kunik paused with his pen poised over his notepad, waiting for an answer.

How to Wish Upon a Star by Eli Easton