by Cheree Alsop
“Run!” Siale called from the sidelines.
Alex could hear Cassie and the other girls cheering him on as he tucked the football and ran past Flynn’s teammates to the end zone. His team closed in on him, yelling and laughing. The boys slapped him on the back.
“Dude!” Mohawk yelled. “It’s been forever since we beat the Wharfers! It’s about time someone like you came along!”
“Great job, dude,” Reko said.
“Yeah, let’s grab some dogs and enjoy the victory,” Brooks told them, leading the way to where the girls waited next to the welcoming fire.
The other team fell in with them. Apparently, being enemies on the field didn’t cross over to food. They eagerly accepted sticks and began roasting hot dogs over the flames.
Siale held out a stick to Alex. “Good game,” she said.
“It was a bit more of a challenge than I expected,” Alex admitted quietly.
“Why’s that?” Siale asked.
Alex glanced over his shoulder. “Their quarterback’s a werewolf.”
“Seriously?” Siale replied in surprise.
Alex nodded. “I’m going to have a chat with him. Will you save that for me?”
Siale smiled. “Of course.”
Alex made his way to where Flynn sat on the sea wall looking out at the ocean.
“You put on quite the show out there,” the werewolf said without looking around.
Alex chuckled and sat down. “I could say the same about you. You’re quite the legend out here.”
The big werewolf smiled. “King of the beach and all that.”
“It’s a good place to be,” Alex admitted. He couldn’t explain the way he was drawn to the sound of the ocean. The ebb and flow of the waves soothed something deep inside of him. He let out a slow breath. “You should come to the Academy.”
Flynn glanced at him. “That’s a real place?” At Alex’s nod, he smiled. “I’ve heard about it, a school where werewolf kids can grow up unafraid. It sounds pretty inviting.”
“But?” Alex asked, hearing the unspoken word in the werewolf’s voice.
Flynn opened his hand to indicate the beach. “But I’ve got this.” He looked at Alex. “Also, playing football for the city school has given me more opportunities than you can imagine. I have scholarship offers coming in from every direction. I could go to whatever college I want to and play football. It’s amazing!”
“Do they know you’re a werewolf?” Alex asked.
Flynn lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. “It’s not exactly a question on the application, you know. Why make it a big deal.”
Alex stared at him. “What if they find out?”
“They won’t,” Flynn stated.
Surprised at how certain he sounded, Alex asked, “How can you be sure?”
Flynn lifted an eyebrow. “I’ve been in public school my entire life, even when other werewolves went into hiding and were getting killed off. I figured I was safer acting normal than running.”
“How did your parents feel about that?”
Flynn threw a small rock off the wall. It hit the sand a few feet below and a tiny puff of dirt rose. “They weren’t thrilled,” he admitted. “But eventually they stopped asking me to leave. I had friends, I was happy, and I didn’t want to give it up.” He gave Alex a straight look. “I didn’t accept that I was different, and so I wasn’t.”
“It was that easy?” Alex asked with doubt in his voice.
Flynn nodded. “Sometimes we’re the ones who separate ourselves from the world. We forget that to the sun, we all walk, talk, and live. The moon might make us different, but the animal we become at night doesn’t have to change who we are during the day.”
Alex thought about the werewolf’s words. “Sometimes I think I don’t fit into the human world,” he admitted.
Flynn rose and crossed his arms. “Who says the world is for humans?”
“There are dangerous werewolves out there.”
Flynn accepted that. “And dangerous humans. It’s not race that makes someone dangerous. It comes from some twisted place inside.” He looked at Alex. “Maybe you sell yourself short.”
Alex pushed off from the wall and made his way across the beach. He stopped just before the waves lapped at his sneakers. With the ocean in front of him, it was easy to forget that the world lay at his back. Several lights from boats showed on the dark waves, blinking in the darkness like stars fallen to the earth.
“It’s not always so simple,” he said at the sound of Flynn’s footsteps.
Flynn studied the waves a moment before he said, “You’ve had to sacrifice a lot more than me to keep the peace, that’s for sure.”
Alex didn’t know what to say. He pushed a toe into the water, shoving up a mound of wet sand. “You know who I am.”
Flynn threw him a smile. “It wasn’t too hard to figure out, Al,” he said, emphasizing the name. “You’re a bit of a loose cannon.”
Alex chuckled. “I’ve been told that before.”
Flynn glanced at him. “For what it’s worth, I’m honored to play football with you.”
“It’s not over,” Alex replied. “I’m here the whole summer.”
“Bring it,” Flynn said with a grin.
Chapter Sixteen
“How can we help?” Alex heard Cassie say as he made his way to the warehouse kitchen the next morning. Even at the early hour, kids ran through the corridors and adult were getting ready for the day.
“Have you ever made French toast?” a woman asked.
“No,” Cassie replied. “But I’m happy to learn!”
Alex leaned against the door frame and watched his sister attempt to crack eggs on the side of a plastic bowl. The first egg smashed completely. Egg yolk mixed with shells dripped down the side. Her second egg cracked and half of it landed on the floor.
Jassa, an older werewolf with kind eyes, walked over. “Oh dear,” she said with a smile. “Let me help you.”
She showed Cassie how to crack the egg gently and open the shell so that everything landed inside the bowl without shell pieces.
“Werewolves are strong,” Jassa said. “But when we channel our strength, we can do great things.”
“Like crack eggs?” Cassie asked with a hint of doubt.
Jassa winked. “Just wait and see what we come up with.” She looked up and noticed Alex. “Come in, come in. More hands are always welcome.”
She motioned for him to join another person at a counter slicing bananas and apples. The werewolf had blond hair in dreadlocks that were escaping the hairnet he wore.
“Mick, help him out,” she instructed.
“Yes, Jassa,” Mick replied. He handed Alex a knife. “Know how to use one of these?”
Alex bit back a grin. “I think I can handle it.”
Mick chuckled. “I’ll bet you can.”
Alex cut up the apples and removed the seeds. He put them in the jar Mick pointed to.
“Jassa’s teaching the kids about trees later and she wants to help them plant the seeds outside around the garden,” he explained.
“There’s a garden?” Alex asked in surprise.
Mick nodded. “If you’re lucky, she’ll make you pull the weeds,” he said in a wry tone. He lowered his voice. “My suggestion is to help out for breakfast, then amscray before she thinks of something else for you to do. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck here all day.”
At that moment, Siale came walking in with a basket of ripe tomatoes. Alex felt the room brighten just by the smile she gave everyone. Her eyes lingered on Alex.
“We can wash those over here,” Jassa instructed.
Alex felt the loss when their gaze broke and Siale followed Jassa to the huge sinks in the corner.
“Or maybe you’re okay with staying here all day,” Mick said, nudging Alex with his elbow meaningfully.
Alex chuckled and turned back to his apples. “I can’t help it. She’s my girl.”
“And she knows it,” Mick r
eplied. “Good for you. Incoming!” The werewolf ducked.
Alex turned to see what he was talking about and a glob of dough hit him square in the face. Alex grinned at the sight of Tennison kneading more dough in the corner as if nothing had happened.
“Dude, for a survivalist, you really need to work on your survival skills,” Mick said with a laugh. He tossed Alex a rag.
“What’s going on here?” Jassa asked, stopping near their station.
Alex quickly wiped off the dough. “Uh, just an accident. Sorry.”
Jassa studied him a moment as if she didn’t believe what he said. She finally shook her head and wiped her hands on her apron. “Werewolves,” she muttered when she walked away.
“Here,” Mick said.
Alex looked down to see a mushy, overripe banana in the werewolf’s hand. He accepted the slimy fruit and held it low beside the table so Jassa wouldn’t see it. Tennison was busy rolling the dough he had made into small balls and setting them on a pan. Alex glanced at Jassa. The cook was helping two female werewolves at another counter cut up potatoes for a big pot.
Alex gave a low whistle. When Tennison looked up, he let the banana fly. It hit the side of his friend’s face and slid with a plop to the table.
Mick and Alex burst out laughing.
Tennison grinned as he wiped the slimy substance from his cheek.
“What is going on here?” Jassa demanded, storming over to Alex’s table again.
At that exact moment, Tennison chose to let another glob of dough fly.
“In my kitchen, we don’t— ahh!” Jassa’s gasp of dismay could be heard across the kitchen. Silence filled the room. She stomped away with dough on her face and in her hair, and a look Alex didn’t dare interpret.
Alex sliced apples quickly, afraid he and Tennison had ruined their chance to stay at the warehouse. He didn’t want to go back to the Academy and admit to Jaze that their immaturity had cost them a summer break. He let out a breath of regret and grabbed another apple.
Two eggs hit him. One took up residence on his chest and the other splattered in his hair. Shocked, Alex looked up to find Jassa and Cassie crouched behind their table armed with more eggs.
“Take cover!” Mick yelled.
Food soared through the air. Tomatoes and potato peels hit the table above Alex. He and Mick answered with smashed bananas and apple cores.
“Take that, you mongrels,” Jassa yelled, sending more eggs in their direction.
“Never!” Mick replied, answering with a handful of noodles that had taken up residence on the floor by his foot.
“Hey, Alex,” Siale called.
Alex poked his head out, only to have a huge helping of chocolate pudding splatter across his face. He laughed and grabbed a nearby heap of gelatin. It caught Siale on the cheek and hair as she turned away, coloring her brown hair purple.
She and two other girls picked up the huge pot of pudding.
“Wait!” Jassa shouted. She stood with her hands up.
Everyone paused.
The cook shook her head, wiping dough, apple seeds, and noodles from her apron. “This has gotten out of hand. We do have werewolves to feed, you know.”
“Truce?” Mick called from beneath the table.
“Truce,” Jassa replied.
Mick and Alex rose.
“It’s one thing to have a little food fight; it’s another to waste food hungry mouths are waiting for,” Jassa explained. She tried to keep her expression serious as she carefully wiped pudding from between her fingers, but her mouth pulled up in a half smile as her gaze flitted behind Alex and Mick.
Two buckets of cold water were dumped on them. Alex and Mick gasped at the sudden shock. Alex glanced back to see Cassie and Siale holding the buckets. His girlfriend gave him a little shrug.
“That’s what you get,” she said.
Alex caught her around the waist. As he pulled her close, his sneakers slipped on a patch of gelatin and water. They both fell backwards and landed on the floor with a splash. Everyone around them laughed.
“Come on, dude,” Mick said, holding out a hand.
He pulled Alex to his feet and Alex helped Siale. The werewolves in the kitchen all stared at each other; everyone was covered in all manner of food.
“At least we got to wash off,” Alex said.
“There’s more where that came from,” Cassie replied.
“Let’s get back to work,” Jassa told them. “Or you’re going to miss the waves.”
At Alex’s questioning look, Siale said, “Trust me.”
“Look where trusting you got me,” he replied. He slid a handful of pudding from his hair and wiped it across her face before she could back away.
She laughed and buried her head against him, smearing it across his chin. “At least it’s chocolate.”
Mick shook his head, staying away from them to avoid getting any on him. “Girls and their chocolate,” he replied, shaking his head.
***
After breakfast, they found Siale’s friends waiting just outside the main door to the warehouse.
“We thought you guys would never be ready,” Brooks said.
“The sun’s just coming up,” Tennison pointed out.
“Exactly,” Travis, the boy with blue hair, said. “Perfect timing.”
“For what?” Cassie asked.
“The waves,” Jerry replied. “The waves wait for no mortal.”
Brooks handed Alex the extra surfboard he was holding. “Let’s go, Demon. I brought you my lucky board so you won’t kill yourself out there.”
“What if I told you I can’t swim?” Alex asked.
Everyone around them froze as if Alex had said the worst thing in the entire world.
“You can’t swim?” Reko asked in horror.
“Not even a little?” Clarice, a girl with blonde pigtails, asked.
Alex shook his head, but he couldn’t hold the laughter in any longer. The way they were looking at him was worse than anyone had even looked at the Demon. It was as if not being able to swim was far more awful than turning into a creature out of a nightmare.
“I’m kidding,” Alex said. “I can swim.”
Brooks slapped him on the back. “You almost put a jinx on our whole friendship.”
Siale grabbed three more surfboards from a shed on the side of the warehouse. Cassie and Tennison accepted theirs with concerned expressions.
“You know we’ve never done this before,” Cassie said.
“Don’t worry,” Siale told them. “We’ll take it easy on you. It’ll be fun.”
They followed the group down the street. The early morning sunlight was just cresting behind them, casting long shadows along the pavement.
Alex caught Siale’s hand and walked slower, letting the others go on ahead of them.
“So you’ve been surfing your whole life?” Alex asked.
“Most of it,” Siale replied. “Why?”
Alex watched her closely. “I remember teaching you how to swim in the lake in Rafe’s forest. Do you remember that?”
Red colored Siale’s cheeks. “Um, slightly.”
Alex’s eyebrows rose. “Slightly? You were terrified! You nearly crawled on top of me when we jumped off the cliff together.”
Siale gave an embarrassed smile. “What if I told you I was falling hard for you?”
Alex tried to grasp what she was saying. “So you lied?”
Siale shook her head. “I may have stretched the truth a bit. There was a time when I couldn’t swim.”
Alex stared at her incredulously. “How old were you?”
“Four?” she said as more of a question than an answer. She put a hand on Alex’s arm. “Alex, you gave me something important that day. You gave me peace from the nightmares that haunted me even when I was awake. Being in your arms was the most wonderful thing I had ever experienced. Everything I did was to prolong that moment.”
Something about the innocence in her words made Alex smile. “Y
ou’re telling me that you faked not being able to swim so that I wouldn’t let you go.”
Siale smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. “It worked, didn’t it?”
Alex thought about the way he had felt holding her in the water. He had given her his heart fully at that moment. “Yes, it definitely worked,” he admitted, adding, “Even though you lied.”
“Stretched the truth,” she corrected.
Alex laughed again and pulled her to him. Something about the fact that she had faked not being able to swim just so that he would hold her and make her feel safe made him love her even more. After all she had been through, he didn’t know what it had cost her to put so much trust in him, but she had. Unable to stop himself, he kissed her on the forehead. “It’s a good thing you’re so beautiful when you lie.”
She smiled up at him. “It’s a good thing you’re so handsome when you get upset.”
“Why?” he asked. “Would you leave me if I wasn’t?”
“Most definitely,” she replied, winking at him.
“You guys coming?” Cassie called.
Grinning, Alex and Siale ran to catch up to the others.
“Look!” Vanessa said, holding her surfboard to the side to show its shadow with the fins from the bottom. “It looks like a shark!” She moved her hand so that it looked like the shark’s mouth opening and closing.
“Sweet,” Jerry said with a low laugh. “A land shark. Now the predators of the waves can become slayers of the sand. No pedestrian will be safe from serrated teeth and impassive eyes.”
“Thanks, Jer,” Brooks said dryly. “Just what the newbies need, worrying about sharks.”
“What do we do if we come across a shark?” Cassie asked, her forced smile not hiding her worry.
“They shouldn’t bother us,” Mohawk told her. “Sharks mostly keep to themselves.”
“Mostly?” Tennison repeated.
Reko grinned. “Don’t worry. If they bite you, you’ll know.”
“That’s reassuring,” Cassie replied.
