Midnight Howl

by Clare Hutton

  But I couldn’t seem to get over my suspicions about Hailey. What if she was a werewolf? What could I do about it? The idea of exposing her secret, of people with guns and dogs hunting her down or of doctors and scientists trying to figure out what she was, crossed my mind, and I shivered.

  No, I thought, sitting up straight, I could never do that to Hailey. Not to anybody, really, but definitely not to shy, openhearted Hailey, who dreamed of seeing seals in the wild. Never. Even if there was something different about her, I was sure she wasn’t a monster.

  Could I just let this whole thing go?

  I would. I would forget about this crazy idea.

  The full moon was coming. It would be here tomorrow night.

  It meant nothing. I would forget about the full moon and the wolf howls, and make myself believe that Hailey was an ordinary girl.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The next day, I was totally on edge. By the time my alarm clock went off, I had already been lying awake in bed for an hour, staring at the ceiling and trying to breathe slowly. It was the day of the full moon.

  It was easy to tell myself to forget something, but it was much harder to actually do it.

  At breakfast, I couldn’t help watching Hailey. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were glowing, and her hair shone. She looked excited. And that made me nervous.

  “Marisol.” From the tone of Jack’s voice, I could tell it wasn’t the first time he’d said my name.

  “What?” I asked, making myself turn away from Hailey.

  “Pass the milk, please,” he said. “Jeez, are you okay? You’ve been staring blankly across the table for, like, ten minutes.”

  “Sorry,” I said, and passed him the milk. “I’m fine. Just a little tired.” Jack was looking at me curiously, and I smiled weakly at him.

  “It’s a beautiful day,” Hailey said cheerfully. “It’s the kind of day when it feels good to be alive.”

  Whenever I saw Hailey during the day, she looked alert and intense. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t help being aware of her.

  At lunch, I was sitting and talking with Amber and Lily when Hailey appeared, smiling.

  “Have you seen?” she asked, setting her lunch tray down on the table.

  “What?” asked Amber. “I haven’t seen anything except today’s mystery-meat special.”

  “Look!” said Hailey, pointing across the cafeteria. We’d been expecting Bonnie to show up eventually — she had gym right before lunch, so she had to change — but there she was, sitting at a table with one other person: Anderson. They were totally focused on each other, smiling and laughing as they gazed into each other’s eyes.

  “Holy cow,” said Amber. “Do you think they’re, like … a couple?”

  “She said she thought he was cute,” I remembered aloud. I looked at Bonnie’s smile. I couldn’t imagine liking Anderson — he was so high-strung and hyper — but she looked happy.

  “That’s Bonnie,” said Hailey. “If she wants something, she makes it happen.” She nodded. “That’s the only thing to do, I’ve realized. You can’t wait around for things to happen to you.”

  Lily looked at her curiously. “Is there something you want to do, Hailey?” she asked.

  Hailey shrugged. “I’m just sort of talking about life. You know.”

  Lily smiled back at her. “I get it.”

  I wasn’t sure I did. Was Hailey acting this way because of the full moon? Bonnie caught us watching her and waved, grimacing at us to stop staring. Hailey drummed her fingers on the table, looking impatient.

  “Hey,” she said suddenly to Lily and me, “are you two going out with your telescopes tonight? Isn’t it a full moon?”

  “Um. No,” Lily said, a little line appearing between her eyebrows as she frowned. “Remember, we stay in at the full moon because of the wolves.”

  Hailey rolled her eyes. “You know,” she said stubbornly, “wolves aren’t so dangerous. They don’t just suddenly attack people.”

  Lily stared at her. “Wolves are dangerous, Hailey. They don’t bite people for fun, but it’s still not a good idea to get close to them. They’re territorial. They’re wild animals. They’re not friendly.” She rubbed irritably at the crescent moon–shaped birthmark on her arm.

  Hailey rolled her eyes again. The line between Lily’s eyebrows got deeper, and she opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, hesitated, then closed it again.

  Of course, I thought, maybe Hailey already knows all about wolves.

  At the after-school astronomy club meeting, Anderson slid into the desk next to mine.

  “Pssst,” he hissed out of the side of his mouth. “Hey. Psst. Marisol.”

  “Shhh,” I said, listening to the presentation.

  He huffed and fished around in his backpack. A minute later, a note landed on my desk:

  It’s the full moon 2night. I found out where Bonley lives, and Bonnie and I are going to stake out his apartment. He won’t be there if he’s a werewolf, but his absence will be a clue. Want to come? Bring something silver just in case.

  I had almost forgotten Anderson’s suspicion that the gym teacher was a werewolf. I really didn’t think he was, but what did I know? As long as he and Bonnie left Hailey alone, Anderson’s theories didn’t matter. I also really didn’t think Bonnie would want me coming along.

  “I can’t come, but thanks for asking,” I whispered. “Let me know what happens. And be careful.”

  Anderson nodded seriously. “Roger,” he said. “Will do.”

  After astronomy club, Lily and I sat together on the activities bus. She seemed irritable, glaring out at the sun, which was already low on the horizon.

  “What were you and Anderson passing notes about?” she asked suddenly. “Did he say anything about Bonnie?”

  “Not really,” I said. “They’re staking out Mr. Bonley’s house tonight in case he’s a werewolf.”

  Lily turned and stared at me. “He thinks Bonley’s a werewolf?” she said roughly. “He’s really a nut.” This was so different from her earlier, more relaxed view on Anderson’s obsessions that I must have looked surprised, because her eyes narrowed. “You don’t believe him, do you?” she asked.

  “No …” I said.

  Lily frowned at me. “You sound like you’re going to say ‘but.’ You couldn’t possibly think Mr. Bonley’s a werewolf. Anderson just hates doing push-ups.”

  “Well …” I hesitated, then leaned closer to her, looking around to make sure no one was listening to us. I wasn’t going to do anything about my suspicions, but it might help to talk to Lily. She would never hurt Hailey. “I’m not talking about Mr. Bonley. But there’s someone else I’m worried about. There’s been weird stuff I’ve noticed, and it seems crazy, but I can’t help worrying” — I took a deep breath — “that she might be a werewolf.”

  Lily stiffened. “Have you talked to anyone else about this?”

  I shook my head. “No, and you can’t either. You have to promise not to repeat this, not even to her,” I said. “Especially not to her.”

  “Who are you talking about?” Lily’s eyes were wide.

  I took a deep breath. “Hailey. I think Hailey might be a werewolf.”

  “Are you crazy?” Lily asked. She shook her head. “Honestly, Marisol, Hailey’s been, like, the shyest girl at school forever, and she’s finally starting to come out of her shell, and you’re calling her a werewolf? I thought you were her friend.”

  “I am her friend,” I objected, “but listen —”

  Lily put up her hand to stop me. I had never seen her look so angry. “Stop it,” she growled. “Marisol, there are no werewolves.” She whipped around to stare out the window and ignored me for the rest of the ride.

  As the bus stopped to let me off, I got to my feet and then paused next to our seat. “I’m sorry, Lily,” I said softly. She didn’t answer.

  Great. Now Lily was mad at me. I sighed. I should have kept my thoughts to myself. I climbed off the
bus and headed toward the house. Jack had gone to a friend’s after cooking club, and I was sorry he wasn’t there. I could have used a friend to take my mind off Hailey.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  During dinner, Hailey was restless. Her glass chimed as she tapped her fingers against it, and her plate jumped as she beat out a rhythm on it with her fork. Jack raised his eyebrows at her across the table and whispered, “Hail, what’s up with you?” to which she just shrugged. Our parents didn’t seem to notice a thing.

  “A toast!” called out Mike cheerfully. “Here’s to a month of living together. I know I speak for Molly and the kids when I say we couldn’t have enjoyed it more. You know you’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” he added, smiling.

  “Hear, hear,” said my mom, tapping her glass against his. “I just want to say how much Marisol and I appreciate the way you’ve opened your home and your family to us.”

  We all touched glasses. Jack smiled as he tapped his water glass against mine. It seemed like we were in a golden glow of friendship. But I couldn’t stop thinking about how, outdoors, the sun was setting and darkness was beginning to fall. I wanted to run outside of that warm golden glow and see if the moon was rising.

  After dinner was over, Hailey cleared the table and kissed her parents. “I’m going to read for a while,” she said sweetly. “I’ll probably go to bed early, so I’ll say good night now.”

  I looked at the clock. It was seven thirty.

  Didn’t anyone else think it was weird that Hailey was going upstairs to bed so early?

  I guess not, because her parents and my mom just smiled and said good night. Jack waved a hand to her as he slouched off into the living room to watch TV.

  “I’m going to go up, too,” I said quickly. “I have more homework to do, and then I’ll turn in.” There was no way Hailey was a werewolf. But still … just in case …

  I hurried up the stairs after her.

  When I got to the second floor, Hailey was going into the bathroom, so I went into my room to read. I couldn’t focus. All my senses were on edge, wondering what she was going to do. After I heard her go into her own room, I waited another half hour, watching the clock, then went after her. Just to check.

  I knew she wasn’t going to be there.

  I tapped on her bedroom door.

  “What?” she said.

  Oh.

  I opened her door. Hailey was curled up on her bed with a book.

  “Nothing,” I said. “I mean … have you seen my red sweater?”

  She shook her head.

  “Okay,” I said awkwardly. “Thanks.”

  I went back to my room. See? I told myself. She’s just lying there reading, like she said she was going to. She’s not sprouting fangs or sneaking out to howl at the moon. Now let this go!

  Twenty minutes later, I headed down the hall. Maybe it would be easier for me to concentrate on my homework if I was in the same room as Hailey. I hoped she wouldn’t mind a reading buddy. I tapped on her door. No one answered.

  I opened the door. The light was still on and Hailey’s book lay on her pillow, but Hailey was gone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The white curtains at Hailey’s window billowed in with the breeze. I felt frozen. I had more than half expected to find her still in her room. I walked over to the window and looked out.

  The branches of a big tree reached almost to the window, and the sloping roof would provide some support if someone wanted to climb across the branch and into the tree. Is that what Hailey had done? I looked down and shivered. In the dark, I couldn’t even see the ground beneath the window.

  No way. I wasn’t even going to try going out that way. I left Hailey’s room and stealthily tiptoed downstairs, pausing at the bottom of the stairs to listen. I could hear the TV in the den, so Jack was still in there, and then I heard Mike’s voice and knew he had joined Jack. My mother and Molly were talking in the kitchen.

  I slid through the hall, holding my breath as I passed the entry to the kitchen, and quickly and quietly undid the lock on the front door. I slipped outside and closed the door softly behind me.

  Outside, I started shivering immediately. I should have brought my jacket. I wrapped my arms around myself and ducked my head against the wind. It was dark and the air smelled like frost. The wind kicked up, rustling dry leaves against the house. The full moon shone above me, lighting up the woods around the house. I could hear the horses whinnying restlessly in their stable.

  This was stupid. If Hailey was even out here, how was I going to find her? She could have gone anywhere after she climbed out her window. I started working my way around the house, heading away from the stables, skirting flower beds and bushes.

  When I reached the back of the house, I looked up at Hailey’s open window. It glowed golden in the darkness, throwing a long rectangle of light on the ground. I bent over to inspect the earth around the bottom of the tree. I was hoping to find footprints — or paw prints — but the ground was hard and, if there was anything to see, I couldn’t find it. I should have brought a jacket and a flashlight.

  I gazed out into the dark of the forest. If there was anything out there, how was I going to be able to see it? I realized that I should have stayed closer to Hailey, so that I could have followed her when she left the house.

  I was just wondering if I should give up and go back inside when I saw the light. It looked like the thin beam of a flashlight in the woods.

  I hurried toward it.

  The full moon was overhead, and twigs cracked under my feet. I was cold and scared and suddenly reminded of my dreams. Was I about to meet a werewolf in the wild? What would I do? I was getting close to the beam of light, and I slowed down. Was I in danger? What would a werewolf be doing with a flashlight anyway?

  I blundered toward the light, branches catching at my clothes. Suddenly, the light was in my eyes.

  “Marisol?” I heard Hailey ask in a confused, and definitely human, voice. She turned the light aside so it wasn’t shining right in my eyes. “What are you doing out here?”

  “What am I doing out here?” I said. “What are you doing out here? I came to find you!”

  “Oh no!” Hailey said. “Did my parents realize I went out? Is everybody looking for me? I’m in so much trouble!”

  “No,” I reassured her. “I’m the only one who knows you’re out here. Unless they’ve realized since I left that we’re gone, and then we’re both in trouble.”

  I reached out and took the flashlight and turned it on her. Hailey looked bright-eyed and excited, but completely normal. I noticed she had been smart enough to put on a coat and hat, so she looked a lot warmer than I was. Her blond hair was springing out from under the hat, but it wasn’t turning into fur. The full moon was high in the sky above her, and it was definitely, absolutely, clear that Hailey was not a werewolf.

  That was a relief.

  I suddenly felt really stupid.

  “Hailey,” I asked again, “why are you out here? Did you come out here last month? I noticed you were missing then.”

  “Yeah,” Hailey said. She sighed. “I really want to see a wolf in the wild. You know they’re spotted around here a lot more during full moons, right? And there are all kinds of stories about them: that they have special powers, or even that they’re werewolves. But I haven’t had any luck. Last full moon, I climbed a tree and stayed in it almost all night, waiting for the wolves. I fell asleep and nearly fell out of the tree. I barely woke up in time to catch my balance.”

  Just then a wolf howl shattered the quiet of the night.

  Hailey grabbed my hand. “Did you hear that?” she asked. She was shaking with excitement.

  I was shaking with fear. “Hailey,” I said, “we need to go back to the house.”

  “Are you kidding?” she said. “It sounded so close!”

  “Exactly,” I said. I turned off the flashlight. Maybe the wolf wouldn’t be able to find us in the dark.

  No, that was r
idiculous. And didn’t wolves avoid people when they could, anyway? I turned the flashlight back on. “Hailey, wolves might not attack people all the time, but that doesn’t mean they won’t if they feel threatened, like if two kids jump out at them in the middle of the night.”

  Hailey stood still for a minute. “I guess you’re right,” she said finally. “But I really … I’ve always wanted to see a wolf for real.” She sounded close to tears.

  “We’ll go to the zoo,” I told her. “It won’t be the same, but it’ll be pretty good, and a lot safer. And we’ll make a donation to a save-the-wolves charity. Just come on.” I was listening for another wolf howl. That one had sounded awfully close, but which direction had it come from? Were we safe to head back the way I’d come? If not, maybe we’d have time to climb a tree, like Hailey had last month. I yanked Hailey’s arm. Slowly, she started to move after me.

  Then we froze.

  There was a wolf blocking the path out of the clearing.

  “Oh my gosh,” whispered Hailey. She sounded half-thrilled and half-terrified.

  It was thin and gray with touches of brown on its ears and legs. It looked young, small, and skinny. Its ears tipped forward, and it looked from Hailey to me and whined sharply. Its golden eyes were fixed on us almost as if it was trying to tell us something, and it slowly moved closer to us.

  Another howl rang out in the distance.

  I held on to Hailey’s arm tightly and backed slowly away from the wolf, pulling her with me. The flashlight shook in my hand, and the beam skittered around the clearing.

  The wolf stopped and stared at me again, whining softly. I steadied the flashlight. It panted, tongue out, and, as the flashlight beam settled on it, I noticed a dark, golden, crescent moon–shaped mark on one of its front legs.

  That moon …

  I stared into the wolf’s eyes. Was there something familiar there?