Pretty hot for an older woman.
Colin!
Sorry, Becca. Thinking too loud.
“It’s quite alright,” said Varson. “It doesn’t appear to be his fault. If you want to head up to the base, you’ll be able to take him home as soon as we finish examining him.”
Mrs. Cross was there one minute, gone the next. Colin caught the slightest glimpse of her as she blurred away across the field.
“Mrs. Walker and Micah are both lucky you two were there,” said Varson.
“Yes, very lucky indeed!” said Principal Sampson.
Colin and Becca spun around to see the principal standing behind them. Colin hadn’t heard or smelled him approach. He was like a sensory blind spot and it was driving Colin crazy.
“Ah, Mr. Sampson, is the school clear?”
“Indeed it is. All students accounted for and sent home. They’ll only remember it as a fire drill, nothing more. We’ll make sure the classroom is repaired by tomorrow.”
“Excellent,” said Varson, adjusting his tie again. “Thank you for your assistance.”
Principal Sampson nodded politely and turned and walked away. Not one sound of a footstep. No crunch of gravel underfoot.
So annoying.
“Varson, can he be trusted?” asked Colin.
“What?” said Varson, looking surprised.
“He’s always there just before something weird happens.”
“Oh, believe me,” said Varson, “you don’t have to worry about Mr. Sampson. We’re very lucky to have him! You two should get on home.”
Varson turned and went to speak to one of the soldiers who had been taking samples from the spot where Micah had hit the ground on the football field.
“What do you think?” Colin asked Becca.
“I think if I could just lay one finger on Principal Sampson, I could learn a lot,” said Becca smiling.
“Oh good. I have a plan,” said Colin confidently.
Chapter Eight
Terrykinetic
Colin actually didn’t have a plan. But he wanted to sound cool in front of Becca, so he spent a good part of the evening after dinner trying to come up with a way for Becca to lay a hand on Principal Sampson. One of Becca’s new powers was the ability to get a glimpse into people’s minds when she touched them. She was still learning to master it, but if she could touch the principal she might be able to get a glimpse at who he was and if he had anything to do with all the weird goings on.
Colin tried reaching out to Silas but the distance must have been too far. He couldn’t get so much as a growl out of his old mentor. Colin hoped he was okay. Chasing rogue werewolves around Europe wasn’t exactly the safest way to pass time.
Colin’s grandmother had gone to bed early. She’d barely said anything over dinner. Colin wasn’t great a reading the old lady but something seemed to be bothering her. He’d tried to ask how her day was but she’d just dismissed it with a wave of her hand.
Varson had also called to ask if Colin had made a decision about the full moon. Colin was still undecided. Only two nights until the first full moon. Time was ticking. But this Principal Sampson thing needed to be sorted out first. Varson trusted the weird little man but it was all too much of a coincidence. Principal Sampson had been around the night Charles disappeared, and then right before Micah went all Dracula. Maybe he had been in Seattle too?
Is Principal Sampson the floating man with the glowing red eyes? Colin had written his suspicion in one of his many notebooks but he had no way to prove it. Yet.
Then there was the issue with Colin’s senses going all weird. Was it just part of his werewolf transformation, or was it something more? Was Principal Sampson doing this to him? Or was Colin just not able to deal with being a werewolf? Should he go camping or just let Varson lock him up during his change?
He picked up his phone and texted Becca.
Colin: Camping trip. At a loss. Do I go or not?
Colin continued planning how to get Becca in a position so she could get closer to Principal Sampson but he didn’t have to wait very long for a reply.
Becca: Your call.
Colin: Wat about Jeremy?
Becca: What about Jeremy???
Colin: You don’t think he’ll find it strange when I turn into a giant wolf creature each night?
Becca: I’ve got it taken care of.
Colin: Explain.
Becca: Tomorrow. Don’t worry wolfboy, I got your back ;) <3<3<3 XXX
Colin read the last message again.
XXX. Kisses? I do have a plan!
***
When Colin went down for breakfast on Wednesday morning, his grandmother was already gone. A scrawled note said she’d gone out on urgent business.
What is she up to?
It wasn’t like his grandmother to go out unless there was a Town Hall meeting. She certainly didn’t go out in the morning, as that was when all her favorite TV shows were on. Colin put the issue to the back of his mind and ate two bowls of cereal, eight pieces of toast, and a piece of raw steak that he didn’t even bother defrosting.
Only one more night until his full-moon change. Colin was beginning to feel anxious.
He met Becca and Jeremy at the front of the school as a light misty drizzle floated down from the sky. He kissed Becca on the cheek and put an arm around her.
“So I was just talking with Jeremy about going on a camping trip this weekend,” said Becca.
“Uh-huh,” said Colin, somewhat dubiously.
“Aren’t you going to be heading out there tomorrow night? I mean, we have school so we wouldn’t be able to join you until Friday, but it might be fun for a couple of nights?”
“Uh, yeah,” said Colin, a little more enthusiastically. What was Becca playing at?
“Sounds like great fun!” said Jeremy.
“Oh yeah, totally,” said Colin. “But, ya know, if you’ll recall, I had a few concerns.”
“Oh, right,” said Becca. “Jeremy, Colin is worried that you’re going to see him turn into a giant werewolf every night. How do you feel about that?”
“As long as you don’t eat me,” said Jeremy, laughing at his own joke. “I’ll just have to think of a good excuse to tell my parents. I’ve got to get to class. I’ll catch you two love birds later.”
Colin watched Jeremy leave. “Making a joke about it is all well and good, but I think it’ll be a slightly different story when I actually turn into a werewolf at night.”
Becca took Colin by the arm and guided him through the gates toward the school. “You forget who you’re talking to, young Mr. Strauss. We’ll all hang out during the day and then before you change, I’ll simply put Jeremy to sleep for the night and cast a protection spell around the camp.”
“So your solution is to magically drug our friend into a deep sleep?”
“Yes.”
“So he doesn’t discover that I’m actually a giant werewolf?”
“Yes.”
Colin thought about it for a moment. “That’s genius.”
“I’m not just a pretty face, you know.”
Colin hugged Becca tightly. “Of course not. You have lovely hair too.”
Becca hit Colin playfully as they entered the school through the automatic doors and headed toward English class.
“What are you going to tell your mother?” asked Colin.
Becca shrugged. “I’ll tell her I have to work with the medical staff at the base for the weekend. She won’t question it because I’ve done it before, and with Dad away she’s planning on having a quiet few days at home anyway.”
“Don’t you feel bad, lying like that?” asked Colin.
“It’s a small lie,” said Becca. “Mom would really prefer to believe we live in a nice, normal town, and that her only child isn’t a witch. I think she lives in denial sometimes.”
“Okay, I’m in,” said Colin. “I’ll camp alone tomorrow night and
then you guys can join me. I can do this.”
“We can do this. We’re in it together. Just, ya know, don’t eat us,” said Becca with a smile.
“I’ll do my best.”
The school buzzed like it normally did, and no one would ever have suspected that there was a vampire attack yesterday. Students were too busy complaining about the usual stuff that teenagers worry about: hair, boys, girls, acne, clothes, teachers, homework, and so on.
“So, what’s the big plan?” said Becca.
“You’ll see.”
“You’re not going to tell me?”
“I think it’ll become obvious very quickly.”
Colin opened his locker and took out his books for English class. He could smell a sense of nervousness in the air. He closed the locker and looked down into the eyes of Terry. The ten-year-old stared up at Colin, who was easily over a foot taller.
“Hi, Colin,” said Terry.
“Hi, Terry. How are you feeling?”
“Oh, better, I guess. I just wanted to thank you. For helping me yesterday.”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Gareth used to make my life hell too, so I know what you were going through.”
Terry brightened up a little. “Really? How did you make him stop?”
I was bitten and turned into a werewolf, and then I ate my biology teacher.
“I, uh, I just stood up to him one day,” said Colin.
“Wow, you’re brave!”
“Oh yes, he’s very brave,” said Becca sarcastically.
Terry turned a dark crimson color at seeing Becca. “I-I’ve got t-to go. Bye.” Terry took off down the hallway, careful not to look at Becca.
“You scared him,” said Colin.
“I did not!”
“Must be the red hair.”
“That’s not what happened. What did you smell?”
Colin laughed. “I think he has a crush on you.”
“Oh, come on! You’re lying!
“Honest truth.” And he wasn’t lying. As soon as Terry noticed Becca, his scent had changed from nerves to embarrassment, to confusion, and back to nerves. His heart rate had also increased. Colin knew the signs well. He’d experienced them himself around Becca not even a year ago.
“I’d be more comfortable if he was scared of me,” said Becca.
“I don’t have anything to worry about, do I?”
“Shut up!”
The bell blared down the hallway, ringing in Colin’s ears. They made their way to English class at the south end of the school and took their seats next to each other. Their teacher, Mr. Abernathy, was an old gentleman who was set in his ways and didn’t like to teach anything new. He also had a melodic drone to his voice that made you instantly want to sleep. Since discovering the truth behind Elkwood, Colin had often wondered if Mr. Abernathy was some sort of creature that made people sleepy.
Mr. Abernathy was also a traditionalist, which made his the perfect class to execute Colin’s plan of attack on Principal Sampson. The class quieted down as Mr. Abernathy called everyone to order and began droning on about Shakespeare.
“Pst,” said Colin to Becca.
“Did you just pst at me?”
“Ever been sent to the principal’s office?”
“What? No, I’d never—”
Colin placed a hand on the back of Becca’s head and kissed her. The class gasped.
Becca pulled away. “What on earth are—” And then she saw the angry and shocked look on Mr. Abernathy’s face. “Oh.” Becca grabbed Colin’s face and kissed him back, full on the lips. The class broke out in an uproar. People whistled, some students laughed, a few cheered them on.
“Stop that right this instant!” shouted Mr. Abernathy. But they didn’t. Much to Colin’s enjoyment, they just carried right on making out in the middle of class.
“Colin Strauss! Becca Emerson! I demand you stop kissing immediately!”
The class exploded in laughter.
“This is not a laughing matter!” said Mr. Abernathy. “This is outrageous!”
Colin stopped kissing Becca and grinned. “Sorry, Mr. Abernathy. You were saying something?”
The smell of anger and disgust floating of Mr. Abernathy was powerful. The old man’s face was so red it was practically purple. Colin began to worry he might explode.
Mr. Abernathy scribbled a note and handed it to Colin. “Both of you, report to the principal’s office immediately!”
Colin and Becca quickly gathered their things and left the classroom. They could still hear the irate English teacher complaining as they walked away down the hall. “Never in my years of teaching have I ever witnessed such a disregard for English class. This isn’t Italy. You can’t just start kissing in the middle of class! The cheek of it! Shakespeare would not approve of such things! In my day …”
“You know, if your plan was to get us to the principal’s office, we could just have gone and knocked,” said Becca.
“Yeah, but this way was more fun,” said Colin with a wink.
Becca sighed. “Boys! You realize we’re never going to be able to sit together in English class again?”
“That I actually didn’t think about at all.”
“Smart idea, though, getting us into his office. It’s an enclosed space; easier to touch him.”
“If he’s truly afraid of germs, you’re going to have your work cut out for you.”
“I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
Colin’s senses went blind again. All sense of smell vanished and it was like someone hit the mute button on his hearing. At least this time he had Becca with him. He stopped walking and looked at Becca.
It’s happening again.
Your senses? Hold still.
Becca placed a hand on Colin’s forehead and closed her eyes. Colin felt the familiar sensation travel through his body. It was like someone pouring hot water through his veins, both comforting and scary. Becca was searching his body, looking for something to heal.
Wow.
What? What is it?
It’s a spell. Hang on a second.
Colin felt the heat rush to his head to the point where it began to hurt and then his senses flooded back to him. Becca released his head and smiled.
“A spell?”
“Someone cast a spell on you,” said Becca. “And not a simple spell. It was complex. Planted directly into your head.”
“How did you undo it?” said Colin, slightly in shock that someone had been practicing magic on him.
“Casting a spell is like tying a very difficult knot. Undoing one is just a matter of finding the right thread to pull. The spell in your head was complex but it was rushed, like it needed to be cast quickly. It was easy to find the right thread to tug on.”
Colin felt a dark sense of dread. He really didn’t understand magic or that someone could have this sort of effect on him, it worried him.
“How long has it been in there?”
“It’s impossible to tell. Could have been there since Seattle, and it just gets reactivated when needed. Or it could be planted fresh every time.”
Colin was beginning to feel more and more violated. “But who would do it?”
“Someone powerful. It’s called Rune Magic. It involves the creation of magical symbols. It’d take me hours to even start putting something like that together. Maybe your grandmother …”
“Or maybe the old man who lives in the woods?”
“How do you know about Alfred?”
They arrived at the principal’s office and the door swung open automatically.
To be continued.
Principal Sampson sat behind his desk, hands folded in front of him, grinning that cheerful grin he was so fond of wearing.
“Mr. Strauss and Ms. Emerson. Please, come in and take a seat. To what do I owe the pleasure so early this morning?”
“Good morning, Mr. Sampson,” said Becca, taking a
seat.
“Morning, sir,” said Colin. He held Mr. Abernathy’s note out to the principal.
Principal Sampson stared at the note and chuckled awkwardly. “If you’ll please excuse my peculiarity, Colin, I’d rather not touch it. Germs, you see. If you can please just place it down on the desk, that’ll be just fine.”
Colin looked at Becca, who was busy smiling at the principal. He unfolded the note and placed it on the desk.
I have an idea.
I’m all ears.
We need to irritate each other, start a fight, and force him to get between us.
“Now, let’s see,” said Principal Sampson, leaning over the desk to look at the note. “Disruption of class due to inappropriate behavior. Oh my.”
“We kissed,” said Becca.
“Sort of made out,” said Colin.
“Oh dear,” said Mr. Sampson. “Mr. Abernathy is a bit of an ancient soul. In more ways than one. That sort of behavior certainly wouldn’t sit right with him.”
“It’s Becca,” said Colin. “She can’t keep her hands off me.”
“What?” snapped Becca.
Colin grinned stupidly. Despite discovering someone had magically manipulated him, he was still having too much fun with this.
“Now, look here,” said Mr. Sampson with a bit more authority in his voice. “There’s a time and a place for such things. And that time is not during school hours, and that place is not in Mr. Abernathy’s English class.”
“Would Biology class be okay?” asked Colin. “Seems fitting.”
“No, Mr. Strauss. No school class is appropriate for such things.”
“You’re such an idiot!” Becca said, and hit Colin hard on the arm.
“Ow! Abuse!” Colin cried.
“If you hadn’t decided to try and suck my face off in English we wouldn’t be here right now!”
“Okay, let’s all calm down shall w—” began the principal.
“Well maybe if we made a little more time to kiss outside of school, it wouldn’t have happened!” Colin fired back.
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