“As soon as we got home, my uncle called that anonymous hotline and reported the murder.”
She nodded thoughtfully, then frowned. “Why didn’t he call Sheriff Brad direct?”
“I think I know why. When Uncle Bob first moved here, there was a string of gas station robberies. The sheriff accused him, although he was innocent. Now, whenever anything bad happens, he automatically suspects my uncle, trying to catch him in something. Trying to save face.”
“Yeah.”
“Uncle Bob told me we should keep out of it. But Sheriff Brad has already been out to our house twice. I think he wants to pin it on him.”
“So you can’t keep out of it.”
Again, she understood.
I said, “I have to bring them down.”
“It should be easy to trace them, three strangers showing up in town. I know most of the cheap motels in the area.”
“Do you now?” I grinned.
“Stop it.” She laughed and slapped my arm. “I’m in charge of finding the best deal when my father comes to town. I’d be happy to call around and see if I can find them.”
I shook my head in amazement. She’d taken the news better than I had. “That would be great. Thanks.”
“Three guys?”
“Two guys and a girl, actually.”
“A girl?” Her eyebrows went up. “That should make it even easier.”
We shared a bag of chips for lunch and watched Aliens on the overhead television. I kept an eye on the time. I didn’t want to be there when her boss showed, didn’t want her to think I was keeping Brit from work.
Reluctantly, I said, “I better go.”
“All right.”
Hand in hand, we walked to the door. We stood in the open doorway, sunlight spilling around us. An updraft teased her hair. It looked violet in the bright light.
I slid my hands to her waist. “Thanks for listening.”
She smiled. “Are you going out tonight?”
“Yeah. Uncle Bob wants to take me into the woods.”
“Werewolf lessons, eh?” Her eyes sparkled. “Too bad your uncle didn’t fess up earlier. He could’ve saved you some misery.”
“You got that right,” I murmured, increasingly aware of her nearness. I didn’t want to let go.
She cupped my face in her hands, lifting her lips. My heartbeat quadrupled. We kissed. Not a friendly howdy-do. This was real. I wrapped my arms about her, pulling her close. She seemed to fit against me, her curves filling my empty spots. I squeezed my eyes tighter, falling into the warmth of her touch.
At last, she pulled away. “Bye,” she said a little breathlessly.
“Bye.”
I left the store smiling. This was a great day. Who would’ve thought that exile would be the best thing that ever happened to me? I grabbed my bike from against the wall.
There was a red Camaro in the parking lot. A really nice car. I remembered seeing it before. A man sat in the driver’s seat, waiting for someone I guessed. I thought about pedaling over to him and telling him what a great ride he had.
Then I saw his eyes.
He stared as if appraising me. Like he knew all my secrets, all my faults. A shiver ran through me. I turned away and headed home.
My thoughts were so full of Brittany and her kiss that the ride seemed to take no time at all. Before I knew it, I was coasting up the drive. I dumped my bike in its usual spot and climbed the porch steps. Something was tacked to the front door.
My stomach fell. It was my socks. The socks I’d lost in the woods that morning while running from a pack of murderous wolves.
TWENTY-THREE
“Are you sure they’re the same socks?” Uncle Bob stopped the truck and turned off the engine.
We were in the forest again, but in a different area than the night before. The sun was setting, and I was itching to get out of my skin.
“Pretty sure,” I said. “I can’t imagine anyone nailing random socks to our door.”
He folded his arms and stared out the windshield.
“What does it mean?” I asked.
He drew a long breath. “It’s a warning. They’re telling us they know who we are.” I nodded, hoping for more. “They must’ve tracked our scents from the murder site to my fishing pond,” he said. “I half expected that. But how did they follow us home? We were in the truck.”
I frowned. “Can werewolves recognize each other when they are human?”
“Usually. Why?”
My cheeks heated. I felt stupid. “There’s this guy. I’ve seen him twice. Both times, he gave me the willies. He stared at me like he hated me.”
“Where at?”
“Brittany’s work.” And it hit me. He must’ve seen us kissing. If he wanted to get to me, it would be through her. My mouth went dry. “He drives a red Camaro,” I mumbled. “It followed us around one day.”
“Do you think he followed you home?”
“What does he want?”
“To recruit you, most likely. Get you to run with the pack. He won’t want me. I’m too old. But once he finds out you can shift on command, he’ll see you as a threat to his leadership. He’ll kill you.”
A quiver of panic twisted my stomach. It wasn’t what he said so much as the matter-of-fact way he said it. “But if I don’t join him, he won’t find out. The pack will move on, right?”
“That’s what we’re hoping.”
“There was wolf scent in Brittany’s yard,” I said.
He frowned. “It’s probably nothing. Why would they be nosing around Old Man Meyer’s place?”
“To get to me?”
“Nah. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
But I was worried. It was always at the back of my mind ever since the fortuneteller said I would sacrifice something.
It must have showed in my eyes, because after a while, he said, “If it will make you feel better, I’ll call Howard, have him check on her.”
“That’s all right.” What good would Howard be against three wolves?
“Okay. But remember what I said about him. If you need help and I’m not around, go to Howard. Even in wolf form.”
Howard knew? I closed my eyes. I should have realized. “He called me Mai-Coh.”
“It means shape shifter.”
“So, Howard knows what I am. Anyone else?” If Anne the waitress knew, I was going to scream.
“No one on my side of things,” Uncle Bob said. “How about you? I was there when Brittany found out. Anyone else?”
“Her brother. I was a wolf when I saved him from that gator.”
“Well, let’s keep it to a minimum. I like living here.” He peered out the windshield. “Sundown. Anything you want to ask before we go out?”
“Yeah,” I said, struck by a sudden thought. “Is it possible to shift while the sun’s still up?”
“In daylight?” He laughed. “Where do you get such crazy ideas?”
“It isn’t crazy. Day or night the moon’s still there.”
“Hold on. I didn’t mean to rile you.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “It would take a really powerful werewolf, you know? Someone with a strong sense of self. I’ve never heard of anyone trying it. But, who knows? Stranger things have happened.”
* * * *
It was great to have a companion that night. We chased deer. We ran through a sugarcane field. Fortunately, we didn’t come across any more bodies. At moonset, we dressed and drove home. Uncle Bob took a nap, but I couldn’t sleep. I paced my room, thinking about the wolf pack and the threat they posed. It was bad enough the leader might want me dead. I couldn’t stand to think they might hurt Brittany. I was so anxious it was all I could do to keep from pedaling to her house right then.
Around nine o’clock, I called her. She groaned. “You don’t sleep at all, do you?”
“I thought you’d be getting ready for work.”
“I don’t have to be there until three today.”
“Oh. Sorry I woke you.”
/>
She yawned. “That’s all right. It’s nice to hear your voice. How was your night?”
I leaned back on my pillow. “I ate a rabbit.”
“Raw? Eeuw.”
“It sounds gross now, but at the time it tasted really good.”
“Well, while you were enjoying a rabbit dinner, I was calling in favors,” she said. “There are three strangers staying at the Sunshine Motel. Two guys and a girl.”
“Wow.” My thoughts whirled. I wanted to drop the phone and run out there. “That’s great, Brit. Thanks for finding them.”
“Are you calling the sheriff?”
“Not without evidence.”
“Don’t you dare, Cody,” she said as if reading my mind. “You stay away from them. They’re dangerous.”
“I won’t let them see me.”
“They might smell you or something. Who knows what they’ll do. It’s better if I go.”
My heart flew up my throat. “Oh, no you don’t. I don’t want you anywhere near them.”
“It’s no big. My friend works the front desk. I’ll visit her and see what I can dig up.”
“Thanks but no thanks.”
Her voice rose. “Then how are we going to find out about them?”
“Just don’t go. Please.”
Silence fell. She didn’t promise to stay away, and I didn’t share my plans with her.
Because I intended to confront them, if only to prove I wasn’t afraid. Maybe if they saw I wasn’t an easy mark, they’d leave us alone.
After a few moments, she said, “I have another surprise for you. I’ve got all the ingredients for the potion.”
I sat up. “You have?”
“Yep. Grandpa took in the last box yesterday. He asked why I’m getting so many deliveries all of a sudden.”
“That’s…that’s—” I stifled a whoop. Imagine if it really worked. Imagine if I could be a normal kid again.
“Did you tell your uncle what we’re doing?”
“He wouldn’t understand. He doesn’t seem to mind being a wolf.”
“Probably just as well.” She sighed. “The problem now is how we make a magic circle. I know there are such things. I just can’t find any instructions. I talked to some Wiccans, and they got up in my face about it. Either it’s some big secret or they really didn’t know.”
“Not to worry,” I said, feeling important. “I found a book that tells all about them.”
“Really? That’s a relief.” Her voice smiled. “Have you thought about where we should set up?”
“How about in the courtyard where you saw me shift? It’s secluded. No one will bother us.”
“Is it big enough?” she said. “I think we should have two circles like that book at the bookstore said. A fourteen-footer with a six foot circle inside.”
“I’m sure the courtyard is more than fourteen feet across,” I said, not sure at all.
“Want to go now and check it out?”
“I’ll meet you there.”
I closed the phone, excited to see her again. Not that I wanted to touch her or anything. I mean, I did, but just being with her was enough. To know she wanted to be with me. To know she was safe.
I crept to the kitchen, trying not to wake my uncle. There was a tape measure in the junk drawer—a hundred-footer with a metal loop at the end for staking. After a quick search, I even found a super long screwdriver to use as a stake.
With the tools in my back pocket, I slipped out the door. Warm breezes met me. No clouds. It hadn’t rained in so long, the grass was starting to smell like straw.
I picked up my bike and rode to the street. Tonight was a full moon, and all my senses were turned up. It was like waking in a different world—the colors brighter, the smells more distinct.
I pulled out behind a blue SUV. It wasn’t going particularly fast, and I kept up with it easily. Probably surprised the heck out of the driver. It would be hilarious if I passed a car on my bike. But my turn-off came before I had a chance.
Full of energy, I stood on the pedals and streaked down the old dirt road. A cloud of dust rose. By the time I reached the courtyard, I was panting, my legs tingling. I let out a loud howl, and it felt so good, I howled again.
Brittany hadn’t arrived yet. I left my bike at the side of the road and pushed through the trees into the courtyard. The place felt familiar and comforting, like I’d come home. I stood in the center and closed my eyes. Birds sang, and baby birds peeped. The wind hissed through the treetops. But where I stood, the air barely stirred.
A car door slammed. Nose in the air, I sniffed. Brittany’s scent came to me—her skin, her hair, the toast she ate in the car. I heard her tramping through the underbrush behind me.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hi.” She sounded surprised. “How did you know it was me?”
I turned around and smiled. “Lucky guess.” I wanted to tell her how good it was to see her, how empty I felt when she wasn’t around. But that would sound too weird.
She dropped her eyes, and I realized I was staring at her.
“I was about to mark out our circles,” I said. “Want to help?”
“Sure. What can I do?”
“We need two sticks.”
She stepped back into the trees. I staked the tape measure with the screwdriver and pulled out seven feet worth of tape. Locking it in place, I stretched it out on the grass.
“Now what?” asked Brittany.
I took one of the sticks she handed me. “Here’s what you need to know. There is magic all around us.”
“I believe that.”
“Good. So a magic circle creates a screen that traps the magical energy within it. If we do it right, nothing will be able to get in or out.”
“Okay. How do we make one?”
“Using your stick, draw a circle on the ground while focusing on your purpose for drawing it. The shape needs to be as exact as you can get it. You make the smaller one, and I’ll take the outside.” I got to my knees at the seven-foot mark, half of the needed fourteen, holding my stick at the end of the tape measure.
She knelt at the three-foot mark. “I can’t believe I couldn’t find out how to do this. The Internet was useless. What book did you say you read?”
“It was a Harry Dresden book.”
“Wait.” Brittany looked at me. “Are you saying you’re basing this on a novel?”
“He already did the research. I’m just building on his information. Scientists do that sort of thing all the time,” I said. “Besides, it was a good book.”
She shrugged and nodded.
Slowly, I moved the tape measure forward, scratching a furrow on the ground. As I worked, I muttered, “Magic potions. Magic circles. Makes you wonder if there really are wizards.”
“Of course, there are,” Brittany said. “And fairies. And the Loch Ness Monster. And I know a friend of a friend who actually saw Big Foot.”
“Oh.” I gaped at her. A lot of strange stuff had happened lately, but I didn’t think I would ever believe in Big Foot.
I continued drawing. At times, my mark seemed to disappear in the deep grass, but I didn’t think it mattered. The intent was there. I concentrated on my need to trap a werewolf within.
When I finished, I sat back. We’d drawn two perfect circles, one inside the other. Outside the larger one, the courtyard continued for another six feet, so there had been plenty of room.
I said, “It looks like a miniature crop circle.”
“Now what?” asked Brittany.
“We have to invest it with a spark of energy to close the circuit,” I said, quoting the book.
“What kind of energy? Fire? Electricity?”
“It didn’t say.”
“Well, that sucks.” She stood, looking thoughtful.
I picked up the tape measure. “Pull that stake for me, will you?”
Brittany stepped to the center and yanked out the screwdriver. “Ow!” she yelped, her finger in her mouth.
/> “You okay?” I asked as I reeled in.
She looked at a cut on her finger. “Blood. Life energy.” With her arm outstretched, she dripped a bit of blood onto the line she’d drawn.
There was an almost-audible pop. A prickling sensation washed over me, like I’d hit my funny-bone only all over.
“Cody.” Brittany held her hands out like a mime. “I can’t get out.”
I chuckled, thinking she was joking, but stopped when I saw the panic on her face.
She sidestepped along the perimeter, making patting motions. “Help me!”
“Hold on.” I hurried toward her, but as I reached the inner circle, I met a barrier. A silent and invisible tension filled the air. “I can’t get through.”
“Oh, no.” Her eyes filled with tears. “What am I going to do?”
I frowned. What would Harry Dresden do? “Break the circle.” I scuffed out the line with my toe.
There came another pop, more sensed than heard, and a rush of movement like ghosts fleeing. I grasped Brittany’s hand and pulled her toward me. She melted into my arms, trembling.
“You’re safe,” I said. “I’ve got you.”
“That was scary.”
“Yeah. But it worked.”
She pulled away, looking at me, and the corner of her mouth twitched into a smile. “Too right, it did.”
“All we need now is a witch’s cauldron.”
“It just so happens there’s one in my car.” She took my hand. “Let me show you.”
We walked to her little VW. The trunk was larger than I expected. It held a variety of junk, including a black cauldron. Brittany motioned dramatically like she was practicing to be a magician.
“What do you think?” she said. “Is it perfect or what?”
“Nice job.” I nodded.
The cauldron was about two feet across and looked to be cast iron.
Brittany drew out a purple backpack. “Let’s set it up and see how it looks.”
I puffed out my cheeks and set my feet. How would it look if I couldn’t carry the thing? I put my arms around it and lifted with all my might.
The cauldron was light. So light that I overbalanced and nearly fell on my butt.
“It looks real, doesn’t it?” Brittany giggled. “It’s fiberglass. I got it at the garden shop.”
The Amazing Wolf Boy Page 23
