Simon’s brows furrowed. “And how do we do that?”
“Look at the warning signs according to worldly myths.”
“Worldly myths?”
“How to determine if someone is a werewolf.”
Now I had confused him greatly.
“Haven’t you been reading your own articles?” I chastised. “Is Matt born on the 25th of December? Does he have an index finger longer than his middle finger? A love of raw meat? An X marked on him? Hair on the inside of the skin…” I grimaced. “Well, that one was evidently checked during the witch/werewolf trials, so I don’t think we’re going to be able to cut him open to find that…” I trailed off as I spotted a few more things. “Pale skin, weak vision! Matt is pale, and according to a few people, he occasionally wears reading glasses!”
Simon chuckled. “A good majority of dudes are pale and wear glasses. That doesn’t really help.” He wasn’t wrong. I scanned through the online articles, scrolling until I found something a tad useful. So many things weren’t very helpful as I read. There was soon a small description of something that werewolves supposedly detested.
“Silver,” I said wildly and triumphantly. Simon’s eyes took on a wild gleam as he threw a fist pump. Practically everyone knew the old wives’ tales that silver harms a werewolf. It’s the most popular myth in all comics, books, and movies. Maybe there was some truth to it given how many different forms of media depict silver as a weapon against werewolves.
My brother did an exuberant fist pump. “That’s it! Silver! All we have to do is touch him with silver and then it’s proof he’s a werewolf!”
I smiled before my lips slipped into a frown. “I suppose that’s assuming Hollywood is accurate and silver harms werewolves. But how are we going to get silver and how are we going to touch him with it?”
Simon clapped his hands together. “Mom might have a few rings in her jewelry box. Then that’s where you come in, my dear sister. You work with the guy! You could touch him accidentally while wearing a silver ring!”
I started rubbing my forehead wearily. This plan was flawed before it ever really began. Previously, I never before thought myself and my younger brother would be discussing such ridiculousness. “Um…what happens if we find out Matt really is a werewolf?”
Simon’s jubilant attitude slowly disappeared. “Huh…uh. Well, I guess get out of the way before he transforms and eats you.”
That was no pressure at all, I thought sarcastically.
***
I wore three possibly silver rings of my mother’s on my right hand as I drove to work that day. Unfortunately, I was only certain one of them was a silver heirloom from my mother’s great-grandmother. The others looked to be fake, but I put them on just in case my mom was wrong. I was terrified to go to work as I drove. I thought of at least a dozen possible illnesses to use as an excuse to call in sick. I didn’t necessarily fear Matt. I only feared what it would mean if Simon and I were right about him. I hadn’t quite thought through what it would mean if we proved my supervisor really was a werewolf.
When I pulled into the employee lot twenty minutes early for my eight a.m. shift, I was beyond nervous. The gloomy grey sky overhead seemed to be a bad omen. A light breeze tickled the bare skin of my cheek, showcasing that the weather was only growing colder with each passing day. I shivered before kicking the toe of my boot against a curb. I was stalling from going inside the building. Part of me felt stupid I was going to try touching my sister’s boyfriend to see if he was a werewolf. How would I approach this? Would I accidentally brush his hand? Should I pretend to playfully shoulder punch him? Would he know what I was trying do considering we normally never interact? As I started walking toward the entrance, I half entertained the idea of slapping him like a game of tag and then running away before he could react in case the silver did something. I wasn’t fearing touching Matt. I found I held more fear regarding the possible scenario that Simon and I were accurate about him. He knew where we lived, and it was possible he had killed a few animals already. Would he harm us to shut us up about his secret? While thinking, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I very nearly slammed face-first into Jamie’s shoulder. I gave a startled jump as he grinned down at me.
“Whoa, new girl in a hurry.” He snickered. In his hand, he held an electronic vaper. He took a deep puff as I walked around him. “What’s wrong with you?”
“N-nothing.” I knew he knew something was wrong just in my unintentional stutter. But I couldn’t exactly explain I was terrified our supervisor was a monstrous creature who had a love for raw deer flesh.
Jamie didn’t seem to acknowledge or care that I was pale and obviously nervous. “So, you going to the Halloween party tomorrow night?”
I had forgotten Halloween was this upcoming weekend. It fell on a Saturday. I slowly shook my head. Partying of any kind was the very last thing on my mind. Jamie pushed back some of his inky black hair that fell into his eyes. If he didn’t wear a ball cap, his hair was messy and in his face. He shrugged. “Well, everyone at the resort is going to be there. It’s the one time you can get everyone at The Marina to party!”
“The Marina?”
“That swanky nightclub downtown,” Jamie explained. “You gotta come. All of us are going. Just remember to wear a costume if you go.”
“Everyone is going to be there…?”
“Duh, I just said that,” snorted Jamie. “Everyone in our department as well as the rest of the hotel. Then we go back to Cale’s house to party some more!” He held out his knuckle for a fist bump. I didn’t know what he wanted at first, so it took me a few seconds to awkwardly return it. As more time passed these last few weeks, I noticed Jamie felt inclined to speak to me. He would ask me how my day was or he would ask what I was into music or TV-wise. Even though he was slowly warming up to me, I didn’t really relish bonding with any of my bizarre coworkers. After getting to know them, I realized I really didn’t care to know them. Still, I didn’t want to be rude.
I politely smiled and promised Jamie I would think about going when he pushed me on it. I knew I wasn’t going to go. I didn’t dig parties, and I was already certain I would have no one to talk to at an employee party of all places. If my coworkers disliked me at work, they weren’t going to warm up to me at a party.
It was only after starting my shift did I remember my mission for the day. It had nothing to do with setting a U-shaped room or getting three other conference settings placed before the events occurred later that afternoon. My mind was solely focused on Matt and wondering how I was going to test the theory that he was a werewolf. But my worrying had been for nothing. Matt never showed up to work even though he was scheduled. One hour passed and then two more. I kept circling back to the employee lounge to see if his backpack was hanging by his locker. I was left in disappointment. Eventually, the next wave of workers came in for their four o’clock shift, but Matt was still not there. After careful investigation of looking at the employee schedule in Perry’s office, I discovered Matt had called in sick.
“Hey,” I called to Darren after we finished putting linens and skirting on a table. He was the one person I found I couldn’t help but like in this department. He was intelligent and funny, good looking without being cocky about it. The same couldn’t be said for our idiot coworkers. “How many people go to that dumb party at The Marina?”
“The employee Halloween party?”
“Yeah.”
Darren rolled his shoulders. “Everyone. More people go to that than the company holiday party in January. Why do you ask?”
I spoke in a low voice, causing Darren to step closer. The moment he did, I noted how amazing he smelled. It was a strange combination of peppermint and cinnamon. I was suddenly hyper aware of how close we were. He gave me a sweet smile as he stepped closer. “Do you know if Matt is going to be there?”
Darren suddenly looked disappointed. “Yeah, he’ll be there. But didn’t you say he was dating your sister?”
&nb
sp; “Well, yeah, but that’s not why I care…” I trailed off. It was noticing that Darren wasn’t looking at me anymore that had me curious. He suddenly looked very disappointed. “I’m not interested in him,” I said, unsure why I suddenly felt I needed to clarify why I was asking.
Darren suddenly looked hopeful as he provided me another sweet smile. He ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair. “Well then, would you wanna go to the party…with me?”
I found myself smiling. “Are you asking me out?”
“Only if you say yes,” Darren defended. “Otherwise, I’m totally joking and not trying to be an awkward dork.”
Blushing wildly, I nodded. “I’d love to go with you.” Suddenly, a loud noise broke apart the sweet moment. The dark-skinned co-worker I now knew as Bobby had slammed down a table with force. He seemed angry as he worked setting up two more eight-foot tables identical to it. I cocked a brow at Darren, who merely shrugged in return.
“I try not to pay attention to these guys,” he admitted quietly.
Cale entered the room next, slapping down a bucket of clips on the table. The look on his face was hostile. He seemed just as agitated as Bobby. The two of them were mad about something, and it was evident in their walks and the way they kept slamming down materials. “What’s wrong with you two?”
I regretted asking as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Cale turned to glare at me. “Perry and Matt are both no shows today. You know whose stupid ass is stuck here for an eight-hour shift to babysit you retards? Mine.”
I watched Cale with wide eyes. Darren seemed far more used to the antics of his temporary coworkers, for he ignored the redhead and went back to work.
“You’re a supervisor but can get away with name calling and simultaneously being a total tool,” I remarked mildly. “That’s amazing.” Cale’s ears turned pink as he looked flustered.
“Why are you even still here?” he soon shot back. “You should take a hint and leave this department already.”
Darren and I exchanged glances. I found myself growing more annoyed the longer I talked to Cale. “And why should I leave this department?”
This was probably my biggest problem. I never knew when to be quiet or to stop asking questions. Cale smirked. “Because you’re unqualified, m’lady.”
My eyes narrowed. “Coming from an idiot like yourself? I can’t take that too seriously.”
Cale smiled as Bobby snorted. The latter seemed to find me amusing. “Haven’t you wondered why you were only scheduled for mornings since starting here? Why you’ve only been assigned dainty little morning shifts from seven to three or earlier? Haven’t you figured out why?”
“No, but you’ll probably waste our time and tell us anyway,” said Darren coolly.
I had wondered that very question but didn’t care too much to ever ask. I decided to bite. “No, why?”
“Cale,” warned Bobby. The two exchanged soft glares. It seemed to be a warning look. Whatever it was about was enough for Cale. He backed off entirely.
“You’re not good enough to handle the night shifts, so Perry purposely schedules mornings only,” he offered before walking away and out of the room.
Bobby finished clipping the table before leaving the room as well. I watched the doorway where they exited as Darren started putting a skirt around the table. There was more to that moment, that much I could tell. But it was stopped by Bobby. It was as if Cale had more to say but had to contain himself. “Was that exchange really weird, or is it just me thinking that?” I wondered aloud to Darren.
“To be fair, just about all exchanges are weird with those guys. They’re immature and also morons. I wouldn’t take them too seriously.”
CHAPTER 8
Darren most likely had a point. There was no point in thinking too much about Cale and his stupid commentary. Too often at work he was babbling nonsense, whether the topic was rap music or discussing the best animes to watch. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more than met the eye regarding my bizarre coworkers. But I struggled with my own thoughts. I wasn’t sure if I was just overthinking everything in life. I justified my irrational thoughts on my nerves being already on edge regarding Matt and the hypothetical scenario he was a supernatural creature.
By the time I got home later that afternoon, I figured my mind was playing tricks on me. When I closed the door of my truck, I strongly suspected someone or something was watching me from the forest. Irrationally, I was about to make a quick run to the front door before Simon’s voice caught me off guard. “Ha! You look terrified. I guess you can’t see me?”
I squinted into the forest as Simon and his friend Erik poked their head out of the woods. The boys went to high school together and had only met the end of last semester. They had bonded immediately over their love of video games. I personally didn’t understand the appeal for them, but that was because I never played any. Simon was the sole gamer of our family or, rather, the hog of all the gaming consoles.
He and Erik emerged from the woods simultaneously. They were dressed in camouflage jackets and pants, thick black combat boots covering their feet. I recognized they were the clothes our dad owned. Our father had bought them in preparation for hunting season in Wisconsin. It was a pointless purchase, according to my mother. Dad had shoved the clothes in his closet and had forgotten about them the rest of the year. Evidently, Simon had not. As he came closer, the pants were a tad oversized on his gangly frame, but Erik’s taller and muscled body filled out Erik’s just fine. I couldn’t tell if the combat boots were also our father’s or if the boys were wearing shoes Erik already owned.
Both boys looked excited. It looked as if the teenagers were quite proud of themselves. Simon looked years younger than his fifteen years as his boyish features lit up in an impish grin. He gave a fist pump. “It worked! She couldn’t see us.”
“What are you guys doing?”
“Working on strategy tactics to kill the werewolf,” said Simon triumphantly. I could only stare at him. I motioned my hand toward Erik as if to silently show him his friend was here and overhearing us.
“It’s okay, ma’am. I believe you guys, and I wanna help kill the wolf,” said Erik seriously. I nearly rolled my eyes. Erik Henderson was an overly polite teenager who was a pretty quiet individual. I had no problem with him; it only annoyed me how he consistently called me ma’am. Miranda escaped that wording. Erik called her by her first name. If it came to me or my mom, Erik always called us ma’am.
“Stop calling me ma’am. I’m not that much older than you.”
“It’s a sign of respect, ma’am.” I thought he was trying to be funny. But it didn’t appear as if Erik said this to be mocking. He was quite serious. Maybe this was just how ridiculously polite some kids turned out after their parents served in the military.
The boy scratched at his shaved head before readjusting his wide-framed glasses. I stared at my brother. “You told him about the werewolf?”
Simon rolled his shoulders. “You can’t hunt a werewolf and not have an ally.” He snorted as if he thought I was the dumb one. At the tender age of fifteen, it was if he felt he had all the answers.
My hands balled into fists at my sides. “We don’t even know what we’re dealing with! You can’t just go around telling anyone who’ll listen—”
“If I may interrupt, ma’am, I’m an experienced hunter,” said Erik earnestly. “I’ve hunted with my dad and my grandpa. My entire life I’ve hunted, and I’ve never missed a duck or doe. I’m valuable!” His voice was a whine. The boy sounded as though he were attending tryouts and I was the one in charge of running them. Erik looked at me with pleading hazel eyes. “I wanna kill a werewolf!”
I was exasperated at this point. “We don’t even know if it’s a werewolf!”
“We don’t know it’s not,” reasoned Simon. Before I could form a retort, he quickly explained. “Remember when Mom and Dad got this house? That old treehouse over here? Well, it’s the perfect hiding spot at lea
st twelve feet off the ground and built into the tree. Erik and I could kill the wolf from there!”
“We don’t even know that Matt is a werewolf!” I hissed through clenched teeth. Not only did we not know if he was or wasn’t a werewolf, we were talking about possibly killing a person. It was asinine. I was just thankful Miranda was not yet home from work to hear this ridiculousness.
“Didn’t you touch Matt with the silver?” Simon pushed. “If he’s our guy, there’s no time to waste.”
“Matt was a no-show at work today. I couldn’t do it.”
“Then do it tomorrow!”
“He’ll be off.”
“Drat,” said Erik numbly. He removed his thick-framed glasses to dab the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.
Simon rolled his eyes heavily. “You had one job, Everly. One.”
“I’m sorry, but…” I cut myself off. I was about to apologize for going to work to earn money instead of testing out a hypothesis that my supervisor was a werewolf. I glared at Simon and Erik, who wore matching looks of disappointment.
“We don’t even know if there is a werewolf, let alone that it’s Matt!”
“You really want to live not knowing?” Simon balked. “What if one day we wake up and it’s Miranda dead in the backyard and not a deer?”
My stomach clenched uncomfortably at the very thought. My sister was a strict pain in the butt a vast majority of the time, but I loved her as much as Simon did. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to her and I hadn’t done everything I could to prevent it. I didn’t want to believe that werewolves existed and that my supervisor was possibly one, but I also didn’t want to face the risk of something happening and we hadn’t done something.
“Well…” I began slowly. “He might go to the employee Halloween party tomorrow night.”
The Wisconsin Werewolf Page 6
