WEREWOLFSKIN

Goosebumps-60R.L.Stine

(AnUndeadScanv1.5)

1

Isteppeddownfromthebusandsquintedintothesunlight.Shieldingmyeyeswithonehand,IsearchedthesmallparkinglotforUncleColinandAuntMarta.

I didn’t rememberwhat they looked like. I hadn’t seen them since Iwasfour,eightyearsago.

ButtheWolfCreekbusstationwassotiny.Justalittlewoodenshackinthemiddleofabigparkinglot.IknewIcouldn’tmissthem.

“Howmanysuitcases?”thebusdrivergrowledoutofthesideofhismouth.DespitethecoldOctoberair,hehadadampsweatstainonthebackofhisgrayuniform.

“Justone,”Isaid.IwastheonlypassengertogetoffatWolfCreek.Acrossfromthebusstation,Isawagasstationandaone-blockstretchof

small stores.Beyond that, I could see thewoods.The trees shimmeredyellowandbrown,theautumnleavesstillclingingtotheirbranches.Dry,brownleavesflutteredacrosstheparkinglot.

The driver grunted as he hoisted up the sliding door to the baggagecompartment.Hepulledoutablackbag.“Thisyours,kid?”

Inodded.“Yeah.Thanks.”I shivered from a gust of cold wind. I wondered if Mom and Dad had

packedenoughwarmclothesforme.They’dhadtopackmeupinsuchahurry.They weren’t expecting to be called out of the country on business just

beforeHalloween.They’dhadtoflytoFrance.Andthey’dhadtofindaplaceformetostayfortwoweeks.Maybelonger.

Myauntanduncleweretheluckywinners!Iadjustedthecamerabagonmyshoulder.Ikeptmycameraonmylapthe

wholebusride.Ididn’twantitbouncingaroundinthebaggagecompartment.MycameraisthemostvaluablethingIown.Idon’tgoanywherewithout

it.AndIseldomletitoutofmysight.Thedriverslidmysuitcaseoverthepavementtome.Heslammedshutthe

baggagecompartment.Thenhestartedbackintothebus.“Someonepickingyouup?”

“Yes,”Ireplied,searchingforUncleColinandAuntMartaagain.Amud-splatteredbluevansquealedintotheparkinglot.Thehornhonked.I

sawahandwavingtomefromthepassengerwindow.“There they are!” I told the bus driver.But he had already climbed back

insideandshutthedoor.Thebushissedandgroaned,andpulledaway.“Alex—hi!”AuntMartacalledfromthevan.Ipickedupmysuitcaseand trottedover to them.Thevanscreeched toa

stop.UncleColinclimbedoutfrombehindthewheel.AuntMartacamerunningfromtheotherside.

I didn’t remember themat all. I pictured themas young anddark-haired.But theywere both pretty old-looking. Theywere both very tall and lean.Astheyhurriedacrossthelottome,theyremindedmeoftwoskinnygrasshopperswithtuftsofgrayhairontheirheads.

AuntMartawrappedme in a hug.Her arms felt so bony. “Alex—it’s sowonderfultoseeyou!I’msogladyoucame!”sheexclaimed.

She let go quickly and backed away. “Uh-oh. I’m crushing your cameracase!”

Ishifteditaroundmyneck.“No,it’sahardcase,”Ireplied.“It’sokay.”Smiling,UncleColinshookhandswithme.Hiswavygrayhairflutteredin

thebreeze.Hischeekswereredandsortofcracked.Agelines,Iguess.“You’resobigandgrown-up,”hesaid,“I’mgoingtohavetocallyouMr.

HunterinsteadofAlex.”Ilaughed.“NoonecallsmeMr.Hunter—yet,”Itoldhim.“Howwasthelongbusride?”heasked.“Bumpy,”Itoldhim.“Idon’tthinkthedrivermissedasinglepothole!And

themannexttomehadthehiccupsthewholeway.”AuntMartachuckled.“Soundslikeafuntrip.”UncleColin lowered his eyes tomy camera case. “Like to take pictures,

Alex?”Inodded.“Yes.Iwanttobeaphotographersomeday.Justlikeyoutwo.”Theirsmilesgrewwider.Thatseemedtopleasethem.ButUncleColin’ssmilefadedquickly.“It’sahardwaytomakealiving,”

hesaid.“Lotsoftraveling.Weneverstayinoneplaceforlong.”AuntMartasighed.“That’swhywehaven’tseenyouforsomanyyears.”

Shehuggedmeagain.“IwashopingmaybeIcouldgooutonashootwithyou,”Isaid.“I’llbet

youtwocouldteachmealot!”UncleColinlaughed.“We’llteachyoualloursecrets.”

“You’restayingforatleasttwoweeks,”AuntMartaadded.“Sowe’llhaveplentyoftimeforphotographylessons.”

“Notifwespendthewholetimeinthisparkinglot!”UncleColindeclared.Withagroan,hehoistedmysuitcaseintothebackofthevan.

We climbed in. And a few seconds later, we pulled away from the busstation,intotown.

A post office whirred past. Then a small grocery and a dry cleaner.Wecrossedastreet,andthickwoodssurroundedusonbothsides.

“Isthatallthereis?”Icried.“Alex,” Aunt Marta replied, “you’ve just had the grand tour of Wolf

Creek.”“Hopeyouwon’tbeboredinsuchatinytown,”UncleColinadded,turning

thevansharplyastheroadcurvedthroughthetrees.“Noway!”Icried.“Ireallywanttoexplorethewoods.”I’macitykid. Iseldomevenget to toucha tree.Going into thewoods, I

thought,willbesointeresting—likevisitinganotherplanet.“Iwanttoshootahundredrollsoffilminthewoods!”Ideclared.Thevan

bumpedhard,sendingmyheadbouncingagainstthevanroof.“Slowdown,Colin!”AuntMarta scolded. She turned back tome. “Your

uncleonlyknowsonespeed—lightspeed.”“Speaking of light, we’ll show you some tricks for shooting outdoors,”

UncleColinsaid,pressinghisfootevenharderonthegaspedal.“I’ve entered a photography contest back home,” I told them. “Iwant to

snapagreatHalloweenphoto.Somethingreallywildtowinthecontest.”“Oh, that’s right. Halloween’s only a couple days off,”AuntMarta said,

glancing at my uncle. She turned back to me. “What do you want to be forHalloween,Alex?”

Ididn’thavetothinkaboutit.I’dalreadydecidedbackhome.“Awerewolf,”Itoldher.“NO!”shescreamed.UncleColinalsoletoutacry.The van plowed through a stop sign. I flew off the seat and hit the door

hard.And stared helplessly through the bouncingwindshield—aswe swervedintothepathofaroaringtruck.

2

“AAAAAIIIII!”Wasthatmescreaming?Ourvanrockedhard.Ibouncedagain.Landedonmykneesonthefloor.UncleColinswervedontothegrassyshoulder.Isawablurofred—andheardthetruckroarpast.Itshornblaredangrily.UncleColinslowedtoastopunderthetrees.Hiswrinkledfacehadturned

red.Hesweptbothhandsbackoverhisthickgrayhair.“Colin,whathappened?”AuntMartaaskedsoftly.“Sorry,” he muttered. He took a deep breath. “Guess I just wasn’t

concentrating.”AuntMarta tsk-tsked.“Nearlygot us killed.”She turned in thepassenger

seattogazeatme.“Alex—youokay?”“Yes.I’mfine,”Itoldher.“Ididn’texpectittobesoexcitinghere!”Itried

tomakeajoke.Butmyvoicecameoutkindofshaky.My camera case had fallen to the floor. I picked it up, opened it, and

checkedoutthecamera.Itseemedokay.Uncle Colin shifted into Drive and pulled the van back onto the road.

“Sorryaboutthat,”hemurmured.“I’llbemorecareful.Promise.”“Youwere thinkingabout theMarlingsagain—weren’tyou?”AuntMarta

accusedhim.“WhenAlexsaidwerewolf,youstarted thinkingabout them,and—”

“Bequiet,Marta!”UncleColinsnapped.“Don’ttalkaboutthemnow.Alexjustarrived.Doyouwanttoscarehimbeforeweevengethome?”

“Huh?WhoaretheMarlings?”Idemanded,leaningtothefront.“Nevermind,”UncleColinrepliedsharply.“Sitback.”“They’re not important,” AuntMarta said. She turned to the windshield.

“Hey—we’realmosthome.”Theskyseemedtodarken.Theoldtreesgrewoverthenarrowroad, their

leavesblockingthesunlight.Watching the blur of red and yellow as thewoods swept past, I thought

hard. My aunt and uncle were certainly acting a little strange, I decided. Iwondered why Uncle Colin had snapped at my aunt so angrily when she’d

mentionedtheMarlings.“WhydotheycallitWolfCreek?”Iasked.“BecausethenameChicagowasalreadytaken!”AuntMartajoked.“Thereusedtobewolvesinthewoods,”UncleColinexplainedsoftly.“Usedtobe!”myauntexclaimed.Sheloweredhervoicetoawhisper,butI

couldstillhearher.“Whydon’tyoutellAlexthetruth,Colin?”“Bequiet!”herepeatedthroughclenchedteeth.“Whydoyouwanttoscare

him?”AuntMarta turnedto thepassengerwindow.Wedroveoninsilencefora

while.The road curved, and a small circle came into view. Three houses stood

nearlysidebysideonthecircle.Icouldseethewoodsstretchingonbehindthehouses.

“That’sourhouse—inthemiddle,”UncleColinannounced,pointing.I gazed out at it. A small, squarewhite house on top of a neat, recently

mowedfront lawn.Along, low,ranch-stylehouse—graywithblackshutters—stoodtotheright.

Thehouseontheleftwasnearlyhiddenbyovergrownbushes.Tallweedsroseupoverthepatchyfrontyard.Abrokentreebranchlayinthemiddleofthedriveway.

UncleColinpulledthevanupthedrivewaytothemiddlehouse.“It’ssmall—butwe’renotherethatoften,”hesaid.

AuntMartasighed.“Alwaystraveling.”She turned to me again. “There’s a nice girl who lives next door.” She

pointedtotheranch-stylehouseontheright.“She’stwelve.Yourage,right?”Inodded.“HernameisHannah.She’sverycute.Youshouldmakefriendswithherso

youwon’tbelonely.”Cute?“Anyboysintheneighborhood?”Iasked.“Idon’tthinkso,”myauntreplied.“Sorry.”My uncle stopped the van at the top of the driveway.We climbed out. I

stretchedmyarmsovermyhead.Allmymusclesached.I’dbeensittingforoversixhours!

I glanced at the gray shingle house on the right. Hannah’s house. IwonderedifsheandIwouldbecomefriends.

UncleColinunloadedmysuitcasefromthebackofthevan.Iturnedtothehouseontheleft.Whatawreck!Thehousewastotallydark.

Someshuttershadfallenoff.Partofthefrontporchhadcavedin.Icrossedthedrivewayandtookafewstepsclosertotheweird,run-down

house.“Wholivesthere?”Iaskedmyaunt.“Stayawayfromthere,Alex!”UncleColinscreamed.“Don’taskquestions

aboutthem!Juststayawayfromthathouse!”

3

“Calmdown,Colin,”AuntMartatoldmyuncle.“Alexisn’tgoingoverthere.”Sheturnedtome.“TheMarlingsliveinthathouse,”shesaid,loweringher

voicetoawhisper.Sheraisedafingertoherlips.“Nomorequestions—okay?”“Juststayawayfromthere,”UncleColingrowled.“Comehelpmeunload

thecar.”Itookonelastglanceattherun-downwreckofahouse.ThenItrottedover

tohelpmyuncle.It didn’t take long to unpack. Aunt Marta helped me in the guest room

whileUncleColinmadeusturkeysandwichesinthekitchen.My roomwas small and narrow, about the size ofmy closet back home.

The tiny closet smelledofmothballs.ButAuntMarta said the odorwouldgoawayifwelefttheclosetdoorandthewindowopen.

I crossed the tiny room to open the window. And saw that it faced theMarlings’ house next door. A rusted wheelbarrow tilted against theMarlings’sidewall.Thewindowsweredarkandcoatedwithdust.

I squinted into the window across frommine—and thought about UncleColin’sshoutedwarning.

WhywashesoworriedabouttheMarlings?Iraisedthewindowandturnedbacktomyaunt.Shetuckedthelastofmy

T-shirts into the topdresser drawer. “The room is small.But I thinkyou’ll becozyhere,Alex,”shesaid.“AndIclearedallthejunkoffthedesktopsoyou’llhaveaplacetodohomework.”

“Homework?”Iuttered.ThenIremembered.I’dpromisedtogotothelocalschoolfortheweeksI

stayedinWolfCreek.“HannahwilltakeyoutoschoolMondaymorning,”AuntMartapromised.

“Sheisinsixthgradetoo.She’llshowyouaround.”I didn’t want to think about going to a strange school. I picked up my

camera.“Ican’twaittogetintothewoodsandtakesomeshots,”Itoldmyaunt.“Whydon’tyougoafterlunch?”shesuggested.Straighteninghergrayhair,

sheledthewaythroughtheshorthalltothekitchen.“Allmovedin?”UncleColinasked.Hewaspouringorangejuiceintothree

glasses.Thesandwichesweresetoutonthesmall,roundkitchentable.BeforeIcouldanswerhim,weheardahardknockonthebackdoor.Aunt

Martaopenedit,andagirlaboutmyagewalkedin.Hannah.Hannahwas tall and thin, an inchor two taller thanme.AuntMartawas

right.Hannahwaskindofcute.Shehadstraightblackhair,olive-greeneyes,andanicesmile.Sheworeabiggreensweaterpulleddownoverblacktights.

AuntMartaintroducedus.Webothsaid,“Hi.”Ihatemeetingnewpeople.It’salwayssoawkward.AuntMarta askedHannah if she’d like a turkey sandwich. “No, thanks,”

Hannahreplied.“Ialreadyatelunch.”Ilikedhervoice.Itwasreallowandhusky.Kindofhoarse.“Alex just arrived on the bus,” AuntMarta told her. “That’s why we’re

havingsuchalatelunch.”Igobbledmysandwichdowninafewseconds.IguessIdidn’trealizehow

hungryIwas.“Hannah,whydon’tyouandAlexdosomeexploringinthewoods?”Uncle

Colinsuggested.“He’sacitykid.You’llhavetoshowhimwhatatreeis!”Everyonelaughed.“I’veseenlotsoftheminmovies!”Ijoked.Hannahhadagreat,huskylaugh.“Iwanttotakeamillionphotos,”Itoldher,grabbingmycameracase.“You’reintophotography?”Hannahasked.“Justlikeyourauntanduncle?”Inodded.“I hope you have color film,” Hannah said. “The fall leaves are really

awesomenow.”Wesaidgood-byetoUncleColinandAuntMartaandheadedoutthefront

door.A red afternoon sunwas sinking behind the trees. Itmade our shadowsstretchlongandskinnyoverthegrass.

“Hey—you’re stepping onmy shadow!”Hannah protested, grinning. Sheswungherlegtomakehershadowkickmyshadow.

“Ow!”Icried.Iswungmyfist,andmyshadowsluggedhershadow.Wehadagoodshadowfight,punchingandkicking.Finally, shestomped

onmyshadowwithbothofhersneakers.AndIdroppedtotheground,makingmyshadowslumpoverthegrassinadeadfaint.

AsIsatup,Hannahhadherheadtossedback,laughing.Herstraightblackhairblewwildlyaroundherface.

Ipulledmycamerafromthecaseandquicklysnappedaphotoofher.Shestoppedlaughing.Andstraightenedherhairwithbothhands.“Hey—

whydidyoudothat?”Ishrugged.“Justwantedto.”Iclimbedtomyfeetandraisedthecameratomyeye.Iturnedandpointed

it toward theMarlings’ house next door. I took a few steps toward the house,tryingtoframeitinmyviewfinder.

“Hey—!”IcriedoutasHannahgrabbedmyarm.“Alex—don’ttakeapicture!”shewarnedinathroatywhisper.“They’llsee

you!”“Sowhat?”Ishotback.ButIfeltashiverasIsawsomethingmoveinthe

darkfrontwindow.Wassomeonestaringoutatus?Iloweredmycamera.“Comeon,Alex.”Hannahtuggedmetowardtheback.“Arewegoinginto

thewoodsornot?”IsquintedupattheMarlings’house.“WhywasmyunclesoupsetwhenI

askedaboutthathouse?”IaskedHannah.“What’sthebigdeal?”“I don’t really know,” she replied, droppingmy arm. “TheMarlings are

supposed to be a weird old couple. I’ve never seen them. But… I’ve heardstoriesaboutthem.”

“Whatkindofstories?”Idemanded.“Frighteningstories,”shewhispered.“No.Really.Whatkindofstories?”Iinsisted.Shedidn’tanswer.Herolive-greeneyesnarrowedatthebrokenporch,the

faded,stainedshingles.“Let’sjuststayawayfromthere,Alex.”Shestartedjoggingalongthesideofthehousetowardthebackyard.ButI

didn’tfollowher.IcrossedthedrivewayandsteppedintothetallweedsoftheMarlings’frontyard.

“Alex—stop!Whereareyougoing?”Hannahcalled.Holdingmycameraatmywaist,Imademywayquicklyuptothehouse.

“I’macitykid,”ItoldHannah.“Idon’tscareeasily.”“Alex, please—” Hannah pleaded. “The Marlings don’t like kids. They

don’tlikeanyonecominguptotheirhouse.Please.Let’sgotothewoods.”I stepped up carefully onto the rotting floorboards of the front porch. I

raisedmyeyestothefrontwindow.

The reflection of the setting, red sun filled the glass. For a moment, itappearedthatthewindowwasonfire.

Ihadtolookaway.Then, as the sunlight faded from the window-pane, I turned back—and

gasped.Insidethehouse,thewindowcurtainswereslashedandtorn.Asifsomekindofanimalhadclawedthem,clawedthemtoshreds.

4

“Hannah—didyouseethis?”Icalled.Icouldn’ttakemyeyesofftheshreddedcurtains.

She stood across the driveway, leaning her back against my aunt anduncle’s house. “I don’t want to come over there,” she said softly, folding herarmsoverherchest.

“Butthecurtains—”Istarted.“Itoldyouthey’reweird,”Hannahsaidsharply.“Andtheydon’tlikekids

gawkingthroughtheirwindows.Comeon,Alex.”I backed away from the Marlings’ house. My shoe caught on a raised

floorboardoftherottingporch,andInearlyfell.“Arewegoingtothewoodsornot?”Hannahaskedimpatiently.“Sorry.”Ipulledmyshoefreeandfollowedhertowardtheback.“Tellme

moreabout theMarlings,”Isaid, joggingtocatchuptoher.“Tellmesomeofthefrighteningstoriesyouheardaboutthem.”

“Noway,”Hannahrepliedinherbreathyvoice.We trotted acrossmy aunt and uncle’s backyard.The tall yellow and red

trees of thewoods, tilting in afternoon shadows, stretched beyond the smoothlawn.

“Please?”Ibegged.“Maybe in a few days, afterHalloween,”Hannah replied. “After the full

moon.”IfollowedHannah’sgazetothesky.Abrightwhitemoon—almostroundas

atennisball—roseoverthetrees,eventhoughitwasstilldaylight.Hannahshuddered.“Ihatewhenthefullmooncomes,”shesaid.“I’llbeso

happywhenit’sgone.”“Why?”Idemanded.“What’sthebigdealaboutafullmoon?”ShegazedbackattheMarlings’house.Anddidn’treply.

Wemade our way through the trees. The fading sunlight filtered through theleaves, sendingshimmeringspotsofgoldover theground.Our shoescrackledovertwigsanddeadleaves.

Ifoundagnarledoldtree,bentoverlikeanoldman.Thebarkwaspitted

andwrinkledlikeagedbrownskin.Fatgrayrootsreachedupfromthedirt.“Wow!Thisissocool!”Ideclared,pullingmycamerafromthecase.Hannahlaughed.“Youreallyareacitykid.”“But—lookatthistree!”Ideclared.“It’slike—it’slikeit’salive!”Shelaughedagain.“Treesarealive,Alex!”“YouknowwhatImean,”Igrumbled.I started to snap photos of the bent, old tree. I stepped back and leaned

againsta tiltedbirch tree. I tried to frame theold tree so that its shape lookedhuman.

ThenImovedallaroundthetree,photographingitscreases,itswrinkles.Ishotoneslenderbranchthatlowereditselftothegroundlikeawearyarm.

Idroppeddown tomykneesand snapped the roots reachingup from thegroundlikeskinnylegs.

A soft buzz made me raise my gaze. A hummingbird hovered over afloweringweed.Iturnedandtriedtocapturethetinybirdinmycameralens.

But the hummingbirdwas too fast forme. It darted away before I couldsnapmyshutter.

I climbed to my feet. Hannah was sitting cross-legged on the ground,crunchingdeadleavesbetweenherhands.

“Doesn’tthathummingbirdknowsummerisover?”Imurmured.She staredatmeblankly, as if shehad forgotten Iwas there. “Oh.Sorry,

Alex.Ididn’tseeit.”Sheclimbedtoherfeet.“Whathappens ifyoukeepgoing straight?” I asked,pointingdeeper into

thewoods.“YoucometoWolfCreek,”Hannahreplied.“I’llshowyouthecreeknext

time.Butwe’dbettergetgoing.Weshouldgetoutofthewoodsbeforethesungoesdown.”

I suddenly thought of the wolves Uncle Colin had told me about. ThewolvesthatgaveWolfCreekitsname.

“The wolves that used to live here in these woods,” I said. “They’re allgone—right?”

Hannahnodded.“Yes.They’regone.”And then a shrill howl rose up—so close, so close behindme.The high,

shrillwailofawolf.AndIopenedmymouthinaterrifiedscream.

5

Istumbledbackagainstthebirchtree.Mycamerabangedagainstthetrunk,butIdidn’tdropit.

“Hannah—?”Ichokedout.Hereyeswerewidewithsurprise.Butbeforeshecouldreply,twoboysburstoutfrombehindatallevergreen

shrub.Theytossedbacktheirheadsandhowledlikewolves.“Hey—youguys!”Hannahexclaimed,makingadisgustedface.Theywerebothshortandthin,bothwithstraightblackhairanddarkbrown

eyes. They finished their howls, then gazed atme, gazed atme hungrily, likewolves.

“Didwescareyou?”oneof themteased,hisdarkeyesflashingexcitedly.Heworeadarkbrownsweaterpulleddownoverblackdenim jeans.Hehadalongpurplewoolmufflerwrappedaroundhisneck.

“You two always scare me!” Hannah joked. “Your faces give menightmares!”

Theotherboyworeabaggygraysweatshirtandbaggykhakisthatdraggedontheground.Hetossedbackhisheadandletoutanothershrillwolfhowl.

Hannah turned tome. “They’re inmyclass,” sheexplained. “Thatone isSeanKiner.”Shepointed to theboywith thepurplemuffler. “Andhe’sArjunKhosla.”

“Arjun?”Istruggledwiththename.“It’sIndian,”heexplained.“Hannahtoldusyouwerecoming,”Seansaid,grinning.“You’reacitykid,right?”Arjunasked.“Well,yeah.Cleveland,”Imurmured.“So how do you like Wolf Creek?” Arjun asked. It didn’t sound like a

question.Itsoundedlikeachallenge.Theybothstaredatmewiththeirdarkeyes,studyingmeasifIweresome

kindofweirdfungus.“I—Ijustgothere,”Istammered.They exchangedglances. “There are some thingsyou shouldknowabout

thewoods,”Seansaid.“Likewhat?”Iasked.

Hepointedtomyfeet.“Likeyoushouldn’tstandinabigclumpofpoisonivy!”

“Huh?”Ijumpedback.Andstaredattheground.Theybothlaughed.Therewasn’tanypoisonivy.“Youguysareaboutasfunnyasdogpuke,”Hannahsneered.“Yououghttoknow.Youeatitforbreakfast!”Seanreplied.HeandArjunlaughedandslappedeachotherahighfive.Hannahsighed.“Remindmetolaughlater,”shemuttered,rollinghereyes.Forsomereason,thatstartedthetwoboyshowlingagain.Whentheystopped,Seanreachedformycamera.“CanIseeit?”“Well…”Ipulledback.“It’saveryexpensivecamera,”Itoldhim.“Ireally

don’tlikeanyoneelsetouchingit.”“Ooooh. Expensive!” he teased. “Is it cardboard? Let me see it!” He

grabbedforitagain.“Take my picture,” Arjun demanded. He pulled his lips apart with two

fingersandstuckouthistongue.“That’sanimprovement!”Hannahtoldhim.“Takemypicture!”Arjunrepeated.“GiveAlexabreak,”Hannahsnapped.“Getoutofhisface,youtwo.”Arjunpretendedtobehurt.“Whywon’thetakemypicture?”“Becausehedoesn’ttakeanimalphotos!”Hannahsneered.Seanlaughed—andsnatchedthecamerafrommyhands.“Hey—comeon!”Ipleaded.Imadeagrabforitandmissed.Sean tossed the camera to Arjun. Arjun raised it and pretended to snap

Hannah’sphoto.“Yourfacecrackedthelens!”heexclaimed.“I’mgoingtocrackyourface!”Hannahthreatened.“It’sareallyexpensivecamera,”Irepeated.“Ifanythinghappenstoit—”HannahswipedthecameraoutofArjun’shandsandhandeditbacktome.Icradleditinmyarms.“Thanks.”The two boys moved toward me menacingly. Their dark eyes gleamed.

Again,watchingthemapproach,theirfacessohard,theireyessocold,Ithoughtofwildanimals.

“Leavehimalone,”Hannahscolded.“We’rejustgoofing,”Arjunreplied.“Weweren’tgoingtohurtthecamera.”

“Yeah.We’rejustkiddingaround,”Seanadded.“What’syourproblem?”“Noproblem,”Ireplied,stillcradlingthecamera.Arjun raisedhis eyes to thedarkening sky.Through the trees I could see

onlygray.“It’sgettingkindoflate,”Arjunmurmured.Sean’s smile faded. “Let’s get out of here.” His eyes darted around the

woods.Shadowsdeepened,andtheairgrewcolder.“Theysaysomekindofwildcreaturesarelooseinthewoods,”Arjunsaid

softly.“Arjun—giveusabreak,”Hannahgroaned,rollinghereyes.“No.Really,”Arjuninsisted.“Somekindofcreaturetoreoffadeer’shead.

Toreitcleanoff.”“Wesawit,”Seanreported.Hisdarkeyesglowedexcitedlyinthedimming

light.“Itwassogross!”“Thedeer’seyesstaredupatus,”Arjunadded.“Andbugscrawledoutof

itsopenneck.”“Yuck!” Hannah exclaimed, covering her mouth with one hand. “You’re

makingthisup—right?”“No.I’mnot.”Seanglancedupatthemoon.“It’s almost a full moon. The full moon makes all the strange creatures

come out of hiding,” he continued, speaking so softly, his voice just above awhisper. “Especially atHalloween.And themoonwill be completely full thatnight.”

Ishivered.Thebackofmynecktingled.Isuddenlyfeltcoldallover.Wasitthewind?OrSean’sfrighteningwords?Ipicturedthedeerheadlyingontheground.Picturedtheshinyblackeyesstaringupblankly,lifelessly.“WhatareyougoingtobeforHalloween?”ArjunaskedHannah.Sheshrugged.“Idon’tknow.Ihaven’tdecidedyet.”Heturnedtome.“Doyouknowwhatyouwanttobe,Alex?”Inodded.“Yeah.Iwanttobeawerewolf.”Arjunutteredanear-silentgasp.Thetwoboysexchangedglances.Theirsmilesfaded.Theirfacesturnedsolemn.“What’swrong?”Iasked.Noreply.“Hey—what’swrong?”Irepeated.Arjun lowered his gaze to the ground. “We have enough werewolves in

WolfCreek,”hemurmured.“What do you mean?” I cried. “Come on, guys—what do you mean by

that?”Buttheydidn’tanswer.Instead,theyturnedandvanishedintothewoods.

6

AuntMarta invitedHannahtostayfordinner.Thefourofussqueezedaroundthesmallkitchentableandspoonedupbigbowlsofsteamingchickensoup.

“Youmakethebestsoup!”Hannahtoldmyaunt.AuntMartasmiled.A littlebrothdrippeddownherchin.She reached for

hernapkin.“Thankyou,Hannah.IjustthroweverythinginitIcanfind.”“Sorrywewerelatefordinner,”Isaid.“Ilosttrackoftime.Ididn’twantto

leavethewoods.Itwassointeresting.”UncleColin’seyesmovedtothekitchenwindow.Hestaredupattherising

moon.ThenheloweredhisgazetotheMarlings’housenextdoor.“I photographed an awesome-looking tree,” I told him. “It was wrinkled

andbentoverlikeanoldman.”UncleColindidn’treply.Hiseyeswerestillfocusedoutthewindow.“Colin—Alexistalkingtoyou,”AuntMartascolded.“Huh? Oh.” He turned back to the table, shaking his head as if shaking

awayhisthoughts.“Sorry.Whatwereyousaying?”Itoldhimagainabouttheoldtree.“I’llhelpyoudevelopthoseshots,”heoffered.“Maybetomorrow.Isetupa

darkroom in the little bathroom in the attic. We really need a bigger house.Especiallywithalltheworkwe’vebeendoinglately.”

“Whatareyouphotographingnow?”Iasked.“Creatures of the night,” he replied. His eyes wandered to the window

again.IfollowedhisgazetotheMarlings’backwindow.Totallydark.“We’rephotographingnocturnalanimals,”AuntMartaexplained.“Animals

thatcomeoutonlyatnight.”“Youmeanlikeowls?”Hannahasked.AuntMarta nodded. “We’ve found somewonderful owls in thewoods—

haven’twe,Colin?”UncleColinturnedbackfromthewindow.Silverylightfromthefullmoon

washed over the windowpane. “The night creatures don’t like to bephotographed,”hesaid,spooningupacarrotandchewingitslowly.“Theyareveryprivate.”

“Sometimeswewaitinonespotforhours,”myauntadded.“Waitingfora

creaturetopokeitsheadupfromitsholeintheground.”“Can I comewith you one night?” I asked eagerly. “I can be real quiet.

Really.”UncleColin swalloweda chunkof chicken. “That’s a fine idea,”he said.

Butthenhisexpressiongrewsolemn.Andheadded,“MaybeafterHalloween.”IturnedandsawAuntMartastaringoutattheMarlings’house.“Themoon

isstilllow,”shesaidthoughtfully.“Butit’ssobrighttonight.”“Almost like daylight out there,” Uncle Colin said. What was that

expressionthatquicklypassedoverhisface?Wasitfear?Myauntandunclearebothactingsoweirdtonight,Idecided.Sonervous.Whydotheykeepstaringout thewindow?Whatdotheyexpect toseeat

theMarlings’house?Icouldn’tholditinanylonger.“Iseverythingokay?”Iaskedthem.“Okay?”UncleColinnarrowedhiseyesatme.“Iguess…”“Are you two thinking about your Halloween costumes?” Aunt Marta

demanded,changingthesubject.“I think I’m going to be a pirate again this year,” Hannah replied. She

finished her chocolatemilk and licked the chocolate syrup on the edge of theglass.“Youknow.I’llwrapabandannaaroundmyheadandwearapatchoveroneeye.”

“ColinandImighthavesomefunnyoldclothesyoucanwear,”AuntMartaoffered.Sheturnedtome.“Howaboutyou,Alex?”

Istillwantedtobeawerewolf.ButIrememberedthelasttimeI’dtoldthattomyauntanduncle.UncleColinhadnearlycrackedupthecar!

SoIsmiledandquietlytoldthem,“MaybeI’llbeapiratetoo.”Ispoonedupthelastofmysoup.I hadnowayofknowing that in a fewhours,when themoon rose to its

peakinthesky,I’dbenearlyface-to-facewitharealwerewolf.

7

AfterHannahwenthome,Imademywaytomylittlebedroom.Istraightenedupabit,shovingclothesintothedresserdrawers.

I’mnottheneatestpersonintheworld.Let’sfaceit—I’matotalslob.ButIknewifIlettheclutterpileupinthistinyroom,I’dneverfindanything.

IsatdownatthedeskandwroteashortlettertoMomandDad.Itoldthemeverythingwasfine.IwrotethatI’dhaveatleastathousandgreatphotographstoshowthemwhentheycamehomefromFrance.

WhenIfinishedaddressingtheletter,Iwasn’tfeelingsleepy.ButIdecidedIshouldprobablygotobed,anyway.

Istartedtotheclosettofindmypajamas.ButIstoppedatthewindow.Andstaredoutatapaleorangelight.AlightinasidewindowoftheMarlings’house!Thelightshimmeredbetweentwotiltingtrees,theirleavesvibratinginthe

wind.Apaleorangerectangleoflightonthebottomfloorofthehouse,neartheback.

Abedroomwindow?Ipressedclosertotheglassandsquintedhardintothedarkness.Squinted

intothedimrectangleoforange.WasIabouttoseeoneoftheMarlings?Iheldmybreathandwaited.Ididn’thavetowaitlong.Iletoutagaspasasilhouettecrossedthewindownextdoor.Agrayfigure

caughtintherectangleoforange.Wasitaman?Icouldn’ttell.Thesilhouettemoved.It’sananimal,Irealized.No.Aman.Mr.Marling?I pressed against the glass, squinting hard.Was it a large dog?Aman? I

couldn’tseeclearly.Thesilhouettemovedawayfromthewindow.AndthenIheardalong,highanimalwail.

The sound floated out through thewindow next door. Floated across thenarrowspacebetweenourhouses.

Thehigh,animalhowlsweptintomyroom.Swirledaroundme.Such an ugly, frightening sound. Half-human, half-animal. A cry I had

neverheardbefore.Achillrolleddownmyback.Andthenanother.Anotherhowlmademegasp.I stared out as the silhouette returned to thewindow.A creaturewith its

headtiltedback.Itsjawsopen,utteringsuchfrighteninganimalcries.I’vegottotakeapicture,Itoldmyself.I’vegottophotographthehowling

silhouette.Ispunawayfromthewindow.Doveacrossthetinyroomtothedresser.Reachedformycamera.Mycamera?Itwasgone.

8

“No—!”Iutteredashockedcry.Myhandsfumbledfranticallyoverthedesktop.Ileftthecamerathere.IknewIhad.Butno.Nocamera.Myeyessweptaroundtheroom.Ihadjuststraightenedup.Everythingwas

inplace.Thedesktop.Thedresser.Nocamera.Nocamera.Idroppedtomykneesandsearchedunderthebed.Nocamera.Icrawledovertothecloset.Pulledopenthedoor.Andsearchedthecloset

floor.AsIsearched,anotherwolfhowlburstintomyroom.Higher.Shriller.And then I heard two howls together. The sirenlike wails blending in a

strange,sourharmony.WasitMr.andMrs.Marling?AsIclimbedtomyfeet,Iheardascrapingsound.Woodagainstwood.Thesoundofawindowopening.IheardaheavyTHUD.Feetlandinghardontheground.AndthenIheardlowgrunts.Heavy,thuddingfootsteps.Footstepsrightoutsidemyroom!Idovebacktothewindow.Breathlessly,myheartpounding,Istaredout.Toolate.Nooneouttherenow.All dark. The orange light gone from the Marlings’ window. The house

completelycoveredinblackagain.The trees shaking, black against the blue-black sky. The leaves silvery,

shimmeringunderthebrightlightofthemoon.Istaredout there fora longmoment,waiting formyheart tostop racing.

Listeningforthehighhowls,theheavy,thuddingfootsteps.Silencenow.

Mycamera…I forcedmyself to turn away from thewindow. Ihurriedoutof the room

and down the short hall to the living room.Did I leave the camera case herewhenHannahandIreturnedfromthewoods?

No.Nosignofit.Icheckedthekitchen.Notthere,either.“AuntMarta!UncleColin!” Icalled them.Myvoicecameout tinier than

I’dplanned.I ranbackdown thehall.Pastmy room.Past thebathroomand the linen

closet.Their roomstoodat theend.“Haveyouseenmycameraanywhere?” Icried.

Ishovedopenthedoortotheirbedroom.Darkinthere.Darkandempty.IcouldsmellAuntMarta’sfloweryperfume.Andthesharpodorofphoto-

developingfluid.They’vegoneouttothewoodstophotographanimals,Irealized.I’mallalonehere.I took a deep breath and held it. Calm down, Alex, I instructed myself.

You’reperfectlyokay.You’reperfectlysafe.Youwillfindyourcameraassoonasyougetcalm.It’sprobablyrightoutin

plain sight. But you’re so crazy and pumped up, you can’t see it. Just calmdown!

Itookanotherlong,deepbreath.Iwasstartingtofeelcalmer.Iclosedmyauntanduncle’sbedroomdoorandstartedbackdownthehall.IwashalfwaytomyroomwhenIheardthesoft,scrapingsound.Andthenthethudoffootsteps.Ifroze.Andlistened.Morefootsteps.Heavythuds.Whereweretheycomingfrom?Overhead?Yes.Ipeeredupatthelowceiling.Another scraping sound.More thudding footsteps. They’re in the attic! I

realized.Whateverthosehowlingcreaturesare—they’reinthehouse!

9

Idroppedbackagainstthewall.Mywholebodyshook.Iswallowedhard.Andlistenedtotheheavyfootstepsabovemyhead.I’vegottogetoutofhere!Itoldmyself.I’vegottogetoutofthishouse!I’vegottotellUncleColinandAuntMarta!ButmylegsfeltlikeJell-O.Ididn’tknowifIcouldwalk.Itookashakystep.Thenanother.AndthenIheardanewsoundfromupstairs.Istoppedandlistened.Humming?Wassomeonehumming?Withaburstofenergy,Igrabbedthedoortotheattic.Ipulleditopenand

shoutedupthestairs,“Who’supthere?Whoisit?”“It’sme,Alex!”afamiliarvoicecalleddown.“Hannah—?”Ichokedout.Istareduptotheattic.“Wh-whatareyoudoing

upthere?”“Didn’tyouraunttellyouIcameback?”Hannahcalled.“No,shedidn’t,”Ireplied.“She said she had some old clothes up here that might make a good

costume.SoIcamebacktocheckitout.”Herheadappearedatthetopofthestairs.“Whydoyousoundsoweird?”“I—Ithought—”Ibegan.Butthewordscaughtinmythroat.Istartedupthestairs.“No—!”Hannahcried.“Don’tcomeup!”Istoppedonthethirdstep.“Howcome?”Icalled.“I’mnotdressed. I’mtryingonstuff,”sheexplained.Shesmileddownat

me.“Besides,Iwanttosurpriseyou.There’ssomeawesomeoldstuffuphere.Yourauntandunclemusthavelookedreallyweirdwhentheywereyoung.”

Herheaddisappearedfromview.Icouldheartherustleofclothesupthere.I backed down the stairs. “Hey—do you know where my camera is?” I

asked.“I’velookedalloverthehouse,and—”“Oh,no!”Hannahgroaned.Herheadappearedagain.Thistimeshewasn’t

smiling.

“What?”Icalleduptoher.“Yourcamera,Alex.Doyouthinkmaybeyouleftitinthewoods?”I gasped. “I don’t know. I thought…”Myvoice trailed off. I had a sick,

heavyfeelinginthepitofmystomach.“YouhaditwhenSeanandArjunleft,”Hannahsaid.“Butwhenwecame

backtothehouse,Idon’trememberyoucarryingit.”“Oh,wow!”Ishookmyhead.“I’vegottogogetit,Hannah.Ican’tleaveit

overnightinthewoods.”“No—!”shecried.“Alex,listentome.Youcan’tgooutthere.”“Ihaveto!”Icried.“But the woods aren’t safe at night,” she protested. “They really aren’t

safe.”I turned away and ran down the hall. I pulled onmy jacket and found a

flashlighton the floorof thehall closet. I tested it a few times.The lightwassteadyandbright.

“I’llbebackinafewminutes,”IshouteduptoHannah.“No—please,Alex!”Iheardhercalldown.“Listentome!Don’tgointothe

woodstonight!Waitformetogetdressed.Justwaitforme—okay?”ButIcouldn’tleavemycameraouttheretoberuined.I closed the front door behind me and stepped out into the light of the

moon.

10

Ibegan trottingalong the sideof thehouse toward thebackyard.Heavyblackclouds covered the moon. The night air felt colder than I’d thought. Wet. IzippedmydownjacketasIran.

IglancedattheMarlings’houseasIjoggedpast.Nothingtoseethere.Thebackwindowhadbeenleftwideopen.Butthehousewascompletelydark.Notalightonanywhere.

Thegrasswasslickandwetfromaheavydew.Ifeltasplashofcoldonmyforehead.

Araindrop?IgroanedasIthoughtofmycamera,sittingoutinthewoods.Itwassuch

anexpensivecamera.IprayedIcouldfinditbeforeitstartedtorain.Severaltinyanimalsscamperedsilentlypastmyfeet.Istopped.No. Not animals. Fat, dead leaves. They scuttled over the dark grass,

pushedbyswirlsofwind.Iloweredmyheadunderatreebranchandenteredthewoodsatthebackof

theyard.Theoldtreesshiveredandcreaked.ThesteadyWHOOofanowl,farinthedistance,mademethinkofmyaunt

and uncle. They were here with their cameras somewhere in the woods. IwonderedifIwouldrunintothem.

Ifollowedthetwistingpaththroughthetrees.Anotherraindropfellheavilyonthetopofmyhead.Rainspatteredtheground.

Istoppedwhenthebenttreecameintoview.ThetreeIhadphotographedwithHannahthatafternoon.Iplayedmyflashlightoveritscurvedshape.

“AtleastI’mheadingintherightdirection,”Isaidoutloud.Isteppedoverafallentreebranchandmoveddeeperintothewoods.The

treesbegan tohiss, the leavesshaking in therisingwind. Icouldstillhear theowl’ssteadyWHOOWHOOinthedistance.

Myflashlightdimmed,thenbrightenedagain.Itsthincircleoflightmadeapathformebetweenthetrees.

“Allright!”Icriedoutwhenthelightsweptovermycameracase.Ihadsetitdownona

flattreestump.HowcouldIhaveforgottenitthere?Withanotherhappycry,Ipickeditup.Iactuallyfeltlikehuggingit.Iwas

so happy to have it back. I checked it out carefully, turning it under theflashlight.

I wiped away the few raindrops that clung to the top. Then, cradling itunderonearm,Istartedbacktothehouse.

The rain had stopped, at least for a moment. I started to hum happily. Iwantedtoskipallthewayhome!

Thecamerameantmoretomethananything.IpromisedmyselfI’dneverleaveitanywhereagain.

IstoppedhummingwhenIheardtheangrysound.Ananimalsnarl.Afierce,throatyroar.Idroppedtheflashlight.Thecreatureroaredagain.Wherewasit?Wherewasitcomingfrom?Rightbehindme!

11

Ibentandgrabbeduptheflashlight.Mykneessuddenlyfeltweak.Acoldwaveofpanicsweptovermybody.

Iheardloudanimalgrunts.Anotherangrysnarl.Iforcedmyselftomove.Ihadtogetawayfromhere.Aclumpoffatshrubsroseupinfrontofme.Clutchingmycameracase,I

dartedbehindthem.Anddroppedtomyknees.Hiddenbehindthebushes,Istruggledtocatchmybreath.Tostopmyheart

fromthuddingsohardinmychest.I couldn’t see around the fat leaves of the bush. But I could hear the

animal’s grunts and growls. I ducked lower, hoping I was completely out ofview.

Hopingitcouldn’tsmellme.And then I heard the crash of heavy feet on the ground. A highwail of

anger,likeacryofattack.A frightened bleat rose up. So high and tiny. A terrified cry—cut off

quickly.Snappedoff.Leaningintotheshrub,mylegstrembling,mywholebodyshaking,Iheard

astruggle.So close. So close, I felt I could stand up—reach out—and touch the

attackerandhisprey.Soclose,Iheardeverygrunt,everyfrightenedcry.Athud.Agrowl.Anothertiny,helplessbleat.Aloudrippingsound.Wet chewing. The slap of jaws. More rapid chewing. An animal burp.

Anotherrippingsound.Ishutmyeyes,picturingwhatwashappeningrightinfrontofme.Iheardathud.Thensilence.Thehissofthewindseemedtogrowlouder.Ahiss…thensilence.Iopenedmyeyes.

Istoodupshakily.Andheardheavyfootsteps.Twigsandleavescracklingunderheavyfeet.Thefootstepsapproachingrapidly.Comingmyway.Coming forme.The creature—the hungry creature—wasmoving toward

me.“Ohhhh.”Alowcryofterrorescapedmythroat.Gripping the camera case tightly, I spun away from the clumpof shrubs.

Andstartedtorun.Iheardanimalgruntsbehindme.Heavy-breathingpants.Ididn’tglanceback.I randeeper into thewoods. I thought I heard the splash and trickle of a

creekonmyright.WolfCreek?Ididn’tstoptosee.AbranchscratchedmycheekasIscrambledpastit.Painshotovermyface.IraisedonearmtoshieldmyselfasIran.Ranblindly.Ranthroughthedarkness.Wherewastheflashlight?Oh,no.I’dleftitbehindinthebushes.Itwasofnousetome,anyway.Iwasrunningtoofasttokeeptothepath.I loweredmy shoulder andpushedmyway throughapatchof tall reeds.

Theysnappedback,slappingmewetlyasIshotthroughthem.My foot caught on a half-buried rock. I slid off it, somehowkeepingmy

balance.Ileapedoveranupraisedtreeroot—andkeptrunning.Over the harsh gasps of my breath, I listened for the heavy, thudding

footstepsbehindme.Theanimalgrowls.Wasthecreaturestillchasingme?I grabbed a smooth, damp tree trunk and stopped. I hugged the trunk,

strugglingtokeepmylegsfromcollapsing,strugglingtocatchmybreath.Iturnedandgazedback.Nothingthere.Nogrowls.Nogrunts.Nobangofheavyfeetontheground.Isucked inbreathafterbreath.Mylungsburned.Mymouthfeltsodry, I

couldn’tswallow.I’mokay,Itoldmyself.I’msafe—fornow.Igazedintothedeepdarkness.Andthecreaturehitmefrombehind.

12

“Hunh—!”Iutteredastartledgroan.Anddroppedtotheground.Ispunaroundtofacemyattacker.Noonethere.Nothing.“Huh?”Ashockedcryescapedmylips.Istartedtoscrambletomyfeet—andsawwhathadhitthebackofmyhead.Abird’snest.Adried-up,brokenbird’snest.Itmusthavefallenfromatree

limbabovemyhead.Probablyshakenloosebythegustsofwind.“Oh,wow.” I shook twigs frommy hair. Then, cradling the camera case

undermyarm,Igazedaround.WherewasI?Trees up ahead slanted as if leaning against each other.A lowmound of

rocksstoodattheedgeofaridgeoftallreeds.I’mlost,Irealized.Igazedupat thesky.Nomoon.Theheavyraincloudscoveredthemoon

andstars.How do I get back? I squinted into the darkness, searching for the path.

SearchingforanythingImightrecognize.Nothing.If I could find the creek,maybe I could find the spotwhere I foundmy

camera,Idecided.Butwhichdirectionwasthecreek?Iwascompletelyturnedaround.Ishivered.Acoldraindropspatteredontheshoulderofmyjacket.Ijumped.Thatbird’snesthadmademeterrifiedofthingsfallingfromthe

sky!WhatshouldIdo?Mymindwhirredfranticallywithideas.ShouldIcalloutforhelp?Shouttomyauntanduncle?MaybeifIcalled

loudenough,theywouldhearme.

But,no.IfIshout,theanimal—thesnarlingcreature—willhearmefirst.Wasitstillsearchingforme?Wasitstillnearby?IdecidedI’dbetternotcallforhelp.WhatshouldIdo?What?Startwalkinginonedirection?Andjustkeepgoingnomatterwhat?No.IrememberedabookI’dreadwhereaguywaslostinthedesert.And

hetriedwalkinginastraightline.Andhejustmadecircles.Hewentaroundandaroundanddidn’tevenrealizeituntilhesawhisownfootprintsinthesand!

MaybeIshouldwaituntil thesuncomesup,Idecided.I’llneverfindmywayinthisdarkness.Whenit’sdaylight,I’llhaveamuchbetterchance.

Ididn’tliketheideaofspendingthenightinthewoods.ButwaitinghereuntilIcouldseewhereIwasgoingseemedlikeagoodidea.

But thenIheardaclatteringsound.Andfelt therainstart topounddownhard.Afreezingrain,sweptbygustingwind.

Ican’tstayhere,Irealized.Ihavetogetbacktothehouse.Iwalkedandwalked,tryingtoretracemysteps.IsighedwithreliefwhenI

finally came to the clump of busheswhere I’d hid. I found the flashlight andgrippedittightlyinmyfreehand.

Itookaguessonwhichdirectiontogonext.Duckingmyheadagainsttherain,Istartedtowalkagain.Lessthanaminutelater,Istumbledoversomething.Somethingsoft.Ilandedonmyknees.TurnedbacktoseewhatIhadtrippedover.Andletoutacryofhorror.

13

Theflashlighttrembledinmyhand.Thequiveringlightrevealedanuglypicture.Igapeddownatananimalbody.No.Two.Twoanimals.Whatwerethey?Icouldn’ttell.They’dbeenclawedtopieces.Completelyrippedapart.I remembered the ripping sounds I’d heard. The sounds of these animals

beingtornapart.Mystomachlurched.Whatkindofanimaldidthis?Whatkindofanimalwasstrongenoughtotearothercreaturesapart?Achillrandownmyback.Ipulledmyselftomyfeet.Iforcedmyselftolookaway.The rain poured down. I shieldedmy camera case undermy jacket—and

startedtorunagain.Ihadtogetawayfromthatuglysight.WouldIeverbeabletoforgetit?Thewindwhipped therainaroundme.I feltas if Iwererunning through

oceanwaves.ButIcouldn’tstop.Myfearkeptmerunning.That fierce creature still lurked in thesewoods.Still growledandhunted,

somewherenearby.Mysneakersweresoaked.Islippedandslidinthesoftmud.I’m not sure how long I ran. I stopped when I nearly ran right into the

creek.Poundedbytherain,itsplashedoveritslowbank.I turned and followed it, feeling a littlemore confident. After a while, I

spottedanarrowpathcutthroughthetiltingtrees.Iturnedontothepath.Woulditleadmeoutofthewoods?Ihadtotryit.Therainslowedtoasoftpatter.MysneakerssankdeepintothemudasI

trottedalongthecurvingpath.SoonIcametothebent,old-mantree.“Yes!” I criedout loud. “Yes!” Iwavedmy fist triumphantly in the air. I

wasalmosthome.Ipickedupmypace.Afewminuteslater,Iburstoutofthewoods,intomy

auntanduncle’sbackyard.Iwassohappy!Iwantedtofly!Icouldn’twait toget into thewarmhouse.Topulloffmysoakedclothes

andgetintosomethingdry.ButIstoppedinthemiddleofthebackyard.Andstaredintothecircleofyellowlightfrommyflashlight.Stareddownatthestrangefootprintsinthewetgrass.Deep,ruttedfootprintsheadingintotheMarlings’backyard.Ibentintothelighttoseethembetter.Theyweren’thumanfootprints.They

weretoolongandtoowideandshapeddifferentlyfromhumanfeetorshoes.Animalfootprints.Keepingthebeamoflightinfrontofme,Itrailedthefootprints,following

themoverthegrass.AcrosstheMarlings’weed-chokedbackyard.IstoppedwhenIsawwherethestrangefootprintsled.RightuptotheMarlings’openbedroomwindow.

14

WhenIcameintothekitchenforbreakfastthenextmorning,AuntMartawasonthephone.Shestoodatthecounterwithherbacktome.ButsheturnedasIsaidgoodmorningtomyuncle,andflashedmeanangrylook.

“Yes,Iunderstand,”shesaidintothephone.“Well,itwon’thappenagain.”I tookmyplace at the table besideUncleColin.He sipped fromawhite

coffeemug,hiseyesonAuntMarta.“It won’t happen again,”my aunt repeated into the phone. She frowned.

“I’llmakesurehestaysaway.No.Hewasn’tspyingonyou,Mr.Marling.”Sothat’swhoshewastalkingto.UncleColin shookhisheadunhappily. “Iwarnedyounot togonear that

place,Alex,”hesaid.“Wedon’tneedthosepeoplecallingoverhere.”“Sorry,”Imurmured.“But—”Iwantedtotellhimaboutlastnight,abouteverythingthathadhappenedto

meandeverythingI’dseen.Buthe raiseda finger tohis lips,motioning forme tobesilentwhilemy

auntwasonthephone.“No.Mynephewwasn’ttakingpicturesofyourhouse,Mr.Marling,”Aunt

Martacontinued.Sherolledhereyes.“Ipromise.Hewon’tbotheryouagain.I’lltalktohimrightnow.Yes.Okay.Good-bye.”

She set down the receiver and turned toUncleColinwith a sigh. “Thosepeople,”shemurmured.

“We have to be careful,”UncleColin replied, narrowing his eyes atme.“Wedon’twanttogetthemworkedup.”

“But—but—”Isputtered.“Isawthings—”“They saw you, Alex,” my aunt interrupted. “They saw you prowling

aroundtheirhouselatelastnight.Theyareveryangryaboutit.”She poured herself a mug of coffee and came over to the table. She sat

downandsweptastrandofgrayhairoffherforehead.“Whatwereyoudoingoutsidelastnight?”myuncleasked.“I’mreallysorry.ButIhadnochoice.Ileftmycameraoutinthewoods,”I

explained. “I had to run out and get it. I couldn’t leave it out all night—especiallywiththerain.”

“But you didn’t have to go near the Marlings’ house—did you?” AuntMartademanded.

“I—I heard animal howls from inside their house!” I blurted out. “And Isawstrangefootprintsgoinguptothebedroomwindowattheside.”

UncleColinnoddedcalmly.He tooka longsipofcoffee.“The footprintswereprobablyfromtheirdogs,”hesaid,glancingatAuntMarta.

“Dogs?”Icried.They both nodded. “They have two huge German shepherds,” my aunt

explained.“Meanastheycome.”“Andasbigaswolves,”UncleColinadded,shakinghishead.Hereached

forasliceoftoastandbegantobutterit.Isighed.Ifeltalittlebetter.TwoGermanshepherds.Thatexplainedthehowlsandthefootprintsinthe

wetgrass.“Areyoureadyforschool?”AuntMartaasked.“Hannahwillbehereany

minute.”“I’malmostready,”Ireplied.Igulpeddownaglassoforangejuice.“When

Iwasinthewoodslastnight…”Istarted.Theybothstaredatme.“Isawsomeanimalsthatgotrippedup.Imean,killed.”UncleColinnodded.“Thewoodsaredangerousatnight,”hesaidsoftly.“Wereallydon’twantyououtthereatnight,Alex,”AuntMartasaid.She

pulledapieceoflintofftheshoulderofmyT-shirt.Thenshetenderlybrushedmyhairbackwithherhand.“Promiseusyouwon’tgoagain.”

“Promise,”Imurmured.“Andpromisethatyou’llstayawayfromtheMarlings,”myuncleadded.Before I could reply, the doorbell rang. Hannah came into the kitchen,

weighteddownunderabulgingbackpack.“Ready?”sheasked.I nodded and shoved my chair back from the table. “Yeah. I guess I’m

ready,”Itoldher.“Thisissoweird.Goingtosomeoneelse’sschool.”“You’lllikemyteacher,Mr.Shein,”Hannahreplied.“He’sveryinteresting.

Andhe’sreallynice.”Igrabbedmybackpackandmy jacket.Wesaidgood-bye tomyauntand

uncleandheadedoutthefrontdoor.I glanced at theMarlings’ house as wemade our way to the street. The

bedroomwindow at the side had been closed, I saw. The house was dark as

always.“Didyoufindyourcamera?”Hannahasked.Inodded.“Yeah.Butitwasn’teasy.”Itoldheraboutmyscaryadventures.She tsk-tsked.“Iwarnedyou,Alex,”shesaid.“Youwouldn’tcatchme in

thewoodsafterdark.”A yellow school bus rumbled past. Some kids in the bus called out the

windowtoHannah.Shewavedbacktothem.Themorning sun still floated low in the sky.A silvery frost clung to the

lawns.Theairfeltcrispandcold.“Onemoreblocktoschool,”Hannahsaid.“Areyounervous?”Ididn’tanswer.IwasthinkingabouttheMarlings.ItoldHannahaboutthe

howls I’d heard inside their house. “Uncle Colin says they have twoGermanshepherds.Reallybigandreallymean,”Itoldher.

“No,theydon’t,”Hannahrepliedsharply.Istoppedwalking.“Excuseme?”Icried.“TheMarlingsdon’thaveanydogs,”sherepeated.“I’velivedhereaslong

astheyhave,andI’veneverseenthem.”“Thenwhydidmyuncletellmethat?”Idemanded.“Soyouwon’tbescared,”Hannahreplied.“I—I don’t understand,” I stammered. “If theMarlings don’t have dogs,

whatmadethoseweirdfootprintsoutsidetheirwindow?”Hannah shook her head. Her olive-green eyes locked onto mine. “Alex,

don’tyougetit?”shecried.“Haven’tyoufigureditoutyet?”“Figuredwhatout?”Iasked.“TheMarlingsarewerewolves!”Hannahdeclared.

15

WhyiseveryoneinWolfCreekobsessedwithwerewolves?Iwondered.IlaughedatHannahandteasedhertherestofthewalktoschool.Imean,

howcouldanyoneactuallybelieveinwerewolvestoday?“You’re only trying to scareme,” I told her. “But I don’t scare easily—

remember?IsawoneoftheGermanshepherds.ItwashowlingintheMarlings’window.”

Hannahshrugged.“Believewhatyouwanttobelieve,”shemurmured.“Don’ttrytoscaremewithwerewolvesanymore,”Itoldher.ButIhadasurprisewhenwearrivedatschool.EvenMr.Shein,thesixth-

gradeteacher,wantedtotalkaboutwerewolvesallmorning!Hewasaboutforty,short,andchubby,withthinningbrownhairandthick

blackeyeglassesperchedonhisroundpinkface.Heworeayellowsweaterthatmadehimresemblearipepear.

ButHannahwasright.Hewasverynice.Veryfriendly.Hewelcomedmeeagerlyandintroducedmetotheothersixthgraders,andreallymademefeelathome.

Heassignedmeaseatnearthedoorinback.Hannahsatinthefrontrow.I spotted Sean and Arjun near the windows on the other side of the

classroom.Theynodded,butdidn’tsayhioranything.Theybothlookedrumpledandkindoftired.Theirbaggyclotheswerevery

wrinkled. Their hair was wild. They look as if they’d been up all night, Ithought.

Weirdthought…Aftertakingattendanceandmakingafewannouncements,Mr.Sheinsaton

the edge of his desk.His eyes traveled around the room.Hewaited for us tosettledown.

“Doesanyoneknowwhat the studyof lycanthropy is?”heasked.Behindhisglasses,hisdarkeyesglowed.

Ihadneverheardtheword.Buttomysurprise,severalhandsshotup.HecalledonArjun.

“It’saboutpeoplechangingintowolves,”Arjunsaid.“Werewolves!”Seanexclaimed.

Mr. Shein nodded. “Yes. Werewolves,” he repeated. “That’s whatlycanthropyisthestudyof.”Heclearedhisthroat.“SinceHalloweencomeslaterthisweek,Ithoughtwemightspendsometimediscussinglycanthropy.”

“There is going to be a fullmoon onHalloween night this year!” a tall,athletic-lookingboyinterrupted.

“Yes, there is,” Mr. Shein agreed. “Many people believe a full moon isneeded to bring the werewolf to life—but they are wrong. Although awerewolf’spowersdogrowstrongerasthemoongrowsfuller.”

Crossinghislegs,heleanedbackandbegantotalk.Heexplainedhowthewerewolf legends began over two hundred years ago in Europe. A normalperson, bitten by a werewolf, becomes a werewolf himself when moonlightshinesonhim.

“It isacurse thatcannotberemoved,”Mr.Sheinsaid,speaking ina low,steadyvoice.Trying to soundspooky.“Nomatterhowmuchhe tries to liveanormallife,amaninflictedwiththecurseturnsintoawolfunderthelightofthemoon.”

“Girlstoo?”Hannahasked.Somekidsgiggled.“Yes.Girlstoo,”theteacheransweredseriously.“Thewerewolfmustrageandhowl,”Mr.Sheincontinued.“Andprowlthe

woodsorforestinsearchofvictims.”“Cool!”ared-hairedboyinfrontofmemuttered.Everyonelaughed.“At daybreak, the werewolves must shed their wolf skin,” the teacher

explained.“Theyreturntohumanform.Theymusthidetheirwolfskinuntilthenextnight.Theymusthidetheskininasafeplace.Becauseifsomeonetakesthewerewolf’sskinandburnsit…thewerewolfwilldie.”

“Cool!”thered-hairedboyrepeated.Morelaughter.Kidsstartedtalkingexcitedly.It took a while forMr. Shein to quiet everyone. He jumped to his feet,

pulleddownhisyellowsweater,andpacedinfrontofthechalkboard.“Doesanyoneinthisclassbelievethatwerewolvesreallyexist?”heasked.Isnickered.Ididn’tthinkanykidswouldraisetheirhands.Buttomysurprise,everysinglehandintheroomshotup.“Youallbelieveinwerewolves!”Mr.Sheindeclared.“Yes,wedo,”IheardArjunmurmursoftly.

“Yes,wedo,”Seanrepeated.Iturnedandrealizedtheywerebothstaringhardatme.I felt a sudden chill. What is their problem? I wondered.Why are they

actingsoweird?

16

After school, Sean and Arjun came up to me at the back of the classroom.Outside the room, lockers slammed. The tile walls echoed with shouts andlaughter.

The twoguysstudiedmesolemnly.“What’sup?” Igreeted them,zippingmybackpack.

Mr.Sheinwavedandwalkedout,carryingabulgingbriefcase.Thethreeofuswerealoneintheroom.

“How’sitgoing?”Seanasked.“Isitweirdbeinginanewschool?”Arjunsaid.“Yeah.Kindof,”Itoldthem.“EspeciallysinceIknowI’monlyherefora

fewweeks.”“You’relucky!”Arjunjoked.“SeanandIarestuckhere.”“WolfCreekisn’tsobad,”Isaid.Iswungthebackpackontomyshoulder.Thetwoboysstaredatmeintently.Theydidn’tsayanything.Seanshoved

hishands intohisbaggy jeanspockets.Arjun fiddledwitha silver ringonhislittlefinger.

Finally,Seanbrokethesilence.“Youdon’tbelieveinwerewolves,”hesaidsoftly.

“Huh?Well…”Ihesitated.“Youdidn’traiseyourhand,”Arjunadded.“Everyoneelsedid.”“Yeah.Iknow,”Ireplied.“Ireallydon’tbelieveinthem.Imean,comeon,

guys.It’spracticallythetwenty-firstcentury.Seealotofguyswithfurontheirfaceswalkingaroundthestreets?Idon’tthinkso!”

Imeantittobefunny.Buttheydidn’tlaugh.Theykeptstaringatmewiththeirsolemnfaces.

“Werewolvesexist,”Arjunsaidsoftly.“Wecanproveittoyou.”“For sure,” I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “The Easter Bunny

existstoo.IsawhimridingabusbackhomeinCleveland.”“We can prove it to you, Alex,” Arjun insisted. “We can show you a

werewolf.”“Arealone,”Seanadded.“No,thanks,”Isaid.“Ireally—”

“Youcantakepicturesofit,”Arjuninterrupted.“Yeah.Youcantakeawholeroll!”hisfriendcried.Thatmademestopandthink.IrememberedthephotocontestIplannedto

enter. I needed a Halloween photo—a really good Halloween photo—for thecontest.

Theymovedcloser,surroundingme,forcingmetobackupuntilIbumpedintothewindowsill.

“Wanttoseearealwerewolf,Alex?”Seandemanded.“Wanttotakephotosofarealwerewolf?”Arjunasked.Theystaredhardatme,challengingme.“WhatdoIhavetodo?”Iasked.

17

Aunt Marta laughed. “Hannah—you look dreadful!” she cried, pressing herhandsagainsthercheeks.

“Thankyou!”Hannahtookalowbow.“Thankyou!”Afterdinner,Hannahhadcomeover toshowoffherHalloweencostume.

Shechangedhermindaboutdressingasapirate.Thecostumeshechoseinsteadwashard todescribe.Shehad takena lotofoldclothes, torn themallup,andsewnthembacktogether.

Her baggy pants had one brown leg and one green leg. And they hadcheckeredpatchesat theknees.Sheworea raggedshirtofyellow,blue, red—everycoloryoucanimagine.Anevenmorecolorfuljacketovertheshirt.Andafloppyraghatthatkeptfallingoverherface.

“Whatareyousupposedtobe?”Iasked.“Ajunkyard?”She didn’t laugh. “I’m a rag doll,” she replied. “Don’t you get it?” She

tuggedatthejacket.“Rags?”Aunt Marta and Uncle Colin both laughed. I was happy to see them

enjoying themselves.Theyhadbothseemed tiredand lowatdinner.Theyhadbarelyspokentome.

“Thereusedtobeasongaboutaragdoll,”AuntMartasaid.“Rememberit,Colin?”

My uncle shook his head. “I don’t remember anything anymore,” hereplied.“I’mluckyifIremembertogetupinthemorning!”

“Oh,givemeabreak,Colin!”AuntMartascolded.Shegavehimaplayfulshove.Shebegansingingasongaboutaragdoll.

Hannah did a silly dance, twirling her hands above her head.One of herjacketsleevesfelloff,andwealllaughed.

“Where’syourcostume,Alex?”myauntdemanded.“Goput iton.Comeon.Let’shaveapreview.”

“I—Ihaven’tputonetogetheryet,”Istammered.“Well, let’sget someoldclothesandmakeyouacostume tonight!”Aunt

Martainsisted.“No.I…needtothinkaboutit,”Itoldher.Ididn’thavemymindoncostumes.Ikeptglancingoutthefrontwindowat

thedarkeningsky.ThinkingaboutwhatIplannedtodolater.I planned tomeet Sean andArjun in thewoods by the creek.At school,

theytoldmetotakemycameraandmeetthemthere.Theysaidthatthewerewolfcomestothatspoteverynightwhenthemoon

is at thehighest point in the sky. “It howlsup at themoon,”Arjun said in anexcitedwhisper.“Andthenitlowersitsheadandlapsupwaterfromthecreek.”

“Waittillyouseeit!”Seanexclaimed.“It’samanandawolfat thesametime.He’shalf-human,half-animal.”

I narrowed my eyes at the two of them. I tried to decide if they weregoofing or not. Their expressionswere so serious—and so excited—I decidedtheyweretellingthetruth.

Wasitpossible?Didwerewolvesreallyexist?IpicturedthehowlingcreatureintheMarlings’window.AndIpicturedthe

twoanimalsinthewoods,rippedtopieces.Byawerewolf?The back ofmy neck tingled. I’d never believed inwerewolves. But I’d

seldombeenoutofthecity.Hereinthissmalltownsurroundedbywoods,theybegantoseemreal.“Willyoumeetusatmidnight?”Seanasked.Ididn’twanttoreturntothewoodsatnight.NotafterwhatI’dseenthere.ButIdidn’twantthemtoknowIwasafraid.AndIreallyneededagreatphototowinthecontest.Aphotoofawerewolf

woulddefinitelywin!Whatelsecouldcomeclose?SoIagreedtosneakoutofthehouseandmeetSeanandArjunatmidnight

inthewoods.Butnow,asitgrewlater,Ibegantofeelreallynervousaboutit.AsIglancedoutatthedarknessbeyondthewindow,Ihadaheavyfeeling

inthepitofmystomach.Andmyhandsweresuddenlycoldandclammy.“Alex,what are you thinking about?”AuntMarta’s voice broke intomy

thoughts.“Huh?”Iblinkedandshookmyhead.Everyone laughed. “You were staring out the window with the strangest

lookonyourface,”Hannahdeclared.“Oh.Justwatchingthemoon,”Isaidwithashrug.“It’sMoonMadness!”UncleColinjoked.“OOOH.Lookslikeabadcase!”“What’sthat?”Iasked.“HowshouldIknow?”myunclereplied.“Ijustmadeitup!”

Wealllaughedagain.Everyonewas in suchagoodmood. Iwished I could relaxandhave fun

too.ButallIcouldthinkaboutwassneakingouttothewoods.Hannahwent home a short while later. I said goodnight tomy aunt and

uncleandclosedmyselfupinmyroom.Iglancedatthebed-tableclock.Itreadtenfifteen.Nearlytwohourstowait.Icheckedoutmycamera.MadesureIhaditloadedwithhigh-speedfilm.Then I sat down to read a photographymagazine—andwait—hoping the

timewouldpassquickly.Myeyesstaredatthepagesofthemagazine.ButIcouldn’tread.Icouldn’t

concentrate.Everyfewseconds,myeyeswentuptothebed-tableclock.Whydoestimemovesoslowlywhenyou’rewaiting?Finally,atabouttentomidnight,Iclosedmymagazine.Pulledonanextra

sweaterandthenmyjacket.Igrabbedmycameracaseandslungthestrapovermyshoulder.

ThenItiptoedtothebedroomdoor.My aunt and unclewere probably out in thewoods, photographing night

animals.Butincasetheydecidedtostayintonight,Ididn’twantthemtohearmesneakout.

I clickedoff the lights inmy room.Then I reached for thedoorknobandtugged.

“Hey—!”Iturnedtheknobandtuggedagain.Iturnedittheotherwayandgavethe

doorahardjerk.“Idon’tbelieveit!”Igasped.I’dbeenlockedin.

18

Thedoormustbestuck,Idecided.I tugged it hard. Tugged it a dozen times. I even tried pushing. But I

couldn’tbudgeit.Ithaddefinitelybeenlocked,lockedfromtheoutside.Iangrilyspunawayfromthedoor.Whydidmyauntandunclelockmein?Iwondered.Becauseoflastnight?

Becauseofmyclosecallsinthewoods?“Theycan’tdothistome!”Iexclaimed.Irantothewindow.Ijerkedthecurtainsapartandreachedforthewindow

handles.Thewindowslidupafewinches—andIletoutagasp.Metalbarshadbeeninstalledoutside.Whendidtheyputthoseon?Thisafternoon?I’maprisoner! I toldmyself. I’m locked in this roomlikeananimal ina

cage!“Theycan’tdothistome!”Irepeated.“Theycan’t!”Islidthewindowupalltheway.Igrabbedthemetalbarswithbothhands

andstruggledtoprythemloose.Buttheywouldn’tbudge.IwasstilltuggingonthebarswhenIheardalowgrowl.Myhandsdroppedaway,andasharpcryescapedmythroat.Ifroze.Andheardanothergrowl.Louderthistime.Andclose.Soclose.Ashrillhowlroseup.FromtheMarlings’house?I moved my face up close to the bars and peered out. Their bedroom

window stood open again. But the house was completely dark. No lightsanywhere.

Isquinted into thedarkness.Themoonhaddisappearedbehindacloud. Icouldbarelyseeacrosstotheirhouse.

Pressedagainstthebars,Iheardananimalgrunt.Andthenathud.A dark shape dropped down from the Marlings’ open window. Another

thud.Anothershapedroppeddownonallfours.Oneofthecreaturesraiseditsheadinalong,mournfulhowl.Andthentheytookoff,lopingheavilytowardthebackyard,headingtothe

woods.Dogs?Wolves?Humans?Icouldn’tseeclearlyinthedarkness.Istaredout,andasilverylightwashedoverthehouseastheclouddrifted

awayfromthemoon.Butnowitwastoolate.Toolate.Thecreatureshadvanished.Ipoundedthebarswithmyfists.SeanandArjunwerewaitingformebythecreek.AndtherewasnowayI

couldgetthere.Whatwouldtheythink?ThatIwasatotalchicken?Awimp?I’mmissingmybigchancetotakeawinningphotograph!Irealized.Angrily,Islammedthewindowshut.“Tomorrownight!”Ideclaredoutloud.“TomorrownightI’mgettingoutof

here.Myauntandunclewon’tstopme.“TomorrownightI’mgoingintothewoods,andI’mgoingtofindoutthe

truthaboutwerewolves!”

19

“Howcouldyoudothattome?”Ishrieked.Iburstintothekitchenforbreakfastthenextmorning,andstrodeangrilyuptomyauntanduncle.

“Howcouldyoulockmeinmyroomwithouttellingme?”Icried.AuntMartasetdownhercoffeemug.Shegazedupatmewithatroubled

expression.ThensheturnedtoUncleColin.“MaybeweshouldhavetoldAlex,”shesaid.

UncleColin narrowed his eyes atme. “Did you try to get out last night,Alex?”

“Well…”Ihesitated.Ididn’twanttotellthemwhatIhadplannedtodo.“Idon’tlikebeinginacage!”Iprotested.“I’mtwelveyearsold,andIreallythink—”

“We’resorry,”AuntMartainterrupted.Sheglancedatthekitchenclockandpouredmeoutabowlofcornflakes.

“But we did it for your own good,” Uncle Colin added. He folded hisnapkin tensely between his hands. “We had no choice. We can’t let you gorunningouttothewoodsthewayyoudidyourfirstnight.Itjustisn’tsafe.”

“We’re responsible for you,” Aunt Marta said, pushing the cereal bowlacross the table to me. “We promised your parents we’d return you safe andsound.Wedon’twanttolockyouin,Alex.Butwehavetomakesure—”

“But—but—”Isputtered.“Besides, the Marlings called the police yesterday,” Uncle Colin said,

frowning.“Theywhat?”Icried.“Theycalledthepolice—aboutme?”Henodded.“Theycomplainedaboutyouspyingonthem,”hesaid.I letoutanangryscream.“That’s totallystupid!”Icried.“Ididn’tspyon

them!Ididn’tdoanythingtothem!”“Okay,okay.”AuntMartacamearoundthetableandplacedacomforting

handonmyshoulder.“Don’tworryabouttheMarlings.Justdon’tgoanywhereneartheirhouse—okay?”

Iturnedtoher.“Aretheywerewolves?”Iblurtedout.UncleColingasped.Aunt Marta uttered a short laugh. “Is that what Hannah told you?” she

demanded.“Well…yes,”Ireplied.Sheshookherhead.“Hannahhasatwistedsenseofhumor,”shesaid.“TheMarlingsarejustveryodd,veryunfriendlypeople,”UncleColintold

me.Heglancedout thekitchenwindow toward theirhouse.Andadded:“Twounfriendlypeoplewithtwoveryunfriendlydogs.”

“Hannahsaidtheydon’thaveanydogs,”Iinsisted.UncleColinmadeadisgustedface.“TellyourfriendHannahtostoppulling

yourleg.”“Whatdoyoumean?”Iasked.“She’stryingtoscareyou,Alex.Don’tlistentoher.”Thedoorbellrang.Hannahhadarrivedtowalkmetoschool.Iwashappytogetoutofthehouse.Istillfeltangryaboutbeinglockedup.As we walked to school, I didn’t tell Hannah about it. I knew she’d

probably think itwas funny.Andshe’d tellotherkidsabouthowmyauntanduncleweresoworriedaboutme,theylockedmeinlikeababy.

Ididn’tmentiontheMarlings’dogs,either.Ididn’twanttogetintoanotherargumentaboutwerewolves.Iwantedtofindoutthetruthformyself.

Atschool,IhungmyjacketinmylockerandstartedtoMr.Shein’sclass.ButasIturnedthecorner,SeanandArjunsteppeduptoblockmypath.

They’dbeenwaiting forme.Theymovedquickly tobackmeagainst thewall.Theireyesglowedwithexcitement.

“Hey,Alex.”Seanpokedmeintheshoulder.“Seenanywerewolveslately?”Arjundemanded.

20

“Uh…well…”Ididn’tknowwhattosay.“Yousee…myauntanduncle…”Whyweretheystaringatmelikethat?Weretheytryingtoscareme?AstrangegrinspreadoverSean’sface.“Haveagoodtimeinthewoodslast

night?”heasked.“Yeah.Howwasit?”Arjundemanded.“Catchanywerewolves,Alex?”I bumped them offme and stepped away from thewall. “Youmean you

weren’tthere?”Icried.Theybothburstoutlaughing.Theyslappedeachotherahighfive.“Ofcoursenot!”Arjundeclared.“Whywouldwegointothewoodsinthe

middleofthenight?”“Iwassoundasleepbymidnight,”Seansaid,grinning.Theylaughedandcongratulatedeachotheragain.A joke.Thewhole thinghadbeena joke.Theydidn’twait forme in the

woodsatmidnight.Theyneverintendedtogotothewoods.“Sohowwasit?”Seanasked.“WereyousurprisedwhenArjunandIdidn’t

showup?”“No.Ididn’teventhinkofyou,”Itoldthem.“Doyouknowwhy?Because

Iwastoobusytakingphotosofthewerewolf!”“Huh?”Seancried.Itwastheirturntobesurprised.OfcourseIwaslying.ButtheyhadnowayofknowingthatIhadn’tgone

tothewoods,either.“Whatdidyousee?”Arjunaskedsuspiciously.“I followed awerewolf,” I toldhim, forcingmyself not to crack a smile.

“Hecametothecreekandhedrank,justasyousaid.”“Givemeabreak,”Seangroaned.“Yeah.Really!”Arjunrolledhiseyes.“Inyourdreams.”“Icanproveit.Itookawholerolloffilm,”Itoldthem.“Let’sseethepictures,”Seandemanded.“Ihaven’tdevelopedthemyet,”Ireplied.Theystaredatme,tryingtodecideifIwastellingthetruth.Ifeltalaugh

abouttoexplodeinsideme.ButsomehowIkeptastraightface.Thebellrang.“We’relate!”Arjuncried.The threeofusbolteddown thehall to the room.Wedove intoourseats

twosecondsbeforeMr.Sheinwalkedin.Don’taskmewhatwetalkedaboutallmorning.Ididn’thearaword.Iwas thinkinghard, thinkingaboutSeanandArjun.Whatwas Igoing to

tellthemtomorrowwhentheyaskedtoseethewerewolfphotos?WouldIhavetoconfessthatIliedtothem?No,Idecided.Ihadabetterplan.

“I’m going to sneak out tonight and take pictures of theMarlings’ house,” Iwhisperedintothephone.

“Huh?Alex?Whyareyouwhispering?”Hannah’svoicerangshrillyinmyear.

Iwaswhisperingbecausemyauntandunclehadonlyone telephone.Anold-fashionedblackphonesetonatableinthelivingroom.Andthetwoofthemwere in thenext roompreparingdinner. I could see them from the armchair Islumpedin.

“Hannah,I’mgoingtohideatthesideofthehouse,”Iwhispered.“AndI’mgoing to snap some pictures of whoever—or whatever—jumps out of thatbedroomwindowtonight.”

“Doyouhaveasorethroatorsomething?”Hannahdemanded.“Ican’thearyou,Alex.”

I openedmymouth to repeatwhat I’d said—butAuntMarta entered theroom.“Dinnerisready,Alex.Whoareyoutalkingto?”sheasked.

“Hannah,”Itoldmyaunt.“I’vegottogo,”Isaidintothephone.“Talktoyoulater.”Ihungupthereceiver.

IhopedthatmaybeHannahmightwanttosneakoutatmidnightandkeepmecompany.I’llhavetoaskherlater,Idecided.

Yawning, pretending to be very sleepy, I went to my room a little after teno’clock.Afewminuteslater,Iheardthelockclickoutsidemydoor.Myauntorunclehadlockedmeinagain.

Butthistime,Ifooledthem.Thistime,Iwasprepared.Before dinner, I’d jammed awad of bubblegum into the latch. The door

wasn’treallyclosed.Onceagain,Ipulledonanextrasweater.Andcheckedoutmycamera.And

waited,gazingatthebed-tableclock.Justbeforemidnight, Iswung thecameracaseovermyshoulder.Slid the

bedroomdooropeneasily.Andcreptoutofthehouse,underthewhitelightofthemoon,readytosolvethemysteryoftheMarlings.

21

I cast a quick glance at theMarlings’ house. Then I turned away and trottedacrossthewetgrasstoHannah’shouse.

No lights were on. The storm door in back hadn’t been shut. The windmadeitswingopen,asifinvitingmein.

ButImademywayuptoHannah’sbedroomwindowontheothersideofthe house. Silvermoonlightwashed over the glass,making it reflect the treeslikeamirror.

Icouldn’tseeinside.Butthewindowwasopenafewinches.“Hannah—?”Icalledinaloudwhisper.“Hannah—areyouawake?”I heard someone stirring inside. The curtains shifted. “Who’s there?”

Hannahcalledoutsleepily.“It’sme!”Iwhispered,standingontiptoe.“It’sAlex.Cometothewindow.”“Alex?Whatareyoudoingoutthere?”shedemanded.“I’mgoingtotakephotosoftheMarlings,”Itoldher.“Comeoutwithme,

Hannah.”“Huh?Photos?”shecalledout.“Butit’ssolate,Alex.Iwasasleep,and—”“EverynightIhearhowlsfromtheirhouse,”Itoldher.“Andthensomeone

—orsomething—jumpsoutoftheirbedroomwindowandrunsintothewoods.Myunclesaysit’stheirdogs,but—”

“I told you,” she interrupted. “The Marlings don’t have dogs. They’rewerewolves. I know you don’t believeme. But it’s true.Your aunt and uncleknowit’strue.Buttheydon’twantyoutobescared.”

“That’swhyIwanttotakephotos,”Iexplained.“Imean,Icouldbethefirstpersonintheworldtogetawerewolfonfilm!Getdressed,Hannah.Comeon!”Ipleaded.“Iwantyoutoseetoo.”

“You’recrazy,Alex!Getbackinthehouse!”Hannahwarned.Sheappearedatthewindow.Shepulledituphigherandleanedout.

“I’mnotcomingoutthere,”sheinsisted.“It’stoodangerous.Youtoldmeabout those two animals you saw. They were ripped to shreds—right? If theMarlingsseeyou,they’lldothesamethingtoyou!”

Her words sent a cold shiver down the back of my neck. But I wasdesperatetosolvethemystery—andtosnapagreatphoto.

“Theywon’tseeus!”Itoldher.“We’llhidebehindthebushesatthesideofthehouse.”

“Don’tsayus,”Hannahcalledout.“I’mnotdoingit,Alex.I’mtooscared.I’mwarningyou,gobackinside.”

“Please!”Ipleaded.Igrabbedherarm.“Comeonout,Hannah.Youwanttoseethewerewolvestoo—don’tyou?”

“Noway!”Shejerkedherarmaway.“Gohome,Alex,”sherepeated.“It’snotagame.It’sreallydangerous.”

“Listen,Hannah—”Istarted.Butsheslidthewindowshut.I stared at the reflection of the trees in the glass. Maybe she’s right, I

thought.Another cold shiver randownmyback.Maybe this is a bigmistake.Maybeitistoodangerous.IftheMarlingscatchme…

IgaspedwhenIheardalowgrowl.Ifroze.Ididn’thavetoturnaround.Iknewfromthesound.Awerewolf—ithadsneakedupbehindme.

22

Anotherlowgruntmademecryout.My knees started to collapse. I took a deep, shivering breath and spun

aroundtofacethecreature.No.Notthere.Noonethere.Iswallowed.Swallowedagain.Mymouthsuddenlyfeltbone-dry.Another growl. I realized where it came from. From the back of the

Marlings’house.They’reabouttojumpoutthewindow,Itoldmyself.ThosearethesoundsI

heareverynightjustbeforetheyclimboutthebedroomwindow.AndI’mstandingouthereintheopen.I’llbethefirstthingtheysee!Mylegsdidn’twanttowork.ButIgrittedmyteeth,tookadeepbreath—

andforcedmyselftomove.Mysneakersslidonthewetgrass.Islipped,butIdidn’tfall.Iscrambledtothebushesthatdividedmyauntanduncle’shousefromthe

Marlings’house.Idroppedtomyknees,pantingnoisily.Myheartpoundedsohard,mychest

hurt.Iduckedmyhead.Andgrabbedforthestrapsonmycameracase.A high, shrill animal howl floated out from theMarlings’ open bedroom

window.Thelightofthemoonmadethesideoftheirhousegleam.Theyardwasnearlyasbrightasday.Everythingglistenedfromthefrosty

dew.Duckinglowbehindthebushes,Icouldseeeveryleaf,everydew-covered

bladeofgrass.Ituggedatthezipperofmycameracase.IknewIhadtopullthecamera

out—fast.Butmyhandswereshakingsobad,Icouldn’tbudgethezipper.Anotherhowlmademeturnbacktothewindow.Ashadowmoved.Alegslidout.

Anotherleg.Aslenderformdroppedtotheground.Itallhappenedsoquickly.Asiftimehadbeenputonfast-forward.Myeyesonthewindow,Istruggledtounzipthecameracase.Another body crawled out from the darkness of the Marlings’ bedroom

window.Twoformsstoodonthegroundandstretched.Twohumans!Notwolves.Humans.Whatweretheywearing?Capes?Darkfurcapes,drapedovertheirshoulders,hangingheavilybehindthem.Theyhadtheirbackstome.Icouldn’tseetheirfaces.Handson theirwaists, theystretched,bendingback,bendingfromside to

side,asiflimberinguptheirmusclesforalongjog.Andthentheyraisedtheirheadstothemoon—andhowled.Turnaround! I pleaded silently, tremblingbehind thebushes.Please turn

around!Iwanttoseeyourfaces!“Ohhhh…”Iutteredastartledmoanastheirfurcapesbegantomove.The

heavycapesbegantocurlaroundthem,totightenaroundtheirbodies.AndIrealizedtheyweren’tcapes.Theyweresomekindofanimalskins.Furryskins.Witharms.Andlegs…Thedark skinswrapped themselves tightlyover the twohumans.The fur

spread over their bodies, slid over their heads, covered their legs, their arms,theirhands.

“Ohhhhh…” I shook so hard, I let go of the camera case and huggedmyself. Huggedmyself tight, trying to hold myself in, trying to keep myselftogether.

The two figures howled again, raising their furry arms over their heads.Silveryclawsslidoutfromtheirpaws.

The two creatures raked the claws at each other playfully, pretending toattack.Growlingandgrunting,theyloweredthemselvestoallfours.

Nolongerhumans.Animals…wolfcreatures…Hannah is right, I realized. She told the truth. The Marlings are

werewolves.Theyturnedintowolvesunderthemoonlight.Gasping for breath, I snatched up the camera case. I fumbled once again

withthezipper.Finallymanagedtopullitopen.Andtheyturned.Theybothturnedtowardme.Twowolves!Theirdarkeyesstaredoutfrombeneathfur-coveredforeheads.Theirfurry

snoutssnappedopentorevealrowsofcurledanimalteeth.Werewolves.TheMarlingswerewerewolves.Humanandwolfatthesame

time!Thewerewolvesnuzzledeachother,growlingsoftly.Iraisedthecamera.I

pulledmyselfuptomyknees.I’vegottosnapapicture.Doitnow,Alex!Iorderedmyself.Butmyhandsshooksobadly,Iwasn’tsureIcouldholdthecamerasteady

enough.Doit!Doit!Iraisedtheviewfindertomyeye.Istoodupalittlehighertoseeoverthe

topofthebush.“Ohhh.”AsIraisedmyself,asharptwigscrapedthesideofmyface.AndIdroppedthecamera!ItlandedonthegrasswithaTHUD.Thetwowolfcreaturesturned.Andsawme!

23

Isanktotheground.Pressedmyselfflatonmystomach.My chest heaved. I breathed through my mouth, struggling to keep

perfectlystill,perfectlysilent.Didtheyseeme?Didthey?Iraisedmyheadenoughtopeeroutatthembeneaththebottombranchof

thebush.Theyhadtheirfur-coveredsnoutsraised.Theysniffedtheair.Didtheysmellme?DidtheyknowIwashidingdownhere?Were they about to leap into the bush and ripme apart with those long,

silveryclaws?Iheldmybreath,squintingacrossthegrassatthem.Theysniffedsomemore,gruntingsoftly.Thentheyturnedaway.Droppedtoallfours.Andlopedoff,headingtothe

woods.IwaiteduntilIcouldnolongerhearthesoftthudoftheirpawsortheirlow

growlsandgrunts.ThenIslidforwardonmystomach,reachedout,andgrabbedmycamera.

Mycamera!Ihadn’tsnappedanyphotos.Notasingleshot.Iclimbedshakilytomyfeetandrubbedthewetdewfromthelens.ThenI

raisedmyeyestothewoods.Ihavetofollowthem,Idecided.Ihavetotakesomephotos.Thisisthechanceofalifetime!If I can take the first-ever shots of actual werewolves, I’ll be famous! I

picturedmyselfinnewspapersandonmagazinecovers.IimaginedmyphotosoftheMarlingsondisplayinfancyphotogalleries.

AndIthoughtofhowproudofmeUncleColinandAuntMartawouldbe.That thought sent a chill downmy back.UncleColin andAuntMarta—

theywereworkinginthewoodsrightnow.Busyphotographinganimalsofthenight.

Didtheyknowthattwowerewolveswereontheloose?Didtheyknowthattwowerewolveswereprowlingthewoods,searchingforvictims?

They’renotsafeoutthere,Irealized.Of course, following the werewolves into the woods was crazy—and

dangerous.ButnowIhadtworeasonstochaseafterthem.Ihadtosnapsomepictures—andwarnmyauntanduncle.Myeyesonthewoods,Ijammedthecameraintothecaseandslungitover

my shoulder. Then I began trotting across the backyard toward the trees,followingthefreshpawprintsinthefrostygrass.

I ducked into the trees and followed the curvingpath.Moonlight trickledthroughthetreetopleaves,makingeerie,shiftingpatternsontheground.

Ididn’thave togofar tocatchupwith the twowerewolves.Justpast thebent,old-mantree,Iheardananimalgrunt.Andthenashrillcryofattack.

Istopped—andpeeredthroughalowevergreenshrub.Mouthsgapingopen,clawsraised,thetwowolfcreaturesleaped.

They’vecaughtsomeone!Irealized,frozeninhorror.Whoisit?Myaunt?Myuncle?

24

Thetwowerewolveswrestledwiththeirprey.Iheardashrillbleatofpain.ThenIsawfourhoovesshootupintheair.Not a human, I realized, squinting into the dim light. They’ve trapped a

deer.Ababydeer.They’regoingtokillit.They’regoingtotearittoshreds.WhatcanIdo?Iaskedmyself.HowcanIsaveit?Ididn’tthink.Iwastooterrifiedtothinkclearly.Itossedbackmyhead.AndIletoutaloudwolfhowl.Mycryechoedoffthetrees.Thesnarlingwerewolvesstoppedtheirattack.Theyraisedtheirheads.Theyturnedtowardmycry.Justlongenoughforthefawntoscrambletoitsfeet.Itshookitself—likea

dogafterabath—andtookoffintothetrees.Thewerewolves sniffed the air furiously.Theydidn’t seem tonotice that

thefawnhadescaped.Theireyesglowedredinthepalemoonlight.Theyturned,utteringlow,angrygrowls.Loweredtheirheads.Andcamechargingatme.

25

Istaggeredback.Toofrightenedtomove.Notimetorun.Thegroundseemedtoshakeunderthethunderofthewolves’paws.Iopenedmymouthtoscream—butnosoundcameout.Thewolves’jawssnapped.Theirredeyesglowedasifonfire.Iraisedmyarmsinfrontofme,asiftoshieldmyself.Preparedfortheattack.Andthewolvesturnedaway.Turnedsharplytotheright,runningtogether.Ascrawnybrownrabbitscrambledoverthepath.Thewolveshadturnedawayfrommetochasetherabbit!Snarlingfuriously,theyloweredtheirheads—andcaughttherabbiteasily.Thelittlecreaturedidn’tputupmuchofafight.Onewolfsnappeditsneck.Theotherbithungrilyintoitsbelly.Breathinghard,Iswungmycameracasearound.Andpulledthecameraout

withaquickjerk.MyhandtrembledasIraisedtheviewfindertomyeye.ButIsteadiedthe

camerawithbothhands.Andclickedoffashot.Andthenanother.Isnappedashotofthewolvestuggingtherabbitapart.Andanothershotof

thetwoofthemeatingsidebyside.When the wolves finished, nothing remained of the rabbit. Licking their

teeth,theyturnedandlopedoffintothetrees.Holdingmycamerainfrontofmewithbothhands,Ifollowedafterthem.IguessIwasinsomekindofshock.IknowIwasn’tthinkingclearly.Iwasbarelythinkingatall!Ihadnearlybeencaughtbythetwowerewolves.Theywouldhavefinished

methewaythey’dfinishedthatpoorrabbit.ButIknewIhadtofollowthem.Ihadtostayinthewoods.Ihadtowarnmyauntanduncle.Ihadtofindthemandtellthemtheywere

wrongabouttheMarlings.ThatHannahtoldthetruth.Ihadtoletthemknowthedangertheywerein.AndIhadtotakemorephotographs.I’dbeenthroughsuchahorriblescare.Myheartpounded,andmyarmsand

legs felt all tremblyandweak. Ididn’t feel likeme. I felt as if Iwereoutsidemyself,watchingmyself.

ButIknewIcouldn’trunbackto thehouse.Notuntilmyauntanduncleweresafe.

Ikeptprettyfarbehindthecreatures,farenoughthatIcouldslipbehindatreeorbushifoneofthemglancedback.AndIkeptmycameraraised,readytosnapoffshots.

They loped slowly to the creek. I watched them lower their heads andnoisilylapupwater.

Theydidn’tlookatallhumannow.Theirbodieshadbecomewolfbodies.Icouldn’t see anything human in their faces. Their glowing eyes were animaleyes.

Theytookalongdrinkfromthecreek,washingdowntheirdinner,Iguess.Isteadiedmycameraandclickedoffseveralshots.

IwishedHannahhadcomewithme.Iwantedsomeoneelsetobetherewithme,toseewhatIwasseeing.

I couldn’t wait to get back and tell her that she was right about theMarlings.Thattheyreallywerewerewolves.

Thetwowolfcreaturessuddenlyraisedtheirheadsfromthewater,turned,andsniffedtheair.

Didtheysmellme?Orsomeotherprey?Islidbehindafattreetrunkandheldmybreath.When I carefully peered out, they were loping along the creek shore. I

waiteduntiltheyhadgoneashortdistance,thenIcreptoutandfollowedthem.I followed the twowerewolves all night. I finished one roll of film, then

poppedinanother.Ishotthemrisingupontheirfurryhindlegsandhowlingatthemoon.And I clicked off severalmore horrifying shots of them devouringsmallanimals.

AndIsearchedformyauntanduncle.Desperatetowarnthem,totellthemwhatIhadlearned.

AsItrailedbehindthecreatures—sofrightenedandexcited—Icompletelylost track of time. It was as if I were walking through a dream. None of it

seemedreal.Finally,aredcrackofsunlightappearedalongtheground.Tomyshock,it

wasnearlydaybreak.Thewerewolvesmovedslowlynow.Their loping trothadbecomeastiff-

leggedwalk.Astheysteppedoutofthetreesintotheirbackyard,theyroseupontotheir

hindlegs.Theystaggeredawkwardlytothebackoftheirhouse.Istayedbythetrees,afraidtogotooclose.Theskywasbrighteningasthe

sunmadeitswayhigher.Ifthewolfcreaturesturnedaround,theycouldseemeeasily.

Iraisedmycamera.Ihadonlyafewshotsleft.Thetwowerewolvesstaggeredontwolegstothesideoftheirhouse.They

stretchedtheirfurryforearmsandraisedtheirfacestothebrighteningsun.“Oh!”Icouldn’thelpit.Iutteredashockedcryastheybegantoshedtheir

skins.Thefurappearedtopeelback.Theclawsslidoutofview.Andthefurpulledback,revealingtheirhuman

hands.AsIgapedinamazement,theblackwolffurpeeledofftheirarmsandlegs,

thenslidofftheirbodies.Theyhadtheirbackstome.The fur skins settled into capes again. The two humans reached up and

pulledofftheheavycapes.I’mgoingtoseetheMarlingsforthefirsttime!Irealized.Theyloweredthewolfskincapestotheground.Theyturnedslowly.AndIsawtheirfaces.

26

As themorningsunlightwashedover their faces, Inearlycriedout—inhorroranddisbelief.

UncleColinandAuntMartastretched,brushedbacktheirsilveryhair,thenbenttopickuptheirwolfskins.

Myauntanduncle—theywerethewerewolves!UncleColinraisedhiseyestothewoods.Ifellbackbehindatree.Didhe

seeme?No.My whole body trembled. I wanted to cry out: “No! No! This can’t be

happening!”But I pressedmyself against the tree and keptmy jaws clamped tight. I

couldn’tletthemseeme.Icouldn’tletthemknowthatIknewthetruth.Thesmoothtreetrunkfeltcoolagainstmyforehead.Ihadtothink.Ihadto

makeaplan.WhatshouldIdo?IknewIcouldn’tstaywiththemanylonger.Icouldn’t

liveinahousewithtwowerewolves.ButwherecouldIgo?Whowouldhelpme?Whowouldbelieveme?Iwatchedmy aunt and uncle fold up theirwolf skins.ThenUncleColin

helped AuntMarta climb into theMarlings’ bedroomwindow. Once she wasinside,hefollowedherin.

“TheMarlings!”Imurmuredtomyself.Weretheyokayinthere?Ordidmyauntanduncledosomethingterribletothem?

Afewminuteslater,UncleColinandAuntMartaclimbedbackoutofthewindow.Thentheyscurriedacrossthedriveway,intotheirownhouse.

I clung to the tree trunk for awhile,watching the two houses. Thinkinghard.

Were the Marlings asleep in their house? Did they know that the twowerewolveswereinthere?WeretheMarlingswerewolvestoo?

Iwantedtorunaway.TomakemywaytothestreetandjustkeeprunninguntilIwasmilesandmilesaway.

But Ihad to findoutabout theMarlings. Icouldn’t leavewithout finding

outthetruthaboutthem.SoIwatchedthetwohousesforawhilelonger.Nosignofanyonemoving

about.Ipushedmyselfawayfromthetreeandquicklymademywaythroughthe

Marlings’overgrownbackyard.Iduckedbehindbushesandkeptmyeyesonmyaunt anduncle’shouse.

Theblindsontheirbedroomwindowswereshut.Holdingmybreath, Idarted to theMarlings’bedroomwindow. Igrabbed

thewindowsillandpeeredinside.Dark.Icouldn’tseeanything.“Heregoes,”Imurmuredsoftly.“Goodluck,Alex.”Iliftedmyselfupontothesill,thenloweredmylegsintotheroom.Ittooka

fewsecondsformyeyestoadjusttothedimlight.AndthenwhatIsawshockedmenearlyasmuchaslearningthatmyaunt

andunclewerewerewolves.Isawnothing.Thebedroomwascompletelybare.Notastickoffurniture.Noartworkor

mirrorsonthewall.Nocarpetoverthedust-coveredfloorboards.Turning to the bedroom door, I spotted the two wolf skins. They were

neatlyfoldedandpiledsidebysideinfrontofthecloset.Takingadeepbreath,Imovedcautiouslytotheopendoorway.Ipokedmy

headoutintothehall.Alsounlitandbare.“Anyonehome?”Ichokedoutinatinyvoice.“Hello?Anyonehome?”Silence.Icreptdownthehalltowardthefrontofthehouse.Ipeeredintoeachroom.Theywereallbareandempty,coveredwithathicklayerofdust.I stepped into themiddle of the living room.No furniture.No lights.No

signthatanyonehadlivedhereinyears!“Oh,wow!”IcriedoutasIrealizedthetruth.Myvoiceechoedoffthebare

walls.Nooneliveshere,Itoldmyself.TherearenoMarlings!Myauntandunclehadmade themup.Theyused thishouse tohide their

wolfskins.They’dmadeuptheMarlingstokeeppeopleoutofthehouse.NoMarlings.NoMarlings.NoMarlings.Itwasallalie!IhavetowarnHannah,Idecided.Nooneissafearoundhere.Ipicturedmyauntanduncledevouringthathelplesslittlerabbitlastnight.I

picturedthemwrestlingwiththatbabydeer.Ihave to tellHannahandher family, Idecided.And thenwehave to run

awayfromhere—asfaraswecan.I turned and made my way quickly through the empty house. Then I

loweredmyselfoutthebedroomwindowintothebackyard.Themorningsunwasstillaredball,lowoverthetreetops.Theearlydew

glistenedoverthegrass.“Hannah,Ihopeyou’reawake,”Imurmured.“Ifnot,I’llhavetowakeyou

up.”IturnedawayfromtheMarlings’windowandbegantorunacrosstheback

towardHannah’shouse.Iwentaboutsixorsevensteps.ThenIstoppedwithagaspasAuntMarta’s

voicerangoutbehindme.“Alex—whatonearthareyoudoingoutthere?”

27

Ispunaround.Mykneesnearlycollapsed.Thegroundtiltedup,thendown.AuntMartastoodinthekitchendoorway.“Alex—whyareyouupsoearly?

It’sSaturdaymorning.”Shenarrowedhereyesatmesuspiciously.“I—well…”Iwasshakingsohard,Icouldn’tspeak!“Whereareyougoing in suchahurry?”myauntdemanded. I sawUncle

Colinstandingbehindherinthekitchen.“To…Hannah’s,”Imanagedtoreply.“Totalkabout…uh…ourcostumes

fortrick-or-treatingtonight.”Iwatchedherface.Didshebelieveme?Ididn’tthinkso.“It’stooearlytoberunningovertoHannah’s,”shescolded.Shemotioned

formetocomeinside.“Comein,Alex.Comegetsomebreakfastfirst.”Ihesitated.Mymindwhirred.ShouldImakearunforit?Runtothestreetandkeepgoing?HowfarwouldIgetbeforetheycaughtme?Myauntandunclewereboth

werewolves. If theycaughtme—whatwould theydo tome?Would I be theirbreakfast?

No.Idecidednottorun.Notjustyet,anyway.NotuntilIhadachancetotalktoHannah.

I feltAuntMarta’seyesonmeas Imademywayslowly into thehouse.Uncle Colin muttered good morning. He stared hard at me too. “Early start,huh?”heaskedsoftly.

Inoddedandtookmyplaceatthebreakfasttable.“Marta and I worked all night,” Uncle Colin reported. He yawned. “We

tooksomeprettygoodshots.”That’salie!Iwantedtoshout.Ifollowedyou.Isawwhatyoudid.Iknow

whatyouare!ButIdidn’tsayanything.Juststareddownatmycerealbowl.I’mhavingbreakfastwithtwowerewolves!Ithought,feelingmystomach

churn.Myauntandunclerunthroughthewoodsatnight,murderingandrippinganimalsapart.

Ican’tsithereanotherminute!Itoldmyself.Istartedtogetup.

But I feltUncleColin’shandonmy shoulder. “Relax,Alex.Haveanicebreakfast,”hesaidsoftly.

“But,I—”Ididn’tknowwhattosay.Iwastooterrifiedtoeat.Iwantedhimtotakehishandoffme.Itwasmakingmywholebodytremble.

“It’sHalloween,”UncleColinsaid.“You’llbeoutlatetonight.”“Haveagoodbreakfast,”AuntMartachimedin.TheywatchedmeasIchokeddownmycornflakes.Theydidn’tsmile.They

werestudyingmecoldly.Theyknow that I followed them, Idecided.Theyknow that Iknow their

secret.They’renotgoingtoletmegetaway.“Uh…IhavetogotoHannah’snow,”Isaid,strugglingtosoundcalmand

cheerful.Islidmychairbackandstartedtostandup.ButIfeltUncleColin’shandgripmyshoulderagain.Hegraspedmetightly

andheldon.“Alex,comewithme,”heordered.

28

Hekepthishandclampedtightlyonmyshoulderasheledmetothebackofthegarage.Hewalkedquicklyanddidn’tsayaword.

IwonderedifIcouldbreakoutofhisgripandmakearunforit.HowfarwouldIget?

Heletgoofmyshoulder.Whatdidheplantodo?“I’m sorry I followed you,” I said in a chokedwhisper. “I—Iwon’t tell

anyonewhatIsaw.”Hehadn’theardme.Hehadmovedtothecornerofthegarageandpicked

upalong-handledtool.Heshovedittowardme.“Ineedyourhelpthismorning,”hesaid.“There’s

alotofyardworktobedone.”Iswallowed.“Yardwork?”Uncle Colin nodded. “That’s a weed whacker. Have you ever used one

before?”“No.Notreally,”Iconfessed.Thehandleshookinmyhand.“It’sprettyeasy,”hesaid.“Ineedyoutocutdownalltheseweedsbehind

thegarage.”“Yeah.Okay,”Ireplied,feelingdazed.“Andbecarefulnot to tossanyweeds in theMarlings’yard,”hewarned.

“I’msurethey’llbewatchingyoureverymove.Waitingtocomplaintousaboutyou.”

“Noproblem,”Ireplied.TherearenoMarlings!Iwantedtoscream.“I’llworkwithyou,”UncleColinsaid,wipingsweatoffhisforeheadwith

thebackofhishand.“Togetherwecanteachtheseweedsalessonthey’llneverforget.”Hegrinnedforthefirsttimethatmorning.

DoesheknowthatIknow?Iwondered.Isthatwhyhe’skeepingmeherethismorning?

MyuncleandIworkedintheyardallday.WheneverIwouldtakeashortbreak,I’dcatchhimwatchingmecoldly,studyingme.

Iwassofrightened.Iwantedtodropmytoolsandrun.

ButIcouldn’t leavewithoutwarningHannahandherfamily.Theyhadtoknowthattheywereindangertoo.

Ididn’tseeHannahuntilafterdinner.Sheburstinjustaswewerefinishing.“Well?HowdoIlook?”shedemanded.Shedidafasttwirlinherrag-doll

costume.“Youlookwonderful!”AuntMartagushed.Hannahfrownedatme.“Alex,where’syourcostume?Comeon.You’renot

readytotrick-or-treat?”“Uh… it’s upstairs,” I told her. “Itwon’t takeme long to get it together.

Uh…comehelpme—okay?”Ipracticallypulledherallthewaytomyroom.“It’sagreatnightout,”shesaid.“Perfectfortrick-or-treating.Thenightof

thefullmoon.”I tugged her into the room and shut the door behind us. “We’ve got a

problem,”Itoldher.She fiddled with the rag hat that flopped down over her forehead.

“Problem?”“Yeah.UncleColinandAuntMartaarewerewolves.”“Huh?”Hereyesbulged.“Whatdidyousay?”Iexplainedeverything.Speakingrapidlyinalowwhisper,Itoldherallthat

I’d seen last night. “They hide their wolfskins in the Marlings’ house,” Ifinished.

“ButtheMarlings—?”Hannahstarted.“TherearenoMarlings!”Icried.“Thehouseisempty.Myauntanduncle

useitasahidingplacefortheirwolfskins.”Hannah stared at me openmouthed for a long time. Her chin trembled.

“But…whatarewegoingtodo?”shecriedbreathlessly.“Yourauntanduncle—theyseemlikesuchnicepeople.They’vealwaysbeensonicetome.”

“They’rewerewolves!” I cried. “Wehave to tell your family.Wehave tohurryawayfromhere.Wehavetogethelp.Tellthepoliceorsomething.”

“But—but—”Hannahsputtered,herfacetwistedinpanic.Andsuddenly Ihadanother idea. “Wait!” I cried. “Hannah,whatdidMr.

Sheinsayaboutwerewolvessheddingtheirskin?Didn’thesaythatifsomeonefindstheirskinsandburnsthem,thewerewolveswillbedestroyed?”

Hannahnodded.“Yes.That’swhathesaid.But—”“Sothat’swhatwe’lldo!”Icriedexcitedly.“We’llgonextdoor,and—”

“Butyoudon’twanttokillyourauntanduncle—doyou?”Hannahreplied.“Oh.No.Of course not,” I told her. “I’m so frightened, I’mnot thinking

clearly.Ijustthought—”“Whoa.Wait aminute,Alex!”Hannah cried, grabbingmy arm. “I know

whatwecando.Ihaveaplanthatmightwork!”

29

I heard my aunt and uncle moving around in the living room. Outside thebedroom window, the white full moon was rising behind the trees.Wisps ofblackcloudfloatedoveritlikewrigglingsnakes.

Hannahtuggedmefartherintotheroom.“Whatifwehidethewolfskins?”sheaskedinanexcitedwhisper.

“Hidethem?”Iwhisperedback.“Whatwillthatdo?”“Your aunt and unclewon’t be able to find them,”Hannah replied. “The

nightwillpass.Theywon’tbeabletochangeintowolves.”“Somaybeiftheygoawholenightwithouttheskins,itwillcurethem!”I

cried.Hannah nodded. “It’s worth a try, Alex. It might just work, and—” She

stopped.“No.Wait.Ihaveanevenbetteridea.We’llweartheskins!”“Excuseme?”Igasped.“Wearthem?Why?”“Because your aunt and uncle will search everywhere for the skins,”

Hannahreplied.“They’llsearcheveryhouse,everygarage,everyyard.Buttheywon’tlookforthemonus!That’sthelastplacethey’dlook!”

“Igetit,”Ireplied.“Andwe’llmakesuretostayawaysotheydon’tseeusuntilafterdaybreak.”

Iwasn’tsurewhethertheplanmadeanysenseornot.HannahandIwerebothtoofrightenedtothink!

Maybe… just maybe… we could cure Uncle Colin and Aunt Marta bykeepingtheskinsfromthemuntilmorning.

“Let’stryit,”Isaid.“Okay,”Hannah agreed. “Quick—get into your pirate costume.Wedon’t

wantyourauntanduncletosuspectanything.Whileyou’redoingthat,I’llsneaknextdoorandslipononeofthewolfskins.”

ShepushedmetowardtheoldclothesIhadtossedontothebed.“Hurry.It’sgetting late.Meetme in back of the garage. I’ll bring out yourwolf skin foryou.”

Hannahdisappearedout thedoor.Iheardher in the livingroom.Shesaidgood-byetoUncleColinandAuntMartaandtoldthemshewasgoingtomeetmeoutside.

Iheard the frontdoor slam.Hannahwasonherwaynextdoor toget thewolfskins.

Iquicklypulledontheraggedoldshirtandtorntrousersofmycostume.Iwrappedabandannaaroundmyhead.

Asoundatthebedroomdoormademespinaround.“AuntMarta!”Icried.She stood in the doorway, frowning at me. “It won’t work,” she said,

shakingherhead.“Huh?”Igasped.“Alex,itwon’twork,”sherepeatedunhappily.

30

Myauntmovedquicklyintotheroom.Icouldn’tmove.Notimetotryanescape.“Itwon’twork.Thatcostumewon’twork,”AuntMarta said, shakingher

head.“Youneedsomemakeup.Someblackstainsonyour face.Something tomakeyoulooklessclean!”

Iburstoutlaughing.IthoughtAuntMartahadoverheardourplan.Butsheonlywantedtoimprovemypiratecostume!

Ittookseveralminutesformyaunttoapplythemakeup.Thenshesearchedseveraldrawersuntilshefoundagoldhoopearring,whichsheclippedononeear.

“There.Muchbetter,” she said,grinning. “Now,hurry.Hannah iswaitingforyou.”

I thanked her and hurried out. Hannahwaswaiting for me. Behind thegarage.Alreadyinawolfskin.

IgaspedwhenIsawher.ItwassostrangeseeingHannah’seyespeeringoutfromaboveafur-coveredsnout.

“Whattookyousolong?”shedemanded.Hervoicewasmuffledinsidethefurrywolfhead.

“AuntMarta,” I replied.“Shehad to fixupmycostume.” InarrowedmyeyesatHannah.“Howdoesitfeelinthere?”

“Veryitchy,”shegrumbled.“Andhot.Here.”Shehandedmetheotherwolfskin.“Hurry.Put iton.Themoonisalreadyhigh.Yourauntandunclewillbelookingforthesesoon.”

Itooktheskinfromher.Myhandsankintothethickfur.Iunfoldeditandheld it up. “Here goes,” I whispered. “I said I wanted to be a werewolf forHalloween.GuessIgetmywish.”

“Justhurry!”Hannahurged.“Wedon’twantthemtocatchus.”I pulled the wolf skin over my head. Down over the old clothes of my

costume.It felta little tight.Especially thefurry legs.Thefacefitsnuglyovermyface.

“You’reright.It’sitchy,”Igroaned.“It’ssotight.I’mnotsureIcanwalk!”“It loosensup after a bit,”Hannahwhispered. “Comeon.Let’s get away

fromhere.”Sheledthewayacrossthebackyard.Thenweturnedandtrottedalongthe

sideofherhouseanddowntothestreet.Iheardvoicesinthenextblock.Kidsshouting,“Trick-or-treat!”“Wemight be safer with other kids,” I suggested. “Imean, if we find a

wholegroupandstickwithit….”“Goodidea,”Hannahreplied.Wecrossedthestreet.Itwasalreadygettingreallyhotinsidemywolfskin.Icouldfeelthesweat

runningdownmyforehead.Wewalkedforseveralblocks.Butmostofthekidswereyoungerthanus.

Wedidn’tfindanyonegoodtohangoutwith.We turned a corner and walked several more blocks, into the next

neighborhood.“Hey—lookwho’sthere!”Hannahdeclared,bumpingmyarm.I followedhergazeandsawamummyanda robotcarrying trick-or-treat

bagsacrosssomeone’sfrontlawn.“It’sSeanandArjun,”Hannahcried.“Let’s trick-or-treat with them!” I suggested. I began running across the

grass,wavingmypawatthem.“Hey,guys!Hey!”Theyturnedandstaredatus.“Waitup!”Icalledthroughmyfur-coveredsnout.Theyscreamed.Anddroppedtheirbags.Andtookoff,runningfullspeed,

shriekingforhelp.Hannah and I stopped at the edge of a driveway andwatched them run.

“Thinkmaybewescaredthem?”Hannahsaid,laughing.“Maybealittle,”Ireplied.Webothlaughed.Butnotforlong.Iheardheavy,runningfootstepsonthepavementbehindus.Iturned—andletoutagaspasmyauntandunclecamerunningfuriously

downthestreet.“Theretheyare!”UncleColincried,pointingatus.“Getthem!”

31

Ifrozeforamoment,horrifiedbythesightofmyauntandunclerunningtowardussofuriously,sodesperately.

“Don’tmove!”AuntMartapleaded.“Weneedthoseskins!”Mylegsrefusedtobudge.ButthenHannahgavemeahardshove.Andwe

bothtookoff.We ran wildly, across lawns and empty lots. We cut behind someone’s

house,thendovethroughanopeningintheirtallhedge.Myauntandunclestayedclosebehind,runningfullspeed,andcallingout

astheyran,“Giveusourskins!Giveusourskins!”Theirbreathlessvoicesranginmyears.Theirwordsbecameaneeriechant.“Giveusourskins!Giveusourskins!”Wemusthave run forblocks. It allbecameadarkblur tome.Myheavy

wolfpaws thumped theground. I struggled tokeepmybalance.Sweatpoureddownmyfaceinsidetheheavyfur.

Another turn.More dark backyards.And then the tilting, tangled trees ofthewoodsroseupinfrontofus.

HannahandIdoveintothewoods,dartingbetweenthetreesandtallweeds.And stillmy aunt and uncle came after us, chanting, chanting their desperateplea:

“Giveusourskins!Giveusourskins!”Wescrambledupalowhilllinedwithevergreens.Pineconesslidundermy

heavy paws and rolled down the hill. Hannah stumbled and dropped to herknees.Shescrambledonallfourstothetop.

“Giveusourskins!Giveusourskins!”Thecrygrewshrillandbreathless.Andthen—suddenly—everythingseemedtostop.Asifthewholeworldhadstoppedspinning.Asifeventhewindhadstoppedblowingontopofthatlittlehill.Icouldfeelthesilence.UncleColinandAuntMartahadstoppedtheirchant.Panting,HannahandIturnedtofacethem.

“Themoon—”Hannah whispered breathlessly to me. She pointed. “Thefullmoon,Alex.It’ssohigh.Itmustbeatitspeak.”

And as she whispered those words, my aunt and uncle dropped to theirknees.Theytossedbacktheirheads.Asthewhitelightofthemoonwashedovertheirfaces,Isawtheirpain,theirhorror.

Theyopenedtheirmouthsinlong,mournfulhowls.Their howls became hideous screams. They tore at their hair with both

hands.Shuttheireyes.Andscreamed,screamedinagony.“Hannah—whathavewedone?”Icried.

32

Tuggingattheirhair,myauntandunclescreamed.Andthen,theyloweredtheirhands.Andclosedtheirmouths.Andacalm

seemedtosweepoverthem.AsHannahandIstareddownatthem,UncleColinandAuntMartahelped

eachothertotheirfeet.Theybrushedeachotheroff.Smootheddowntheirhair.Whentheyfinallygazedupatus,Isawtearsintheireyes.“Thankyou,”theybothcried.“Thankyouforsavingus!”UncleColinexclaimed.Andthentheyrushedupthehilltohugus,hugussojoyfully.“You freed us from the curse!”AuntMarta declared, tears running down

her face. “The moon reached the highest point in the sky, and we didn’ttransform.ColinandIarenolongerwerewolves!”

“How can we ever thank you?” Uncle Colin cried. “You are both sowonderful.Sobrave.”

“Sohot!”Igrumbled.“Ican’twaittogetoutofthisitchyskin!”Everyonelaughed.“Let’s go back to our house!” Aunt Marta cried. “We’ll have a real

celebration!”Thefourofushurriedbacktothehouse.Welaughedandjokedalltheway.UncleColinandAuntMartamade theirway in through thekitchendoor.

“Homemade doughnuts!” Aunt Marta promised. “And big mugs of hotchocolate!Howdoesthatsound?”

“Soundsgreat!”HannahandIagreed.Hannahstartedtofollowthemintothehouse.ButIheldherback.“Let’s dump the skins next door,” I said. “No one will ever need them

again.Let’sdumpthemintheabandonedhouse.”Shehesitated.Sheseemedafraidtogobackintothatdark,emptyhouse.ButIwentrunningovertotheMarlings’house.Icouldn’twaittotakeoff

thehot,smellywolfskin.Ipulledmyselfontothewindowledge,thenloweredmylegsintotheopen

bedroomwindow.Isteppedintotheroom.Palemoonlightwashedoverthebarefloorboards.

Hannahdroppedintotheroombehindme.“Alex—?”shecalled.Istartedtotugofftheheavywolfskin.Butsomethingneartheclosetcaughtmyeye.Istoppedandwalkedovertoit.Afolded-upwolfskinlayontheflooragainstthewall.“Huh?”I let out a startled cry.And turned toHannah. “Howcan therebe awolf

skininhere?”Iasked.“Therewereonlytwoof them—right?Youputoneon,andyougaveonetome.”

Hannahsteppedupbesideme.Hereyeslockedonmine.“Ididn’tweartheone from this house,Alex,” she said softly. “I usedmy own. I just got it lastnight.”

“Huh?”Icried.“Idon’tgetit.”“Youwill,”shewhispered.Sheknockedme to the floorwithherheavyforepaws,andsankher teeth

intomychest.

Scanning,formattingandproofingbyUndead.