60 - Werewolf Skin Read online

  18

  The door must be stuck, I decided.

  I tugged it hard. Tugged it a dozen times. I even tried pushing. But I couldn’t budge it. It had definitely been locked, locked from the outside.

  I angrily spun away from the door.

  Why did my aunt and uncle lock me in? I wondered. Because of last night? Because of my close calls in the woods?

  “They can’t do this to me!” I exclaimed.

  I ran to the window. I jerked the curtains apart and reached for the window handles.

  The window slid up a few inches—and I let out a gasp.

  Metal bars had been installed outside.

  When did they put those on? This afternoon?

  I’m a prisoner! I told myself. I’m locked in this room like an animal in a cage!

  “They can’t do this to me!” I repeated. “They can’t!”

  I slid the window up all the way. I grabbed the metal bars with both hands and struggled to pry them loose.

  But they wouldn’t budge.

  I was still tugging on the bars when I heard a low growl.

  My hands dropped away, and a sharp cry escaped my throat.

  I froze.

  And heard another growl. Louder this time.

  And close. So close.

  A shrill howl rose up. From the Marlings’ 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 lights anywhere.

  I squinted into the darkness. The moon had disappeared behind a cloud. I could barely see across to their house.

  Pressed against the bars, I heard an animal grunt. And then a thud.

  A dark shape dropped down from the Marlings’ open window. Another thud. Another shape dropped down on all fours.

  One of the creatures raised its head in a long, mournful howl.

  And then they took off, loping heavily toward the backyard, heading to the woods.

  Dogs? Wolves? Humans?

  I couldn’t see clearly in the darkness.

  I stared out, and a silvery light washed over the house as the cloud drifted away from the moon.

  But now it was too late. Too late.

  The creatures had vanished.

  I pounded the bars with my fists.

  Sean and Arjun were waiting for me by the creek. And there was no way I could get there.

  What would they think? That I was a total chicken? A wimp?

  I’m missing my big chance to take a winning photograph! I realized.

  Angrily, I slammed the window shut.

  “Tomorrow night!” I declared out loud. “Tomorrow night I’m getting out of here. My aunt and uncle won’t stop me.

  “Tomorrow night I’m going into the woods, and I’m going to find out the truth about werewolves!”

  19

  “How could you do that to me?” I shrieked. I burst into the kitchen for breakfast the next morning, and strode angrily up to my aunt and uncle.

  “How could you lock me in my room without telling me?” I cried.

  Aunt Marta set down her coffee mug. She gazed up at me with a troubled expression. Then she turned to Uncle Colin. “Maybe we should have told Alex,” she said.

  Uncle Colin narrowed his eyes at me. “Did you try to get out last night, Alex?”

  “Well…” I hesitated. I didn’t want to tell them what I had planned to do. “I don’t like being in a cage!” I protested. “I’m twelve years old, and I really think—”

  “We’re sorry,” Aunt Marta interrupted. She glanced at the kitchen clock and poured me out a bowl of cornflakes.

  “But we did it for your own good,” Uncle Colin added. He folded his napkin tensely between his hands. “We had no choice. We can’t let you go running out to the woods the way you did your first night. It just isn’t safe.”

  “We’re responsible for you,” Aunt Marta said, pushing the cereal bowl across the table to me. “We promised your parents we’d return you safe and sound. We don’t want to lock you in, Alex. But we have to make sure—”

  “But—but—” I sputtered.

  “Besides, the Marlings called the police yesterday,” Uncle Colin said, frowning.

  “They what?” I cried. “They called the police—about me?”

  He nodded. “They complained about you spying on them,” he said.

  I let out an angry scream. “That’s totally stupid!” I cried. “I didn’t spy on them! I didn’t do anything to them!”

  “Okay, okay.” Aunt Marta came around the table and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about the Marlings. Just don’t go anywhere near their house—okay?”

  I turned to her. “Are they werewolves?” I blurted out.

  Uncle Colin gasped.

  Aunt Marta uttered a short laugh. “Is that what Hannah told you?” she demanded.

  “Well… yes,” I replied.

  She shook her head. “Hannah has a twisted sense of humor,” she said.

  “The Marlings are just very odd, very unfriendly people,” Uncle Colin told me. He glanced out the kitchen window toward their house. And added: “Two unfriendly people with two very unfriendly dogs.”

  “Hannah said they don’t have any dogs,” I insisted.

  Uncle Colin made a disgusted face. “Tell your friend Hannah to stop pulling your leg.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “She’s trying to scare you, Alex. Don’t listen to her.”

  The doorbell rang. Hannah had arrived to walk me to school.

  I was happy to get out of the house. I still felt angry about being locked up.

  As we walked to school, I didn’t tell Hannah about it. I knew she’d probably think it was funny. And she’d tell other kids about how my aunt and uncle were so worried about me, they locked me in like a baby.

  I didn’t mention the Marlings’ dogs, either. I didn’t want to get into another argument about werewolves. I wanted to find out the truth for myself.

  At school, I hung my jacket in my locker and started to Mr. Shein’s class. But as I turned the corner, Sean and Arjun stepped up to block my path.

  They’d been waiting for me. They moved quickly to back me against the wall. Their eyes glowed with excitement.

  “Hey, Alex.” Sean poked me in the shoulder.

  “Seen any werewolves lately?” Arjun demanded.

  20

  “Uh… well…” I didn’t know what to say. “You see… my aunt and uncle…”

  Why were they staring at me like that? Were they trying to scare me?

  A strange grin spread over Sean’s face. “Have a good time in the woods last night?” he asked.

  “Yeah. How was it?” Arjun demanded. “Catch any werewolves, Alex?”

  I bumped them off me and stepped away from the wall. “You mean you weren’t there?” I cried.

  They both burst out laughing. They slapped each other a high five.

  “Of course not!” Arjun declared. “Why would we go into the woods in the middle of the night?”

  “I was sound asleep by midnight,” Sean said, grinning.

  They laughed and congratulated each other again.

  A joke. The whole thing had been a joke. They didn’t wait for me in the woods at midnight. They never intended to go to the woods.

  “So how was it?” Sean asked. “Were you surprised when Arjun and I didn’t show up?”

  “No. I didn’t even think of you,” I told them. “Do you know why? Because I was too busy taking photos of the werewolf!”

  “Huh?” Sean cried.

  It was their turn to be surprised.

  Of course I was lying. But they had no way of knowing that I hadn’t gone to the woods, either.

  “What did you see?” Arjun asked suspiciously.

  “I followed a werewolf,” I told him, forcing myself not to crack a smile. “He came to the creek and he drank, just as you said.”

  “Give me a break,” Sean groaned.<
br />
  “Yeah. Really!” Arjun rolled his eyes. “In your dreams.”

  “I can prove it. I took a whole roll of film,” I told them.

  “Let’s see the pictures,” Sean demanded.

  “I haven’t developed them yet,” I replied.

  They stared at me, trying to decide if I was telling the truth. I felt a laugh about to explode inside me. But somehow I kept a straight face.

  The bell rang.

  “We’re late!” Arjun cried.

  The three of us bolted down the hall to the room. We dove into our seats two seconds before Mr. Shein walked in.

  Don’t ask me what we talked about all morning. I didn’t hear a word.

  I was thinking hard, thinking about Sean and Arjun. What was I going to tell them tomorrow when they asked to see the werewolf photos?

  Would I have to confess that I lied to them?

  No, I decided. I had a better plan.

  “I’m going to sneak out tonight and take pictures of the Marlings’ house,” I whispered into the phone.

  “Huh? Alex? Why are you whispering?” Hannah’s voice rang shrilly in my ear.

  I was whispering because my aunt and uncle had only one telephone. An old-fashioned black phone set on a table in the living room. And the two of them were in the next room preparing dinner. I could see them from the armchair I slumped in.

  “Hannah, I’m going to hide at the side of the house,” I whispered. “And I’m going to snap some pictures of whoever—or whatever—jumps out of that bedroom window tonight.”

  “Do you have a sore throat or something?” Hannah demanded. “I can’t hear you, Alex.”

  I opened my mouth to repeat what I’d said—but Aunt Marta entered the room. “Dinner is ready, Alex. Who are you talking to?” she asked.

  “Hannah,” I told my aunt. “I’ve got to go,” I said into the phone. “Talk to you later.” I hung up the receiver.

  I hoped that maybe Hannah might want to sneak out at midnight and keep me company. I’ll have to ask her later, I decided.

  Yawning, pretending to be very sleepy, I went to my room a little after ten o’clock. A few minutes later, I heard the lock click outside my door. My aunt or uncle had locked me in again.

  But this time, I fooled them. This time, I was prepared.

  Before dinner, I’d jammed a wad of bubblegum into the latch. The door wasn’t really closed.

  Once again, I pulled on an extra sweater. And checked out my camera. And waited, gazing at the bed-table clock.

  Just before midnight, I swung the camera case over my shoulder. Slid the bedroom door open easily. And crept out of the house, under the white light of the moon, ready to solve the mystery of the Marlings.

  21

  I cast a quick glance at the Marlings’ house. Then I turned away and trotted across the wet grass to Hannah’s house.

  No lights were on. The storm door in back hadn’t been shut. The wind made it swing open, as if inviting me in.

  But I made my way up to Hannah’s bedroom window on the other side of the house. Silver moonlight washed over the glass, making it reflect the trees like a mirror.

  I couldn’t see inside. But the window was open a few inches.

  “Hannah—?” I called in a loud whisper. “Hannah—are you awake?”

  I heard someone stirring inside. The curtains shifted. “Who’s there?” Hannah called out sleepily.

  “It’s me!” I whispered, standing on tiptoe. “It’s Alex. Come to the window.”

  “Alex? What are you doing out there?” she demanded.

  “I’m going to take photos of the Marlings,” I told her. “Come out with me, Hannah.”

  “Huh? Photos?” she called out. “But it’s so late, Alex. I was asleep, and—”

  “Every night I hear howls from their house,” I told her. “And then someone—or something—jumps out of their bedroom window and runs into the woods. My uncle says it’s their dogs, but—”

  “I told you,” she interrupted. “The Marlings don’t have dogs. They’re werewolves. I know you don’t believe me. But it’s true. Your aunt and uncle know it’s true. But they don’t want you to be scared.”

  “That’s why I want to take photos,” I explained. “I mean, I could be the first person in the world to get a werewolf on film! Get dressed, Hannah. Come on!” I pleaded. “I want you to see too.”

  “You’re crazy, Alex! Get back in the house!” Hannah warned. She appeared at the window. She pulled it up higher and leaned out.

  “I’m not coming out there,” she insisted. “It’s too dangerous. You told me about those two animals you saw. They were ripped to shreds—right? If the Marlings see you, they’ll do the same thing to you!”

  Her words sent a cold shiver down the back of my neck. But I was desperate to solve the mystery—and to snap a great photo.

  “They won’t see us!” I told her. “We’ll hide behind the bushes at the side of the house.”

  “Don’t say us,” Hannah called out. “I’m not doing it, Alex. I’m too scared. I’m warning you, go back inside.”

  “Please!” I pleaded. I grabbed her arm. “Come on out, Hannah. You want to see the werewolves too—don’t you?”

  “No way!” She jerked her arm away. “Go home, Alex,” she repeated. “It’s not a game. It’s really dangerous.”

  “Listen, Hannah—” I started.

  But she slid the window shut.

  I stared at the reflection of the trees in the glass. Maybe she’s right, I thought. Another cold shiver ran down my back. Maybe this is a big mistake. Maybe it is too dangerous. If the Marlings catch me…

  I gasped when I heard a low growl.

  I froze.

  I didn’t have to turn around. I knew from the sound.

  A werewolf—it had sneaked up behind me.

  22

  Another low grunt made me cry out.

  My knees started to collapse. I took a deep, shivering breath and spun around to face the creature.

  No.

  Not there.

  No one there.

  I swallowed. Swallowed again. My mouth suddenly felt bone-dry.

  Another growl. I realized where it came from. From the back of the Marlings’ house.

  They’re about to jump out the window, I told myself. Those are the sounds I hear every night just before they climb out the bedroom window.

  And I’m standing out here in the open. I’ll be the first thing they see!

  My legs didn’t want to work. But I gritted my teeth, took a deep breath—and forced myself to move.

  My sneakers slid on the wet grass. I slipped, but I didn’t fall.

  I scrambled to the bushes that divided my aunt and uncle’s house from the Marlings’ house.

  I dropped to my knees, panting noisily. My heart pounded so hard, my chest hurt.

  I ducked my head. And grabbed for the straps on my camera case.

  A high, shrill animal howl floated out from the Marlings’ open bedroom window. The light of the moon made the side of their house gleam.

  The yard was nearly as bright as day. Everything glistened from the frosty dew.

  Ducking low behind the bushes, I could see every leaf, every dew-covered blade of grass.

  I tugged at the zipper of my camera case. I knew I had to pull the camera out—fast. But my hands were shaking so bad, I couldn’t budge the zipper.

  Another howl made me turn back to the window.

  A shadow moved.

  A leg slid out.

  Another leg.

  A slender form dropped to the ground.

  It all happened so quickly. As if time had been put on fast-forward.

  My eyes on the window, I struggled to unzip the camera case.

  Another body crawled out from the darkness of the Marlings’ bedroom window.

  Two forms stood on the ground and stretched.

  Two humans!

  Not wolves.

  Humans.

  What were they wear
ing?

  Capes?

  Dark fur capes, draped over their shoulders, hanging heavily behind them.

  They had their backs to me. I couldn’t see their faces.

  Hands on their waists, they stretched, bending back, bending from side to side, as if limbering up their muscles for a long jog.

  And then they raised their heads to the moon—and howled.

  Turn around! I pleaded silently, trembling behind the bushes. Please turn around! I want to see your faces!

  “Ohhhh…” I uttered a startled moan as their fur capes began to move. The heavy capes began to curl around them, to tighten around their bodies.

  And I realized they weren’t capes. They were some kind of animal skins.

  Furry skins. With arms. And legs…

  The dark skins wrapped themselves tightly over the two humans. The fur spread over their bodies, slid over their heads, covered their legs, their arms, their hands.

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

  The two figures howled again, raising their furry arms over their heads. Silvery claws slid out from their paws.

  The two creatures raked the claws at each other playfully, pretending to attack. Growling and grunting, they lowered themselves to all fours.

  No longer humans.

  Animals… wolf creatures…

  Hannah is right, I realized. She told the truth. The Marlings are werewolves. They turned into wolves under the moonlight.

  Gasping for breath, I snatched up the camera case. I fumbled once again with the zipper. Finally managed to pull it open.

  And they turned. They both turned toward me.

  Two wolves!

  Their dark eyes stared out from beneath fur-covered foreheads. Their furry snouts snapped open to reveal rows of curled animal teeth.

  Werewolves. The Marlings were werewolves. Human and wolf at the same time!

  The werewolves nuzzled each other, growling softly. I raised the camera. I pulled myself up to my knees.