I looked up at Adam and saw envy and kindness in his eyes as he watched my loving parents comfort one another. I longed for the same companionship with him, but like him I never forgot that species barrier. If only he'd trust himself and me enough to make the choice I so desperately wanted. I slipped my hand into his, and he looked into my eyes.
"Jealous much?" I teased in a whispering voice.
He smiled. "Perhaps."
"What are you two plotting over there?" my dad spoke up.
I pulled my hand from Adam's grip and glared at him. "We weren't doing anything," I argued.
He gestured to the kitchen island that held the sandwich ingredients. "Then how about you come over here and make yourself a sandwich before the mayo gets warm," he scolded us.
Lunch was served and we had nothing better to do for the remainder of the day then to play games. Card games was the preferred entertainment, but strip poker was ruled out on account of my not wanting to be traumatized seeing my parents in any state of undress. It was nearing dinner when I left the game for a while to go to the bathroom.
I came back down the stairs and heard whisperings from the living room where the others sat around the table. Their voices were too low to catch anything definite, but that made me even more suspicious. I tiptoed to the doorway and slid my back against the wall.
"Quiet," I heard Adam hiss to the others.
"What-oh," my mom replied.
"Chris, you can come out," Adam called to me.
I stepped into the doorway and looked over the scene in front of me. There sat the three conspirators. Adam had his back to me so I couldn't see his face, but my parents showed their guilt in their actions. My mom looked intently at her cards like her life depended on it, and the corners of my dad's lips twitched up until he suppressed the smile.
I folded my arms across my chest and glared at them. "All right, 'fess up, what's going on?"
"Confess to what, Chrissy?" my mom asked without looking up from her cards.
"To whatever you were just plotting. Nobody whispers around this house unless they're plotting," I replied.
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," she argued.
"I think she's talking about our trip to town tomorrow," Adam spoke up.
I took my place at the table, leaned one elbow on the top and raised an eyebrow. "What trip to town?"
"Your mom insists on replacing my clothes that were destroyed by the skunk," he explained.
I turned to her. "Is this true?"
"Well-um, yes. Yes it is," she hastily agreed.
"I thought you didn't want anybody going to town tomorrow," I reminded her.
"Well, I'm sure your father is right about the roads being just fine, and the snow is supposed to stop during the night," she told me.
I flitted my eyes to Dad. "Are you agreeing with this flimsy excuse?"
"I am staying out of this," he replied.
I swiped my cards from the table and glanced from one to the other of the conspirators. "I'll find out what you were talking about. As God is my witness, I will know what you were talking about."
"That's nice, dear. Now who's turn was it?" Mom asked us.
Chapter 12
At nine o'clock all the card games were spent and we hit the hay early. My parents lingered downstairs while Adam and I went to our rooms. I led the way, and at our doors I grabbed his arm and pulled him into my room. I dropped him onto the end of my bed, and stood over him with my arms crossed over my chest and my eyes narrowed.
"All right, what's going on?" I demanded to know.
"With what?" he wondered.
"With you and my parents. What were you talking about while I was in the bathroom?" I insisted.
He shrugged. "About our trip to town tomorrow."
"And am I allowed to go on this little trip to town?"
"Your mom wishes for you to remain here to watch the house," he informed me.
"Uh-huh, and what else are you going to do in town?" I questioned him.
He tilted his head to one side like an adorable, innocent puppy. "'Else?'" he repeated.
"Yeah, besides the new clothes. You two are sneaky and thorough enough to bring back them, but I want to know what you're really doing."
Adam smiled and stood so that I was forced to retreat two feet. "Chris, whatever evil plot you believe your parents and I have concocted is pure fabrication. We are merely going into town for a short shopping trip, and will return within an hour."
I stepped up to him and poked my finger in his chest. "Aha! That's where you slipped up! No self-respecting man would want to go on a shopping trip unless he's doing something special! Now what is it?"
Adam grabbed my hand and gallantly kissed the back of my fingers. In my momentary infatuation he changed our positions so I was farthest away from the door. He released me, stepped back and opened the door, and gave me a dazzling, mischievous smile. "I will see you tomorrow morning." With that farewell he shut the door behind himself.
It took me a few seconds to realize he'd charmed himself out of the room, and out of my finding out what they were up to. I growled, but vowed vengeance and a satisfaction to my curiosity tomorrow. As I prepared for bed I heard the wind moan and groan outside my window. I walked over to the glass and peered out. My window allowed a view of the road and just a smidge of the barnyard. The snow came down in thick bunches of flakes, and the wind battered them against the side of the house. The night was so miserable that I hoped even the murderous werewolf was somewhere warm. After that I lay down to sleep.
The next morning I again awoke to a soft, quick rap on my bedroom door. "We're leaving, Chrissy. There's a warm plate of eggs and bacon in the kitchen, and if you need anything you can call Adam," my mom called to me.
I sat up in a groggy gaze and heard Mom's footsteps hurry away. My eyes widened. Leaving? Oh hell no, they weren't doing what I thought they were doing. I flung my sheets aside, jumped from the bed and raced to my door. The front door shut when I opened mine. Too late. I rushed to the window, flung open the glass, and hung over the sill. The wind and snow had stopped some time in the night and the glistening whiteness lay all around the fields and house.
However, that wasn't important. What was important was that my car-MY CAR-was headed down the driveway with Adam at the wheel.
I shook my fist at the thieves. "Get back here! That's my car!" I yelled at them.
They didn't even slow down, and in a moment they turned onto the main road and disappeared from sight. I growled and pulled my head back inside. They would pay for ditching me, but first I would deal with that bacon and eggs.
I dressed and walked downstairs. The house was eerily quiet without the sound of Mom in the kitchen and Dad talking with her. I even missed Adam, curse his soul for abandoning me. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed the warm plate of food, and strode into the dining room. Normally I abstained from my mom's seat at the foot of the table, but I felt jilted and took her chair just to spite her.
That meant I faced the front of the house, and the living room windows looked out on the barnyard and barn. I lifted a fork-full of food to my mouth when something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. It was movement from the barn. The barn door was slightly ajar. Dad never left it open. Ever.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I forgot my food and raced to my phone that I kept in my room. Adam's number was dutifully dialed, and I placed the phone to my ear. It went straight to voice mail. In all the excitement he'd either shut it off or forgot to charge it. That meant I was alone with a mystery, and I was going to solve it.
I slunk to the closet beneath the stairs. There I found an old rifle, no longer usable but kept around to scare people. I was plenty scared myself as I pulled on my coat, and crept outside and across the snow to the barn. Dad's car was gone hours ago, off to appease his editorial obsession with perfection. I crept quietly over to the opening between the door and the wall. It was only a foot wide, but a foot wider than wh
at it was supposed to be. I craned my neck and peered into the darkness. The barn smelled of hay and oil, and the few windows along the sides didn't allow much light to penetrate the semi-night that existed in the building. There was another pair of double doors on the opposite side of the barn, but those were chained shut by a rusted lock.
I'd have to go inside.
I tightened my grip on the gun and slipped inside. Nothing stirred but a few strands of straw and dust beneath my feet. I crept along the left side, careful to watch for loose tools, nails, and flitting shadows of homicidal werewolves. My journey brought me to the end of the barn where, on each side, lay a ladder that led into the hay lofts. Old hay was stacked one to two bales high up there.
I was just about to give up when I noticed a few slivers of hay fall from the cracks in the hay loft above me. Someone, or something, was up there. I retraced my steps to the spot and peered upward between the cracks. A small shadow the size of a human swayed to and fro. I pointed the end of the barrel at the shadow and jumped out from beneath the loft.
"Hands in the air or I'll shoot!" I yelled at the intruder.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" shouted a feeble old voice. A small man with whitish mousy hair jumped up and held his hands over his head. "It's just me, Eb Scald!"
My heartbeat lessened, and I lowered the barrel and glared at him. "Eb, what the hell are you doing up there?"
His eyes flitted around the barn and he lowered himself back down into his hiding spot so I could only see his head. "Hiding."
"Well, you're hiding's gotten you into trouble because I thought something got you. The sheriff's probably out looking for you right now," I told him.
"He can keep looking for me," Eb snapped.
I put a hand on my hip and glared at him. "Eb, get out of my dad's barn before I call the cops myself."
He shook his head. "No, I have to stay here. I-I don't know why, but I have to. That something's chasing me, and I feel safe here."
My heartbeat renewed its tango lessons. "What's chasing you?"
Eb slunk lower so I could barely see the top of his head. "Something horrible."
"Is it a werewolf?" I asked him.
He popped his head up and blinked at me. "You. . .would you believe me if I said yes?"
I felt sorry for the frail little man who stared down at me. In past times I remembered Eb as being a stubborn mule of a man, and here he was quivering like a leaf at mortal danger. "Of course I'll believe you. Old Greg and half the county will probably believe you."
"So you'll let me stay here and not tell anyone about me?" he pleaded.
I held up a hand. "Um, not so fast. You're still in my dad's barn, and whatever's chasing you might find you here. If you really want to be safe then I suggest you let me take you to the jail," I suggested.
"No, nowhere but here. I feel-I don't know. I feel like I have to stay here. I'm waiting for something, or someone. Someone's coming." He clutched his head between both hands, slammed shut his eyes, and ground his teeth together. "I have to-I have to do something, or see someone. There's something here I needed to do, but I can't remember what."
He resembled a mental patient. "Eb, are you sure you don't need taken to the hospital?" I asked him.
Eb glared at me. "No! No hospital!" he growled.
"All right, no hospital, no jail, but I'm telling people about you, or at least one person who can help you," I insisted.
He furrowed his brow. "Who? Who can help me?"
"A guy I know who might know a little something about what's chasing you, but you have to stay here until he gets back," I ordered him.
"I can stay here, but I need food. I'm so hungry," he pleaded.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll bring you some food, but stay!"
I walked back to the house with a little less fear in me and a lot more confusion. Here was Eb alive and well, and terrified out of his mind by a werewolf chasing him. Why any self-respecting werewolf would want him as a meal was beyond me. Maybe his stench insulted its nose. I grabbed the leftovers from the legendary breakfast of yesterday morning and carried a platter of the food to the barn.
I stood at the bottom of the ladder with a conundrum. "You'd better come down because I can't carry this up," I told him.
"I'll-I'll come down," he reluctantly agreed. He sidled around the edge of the hay bales and creaked down the ladder. His clothes hung loose on his skeletal frame and his eyes were sunken. They were torn around his arms and legs, and hung like rags to reveal his white skin. He was covered in dirt and straw.
I handed him the platter. He stuck his face into the food and chewed away like a wild animal. "How long have you been running from that thing?" I asked him.
He shook his head. "Seems like forever. What day is it?"
"Monday."
"About three days, maybe more. I can't remember." He stuffed his face back into the food and munched away.
I turned away from the appetite-curdling sight and stepped over to the barn door. "Well, you just make yourself comfortable here and I'll keep watch to see if my friend comes." His only reply was louder slopping of food into his mouth.
I slipped outside and leaned my back against the closed door. "I just had to wish for more trouble on this trip," I muttered to myself.
I tromped to the house and kept a vigil for any sign of my car.
Chapter 13
The promised hour passed, and several more with it. It wasn't until after one when I saw my vehicle bump up the driveway and park in front of the house. They stepped out and over to the open trunk. I threw on my jacket and hurried out intent on scolding the pair for abandoning me. Instead my mom stuffed bags of groceries into my arms and smiled at me.
"It's so nice of you to come out and help us so quickly, Chrissy," she complimented me.
I glared at her over the top of the bags. "Why the hell did you leave me behind?"
My mom turned to me with her lips pursed together. "Christina Monet, didn't I teach you better than to swear like that?"
"Perhaps we should have given her more warning," Adam spoke up as he retrieved a double amount of groceries from the trunk.
"We left at nine," Mom pointed out.
"It would've been nice to have a little more warning," I agreed with him. I turned my angry eyes on Adam. "And your phone's either dead or off because I tried to call you and it didn't go through."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why did you need to call?"
My eyes flickered to the barn for a moment and back to Adam. "I found a little mouse I wanted you to take care of."
"Oh, pish-posh. You can handle a little mouse," my mom argued as she led the way onto the porch. We stepped inside and my mom paused in the hall. The rifle leaned against the wall dividing the hall from the dining room. "And what in the world is that doing out?"
"I thought it was a big rat, but I was wrong. I guess I overreacted," I replied with another pointed glance at Adam. He slightly inclined his head to show he understood.
"Well, put it away and for heaven's sake don't leave it out. Some day I think your father's going to try to get that old thing to work and will end up blowing his hand off," she mused.
It wasn't until after we'd put away the army-supply's worth of food that I got a moment alone with Adam. I led him into the living room while my mom murmured to herself about dinner. "Two hams or one?" she mused.
Adam lowered his voice so as not to be overheard. "What happened?"
"I found Eb. He's hiding out in the barn right now," I told him.
"Alive?"
"Yeah, but looking pretty bad. He's all thin, so I gave him some food. He chomped it all down like a starving dog. Oh, and don't tell my mom he's out there. He doesn't want anybody but you to know he's hiding out in the barn," I explained.
"Why is that?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he's afraid my mom will gossip to the werewolf."
"What did he say about the werewolf?"
"He said it was definit
ely a werewolf that was after him."
"Does he wish to be taken to the sheriff's office?"
I shook my head. "No, that's the worst part. He says he'd feel better if he got to stay here. I guess he's afraid or something."
"We shall ask him this moment what he fears, and learn what we can about this werewolf," Adam suggested.
We slipped on our coats, and my mom caught us opening the door. "Going out?" she asked us.
"Just for a-um, a short walk," I told her.
"Well, don't stay out too late. Ben warned us that another storm was coming," she informed me.
I frowned at the pair. "You guys went there without me?" I accused them.
"Only for a small ice cream," Mom defended them.
"We will be back in a short time," Adam assured her as he escorted me outside.
"So what else did you guys do in town?" I asked him as we trudged across the barn yard to the closed barn door. They hadn't opened since I last left Eb.
"Your mother was kind enough to show me some of the small shops," he replied.
". . .and?" I persisted.
"They were very nice."
My shoulders slumped and I rolled my eyes. "Are you really trying to tell me the only thing you guys did in town was go into the shops and have ice cream without me?"
"Focus, Chris. We have-" Adam froze in front of the door. His nostrils flared and his eyes dilated. That could mean only one thing-
"Werewolf?" I guessed.
"Yes, and very recent." He rushed inside the barn with me at his heels. The rear barn doors were open and the old chain lay broken in the doorway. Adam pushed me behind him and sniffed the air. "The area is safe. The werewolf has left."
"But what about Eb?" I reminded him. I pushed past his arm and hurried to the bails of hay. "Eb? Eb, you there?" There was no reply. He was gone.
Adam passed me and strode over to the open door. "The werewolf perhaps carried him off."
"Perhaps?" I moved to stand beside him and gazed at some tracks in the snow. Werewolf tracks. I gestured to the paw prints. "One pair of tracks, no Eb. How is this a 'perhaps?'"
"It is very strange. I smell both the man and the wolf in the barn, and the wolf scent that comes into the barn is older than the man scent," he told me.