Werewolf Skin

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.