Red Rider's Hood

'What if I don't want to?'

'Not an option.'

I took a step closer to him. 'Oh, I think it is.'

Cedric looked at the others, and then back at me, with a grin. 'Are you asking to be a Wolf?'

'Everyone knows what an honor it is to be in your gang,' I said.

'Answer the question,' said Cedric. 'Are you . . . asking . . . to be... a Wolf?'

I took a deep breath. 'I'm asking to live forever. I'm asking to feel what it's like to be two things at once?man, and ani­mal. I'm asking to be a part of the pack.'

'What about your grandma?'

I shrugged. 'Her issues aren't mine.'

Cedric thought about it and nodded. 'Keep it up, Red? you might just get your car back.'

I smiled. 'I was hoping you might say that.' Then I pulled up my sleeve, like I was at the doctor's office getting a shot. 'Do it!' I said. 'Give me the bite right here, in front of every­one, so they all know I'm one of you.'

Cedric put down his cue. 'Won't work now,' he said. 'Only works on the full moon.'

I pulled down my sleeve. 'Guess I'll just have to wait.'

'Fine,' Cedric said. 'Until then, you'll be a pledge?and if you prove yourself worthy, when the time comes, we'll offer you full membership.'

'Fair enough.'

'And if I ever think you're not playing straight with me, you're wolfchow.'

I nodded. 'That's fair, too.'

8 Putting Marvin to the test

“You did WHAT?'

If Grandma's hair wasn't already gray, it would have gone that way when I told her that I had confronted Cedric.

'You always said 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,'' I reminded her. 'Now I'm on the inside.'

'I don't know who's more stupid: you, for going to Cedric Soames, or me, for telling you the truth.' She wagged a finger at me. 'You gotta leave werewolf hunting to the professionals.'

'You weren't a professional at first,' I reminded her.

Grandma shook her head so hard, I was afraid her teeth might fly out. 'I don't want my only grandson to risk getting the bite. No. I forbid it.'

'Don't worry, Grandma,' I told her. 'I know what I'm doing.'

She wasn't convinced, and although I wasn't about to admit it, neither was I. See, my performance in the Cave had been the performance of my life, but even then I knew it was only a half lie. As much as I hated the Wolves, there was that restless, impulsive part of me that wanted to know what it was like to change into something fierce: something out of control. Maybe that's what made me so convincing.

'It's brilliant,' Marissa said as we sat alone, munching on chips in the antique shop one rainy afternoon. 'Scary, but brilliant. Do you think Cedric believes you really want to be a Wolf?'

'I think so.'

'Thinking isn't good enough. You have to be sure.'

But I knew nothing could be sure. Cedric had no real reason to trust me. Then I thought of something.

'The skull!'

'What about it?'

'Give it to me!'

She looked at me like I was already one of the Wolves. 'No.'

'Trust me,' I said.

She looked at me, not trusting me in the least, then reluctantly she opened a cabinet under the counter. After she looked to make sure no customers were coming in, she pulled out the skull of Xavier Soames and gently set in on the counter. It was a human skull again, but somehow the eye sockets seemed to be watching me. It was smooth and cold to the touch.

I reached for the skull, and Marissa gasped, startling me.

'Marvin's here.'

I turned to see him through the shop's glass door, crossing the street toward us, too cool to cover his head from the rain. 'Does he know about the skull?'

Marissa shook her head. 'If Marvin knew about it, he'd try to show it off?or worse, he'd try to sell it.'

I wanted to bring up my concern about Marvin?that he really might be one of the Wolves after all?but I knew men­tioning my suspicions would just upset Marissa. She had a blind spot when it came to him.

Marissa hid the skull back beneath the counter as the door opened, setting off the jingle bells above the entrance. Marvin's confident stride broke when he saw me. He picked it up again pretty quickly, though.

'Hi, Marissa,' he said, and gave her a brotherly kiss on the cheek. 'Hi, Red,' he said, with a coolness in his voice he hadn't used when he spoke to her. He looked at me for a moment, then put out his hand like he wanted to shake. I lifted my hand, and he shook it in some strange way that must have been the Wolves' secret handshake.

'Taking an interest in antiques, Red?'

'No, just in your sister,' I told him, and winked at her. She threw me back an 'oh, please' kind of gaze.

'A lot of guys take an interest,' Marvin said. 'Few live to tell about it.'

Marissa threw him an 'oh, please' gaze, too, and Marvin laughed, showing off his gold canine. 'Just kidding, Red. Just kidding.'

'Ignore him,' Marissa said. 'He likes to play head games with any boy that comes within five feet of me.'

'Hey, that's a big brother's job,' I said. 'But if he wants to test me, I'll pass any test he wants.'

'We'll see,' said Marvin.

As it turns out, I wasn't the one to get tested that day.

'Oh,' Marissa said, 'I just got something in today I want to show you, Red. Something your grandma might like.'

Marvin squirmed at the mention of my grandma and turned his attention to the bag of chips we had left on the counter. I didn't quite know what Marissa was up to, only that she was up to something.

She went to a crowded shelf and pulled off a heavy cande­labra, reaching for something behind it. Then she held the candelabra out to her brother. 'Marvin, could you hold this for a sec?'

Marvin hesitated. At first I didn't realize why he might hes­itate. Then it dawned on me. The candelabra was silver.

'Ask Red,' Marvin said, leaning casually against the counter, eating chips. 'He's closer.'

'Hey, man, she asked you,' I said.

Marvin sighed and left the chips, stepping over to his sister. I watched to see what would happen. Grandma had said that just touching silver will set off an allergic reaction in a were­wolf, whether they were in wolf form or not. It wouldn't be fatal, but it would be painful. If he was a wolf, his hand would turn red and swell up like a balloon in less than a minute. Marissa was putting Marvin to the test.

Marvin gingerly took the candelabra and held it out in front of him like it was a bomb that might detonate at any second.

'I hate holding antiques,' he said. 'I'm always afraid I'll break them.'

Marissa fished around on the shelf a moment more, then came back empty-handed. 'That's strange,' she