My heart leaped in panic. Did she know?
“Let’s go, you two,” yelled Paul from the sidewalk. “We’re late!”
“I’m not letting you go till you tell me,” said Kim. She was smiling but I could see by the set of her jaw that she meant it.
I swallowed. “Can you keep a secret?”
Chapter 5
“A secret!” said Kim. Her eyes were guarded. “What kind of secret?”
I looked over my shoulder nervously but Kim’s parents were talking quietly together in the kitchen. They couldn’t hear me.
“I was out hunting werewolves,” I said, feeling my heart beat fast.
Kim’s eyes opened wide so the whites showed all around. Her jaw dropped. “You didn’t go back into the swamp, did you?” she asked in a hushed whisper.
“I had to,” I said. “It’s not just the swamp, it’s the town I’m worried about.”
“The town?” Kim shook her head and her shiny brown hair shimmered in the sunlight. “Oh, no, Gruff, those creatures wouldn’t dare come near the town. The grown-ups would see them for sure. Right now our parents don’t believe in the werewolves. They think we kids panicked that night in the woods. But if they saw those monsters, they’d run them right out of town. As long as we stay out of the swamp we’ll be safe,” she said as if she was trying to convince herself.
Kim thought the adults were stronger than werewolves. I couldn’t tell her that I suspected some of the adults were werewolves. And I didn’t believe the adults could save us from the threat of the monsters, anyway. But I couldn’t tell Kim that.
“I think the werewolves are plotting to take over the town,” I said to Kim. “They’re very sneaky. They go after the kids first. You saw that on the field trip. And then, once they’ve turned us into werewolves, they think we’ll bite the grown-ups and infect them, too.”
The color drained out of Kim’s face. “Gruff, that’s horrible,” she said. “Horrible!” Her frightened eyes locked into mine. “Then you don’t think your wolf family chased the monsters away that night. You think the werewolves will be back to try again, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said. “I think they’ll be back. But I don’t know when.”
“What are you two doing?” yelled Paul, scowling from the sidewalk. “Come on, we’re going to be late.”
Kim shot me one last look full of doubts and worries and questions. Then she ran to catch up with Paul. I followed, a little slower. My feelings were all mixed up. I was glad I had shared my fears with Kim. Now she would be on the lookout for danger—and I believed the monsters wanted her especially, though I didn’t know why.
But I felt guilty that I didn’t tell her about myself. But how could I tell her? Kim had seen the werewolves. If she knew I was one of those horrible things, she’d run screaming from me. And I might be the only one who could save her. My insides felt queasy just thinking about such a big responsibility.
And here we were walking straight into the biggest danger of all—school. I knew the school was infested with werewolves looking for their chance to turn all the kids into monsters like them. But I didn’t know which adults were werewolves and which ones were just ordinary teachers.
But one thing I did know—the werewolves would have their eyes on me. I was like them except that I wouldn’t cooperate in their evil plans. And the werewolves didn’t let anything stand in their way.
They would be waiting for me. Right inside the school.
Chapter 6
Most of the sixth-grade kids were already in class by the time Paul and I got there.
All the kids seemed nervous, squirming around in their seats and turning pale suddenly for no reason at all.
But it wasn’t surprising. This was our first day back in school since the disastrous field trip three days ago on the first night of the wereing.
Our principal, Mr. Clawson, and our gym teacher, Mr. Grunter, had disappeared that night when they took us into the swamp on a field trip. The kids thought the two grown-ups had been caught and eaten by the monsters who attacked our bus. I was the only one who knew that our principal was the leader of the werewolves and Mr. Grunter was a werewolf, too.
“Settle down now, class,” said Miss Possum, our sixth-grade teacher. She looked at us sympathetically and smoothed her skirt as she stood up. “I know you’re all very upset about Mr. Clawson and Mr. Grunter. But that’s no reason to be making up horrible stories. You’ve frightened the little kids. A lot of parents have called to say the younger children are having nightmares. So, I’d like the rumors to stop right now, do you understand?”
Kids exchanged glances and quickly looked away again.
“Sure, Miss Possum,” somebody murmured.
“Okay, Miss Possum,” said another.
Miss Possum nodded briskly. “Good,” she said. “Now, everyone line up. We’re having a special assembly for fifth and sixth graders only. We’re going to get this sad business done with, once and for all.”
Her lips tightened and her eyes narrowed. My heart lurched. Miss Possum couldn’t be one of them, could she?
Paul’s eyes met mine in a look of alarm. “What’s this all about?” he whispered.
“I don’t know,” I said. My feet felt like they were made of lead as I slowly stood up and got in line. I could see everyone else felt the same way. Some kids were biting their lips so hard they left marks. One girl was tugging on her braid. It must have hurt but she didn’t seem to feel it. Her eyes were wide and scared.
What were they going to do to us?
We were the only ones who knew about the monsters. Once they had us all together in one big room they could lock us in. They could force us onto buses and take us on another field trip—deeper into the swamp this time. They’d turn
