“What?” asked Paul urgently. “What could be worse?”
Rick started to speak. “It”—his voice cracked. He swallowed and tried again, his terrified voice a raspy croak. “It was prowling around your house.”
Paul sucked in his breath. “Our house!”
Rick nodded. “I hid in some bushes across the street. It sniffed around for a while and then I think it disappeared into the woods behind your house. For hours I was afraid to move. I thought it would find me but it was too concentrated on your house. Wow, man, I’d watch out if I were you. There’s a monster hanging around right outside your door!”
I tried to look as shocked and horrified as Paul. It wasn’t that hard. I really did feel horrible. Rick was right, he had seen a werewolf. But the hideous beast was probably me!
Chapter 9
After the assembly the school settled uneasily back into routine. As the days passed the other kids seemed to slowly forget what had happened and began joking around in class again and meeting after school to play baseball and soccer. In a couple of weeks it almost seemed like nothing had ever happened. For everybody else life was ordinary again.
But not for me. Even though my English was getting so good the other kids no longer teased me about how I talked, I couldn’t just relax and be like everybody else. I knew the werewolves would be back. I knew they were plotting something new for the next full moon. I had to do something to save the town and my new family. But what? I wished I knew more about werewolves. Even though I was one myself, I didn’t know much about them.
Then I remembered Kim was always going to the school library when she needed information about anything. Maybe there would be something in the library that could help me. I could hardly wait for school to end.
As soon as class let out, I hurried to the library. The door was open but there was no one at the librarian’s desk.
“Hello?” I called out.
No answer. There didn’t seem to be anyone around. The round tables at the front of the room were all empty. I hesitantly approached the stacks of bookshelves that were arranged in long rows over most of the big room.
My footsteps echoed loudly on the polished wooden floor. There was an itchy feeling between my shoulder blades, as if someone was watching me. But there was no one here. Had to be my imagination.
It was probably just as well the librarian was out, I thought uneasily. I didn’t want to explain why I was looking for books on werewolves. But I didn’t have any idea where to start looking.
I entered the first row of stacks. The bookshelves towered over my head. I had the oddest feeling that the books on the top shelf were inching forward, about to topple onto my head. But of course when I looked up, nothing had moved an inch.
I tried to shake off my jitters and concentrate. My eye was caught by books on lots of interesting subjects—dinosaurs, spaceships, mountains—but I pulled myself away. For some reason I felt I should hurry, like I didn’t have much time.
Reaching the end of the first stack, I turned up the second row. But as I began examining the shelves of books, I heard a board creak. It was coming from the row I had just left! I stiffened and held my breath and listened carefully.
CRRREEEAAK!
There it was again! Someone was stalking me! I hunched over and tiptoed down the row back the way I had come. When I reached the end of the stack, I paused. Then I whipped around the corner and leaped out.
“Gotcha!” I cried.
To the empty air. There was nothing there. The row was empty. I felt really foolish. Wincing to myself, I went back to my search, ignoring the creepy feeling between my shoulder blades. But the itch kept distracting me. It felt like something was perched in a corner of the ceiling, watching me and cackling to itself. But I refused even to look around. It was too silly.
I didn’t find any books on werewolves or any kind of monsters in the second stack or the third or the fourth. I was almost halfway through the library. Doors slammed in the distance as the last of the teachers went home. I realized the building must be deserted except for me.
I needed to hurry, or risk being locked in here for the night.
I turned into the fifth stack. Instantly my eyes went to a book that was sticking out at the far end of the row, on the top shelf above my head.
A red-eyed monster stared at me from the cover, as if daring me to come closer. It had a long, evil tongue and sharp, slavering fangs, just like a real werewolf.
For a second I couldn’t move a muscle. Then my heart began to pound. The monster on the book cover seemed to grin, as if daring me to reach for it. I was afraid but I was also convinced that there was important information in that book. I had to have it.
My hand was trembling. I reached up. The book was just out of my grasp. I stretched up on my toes as tall as I could but I still couldn’t quite reach it. I’d have to climb up on the bookshelves themselves.
The shelves were crowded and I could barely fit the toe of my sneaker on the edge. But all I needed was a few more inches. A quick boost up should do it. I put my weight on my toe and jumped up, reaching for the book with the monster on the cover. I grasped it with my fingertips.
At that instant, the lights went out!
Chapter 10
The room plunged into darkness. I yelped and
