“That was delicious, Carol,” said Mr. Parker. “But now I’ve got to be getting back.” He pushed aside his plate and stood, knotting his tie and grabbing his suit jacket from the back of his chair.
“You’re working again tonight?” asked Mrs. Parker, surprised.
“Yes, didn’t I tell you?” Mr. Parker glanced at his watch.
Mrs. Parker shook her head but her husband didn’t notice. It seemed to me he was avoiding his wife’s eyes, just as he had at breakfast that morning.
“Wolfe Industries has started work on a special project,” he said. “We’re all working nights for a while.” He started for the door.
“What kind of project, Dad?” asked Paul.
“Can’t talk about it, son,” said Mr. Parker, already headed out the door. “Top secret.”
After helping Mrs. Parker with the dishes, I hurried back upstairs to read some more about werewolves. I hadn’t yet discovered anything in the book that might help me figure out what the werewolves might be plotting or how I might stop them.
But I’d hardly opened the book when there was a knock on my door. I quick stuck the book under my pillow and grabbed a school book instead. “Come in,” I called out.
Kim opened the door. She didn’t look happy.
“Kim! What’s wrong?”
She sighed and walked over to the window. “Did you notice anything weird about my dad today?” she asked.
“Weird?” I didn’t know what to say. Mr. Parker had seemed strange and distant but I didn’t want to worry Kim.
“He’s been acting funny the last few days,” said Kim, frowning. “Paul says I’m crazy. But Dad’s different. He doesn’t seem to notice us. I was telling him about our new principal and he just walked away, like he didn’t even know I was there.”
“Maybe he’s worried about this big project at work.” I was trying to be soothing but even as I spoke, an icy tingle of alarm ran down my backbone. What was this project at Wolfe Industries that took up all of Mr. Parker’s time?
“Yeah, maybe it’s just work,” sighed Kim. She perched on the edge of my bed and watched her pink-sneakered foot bob up and down nervously. “But he’s never acted like this before. It gives me the creeps. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Kim raised her face and I would see the terrible fear in her eyes. She whispered, “It’s like he’s not my real father.”
Chapter 13
Kim’s words of fear echoed in my head for days: It’s like he’s not my real father.
What did it mean? I watched Mr. Parker whenever I could. He did seem different. Like his mind was far away. He didn’t smile and kid around with us like he used to. And every night he went back to work—eagerly. It was like he’d rather be at work than home with his family.
I wanted to pretend none of this was happening. School was going pretty good and some of Paul’s friends were starting to accept me. I was learning to play baseball. I didn’t want to think about werewolves.
But Kim looked more anxious every day. And the next full moon was coming. I felt like it was already hanging over my head—and that’s why I kept reading the book on werewolves, looking for clues.
One night Mr. Parker rushed off to work instead of going to see the school play that Kim was in. Kim was crushed and I couldn’t push the questions away any longer.
Could Wolfe Industries be connected to the werewolves? It was Wolfe Industries that had built the town of Fox Hollow. Almost everyone who lived here was connected to the company in some way. But why build the town here?
It was clear I needed to know more about Wolfe Industries. Maybe it had nothing to do with werewolves but every night was another night closer to the full moon and I still didn’t have a clue what the monsters were planning. I needed to know and maybe I’d find out something at the big company.
That night I lay awake while the sounds of the house settled around me. Everyone was asleep. Except me. And Mr. Parker. He hadn’t come home from work on that “special project” yet.
Very quietly I opened my door. I was dressed in jeans and sneakers and wore a warm sweatshirt. The house was dark except for the hall light downstairs which had been left burning for Mr. Parker.
I crept down the stairs. A board creaked loudly and I stopped, holding my breath. After a few minutes, when no one got up or called out, I continued down.
Shapes loomed up at me out of the dark. My nerves jumped under my skin and the air felt heavy with menace. I twitched my shoulders, trying to shake off the jitters. If I was ready to jump at every shadow in my own home, how could I go out into the night where werewolves might lurk on any corner?
I crossed the kitchen and let myself out. Instantly my heart started to beat faster. Everything inside me was telling me to go back upstairs and go to bed. What could I do, anyway? But I had to find out what was going on, I had to—for Kim.
But first, there was the yard to check. I slipped from shadow to shadow, alert to any sign that a werewolf was lurking, waiting for its chance to prey on my family. Everything seemed quiet. I prowled the backyard and was starting along the side of the house when I heard a noise.
Startled, I whipped my head around. Leaves rustled, something growled angrily. And before I could duck, a blur sprang for me.
“Yyoooowl!”
A cat. It landed on the lawn in front of me and took off. As I got my breath back, I realized the cat was a good sign. It wouldn’t have been nosing around here if there had been any werewolves nearby. I took a deep breath. It was safe to leave my family. But my knees were still shaking a bit as
