Werewolf Skin

20

“Uh… well…” I didn’t know what to say. “You see… my aunt and uncle…”

Why were they staring at me like that? Were they trying to scare me?

A strange grin spread over Sean’s face. “Have a good time in the woods last night?” he asked.

“Yeah. How was it?” Arjun demanded. “Catch any werewolves, Alex?”

I bumped them off me and stepped away from the wall. “You mean you weren’t there?” I cried.

They both burst out laughing. They slapped each other a high five.

“Of course not!” Arjun declared. “Why would we go into the woods in the middle of the night?”

“I was sound asleep by midnight,” Sean said, grinning.

They laughed and congratulated each other again.

A joke. The whole thing had been a joke. They didn’t wait for me in the woods at midnight. They never intended to go to the woods.

“So how was it?” Sean asked. “Were you surprised when Arjun and I didn’t show up?”

“No. I didn’t even think of you,” I told them. “Do you know why? Because I was too busy taking photos of the werewolf!”

“Huh?” Sean cried.

It was their turn to be surprised.

Of course I was lying. But they had no way of knowing that I hadn’t gone to the woods, either.

“What did you see?” Arjun asked suspiciously.

“I followed a werewolf,” I told him, forcing myself not to crack a smile. “He came to the creek and he drank, just as you said.”

“Give me a break,” Sean groaned.

“Yeah. Really!” Arjun rolled his eyes. “In your dreams.”

“I can prove it. I took a whole roll of film,” I told them.

“Let’s see the pictures,” Sean demanded.

“I haven’t developed them yet,” I replied.

They stared at me, trying to decide if I was telling the truth. I felt a laugh about to explode inside me. But somehow I kept a straight face.

The bell rang.

“We’re late!” Arjun cried.

The three of us bolted down the hall to the room. We dove into our seats two seconds before Mr. Shein walked in.

Don’t ask me what we talked about all morning. I didn’t hear a word.

I was thinking hard, thinking about Sean and Arjun. What was I going to tell them tomorrow when they asked to see the werewolf photos?

Would I have to confess that I lied to them?

No, I decided. I had a better plan.

“I’m going to sneak out tonight and take pictures of the Marlings’ house,” I whispered into the phone.

“Huh? Alex? Why are you whispering?” Hannah’s voice rang shrilly in my ear.

I was whispering because my aunt and uncle had only one telephone. An old-fashioned black phone set on a table in the living room. And the two of them were in the next room preparing dinner. I could see them from the armchair I slumped in.

“Hannah, I’m going to hide at the side of the house,” I whispered. “And I’m going to snap some pictures of whoever-or whatever-jumps out of that bedroom window tonight.”

“Do you have a sore throat or something?” Hannah demanded. “I can’t hear you, Alex.”

I opened my mouth to repeat what I’d said-but Aunt Marta entered the room. “Dinner is ready, Alex. Who are you talking to?” she asked.

“Hannah,” I told my aunt. “I’ve got to go,” I said into the phone. “Talk to you later.” I hung up the receiver.

I hoped that maybe Hannah might want to sneak out at midnight and keep me company. I’ll have to ask her later, I decided.

Yawning, pretending to be very sleepy, I went to my room a little after ten o’clock. A few minutes later, I heard the lock click outside my door. My aunt or uncle had locked me in again.

But this time, I fooled them. This time, I was prepared.

Before dinner, I’d jammed a wad of bubblegum into the latch. The door wasn’t really closed.

Once again, I pulled on an extra sweater. And checked out my camera. And waited, gazing at the bed-table clock.

Just before midnight, I swung the camera case over my shoulder. Slid the bedroom door open easily. And crept out of the house, under the white light of the moon, ready to solve the mystery of the Marlings.