got home, I
lingered in the kitchen, not sure where she wanted me to go.
“ Sit,” she said. I slowly
sat down. “I don’t know what you were thinking, not telling me
where you were – and I told you to wait for me. Head up, Jess. You
know how I can worry about the simplest things. You do this every
night. Do you want to get mugged again? Am I making a mistake by
home-schooling you? Jesse, what is going on with you?”
Oz kept quiet for a while, then
continued.
“ I don’t care right now
where you were. You’re okay, and that’s all that matters. You
should just be glad you have someone who cares. I’m going to bed,”
she finished.
“ Oz?” I said softly as I
saw movement through the window.
Charles was watching us from outside,
fogging up the glass with his long warm breaths. I turned back to
Oz, not worried about him right now. He could listen all he wanted.
Oz was standing in the hall, waiting for me to speak. Her eyes were
looking redder than before. She looked like she hadn’t slept for
days.
“ I lost your father’s
jacket,” I admitted, feeling tears roll down my cheeks. “That’s why
I didn’t want you to do my laundry or you going in my dresser. I’ve
been trying to look for it every night. I think someone picked it
up when I set it down. I’m sorry. I’ll get it back, I
promise.”
“ You’re safe, Jesse,” she
said oddly and walked down the hall.
I waited for her door to shut before going
to my room. When I stepped into the hall, I saw my door half-open.
Someone was inside, opening and closing my dresser drawers. I knew
exactly who was in there.
“ Stop following me!” I
called out as I stormed down the hall and pushed open the door.
“Get out of my–”
The werewolf slowly raised his muzzle out of
the top drawer, sensing my presence, and let out a wheezing cough.
Without looking at me once, he thumped heavily across the wood and
crawled out of my window.
“ Duma, where are you?” I
said, first looking under the bed. He was jammed into the far
corner, with the biggest eyes ever.
“ The werewolf's gone. I’m
going to Katie’s. I think she’s in trouble.”
He didn’t move. I wasn’t going to wait for
him and climbed out of the window. It only took me a minute to get
to her house. I bounded up the boxes and crawled into her room. I
could hear Sandy shouting downstairs. I hurried down the stairs,
hearing the end of the fight.
“ You’re going to do what I
say! Stay right there–” Sandy collided into me at the bottom of the
steps. “You better get out of my house before I call the
cops.”
“ Where’s Katie?” I said
just as I saw her around the corner with a cut under her left
eye.
“ Hi,” she said in a soft
voice.
“ Hi. Are you–”
“ I’m okay.” Katie came
over and pulled me out of the living room. “Going to Jesse’s
house, mother .”
The air was pretty chilly. The sun had set
below the horizon. Even though the dark clouds still glowed purple
and orange, we weren’t going to make it. The cross was miles away.
If we ran the entire way, it would still take a good half hour or
more. Katie was looking happy though, and that was the important
thing. And I wasn't so sure if we should go anymore anyway.
I handed Katie the witch hat, which I had
snatched from the living room.
“ Crapper, she can hit
hard,” she winced, dabbing her face. “Thanks.”
“ You’re welcome,” I said
shyly.
“ Really. She was getting
firewood.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off of her cut. It
looked pretty bad. Why did she have to go through this all the
time? Was this punishment for killing a girl? But she was a good
person. She was perfect.
“ What you thinking about?”
said Katie. “Remember what I told you–”
“ I’m not thinking about
you.”
“ You’re thinking about
me?” she said merrily. “Like what?”
“ I said I was not thinking about you.
Don’t you listen to me?”
“ Not really.”
I couldn’t help but keep glancing at
lingered in the kitchen, not sure where she wanted me to go.
“ Sit,” she said. I slowly
sat down. “I don’t know what you were thinking, not telling me
where you were – and I told you to wait for me. Head up, Jess. You
know how I can worry about the simplest things. You do this every
night. Do you want to get mugged again? Am I making a mistake by
home-schooling you? Jesse, what is going on with you?”
Oz kept quiet for a while, then
continued.
“ I don’t care right now
where you were. You’re okay, and that’s all that matters. You
should just be glad you have someone who cares. I’m going to bed,”
she finished.
“ Oz?” I said softly as I
saw movement through the window.
Charles was watching us from outside,
fogging up the glass with his long warm breaths. I turned back to
Oz, not worried about him right now. He could listen all he wanted.
Oz was standing in the hall, waiting for me to speak. Her eyes were
looking redder than before. She looked like she hadn’t slept for
days.
“ I lost your father’s
jacket,” I admitted, feeling tears roll down my cheeks. “That’s why
I didn’t want you to do my laundry or you going in my dresser. I’ve
been trying to look for it every night. I think someone picked it
up when I set it down. I’m sorry. I’ll get it back, I
promise.”
“ You’re safe, Jesse,” she
said oddly and walked down the hall.
I waited for her door to shut before going
to my room. When I stepped into the hall, I saw my door half-open.
Someone was inside, opening and closing my dresser drawers. I knew
exactly who was in there.
“ Stop following me!” I
called out as I stormed down the hall and pushed open the door.
“Get out of my–”
The werewolf slowly raised his muzzle out of
the top drawer, sensing my presence, and let out a wheezing cough.
Without looking at me once, he thumped heavily across the wood and
crawled out of my window.
“ Duma, where are you?” I
said, first looking under the bed. He was jammed into the far
corner, with the biggest eyes ever.
“ The werewolf's gone. I’m
going to Katie’s. I think she’s in trouble.”
He didn’t move. I wasn’t going to wait for
him and climbed out of the window. It only took me a minute to get
to her house. I bounded up the boxes and crawled into her room. I
could hear Sandy shouting downstairs. I hurried down the stairs,
hearing the end of the fight.
“ You’re going to do what I
say! Stay right there–” Sandy collided into me at the bottom of the
steps. “You better get out of my house before I call the
cops.”
“ Where’s Katie?” I said
just as I saw her around the corner with a cut under her left
eye.
“ Hi,” she said in a soft
voice.
“ Hi. Are you–”
“ I’m okay.” Katie came
over and pulled me out of the living room. “Going to Jesse’s
house, mother .”
The air was pretty chilly. The sun had set
below the horizon. Even though the dark clouds still glowed purple
and orange, we weren’t going to make it. The cross was miles away.
If we ran the entire way, it would still take a good half hour or
more. Katie was looking happy though, and that was the important
thing. And I wasn't so sure if we should go anymore anyway.
I handed Katie the witch hat, which I had
snatched from the living room.
“ Crapper, she can hit
hard,” she winced, dabbing her face. “Thanks.”
“ You’re welcome,” I said
shyly.
“ Really. She was getting
firewood.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off of her cut. It
looked pretty bad. Why did she have to go through this all the
time? Was this punishment for killing a girl? But she was a good
person. She was perfect.
“ What you thinking about?”
said Katie. “Remember what I told you–”
“ I’m not thinking about
you.”
“ You’re thinking about
me?” she said merrily. “Like what?”
“ I said I was not thinking about you.
Don’t you listen to me?”
“ Not really.”
I couldn’t help but keep glancing at
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