shelf for the copies. She barely breathed until the copying finished, certain that Jericho would storm in at any second.
“Let’s go,” Seth said as soon as he grabbed the last pages.
They locked the office behind them and hurried back to the communal cabin. Rylie waited, twisting her hands together, while Seth returned the original copy of The Legends of Gray Mountain to the cabinet.
“I want to get back to my side of camp,” Rylie whispered, clutching the thick folder to her chest. They stuck to the shadows as they jogged back toward the lake. “I don’t feel safe here. I just know—”
“Hey! What are you two doing up?”
Jericho strode toward them. Rylie’s heart sped.
Seth took the binder and grabbed her hand. “Run!”
They fled into the forest. Jericho crashed through the bushes behind them, tearing through the trees as though they were barely an obstacle. Her hand slipped out of Seth’s. Too afraid to slow down, she increased her pace, darting deeper into the forest and further away from the trail.
She wove in and out of the trees. Rylie was fast. She was agile. She was running blind, and good at it. But her pursuer was better.
Someone blew through the forest behind her. Praying it was Seth, she pushed on.
Trees flashed past. The dirt thudded beneath her feet.
It took too long to realize she was suddenly alone.
“Seth?” Rylie whispered, stopping short.
She had lost him. What if Jericho had caught him? There was no doubt in her mind he wouldn’t be as forgiving as Louise. Seth could get sent home, and then Rylie would be alone. The thought was frightening.
Tilting her face into the breeze, she took a short sniff, trying to detect Seth’s odor. She felt stupid doing it, but she immediately found him. He wasn’t far. She was confident she could follow the smell right to him.
There was another smell, too: musky, woodsy, and warm. It was a very strong odor, but it wasn’t human. It wasn’t exactly animal, either.
The werewolf. It was near.
Trembling, she took another long, slow sniff. It was on the move. The werewolf was coming toward her. Rylie watched the trees around her, trying to see what she knew had to be there.
It didn’t come into her line of sight. It hung back.
Watching.
Did it recognize her? Did it remember attacking her almost a month ago? Or was it just trying to decide if she would be easy to take down?
“Come out,” she called softly into the night. “You want to fight? Come get me.”
The smell began to fade. It was leaving. Seth’s smell was growing stronger, even though the breeze was blowing in the wrong direction now, and she could hear the crunch of his footsteps on pine needles.
She was torn between following the werewolf and reuniting with Seth. Rylie didn’t need The Legends of Gray Mountain if she could get answers from the source, and her heart ached with the need to follow it. She took too long to consider and all traces of the werewolf vanished.
Disappointed, Rylie went to Seth’s scent. He was still wandering through the forest. “You’re safe,” she said.
“Yeah, the counselor didn’t eat me. You okay?” he asked.
Rylie nodded. She wasn’t ready to tell him she could track by scent. “Do you think he recognized us?”
“How would he know you?”
“Jericho caught me on this side of the lake the other day. He’s—well, he’s kind of terrifying.”
“Hopefully he just thought you were a boy out of bed,” Seth said.
“A boy with long blonde hair?”
“If it makes you feel better, I have good news. I kept a hold on this.” He showed her the folder of pages they had copied.
“Great, I guess. Or not great. I don’t know, Seth.” Rylie sat on a felled log and cradled her head in her hands. “This is so much to take in. I didn’t even believe in this stuff a month ago. Not even ghosts, much less
“Let’s go,” Seth said as soon as he grabbed the last pages.
They locked the office behind them and hurried back to the communal cabin. Rylie waited, twisting her hands together, while Seth returned the original copy of The Legends of Gray Mountain to the cabinet.
“I want to get back to my side of camp,” Rylie whispered, clutching the thick folder to her chest. They stuck to the shadows as they jogged back toward the lake. “I don’t feel safe here. I just know—”
“Hey! What are you two doing up?”
Jericho strode toward them. Rylie’s heart sped.
Seth took the binder and grabbed her hand. “Run!”
They fled into the forest. Jericho crashed through the bushes behind them, tearing through the trees as though they were barely an obstacle. Her hand slipped out of Seth’s. Too afraid to slow down, she increased her pace, darting deeper into the forest and further away from the trail.
She wove in and out of the trees. Rylie was fast. She was agile. She was running blind, and good at it. But her pursuer was better.
Someone blew through the forest behind her. Praying it was Seth, she pushed on.
Trees flashed past. The dirt thudded beneath her feet.
It took too long to realize she was suddenly alone.
“Seth?” Rylie whispered, stopping short.
She had lost him. What if Jericho had caught him? There was no doubt in her mind he wouldn’t be as forgiving as Louise. Seth could get sent home, and then Rylie would be alone. The thought was frightening.
Tilting her face into the breeze, she took a short sniff, trying to detect Seth’s odor. She felt stupid doing it, but she immediately found him. He wasn’t far. She was confident she could follow the smell right to him.
There was another smell, too: musky, woodsy, and warm. It was a very strong odor, but it wasn’t human. It wasn’t exactly animal, either.
The werewolf. It was near.
Trembling, she took another long, slow sniff. It was on the move. The werewolf was coming toward her. Rylie watched the trees around her, trying to see what she knew had to be there.
It didn’t come into her line of sight. It hung back.
Watching.
Did it recognize her? Did it remember attacking her almost a month ago? Or was it just trying to decide if she would be easy to take down?
“Come out,” she called softly into the night. “You want to fight? Come get me.”
The smell began to fade. It was leaving. Seth’s smell was growing stronger, even though the breeze was blowing in the wrong direction now, and she could hear the crunch of his footsteps on pine needles.
She was torn between following the werewolf and reuniting with Seth. Rylie didn’t need The Legends of Gray Mountain if she could get answers from the source, and her heart ached with the need to follow it. She took too long to consider and all traces of the werewolf vanished.
Disappointed, Rylie went to Seth’s scent. He was still wandering through the forest. “You’re safe,” she said.
“Yeah, the counselor didn’t eat me. You okay?” he asked.
Rylie nodded. She wasn’t ready to tell him she could track by scent. “Do you think he recognized us?”
“How would he know you?”
“Jericho caught me on this side of the lake the other day. He’s—well, he’s kind of terrifying.”
“Hopefully he just thought you were a boy out of bed,” Seth said.
“A boy with long blonde hair?”
“If it makes you feel better, I have good news. I kept a hold on this.” He showed her the folder of pages they had copied.
“Great, I guess. Or not great. I don’t know, Seth.” Rylie sat on a felled log and cradled her head in her hands. “This is so much to take in. I didn’t even believe in this stuff a month ago. Not even ghosts, much less
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