Once in a Full Moon(70)

“I’m getting bruises,” I said.

Nash, Jake, and Dylan were hanging out by our desks.

“Abby told me Brandon Maddox found her,” Ivy said.

“He did,” I said.

“How did he find her—and more important, how did you find out?”

“Yes,” Nash said, “how did you find that out from Brandon?”

“Uh . . .” I was going to tell them the same story I told Abby. “I saw Brandon with Pumpkin. And he told me that if we had put signs on the Westside, she would have been returned sooner.”

“Are you sure he didn’t steal her?” Nash asked.

“Why would he? He already has a dog.”

“How do you know that?” Ivy asked skeptically.

Just then Brandon walked into class. We all turned to him. Abby rose and went straight over to him.

“I want to thank you so much for finding my dog,” she said sweetly.

Then she did the unimaginable. Abby Kensington leaned over and hugged Brandon Maddox in front of the entire English class.

Dylan folded his arms. Ivy gasped. I high-fived the air. Nash shook his head.

Brandon appeared more surprised than any of us as Abby returned to her seat.

“See, I told you he’s not so bad,” I said to my friends. Brandon passed and gave me a quick smile before taking his seat. Nash gave me a stern glare, and he and his teammates sat down.

“He is handsome underneath all those layers of hair,” Ivy said, obviously not wanting Abby to show her up.

The bell rang and Mrs. Clark called the names of those who were to share a brief synopsis of their essay with the class. My stomach sank when I heard her say “Celeste Parker.”

I wasn’t crazy about speaking in front of others. I had participated in some school plays but never as the lead. Most of the students were nice, but I liked when everyone stared at the teacher and not at me.

Nash seemed proud of me, standing in front of the class. For the first time, I was the star instead of him. It made me feel empowered that he seemed so pleased. I saw Ivy and Abby, who were smiling at me and both giving me the thumbs-up. Then I caught sight of Brandon and my paper shook slightly in my hand.

“Werewolves,” I said.

“That’s a timely subject,” Mrs. Clark said.

“In many centuries and societies, people swear they’ve seen a man who takes the form of a wolf. Others insist the werewolf, like the unicorn, is a figment of man’s imagination.

“Throughout time, werewolves have been part of many different cultures’ folklore. That might be a kind of mythology to explain abnormal behavior if one is not behaving appropriately for their community. But others believe that the werewolf is not folklore or fiction. I even interviewed a man who claims one of his ancestors was a werewolf.’

The students perked up.

“He told me that the bite of a wolf can transform a human into a werewolf and that the affliction can be carried through man’s blood from one generation to another. The person with the link to the wolves can transform once under a full moon. He says there is truth in the stories of the Legend’s Run Werewolf.”

“Oooh!” I heard someone say.

“I saw him,” Abby shouted out. Other classmates shushed her.

“Many students believe they’ve seen him,” I continued. “And I think I’ve seen him, too.”

“Do you have pictures?” someone asked.

Mrs. Clark tapped her desk with her pencil.

“But I’d like to put forth one theory that isn’t popular among the rumors. Just because one takes the lycan form doesn’t mean that they prey on others. They, too, might have a soul. When the full moon is over, they might want to be treated just like you or me.”

My class applauded me, and as I sat down Brandon gave me an approving wink.

“Someone has footage of the werewolf,” my mom called from the family room before dinner. “It’s going to be on the five o’clock news.”

I raced downstairs. If Brandon was in seclusion, this couldn’t be him. Did he break out?

“It’s going to be on in a minute,” my mom said when I plopped down on the floor in front of the TV.

Megan Crumley, our local news reporter, was standing outside Penny for Your Thoughts. “Channel Eleven has just learned that Dr. Camille Meadows from Riverside Township has discovered a werewolf and captured it on film,” she began. “As you may have heard, many residents have been claiming they’ve witnessed an unusual creature roaming Legend’s Run at night, and many are calling this creature the Wolfman.

“With all the werewolf sightings, no one has been able to prove its existence,” she continued.

Dr. Meadows had warned me if I didn’t bring Brandon to her, she’d go to him. But why wouldn’t she tell me she found him? Why would she go to our local news station first?