sidestepping. But she let Hailey get onto her back, and we were off at last.
We took a trail through the woods, and I couldn’t help shifting nervously myself. The woods seemed alive with sounds — cracking twigs, chattering squirrels, and branches blowing in the wind. I was uncomfortably aware that, even though Haileywasn’t a werewolf (at least according to the silver test), I had definitely heard
regular
wolves in these woods. And there were probably bears, and maybe mountain lions, too. I like wildlife, but there aren’t any big, bloodthirsty animals in downtown Austin.
When we broke out of the woods into a sunny meadow, my worries were temporarily forgotten. The clearing was green and pleasant, and there was a huge snowcapped mountain in front of us. On the mountain, I could see three separate waterfalls. It was gorgeous.
“Nice, right?” said Jack. “Wait until you see what I packed us for lunch.”
He’d made soy cheese sandwiches with “special homemade mustard,” black bean salad, and, for dessert, double fudge brownies. It was all pretty yummy, though the mustard was definitely unique. The brownies weren’t cooked all the way through, but they still tasted delicious and chocolaty.
We were starved after the ride, and we ate and ate, then lay on the picnic blanket, totally stuffed.
“Look,” said Hailey, pointing up at a bird circling high above us. “A red-tailed hawk. It’s looking for mice.”
A little ways off, the horses stamped their feet in the shade. They were restless, and it looked like they were watching us. No, it seemed to me that they were watching Hailey. The silver star hung innocently around her neck.
Was Tasha’s idea really a good werewolf test? I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with Hailey and that the horses knew it.
The hawk swooped in lazy circles. I closed my eyes. I wasn’t going to think about this now. I was going to bask in the sunshine. My stomach was full, and as the sun warmed me, I felt myself getting sleepier and sleepier.
This time, the sun was shining. As I walked through the woods, I laughed at myself: There was nothing scary here.
Then I heard a rustling and the snaps of breaking wood behind me. Something big was shoving its way through the branches just off the path, and just out of sight.
It was moving fast. I could see branches thrashing as it shoved its way through, but I couldn’t see what was making them move.
A low growl split the air.
I started to run, suddenly afraid.
It was getting closer, and I knew no matter how fast I ran, it could outrun me.
The growl came again, louder, and closer still.
My heart thumped wildly inside my chest. My hands trembled and my stomach knotted with fear.
Something was coming after me, and I didn’t know how to get away. I was absolutely terrified.
CHAPTER TEN
The growl came again, and my eyes snapped open.
My heart was still pounding from the dream.
As it steadied, I realized the growl was thunder. I was lying on the picnic blanket. The sunny sky had turned black with ominous-looking clouds while I slept. I sat up, and a cold wind whipped me in the face; I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. The horses whinnied and pulled at their ropes.
Jack and Hailey were both napping on the blanket next to me. “Wake up, you guys,” I said, shaking Hailey.
She rubbed her eyes and groaned. “Oh, wow, did we fall asleep?” Once she focused, she frowned. “It’s going to storm,” she said.
Jack had woken up, too, and he looked nervously at the sky. “It’s gotten cold,” he said, shivering. “We’d better get out of here.” They both scrambled to their feet and hurriedly started gathering the stuff from our picnic.
“What’s the big deal?” I asked, catching on to their urgency. I scrambled to get the brownie remains into my backpack. “Why are you freaking out? So we get wet.”
Hailey fastened the top of her backpack and slung it onto her shoulders. “With the
We took a trail through the woods, and I couldn’t help shifting nervously myself. The woods seemed alive with sounds — cracking twigs, chattering squirrels, and branches blowing in the wind. I was uncomfortably aware that, even though Haileywasn’t a werewolf (at least according to the silver test), I had definitely heard
regular
wolves in these woods. And there were probably bears, and maybe mountain lions, too. I like wildlife, but there aren’t any big, bloodthirsty animals in downtown Austin.
When we broke out of the woods into a sunny meadow, my worries were temporarily forgotten. The clearing was green and pleasant, and there was a huge snowcapped mountain in front of us. On the mountain, I could see three separate waterfalls. It was gorgeous.
“Nice, right?” said Jack. “Wait until you see what I packed us for lunch.”
He’d made soy cheese sandwiches with “special homemade mustard,” black bean salad, and, for dessert, double fudge brownies. It was all pretty yummy, though the mustard was definitely unique. The brownies weren’t cooked all the way through, but they still tasted delicious and chocolaty.
We were starved after the ride, and we ate and ate, then lay on the picnic blanket, totally stuffed.
“Look,” said Hailey, pointing up at a bird circling high above us. “A red-tailed hawk. It’s looking for mice.”
A little ways off, the horses stamped their feet in the shade. They were restless, and it looked like they were watching us. No, it seemed to me that they were watching Hailey. The silver star hung innocently around her neck.
Was Tasha’s idea really a good werewolf test? I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with Hailey and that the horses knew it.
The hawk swooped in lazy circles. I closed my eyes. I wasn’t going to think about this now. I was going to bask in the sunshine. My stomach was full, and as the sun warmed me, I felt myself getting sleepier and sleepier.
This time, the sun was shining. As I walked through the woods, I laughed at myself: There was nothing scary here.
Then I heard a rustling and the snaps of breaking wood behind me. Something big was shoving its way through the branches just off the path, and just out of sight.
It was moving fast. I could see branches thrashing as it shoved its way through, but I couldn’t see what was making them move.
A low growl split the air.
I started to run, suddenly afraid.
It was getting closer, and I knew no matter how fast I ran, it could outrun me.
The growl came again, louder, and closer still.
My heart thumped wildly inside my chest. My hands trembled and my stomach knotted with fear.
Something was coming after me, and I didn’t know how to get away. I was absolutely terrified.
CHAPTER TEN
The growl came again, and my eyes snapped open.
My heart was still pounding from the dream.
As it steadied, I realized the growl was thunder. I was lying on the picnic blanket. The sunny sky had turned black with ominous-looking clouds while I slept. I sat up, and a cold wind whipped me in the face; I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. The horses whinnied and pulled at their ropes.
Jack and Hailey were both napping on the blanket next to me. “Wake up, you guys,” I said, shaking Hailey.
She rubbed her eyes and groaned. “Oh, wow, did we fall asleep?” Once she focused, she frowned. “It’s going to storm,” she said.
Jack had woken up, too, and he looked nervously at the sky. “It’s gotten cold,” he said, shivering. “We’d better get out of here.” They both scrambled to their feet and hurriedly started gathering the stuff from our picnic.
“What’s the big deal?” I asked, catching on to their urgency. I scrambled to get the brownie remains into my backpack. “Why are you freaking out? So we get wet.”
Hailey fastened the top of her backpack and slung it onto her shoulders. “With the
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