“I mean, what are the odds of seeing a lycanthrope in Redstone? I didn’t think it was possible, but then I thought, ‘Why not here, why not in British Columbia?’” A pause. “Did you know there are lycanthropes all over the world? I didn’t, but it’s all there for you if you want to do the research. They’ve been written about in England, Africa, even ancient Rome. Did you know that in Transylvania they call them volkodlak, and in France they’re loup-garou. In Scotland it’s warwulf, and in Germany werwolf, just like we would say here but without the second e in were.”

“Is that right,” said one of Maria’s friends mockingly.

“I did not know that,” said another.

“Were.” Maria scrunched up her nose as though she were talking to a two-year-old. “That’s an interesting word, isn’t it. It means ‘man,’ so when you say werewolf what you’re really saying is man-wolf, or, in some cases, teenage-girl-wolf.”

Tora wanted to shout out, to scream, to extend her talons and tear Maria’s face from her head, but she couldn’t do any of those things. Even though Maria obviously knew what she was talking about—and probably knew the pack’s secret—she was still just talking: And this was Maria Abruzzo talking, as well. She’d already made a fool of herself at the school dance when she’d lost her sister and blamed a pack of wolves. What she was saying now was just as outlandish, and she had no proof to back any of it up. If Tora did anything now it would only give everyone a reason to believe what Maria was saying. It was better in the end to treat Maria as if what she was saying were crazy.

“You watch too many movies, Maria,” Tora said. “It’s affecting your brain…what little there is of it.”

“Ooooh,” came the collective response from the crowd.

Maria stepped forward, as if she wanted to fight.

Tora eased her grip on her books, hoping Maria would throw a punch and give Tora a reason to defend herself. Once that happened, it would only be a question of how much of a beating Tora would end up giving her.

But before a single punch could be thrown, Principal Terashita, who had finally noticed the group of students gathered outside his office door, was pushing his way through the crowd to see what was going on.

Already people were starting to scatter. And by the time the principal had made it through the crowd, only Maria and Tora were left in the hallway.

“What’s going on here?” Principal Terashita asked.

Maria was the one to speak first. “I was just playing a game with Tora Brock called ‘I’ve got a secret.’“

“I see,” the principal said, looking to Tora for confirmation. “Is that right?”

Tora nodded.