The telephone’s ring cut through the house like a blade through butter. Tora rolled over in bed, waiting for the ringing to stop. Ranger Brock was often called out to the forest at all hours for all kinds of emergencies from forest fires to bear attacks—so it wasn’t all that unusual for the phone to ring late in the evening. But there was something different about this call, about the way the silence was so complete between rings, and about the way Ranger Brock said nothing for the longest time after he’d answered, “Hello.”

After several minutes the ranger hung up the phone. Tora could hear him talking to Phyllis, and then it sounded as though Phyllis was getting out of bed. Clearly this was no normal emergency.

Tora sat up in her bed, then hurried across the hall to the boys’ room.

Argus and Harlan were already awake and listening to the sounds coming from the ranger’s bedroom. Even Noble was awake, staring at the door.

“What do you think it is?” Tora said, sitting on the end of Harlan’s bed.

Harlan made room for his sister. “Something serious, I bet.”

A moment later there was a knock, and the door opened up. The ranger was standing there wearing a white T-shirt and his uniform pants, and holding his uniform shirt in his hands. Phyllis stood behind him in her robe.

“What is it?” Tora asked.

“It’s Maria Abruzzo’s sister, Angelina,” he said.

“What now?” said Harlan.

“She’s gone missing.”

“Again?”

The ranger nodded.

Harlan laughed under his breath. “Are you sure she’s not playing video games at some boy’s house?”

The ranger ignored Harlan’s comment. Instead, he said, “She’s been missing a couple hours now.”

The smiles were gone from their faces in an instant. Hours alone in the forest at night, and in the dead of winter, couldn’t be dismissed with a joke. This was serious, as in life or death.

“Has anyone been looking for her?” Tora asked.

“Her sister Maria wandered around for a while, but when she couldn’t find her she contacted Sergeant Martin.”

“Where did she go missing?” asked Argus.

The ranger didn’t answer the question right away. There was a strange expression on his face, as though he was having trouble believing it himself. “Well, apparently…Maria claims she got lost right behind our house.”

“What?” Harlan said.

“That’s what she told Sergeant Martin.”

Argus sat up further in bed and swung his feet over the edge onto the floor. “What was she doing behind our house?”

The ranger shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I think I do,” said Tora.

Everyone turned to look at her, including Noble.

“She was watching us. She said she’d get proof. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was trying to get pictures of us in transformation.”

No one said a word for the longest time.