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I scoffed. "No you didn't. You said I should sell the cabin."

"Yes! And you could've done that without going back there."

"I don't see how. I had to see it so I could determine if it needed work. That is,
if
I decide to sell it."

She sighed again. "If you're smart, you
will
sell it. You need to come back to the city and forget about that awful place. It's not safe there."

"Mom..." I braced myself for a verbal lashing. "I'm going to stay here for a while and take a vacation."

"What?" I pulled the receiver away from my ear because she almost burst my eardrum.

"What about your promotion? That's a big deal and you don't want to blow it. Doesn't Nina

expect you back?"

"I'm using my bereavement time plus some vacation."

She huffed loudly. "I don't understand why you want to stay. It's remote and there's

nothing to do in those mountains. What's so special about that place? Let me ask you

something...does the cabin need any work?"

"Not really. It just needs more cleaning. I found out Dad was here about a month ago. He

kept it up, so it wasn't in bad shape."

"Oh really," she drawled. "Well, isn't that nice." Sarcasm oozed from each word.

I wanted to say, 'Why do you care if he was here? You've been divorced for years,' but I

had to watch my tongue or else she'd tear me a new one through the phone. Either that or she'd

fly over here and do it in person.

"Look, I just called to tell you I was all right. I didn't want you to worry. I'll see you when

I get back."

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"When will that be?"

"I don't know." I really
didn't
know. I
did
know I wanted to get to the bottom of this whole wolf fiasco before I left...and Riley was the key.

"You'd better call Nina and tell her. I just hope she still lets you keep your job."

"Mom, she's not going to fire me because I want to take a vacation."

"She might. It's very last minute, don't you think? She won’t appreciate that, regardless of

your father’s death. I'm sure there are plenty of other people who'd love to have your position."

My mother was a pro at laying guilt trips. It worked, because now I was nervous. What if

Nina
did
demote me or worse...decided to fire me? Maybe my mother was right and I should just

leave. Black River was a strange and creepy kind of town anyway, but first I wanted to find out

the truth behind the wolf. I hadn't changed my mind about that.
Then
I would leave.

"I'll be home next week. I'll call you again as soon as I land in New York."

Curiosity about the Gray family filled me after I got off the phone with my mom. I

decided to peek into the sheriff and Celia's room. At first sight, there was nothing out of the

ordinary about their room. It was the same size as the twins' room, but they had a full-size bed. I

sat on it, looking out of the window, and saw a small expanse of grass. It led to a forest that

seemed to go on for miles.

I unconsciously glided my hand over their comforter. When I touched Riley's black shirt,

I saw bristle-like hairs that looked like they belonged to a dog or cat. They weren't white like the

ones I saw on the carpet in the twins' room; these were darker.
Do they have a pet I don't know

about
?

I went into the kitchen and searched for a litter box or pet toy. I found nothing. I searched

the cabinets for pet food and still didn't find any evidence to suggest a pet lived here.

I walked swiftly back into the sheriff's room to inspect the bed again. I found gray hairs

on the comforter and one of the pillows. There were brown hairs on the other pillow. Their

stepmother had brown hair. I first met her at the sheriff's station when I arrived in Black River.

However, these hairs were not from her head. They were straight and coarse, nothing like her

long soft waves.

When I knelt next to the bed, I found gray and brown hairs scattered on the carpet.
Where

the hell did these come from
? I needed to speak to Riley right away. I wanted some answers. He Copyright © 2011 April Bostic

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didn't leave a phone number on his note, so I didn't know how to contact the sheriff's office. I

thought about calling 9-1-1, but realized I needed to be patient and wait for him to come home.

I discovered another reason why I could never stay with this family when I turned on

their television. It had bad reception and didn’t have cable. They didn’t have a computer either.

Lounging on their sofa, I thought I was going to die of boredom. I guess I was spoiled. I

wondered what the twins did for fun around here. The only place of entertainment I remembered

seeing in town was a bar called The Ivory Claw. I felt trapped, so I decided to take my chances

and walk into town. Besides, some fresh air and exercise would do my body good.

I knew my face looked like I'd lost a fight because I glanced at my reflection while I was

getting dressed. If I was going out in public, I had to look halfway decent. I didn't want people

staring at me. I hated using other people's grooming things, but had no choice. I took a brush off

the dresser in the twins' room and a scrunchie from a plastic storage box that looked like a

Caboodle. Taming my hair was easy. My
face
needed a lot of work.

I went into the bathroom hoping to find makeup or concealer. Inside the medicine cabinet,

I hit the jackpot. Either Quinn or Celia kept a small makeup kit with everything from face

powder to lipstick.

After I washed my face, I set to work on making myself look like the woman Riley met

in the store. The scratches were still visible on my face, but they were easy to cover with the

powder foundation. I carefully pulled the bandage off my forehead and gasped at the nasty

scabbed gash underneath. I decided the bandage could stay, but took my hair out of the ponytail

to cover it. The pearly pink lipstick made the scab on my lip less noticeable. Luckily, Riley’s

shirt covered most of the bruises on my neck. The puffiness had disappeared from my eyes, so

the eyeliner and mascara helped my appearance tremendously.

As I was about to leave the bathroom, I heard the twins come into the trailer. They were

talking to each other, but when they reached the kitchen, I realized they were arguing. I stood at

the sink and listened quietly.

I heard Quinn say, "Riley, you need to give it up. She's not going to stay."

"She
will
. I just have to persuade her."

They spoke in hushed voices, but I don't think they knew I was in the bathroom and could

hear their conversation. The door was cracked and the light was off.

"You already tried," Quinn said.

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"I have to try harder. I need to spend more time with her so we can get to know one

another. She said I don't know her."

"How can she get to know you without finding out? And what do you think will happen

when she does? Do you think she'll still want to stay? She'll be afraid of you!"

"Then I have to show her she doesn't have to be afraid."

She scoffed. "Yeah, right, because you've done such a good job of that already."

I tiptoed toward the door and peeked out of the crack. The twins stood a few feet away

from me. Riley leaned against one of counters, his arms crossed over his bare chest. His hair

hung in his eyes and a thin sheen of sweat glistened on his tanned skin. Quinn stood in front of

him wearing her nurse uniform and long hair pulled into a ponytail.

Riley then turned and faced the wall. He put his hands on the counter and took a deep

breath. "I have to tell her the truth," he said in a low voice.

Quinn stepped toward him. "No! You know Dad's law."

Before I could blink, he rounded on her. "Fuck Dad's law!" Quinn gaped at her brother in

shock. He quickly entered her personal space and towered over her tiny frame. "You know what

your problem is? You're jealous. You don't want me to have a mate because no one wants
you
."

In the next second, an amber fire lit up Quinn's eyes and she growled like an animal. Her

lips peeled back revealing sharp elongated teeth. She lashed out ferociously at her brother, and

her fingernails tore the skin on his cheek. Riley's head whipped to the side from the impact and

blood beaded instantly from his scratches.

My eyes widened and I felt my heart jump into my throat. My whole body quaked in

terror as I slammed the door shut. I fumbled with the lock before I barricaded myself inside their

small bathroom.

I heard Quinn gasp. Then I heard Riley say, "Brilliant Quinn! This time it's
your
fault!"

Quinn's panicked voice was on the other side of the door. "Paige, it's okay. I can explain."

I stepped back, my calves bumping against the tub. I trembled from head to toe. One of

the twins knocked on the door and the doorknob jiggled as they tried to enter. My lips quivered

and tears trickled down my cheeks. Suddenly, my eyes burned. I yelled in pain and squeezed

them shut. Then I grabbed the hem of my shirt and wiped the mascara that had run into my eyes.

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I heard Riley's voice again, gentle but distressed. "Please open the door, Paige. We're not

going to hurt you. We just want to talk to you. Let me explain and I'll tell you everything you

want to know."

"Stay away from me!"

Quinn continued to plead with me. "Please, Paige. I'm sorry I scared you."

My eyes stayed glued to the doorknob as the twins still tried to get in. The door shook

from the force of them trying to pry it open. They were toying with me because I knew they

could knock it down if they wanted.

I felt trapped, and my head whipped around the bathroom. I had to get out of this trailer.

Where could I go
? For a moment, I thought about opening the door and fighting my way through

Riley and Quinn until I reached the front door. I felt sunlight touching my arm and followed its

path toward the window. That's when I found my escape. The window was small, but I didn't

care. I would do everything in my power to squeeze myself through.

Riley's voice got louder and more demanding. "Paige! Open the door
now
!"

"No! Go away!"

I lifted the window wide and almost ripped the screen off as I pulled it up. I stuck my

head through first and felt relieved when my shoulders followed. The warm summer air caressed

my face, dried the sweat from my forehead and the tears on my cheeks.

The twins continued to try to persuade me to let them in, but I was already on my way out.

I glanced back to see the door fall off its hinges as Riley barged into the bathroom. I felt him

touch my foot just as I pushed myself through the window.

I fell hard on the ground, and a sharp pain stabbed my side. I groaned, and my body

twisted as I tried to get up. I heard Riley yell my name from the window. I got to my feet, turned

toward the town, and ran top-speed like my life depended on it...which it did.

In the distance, I heard Riley’s frantic voice. "Shit! She's running away!"

My body protested from the exertion. Pain shot through my back and legs, but I ignored it.

I had no idea where I would go. I just knew I had to find other people. I heard Riley yell my

name, and turned my head to see him running after me.

A scream of horror came from my throat as if a wolf was chasing me. "HELP!

SOMEONE HELP ME!"

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I heard Riley gaining on me, his footsteps hard and swift against the ground. I tried to

scream again, but my voice cut off when something hoisted me into the air. It grabbed me and

knocked the wind out of my lungs. I looked down at the grass and it was a blur of green. My

body bounced, and I realized I was upside down. Riley carried me over his shoulder while he ran.

In less than a minute, he dropped me onto the sofa in their living room. I felt disoriented

and dizzy. I blinked rapidly to get my vision in focus. The twins stood in front of me, Riley

breathing hard and Quinn just watching me. Her eyes were back to their human color, but I saw

distress behind them. The deep scratches on Riley's face had already healed, revealing his

smooth skin.
That was OT normal
.

I went on the defensive because I wasn't sure what these creatures were about to do to me.

My lungs burned from running, but I still breathed rapidly and my chest heaved. The living room