Chapter 4

Lucas suggested, "Let's go for a walk."

They sneaked down to the lake, dodging hikers and staff, and the horror of what Lucas was trying to tell her seemed a million miles away. 

They made their way down the boulders to the secluded beach below, where they could walk along the sand without being seen.

Prior to Ava's subsequent questioning, Lucas spoke. "So, tell me, where are you from?"

"The city," she said. "I was born and raised there,"

"It's obvious to me. You're not an avid nature lover, are you?" He picked up a flat, round rock from the sand and bounced it in his palm as if determining its mass.

"Not really," Ava said honestly. "But I'm growing fond of it. It's almost like I'm at home here."

"Is that really you I hear talking, or..."

She lowered her gaze. "I don't know what to believe in any more."

He threw the stone across the lake. Four times it bounced off the water's surface before finally sinking. They paused to observe the wave's progress.

"More books can be found in the camp library," Lucas remarked. "You'll have a few weeks or months before you turn into a wolf, as the curse appears to take several moons to take full effect. You should make do with partial transformations until then."

"You take this nonsense seriously?" The werewolf in a legend?" Ava remarked, "That's insane."

"Obviously, I'm a lunatic." Lucas replied.

She pulled the journal out of her pocket and ran her fingers over the worn cover. "How did you figure out that it was mine?"

"I did not. To be honest, I was just making assumptions. You seem like the type to me."

"And what type is that?" Inquired Ava.

Lucas gave her a quick grin. “Beautiful.”

Her flush returned to her cheeks. Ava hid a smile behind her hand as she gazed at her hiking boots and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You seem to be avoiding answering the question."

Her face was heating up again as she replied, "There's another full moon in a few days." What should I do?

"Keep a low profile, in my opinion. The werewolf is a living, breathing individual, and it just might track you down." 

She started to say something, but Lucas continued. "I don't mean to frighten you. Just stick together in large groups and you should be fine. In the next moon, I'll be there to lend a hand."

"Until then, am I dangerous?" she pressed.

He looked at her very seriously. “Maybe.”

They walked back to the water's edge. Ava's excellent sense of smell made it a breeze. They walked in silence as Lucas took her to her camp. Ava looked up into the sky at the waning crescent moon.

It was strange that she had been bitten. By the end of the summer, she would be transformed into a wolf, despite the fact that she was innocent.

He handed her a book and added, "I'll see you on the full moon." The tips of his fingers touched hers. "Remember to lay low."

She went out onto the sand. Lucas didn't move. “You should probably go back because they will notice your absence soon. On Thursday night, after the lights go out, what do you plan to do?"

Ava chimed in, "Sleeping."

Lucas said, "Meet me down here." I'll get some more reading in and report back. There has to be a way to stop all of this werewolf nonsense. Does that make sense?"

“Sure.” She was dizzy and disoriented. She tried to reassure her anxious mind that it wasn't a date, but to no avail. I need to see the books before I believe it. Do you plan on bringing them?

"I don't know if I'll be able to pull them out."

Then I'll check out their library," Ava decided.

A wider grin spread across his face. "You're a bigger problem than you seem. Okay. We'll have a discussion on Thursday night."

Lucas began to make his way away from the sand when she yelled at him to stop. "I still don't know why you're helping me," she exclaimed.

"I just called myself a nut job, didn't I?" He chuckled and started jogging.

Ava watched him leave, and then she went back to the gym, smiling the whole time. Even though she didn't have lanyards or milk carton candles like the rest of the group, nobody seemed to notice when they left.

After dinner, Tia and her spiteful group of friends kept gossiping about her, but Ava paid them little mind. As of now, she couldn't be bothered. She couldn't stop thinking about Lucas: their stroll around the lake, his crooked grin, the way his biceps bulged when he skipped the rock.

He was charming. Very cute.

She was afraid, too. She ran her fingers over the barely noticeable scars on her shoulders. Was she really going to turn into a horrible monster?

When she returned to the cabin that evening, she was relieved to find it deserted. Ava's only wish was to have her mind wander freely on the pages of her journal. Ava climbed the ladder to her loft but stopped short at the top.

Someone had gone through her belongings.

Her bed was ripped in two. Everything in the drawers had fallen out onto the floor. Her mother's box was arranged as if each thing had been carefully inspected, and her clothes were strewn over the room.

She hastily gathered it all together. It appeared that everything was still there, thus the intruder had not gotten what they came looking for. Ava frowned as she gently stroked the red nose of Byron the Destroyer. What could someone possibly want to steal from her?

There's only one way to find out.

Ava walked briskly away from the lodge. Tia was conversing with another girl by the fire when Ava arrived, but the other girl quickly ran off.

Tia's bandaged nose as a result of their fight was concealed behind her scarf. "What do you want?"

"What were you doing looking through my stuff again? Searching for a fresh way to torment me?" Ava insisted.

“What?” Tia cried out.

"I know exactly what you did! I just want you to leave me alone, okay?"

Tia claimed, "I didn't do anything." The look on her face suggested that she was really confused. "Gosh, you're such a weirdo." This time, however, she didn't sound bitter or angry. She appeared to be worried that Ava would attack her once more.

"So, who was it then?" Jane? Kim?”

"We didn't do it, all right? Don't bother me!" Tia hastily followed the other girl out of camp. She sent a terrified glance in Ava's direction.

Ava believed her. Tia was not the invader. She was too nervous to approach her, let alone enter her space again.

But who else could it have been if not them?