caught up to him and stood over him, roaring.
Michaela struggled to climb back to her feet. “C-Caleb?”
The bear stopped snarling, and craned its head to look back at her.
“Oh my god.” Michaela’s hands flew to her mouth. It really was him. She saw him, looking back out at her from those deep, dark eyes. “Don’t— Don’t hurt him, okay?”
The bear— Caleb— growled but backed off.
Reuben tried to sit up, but Caleb snarled at him again and he lay back down in the grass. “Okay, okay. I’m just gonna lie right here.”
Michaela knew she should be afraid, but she wasn’t. All she could think was that Caleb had been telling her the truth all along. The proof was standing right in front of her. She crept forward until she was close enough to touch him, and reached out. Caleb sat back on his haunches and just watched her as she touched his shoulder, ran a hand down his enormous furry back. “It’s really you. You weren’t lying.”
Caleb snorted, then nuzzled her arm.
“I thought you said you couldn’t...”
Turned out a bear shrug looked much like a human one.
Reuben looked between them with wide-eyed, baffled fear. There was so much Michaela wanted to ask Caleb about, but there were things to take care of first. “Wait right here, don’t let him leave,” she said to Caleb, then ran inside to get her cell phone. “I’m going to call the police. I don’t know if you need to leave? Change back?” She paused. “ Can you change back?” What if he was stuck like this forever?
The air around Caleb shimmered like heat rising off blacktop in the summertime. His body seemed to expand, then start to shrink and contract right in front of her, until the bear was gone, and Caleb sat in the grass, naked and grinning. “Guess that answers that.”
Reuben gave a faint groan, and as Michaela looked over, his eyes pitched back in his head and he went limp. “Too much for him,” she said. Without thinking, she threw her arms around Caleb’s neck. “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you.”
Caleb laughed. “Darlin’, we definitely need to talk, but right now, could you go look in my truck for a duffel bag? It should have an extra pair of pants.”
Michaela jumped back, her cheeks heating up. “Right. What happens to your clothes when you . . .? No, wait, tell me in a minute.” She glanced down at the exposed stump of his leg. “What about your leg?”
“Well,” he winced, “I reckon it’s in pieces in the front yard, next to my clothes. I didn’t get much warning.”
“Warning for what?” she started to ask, then shook her head. “I know, I know. Clothes first.” Her head was spinning as she ran to Caleb’s truck.
Chapter Eleven
Reuben woke up before the police finally got there, but just barely. He refused to say a word, just stared at Caleb with scared, hateful eyes. The police found a knife and some rope in Reuben’s car. When she heard about it, Michaela could only hold on to Caleb. They leaned on one another as long as they could. Miss Harvelle came home while the police were taking their statements, and offered everyone iced tea and pie while she tut-tutted over Michaela.
Finally everyone cleared out, and Michaela and Caleb were left sitting in her living room. Silence fell while Caleb fiddled with the crutch that one of the officers had gotten for him. They told the police his prosthesis broke during his struggle with Reuben, and Reuben didn’t try to contradict them, still watching Caleb like he expected Caleb to turn back into a bear and eat everybody any second.
“It looks real good in here,” he finally said. “I like the new pictures and all.”
“Thanks.” They sat side by side on her couch as awkward as a pair of teenagers on a first date. If one of the teenagers could turn into a bear and the other teenager was trying to figure out how to ask about it. “I... sometimes go shopping when I get
Michaela struggled to climb back to her feet. “C-Caleb?”
The bear stopped snarling, and craned its head to look back at her.
“Oh my god.” Michaela’s hands flew to her mouth. It really was him. She saw him, looking back out at her from those deep, dark eyes. “Don’t— Don’t hurt him, okay?”
The bear— Caleb— growled but backed off.
Reuben tried to sit up, but Caleb snarled at him again and he lay back down in the grass. “Okay, okay. I’m just gonna lie right here.”
Michaela knew she should be afraid, but she wasn’t. All she could think was that Caleb had been telling her the truth all along. The proof was standing right in front of her. She crept forward until she was close enough to touch him, and reached out. Caleb sat back on his haunches and just watched her as she touched his shoulder, ran a hand down his enormous furry back. “It’s really you. You weren’t lying.”
Caleb snorted, then nuzzled her arm.
“I thought you said you couldn’t...”
Turned out a bear shrug looked much like a human one.
Reuben looked between them with wide-eyed, baffled fear. There was so much Michaela wanted to ask Caleb about, but there were things to take care of first. “Wait right here, don’t let him leave,” she said to Caleb, then ran inside to get her cell phone. “I’m going to call the police. I don’t know if you need to leave? Change back?” She paused. “ Can you change back?” What if he was stuck like this forever?
The air around Caleb shimmered like heat rising off blacktop in the summertime. His body seemed to expand, then start to shrink and contract right in front of her, until the bear was gone, and Caleb sat in the grass, naked and grinning. “Guess that answers that.”
Reuben gave a faint groan, and as Michaela looked over, his eyes pitched back in his head and he went limp. “Too much for him,” she said. Without thinking, she threw her arms around Caleb’s neck. “I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you.”
Caleb laughed. “Darlin’, we definitely need to talk, but right now, could you go look in my truck for a duffel bag? It should have an extra pair of pants.”
Michaela jumped back, her cheeks heating up. “Right. What happens to your clothes when you . . .? No, wait, tell me in a minute.” She glanced down at the exposed stump of his leg. “What about your leg?”
“Well,” he winced, “I reckon it’s in pieces in the front yard, next to my clothes. I didn’t get much warning.”
“Warning for what?” she started to ask, then shook her head. “I know, I know. Clothes first.” Her head was spinning as she ran to Caleb’s truck.
Chapter Eleven
Reuben woke up before the police finally got there, but just barely. He refused to say a word, just stared at Caleb with scared, hateful eyes. The police found a knife and some rope in Reuben’s car. When she heard about it, Michaela could only hold on to Caleb. They leaned on one another as long as they could. Miss Harvelle came home while the police were taking their statements, and offered everyone iced tea and pie while she tut-tutted over Michaela.
Finally everyone cleared out, and Michaela and Caleb were left sitting in her living room. Silence fell while Caleb fiddled with the crutch that one of the officers had gotten for him. They told the police his prosthesis broke during his struggle with Reuben, and Reuben didn’t try to contradict them, still watching Caleb like he expected Caleb to turn back into a bear and eat everybody any second.
“It looks real good in here,” he finally said. “I like the new pictures and all.”
“Thanks.” They sat side by side on her couch as awkward as a pair of teenagers on a first date. If one of the teenagers could turn into a bear and the other teenager was trying to figure out how to ask about it. “I... sometimes go shopping when I get
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