Werewolf Weekend by B. A. Frade, Stacia Deutsch Page B

her. She’s just a little girl.”
    I looked at Riley, who had begun circling around Sam, eyes flashing, stalking her prey.
    â€œShe’s a werewolf,” I said.
    â€œWe aren’t hurting my cousin,” Sam called to us. The werewolf was inches away and a heartbeat from pouncing on her neck. “Come up with something else.”
    â€œDid you bring a dog leash?” I asked Duke.
    â€œNo.” He threw something at me. “Here. Try this.”
    I reached out to catch whatever he had tossed, but missed. It sailed over my head, falling just behind me. I turned to get it, but the wolf lunged past me and got there first. She devoured the thing in a single bite, wrapper and all, before crawling back toward Sam.
    â€œWhew. That’s good news. She likes granola bars,” he said with a half shrug. “I was rushing out so fast, I tried to grab something ten-year-old girls like. Werewolves might be scary, but she’s still human underneath all that fur.”
    I wished I had caught the granola bar. Maybe we could have broken it into pieces and used it as a lure.
    Lure…
    Okay, so I didn’t have any food to bring her along, but I had something that was supposed to keep werewolves away. I lifted the chain Duke had given me as a joke from my neck and quickly peeled off the small silver ball.
    I had about a second to make the throw of my lifetime.
    â€œSam, catch!” I tossed it in the air.
    My throw was wobbly, but in the same instant that Riley leapt toward her, Sam caught the silver orb. She held it out in front of Riley.
    The wolf, seeing the shining glint of the silver, recognized it as something she had to stay away from. She sank to the earth and immediately backed away.
    Sam was safe, for the time being, but the werewolf’s craving was still strong. She turned her attention to Duke. It wasn’t slow stalking anymore. She was on the prowl, hungry and determined. It was only a matter of minutes before she struck, transforming our classmate and neighbor into a monster.
    â€œDuke, watch out,” I warned.
    I could hear the low, hungry growl in Riley’s throat as she crept forward.
    â€œSam,” he said, through tight lips. “Toss me the silver ball.”
    She threw it. He caught it, and the werewolf backed away, setting her sights on Cassie.
    â€œI have an idea,” Cassie said as her own sister moved in for a vicious bite. “I’ll start moving backward toward the house. When she gets close to me, throw me the pendant.”
    â€œWhoever she is chasing can get her to follow.” I was on it. “Then we toss the pendant for protection.”
    This was a slow way to get from the park to the house. But it was another change. There was no silver pendant in the Scaremaster’s book. Based on that fact alone, I knew it would work.
    Cassie moved back pretty far, with her sister dangerously stalking her. Duke passed her the ball, and the danger shifted to me.
    I’d thrown it once, and it worked out for Sam. But now I had to catch.
    If I missed, I was going to become a werewolf. Or worse—a werewolf’s midnight snack.
    I glanced up to the sky and sent a silent wish to the mythological Man in the Moon. If he existed, now would be a good time to prove it. “Please let me catch the ball.”
    I took giant steps backward, letting Riley come very close. Her teeth were bared, and I could see the drool beneath her jaw. My hand ached where she’d clawed at me.
    I made it to the end of Sam’s driveway, when Cassie threw me the protection amulet.
    It soared toward me in slow motion. I saw it, shimmering as if it hung on a bright moonbeam. I reached out at the same time the werewolf pounced forward. Riley’s sharp claws stabbed me in the shoulder blades. I was pinned to the ground.
    Her face lowered. I could see the fangs that were about to puncture my neck. I could smell her breath, a mixture of musty wolf scent with moon