All Hallows' Moon Read Free Page B

do?”
    Gwyn’s eyes narrowed. “I might have something.”
    And that’s how Rylie ended up hauling bales of hay at five thirty in the morning on her first day of school.
    It wasn’t that bad, actually. Once her aunt stopped watching, she didn’t have to pretend the bales were hard to lift, and she was so sleepy that she quickly fell into a zombie-like rhythm. Bend, lift, throw, bend—over and over again.
    By the time the sun rose and the ranch hands arrived, Rylie had already unloaded all the hay and arranged it in a neat stack.
    Gwyn tipped her hat back with a knuckle to examine Rylie’s work. “Well,” she said. “All right. Get in the truck. Time for school.”
     
     

Three
    First Day
     
    Her aunt had found a knapsack somewhere and given Rylie a few supplies. She searched through the bag while Gwyn drove the long road into town. There was a notebook, a couple of pens and pencils, and a white binder with a few dividers. She’d also packed a sandwich in the side pouch. It smelled like cheese and avocado.
    Rylie’s mouth watered, but before she could dig in, her aunt handed her something wrapped in paper. “The one in your bag is for lunch. This is breakfast.”
    She took a sniff of the paper, and images of sour cream, spinach, beans, and rice came to mind. “What is it?”
    “Breakfast burrito. I made it for you last summer, remember?”
    “But there’s no sausage or eggs,” Rylie said.
    Gwyn glanced at her. “Aren’t you a vegetarian?”
    She had been waiting for this question, so she gave her prepared answer: “It was just a phase. I changed my mind over the summer.” Actually, Rylie still found the idea of eating animals repulsive, but werewolves didn’t do well on a diet of vegetables.
    “A phase, huh? Well, if you wake up on time tomorrow, you can eat a real breakfast with me before we start working.”
    “When is ‘on time’?” she asked around a mouthful of tortilla. It tasted like sandpaper to the wolf, but she swallowed it anyway.
    “Four.”
    Not a chance . “Maybe,” Rylie said.
    The town started to appear bit by bit, like grains of sand scattered across paper. First there were a couple of small farms, and then there was a strip mall that looked like it hadn’t been updated since the fifties. Normal houses came next, followed by a gas station, and then Rylie realized they were downtown. It was a wide road with lots of antique stores and a bakery.
    She shuddered. A city girl at heart, Rylie had grown up in fear of towns exactly like this one. She used to love hanging out at art galleries, but she got the impression nobody here would have recognized a Monet if they saw one. “Is there a movie theater?”
    “Sure, the Valley Cinema. Two screens.”
    Rylie tried not to start crying.
    They turned off at the end of the street and went about a block before stopping. She got out of the truck. The high school buildings were scattered around the lot without any apparent reasoning, and one big tree with yellowing leaves guarded the entrance. Otherwise, it was as barren as the rest of the city—aside from all the teenagers.
    They were doing normal teenager things. Milling around to talk, parking their cars, playing hacky sack. It looked like morning at any other high school around the country.
    So why was Rylie’s heart pounding?
    Aunt Gwyneth leaned out the window. “You’ll need to get your schedule at the office before you go to class. Think you can handle it?”
    No! No, no, no!
    “Yeah... I guess.”
    “Great. See you after school!”
    “Gwyn!” Rylie called, trying to make one last effort at summoning her back, but the truck rumbled away without her.
    She stared at the high school sign. It loomed in her vision, shaded by the sun at its rear, and Rylie fought not to hyperventilate.
    I can’t do this. I can’t go to high school again.
    What if everybody hated her? After her problems at Camp Silver Brook, she couldn’t stand the thought of having to meet a whole new group of