nodded. She was the only shapeshifting teacher in Cloud Chief, becoming an exotic leopard at the full Moon. Larry Garnett, the newly hired werewolf English teacher, was content to stand beside Principal Billings without saying a word.
* * *
"Gonna teach human kids to be empties?" Chad sneered at Ashe on the way out the door. Most of the adults had either left the school or gone into Principal Billings' office with Mr. Winkler to voice private concerns, leaving Ashe at the mercy of Chad and Jeremy.
"Want to say that to my dad?" Sali shoved his way through a knot of students, causing Wynn and Dori to smack him on the shoulder for being rude.
"Your dad wouldn't care if the empty disappeared," Jeremy snickered.
"That's not true," Sali growled, his eyes going feral. The threat of Sali's werewolf forced Jeremy to back up.
"That's enough, boys. Chad, Jeremy, air your concerns with the Principal or with the Packmaster," Greta Rocklin appeared and pointed the older boys toward the door. Ashe hunched his shoulders. If his parents would only allow him to mist, he could avoid those two bullies easily. Instead, Chump and Wormy always accosted him in public but generally away from adult eyes, and Ashe was prevented from doing anything to protect himself.
Not wishing for the Second's wife to report any infractions, Chad and Jeremy raced toward Jeremy's new car. Sali and Ashe watched them leave, feeling a bit of envy as the two boys drove away. "I'm gonna have a car when I turn sixteen," Sali muttered, his eyes returning to normal. Stuffing hands in his pockets, Sali walked toward the gravel road that led to Ashe's house.
* * *
"Here," Ashe set a plate of nachos in front of Sali before picking up the phone and calling his mother. "Mom, we're home. I'm feeding the tapeworm now," Ashe announced when his mother said hello.
"Honey, did Mr. Winkler talk to you today?" Adele sounded worried.
"Mom, he talked to all of us."
"No, I mean about the trip to Dallas."
"He announced it to the entire assembly," Sali said, stuffing another cheese-laden tortilla chip in his mouth.
"He didn't," Adele heard Sali's comment and became concerned immediately.
"After stupid Jeremy said it was my fault that the humans were coming," Ashe grumbled.
"I'm calling Marcus when I get home," Adele fumed.
"Mom, it'll just make it worse—they don't bother me unless there's nobody around to stop them," Ashe pointed out. "Besides, they'll go off to college in the fall. End of problem."
"Ashe, the Dallas trip is supposed to be fun for you—to meet others who might be like you in some way. You'll stay the night with Mr. Winkler and talk with those children when they're brought in. Mr. Winkler wants you to show them the bat."
"But not the mist, huh?"
"That's dangerous and you know it. If word of that got out," Adele didn't finish.
"Yeah, I know," Ashe said glumly. If anyone, particularly the Vampire Council, learned of that specific talent, Ashe might become a desirable target for more than just the Elemaiya. "Mom, I gotta go before Sali eats the last two nachos."
"All right. We'll talk more when your dad wakes."
Ashe hung up the cordless with a sigh. Sali handed over the plate with the designated two nachos on it. "Dude, you really are a tapeworm," Ashe said.
* * *
"I heard him, Marcus. He said this was Ashe Evans' fault. Everybody inside the school cafeteria heard it," Denise DeLuca said. Marcus had just walked through the door of their Cloud Chief home after a busy day at DeLuca's Locksmith Services in Cordell.
"Denise, we've known for a while that those two bully some of the younger ones. If it were only Chad, I could have a talk with him. But Jeremy is a shapeshifter. We don't have that much control over them."
"You don't think Chad put him up to it?"
"The boy lost both his parents. I expect Chad to be rebellious."
"That's no excuse to be cruel," Denise went to pull dinner from the oven. "Sali's on his way home. Mr. Winkler will come by before he
* * *
"Gonna teach human kids to be empties?" Chad sneered at Ashe on the way out the door. Most of the adults had either left the school or gone into Principal Billings' office with Mr. Winkler to voice private concerns, leaving Ashe at the mercy of Chad and Jeremy.
"Want to say that to my dad?" Sali shoved his way through a knot of students, causing Wynn and Dori to smack him on the shoulder for being rude.
"Your dad wouldn't care if the empty disappeared," Jeremy snickered.
"That's not true," Sali growled, his eyes going feral. The threat of Sali's werewolf forced Jeremy to back up.
"That's enough, boys. Chad, Jeremy, air your concerns with the Principal or with the Packmaster," Greta Rocklin appeared and pointed the older boys toward the door. Ashe hunched his shoulders. If his parents would only allow him to mist, he could avoid those two bullies easily. Instead, Chump and Wormy always accosted him in public but generally away from adult eyes, and Ashe was prevented from doing anything to protect himself.
Not wishing for the Second's wife to report any infractions, Chad and Jeremy raced toward Jeremy's new car. Sali and Ashe watched them leave, feeling a bit of envy as the two boys drove away. "I'm gonna have a car when I turn sixteen," Sali muttered, his eyes returning to normal. Stuffing hands in his pockets, Sali walked toward the gravel road that led to Ashe's house.
* * *
"Here," Ashe set a plate of nachos in front of Sali before picking up the phone and calling his mother. "Mom, we're home. I'm feeding the tapeworm now," Ashe announced when his mother said hello.
"Honey, did Mr. Winkler talk to you today?" Adele sounded worried.
"Mom, he talked to all of us."
"No, I mean about the trip to Dallas."
"He announced it to the entire assembly," Sali said, stuffing another cheese-laden tortilla chip in his mouth.
"He didn't," Adele heard Sali's comment and became concerned immediately.
"After stupid Jeremy said it was my fault that the humans were coming," Ashe grumbled.
"I'm calling Marcus when I get home," Adele fumed.
"Mom, it'll just make it worse—they don't bother me unless there's nobody around to stop them," Ashe pointed out. "Besides, they'll go off to college in the fall. End of problem."
"Ashe, the Dallas trip is supposed to be fun for you—to meet others who might be like you in some way. You'll stay the night with Mr. Winkler and talk with those children when they're brought in. Mr. Winkler wants you to show them the bat."
"But not the mist, huh?"
"That's dangerous and you know it. If word of that got out," Adele didn't finish.
"Yeah, I know," Ashe said glumly. If anyone, particularly the Vampire Council, learned of that specific talent, Ashe might become a desirable target for more than just the Elemaiya. "Mom, I gotta go before Sali eats the last two nachos."
"All right. We'll talk more when your dad wakes."
Ashe hung up the cordless with a sigh. Sali handed over the plate with the designated two nachos on it. "Dude, you really are a tapeworm," Ashe said.
* * *
"I heard him, Marcus. He said this was Ashe Evans' fault. Everybody inside the school cafeteria heard it," Denise DeLuca said. Marcus had just walked through the door of their Cloud Chief home after a busy day at DeLuca's Locksmith Services in Cordell.
"Denise, we've known for a while that those two bully some of the younger ones. If it were only Chad, I could have a talk with him. But Jeremy is a shapeshifter. We don't have that much control over them."
"You don't think Chad put him up to it?"
"The boy lost both his parents. I expect Chad to be rebellious."
"That's no excuse to be cruel," Denise went to pull dinner from the oven. "Sali's on his way home. Mr. Winkler will come by before he
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