Silvermoon. A Tale of a Young Werewolf. A YA Novel. 12-18 Read Free Page A

you must leave now.”…“Yes, he will be there soon, but you must not reveal your identity to him.”…“There is something else, they have one of their people there.”…“No, just let things take their course, but if you see any others in the vicinity, hanging around, watching him, just dispose of them, but discretely.”…“Something is about to happen.”…“Trust me, just stay by him, protect him, and teach him all he needs to know.” He replaced the hand piece once more and smiled contentedly. He then rose up and left his office, locking the door behind him.
     
     
     
    Jennifer and her friends.
     
    Jason slept a dreamless sleep and awoke feeling fresh. It was 5.30 a.m. milking time. He pulled off his nightshirt and dressed in fresh underpants, jeans and a clean T-shirt; he laced his boots over his socks and ran down the stairs three at a time.
     
    He found his parents in the barn, his mum was gathering eggs that Jessie sniffed out amongst the straw and his dad was cleaning the first cow’s teats. “Morning, sorry, I seem to have overslept.”
     
    His mother smiled widely after greeting him, no indication of worry in her eyes, and his father said in his usual manner, “Good morning, Jason, just bring some hay down from the loft, half-dozen bales should be enough.”
     
    “Where do you want them, in the cowshed?”
     
    “Outside, you can distribute it between the sheep and the Alpacas.”
     
     
     
    After breakfast, they spent time in the garden, plucking strawberries and other bush fruit until it was nine o’clock , time for school. It was maths first, followed by Latin and geography, with a break for lunch and then it was English grammar.
     
    In the afternoon, he and Jessie rounded up the sheep in time for Doctor Venables, the local vet, on his monthly visit.
     
    After the evening meal, eaten in an unusual silence, he left the house for a walk. As he made his way to the river he thought about the conversation between his mother and father of the night before. Why hadn’t they spoken to him about the incident? His parents had told him, We have no secrets here, Jason, if you want to know something, you come right out and ask. He’d had a mind to, but then he would have had to admit to eavesdropping, something his parents frowned upon, Eavesdroppers never hear good of themselves, Jason.
     
    Jason arrived at the river and sat on the bank, his mind on one thing, the touch of Jennifer’s hand. The shadows lengthened, and he felt the desire to swim. He stripped off his clothes and after doing his breathing exercises he dived in. He chased the trout and annoyed several crayfish for a while. As he swam on, he remembered Jennifer telling him- See you some evening, maybe. He recalled her saying that she went swimming with friends by the ford. He decided to pay her a visit. She said they went in the evenings when the ford was closed to traffic, as all fords were at night time.
     
    Still underwater, he swam against the current and soon picked up a companion - an otter. They startled several trout and after a while he increased his speed and left it behind to hunt alone and arrived at the ford in no time at all. He surfaced and gazed about him. He heard sounds of girlish laughter in the distance. He heard them playing, splashing about calling out to one another. He swam nearer and although he was still some way off, he heard Jennifer’s voice as she called out to the others.
     
    He became aware of something drifting through his thoughts, the faint sounds of girlish laughter followed by whispers, “ Oh, Jason, I knew you would come.” At first he thought he was imagining it, then he realized her voice was inside his head as she said, “ You can hear me, can’t you?” then he heard her voice again, “I see you aren’t afraid, there is no need to be, is there?”
     
    He swam closer and felt the pebbles beneath him as his hands touched the river bottom. He surfaced and stood up. The water came