The Bad Wolf (2 page)

Chloe’s heartbeat surged into her throat. She felt jittery and agitated. What was the likelihood of being attacked? When she cast a frightened glance toward the rustling bushes waves of fury, apprehension and even curiosity rolled over her.

She bit off a frightened scream as a large animal burst out of the trees and landed on the hood of the car. Claws skidded across the metal and a low growl rumbled deep in the beast’s throat. This was no ordinary dog, she realized. It was a wolf! Even worse, he was angry that she and Karen had trespassed on what he thought of as his territory. Not to mention Karen had plowed him down with the nose of her car!

Karen gasped and
stumbled backward.

The urge to tear into skin with teeth and claws was overwhelming. As this knowledge drowned
Chloe’s senses, she bumped against the open door.

The black wolf jumped from the hood. He landed gracefully only feet from her.
His ears were up, nose wrinkled in a horrible snarl that curled his dripping pink tongue. The big, bad wolf’s light blue eyes were trained on her as if he was sizing up his prey.

Hesitation and curiosity no longer emanated from
the animal. Now she only felt rage that his hunt was interrupted. The animal’s emotions rolled across the space between them and seemed to saturate her.

“Chloe, get in the car!”

The wolf gave one last growl then limped into the dark woods. He seemed fairly confident that he had scared them.

Chloe wasted no time
diving into the car then slammed the door. Once they were both safely inside, Karen eased the vehicle down the gravel road.

“Thanks for moving us to the wild kingdom,”
she snapped.

Karen ignored her. “That’s just what we need, a
wild dog running around. I’ll call city hall tomorrow and see if they can get animal control out here.”

“
I don’t think that was a dog.” Chloe twisted in the seat to stare at the dark shape that darted across the road. It looked eerie in the taillight’s red glow.

****

Chloe crouched over a box in search of pajamas. She pawed through towels, a rogue pillowcase and what looked like her mom’s ratty old robe. The navy blue terrycloth was Karen’s favorite. Sometimes on the weekends she wore it all day.

She glanced over her shoulder and smothered a wicked grin. It would serve her mom right if she t
ossed it in the garbage.

Karen returned from distribut
ing sleeping bags and blankets. “At least this is just until the movers bring the rest of our stuff tomorrow.”

Chloe’s nose wrinkled in disgust. She was less than thrilled about sleeping on the
ugly beige carpet. Who knew what had been spilled there or when it was last cleaned. “Doesn’t Hunde have a motel?”

K
aren rubbed at her left temple and grimaced. Chloe knew a migraine was coming.

Her mom said,
“You’d better get to bed. You have school in the morning.”

“But i
t’s the middle of the week!”

“So?” Karen shrugged, clearly not understanding the dilemma.

Chloe couldn’t help but wonder if sending her to school so soon was a way of keeping her from getting underfoot.

“Why can’t I just start on Monday?” Though she felt childish doing it, she stamped her foot. Nervous butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the thought of being the new freak on display. A million thoughts crowded her mind. Most prominently, she worried that she wouldn’t fit in or the other kids wouldn’t like her. “I could he
lp get the clinic ready to open.”

“They expect you to be there tomorrow.” Karen squeezed her shoulder. “I’m going to take a look at the clinic. Will you be okay b
y yourself for a little while?”

“I’m not a baby, Mom!” She found her favorite pair of pajama bottoms then wadded them in her hand. Her argument might be more
valid if the pink pants didn’t depict dancing penguins and hearts.

Karen chuckled then said, “I know, but this is an unfamiliar house. And a
fter the thing with the dog…”

“
It wasn’t a dog.”

“I was looking right at
it, sweetie.”

Chloe’s mind drifted for a moment. The
anger she’d felt radiating off the wolf had been frightening.

Karen picked up
the keys then slung her heavy purse over a shoulder. She offered a placating smile then said, “I don’t think there are any in this part of Colorado.”

“Be careful,” Chloe sa
id then headed for her bedroom.

She leaned her head against the windowsill and watched the Outback as it moved down the driveway. As the headlights flashed across the trees, an animal’s eyes flickered. Chloe blinked then stared into the afterglow created by Karen’s taillights. There was nothing there.

Chapter Two

Chloe pushed the box of greasy donuts to the center of the table. She hadn’t even touched her orange juice. Her stomach grumbled in protest, but she was too worried about the day ahead to be concerned by something as trivial as hunger.

Her
mind raced with everything she’d have to do. First, she would have to go to the office to pick up her schedule. Then locate an assigned locker and find the right classrooms. The lunchroom scared her more than anything else.

Back home, she’d been popular and sat
with cheerleaders and members of the football and track team. Since she didn’t know anyone in Hunde, she’d be at a huge disadvantage. The idea that she’d have to sit all by herself left a cold lump of dread in the pit of her stomach. To sit alone would be the declaration of social death. Either you were a complete loser by choice or were ostracized by the rest of the class body. She didn’t plan on being either.

It mig
ht not be as bad as all of that. The other students might clamor around her since she was the new kid, the city girl. Maybe they’d even be excited to meet her.

A knowing smile lit
Karen’s soft features and her brown eyes twinkled. “Got the jitters?”

Chloe nodded glumly.
“What if no one likes me?”

Karen glanced at her watch then stood to dump the last sip of coffee down the drain.
“You should eat something.”

“I’m too nervous.” Her stomach gurgled again.
She tore a paper towel from the roll on the counter then wrapped a blueberry donut in it. “I guess I’ll eat it in the car.”

The trip was
mostly silent until the school came into view. A large, ferocious dog’s head was painted on the side of the brown brick building and stated the school was the “Home of the Hunde Hounds”. The front lot was full of activity as cars and buses dropped people off. The first period bell rang and kids scattered in all directions.

“When did you enroll me?” she asked then slumped in the seat as a group of jocks walked past the car.

Karen’s smile widened. “I stopped by last week when I came to sign papers for the house and clinic.”

When Chloe sat up and took a breath, the donut she’d been nibbling lodged in her throat. She coughed and chewed shrapnel littered the dashboard. Soon as she could speak, she sputtered, “You don’t even know what classes I wanted!”

Karen patted her a little too hard on the back. “They put you in the same ones you had in Fort Collins.”

Chloe dropped the squished donut into the cup holder between them. Then she twisted in the seat to better view the u-shaped building and its detached gymnasium. Apart from a few stragglers, the sidewalk and par
king area was clear of students now.

“I’m going to be late on my first day.
Great.”

“I thought it would be less confusing with fewer bodies in the hall.”
Karen’s smile was impatient.

A jolt of breathless anticipation and fear shot through her. Sure, when you looked at it that way, it seemed like a
fantastic idea. The only problem was, after she found her locker and received a schedule, she would have to walk into the room solo. All eyes would be on her. Another nervous quiver tumbled down her spine.

Her knees quivered
as she got out of the car then walked up to the building.  Inside, the familiar scents that could only be described as the halls of education overwhelmed her. The aroma of lunch cooking wafted from the cafeteria, followed closely by lots of bodies and gym socks, musty books and whatever they used to disinfect the place. Add to that the lingering scent of cologne, perfume and teenage hormones and it became a melting pot of olfactory nightmares.

A
woman whose grey hair looked more like a helmet sat behind a cluttered desk in the office. Her broad, flat nose looked as though it was a smashed ball of clay. Her mouth reminded Chloe of a puckered apple. The nameplate perched on the edge of the desk read Mrs. Grimes in flaked, gold lettering.

“You must be Chloe
Williams.” The woman thrust out a clipboard loaded with paper and pen. “Have a seat and fill these out.”

Chloe shuffled over t
o a row of hard plastic chairs then plopped down. Before she had a chance to fill out any of the paperwork, Mrs. Grimes asked, “Your family bought the house behind the clinic?”

“
Yes.” She winced as her voice cracked. As far as first impressions went, she wasn’t making a very good one. “My mom bought the clinic and the house was part of the package.”

“She’s a vet
erinarian then?” Mrs. Grimes didn’t convey any approval when Chloe nodded. “Good. We’re in need of a new one.”

“What happened to the old one?”
She asked with just a hint of sarcasm. He probably ran screaming, back to civilization. It’s exactly what she’d do, given the chance.

“Hard to say.” Mrs. Grimes
pursed her lips then squinted at her. “We found him in the woods, but the animals had already gotten to him. Might’ve been a hunting accident.”

“O
h,” was all Chloe managed.

“Then again, the animals might’ve got to him before he died.” There was a mischievous twinkle in the old gal’s eyes. “Some say they can still hear his howls of agony late at night, so you’d better be car
eful if you go into the woods.”

The look on the woman’s face gave her the willies.
Maybe the old crone had watched too many episodes of
Ghost Adventures
. Chloe politely cleared her throat then approached the desk. “I’m done filling these out. Can I get my schedule?”

The old woman’s
wrinkly, liver-spotted hands shuffled amongst papers and rattled through pens in the desk drawer. After a moment, she withdrew a crumpled sheet of paper.

“Here you are. At the request of your previous school, we’ve placed you in a couple advanced classes.” She handed Chloe the schedule. Just as she’d said two junior level classes, biology and math, were listed. A sigh of relief escaped her when she noticed art, her favorite class, was there too.

Mrs. Grimes said, “Your locker number and the combination are written on top. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding it.”

“Thanks.” Chloe grabbe
d her bag then opened the door.

The old woman
crossed her arms over her sagging breasts. “Don’t be tardy tomorrow, Miss Williams. We have a three strike policy.”

“What happens after three?”

“Detention,” Grimes said then sank heavily onto her chair. A hint of a smile softened her features for just a glimmer of a second. “I’ll overlook this morning since it’s your first day.”

Chloe’s
mouth felt dry and sticky. Nervous butterflies did loop-to-loops in her stomach. She yanked the door open and mentally prepared herself for what was to come.

Fourth
period was by far the worse class of the day. The biology room smelled of chemicals and she had to sit without a partner at the front of the room.

She
spent most of the hour studying Mr. Sanders graying comb-over. Each time he tilted his head, the gel-crisp hair would flap like a lid. Did he really think it hid the gleaming bald spot on top of his head? She imagined the hair kept his brain nestled safely inside. Each time it flapped, his knowledge was in danger of sloshing out.

Mr. Sanders continued the lecture she had
n’t really paid attention to. “Since we’re studying basic anatomy and have already dissected a worm, we’ll move to the next level.”

He withdrew a shoebox from beneath the desk.
When he removed the lid, fear, excitement and the sudden urge to pee struck her so hard that she gasped. She gripped the sides of the worktable and stared in horror at the squirming frog Mr. Sanders raised for the class to see.

The amphibian’s back legs kicked and it let loose a frightened chirp, followed by a stream of urine. The squeal of repulsion from a girl at the back of the class barely registered. Some of the boys answered with a whoop of enthusiasm.

Emotions flew from the frog like radio waves. Chloe couldn’t draw a breath. It was as if a strong hand had clamped around her lungs to squeeze the air out. The frantic beat of her heart made her dizzy. She was blinded by the frog’s terror and tumbled from the seat. She hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.

The classroom erupted in laughter. Mr. Sanders placed the frog back into the box then closed the lid. It immediately calmed which made Chloe feel a little more in control.

“If you’re done with your dramatics, Miss Williams, we’ll proceed.”

“Sorry!” Had she known the frog was there, she would have better prepared herself or focused on something else. It must have been asleep, she reasoned. Why else would she not have picked up on its brain waves? Perhaps it was such a simple creature that it took a strong emotion to even flicker on her radar. Cheeks burning
with embarrassment, she climbed back onto the stool and kept her gaze downcast.
Great way to impress the class, idiot!

“Instead of my grandson’s pet, we’ll use prepared specimens.” He glanced at the clock. “We’ll
begin tomorrow.”

The bell rang and
the other students shuffled into the hall.

“Chloe,” Mr. Sanders moved down the row of table
s and scattered stools. He removed his glasses and used the hem of his shirt to wipe them clean. “I won’t put up with any clowning around in this class. Now get to lunch.”

Lunch
consisted of soggy chicken nuggets, wilted salad, a scoop of lumpy mashed potatoes, squares of red gelatin and a carton of lukewarm milk.

Chloe moved past tables in search of an empty seat or a friendly face. She hoped to find a decent table, as she’d be assigned to it for the
remainder of the semester. No one offered to move their books or legs from available chairs. Some even shook their heads as she approached. Feeling downtrodden and alone, she continued her search.

A
small group who looked like the
it
crowd sat at a table near the center of the cafeteria. If these were the popular kids, that’s where she wanted to be. With renewed resolve, she headed toward them. She gripped the sides of the tray with shaking fingers and hoped no one noticed the deer in the headlights look on her face.

The boy sitting at the table looked like an ad
vert for American Eagle, with his stylish, frayed jeans and perfect brown hair. Two girls, both of which she recognized from biology, were there as well. The blonde's short, cropped hair was expertly styled. Her clothes were obviously from a trendy shop in the city. The other girl was a pretty redhead with pale skin and beautiful blue-green eyes. They were at least a year ahead of her, but she didn’t think it would matter. These were obviously her kind of people. Praying they’d already moved past the biology debacle, she tried to calm her jittery nerves as she approached.

Countless faces turned to glare and snigger as she passed. Some were indifferent while others made snide remarks regarding frogs. So, the news had
already gotten out. At this point she was beyond caring. If she could just sit down, introduce herself and start over, everything would be okay. She’d be popular by association and that was alright, at least until everyone got to know and like her.

Smiling brightly as she could without looking like a crazed maniac, she placed her tray on the table. “Hi, I’m Chloe.”

The redhead’s face froze in midsentence, clearly shocked. The blonde turned in the seat to face her. A look of confusion was quickly replaced by a scowl. “What are you doing?”

“This seat’s not taken, right?”

The redhead sneered. “Go away, frog girl.”

The boy
looked somewhat apologetic. “You can’t sit there.”

“Why not?”
She now realized his eyes were filled with mockery, not pity.

He
nodded his head to indicate someone behind her. “Because that’s his seat.”

A
cute blond guy in a light blue polo shirt stalked toward them. His face was warped in an irate glare.

The blonde girl
jerked Chloe’s tray off the table then shoved it into her hands. A glob of Jell-O shifted and left a moist red stain on the front of her new shirt.

“Leave.” The newly arrived boy seized the tray, wrenched it from her trembling hands then sent it skidding across the cafeteria floor. The food scattered and the carton of milk exploded against the wall.
Onlookers gasped in shocked delight.

“Hey!”
Chloe croaked.

Students stood up to get a look at her now.
First it was the stupid biology incident and now this. She would never fit in!

The teacher on lunch duty pushed away from the wall. “Find a seat
. Now!”

Too shocked to
come up with a smart remark, Chloe stumped toward the back of cafeteria. Fine, she’d just starve if that made everyone happy. She was close to tears by the time she spotted another table. It was practically shoved against the wall and only two people were seated there.