The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks Read Free Book Online Page B

call?’
    ‘Yes. I had to.’
    ‘And you wrote that letter? The one about Toby?’
    ‘I’m afraid so.’
    ‘Well, you shouldn’t have!’ Mum exclaimed. She kept trying to push me back into the house, but I wouldn’t let her. I had a firm grip on the doorknob. ‘You shouldn’t be leaving notes on teenagers’ beds! If there’s something you want to say about my son’s health, you should go through the official channels!’
    ‘What official channels?’ Reuben asked. He’d been watching me intently, his green eyes raking me up and down like a pair of laser beams. All at once they swivelled towards my mother. ‘You want us to go to the police ?’
    Mum didn’t answer him. She was still talking to Father Ramon.
    ‘If you’re a hospital chaplain,’ she said, ‘you should have spoken to Dr Passlow.’
    Reuben gave a snort. The priest winced.
    ‘I’m not a hospital chaplain,’ he confessed. ‘I’m just a wellwisher. A concerned party. I’m genuinely worried about your son, Mrs Vandevelde.’
    ‘And so am I,’ Reuben cut in. ‘Because I think he’s got the same thing as me. I’m sure he’s got the same thing as me.’
    But Mum wasn’t interested in Reuben. She was still trying to absorb what the priest had said.
    ‘You’re not from the hospital at all ?’ she demanded.
    ‘No.’ By now Father Ramon’s hands were folded meekly in front of him. ‘I have a friend who works there as a volunteer, and she found out Toby’s name.’
    ‘Then you can leave right now,’ said Mum, her soft voice trembling with anger. ‘Get out of here or I’ll call the police.’
    ‘Please, Mrs Vandevelde—’
    ‘I’m not listening. How dare you? You’re just stickybeaks! I’m not interested in what you have to say!’
    ‘You will be,’ Reuben warned. He wasn’t looking at Mum, though. His hard stare had shifted back to me – and something about it was deeply disconcerting. ‘There are things you have to be told. For your own safety.’
    ‘Is that a threat ?’ Mum cried.
    ‘No, no.’ Father Ramon unlocked his hands, flapping them about in a beseeching gesture. ‘We have information, that’s all.’
    ‘Well, I don’t want to hear it!’
    Suddenly I glimpsed a small, bright object whizzing towards me. I caught it without thinking; my muscles moved automatically to intercept it.
    It was a bunch of keys that Reuben had thrown.
    ‘ That’s one of my symptoms,’ he pointed out. ‘Quick reflexes. Like you.’
    There was a brief, stunned silence. Then Reuben added, ‘Does your hair grow really fast? Do you need a lot of haircuts?’
    I don’t know if I can describe the peculiar, sinking sensation that I felt when he said this. Because the thing is, my hair doesgrow fast. Mum’s always complaining about it. If I don’t have a haircut every two weeks, I look like a hippie.
    ‘ My hair grows fast,’ Reuben continued. ‘I mean, you’d never believe I shaved this morning, would you?’ His fingers scraped across his scrubby jaw.
    I was so shaken, I couldn’t even nod. It was Mum who spoke.
    ‘Get out!’ she snapped. Reuben promptly rounded on her, all bared teeth and flashing eyes.
    ‘Your son needs to hearthis!’ he barked.
    ‘Nonsense.’ She wasn’t even listening. She was in too much of a state. ‘I’ll count to three, and if you haven’t left by then, I’m calling the police.’
    ‘Mrs Vandevelde—’
    ‘One.’
    ‘You’ll regret it!’ said Reuben.
    ‘Two . . .’
    ‘Mum.’ I grabbed her arm. ‘He’s right.’
    Talk about a bombshell. Even Reuben blinked. Poor Mum was so shocked that she just stood there with her mouth open, staring at me.
    ‘Don’t you think we should at least listen?’ I mumbled. ‘It might be important.’
    ‘It is important . ’ Reuben was butting in again. ‘It’s genetic. Hormonal. How many brothers do you have?’
    This time it was my turn to blink. ‘What?’
    ‘You’ve got six brothers, right? Six older brothers?’
    I glanced at Mum,