Werewolf Skin by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page B

return you safe and sound. We
don’t want to lock you in, Alex. But we have to make sure—”
    “But—but—” I sputtered.
    “Besides, the Marlings called the police yesterday,” Uncle Colin said,
frowning.
    “They what ?” I cried. “They called the police—about me?”
    He nodded. “They complained about you spying on them,” he said.
    I let out an angry scream. “That’s totally stupid!” I cried. “I didn’t spy on
them! I didn’t do anything to them!”
    “Okay, okay.” Aunt Marta came around the table and placed a comforting hand
on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about the Marlings. Just don’t go anywhere near
their house—okay?”
    I turned to her. “Are they werewolves?” I blurted out.
    Uncle Colin gasped.
    Aunt Marta uttered a short laugh. “Is that what Hannah told you?” she
demanded.
    “Well… yes,” I replied.
    She shook her head. “Hannah has a twisted sense of humor,” she said.
    “The Marlings are just very odd, very unfriendly people,” Uncle Colin told
me. He glanced out the kitchen window toward their house. And added: “Two
unfriendly people with two very unfriendly dogs.”
    “Hannah said they don’t have any dogs,” I insisted.
    Uncle Colin made a disgusted face. “Tell your friend Hannah to stop pulling
your leg.”
    “What do you mean?” I asked.
    “She’s trying to scare you, Alex. Don’t listen to her.”
    The doorbell rang. Hannah had arrived to walk me to school.
    I was happy to get out of the house. I still felt angry about being locked
up.
    As we walked to school, I didn’t tell Hannah about it. I knew she’d probably
think it was funny. And she’d tell other kids about how my aunt and uncle were
so worried about me, they locked me in like a baby.
    I didn’t mention the Marlings’ dogs, either. I didn’t want to get into
another argument about werewolves. I wanted to find out the truth for myself.
    At school, I hung my jacket in my locker and started to Mr. Shein’s class.
But as I turned the corner, Sean and Arjun stepped up to block my path.
    They’d been waiting for me. They moved quickly to back me against the wall.
Their eyes glowed with excitement.
    “Hey, Alex.” Sean poked me in the shoulder.
    “Seen any werewolves lately?” Arjun demanded.

 
 
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    “Uh… well…” I didn’t know what to say. “You see… my aunt and uncle…”
    Why were they staring at me like that? Were they trying to scare me?
    A strange grin spread over Sean’s face. “Have a good time in the woods last
night?” he asked.
    “Yeah. How was it?” Arjun demanded. “Catch any werewolves, Alex?”
    I bumped them off me and stepped away from the wall. “You mean you weren’t
there?” I cried.
    They both burst out laughing. They slapped each other a high five.
    “Of course not!” Arjun declared. “Why would we go into the woods in the
middle of the night?”
    “I was sound asleep by midnight,” Sean said, grinning.
    They laughed and congratulated each other again.
    A joke. The whole thing had been a joke. They didn’t wait for me in the woods at midnight. They never intended to go to the
woods.
    “So how was it?” Sean asked. “Were you surprised when Arjun and I didn’t show
up?”
    “No. I didn’t even think of you,” I told them. “Do you know why? Because I
was too busy taking photos of the werewolf!”
    “Huh?” Sean cried.
    It was their turn to be surprised.
    Of course I was lying. But they had no way of knowing that I hadn’t gone to
the woods, either.
    “What did you see?” Arjun asked suspiciously.
    “I followed a werewolf,” I told him, forcing myself not to crack a smile. “He
came to the creek and he drank, just as you said.”
    “Give me a break,” Sean groaned.
    “Yeah. Really!” Arjun rolled his eyes. “In your dreams.”
    “I can prove it. I took a whole roll of film,” I told them.
    “Let’s see the pictures,” Sean demanded.
    “I haven’t developed them yet,” I replied.
    They stared at me,