Intertwined. Gena Showalter
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some time off. Time devoted to fun. What about Tucker? You guys could go to dinner. And before you say anything, I know I threatened to castrate him the first time you guys went out, but I’ve gotten used to the idea of you having a boyfriend. Not that you spend much time with him anymore.”
“Most nights, we talk on the phone,” she protested. “But he has football practice or a game every night of the week, and I have homework. And on weekends, as you know, I practically live at the Watering Pot.”
“Okay, well, that doesn’t help for tonight. What about … Penny? She could come over and you guys could watch a movie.”
He really was worried about her social life if he was suggesting she hang out with Penny. That begged the question of why. Did he feel guilty that she spent so much time on her own? He shouldn’t. She enjoyed her own company. There was no pressure to be something she wasn’t anymore: bubbly, carefree. “All I can promise is to find her at school and ask her what she has planned,” she told him, because she knew it was what he wanted to hear. Most likely, she’d spend the evening with her head buried in her chem book.
“Which means you’re not actually going to invite her over.”
She shrugged, remaining silent.
Sighing, he checked his watch. “You’d better get going. A tardy will ruin your perfect record.”
Classic Dr. Gray. When he wasn’t getting the results he wanted, he sent her away so that he could strategize and resume the argument later with a new plan of attack.
Mary Ann stood. “Love you, Dad. I look forward to winning round two when you get home.” She gathered her backpack and, with a wave, strolled to the front door.
He chuckled. “I don’t deserve you, you know?”
“I know,” she called over her shoulder, and could hear his renewed laughter as the door shut behind her.
When she exited her house, she immediately noticed a large, really large—ginormously large—black dog … wolf? … lying on its belly in the shade, only a few feet away from her. No way to miss it; it was like a car parked in her yard. Her blood instantly chilled.
The moment it spotted her, it jackknifed to its feet, lips pulling back from its teeth, revealing long, white fangs. A growl rumbled from its throat, low and menacing.
“D-Dad,” she tried to yell, but the sudden lump in her throat muted the sound of her voice. Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God.
One step, two, she backed away, her entire body trembling. Blood rushed through her ears, terror screaming through her mind. Those green eyes were cold, hard … hungry? She spun, meaning to sprint back inside the house. The beast leapt in front of her and blocked the door.
Oh, God. What should she do? What the hell should she do? Once more, she found herself backing away. This time, it followed, keeping the same, too-short distance between them.
She inched backward another step, and the heel of her tennie caught on something. Down, down she tumbled, landing on her butt with a painful thwack. What had—Her backpack, she realized. It now provided a comfy rest for her knees. When had she dropped it? Does it matter? she thought with a wild laugh. I’m as good as dead.
No way could she outrun the wolf now. Not that she’d ever had a chance, really. And it was a wolf, probably a wild one. It was simply too big to be a dog. She swallowed a whimper. Would have been nice to lead it on a chase, though, rather than splaying herself out like an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet.
Her only hope was that someone was outside, watching the confrontation—someone who’d either run to help or call 911. A quick peek to her left showed that Penny’s Mustang GT was sitting in the Parkses’ driveway, but there was no sign of life outside or even inside the house. A quick peek to her right showed her other neighbor had already left for work. Oh. God.
The wolf was on her a second later, its front legs pushing her shoulders into the ground. Still she couldn’t scream, her voice gone, stolen.
Don’t just lie there. Do something! She reached up, clamping its mouth shut with one hand and trying to heave it off her with the other. It merely jerked its muzzle from her grip and then batted her other arm away. Never had she felt so helpless. At least it wasn’t drooling.
Slowly it leaned down. She flinched, pressing herself as deep into the ground as she could, a sound finally escaping her: a whimper. Rather than eat her face off as she’d assumed, it sniffed her neck. Its nose was cold, dry, its breath warm as it exhaled. It smelled of soap and pine.
What. The. Hell?
What should I do? What should I do?
Another sniff, this one lingering, and then it was backing away from her. When she was free of its weight, she gradually rose, careful not to make any sudden movements. Their eyes locked, emotionless green against fearful hazel.
“G-good doggie,” she managed to get out.
It growled.
She clamped her lips together. No speaking, then.
It motioned to the right with its muzzle. A get out of here gesture? When she remained in place, the animal did it again. Gulping, Mary Ann lumbered to her feet, dragging her backpack with her. Her legs were still trembling and she almost toppled over her own feet as she backed away. While she retreated, she unzipped her pack and reached inside for her cell phone.
The wolf shook its head.
She stilled. One heartbeat, two. You can do it. Just need to press 911. Now that she’d recovered her voice, common sense was returning. No way she’d scream for her dad and have him come racing to the rescue. He despised guns and would be helpless against such a large creature.
Move it! Mary Ann inched back into motion, finally latching onto her phone. The wolf growled when she pressed the first button. Again, she stilled. He quieted. Her blood crystallized in her veins, an ice shower that only increased her trembling. Even the sun’s strong morning rays refused to warm her.
Another button.
Another growl. This time, the wolf stepped toward her, front legs bending, placing it in the perfect position to pounce.
It couldn’t know what she was doing. It couldn’t know what would happen if she pressed that final button. No matter how much intelligence seemed to glow from those meadowlike eyes.
Her muscles tensed as she applied pressure to her thumb. In the blink of an eye, the wolf launched at her, snagging the cell between its teeth. Mary Ann gasped, momentarily paralyzed with fear, relief and uncertainty. Those teeth … they’d come so close to ripping into her palm, but they hadn’t even grazed her.
Forcing herself into action, she whipped around, knowing better than to give the creature her back for any length of time. It was waiting at the base of her dad’s favorite plum tree, the black plastic still stuck between its lips, sitting as calmly as if it were picnicking. Once again, it motioned to the side.
Slowly losing her fear, Mary Ann stumbled in that direction. Even though the wolf hadn’t hurt her and seemed to mean her no harm, she arced around it, keeping as much distance between them as she could.
She walked backwards, too, keeping it in her sights.
A weary breath left it. A sigh? And then it was loping forward, in front of her, maintaining a steady pace, the scrape of its nails against the ground ringing in her ears. Every so often, it glanced backward to make sure she followed.
Not knowing what else to do, she did.
Somehow it—he—knew the way to school. Though there were three ways to get there from her house, he took the route she preferred. Had he followed her before? Could he scent where she’d been?
Were my waffles sprinkled with crack? she wondered. This couldn’t be real.
Smart as he clearly was, the wolf remained in the shadows,