Jericho’s eyes narrowed. “You must be confused.”
“I guess I must be,” she said faintly. But if Seth wasn’t from Camp Golden Lake, then who was he?
Hunter and Hunted
The night before the new moon found Rylie alone in her darkened cabin. The rest of the group was taking advantage of the moonless sky by learning about constellations, but Katie decided Rylie shouldn’t participate in an activity where she could be out after the normal curfew.
“Go to bed,” she had ordered, settling herself by the fire to whittle a piece of wood into a flute. Katie didn’t make threats, but the image of her seated by the leaping flames with a knife was pretty convincing.
Rylie didn’t argue. She was too scared anyway.
The new moon was coming.
She couldn’t even make herself write in her journal. Rylie was going to have to face her first full transformation without Seth to help her, and she was out of time to find a cure. Even though the moon was barely a sliver in the sky, she could feel it pressing down on her as surely as though she carried its weight on her back.
The window creaked open. Seth climbed into the cabin dressed in his usual black shirt and jeans, and her heart jumped into her throat.
“What are you doing here?” Rylie asked, hugging her legs to her chest.
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“No. I’m still being watched.” She turned around so that her back faced him and rested her chin on top of her knees. “Go away.”
“I don’t care if it’s dangerous. Rylie, look at me,” Seth said, sitting next to her. She struggled to keep from crying again. It seemed like all she had been doing since her father’s heart attack. “There’s still a chance. You might not become a werewolf tomorrow.”
That got her attention. “What? How? Did you find a cure?”
“It’s not exactly a cure, but I know some people have been bitten and haven’t changed.”
Rylie finally looked at him. His expression was shuttered. Seth was hiding something. “Where did you hear that?”
“You know, my usual places,” he said.
She finally snapped. “No, I don’t know. How do you know so much? I read all of The Legends of Gray Mountain from back to front a hundred times and I never found half of what you’ve told me. You have another source.”
“I told you I’ve read everything.”
“You’re lying to me,” Rylie said. “I can smell it now.” Her nose wrinkled. “That burned smell that follows you around—I’ve come across it before at my aunt’s ranch in Colorado. I couldn’t put a finger on it until I almost got mugged back home. It’s gunpowder.”
Seth reached for her hand, but she jerked away. He hung his head. “Your senses are getting better. I haven’t fired a gun in weeks.”
“Who are you, Seth?”
“You know me. We’ve hung out all summer.”
Rylie’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah? Something funny happened at the dance. One of the counselors told me that there is no camper named Seth. I wonder why he would think that?” She looked at him expectantly, but his expression didn’t change. “You aren’t from Camp Golden Lake.”
“No, I’m not,” Seth said.
Rylie took a deep breath, bracing herself for the logical leap from there. “You’re the werewolf, aren’t you?”
He laughed, and Rylie felt her heart sink into her stomach. She hadn’t made the accusation thinking he would admit to it. When he saw her expression, he stopped laughing and quickly said, “No. I’m not a werewolf.”
“Then who are you?”
“I’m a… well, I’m kind of a hunter,” Seth said. “I hunt werewolves.”
She gaped. “Does that mean… are you going to…?”
“You’re not a werewolf yet. Not for one more moon.” He took Rylie’s hand in his, and this time, she didn’t pull away. His skin was warm and rough. “You don’t have to turn. You can fight it. If you can keep yourself from changing on the last moon by force of will, you’ll never become a werewolf, and I won’t have to…” He trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken.
“Kill me?” Rylie asked. He didn’t respond.
“We both know there’s a werewolf here. A real monster, not like you.” Seth took a small cylinder out of a pocket on his cargo pants. It was the size of his thumb and shiny. A silver bullet. “When I find it, I’m going to kill it.”
A heavy weight settled in her stomach. “What will you do to me?”
“You need to trust me, and you need to fight harder than you’ve ever fought in your life. I’ve seen the first transformation before. It’s hard. When the moon rises, the curse will take you, and it’s overwhelming. But if you’re strong enough, you’ll stay human.”
“How do you know?” Rylie asked.
His face was very serious. “My brother was bitten on a hunt last year. He almost changed, but he didn’t. He’s fine now. Human.”
She was silent for a long time, processing this new information while his thumb rubbed tiny circles over her knuckle. Rylie thought nothing could shock her anymore. The Legends had mentioned a few hunters, so it was no surprise people went out of their way to kill her kind.
But why did one of the hunters have to be Seth?
Rylie retracted her hand from his. “So that’s where you got all your information. You know all about werewolves because you kill them.” She swallowed. “You kill us. How many have you hunted before?”
“You don’t want to know,” Seth said.
She got off the bed and paced the cabin. He watched her move back and forth.
“Why would you try to be my friend if you knew you were going to hunt me down, too?” Rylie asked.
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Give it a try.”
“I guess… well, I was there that night. When you were attacked. I tried to stop the werewolf, but I didn’t make it in time. I had tracked it to that thicket of trees. I wanted to help you, but it was too fast.”
“Is that why I survived?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Maybe I should have let you die. You wouldn’t have had to do any of this.”
She grimaced. “Do you really think death is better?”
Instead of answering, he went on. “I wounded it, but I didn’t kill it. You healed as soon as the attack ended, so I knew you had the curse. My brother would have killed you then and there, but I was weak. I didn’t do it. I carried you back to your cabin instead,” Seth said. “I didn’t think…”
“That I would be weak, too? That I would kill Amber?” Rylie demanded.
“That I would care about you this much,” he finished.
Her heart skipped a beat. “Oh.”
“Amber wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have done it. I lost track of you after you crossed the trail, and I know you didn’t double back.”
She didn’t hear any of that. “You care about me?” Rylie asked, feeling light-headed.
Seth started to reach a hand toward her again, but seemed to think better of it. “Forget about it. I was too late to save you that night, but it’s not too late to stop the change now. I swear I will do everything in my power to save you, Rylie.”
“Is this why you wouldn’t kiss me at the dance? You don’t want to have to kiss me and then kill me?”
He stood, taking her by the shoulders. “Rylie…”
She drew back her hand and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. As it turned out, Rylie could hit really hard now. Seth’s head snapped to the side. He staggered and barely caught himself on the wall of the cabin.
He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. There was blood on it.
“Careful,” he warned. “I won’t let you do that again.”
“I want you out of my sight. Now!”
“What will you do? Bite me?” Seth lifted his hands, palms out, in the universal gesture of peace. “You have to fight the anger, Rylie. That’s not you. That’s the beast.” He took a step toward her. “Fight it!”<
br />
“I said you need to leave, and I meant it,” Rylie said, fists clenched at her sides.
“Do you even want to live if it means being a werewolf? I wouldn’t. You experienced the attack yourself. They’re animals! The fact you survived is a miracle, because most people end up like Amber. Do you want to do that? Do you want to become a murderer?”
“I didn’t say that! God, what kind of person do you think I am?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “What kind of person are you?”
She folded her arms to keep herself from lashing out again. “Why did you come here tonight? I know you’re not going to apologize.”
“No. I guess I’m not.”
“Is this some kind of bargaining? You want to give me the choice between becoming a werewolf or… what, a mercy killing?”
“It would be a mercy,” Seth said softly. “You don’t want to live like that.”
Rylie grit her teeth. “You don’t know me.”
“I know you better than anyone, Rylie.”
Anger swelled within her again, but Rylie struck the side table instead of Seth. It shattered with a crack and her belongings spilled across the floor. He took a step back before be caught himself and straightened his shoulders.
Rylie’s eyes narrowed. Showing a glimpse of weakness had been a bad idea. It made the wolf want to pounce. “I’m not going to let you kill me,” she growled.
“Werewolves are dangerous. Worse, they’re contagious. I’ve spent my whole life hunting with my family, and there aren’t many packs left. This remnant is one of the last, and one of the worst. Tons of kids come through these camps. How many more could die, or end up like you?”
“I don’t have to be like the one who changed me. If I didn’t kill Amber—and I really hated her—I won’t kill anyone,” Rylie said. “Would you still hunt me?”
“My family is sworn to end the werewolf threat,” Seth said.
“Including me.”
It took him a long time to respond, but eventually, he nodded. “If you change tomorrow, then yes. Including you.”
“Get out of my sight,” Rylie spat.
He didn’t argue this time. “Fine. I’ll go. But you have to fight it, Rylie. You have to. Don’t make me do anything I don’t want to do.”
She stepped up to him and jabbed a finger in his chest.
“You listen to me closely, Seth. I’m not making you do anything. If I change tomorrow night and you pull the trigger, then it will be you who killed me. Not your family. Not me. You.” Rylie’s chin trembled despite herself, and her voice softened. “Can you really kill me?”
Seth reached up and brushed his hand over her cheek. For once, all his emotions played out on his face simultaneously: fear, anger, betrayal, and maybe even love.
He took a long, shaking breath. “Goodbye, Rylie,” he whispered. She didn’t watch him leave. Rylie couldn’t see him without getting angrier, and she didn’t want to strike him again.
The only way she knew he was gone was because she suddenly felt empty and lonely. Rylie’s eyes stung. Why was the only one who cared for her anymore sworn to kill her?
And why couldn’t she help but love him back?
Attack on Camp Silver Brook
The new moon was going to rise that night, and Rylie was alone.
She didn’t bother waiting for lights out before going up the mountain. As soon as Rylie filled herself on meat at breakfast, she took off at a run, making sure nobody could keep up with her. She had more food in her backpack, but Rylie was too fast for any normal human to follow even weighed down.
It didn’t matter if anyone knew she was gone. How could they punish her now? The summer was at its end, and so was Rylie.
Once she was far enough from camp to be sure nobody would follow, Rylie slowed to a more reasonable pace. On any other day, it might have been a nice hike. The sun shone hot, but a light breeze cooled her sweat. The air became crisper the higher she climbed.
She walked on instinct, heading for a destination even she didn’t know. It was as though something drew her higher and higher.
Rylie passed the ruins of the old church in the afternoon and stopped for lunch, hopping over the barbed wire and sitting on the stone pew inside. She ate ravenously, but tried to reserve most of her food for dinner that night.
The church wasn’t as scary during the day. Rylie stared mistrustfully at the metal rings embedded in the wall. Somehow, knowing she had let a werewolf hunter—even Seth—chain her during a moon made her feel sick inside. She had been helpless. What if he had decided not to give her the chance to avoid the transformation and killed her?
Of course, Seth had ignored many opportunities to kill her: the first night she was bitten, every time he came to her cabin while she slept, when she was weak during her transformations. He hadn’t done it yet.
“Yet” being the important word.
The pancakes were suddenly too dry in Rylie’s mouth, so she put the rest of her supplies in her backpack.
Rylie decided to stay at the ruined outpost. It was as good a place as any. She was far from the camps, preventing a repeat of the Amber incident, and she had a clear view of the sky. She would be able to see the change coming.
As the sun inched across the sky and made the shadows lengthen, Rylie felt the moon begin to tug at her. It was different this time. Her nerves were jittered. At first, she thought she was only nervous, but it only got worse as time passed.
The change was going to be bad. Very bad.
Rylie pulled out her journal to pass the time, sipping from a water bottle as she wrote.
The hours passed as she told her story. Even though she had logged everything as it happened, she felt like she had to go over it one more time. She talked about her alienation at the beginning of summer and meeting Cassidy. She wrote about how much she missed her dad, and how she had grown to love the forest.
But mostly, she wrote about Seth.
She reached their argument the night before and stopped. Rylie didn’t want to think about that.
Tonight’s the night. It’s my only chance to save myself. I have to be strong, like Seth said, but I don’t know how. I’m scared.
He might be right. If I do change, I’m probably better off dead. I won’t be able to go home. I don’t even have a home anymore. Going back to the city for school is out of the question, especially since even my friends think I’m a freak by now.
I’m not the same person anymore. I don’t want to die, diary, but I feel like I’ve reached the end of days anyway.
She sighed and kicked a piece of rubble across the church.
I wish Seth was here.
It grew too dark for Rylie to see the page. She chewed on the end of her pen, trying to decide how to finish the entry with the knowledge she might never write in it again. Her fingers traced over the deep scratch on the leather cover that had been left by her attacker three months ago. It felt like a lifetime.
I’m sorry I was bitten and that I’m becoming something evil. I guess it’s good my dad didn’t live to see this. But I promise if I survive the change, I’m really going to live. I’m not going to waste a single day.
I don’t regret anything.
And she signed her name at the bottom. Rylie.
She shut the journal and tucked it in her bag to wait for sunset.
The forest darkened. Tendrils of orange and red clouds reached across the sky. Rylie tried to keep picking at her food, knowing she would regret it if she didn’t eat, but she had no appetite. She forced herself to swallow down the ham and bacon, tossing the remaining pancakes to the squirrels. They wouldn’t approach her to eat them. She really was alone.
Before long, the sun was gone, and the stars faded into place. Rylie stood in the middle of the encampment. She kept her ears perked, half-hoping to hear Seth coming for her, but it was quiet on Gray Mountain. All the small animals of the forest had gone to sleep.
Everything else was silent, as though watching her
and waiting to see what would happen.
The moon would call her soon. Rylie could feel it.
“What am I going to do?” she asked the sky.
“I don’t know, Rylie. What are you going to do?”
She spun. For a half-instant, she thought it was Seth, but then she saw the figure lumber across the ruined outpost. She knew those broad shoulders, that yellow hair, and those angry eyes. He was wearing khakis and a loose t-shirt branded with the camp’s logo, and he carried nothing despite the long hike.
“Jericho,” Rylie said, disappointed. “What do you want?”
“It’s dangerous to be in the forest alone at night,” he said.
“So what? Are you going to report me for being out past curfew?” she asked. The situation was almost funny. Here she was, an hour at most away from becoming a terrifying beast, and a camp counselor was trying to menace her.
“It’s an option.” He took a step forward, and she stood her ground. “But what good would that do?”
Rylie glanced up at the sky. The sun was completely gone. “If I promise I’ll be back in bed by sunrise, will you leave me alone? You can’t threaten me with anything and I’m not going back tonight.”
Jericho laughed. “Neither am I.”
There was a strange tone to his voice, and Rylie gave him a second, harder look. His eyes were almost reflective in the darkness.
She took a slow sniff of the air. The wind wasn’t blowing in the right direction, and she wasn’t as sensitive in human form, but she could almost pick up that musky, woodsy scent she had detected at Golden Lake. The same scent she had tracked on the last moon.
The scent of the werewolf.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
Jericho, already massive and intimidating, only seemed to grow bigger. He flashed sharp, white teeth. “Now you know.”
“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m not.”
That gave her pause. “But…”
“You’re just a pup,” Jericho said. “I’ve come because it’s your sixth moon. The first real transformation can be terrifying if you’re alone. Why don’t you let me help you tonight?”
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