No Survivors (10 page)

“Some of you may wonder about my name,” Mr. Moon said. He carried a long pointer and paced back and forth in front of his desk.

Tristan sat next to Ray in the front row of the classroom. Sunlight washed over them from the window. Mr. Moon wore a loose, red sweater over baggy gray pants. When he stepped into the sunlight, his pink face appeared to glow.

“Some of you may already know that there will be a full moon this Halloween,” he said. He tapped the desktop with the end of the pointer.

Why is he staring at Ray and me? Tristan wondered.

He paces back and forth. But every time he turns our way, he keeps his eyes on the two of us.

What is his problem?

“
Luna
means moon,” the teacher continued.
“Can you think of words that come from
luna
?”

“Looney Tunes?” Ray called out.

Kids laughed.

“It isn't funny. Ray is right,” Mr. Moon said, nodding at Ray.

The laughter stopped instantly.

Ray flashed Tristan a thumbs-up. “Tell the truth. Am I a genius or what?”

“The words
lunacy
and
lunatic
come from
luna
,” the teacher continued, ignoring Ray.

“So that means we should call him
Mr. Lunatic
,” Ray whispered to Tristan.

Tristan struggled not to burst out laughing.

“Something funny?” Mr. Moon asked. He leaned over Tristan, the pointer raised.

“Not really,” Tristan replied. “Just Ray's face.”

That got a big laugh from everyone but Ray.

“Let's try to keep on the subject,” Mr. Moon said softly. He kept his gaze on Tristan. “We were talking about the word
lunatic
. People who howled at the moon were called
lunatics
. As the years went by, lots of other legends grew about the full moon.”

He turned to the rest of the class. “Do you know any legends about the full moon?”

A girl named Kim-Lee raised her hand.

“Don't they say that more crimes happen on the nights of the full moon?” she asked. “You know. Robberies and murders and everything?”

Mr. Moon nodded. “Yes. Police report that their
busiest nights are full moon nights. Many more crimes are committed. Any others?”

Silence. Then Kim-Lee raised her hand again. “And doesn't the moon control the ocean waves?”

“Well, the pull of the moon is said to affect the ocean tides,” Mr. Moon replied.

Tristan raised his hand. “What about werewolves?” he asked. “People change into werewolves when the full moon is at its highest, right?”

“My hands!” Ray cried. “Wow. Check it out! My hands! They're growing fur!” He opened his mouth in a long, loud wolf howl.

“OWOOOOOOOO!”

The class erupted in laughter. Everyone laughed.

Everyone but Mr. Moon.

He was staring at Tristan. Studying Tristan. Staring so hard, it made Tristan shiver.

 

“Let's test the window bars one more time,” Mr. Moon said after dinner that night.

A fire crackled in the fireplace. The old windows rattled and shook in the gusting October winds outside.

Angela sighed. “We've already tested them a dozen times,” she said.

“Well, one more time won't hurt—will it?” the teacher said eagerly.

She pushed the red button on the bookshelf. The steel bars slammed into place.

“Very good.” Mr. Moon gleefully clapped his hands. “No way those kids will escape.”

“The house looks perfect,” Angela said, gazing around. “Do you like the evil-looking jack-o-lanterns with the knives poking through them?”

“A nice touch,” Mr. Moon said. “And I like the eyeballs and the bleeding human fingers tossed here and there. Very real looking.”

“The old wolf skins are stacked in the front bedroom,” Angela said. She chuckled. “They don't smell any better this year. I think there are some pretty disgusting things growing in those old skins.”

Mr. Moon chuckled too. He moved to the table where a bottle of dark liquid stood beside several silver goblets. “Let's pour out the wolfbane,” he said. “Some of our guests may get a little thirsty.”

He raised the bottle, and the thick, dark liquid began to ooze into the silver cups.

A smile spread over his face. “Well, Angela,” he said softly, “I think we're going to trap some werewolves this year.”