Phase (11 page)

“I’m a shifter. Ezra is too. So is my brother, Nick, Aidan. Naomi too. You saw us in wolf form last night.” He didn’t pause long. “You cannot tell anyone about us, Sophie. That is the one thing you have to remember. Our identity must remain secret.”

“Why?” I couldn’t understand how I could still speak.

Micah glanced at Ezra then back at me. “It’s important. There are dozens of reasons that others knowing about us is dangerous. We are trusting you.”

I swayed a little. “Um, OK.”

“You cannot tell anyone. The importance of the pack is worth more than—”

“Dammit, Micah, you’ve overloaded her as it is. Give her a second before threatening her.” Ezra said, reaching toward me. “I think she might faint.”

“No.” I stared at the wooden slats below my feet. “No, I don’t faint.”

“She’s your responsibility. Yours and Juliet’s. It’s on your head if this goes bad.” Micah went back into the house.

Ezra touched my arm, and I didn’t pull away.

“You’re a wolf?” I asked, looking up into the eyes I’d been gaga over for four years.

“Yeah.”

“That’s why you guys are always together,” I said monotonously. “You’re a pack.”

“We are. And Jules is now a part of that pack.”

Hard to keep my eyes on his, so I focused on my hands, wrapped like mummies. “Would she have eaten me?”

He didn’t answer instantly. “She didn’t know what she was doing, Sophie. At that point, the wolf took over. She might have attacked you. You scared her.”

“I scared her.” I half laughed without any mirth. “That’s a first.”

His hand rubbed my arm lightly. “I need to take you home.”

I closed my eyes at his touch, still marveling that I could register it even when I knew what he was. “Can I see it?”

“See it?”

“See one of you change. I need to see it.”

He dropped his hand, looking back over at the glass doors. I followed his gaze. Gil, Aidan, Nick, and Micah stood there, watching us. I dropped my head, flushing.

Micah opened the door. “She wants to see?”

“Yeah.”

“Any volunteers?”

“I’ll do it.” Gil darted out. He pulled off his shirt eagerly and his hands went to his jeans.

I jerked, startled and embarrassed. Ezra growled. Gil looked at me and grinned.

“Guess they’re big enough.”

Huh?

He closed his eyes and the sound, the sound from last night, the cracking of the biggest knuckles on the planet, echoed around us. Gil’s impish face started to elongate, the nose into a muzzle. His chest grew a black fur pelt as he hunched over on all fours. His arms and legs shifted into animal legs and paws.

The process probably took all of ten seconds, but it felt like slow motion. He turned into a wolf, right before my eyes. Like a horror film with really good special effects.

The pants fell off him as he padded over to me, his tongue hanging out and tail wagging. He sat right in front of me, looking up expectantly.

“Gil?”

Chapter Seven

His tail wagged some more. I reached out with my bandaged hand, and he licked it. Ezra shoved him, and Gil jumped back just like Slightly did when we played. I pulled away, my mind slowly getting it.

They were wolves.

“All good?” Ezra asked.

“Sure.” Not really, but I wasn’t sure what I could do about it.

Micah reached down to pet his brother’s furry head. “This goes no further than this house, Sophie.”

I nodded. “I get it.”

Footsteps thumped down the stairs and through the living room before Jules stood at the open door, staring at us all. She looked at Gil as a wolf then met my gaze. Her eyes went wide and unbelieving. “You told her,” she said accusingly to Ezra.

“Couldn’t really not, Juliet. You phased right in front of her,” Micah stated calmly.

She snapped her head over to him, her eyes flashing. “I didn’t know!”

I approached her tentatively. “Jules?”

The blue of her eyes seemed darker, full of fear and sorrow. “Sophie.”

“You OK?” I wanted to ask her much more, but not in front of a bunch of boys. Wolves. Boy-wolves.

Could this really be happening?

She stared at me for so long, not saying a word.

“We need to get Sophie home,” Ezra said. “And I’ve got to get to the fair.”

“The fair?” I looked at my hands. “I have to perform. Like this.”

“That’s hardly the worst of your problems, Sophie,” Micah said, his hand still on Gil’s head. “Someone will need to drive you home. I’ll take Gil, Nick, and Aidan home.” He walked over to me. “Not a word to anyone. You tripped and broke a vase, hurting your hands, got it?”

Jules shoved between us. “Are you threatening her?”

Micah smiled. Jules’s nostrils flared, and he took a step back. He led the rest of the guys inside, Gil-wolf padding behind them, with his jeans in his mouth.

Jules turned to me. “I’m sorry.”

I nodded. I wanted to hug her, but my hands were bandaged, and then, she was… If I could even believe it.

Jules hugged me, which was awkward since I couldn’t hug back. She felt the same. Maybe warmer. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t know why exactly.

“I’ll drive you, Sophie. Nick’ll take my car.” Ezra walked past us, glancing back. “Come on.”

Jules didn’t let go of me first like she usually did. She held on. Eventually she released me, and I followed Ezra into the house. I saw both Mr. Varden and Meredith in the kitchen as I passed, their faces carefully blank.

Jules watched me as I left. Ezra helped me into my car and fastened the seatbelt for me, which put him so close I could have brushed my cheek against his. I didn’t, thankfully. He started my car and, with a glance at Nick behind us, Ezra drove out onto the road. He didn’t say anything, and my brain was too full to talk.

After ten minutes, I asked, “What’s gonna happen to Jules?”

Ezra turned down the radio and put his hand back on the steering wheel before answering me. “We’ll train her. She’ll be part of the pack.” He glanced over at me. “You OK?”

“Oh, I don’t think I’ve had a weirder day. Ever.”

He smiled.

“So, you’re one.”

He nodded. “Yep. So’s my sister. And Dad. Mom’s like you. Human.”

I watched his profile. “You’ve always been one.”

“Yes.”

“Wow.” I looked out at the passing trees, which made me think about the walking stick I’d bought from him. “Wait. The wolves. That you carve.”

“Yeah, not from pictures.”

“Who did I buy then?”

“Gil.” He tapped his hand on the steering wheel a few times. “That was Gil.”

“Wow.”

He looked at me for a second. “Look Sophie, I know that Micah probably beat it into the ground, but this is the biggest secret. You can’t tell anyone. Ever. That includes your parents.”

“Why?”

“Why?”

“Why is it such a big secret?”

He exhaled noisily. “We’re not the only ones. Shifters. There are others. We don’t want them to know about us.” His face was smooth and serious.

“Why not?”

“It’s safer.”

I wanted to ask more, but that subject seemed closed. Instead I asked, “Do you eat animals?”

“What?”

“When you’re a wolf, do you eat live animals?”

“Uh, not usually.” He gave me a weird look. “I suppose if I was in wolf form a long time, I could.”

“Good to know.”

“You planning on feeding me the squirrels in your backyard?” he asked, half grin on his face.

I smiled back, feeling better. “So all kids of shifters are shifters?”

“No. Nick’s big sister, who’s off in college, isn’t one. Guys usually always are. Rarer for girls.” He turned into town. “Jules and Naomi are really unusual.”

“So you knew she was one? When you guys took her in?”

“Not for sure.” He shook his head. “The running away thing sort of tipped us off. Aidan’s mom works with the foster care system, so she keeps an eye out. We can usually smell them, but if someone hasn’t shifted in a long time, it’s harder to tell. Jules is the first one we’ve ever found.” His eyes slid toward me then back to the road. “You seem to be taking this really well.”

“I don’t know about that. Really haven’t had the time to freak out. And I’m about to see my mom who can read me like a book. I’m trying to be completely normal.”

He chuckled.

“What?”

“Nothing. So you sing tonight?”

“Yep. I have a solo. From
Into the Woods.
I play Little Red Riding Hood.” It clicked. “The Big Bad Wolf. Wolves. Again.” I glanced at him. “You knew that.”

“Yeah, Nick and I had a good laugh over that.” He grinned.

We pulled onto my street. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. Ezra parked in our driveway. He glanced up at the house then at me. “Here we go.”

I nodded and reached for the door handle, then remembered I couldn’t. Ezra came over and opened it for me. He helped me out, but let go the moment Nick got out of Ezra’s station wagon.

The front door to my house opened, and my mom hurtled out. “Sophie, what did you do?” She ran over and stopped herself from hugging me.

“I tripped and broke a vase as I fell.” I used Micah’s story immediately. It bugged me that I did it so easily. Lying to my folks twice in two days felt like a terrible beginning.

“Oh, honey. We’ll pay for the vase,” Mom said quickly, looking at the two boys.

“Don’t worry about it.” Ezra didn’t smile. He looked uncomfortable.

I wondered if it was the situation or my mother. Or the fact that we were human and they weren’t. I had to remember that.

“Dr. Reade bandaged her up,” Ezra continued. “He said that you need to change and clean them twice a day. Should be better by Monday. I’ll help you with school, OK?” he said to me. “Share notes or whatever.”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. If he’d turned into a wolf right then I wouldn’t have been more surprised.

“That’s so nice. You must be Ezra, right?” Mom said, giving me a conspiratorial look. “Thank you so much for bringing her home.”

“Sorry she hurt herself,” Nick said. “Next time we’ll put warning signs where anything breakable is.” He shot me a grin. “Ready to go?” he asked Ezra.

He nodded. “See ya, Sophie.”

Both of them made intense eye contact with me as they left. It was pretty easy to know what they weren’t saying.

Keep your mouth shut.

They got into Ezra’s station wagon and drove off.

“Did you have a crush on that boy last year?”

And this year and two years ago… “Mom, my hands hurt.”

“Right. How did you manage this anyway?’ She started back toward the house.

* * *

I waited impatiently to go up on the platform to sing. I’d avoided taking any strong painkillers because I didn’t want to fall asleep in the middle of my solo. But my hands hurt so much.

I wore a red cloak for my character, and the strings holding it together slowly became undone. I raised my hands to fix it and remembered once again that I couldn’t use my hands.

Today was not turning out all that great for a Saturday. I’d spent most of the early afternoon lying on my bed, just staring at the ceiling.

All I could think about were wolves.

I looked back at the cloak strings and sighed as they continued to loosen. Most of the choir were warming up their voices or chatting amongst themselves. I didn’t feel like asking anyone to fix my cloak.

“Hey.”

My head snapped up to see Ezra carrying his lockbox, other hand stuck in his pocket.

“Hi.”

He set the lockbox on the ground and retied my cloak strings. “How are your hands?”

“Bandaged,” I answered dumbly. I couldn’t think with him that close. “Jules here?”

He picked up the lockbox. “Yeah.” His eyes held mine for a long moment.

“I didn’t tell them,” I said. “If that’s what you’re thinking.”

He blinked. “Oh, I…” He shook his head. “Thanks.” Other singers approached, and he took a step back. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

“Little Red Riding Hood.” A smirk crossed his face. “Watch out for the Big Bad Wolf.” He left, glancing back once with the smirk still in place.

“Oh my gosh,” one of the girls chirped. “Did Ezra Varden just talk to you? What did he say?”

“Just wished me luck,” I replied, my head feeling light.

“Are you guys, you know, a thing?” She was a freshman, already embroiled in the hierarchy of high school, but didn’t know that the idea that Ezra would ever want me was laughable.

“Just friends.” Knowing a big secret sorta made us friends, I supposed. “Time to go on yet?”

Miss Roe clapped her hands, garnering our attention before the performance. I sang my best, distracted by the unbearable raw soreness of my hands and the snickers from Ezra and Nick every time I sang about Mr. Wolf. I found Jules in the makeshift audience about halfway through my song. She stood off to the side, in a slightly shadowed area. Her gaze never left me.

After my solo, others performed a few more songs. The audience clapped, and we took our bows, but my heart wasn’t in it. Miss Roe came up to me after and said quietly, “Were your hands still in pain? You seemed distracted.”

“Yeah.”

She smiled sympathetically and went to congratulate the rest of them. I realized I’d done a mediocre job, which hurt almost as much as my hands did. Mom and Dad praised me, but I didn’t really hear them. I searched for Jules, who I found by the ring-toss booth.

“You did good,” she said, not looking at me.

“Thanks.”

She shoved her hands deep in her pockets. “How are your hands?”

“Frustrating.” Talking to her felt so awfully awkward. Like everything I said meant something else. “How are you?”

She met my eyes. “Don’t really have an answer for that.” She toed the dirt with her sneaker, staring at the ground.

“Want to hang out a bit? Not that I can do a thing with these.” I held up my bandaged hands. “But you know, you could win me a teddy bear or something, because I’m betting you throw better than me and—”

“I just wanted to see you sing.” She turned and started walking toward the entrance.