"You know, this place isn't so bad," said Kiran, looking around Werewolf Village. "It's actually kind of cool."

Ray had to agree. It was one of the better places in Horrorland, despite the howls and growls echoing throughout it. Make Me Howl was cool, distorting pictures of them to show how they'd look as werewolves. It made Ray shudder a bit, though, knowing he'd actually look like something similar to that once he transformed into his own kind of monster. He teased Kiran about how he looked like a wimp even as a werewolf, and they took the pictures home as mementos. And Wolf It Down, a restaurant that was, oddly, vegetarian (apparently, some werewolves didn't like to eat meat), contained some of the rare edible food in Horrorland.

"You know what I could really use?" said Lucy. "A nice, relaxing massage. That salon looks like just the place. It's called Moment of Paws."

"Really? A werewolf salon?" Ray rolled his eyes.

"What do werewolves know about massages?" Kiran agreed incredulously.

"Quite a lot," said Lucy. "It says they love them, since all the transforming is a real pain in the neck — literally. And they're an expert at shampooing and haircuts, since they're covered in hair."

"I don't want a werewolf giving me a massage or washing my hair," Kiran protested.

Ray rolled his eyes. "They aren't real werewolves, dork," he said, giving his brother a shove. "They're actors, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. You're right," said Lucy. "I really would like a salon trip, though. This village has worn me out. And I've had to put up with your antics as well as all the howls. A nice spa visit might be just what I need."

"You mean Ray's antics," said Kiran. "I was perfectly well-behaved."

"Yeah right," scoffed Ray.

Lucy ignored them. "Come on, boys," she said. "Let's see how good the werewolves are at relaxing." She started towards Moment of Paws.

It turned out they were pretty good. Actually, it was pretty much like a regular salon, except with werewolves. They sat back in comfy chairs and tilted their heads back as the people in furry costumes slathered their hair in shampoo. It actually felt pretty relaxing.

"A little lower," Ray instructed, sighing as the werewolf tended to his hair.

"I think you should get a haircut," Lucy told him. "Your hair is growing too long for my taste."

"No way," Ray protested.

"Sir, give my son a haircut," Lucy told the werewolf tending to his hair. "He really needs one. Not too short, but not too long either. It's getting in his eyes too much."

"Mom!" Ray protested, but he had already taken a pair of scissors and started snipping away, taking great care not to mess up the shampoo. Ray glared at his mother, but felt himself relaxing. The haircut did feel nice, even if he was sure he wouldn't like the result.

Kiran burst out laughing, and Ray glared at him as well. Once the werewolf was finished, and they had gotten their hair washed and dried, Ray was given a mirror, which was shoved in his face before he had the chance to close his eyes. To his surprise, it really didn't look that bad. His long, drooping bangs were out of his eyes, which was actually a relief. He wasn't fond of the emo look that it gave him, or the jokes he was subjected to because of it. His neck felt bare and exposed now, but that felt nice, because of how hot the weather currently was, and how his hair had made him even hotter (and not in the attractive way).

"You look really stupid," Kiran giggled. Ray glared at him as threateningly as he could.

"Don't listen to him," Lucy instructed. "You look great, Ray. Very handsome. Much nicer."

"I guess," Ray admitted grudgingly. "But don't do that again, Mom. You were a real jerk."

"Sorry, honey," said Lucy. "But that werewolf did a really good job, didn't he?"

"He wasn't bad," Ray admitted. "I guess the actors are good at this spa thing."

Lucy ran her hand through her long, shiny black hair and flipped it. "My hair feels great as well."

"No fair," Ray complained. "Your hair is long, and you don't cut it."

"Probably because she's a girl," Kiran pointed out.

"I'd like a massage now," said Lucy. "All that sitting back was a real pain for my back and shoulders."

"Mine too," Kiran admitted, rubbing his back.

"Oh, no way," said Ray. "Massages aren't my thing. It'd be so weird and awkward."

"Maybe you're right," Kiran agreed. "I don't want some random person in a wolf costume rubbing my back."

"Come on. Don't be such babies," urged Lucy.

The boys were reluctant, but Lucy lay down on a long, reclining bed in another room as the massager surrounded her. She was in human form instead of covered in fur. She was a girl of about sixteen, her dark hair tied back.

"Just relax, miss," she instructed, squeezing a bit of oil from a bottle into her hands. Ray looked at them carefully, and saw how callused and rough they were, and how sharp her nails were. "Close your eyes, and remove all the tension from your body. Take deep breaths."

Lucy did as instructed, breathing deeply. The girl gently pressed her hands into her back, going up and down and making Lucy's breathing even deeper. Ray and Kiran felt uncomfortable watching, but couldn't deny that their mother did look comfortable and relaxed. The massage did look nice. Still, they weren't sure if they wanted one themselves.

The girl kept talking soothingly to Lucy, and by the end, she was almost asleep. Her breathing was heavy and ragged, the kind the boys recognized as her doing when she was on the brink of sleep.

"Woah," said Kiran. "You really are good at massages. Mom never goes to sleep that quickly."

"Thanks," the girl said, turning around and smiling at them. Her face was friendly, freckles, and genuine-looking. "They say I'm one of the best massagers. So does my dad. I work here part-time."

"Well, that's... certainly an interesting part-time job," said Ray. "What happened to babysitting and waitressing?"

The girl laughed. "I think this job location is way more fun. I'm Nora, by the way. Nora Tucker."

"I'm Kiran, and this is my brother Ray. Uh... what are you going to do about our mom?" He stared anxiously at her sleeping figure.

"Good luck doing anything," Ray griped. "Once she's asleep, nothing can wake her up. It's the same for me."

"Not for me, though," said Kiran. "My dad says the slightest wind can wake me up."

"Let's just leave her there for a while," Nora suggested. "I wouldn't want to wake her when she's probably enjoying her nap. It would be rude."

"You're right," agreed Kiran.

"So you... work here?" asked Ray.

"Part-time," said Nora. "So does my dad. We're both perfectly qualified for the job."

"Perfectly qualified?" Ray asked suspiciously.

"You're both great at massages?" said Kiran. Ray was thinking about something else.

"Well, Dad isn't, not much," said Nora. "He's great at washing hair, though. Even to me. I used to hate getting my hair washed when I was younger. He'd have to wrestle me into the bathtub. Literally, sometimes."

"You don't anymore, right?" said Kiran. "Your hair looks really pretty. It looks a lot like Mom's."

It did, Ray had to admit. It was also black and shiny, tied in a half-bun and falling around her neck.

"Why, thank you," said Nora. "I can't say the same about my dad's hair. It always looks like a mess." She stared at Ray. "Hey, did you get a haircut?"

Ray blushed. "Of course not."

"He did," said Kiran, grinning. "Mom forced him into it.

Nora laughed. "I can tell when someone's gotten a haircut here. What werewolf was it? Brian?"

"I didn't stop to learn their names," said Ray.

"Actually, it was," added Kiran. "I saw his name tag."

"I didn't even notice they wore name tags," said Ray.

"Probably because you were too scared of them to even look at them," Kiran teased. "Who's the wimp now?"

"You're lucky. Brian's great at haircuts," said Nora.

"It isn't bad," Ray admitted, feeling his hair. "But I didn't want a stupid haircut."

"What about the other werewolves here?" Kiran asked Nora. "What are they like?"

"You mean, in Werewolf Village?" said Nora. "Well, there are some in the Werewolf Petting Zoo. I feel envious towards them sometimes. They probably envy me, but I don't think they should. Their job is so much easier. They just stand in the cage and have meat thrown at them to eat. The little ones get restless, though. Especially Ricky and Ronnie, Marsha's younger brothers. They're cute kids, but a handful. My friend Aaron Freidus's dad is the sheriff of the village. He's a good guy, but intimidating."

"I think I met him," said Ray. "He definitely seemed like the sheriff."

"They aren't really werewolves though, are they?" Kiran asked nervously.

"Of course they aren't," insisted Ray. "Right?"

Nora grinned, showing her pearly white, sharp teeth. "Of course not," she said, her voice lowering. "Why would they be real werewolves?"

According to the Horrorland guidebook, Werewolf Village sounds like a cool place. There's a place to make your picture look like a werewolf, a vegetarian restaurant, a spa salon with professional werewolves, and a werewolf petting zoo. There's also a shops with song albums sung by howling wolves and werewolf-scented furry clothes, but those don't sound as cool. Overall, though, I think it sounds like one of the nicer places in Horrorland.