10/5/18

Chapter 13

Maddy declined Miranda's offer to drive her home. The long walk would give her more time to figure out how to to tell her parents what happened last night and how to explain to her probation officer why her ankle monitor was no longer feeding location information to his computer. She sighed loudly, growing more frustrated with herself with each passing minute. She couldn't move past the beginning part of her tall-tale. It was like the Wolfblood had writer's block, or she guessed in this case, liar's block. The part of the story involving the most crucial part. . . the moment her monitor went dead was lost in a mental fog. How was she going to spin it that it didn't seem like she was just some careless, irresponsible teen? "I mean the damn thing beeps like a truck backing up," she growled to herself.

She exhaled and tried again to form a cohesive, believable story. But, the challenge of creating a well-crafted lie wasn't the only obstacle the young Wolfblood faced, she was also still trying to process the surprise prom-posal Robert sprang on her. She was passing the hardware store when red and blue colored lights illuminated the window front. With Maddy's attention grabbed, she stopped and casually looked over her shoulder. Trailing behind her at a slow crawl was a cop car. It stopped beside her, and much to Maddy's chagrin, the same two officers that had arrested her for the murder of Miss Dupree, emerged from the car.

As the man and woman approached, Maddy turned slowly toward the brick wall of the hardware store and raised her hands, fighting her instincts to run. Flashes of the brusque apprehension from last time replayed in her mind. "I'm not resisting," Maddy choked out, tightening her eyes shut at the anticipation of being roughly pressed into the wall and then tossed into the dated jungle green back seat.

Maddy held her breath as she felt his large hands pull her arms down to cuff them. To her surprise, he was much more civilized in his actions. Maddy sat silently as she was driven away from town. She twisted and turned as they passed exit signs for other townships. Soon she began to worry something insidious was at work as they continued to drive further and further away. Finally summing up the courage, she asked "Whe-where are we going?"

"You'll see," responded the man, his partner chortling at the mischievous tone.

Maddy gulped and looked about the cage in which she was contained. There was little in the way of options. For one, her hands were cuffed, and with two armed officers, trying to over power them - well, the odds were not in the Wolfblood's favor. Maddy thought about unlocking the back doors, but the greater challenge would be doing it without attracting the unwanted attention of the two police officers in front.

Just as Maddy was about kick the glass window in a last resort to escape, they turned off an exit for Green Hills City. Maddy leaned back and relaxed. Mr. Black's office was in Green City. He had placed a search warrant for her and now she was being delivered up like a pig to slaughter. All the time she spent figuring out a plan of escape, she wished she had spent thinking of a solid story to tell her lawyer. She certainly couldn't tell him the truth. Maddy felt the car slow to a halt, looking out the window was an old-English style business sign swinging in the breeze. 'Mr. James Black, attorney at law,' it stated boldly. Maddy edged closer to the passenger side closest to the curb, resigning to whatever lay within the brick building. Bad or worse.

-Wolfblood-

Maddy was guided through a narrow hallway lined with small, antique pictures. Each picture focused on a poised man with a book clutched tightly to him. The soft, fire-engine red carpet had been freshly cleaned, smelling like a mix of chemical cleaner and fresh laundry that had been drying outside in the warm breeze all day. Like her lawyer, the place was pristine and seemed to stand proudly with the Victorian furniture. As the large cherry oak double doors were opened, Maddy stumbled. Shock hit her like a brick wall as she immediately recognized her parents sitting on the small green couch inside Mr. Black's office. For some reason this only made her feel more uneasy, not less. Maddy was nudged forward by the female officer. Mr. Black was leaning on his large, almost presidential-sized desk, looking very cross at the young teenager in front of him. Maddy looked behind her as she felt the metal cuffs unlink behind her. "Here you go," he female officer said cheerily to her lawyer.

Mr. Black nodded, allowing the two police officers to exit before saying anything. Maddy instinctively rubbed her wrists, daring not to move. It was then she was reminded of her injured wrist. Quickly she shoved the bandaged hand into her jacket pocket, wincing at the harsh movement. She shot her parents a glance who looked worried. "Where did you go last night Madeline?"

Maddy cringed at the cool, collected way he asked the question. . . and the use of her full name. Maddy shifted her weight from side to side, suddenly aware of the ankle monitor rubbing slightly as she swayed. "I . . . uh . . ."

"You're ankle monitor died from not being charged. You understand that this is a privilege?" Maddy stopped herself sighing out loud. She very well knew the stakes at risk. "I want an explanation."

Maddy looked between her parents and her lawyer. While her parents looked relieved to know their daughter was okay, they also seemed curious to understand what all occurred last night. Maddy already knew telling the truth wasn't going to help, so lying seemed like the only viable option. "I went to see a friend."

"What friend?" It was unlikely Mr. Black, who was now standing, having taken two steps closer to Maddy, really cared what friend she had elected to break probation to see.

"I went to Miranda's house to hang out." Before allowing Mr. Black to continue his probing, she cut him off. "I know it was out of the designated perimeter, but she's the only friend whose parents are okay with us handing out." It hurt more saying it out loud.

"Is that the only friend you visited last night?" he asked, a tinge of knowing more than he was willing to share.

"Why?" Maddy furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips. 'Why does he care?' she remembered that while she was his client, his true interest was protecting his employer and his ventures . . . Mr. Abernathy, Robert's father. As if fate decided to throw her a bone, her assumptions were confirmed, when Mr. Black followed up, "Miranda was the only person you saw?" he asked, paraphrasing her lie back to her. 'When he says it, it sounds less believable.

Maddy locked eyes with her lawyer. A game of chicken was being played and Maddy was the underdog. 'A good lie is a simple one.' Maddy weighed her options. If she committed to story she was visiting Miranda only, surely Mr. Black would confirm her story and perhaps reel in Miranda's folks who wouldn't know to lie . . . on the other hand, if Maddy chose to be more truthful, Robert and Ling would get in trouble. "I went for a walk first to get fresh air and kill some time before heading up to Miranda's. We waited for her parents to go to bed first so her they wouldn't know."

"I thought you said they didn't mind your friendship?" He paused, and Maddy scratched subconsciously at her neck. She glanced at her parents, who looked petrified. It was the look of fear she had witnessed from them when they thought she would lose control. Maddy took a deep breath and exhaled. "You are not answering my question," he continued. "I need to account for your whereabouts. You may have been cleared of the murder charges, but you have trespassing, obstruction of justice, and withholding evidence from the police to still stand trial for. These may be lesser charges, but are still serious when it comes to your future. Do you not understand what is at stake? This probation should be considered a saving grace. Now this is the last time I will ask before I agree the probation officer should take you back to juvenile hall. Was there anyone else with you?"

Madison wasn't going to get her friends in trouble, or risk endangering the Wild Wolfbloods. If she was truly their alpha or True Wolf, she would do what she needed to protect them all. Maddy sighed, sadden to learn she was going to wind up behind bars and this time at her own doing.

"Mr. Black, Maddy was with me."

Maddy whipped around to find Robert standing in the doorway disheveled and beside himself. His hair unkempt, he was dressed in jeans, some worn sneakers with the laces undone, a flannel pajama top, and what looked like a running jacket. Robert entered the room, helplessly flattening his button-down, soft-collared top.

"Robert?" Mr. Black and Maddy said together.

"Hey," he shyly waved. "I'm sorry to barge in, but Maddy was going to lie so that I wasn't going to get myself into further hot water with my parents. It's the truth." Mr. Black looked unconvinced. "I wanted to ask Maddy to the prom, but knew I couldn't do it at school, so I asked her to meet me at Miranda's, a neutral zone." At this new revelation, Mr. Black 'hmmm'.

"And what did she say?" Mr. Black inquired.

Robert looked pained by the question. Before he could narrate the events that occurred the night before, Maddy swooped in and cut him off. "I said yes."

Robert looked perplexed and the astute lawyer picked up on the shock on his face. "You look surprised, Robert."

"No . . . No! No, I knew because I was there," Robert blabbered on. Maddy shot him a look to stop talking immediately. "I'm just still living the moment . . . I guess." Robert coughed and then stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. He chuckled softly, swaying nervously from foot to foot. "So, uh, I think that covers it, right?"

Maddy's hand had relaxed and slid from her pocket watching the exchange happen between Robert and Mr. Black. "And what about that?" Mr. Black asked, pointing to Maddy's wrist.

Maddy gasped, clutching the bandaged hand. "I fell . . . when I left Miranda's. I . . . just wasn't watching where I stepped."

"Hm, looks like a rather serious injury," he observed, crossing his arm. "Who wrapped it. Looks like a professional did it?"

Maddy felt her heart begin to pound, so far she had kept Ling out of it. If Ling's family knew she snuck out to see her, Maddy would never see Ling again. They would ship her to relatives in the States that night. "I uh . . ." Maddy paused, she couldn't say she did it herself and no one would believe Miranda did it.

"I did it. Mandatory First Aid training for everyone employed to work as a summer camp counselor at Elk Ridge. I believe you helped my father with the legality of that policy, am I right?" Robert asked innocently.

Mr. Black looked between all his guests, a pensive look on his face. For a second, Maddy believed he would ask for a demonstration of Robert's skill. "Miss Smith, I don't believe a word you're saying; however, you have an alibi in you friends and no evidence to support their story is a ruse. I will talk with the district attorney and your parole officer and smooth things over." He paused and then walked behind his desk. He neatly sat down at looked directly at the teenagers standing in front of him."This is your first and last pass. I will not vouch for you next time, no matter how juvenile and benign the reason," he said, arching his eyebrow at them. Both Maddy and Robert nodded their heads.

Maddy, Robert, and Maddy's parents exited the office. Robert hugged Maddy good-bye before leaving in a white escalade. Maddy waited until the luxury vehicle was out of sight before turning around to face her parents. Dan opened the back passenger's door for his daughter and then closed it shut. They sat in silence until they were out of town and driving home down the long single-lane highway.

"I'm sorry," Maddy started.

"We agreed that you would stop hiding things from us. So, what really happened?" Dan asked, his voice tinged with hurt and anger.

"The Wild Wolfboods are being kidnapped, different members of their pack are disappearing. They're out for blood and under the impression this is some type of secret attack by Naturals. I tried to stop them, but they would only listen if I agreed to go the docks where they believed they are being taken."

"Have you lost your mind?!" Emma cut in. "Maddy, that was dangerous and reckless. You could've been seriously hurt. More than you are now!"

Maddy knew that once the full moon came around, she would be fine, but didn't feel it was the time nor place to bring that point to light. Maddy just hung her head.

"So," Dan started. "Did you find anything?" Maddy's eyes were focused on the scuff marks on her sneakers, but heard her mother slap her father on his arm with her gloves.

"Don't encourage her," Emma warned her husband.

"Well, I just . . . you think Segolia would be out here investigating," Dan lamented.

"Segolia has still not contacted you?" It was completely rhetorical, Maddy just wanted to speak with her parents, redirect their anger from her to something else. "And, no, I didn't find anything. . . but we didn't get to check the entire dock. We missed one area before the workers caught on that unwanted visitors were there."

"You were caught - "

"No. No one saw us." Maddy answered quickly.

Settling down, Emma resumed, "Well, hopefully this will satisfy them." The car was silent, all the Smiths thinking the same thing. They all had enough experience with Wild Wolfbloods back in Stoneybridge to know that enough was never enough.

"Maddy," Dan said gently. "You're mum and I were talking. If we do not hear from Segolia soon, we are going to just take matters into our own hands."

The youngest Smith tilted her head like a confused puppy. "What do you mean?"

"We're just going to make a run for it. We were thinking the States. We don't have any contacts to rely on there, but we'll find some small town to settle. We know enough that we can get by until . . ."

"Until what?" Maddy chimed in.

"Until we can figure things out," Emma finished.

Maddy slumped in her seat. The vagueness in their responses said it all. The entire idea of just leaving made her uneasy. Her parents were planners, rule followers, they didn't just "wing" things. Maddy wondered how her parents' escape plan would line up with prom. ". . . how is this going to effect going to prom?"

Her mother made a disgusted noise, almost indigent. "Madeline, prom is not more valuable than our safety and it has grown unsafe for us to stay."

"But prom could be the last time I see my friends! Robert's going to boarding school and Ling is moving somewhere in the States. And who know what's going to happen here with us?"

"Maddy, it doesn't matter, when we move we have to cut off all contact," Emma reminded her.

Maddy slouched further into in the backseat. Tears threatening to fall. "When is the prom, Maddy?" Dan asked.

"In about two months."

"Let's see," Dan soothed, he made a slow hand gesture to his wife to just let the matter drop.

-Wolfblood

It felt surreal to see sunny weather, and townspeople outside talking to one and another. While spring still felt very familiar to fall, at least the temperature climbed higher than freezing. Fulfilling her court mandated community service, Maddy stabbed the spear at another piece of trash and discarded it into the large black construction bag. The town had finished holding their annual 'Welcome Spring' festivities, and now her and a handful of other delinquents were cleaning the mess. For a party held in honor of Mother's Nature's changing of seasons, people didn't seem to hold the health of Mother Nature in high regard. There was trash sprinkled all over the once snow covered open fields.

Maddy sighed and checked her phone, she had another six hours of picking up others' messes. Maddy shuffled forward, the neon yellow safety vest flapping about her body. A rustle coming from the edge of the woods caught Maddy's attention. Sniffing the air, Maddy easily identified the source as Davin. With all the people muddling about cleaning up trash or supervising the park cleaning, Davin was reluctant to emerge. Maddy snorted and shook her head, it seemed so trivial to be afraid of humans. For the same reasons humans were afraid of Wolfbloods, Wild Wolfbloods refused to interact with humans. Both species stubbornness prevented one another from living a better, collaborative life style.

Maddy could hear Davin pacing as she tried to work out a plan of reaching Maddy. Maddy locked eyes with Davin, knowing the Wild Wolfblood was growing impatient. The youngest Smith sighed exasperated by Davin's arrival. Maddy looked about, the head corrections officer overseeing the project was a hard-ass and would immediately report Maddy to her probation officer and lawyer if she was caught doing something suspicious.

A strong wind blew passed, combing the grass and moving the trash along. What had been a point of frustration earlier, was now a blessing in disguise. Maddy smirked, momentarily reveling in her own genius. She waited for a few minutes, signaling for Davin to hold on. Another large gust rolled through, this time, Maddy kicked up some of the trash and watched the airborne wrappers take flights. Spinning, zig-zagging through the torrent of wind, they landed a few feet from the anxious Wild Wolfblood. Maddy leisurely picked up some trash as she slowly made her way to the awaiting Wild Wolfblood.

Looking about, she quickly walked away from the group, half-heartedly picking up the discarded debris.

"What do you want?" Maddy started as she approached the hidden Wolfblood.

Davin continued to watch Maddy for a few more seconds, and almost looked to be concocting some type of rude comment, but thought better and began differently. "Another ship pulled into the harbor last night. It looks identical to the one we were not able to board last time. I think it is looking to take more of our kind."

"You don't - "

"My father is gone!" Davin cut off. Maddy quickly shushed the young woman, afraid she would attract attention. "All I can do is to hope we see each other again by the divine guidance of the Great Spirits. I will not let anymore of us be taken. We need to finish our mission."

Maddy knew if she didn't help, Davin would go it alone and cause all sorts of problems. Or worse, the entire clan would attack the docks exposing their secret and perhaps killing innocent people. "Before we just jump into attacking the docks, we need to make sure this ship has the kidnapped Wolfbloods."

"Then we will go tonight and find their weakness. Once exposed, we attack the metal beast by force," Davin smiled mischievously.

"I-I can't go. I can't break my probation," Maddy lifted her pant leg to show Davin the bulky black device latched around her ankle.

"They tagged you like the cattle they slaughter," she snarled. "When will you Tames learn that Naturals are evil. They are all being controlled by the Hunters."

"What Hunters?!" Maddy clasped her hand over her mouth and quickly looked around. This time, the attention of the supervising officer was grabbed. The stout woman, adjusted her heavy black, thick, black leather belt and waltzed with an air arrogance toward Maddy.

Maddy stopped breathing for a second, her mind reeling with excuses for her outburst. "Ma'am," she greeted, wringing her hands around the wooden handle of the trash picker.

"Smith, what the hell are you doin'? You know talking on a phone or anyone, for that matter, is pro-hib-ited." The officer pulled her sunglasses down and then pushed them up purposefully.

Maddy believed it was something she learned from some cheesy 80s movie, but instead of being seen as intimidating, it was silly looking.

"What's wrong, Smith? Cat got your tongue?" Maddy shook her head. "I don't tol-er-ate any fun-ny bus-ness. Got it?"

Maddy breathed loudly through her nose. Officer Dunn had an annoying habit of breaking up words and dragging them out. "Yes, ma'am. I was just trying to scare away an animal that wanted to eat the trash. That's all," Maddy explained.

Officer Dunn looked about, but not with great enthusiasm as she didn't bother to step any further or even move the bushes around. Officer Dunn cracked her gum loudly, looked Maddy up and down, and then confirmed in her walkie that it was "all clear." Maddy was rather confident no one cared, but she kept silent. "Next time, just stab the critter with the poker and you got yourself a ro-dent ka-bob." She winked then laughed loudly at her own remark. When Officer Dunn realized Maddy wasn't laughing, she snorted and walked away. "Do-not make me come back there," she warned from over her shoulder.

A few seconds later, and Officer Dunn seemed preoccupied with harassing another delinquent. Maddy turned her attention to the bushes. Just as Maddy began to worry Davin had scurried off, the redhead popped up from behind one of the shrubs.

"What Hunters?" Maddy repeated more quietly.

"The ones you surround yourself with," Davin spat as if it were obvious. "The ones trying to destroy us. I will not let them take us one by one like a wolf to a herd of elk."

"Whoa, hold on. Before we - "

"We cannot wait any longer. We need to act now!" she demanded in a harsh whisper. "The next full moon I take our Betas and end this war. With or without your help," she commanded.

This was the very reaction Maddy was trying to avoid. Before Maddy could argue against Davin's plan, she retreated."Wait . . ." Maddy whispered, ending her request in groan, as Davin's form completely disappeared into the dense woods. She placed her head in her hands. She wanted to scream. This was bad. Very bad.

-Wolfblood-

"Are you sure you're allowed to be here?" Maddy asked, flopping onto the worn mattress of her bed. Ling carefully stepped over some forlorn, empty snack bags on Maddy's floor.

"Um, if you're using the term in its loosest form . . . then yes!" Ling paused determining where to settle, and after another moment of hesitation, she chose the desk chair.

"You can sit here," Maddy assured, clearing a spot next to her by swooping her hand over the bed, knocking to the floor anything in her path. Ling picked up the passport book she found on the desk and opened it.

"Yours?" She questioned. Maddy nodded, watching as the Asian girl paged through it. "Looks like it's a legitimate passbook."

Maddy chuckled, "Well, it is. We use a lot of our real identities to ease the transition. The more fictitious information you add, the more you have to remember and cover for."

Ling slowly removed her tan raincoat and gently placed it over the back of the desk chair. Straightening her cashmere sweater, she joined her friend on the edge of her bed. "One stamp . . . you're more traveled than me."

Maddy smiled. "I would trade you. I had to leave my home, friends, and everything I knew. You're my friend and I'm grateful-"

Ling held up her hand and smiled, "I get it. Trust me. I'll feel that way in a few weeks." The room grew silent. It was something no one talked about; the fact that Ling and Robert would be leaving Tall Skies soon. And now Maddy would soon be leaving too. While the actual date was not confirmed, Daniel and Emma were just about ready to pull the plug. Her father and mother needed to ensure they could live off the money they were bringing in as they would be traveling for some time until could settle in some remote town. Segolia had been resistant in helping, never once responding to their requests for help. Something still didn't make sense about the whole situation. Maddy was brought out of her reverie by Ling's comment. "I can't imagine how scary that was to have to grab whatever you could and leave. Not knowing where you were going or what you would do."

Maddy hummed a noise of disagreement. "We didn't do it all by ourselves. We had help. . ." Maddy stopped, wondering if she should say more. Knowing their time was coming to an end soon, she continued. "There is a secret organization called Segolia that helps Wolfbloods around the world with staying safe. They hide in plain sight under the guise of being a research facility."

"No way!" Ling leaned in excitedly.

Feeding off her excitement, Maddy gently took the the passport book and flipped to the last page. Maddy then turned the little booklet around to show her be-speckled friend. Ling stared, then glanced at Maddy then stared some more. "What am I looking at?"

It was then Maddy was reminded that the Segolia insignia was only visible to Wolfbloods. "Um, here." Maddy scooted off the bed and returned seconds later with her laptop. Maddy opened it and typed a web address into the url bar. "See now," she joked, turning the screen to her friend. Ling looked closely, pushing her glasses farther up her nose. "Ling, it's a secret organization, you're not going to see an advertisement for Wolfbloods," Maddy laughed.

"No, I know. I was actually looking at the logo. It's pretty cool. A bold, yet pivotal statement about the foundations of biology. DNA." Ling pointed to the rotating DNA strands in the top right of the page. Maddy's eyes softened as she became mesmerized by the icon. "Maddy?" The young Wolfblood handed the laptop to Ling brusquely, afraid if she didn't act quickly the epiphany would escape her. In the hasty exchange, Ling nearly dropped the computer. Maddy scrambled to turn to the last page of the passport. "Maddy?" Ling called her name, her voice felt so far away. Maddy could feel herself begin to panic.

"Here." Ling's eyebrows rose unimpressed. It took Maddy a second to realize Ling couldn't make see the insignia on the last page of the passport. "The insignia here matches the one on Segolia's webpage."

"So . . ." Ling pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to piece together Maddy's insight.

"That ship I failed to check out with Davin and Gahmin - the Wild Wolfbloods - it had the same insignia on the bow of the ship." Maddy slumped lightly, she cusped her hand over her mouth. "How can this be? If they're here . . . then why won't they answer my parents' call for help?" Maddy stood up and began to pace. She ran her fingers through her hair, her mind paralyzed by this betrayal. What was Segolia doing in Tall Skies with such a large cargo ship?

"Maddy?" Ling called again, her voice wobbling from nervousness. "What's up? What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. Davin is planning to attack the docks - that ship! I just have a horrible feeling. I have no way of stopping her with this on," she lamented, showing Ling the ankle brace hidden under her pant leg.

"What are you going to do?"

Maddy paced for a few minutes the outside eerily quiet, no abrasive gusts banging into her window or thunderous storms covering the town in a steady rain fall.

Maddy couldn't travel to the encampment to inform Mahkah of Davin's plan. Though, what were the chances he would side with her. She was asking him to curtail his ability to protect his pack. On the other hand, she was the True Wolf. Maddy bit her thumb nail nervously, unsure how to stop Davin. Tonight was a full moon, Maddy's parents were walking in the park in preparation for making a quick escape into the woods when it was time to change. Maddy would have to deviate to the shallow wooded area not far from the apartment. It was essentially some overgrowth that lived in between the space of two main roadways.

"I just don't know what to do?" Maddy grimaced as she tried to eek out a miracle plan. What if Davin interrupted some type of secret project or began some type of fight between Tames and Wild Wolfbloods, or . . . Maddy shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the clutter and focus on a solution.

Maddy stopped mid-step. She looked at Ling, and smiled. "Davin's not the only one with a pack to support her."

-Wolfblood-

Maddy leaned against her locker, examining the jagged edges of her chewed finger nails. She had been waiting all day to talk to Miranda. Miranda had dropped her phone in the toilet earlier that week and had been off the radar for the last few days as she convinced her parents to get her another one.

Maddy pushed off the lockers and jogged down the hall to meet Miranda halfway. "You owe me breakfast," Miranda yawned big, the area underneath her eyes a mix of purple and almost ashen grey from lack of sleep.

"Fine, fine. I owe you. Well?" Maddy asked anxiously. "Did Davin appear?" Miranda yawned again, shaking her head "no." Maddy cocked her head to one side. "That doesn't make sense." Miranda shrugged her shoulders. "You sure?"

"Look here, girlie!" Miranda took a breath seeing Maddy motion for her to lower her voice. "I sat there all night watching for some crazy Wolfbloods to try and sneak into the docks. Nothing. Nada. Zip. No one was out there accept me and Betsy. Old girl held up good given I had to put the heat on here and there." Miranda softened seeing the uneasy look on Maddy's face. "I'm sorry. But isn't that a good thing? Maybe that wild one had second thoughts, right?" Miranda shifted her backpack and put her hand on Maddy's shoulder.

"I just . . . It doesn't make sense. She's not the type to make empty threats." Maddy followed Miranda out of the school, the entire time immersed in her thoughts. She just wished she could go to the Wild Wolfblood camp and talk to Davin. What made her change her mind? Maddy was brought back to reality, as she heard the loud thud of Miranda tossing her book bag into the bed of her beaten-down truck. "I'm sorry. I'm being horribly ungrateful. Thank you Miranda for sitting there all night. I really mean it."

"Yeah, well, whatever happened that she didn't show, I'm glad. I haven't used a payphone in years. I'm not entirely sure I had the right change to make a call either," she laughed. Maddy rolled her eyes, and shook her head. She turned to start heading home, she she was stopped. "Hey, you still owe me breakfast," Miranda snapped, opening the passenger door and motioning Maddy to get in.

"It's dinner time," Maddy responded, giving her a 'duh' look.

"The diner serves breakfast all day. Get in." Maddy groaned, and shuffled back to the truck, texting her parents that she would be home later. "Oh, and I need your phone to text my parents. This is torture not having a phone." Maddy snickered at her friend's grumpiness handing Miranda her cell phone before climbing into the passenger's side of the truck.

-Wolfblood-

Maddy tapped her foot anxiously. "Maddy, relax," Emma urged, placing her hand on her daughter's knee. The Smith family was seated on the green loveseat inside Mr. Black's office.

"I'm just worried. What if they take it back, put me back in prison?" she said, chewing her finger nails nervously.

"That won't happen. They proved your innocent . . . Maybe they found the real killer," Dan speculated, pulling his tan, cowhide jacket closed together.

Emma straightened out her primrose-colored blouse and sighed impatiently. "What could be taking so long?" All three Wolfbloods listened to the cherry wood grandfather clock tick with each passing second.

"Speaking about taking long . . . any news from Segolia?"

"No, nothing. I . . . I can't explain it," Dan lamented, covering his mouth as he stared at the floor pensively. "Our handler isn't answering to any of our requests for help. It's like they fell off the face of the Earth."

"Well, what does he or she look like? Do they live close?"

"Maddy, come, come. It's not like they hold an office. In truth, your father and I never met our contact on this side. The arrangements were handled by Segolia headquarters."

"How is that even possible? What about the sailor? Weren't they from Segolia?" Maddy leaned forward to look at her both her parents, her father sitting the farthest from her.

Scratching his curly hair, which was more shaggy nowadays, Dan looked down at the plush carpet as if it would secretly give him the answers he so badly sought. "The captain of the boat was an ally, but not our handler. As a form of compartmentalizing, they kept our handler here out of direct contact. Given the situation was a Code Red. They felt it was better this way."

"In light of all this, you're father and I have secured some refuge in the States. We can talk about at greater lengths later. Not here. But be prepared to move after prom," Emma warned.

Maddy turned her entire body to better face her parents. She needed to tell them what she figured out with Ling. "Listen, I was hanging out with Ling and -" Just then Mr. Black walked in, closing the door behind him.

"That's nice dear, we'll talk about more at home," Emma said sweetly, patting her daughter's knee and pointing to Mr. Black. Maddy opened her mouth to object, but knew it was pointless as what she wanted to talk about couldn't be said in front of her lawyer.

"The Smith family," welcomed Mr. Black in the most cordial tone. "I'm so glad you could meet me on such short notice."

"What is this all about?" Emma inquired immediately. "Is Maddy in trouble?"

"No . . . refreshing, isn't it?" he quipped. "This is often done in a more formal setting with your probation officer, but he's getting married in the Caribbean, so I offered. It feels satisfying to be the to set you free," Mr. Black informed, almost gleefully. Maddy couldn't contain her smile as she recognized what Mr. Black was dangling from his fingers. The key to her ankle monitor.

In a short few minutes, the Wolfblood felt the weight of the unfashionable anklet fall away from her body. Mr. Black rose from his knees and looked Maddy in the eyes. "Stay out of trouble, Miss Smith. Because I have a bad feeling the next time . . . you won't make it out unscathed." Maddy felt a chill run down her spine. She nodded numbly.

"So, they caught the murderer?" Maddy asked, holding her breath.

Mr. Black let out an exasperated sigh, which she immediately understood to be a "no." Mr. Black's glasses rose up onto his forehead as he snuck his fingers underneath to pinch the bridge of his nose. She wasn't sure if it was indication he suffered from frequent tension headaches or it was some type of nervous tick, but as he fixed his spectacles on his face again, he looked down at the smallest Smith with sad eyes. "Madeline, I would surmise that your dear coach's death will become a cold case. The evidence left seems to only be providing more questions than answers."

"I thought . . . I thought . . . a sole gunshot . . ." Still months later, the words seemed to dissolve into jello in her mouth, just slouchy around.

"How did you. . ." Mr. Black narrowed, but knew already where Maddy had learned about the gun shot. "While a gun shot was determined to be what killed her, there are other wounds that were found on the bod - your coach that do not . . ." he paused, rubbing his chin methodically as he carefully crafted his next words. He glanced at Dan and Emma to confirm if they approved his continuing on. Dan gave a tired nod, understanding his daughter would not give up until she learned the truth. It was a trait of her mother's he both loved and loathed. Emma would fixate on something until she felt she had gotten her way. Mr. Black turned back to Maddy, "During the initial investigation, detectives found injuries on the bod - victim that are synonymous with being attacked by a dog . . or in this case, given the area in which we live, wolves. However, after examining these wounds more carefully, this belief or initial finding is wrong. These wounds were manmade. Not by an animal, and certainly, not wolves."

"What?" Maddy inched closer, as if she had misheard him.

"Someone created these marks postmortem. But very near the time of death as there is signs of bleeding. It could be surmised, they could . . . they could have been done almost simultaneously."

"They?" Maddy whispered. "As in more than one murderer?"

"Possibly. Without more evidence or witnesses to come forward with information, it's all conjecture."

Maddy felt light headed and unsteady. She must have looked it too, as Mr. Black quickly pulled up a chair for her to sit in.

'More than one . .' her mind repeated.

If it wasn't a Wolfblood . . . .

The Hunters.

-End Chapter 13

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