Cody and Bailey headed back inside the barn and went to find Bailey's sisters. When they located them, Bailey quickly introduced her sister and Cody to each. Cody shook all of their hands. He shook hands first with Diane, then with Lila and then finally with Suzy. He also complemented them on their costumes and they returned the favor to him. Diane then shared a quick comment with Bailey as Cody was busy getting to know Lila and Suzy.
"You sure seemed to have found quite a handsome boy so quickly after you made it clear to Moose to get lost."
"Yeah. It was by sheer luck that I met Cody."
"By the way, does he happen to have a younger brother preferably around my age?"
Bailey stifled a laugh.
"I'm sorry, Diane. I'm afraid not. Cody has a twin brother."
"Dang it. Why is the earth on such short supply of good guys like Cody?"
"I don't know. Just be glad that we'll now have a gentleman to escort us back home."
"Yeah. I guess you're right, Bailey. I am getting a little tired of the party even though it's only been an hour."
"Well, maybe you will find something to do later when we get back home."
"The only thing I'm going do when we get back home is count my candy, sort it out and then eat it while watching a movie from the VCR. What do you plan to do?"
"Cody and I sort have a plan to go the theatre but we'll see how you three feel first and if it's okay with mama and papa."
"Oh. Okay."
Bailey looks over at Cody, Lila and Suzy and sees that they walking towards her and Diane.
"Looks like we're ready to leave."
Diane looks over at the others and can tell what Bailey meant. The four Pickett girls walk out of the barn with Cody. Upon their exit of the barn, the person who looked over the cubbies offered lollipops to the group. Diane, Lila and Suzy declined the offer as they just want to get their stuff from the cubbies. Cody and Bailey, however, did take a lollipop from the bowl. They both got a caramel apple lollipop. Once Diane, Lila and Suzy got their trick-or-treat bags, the five of them headed back down to the Pickett farm. On their way to the farm, Cody would occasionally ask for little bits of information from Diane, Lila and Suzy. They all appreciated him asking them questions and they certainly liked that a nice guy like Cody was walking back with them. They all envied Bailey just a little bit for having Cody as a friend but they didn't complain about it one bit. When they got to the front door, Bailey knocked on the door. Eunice walked up to it and opened it find her four daughters were safe and sound and a tall yet skinny boy was with them. They entered the house but Cody stayed behind as Eunice eyed him. She turned to Bailey.
"Bailey, who is this boy?"
Cody bashfully lifted a hand up as if to wave 'hello' to Eunice. Bailey looked back at her mom.
"Oh, this is Cody Martin. He's my new friend. He just came over to escort us back home."
Eunice was thrilled at what Bailey said about Cody. She turned toward him and smiled brightly at him.
"Well, Cody, why don't you come in? You can have dinner with us."
"Oh, no thank you. That's okay but I don't want to impose on your family time. Besides, Bailey and I were wondering if it was okay if we went to the theatre to see a movie. I completely understand if you don't want Bailey to go back outside at this time of night."
"Oh no, Cody. It's fine."
Bailey beamed at her mother.
"Really, mama? You would be okay with that?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"But what about Diane, Lila and Suzy?"
"They can just stay here at home. You and Cody go have fun at the movies. I'm sure your sister won't mind staying behind. You two need to have time to yourselves to become better friends."
Bailey looked over at her sisters.
"Is that okay with you guys?"
"Yeah, Bailey. We're tired anyway."
Eunice chipped in one last piece.
"Well, it's settled then. You and Cody and go ahead and see a movie. When you two get back, we can have pizza. It is Halloween after all and this night should be filled with fun."
"But what about cooking dinner?"
"Bailey, we usually have pizza on a Halloween. I only made dinner when you were younger and when you didn't stay out so late. The pizza will be waiting for you and Cody when you get back from the movie."
"Okay. Thanks, mama."
"Sure thing, Bailey. Now you best get some money and a sweater before you and Cody go to the theatre."
"Yes, mama."
Bailey quickly ran up the stairs to her bedroom to get some money and sweater. As Bailey went to her room, Cody waited outside. Eunice looked over at him.
"What are you doing out there standing like a scarecrow? Come inside, Cody."
Cody awkwardly walked inside the house and Eunice closed the door behind.
"Thank you for the invitation, Mrs. Pickett."
"Oh, Cody, any friend of one of my daughters is a friend of the family. You're a guest here so make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you, Mrs. Pickett, but I'd rather stand. I think that Bailey shouldn't too long to come back down."
"Okay. So, Cody what are you supposed to be?"
"I'm the Phantom of the Opera."
"I don't know about the Phantom of the Opera but I'm sure that Bailey appreciates your costume. She's a very girl and is always thinking about her future."
"That's nice to know. She seems very intelligent from what I could tell after talking with her."
"Well, that's Bailey for you. She's a very smart girl with a nice personality."
"I'm not going to argue with that."
Just then Bailey came down the step with a white sweater hanging from her right hand.
"Bailey, where's your money?"
"Don't worry, Cody, it's tucked away in my basket."
"Oh. So, are you ready to go?"
"Yes."
Bailey then walks up to her mom and hugs her goodbye.
"See ya later, mama. Cody and I will be back as soon as possible after the movie."
"Okay. Do you still have your cell phone?"
"Yes, mama."
"Okay, well, you two kids have fun then."
"We will, mama."
"Goodbye, Mrs. Pickett."
Eunice waved goodbye to Cody and Bailey as they left the house through the front door. As Cody and Bailey were on their way to the theatre, Clyde had entered the house from the back door. He saw his wife wave at what would be kids from outside. He approached her from behind.
"Eunice what are you doing and have our daughters come back?"
Eunice lowered her arm down and turned toward her husband.
"Diane, Lila and Suzy just went inside the kitchen to count their candy. Bailey dropped by to get money and a sweater to go to a movie with a friend."
"Oh."
"Her new friend seems very nice. It seems to me that his mother brought him up well."
"He? Bailey's new friend is a boy?"
"What's wrong Clyde?"
"Eunice, why did you let Bailey go off with a boy? Don't you know that boys only want one thing? It's hard enough to keep young lads in control here on the farm but I couldn't imagine how things would be like somewhere else like a suburb or a city."
"Oh, hush now, Clyde. What I can tell, Cody is a gentleman. You have nothing to fear for Bailey's safety as long as she has Cody with her. He'll keep her safe."
"Are you sure, Eunice?"
"I'm sure, Clyde. Now, come over with me to the kitchen. We're going to order pizza and then put on a VHS movie to play for the girls and us."
"Fine…But if that Cody boy tries anything funny with Bailey, I'll tear him to shreds."
"Oh, you. Do you know where Grammy is?"
"Last I saw her, she was in her room."
"Clyde, why don't you call for a pizza while I check on Grammy?"
"Alright."
Eunice walked up the stairs while Clyde went in the kitchen to pick up the home phone and dial the number for the pizza place. He made an order for one large pepperoni pizza and one medium sized cheese pizza. As he made the order, he saw that his three youngest daughters were at the kitchen table counting their candy and making trade-offs. He was glad that they were safe at home but he was still worried about Bailey being with a boy that he didn't get to meet. Even though he was concerned for Bailey's safety and he had to trust his wife's words. When he was done making on the phone, he hung up and walked over to his daughters.
"Hey, girls."
"Hey, daddy."
"Did any one of you meet Bailey's new friend, Cody?"
Diane turned to her father first.
"Yeah, papa. Cody sure seems a real upright feller. He actually escorted all of us back home. He seemed really friendly asking all of some basic question about ourselves."
"Lila, Suzy, would you two agree?"
"Yeah, daddy. Bailey's lucky to have made a friend with Cody. He's a nice guy."
"Okay that's good. I was just wondering because your mother told me that Bailey had went off to the movies with Cody before I had the chance to meet him.
Diane then spoke up to assure her father's fear.
"Don't worry, daddy. Bailey's in good hands with Cody. He'll keep her safe and treat her right. From what I could get from being around him, he sure seems to be quiet the gentleman. I actually would prefer to hang out with him than with Moose."
Clyde was stunned. He did like Moose but after hearing from Diane that she'd rather be in Cody's company than in Moose's company gave him justification to put some trust into Cody even though he hadn't met him yet. Clyde gave Cody the benefit of the doubt and stopped worrying so much about Bailey's safety while she would be with Cody. Clyde then backed away from the kitchen table.
"Thanks for the heads up about Cody, girls."
"You're welcome, daddy."
Clyde smiled at his three youngest daughter and then went back in the living room and plopped himself on the couch. He then picked up the remote control and turned on the TV to a sports channel.
Elsewhere, Cody and Bailey had arrived at the movie theatre that had only seven auditoriums show movies. They walked up to ticket stand around nine at night. They looked up at the marque and saw the movies that were listed. All of the movies that were playing were all that Bailey had predicted from earlier. They chose the movie Hocus Pocus and went up to the ticket stand to pay for their tickets. Cody asked for two student ticket for the nine fifteen showing of Hocus Pocus. The boy behind the ticket stand gave him the total amount of fourteen dollars for two movie tickets. Bailey pulled out her money and gave Cody seven dollars. He took her money and he then pulled out his own seven dollars and gave the boy a collective fourteen dollars in exchange for two movie tickets. Cody took the tickets and gave one to Bailey. They entered the film house and walked through the lobby. They went to the left side where their movie would be playing which was in auditorium number four. They hand their tickets to the girl behind the stand and made little rips in their tickets before she gave them to Cody and Bailey and allowing the two to go ahead to their appointed auditorium. Cody and Bailey found their movie theatre and went inside. The theatre had five rows of seats total and they would set up a slope. Cody and Bailey looked around the nearly deserted theatre.
"You would think there would be a few more people around for a special showing of a Halloween movie on Halloween night."
"Well, this is a small town and most of the members of the town are back at the barn or staying inside their homes."
"Bailey, do you think that we'll be the only ones watching this movie?"
"No. I think that at least four or six more people will come later to join us but will the extent of the movie theatre's population."
"Oh. Well, at least we won't have to worry about people disrupting others that much."
"I know. There are some ups and downs for a movie theatre to be located in a small town but the business has survived well enough. Let's find a spot to sit at."
"How about at the top row in the middle?"
"Why not."
Cody and Bailey go up the twelve steps that lead to the fifth row and walk down to the middle. Once they are seated in the theatre chairs, they lean back and wait for the movie to start. Cody and Bailey both pull out their lollipops that they got from outside the barn. Bailey pulls her lollipop out from her basket and Cody pulls his out from his pants pocket. They pull of the green wrappers of the lollipops and pop them in their mouths. As Cody and Bailey silently enjoy their candy, a few more people walk in the auditorium. A couple comes in with the guy holding a tub of popcorn and the girl is holding a medium sized drink for them to share during the movie. They sit down in the in middle of the front row. After a few more minutes, a group of friends come in and sit off to the right side of the third row. The group of the three friends consisted of two girls and a guy. Soon after their arrival, the lights turn off and the movie begins to play. Cody and Bailey lick on their lollipops as the movie plays. As they finish their lollipops, Cody and Bailey temporarily discard the white sticks in Bailey's basket. They lean back in their chairs and watch the movie with ease.
At some time during the movie, Cody turns his head to his right and looks at Bailey. She has a relaxed expression on her face. He moves his eyes down her body. He first looks at her pigtails and then to her somewhat busty chest and then down her skirt portion of the dress and then finally down to her white sock and ruby slippers. He grinned to himself. Cody thought that Bailey looked like a very nice Dorothy Gale. He returned his attention back to the big screen and paid attention to the movie. Bailey leaned on her left toward Cody. Bailey knew that Cody had noticed her leaning toward him since he moved the armrest up so she could actually lean against his right shoulder. Bailey felt very comfortable with Cody and so she took his right hand in her left one and laced their fingers together. Cody noticed the feeling of Bailey bringing their hands together so he turned toward her and whispered.
"Bailey, what are you doing?"
Bailey just went on watching the movie like nothing was wrong. Cody knew that it probably be better to talk to Bailey after the movie. When there was twenty minutes left in the movie, the couple in the first row began to have a make-out session. Cody leaned over and looked below at the couple. Then his eyes darted to the three friends and they didn't seem to care about the couple was doing two rows below them. Cody leaned back as he figured there nothing concerned about and continued to enjoy the movie with Bailey. When the movie was getting close to the end, Bailey moved her hand out of Cody's and wrapped it around his arm. Cody didn't know if what Bailey was doing was a social thing in her hometown or if she was practically telling him that she was interested in him. Cody felt confused and scared which was highly ironic given the situation beforehand. He leaned back in silence and waited for the movie to be over. He just thought that maybe Bailey got comfortable with him and forgot where she was at the moment. Maybe Bailey wasn't thinking clearly and so Cody allowed her to hold onto him until the movie was over.
When the movie came to a close, the screen filled up with end credits and the lights turned back on. The first people to leave the auditorium were the three friends and then the couple left shortly after them. Cody and Bailey were all alone in the small auditorium. Cody thought that this would be the moment to ask Bailey why she had latched herself onto Cody. He turned his head toward her and she looked back at him.
"Bailey?"
"Yes, Cody?"
"Why are you holding onto my arm?"
Bailey looks at her hands wrapped around Cody's arm. She pulls away from him.
"Sorry, Cody. I guess that I hadn't realized that this is the first time that I didn't attend a movie with Moose. When we were together, which was a horrible mistake, was that he insisted that I held onto him. I guess I got used to it that I hadn't realized that I was with you instead of Moose. It's also a safety precaution around this part of town since kids on the farm are taught to act like ladies and gentlemen."
"Oh. I see. But what about when you held my hand?"
"I must have forgotten that we're just friends. I mean, you're so nice and caring that I went into a certain mode and was compelled to hold your hand."
"Oh. Okay. Are you ready to leave?"
"Yeah."
Cody and Bailey stand up from their chairs and walk down the steps to the ground. They leave the auditorium and the movie theatre all together. Once they are outside, they walk back to the Pickett farm. As they walk together, they talk about themselves and share stories when they were little kids to each other. Along the way, Cody and Bailey find out many things about each other. They learn of their aspirations, goals and dreams in life. They learn about their favorite colors, favorite kind of music and songs, their belief systems and philosophies about society, and what books they like to read. They also learn about each other's family life, their quirks and merits as people and how they love education and what their favorite subjects are and why. When they are five feet away from the house, Bailey stops walking and so does Cody.
"Why did you stop, Bailey?"
Bailey has a smile on her face as looks at Cody.
"I just wanted to absorb what has happened between us in the short time that we got to know each other. I just think that this has been a great night, Cody."
"I feel the same way. But I think that we should get back inside your house."
"Yeah, you're right."
Cody and Bailey walked on and went inside the house. When they got inside, Eunice greeted them with big hugs and told them that they could help themselves to a few slices of pizza and heat them up in the microwave. Cody and Bailey walked over to the empty box of cheese pizza and to the nearly empty box of pepperoni pizza. They grabbed a paper plate from the table and each picked up a slice of pepperoni to start off with. They went in the kitchen and heated up their pizza slices in the microwave. When the pizza was warm enough to consume, Cody and Bailey quietly sat down at the kitchen table as to not disturb the sleeping forms of Bailey's sisters on the couch. As Cody and Bailey eat their late dinner, Eunice wakes up the three youngest members of the family from their candy-induced nap and sends them off to bed. All three of them complied to their mother's wishes and they scampered up the stairs to go to bed. Eunice then comes in the kitchen and gets Cody and Bailey each a glass of cold water and sets the water down at their sides. Both of them thank her and she says that if they need anything else that they can come to her and ask for help. Cody and Bailey both thanked Eunice again and then she went up the stairs to her and Clyde's bedroom. As Cody and Bailey finished their first slice of pizza, they went ahead and got a second slice. They heated their second slices of pizza one at a time and as they waited for the food to heat up, Clyde came walking into the kitchen.
"Hello you two. Bailey, I'm glad that you're back home safely."
"Hi, daddy."
"Hello, Mr. Pickett. It's nice to meet you."
Clyde turned his head his head toward Cody.
"Ah. You must be Cody, Bailey's new friend."
"Yes, sir, I am."
"Well, you look like an upright, little feller. Thanks for keeping my daughter safe."
"It was my pleasure, Mr. Pickett."
"You sure have done well to keep Bailey safe. I can see why my other daughters and my wife say nice things about you because you're a good guy."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. And call me Clyde."
"Thanks, Clyde."
Clyde nodded his head toward Cody and then smiled at him and Bailey.
"Well, I'll be off. You two kids play nice down here. If you need any help just holler."
"We will."
"Okay then. You two have a good night."
"We will, daddy."
Clyde smiles at Cody and Bailey again and then goes up the stairs to his and Eunice's bedroom. Once Clyde is far beyond the top of the stairs, Cody takes a few swallows of his water and then puts the glass down on the table. He looks at Bailey who was in the midst of chewing a piece of her second slice of pizza.
"You know, Bailey, your family is really nice."
Bailey swallows the piece of pepperoni pizza down her throat. "Thanks Cody, but what about your family?"
"My mom is a good woman and a great singer. She is a wonderful mom even though she has to be the responsible parent while my father gets to be the fun parent."
"What's Zack like?"
"He and I couldn't be more opposite of each other."
"Oh, so you two don't get along?"
"We get along but we also fought from time to time."
"I guess that sort of thing is unavoidable when you have siblings. Although, I was lucky enough not to have so many fights with my sisters even there's nine of them."
"You're very lucky to have that in your life. I don't know what I would do if I had nine brothers."
"I'm pretty sure that at least half of them would have cocky attitudes."
"Forget about my hypothetical brothers, at least half or maybe just a quarter of the male population is cocky."
"Is that because they would eat a lot of chicken?"
"No. But I do know that they probably are compensating for what's down below the belt."
"I was going to say that beforehand but I felt like making a light hearted play on words."
"I appreciate your effort, Bailey, but you didn't have to do that."
"Sure thing, Cody. But your sex isn't the only one with members whose egos need to be cut down to size."
"That may be true about your sex, Bailey, but generally speaking, girls tend to have less to compare to each other and worry about size. Guys worry about how strong they are and how big their sexual reproductive organs are."
"But Cody, girls also size up to each other."
"Okay….I don't think that I want to go there. Let's finish eating our pizza."
Cody took a bit of his second slice of pepperoni pizza and chewed on it. Bailey knew that Cody purposely avoided the next topic that was going to come at hand. She said it anyway just to spite Cody.
"Girls compare the size of their breasts with each other just like guys compare the sizes of their penises with each other."
Cody swallowed on his piece of pizza hard and allowed the cheese, bread and pepperoni to tumble down his throat.
"Bailey, why did you have to say that?"
"You avoided the topic."
"You did that just to spite me, didn't you?"
Bailey grinned and then continued to eat her pizza. Cody frowned a bit and tapped his right index finger on the table. He looked down at her chest and wondered how big she was. He looked back up at Bailey's face. He grinned a wicked grin.
"So, Bailey, if you say is true then does that mean you compare your chest size to other girls'?"
Bailey didn't bother to focus on Cody's question very much because she knew what he was trying to do.
"No. Do you compare your size to other guys?"
"Oh. I see what you're doing. Just for the record I don't do that. I find no reason to."
"Okay then."
"Okay then. That's settled."
Cody went back to eating his pizza. For a while after their conversation, Cody and Bailey would drink their water and eat their slices of pizza until the paper plates were empty and when the glasses were empty as well. After their meal, Cody and Bailey threw away the paper plates in the trash can that was underneath the kitchen sink and washed out the glasses and put them away. Once they were done with clean-up, Bailey had put her basket and sweater down on the table in the living room and guided Cody outside to the backyard.
"Come here, Cody. I want to show you something."
Cody walked behind Bailey to a tire swing that hung from a tall tree branch.
"This is the tire swing that I would sometimes swing on during the summer when things were emotionally tough on me."
"It's a nice swing."
"Would you like to try it out?"
"Sure."
Cody went to the swing and got on it. He began to swing his legs until he got enough momentum to swing back and forth. As he swung to and fro, he spoke to Bailey.
"Bailey, you must have been a happy girl growing up here."
"Well, there's always going to be perks and downsides to wherever you end up living. By the way, Cody, may I ask now where you're from?"
Cody slowed down and stopped swinging back and forth. He jumped off the swing and looked at Bailey with a solemn look on his face.
"Let's not talk about that just yet. You need to know a few more things about me before I can tell you where I come from."
"Why, Cody? Did you not like your life in your hometown?"
"I did appreciate where I lived, but as time went on, things got complicated."
Cody then looked over at a barn.
"Hey, Bailey, why don't you show me that barn over there?"
Bailey looked over at the red, tattered barn.
"That old thing? Why would you want to see it?"
"I'd like to be shown around the entirety of your childhood home."
"Okay. But sooner or later you're going to tell me where you come from."
"Okay. I promise to tell you."
"Good then. Let's go over to the barn."
Cody and Bailey walked a few yards before they reached the barn. Bailey opened up the double doors and showed Cody the absolute darkness and silence of the structure.
"Well, this is it. It's kind of empty."
"What do you usually keep in the barn?"
"We used to have animals in here but the barn got a little old for their safety so we made a new barn on the other side of this field. We just keep a supply of extra hay in this barn and some tools."
"Interesting."
"I guess so."
Bailey looked back at the moon.
"You know, Cody. It really is a beautiful night tonight. Look at the moon."
"I'd rather not."
Bailey looked back at Cody. "Why not?"
"I just don't need to. I know what it looks like."
"But why, Cody? The moon is a beautiful thing to gaze upon."
"Bailey, why don't we sit down in the barn and I'll tell you about my relationship with the moon."
Bailey didn't know what to think of Cody's odd request but she complied to it nonetheless. She entered the barn and found a spot on the hay covered ground. She settled herself on a soft spot of hay and patted an empty spot next to her to gesture to Cody to sit down where her hand was. Cody sat down next to Bailey where she had motioned and nestled himself against the cushioned wall of hay and loose pieces of straw. He began to undo the first four buttons of his shirt but while he did this, Bailey freaked out.
"Cody, what are you doing? Are you trying to take off your shirt?"
Cody realized what Bailey had interpreted and then had let out a friendly, short laugh.
"Oh no, Bailey. It's not what you think. Besides, I have another shirt underneath this one. I'm trying to show you something."
Bailey felt embarrassed of insinuating that she was accusing Cody of some lecherous act. But she wouldn't be surprised because she had been feeling sparks here and there between the two of them herself. She blushed out shame and stammered 'I'm sorry' to Cody. He didn't seem to mind and forgave her. He then finished unbuttoning the first four buttons and pushed back the collar of his shirt to expose his shock collar that was around his neck. Bailey looked at the shock collar and took a moment to recognize it. Once she recognized the shock collar, he mind had put the pieces together and then she moved back and gasped.
"You're….you're the…"
"Yes, Bailey, that's right. I'm the werewolf. This is the part where I shall tell you that I come from Boston. I ran from there to here in order to escape the police in my wolf form. When I'm a wolf, I can't help but want to eat humans. But I am very grateful that I got to eat candy and pizza tonight instead of human flesh. Some of your neighbors' blood was a little too sticky for my wolf-like taste."
Bailey scooted away from Cody.
"How could you been a vicious werewolf but also be a nice human boy?"
"Bailey, I naturally am a nice guy. It's the personality that I obtained when growing up with my mom and brother. I'm only vicious when I'm in my wolf or werewolf form. I was put under a curse though. "
"How were you put under a curse?"
"My stupid brother probably angered someone in New Orleans when we were there for our sixteenth birthday while seeing our father perform at an arena. Our mom came with us and we explored the French Quarter. Whatever Zack must have done, whoever was aiming to exact their revenge on him, they must have accidentally incurred a curse on me instead."
"But if you really are a werewolf then how come you didn't change into your human form?"
"I did change into my human form for most of the time but as time went on, I couldn't stop myself from turning into a wolf and eventually leading to me eating people and being hunted down by police officers and almost being experimented on by scientists. I escaped with this stupid shock collar around my neck and the tracking device around my right wrist. The shock collar has added weight to my body and puts slight strain on my neck and so I don't have enough energy to change back into a human very often. Do you know how long I've waited to change back into a human?"
Bailey slowly shook her head 'no'.
"The collar wasn't the only factor that prevented me from changing back to my human form. I also would slowly succumb to the moon's will and stay a wolf. I haven't been in my human form for at least four months now. But I'm glad that I'm human now but I won't be for long if I cannot keep my strength up. Soon enough, I won't have any recollection of my past or memories as a human if I continue to stay as a wolf. My will as a human is weakening and I need your help to lift the curse. Please, Bailey, I need your help."
Bailey was speechless. She didn't know what to say and all that Cody told her was hard to absorb all at once. She took a moment or two to take everything in. Once her mind took everything in, Bailey looked over at Cody.
"What are you going to do to me?"
"Nothing. I just need someone to help me. I thought you already liked me before you got to know the real me, the kind me."
"I did, I mean, I do. But what will happen if you look at the moon?"
"I'll probably change into a werewolf."
"Why did you turn human?"
"So, I could speak with you and gain your trust. Plus, I have to admit something else and that's I had fallen smitten for you. I became attracted to you the first night that you found me wounded. I chose to trust you."
Bailey felt a wave a relief wash over her body which caused her to scoot back towards Cody.
"So, you like me?"
"I like you a lot. I know that it's very likely but I might have fallen in love with you at first sight. I know that it may not be very obvious since I growled at you in my wolf form but I tried to make my feelings clear when I came to the watering hole or when I appeared as my true self a few days ago. I came back to town for you, Bailey."
Bailey could feel her heart pound on the inside of her chest hard. She gulped and felt her stomach doing flip-flops and twisting around. Bailey then took Cody's right hand and held it for a moment in her left hand.
"Cody, I have a confession to make to you. I made up excuses when I held your hand and wrap my hands around your arm. Most of what I said back at the theatre is true about how kids around here are raised but I only used that as an excuse because I was afraid that you would judge me for feeling so attached to you after only knowing you for a short time. But the one thing that isn't completely true is when I told you that I got used to holding onto Moose's arm. He did insist that I hold onto him but I never really did get used to it since I didn't like how he acted as if I needed protection all the time."
Cody just gave Bailey a vacant stare. Bailey leaned in close to Cody and gazed into his eyes.
"Cody?"
"Yes, Bailey?"
"Do you wish that you could turn back the clock and never had been cursed to be a werewolf? Don't you miss just being a normal guy?"
"Of course I wish I could go back in time to prevent this from ever happening to me but there's an upside to all of this."
"What's that?"
"I got to meet you."
Bailey blushed hard. She dropped Cody's hand from her own and nervously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her left ear.
"I'm glad that you could find some positive aspect of this whole ordeal."
"I'm glad too."
"Cody, are you happy that we're friends?"
"No."
Bailey's eyes went wide with disbelief.
"What?"
Cody placed a gentle hand on Bailey's right shoulder.
"Bailey, I don't want to be friends with you."
Bailey's voice cracked just a little. "Why?"
"It's because I want to be more than friends."
Bailey blinked a few times to get rid of the forming tears to clear her eyes.
"What?"
Cody cleared his throat.
"I like you a lot and I was hoping that-"
Bailey didn't need any further explanation. She was so overwhelmed by emotions that she kissed him on the lips. Cody wrapped his arms around Bailey's body and leaned back into the pile of hay. Bailey snaked her arms around Cody's neck and ran her fingers through his hair. They continued to kiss each other senseless until Cody found the urge to be on top of Bailey and roll her on her back onto the hay. He fell victim to his wolf-like desires and rolled Bailey against the pile of hay and pinned her down and they continued to kiss each other. Bailey had raked her fingers across the lush, golden fields of soft hair and had her hands travel downward to the back of Cody's neck. Bailey withdrew from the kiss to breath. She looked straight into Cody's eyes and felt the need to get rid of his mask. She slowly drew her hands up to his mask and took it off.
"That's much better."
Cody played with Bailey's pigtails until he undid them. Bailey's hair fell precariously upon her breasts. Cody then smiled widely.
"That's much better, too."
Bailey looked down at herself and then back up at Cody. He leaned in a kissed her again. His hands traveled from her waists to her stomach. Bailey pulled back from the kiss.
"Cody, you seem nice and compassionate. How could you possibly be the werewolf?"
"I am. But I don't want to change to prove it to you. I especially don't want to transform now tonight. Whenever I turn into my wolf or werewolf form, I don't have much control over my actions and I don't remember people whom I have associated with in my human form."
"Maybe you could show me tomorrow."
"I'm afraid that I won't be here tomorrow."
"Why not?"
"I have to keep moving."
"But no one expects to see you around. They think that you're dead. You could stay here and I could help you until we find a way to turn you back to normal and then you could return to your life as it was before."
"I don't think so, Bailey."
"Cody, have faith in yourself and in me."
Cody got up off Bailey and began to pace around the dark barn. He paced about and turned his head. He accidentally caught a glimpse of the moon and was overtaken by his wolf-like tendencies. He started to growl and fur began to grow from his face and hands. Bailey got up and stepped toward Cody.
"Cody, what's wrong?"
"Stay back!"
Bailey stepped back and gasped.
"Cody, are you—"
Bailey was cut off by Cody's howl. He was in the middle of his transformation when he decided to hide away in the deep, dark shadows of the barn. Bailey looked around for Cody.
"Cody, where are you?"
Just then an angry wolf came out of the shadows and growled at Bailey. She looked at him and concluded that it must be Cody for she spotted the shock collar around his neck.
"Cody, it's me, Bailey. Please, don't attack me. Remember me."
Cody growled at her. He circled around her until she stumbled back into the pile of hay. Bailey scooted into the hay as Cody stepped closer to her. He pinned her against the hay and growled at her. He placed his two front paws upon her stomach and brandished his fangs at her. Bailey took hold of Cody's paws and looked at him.
"Cody, whatever you're thinking of doing, don't do it. Please, I beg of you, remember me. You just got to."
Cody growled at Bailey even louder and snapped his teeth at her. His fangs protruded from his mouth and his eyes swirled with anger. Bailey could see bloodlust in Cody's wolf-like face. Cody leaned in and opened his mouth. He barked at Bailey which made her flinch. Cody then dug his teeth in the right side of her neck. Bailey screamed in pain and she cried. Cody tasted Bailey's blood and felt a surge of regret. His human side fought back but his wolf side was persistent. Bailey was in so much pain that she could not hold onto Cody's front paws and had let me go. His paws landed just underneath her breasts and he could feel something special between him and the female human. Cody stopped digging his fangs into her neck but continued to taste her blood. He became less aggressive and licked her blood. He pressed his body against Bailey's and then pulled his mouth back away from her neck. Cody stared into Bailey's eyes once she realized that he stopped biting her neck. Cody slowly remembered Bailey once he looked into her eyes.
"Cody, do you remember me?"
Cody nuzzled his head underneath her chin. He was sorry for what he did. Bailey took hold of his head in her hands.
"Oh, Cody, you do remember me. That's why you stopped biting my neck."
Bailey petted the top of Cody's head and gently stroked his fur. He licked her neck to rid it of left over blood and then nuzzled the top of his body onto her lap.
"Cody, can you change back?"
Cody's wolf ears lifted up and then went down. He lowered his head on her lap.
"Oh. I see. You're too weak. When will you be able to change back?"
Cody whimpered. Bailey stroked the fur on top of his head and allowed him to rest his body across her lap. Cody then licked his fur on his front legs and began to groom himself. Bailey's eyes closed halfway as she stared at him. She then grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and brought his head right against her chest. Cody buried his face into her cloth clad bosom. He brought his front paws up and placed them on top of Bailey's breasts since he had no other choice to rest his front legs. Bailey then played with Cody's ears while she thought of something.
"What I am going to do with you?"
Cody stayed silent. Bailey bit her lip and then thought of what she could do to help Cody become strong enough to transform back into a human.
"Cody?"
Cody's ears perked up.
"Do you want to eat something?"
Cody lolled his tongue out his mouth.
"I guess that is a 'yes'."
Cody kept lolling his tongue out.
"Where are your clothes?"
Cody turned his head toward the shadows. He then got off of Bailey's body and walked into the shadows. After a short while, Cody came back with a mess of clothing in his mouth. Bailey got up, took the clothes out his mouth and began to walk back to the house. Cody followed Bailey with his tail swinging behind his wolf body. Once they got back inside the house, Bailey closed the door and tossed Cody's clothes on the living room couch. She told Cody to stay where he was and got a blanket. Bailey went to a linen closet and got Cody a gray blanket and threw it over his furry body. Then she went over to the kitchen and looked for some raw meat. She found a piece of steak that had been saved for a few days. She pulled it out and tossed it to Cody. He caught the raw meat in his mouth and tore it apart. Bailey watched as Cody in his wolf form allowed the juices drip from his mouth and see how he tore the raw meat with his fangs. She was careful not to be too close to him while he ate good wolf food that wasn't human flesh. Once Cody licked his chops, he tried his hardest to turn back into a human since he had enough strength and will power to transform again. At last, Cody transformed back into a human and was naked underneath the blanket that Bailey gave him. He stood up and began to retrieve his clothes. Bailey slowly approached him.
"So, Cody, now that I know that you're the werewolf, what should we do?"
Cody carefully dressed up in his clothes while using the blanket as a cover.
"We will nothing. We'll forget what happened in the barn and I'll move on from this town. You go move on with your life as well."
"But Cody-"
"Bailey, please! I am not going to stay here."
"Why not? Does it have to do with the collar and tracking device? Because I could help you."
"No, Bailey. You can't. Scientists are out to get me and so are police officers. They're probably tracking me right now. For both mine and your safety, I can't stay."
"Couldn't you stay for one night?"
"No. I have to leave. This was a mistake staying around."
"Cody, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I should have never fallen for you, but I couldn't help myself. Bailey, let me be."
"I can't, Cody. You and I…We…"
"We are nothing. We can't be anything. I'm sorry. I was afraid that I would hurt you. I don't feel right pursing anything with you."
"It's okay, Cody. I forgive you. We could push past this issue."
"No. I can't, Bailey. I should have not stayed here in the first place."
"Cody, can't we still be friends?"
"How are we going to do that? How are we supposed to pretend that nothing went on in the barn?"
"We could try. Come on, Cody. You have to try. I mean, aren't you tired of being on the run? I know that I would. Just stay for tonight."
Cody had finished getting dressed by throwing on his second shirt. He turned to Bailey and stared at her.
"Fine. But just for tonight."
"Perfect. Should I set up a cot for you?"
"No. I'll just sleep on the couch."
"Okay. Do you want me to get you another blanket and a pillow?"
"Sure."
Bailey wasted no time to get Cody a second blanket and a pillow. Once she came back, Cody had made himself comfortable on the couch with the gray blanket wrapped around him and his shoes were off his feet. Bailey handed Cody a blue pillow and a purple blanket.
"Here you go."
Cody took the blanket and pillow. "Thank you."
"So, uh, if you need anything then just come to me and tell me what you need."
"Okay."
"Okay. Uh, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Bailey gave Cody a sad smile and then went up the stairs to her room. Once Bailey was gone, Cody made the couch and laid down on it. Ten minutes of tossing a turning and Cody can't fall asleep. He tries to sleep but he can't. He sits up and can feel the power of the moon on him. His fangs grow out and he has a desire to have some human flesh. He gets up from the couch and walks over to the stairs. He looks at the dark void in front of him and then walks up the steps. The stair steps creak under his body weight and his eyes get a little red. His mouth twitches and he can feel his hands getting a little furry and his nails turn into claws. Cody slinks down the hallway and uses his nose to find which room is Bailey's bedroom. He discovers that the room at the end of the hallway in Bailey's bedroom.
He tests out the door and finds that it is open. Cody pushes the door open and it moans. He steps toward her bed and sees her peacefully asleep, so graceful and yet so sensual. Cody reaches over and pulls the covers away from her body. Then he just stares her at her. His eyes feast on the glorious sight that is Bailey's face and her voluptuous breasts. Cody subconsciously pulls the covers away even more to reveal Bailey's legs. He looks down and discovers how lean her legs are and rediscovers her special spot in between them. Cody knows what he is doing isn't right, but he is under control of his wolf side. He wants Bailey in more way than one. He knows it in his soul. But he won't have her because he won't allow it. He stares at her body and takes in the sight. What a pleasure it is for Cody. Bailey turns in her sleep and shivers a bit. Cody reaches over and glides his claws over Bailey's inner thighs and then allows a small pleasure surge through him as he rests his middle right finger on her groin. He traces his finger over the cotton fabric that conceals her most precious reproductive organ. With his slight action, Cody elicits a small moan from Bailey's mouth. He pulls his hand away and throws the covers back over her body. He snaps out of his daze.
Then Cody just stands over Bailey and continues to stare at her. Images run through his brain and takes control of his body. He fights the command of the moon and pushes back the urge to eat humans and sexually take advantage of Bailey. He would never want to do that to her or to any other girl if he was simply his nerdy, sensitive self. But things were different since he was a werewolf. A wretched thing! He wasn't even an animal but a thing! He disgusted himself, but even he couldn't deny how aroused by seeing Bailey. She was indeed beautiful, cute, and-dare he think it-sexy. He was attracted to her body, to her blood and skin and to her intelligence and personality. Cody couldn't decide which aspects of Bailey he wanted to be attracted to the most since he had many conflicting views of her: as a potential mate, as a possible meal, as a 'special' friend , or as a significant other. Most of his views went toward him wanting to become emotionally and physically close to Bailey while a small part of him wanted to devour her, but he just figured that it was some strange erotic tendency. Cody brushed off his feelings or whatever they may be for Bailey. He shrugged his shoulders, left the room and closed the door. Then he went back stairs and gone to sleep on the couch.
To Be Continued…