I immediately came to my sister's defense. Sure, she's annoying and she pesters me at times, but I wasn't going to let this mountain of a woman bully us. "Leave my sister alone! You're the one who nearly ran me over!"

"Like I said, you should watch where you're going," Emily shouted.

The woman growled, "You're still gonna pay for kicking my truck! Do you know who I am?!"

"No," Emily and I said together. What was this woman's deal?

The woman said, "I'm Dr. Isabelle Flint, monster hunter extraordinaire!"

"Who," I asked.

"Hey, I heard about you," Emily said. "You're on that TV show that focuses on solving elusive creatures like Nessie, Bigfoot, and the Abominable Snowman!"

Dr. Flint made a proud smile. "Finally! You're the first person in this town that recognizes me!"

"My dad and mom say you're a crackpot."

The smile instantly vanished. She was about to retort when she gave up and scoffed, "Tch. I'm wasting my time on children like you. Jeff!"

A short man with red hair and freckled skin stuck his head out the passenger side window. "Yes, Doc?"

"Find the closest hotel on your map, and make sure your camera has plenty of film," Dr. Flint said as she marched back to the truck and drove off.

"What a jerk," I muttered.

Emily helped pick up the groceries I dropped. "I hope we don't have to see her again."

When we returned home, Wolf saw us exit the car and came bounding toward us. "No, Wolf, stop!" He tackled me and licked my face. I sputtered as I tried to get him off me. "Wolf! Get off!"

Wolf did so, but then tackled Emily to the ground and started licking her face. "Stop, you dumb dog!" She pushed him off and wiped the slobber off his face.

"He missed you two," Mom said as she walked down the front porch steps. "He kept pacing back and forth in the backyard waiting for you."

"You missed us, huh, boy," I asked as he laid on his back and let me rub his belly.

"Did you have trouble with the groceries," asked Dad. "You were gone for a while now."

Mom and Dad were wearing lab coats over their casual clothing. They must have been doing some research.

"Yeah, we almost got run over by Dr. Isabelle Flint," said Emily.

"You almost got run over," Mom exclaimed. "Are you hurt?" She ran over to check me for cuts.

"No," I insisted.

"Wait, did you say Isabelle Flint," Dad asked. "That crazy woman on the TV? She's here?"

"Unfortunately," Emily said. "She's going to film an episode here. I don't know why."

Dad looked angry. "Her presence might scare the deer if we release them in the swamp. I'll have to have a word with her."

"Be careful," Mom said. "She's as stubborn as a mule when it comes to finding her monsters."

"I'm not scared of some charlatan," he said.

"If you saw how big she is," Emily said. "You might be."

"By the way," said Mom. "Your friend Cassie is out back, waiting for you, Grady."

I was surprised. "Really? I guess she wants to go exploring in the swamp with me again."

"I hope you're careful when you go there," Mom said. "I don't really feel alright with you going out there."

"Mom, I go there all the time. And I have Wolf with me." I patted Wolf's head. "He'll keep me safe." When he's not being a chicken at times, I thought.

"Alright," Mom said reluctantly. "But take Emily with you this time."

"What, why?" she asked, annoyed.

"We need you to set up trail cameras around the swamp," Dad said, handing some to her and me. "To keep track of the deer when we let them out."

"Fine."

Wolf and I went to the backyard where we found Cassie, sitting on a stump. Her green catlike eyes shined upon seeing me and a smile formed on her freckled face. "Hi, Grady!" She stood up, her rusty red hair tied in a pony, bouncing a little. She was wearing an orange-and-blue Florida Gators t-shirt, blue denim shorts, and white Nike sneakers.

"Hey, Cass," I said. "I heard you were waiting for me?"

"Yeah. It's pretty boring around here without you."

"So, you ready to head into Fever Swamp?"

"Sure. Just be careful of werewolves."

I wish she would drop the subject, but I guess everyone has their quirks. She saw Emily and waved to her. "Hi, Em."

"Hi," Emily said, still annoyed with what Mom and Dad assigned us.

"What's with the cameras," Cassie asked.

"To keep track of our marsh deer," I said. "Hey, would you like to hear Emily and I's little adventure we had in town?"

"You went into town?"

"Yep. And I wish we hadn't," Emily said.

The three of us hopped the fence bordering Fever Swamp with Wolf chasing after us and we went in.