Werewolf Weekend Read Online Free Page B

two nights, then she’s old enough to watch you too.”
    â€œGreat!” No more questions. No more stalling. I had to get packed before she changed her mind or Mrs. L called to say her ferret had recovered and she was going to be home after all.…
    I made it to my room in four seconds and was ready to go in less than a minute.
    â€œDo you need your backpack?” Mom said, with one last check that the stove was off and the lights out. “Take it if you have homework.”
    â€œOh, right.” Homework… HA! Whatever I hadn’t finished at school could wait. I would finish up Sunday night when I got home. I decided to leave my pack—and the journal—behind. Mom and I could investigate it together later. Maybe by then whatever disembodied spirit was living in the pages would have moved on to a new home. Mrs. L might like someone to talk to.…
    As we walked out the door, Mom asked, “Did you want to show me something?”
    I smiled. “No. It wasn’t important. I… I… I just wanted to tell you that Mrs. Frankle says hi.”

    Mom dropped me off. She wanted to talk to Mrs. Murdock, but Sam’s mom had run to the store for a few last-minute things and wasn’t back yet.
    â€œI’ll check in later, then,” Mom said, and gave me a big “I’ll miss you” kind of kiss.
    As she got into the car to leave, Sam and I did a happy dance and she whispered, “I thought your mom was ruining your life.”
    â€œI was wrong.” I had goose bumps as a flash of Mrs. L’s goopy goo went through my imagination. “She’s not ruining my life. By leaving me here, she’s saving it!”
    I waved good-bye one last time as Mom drove away.
    We’d barely gotten inside when a cab pulled up in front of the house. It wasn’t one of those normal-sized taxis. It was a big van.
    Sam grabbed my hand, dragging me back outside, toward the van. “Come on, Emma. Cassie and Riley are here early! Come meet them.”
    I had to jog a little to keep up.
    The cousins didn’t get out right away, so we hung back as the driver began piling luggage on the sidewalk.
    â€œWow,” I said to Sam. “They sure come with a lot of baggage.” I looked at my own little tote. “I hope I have enough clothes.”
    Sam laughed. “If you need more stuff, just take what you want.” For years, Sam and I had been sharing clothes. We had the same casual style, meaning we weren’t the best dressed at school, but we weren’t the worst either. She added, “Half the stuff in my closet is probably yours anyway.”
    Sam lurched forward when Cassie got out of the van, but then pulled back again because Cassie wasn’t ready to be welcomed. She was arguing with the taxi driver. From the bits I could hear, she was mad that he wasn’t careful enough with a massive wooden trunk she’d brought. I could see her eyes flitting from the driver to the trunk and back again.
    There was something aggressive about the way Cassie stood, hands on hips, chest puffed out. If I were the cab driver, I’d have apologized, told her that the ride was free, offered to pay for the damage, and fled. But he wasn’t me, and he wasn’t going to give up the fare that easily.
    While they fought it out, Sam and I waited.
    After what seemed like a really long time, Cassie and the cab driver settled their differences. Only then did Sam’s cousin Riley climb out of the backseat, hauling two overstuffed backpacks. Sam had told me that Riley sometimes modeled kids’ clothing for catalogs, and I had to admit, she was adorable. Cropped blond hair, carefully styled. She was wearing a short dress with leggings and boots. I had to smile. Riley was better dressed, with way more fashion sense than me and Sam together.
    Cassie, on the other hand, looked like she was about to join a death metal band. Or rob a bank. She was wearing all