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My body froze.Oh my god. Is that . . . Nope. No way. It’s probably the neighbor's dog.
Then I remembered that our house was the last one on this lane right next to the grove, and our only neighbors fifty feet up across the street didn’t have a dog.
Shut up, Spencer. It’s a stray.
I stuck the earphones into my ears and turned on the music.
* * *
When I was a kid, we moved around a lot, and I wished we could finally settle down somewhere so that I wouldn’t always have to say goodbye to the friends I just made. And the older I got, the harder it became to make new ones.
I could see that it wasn’t easy for my mother either, but when I asked why we couldn’t stay, she gave me the same short answer every time:It’s not safe here for witches.
This small town was the first place we stayed for three years in a row. Mom got herself a job in the local library, and I was glad that I could start and finish high school in the same place.
The only thing that bothered me was Mom’s mood. She hadn’t looked happy lately. I have seen her on edge and worried from time to time before, but now she was just sad. And in the last couple of months, I even heard quiet sobs coming from her bedroom once or twice.
This morning, when I came downstairs, she was standing in front of the kitchen window and absently staring out of it with a cup of coffee in her hand. Her long, dark hair was neatly brushed, and she was dressed and ready for work.
“Morning, Mom.” I went straight to the coffeemaker.
“Morning, honey. Your toast is getting cold.” She looked down at her cup, rubbed its side with her thumb, then took a sip. “How was the party?” she asked quietly.
“It was okay.” I filled my mug, grabbed the plate with the toast, and sat at the table.
She turned around. “You look tired. You didn’t drink, did you?”
“No, Mom,” I rolled my eyes. “It isn’t a hangover. I didn’t get much sleep. My whole body was hurting. Like that other time, remember?”
“Yeah,” she nodded nervously, avoiding looking at me. “Of course I do. I’ll make the potion for you.”
It seemed she didn’t sleep well either. There were dark circles around her eyes, and she looked weary.
“Mom, are you okay? You seem off lately. I’m worried.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.” She stretched a smile. “I’m fine.”
“Is it because of college? Mom, even if I move somewhere, you can move with me. Well,” I cleared my throat, “when I say with me, I don’t mean . . . I mean we wouldn’t be living together, but we’ll still be close to each other. And visit and all. You will move, won't you?”
“Of course, I will.” Right before she looked away, I saw unshed tears in her eyes. “I would go anywhere after you.”
“Good. I’m glad we sorted that out.”
We didn’t talk while I ate.
The conversation with that Finn guy still bothered me, and I wanted to tell Mom about him. But she was upset already, and I decided not to drop all my questions and suspicions on her at once but start from afar.
“Did you hear that howl last night?” I swallowed the last piece of the toast and took a big gulp of coffee.
“A howl?” Mom stared at me.
“It sounded like a wolf.”
My young, beautiful, always brave Mom looked right into my eyes all freaked out.
“Mom?” I raised a brow. “There’s no need to panic.”
“Of course, there isn’t.” She released an unnatural giggle. “There are no wolves in this area. It was probably some stray dog.”
