But though it would be awkward, I think I was ready—because I was in love with Brandon. And having Brandon included definitely trumped my jealousy for seeing my former boyfriend cozy with a hot girl.
“You want everyone to get along,” Ivy said. “But unfortunately that’s not how the this town works. You have to sit with us tomorrow. You have to. Our friendship depends on it.”
But even I had my limits. “I can’t. Not with Heidi, too.”
I took my lunch and exited the cafeteria, not passing Brandon along the way. I found an empty alcove on the lower level and sat down. I wasn’t even in the mood to eat, but I did feel a sense of relief having a peaceful moment to myself. I took out a book and began to escape into its pages.
With the full moon approaching and Brandon’s impending transformation coming, I wasn’t sure what other changes were going to happen as well. Would I continue to sit alone and be pushed out of the clique I’d been part of for so many years? Would Brandon be bullied now more than ever because I showed him my support? And would others besides Nash find out that Brandon was the one howling in the full moonlight?
It was too much for me to grapple with alone during a single lunch period. And for the first time at Legend’s Run High, I wanted to spend time by myself. Ivy was correct. Things were changing. And one of those things was me.
SEVEN
father’s arrival
It was in the late afternoon one day before the rise of the full moon when I found myself sitting with Brandon and his grandparents on their living room couch, awaiting Dr. Maddox’s arrival.
I was excited to meet Brandon’s father. His visit would not only offer Brandon reassurance by his father’s presence, but Dr. Maddox might even have an idea for a possible cure.
Brandon, his legs twitching restlessly, kept switching channels on the TV.
“It’s okay,” I said. “He’ll be here soon.”
But that didn’t seem to assuage his agitation.
Even his husky began to bark as if he, too, was feeling Brandon’s tension.
“Calm down, Apollo,” he commanded. Instantly the dog winced, then lay by Brandon’s feet.
“Why are you so antsy?” I asked. “I bet you are excited to see your dad.”
Brandon didn’t respond but perked up. At the same time, Apollo’s ears stood up, and he raced to the window and began barking.
Within a few seconds there was a knock on the door.
I half expected Dr. Maddox to enter in a lab coat, wearing thick black glasses, and mad scientist–style gray, wiry, untamed hair. But instead he was handsome like Brandon, with dark hair, and dressed in a brown sport coat, jeans, and trendy metal rectangular-shaped glasses.
“Connor, it’s so wonderful to see you!” Brandon’s grandmother gushed.
Dr. Maddox was greeted by hugs and kisses from his delighted parents. It was obvious he was thrilled to see Brandon as he gave him a warm embrace.
“Dad, this is Celeste,” Brandon said proudly as if he was showing me off. I didn’t know if Brandon had even mentioned me to his dad—or what he might have said about our relationship. I felt awkward not knowing but reassured that Brandon seemed so happy.
“Hello there, Celeste,” Dr. Maddox said, extending his hand. “I am very pleased to meet you.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, too, Dr. Maddox.” I shook the senior Maddox’s hand. It was firm and warm, just like Brandon’s.
“Please, call me Connor,” he said, and gestured for us all to sit down.
I sat quietly and watched the Maddox family reunite as Dr. Maddox shared a few tales from overseas. It was interesting to see the dynamics of Brandon’s family. They all seemed very intelligent and motivated. And Brandon beamed, having his father and grandparents surrounding him. It was the first time I’d seen him truly relaxed.
“Well, it’s time for us to turn in,” his grandparents said when the evening wore on.
We all said our goodnights to them. I felt the mood shift a bit and realized that now was the time that Brandon needed to tell his father why he’d asked him to come home from Europe.
Dr. Maddox checked to see that his parents were out of earshot, then he sat across from us in a comfy chair while Brandon and I sat close on the sofa.
“So, what did you want to tell me?” Dr. Maddox said. “You two aren’t getting married, are you?” he joked.
“No.” Brandon laughed.
“Then what is it that you wouldn’t tell me on the phone?”
“I was bitten by a wolf.”
Dr. Maddox was taken aback. “Are you okay?”
Brandon pulled off his fingerless glove and showed his scarred palm to his father.
He examined it closely. “When did this happen?”
“A few months ago.”
“Where?”
“In a wooded area.”
“What were you doing in the woods?” his father asked.
“He saved me,” I blurted out. “It was my fault. I was in the woods—lost—and stumbled on a pack of wolves. I’m sure I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Brandon. He is a hero.”
Brandon blushed, and Dr. Maddox beamed with pride.
“Why didn’t you tell me this when it happened?” his father asked.
Brandon withdrew his hand and replaced the glove. “I didn’t want to bother you.”
“You aren’t a bother. You should have called me. I want to know what is going on with you. Just because I’m in Europe doesn’t mean I’m not your father,” Dr. Maddox said sincerely. “Did you go to a doctor?”
“Not at first. But Grandma saw my hand and made me go. I got a shot and some stitches and that was the end of that.”
“Or so we thought,” I said.
Dr. Maddox raised an eyebrow over his glasses. “So you said you had a reaction to something. Is this what it was?”
“Yes,” Brandon said.
“What kind of reaction did you have? A fever?”
“Yes. But it didn’t happen until a month later.”
“Then how do you know it was from the bite?” his father wondered.
“You’ll think I’m crazy.”
I looked to Brandon.
“Tell me,” his father persuaded. “I’m sure I’ve heard something like it before. It’s hard to surprise a scientist.”
“Something happened.” Brandon wrung his fingers together nervously.
“What, Brandon? I’m here to listen.”
“I changed.” Brandon fidgeted in his seat.
“Changed how?”
“It was a full moon when I was bitten. Then the following full moon, I got the fever.” Brandon paused. I placed my hand on his knee, trying to give the comfort I think he was searching for. “I had these dreams all month long,” he continued. “Weird ones.” Brandon turned back to me.
“You have to tell him everything,” I coaxed him.
“You’ll think I’m crazy, Dad.”
“I won’t,” he said reassuringly, with a bit of impatience and weariness from his long day of traveling. “Go on.”
“This is hard to talk about.”
“They were just dreams, right?” his father asked. “Everyone has weird dreams. It’s okay.”
“I was a wolf. Running through the woods and fields. Even around houses.”
That part shocked me. I hadn’t heard that Brandon had dreamed about being near homes, too.
“Anything else?” his father asked.
“I couldn’t sleep. I mean, I dreamed, but I didn’t feel like I was really sleeping. I woke up exhausted and starved.”
It was apparent his father was concerned for his son as he leaned in to hear more. “I wish you would have talked to me,” Dr. Maddox said.
“What was there to tell?” Brandon said. “‘I’ve been having nightmares, so come home from Europe?’ I’m not a kid.”
“I know—but . . . so what is this concern with the full moon? You’ve never been into that sort of cosmic stuff before.”
> “One night Celeste came over, and we were hanging out in the guesthouse,” Brandon continued. “The sun set and I felt strange. . . . I really don’t want to tell you more.”
Brandon stopped and covered his face with his hands.
It was like he was afraid of revealing actions that might make the doctor think he should be institutionalized.
“You’ll think I’m making this up,” he started again. “It’s nuts. This stuff doesn’t really happen—just in movies.”
“Well, Celeste seems like a very smart girl, and she’s sitting with you and seems to believe in you,” his father said. “And you’ve never lied to me before—why would I think you’re lying to me now?”
“Because I turned into a werewolf!” Brandon exclaimed, his hands tightening into fists.
His father’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Then he laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“I’m not.” Brandon was dead serious.
“You are paying me back for disrupting your life. I understand that.”
“I’m not, Dad.”
“All you had to do was say you wanted me to come back for a visit. I would have. You didn’t have to concoct this crazy story.”
“I knew you’d think I was crazy.”
“That is the strangest thing you’ve ever said. Even as a kid. I thought it was something serious. Now I can breathe easier.”
His father stretched his arms out and sighed. Then he placed his hands on his lap as if he was signaling the end of the conversation. “We can talk more tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll have some dreams, too, tonight. Maybe I’ll be a zombie.”
When Dr. Maddox stood up, I saw all the hope rush out of Brandon. I knew I had to say something before his father went up to bed.
I rose with all the force I had. “It wasn’t just a dream, Dr. Maddox,” I said, my voice quaking and my eyes almost teary. “It really happened. I saw it. I was there.”
He stopped and studied me as if he didn’t know how to address my sudden outburst.
“You have to believe me,” I pleaded. “Us. I mean, Brandon.”
Dr. Maddox was in disbelief. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do—and it seemed, as he stared at us, that he didn’t know what to do himself.
“See—I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me,” Brandon said sadly. “If I can’t trust you—who can I trust?” He got up and started for the back door.
“Brandon, get back here,” his father called.
But instead Brandon headed outside. The screen door slammed behind him.
Tears welled in my eyes. I felt awful for Brandon. And bad for his father.
“Celeste—” his father said, stopping me. “What is he really going through? Is he having a hard time adjusting here?”
“Brandon needs your help,” I urged him. “Tomorrow is a full moon.”
“I’m not sure—”
“Please, Dr. Maddox. If he knows you don’t believe him, you’ll break his spirit.”
“That is why he insisted that I come here now?”
“Yes. Tomorrow is a full moon,” I repeated. “You will see the change for yourself.”
Dr. Maddox wasn’t convinced. “Well, whatever this is, I’m not leaving. We’ll get this solved. Okay?”
We found Brandon outside, throwing rocks between the trees.
“I shouldn’t have asked you to come,” he told his father.
It was as if those words hit his father like an arrow. I could see the pain in his eyes—the pain of not being there for his son, even now that he was in fact physically here.
“No. You were right to.” He patted Brandon on the shoulder. “It’s been a long day for both of us. We’ll get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll take some samples, take a look, and run some tests. And by sunset we’ll see what happens.” Dr. Maddox was more confident than concerned.
Brandon’s sullen mood brightened. “You will?”
“You are my son,” he said. “I won’t let anything happen to you now that I’m here.”
Brandon’s father gave him a reassuring hug.
“It was great meeting you, Celeste. I’m grateful Brandon has found such a good friend.”
Dr. Maddox headed back inside, and Brandon took my hand and walked me to my car.
“I feel so stupid,” he said.
“Don’t. He has to know.”
“Maybe I should have gone to Dr. Meadows instead. She’s into the paranormal. My dad is a scientist. Something like this is only fantasy to him.”
“He’ll see tomorrow night how fantasy is reality.”
Brandon looked up at the almost-full moon. Tomorrow evening would be the first of his three nightly transformations.
He hugged me hard. I could feel the weight of his condition wearing on him.
But I was curious about one part of his dreams that I hadn’t heard before. “When you’ve been dreaming about running around houses,” I asked, “where were you going?”
“To yours,” he said. “Always to yours.”
Brandon kissed me goodnight and watched me as I pulled away. I wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight, and neither was Brandon. And Dr. Maddox was in for a restless night as well.
EIGHT
turning
I stewed all day at school in anticipation of Brandon’s transformation and Dr. Maddox’s reaction.
When I saw Brandon getting into his Jeep at the end of the day, I said good-bye to Ivy and Abby and got into my car. I didn’t want to miss a thing now with Dr. Maddox in town.
Brandon gave me a quick kiss when I parked next to him at his grandparents’ house. We went inside and found Dr. Maddox in the basement. It was unfinished, without carpeting, a TV, or an office. Instead, it had an old Ping-Pong table with boxes piled on top, a washer and dryer, and a bathroom. He was toiling with a small chest with petri dishes, beakers, and microscope.
“It’s like a museum down here,” his father said. “All my dreams and early science projects. When I was young and watched monster movies, I always wanted to create a Frankenstein monster and cure a werewolf. I didn’t know that all these years later, I might have to for real.”
We made our way back up the wooden stairs and into the kitchen. Brandon sat down at the table while his father opened a bag.
“Uh . . . what are you going to do?” Brandon asked.
“Take a blood sample.”
That was something the mystic Dr. Meadows wouldn’t have done.
“Is that okay with you?” his father asked.
“Whatever you have to do to cure me,” Brandon said.
We sat in the kitchen while Brandon’s father prepared to take a sample of Brandon’s blood. I wasn’t normally squeamish, and if I was going to be a nurse like I hoped, I’d have to be doing this myself one day. I watched closely as Dr. Maddox washed his hands and applied a rubber tourniquet to Brandon’s upper arm. He made Brandon squeeze a rubber ball in his hand and quickly found a prominent vein.
“How was school today?” he asked matter-of-factly as he opened an alcohol prep swab and wiped an area on the inside of Brandon’s arm. He unwrapped a small butterfly needle and attached it to a plastic vial.
“It was okay,” Brandon said.
Brandon must have noticed my eager expression leaning in on the kitchen table and watching Dr. Maddox like I was a nurse in training.
“Want one, too?” Brandon asked.
“No, I just find this fascinating.”
“You want to be in the medical field?” Dr. Maddox asked.
“I’ve thought about becoming a nurse. I like helping people.”
“You’ll just feel a little prick,” he said to Brandon.
Dr. Maddox stuck the needle in Brandon’s vein and removed the tourniquet and ball.
“So, do you two have any classes together?” Dr. Maddox asked as he filled the plastic vial and removed the syringe. He put a piece of gauze on Brandon’s arm and asked him to hold it.
“Yes,” Brandon said. “But I don?
??t learn much in those classes. Celeste is a distraction.”
The two of them laughed, and my face flushed.
Brandon’s father placed a sample on a slide and then marked the tube and put it in a plastic bag. He dusted off one of the microscopes he’d brought up from the basement and placed the slide with the blood sample in it.
In chemistry class we looked at slides. I remembered I had lowered the microscope a little too far and it crashed into the slide and broke it. A few other students did that day, too, and we all had to pay a small replacement fee.
“Hmm . . .” his father said. “Interesting.”
Then his father took a pair of tweezers. “This may hurt.”
“Like the blood draw didn’t?” Brandon said.
He plucked a few strands of hair from Brandon’s head.
“Ouch!” he yelled.
He plucked a few more from his son’s arm. He put those in another plastic bag and marked them.
He examined a strand under the microscope. “Hmm . . .” he said again. “This, too, is very interesting.”
“What?” Brandon said. “What is it?”
“I haven’t seen anything like this before,” his father said. “It’s very odd.”
His father was preoccupied. He appeared perplexed and made a few notes into his phone.
“Perhaps I am wrong,” he continued. “I’ll have to send this off for further testing.”
Dr. Maddox told us to hang out in Brandon’s guesthouse as he stayed in the main house and made some calls.
Brandon was relieved that his father was here but worried at the same time.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Now he can find you a cure.”
“I don’t know. I still think I should have talked to Dr. Meadows instead. The look on my dad’s face . . . He could be doing important work and instead he’s here trying to help me.”
That’s one of the reasons I cared for Brandon so much. He was handsome, which didn’t hurt, but his heart was just as beautiful.
“I’m sure his work can wait. And besides, this is important. You’re his son, don’t forget.”
Brandon gazed out the window. It was still light out, and the moon was partially covered by a few passing clouds.