Thinking at first that she was tired and failed to notice their approach, she now knew they might have used other means to come at her unawares. Four male college students in an ancient Buick had driven through the small parking lot and run one of the men down. Except they probably weren't men. Macy had rushed inside the pizzeria to phone the police and her parents.
Although the police arrived quickly, there was no sign of either abductor at the scene. Only four college students and a dented car remained in the parking lot. Macy and her parents had been relocated immediately. Now, she sat in the back of a van between her mother Ramona and her father Rocky, both parents holding her hands and doing their best to comfort her. Macy felt alienated—from everything. Her world had just turned inside out and she was lost.
* * *
"Well, we've stocked the basics plus a few extras," Greta Rocklin stared at the last of six pantries. She, Denise DeLuca and Sharon O'Neill had gone shopping for the human families, buying what every family would need—flour, sugar, coffee—the things they always stocked in their homes. Pads of paper lay on kitchen counters for lists of other necessities. No computers were allowed in any of the temporary homes—Director Jennings had forbidden that type of communication, along with landlines and cell phones. There would be no contact with the outside world for nearly three months.
"They should be here anytime," Denise checked her watch. "Mr. Winkler called Marcus and said they left four hours ago."
"Are we supposed to invite them to dinner or what? There's spaghetti and that sort of thing, but we'll have to get someone to run to the store after they tell us what they need," Sharon sounded worried.
"Billings isn't happy," Denise admitted reluctantly. "I thought he and Marcus were going to go after each other's throats. This isn't the best time for this to be happening—the day before a full Moon."
"Aedan and Nathan will have to watch them tomorrow night just to make sure they stay indoors," Greta agreed. "I know they'll place compulsion when they leave, too, but what about while they're here? This could turn out so badly," she stared at her hands. "If those kids become curious and get anywhere near a couple of people, we could have trouble."
"Let's hope that doesn't happen. Somebody will have to warn them to stay away from certain individuals," Sharon nodded.
* * *
"This is it? Man, this is the middle of nowhere, Philip snapped angrily as the van pulled through the barrier separating Cloud Chief from the human world.
"Philip," the agent turned in his seat for the second time after listening to Philip's complaints for four hours, "this is to save your life. Do you want to live or not?"
* * *
"They're all double-wides," Steven Pendley, Edward's father, sighed at the six prefab houses spaced ten yards apart in an Oklahoma field.
"They're tied down as well as they can be and there's a new storm shelter between the third and fourth houses," Jason came to stand beside Steven. "The women did a little grocery shopping for you, but there's paper on the counter to make a list for other needs. We'll bring dinner for everyone tonight, but get those lists back to Trace soon if you want to eat after that. We'll have a meeting over dinner to give you the dos and don'ts. Tomorrow is the full Moon, so it goes without saying that you need to stay indoors. The vampires will be standing guard, just in case."
"Are we in danger on full Moons?" Edward now stood beside his father, staring up at Jason curiously.
"Not unless you jump between a werewolf and what he's hunting," Jason grinned.
"Cool," Edward breathed. "Dad, this is so cool!" Edward went racing toward the house they'd been assigned.
"It's cool," Steven smiled tentatively at Jason.
* * *
"Lizzie, the furniture and everything is new. What is there to complain about?" Francis Frasier leveled a look at his daughter.
"Daddy, this is nowhere. Do you see that field out there? It leads nowhere!" Elizabeth flung out an arm helplessly.
"I need to take a pill," Mary Ellen spilled her purse onto the kitchen counter, searching for a Valium.
* * *
"Dude, you can see all the houses from here," Sali whispered as he and Ashe stood on the deck behind the Evans home.
"Yeah. Good thing they put in a big storm shelter—those double-wide mobile homes won't last five seconds in a tornado," Ashe grumped.
"They look okay—like regular houses," Sali tilted his head to examine the mobile homes. "If you like rectangles," he added.
"Wow, geometry did sink in," Ashe bumped Sali's shoulder with his own.
"Werewolves don't need geometry," Sali side-kicked Ashe.
"Planning on living in the woods?" Ashe teased. "Where will you hook up your computer? I don't think pines have electrical outlets."
"They've evolved. They're the new, improved pines," Sali declared.
"Yeah, Wi-Fi pines. You think there's an app for that?" Ashe grinned as they watched the new arrivals unload suitcases from vans.
"With special docks for MP-3 players," Sali agreed.
"Well, I've heard of singing pines," Ashe said.
"But these could be blasting disco," Sali observed.
"Sounds like a good way to scare off your dinner," Ashe said. "I hear rabbits and deer hate disco." Both boys watched as one of the new arrivals began walking in their direction.
"What's his name?" Sali asked quietly before the boy arrived.
"I think that's Edward," Ashe said. "He's okay."
"Hello," Edward said shyly, once he stood in front of Ashe and Sali. "I'm Edward. Edward Pendley." His dark-brown hair was slightly curly and fine, lifting in the Oklahoma breeze as he gazed curiously at Ashe and Sali with hazel eyes. Freckles littered his face and moved just a bit as he grinned shyly.
"I'm Ashe and this is Sali—Salidar DeLuca," Ashe introduced Sali.
"Hi," Sali said.
"Are you like Ashe?" Edward shaded the afternoon sun from his eyes as he looked Sali over.
"Nah. I don't think anybody is like Ashe," Sali grinned. "I'm a werewolf. My dad's the Packmaster for Cloud Chief."
"Really? You turn into a wolf? That is seriously cool," Edward sighed. "I now live in the best comic book ever."
"Talking with the local fauna, Eddie?" Philip walked up and stared impolitely at Sali and Ashe.
"Better than talking with the flora," Sali said, bristling at Philip's rudeness.