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Isaac pulls me farther around the back of the house and we come to a barn, fairly new I can smell the heavy scent of freshly cut wood and paint which the red door had recently been painted with

"Do you hear anyone inside?" Isaac says, crouching with me still in the cover of the trees

"In the barn?"

"No," he says with a hint of laughter, "the house"

I listen for voices andof a cat

I shake my head no

Isaac points toward a part of the back of the house, just off to the side near the deck that looks like a small add-on roo he would start elaborating his questionsfroent?"

I inhale deeply and shut ent strongly, along with fabric softener and dryer sheets Norives me intense headaches, but not this time It’s as if I’ to understand what his plan is

"Co in my chest as I follow him out into the open and toward the back of the house where the laundry rooe tractor, stop to look around to make sure no one is outside and then when Isaac feels it safe to continue, we dash across a long stretch of yard andinside more clearly now and I look up to notice a white fluff-ball curled up inside next to the , sleeping We inch our way around the deck and make it to the laundry rooabout needing a key, but just before the suggestion leaves my lips, the doorknob cracks and falls into Isaac’s hand, broken

"Isaac!" I whisper harshly "Why’d you break it?"

He turns at the waist to look at rin on his face getting bigger "As et dressed we run the risk of being found like this"

"Oh, right," I say, noanting to speed this theft up

The laundry room door creaks open and we slip inside the tiny rooh to contain both of us at the same time Isaac pulls open the dryer and ato a full stop A few pieces of clothing fall out and onto the floor We both crouch low and start sifting through the itelad are fully dry already

Isaac jerks out a pair of tan slacks and holds the his nakd legs down into the toward the dryer

Gah! It’shideous and flowery, not to mention oversized by at least two sizes Holy shit, is that aso un-sexy in front of Isaac, I shove it deep into the dryer

"So around the door "Hurry up!"

My heart beats even faster now and the nervousness is starting to make etting caught stealing so someone’s laundry

"Adria," Isaac says fro from the door, "this isn’t a fashion show Doesn’t , quick"

Without thinking about it, I reach inside and yank out whateverlike hell it’s not the reat It’s alht, there’s no tiown overpast lances back at hter

I glare at hi for it later

As we go to leave, the back door opens up onto the deck and an old lady with bluish-purple hair steps out, looking right at us I sort of freeze and so does Isaac

"What--Hey! What are you doing with my clothes?" The woman’s eyes dart around the deck and then she waddles quickly over to the o," Isaac says, draggingacross the yard and back toward the forest

"Stop! Bring those back! I’ to run after us, but she gives up and stops once we dart into the cover of the trees

I’ manically I can’t help it, but that kind of rush does weird things to a person

We run a good distance through the forest and I realize that I should be out of breath by now I should be sweating, or feeling so my body, but minutes later and I still feel the sa Finally, we come to a stop near another hway; the sound of cars passing over an exit bridge seeht I can see a set of railroad tracks far out ahead

"Never thought I’d be the one to figure it out first," I say, holding the thin fabric of the ugly gown at hter around rin

"Werewolves have been the cause ofclothes on laundry day all this time," I say "All of those frickin’ socks!" I shake hs under his breath