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I leaned back and thought about all the reasons Alex could have for not being at school I guess it was possible that he was actually sick Of course, it see to avoid me because either (A) he didnʼt want to discuss the whole olf issue or (B) he deeply regretted the hand holding and al for the "he actually got sick" option, which was so not cool of ration article," Mrs Sole said as I slumped into a chair beside Nicole later that day

"Weʼre not quite done with that yet," I said Of course, by not quite done I et ht and have it ready by tomorrow"

"I was afraid of that," Mrs Sole said "Do you think you could write a thousand word op-ed piece to fill the spot?"

"Sure, but I really think Alex will feel up to working on it this afternoon" Especially since he was never actually sick in the first place, unless being a olf is considered an illness

Maybe itʼs a virus

"Iʼot an eschools"

"He what?" There was an edge of hysteria to my voice "Are you sure?" Maybe she misread the email Maybe it was a different Alex Maybe Mrs Sole was developing Alzheimer’s Maybe

"His brother signed the papers yesterday afternoon They areback to Montana to live with a relative"

Mrs Sole may have said more, but I didnʼt hear it My brain totally checked out for the rest of class

After school, I bummed a ride home from Talley so I wouldnʼt have to come back to pick up Jase Once ho Guido, staring resolutely at the wall, and trying desperately hard not to be such a girl about the whole situation

Okay, so Alex was gone Like, gone forever, never to hear fro Sure, I was left with a , I owed him He was the one that saved me, after all

So, as I so pissed he hadnʼt so ood-bye? Why did I feel so hurt and betrayed? Why was I having to bite er handle listening to all the voices whining and griping in ot busy I knew the only way to keep hts away fro to catch up on ave up when I realized that I was spendingthe way he always knew the anshen Mr Beck called on hiarith not to think about Alex beca for finals, Christe applications Every tihts threatened to shift towards Alex, I worked harder, forcingthe tree with Mo up a tree of his own When Jase and I began our No Cats for Angel caic; Iʼm terrified that they will suck out my soul), I didnʼt remember how Alex hated cats too When I helped Miss Nancy with the annual Deadly Christmas Murder-Mystery fundraiser for the library, I didnʼt think about how Santaʼs dead body was slule face in the crowded stores of Nashville and Paducah trying to find his

The only tiht That is when I would lock myself inour library had, and read anything I could find online Since that kept me occupied for less than a week and didnʼt answer any of s on Inter-Library Loan Stacks of books on all things lupin were crammed into every space I could find in ht The infor to downright stupid There were several books from a library in Ely, Minnesota, that I found the , in fact, I sent an email to the librarian there to co eends surrounding olves was a bit overwhel It seemed that every culture from the dawn of time had their own version of the man who transformed into a wolf-like ani creatures that looked like a cross between man and beast, and focused on those that referenced wolves with human eyes Some stories painted the creatures as victi I would rush home from whatever holiday cheer task I had to endure so I could read stories ofa olf expert, and it was affecting hts were now filled with brilliant drea from a pack of wolves In others, I would transform into one myself

Occasionally, I would dream of the lake, but now Alex was always in his wolf form on the opposite shore

Despite all my research, I still had more questions than answers

How did Alex beco bitten or scratched by a as thefroic, I was thinking that was a definite yes) Was the change affected by the full ht in Nashville, so I thought it was likely) Was Alex conscious of who he was and as happening when he was in wolf fors I read said no, but Alex see to protect ) Do olves really kill people or was that all just propaganda that was spread out of ignorance and fear? (I was really hoping for the latter) And howtowards hi a cross between the Winchester boys and Buffy)

Foranswers I could read books and co Alex directly, I would never know

Jase, on the other hand, I could get information from

Of course, I couldnʼt just walk up and say, "So, Alex is a olf What do you know about that?"