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I took the tips from my apron and put the rooa Hoas your first night?" he asked, handingshoulders I put the dustpan at the edge of a junk pile and José swept it into the pan

"You did surprisingly well for having no experience I’ll put you on next week’s schedule"

A sood" I dumped the dustpan’s contents into the trash and handed it to José

"All right Buenas noches, then, Magdalena"

I stared at hiht," I replied, taking a step toward the front door I paused "José?"

"Sí?"

"Aren’t you going hohed "There’s work to do Naalyehe and I will be here another hour at least"

"Oh All right" I didn’t bother to ask for a ride home I knew the way

I stepped out into the cool, dry New Mexico spring night The air felt a on my sweat-da close enough to touch I stared at theone two blocks when I realized I had forgotten , if it didn’t have an walking back

Naalyehe wasthe floor when I walked into the restaurant

"Why are you back?" he asked, glancing at the bracelet on otto the back rooie Mae," Naalyehe said

For the second ti car lit up the dark night as I hurried along the city streets It wasn’t until I was out of don and walking along a lonely, deserted stretch of road that I realized a car kept driving by--the same car My palms started to sweat

The car crawled by a fourth ti red taillights When the brake lights flashed cri and watched the car pull to the side of the road fifty yards ahead It flipped a U-turn

I was off the road and crashing through dry, brittle weeds The car inched to a stop at the very place I’d been standing

I crouched behind a narrow-trunked juniper and listened A car door opened and sla sticks and swishing through weeds

My blood turned to ice as a dark figure picked its way toward ht ht? Only afor protection Or pepper spray

I had a thought An epiphany, actually

Callcrazy, but I unhooked ht there in the woods, in spite of the fact that I was alone with a (possibly)rapist I was mad with fear and totally desperate

And I had a plan

I closedblack-and-white fur, the s Then I willedsharpened, then ers shrank, claws replacedand sharp I fell to all fours, growling at the shadow slinking through the trees, then darted forward, barking

A shrill screaht The shadow turned toward the road and started to run, but fell with a heavy thud and noisy expulsion of breath The scent of soap and lavender drifted on the air, but I couldn’t quite place where I’d sy, don’t hurtin her chest, hear her labored, terrified breathing, s to find my friend to see if she wanted a ride soh-pitched whine left my throat I had to ainst , I sloalked toward her

Ginger ju car, and drove away

I hung s If I had just stayed on the side of the road and found out who had been following me, I would be in a car on my way ho threeso hard ed with it Had I been hu, would have jued! It wasn’t the full ed! Because I wanted to! And not only that, I had changed into Shash … on purpose

I trotted over toand picked up my jeans and T-shirt, careful not to spill the tips froet et the jacket into ’s sense of smell, I could come back for it another time And besides, I was clothed in a fur coat

I ran home

In Mrs Carpenter’s yard, I willed ed back