“Hey!” Axel said.
Mr. Dawson chuckled and the sound gave me goosebumps. There was something off about him, and I wanted to figure out what it was.
“I opened all the windows down here to air it out a bit with that nice breeze,” Mom said. “But it’s so hot out, we’ll need to close them in a minute. Help me with that?”
“Sure,” I said.
“This is going to be great for us,” Dad said.
“It’s a good house. I hope you’ll be comfortable here,” Mr. Dawson said. “But it’s important to remember that it’s more secluded than you’d think.”
I stifled a snort. My teeth were still rattling from the last mile of “road.”
Mr. Dawson smirked. Guess I hadn’t stifled it quick enough.
“Behave,” Mom whispered to me.
“There’s lots of wildlife in this forest, especially wolves,” Mr. Dawson said.
“Wolves?” Dad laughed. “You’re kidding,” he said with a slightly high pitch to his voice. Dad always did that when he was lying to us. He knew exactly what Mr. Dawson was talking about.
I glanced at Mom. She shrugged, not giving me anything to go on.
Now I knew my vision was real. Something was definitely up with St. Ailbe’s and the people who went there. Mr. Dawson had my full attention. I wanted to see how he was going to explain away these “wolves” of his.
“Unfortunately, I’m not kidding.” His voice was firm, leaving no room for misunderstanding. His gaze met mine with such a force that I wanted to look away but couldn’t. “If you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone. You’re safe here. Just stay close to the house after dark.”
“Thanks for the warning. We’ll keep an eye out,” Mom said.
“I’d advise staying away from my St. Ailbe’s kids. They’re not like most other teenagers and can be a bit unstable. Even violent. Which is why we need the help of people like your Dad.” He paused. “They might look normal, but they’re not. Under no uncertain terms should you make friends with them. You’d be risking your life. Your future. Understand, Tessa?”
His intensity made me nervous. “Sure,” I said, although I wasn’t sure I understood at all. In fact, the only good his little speech did was make me want to find a St. Ailbe’s kid to befriend.
His gaze was suddenly too much, and I looked down at my feet.
“I doubt you’ll run into my students too often,” Mr. Dawson said. “They stick pretty close to campus, and John, you’ll be doing everything from the offices downtown. The school isn’t too far from here though—just on the other side of the creek.”
That sounded far. “Where’s your car?” I said. Axel elbowed me. Jeeze. Was it elbow Tessa day or what? My question was perfectly valid. It wasn’t out front when we pulled in.
“I hiked.” I must’ve made a face because Mr. Dawson explained. “The creek backs up to the house. You’ve got maybe fifty feet of trees before you’ll hit a steep drop. The bottom is the bed of the creek. It’s been dry for years though. It’s only a couple mile hike from here to the school.” A honk sounded from the driveway. “That’s one of my former students now. He graduated a couple years ago, and teaches occasionally. John, you’ll get to know him well. He’s my second here. I know you’ve got movers coming in a bit, but I thought you might want help unloading your cars after such a long drive.”
“Perfect. Thanks, Michael.” Dad grabbed the keys from his pocket. “Axel, get to it.”
Dad tossed the keys to Axel, but I caught them. “I’ll help.”
Dad shared a look with Mr. Dawson. “Axel, go with your sister.”
That wasn’t awkward at all. Why didn’t Dad want me to go outside? Axel and I walked out the front door, but I stopped just outside.
He was here. The younger guy from the vision. The one who could tell that I was having the vision. The one I linked to.
My breathing was shallow as I watched him move. I didn’t want to make a noise, not even from breathing. I wanted to watch him in real life for a second. He was at least as fit as Mr. Dawson, and had the same soundless stride. I could feel his restlessness as if it were my own. He pulled off his sunglasses and stuck them in the collar of his blue t-shirt. I smiled when I noticed the band artwork on the front—The Helio Sequence. That album was in heavy rotation on my playlist.
Axel called out to him and my moment of watching unnoticed was shattered. I stumbled back a step.
“Tessa?” Mr. Dawson said, suddenly close. “Are you okay?”
I tried to move away, but he was already reaching out to steady me.
“Don’t touch her!” Dad said.
Too late. He gripped my bicep, skin-to-skin.
Running. Panting. Wind ruffled his fur. His paws slammed the ground at a fast pace.