“I’ve got to get out of here before the next moon cycle. If I turn into a wolf down here, I won’t be able to turn back. Not ever. That’s what he wants.”
“Who? That’s what who wants? Mr. Sampson! Tell me where you are!”
I could see the terror in Mr. Sampson’s wild eyes. “I’ve got to go,” he said, his voice going low again. “Please, Sophie. Hurry!”
I blinked, and I was standing upright in the bathroom, my bare feet lost in the pink shag bath mat. Nina was knocking on the door.
“Soph? Soph, you okay in there?”
I nodded and tried to speak, but my throat was parched and dry. I steadied myself against the sink, taking a long swig directly from the faucet. “I’m okay,” I finally croaked, pulling open the bathroom door.
Nina and Parker peered in at me.
“Sophie, you look awful.” Nina wrapped her hand around my wrist, brushed her cool palm against my forehead. “And you’re burning up.”
“It’s the pot roast,” I said, avoiding both Parker and Nina’s studying gazes. “I just need to clean up. I’m fine, really.”
Parker narrowed his eyes. “But your eyes …”
I couldn’t tell if the look on his face was interest or disgust, but he seemed to be keeping his distance. I blinked, pressing my fingertips against my cheeks. “What’s wrong with my eyes?”
Nina pushed me into the bathroom and I blinked into the mirror. My usual clear-green eyes were a deep amber color, the irises outlined in a glaring crimson. I blinked a few more times and they faded back to green.
“Weird lighting,” I said, pushing past Parker and Nina. “Um, I’m going to go to bed now. Nina, can you show Parker out, please? I’ll just see you at the station tomorrow, Parker. Right now I just really need to get some sleep.”
I closed my bedroom door on Nina and Parker, both their faces drawn and concerned.
I couldn’t worry about them right then.
I had to find out what this meant.
I fell onto my bed and squeezed my eyes shut, calling out Mr. Sampson’s name in my mind. Nothing happened. I pulled my knees up to my chest and clenched my hands into fists. “Mr. Sampson, Mr. Sampson, Mr. Sampson,” I murmured into the darkness. “Mr. Sampson, can you hear me? It’s Sophie. Mr. Sampson, please, answer me!”
“Um, Sophie?”
I opened one eye and peered at Nina, standing with her arms crossed in my doorway.
“Go away,” I told her. “I’m trying to talk to Mr. Sampson.”
Nina came into the room, using her naked toe to raise the dust ruffle on the bottom of my bed. “Is Mr. Sampson under here?”
“No,” I said, blowing out a long sigh. “I don’t know where he is. Is Parker still here?”
Nina wagged her head, her eyes still focused intently on me. “I sent him home like you asked. Sophie, what’s going on with you?”
Nina sat on the edge of my bed and I swung my legs over, sitting shoulder to shoulder with her. “In the bathroom, a few minutes ago. I could hear Mr. Sampson talking to me … in my mind.”
“Are you sure it was Sampson and not the bottle of white wine you snarfed down?”
I propped myself up on my elbow, excited, in spite of myself. “Nina, I think I’m getting my powers.”
Nina bit her lip. “ESP?”
“It would make sense, right? If my grandmother was a seer? And my mother?”
Nina yawned. “And you’re the most powerful wizard at Hogwarts. Sophie, I think you need to get some sleep. And take a couple of aspirin.”
I flopped back onto the bed. “I thought of all people you would understand.”
Nina flopped down beside me. “I’m not people.”
“I don’t know what it is—ESP or whatever. All I know is that I heard Mr. Sampson’s voice. I saw where he was and he said he needed help. We were communicating.”
Nina sat bolt upright and sprung off the bed. “You saw where he was? Well let’s go save us some werewolf!”
“Well, I saw the room he was in. Not like an address or anything.”
Nina sat down again. “Well … is it anything you can describe? Is there anything significant about it?”
“I keep trying to look for something, to see if there is something that I’ve forgotten about what I saw, but I don’t think there is. If I remember something worthwhile, then maybe I can have Parker CSI my vision.”
Nina looked down, tracing the pattern on my bedspread. “Sophie, I think we should leave the detective out of this.”
“Leave Parker out of the case? But it’s his case!”
Nina swallowed. “I don’t trust him.”
I crossed my arms. “Because he’s a breather? Because he smells funny? Come on, Nina, you don’t trust anyone who has blood but doesn’t drink it.”
Nina frowned. “I trust you.”
“Only because I haven’t staked you in the heart yet.”
Nina snorted. “Like you could. But really, Sophie, I’m serious.” She stood up, silently crossed the room. “I thought there was something weird about him from day one.”
“On day one you thought he was a tasty snack cake.”
“Really though, what do you know about him?”