Meet Amber, a teenage girl struggling with the death of her father, an overstressed mother- and lycanthropy. All she wants is for her life to go back to normal, but a magical corporation has lost a valuable test subject and they believe Amber will b...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter Twenty Five
D.K. came by a few minutes later to round up the pack. Tyler was with him, and I searched his expression as discreetly as I could but could find no clue as to whether he'd ratted me out or not. Judging by the fact that D.K. didn't slap me, I assumed he didn't. Kaylie was still hanging off his arm, yammering about the bodacious new clothes she'd just bought loudly enough for everyone around us to hear. Her other arm was loaded with plastic sacks so full they looked like they were about to explode.
"Yeah, that's great," D.K. said, nodding tolerantly as she described the oh, so cuuuuute top she'd found for only $30. "Just remember what you promised, got it?"
"Oh, yeah, baby!" she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. "I'd never forget about you!"
I felt like I was going to be sick listening to those two, but at least they were ignoring me and Kimberly for the time being. D.K. was smoking a new pack of cigarettes before we even reached the door, and I could see at least five more sticking out of the pockets of his cargo shorts. More noticeable than that, though, was his new hairstyle. I don't know who told him that braiding his hair into dozens of tiny spikes with rainbow colored rubber bands looked attractive, but that person needed to be shot. I had never cared much about fashion, but even I wouldn't have left my house looking like a porcupine after it had taken a bath in melted Skittles.
We loaded ourselves back into the car, and D.K. took off again, only narrowly missing a man in a wheelchair. The rap music began to shake the pavement outside again. This time, though, I was able to tune most of it out as I thought about what I was planning to do.
I didn't know what time the Swag Pag went to bed, but if last night had been any indication, it wasn't early. I would have to wait for them, and sneak out when I wouldn't be noticed. The thought made me shiver with trepidation, but also excitement. D.K. wouldn't approve, which was just fine with me.
I looked down at the girl sitting on my right, covering her eyes with her hands. I couldn't very well take her with me, could I? I had no idea if Hendricks knew where I was, or if I would run into one of his goons when I was out. It wouldn't be right to drag her into that kind of danger with me. Leaving her alone at the Swag Pag's house wasn't an enticing option either, but it was definitely the lesser of two evils... or, so I tried to convince myself. I would sneak out, run across town to my old house, and then go back. What I was hoping to find, I wasn't sure. Maybe I just needed to see it to prove to myself that all this was really happening. Even after all that I had been through, everything still felt kinda surreal.
D.K. swung the car onto his driveway and into the garage. "Don't forget, you got a mess to clean up," he snapped at me as he got out.
I nodded silently. Even if I could think rebellious thoughts, I wasn't anywhere near ready to openly defy him. Inside, the pancake batter had hardened on the floor and the greasy bacon was stuck to the already filthy tiles. I found a roll of paper tales and immediately got to work cleaning. The rest of the Swag Pag walked went out into the living room, where they cranked up the music again. Kimberly stayed in the kitchen with me, sitting with her back to one of the cabinets, so the other wolves wouldn't be able to see her if they looked in from the living room.
