What's in a Smile

Chapter 16: The Family Next Door Part 2

I stood at the bottom of the stairs frozen with fear. Standing in the dim lighting of Scott's basement....was a chained up, werewolf. I could tell from the blue eyes that this was Scott. My heart sank as he stared back at me. Something inside me told me to run, but my legs wouldn't move.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving. I slowly turned my head, there was a lump in my throat growing larger by the second. It let out a low growl, with eyes lowered it glared at me. It was Mr. Mills. I was sure of it. Anytime Scott got in trouble his father would lower his eyes, just like the werewolf beside me. Chained, they both stared at me. My eyes began to fill with tears and the lump in my throat made it feel like I had swallowed a bowling ball.

"Kristina!!!!" A voice yelled from behind me. I jumped straight up into the air. "Mrs.....Mills," I managed to mutter. "What are you doing down here? You can't be here. It's not safe for you." Mrs. Mills said through her sobs. "Is that Scott Mrs. Mills? It's Scott and your husband isn't it?" "Come upstairs Kristina, please. We can talk up there, where it's safe. Please Kristina. I need you to listen to me. Scott needs you to listen to me." I looked back at Scott and Mr. Mills. "Okay Mrs. Mills."

As we walked back up the stairs and into Mrs. Mills' kitchen I began to hope that this was a nightmare, but I knew it wasn't. Mrs. Mills gave me chamomile tea. "It will help calm you down." I took the cup and she began to tell me everything. "Kristina, I knew when I met Scott's father that he was a werewolf. Well, not at first, but eventually he couldn't hide it. He was bitten when he was a child. We had no idea that Scott would become a wolf too." I found myself feeling sorry for Scott and his father. "Kristina, the night you ran over was the first time Scott had turned. We kept him out for days. We had chains for his father, but not for him. When he got the chickens we knew we needed to chain him up as well."

"What about the stray dogs?" I asked her. "Scott's father is strong, very strong. He had become very good at slipping his chains. He got out several times and well, you know the rest. We have better, stronger chains now."

I did know the rest, but I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Kristina, I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone. Not even your parents. Every other day they are normal people. They didn't ask for this Kristina. Please." I thought about the smiling boy next door that had once been my best friend. I looked Mrs. Mills straight in the eyes. "I swear. I won't tell a soul. Not even Sniffles." After a while longer I returned to my treehouse. I had solved the mystery, but I was starting to think that maybe I should have just left it alone.