IN THE FULL MOON

chapter 6 walking with warewolf

Pine Tree Village Retirement Community was

a nondescript two-story brown brick building that

could have doubled for an apartment building. It

included assisted living, independent units, and a

full nursing wing and was about ten minutes

north from my house.

I enjoyed volunteering at the nursing home.

If I had a dismal day at school or was struggling

with Nash, I forgot my worries. These seniors

were very different from the seniors at my school.

Most of the residents were happy to see a fresh,

young face. And even though many of them told

me the same story over and over, it was

interesting to hear the tales of past generations in

Legend's Run or cities and countries I'd never

visited.

Abby and Ivy, convinced wrinkles were

contagious, refused to set foot in the senior

community, and Nash was always too busy,

practicing, playing, or preparing for sports. I knew

it was unlikely he'd come to visit other people's

grandparents. That didn't make my friends bad,

but it would have been cool if I could have shared

the experience with them. It was something I'd

always done on my own.

Mr. Worthington was my favorite resident at

Pine Tree Village. For a gentleman who was

eighty-nine years old, he was quite cute. Mr.

Worthington was alert, mobile, and in shape. We

walked the hallways or outside commons areas

together. He always dressed in khaki pants and a

cardigan sweater and kept his fuzzy white hair

neatly combed.

Every time I visited Pine Tree Village, I was

always greeted by the receptionist, who had me

sign in and pointed me to an area where the staff

could use an extra hand. Today's visit was extra

special. It was Halloween and I'd dressed as

Little Red Riding Hood . I wore a red hoodie, the

arms loosely tied around my neck and the body

as a cape, along with a black bodice, white T-

shirt, and red flippy skirt. I finished off my fairy-

tale look with white folded socks and a pair of

Juliette's black pumps she'd left behind in her

closet. It wasn't a good idea to pass out candy

to the residents, so I came with " Happy