Black Creek Crossing (2004) by Saul| John

Author:Saul| John [John, Saul,]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-02-09T15:48:36.312000+00:00

Chapter 26

THE TERROR ANGEL HAD FELT AS SHE WALKED HOME from the library the night before gave way to anger in the morning sunlight, with the shadows of the forest washed away and Houdini frolicking around her feet, dashing away every now and then to chase a squirrel or a rabbit, but always coming back before more than a minute or two had passed.

How could she have been so stupid last night?

How could she not have figured out that the sounds she'd heard weren't made by some kind of dangerous animal stalking her? In the full light of day, even the memory of the strange hooting she'd heard didn't sound like an owl, or any other kind of animal. Rather, it sounded like someone trying to sound like an owl, and not even doing a good imitation of one.

Stupid! She'd been stupid, and Zack and his friends would tell everyone else about it all day. She could already picture everyone looking at her in the cafeteria at lunchtime, and hear them giggling and laughing just loud enough to make sure she heard them.

She considered skipping school that day. But ten minutes later, standing across the street from the school and seeing Zack, Chad, and Jared hanging around on the front steps just like they always did, she changed her mind.

Better to just ignore them.

She bent down to say good-bye to Houdini. Instead of nuzzling her hand the way he usually did, he was gazing across the street, his eyes fixed on the three boys on the front steps, his tail twitching.

He knows! Angel thought. He knows what they did!

"It's okay, Houdini," she said softly, stroking the cat's fur. "They're just stupid boys!" Giving him one last pat, she straightened up, hitched her backpack higher on her shoulders, and started across the street.

Houdini darted in front of her, hissed in the direction of her cousin and his friends, and pressed against her legs as if to keep her from going any farther.

Angel looked at the cat quizzically. "Houdini, I have to go to school! Just go on back to wherever you go every day, and I'll see you after school!" Stepping around the cat, she continued across the street.

Houdini darted in front of her again. This time, though, he didn't try to stop her; instead he stalked ahead of her, his head low, his teeth bared.

As she came to the bottom of the steps, he moved halfway up the flight and crouched down. Now the fur on his neck was standing up and his tail was twitching dangerously.

His hiss turned into a low growl.

Angel watched in surprise as Zack and his two friends seemed to shrink away from the cat.

"What do you think you're doing?" Zack Fletcher demanded of her. "You can't bring your stupid cat to school." But there was a tremor in his voice that belied the truculence of his words, and both Chad Jackson and Jared Woods appeared just as nervous as Zack sounded.

"He's not my cat, and I didn't bring him to school.

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