Then he sat down with Celeste and Jeffrey and talked to them about werewolves. He told them they’d managed to stay hidden from humans by living in remote, heavily forested areas. They never travelled off pack land during a full moon, because on the full moon they were compelled to shift, and their mind was taken over by their beasts. Of course, from time to time humans spotted a werewolf and lived to tell – that was where the legends of werewolves came from. But as long as humans believed that they were just legends, then werewolves were still safe.
Late that afternoon, while Grant and Celeste sat in the enormous parlor practicing their stories with his lawyers, Pete and Reynaldo, Mandy took Jeffrey to the pool to teach him how to swim.
When the doorbell rang, Grant frowned suspiciously. “We’re not expecting anyone. Better not be anyone from my former pack, or I’m going to have me a new wolfskin rug.”
He and Celeste went to the front door and opened it. A short, plump woman with a round face and an ingratiating smile stood on the doorway, holding a wicker basket full of fruit.
“Hi, I’m Marian, your next door neighbor,” she said.
“There are no houses near us,” Grant said evenly.
“Oh, well, I live a little ways down the road.”
As she stepped into the foyer without being invited, Celeste looked at her, trying to figure out how she knew her.
“You look familiar,” she said with a frown. Something about the woman made her uneasy.
From somewhere in the back of the house, they heard Mandy yelling, “Not a good time!” What was that all about?
“Who is that?” Marian asked.
“It’s our nanny. Where have we met?” Celeste persisted.
“I’m sure we’ve never met before.”
“Really not a good time!” Mandy yelled louder. There was a crash, and something shattered.
Marian’s eyes widened. “What was that?”
Celeste ignored her question. “I’m good with faces. I know! You look exactly like the Child Protective Services case worker who trespassed in my house and tried to kidnap my child a few days ago.”
Instead of looking offended, Marian’s smile grew even wider and faker. Right. Something was off.
Marian tried to sidle past Celeste. “Is that so?” She was looking over Celeste’s shoulder, trying to see into the rest of the house.
Grant walked right in front of her to block her. “Excuse me. Where I come from, we don’t go barreling into the houses of perfect strangers without being invited.”
Marian tittered, a high, shrill sound. “Oh, goodness me, I was just so curious about this house. It’s the biggest house in Somerville, did you know that? It’s sat empty for a while and I just wanted—” she tried to side-step past him. He moved again, still standing in front of her. .
“You don’t take a hint, do you? Answer my wife’s question. How are you related to Rhona Millhouse?” He started walking right towards her, forcing her to back up.
She never stopped smiling. “Well, gosh, she’s my sister, didn’t I say so?”
“No, you very deliberately avoided answering my wife when she asked you. So she sent you here to spy on us?”
Marian’s smile vanished. What a relief. That clown rictus was downright scary. “This is a small town, and we like to get to know our neighbors. Do you come from a dangerous neighborhood? You must come from a very dangerous place if this is how they treat people. Probably not safe for children—Is that a wolf cub?”
Jeffrey, in cub form, came racing into the room, with Mandy still in her bathing suit, chasing him.
Marian screamed.
Jeffrey ran around the room in circles with Mandy running after him. Then he paused, lifted his leg and peed – right on Marian’s leg, soaking her pantyhose.
Then he ran out of the room, with Mandy still in hot pursuit. Celeste bolted out of the room after them.
“What is going on here? This place is a zoo!” Marian wailed, and rushed out of the house. Grant slammed and locked the door behind her, and went to find his son.
Half an hour later, a police car pulled up in front of their house, responding to a complaint of a child who was in danger because of a vicious dog in the house. Grant invited him in and let him search the entire house until he was satisfied with Grant’s story – a stray dog had wandered in briefly, but then it had run off again.
