Cover
About the Book
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Also by Pete Johnson
Copyright
Now I know for certain Simon is a werewolf.
Kelly always thought werewolves only existed in stories and late-night films. Until Simon moves in next door. Kelly and Simon become instant friends, but Kelly just can’t help noticing that there’s something very odd about her new friend. For one thing, he wears black gloves all the time – even at school. And could that be hair starting to sprout on his face? Last, but definitely not least, there’s the howling at night …
Aren’t werewolves … dangerous?
This book is dedicated to: Jan, Linda, Robin, Harry and Adam, Bill Bloomfield and Sue Gregory
I THOUGHT WEREWOLVES only existed in stories and late-night films.
Now I know they are real.
It’s an incredible story but I am going to tell you everything.
Then maybe you’ll believe too.
I remember exactly when my story started. It was on a Saturday afternoon at the beginning of November. I was pretending to be tidying up my room when actually I was sitting on my bed reading a horror story. It was starting to get dark and I was just drawing my curtains when the doorbell rang.
‘Answer that, love, will you?’ called my mum. ‘Your dad’s not back yet and I’m on the phone to your nan.’
I thumped down the stairs and opened the door to discover this boy I’d never seen in my life before, smiling shyly at me.
‘Hello,’ he said.
‘Hello,’ I replied cautiously.
He had curly black hair, very thick eyebrows and enormous dark green eyes. I guessed he was about thirteen, two years older than me.
‘I’ve just moved in next door,’ he said.
Mr and Mrs Atkins, who live next door in the end house, have gone to Germany for four years, so they’ve been letting their house out. The family who were there before never even said hello. They were horrible. We were all glad when they left.
‘Do you go to the school down the road, Westcliffe High?’ he asked.
I nodded.
‘That’s where I’m going. I’ll be in Mrs Paine’s class.’
‘Same as me.’ What made me think he was older than me? He wasn’t especially tall. It must have been those little bits of stubble on his chin.
‘So what’s Mrs Paine like?’ he asked.
‘When she’s in a bad mood she’s a nightmare. And when she tells you off she spits right in your face. I want to say to her: tell me the news, not the weather.’
He started to laugh. ‘I’m Simon, by the way.’
‘And I’m Kelly.’
‘Kelly,’ he exclaimed. ‘Why, that’s a brilliant name.’
I was really surprised – and pleased – by his reaction, especially as a lot of people say I’ve got a dog’s name and call out ‘Here Kelly’ and ‘Walkies Kelly’ when they’re trying to be funny.
‘Have you got any brothers or sisters?’ he asked.
I shook my head.
‘Neither have I.’
And I don’t know why, but that seemed to create a little bond between us.
I invited him in. He was dressed casually in a blue sports shirt, baggy jeans, Kickers – and black gloves. My eyes kept going back to those black gloves. They had little pads under the fingertips and they just didn’t fit in with what he was wearing. Those gloves looked weird somehow.
I took Simon into the kitchen. Muffin, our white cat, was sitting on the table. ‘No, Muffin, bad cat,’ I said. ‘You know you’re not supposed to be up there. Come on, down you get.’
To my surprise Muffin starting arching her back and hissing. She was hissing furiously at Simon as if he were her deadliest enemy.
‘Muffin, stop that,’ I began. But Muffin had already jumped off the table and fled away.
‘I’m sorry about that,’ I said. ‘She’s normally much friendlier.’
‘She can probably smell my dogs off me. I’ve got four of them.’
‘Four!’ I exclaimed.
‘Yeah, we had three dogs and now we’ve just got another one from the animal rescue centre. All my family are just mad about dogs.’
Soon we were chatting away as if we’d known each other for years. My mum and dad introduced themselves to Simon and afterwards pronounced him ‘a very nice young lad’. Later Mum also popped next door to say hello, and to find out all the news. She came back saying how Mr and Mrs Doyle had moved here quickly because of Mr Doyle’s new job. But if ‘things worked out’ they would settle in the area.
‘Maybe Mr and Mrs Atkins might even sell them the house,’ I said excitedly.
Next day Simon invited me round to his house for tea. There were still lots of unpacked boxes in the hallway. I dodged round them and followed Simon into the kitchen. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were platefuls of sausage rolls, sandwiches, cakes, biscuits.
‘How many people are you expecting?’ I cried.
‘Only you,’ said Simon.
‘But there’s enough food here for a party.’
‘We just wanted you to feel welcome,’ then with a grin he added, ‘and we’re not going to let you leave until you’ve eaten it all up.’
‘I’ll be here for weeks then.’
‘That’s fine … stay as long as you like,’ he replied. Then Simon’s parents appeared. His dad was very tall and balding while his mum was much smaller but with the same enormous green eyes as Simon. They both kept asking me if I was enjoying myself and seemed really disappointed when I said I couldn’t eat any more.
I was about to leave when they insisted I have some hot chocolate, ‘for the journey’. I didn’t like to point out I was only going next door. Simon’s dad brought in a tray of hot chocolate and still more biscuits which I couldn’t even look at I was so full. Then Simon’s mum asked, ‘So, Kelly, is your bedroom at the front or the back of the house?’
I thought this was rather an odd question but I replied, ‘At the back.’
At once, Simon’s parents leaned forward and stared at me intently. ‘Has Simon mentioned we’ve got four dogs?’
‘Yes, I’d really like to see them.’
Simon’s mum smiled. ‘Well, we kept them away while you were eating, otherwise you wouldn’t have got a moment’s peace from them … At night they sleep outside in their kennel and they’re good dogs but they can be a little noisy …’
‘And we’d hate to think of them keeping you awake,’ said Simon’s dad.
‘Oh, don’t worry about that,’ I replied at once. ‘The neighbours before you were in a band, so I’d hear drums going at two in the morning. My dad said it was a real disgrace and he kept complaining but they never stopped. So after that, a few dogs barking is nothing.’
‘Well, if ever they do disturb you, please tell us, won’t you?’ said Simon’s dad.
‘Yes, come straight to us,’ said Simon’s mum, so firmly it was almost like a command.
I felt a little embarrassed by all this fuss. ‘Look, I love dogs myself,’ I began.
‘Do you?’ said Simon eagerly. ‘Well, would you like to meet them?’
‘Definitely.’
He charged off while his mum called after him: ‘Make sure you check they haven’t been digging in the mud …’ She’d hardly finished speaking when three dogs tumbled through the doorway; the two West Highland terriers, yelping excitedly, dived straight on to Mrs Doyle’s lap. ‘Not both of you up here,’ she said, but the dogs ignored her protests and made themselves comfortable. Meanwhile, the brown dog which Simon described as a ‘sort of spaniel’ circled excitedly around Simon, his tail thumping so hard he nearly sent a vase flying.
Then I spotted a fourth dog. A black labrador wagging his tail rather uncertainly in the doorway.
‘That’s Plute,’ explained Simon. ‘We’ve only had him a little while.’
‘His last owners were unkind to him,’ said Simon’s mum, ‘so he’s still a little bit unsure of himself.’
Simon went over to the dog, got down on his knees, put his face right up to Plute and started whispering to him. The dog seemed to be listening to him too. It was as if they were whispering secrets together.
Then Simon got to his feet and at once Plute came over to me. I stroked him gently and then he rolled over on to his back. ‘See, he likes you,’ cried Simon. ‘I told Plute he would.’ Later, Simon showed me the kennel in the garden where all the dogs slept.
‘But it’s huge,’ I cried. ‘Bigger than my bedroom.’ Inside the kennel were all these thick rugs.
‘We like our dogs to be comfortable,’ said Simon.
‘I bet it’s funny when you take all four for a walk,’ I said.
‘It’s mad,’ laughed Simon, ‘especially with Plute. You see, he’s got this crazy hobby – he likes to chase cars.’
‘Oh no.’
‘Yeah, he’s always trying to run off so he can go car chasing.’ Simon rubbed Plute’s head affectionately. ‘He’s such a nutty dog, that one.’
‘Still, he’s got a nice lot of space to run around in here,’ I said. The whole garden was given over to grass. There were hardly any flowers at all but all round the garden were tall trees and bushes making it seem private and mysterious, almost like a secret garden. I liked that.
In fact, I felt really happy out there with Simon and all his dogs. Only one thing was bothering me. Simon was wearing those black gloves again. And they just looked so daft. I knew all my friends would think so too. Would he wear them to school tomorrow? He wouldn’t be allowed, would he? I couldn’t stop staring at them.
Finally, Simon said, ‘You don’t think much of my gloves, do you?’ He was looking straight at me when he said this.
‘Oh no, they’re …’ I gulped hard. ‘Well to be honest, I don’t like them much,’ I admitted finally.
‘Nor do I,’ said Simon. ‘In fact I hate them. But I have to wear them. I’ve no choice. That’s why I’ve got to take a letter into school tomorrow.’ He sighed loudly. ‘Shall we go back inside?’
I knew he didn’t want to talk about it any more. But I couldn’t help wondering what was wrong with his hands. Why did he have to keep them hidden in gloves all the time?
As I was leaving I said, ‘I’ll call for you for school tomorrow, if you like.’
‘That’d be great,’ he said eagerly.
‘There’s another person I call for, Jeff. He lives just up the road. I’m sure you’ll like him.’
Simon nodded, then said, ‘The dogs have really taken to you.’
‘I like them very much too,’ I replied.
Simon’s face broke into a smile wide enough for two people. ‘It’s going to be so great us living next door to each other.’
I really agreed with him, then.
I WAS STILL waiting for my cereal to turn the milk all chocolatey – some days it just takes ages – when Simon bounded in.
‘I’m early, aren’t I?’ His eyes were sparkling as if he was going to a party.
‘Yes, and you’re a bit keen,’ I said.
‘I know, sorry … but Kelly, I just can’t wait.’
‘To go to school? You’re mad! So what was your old school like?’
The smile immediately faded off his face. ‘It was OK, I guess. But I know this school is going to be much better.’ Then he grinned excitedly at me.
We set off to call for Jeff. I hoped Simon would like him and not judge by appearances. You see, Jeff is very small and very round and known to everyone as ‘The Barrel’. When they’re picking teams at school he’s always the last to be chosen. In fact, no-one actually picks him they just say, ‘And you’ve got The Barrel.’
Yet Simon was really friendly to Jeff, asking him questions about school and his hobbies – well, hobby. Jeff collects superhero comics. But Jeff gave these brief, almost rude answers and all the time spoke in this very flat tone.
We took Simon to the staffroom to see Mrs Paine. Outside the staffroom Jeff hissed, ‘What about those black gloves he’s wearing. I suppose he thinks he looks cool. Well, I think he looks pathetic.’
‘That’s so mean,’ I replied. ‘Simon has to wear those gloves.’
‘Why?’
‘I don’t know exactly.’
‘It’s probably because his hands look so horrible. I bet they’re all greasy and wrinkled and got scabs all over them and …’
Jeff was interrupted by the staffroom door opening. Simon appeared. ‘Well, she hasn’t spat in my face yet,’ he said.
I laughed, while Jeff just looked puzzled. Then I introduced Simon to some other people from my form. At first I think he was overwhelmed by this rush of new faces. But soon he was chatting away quite easily.
His arrival was certainly hot news. All day I was asked questions about him. It was good fun actually. Rat-bag Sarah even flounced up to me and said, ‘Everyone’s talking about you and Simon. Is he your boyfriend or not?’
Of course he wasn’t my boyfriend but I wasn’t going to tell Sarah that. So I just smiled mysteriously.
‘And those gloves. Why? Are they glued to his hands?’
Again I smiled mysteriously. ‘That’s for me to know and you to find out.’
Sarah didn’t like that answer at all. But in the afternoon she ran up to me again, smirking her head off.