MEGHAN-THE IRON KING

drops plinked against the windowpanes. Rushing past Etha

. The late spring rain wasn't frigid, bu

ed under a mossy cypress, w

now. Maybe he didn't feel like getting drenched and stayed home. I snorted a

cky if I got a cake. Most of my classmates already had licenses and could drive themselves to clubs and p

he woods behind my house countless times since then, I never found it again.Something rustled in the bushes behind me. A possum or a deer, or even a fox, seeking shelter from the rain. The wildlife out here was stupidly bold and had little fear of humans. If it wasn't for Beau, Mom's vegetable garden would be a buffet for rabbits and deer, and the local raccoon family would help themselves to everythin

e corner. Maybe it was the rain and my own sick imagination,

al killers out here, I told

. I wasn't alone. Cautiously, I craned my neck up, peering through the leaves. An enormous black bird perched on a branch, feathers spiked ou

ed behind me.Robbie Goodfell, my closest neighbor-meaning he lived nearly two miles away- slouched against the tree trunk, gasping with mirth. Lanky and tall, in tattered jeans and an old T-shirt, he paused to look at my pale face, before cracking up again.

. You nearly gave me a heart attack."S-sorry, princess" Robbie gasped, clutching his heart as he sucked in air. "It was just too perfect." He gave a final chort

huff to hide my burning face. "And I told you

hing, p

told you you have the maturi

ight with the lights on after watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I tried to

out, it's L

the time the bus showed up a few minutes later, we were both covere

. Around us, students talked, joked, laughed, and generally paid us no attention.

ing to look like the Creature from the Black Lagoon in front of Scott. "You'll have to do your sneaking without me this time. I'm tutoring

he need you to teach him how to read?" I scowled at him. "Just because he's ca

Q of a rock. No, wait. That would be an insult to the rock." He snorted. "I can

" I turned away to h

session. He's not going to

u're hoping he will. Admit it. You're drooling over hi

Rob. What do you care, anyway?" He got very quiet, muttering something unint

for one glorious hour, Scott Waldron would be mi

be moving backward. The afternoon crept by in a daze. Finally, finally, the

, and body odor hung thick in the air. Nervousness fluttered inside me. You can do this. Don't think about it. Just go in and get it over with Dodging students, I wove my w

d-white letterman jacket that showed off his broad chest,

ounded by Angie and her cheerleader groupies, or his football buddies. There were other students in the computer lab with us, but they were nerds and academic type

d in the chair with his feet up and his head back, tossing an

little louder

s finally jerked up to mine. For a moment, he looked startled. Then an eyebrow

hing, Meg. Somet

" I st

eghan. I sit

ust you, actually. But you really seem to know what you're doing. I go to all your games, you know. I'm usually in the very back, so you probably don't see me." Oh, God. Shut up, Meg. Shut up now. I clamped my mout

y, babe," he drawled in that wonderful, deep voice of his. "I couldn't hear

ing shreds of dignity. "I'm Meghan. Mr. Sanders aske

amp? Do you even know what a computer is?" My face flamed, and my stomach contr

just surfing online. In fact, I was hoping to make it into ITT Tech in a couple of yea

Scott's criticism, I

f wounded pride. I had to prove to him that I wasn't the backward hillbilly he thought

hing weird

n blipped on. When I paused, my fingers hovering over

e words continued, those three sentences, over and over. M

se we seeyou we recom-ing for you...over an

d, scowling. "What the hell are you doing, freak?" Pushing him aside, I shook the mouse, pu

d the screen went blank for a moment. Then, in g

KS AT GUYS IN THE

ing its way around the room, with me powerless to stop it. The other studen

to find him glaring at me, chest heaving. His face was crimson, proba

Do you? Just wait. I'll show you funn

ailing behind him. A few of the students gave me grins,

en, which suddenly flicked off, taking the offensive message with it, but the damage

ead. That's it,game over, Meghan. I wonder if Mo

rough my bleak thought

misshapen thing. Spindly and ema-ciated, it had long, thin arms and huge batlike

eeth that glowed with neon-blue light, before i

ot where the creature had been, my mind

eghan Chase, victim of a nervous breakdown the day before she turned sixteen. Jus

ht, I shuffled, zombi

each hand. "Hey, princess," he greeted as I shambled p

nging my forehead into my locker. "A

kill

aught, and twisted open his root beer in a hiss of foam. I c

ld yo

at him, daring

sed his lips, trying not to grin. "Cause... that would jus

T

you lurking by the computer lab

and took a long s

nued brighely, "what are you" d

r my head, I thought, but shrugged and

lways makes me nervous, a grin that stretched his entire face so that his eyes narrowed to green slits. "T've got a bottle of champagne I managed to swipe

ught I was going to throw up. Mom sometimes brought home wine in a bo

"Sure," I told Robbie, and gave a resigned shrug

ead at me. "You

hat I was seeing monsters at every turn, and that the school computers were either hacked or possessed? Yeah, right. I'd ge

better, I might eve

le and nodded. "I'm fine. I'

then, p

nother good half hour, contemplating my miserable life and watching cars pull in and out of the parking lot. Finally, her blue station wagon

g. Didn't you bring an umbrella?" Nice to see you, too, Mom, I thought, scowling as I grabbed a newspaper off the floor to put on the

that is, before Ethan came along and swallowed up the spot-li

o pants and sneakers. Mom's hair hangs in thick golden ringlets; mine is limp and fine, almost silv

ch business tycoon -but she chose Luke the pig farmer and a

you have to take me to ge

a lot of work this week, and your father want

you pr

d looked back at me in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodsho

m been

?" I asked

insides squirm. "Your father had to take Ethan to the hospital this afternoon."

shepherd? Attacking Ethan? "Is Ethan all right?

smile. "Very shaken up, but

ned?" I asked, still unable to believe o

e dog barely responded with a lick. I'd seen Beau take Ethan's sleeve and gently tug him back from the driveway. Our German shepherd

. His face was badly scratched, and there were bite marks on his arm." My blood ran cold. I saw Ethan being mauled, imagined his absolute terror when our previously trus

he pressed her lips together. There was something she

l happen

tanding. "If Ethan asks, tell him that we found Beau another home." She took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel tightly, not lookin