Children of the Wolf

also see a narrow slice of the room through the eye slit.
Mr. Clawson was taking the spiky club with the hair stuck on it down from the wall. “This club is called a mace,” he said calmly. “A blow to the head from one of these could be pretty nasty, even with armor.”
He bounced the club in his hand, careful not to hit himself with the spikes, and looked at me, narrowing his eyes.
“This is a nice town,” he said. “A new town, built around a fine company—Wolfe Industries, not that you’d know anything about that. And this is a brand-new school. It’s my school and I’m going to run it the way I please, understand?”
I nodded, feeling the metal armor bang the back of my head. I couldn’t take my eyes off the club, bouncing against his hand.
“You’re a troublemaker and you don’t belong here.”
My face was hot. I felt like I was going to throw up inside the helmet. My hands were clammy with sweat.
“And no one would miss you if you just disappeared, would they?” Mr. Clawson took a step toward me, hefting the club and smiling a secret smile.
Paul would, I wanted to shout. Kim would! And Mr. and Mrs. Parker. But I couldn’t speak. I was choking.
“Oh, the Parkers might experience a pang of regret,” Mr. Clawson sneered. “But they’d understand. The wild wolf-boy couldn’t handle his first day of school and ran off back to the swamp. Perfectly understandable, don’t you agree?”
Mr. Clawson took another step toward me, then another. Slowly he raised the club. “No one will question it if you disappear.”
I tried to cry out but my voice was muffled inside the helmet.
Mr. Clawson showed his long, yellowish teeth in a cruel smile. “I sent my secretary on an errand,” he said. “There’s no one in this part of the building but you and me.”
He came closer. I couldn’t see his face anymore through the eye slit. All I could see was his big broad chest and the arm raising the club over my head.
I backed away and bumped against the door. The door! I had to get out! Quickly I scrabbled for the doorknob behind me. I couldn’t find it!
Ducking sideways, I felt frantically for the knob. At last, there it was.
I gripped the knob but it wouldn’t turn! My hands were too slick with sweat. They slipped right off.
And then it was too late. My time was up.
Mr. Clawson grunted with effort as he brought his arm back for a better swing.
I threw myself sideways but there was no room to escape the blow.
I heard a whoosh! of air, a terrible banging, ringing noise, and then nothing.
Nothing but darkness blacker than night.

Chapter 9
Blood hammered in my head, making a dull thudding noise in the blackness surrounding me.
Something scraped hard against my ear.
“OW!”
I was jerked to my feet.
Panic leaped in my chest.
My ear felt like it was being sawed off.
Suddenly light flashed into my eyes, blinding me with brightness. A rush of cool air blew over my face. The helmet was off my head.
I gulped in air and a shadow passed over me. My eyes cleared. I jumped and let out a yelp of fear.
Mr. Clawson’s face was an inch from mine. His eyes were peering intently at me. He grunted.
“You certainly are a jumpy boy,” he said with a satisfied grin. He put the old armor helmet back on his desk and straightened, looking down on me from a great height.
“And now you’ve had your first lesson.” Mr. Clawson put his hands on his hips. “Which is that I run things and I know how to deal with troublemakers, right?”
I nodded, swallowing nervously.
Without taking his eyes off me, Mr. Clawson reached into his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. He glanced at it briefly. “I’m going to put you in Miss Possum’s class with Paul Parker. For the time being.”
Miserable and frightened as I was, I felt a surge of hope.
Mr. Clawson noticed. He narrowed his eyes. “I still think you belong in a special school for creatures like you. A place where they have locks on the cages”—he grinned slyly—“I mean the doors.”
I blinked, feeling the little warm spot of hope grow cold.
“But,” Mr. Clawson raised his voice, “against my better judgment I’ve decided to give you a chance to prove you can make it with normal kids. If not—”
Mr. Clawson broke off suddenly and stared at his office door. The doorknob was turning.
Mr. Clawson’s face turned purple.
His eyes began to bug out.
He bared his teeth and I could have sworn they were sharper and yellower.
In one long stride he reached the door and yanked it open.


Chapter 10
“Oh!”
Paul stumbled into the office as the door jerked open. He almost fell as he let go of the doorknob.
“Yes, Paul?” asked Mr. Clawson in a menacing voice.
“Miss Possum asked me to see if Gruff was ready to come to class yet,” Paul answered, his voice trembling slightly.
“I suppose so,” Mr. Clawson said reluctantly, shooting me one last, dark look. “But I’ll be keeping my eye on you, wolf-boy.”
The halls of the school were deserted. I was so relieved to escape from the principal’s office that I hardly noticed at first. Then it started to worry me. Our footsteps echoed loudly in the stillness.
“Where kids?” I asked, struggling to remember the right words.
“Class has started,” said Paul. “Everyone’s in their classrooms. Come on, Gruff, we better hurry.”
He stopped at a door, looked in the window and motioned me to look, too. “That’s our class,” he said.
I looked in and saw rows of kids sitting motionless. None of them talked or smiled or moved. They just stared straight ahead at a lady who stood up in front and talked at them.
My pulse started to race. Mr. Clawson ran this place! He had found some way to take over the minds of children. What was he planning?
“What we do?” I asked Paul. “How we save them?”
“Huh?” Paul shook