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wanted to interfere, from what I heard. Anyway, that’s not the important bit.”
    “Wel , what is?”
    “When they found the guy later, the hitman, lying out in the back, he had all his blood drained out of him .”
    “Wait, what?” Laura was, for the first time this whole conversation, completely taken aback.
    “That’s why the news is so big,” Kel y explained.
    “The guy had two gaping holes in his neck,” Stacy continued, “right beside each other. The cops say they looked like bite marks .”
    “Bite marks?” Laura laughed nervously. “What, like a vampire or something?”
    “I know, right? It sounds like something out of one of those books,” Stacy said, “but it’s true . The police say the guy got knocked out in the fight, and they’re not blaming the other combatant for the death, but they’re trying to find and question him anyway.”
    “Wait, so the other guy got away?”
    “For now, but that’s not the real important bit.”
    “And then what is…?”
    “The police issued an animal warning.”
    “An animal warning?”
    “Yes. They say the guy got knocked out in the fight, and when he was unconscious outside on the ground, some animal kil ed him.”
    “An animal sucked his blood?”
    “Yes, that’s what they say.”
    “But what kind of an animal could do that?”
    “They don’t know,” Tracy admitted. “My dad told me they cal ed in specialists from Portland, agents from the CIA and FBI, different scientists, zoologists, and those morgue guys to try to figure it out.”
    “So then if it’s al taken care of,” Laura said, thinking, “and there’s no like… hitman, or serial kil er on the loose, why were you so worried?”
    “Wel , they placed that warning out for the animal. They don’t know how dangerous it might be. They told everyone to keep off the streets, especial y if they were by themselves. And it happened so close to us, you just never know…”
    “Know what?”
    “Know what might have happened! You walked alone here this morning, and from school yesterday, right?”
    “Oh my God, that’s right,” Laura said, final y understanding the gravity of the danger in her mind.
    “That’s why we were worried something might have happened to you. You didn’t come to last class yesterday, after al , and after I started getting the updates from my dad, I just didn’t know…”
    “Wow. Wel , thankful y nothing happened.”
    “That’s right. Thankful y not.”

Chapter Six
    ~An Unexpected Offer~
    Afterschool that day, Laura walked home together with Stacy. News about the animal warning had spread through the entire school, and an assembly was cal ed that day to alert the students to it. There, the principal emphasized that the threat was likely very smal in nature, but advised them al to take precautions necessary to make sure nothing untoward happened.
    From there, for the second time in less than a week, the school was abuzz with something new. It was like everybody had forgotten al about Logan’s arrival, and now shifted their attention to the bizarre animal warning. Again, al sorts of rumors started going around, from the completely implausible (that somebody had been bitten by a wolf and transformed into a werewolf, and the hitman was the latest victim), to the more sane (that a bear had become rabid and kil ed the guy). But mostly, everyone was just uncertain. Uncertain about what to expect, and uncertain about the scope of danger facing them. When Laura got home, her mother raced over to embrace her in a giant hug, proclaiming that her sour mood from yesterday had been forgiven and that she was just glad that Laura was safe. It seemed like news of the death had rattled the entire town of Vancouver to its core, especial y here in the suburban area – since it happened in such close proximity. Stacy stayed the night, and the girls spent time gossiping and watching movies together with Laura’s little sister. Laura debated tel ing Stacy about what happened