Blue Violet - By Abigail Owen Page 0,26

shook her head, grim. “We’ve never known of anyone else with multiple forms. We’re only about a mile from the Jenner and Pierce houses. They’re getting awfully close.” She wrapped her arms around her body in a feeble attempt to ward off the biting cold.

Griffin furrowed his brow. Leaning down he traced one paw print with the tip of his finger. “You think they’re testing the situation? Seeing how close they can get with no one noticing?”

Ellie bit her lip and nodded. “That’s what it seems like. But if the wolves you saw are Vyusher, wouldn’t they already know everyone’s powers in those houses? Why would they need to test anything?”

“I’m not sure,” he replied, standing back up. “When I saw them earlier, I tried to listen in…but as wolves, the pack mind really takes over. I had difficulty making sense of any of it. That’s the closest I could come to any kind of explanation. It was…” Griffin searched for a word. “Recon… of some sort.”

Ellie shivered and Griffin added, “They’re long gone now. It’s freezing out here. Let’s go home.”

When Ellie got back to her bedroom, she saw she had a text message from Alex:

“Can’t make it in the morning. Sorry to flake. See you later.”

Ellie shook off a feeling of disappointment. If Alex couldn’t make it, he’d have a good reason.

After school Friday, Ellie headed home to get ready for her night out with her friends. It was only the movies, but still, she could sometimes be a girly-girl and wanted to look nice. The theater was situated in the shopping center just below the Stanley Hotel. Ellie adored the old hotel that had been built by the maker of the Stanley steam engine many years before. It was also the hotel the novel The Shining had been based on.

The setting was idyllic. Mountains rose up behind the gleaming white buildings with their red tile roofs, and she could easily imagine holding a beautiful wedding there. Suddenly, an image of Alex popped in her head…his charming but slightly goofy smile, strong arms, eyes that crinkled around the corners when he laughed. The way he listened to her with total focus, like she was the most interesting person on the planet. The way his laugh made chills run up her spine. She’d missed his company on her run the last few mornings. More than she wanted to admit.

Brian had caught her coming out of calculus earlier that day and offered her a ride to the movies. Since they both lived in Carriage Hills, Ellie accepted. She knew he was going to ask her on a date, just the two of them this time. But this worked out anyway. It would give her the chance to establish their boundaries as just friends.

“Explain to me why you’re going out with these high school kids again,” Griffin said. He was leaning in the doorway of her bathroom watching as she primped.

“I do happen to be in high school, Griffin,” she said. She put down the curling iron and fluffed out her hair.

“But you’ve never done this before,” he complained, gesturing to the abundance of grooming paraphernalia scattered around the bathroom. Ellie grinned as she got up and grabbed her jacket and purse.

“I’ve never had to before, and it always seemed safer to stay in the background. But I have to admit it’s kind of nice to spend time with people other than my brother.” She poked her index finger in the center of his chest.

“Hey!”

Laughing, she hugged him to take the sting out of her words. “You know I love you. But it’s been just us for such a long time. Do you remember when we had family? A whole clan of people around us? It’s just nice to have something a little bit like that again. That’s all.”

“Yeah,” he grumbled. “I guess I get it.”

“Tell you what,” she cajoled. “At our next place, you can go to college and you get to have the friends.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he said, finally smiling back.

Brian knocked on their front door right on time.

Chapter 15

Griffin deliberately made himself scarce, heading back to his own bedroom before she opened the door. It was just easier not to have to try to defend their relationship until they had to, despite having had years to rehearse the plausible story they used when questioned.

“I’d invite you in,” Ellie greeted Brian, “but no one else is home, and I’m not allowed to have friends here on my