Shadow Lake Vampire Society - Wendi Wilson Page 0,16
Sarah. Do not mess.”
I dipped my head once to let her know I’d heard, but for some reason, even though she was way too far ahead, I had the feeling Sarah caught the comment.
Silence settled around us as we walked up the path. A few moments later, the smell of farm animals let me know we were close to the barn, and when we turned the corner, there it was. The large red building had its doors open, but it was difficult to see inside the dark interior. In the yard, a lone cow and two pigs lumbered around, chewing cud and nosing through a trough.
I was a big animal lover and had the impulse to run up and give them each a hug but restrained myself, quickly realizing eau de barnyard could kill the cool vibe I had going.
Yeah, right. Cool Piper was about as real as Bubbly Piper.
I settled for veering a little closer and giving the animals a wave, but when I saw the cow’s neck, I gasped and stepped back. The poor animal had a raw wound about the size of an apple above his right shoulder. Flies buzzed around it, adding to my concern and horror.
“Something’s wrong with that cow,” I uttered, pointing.
The group shuffled to a stop and turned. Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, that? I’m sure it’s nothing. Some sort of infection. We’ll tell Harris.” She tossed her hair over one shoulder and kept walking as if the problem was solved, but my eyes refused to budge from that puffy, red lesion.
The wound didn’t look like an infection. It looked like a bite.
I started to walk closer, but True tugged my arm. “Come on, Piper. Harris can handle it. He’s the farm hand. And you don’t want to be late. The dean gives out demerits, and then you can’t shop at the Snack Shack. Twinkies,” she sing-songed.
Snack shack? What did I care about a snack shack when an animal was in trouble? But then again, Sarah seemed to think the issue would be handled. Plus, what did I know about cow bandaging? I allowed True to pull me away, but I vowed I’d make sure that poor cow got treatment before the situation got any worse.
Could that really be a bite? I shivered and steered closer to True.
No one else seemed concerned, so the gravity of the situation had to be all in my head. Paranoid. I was definitely paranoid.
We made it to a small, white building with a large ramp out front. The sign boasted, “Spukani Lodge.”
“What’s with the building names?” I asked True.
“The names are native. Didn’t you hear this place was built on an ancient burial ground?” She wiggled her fingers and mouthed, “Wooooh.”
I gave her shoulder a gentle push, unnerved enough already without her trying to scare me.
The door creaked open, and the group filtered in. A blast of cool air felt spectacular on my hot skin. Metal folding chairs had been laid out in a circle around a plastic folding table that held a stack of color-coded documents. That did not look promising.
“Air conditioning,” True said, pointing to the unit in the window. “The only building that has it except for the nurses’ station. A good thing to remember.”
“That’s a good tip, Miss King,” Charles Purty said, seeming to appear out of nowhere. “Hello, Piper. How is True treating you?”
“Great,” I replied. “She’s pretty amazing.”
Behind Charles’s shoulder, True gave me a huge grin and two thumbs up.
“Wonderful,” Charles said, fixing me with those dark brown eyes. “I had a feeling you two would get along. We try to pair our counselors up with partners they’ll not only enjoy, but also learn from.”
I nodded, wondering who Levi was paired with. Who did he enjoy and learn from?
When I saw Lars sit next to him, I was surprised. Those two? It didn’t seem like they got along, let alone “enjoyed each other.” Levi didn’t even look at Lars as he filled up the chair beside him.
The rest of the counselors paired off, sitting by the person that had to be their dorm partner. Sarah was with Miranda, Ian with Naveen, and Analise with Micah. I wondered if this was the whole staff or if more were coming in.
“Thank you for joining me. Glad to see you all finally in one place. Did everyone meet Piper?”
Heads bobbed. True grabbed my knee and wiggled it excitedly.
“Right. As you know, the first session starts in a few days, and we need to be ready.