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is where?”
    “Tinch didn’t think it would be a good idea to
tell you.”
    Candy kept her arms crossed in front of
herself as Jimmy led her up the driveway of what appeared to be a
rundown shack. As a matter of fact, all of the houses in the
cul-de-sac were in the same derelict state. Gutters hung down from
roofs, windows were broken, and what little paint remained barely
clung to the wood. When Jimmy opened the door and stepped into the
entrance, she couldn’t get her legs to move.
    “Come on in,” he said, waiting at the
threshold for her. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
    “There’s everything to worry about. I’ve
nearly been killed twice and I have no idea where I am.”
    Tinch appeared behind Jimmy. “What’s wrong?”
With a glance at Candy his question was answered—she looked like a
frightened deer caught in the wolves den. “You can trust us,
Candy.”
    That was just it: Candy didn’t know if she
could trust a werewolf, never mind a whole house full of them. She
could maybe trust Jimmy because he was her age, but she couldn’t
say the same about Tinch. She had seen him turn into a wolf—a huge wolf with teeth that could shred her to bits. Then
again, he had gone out of his way to save her life.
Twice.
    She shook her head. Why be paranoid now? She
didn’t know what to think anymore. Had they wanted to do something
to her, they would have surely done it by now. It was irrational to
think they had brought her there to cook and eat her.
    Jimmy stepped out onto the porch. “We’re
letting all of the cold air out. Come on inside and meet
everyone.”
    “Everyone?”
    “Yeah. There’s Melvin and—” he paused when
Candy looked as if she might turn and run away. “Felicia!” he said.
“You’ll like her. She’s our age. Come in and you can meet
her.”
    Candy rubbed her aching temples, feeling more
mixed up than she ever had in her life. She had wanted to go
with Jimmy and now she was about to hyperventilate. She took a deep
breath, swallowed her fear, and went into the house with him. There
were stairs on her left as soon as she stepped in through the door
and a kitchen on the right. She heard people talking down the hall
ahead in hushed tones. A moment later, the light in the kitchen
came on and Tinch walked in with a young man who was skinnier than
Jimmy and a girl with long, golden-red hair and narrow green eyes.
The girl seemed to be studying Candy as if she was an animal at the
zoo.
    “This is Felicia and Melvin,” Jimmy said.
“This is Candy.” He went into the kitchen and leaned against a
wobbly table.
    Tinch lingered at the back near an open
entrance into a dining room. “Melvin is the leader of this outfit,”
he said. “He’s smart and trustworthy.”
    Candy thought Melvin certainly looked smart
with his round glasses, spots of acne, short stature, and lack of
muscle. All of that combined with a name like Melvin gave him the
downright persona of the worst kind of nerd. She shook her head,
not believing that was the first thought that came to
mind.
    “You’ll be safe here with them,” Tinch
said.
    “Wait, you’re leaving?” Candy said.
    “Yes. I have to get to New York. While I’m
away, everyone is to make Candy feel welcome.” He singled out
Felicia with his eyes. “She’s our guest until we get everything
figured out. Lay low, I shouldn’t be gone long. Stay here and don’t
do anything until you hear back from me.”
    Without another word or any acknowledgment
from anyone, Tinch left the house. Felicia crossed her arms over
her chest and glared at Jimmy. He didn’t seem to notice.
    “It’s nice to meet you,” Melvin said in a
voice much deeper than his frame should have allowed. He extended a
hand out to Candy and she reluctantly shook it.
    “Where the hell have you been?” Felicia asked
Jimmy, still glaring at him.
    “Did you miss the part about having to fight
off vampires?” Jimmy said.
    Felicia rolled her eyes and then turned her
attention to