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later on.”
     
    Ruby’s mouth dropped open in shock as Rafe laughed. Wisely, he began running. She threw the acorn at him. It glanced off the side of his head. She took chase, slowing enough to stop and scoop up the acorn, putting it in her pocket.
     
    Remembering the acorn, Ruby dropped to her knees and scoured her bedroom floor to find it. It had been in the bottle with the leaf. She put her hand down—right on top of a piece of the broken glass. Cursing, she pulled her bleeding hand back just as she spotted the acorn. She grabbed it, putting it in her pocket as she stood.
     
    She went into the bathroom and ran her hand beneath the water. Her skin was split wide enough she’d have to wrap it, but not deep enough for stitches. Once she had it clean, she tightly bound it with gauze wrap. She went downstairs and made her dad dinner, which she had to force him to eat. Then she got him up to his room, where he collapsed on the bed, fully dressed.
     
    Ruby sighed, looking down at him. “Great life you have, Ruby Hood,” she muttered to herself. “Friday night, twenty years old, sitting at home, and going to bed at,” she glanced at her watch, “ten o’clock. Could life get any better?”
     
    The next morning, life for all of Piera changed.
     
     
     
     

Part II: The Wolf
     
    Ruby stepped out of the house at nine a.m. She figured Marina wouldn’t say too much about her showing up an hour early. Piera’s lone police car raced past, startling her. It never raced anywhere. People ran on foot in the same direction.
     
    “What’s going on?” Ruby yelled to one of her neighbors as he hurried by.
     
    “The wolf,” was all he said before breaking into a run.
     
    Curious, Ruby followed the crowd, running along with them until they reached the Johansen farm where a crowd gathered around the large barn. Ruby pushed around the outside of the crowd. When she got to where she could see the door, she stopped, shock quivering through her. The outside of the big red door had thick, deep, violent scratches down the length of it. The heavy metal padlock that had secured the door was now a twisted chunk of broken steel.
     
    “The wolf did that?” she asked incredulously.
     
    “Yeah.” Ruby didn’t look to see who spoke. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the immense amount of damage, particularly the lock.
     
    The Sherriff and his Deputy came out of the barn, along with several of the local farmers. They were dragging Bradford, the Johansen’s prized—and very valuable—bull. The bulk of its body had been shredded. Ruby gasped, along with many others in the crowd. Bradford was big, almost two tons, and mean. What kind of beast could damage such a large creature?
     
    Two of those who helped pull the bovine from the barn were Rafe and Lowell. Lowell looked grim, but Rafe . . . Rafe looked furious. And, oddly enough, he also looked like he felt guilty about something. As if sensing her, Rafe glanced up, his gaze locking with hers. Without so much as a nod of acknowledgement, he turned back to the task at hand.
     
    Bradford was the only loss to the Johansen’s livestock though other horses and cows filled the barn. There was much speculation as to why the wolf chose to attack the large bull instead of any of the smaller—and less valuable—animals. Once he was moved far enough from the barn, Bradford was doused with gasoline and set ablaze. The heat pushed the crowd back, the stinging fumes and fear causing tears among the spectators.
     
    Sickened, Ruby turned away and walked to the shop, heart heavy for the loss. She was glad Marina kept to her word and only sent her on local deliveries and in helping prepare and pack the deliveries to be picked up this afternoon that went out into the world. Her mind was so distracted, she wouldn’t have been much help with anything else. Even Marina was quiet for most of the day.
     
    At three o’clock, Ruby finished. She left the shop, through the front door, and saw Rafe