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said, swinging an imaginary scalpel. “You can get used to anything. Really.”
    â€œI guess so.”
    â€œI’ll let you decide. Come back if you think you can handle it, or just spend the period in the media center. Look up blood in the encyclopedia and read about what we’re doing.”
    â€œThat sounds good. Thanks.”
    I walked toward the media center, trying to regain control of my instincts.
    I was hungry.
    Maybe it was a good idea to read about blood. Maybe I was going in the wrong direction, reading about vampires. Those books held stories that were mostly myth, superstition, and misinformation. I needed facts.
    And I needed them soon.
    I was hungry.

 
    Thirteen
    TRAPPED
    I read everything I could find about blood. Since I didn’t know which information would be important, I couldn’t afford to skip anything. Even so, it didn’t take long. If I wanted, I could read the normal way. But I could also just look at a page and know everything on it immediately.
    Norman found me in the library. “I got a call last night from that Teridakian guy,” he whispered, looking around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear us.
    â€œThe vampire hunter?” I whispered back. The phrase left a bitter feeling on my tongue.
    He nodded. “The guy wants to talk to me. He asked me to meet him in town tonight, in front of the courthouse. I think I’d better go and find out what he wants. Maybe we can learn something.”
    â€œI should come.”
    He shook his head. “He might know that you’ve changed. He might be able to look at you and tell. It’s too dangerous.”
    â€œYeah,” I agreed. “I can’t let him see me. I’ll hide and listen.”
    I got through the rest of the school day without any more problems. A couple of kids made some stupid comments about what had happened in science. I ignored them. I would have done the same thing if it had been someone else running out of the room and gagging from the sight of a drop of blood.
    I wrapped up in my coat and scarf again before leaving the school. When I got home, I stopped in the hall and removed all the extra clothing. Mom was in the kitchen, with a bunch of bags of groceries. I could see she was in the middle of unloading the car. “How was school?” she asked.
    â€œFine. What’s up?” I pointed to the bags.
    â€œI signed up to help with the PTA dinner. The theme this year is Festival in Italy.” She sighed. “I’ll be baking all afternoon. Would you like to help?”
    â€œNo thanks. Want me to get any bags from the car?” As I asked, I realized that I couldn’t go out without my scarf and stuff. Through the window, I could see the car in the driveway, sitting in a puddle of sunshine.
    â€œThanks, but there’s just one more bag to bring in. I can handle it.”
    â€œIs Dad in his workshop?”
    She nodded. “He’s working on that big order. He’d probably like some company.”
    I went downstairs. There was something comforting about moving below the ground. Dad has a workshop in the basement. He’s a silversmith. He makes jewelry and all kinds of other things. It was a good thing I hadn’t been turned into a werewolf. Imagine what that would be like, living over all kinds of silver. If the legends were right, that was the one thing that could kill a werewolf.
    â€œHow’s it going?” I called as I got to the bottom step. I had to raise my voice so he could hear me over the music. Dad always listens to music while he works.
    â€œGreat. I got a big order from the Hemnetz Company for some custom jewelry. It’s a real good project. Actually, it was my idea. Everyone likes birthstones, right?”
    â€œRight,” I said, reaching the doorway. Dad’s workshop was just around the wall on the other side of the stairs.
    â€œSo, I said to myself, what’s something different we can do