"I can do your back if you want," I said. "It's only fair."

"Nah, I'm good."

"What's the matter, Jesse? You got a gorilla back or something like those apes in the zoo where you work?" Julie asked.

"Ha-ha," he said.

A popular tune came on the radio, and some of the girls started dancing. Others laughed, talked, and sipped on their drinks they'd taken from the two coolers that were loaded with sandwiches and sodas.

One of them casually said to Amy, "I heard about the breakup. What happened?"

She frowned. "Well, he's doing drugs and getting all possessive."

"Wow. It's good you broke it off now then," Julie said, "especially if he's hooked on drugs."

Amy's brown eyes sparkled in the sun as her long, reddish-brown hair blew in the wind. "I don't wanna talk about my pitiful love life. Let's jump in!" And with that, she did a cannonball into the lake.

Jesse followed her, and I laughed.

"Oh my gosh! It's freezing in here!" Amy said.

Jesse glanced up at me. "Come on in! And don't worry. I'll keep you warm."

Taking the offer I couldn't possibly refuse, I dove in, then wiped the hair out of my eyes.

Max barked and was next to jump into the water "Come on, Max!" I coaxed.

He started dog-paddling toward us.

I then turned to Jesse. "You left your shirt on again."

"Like Julie said, I'm shy."

"Liar, liar, trunks on fire," I said.

He grinned widely.

"I don't care about your scar, if that's what you're worried about."

"It's just-"

"You don't have to explain."

"Jesse, you need to lose the shirt and put on a Speedo like some of those other guys," Julie said, right before she jumped in, splashing us. "I think a leopard print would really bring out your eyes."

The whirring of a boat engine caught my attention as it approached.

"Crap. I was also hoping my nutcase ex-boyfriend wouldn't find me here," Amy said.

When the boat got closer, a guy about our age called Amy's name. "Hey, I just wanna talk."

Max started barking and causing a ruckus.

The guy shot us a look. "Shut the dog up before I shut him up for you."

"Max!" I said, petting his head and trying to calm him. "Shh!"

Amy looked at us. "I've gotta go talk to him for a minute, or else he'll never leave."

"Just be careful," Julie said.

When I noticed that all the guys were drinking something a bit stronger than Mountain Dew, I realized it might not be a good idea for Amy to be alone on their boat. "You oughtta stay here, Amy," I said. "They all look wasted. They shouldn't even be driving a boat."

She ignored me, swam over, and climbed aboard the boat. It didn't take long for their calm conversation to turn into a full-blown argument.

"That's no way to talk to a girl!" Jesse yelled.

"Shut up," the guy said. "Just mind your own business."

"Well, it is my business when you pull up next to our boat," Jesse said.

"Piss off!" the guy replied.

I nudged Jesse. "We need to go get her," I said, fearing they might try to take off with poor Amy held captive on their boat. "Amy," I pleaded, "please come back to our boat."

She looked in my direction, her cheeks red. "You're right. He's stubborn and bullheaded, and I don't want to be anywhere near him."

I swam closer to the boat as Amy climbed over the rail. Just as she began to jump off, her hotheaded ex-boyfriend grabbed her and pulled her back on deck. She shouted a few curses at the guy, and in the next second, he pulled out a knife and angrily lunged at her.

Next, it was like everything went into slow motion. In a flash, Jesse was on the boat, knocking the knife out of the guy's hand and throwing him about twenty feet. Amy and Jesse jumped back in the water, and we all climbed back on our boat.

"Are you okay?" I asked Amy.

She let out a trembling breath. "We're going back to shore. I'm getting a restraining order and having Eddie thrown in jail. He tried to kill me!"

As we headed back to the dock, I tried to figure out what I'd just seen. How the heck did Jesse get on the boat that quickly? He was right beside me one second, then on the boat in the next, like when he disappeared out of my back yard that day I first met him. How could somebody disappear like that? And what's with him throwing Eddie around like a ragdoll? He was in good shape, of course, but I didn't understand how he could be so strong. Talk about the power of adrenaline.

Chapter 18.

Julie and I went hiking in the woods on one of the local trails along Bear Lake, hoping to burn off some major calories. My shorts were getting a little snug, and I wasn't too fond of that.

"Let's grab some tacos for lunch," Julie said. "I'm starving."

"Jules!" I said. "What's the point of hiking if we're gonna eat junk food? I say we have a grilled chicken salad, with lots of veggies and light dressing."

"Ew. I hate rabbit food."

I laughed and shook my head. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Still thinking about the big kiss yesterday?"

I smiled. "Yeah."

"Well, you'd better lip-lock the guy with some tongue action next time. If you don't snag him, I'm next in line."

"Hey!" I playfully slugged her.

"I want you to hook me up with Jesse's friend, the blond who drove us home."

"Wow. You must really have a thing for blonds."

"Not really. It just so happens that the guy is gorgeous. Hello! Didn't you notice his gorgeous eyes?"

"Yeah. They're the same color as Jesse's. I wonder if they're related, cousins or something."

She laughed. "Heh. If we end up with them, we might be in-laws."

As we turned the bend in the path, I saw two legs sticking out from the bushes. Julie screamed, and I ran to check for a pulse and discovered that the man had short, dark hair. When I rolled him over to feel for a pulse, I saw distinct bite marks on his neck, as if a wild animal had attacked him. His green eyes were glazed over, and I could tell by his pale face that he was dead. "Oh my gosh!"

"Who is it?" Julie desperately asked.

"It's Fred, that cute guy who did yard work for my dad."

My shaking fingers reached into my pocket, and I pulled out my cell phone to call 911. I tried to remain calm as I explained the situation, but I'd never been more freaked out in my life and couldn't speak very coherently. I couldn't stop gasping for air as I fell to my knees, sobbing.

The police showed up almost immediately, and a female officer pulled me aside to ask me some questions.

"What happened to him?" I asked, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. "Who would do this?"

"Animal attack," she said.

"No!" I yelled. "Not Fred."

"I'm so sorry," the policewoman said.

"I-I know who...er, what killed him." Slowly, I opened my eyes. Memories of the wolves stalking me came flooding back. "I was in the woods a while back with my friends, and there was a pack of wolves stalking us, and-"

The officer touched my back, trying to console me. "It wasn't wolves," she said. "They don't bother humans."

I let out a trembling breath. "No, you don't understand. These wolves weren't...they didn't act like normal wolves."

"This was a bear attack or maybe mountain lion," she surmised, sounding confident.

"Taylor!" When I turned around, my mother was standing right there. She embraced me in a tight hug, and worry flooded her features. "I rushed right up here when Julie called me. Sergeant Davidson told me the entire story."

I was suddenly so nauseated that I feared I might throw up right there in front of everyone. "Oh, Mom, it's so awful."

"I'm so sorry about Fred, honey. The officer said I can take you home now."

My hands still trembled. "But my car's here."

"Don't worry. Your dad and I will come up and get it later. Let's get you home."

At home, I sat on the couch next to my dad. "None of my friends have ever died before. I just feel so helpless, so bad."

My dad wrapped his arm around me. "I know, sweetheart. It was a horrible accident."

"I was walking on that trail. What if it had decided to attack Julie or me?"

"I know. From now on, until they capture or shoot whatever animal is responsible for these attacks, I want you to stay off those trails."

"Dad, how can this be happening?" I yelled.

"There was an attack yesterday too," my mom said. "A tourist. It's been all over the news. It might be beautiful here," she said, "but I'm scared. It's dangerous out there."

"It'll be okay," Dad said. "When they catch the animal, everything will get back to normal."

I looked up at my dad. "I think it's more than one animal, Dad. I think it's wolves."

"Honey, remember what I told you about wolves."

"Yes, you said they rarely attack, but these do." I stopped and thought for a moment about what Fred had told me. "And Dad..."

"Yes?"

"Fred said..." I stopped to sob as I thought back on our conversation. "He told me he had evidence of, uh...vampires around here," I said softly. "Do you think they found him?"

"Honey, that's silly. Trust me, it wasn't vampires."

"I'm sure you're right. I mean, when he told me, I laughed."

"Poor Fred was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," my Dad said. "He was such a good kid. I can't believe this happened to him."

His voice wavered as he spoke, and I could tell my dad was completely shook up.

"Taylor," my mom called from the other room, "Julie is on the phone."

"Can you ask her if she can call my cell? I'm gonna go up to my room and lie down."

"Okay."