In the morning, I sat in a police boat with Kevin and Salina. I wrapped a towel around me, and my bare feet sat inside a bucket of warm water. I didn’t catch a cold, but it felt good to feel warm after running around in the cold. Dad laid on a ginnery between me and my two friends.

Dad's reinforcements had arrived after he recovered and called them. Thank god he survived, thanks to Holly. She used a cloth to keep his body from losing a lot of blood. I guessed her aunt taught her that. Her aunt was a nurse at the hospital.

My squad sat in another boat, wearing towels and drinking cocoa to burn away their trama. I could have sat with them, but I wanted to sit with my dad. So far he still snoozed like a big bulldog with a blanket over his body.

Salina and Kevin were kind enough to join me with my dad. There was so much I wanted to tell them about what happened. While my dad snored and the boat moved from the island, I told my friends everything. Dad wouldn’t hear us because he was a deep sleeper.

“So you haven’t told Tiffany about Brian yet?” Salina asked, rubbing her hands.

I bit my lower lip. “No….. I think she had enough drama since last night. If she knew Brian set up the party for us to die at, Tiffany would totally go bat shit crazy. But it doesn't matter now. Brian is dead."

Kevin sneezed and rubbed his nose. "Well, I can't wait to get home and tell my parents why the cops dropped me off."

"Yeah….." I glanced at my dad. "My daddy is totally going to ground me after he comes back from the hospital."

"Then tell him the truth," Salina suggested.

I glared at her. "What truth? That I am a werewolf? Hell no!"

Salina shrugged.

"We will make up stories to keep our secrets safe," said Kevin. "But we can't avoid our parents' punishments."

Salina frowned. "Um-hm. My mom is going to kill me when I get home."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You never told me about your mother."

She glared at me. "So."

"Does she know you are a witch?"

"No, she doesn't care what I do, and I don't want to talk about her."

Geez, does she have mommy issues?

She never talked about herself since I met her. It must be a goth thing.

I glanced at the island, shrinking in the distance. The police must be examining the bodies around the castle. Probably the biggest crime scene they ever investigated.

The girls and I told them a psycho gang attacked our party. They butchered our friends, but we managed to defend ourselves. We were smart enough to keep the werewolves a secret. If we did, the cops would arrest us for taking drugs. Like, who would totally believe us when the bodies were all humans?

Maybe my dad will tell them, but nobody will believe him. As far as the police knew, we were a bunch of dumb teenagers partying alone on Halloween. Then a band of psychopaths massarced the unlucky ones. That will be the most shocking news ever.

“I still can’t believe our town was founded by a monster,” I said, rubbing my arms as my body shivered. “How could people live here if they knew about its dark history?”

Kevin smirked and shrugged a little. “Every place in America has a dark secret. People forget or keep it to themselves to move on. No matter what, this place is still our home.”

He was totally right. I made a vow to protect our town from monsters. If there were more dark forces out there, I will always be ready for them.

I smiled at Kevin and saw the sun rising over the mountainscape. Thank god Halloween was over, but more nightmares might continue. The only question is when.