The Full Moon by Amber Riel (books to read this summer TXT) 📕

“Why don’t you and Lee hang out with us anymore?”

“Well, our parents don’t want us to hang out with werewolves.”

“Oh. Is it because of Millie?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head.

“If it is.... I’ll understand. Since our parents died, Millie hasn’t been a people person.” Shawn walked over to Ann. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Yea. What?”

“I want you to stay away from Doctor O’Nail. Don’t bring your pet there.”

“Why not?”

“He’s kind of insane. Turning people into animals. It’s crazy.” He made a silly face and Ann laughed.

“He doesn’t want to turn people into animals. That’s impossible.”

“Actually, he does. Yes, it’s unbelievable.... It’s true though. As crazy as it sounds.” He took both of her hands. “Please, promise me that you’ll stay away from that guy?”
Ann smiled. “I will.”

“Good.” He let go of her hands. “I would love to hang, but Millie’s at the bookstore, and if we get any costumers, she can’t be along with them, or they’d be dead.”

“Millie’s still not a people person?” she asked as Shawn started leaving.

He turned to face her and shook his head. “Nope. She hates all humans.”

“Well, bye, Shawn.”

“Bye, Ann.”

Ann watched Shawn walk away, then turned to go home.

Champ was in the town, looking for Kat, when he seen her talking to Lee. He walked over to them. “So, what are we talking about?” he asked, jumping into the conversation.

“We’re talking about the last few years,” Lee said, tossing a coin.

“Interesting. Lee is it okay if I can talk to Kat? I have to tell her something.”

“Sure. I have to go back to work any ways.” Lee left.

“So, Champ, what’s going on?”

“Well, we need help with stopping the evil vet by the name of Doctor O’Nail. Actually, it’s Jack O’Nail, but me and Lacy found out that we need a cat shape-shifter’s help to stop him.”

“Okay.” She smiled, devilishly.

Champ knew what she was thinking without having to ask. “No. You can not torture any of the other werewolves, especially Millie.”

“But.... I have to. It was something that I was born to do.”

“Sorry. I won’t let you.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “Now that that’s settled, will you meet me tonight at the same place again?”

She smiled and thought about it. “Okay. At six again?”

“Sure.” He smiled at her. He scooped her up into a hug. He kissed her forehead.

She leaned back into his arms. “Where’s Millie?”

“She’s at the bookstore.... With Shawn. Which reminds me, we have to go let her know that you’re working with us.” They broke out of the hug.

“Come on.”

They went to the bookstore. When they arrived there, Champ opened the door and let Kat walk in. As they walked inside, they looked around, but Millie was no where to be seen.

“That’s weird.” Champ walked over to the counter. “I know that Millie’s here.” He realized that Shawn wasn’t there as well.

“MILLIE! SHAWN!” He waited for an answer but nothing. “MILLIE! SHAWNIE!”

“Shawnie?”

“Yea. He hates that.” He waited again. “Huh? I know that they’re around here somewhere.” He noticed that the door to the back room was opened. He smiled. He took his middle finger and his thumb and put them in his mouth and whistled.

“What?” Millie asked, walking into the room, carrying three boxes filled with books. She noticed Champ. “Oh. Sorry, Champ. I thought that you were one of those humans, who kept coming over here giving me crap.”

“Do you need help with those?” Champ asked.

“Yea.” She set them on the counter and seen Kat. “Put the cat to work.”

“Put me to work?” Kat asked. “I’m sorry, but I don’t work for dirty mutts.”

“My record is more cleaner than yours.”

Champ realized that Millie and Kat were going to get into a fight. He jumped in the way. “Ladies, please don’t fight. Look, Millie. Kat agreed to work with us to stop Doctor O’Nail. Please don’t fight.”

Millie crossed her arms and turned her back to Champ and Kat as Kat did the same to Champ and Millie.

“Where’s Shawn? I thought that he was here with you.” Champ asked, changing the subject.

“He’s roaming the town. I told him he could.” Millie turned back to face Champ.

“Okay.” Champ took a box of books off the counter to help Millie out. “Kat, can you please help Millie with these boxes?”

“Yea.” Kat rolled her eyes. She picked up one of the boxes.

“Not that box,” Millie said.

“Okay.” Kat went to grab the other box.

“Not that box either.”

Kat was kind of mad. “Then what other box? Because besides these two,” she said, pointing to Champ, “he’s got the third one.”

“The big, black box in the closet.”

“Fine.” Kat went into the closet.

Millie had a smile growing on her face. Champ set the box down and walked over to Millie. “What did you do?” he asked, concerned.

Millie didn’t answer, she just kept smiling.

“I DON’T SEE....” Kat called from the closest, “HOLY CRAP!” She walked out from the closest and went over to Millie, who was still smiling. “Are you kidding me? I can’t carry that box it’s too big. You have to be like Super-Man just to pick that thing up....”

Millie nodded, still smiling. “Don’t mess with the leader of the pack.”

“Millie.” Champ held up his hands. “Don’t cause trouble.”

Millie finally lost her smile. “Fine.”

Shawn walked into the store and seen what was going on.

“Did you have fun, Shawn?” Millie asked.

“Yea.” He looked over at Kat. “What’s she doing here?”

“She’s going to help us stop Doctor O’Nail.” Champ turned to face him.

Millie leaned on the counter. “What did you do in town today, Shawn?”

“Well, I got Doctor O’Nail mad at me....”

“What?” Millie asked. “I told you not to go there.”

“Yea. I kind of didn’t listen.”

Champ watched Millie dig her nails into the counter top. It was something that she always did when she was mad and ready to attack someone. He grabbed her claw and stopped her. “Millie, forget about it.”

“But....”

“Millie, look.”

She looked at the counter top, which had a lot of nail markings from when she was mad.

“Just calm down. Take a deep breath.” He acted like a breathing instructor. That was something he did when Millie was mad.

She took a deep breath like he said. “Okay.... I’m fine. Did you do anything else, Shawn?” she asked, trying not to get mad.

“Well, I ran into Ann. We talked for a little then I came back here, that’s when I noticed Kat, and yea. That’s it.”

“Why don’t we just lock up for the night?” Champ asked.

“But what about the boxes? We can’t just leave them there,” Millie pointed out.

“Yea, we can. We’ll deal with them tomorrow. Okay?”

“Okay.”

They left the store after Millie locked up.

Later at the cottage, Shawn walked into the kitchen, where Lacy was cooking. He could smell the food and his mouth started watering. “That smells good.”

“What do you want?”

“I know someone who likes you.”

“Oh yea. Who?”

“You remember Lee?”

“Yea.”

“Him.”

Lacy pretended to cough. “Sorry. What?”

Shawn knew that she was faking. “Lee likes you.”

Lacy didn’t say anything.

“You like him too.”

Lacy looked away from him. “I don’t know what you’re about.” She changed the subject, purposely. “I’m making chicken dumplings.”

Kat walked in the room. “What smells good?”

“You’re here?” Lacy turned to face Shawn. “She’s here?”

“Yea. We have to deal with her for a while but she’s not staying here which is good.”

“Good.” Lacy turned to face Kat. “I’m making....”

“It’s a surprise.” Shawn winked at Lacy. “Why don’t you let her try some, Lacy?”

“Okay, Shawn.” Lacy took a fork, took a small bite of chicken with a little piece of bread and handed it to Kat.

Kat took it and blew on it, then she took a bite. “Mmm.... Mmm.... That’s good.” She swallowed. “What is that?”

Shawn smiled. “That’s cat,” he lied.

Kat believed him. She took a napkin and covered her mouth with it so she could spit into it. Lacy and Shawn started laughing at her. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

“You believed me.”

Kat dropped her mouth. She couldn’t believe how in one day, she let two no-good wolves trick her. She left the room, mad.

In the living room, Millie and Kyle were sitting on the couch. Kyle had his arm around Millie, while she was flipping through a magazine. 

“What’s a book that you like to read that you don’t already have?” Kyle asked.

Millie stopped flipping through the magazine and thought about Kyle’s question. “Um.... I don’t know. All the books I like to read, I already have. Why?”

“Oh. No reason I just wanted to know.”

Kat walked into the room, ticked off. She sat down in a chair.

“What’s your problem?” Kyle asked. “Getting dose of your own medicine?”

Kat shot Kyle a dirty look.

“I was just asking.”

Shawn walked in followed by Lacy. He walked over to Kat. He starting acting dramatic. “I have to tell you something.”

Kat looked at him funny. “What?”

“Well, I didn’t know.... I didn’t realize until now how much.... I can’t live without you....” he said, taking her hand.

“I need you.... I love you.”

Everyone, including Millie, was laughing. Kat was freaked out.

Shawn let go of her hand. “I’m just joking. I would never date a cat. Especially one as greasy as yourself.”

Kat dropped her mouth at the insult and was really ticked off.

“Good one, bro,” Millie laughed.

“Thank you. I’ll be back, I have to go get something from my room.” Shawn left the room and walked upstairs. On the way to his room, he noticed that Wagner’s door was open and the light was on. He went into the room and made sure that Wagner wasn’t in there before turning off the light. He noticed that the bird was in a shoe box and his stomach was growling. “I shouldn’t....” he told himself. “Oh, but I’m hungry.” He closed the door so no one could see him and he ate the little bird. He cleaned the blood off his face then left the room.

“Weren’t you going to get something?” Kyle asked as Shawn walked into the room, noticing that Shawn didn’t have anything in his hands.

“Yea, but I forgot what I was going to get.”

“I’m going to go check up on JP.” Wagner stood up and started heading out of the room.

“Who’s JP?” Lacy asked.

“The bird.”

“Oh.”

Wagner went upstairs. Two minutes later, he walked back into the living room. He walked over to Millie, crying.

“What’s wrong, Wagner?” Millie asked, concerned.

“JP’s gone.” The little boy was getting wet because of all the tears pouring down his face. “Someone ate him.”

Millie turned toward Shawn, now angry. “Shawn, I told you not to eat his bird.”

Shawn came up with a lie.