Julia's POV:
After I dressed Kai, I gave him a bowl of hot Cheetos and switched on the children's channel. I block all of the news channels, so he can't watch it. After the first bit of Cheetos, Kai releases a deep breath. His cheeks turn slightly red, but he only grabs another Cheeto.
I set down a nice cold soda.
Kai gobbles up the drink without question.
I watch as his eyes enlarge slightly before he eats the Cheetos again.
This may not be a good idea in all hindsight, but the kid has been through enough.
Kai laughed when one of the anime characters got blasted away. Immediately, he covers his mouth and looks at me.
"I like your laugh," I said. "I got to go handle something. There are more chips in the pantry and soda in the fridge. If something spills, leave it. I'll clean it up. Okay?"
He nods, "Okay."
Once I occupied Kai, I went to the garage. I turn on the light to see a damaged vehicle. My parents are going to kill me.
Last night, the rain washed away most of what happened. I drove around the back road several times to ensure everything was washed away before I entered the street roads. Since it was dark, my neighbors probably didn't see what I did. Then, I checked all parts of the car to make sure there wasn't anything left. I grab the gloves.
But I know I should double-check it.
Although I can't fix the dents on the vehicle, I can clean it more thoroughly. I spent most of the day cleaning the car from inside to out and even washed away all the scent. Hunters' noses are much more sensitive than humans so that we can pick up every detail. Once it was up to my satisfaction, I cleaned up all the equipment.
I know I have to do a triple check tomorrow.
It was dark when I was done, and Kai was fast asleep on the couch with Cheetos on his face. A smile made its way across my face, and I wiped off the Cheetos.
My phone buzzes.
"Hi, mom."
"Julia. Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"I heard there's a werewolf going around. Make sure to lock all the doors and don't wander at night or somewhere alone."
Too late. "Okay."
My mom lectures me for another thirty minutes about being safe before she lets me go. She told me she would be back on Saturday.
It's Wednesday.
I need to figure out what to do before then.
After the phone call, I woke Kai up. "Hm?"
"Let's wash your hands, face and brush your teeth before going to sleep."
Kai nods.
When we finish, I tuck Kai in my bed. "Will you be here?"
I smile, "I'll be downstairs." I turn on the nightlight. "You can run down if you can't sleep. Okay?"
He nods.
"Good night." I decide to leave a small crack so the hallway lights can enter the room.
In the middle of the night, I stare at the bag of bloody clothes. I can't precisely casually throw it in my trashcan. I have a hunch that the officers will do more than talk to the neighbors.
When Thursday morning came, my instincts were proven to be correct. The police officers dig into the trashcan on the street. Some of the neighbors came out and asked what they're doing. They promise to put everything back in and have the garbage man come in the afternoon.
Thursday is trash day, so all the trash cans are in public streets.
I'm glad I decided not to throw away Kai's clothes or the dirty cleaning supplies. Both bags are still tightly sealed in the garage.
There's a man that doesn't seem to be dressed as an officer - a detective.
After an hour, they move to the next street, and the garbage truck arrives. Now would be the perfect time to take out the trash. That's what an idiot would think. I'm sure someone is still watching this street.
After breakfast, Kai watches tv while I figure out the next step.
I need to investigate the situation to understand it better, but I don't want to leave Kai alone.
He seems to be anxious whenever I leave the room.
I cannot believe I put myself into this situation.
Kai laughs.
But it's not so bad.
If there's a place to find out about information, it would be the downtown markets. During Thanksgiving, the market is bigger, and rumors are constantly gathering down there.
The longer I stare at Kai, the prettier he somehow gets. It doesn't excuse the uncle for doing that disgusting shit, though.
"Kai," I said.
He turns around, "Yes?"
I went down on the ground, towards his level. "I need to go out."
He stares at me with large eyes.
"Do you want to come with me?"
He nods.
"But, we're going to have to do something to hide you. Would that be okay?"
He nods excessively.
With his approval, I changed his outfits. I put Kai in my old dress and put a coat around him. When I found my old wig from Halloween, I tuck it on. With a bit of makeup, Kai definitely passes as a girl - a very cute one too.
"Your name is not Kai," I said. I need to be cautious. "It's Kailyn. Okay?" I don't want to change his name completely. One of us may slip up, so finding a close name can cover it.
"Kailyn," he repeats after me.
"And you are?"
"Your younger cousin. Your parents decide to go to Japan. My parents went later and left you to babysit me. I'm five years old."
"Alright. Now, this may feel weird." I grab the eye contact and move it towards him. It took several tries, but I managed to put on the eye contacts.
Kai blinks excessively since I told him he couldn't rub his eyes.
Werewolves' eye color changes before they shift and when they are overly emotional, such as when they found their soulmate or during a state of anger.
I had to change Kai's eye color just in case he gets emotional.
Finally, I put on old cowboy boots on him. "Comfortable?"
He nods, "Warm."
There's an issue with his scent, but humans shouldn't pick it. Hunters may. However, we're going to an area with many other people. The smell can be cover-up. Even if they pick up something, they won't know who.
"Alright. Let's go." On Thursday afternoon, it was warm. I held Kai's hand and made my way outside.
When I saw a neighbor out for a run, they waved at me. I return their waves. They glance at Kai for a moment before they continue their run. Inside the car, I buckled Kai up, and together, we went downtown.
Since it's still break, a lot of the people I know aren't in town. It's kind of nice.
Kai grip firmly onto my hand as we walk around. I caught him staring at the caramel candy, so of course, I had to get him one.
Kai sat beside me and ate it.
"Did you hear?" Some lady says. "They say Winchester is suing Blood Moon for not watching their pack members properly."
Blood Moon.
Kai is from Dylan's pack.
"Has anyone died?"
"Not that we know."
From what Kai remembers, he had only attacked his uncle. Then, the question appears; why are they in the neighboring town?
"How scary. Werewolves are monsters."
Kai, stop eating.
I wipe the apple bits off his lips and smile when he looks at me.
Kai hugs me and digs his face into my chest. I couldn't say anything except pat his back. This isn't a place for a conversation about how werewolves aren't monsters.
The people come and go leaving numerous rumors.
Some say Kai's release is a declaration of war for closed territories.
Others say Kai is an experiment. They're trying to figure out a way to shift their kind faster.
There were a few who said the uncle and aunt don't seem like good people. They have keen insight.
When I spot the detective, my heart races. He seems like he's hanging out with his friends, but I can tell that his friends aren't ordinary people from the way they act.
Run away?
Nah. Too suspicious.
Instead, I ordered some food for Kai at the restaurant.
"Kai. There are police officers here." I tuck on his hood and place my hand on his cheeks as if I'm warming him up. "I need you to eat like everything is okay."
Eventually, with his instinct, he should be able to tell that something is wrong. It's better to tell him the situation beforehand.
I place my phone in front of Kai like all other adults for him to use. Kai picks a game and plays it while he eats. From the outside, he looks like he fits right in with the crowd.
That's what we want.
I scoop up a spoonful of clam chowder and blow at it. At this time of the day, the crowd only dense. After we finished, I paid for the check. I took my damn sweet time.
When the detective and his crowd move closer, most likely to check out another part of the street, I lift Kai and turn him away from them. I went down and pretended to wipe off the food on his face.
They pass by.
Then, to my fear, they stop.
I swallow firmly before I zip up Kai's jacket.
Be calm.
Be calm.
Be calm.
"Ma'am," they call the person across from me. "May we look at your child?"
Similar to everyone else, I look at what happened. This isn't the right time to leave. It's still too suspicious. The woman nods, and the person beside him takes out a photo. Then, he shakes his head.
"Thank you."
They mumble a few words at each other before one of them stops talking altogether. His head turns in another direction. He nudges his head, and together, they walk away.
"Want to go to the store for some souvenirs?"
Still too early to leave.
Kai nods.
I hold Kai's hand and walk in the opposite direction as the detective. It's easy to blend in with the crowd. You act as if you would every other day. Simple right? Not really. Human bodies tend to give themselves away.
Inside a small store, I let Kai walk around by himself. When Kai finds something he's interested in, he smiles wildly.
I fold my arms and lean against the wall, "Come out."
Three aisles away from Kai, a man appears. Steadily, with pure arrogance, he walks towards me. Three feet away, he halts, "You notice?"
I glared at him, "Being a stalker is not attractive, Marcelo."