Chapter 12 I saw a wolf

　　Louisa's POV 　　As soon as the last class was over, I packed my belongings and rushed out of the classroom. 　　I had an interview tonight for another part-time job. 　　The post description didn't reveal much. It was a caretaker for an empty house and I was 89% sure that house was haunted like the one in the Shining because the pay was ridiculously good. 　　If I successfully got that job, my wage would spike. 　　And since I was in a really grumpy mood today and my bad mood was infectious, I didn't plan to carpool with the O'Reilly sisters. 　　Anyway, the interview place was not so far away from the school. I didn't mind walking for 40 minutes to get there. 　　But as soon as I got out of the classroom, I saw Jackie and Leah standing outside. 　　"Aha, here we go," Jackie said with relief. 　　"Let's go now," Leah said. 　　"Wait... Aren't you supposed to be at Economics 101 right now?" I frowned. 　　"We skipped it," Jackie said. "We've been waiting here for you." 　　"What?! You've been waiting outside my classroom for an hour?!" 　　"Well, 40 minutes. Give or take," Jackie replied. 　　"But... Why?!" My eyes were wide open. 　　"We want to make compensation for not being able to stand for you this morning," Jackie explained. 　　"We would like to take you to the town and go shopping with you," Leah added. 　　"Don't worry about it. I was being a jerk. I've got an interview for a new part-time job. I really have to be there on time..." 　　"Well, about that..." Jackie cleared her voice awkwardly. 　　My phone buzzed. 　　I took a look at it and saw it was the guy from the recruitment center. 　　"I'm sorry, I have to answer this," I said to the O'Reillys and hit the answer button. 　　"Louisa speaking." 　　"Aha, Louisa. I would like to inform you that you don't need to show up for the interview today." 　　"Why?!" 　　"The post has already been filled." 　　What?? 　　"But you've just told me about it this morning..." I tried to speak with composure, but I failed. 　　"I know. But now it's gone. Sorry." 　　Feeling so disappointed, I glanced at the O'Reilly sisters. Both of them looked at me with sympathy as if they heard they had already known about my misfortune. 　　Seriously? Did they have something to do with it?! 　　"OK... Could you please keep me updated if some new openings pop up? I can do everything," I whispered. 　　"Not really. I will not be able to help you to look for any jobs," the voice sounded nervous. 　　"What... Why?" 　　"Please stop calling me because I'll have to block your number after this conversation. Bye." 　　Then, he hung up on me. 　　When I dialed back, his phone was busy. 　　"I can't believe it! That motherfucker really blocked me!" I looked at my phone while pulling my hair. 　　"So... Can we go shopping now?" Jackie murmured. 　　She had been acting weird ever since this morning. I didn't know why she started talking to me with detachment as if we had never been friends before. 　　I snapped. 　　"I can't go shopping with you, Jackie! Do you know why? Because I had been sacked from a part-time job even before I got an interview! I'm sorry, but I'm not in the mood for shopping with you! I simply don't have money!" 　　"We'll pay for everything," Leah said. 　　"What?!" 　　"Anything you like... We'll pay for it. Shoes, dresses, jewelry, hair, and make-up." Jackie looked intimidated. 　　"Are you kidding me? You don't have any money, either! Your father is a grocer and your mother is a maid! Do me a favor, Jackie. If you have robbed a bank or something, go fix your broken car window instead of pampering me! I know my life sucks, but the last thing I need is your sympathy!" 　　"Louisa, please, don't shout at Jackie like that," Leah whispered, trying to defend her sister. 　　"I didn't mean to cross you, Louisa. You can shout at me if that makes you feel better." Jackie said in a humble voice. "But we really have to take you shopping, like, right now." 　　"We'll explain it to you in the car," Leah said, holding my arm. I knew it was her way of crying silently for help. 　　"Shopping is the best way to release stress, you know," Jackie muttered, staring at me while biting her nails. 　　It was her way of crying for help. 　　I sighed. 　　"Fine. Let's go shopping. But someone has to explain what the fuck is going on to me because this is kind of getting creepy. Are you going to drug me and take out my kidney or something?" 　　"If you don't go shopping with us, our kidneys will be missing," Jackie mumbled to herself as she got into her car. 　　Leah gave her sister a dark stare to shut her up. 　　Ever since they picked me up from the classroom, they kept glancing in the direction of my back. 　　At first, I thought I was paranoid. But then, it started to get very suspicious. 　　By the time I got into the car, I took a glance at the rear mirror to check out what was behind me. 　　To my disappointment, I saw nothing abnormal. 　　Ordinary students walked out of school buildings. 　　Then, I saw a giant black shadow flashing across the mirror. 　　I looked back immediately, but it was gone. 　　"Did you see it?!" I shouted desperately at Jackie. 　　"What?!" Jackie looked back in a blind panic. "Nothing is there!" 　　"It's something big and black! It's fury and with claws..." I sought the right word in my mind. 　　I was completely useless when I was consumed by fright. I got the word on the tip of my tongue. 　　"Louisa, you must be suffering from hallucinations because of the lack of sleep. Why don't you close your eyes for a while while we're driving? Take some rest and rest your mind," Leah said in a tranquil voice. 　　"No! I really saw it!" I swallowed the lump in my throat. 　　"It's...It's a fucking wolf!"