I glanced out the window. Most of the houses we passed were dark. Georgie cried softly in the backseat.

“Hey, wait!” I cried. “This isn’t the way to the animal hospital! Dad—turn around!”

“I’m not going to the animal hospital,” Dad said softly, still avoiding my stare.

“But—but—” I sputtered.

“There’s a good place in Walker Falls,” he said. “I know the doctors there. They will—”

“WalkerFalls? But that’s two towns away!” I shrieked.

“It’s a good place,” Dad insisted. “They’re experts at this kind of surgery.”

“But, Dad—”

Finally he turned to me. To my shock, his eyes were cold. His expression remained hard. “Don’t argue with me, Laura. I know what I’m doing.”

“Okay. Fine.” I sighed. I turned away from him and stared out the window.

We drove the rest of the way in silence.

Dad won’t go near the animal hospital, I realized. Even in an emergency like this one.

Why won’t he go there? I wondered.

What did he do that he can no longer face Dr. Carpenter?

What horrible thing did he do?

Chapter 17

We had to leave Georgie in the hospital. The vet cleaned and stitched up the wound. But he wasn’t sure if Georgie’s leg could be saved. We’d have to wait and see.

When we got home, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned all night, thinking about Georgie, thinking about the weird animal that attacked him. So many strange things were going on in the woods.

I had to find out what was going on there. And I couldn’t do it from Chicago.

My whole life suddenly seemed out of control. I was afraid now of the thing I loved most—the woods. And I was angry with Dad. Angry because he didn’t trust me. Or confide in me. Angry because he wanted to send me away.

I was afraid of him, too, I realized. I didn’t know my own father anymore. I was afraid of what he might do next.

After school I hurried to the animal hospital. Dr. Carpenter greeted me in the waiting room. She looked really stressed. She had dark rings under her eyes, and her blond hair was unbrushed, falling in damp tangles.

Before I had a chance to say hi, she spotted the wound on my throat. “Laura, what happened? Did Georgie bite you?”

“No. I—I was bitten by a—” I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what had bitten me.

“What was it?” Dr. Carpenter asked.

“Well, it looked like a little pig. With really sharp teeth.” I let out a nervous laugh. “I know it sounds crazy…. ”

“Where was this little pig?” Dr. Carpenter asked. “Where were you when you got bitten?”

“In the woods,” I told her.

“A little pig with sharp teeth running around in the woods. It does sound crazy, doesn’t it?” Dr. Carpenter frowned. “What does your dad think?”

I let out a sigh. “I don’t know. He told Dr. Davis it was a chipmunk. He just said that because it was simpler than trying to explain what it really looked like.”

“Oh. Did your Dad see it, too?” she asked.

“I think so,” I answered.

Dr. Carpenter leaned close to me and studied the wound carefully. She smoothed her fingers gently around the stitches. “That’s nasty,” she muttered. She raised her eyes to me. “Did your doctor give you a rabies shot? Or any kind of antibiotic?”

“We got my blood test results this morning. I don’t need a rabies shot,” I said. “He did give me antibiotics.” And then I gasped. “Oh, no. Dad picked up the pills. But he forgot to give them to me.”

Dr. Carpenter put her arm around my shoulder. “Don’t worry. The wound doesn’t look infected. But it is a little swollen. I think I should give you an injection to stop the swelling.”