Free Girl in the Red Hood by Brittany Fichter Page A

from most other families. It is why we live so far
from Ward."
    "You mean with the wolves?" Kurt raised one
eyebrow, so Liesel explained.
    "Lothur had wolves that listened to him. You
ran right past them, and they didn't even notice. They nipped and
growled at me though." Liesel trembled at the memory. It suddenly
made sense. Kurt's family must be able to influence the wolves. It
was why he'd scoffed that first day at the thought of wolves
attacking him, and it must have been why he could run past the
wolves without blinking. "But what do they want with me?" she
finished with a whisper. Why had she been marked?
    "Liesel, I told you before. The magic here
is not good magic like you have in your stories. It's dark, and it
seeks to do evil."
    "How do you know there is dark magic here?"
Liesel whispered.
    "You keep forgetting. This is my home."
    "But why did the wolf bite me? And why won't
anyone talk about it?" Liesel was getting angrier the more she
thought about it. None of it made any sense. It was like a
confusing dream from which she couldn't awaken. Everyone knew. The
peddler, the mayor, and even Kurt's mother knew. Everyone but her.
And yet, she had the awful feeling that she was still being hunted,
and they were just watching, waiting for her to stumble.
    "That's how the magic works. They're not
allowed to talk about it. They might want to, but most of them
can't. Not to you, at least."
    "But the peddler!"
    "What peddler?" Liesel related to him all
that had happened the evening before. As she spoke, Kurt's face
paled. "Kurt, what's wrong?" He grabbed her by the shoulders.
    "Liesel, you cannot tell anyone about any of
this! Do you understand?" When she was too frightened to respond,
he gave her a shake and asked again, "Do you?" Liesel would have
been angry with him for the shake if it hadn't been for the terror
in his eyes. She had never seen him frightened. He was often oddly
quiet, and he sometimes liked to strut around the way most boys his
age did, but now all the playfulness and bravado was gone.
"Liesel," he whispered tightly. "I am trying my best to protect
you. There are things going on here that you've never imagined, not
even with that book."
    "Tell me," Liesel breathed in fear. "Tell me
what's going on! Tell me why that wolf bit me, and why the peddler
said I was in danger." Kurt shook his head.
    "I can't." She glared at him.
    "You are just as bad as the rest of them!"
The look of hurt in his eyes was unmistakable, but she was too
frustrated to care. Neither of them spoke for a while. She stood
next to the roaring waterfall, just at the edge where it plunged
over, and she stared at the outline of her mountain. She wanted to
look at him, to see if he was still sad, but her pride wouldn't
permit it. She remembered some saying her mother used to quote
about the danger of pride, but she ignored it. The pride was all
that was holding her together. Without the indignant fold of her
arms and raised chin, she would crumble to pieces. The knowledge
that Kurt had known and not told her was jarring. He had been her
rock. He finally spoke again, his quiet words interrupting her
thoughts.
    "I can't tell you, but I can promise to do
my best to keep you safe." Liesel finally turned and looked for a
long, long time into her friend's anxious face. His brown eyes were
repentant, and she was reminded that he was not yet a man. He might
be rather proud sometimes, and could act as if he owned the forest,
but in reality, he seemed no more in control than she was. She
sighed.
    "How can you promise that? You're just a
boy." She didn't miss the flash of annoyance that moved across his
face.
    "I promise!" he moved closer, his expression
suddenly fierce. "I can't make it all stop, but I can keep
you safe. Would you just believe me?" Still feeling a bit resentful
and defiant, her first impulse was to say no. But the longer she
looked at him, the more she remembered. He was the one who had
found her. He'd brought her as close to her