Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Get back inside! # I promised that I'd keep under the shadow # Never speak to my great secret ghost # The beating heart # The beating heart that meets the creature wandered far # Through these veins # The Wolfblood flows # Through these veins # The Wolfblood flows.
# I think that chicken were off.
I can't believe you two.
Breaking out and raiding the bins.
Oh, Mama! You always say how I have to stay hidden from humans and never give in to our wolf selves.
The moment you get a chance, you're out of the cellar and away.
You don't understand how powerful the pull of the moon is.
- When you're old enough to take wolf form - I won't be a hypocrite, who says stay hidden and then breaks out at the first whiff of food! And that chicken Actually, your dad's not the only one who's been eating things he shouldn't, is he? Yes.
And you were still dressed when you came outside, young lady.
Didn't we agree in bed at 10 on school nights? I'm going to miss the bus.
I'm going to have to go.
Oh, and don't go hitting me on the nose again! What are those? You look like a right idiot.
Yeah, I do.
Well, I can take these off.
You're stuck with that face.
What are those on your feet? My shoes got eaten by werewolves.
- Did you not see the full moon last night? - Don't you start.
- I've already had this from Oh, Shannon! - Noddy! Did you hear last night on the moors? Howling.
Here, look what I found on Drayman's Lane this morning.
I'm going to compare it to paw-print photos of different dogs.
What, every type of dog? This is proof, Tom.
Proof that there's something weird over there on the moors.
Hey, Shannon.
I saw something weird on the moors.
You! Haven't you two got hair-curlers to play with or something? - Step aside, uglies! - If you can in those wellies.
- Yeah, you don't get to talk to us.
- Get over yourself, Kay.
This is Northumbria, not Gossip Girl.
Whatever! I'll show everyone.
Yes! New photography club members.
Finally! - You're going to need a bigger darkroom.
- What? Apparently the Incredible Hulk is taking up photography, along with Superman.
There is some awful handwriting in the school.
We're going to get new members and, even if we don't, the photography club is still a vital part of school life.
We can only fund clubs that involve a cross-section of pupils.
You have three members, and these two only joined to keep you happy.
That is not true.
The darkroom houses the official archive for the football team.
You can't just cancel - And the Stoneybridge Zoological Society.
- What? Look, I'm glad you all have passions, but it does not entitle you to a room on school premises to use as your own private den.
You have until tomorrow morning to find three new members or I'm closing you down.
Parry! No running in school.
When I find out who did this - Nice one, boys.
- Serves her right.
- Stupid club.
- Yeah, stupid.
Jimmy.
How did you work that one out? Who else has got such bad handwriting? Come on.
Mads, what are you doing? It's time for class.
Welcome aboard.
My name is Mr Jeffries.
I'm your head of year, as well as your form tutor, so you will be seeing a lot of me over the next year.
Everyone! This is Rhydian Morris, who I am guessing is from Wales.
No.
No, he's not from Wales.
OK.
Sue me.
Quiet, everyone! You smell like my parents.
Maddy, Maddy, sit down.
Thank you.
Rhydian, you too.
Quiet! Claire, wake up! James, James! If I hear one more sheep noise coming from the back of the class, you'll regret it.
Don't mind those idiots.
They're a few coats short of a manicure.
Rhydian, that's a lovely name.
What's it mean? - Where in Wales are you from? - I live on the hill.
It's where all the best houses are in Stoneybridge.
What are you doing here? What? I'm looking for - No, here.
On our territory.
Don't you know the rules? You can't stay here.
- If my mum and dad get a sniff of you - I don't even know you.
- Exactly.
- I don't care whose territory this is.
I'm not sticking around anyway.
And why would I in this dump? No smelly girl tells me whether to stay or go.
- Smelly! - Maddy, you did kind of start it.
No, I didn't.
He was the one that was just Forget it.
Someone must know something about him.
Seen removal vans, something.
As usual, you two missed out the most important question.
Does he play football? Is that all you ever think about? Basically, yeah.
Hey, Jimmy, are you going to ask the new kid to try out? Leek Boy? I don't think he's the right sort for the team.
Do you? - He didn't say you couldn't ask.
- Good point! No, Tom, don't.
Come on Mad he wont bite.
He won't bite.
I wouldn't count on that.
That's brilliant.
You're really good, you know.
- What do you want? Just wanted to know if you like football.
- Not really.
- Because it's a good way to make friends.
I don't like football and I don't want to hang around with you and your weirdo mate.
You got that? Yeah.
I got that.
Obviously they don't teach manners in Wales.
Next time, you need to approach the weird kid.
You didn't see the picture, did you? It was a wolf sketch.
Rhydian, look what we found.
It's this competition.
- We're definitely going to enter.
- We think you should too cause.
- You're dead good-looking.
- All you need is a - what's it called - Photolio.
- She means a portfolio.
Come on, girls.
He's not interested in that.
He's only just got here.
What he needs is someone to show him around, and we know everything about.
- That weird girl, who's she? Maddy Smith? Her? Those country families have lived here for centuries.
Never leave the area, don't like strangers or questions.
They're all cuckoo! What are we talking about her for? Let's talk about you and me.
And us.
We could offer snacks at meetings.
I think we have an image problem.
Photography club, it just sounds so boring.
What we need is a cool club name like Snap Attack.
- Tom! - How about Snaptastic? Don't Be So Negative! Get it? Negative.
Look, we need three new members by tomorrow.
What's going on today? Where could we recruit new members? Miss Parrish's badger stake out! It's open to anyone, but is part of the year seven syllabus so year sevens have to go.
Sian, you're a genius.
If we give out all the club cameras, I bet we'll get three new members by tomorrow.
- I thought I smelled something funny.
- Is that your lunch, Welshy? I'm not even Welsh.
Ooh! Got a problem, Leek Boy?! Argh! Argh! What on Earth is going on here? Huh? - What are you doing? - It's all right.
- Get out! - Just breath.
You have to get out! I'm so sorry.
Rhydian! - He's off his head! - And where is Rhydian? I'll catch up with him later.
You, follow me.
I knew there was something about you.
When your eyes went It's true, isn't it? You're like me! - You are like me.
- -I'm not like you! I don't show off and pick fights and invades other packs' territory.
You're a danger to us all.
And the sooner you leave, the better.
What happened in here? Let him go.
He doesn't belong here.
Apologies, badger watchers.
We're waiting for the last few stragglers to show and then we go.
Five minutes.
There you go.
On loan from the photography club.
There's still room for a few new members.
Better sign up quick, though, yeah? I still think we should tell someone, you know.
Yeah, tell Jeffries that the darkroom's been trashed.
See how quickly he closes the club then.
Are you going to buy anything or not? A pound.
Thank you.
- Are yous coming on the badger walk too? - As if.
- Hey, Bernie, is Rhydian coming? - Who? He's this tall.
- And dreamy.
And Welsh.
- BOTH: he's not Welsh.
Ah, the Vaughans' new foster kid.
- Rhydian's in foster care? - Oh, aye.
Must have been a bad boy, eh? To get moved all the way up here for a fresh start? He's an orphan? I've told you most foster kids have parents somewhere.
He's separated from them.
All alone in the world.
Stuck in a strange place, no-one to turn to.
Trying to make it in the world all alone.
Keep recruiting.
I'll meet you in the woods.
- What? - What? This is where we have to be very quiet.
Badgers come out around dusk and we don't want to scare them.
And photography really impresses girls.
You will join up, won't you? Quiet.
Do you want to go on a photography course? - Rhydian! - Don't worry, I'm out of here.
- Don't! I was stupid.
I'm sorry.
Don't go, we can help you.
- Help? - I've had help.
Counselling, Ritalin.
- We can really help.
You need to learn to control your wolf self before someone gets hurt Probably you.
You're just like the rest of them! - I know about the Vaughans.
I know you're alone.
- So? I'm like you, you saw that.
You may be like me, you think the same as them.
You're just trying to make me better.
But, you know what? What I am, what I turn into, that is better.
It's better than anything I've ever known and I'm not letting anyone take that away from me.
I'm not going to let you go! Go ahead.
Chase me, stop me! Use your wolfy powers and see how long it takes for someone to find out what you are.
Because none of your mates know your little secret, do they? I thought not.
I've got nothing to lose here.
Unlike you.
Where's Maddy? Sorry we're late, everyone.
Seen any badgers yet? No, you two have scared off every animal for miles.
I'm sorry, everyone.
We'll have to come back another day.
- Join the photography club.
- Anyone? No? Well done, Mads! We were so close to getting new members and then you two had to mess everything up.
There's something important I have to - What? More important than the photography club? - Yeah, actually! Rhydian is more important than the club.
The thing is Rhydian and I are related.
Distant cousins.
He's the black sheep of the family, and I didn't want him here.
So I treated him badly, which is why he lashed out and trashed the darkroom.
You don't have to be best friends, but Rhydian's part of my life now.
And that's that.
OK.
Sure.
Welcome to Stoneybridge, mate.
You really don't like football? Right, well, I am frozen.
So can we just go? Yeah.
You might want to stay here and warm up.
It's a long walk back to Wales.
I'm not even W Oh! Here's to the late, great, Bradlington High photography club.
It was fun while it lasted, yeah? - We have a proposition for you.
- You've got a proposition for us? It's this competition.
It'll cost too much to get our photos done professionally.
- And we need a photolio.
- Portfolio.
Both.
So, if you take our photos, we'll join your photography club.
And everybody wins.
We're not actually going anywhere near your manky darkroom.
We'll just put our names down so Jeffries keeps it open.
Do we have a deal? - P-lease! - Euuuw! Is Rhydian joining? No.
I'll catch you up, yeah? Rhydian! - I'll walk home with you.
- I never said I was staying.
That's a pity.
You've got a fan club.
- He's just scrummy.
- He likes me.
He does not.
If that doesn't scare you off, nothing will.
So If you're not from Wales, how do you get named Rhydian? My mum was Welsh.
I think.
How long have you been in foster care? Since I was two.
And nobody knows what you are? So What did you do for the full moon last night? I couldn't stay in my bedroom, could I? I climbed out of my window.
So it was your paw-print that Shannon found! Was it your first change? Second.
The first got me chucked out of my last foster home.
What happened? Don't know.
I went to bed and woke up in a ditch.
Turns out I trashed my bedroom, so they kicked me out.
Must have been hard.
Anyway, what about you? I mean, full moons must be epic out here.
Well, I haven't started transforming yet.
So, I know more about this stuff than you do? Yeah, you're the expert.
That's why you lost it with Jimmy in front of half the school.
I didn't know that could happen.
I only thought werewolves went hairy at the full moon.
We feel the urge to change when we feel threatened or angry too.
Learn to control it, and you can transform whenever you want.
- How do you know all this stuff? - Me parents tell us.
- You have parents like us? Yeah, and it's Wolfblood, not werewolf.
We're not monsters.
The weird thing is I don't even remember being bitten.
Bitten? You don't get bitten.
Don't laugh at me.
Sorry.
It's just You really do have a lot to learn.
Well, teach me then, smelly girl.
You were born this way.
You're normal.
Look around.
Everything you thought made you a freak Sight, hearing, speed, sense of smell .
.
they're all completely normal for a Wolfblood.
So, say I did stick around, only for a bit, no promises You'd have a pack at last, people to teach you.
Oh, no.
No rules, no lectures, you can keep your group hugs and your big, furry family, I'll do things my way.
A lone wolf, huh? Next time you lose control over your wolf self, what happens then? Well, that'll be an interesting day, won't it? This is serious.
He could expose us all.
Caught you.
- It wasn't me.
- Then who was it? You call this proof? Yeah, what do you call it? I'm just fed up of lying all the time.
There's one friend you don't have to lie to.
- Rhydian! - They believe me, Tom.
No-one's ever believed me before.
It's not nice to be accused of lying, is it? - Mads! - Run!