Chapter 1

'Boring!' The voice of the history teacher was putting me to sleep. It was such a soft and comforting voice that it alone might put many people to sleep. And the topic he was rambling about, medieval Europe, made us even sleepier.

I perked up as the intercom started its announcement tone. "Walter Hartman to the Principal's office, Walter Hartman to the Principal's office."

I groaned, 'Damn I hate my name, why couldn't they have given me a cool name like my big brother Mack or even like my kid brother Remo. But nooo, I had to be named after a grandfather I never even knew.'

Slowly I got up, with the teacher's eye urging me to hurry up so he could continue torturing the rest of the class. I was relieved to be out of that classroom, but why was I called to the Principal's office? All day long some students were called there and I'd hung out with most of them at one time or another.

I got to the office and the secretary opened the door for me before motioning me to get in right away. 'That isn't encouraging.'

Two men in suits were with Principle Lassiter. He introduced them as Detectives Meshinger and Davies. As soon as I was seated, they sat in front of me. One of them asked, "Mr. Hartman, What do you know about Marjorie Wise?"

I scowled, she was a girl that had turned into a badger hybrid a few weeks ago. I'd stayed away from her since it happened. it was too bad though, she had been a nice girl. While I was thinking I saw them eyeballing me as if they could pierce my thoughts. Coolly I said, "Sure, I knew her. She changed into an animal. What of it?"

Detective Meshinger rose a little, like he was going to do something to me. But his partner stopped him. Instead, Detective Meshinger growled, "She got raped, beaten almost to death and left out in the snow to die. That's what!"

I squinted at the detectives, I had heard something about an attack on someone. But I didn't know who or what. Instead I asked, "So?"

The detective Davies leaned over towards me, "So, talk to me boy. You and your friends tore her clothes off, tied her up, raped her and then left her to die."

Hot tempered I responded, "I didn't have anything to do with that." And I meant it. I mean, I might tear her clothes off, I might even beat her, but not rape. And most certainly I wouldn't leave her to die. Hey, I may be a bad boy and cruel, but even I have my limits.

Meshinger asked, "Any way to prove that Walter?" he said my name like an insult.

I calmed myself and coldly said, "This happened yesterday, right?" As they nodded, I continued, "Well yesterday I was in detention for making trouble in Ms. Porris's class. You can check that."

Detective Davies said, "We will, but we are talking to you now. So if you didn't do it, how about your friends? Know anyone who would do such a thing? Would you do such a thing? Hmm?"

'Actually I might help in some parts, but I wasn't going to tell them. And I knew some guys that probably might do it.' "Sorry haven't got a clue. Besides, even if I did know, what kind of a friend would I be if I ratted on them?"

Detective Meshinger blew again, "A law abiding citizen, not a lowlife piece of scum that almost killed a young girl that just happened to have bad luck."

My temper flared as well, "Bad luck? Getting MORFS is not bad luck. It's punishment for the people who are bad. They should throw them out of this country!"

Now even Detective Davies looked angrily at me, "Getting MORFS isn't punishment, it's a sickness that lots of people can get. Even you can, young man."

I wasn't convinced of that, "I don't think so. Now I told you what I know, or rather, what I don't know. Can I go now?" I looked at them with a sneer.

With smoldering contempt the detectives dismissed me and began talking to the Principle about calling some other boys to come in. I stepped out of there, but didn't return to my class.

Instead I decided to skip school the rest of the day. As I walked out of the school into the snowy outdoors, I saw some of my friends had decided to do the same. They were hanging out at the Burger Barn at the corner across the street and I went over to them.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Walt. They got you for questioning, too?"

I nodded, "They can't touch me though, I was in detention. Any of you?"

The guys looked among themselves, but nobody admitted to having anything to do with the attack. I looked at them, I had a suspicion that at least Gary and Phil were among the group that had done it, but I really couldn't say for sure. Instead we changed the topic and started chatting about normal school stuff and about the plans for the upcoming holidays. We were planning to make a big snow hut and have a snowball battle. Before I knew it, it was already getting late. School started to let out, so when he came out, I joined my kid brother Remo for our walk home.

Remo asked, "Walter, why did you get asked into the Principle's office? Did you do something bad?"

Curtly I sneered, "No I didn't do anything wrong. Some guys did something and they thought I was with them. But you know I was in detention yesterday."

He tried to get some more answers out of me, but I didn't talk anymore the rest of the long walk to our home. Normally we would take our bikes to school, but with the amount of snow already on the roads it was too dangerous for us to do so. At long last we reached our ancestral home, a mixed farm of cattle, sheep, some pigs and a few other animals. But a big part of the business was the fields of grain and other plant products.

"Boys! You're late."

Both Remo and I groaned, of course we were late. We had been walking. "Sorry Mom, we'll get right on our chores." Dad counted on us to take over a lot of the daily workload. He hadn't even hired extra help for a few years now. We didn't mind the work, in fact I liked doing some of the chores. That night Dad and Mom wanted to have a word with me. I guess the school had called them about today. They grilled me about it for half an hour, but I really didn't have anything to do with it. They did ask me if I knew who was responsible, but I said I didn't know.

As I went to bed I didn't lie down to sleep right away, I lay down on the floor boards first with my ear pressed against the hole in the board. I listened to my parents talking.

I heard my Dad say, "Alida, I think Walter knows who did that terrible thing to that poor young girl. How can we get him to tell us or the police?"

"Now, now, Casey. I'm sure that he doesn't really know. He may have serious suspicions about the boys responsible, but they must be friends of his as well. I'm not saying I condone that sort of behavior, but if he rats them out he will lose all his friends at school."

"I don't care if he doesn't have a friend in the world. That kind of friends he can miss like a toothache. I really wanted to beat it out of him tonight, you know?"

"Yes Casey, I know. But really let's take this calm and easy. He will see his error sooner or later and then he will tell us who he thinks did it. Now let's go to bed, I'll make it worth your while."

"Ooh, lead the way girly."

I stopped listening. 'How gross, hearing your parents insinuating they are going to have sex. I knew they were going to do it. I heard the sounds sometimes. So they thought I would tell them someday? Well they might have to wait for a long time then.'

When I went to bed, I couldn't sleep right away. I kept thinking about Marjorie. I had liked her a lot. But why did she have to change into such an abomination.

The next few days were uncomfortable at school, as everyone kept watching everyone. Now the whole school knew what had happened. It had been the main story in the local newspaper as well. The few MORFS survivors that we had at school kept close together with themselves. They were rather afraid that one of them might be next. We, on the other hand stayed far away from them, like they were infectious or something.