Chapter 40

• Violet
• After running all night through the forests as Lavender, it felt strange to walk home through the streets of Pinedale in my human form. The exhaustion, coupled with the odd feeling of moving on two legs, made me feel like a ghost—the absence of anyone in the street only solidified that feeling.
• I unlocked the front door quietly so I wouldn’t wake up Penny or her babysitter, Jane, slipping quietly down the hallway toward the stairs. I peeked into the living room, expecting to see Jane napping on the couch. I furrowed my brow when I saw that the blanket was still made on the armrest and decided to check upstairs.