My heart was pounding in my chest as I approached the door to the equipment room. I took a deep breath, then slowly turned the handle and pushed it open.

But I wasn't expecting to be greeted by a big, brown pit bulldog barking fiercely at me. I let out a shriek and jumped back, my heart racing even faster.

Thankfully, someone had tied the dog to a chain, so it couldn't reach me. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

That's when I heard a commotion behind me. I turned around to see an old black man in blue overalls and dark work pants rushing towards me, his face etched with panic.

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?" he exclaimed, clearly worried.

I nodded, still a little shaken up. "Why is there a dog in the equipment room?" I asked, eyeing the canine warily.

The janitor hurried over to the dog and petted it soothingly, trying to calm it down. "This is only temporary for Ruby," he explained. "My wife usually watches her, but she's busy today. So I kept Ruby here to make sure she's safe."

"Safe?" I repeated, confused.

The janitor nodded. "I just don't like leaving her home alone. Don't judge me," he added, looking a little defensive.

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I rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I muttered, already starting to walk away. At least the dog wasn't another werewolf, I thought to myself as I left the room behind me.

*****

As I slipped into Tiffany's hot rod car with Malaysia, Holly, and Tiffany herself, I couldn't help but feel like we were the coolest girls in town. We had just nailed our performance, and now we were off to celebrate at Burger Queen. I was starving, but as soon as we walked in, I spotted Kevin and Salina sitting by the window. Kevin waved at me, and I knew he wanted to talk.

I turned to my friends and begged them to order for me. "I need to see what Kevin wants," I said, trying to play it cool. Tiffany shrugged and agreed, so I sauntered over to Kevin's table.

"What do you totally want?" I whispered as I approached them.

Kevin sipped his drink before answering. "We tried calling you. You didn't answer," he said.

"Yeah! I was totally busy at the pep rally. Why didn't you come?" I replied.

Salina, being the drama queen she is, said, "I would rather die than go to a pep rally."

I shot her a glare, but Kevin jumped in before I could say anything. "We had our own stuff to do, but tonight we wanted to do another investigation," he said.

My ears perked up. "What investigation? Is there a totally new monster running around?" I asked eagerly.

Kevin shook his head. "Uhhhhhhh, no. Remember the castle at the lake?"

How could I forget? Dregan Keep was where Betty and her wolf pack attacked my friends. The mere thought of that place sent chills down my spine.

"Yeah, that freaking place still gives me total creeps," I replied.

Salina smiled. "Good, because we are going back there."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"We haven't checked the castle completely since the incident. What if there is something there we missed?" Kevin asked.

"Like what? More werewolves to eat us?" I quipped, eyeing Salina.

"Except you, dumbie," she replied.

I snarled at her, but Kevin cut in again. "Jessica, I know how you feel, but you can't let the past get to you. As long as Dregan Keep stands, it might still hold useful secrets or a threat," he said.

I pursed my lips. "I thought the cops restricted the island."

"It's been a while. Nobody wanted to go back there after the tragic news. Will you come with us?" Kevin asked, looking at me with his big brown eyes.

I was about to answer when Malaysia called me over. "Jessica, we ordered BBQ nuggets for you. Come sit with us," she said.

I sighed and went to join my cheerleading squad at another table. Did I really want to go back to the castle? The thought was terrifying, but part of me was curious. I needed to think about it.