"I'll put out an APB, but we usually don't report people missing until they've been missing for at least twenty-four hours."
Poppy growled into the phone, her fear and frustration palpable. "Fine!" She hung up, wishing she could slam the phone down the way her parents used to be able to do. Pressing a button wasn't nearly as satisfying. She slipped her backpack on and reached for the doorknob, hesitating as her fingers brushed the gold metal. She turned back, going into the kitchen and taking one of the larger knives from the knife block, holstering it carefully between her belt and the waistband of her jeans. Taking a deep breath, she finally opened the door and stepped outside, carefully locking the door behind her.
She gazed down the street, peering into the inky darkness, her warm breaths making small puffs of fog in the chilly, humid air of mid-spring. She gulped and reached up to grip the straps of her backpack nervously, her knuckles turning as white as her French tips. The thick soles of her black combat boots made clunky, clicky sounds as she stepped off the front porch and strode purposefully down the street.
If the police couldn't yet be bothered to look for her parents-then by God, Poppy Marie Takala would.
CHAPTER TWO
Two hours later found Poppy wandering up and down streets she hadn't even known existed in her town. Dark streets. Streets that obviously hadn't been taken care of by city workers in a very long time. Of the streetlights that still worked, most flickered and emitted only a small halo of dim, yellow light that didn't quite reach the ground. The streets themselves were more pothole than road, and Poppy found herself aiming her small flashlight close to the ground to avoid breaking an ankle on the broken pavement.
A loud rustling from the inky blackness beside her made her swing her light up, and she scanned the field nearby with quick, jerky movements, her eyes wide and panicked as her heart pounded in her chest. She reached down to touch her knife with the other hand, her fingers toying with the hilt but hesitant to pull it completely free yet. The rustling continued in spurts, starting with fervent waves of the tall grass and wrinkled weeds, only to stop in deafening silence and resume moments later several feet away. Poppy's heart continued to pound even as she bravely approached the wild darkness beyond the relative safety of the road.
A few steps closer to the field brought an odd, sweetish smell to her nose and she flinched, covering her nose as the realization struck her.
It was the scent of death.
"Please, whatever is out there...please, please don't be another body." She took a hesitant step up onto the crumbling curb, then another into the slightly soggy grass, wincing as her boot squelched rather louder than she would have liked. Step by excruciatingly slow step, her flashlight flickering through the yellowing and wilted foliage. The odor of decomposition grew stronger as she crept forward, passing by the first line of sapling pine trees. She swept the evergreen branches out of her path, grateful when the slight pressure of her hand released the clean scent of the forest and temporarily erased the rotten smell from the air.
A sudden loud crack, followed by a growl in a somewhat higher pitch than she might have expected to hear, startled her into nearly falling over a fallen branch. She grabbed on to the slightly thicker trunk of an older (and very dead) tree to keep from landing in the muck caused by the recent rains, gasping as her alarmed pulse raced. She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to force her heart back down out of her throat where it had inexplicably decided to set up residence.
She shone her light through the increasingly ragged underbrush, biting her lip as she peered through the inky darkness in a vain attempt to locate whatever it was that was making such ungodly noise. It was like the squealing of tires mingled with the screech of a cat in heat and the unearthly growl of something large.
"Please don't be a wolf," Poppy whispered, tightening her grip on the base of her flashlight as she tried desperately to see anything in the deepening woods. "Or a bear. Be something small and easy to run away from...."
A squeal escaped her as the depth and volume of the screechy growling increased, and she slapped her hand over her mouth a moment too late. She was knocked to the ground as something very large, very furry, and very smelly crashed into her, one large cold paw smushed the arm holding the flashlight into the mud, sending the light itself spinning into the side of a tree to break into several useless pieces and plunging Poppy's world into complete darkness.
Poppy bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying out in pain, holding her injured arm as if to hold it together. It felt crushed although she really, really hoped it was just badly bruised. Another paw had also stepped in the middle of her back, but not quite as hard. She was sure that one would be okay for now, though a claw might have scratched along her ribs. There was a warm wetness there that really shouldn't have been particularly warm or wet.
She pushed herself up carefully with her one good arm, struggling to her feet and pulling out her knife. She cradled her sore arm to her side as she slowly made her way further in, her eyes adjusting to the darkness even as her olfactory sense grew more offended by the smell of death. Now she could taste it, and she was sure she had lost her appetite for the rest of her life. She might come out of this adventure a few pounds lighter, depending on how many times she had to vomit.
After several more minutes of walking, she came across...well, whatever it had once been, it was now unidentifiable in nearly every way. Except the one that mattered.
He had obviously been a large man before the thing that had crashed into her decided to make him its midnight snack. Poppy pulled out her phone and quickly reported it, telling the operator that she was headed back home and exactly where home was, if the cops wanted to speak with her. As she was sure they would.
Then she turned back the way she had come. Before she reached her front door, she was at least five pounds lighter.
BY THE TIME THE POLICE knocked on the door, Poppy had at least gotten the chance to give her toothbrush a passing glance at her mouth and had tried to wrap something around her arm, which was mostly black and blue and a deep pinkish purple. There was also another scratch, more of a gash really, in the tender flesh of her inner arm, to match the one over her ribs which she couldn't quite manage to do much with. Thankfully the cops had brought along an EMT to assist them "just in case".
"You said it was a large animal of some kind?" The officer asked kindly, his accent very Canadian. Poppy nodded as the EMT gently disinfected and bandaged the wound near her back before beginning to tend to her arm. "I only ask because that one on your back there looks like someone punched you and then tried to stab you...."
"No, sir. It was something massive. I don't think it was a bear- it didn't sound right- but it stunk to high heaven."
"When you say it didn't sound right...."
"I mean it sounded like, I dunno, a wolverine or something. At least, what wolverines and badgers sound like on YouTube, you know?" The officer nodded, so Poppy continued. "But it was- ow!- too big to be anything like that."
"Did it try to bite you at all?" The EMT asked as she unwrapped Poppy's arm carefully, wincing along with the girl when she hit an especially tender area. They both sucked in a swift, whistling intake of air when the wound was exposed. "Damn," the EMT cursed under her breath, and Poppy smirked slightly before responding.
"No. Just sorta bowled me over, stepped on me a couple times, and ran off. Um. Toward the street, though, so you might want to be really careful out there. I wish I had more info to give, I really do, I just...."
"It's fine," the officer soothed. "Completely understandable, given what you went through. Still no sign of your parents, but we'll keep looking." His cell rang, and he motioned that he'd be back in just a moment as he answered and stepped away. Poppy could still hear his voice, a low hum in the background, but she was watching in exhausted fascination as the EMT dabbed some ointment on her arm before rewrapping it in clean gauze.
"You need to make a visit to Doc tomorrow," the woman sa
id softly. "Patch job like this doesn't replace clinical care, okay?" Poppy nodded and thanked her as she walked away and the policeman returned, slipping his phone back in his pocket.
"My guys said they recovered the body you found, and it isn't anyone they, uh, recognize from around here." The officer paused and Poppy breathed a sigh of relief. "However," he began, and she held her breath again, "we'll still need you to come down to the station and make an official statement. It can wait til morning though. You're probably exhausted, eh? I'll head out. You get to bed, and don't worry about anything tonight. I'll have a couple of the deputies patrol around here and keep an eye out. See you tomorrow, miss." The officer cocked his hat at her as he left, so Poppy clipped him a smart salute and a smile, following to lock the door behind him. She cleared away the detritus of her medical care, tossing it in the trash before she flipped the downstairs lights off and dragged herself up to her room.
She barely managed to kick off her shoes (and think to herself that she really should have done that before trudging all through the house in them) before falling into her bed. Grateful that she never saw the need to make her bed, she drew the covers up to her chin, tucking her fists beneath her jaw as though she were five instead of fifteen.
She was deeply asleep before her head had fully settled into the pillow.
CHAPTER THREE
"DEAR DIARY,
"So...it's been three months and change since mom and dad went missing. Aunt Jasey moved in with me to keep me from getting sucked into the system. She got me this journal to keep track of my thoughts. It helps. A little. Better than nothing. None of my friends understand, of course. None of their parents ever just...disappeared.
"Aunt Jasey's calling me for supper. I'll write more later. Glad she got me this thing. It really does help."
Poppy closed the leather journal and secured the fancy latch. It didn't really lock anything, but there was something satisfying about flipping the claw-like hook into the loop closure, then wrapping the rough-yet-supple leather cord around the entire book before tucking the end into itself. She tucked her journal into the back of her pants and let her long t-shirt fall to cover the slight bulge made by its presence. A quick glance in the mirror to yank her hair into a messy bun and secure it into place with an alligator clip, and she hurried down the stairs.
As she went she pondered to herself over the last three months. No new bodies found, no news of her parents, no strange Giant Badger Creatures discovered. It was eerily silent for the hinterlands of Montana in the winter. She slid into her seat at the table, sniffing gratefully at the offerings there. Aunt Jasmine might sometimes be a little "spaced out", but she was a damn fine cook. Her famous loaded twice-baked potatoes were sitting centerstage, as well as a huge platter of boneless ribs smothered in onions and sauce, and an enormous salad.
"Are we having company over?" Poppy asked. Her aunt had invited several of Poppy's teachers over at one point or another since her arrival, asking generalized questions, learning what (if anything) her niece needed help with. The responses had been nearly unanimous in saying that she was an excellent student who occasionally crapped out in math class. Jasmine had vowed to help as best she could, and that was that.
"No, it's just us tonight," Jasey said, returning to the table with two glasses filled with crushed ice (bagged, from Sonic) and soda. She set one down in front of Poppy and took a sip from hers before sitting down. She plucked her napkin off the table, shook it out, and laid it across her lap, then reached for the rib plate. "I'm just feeling extremely hungry tonight."
"Oh. Okay. Wow," Poppy said, watching wide-eyed as her aunt put rib after succulent rib on her plate, "you really are starving. Did you skip lunch or something?"
Jasey shook her head, finally passing the platter to her niece. "No, matter of fact I had two huge cheeseburgers and a large basket of fried pickles at the office. I must be stressed or something," she shrugged, forking salad beside her ribs.
Poppy smirked and nabbed a potato while she could. "Are you sure you aren't pregnant?"
Jasmine sputtered around her soda, setting the glass down with a thunk and an embarrassed chuckle.
"Um, pretty sure. I'm on a two-year dry spell. No love life, no baby."
Poppy shrugged and dug in, stuffing her face with the delicious meal before her. Her aunt might be clumsy and awkward in nearly every social situation, yet stick her in the kitchen and she became a culinary goddess. Poppy couldn't help the little moan of delight that escaped her as she ate and all too soon her plate was empty. She glanced up, thinking to help herself to some more salad or something, only to find every platter and plate on the table had been scraped clean. She cut her gaze to the side and watched in disbelief as her aunt literally licked her plate clean, then sucked rib sauce from her fingertips and still looked hungry.
"Aunt Jasey?" She inquired softly. "You might want to go get checked out at the hospital. What if you have worms or something?"
"Yeah," Jasmine said, her gaze seeming glassy as she stood and set her napkin on the table. She gazed at the mess of dishes and seemed torn between helping clean up and going to get her jacket and car keys. Poppy stood and put a hand on Jasmine's arm.
"Hey. Don't worry about it, okay? I'll clean up. Get yourself to the hospital." Jasmine nodded and gathered her things, and Poppy heard the front door open and close as she set plates and silverware in the sink to rinse.
She studied the door, hearing the car door slam, the engine roar to life, and the crunch of gravel under the tires as her aunt left for a checkup. Decisively, she sat at the kitchen table and scribbled in her journal, her pen moving fast and furious as she recounted the occurrences of supper. Finishing quickly, she moved to the kitchen, rinsing and loading the dishes in the dishwasher and setting it to start in four hours. Then she decided to return upstairs to continue reading her book for school and wait for her aunt to return, hopefully with a good prognosis.
"POPPY MARIE! ARE YOU home!" Jasmine's voice rang out through the house as she hung her jacket in the closet and set her earmuffs and gloves on the shelf beneath before yanking off her boots and shunting them toward the boot rack and closing the door. "Poppy? Helloooooo!"
Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump! Poppy jumped the last three steps and skidded across the floor on landing, grabbing the newel post with both hands and part of an arm to stop herself slamming into the opposing wall.
"You're back! Well, what'd they say? Are you pregnant or do you have worms?"
Jasmine lovingly smacked Poppy upside the head as she passed by heading into the living room. "Neither, kiddo. I had to get blood drawn," she said, pulling a face as she flopped down on the couch. She touched the taped-over cotton ball in the crook of her arm. "Not the best lab tech I've ever had, but what're ya gonna do? The doctor, though- whew! Total hottie."
"Really?" Poppy said, scooting her chair closer. Fifteen was ripe boy-hunting time, after all. She managed to look chagrined when Jasmine glanced sharply at her, but only a little. "What'd he look like?"
Jasmine got a far-off look in her grey eyes as she thought on the handsome doctor. "Dark hair, almost black and pretty short. Messy, like he'd just rolled out of bed-"
"Well, he's a doctor. He might have just, you know?"
"Do you want to hear this or are you gonna keep interrupting me?" Jasmine muttered through her teeth. Poppy raised her hands in surrender and sat back a little, motioning for her aunt to continue. Jasey cleared her throat.
"Anyway, messy hair, little cleft in his chin...you wouldn't even notice it if you weren't staring at him for awhile. Gorgeous blue eyes, I mean gorgeous, okay? Like, they almost glow kind of gorgeous...anyway. And his voice...ohhh, girl..." Jasmine shuddered delicately. "It was weird, though. I was really worked up, like anxious and kinda...angry for some reason. Well, you saw me when I left here. That, but getting worse. But when he started talking...it all just left. Seeped away, and I felt calm and relaxed. He said they were going to run some tests on my blood, just to
rule out some things that might cause the hunger and weird mood changes as a side effect, and there was really nothing to worry about. And you know...I'm not. Worried about it, I mean."
Poppy just watched her for a moment, looking for the weird behavior of the last few days, but her aunt's eyes seemed clearer and her demeanor was calm. She smiled and relaxed and patted Jasey's hand.
"Okay. If you aren't worried then I won't be, either. Are you hungry now? Want anything?"
Jasmine considered, then shook her head. "No, I'm good. Think I'm gonna head on up, but go ahead and make something if you want."
Poppy nodded and wished Jasmine goodnight as she herself headed back into the kitchen. Suddenly the idea of a sandwich and some chips was too good to pass up. As she went, she shook her head and smirked at her aunt's reaction to the Hot Doctor. Adults were weird sometimes. But then again...maybe she ought to accompany Jasey to the hospital when her bloodwork was returned. Just to see for herself that everything was above board, of course. It had absolutely NOTHING to do with seeing just how cute the doctor was. Nothing at all.
She smacked the loaf of bread on the counter, followed by the jar of honey roasted peanut butter and the Claussen pickle slices from the fridge. She popped a slice of bread into each of the four slots of the toaster and tapped her knife against the counter as she waited, jumping when the toast leapt up. Stupid toaster.
After creating her masterpieces, she took her food-laden plate to her room and resumed her book where she'd left off- with the werewolves gathered in a dojo, fighting over the honor of their Alpha. Not typical reading for a book report, but Poppy considered herself far from a typical teenager.
CHAPTER FOUR
It was barely past sunrise when Poppy woke the morning of Jasey's return trip to the hospital to receive the reports on her bloodwork. She turned a bleary gaze to her window and smiled to see the huge, lazy flakes of snow falling rapidly from the pale grey sky. After months of cold weather, it was nice to finally have snow instead of sleet and freezing rain, even if it was in the middle of April.
Bound to Change: A Limited Edition Spring Shifter Romance Collection Page 86
