Dead Is Not an Option

by Marlene Perez

  I bent down and put his good arm around my neck. "We have to move you. I'm pretty sure there's going to be an explosion. This is going to hurt."

  I tried moving Ryan magically, but my powers decided at the worst possible moment not to cooperate. It was going to be good old-fashioned muscle or nothing. I gave a desperate heave and with Ryan's help managed to get him on his feet.

  We were the only two people left in the building. We headed for the door, but as we reached it, there was a deafening roar. A voice in my head screamed. Then I realized the voice I heard was my own. There was a sharp pain to my head, and everything went black.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  When I woke up, the first thing I saw was ugly wallpaper in an unfamiliar room. Then the worried faces of my parents swam into focus.

  "Where am I?" I tried to sit up, but the pain in my head wouldn't let me. "What happened?"

  Although my eyesight was a little blurry, I didn't miss the look they exchanged. "What do you remember?"

  "Grad Night, the Scourge, Ryan getting shot," I said. "Ryan! Where is he?"

  "I'm right here," he said soothingly. I tried to swivel my head around, but the pain started again. "Don't move," he said as he appeared in my line of sight. I didn't see any signs of major injury other than a cut on his face that was already healing and a sling on his arm.

  "Were blood speeds healing," he said.

  I was grateful for his physical recuperation, but he looked worn, like a light had gone out somewhere in his soul.

  Then it all came rushing back to me. Chief Mendez was dead. No wonder Ryan looked so sad. I reached over and squeezed his hand. "I'm so sorry," I said.

  He squeezed my hand back but wouldn't look me in the eyes. "Dad found out that Trinity wasn't the leader of the Scourge," he said, "but he had never expected it to be Mr. Devereaux."

  Dad grimaced. "I wish I had remembered sooner," he said. "I told the chief that I remembered Trinity and that she had been with someone I knew. We were at the university. It was late. Someone offered me a cup of coffee. It must have been drugged. I had no idea it was Spenser. I thought he was my friend."

  "No one knew," I said. Except Lily. Why hadn't I told anyone about Lil's musical clue?

  "My dad figured it out," Ryan said, "when I told him about the jukebox songs."

  "Sam's dad had been spending a lot of money," I said.

  Dad nodded. "That was a tipoff too. Spenser told everyone that he was rich again because of his book. But it was really the Scourge's criminal activities that made him wealthy. What finally gave Spenser away was that he got too greedy and hacked the college computers. They were able to determine that the criminal had done it using a faculty password. And it was fairly easy to monitor his bank accounts. He had way too much money for a college professor, even one with a book deal."

  "How did he get all that money?" I wondered.

  Dad shrugged. "Identity theft. Fraud. Plain old theft. And donations from wealthy, like-minded individuals."

  I shuddered. "I can't believe it was Mr. Devereaux the whole time. What if there's someone else who will just step into his shoes and start running the Scourge?"

  "If it's any comfort, Mr. Bone believes that most of the top leaders have been arrested."

  "Poor Samantha. How is she taking it?"

  "Badly," Mom said.

  Part of me felt like we were playing Twenty Questions, but I just couldn't stop. I had to know everything that had happened.

  I put a hand to my head and felt a thick bandage. "What's wrong with me?"

  Dad cleared his throat and tried to sound cheerful. "You're fine," he said. "You had to have a few stitches though. And you'll have a sore head for a day or two."

  "Did everyone make it out of the Black Opal before the explosion?" I asked. "It was an explosion, right?"

  "We'll talk about that later," Mom said. "Samantha and your sisters want to see you for a few minutes, and then you need to take a nap."

  I was stiff and sore. "I feel like I've been sleeping for days," I said.

  There was that look again.

  Ryan gave me a goodbye kiss and they all left, and a few minutes later my two sisters took their places by my hospital bed.

  "There's a huge crowd outside," Rose said. "Everyone is waiting to see you, but we wanted to talk to you alone."

  "Are you going to tell me what's really going on?" I asked.

  "They're worried you lost your psychic skills after all," Poppy said, then clapped her hand over her mouth. Leave it to Poppy to spill the beans.

  "That's what has Mom and Dad all freaked out?"

  "That and the fact that you were still in the building when the whole thing went up in a ball of flames," Poppy said.

  "How did we get out?" I asked. "The last thing I remember is that Ryan had been shot and we were trying to escape."

  "Ryan," Rose said succinctly, "carried you out."

  "But he could barely stand when I found him," I replied. Parts of the night were coming back to me.

  "Inhuman werewolf strength," Poppy said.

  "How about Nicholas?" I asked Rose. "And Liam?"

  "They're both fine," she replied. "Liam has a burn from where a cross touched him, but he's okay."

  "The chief," I said. "Is he really dead? It wasn't just some scheme to catch the real head of the Scourge?"

  "He's really gone," Rose said. "I'm so sorry, Daisy."

  "When's the ... the funeral?"

  "You were unconscious a long time," Poppy said carefully.

  I stared at her. "How long?"

  "Three days," Rose said.

  "I've been out for three days?" That explained the weird looks.

  "They already had the funeral. Everyone from Nightshade came."

  "Poor Ryan," I said.

  "His grandmother came from Orange County," Poppy said. "She's staying at the house with him for now."

  "What's he going to do?" I said. Ryan and his dad had been super close. I could only imagine what he was feeling right now.

  I kicked the covers off and swung my feet out of bed.

  "Oh no you don't," Rose said. "Mom would kill us."

  "I can't stay in bed for one second longer," I replied.

  "You're going to stay in there for as long as the doctors tell you to," Poppy said sternly.

  I made a face at her.

  "Mom and Dad were really worried," Rose said. "Ryan was beside himself. We're just lucky it wasn't a full moon. I swear he would have taken this place apart."

  "I'll stay put," I said. "For now."

  "How is Sam?" I asked.

  "She's in the hallway, waiting to see you," Poppy said. "In fact, we should get out of here so she can come in."

  My sisters left, and then Sam, Jordan, and Sean came in. Sam's eyes were red-rimmed, but her smile was as bright as ever.

  "I'm sorry," she said. "I know you probably don't want to be my friend anymore, not after what my dad did, but I'm sorry."

  "It's not your fault," I said. "I would never think it was your fault."

  "I wasn't paying attention," she said tearfully. "All those clues that there was something strange going on with my own father, and I didn't even care."

  "Samantha, nobody blames you," Jordan said.

  She ignored Jordan like she hadn't even spoken. "You know the worst part?" Sam continued. "I still love him, even though I know all the horrible things he did. Kidnapping your father, k-k-killing Ryan's dad." She burst into sobs, and Jordan wrapped her arms around her.

  "Samantha Devereaux, you listen to me," I said sternly. "Of course you love him. He's your father. That doesn't mean you agree with what he did."

  She threw herself into my arms. I winced, but ignored the pain and patted her back consolingly.

  Sam pulled herself together. "Thanks, Daisy," she said.

  After they left, there was a steady stream of visitors to my room until finally a nurse ushered everyone out of the room and I fell into a deep sleep.

  CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN

  A few weeks after the Grad Night disaster, things were slowly returning to normal. I was working a shift at Slim's, and Ryan sat at the counter, keeping me company.

  Rose and Nicholas were hanging out with Liam and Poppy. From the sound of their laughter, the four of them were getting along great.

  Lil, however, was sulking. She played "Broken Promises" by Survivor and "You Let Me Down" by Billie Holiday over and over again. Natalie had tried again to reverse the spell, but it hadn't worked. She wasn't giving up, but it looked like her magic just wasn't strong enough to free Balthazar and Lily.

  Mr. Bone rushed into the diner. "I have the most wonderful news," he said.

  For a second, I thought he was going to tell me that they had made a horrible mistake and Ryan's dad wasn't really dead, but that didn't happen.

  "Circe Silvertongue has agreed to reverse the spell," he declared.

  "Circe has reformed?" I asked.

  "Not exactly," Mr. Bone replied. "But she's finally ready to undo her wickedness."

  "What changed her mind? Guilt? Pity?" I guessed.

  He cleared his throat. "She was persuaded to revisit this issue by her new husband."

  "Husband? You mean, Circe got married? Who?" Who would be brave or foolhardy enough to take on Circe Silvertongue voluntarily?

  I answered my own question, suddenly realizing who her new husband was. "Count Dracul." Liam's grandfather was married to the meanest woman I'd ever met—and I'd met quite a few of them in the course of my investigations.

  "After she reverses the spell, the count is taking her on a trip to Europe for their honeymoon," Mr. Bone said.

  I couldn't say I would miss her. "When?" I asked. Lily and Balthazar would finally be free.

  "They will be here shortly," he said.

  "Where's Balthazar?" I said.

  "Balthazar's in the back with Natalie," Flo said. "I'm going to put the Closed sign up before any customers show up."

  I shredded a paper napkin into tiny pieces. Ryan reached out and took my hand.

  "Don't worry, Daisy," he said. "She'll keep her promise."

  "She'd better," I muttered. After such a horrible graduation day, I wanted this to work, now more than ever. I didn't think I could bear it if anything went wrong.

  Circe swept into the restaurant, followed by Count Dracul. Natalie and Balthazar emerged from the back, curious.

  "Let's get this over with," Circe said. "Darling, place the pig next to the jukebox."

  The sight of the normally fastidious count carrying a pet pig was so incongruous that it almost made me laugh.

  The count put Balthazar down gently, and the pig trotted over to the jukebox and nuzzled the cold surface with his snout.

  Lil started to play "Crying" by Roy Orbison, and then the song began to skip. It sounded almost like Lil was the one doing the crying.

  Circe ignored the distraction. "You have the objects?" she asked me.

  I nodded. "I'll be right back," I said.

  Slim had been keeping the ring and the pen in the restaurant safe. He carefully unlocked the safe and said the magic word that Natalie had given us. In true lovebird fashion, the magic word was wedding, which I thought was terribly cute.

  I came back with the items, and Circe held out her hand imperiously. I gave her Balthazar's pen and Lily's engagement ring, even though part of me still didn't trust her.

  She seemed to forget all about everyone around her. She sank to her knees and went into a deep trance. Unlike Natalie, Circe spoke no words aloud, but I could see her lips moving. After several minutes, her eyes regained their focus.

  Count Dracul helped her up. She steadied herself and then dusted off her hands. "It is done," she said.

  She turned her brilliant green eyes on me. "Someone," she emphasized, "has been interfering with my magic."

  "We were just trying to break the spell," I said. I didn't mention that Natalie had added a little spell of her own.

  There was silence in the diner while we waited for something, anything, to happen. But nothing did.

  And then the jukebox kicked in with a song.

  "It didn't work," I said. I was so disappointed that I wanted to cry.

  "Of course it worked," Circe said haughtily. "It isn't like fast food, you imbecile."

  I opened my mouth to say something to her, but the count took her by the hand and led her away for a moment. He said something to her so softly that I couldn't hear. But whatever he said worked, because Circe came back to me. "My apologies," she said stiffly. "It has been pointed out to me that not everyone knows how such advanced magic works."

  "Listen to the song," Ryan said softly.

  "Never Forget You" by the Noisettes came on. My attention had been on the jukebox, but Balthazar squealed and I whipped my head around to stare at him.

  The pig's body shook, and suddenly Balthazar the pig was gone and in his place was a young man. He had curly black hair and a moustache and, I was happy to see, was fully dressed in a black tuxedo. I assumed that was what he'd been wearing when his enchantment began.

  I could tell Circe was surprised to see the man she used to love looking so young and handsome.

  "Bam, is it really you?" she said. "You look like you haven't aged a bit." She didn't sound particularly happy about the last part.

  He opened his mouth, but nothing came out except a tiny squeal. "Where am I?" he finally said. His voice sounded rusty from disuse.

  "You're in Nightshade," she said. "You've been gone a long time."

  He gave her a cold look. "I remember being a pig. Where is my fiancée? Where is Lily?"

  But there was still no sign of Lily Varcol.

  "I have done what I agreed to do," Circe said. She looked at the count when she said it.

  "Yes, my dear, you have," Count Dracul said. "And now I will keep my promise to you and show you the wonders of Paris."

  He gave Poppy a low bow and kissed her hand. "Take good care of my grandson," he said.

  "I will," she said.

  Then Circe swept from the room in the same haughty way she had entered. The count came up to me. "Daisy Giordano, it has been a pleasure to meet you," he said. "I expect great things from you. You have the heart of a lion."

  "Th-thank you," I said.

  After another low bow, he departed without a backward glance.

  Ryan and I exchanged a look. "Was that a compliment?" I asked.

  "Yes, I believe it was," he replied.

  The jukebox had gone silent but suddenly kicked in again. Lil played "I'll be There" by the Jackson Five.

  "What a great song," I said. "But I really hoped that the spell would work for both of them." I glanced over at Bam, who looked forlorn in his tuxedo. All dressed up and no one to dance with.

  Then a silver shimmer appeared, hovering above the jukebox. It hung suspended in the air and slowly floated to the ground. As it did, the shimmering shape materialized into a solid form. A young woman in a long white gown was standing in Slim's Diner. She looked bewildered, but I recognized her from the painting I'd seen at the Wilder estate when I first discovered that Lily Varcol had disappeared.

  She ignored everyone else in the room to focus on her fiancé. "Bam, is that really you?"

  He swept her into his arms and kissed her so long that I had to turn away from all the raw emotion I sensed in their embrace.

  I sighed. Lily Varcol was finally reunited with her one true love.

  Ryan grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. "You did a good thing," he said.

  "Mrs. Wilder!" I said. "We need to call her and get her down here."

  "Go gently," Flo advised. "She's had a rough time lately."

  "I'll call Bane," Ryan said. "And he and Elise can ease Mrs. Wilder into it."

  "Good idea," I said.

  We drifted over to a booth to allow Lily and Bam a little privacy.

  "Anyone hungry?" Slim asked.

  Natalie said, "I'm starving."

  "I could ea
t," Ryan said.

  He was a werewolf He could always eat.

  A little while later, Bane, Elise, and Mrs. Wilder came into the restaurant. Mrs. Wilder was white with excitement and shock.

  "Is she okay?" I asked Elise. She nodded. Elise could speak now, but it was difficult for her, and her voice had been changed forever by the attack.

  Mrs. Wilder approached her sister slowly and leaned on her cane.

  Lily realized that someone was staring at her and broke free of Bam's embrace. She looked Mrs. Wilder up and down for a long moment and then broke into noisy sobs. "Hilda, is that really you?" she said, once she regained her composure. "You're so ... old."

  Mrs. Wilder put out a trembling hand and touched her sister's face. "I am," she said. "But by some miracle, you are just the same as you were when you left."

  Lily put a hand to her own face and felt the smoothness of her cheek. "How is that possible?"

  Bam took her hand. "Fortune was kind, my love. We have the rest of our lives to spend together."

  "Your house," Mrs. Wilder said, then cleared her throat. "Merriweather House is just as you left it," she told Bam.

  "We can have the wedding there," he said to Lily. "If you'll still have me."

  "Try to stop me," she replied.

  Mrs. Wilder drew Elise forward. "This is my granddaughter, Elise." If Elise thought it was weird that her great-aunt looked almost as young as she was, she didn't act it.

  Lily held out her hand to shake Elise's.

  "Pleased to meet you," she said.

  "Your ring," Bam said. "Where is your ring?"

  "Circe used it to work the enchantment," I explained. I handed it to Bam, who immediately slipped it on his fiancée's finger.

  She admired it for a long moment, a happy smile on her lips.

  "I've been in a dream for so long," Lily said. "I played music, but no one heard me. But then there was a girl who finally listened."

  "Daisy," Natalie said. "You mean Daisy."

  I clung to Ryan's hand and tried not to cry. I couldn't believe that it was finally happening, that my friend Lil was finally free.

  "Yes, Daisy," Lily said. "Where is she?"

  "I'm here," I said in a small voice.

  Lily rushed to me and gave me along hug. I could smell her perfume. "I owe you so much," she said.