by Holly Hook
Oh.
“You did it?” I ask, voice rising.
Chaz speaks next. "Tyler was the only one who went inside. Turns out the Roses are out on a trip, and the house was empty except for a couple of cleaning staff. The rest of us had the joy of distracting the security guards once they came out to investigate."
"Rose Ranch. Has. Security guards," Gavin says, eyes widening.
Marion steps forward. "Why wouldn't they? They live close to the people they gouge."
"Exactly," Tyler spits, shoving the thumb drive in his jeans pocket before he can crush it between his finger and his thumb. "I hope I never have to sit and break into someone's files naked again. I'm just glad the drive didn't get ruined from being carried out in my mouth when I had to shift back."
I slap my hand to my mouth as the scenario plays out in my head. A dark wolf bolts across the Rose Ranch grounds, straight towards whatever security door there is, and sneaks in as the guards leave. Then the dark wolf shifts into a naked guy once in the computer room, hacks some files, shifts back, grabs the thumb drive, and bolts back out.
But no one laughs.
Tyler continues. "What I found...it was so horrible and disgusting that if this reporter doesn't bring it to the world, then I'll intimidate him myself. My parents did bribe the city council to raise the property taxes, but it's all a ruse so they can charge everyone here a shitload of cash. They even get to keep most of these 'property taxes' for themselves. Your grandma was right." He nods at Marion.
Marion shrinks back, paling, and I feel like I want to hit someone, but no one in front of me qualifies. So instead, I try to calm myself enough to think. "How did you get into the files? I know they must be password protected."
"My parents always had their passwords either as their anniversary date or the date they bought the land for Rose Ranch," Tyler says. "They're still predictable in that way, at least. My dad always hated it when he forgot passwords. It always sent his rage meter from one to ten." Tyler flashes me an evil grin, but the rage and disgust is there in how he gnashes his teeth together. Then he eyes the direction of Rose Ranch. "My parents are probably back as of this morning. They always like to spend the weekends at home when the cleaning staff is gone."
I get his meaning as darkness seems to settle over the parking lot. "They'll hear from security about the breach."
"They'll hear about the wolves," Chaz says, emphasizing the last word.
We go silent for a bit. Then Marion speaks. "So, you got everything? Emails? Statements?"
Tyler fishes the thumb drive back out. "It's all on this. Their seven hundred percent profits. The back and forth between them and the city council. The taxes aren't even real. They're an excuse to make more money. It's no wonder everyone in Tower is so miserable." Tyler pulls out the thumb drive and holds it up like he wants to throw it at the school. More redness creeps into his eyes and I sense he's about to lose control.
"Whoa," Chaz says. "Breathe, man."
This hasn't been easy for him, staring at his parents' evil head on.
"No," I say, drawing close to him. I put my arm on his, careful not to look too affectionate. "I know this was hard for you to do. Please, just breathe."
He's no longer aggressive around me.
I'm slated to be cursed, like him.
My contact gets Tyler to relax his face. But the pain is still there in his eyes. I'm the reason he charged into Rose Ranch last night. Because of me he finally got up the bravery to face what he never wanted to see for sure.
"Tyler. I'll take that. Will arrives on Monday afternoon, and we're meeting him that evening. We will make sure this gets into his hands and we'll make extra copies of the data to stay safe." I hold out my hand. "And this way, you won't have to look at it."
He hesitates, tightening his grasp on the small drive like he wants to crush the truth out of existence. I reach out and take his wrist, staying gentle.
"I'll take this from you. Tyler, it was brave of you to do this."
He breathes out while Gavin, Marion, and the Rose Gang all watch, holding their collective breath. It was beyond brave of Tyler to look directly at one of his greatest fears. We're matched now.
At last, he speaks at a whisper. "Well, you inspired me to finally get the stones to go in there." He loosens his grasp as the redness vanishes from his eyes. "Thank you, Beckah."
He doesn't mean the hair on my wrist last night.
I nod. "No. Thank you. This will make all the difference. The proof we have is undeniable." I take the drive in my other hand, but I lower Tyler's wrist. He allows me. "The curse is almost over."
"But is it?"
"Yes. It is. Believe it," I say. "You've just done the hardest thing you'll probably ever have to do, Tyler. You're awesome. And I love you." Right then, I don't care if my friends are surrounding us or if other people in the parking lot can see me holding his wrist and looking into his eyes like we're in some kind of romance novel. And that's probably a mistake.
"Beckah, I love you, too," he says, and his words are so sincere that I fill with heat. "We'd better go inside. Here comes Mr. Bright."
"Focus on having fun tonight," I say, releasing his wrist.
"I'll be in the background, working on the lighting and special effects with Chaz. Mr. Bright doesn't want us mingling with the people."
Chaz nods at me with a frown. I should have expected that. They'll be stuck in some back room behind plywood the whole time, keeping their scary aura away from the event.
We break apart as our teacher approaches. Gavin shrinks back and exchanges a look with Marion, and I realize that for one moment, I've blown the ruse he and I have been holding for months now. But Mr. Bright doesn't seem like the type to spread rumors around, even to other adults.
The Art Club files into the school and I get changed into my elf costume in the girls' bathroom right along with Marion. Striped stockings, a knee-length red skirt, the whole shebang. Marion emerges from her stall looking the same and frowning at her getup. "I look ridiculous."
"You do not," I say. "We're all dealing with the same thing together. You forgot your ears."
"Oh. Thanks."
Gavin has ticket duty at the front door tonight, so we won't be seeing him much, and Marion and I will be directing the kids to Santa and giving them candy, who Mr. Bright will be playing. The rest of the students will be manning the halls, acting as part of the decorations, and the Rose Pack will be stuck behind a wall.
This needs to end.
When will the curse lift? When Tyler's parents are fully shamed out of town? It seems unfair that it's not completely gone yet.
But we have to do what Sarah wanted. We have to accomplish her impossible goal. She meant for it to be this way, and a big part of me can't blame her.
Marion and I make our way to the cafeteria building, walking past the trail of plastic trees set up with lights and bulbs between the main building and the cafeteria. The setup does help to lift my mood. I've got weeks before the curse is supposed to hit me, if it even does. The wound was shallow, much shallower than those of the Rose Pack. Maybe it'll never even take hold.
And yet Tyler's growing aggression has calmed around me when it wasn't before. As if the curse knows it'll have me soon enough.
I quicken my pace into the building, hating that I can't spend the whole evening here with Tyler. Mr. Bright's waiting inside with a few other "elves" and we get to work setting up the Santa throne and the fake snow that's sprinkled around it. I forget about the thumb drive in my pocket for a while and get lost in decorating, while Mr. Bright scrambles around, complaining about how we aren't allowed to set up this part on Friday night. But by five, we've turned the cafeteria into a winter wonderland covered in shining gifts and trees.
"Finally," Mr. Bright says, pulling on his Santa beard and sitting on the throne. "You elves don't have to stand around until the kids start coming in. Beckah, you can take the photos." He motions to a camera on a nearby table. "But for now, take
a break."
"Got it," I say, sitting behind a table piled high with fake gifts. At least we have a hidden area. I sip on the provided coffee and lean back with Marion. In fifteen minutes, kids and families will start parading through the school, slowly making their way to Santa.
The cafeteria doors burst open and a middle-aged couple walk in, and my heart nearly stops when I recognize the Roses themselves. Tyler's father is wearing a dark suit that screams I'm better than you and his mother is in a fancy blouse with a golden necklace around her pale neck. They pause near the door of the building for a moment before parading to Mr. Bright, who straightens up on his throne in shock. Then they vanish from view as they walk to the center of the room, thanks to the fake gifts piled in front of me and Marion.
I look to Marion, whose eyes pop open.
The Roses don't know who I am, right? They can't see me back here. And besides, the thumb drive is in my locker, not Tyler's.
"Excuse me," Tyler's mother says. What's her name again? I honestly don't care. She's the type of woman who would harass retail workers and ask for the manager.
"Yes?" Mr. Bright asks, tension filling his voice. He is not in the jolly Santa role right now.
"Have you seen our son? Rumor has it he was participating in this event," Tyler's father says.
There's no affection there. Just disgust.
I hold my breath as Marion and I exchange a look of horror. Mr. Bright does not like Tyler. Never has. And he's about to throw Tyler under the bus because it's clear neither of his parents are happy. He doesn't know that Tyler broke into their records, but the Roses must have figured it out. Computers can tell you when someone last accessed a file.
We can't have a confrontation here, just minutes before the event is due to open.
I shoot out of my chair without thinking, knowing that Tyler, in his anger, won't back down from a fight right now.
"I don't know where he is," I blurt.
Both the Roses turn to face me. His father's jaw drops. Why does he have the same dark hair as Tyler and the same proud nose? On Mr. Rose, they look like a hawk's features. A predator's.
"Who are you?" he asks.
I ball my fists. Here stand the people who have trapped most of Tower in misery and caused all these stress-related problems between everybody. I know that if they weren't here, Marion's grandma wouldn't struggle and people might not be at each other's throats all the time.
"A student, obviously," I say. "I've seen Tyler around, but he comes and goes."
Mr. Rose isn't having it. He storms up to me, his eyes narrowing as he draws close. Unlike Tyler's eyes, his are a bright blue that reminds me of the coldest glacier. "Do. You. Know. Where. He. Is?"
I'm in front of Dad all over again.
Beside me, Marion stays down. She's the smart one.
Don't back away. Stand up to the bully. "You sure sound like a loving father. Sheesh."
Color floods into Mr. Roses's cheeks. "This is not your business, young lady. Where is he?"
"I thought you said this wasn't my business?" I've got to stall and hope Tyler figures this out on his own, that he can somehow hear this from the main school building. But with all the Christmas music playing in there, plus the noise, that's not likely, is it?
"It is now," Mr. Rose orders. "Have you even seen him?"
"Not at the moment, no. I saw him outside a while ago," I say, telling the truth. I've got to get the Roses out of here. Tyler will defend himself—and me—and if he infects them, he'll only hand them an advantage, making them more terrifying than they already are.
Mr. Rose looks to his wife. "Should we look out on the grounds?"
"If he's...in the woods...I'm not going there," she says with a disgusted head shake. "He's got to be here. Check the library."
I know what they're talking about. They expect Tyler to be at a computer, poring through their guilt.
And the lighting and special effects crew is in the library.
"Yeah. You should find him there. He's with the techies," Mr. Bright says.
Shit, shit, shit! Marion rises and I know we've got to warn him. I eye the side door to the cafeteria building.
But we've got to slip out without the Roses realizing what we're doing.
I eye the wall clock and step back behind the stack of fake presents. We've got fifteen minutes before the start of the event.
"Come on," Mr. Rose says to his wife, all business. There's a tremor between his words. His parents are scared to face him. Or maybe they're just scared that their secret is coming out. I watch them turn away.
Waving to Marion, I pull open the side door as quiet as I can, not caring that I've left my coat. Marion follows, and she closes the door behind her.
"They think Tyler will be using the computers to look at the data," she says as the cold air of dusk wraps around us. A stiff wind has picked up and is blowing a few snowflakes to the side. The two rows of plastic trees tremble and a few ornaments fall off.
"He's got to leave," I say as we run not down the designated path but around to the side door closest to the library, avoiding the Roses' stare. "Period. The rest of the Rose Pack can stop them. They'll have more control than Tyler does."
Without me, he'll lose control.
And then—
I yank open the door to the school to be assaulted with retail hell music, lights, and a few other students flitting around in costume. No one stares at us as we bolt to the small library, which is near the center of the school. I yank open the door to find the Rose Pack inside, alone. They're standing around a small army of surge protectors and old laptops on tables which I'm shocked Tower High School was able to afford.
"Beckah?" Tyler asks as everyone snaps their gaze to me.
I'm out of breath. "Your parents...they're here. Mr. Bright is sending them to you right now. You've got to leave."
Tyler pales and then he narrows his eyes. "I knew they'd do this."
He makes no motion to leave the room, and I know he intended this.
"You're going to try driving them away now?" I ask. "We all know it won't work!"
"Tyler, she's talking sense," Valerie says, just as shocked as me. She clamps her hand down on Tyler's shoulder and sinks her fingers into his flesh. "Drive them out and they'll come back. Bite them and they'll be cured when we are. Or they'll just become more powerful."
"I can't let this slide." He rips away from her as a growl rises in his throat. "Now they want to talk to me for the first time in years."
He's losing control again. The curse is still with us, and Tyler's ready to terrorize them not just for what they've done to Tower, but for what they've done to him. He's Alan, ready to turn on the ones who have caused him pain.
"Tyler!"
"Hide!" he shouts, pointing at the metal cabinets on the other side of the room. "They can't know that you're with me."
His tone warns me that I might be in real danger. I've got the information. And the Roses want it back. What are Mr. and Mrs. Rose capable of? They won't want to settle this in a compassionate manner.
I grab Marion's arm and pull her to the cabinet. She doesn't protest as I shove her in and slam the door. Then I cram into the next one, ducking under a shelf of books and straining my back.
Cammie, eyes wide, slams the door and casts me into darkness.
Tyler, please don't lose control completely, I think. But he might be beyond reasoning. Hiding is my only choice.
Already, snaps and pops sound as he enters a shift. I try to peek out through a tiny crack in the cabinet, but I can barely move in the metal coffin. Soon the sounds subside and a pure wolf growl follows as Tyler paces the room. I catch a dark blob—the majestic wolf—on the other side of the cabinet, almost as if he's keeping watch.
No, Tyler. You're better than this.
The door to the library bursts open without a knock. "Tyler!" his father shouts.
Tyler growls.
I hold my breath.
Mr. Rose shouts a curs
e and a squeak sounds as he tries to close the door, but it's too late. Claws scrape the door as Tyler tries to attack, and Mrs. Rose lets out a high-pitched, grief-filled scream as Tyler continues his assault. The door closes with a loud bang, and the fact that it only opens inward is the only reason Tyler doesn't get through it.
Stop, I think. Please stop. But right now, I'm useless.
"Tyler!" Mrs. Rose shouts, now muffled, and I wonder if a part of her still cares about her son.
Footfalls break out, but not before I hear Mr. Rose shout the worst words a father could.
"He's gone. There's no sense in trying anymore!"
CHAPTER NINE
Claws rip against wood again, and I know that Tyler's parents are safe on the other side of the door, running away, leaving their son forever. Footfalls fade into the Christmas music and don't return, and Tyler continues to claw the door like a dog wanting to be let out. His growls slowly quiet and then the Rose Gang, who have been standing still the whole time, finally walk to the dark wolf.
"You need to shift back," Chaz says. "People will come."
Tyler just growls again, and then I push open the cabinet, hoping I still have the ability to calm Tyler down. But how can anyone get a level head after that? If Tyler's killer instincts are still activated, then even I might be powerless. His aggression is aimed at someone else.
The dark wolf has stopped, staring at the door, seated there like he's waiting for his parents to dare to try to come in. But they're not coming back, at least not to mend things with Tyler.
This is very bad.
And as I approach the wolf from behind, taking in the sad blues and angry reds of the string lights that reflect off his fur, I know he could turn on me at any moment. Then Marion will have to listen to my death from her hiding place.
"Tyler. We knew this about them. I know what you're feeling," I say, placing my hand on his back. "Come back. Your parents deserve to be running. You did the right thing."
And a low, mournful sound emerges from Tyler as he turns to his pile of clothing on the floor, stands over his jeans, and begins to shift back.
