by Holly Hook
"Sir, you purchased a bottle this morning," Mabelline says. "Are you okay? Are you having a rough day?" She's legit concerned.
I catch a faint whiff of booze. Yes. I bite my lip, careful not to draw blood. It's not just the pine scent Gavin and I have rubbed on ourselves protecting us. Dad must be dulling his senses on purpose, trying to suppress the curse and its effects. Or he can't cope and he's broken.
Maybe he's even trying to protect us by doing this to himself. There could be a bit of human left in there after all.
"Get me a bottle of Whitman's. I'm a paying customer, and you are not doing your job." Dad's voice drops to a dangerous tone.
I swallow. Gavin and I look at each other as we continue to crouch. If Gavin gets what's happening, I'm humiliated. I wish I could blame this part of Dad's behavior on the curse, but I can't. He's always been this way to the service industry.
"Sir, I was only asking—"
Dad slams his fist down on the counter, and I fear for Mabelline.
I'm shaking, well aware that Gavin and I have our crossbows on our backs.
Just get him what he wants.
Please.
I shake as I reach for the weapon, terrified to make a sound. Gavin, who crouches beside me, shakes his head. If Dad sees us, it's over. The best chance Mabelline has is to get him his damn bottle of Whitman's whisky or bourbon or whatever he's using to mask the curse.
"Get...me...a...bottle..." Dad growls.
He literally growls, voice merging into something animal, and I know the curse isn't just lying in wait. He's already turned and suffered the ravages of being away from what humanity he has too long.
"Yes, sir. Right away. Whitman's. Cinnamon? Malt?"
"Either!" Dad's voice reverts to that of a panicked human. "Hurry."
The transaction at the counter happens quickly and in silence. A paper bag crinkles as she stuffs in the booze and the beef jerky.
I don't dare breathe. I pray Dad leaves quickly, that Mabelline can make it to the end of the day. The register beeps and buzzes, asking Dad to remove his card, and then a bag crinkles again as he storms out the door, opening it so quickly that it strikes the outer wall of the Tower Market.
Mabelline is dead silent.
And Gavin and I wait there, not daring to rise for what feels like half in hour. In reality, it must only be a few minutes, and at last, Mabelline speaks.
"He's gone. I don't know who that man is, but he showed up in Tower yesterday. He must be with those other strangers that showed up at the same time."
Gavin takes my arm because I find that I can't move. His dark eyes are full of questions.
We rise, and my knees are shaking. It's one thing to face Tyler's rival pack. It's another to face a former loved one in that same state. I hold back tears of humiliation and guilt.
"He was terrible to you," I say.
Mabelline swallows. "I don't know what's wrong with him, but I've already contacted the sheriff and have him on speed dial in case that man tries anything. He's always incredibly difficult."
Gavin stays silent next to me. He must have figured it out. I know he wants to say something and sweep me out of there, but what can he say?
"Some people always are," I say, mouth dry from horror.
Not all of Dad's behavior was the curse.
Dad has always gotten his way. Always.
And now is no exception.
And that hasn't changed. If anything, the curse has amplified all his worst traits.
"Let's call Marion and get back," Gavin says in a low voice, putting his arm around me, and I know he understands what's happened. I've described Dad's horrible behavior enough for him to have made the connection just from that alone. Then he turns to Mabelline. "I don't know if the police department can deal with that guy. Just do what he wants."
"He thinks he can come in here and have everyone wait on him," Mabelline says, angry. "I bet he's a friend of the Roses."
Gavin uses the opportunity. "Then it might not be a good idea to get the police involved. They'll just land in a mess. The Roses control everything here."
Mabelline snorts in anger. "Yes. They do. And even with everything going on, I don't see that stopping anytime soon."
* * * * *
None of us go to school the next day on the official start back from break. Nobody has the time this week, and there's no way I can keep up with my studies when I'm still talking to reporters and when we're still planning to storm Rose Ranch.
When Marion, Gavin, and I aren't still planning the fine details of the final plan with the Rose Pack and most of all Tyler, we're talking to reporters from our new headquarters, Sarah's cabin. Will comes back into Tower to keep following the story, and his phone calls to the Roses are met with silence.
"I've seen several employees from the state at their residence," Will says. "And plenty of black SUV's, too. I'll try to find the details of this investigation. I've heard rumblings that the Roses have ceased all travel for the time being and are working at home with their lawyers, but these may be simply be rumors from the employees of Rose Ranch. I'll try to interview them."
Tyler just nods from his place on Sarah's former couch without a smile.
"So there must be an investigation," Gia says with a smile. "We'll get the Roses shut down soon enough."
I hope that not all of the strange vehicles are the hunters. Of course the reporters won't know that part of the story. Mom just nods from her place on the armchair, unable to do much to help.
This is good news. We need the Roses to be at home, dealing with things, and that's a must for our coming attack on Rose Ranch on the eighth. That's when Tyler is sure the hunters will be in that area, lying in wait. When the Roses told them to expect the wolves to attack, being unable to control themselves.
"Yes. I believe that there is an investigation, hiding under wraps," Will says. "The Roses must be trying to keep everything quiet, but one of us will crack the nut of this story. I'll keep interviewing employees of the Ranch. Many of them are disgruntled right now as they're also residents."
"I bet," Tyler says, giving me a knowing look. "They're all top suspects for the data leak."
Of course Tyler won't be the only person the Roses suspect. They'll probably think he had help. That's more good news for us.
The rest of that Tuesday is chaotic, with emails and phone calls from reporters. Darlene gets involved as Marion diverts some of the interviewers to her.
And all the while, the eighth is creeping closer.
"We should all get back to school," Marion says on Tuesday night as she sips more hot chocolate. We're all gathered in the living room of Sarah's cabin after a long day of talking to reporters and getting the details of upcoming stories set up.
"School? Now?" Gavin asks.
"Yes. If we all don't show up, the Roses might add us all to the suspect list. They'll know we're out, probably planning something. Beckah, you and Gavin have managed to evade the suspect list of the hunters. But if you don't go back to class, then they'll start to wonder if you two are still out in the woods, defying them, or worse."
She has a point. I swallow my cocoa which suddenly tastes bitter. "My father will expect me to show up there."
Tyler rises. "Then we will need to intimidate him out of town and leave our scent around the school itself. That might unfortunately attract the other wolves but we still outnumber them."
"We can't have the evil werewolves around Tower High School," Gia says. "That could endanger all the kids."
Valerie nods. "So would Beckah's father. He can far more easily get into Tower High School than the rival wolves. For one thing, attempting to get in while in human form would attract way too much attention as they would probably be naked."
We all give nervous laughs. But then we get back to business.
"Can you intimidate my dad? He's used to doing the intimidating," I say as Gavin nods in agreement. He's seen the truth.
"We're going to try," Tyler sa
ys with so much resolve that I wonder if he's going to beat his chest. He has too much sophistication for that, though. "We will not let him near you or any of the other students. Your father isn't technically part of our pack, since he pricked his finger instead of being bitten, so our scent should scare him. And that of the other wolves should do the same thing."
I sigh. "Okay. We'll go to school and pretend that all is normal."
One more question burns and it's something we might not have that much control over. As Gavin drives me and Marion to school from Sarah's house the following day, the third, I ask the question.
"What if the Roses aren't home at the right time?"
Gavin frowns as he grips the steering wheel with both hands. We're passing Rose Ranch and he glances at the big mansion on the hill. "I think they will be. We've all been talking about that. Even Will has given a few hints that something could be happening on the eighth."
"There's always the chance they won't be home next Tuesday. That we'll get in there, and they'll be gone. Or that our cell phones won't work the way they should."
"I bet the Roses have their own cell phone tower somewhere," Gavin says. "They'll have reception."
I gulp because the final piece of our plan could decide everything. And doom me, Tyler, and everyone else in this town for good.
"Then our reception will be fine when we send signals to each other," I say.
"The Rose Pack is doing the best it can finding out the Roses's schedule for sure," Marion shouts from the back of the truck. "We'll figure it out. We'll be tossing that money to that mean receptionist lady if they can't get any answers."
"I'll do that," I say.
But in the end, I don't, because we get some news at the end of that school day. After going through my classes like normal, watching for any signs of Tyler and watching my wrist for any more signs of that scary hair, I finally find him standing in the parking lot alone, just waiting as students part like the Red Sea to get around him.
"Hey, Tyler," I say simply because I don't want to say anything sensitive in front of the other students.
"My parents will be home all day on the eighth. It's a weekday, and they'll be holding some kind of news conference that night. I bet they're getting their story ready for the public because by now, they must be getting lots of hate mail from all over," Tyler says. "The few news stories that have come out so far have made it to online circles, according to Marion. And there are some very anti-landlord people on some of those sites." An evil grin begins to split his face, making him look hotter than ever. Tyler's relishing this revenge. He's finally accepted the horrible truth about his parents, and now he's been freed from some of his chains.
And I understand how good that feels, once you get past the truth itself.
"Don't worry. I don't think you're wrong for smiling," I say, hunting the parking lot for any sign of my parent, the one I can't see until all of this is over. "Any sign of...him?"
"He's been staying in Gia's cabin. I heard him locking himself in," Tyler says. "He might be cursed, but your father is trying to control himself. But the beast could win at any moment."
But now Tyler doesn't smile. "What's going to happen to him?"
"If he's smart, and I think that he is, he will stay away from people until we remove the curse," Tyler says. "Then, once he collects himself, he can try to come back. If you and your mother will take him."
I haven't decided on that yet and I don't know if my mother has, either. "If he comes back," I say, mouth dry, "he's going to go to therapy. That's the deal. Mom and I have already discussed it."
And then Tyler wraps me in a hug. "You're lucky, Beckah. Therapy won't fix my parents. They never want to be fixed. And this is the unfortunate thing we have to do."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
On the morning of the eighth, the following Tuesday, I wake with a start. I cry out as I eye the bedside clock in the spare room.
Eight A.M, in glowing red letters. They blink as if warning me that I'm running out of time.
It's our agreed-upon time to start getting ready, but I already feel like I'm waking up too late. At the same time, I'm so pumped full of energy that I get out of bed, letting my pajamas fall and straighten around my legs. I've been tossing and turning overnight, then.
My heart races as if I'm coming down with a fever. Is it stress? Knowing we're about to march into battle? Or something more?
Tyler warned me that if the curse gets close to awakening, that there would be symptoms—
I absently turn off my alarm which I realize is screeching into the room. From the floor, Marion grumbles and rakes her fingers across the floorboards and the thick blanket she's lying on. And from the living room couch, Mom mutters something.
I hate that she has to be here for this.
Mom rises as quickly as I do, and just as I finish dressing in my jeans and a heavy sweater, she's in my doorway. Marion blinks up at her from my floor but waits. There is no privacy in this cabin with everyone staying here overnight.
The hot chocolate Gia made last night threatens to rip apart my insides. I eye my crossbow which rests against the bedside table—positioned there just in case—and then Mom again.
"Oh, Beckah. I hate that you have to do this."
She bursts into tears as she swallows me in her hug, and I want to do the same as my heart continues to race from adrenaline. We embrace for what feels like forever, until Gavin, who has also woken as scheduled, knocks on the door frame.
"I'm sorry, but we have to get ready," he says. "The Roses will be meeting with reporters this morning, and afterward is when they'll be alone in the mansion. Tyler thinks that will be around three or four."
Three or four. That's later than I had hoped, but it's all we have to work with. Once we begin the attack, we'll have just a few hours' window before nightfall.
Before the full moon, when Tyler will lose all control over his shift.
And before I—
"My girl is all grown up," Mom says as she finally releases me. "Beckah, I'm confident that you can do this. But Gia and I cannot sit aside while you all go through with this attack." Suddenly, her eyes are steely.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence?" I ask.
"I cannot just sit here while your fate is decided," she says.
"I'm deciding my own fate. Everything's in place. This has to work," I say. Mom can't jump in. There's nothing she can do.
"Beckah, this is very hard for me." Mom slowly backs away.
Everyone's gathering at the spare room doorway. Valerie stands behind Mom and now Gia, and our gazes meet. Her question hangs on her face.
How am I feeling?
My heart still races. Tyler said that was a symptom—no, I'm extremely stressed because this could be the end. What end, I don't know.
But Valerie just frowns and nods as if she can hear my heightened pulse.
Mom stays silent now and Gia does the same. I head out into the kitchen where breakfast is already laid out. Sausage, eggs, and pancakes weigh down the table, and we're all silent as we dig in. We'll need the energy for this afternoon, and Mom used her own money to buy this breakfast for us all since Gia's finances are tight all over again.
So many people are depending on us.
As I sit beside Tyler in silence, Gia and Mom exit the room to have their own conversation. I can only imagine what this is putting the two of them through and what Mom has to endure in order to give us a chance to end this curse and save myself.
"She loves you," Tyler whispers in my ear.
"I know she does. I hate that I'm doing this to her," I say, eyeing my food that I know I need to finish.
"But I'm sure that it's worth it," Tyler says. Then he looks across the oblong table. "Cammie. Did you check the rose bush last night?"
She nods. "I did. It was no better and no worse, but once it gets worse again, we're all going to feel it. I scented the rival wolves, and they've been hanging around the grounds behind Tower High School and b
ehind Rose Ranch, waiting for us. They know the full moon is tonight. That's when they plan to fight. I think they're counting on us being distracted with the hunters."
Silence hangs over the table. Marion glances at me quickly and then looks away.
"How are you feeling?" Chaz asks me. Leave it to him to be direct.
My heart is still racing even after I've sat down to eat. I look to Tyler and Valerie, sure that they can hear it. None of us say a word.
"Nervous," I admit.
"If...if the curse is ready to jump to you, then it won't happen until moonrise," Tyler says. "We have to end it by then. Beckah, you still smell human, and if the worst is going to happen, you still have several hours before it does." He fixes me with his wide pupils, and even though there's a faint ring of red around them, he's terrified. Tyler still doesn't lose control around me anymore, and that hasn't changed.
I remember everything he described to me, the pre-curse symptoms. Racing heartbeat. Intense energy. Growing hunger. Itchiness all over. Have I seriously cleaned off half my plate already? Shit, I'm getting dizzy. Breathe, Beckah.
Tyler rubs my back. "We should get into position early."
"Yes," Gavin agrees, taking another bite. He's trying not to look at me. I wonder what conversations he and Marion have had out of my earshot, about what they'll have to do if the curse takes me and shuts the curtain on Tyler as well. That's one topic Tyler and I haven't discussed.
But it's in the air, hanging over all of us.
Mom and Gia return to the kitchen from the living room, and Mom seems to have calmed down. She grabs a plate and eats standing up against the wall. This could be our last breakfast together because so many things can go wrong today. We're going in outnumbered and possibly outmatched as well.
But when it comes time to go out the door, there's nothing Mom can really do. She and Gia stand in the kitchen and watch us pile into Gavin's truck.
And then we back out of the driveway.
