***
“Lewis can’t go. So we have no Jeep.” Fawn placed a hand against the library’s exterior brick wall behind her a few minutes later, steadying herself while adjusting her mermaid costume under her long coat.
“Wait. Hold still,” I said. One of her coconuts was lopsided on the bikini top tied over the long-sleeved bodysuit. Below that, her blue sequined tail, which was really a skirt, dragged on the ground. I untied the strap at her neck and helped her hoist everything. Then I made a double knot that wouldn’t stretch out as much.
“That’s better, thanks,” Fawn said, reaching down to straighten her tail. “Well, Lewis’s little brother Cole is entering the costume contest and his mom is going to kill him if he misses it. Apparently, the kid built his own robot outfit and it’s adorable.”
“You have to convince him to skip the contest,” I said. “Please tell him it’s important.”
Fawn sighed. “I’ll try.”
“We need Lewis to make this a realistic double date. Where are the others right now?”
“Rose and Alex were here a minute ago, but then they headed for the food booths. Lewis went to put on more fake blood.”
I checked the time. Four o’clock. Sundown was a couple hours away. “Okay, you find Lewis. I’ll look for Alex and Rose. We’ll meet back at the parking lot. This has to work.”
Fawn followed me out toward the sidewalk, holding her tail as she shuffled along. “I don’t know how I’m going to convince him to skip Cole’s moment of robot glory.”
“You’ll think of something,” I said.
“Hey, Lily.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “What if Alex realizes what we’re trying to do?”
I read the fear in her eyes, but there was no turning back from this stage of the plan. We needed Alex as leverage. “I know deep down he’s a good guy, and he won’t hurt us. He still loves Rose. And you’ll have Lewis as backup. You’ll all be safe up at the cabin.”
Fawn looked uneasy, but veered off to go find Lewis. I wandered toward the barricades set at the three-block stretch of Main Street that led to the square in front of Town Hall. Sidewalks overflowed with people now, some turning out to watch the pet parade, which was starting in a few minutes. I nearly tripped over a dachshund dressed as a hot dog. The owner turned to glare at me.
I apologized but kept on moving. Ahead, I saw a flash of green sequins. Rose, in the other mermaid costume, and Alex, dressed as Darth Vader, vanished around the corner of a building, heading toward an alley.
Instantly, I was thrown back into my nightmare, the brick walls framing the images of the bloody dream that ended with gunshots. I hoped I wasn’t too late to catch them. I shoved my way as politely as I could shove through the crowds and finally rounded the corner. I could feel fear rising in my blood, the sense I might need to transform to save my little sister, screw the consequences. Voices ricocheted between the alley walls.
“Stay back,” I heard Alex say, though I wasn’t sure to whom. The two of them were at the far end of the alley, blocked by Dumpsters and recycling bins. But they weren’t alone. I crept forward a few feet, trying to see better.
“You’re not safe with this hunter scum.” Nathaniel’s voice, unmistakably gruff. I halted, ducking behind some boxes.
“I thought you’d left town,” Rose said.
“What are you doing hanging out with him?” Nathaniel’s tone hovered between indignant and hurt. Maybe I’d misjudged how much he and Rose had actually bonded in the few interactions they’d had. Or maybe this was leftover aggression toward hunters in general.
“Alex is a good guy. He wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Rose said.
“She and I are friends,” Alex said. “There’s no need to get angry.”
I popped my head up from behind the boxes in time to see Nathaniel grab Alex by the shoulder. In a flash, he’d pulled a zip tie from his pocket and secured it around Alex’s wrists.
“Hey!” Rose yelled, pulling on Nathaniel’s arm. “Let him go.”
Alex pushed at Nathaniel with his bound hands, trying to get free. Nathaniel grunted with irritation and pulled Alex forward, making him stumble. Alex managed to get in a head-butt, knocking Nathaniel back a step. Then his Darth Vader helmet fell off.
“Rose! Stop him!” I shouted.
Rose looked around, confused for a moment. Then she spotted me down the alley. I ran out from hiding, dashing toward the skirmish.
Meanwhile, Alex had tried to run, but Nathaniel knocked him to the ground. He grabbed Alex, who was kicking and shouting, by the shoulders and dragged him toward his idling car at the end of the alley.
“You can’t take him!” I growled as I reached them.
Nathaniel turned, saw it was me underneath the face paint and hokey straw hat. His eyes grew fiercer. “This one’s a junior hunter. He’ll be worth something.” He opened the car door and stuffed Alex inside.
“No!” Alex yelled, scrambling for the door handle, only to have Nathaniel pull at his feet, which he started wrapping in duct tape. “You don’t have to do this!” Alex got in a couple good kicks, bloodying Nathaniel’s nose.
“You can’t take him!” I protested, trying to pull Nathaniel off of Alex, but he shoved me back. Rose helped me up from the ground, glaring at Nathaniel in disgust.
“I’m not a hunter!” Alex shouted as Nathaniel slammed the door and got behind the wheel and hit the power locks. “I was only letting them think I was on their side. I would never have hurt any wolf. It was an act to get my dad off my back.”
“Nathaniel!” I banged on his window. “You stole our plan!”
The window lowered with a whir. “You were going to kidnap this twerp?” Nathaniel’s eyes were slits, his jaw twitching with aggravation.
“Hey!” Rose said, joining me at the window. “You have to let him go!”
“We’re going to strike a deal with Bowman to call off his hunters. I need Alex to do that.”
Nathaniel let out a little laugh. “Ballsy of you. But you’re not the only one who had that in mind. We’re better negotiators.”
“You aren’t gonna negotiate,” I said, trying the car handle. “You’re gonna hurt him. Don’t do that. We need him.”
In the backseat, Alex glared at me and then Rose. I heard her suck in air, like she’d been punched in the gut.
“I’ll keep this one safe for you. You howl for me when you get together with the hunter. I’ll consider letting him go free. But I’m telling you, if even one wolf dies tonight, so does Alex.”
“Call your dad!” burst out Alex, making a move to whack Nathaniel with his bound hands. “Call my dad!”
“You want to ride in the trunk?” grunted Nathaniel, turning around to shove Alex back down. “Keep fighting me and that’s where you’ll go.”
Tears trickled down Rose’s face. “Why are you doing this? I thought you were a good wolf.”
Nathaniel’s sad smile hovered for a moment. “I’m just doing what wolves do.”
“Listen to me,” I said, moving in front of Rose. “Bring him to Ivan North’s place for safe keeping. I’ll be there, late, trying to help the pack of hybrids.”
Nathaniel made a disgusted face. “You think Cooper’s going to come around in time to save those creatures? To save us?”
“I choose to trust him,” I said. “People don’t change that much, not at the core of who they are. Unlike you, he’s a good guy.”
“Good is a matter of perspective,” Nathaniel said before letting out a menacing growl that made the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention. Alex banged on the back windows with his feet. Rose gave me a pleading look.
“Where are you taking him?” I asked, placing my hand on the roof of the car.
“He’ll be safe. Don’t worry, I won’t let him be made into a meal tonight. Tomorrow is another story, depending on what the hunters do.” Nathaniel hit the gas.
“Wait!” I called after the car as it screeched away toward a side street, Nathaniel wisely avo
iding the main festival blocks.
Rose hugged her arms to her chest. Her face streaked with tears. “We’ve got to get help,” she said.
The pain in my stomach grew stronger. Of course Rose was right. I had to tell Dad right away. Alex’s life now hung in the balance, along with the fate of every wolf in Pioneer Falls, supernatural or otherwise.
***
Dad and Sheriff Polson stood at the roasted corn booth, deep in discussion. Dad’s good hand spread across his stomach, his face pinched with feigned discomfort. The food poisoning ruse was in full swing.
“But if you can remember what you ate then we can get the health inspector to shut the booth down,” the sheriff said. “George, we have a duty to the residents.”
“It’s hard to say,” Dad said, adding a groan. “I had a chicken kabob, a hot dog on a stick, some pork jerky, funnel cake, shrimp fried rice, a Caesar salad.”
“Good grief, that’s a whole potluck in your guts,” the sheriff said. “No wonder you’re sick.”
Dad noticed me and Rose. “Not feeling so hot,” he said, clutching his belly again. He made a face like he was feeling queasy.
The sheriff gave him a concerned but squeamish look. “Your father’s stomach is like a garbage disposal at the moment. He ate the whole food court on his lunch break.”
“Sorry, boss.” Dad lifted a hand to cover his mouth. “Excuse me,” he yelped and ran toward the bushes near the portable toilets.
“We ought to take him home,” I said.
“Or, he could tough it out with some peppermint tea and milk of magnesia,” the sheriff said, her tone dry. “We’ve got a town to protect.”
Dad finished retching and then wiped his mouth over a rhododendron. He turned to wave at us that he was okay, but saw my shaking head telling him his act wasn’t good enough. He grimaced and quickly dashed into one of the port-a-potties.
“Eww,” the sheriff said. “Our gun belts weigh about twenty pounds. It’s a bear getting them off in a hurry when you’ve got the runs.” She radioed a call over to another officer and then gave me a nod. “We’ve got extra folks on duty tonight. Get him home and have him call me when he feels better.”
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll make sure he gets some ginger ale.”
Rose and I stood back a few feet as Dad came out of the plastic hut and shut the door. “Not winning any acting awards,” he said, with a glance toward the retreating sheriff. “Shall we go?”
“Nathaniel took Alex,” I said, and quickly filled him in on the alley confrontation.
“I should’ve known Ezra wouldn’t go quietly,” he muttered. “Hold on—did you just tell me you were going to kidnap him first?”
Rose looked alarmed. “It was a double date at Lewis’s cabin,” she corrected. “We’d pretend he was kidnapped.”
Dad gave me an infuriated stare. “I’m guessing that was your idea? Not smart to try something like that.”
“We can’t just run and hide,” I said as we followed him to his cruiser. He climbed in and told us to meet him at the house.
“Find Fawn and explain you’re abandoning this ridiculous plan. Then get your butts home.” He checked the clock. “Girls, it’s almost five o’clock. You’ve got to hurry.”
I told him we would, then we spun around to head back through the crowd to find Fawn.
***
A golden retriever in a Superman costume led the pet parade, his caped owner holding a small sign with the Harvest Festival logo, along with the leash. Rose stared open-mouthed as two Siamese cats in princess costumes rolled by in a baby stroller pushed by the pastor’s wife, who was dressed as a mouse. The residents of Pioneer Falls were definitely into this new addition to the festival tradition. Spectators mobbed the sidewalks, pressing up against the barricades. I saw a flash of dark hair and green sequins across the street from us. Fawn, led by Lewis, who was in some kind of a suit, were walking in the direction of Falls Park.
“I thought they were heading toward the costume contest,” I murmured.
“That’s down in the courtyard near Town Hall,” Rose said.
Ms. Wilson, leading a corgi in a plaid lumberjack vest and little hat, saw us waiting on the side of the road. She threw a handful of candy at us from the wicker basket on her arm. Neither of us went for it—we’d paused for a break in the line of pets so we could race across to the other side to grab Fawn.
Ms. Wilson must have noticed our stoic expressions, because she walked her pooch toward us, her long cape sweeping across the pavement like a red tide. I realized then that it was a little weird that she’d dressed as this fairytale character that had to do with a Big Bad Wolf. Her dog went right for my shoes, sniffing and letting out little grunting barks.
She shook her head, her silver earrings gleaming in the afternoon light. “Butch,” she called to him. “Be polite.” The canine gave a last woof and glared up at me, as if to say he knew my secret. “Everything okay?” she asked, glancing from me to Rose.
“Yes, fine,” I lied. “Waiting for the parade to go by.”
“You’re sure? You seemed—”
“We’re fine,” I repeated. “Just looking for our sister.”
“Oh, all right,” she said, offering us an uncertain smile before slipping back into the flow of the march with her dog.
“I don’t like her choice of costume,” Rose said, shuddering. “And is she always that intense?”
“Always seems to be on my case, actually.”
A horse wearing leis and a grass skirt caused the parade to halt momentarily while his handlers raced out with shovels and buckets. Rose and I used the delay as an opportunity to scale the barricade. That move elicited some yells from the human leaders of a troupe of trained poodles who were staging a hoop-jumping demonstration.
Once we were across the road, we made our way through the crowd, moving in the direction we’d last seen Fawn headed. Ahead, Mr. Gray and Mrs. Gillingham were arguing near the front of the auto repair shop. His costume, which consisted of a black top hat and a red coat with tails and matching pants, must have been a circus ringmaster, while hers was a white dress streaked with crimson splashes. Her wrinkled face was marked with green-tinged white and black dark circles.
“Zombie bride?” Rose whispered to me.
My focus racked onto Mr. Gray. No trace of zombie makeup there. His face was red, though. I watched as he pulled a pocket square from his breast pocket and dabbed at his wet eyes. What could she have done to the poor old guy? A second later, he disappeared around the side of the auto repair shop, heading in the direction of the cemetery. Mrs. Gillingham waited a moment, and then followed Mr. Gray.
Meanwhile, Rose grabbed my arm and directed us through the edge of the crowd. Now we were near the turnoff to Falls Park, which was separated from the cemetery by thick woods. I didn’t like that the odd couple was headed Fawn’s way.
I tried calling her phone. Flashes of her normal sneaking-out behavior popped into my mind. She and Lewis often hung out at the willow tree in the cemetery, like most of the couples from school, but this wasn’t the time for them to be going out there.
A text from Dad popped up on my screen. Home. Now.
Rose and I glanced at each other and then walked down the block toward the cemetery. We couldn’t go home without Fawn. I texted back we’d be there in a minute and pocketed my phone again.
Just then, we heard a scream coming from the direction of the cemetery. Fawn came running toward us, with Lewis chasing her at an unusually slow gait, dragging a foot.
As she got closer, I could see she was laughing and shrieking, that they were playing. Lewis’s black suit had rips in it and his white shirt was splashed with red. Garish makeup covered his face in an approximation of the undead.
Zombie. This one had to be a coincidence. There was no way Lewis would have been on the hunters’ side. At least I didn’t think he was.
Fawn slowed her pace as she got closer to us. “What are you guys doing? I was bringing L
ewis back to go get his Jeep. He’s parked near the falls.”
“What’s with the zombie chase?” I asked, gesturing toward the cemetery.
Fawn let out a little laugh. “We thought it’d be fun to start at one of the crypts.”
“Dad needs us to go home.”
Lewis had given up the zombie walk and was ambling along now normally. He waved as he approached.
“How did he settle on a zombie outfit?”
“It was his dad’s idea,” Fawn explained. “Had a ripped old suit or something. Why? Is it a crime to be a zombie or something?”
“No, it’s just that there’re a lot of them in town today. Kind of weird, right?”
“It’s not weird that his dad didn’t want to donate torn-up clothes to Goodwill. It’s up-cycling. Or down-cycling, I guess. Anyway, I think he looks pretty good for a dead guy.”
Lewis joined us at the corner now, a little out of breath. “What’d I miss?”
I eyed him nervously. “Not much, just need to stop by home for a minute to check on my dad. He got sick at the food booths earlier.”
“Bummer. He’s missing all this?”
“It hasn’t been a good day for anyone,” Rose said, her voice quavering.
Fawn arched a brow. “Wait a second—where’s Alex?”
I held up a hand before Rose spilled everything in front of Lewis. I still wasn’t sure if we could still trust him, but we certainly couldn’t talk about how another werewolf had kidnapped Alex. Or that anyone kidnapped him, for that matter. “The plan’s changed slightly,” I said, as we started walking.
“So are we not going to the cabin?” Fawn asked in a disappointed tone, taking Lewis’s hand.
I’m pretty sure I saw Lewis blush beneath his made-up pallor. He’d probably had some romantic ideas about what a zombie and a mermaid might find to do at a remote cabin in the woods. I didn’t want to call them out or anything for that, but really, this was about more than some groping in the dark. Lewis was the safety net for my sisters, with or without Alex.
A Forest So Deadly (Pioneer Falls Book 2) Page 22
