We parked, let out the dogs and walked up to the door. A ton of kids were already there based on the cars and trucks parked everywhere. Music blared out the open barn doors and you could tell everyone must be having a great time inside. I wished with all my heart they still would be later. We peeked inside and I did a double take. The place was beyond amazing.
****
Tamera had seriously outdone herself. I know I hadn’t been privy to a Before and After of the barn, but this had to be the best
‘After’ it had ever been. One glance at Logan’s face confirmed it.
His eyes were goggling around the place with a look of child-‐‑like wonder and amusement.
About a million green streamers hanging down from the rafters. Tied to the bottom of each were about a million balloons, in varying shades of green again, the clear shade of the party. True to his word, Tamera’s uncle had set up a table at the far end of the barn and a lively line of takers had already cued up for a drink of what looked like a nasty, green-‐‑tinted brew. They probably spiked the punch with food coloring. Like everyone wasn’t going to get sick enough without up-‐‑chucking in seven shades of emerald.
Lovely. On the other end, smart choice, a DJ set up had been positioned, and he had begun spinning loud and pumping jams, deftly going back and forth between two turntables with a professional headset pressed against his ear.
Just to the right of the punch bowl set-‐‑up, another table lined with snack bowls overflowed with every kind of potato chip, pretzel, cheesy puff, and snack cracker ever created. Accompanying them were ten to twenty more small bowls of various sizes and shapes featuring all different kinds of dips. At the end of that table, in case one or two souls existed who didn’t want to drink an unknown green liquid, were several different kinds of sodas, six to eight coolers on the floor loaded with ice, and towers of plastic cups. No doubt about it; Tamera, Dave and her uncle had thought of everything. I had to admit it; they sure did know how to throw a party.
Dave nearly knocked Logan down as we walked through the door.
“Oh, man! You’re finally here! I thought you were never gonna make it!” He swung his arms around expansively at the barn. “How about my girl? She totally took the cake this time right?” He seemed so proud he appeared about to burst.
“Talking about me again, huh?” Tamera came up and slid her arms around Dave. She beamed. They both were outfitted perfectly. They were decked out, head to toe, in green clothing.
“Yes, I am, Baby. Talking about how awesome you are.” He reached around with his arms and in one fluid motion, pulled her around to the front of him.
“Tamera,” I said, “This place looks great. I can’t even believe this is a barn.” So what if sawdust still remained on the floor and they had farm machinery parked against the back wall? They had accomplished an astonishing transformation. Logan agreed.
“Okay, this place is unbelievable you guys. Seriously, out of hand.” Logan continued looking around appreciably.
“And, just because you’re my bro, man, no charge for you and your lady.”
“Oh, that’s big of you, Dave, thanks for that.”
“Dave!” Tamera scolded mildy. “There is no way you are charging our friends a dime!” She stood there with her hands on both hips, trying for cute and winning Dave over. In such a great mood, he had no chance.
“Tam! I’m just trying to recoup some loss, Baby. Come on.”
He pleaded with her, but she wasn’t budging. Logan grabbed my hand and we took the opportunity to slide in the door behind them.
“Hey, Dave? We’ll catch up with you in a bit. We’re gonna get something to eat and drink and we’ll check you later.”
“Absolutely. Catch you later.”
We wandered into the center of the party, now in full swing.
Kids danced and walked around, stood in groups and talked and laughed and most of them knew Logan. They said Hi or clapped him on the back as we passed by. I recognized some of them from school and they said Hi to me too, but not nearly as many as Logan.
Could it be possible I had missed Logan’s popularity because we had been so tight in our little group? Because clearly, he had mad popularity. Kids from every group said something to him. Every group. The jocks, the preppies, the brainy kids, it didn’t matter, everyone liked Logan. He was Everyman. Suddenly flooded with a rush of emotion and love for him, I reached down and laced my fingers with his. Don’t worry, people, I silently told everyone, no matter what happened, I would protect him with everything I had.
Chapter Thirty-‐‑One
LOGAN
I knew this could be the scariest and hardest night of my life, but so far, it had started out to be the greatest. Groovin’ at my favorite party of the year, which vied to be the best one ever, with the best girl in the world. Beautiful and talented, and for some crazy reason she liked me. Maybe, I hoped, she even loved me.
Right now, life couldn’t get any better.
The decked out barn had been decorated better than I had ever seen it, and it had been packed to the rafters with kids. We had been here for more than a couple hours now and the steady stream of kids at the barn door didn’t show any sign of stopping or even slowing down. At Five bucks a head, Dave had to have collected well over five thousand dollars by now, more than clearing his outlay for the party with the cover charge.
Word of the party had leaked way beyond just our school.
For the first hour or so, I knew almost everyone here. Gradually, though, the groups of kids I knew grew fewer and farther between until I realized that I knew less than half of the kids in the barn.
Serena realized this too, and caused her great concern. I could tell by the way she started scanning the faces of everyone we encountered.
“Serena. Do you think you’re going to tell something by someone’s face? Have you stopped trying to have a good time?”
“I’m sorry, Logan. It just seems like all of a sudden there are so many kids here that neither of us know. If the Council would try to get in, it occurs to me that disguising as a partygoer would be a perfect way.”
“I know. It occurred to me too.”
We were standing near the door, as if we were going to make a getaway or something. I could peer out the barn doors beyond the makeshift parking lot at our dogs, prowling the edge of the dirt lot. Just knowing Charlie and Zena and Sage were out there made me feel marginally better. Dave had finally handed over doorman duties to one of our baseball buddies and was getting to the business of enjoying the party with Tamera and Patty. The three of them were dancing near the DJ with plastic cups full of that nasty green punch. By the looks of it, that wasn’t the only thing Dave had been drinking. Tamera and Patty were mostly holding him up rather than dancing with him and with his size they had their jobs cut out for them. I shook my head. Clearly, Dave had snuck in some contraband booze and it had gotten the better of him. It was a stupid move and the girls needed my help. I headed toward them, leaving Serena alone for a few minutes.
I realized the Council had been waiting for a moment exactly like that, when I would let my guard down and leave Serena’s side.
They had been watching the whole time. I realized that I had been right next to Serena the entire time we were at the barn until that very moment. The Council was waiting for me to make that mistake.
Because that’s when they made their move.
It happened super fast and had been clearly orchestrated.
The barn doors banged closed with a thud. I glanced around wildly to calculate the distance between Serena and me and that’s when I noticed several of the kids I didn’t recognize weren’t exactly kids anymore. In fact, they weren’t even human anymore. All around the barn where they had been standing now remained piles of the clothing they had been wearing, and in their place, I knew what I would find: rats. Dozens of them, all over the barn. At the same time the air became thick with some kind of fog, and I realized flying things filled the heavy air.
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In the split second this occurred, I found myself torn by a choice. I was halfway between Tamera and Patty, and Dave, my best friend my whole life, and halfway from where I had left Serena, who represented the rest of my life, not two minutes before.
I had to decide what to do. I knew if I got to my friends I might only be able to save one of them. But if I went to Serena, together we could do so much more. I changed direction and ran toward her. The fog had become a thick smoke and things had started to take shape and drop out of it and the kids in the barn were freaking out now, running and screaming and falling down. The barn became mayhem.
All of a sudden I began picking up my mom’s voice in my head. Logan, baby! Hold on! We’ll be there in seconds. We’ll all be there in seconds! Just get to Serena!
I ran blindly through the thick fog calling for Serena in my mind. Serena! Serena! Can you feel me? I’m running toward you, but I can’t place you! Are you okay? Where are you? Answer me, please! I begged her.
Logan! Over here! In my head I sensed her respond to my immediate right. I spun around, dodging rats on the sawdust floor below and what now resembled a swarm of giant moths coming out of the mist from above, but I couldn’t find where she might be.
Why?
Logan! She yelled. I cloaked myself! Just keep looking in that same direction!
Oh! Okay! I stared to my right and suddenly Serena appeared, unharmed, thank goodness. I grabbed her and we cloaked again together.
What now? I asked her.
Well, first, the cloaking is not going to fool any of them. They can probably penetrate through that after just a few minutes. I’m just using it to disorient them while I try and figure out the players. Oh, and obviously, your rat friends from the warehouse are back.
Yeah, I agreed with her, I got that. And what the heck are those flying things?
I don’t know. Yet. Second thing is, I’ve already received communications from Eden and the others and they should be arriving any second now. I just hope they get here before the rest of the Council arrives.
Shouting and screaming came from the direction of the DJ
area. I whirled around and immediately knew why. The DJ had slumped over the turntable and Serena and I watched in horror as his head lolled to the side and his mouth hung open. Thousands of black spiders spilled from his open mouth, swarmed the DJ, then dropped to the barn floor and scattered everywhere.
We shouted now, too, because the volume of the DJ’s music had increased until it blared. The DJ’s consumed body had fallen on the volume button. You could hardly make out the song over the screaming. Even though the volume pulsed, I had no trouble making out the explosion. It came from over by the snack table.
Serena and I spun around in the direction of the deafening sound and uncloaked. I didn’t trust my eyes. The space in front of the snack table seemed to tear open and three figures stepped through the shredded opening, the bottom of which had flapped down, like it was made of fabric. As they did, the rats scurrying around the barn morphed into their demon forms and lined either side of the threesome. Simultaneously, Serena’s coven sisters Libby and Rochelle shattered the huge paned glass window opposite us as they flew into the barn on their brooms and on the other side, the barn doors flew open under the power of the rest of the coven, arriving complete and in force, led by Eden and Prudence.
Eden raised her arms toward the partygoers who were running frantic and uncontrolled amid the shape shifting and air-‐‑
tearing, and at once, they were motionless. In fact, any mortal had been rendered mute as well. Without the constant sound of the terrified screaming, the music seemed riotous. Eden must have agreed, because she merely glanced at the DJ’s station and the music volume decreased. She had to be the one to do it, as the DJ
was as dead as death. The last spider had left his mouth and they were now swarming all over the sawdust covered-‐‑floor, headed directly for Serena and me. Serena muttered something beside me and suddenly the spiders stopped just short of reaching us. In fact, they formed a circle around us, as if a force field had denied them access to us.
“I cast a spell of protection around us, Logan.” Serena hissed under her breath. “They can’t hurt us.”
We concentrated our attention on the sinister arrivals. The tallest of the three figures approached the center of the barn.
Christophe.
Eden broke away from the coven and she, too, walked toward the center of the sawdust floor. It looks like a showdown at the OK Corral. Except in this gunfight, no one exactly used guns.
“Eden, my dear.” He purred evilly. “It has been so long, has it not?” He swayed and waved absentmindedly at the two demons who had accompanied him through the vicious slash in the place where none had been before. “Do you know my colleagues? Cyrus and Gerard?”
Eden ignored his false attempt at politeness. “Christophe, you have no business here. I demand you immediately return to us the girl Jade and the boy known as Sully. Do it now and no harm will come to you and your subordinates.”
Christophe laughed and it sounded more like a snarl.
“Never!” he roared. His voice growled like thunder with the accompaniment of the evil minions breaking into laughter as well.
Eden remained stoic, but Logan could sense her blood boil.
Subtly, the other witches slowly closed the distance between themselves and the evil trio.
“Very well, Christophe. Prepare for your end.”
“My end? You are no match for me, you stupid, arrogant witch! Your powers cannot match my greatness!”
Eden half-‐‑turned and addressed the coven.
“Sisters?”
The coven’s response was swift. They raised their arms and silently questioned Serena for direction. In answer, Serena hollered
“Wind!” and a dozen twisters began to form out of the sawdust layering the barn floor. They caught up the spiders and some of the rats and flung them to the four corners of the huge room. The spiders were destroyed but the rats shape-‐‑shifted into demons and joined the lines on either side of Christophe and his guard. They responded to the coven by turning suddenly and throwing lightning bolts toward Libby and Rochelle who were floating above them. I think they thought they were taking the witches of flight by surprise, but the ladies were ready for him. They easily deflected the bolts and, swooping down, threw back a couple surprises of their own. Rochelle whipped out a wand from under her robe and snapped it in the direction of the rigid line of demons to the left of Christophe. In an instant, three of his demons morphed into mongrel dogs and ran howling toward the barn door. Before they reached it, Libby waved another wand at the door and it opened wide. There stood Charlie, Zena and Sage, teeth bared, fur standing on end, and ready for a fight. Charlie leapt forward and sank her teeth in the scrawny flesh of the closest demon-‐‑dog’s neck, hit the jugular, and that ended that. Zena and Sage made similar short work of the other two demon dogs.
The other demons, previously lined up, suddenly swung into action. Serena grabbed my hand and yanked me hard to the right. “Logan, come on! They’ve got Cordelia!”
My head spun. The party had turned into a nightmare. I couldn’t keep up with everything that had happened. Serena and I ran toward where Cordelia had been. They had her alright. Two demons and two of those gross little troll things were carting her off over their heads in the direction of the gaping hole in the atmosphere in front of the snack table.
“Earth!” screamed Serena. At once the dirt on the barn floor started to move and form into little swirling balls. Serena waved her hands forcefully toward Cordelia and the dirt balls rolled in that direction, under the feet of the demons and trolls, tripping them up and causing them to lose their balance. Just before they reached the jagged hole in the air, the dirt balls did the trick; the demons lost their step and tipped Cordelia forward, making the trolls drop her from the rear. Cordelia, wriggling and squirming the whole time, took advantage of the release on her hold,
and shape-‐‑shifted into a beautiful horse. Immediately, she kicked her powerful rear haunches backward, exploding the heads of both the miserable little green trolls at the same time. Green goo and hair and guts flew everywhere, covering Serena and me both. At the same time, Libby dropped from her broom onto Cordelia‘s back and held tight to her mane as Cordelia reared up high and trampled the other two demons underneath her hoofs.
Aisling and Echo came into sight then. They reached into matching satchels and pulled out handfuls of a sparkling sand. In unison they sprinkled the sand on the partygoers who were lying unprotected amid the melee. Each time sand touched one of them, they crumpled to the ground and a protective cocoon formed over them. Relief flooded me when I saw Echo dust the sand over Dave and Tamera and Patty. It had never occurred to me how much they meant to me until tonight.
“Enough!” roared Christophe. “Maybe this will change your minds!” He whirled and flung his arms in the direction of the gaping wound torn into the air and it opened even wider.
Suddenly, through it fell two more shapes. With astonishment, I realized the shapes were Jade and Sully.
They fell to the barn floor with a thud where they were immediately scooped up and restrained by several of the demons.
Sully was a big guy, but he was no match for the strength of those evil followers of Christophe’s.
“Jade!” My mother screamed my sister’s name and I spun around in time to watch her rush forward to try and re-‐‑claim her daughter.
“Mom, no!” I ran to overtake her. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed movement near Serena. Holy crap, could that be Natalie? We thought she’d be long gone. Wasn’t she? Then I realized she had just disappeared. We never knew what happened to her after she left school. Now, she had returned and seemed to be heading straight for Serena. I had to do something. I brought both my hands together and thought as hard as I could. When I spread them apart, I had a flaming fireball in them. I threw it on the ground in front of Natalie with all my might. Immediately, a wall of fire sprang up and she became engulfed in the flames. I ran to Serena and shoved her out of the way.
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