The Beast

by Ally Condie

  “No more Beastburgers?” Opal asked.

  “Honey, I am over that.” Melanie tapped her order pad with a stubby pencil. “Out-of-towners coming in here laughing at Timbers. Thinking we’re a bunch of fools. All they care about is the Beast, even though this town has so many other things to love. Consider me out on this nonsense.”

  “Isn’t it good for business?” Logan asked, looking surprised. Opal wondered how much he’d made on shirts.

  “I had enough business before all this, thank-you-very-much,” Melanie snipped. “And I don’t need more if it means putting up with tourists jabbering their stupid monster theories and stealing all my napkins. Now what’ll you kids have?” She took their orders—pancakes, pancakes, pancakes, french toast—then said with a frown, “That ridiculous webcast pushed me over the edge. Never seen such a pack of lies.”

  “No argument here,” Nico muttered.

  Melanie left with a harrumph, and a promise from Nico to tell his dad she said hello.

  “What are we going to do about Bridger?” Logan asked when they were alone again. “I don’t think he’ll give up on Still Cove—not now that his show’s a hit. He’ll definitely follow through.”

  “I didn’t expect the show to be so good,” Opal said quietly.

  Tyler squinted. “Good? Excuse me?”

  Nico looked incredulous. “Opal, it was a disaster. Bridger made Timbers look like a doofus convention.”

  Opal fluttered a hand, trying to gather her thoughts. “Evan Martinez told me that if he didn’t live in Timbers, he’d have loved it. I get what he’s saying. People are absolutely going to binge that show. The episodes are creepy, and they stayed interesting the whole time. The camera work is solid, and Bridger seems likable if you’ve never met in him real life.” She took a deep breath. “We’re in trouble, guys. I think Freakshow is going to explode.”

  Logan nodded unhappily. “I hate that you’re right, but I get it. People love this kind of stuff.”

  Their food arrived, and everyone fell silent. Nico picked up a fork and stabbed his french toast. “The rest of the world will think Timbers is how Bridger frames it—a hick town in the middle of nowhere with a silly monster obsession. And it’s just … it’s not like that at all.”

  “That’s not our biggest problem,” Tyler said. “Still Cove, remember?”

  Logan grunted. Shoved a whole pancake into his mouth.

  “Emma can help,” Opal said. “Maybe she can sabotage their trip somehow.”

  Nico looked at Opal. “Emma’s with Bridger right now, helping him film more of this trash.”

  Opal sighed. Watching the episodes, it was clear Emma was more involved with the production than she’d let on. She even appeared on camera, as plucky local helper “Elizabeth.” In one scene “Elizabeth” told Bridger a completely made-up Beast story while they sat around a campfire, making freaking s’mores. Opal had no idea when they’d filmed it.

  The most upsetting part was Emma personally introducing Bridger to Sammie during the third episode, to negotiate the boat rental. Had the Beast-damage hoax been planned ahead of time? Did she know and not tell us?

  “Emma’s just playing a part,” Tyler said defensively. “Misdirecting them, like we asked her to. That’s all.”

  Opal knew Tyler always thought the best of Emma. And she knew Emma would never intentionally cause problems. She just couldn’t resist the pull of a real TV show. And she was good at it—cheery and interesting and smart, hitting all her marks perfectly.

  “So what do we do now?” Nico said. “We’ve got so many problems, I don’t know where to start.”

  Before anyone could answer, the door bells jangled loudly. Opal and Tyler glanced up as it slammed open.

  “Oh no,” Tyler said in a strangled voice.

  A gremlin walked inside.

  19

  NICO

  Nico’s head nearly exploded.

  No no no no no no!

  The hostess stumbled backward with a yelp as the gremlin slowly surveyed the crowded cafe. He was short and squat, with scaly, forest-green skin and a yellow slash running across his forehead. Nico remembered him as the leader during the cemetery fight, before the Beast appeared.

  The creature grinned. “Yum, yum, yum,” he growled.

  Nico couldn’t breathe. A figment was standing right there in broad daylight, inside a packed Timbers Cafe, in the middle of downtown for everyone to see. We’re finished. The cat’s out of the bag now. Everyone is going to freak.

  Slash leaped onto the bench by the door. Baring pointy teeth, the gremlin unleashed a high-pitched, chittering cackle, then started dancing in place.

  Wide-eyed, Tyler grabbed his head in both hands. “Stop it. He’s flossing.”

  The room had frozen in shocked silence. Slash reached out a clawed hand and casually knocked a candy dispenser to the floor. Then he capered along the bench and did a backflip over a terrified old lady. Incredibly, some of the patrons started to laugh.

  Opal gripped Nico’s shoulder hard enough to bruise. “They think it’s a Halloween costume!” she hissed. “Or a trick!”

  Logan’s face was sheet-white. “We have to do something. Fast.”

  “Out! Out of my cafe!” Shoving her order pad into an apron pocket, Melanie stormed toward the front door. “None of that Halloween nonsense in here. The Beast looks nothing like that, anyway. Now get!”

  Nico lurched to his feet, nearly cracking both knees on the underside of the booth. He stumbled into the aisle and shouted, “Jack, stop that right now! You’re supposed to be at the carnival!”

  Heads turned, their owners frowning in consternation. Slash stopped capering. Hands on his hips, the gremlin gave Nico a dark look. “Torchbearer.” Then he spun and bolted back through the door. Nico heard a startled scream outside, followed by a string of curses.

  “Dumb joke, kid!” someone yelled.

  “Sorry, folks,” Nico said quickly, arrowing for the front door. Opal and Tyler were right behind him as Logan ran to the register, shouldering his bag as he waved the bill in a frantic rush to pay.

  “That’s, uh … that’s my cousin. Jack. He’s … he’s very excited for trick-or-treating.” Nico gritted his teeth, praying hard that people would accept his version of reality.

  “I don’t know this cousin of yours, Nicolas Holland,” Melanie snapped, crossing her beefy arms. “But my cafe is not a playground. Tell that boy not to pull another stunt in here again, you hear?” She shook her head. “Beast fever’s got this whole town acting loopier than a hula hoop.” But as she turned back to the counter, Nico heard her mutter, “Nice costume, though. They get more real-looking every year.”

  Nico yanked open the door. “Yes, ma’am! Sorry!” He ran outside, scanning the busy street.

  “There!” Tyler pointed to town square, where a trio of green shapes clung to the branches of a sprawling oak tree and were firing acorns at people on the sidewalk.

  “All three of them,” Opal said miserably. “I can’t decide if that’s good or bad.”

  “Come on.” Nico charged over into the park, dodging acorns as he came within range. “Knock it off!” he shouted up at the green monsters.

  The gremlins laughed. The tallest made a rude gesture with his finger.

  “Oh, real nice.” Nico barely resisted a return salute. “These are the most annoying figments ever.”

  People on the sidewalk were watching the commotion, scowling and shaking their heads. One kid wore an Iron Man costume and carried a plastic jack-o’-lantern full of candy. The baker, Mr. Ellis, spotted Nico and the others under the tree and called out to them.

  “Tyler Watson, is that you?” Mr. Ellis stepped closer, his bushy white eyebrows tilting sternly. He nearly took an acorn to the forehead for his trouble. “Tyler, if you know the children in that tree, tell them to quit misbehaving right now. I’ve half a mind to call Sheriff Ritchie. Cursed Halloween foolishness.”

  “Yessir, sorry! Those totally normal kids
up there just really love pranks!” Tyler spun back to the group. “Okay, panic time. How do we handle these fools without blowing our cover? We can’t dispel them here. Creatures popping out of existence in front of Town Hall might be a little hard to explain, you know?”

  Logan’s foot was tapping out of control as he glared at the restless gremlins, who’d run out of acorns to throw and were now chewing the tree bark. He slapped his thigh in frustration. “We have to chase them away somehow.”

  Nico bit the inside of his cheek, thinking furiously. A bigger crowd was forming, a few people staring at the gremlins in horror. He wasn’t sure how much longer the truth would stay hidden. Whatever they were going to do, they had to act now.

  “Food,” Opal said suddenly. “Gremlins are greedy, right? Maybe we can lure them down.”

  “I have snacks!” Logan unzipped his bag, pulling out a box of maple syrup rock candy. “I’ve been rewrapping these as Beast energy supplements. They might do the trick.”

  Tyler shook his head. “Is there anything you won’t do to make a buck?”

  Logan shrugged. “I’m a businessman. Gotta strike while the iron’s hot.” His gaze slid to the crowd. Out-of-towners were dropping food wrappers on the ground, laughing as they side-eyed Mr. Ellis. “Although I’m starting to lose my taste for Beastmania.”

  “Gimme those.” Nico snagged two packages and waved them over his head. “Hey, Slash! I’ve got something you might like.”

  Slash froze, then crept to a lower branch, sniffing curiously. Drool began leaking from his mouth. “Yum, yum.” All three gremlins began slinking down the tree trunk, eyes intent on the treats in Nico’s hands.

  “Uh … guys?” Tyler said, retreating a few steps. “Maybe we didn’t think this through.”

  “That’s it,” Nico coaxed, backing farther onto the common. “Come get your special candy.” Opal and the others clustered around him as he cautiously withdrew across the grass. The Halloween carnival was in full swing—town square was full of booths, festival games, and spooky kiosks, even a haunted pumpkin patch. Parents and kids gaped as the Torchbearers and figments crept past, Nico and the others slowly backpedaling, the gremlins advancing in lockstep, their reptilian eyes glued to the snacks Nico carried. Three little girls in Fortnite costumes stopped playing ring toss to stare.

  Nico heard a slurred voice carry from the sidewalk.

  “I love that they hired entertainment. This goofy town’s all right.”

  Someone snorted derisively. “Next time they should spend more on costumes. These monsters are so fake-looking, it’s not even funny.”

  The gremlins stalked the Torchbearers toward a jungle gym at the north end of the square. Beyond it, a dense wooded area stretched up into the hills. “Get ready to bolt for those trees,” Nico whispered to his friends.

  The others nodded. Slash drew closer, his clawed hands gouging furrows through the grass. They’d nearly reached the edge of the park. A smattering of applause rose from onlookers who thought the show was ending. They had no idea.

  Nico counted down in his head.

  Three … Two … One …

  “Go!”

  Like a flock of birds, they banked and darted for the tree line.

  “Mine!” Slash screeched.

  Angry growls sounded in pursuit.

  Nico raced under the jungle gym, through a parking lot, and into the woods. He sprinted up a steep hill to a clearing out of sight from the park below, then hit the brakes. Panting, the others gathered around him. Logan threw down his bag with a gasp.

  “No more running,” he said grimly, slipping his Torchbearer dagger from a jacket pocket.

  Logan did the same.

  “You carry one everywhere now?” Tyler asked, surprised.

  Nico kept his eyes on their back-trail. “Ever since the Charmeleon.”

  Logan dug inside his duffel. “I have a few more.” He tossed a dagger to both Tyler and Opal. “I was thinking about making toy plastic ones to sell,” he admitted sheepishly. “I know, bad idea.”

  “Logan!” Opal scolded, glaring at the tall boy. “This isn’t a game. Torchbearer stuff is way off-limits!”

  Ears burning, Logan nodded. “Sorry. You’re right.”

  The gremlins appeared, bounding over tree roots and bushes, getting in each other’s way. Slash skidded to a halt ten feet from the group.

  “Candy,” he rasped, then cocked his head. “No more run?”

  “You don’t belong here.” Nico stepped forward, gripping his dagger tightly. “It’s time to go.”

  Slash spotted the blade. His gaze snapped to Logan as he moved to stand beside Nico. Opal and Tyler flanked out wide, circling the figments.

  Slash’s eyes narrowed. “Torchbearer scum.” He charged at Nico, clawing for his face.

  Nico was ready. He ducked under the attack, slamming his dagger into the gremlin’s side with a snarl of triumph. But the blade passed straight through the figment’s body without resistance. Nico stumbled and fell flat on his chest. What? He rolled to his feet, eyes wide with shock.

  Slash was still there.

  The dagger didn’t work!

  Slash jumped back with a howl. Hissing like a cat, he spun and grabbed his two companions by their necks, dragging them to the edge of the clearing. There he paused to glare at the stunned group. “Soon, no more Torchbearers.”

  Before anyone could react, the gremlins vanished in a cloud of swirling leaves.

  20

  OPAL

  Opal hurried along the scenic walkway.

  A voice erupted to her left. “Hey, kid, what are you doing? We’re filming!”

  Opal cringed but didn’t slow, moving past the Freakshow van. “I’m looking for someone.”

  The overlook trail in Orca Park provided gorgeous views of the ocean, which was probably why Bridger had moved his team there. Opal had been relieved to find them shooting only a block from her house. She’d worried they might already be motoring toward Still Cove.

  She needed to speak with Emma. They had a huge mess to sort out.

  “Dude, I’m serious!” A red-faced guy in an Oregon Ducks sweatshirt jogged around the van to catch up with her. His stringy brown hair was pulled back into a man-bun atop his head. “You have to wait, okay? We’re working here.”

  Opal halted and crossed her arms. “This is public property.”

  Mist and fog were creeping in from the sea, the sky darkening from clear to dreary as afternoon approached. At the head of the trail, Opal could see Bridger gesticulating wildly, with Emma and the other two crew members gathered around to listen. Picnic tables had been hauled aside to create space for their equipment.

  “Listen, kid—”

  Opal pointed at Emma. “My friend’s mother wants to speak with her right away.”

  Man-Bun seemed unimpressed. Opal changed strategies.

  “Does the mayor know you have minors working on your show for free?”

  His face became stony. “No children are employed by Freakshow,” he snapped.

  Opal rolled her eyes. “Emma is literally right there.”

  “Huh?” He scratched his head. “You mean Elizabeth?”

  Opal huffed. She was so done with this conversation. “I’m going now. Goodbye.”

  “Wait!” he said doggedly. “Jake’s about to start shooting again. Can’t you just grab her when they’re done? I promise it won’t take long.” His eyes brightened, and he snapped his fingers. “I’ve got an idea! Do you want to watch the scene live? I bet you’ve never seen a real-deal mobile film production before.”

  Opal’s temper boiled. I’ve looked the Beast dead in the eye, fought a bus-sized cockroach, and chased off a creature from another dimension. Your van does not impress me.

  Out loud, she said, “Fine.”

  Man-Bun led her around the vehicle, to where a pair of monitors sat on a battered metal cart. Tangled wires snaked inside the van’s open rear doors. Opal stood next to a worn and stained camping chair, n
ot wanting to touch it. Glancing at the left-hand screen, she realized a camera was already rolling. Emma was saying something to Bridger.

  “Here.” Man-Bun handed her a set of bulky headphones. “You can hear their mikes through these. I’m Derek, by the way.”

  Opal pulled the headset on. Emma’s lilting voice filled her ears. It sounded like she was delivering scripted lines, and Opal felt anxious all over again. When had Emma planned to tell them she was a cast member on Freakshow?

  “So, Elizabeth, I have to ask.” Bridger was using his warm, you-can-totally-confide-in-me hosting voice. “Do you believe in the Beast? Does it really prowl these waters?”

  Emma nodded, pointing toward the Sound. “Of course,” she said. “At the edge of our world. It’s out there.”

  “It’s out there,” Colton Bridger repeated, gazing dramatically into the lens. Opal recognized the tagline from the episodes they’d watched in the cafe. He always said it near the end of a show.

  “And, cut!” Bridger yelled.

  Emma shared a thrilled smile with Jacqueline, the lighting expert, but Bridger stomped away from the camera. The cordless mikes were still live.

  “This ending won’t work,” he snapped. “There’s no oomph to it. No sizzle. I wanted footage of Still Cove, but no—that horrible woman took her boat back. Without a refund or returning my deposit!” He kicked a rock over the cliff. “How did the stupid thing run out of gas?”

  Opal shook her head. She was watching a child have a temper tantrum.

  “It’s a mystery,” Emma mumbled. “Sorry you couldn’t explore this morning. But the boat got torn up anyway, right?”

  Bridger flinched. “It wasn’t my fault it got damaged, and now we won’t have any decent closing visuals. Gaah. I’d trade both my arms for a Beast-sized cave, or a giant footprint. Anything.”

  “Can’t we make tracks?” the bearded cameraman said. “I could carve dino-feet into the mud somewhere.”

  Jacqueline straightened with a frown. Opal watched as Bridger made a throat-cutting gesture behind Emma’s back. Out at sea, a thunderhead was building, its massive gray body rising from the waves in a billowing column.