By the time the house was in sight, Charlie had become very thankful that Hunter’s Grove was a small town, thinking how much longer the walk to Fish’s place could have been.
The house was small, unassuming. It was old and beat up, though not necessarily poor looking. It had a steeped roof and a porch with an old wooden railing. A clothesline stood to the right of the house, hung—strangely—with fish and a pair of scissors. As they walked up the steps, Charlie’s attention was immediately drawn to the worn horseshoe hanging over the door. Its two ends pointed up.
Nash knocked on the door, somewhat loudly. They could hear someone marching to the door—it sounded like a pair of size 12 boots, full of lead—and then a man with a far-off look on his face came out, stepping onto the porch. He smiled and clapped Nash on the back.
“Hey Nash! How you doing today…or, tonight I suppose.” Then the man saw Charlie and smiled again, saying, “Hey…there!” as if he just noticed that he did not actually know who Charlie was.
“Dink, meet Charlie Sullivan. Charlie, Wardley Dink.”
Charlie shook the man’s hand, cringing at the strong grasp, and said, “Nice to meet you.”
“Yep, yep,” agreed Dink. A second later he added, “Same to you. You two wanna come in?”
“Well, actually,” said Nash, “we have to get going. I stopped by to ask if you and Fish could come and help us out with something.”
Wardley Dink looked back into the house and cupped his hands around his mouth. “FISH! NASH STORMSTEPPER IS HERE! SAYS HE NEEDS YOUR HELP WITH SOMETHING!”
Well, Charlie thought wryly, at least he gets to the point quickly.
A minute or so later, a smaller man in a gray shirt, with a rabbit foot necklace around his neck and flannel jacket hanging loosely on him, came down a set of rickety stairs. He frowned at Dink as he came down.
“Did you have to announce it to the world, then?”
Before Dink could answer—though Charlie doubted Dink was going to answer anyway—Fish had welcomed Nash, been introduced to Charlie, and asked what this was about, someone needing his help.
Nash explained the situation quickly and briefly, not mentioning the creature they had seen with the twins, and asked if Fish could help them get onto the Key’s grounds. He reinforced his request by saying that it really was urgent.
Charlie felt disappointed as he watched Fish’s face become intense. He felt that Fish wanted nothing to do with Hunter’s Key and that he would surely say no.
It was to his surprise, then, when Fish agreed to help.
“Sure thing. We can’t get you beyond the gate, but we can get you to it.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows at Nash as if to say, Told you so.
“Come to think of it, there is a section of gate within a good view of the Key,” Fish continued. “We can take you there, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to sneak past the gate without some sort of proper authority.”
“Proper authority?” asked Charlie. “What do you mean?”
“Proper authority. A key, an invitation, the mayor himself.”
“Why would…?”
“Cool,” said Nash, interrupting. He gave Charlie a look that said he would explain later. “So we’re meeting some friends on Midday Street. Can you be there by eight?”
“Sure thing. That should give us enough time to prepare.”
Before they left, Charlie saw Fish reach up and take the horseshoe down and hand it to Dink before the two slightly odd men disappeared into the house to get ready.
“What was that about?” he whispered, once off the porch. “Do you know what ‘proper authority’ means?”
“Look, Fish is a very superstitious man. We know the truth, but some people believe that Hunter’s Key is haunted, and that whoever goes up there uninvited will get…I don’t know, hurt.”
“And after seeing that monster with the twins, you’re not a little worried about superstition?”
“What do you suggest?”
“We go get some proper authority.”
“You’re not—”
“I am. With all the weird things that have happened the last few years, I’m not taking any chances. We need to go get Darcy.”
The twins went home first to drop off the books from the library—though Lisa kept the one about Hunter’s Key—and let their parents know they would be out tonight.
“Okay,” Mrs. Vadiknov said as they walked right back out the door, “Be careful, yes? Spokoinoi nochi, my darlings!”
“Do you think we can trust them?” asked Lisa.
“Who, Nash and Charlie? I think we can,” answered Liev. “Unless they’re really good actors, they had never seen a domovoi before.”
By domovoi, Liev was referring to the Chief of Assistants. It was the closest thing to describing the little monster in their encyclopedic knowledge of Russian folklore.
“But,” he continued, “if they are good actors, then it means they’re probably not human and we’ve got an interesting night ahead of us.”
Lisa frowned at her brother’s odd sense of humor.
“What I wonder is who they’ll be bringing with them?” Liev mused, scratching his ivory chin.
“So how did your family get the name ‘Stormstepper?’” Charlie asked, trying to break the angry silence.
“I’m the only Stormstepper in my family.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re not going to tell me why?”
“Would you stop it? We’re not buddies. We’re working together out of necessity.”
“As teammates, then.”
Nash heaved a heavy sigh. “Fine! It’s like a local tradition. According to my family’s legends, everyone’s born with a name connected to some special ability. The tribe’s wise man was supposed to give us our names, knowing what ability we’d have. People still do it today, for tradition.”
“Ability…. What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. We’re supposed to have these powers I guess. But I’d be rich, if I knew what my so called ability was.”
“Storm-stepping?” suggested Charlie with a grin.
Nash gave him a dull scowl.
The Witherington’s house was suddenly on their right.
Not that they would’ve missed it; it was a mansion after all. It just did not really stand out in the “rich” neighborhood. It had the same color and architecture as the other houses, only bigger. It made Charlie wonder again why the Witheringtons did not live in the mayoral mansion: Hunter’s Key.
Was Mayor Witherington in on the disappearances?
Nervously, they climbed up the impressive marble steps, walked up to the impressive white door, and then knocked on it rather unimpressively.
To their surprise, Darcy answered the door. They expected a butler or housemaid or something. She looked confused for a moment, and then went back to looking stubborn and prideful.
“Yes?” she asked, standing as tall as she could.
“Um, well…you see…,” Charlie stammered. He had not planned this far ahead in his thinking.
Darcy cocked an eyebrow.
“Why did you come up the stairs against Donnie Wickles today?” Nash blurted out.
“Oh,” she said, wilting a little. “If you must know… I—I’m glad you shut Donnie up. He deserved getting his butt handed to him.”
“Are you apologizing?” asked Nash, astounded.
“No! I mean, yes. I’m sorry. There,” she added, as if to say There, I’ve said it, are you happy now?
Charlie looked between the two, waiting to see if they were finished.
“Right. What we really came for,” he said, “is to ask a favor.”
Darcy snorted. Not in a pig like way, like most people do. It was a somehow stately snort.
“A favor?”
“Yes. And it’s very important. It could affect the entire to
wn.”
“Really,” said Darcy, crossing her arms. “Do tell.”
“Well, you see….”
Like Nash had with Fish McCollum, Charlie gave Darcy a very brief and well-edited version of his and Nash’s theory about the missing persons and Hunter’s Key. While he talked, she went from crossed arms, to having her hands on her hips, to casually leaning on the door.
“Okay,” she said after a moment’s deliberation.
“Okay what?” Charlie and Nash asked at the same time.
“Okay I’ll give you the key. But on one condition: I go with you.”
Nash had to keep from groaning, so it was good that Charlie had Darcy’s attention.
“You sure about that? We’ll be going through some pretty thick woods. And possibly facing a kidnapper.”
“I’m not an idiot! I know what we’ll be doing. I’ll live in Hunter’s Key someday, after all. Might as well go and see what the property looks like for once. Stay here.”
Leaving them both standing at the open doorway to admire her house, Darcy went down the hall and up the big spiral staircase into her father’s study, where he sat by the fire with his newspaper and nightly tea.
Mr. Witherington was carefully ignoring the front page that evening. He blew gently on his tea, looked up and smiled at his daughter’s entry. He took a sip, admiring the sweet, well-balanced flavor.
“Daddy,” she said, naturally drawing herself up, “where are the keys to Hunter’s Key?”
Mr. Witherington suddenly spewed tea all over his paper.
“Darling,” he chuckled while dabbing at his night coat and paper with a silk handkerchief, “whatever would you need that for?”
“I’d like to see it. I mean, I’ll live there one day, when I’m elected as mayor. So I’d like to go ahead and see what it’s like.”
“Okay,” said Mr. Witherington. His shaking hands did not escape Darcy’s notice. “Okay, that’s quite alright. Remind me in a few weeks or so and I’ll take you up there myself. There’s a dear.”
He smiled at her and resumed reading his slightly runny paper, gripping it more tightly.
“But Daddy,” Darcy said firmly, “I want the keys to the grounds. I’d like to visit there tomorrow, perhaps.”
“Darcy, dear, we really shouldn’t talk about such things as Hunter’s Key. Not in such company.”
Darcy looked around the room vaguely. “What company? There’s only you and me.”
“Yes, darling.”
Darcy realized her father was beating around the bush, and rather pitifully so. He wasn’t terribly good at lying, but he didn’t like to face problems up front, either.
Darcy narrowed her eyes and grunted indignantly, marching out of the room.
In his seat, the mayor wilted. That had been a close scrape. He patted his coat pocket, but it was empty, so he quickly rose and opened a desk drawer to find the long, thin box within. He picked it up, holding it closely, and sighed heavily.
Meanwhile, Darcy barged into her own room, where she threw on a pair of jeans, a thick coat, and her boots. They were designer, but also the only pair of boots she had. They would have to do.
She returned to the front door and stepped outside, closing it behind her.
“It appears we shall have to go around the gate,” she said sourly, as if it were their fault.
Now it was Nash’s turn to give Charlie the told-you-so look.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Fish will get us through anyway.”
They all began to walk down the steps when Nash noticed how Darcy was dressed…and that she was following them.
“What’re you doing?” he asked, though he feared he knew the answer.
“Well I’m going with you, of course.”
“But we don’t need you to come. I mean, you don’t have the key, right?”
“Oh no, if you’re going, then I am, too. And don’t think about trying to ditch me. If I don’t go up there with you, my father will hear about it.”
Nash turned on Charlie. “This is why we should have left her out of it.”
“What about your hair?” Charlie asked Darcy, trying to avoid a nuclear meltdown. He pointed at her hands. “Or your fingernails. You might break one.”
Darcy scowled at him and, with a hmpf!, marched past.
She realized she did not know where she was going and turned around.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“Well are you coming or not? Lead on!”
It was 8:10 when Charlie and Nash and, to their dismay, Darcy arrived at Midday Street. Darcy had long since put her hood up on the pretense that she was cold, but really she was making sure nobody recognized her with Charlie and Nash.
Hmm, she thought when she saw the Vadiknov twins idly standing on the corner of Midday and Certifus. The one in black, Lisa, was sitting cross legged on the ground reading some large book.
I wonder what they’re doing here….
Then she saw the town crazies, Fish McCollum and Wardley Dink, standing with the twins. Darcy started to get nervous.
It was not long after that she realized Nash was leading straight for them.
“Wait!” she cried. She dragged Charlie and Nash both into an alley by their jackets. “We’re not going to see them are we?”
Charlie could see that she was mortified.
“The twins? Yeah, why?”
“Well…it’s just…. You didn’t say they would be here. And then those two weirdos, Fish and Dink?”
“Hey!” Nash objected. “Fish and Dink are good friends of mine.”
“That figures.”
Nash balled his hands into fists, temperament rising. He tapped his foot to keep from an outburst.
“I mean…they’re all so weird. I don’t want to be seen with them,” Darcy added, a little ashamed.
Charlie rolled his eyes. “Oh please, it’s not like they’re going to eat you or anything!”
“And we’ll be in the woods anyway,” Nash said with a scowl. “So it’s not like any of your friends will see you with us.”
He walked hotly out of the alleyway and continued to where Fish, Dink and the twins waited. Darcy watched Charlie follow. After a moment of chewing a nail and fussing to herself, she went, too, desperately clinging to the shadows.
“Ahoy!” cried Dink to the newcomers.
The twins looked at each other and rolled their eyes. So much for silence.
“Hey, Dink.” Nash pulled to a stop and wearily gestured to Darcy. “We brought…her.”
He glared at Charlie.
“Everyone,” said Charlie, taking the hint, “this is Darcy. Darcy, this is Lisa and Liev Vadiknov, Fish McCollum, and Wardley Dink.”
Darcy nodded curtly to the group and then turned away, apparently examining the architecture across the street. Fish eyed Darcy, muttering something to Dink. The two nodded.
Lisa squinted her eyes. “Why is she here?”
Darcy squinted back. “Hunter’s Key belongs to the mayor. If you’re going to be stomping all over the grounds, I’m going too.”
Lisa began to argue, but Fish cut her off, turning to Charlie and Nash.
“Right, so how close to the Key are you wanting to get?” he asked, absently rubbing the rabbit foot between his thumb and forefinger.
“As close as we can,” said Charlie.
He was nervous. Part of him hoped that Fish and Dink would not be able to get them in, and he’d have an excuse to go home. And yet, the daydreamer in him was rearing like an anxious horse, ready to go into the dark, sinister woods of Hunter’s Point, find what they may. It felt as if the Key was calling out to him, tugging him closer.
“Follow me,” said Fish.
Fish set off at a brisk pace, all business. In a terse group, they approached the wall of trees that ran along the side of Certifus Street. One by one—or by two, in the twins’ case—they disappeared into the woods.
Charlie watched as
Fish and Dink were swallowed at the base of Hunter’s Point, and then the Vadiknovs, followed by Nash. He paused and took a breath, like one would when diving into a pool of water, before he also went into the darkness.
Darcy was the last one to venture in. She was a little frightened of the woods, but that was not why she hesitated. She was more concerned about going with the motley crew of weirdos, loners, and Goth kids.
Then she realized she was alone on the dark street, and that she might get left behind. She took one last look over her shoulder, and then jumped in after them.
The five teenagers were disoriented at first. The twins collided with Nash a couple of steps in, and Charlie nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a face peering at him in the darkness. He realized it was just Fish, waiting on the lot of them to regroup before they moved on. Darcy rushed up behind them, slapping at scratchy twigs and branches. She squealed when she bumped into Charlie. Lisa rolled her eyes.
Their two guides, who were used to ventures like this, watched as they all tripped over each other.
“Alright,” Fish said to them urgently, “you need to understand it’s very important we all stay together. You could get lost if you wander off here. I don’t need anyone disappearing on my watch. Understand?”
They all nodded solemnly, shivering at the words he had used, and those that came to mind with them.
Lost.
Disappeared.
Missing.
Gone.
It was not something they wanted to think about in the cold, dark copse of trees, even though that’s exactly what had been on their minds all day.
They trudged through the night for what seemed like ages. At times the ground inclined steeply, and Charlie had to pull himself forward by grasping at the trees. Behind him, Darcy hemmed and hawed, clawing at the ground. No doubt her nails were filthy. The twins managed to keep their cool and collected behavior, somehow marching up without holding on to anything. Lisa hugged her book close. Nash, who was used to the outdoors, navigated through the trees with some expertise and even grace.
Of course, Fish and Dink were the real experts. Charlie was surprised to see that Dink, who had seemed so loud and clumsy before, moved stealthily now, following Fish, who weaved in and out of sight like, well…a fish underwater.
Charlie Sullivan and the Monster Hunters: The Varcolac's Diary Page 5
