No. Silas and I have been trying to figure it out. All we know is that it wasn’t either of us.
And this Silas, he’s a good werewolf. I can see it in your mind. You and the Emerson girl were going to go after him?
He’s innocent. He’s the one that came here to catch the werewolf that killed Sam Bale. Whatever they’re going to do with him up at that base, he doesn’t deserve it.
I’m going to buy you some time. You need to turn yourself into that thing, and you and the girl go and free that man. I may work for these idiots, but I don’t approve of their methods, nor do I like people pointing guns at my grandson. Even if he is rude. Interesting. But rude.
Colin couldn’t help himself; he was smiling inside. He glanced back to see Becca slowly backing a few feet away.
I tried to change. I couldn’t do it.
Try harder.
That’s it? That’s your advice? Aren’t you a witch or something? I would have thought you being a witch would give you, I don’t know, some sort of ancient wisdom?
Oh, I’m not just a witch …
Colin’s grandmother smiled. It was a ghastly picture to behold. Colin had never seen it happen. The creases in her face must have felt terribly unnatural to bend into such a position.
… I’m a very powerful witch.
Lightning tore across the night sky. The ground began to shake and thunder boomed from the heavens.
“What are you doing?” said Principal Hebert. “Keep your weapons on the boy.”
A few of the men lost their footing as the earth moved beneath them, lightning striking in rapid succession around the school. Several others dropped their guns and headed for cover.
“Stop this right now!” demanded Principal Hebert. But it was clear that Colin’s grandmother had no intention of stopping.
A wind began to roar around the school, and Colin dropped to the ground to keep from being knocked off his feet.
“I said stop this right now, Beatrice!” Principal Hebert’s voice was lost to the wind. A tornado erupted where he stood and threw him across the ground. He regained his footing and screamed into his radio mic. “Take the boy down. Take him now!”
Even though most of the men had fled, Colin clearly heard several weapons being loaded through the chaotic storm.
Now, Colin. Do it now!
Colin took the fear of being shot, the fear of the storm raging around him, and the fear he’d always felt for his grandmother and pushed them together inside him. The creature within began to wake, but it wasn’t happening fast enough!
A gun fired, the zing of a tranquilizer dart whizzing past his ear, and that was the final much-needed push. The wolf inside him sensed the danger and erupted like a string of explosions. Instead of his skin tingling, Colin experienced a brief, sharp pain, bones quickly snapping into place and muscles expanding as claws flicked out of his fingers and toes. Hair exploded from his body while his mouth extended into a snout and his teeth grew. In a split second, he was a werewolf again, and he felt the power surge through him. It felt amazing. He growled loudly.
Colin paused a brief moment to truly look at his grandmother. This not so frail lady was the guardian of the entire town. She kept it all a secret by never allowing the sun to shine in Elkwood. She was hiding the town from the rest of the world.
Gran, what about you?
Don’t be a baby. I can take care of myself.
Another shot fired and Colin quickly ducked and growled. He turned, grabbed Becca who had been holding onto one of the school picnic tables to keep from being blown over, and threw her onto his back as he dropped onto all fours. “Hold on,” Colin tried to say, but it came out as more of a growl.
Hold on, he thought instead. Becca gripped two handfuls of the thick hair on Colin’s back as he accelerated into the night. The ground flew beneath him as he cleared the football field in seconds, leaving the school, the men who were shooting at him, and his all-powerful witch of a grandmother behind.
Chapter Sixteen
Attempted Rescue
Colin kept a steady pace with Becca giving him the occasional direction. At one point Colin caught himself with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. He couldn’t help it. The running, the wind rippling through his hair, a beautiful girl on his back—it was a dream come true.
A strange dream, but still a dream.
“What did you say?” said Becca.
Colin found that it was easy to project into Becca’s mind. She seemed to hear his thoughts loud and clear though he had trouble turning it off. He assumed it was something that took practice.
So much made sense now. The weird tingly feeling when Becca had touched him was her poking around in his body. His grandmother was a powerful witch who could control the weather. Figuring he had a captive audience, Colin asked Becca question after question as they made their way through the forest.
How are you involved, and why were you on stage at the meeting?
“I’m the resident healer,” said Becca. “After we stumbled upon Gareth at the crime scene the other night, he was shot by one of my dad’s men when he tried to escape. I healed him.”
That’s why he hugged you at school?
“Well, I did pull a bullet out of him.”
Have you ever brought anyone back from the dead?
“I’m still young in my powers. I’ve only done small things. Just healing Gareth put me out of commission for two days. I can’t imagine what it’d take from me bringing someone back from the dead.”
What about the other kids in our school? Are they all witches and monsters?
“Some of them are normal, like you. Or like you were before you went and got all hairy. When the government set up shop in Elkwood, they put certain enchantments in place to hide the unusual traits of people in town. Only the monsters and freaks like you and I can see everyone for what they truly are.
Why Elkwood? Why not set up elsewhere? Where no normal people are even around.
“It’s all part of the cover. Your grandmother is the first line of defense. If anyone ever accidentally wandered into town, they wouldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Some of the humans here are also here for a reason. Mr. Winter is a biological consultant for my father for example. Other than that, there’s nothing special about him. The same with Principal Hebert. He’s an ex-marine and the caretaker of the—”
Colin swerved to avoid a low branch and Becca almost lost her balance.
Sorry. Okay, so dish the goods. Who’s what?
This question had been bugging him since the town hall. Now that Colin was a creature himself, he wanted to know what everyone else was.
Thunder rumbled somewhere behind them.
“Well the twins—”
Obviously vampires. I saw their mother at the town hall. She’s a real piece of work.
“You’re going to want to watch her. Vampires have some sort of ancient feud with werewolves. Mrs. Cross is over thirteen hundred years old.”
She looks good for her age.
“Apparently your smell makes them physically ill. I don’t know how you’re ever going to be around the goth twins again unless you can cover your scent somehow.”
A stray thought wandered through Colin’s mind looking for a connection.
Scent …
“What was that?”
Nothing, just something you said. So what about Tori?
“Oh sure, ask about the smoking hot girl.”
Just curious. Just idle curiosity, nothing else.
“Well, she’s not that hot. She’s a siren. An ancient race that lures men to their deaths and then eats them.”
That does make her less appealing but also explains a lot.
“Gareth Dugan is part ogre. Jillian Saunders in our geography class is a full-blown demon. Kevin Hadfield is a swamp creature. Matthew Price is part dragon.”
Matthew Price? Tiny, asthmatic Matthew Price?
“The one and same.”
And Jeremy? W
hat’s he?
“I have no idea. He’s classified.”
Classified? What’s that mean?
“It means he’s dangerous and has been magicked into not knowing what he is for the safety of others.”
Does that happen a lot?
“The government prefers integration over imprisonment, so yes. Sometimes it doesn’t work though. They’re still learning as they go. Dad took his position here after I was discovered to have powers.”
“And he runs the whole place?”
“He tries.”
Colin skidded to a stop, and Becca slid from his back. They were standing below a vertical rock face that ran straight up for around fifty feet. At the top was a wire fence with barbed wire on top.
So how do we get in?
“I’ve only been here twice, and both times I used the front door, but I don’t think that’s an option for us. Can you climb this wall?”
Can a duck poop in the woods? Wait, that’s not right. Isn’t it a bear or a tree? The short answer is yes.
“Can you carry me and climb?”
Sure.
Colin easily picked Becca up with two hairy, clawed hands and placed her on his back.
Hold on tight.
Becca held fast to his neck as Colin stood up on two legs. Studying the wall, he carefully crouched, then launched himself into the air. He easily reached the halfway point and dug his powerful claws into the rock face. Finding some footing on a ledge, Colin balanced and threw himself upward again, this time clearing the top ledge. He jumped over the fence, easily clearing the barbed wire, and landed lightly on the other side. Becca let out a low squeal that could have been fear, excitement, or both and slid from his back.
They were in a large yard stacked with canisters and crates that looked like it was used for storage. Colin couldn’t hear or smell anyone else. To the right there was a long low building and to the left an aircraft hangar. A road at the opposite end of the yard spiralled down and away from the buildings; Colin assumed it led to the front gate.
“You should change. They have a group of psychics working for them that can sense your kind in wolf form.”
Colin quickly pictured himself as a human. Again, it almost bordered on painful to let go of the power. To make it worse, he could feel the wolf inside him fighting against the change. There was danger here, and the wolf could sense it. Reluctantly, it finally gave up, and Colin was human again, resting on all fours, watching as the hair around him disintegrated into nothing.
Becca threw his clothes down and turned her back while Colin dressed.
“So, what now?” said Colin.
“We need to get down to the cell blocks. That hangar has an elevator that will take us there, but I don’t have a key card.”
“Where is everyone?”
“Probably observing your friend. It’s the first werewolf they’ve ever seen. The prison section is deep in the mountain. This section of the base doesn’t take much protecting, so there are never many people around.”
“Wait, I hear someone.”
Becca and Colin ducked down as a small door inset to the large hangar door swung open and an armed guard stepped out.
“What’s he doing?” whispered Becca.
Colin listened carefully, took in a deep breath, allowing his mind to illuminate the base in a wash of color. He heard the flick of a lighter and then a deep intake of breath followed by a satisfied sigh. “He’s smoking.”
“Is he alone?”
“I don’t hear anyone else. Will he have a key card?”
“Yes. Can you take him?”
Colin hadn’t really thought about it. It’s not like he’d been in a fight since he acquired these new powers, but he felt like he could easily rip someone in half. “I think so?”
Becca tilted her head. “You don’t sound that confident.”
“I’m still new at all this. I don’t know what I can and can’t do at this point.”
Becca let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ll take care of him.”
“Wait … what?” Before Colin could finish Becca had already slipped around the cargo container and was casually walking across the yard toward the guard.
Colin panicked. He moved fast, diving quickly from one container to another, getting closer to the guard.
He paused and looked over at Becca, who had reached the thirty-something man. Colin could easily hear their conversation.
“Hi,” said Becca. “It’s uh, James, right?”
“David,” said the guard.
“Right. David. You know who—”
“What are you doing here, Ms. Emerson?” interrupted David.
“My dad didn’t call ahead? He’s getting so forgetful since he turned forty-five.”
“I’m going to need to call this in. You’re not supposed—”
Becca reached out and touched the guard’s face.
“… to be, ugh, ehh, ahh.”
Colin felt a stab of jealousy and moved without thinking. He ran toward the guard and tackled him into the hangar door, denting it.
“Colin, what is wrong with you?” said Becca.
“No need to thank me.”
“Thank you? I had it under control. He was unconscious already. I can do that!”
“You can make people unconscious? How?”
Becca waved her hands in the air. “I’m a witch, dummy. Remember?”
“So I just tackled an unconscious man?”
“Yeah, you tackled him hard.”
“I think I broke some of his ribs.”
“Bad dog.”
“Funny.”
Becca knelt by the guard, unhooking a plain white card from his belt. “Let’s go.”
Colin decided that this must be the most unguarded army base in all of the US. He and Becca made it into the hangar, through two sets of security doors, and the elevator with no problems whatsoever. It was like a ghost town.
The massive elevator was like nothing Colin had seen before. You could easily fit at least forty werewolves in here and still have room.
Uhmm.
Silas?
Colargh.
Silas, are you okay? I’m coming to get you out.
Baarggh. Idargh.
You’re not making any sense. You must still be groggy from the tranquilizers. I’ll be there soon.
There was nothing.
Silas?
Total silence.
The elevator shuddered to a stop, the digital readout showing a descent of fifteen floors. The large doors hissed open, and Colin and Becca carefully stepped out into a hallway lined with metal doors. With Becca leading the way, Colin stopped at the first door and peered through a small window set into the door. The room was bathed in red light, and three people sat cross-legged in a circle with black bags over their heads. They were rocking back and forth.
“Yoga?” guessed Colin with a smirk.
“Funny. That’s Curly, Larry, and Moe, or the Three Stooges. These are the psychics they’ve been using to track you and your friend. From what I’ve heard, they only seem to be able to locate you when you’re in your wolf form and even then it doesn’t seem to be exact.”
They continued down the hallway until Becca stopped at the last door on the right and swiped the key card through a reader. The door clicked open, and they went inside.
It was dark, but Colin could make everything out perfectly. It was a laboratory. A very clean, sterile-smelling laboratory. Becca moved to the wall, clicked a button, and a panel inside the wall flashed to life.
“How’d you do that?”
“They bring me up here every time a solider gets hurt. The base has all sorts of gadgets. Dad doesn’t talk about it much, but I’ve heard some of the guards say that the government didn’t spare any expense when they built this place.”
“Why keep a town like Elkwood running? Why not just kill all the weird creatures?”
“Because there’s power here. What if the world goes to war? What if we’re inv
aded by aliens?”
“It’d help to have a bunch of powerful creatures in your back pocket.”
“Exactly. Come look.”
Colin approached the window, which overlooked a large warehouse floor. It suddenly became clear where all the guards were.
There were around two hundred men and women on the warehouse floor congregated around the unconscious hulking figure of a werewolf.
“Silas.”
Silas’ hands and feet were chained to the ground, and Colin could see his chest was rising and falling heavily. Straining the limits of his abilities to hear through the reinforced wall, he managed to pick up the occasional words.
“We got him.”
“A real life werewolf.”
“—pay for what he did.”
“Nothing but a beast.”
“What are they doing?” said Colin.
“They’re observing. Catching a werewolf is a big thing for these guys. In their minds, they’ve caught the killer beast.”
“But they think he’s the killer. He’s not. The killer is still out there somewhere.”
“Or in here with me?”
Colin didn’t answer. It was still a possibility.
“I thought we might be able to figure a way to get him out of there, but now I’m not so sure,” said Becca.
“This is ridiculous. Is that everyone? I mean all the guards?”
“Most of them.”
“Which means Elkwood is unprotected. The other werewolf could be down there right now, but no one is there because they think they already caught him.”
“What are you saying, Colin?”
“We need to tell someone. We have to let someone know that Silas isn’t the killer. And that I’m not the killer. That there’s a third werewolf in Elkwood.”
Becca looked at Colin with … what?
Admiration? Smells like watermelon.
“I have an idea,” said Becca. “I think I know who we can talk to.”
Becca took Colin’s hand, something he never grew tired of, and led him out of the lab and back to the elevator. The large doors swished open.
The numbers on the elevator control panel went to twenty. Another button beneath the numbered ones was blank. Becca pressed it, and the elevator began to drop. “This will feel a little strange.”
Hair in All The Wrong Places Page 13
