Get Bent!

by Rick Gualtieri

  They were doing it again, discussing this like I wasn’t even in the damned room. “What are you talking about?”

  “Melissa Haynes.”

  I shrugged, still not sure what he meant. “You mean little Melissa, who I used to babysit?”

  He nodded. “The same one you put in the hospital last night.”

  I did what?! “Wait, that werewolf. That was her?”

  He nodded. “She’s a bit busted up, but she’ll be all right.” Before I could say anything else, he continued. “Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t realize it was her. And ... well, the young ones tend to lose it a bit during a full moon like last night’s. Believe me, though, she wasn’t actually trying to consciously hurt you.”

  I tried to wrap my brain around this. That snarling monster was little thirteen-year-old Melissa – the same bubbly girl who wouldn’t stop talking about her crush, Bobby Shevlocky from the seventh grade?

  And I nearly beat her to a pulp.

  This was too much to take in all at once.

  I walked to the door and grabbed my jacket even though it was probably too warm for one.

  “Tamara!” Dad cried.

  “I need to get out of here.”

  “You can’t leave.”

  “Watch me,” I called back.

  “Hold up, Bent. I’m coming with you.”

  “Riva...”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Bentley, but what she said.”

  “I understand you’re both upset,” Dad called out as we stepped from the door. “Just promise me you won’t leave the city limits. If you believe anything I’ve ever told you, please believe me when I say it’s not safe.”

  CHAPTER 11

  I was storming down the driveway when Riva caught up to me and grabbed hold of my arm.

  “What?” I snapped, causing her to flinch. “Don’t try telling me that wasn’t total bullshit back there.”

  “My car,” she replied, hooking a thumb over her shoulder.

  “Oh. Yeah, that’ll probably work better than walking.”

  A few minutes later, we cruised aimlessly down the still quiet streets. As we passed house after house, I couldn’t help but wonder what other secrets this town held – a place that until now I’d assumed was the epitome of dull and mundane.

  I pointed at a yellow Colonial. “Creature from the Black Lagoon.”

  “Huh?”

  “Mummy. Maybe a horde of zombies. Hmm, that’s Mrs. Jalob’s place. Definitely bride of Frankenstein.”

  Riva looked at me from the driver’s seat. “What are you doing?”

  “Oh, nothing. Just trying to guess which undying horror lives in which house. Ooh, look at that beige Tudor. That’s gotta be a ghost, or maybe a vampire.”

  “Why would a vampire live in a Tudor?”

  “Why not?”

  After letting me ramble about monsters for a few more minutes, she tried to change the subject. “Well, today definitely started off a bit different than I expected.”

  I glanced over at her. “That, my friend, is the understatement of a lifetime.”

  “So, let me get this straight ... just so I know I wasn’t hallucinating due to lack of sleep. Your dad is one of those things, right?”

  “Yep.”

  “And your mom is ... a witch?”

  “I might substitute a B in there, but pretty much same ballpark.”

  “So what’s that make you? A were-witch? Or maybe a witch-wolf?”

  I laughed. It was either that or cry. “You tell me. Last I checked, I couldn’t do so much as a card trick. And you were there last night. Pretty sure I didn’t burst out of my clothes and start snarling.”

  “Yeah, but that’s only because we didn’t invite Gary along.”

  My pseudo laugh turned into a real one. I hadn’t been expecting that. Riva was a good friend and obviously made of some pretty stern stuff if she was out here trying to cheer me up instead of home hiding under her bed. If our positions were reversed, I’m not so sure I could say the same thing.

  “Maybe we should stop by the Quick Lube,” she offered. “You could arm wrestle him. Winner gets to be on top.”

  I rolled my eyes. “And yet people call me Bent.”

  “My sweet, unassuming face hides great evil.”

  “I can see that.” After a beat, I added. “Thanks, by the way.”

  “For what?”

  “For not completely freaking out.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” she said. “Even I’m surprised I’m not lying in the back seat crying my eyes out. I probably will later on, after all this catches up to me.”

  “I might join you. That is, if you haven’t wised up by then and run off screaming.”

  “Oh, stop. You’re my best friend, and you also saved my ass last night.”

  “From a teenaged werewolf,” I added.

  “I don’t care how old it was. That thing was a monster. I was certain we were gonna die.”

  “Certain or not, you didn’t run, and believe me, you should have. I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

  “Like I said, good friends are hard to come by.” She turned to me and grinned. “Besides, do you know how long it’s taken me to train you? You get eaten and poof, all that hard work goes down the drain.”

  I smiled as I turned to look out the window. “So glad to know I’m a worthy investment.”

  We drove in silence for a few more minutes, Riva taking seemingly random turns to keep us moving, with no real destination in sight. “You know, you’re going to have to talk to them.”

  “I know.”

  “I hate to play devil’s advocate, but there’s got to be a reason they did what they did. I mean, I’ve known your folks for almost as long as you have, and they just don’t seem the type to turn their only daughter into a junkie.”

  I considered this. “Yeah, but if I asked you yesterday, would you have guessed my dad was the type to strip naked, grow fur, and chase Bambi under the light of the full moon?”

  “Touché.”

  “I don’t know. Maybe they have a good reason and maybe they don’t. But I couldn’t listen to them anymore, at least not right now. I swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d almost think I was dreaming and my brain was making this shit up on the fly.”

  In response, she reached over and punched me in the arm, or at least I think it was supposed to be a punch. More of a light swat, actually.

  “You’re supposed to say ‘ow,’” she said after a moment.

  “Fine. Ow.”

  “You’re not very convincing.”

  “Hence why I’m not in the drama club. Any reason why you’re using me as a punching bag?”

  “Just trying to convince you that you’re awake.”

  “You need to do better.”

  She took one hand off the steering wheel, held it up, and said in a toneless voice, “Oh, you mean I should turn my nails into wicked sabers and use them to gut you like a fish, now that you finally know this town’s secret?”

  My head spun toward her so fast I was surprised I didn’t get whiplash.

  After a moment, she laughed. “Jeez, you really are tense.”

  “Holy shit, Riva. Don’t pull that crap. After last night, I’m liable to knock you into next week.”

  “Noted.” She focused on the road again, then said, “I don’t know about you, but all this crazy has left me starving. You up for breakfast?”

  “Just like that?”

  “Yeah, just like that. I mean, I’m awake, I’m hungry, and we didn’t stick around for your mom to cook us up any dragon’s eggs.”

  “Not funny.”

  “Maybe served with eye of newt.”

  “You really ought to drop out of school and become a comedian.”

  “Nah. My parents would kill me and, unlike yours, they’d have to do it the old-fashioned way.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Once the conversation turned to breakfast, I insisted on the diner over in Morganberg, the town just east of H
igh Moon. Their hash browns were to die for and right then I wanted to lose myself in a pile of delicious carbs.

  Riva instead suggested Gib’s, a small coffee shop less than a mile from my home.

  “They can barely toast a bagel.”

  “I know, but your dad told us not to leave town. He said it was dangerous.”

  “He’s also been saying it was dangerous to not take my meds, and you see how that turned out.”

  “I know, Bent, but...”

  “You’re thinking like a kid. Trust me, I understand. If your dad handed me a lawnmower and told me to get to it, my first instinct would be to gas that sucker up and get mowing. It’s all part of our parental conditioning.”

  “I don’t know. He sounded worried.”

  I had to admit, she had a point. Something in Dad’s voice had almost caused me to stop and turn around. Growing up, he was always the cool parent, willing to look the other way whenever I did something that would’ve caused Mom to have an aneurysm. He didn’t put on his parent voice too often, so when he did, I listened. Or at least, I used to.

  The thing was, I hated to be angry at him, but I needed to be. If I’d stuck around and let them talk me down, the next thing you know, I’d be popping my fake alchemy pills again and resigning myself to being a slave to meds I didn’t need.

  This was one instance where I felt justified in sticking to my guns. “Fuck them,” I finally said, my mind made up. “They’ve had almost twenty years to tell me whatever they needed to say, so it can’t be that important.”

  After some more minor bickering back and forth, I managed to browbeat Riva into going with my suggestion. That I offered to pay for her breakfast probably didn’t really hurt my odds either.

  “OH MY GOD!” I cried out a few minutes later.

  “What? What is it?”

  “Look at that,” I said pointing to the street sign. “We left High Moon and we’re still alive.”

  “Don’t do that while I’m driving!”

  “Oh, lighten up. The road is empty.”

  “Yes, but I’m still seriously high-strung.”

  “Then it’s decaf for you today.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  We arrived at the diner about ten minutes later.

  As we were walking in, I held the door for some folks who were on their way out, not thinking much of anything.

  “Tamara Bentley?”

  My eyes opened wide and I instantly thought back to my father’s warning, before realizing the face looking up at me was a familiar one. Although, in this case, recognition did little to ease my mood.

  Emilia Carnesworth, the assistant vice principal of High Moon High School, was one of the few people I could claim to look down upon. She was a tiny thing, barely four foot nine. But, sitting across from her in her office, a far more common occurrence than I care to admit, she always seemed so much larger. “Is that you, Mrs. C?”

  “In the flesh. You’re looking well.”

  “Thanks,” I replied dumbly, not really sure what to say. Gah, this was stupid. She was just another person now. Her days of being an authority figure to me were over and done with. There was no reason to act like I was about to be handed a week’s worth of detention. “Um ... you, too.”

  She continued to stare at me like I was a bug beneath a microscope. “So tell me, how is school going?”

  Okay, small talk. I could handle that. “It’s going great. In fact, I can’t wait for the new season to...”

  “I meant your grades, dear.”

  I heard Riva snicker softly from behind me.

  “Mostly B’s. All passing.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive,” I quickly answered.

  She smiled at me from behind her glasses. “I’m very happy to hear that.”

  Oh, boy. First werewolves, now this. What was next? “Um ... is everything good at High Moon High?”

  “Oh yes, all’s well. In fact, things are a wee bit sedate now that you’ve graduated. Almost dull, actually. I’m forced to admit I kind of miss the challenge you presented.”

  “That’s me. Always keeping people on their toes. Um ... you have a great day.” Please get the hint!

  She smiled again then started walking, but not before repeating an oft-heard mantra from my high school days: “Keep your nose clean, Ms. Bentley. You too, Ms. Kale.”

  I replied with the same answer I had throughout four years of high school: “I’ll do my best.” As she walked away, I couldn’t help but note she was one of those people for whom one’s best always seemed inadequate. Weird. Even without my newfound strength, I could’ve snapped her in half like a wet noodle, yet somehow she always seemed like the six hundred pound gorilla in the room.

  Riva stepped up to me and I offered her a pained smile. “Maybe Dad was right about leaving High Moon after all.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  We walked in, before we could be accosted by any more people from my past, and were shown to a booth. While perusing the menu, I noticed Riva looking around like she was expecting the sky to fall.

  “What is up with you?” I finally asked once I’d told the waitress what I wanted, adding a side order of bacon and an English muffin to my order. I was never much of a stress eater, but I figured I’d earned it this morning. “Last I checked, Carnivoreworth was up my ass a lot more than yours back in the day.”

  “It’s not her. It’s...”

  “What?” I prodded. “Please tell me you’re not still worrying about what my parents said. It’s broad daylight out. We’ve been here a hundred times and not once...” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “...were we attacked by monsters. I doubt they’re going to start right now in the middle of the breakfast rush.”

  “It’s not that. Well, it is. It’s ... just ... your mom.”

  “What about her?”

  “She’s a witch. They ... know things.”

  “What does that even mean?”

  “We’re talking secret societies here. A supernatural underworld right beneath our noses.”

  “Yes, and lessons at Hogwarts,” I replied with a chuckle. “Aside from knocking you out and tying me up with a magical light show, we have no idea what she can or can’t do. It’s all in your mind.”

  “I don’t know. I just have a weird feeling...”

  Riva jumped as her phone picked that moment to start ringing.

  “Ooh, maybe the witches have co-opted Verizon.” The laugh I was about to let out was cut short, though, as I looked down at the screen and saw my mom’s number on the caller ID.

  “Looks like it’s for you,” she said.

  I was tempted to mute it, but I knew her. If she thought I was ignoring her, she’d start pestering Riva, who would almost certainly cave and start relaying questions back and forth between us.

  “What, Mom?” I asked brusquely as I answered it. Riva stared at me wide-eyed, but I gave her a look to let her know I thought she was being silly.

  “Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

  “It’s still out in the woods, probably being digested by one of Dad’s friends.”

  There was a pause as she probably contemplated scolding me for having an attitude. “Where are you?”

  “We’re at Riva’s. I told you I need some...”

  “You’re lying. You’re at the Morganberg diner.”

  “Huh?” I quickly checked Riva’s settings to see if she’d maybe turned on the Find Friends feature. “How did you know that?”

  “I’ve been scrying you.”

  “What?”

  “Magical viewing through an enchanted mirror.”

  I waited for the punchline, like maybe she’d followed us, but none came. “You’re serious?”

  “Of course. It’s child’s play, especially considering how you don’t seem to believe in ever cleaning out your hairbrush.”

  I made a mental note to hop on Netflix and catch up on old episodes of Charmed so I could have half a clue what she was talking about. “
Fine. What am I doing now?” Riva raised an eyebrow as I made a face at her.

  “Stick your tongue back in your mouth. It’s not ladylike.”

  Okay, this was definitely starting to get creepy.

  “Leave now and come straight back home. Your father told you it’s not safe.”

  “I’m really not in the mood to discuss this at the moment.” I lifted my hand high, middle finger raised.

  “How dare you make that gesture at your mother?!”

  “The same way I dare to do this.” I hung up and set the phone to mute. “If she calls again, don’t answer.”

  “But...”

  “Or I swear I will crush your phone like a paper cup.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “Care to find out?”

  Riva turned her phone off rather than risk it. That was the beauty of the modern age. In the past, you’d need to hold someone’s family hostage to get leverage over them. These days, it was as simple as threatening to cut them off from Facebook.

  “Think she’s still watching us?” Riva asked after a few moments of silence.

  I deigned not to grace that with an answer. Problem was, it was a lot harder to stop thinking about. If Mom was spying on me now, then had she done it before and how often? I mean, how much did she know about my life, especially the bits I didn’t want her to know about?

  Paranoia began to set in and a lifetime of misdeeds – some minor, others a bit less so – began to play out behind my eyes: Riva and I burning down her swing set because we’d been playing with firecrackers, beating up Grant Higgins in the eighth grade and pantsing him in front of the entire class, losing my virginity to Jeff Schlesinger after the junior prom.

  I tried to force those thoughts from my head. For all I knew, Mom was purposely trying to weird me out. Hell, maybe she had a friend who was here and surreptitiously Skyping our actions back to her.

  “I think you freaked out some of the other patrons by flipping off the thin air,” Riva said after a few minutes.