Luza looked back at Riley wanting the go ahead to act. She wanted to claw Bobby’s face but instead could only look regretfully at her human hands.
“That was a good one man,” Danny laughed. He pushed Riley and Luza aside forcing them farther back in line. Nodding his head several times, he looked them over and said, “You better know your place.”
“Do something Riley,” Luza pleaded.
“What? We can’t cause a scene in here.”
“I would never tolerate someone talking to me that way. Not now, not ever.”
“Just stop it,” Riley repeated. “What else can we do?”
Bobby looked back at Luza and Riley. He patted Danny’s shoulder and laughed. Talking to the cashier, Bobby smiled. “Those freaks behind us are paying.”
Not skipping a beat, the cashier simply rang up the order.
“Thanks,” Danny smiled sarcastically.
“Seriously?” Luza didn’t understand all the nuances to buying food but she knew enough that this was wrong.
“Don’t forget to order your short friend there a happy meal.”
Riley lowered his head and stepped forward.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” Luza took a deep breath.
“Yes you are. Don’t do that. It’s not a big deal. We’ll get our food and get back in the truck.”
At about the same time, Keira pushed open the restaurant doors and walked in. She spotted them immediately.
The teen wanted to berate her traveling partners, but thought better of it and waited next to the door.
Luza caught her eye.
“She’s here Riley.”
“Still not ordering huh?” Bobby cut back over to the counter, took two beverage cups and gave Riley a dirty look. “I forgot we need two apple pies and a large order of chicken nuggets. That won’t be a problem right?”
Riley looked at the cashier. “Add that along with a fish sandwich, two burgers no cheese, and an order of fries.”
Keira’s pulse amped up as she saw Bobby Hinderstein. She didn’t care how he got here or why, but now that he was in the same room and talking to Riley, it was proving hard to contain herself.
Putting the money down on the counter, Riley was nonchalant over the entire exchange.
One of the attendants handed the first bag of food off to Danny and Bobby. Luza’s mouth dropped. She thought the entire episode ended when Bobby walked back over and put out his open hand.
“I want my change, all of it.”
“Back off loser,” Luza pushed into him. “Riley, don’t you dare give him any money.”
“Then I’ll take it. Who’s going to stop me, you Frosty?”
He swatted Luza with his right arm and took the remaining cash out of Riley’s hands.
The princess had seen enough. She didn’t care about the other people in the restaurant or the line behind them.
“Bobby give it back,” Keira yelled.
He looked up and his eyes met Keira’s. “Oh it’s just you Tigress. If you knew what was good for you, you’d stay out of this.”
Luza pushed Bobby again. Her gesture was well intended, but did nothing to move the teen.
“I’m sorry, are you thirsty little girl?”
Taking one of the empty cups, Bobby handed it over to Danny, who promptly filled it with orange soda. He handed the cup back and Bobby poured it over Luza’s head.
She stood in shock as her long white hair got covered with soda. Her jacket was soaked.
Winding up her right arm, Riley stepped in and grabbed Luza before she could act.
“We’re leaving now,” Riley said.
He led the teen out the door, past Keira.
“If you two could have just waited —” Keira pulled the doors aside.
“Get back here!” Bobby demanded. “I’m not done with you yet.”
“I want my food,” Luza cried.
Keira tried to figure out the entire exchange. The more she thought about it, the less she cared and the more red she began to see.
She followed Riley and Luza out to the truck.
“I don’t know what pisses me off more — you Luza taking the money to get food, or you Riley letting Bobby Hinderstein of all people take it from you. This is absurd.”
“But no one got hurt,” Riley said.
“I don’t know what planet you live on, but you’re ridiculous. What a screwed up moral code you have. I can excuse Luza. It’s been less than a day since she was walking on all fours.”
“Is that a compliment? It doesn’t sound like one, although I think I agree,” Luza replied.
“Shut up and change into something dry. There’s water in the truck. Wash that stuff out of your hair.”
Luza lowered her head, opened the truck door, and began rummaging through Keira’s backpack.
The raven-haired teen turned to Riley. “And you, I’m speechless.”
“I’m not going to bring any unnecessary attention to ourselves. We’re sitting ducks out here as it is.”
Birchard swooped down from the arches and landed on the bed of the truck.
“Hey Princess where’s my burger?”
“Of course you’re here too.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Someone has to get you to the Great Loon.”
“The Great Loon? Like I give a hoot about your Great Loon.”
“He has the answers you seek and your ticket —”
Keira had enough. She threw her hands up in the air and waved them all off.
“Be gone Birchard. And you Riley, stay here or get in the truck. I’m getting the food and the money back.”
“Please don’t. I’ll do it.”
“Like you did inside the restaurant? Portia was right about you.”
“Seriously you can’t go off half cocked Keira. Please, just get back in the truck,” Riley stood in front of her, pleading.
“I don’t need your voice of reason. My father would never have let anyone do to me what Bobby just did to you and Luza. You are a coward Riley. Someone has to stand up for what is right.”
She pushed him aside just as Cam appeared in his black Mustang. He lowered his window as he swung the car in parallel to the truck.
“You doing okay Erin?”
“Erin?” Riley repeated.
“Not now Cam.”
“You found your friends right?”
“Not now Cam, I have to deal with something.”
She didn’t even turn to look at the slicked back, blond-haired teen. He put the Mustang in park and jumped out.
“I can help if you want.”
He ignored Riley who stood there watching. Neither did Cam notice Luza sliding into a dry shirt that fell down below her knees. Birchard gave the teen a spry look and then flew off into the early evening sky.
“I don’t need help. I got this.”
“What happened?”
Before Keira could respond, Bobby and Danny walked out the side door of the fast food restaurant. They carried three bags of food and Bobby still had the twenties in his hand. He waved them to his friend.
“Easy pickings buddy,” he laughed.
“Not so easy anymore,” Keira yelled.
“You don’t want any of this Tigress! It’s just going to be a replay of the other day. Certainly you remember that, my fist in your stomach.”
“I remember the sand in your eyes and you crying like a little baby.”
Danny tried not to laugh.
“It didn’t happen that way. She’s full of it.”
“Just give me the food and my money back. I promise you that will be the end of it. You can then go on your way and I’ll go on mine.”
“No, it’s my food and my money. You go along before someone gets seriously hurt.”
Keira followed the teens over to their rusted out 1984 Honda Civic hatchback. Danny was in the process of unlocking the car while Bobby rested the food on the hood.
“Erin, it will be my pleasure to handle this for you,” Cam caught her by
the hand.
She immediately pushed his gesture away. “No, I don’t need anyone’s help for what I want to do.”
“I’m going to ask you one more time Bobby.”
“You can ask, but I’m not giving you crap Mommy Killer.” He snarled as he said those last two words.
Even if Keira wanted to hold herself back, she couldn’t with those words meeting her ears. Instantaneously, she was on all fours. Her hands were gone, replaced with fawn colored fur paws. She had long sharp nails and her full five-foot-ten long frame was none other than a full-grown mountain lion, including a two-foot long tail with a black tip. Despite the black markings on each side of her long muzzle and her black nose, the rest of Keira’s face shared many features of her human form.
Bobby growled, “You don’t scare me. You freak! You’re just confirming everything I knew about you.”
Danny was not as strong-willed. He stumbled into the driver’s seat with a urine stain down his leg.
“Erin don’t let him get away with treating you like that. No one should be talked down to,” Cam egged Keira on.
She showed off her incisors as she slowly approached Bobby Hinderstein.
“I’m going to ask you one more time for the food and the money.”
“I’m not giving you anything, Tigress,” Bobby was defiant.
Riley’s voice echoed in Keira’s head. “Walk away.”
She shook it off and stared into Bobby’s bulging, red eyes. “I knew you would say that.”
Years of frustration rushed through the teen’s mind. All the torment this boy had caused her flashed before her eyes. Even as recently as this week, he made things difficult and trying. She didn’t growl, she didn’t bite, she simply took what was hers. Without hesitation, Keira leapt into the air and knocked Bobby to the ground.
Chapter 6
Whether Keira meant it or not, her razor sharp nails dug into the teen’s chest. He grimaced and moaned with pain as she stood to the side of his barely conscious body.
Danny’s face was ashen. He looked on in terror and pressed the door lock hopeful it would keep the mountain lion out.
“That was awesome!” Cam yelled. He clapped his hands with joy. “That’s how we deal with trouble makers.”
Keira didn’t hear a word he said. She looked down at Bobby’s face and saw fresh tears. Bobby cried out, “I’m sorry Keira.”
She looked down again and saw the anguish his body was now experiencing. It was too much for her to bear. Transforming back into her human form, she fell down to the ground and held the boy’s hand.
Cam rushed over to her. He grabbed the money and the bags of food.
“What are you doing?”
“What have I done?”
“You did what you had to do. It was glorious.”
“Am I going to die?” Bobby stared aimlessly at the darkening sky, as his shredded shirt stained with blood.
Unclasping her hands from Bobby’s, Cam handed the food and money over to Keira.
“You got to get out of here.”
“I can’t. He’s going to die because of me.”
“I’ll take care of it and get him some help. Go while you can.” He pushed Keira away from the scene.
The purple Dodge truck roared forward. Luza opened the passenger side door.
“Get in Princess!”
Keira looked again at Bobby’s face. She closed her eyes and froze.
“Grab her!” Cam motioned to Luza.
He led Keira to the truck and pushed her towards Luza’s awaiting arms. Slamming the door shut, he wore a smile on his face. He then turned back to the fallen boy and his friend Danny.
Luza grabbed the food from Keira’s shaking hands and dropped them to the floor. As Riley swung the truck around the drive thru, Luza swore she saw Cam standing over Bobby’s body. Before she could get another look, they had driven out of the parking lot, onto Main Street, into the early evening twilight.
* * *
“I thought you said you couldn’t drive?” Luza said.
“Maybe I decided to downplay what I could do.”
“No I remember you saying you didn’t know how,” Luza persisted.
“Does it matter? We’re on the road. Just open the map so we can figure out how to get to Monson.”
Riley held onto the steering wheel with one hand over the top edge. He peered out at the road despite one of his eyes being completely covered by his gangly brown hair.
Luza did her best to unfold the map. One section was completely torn by the time it was opened.
“Take it easy,” Riley said, “we only have one.”
“Sure big guy, Mr. Way-to-laid-back. How does it feel to have a woman do your dirty work?”
“What’s that suppose to mean?”
“How about what it does mean? Keira didn’t have to go after him. Now look at her.”
Keira was out cold. She was breathing slowly and her eyes were closed. She had been in this state shortly after Riley pulled away from the restaurant. They had tried talking to her, but it was no matter. Her eyes swelled with tears. Then she looked aimlessly out the window, before finally nodding off.
Luza felt awful. She refused to touch any of the food until Keira woke up. She even took the money and put it back in the wallet that Keira had rested on the dash. The whole incident bothered her for a variety of reasons.
Still she couldn’t even voice properly what was going on in her head. The idea that Riley was so passive didn’t make any sense to her.
Riley blew the whole scene off. He had always been taught by his parents to take the high road. There was more at stake than money or food. They had told him as much. His goal had always been to protect Luza and that was what he had set out to do. Whether the girls agreed with that, he didn’t care. Neither one of them knew the potential ahead, not what was foretold. Riley’s messing around with locals wasn’t going to achieve any of their goals. He was confident of that and drove on satisfied that he was in the right.
Still as he looked across the front seat and saw Keira’s resting head, he wondered why it had to play out that way. Part of him was actually upset. How could she ignore his advice?
“Luza you know it’s not my fault. She didn’t listen to me.”
“Why should she? What reason have you given her to listen to your every word? Look at me? You didn’t even give me a heads-up.”
“I didn’t see you rushing after her,” Riley was borderline arrogant.
“Seriously? I can’t do anything right now, save talk. At least she stood up for us, for me. What did you do?” She threw the map on his lap. “Take this thing.”
“Come on Luza just tell me where the town is.”
“You idiot! I can’t read. You figure it out with your one eye on the road.”
“I have both eyes on the road.”
“How? You got your left covered by your hair. Even Keira doesn’t drive with her eyes partially covered.”
“It helps with the glare.”
Luza held up her hand and flipped it back at him. “This is sort of like driving in the dark without lights? To think I was complaining about Keira’s driving.”
Riley didn’t say a word. He felt around for the switch and within a few seconds the headlights turned on.
“That’s better. It’s a start.”
Luza grabbed on to Keira’s hand and squeezed.
“You know Princess I would give my life for you,” Riley said softly.
“We’ll see my prince. We’ll see.”
* * *
The sound of running water filled the air. Birds chirped in the background and the sun glistened from above onto the vibrant green hues of the trees. What was left of the morning dew had all but disappeared as she struck out across the unkempt grass of the garden.
She had been to this place. It was familiar to her eyes and to the touch.
Thirsty, she made her way to the running stream. Stepping down to get closer to the water, Keira leaned down
and sipped.
“Brrr.”
It was cold and yet so refreshing.
Looking at her reflection, she was momentarily stunned. Gone were her porcelain face, her long wavy black hair, and her soft features, replaced with a black button nose, and the long whiskers of a mountain lion. Her eyes were wider than she remembered; no longer blue with amber specks, but a deep grayish blue color.
Her thirst quenched, she turned away from the water and went deeper into the woods. The grass became sparser as more trees and granite boulders filled her surroundings.
She moved swiftly through the undergrowth, seeking, searching for a familiar voice. It was clear now as she hid behind a series of boulders that looked out onto a shallow pond with a lone large willow tree.
Two boys hung from a series of branches that reached across the pond. From her vantage point, she couldn’t tell their features apart, but their smell was undeniable.
She knew it from the cave and from somewhere else. It was faint, but a smell one couldn’t easily forget.
The laughing of the two boys grew louder. They were oblivious to the fact that she stalked one or both of them, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
It can all end now. Do what is necessary and act. Are you going to jeopardize everything just because this child is deemed innocent? The innocent will not remain one as the years pass.
The voice grew louder. Unable to take anymore, she let out a loud roar.
“Rrrrrrrrrawwwww.”
Startled and stunned, both boys lost their balance and dangled from the branches of the tree.
There is no time. Act while you can.
That’s the one I need. Right there.
She leapt and reached out with her sharp claws. One clean swipe and the boy would be down.
He was stronger than he appeared. With a lucky kick, he saved himself from her grasp. Still he was hurt. Her claws had cleaved his shin and it took all of his strength to pull himself back up onto that branch, safe from her reach.
At about the same time, the second boy lost his grip and fell between the mountain lion and the tree.
Get by this one and finish what you started.
There was no second guessing. She darted into the boy with the straggly long brown hair and the doe colored eyes. Sinking her teeth into his midsection, she hoped he would meet a quick end, and buy her time to deal with the boy she needed and had wanted to dispose of.
Valo Page 7
