Brent and I glanced at each other, sly smiles stretching across our faces. We trooped inside intending to give Mike the going-away present he wanted most, not caring what price we’d pay with Mom later.
A full-sized sheet cake—vanilla and chocolate with “Godspeed Mike” written in blue on the white frosting—was set up on a little table at the head of the room. Brent pinched my arm and winked. I nodded. Bingo.
Mom, with a smile too bright to be real, stood to make her goodbye speech, quavering voice, unshed tears and all. I watched Mike. He stood behind her, staring at nothing, his face drawn. Brent kicked my foot under the table. We got up and inched our way through the chairs toward Mom, Mike and the cake. Mom went on and on, but the only words I heard were “going to miss him,” “keep yourself safe,” and “back in a year.” By the time she wrapped up, Brent and I stood beside her, a few feet away from the cake.
“Mom? How about Matt and I help serve,” Brent said, his true purpose carefully covered up by his sincere voice.
Mom beamed. “Oh, honey, how sweet.” She handed him the cake spatula and the other guests watched as Brent cut a huge corner piece.
“Uncle Mike,” he said, a laugh barely contained, “this is for you.”
Now, I thought he was going to shove it in Mike’s face. But I was wrong and next thing I knew, I was cleaning frosting out of my nostrils.
“Oh, that’s so uncool, dude,” I said. “It’s on.”
After wiping cake out of my eyes, I grabbed a hunk from the other end and aimed for Brent. He ducked and the cake plastered Mike on the side of the head. From then on, it was pandemonium. Even Mamie got splattered. We were all laughing so hard we tuned out Mom’s feeble attempts to get us to behave. I’m sure the other guests thought we’d gone crazy and Brownstone probably wouldn’t ever get the blue icing stains out of their white tablecloths, but the huge grin on Mike’s face made the mess worth it.
Chapter Thirteen
The Monday after Thanksgiving break was bleak. The skies were dark gray with thick, low clouds and the air smelled like frozen iron. A big snow seemed imminent, and I kept waiting for the blizzard to come, hating this feeling of limbo. At home, we all went through the motions, trying not to think about Mike doing a ten-mile run at Fort Carson. In a month, he’d be in Afghanistan, but he was as gone now as he would be then.
When I trudged into algebra, my heart got heavier. Ella was the only person in the classroom. She had on jeans and a kelly-green Notre Dame sweatshirt, with her hair in a twist. The new hair style made her look older, and I liked it. But something seemed wrong. Her eyes were red and she was breathing hard, like she was trying not to cry. I put my books down, walked around to the front of her desk and knelt so I could see her face better. As soon as I did, she started bawling like crazy.
“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry…I, uh.” Oh, crap. What did I do to upset her? “Look, I’m sorry. For whatever I did. Really…sorry.”
I probably would’ve kept on babbling apologies, but three girls came in. I groaned—the Ponytail Gang. Will and I called them that because they dressed alike and did their hair in bouncy ponytails every day. Today they had on mini-skirts and leggings, never mind the cold. They were all cute, various shades of blond and popular. They were also mean as a nest of rattlesnakes. No one had been able to explain that to me yet, why rude people were always popular.
Ella quickly turned her head and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. I hurried to my desk…but not fast enough.
“Wow, Ella,” Caitlin said, an ugly streak in her tone. “That was quick.” She tossed her dirty blond ponytail over her shoulder and flopped down at her desk two rows over from us. Tara and Jenna hung in the doorway, identical mocking smiles on their faces.
Ella kept her back to them, turned sideways in her chair. I could see the tear tracks on her face. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to give her a tissue and offer the Ponytail Gang up as bait for my next hunt, but something in the way Ella held herself convinced me to keep still. Jenna plopped her books down on the desk behind Caitlin’s and walked over to Ella with a spring in her step.
“Oh, poor Ella. What a tough morning.” Jenna glanced at me, smirking. “At least you have someone’s shoulder to cry on.”
Ella didn’t acknowledge Jenna at all, but I saw her fists clench in her lap.
Jenna leaned on Ella’s desktop. “This is for the best, you know. You need someone easier to manage. I hear some guys in Chess Club are looking for girlfriends.”
What was Jenna talking about? Did she mean…?
Before I could complete that thought, Tara giggled. The only true blond, she wasn’t the brains in the outfit. She just came along for the ride and added the laugh-track to Jenna and Caitlin’s cruelty. I had no idea why they were going after Ella while she was upset, but man, slamming Carter into a locker seemed nice compared to this.
“Ladies, something going on here?”
I had never been so thankful to see Mrs. Burns in my life. She was like a gray-haired guardian angel in a wool sweater, marching to her desk with her laptop bag and a grim expression.
“No ma’am. Just asking Ella about her weekend,” Jenna said, cocking her head like “I’m pretending to be thoughtful, so I can be a witch.”
Mrs. Burns watched, eyes narrowed, as Jenna pranced across the room to sit behind Caitlin. She glanced back at Ella then scrawled out a note. “Ella, would you mind taking this to the office? The copier in the teacher’s workroom was jammed, and I need to hand it out today. Thirty copies should do it.”
Ella jumped to her feet, grabbed the paper from Mrs. Burns’ hand without looking at it and fled from the room. Other students, including Will, filed in as the passing bell rang. Over the din of homeroom chaos, Jenna and Caitlin had a loud conversation. Tara, who sat next to Jenna, hung on every word.
“Oh yeah, he totally dumped her. Too boring, you know,” Caitlin said. “Can’t believe he picked her over…”
My heart leapt into my throat. That was what they meant—Carter dumped Ella! Was he stupid? Wait…yes, yes he was. I couldn’t decide whether to jump onto Mrs. Burns’ desk and shout for joy that Ella was available, or to punch Carter in the head for hurting her feelings.
Stupid Tara put in her two cents. “I heard it was ‘cause she wouldn’t let him do anything but kiss her…too prude for second base.”
Half the class laughed behind their hands at that announcement. Mrs. Burns stopped writing problems on the white board, scowling at the Ponytail Gang. None of them noticed.
I sat up straighter, my insides boiling. Carter dumped Ella then talked trash about her? He was definitely getting a punch in the head. My face burned hotter every second that passed.
Jenna preened a little. “I heard that too. I mean, come on, how middle school can you get? And it’s not like she’s that cute, no matter what everyone says. Maybe Carter will wise up this time and go for someone more mature.”
The classroom got way too small for me and my temper.
Before I could stop myself, I jumped to my feet and shouted, “Someone like you, maybe? That’s what you mean, right?” I looked her up and down, hoping she could see the disrespect in my eyes. “Carter can have you—you’re a perfect match. And neither of you are worth a damn.”
There was a ringing silence. Oh...what had I just done?
Mrs. Burns cleared her throat loudly and pointed at my desk. “Mr. Archer, kindly take your seat.”
Jenna made that little “uh” noise girls make when peeved and not getting their way. “Mrs. Burns, he should have to apologize for being rude.”
“And for cursing,” Caitlin added, with a whine.
Mrs. Burns, wearing a very odd smile, walked to Jenna’s desk and whispered something to her. After that, Jenna was quiet for the rest of class.
Ella didn’t come back.
* * *
At lunch, I kept an eye out for Ella. After my stunt in math, I didn’t know if I was in for a big “my hero”
moment or a kick in the pants.
Will kept laughing and shaking his head every so often. “It’s not like the whole freshman class doesn’t know you like her, but, dude! You might as well have rented one of those advertising planes to fly a banner that said ‘Matt loves Ella’ with a big heart around it.”
I picked at my lunch. For once, my appetite was all but gone. “I know. Stupid!” I banged my head against the table. “I couldn’t let them talk about her like that, though. You didn’t see her before she ran out of class. Dude, she was wrecked. Crying, the whole bit.”
Will swallowed a ginormous bite of pizza. “No, I guess you couldn’t help yourself. And Carter’s a moron.”
“Yeah,” I said, prodding my half-eaten pizza with my fork. “I hope Ella’s not too mad at me.”
He whistled softly. “Looks like you won’t have to wait long to find out.”
I followed his gaze. Ella was gliding across the cafeteria, regal as a queen, heading straight for me.
“Will, what do I do?” I put my napkin down and ran my tongue over my teeth, just in case pepperoni had gotten stuck in them.
“Don’t look at me, dude. You’re the Prince Charming in this situation. I’m just the big guy in the background–you know, the one who holds the spear and grunts every so often.”
She stopped at our table. Behind her, a hundred and twenty people watched. “Hi, Will.”
Will jumped, looking startled to be noticed. “Um, hey, uh…Ella.”
She turned back to me. Before I knew it, those green eyes had me hypnotized. Who cared if everyone was watching? If she asked me to do a swan dive off the table smack onto the floor, I’d do it, pronto.
“Matt, I need to talk to you. Can you meet me after school?”
“Um, sure,” I said.
She nodded briskly, then walked away, furious whispers and stares following.
“Any idea what that means?” I asked, hating to hear my voice shake. I hunted monsters! Real-life, honest-to-God monsters! How was it that a girl terrified me worse than that?
“No clue, dude,” Will said. “You want the rest of that pizza?”
I pushed my whole tray over to him and glanced at the basketball table. Carter was looking my way. He gave me a jackass smile as Jenna came over. She draped herself across the back of his chair, her lips close to his ear. Carter turned to face her, tugging her into his lap just as Ella walked past them. They laughed when Ella bolted through the doors at the opposite end of the cafeteria.
I’d make this right if it killed me.
* * *
While the rest of the students in history class stared at us, Ella and I ignored each other. The clock moved one click at a time, and Mr. Anderson’s lecture on the “Roaring Twenties” roared right through my brain into space. When the bell finally rang, several people lingered, waiting to see what we’d do.
“Class dismissed, people,” Mr. Anderson said as he sorted essays on his desk. When no one moved, he said, “I don’t know what the deal is, but skedaddle…go catch your rides home.”
The room cleared. I was glad I didn’t have to run for the bus. Will had done me a favor and called Millicent at lunch, telling her we needed to stay after and asking her to pick us up. I texted Mamie so she wouldn’t worry that I’d missed the bus. The words “girl trouble” got a response of “understand” and that was all there was to it.
Ella picked up her bag and stuffed her books inside. “I need to go get my coat.”
“Me, too.” I followed her out, wondering if I should offer to carry her books, but decided that was too old-fashioned. On the way there, my phone buzzed.
“Go ahead and answer that if you need to. I’ll be at my locker,” Ella said, continuing on down the hall.
When I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, it didn’t show an incoming call. I closed my eyes and groaned. Not now. The ring sounded again, and I wrestled the sat-phone out of my backpack, glad they’d gotten me one only slightly larger than a regular cell phone. It would’ve been hard to hide a big, clunky box with a separate antenna.
The display lit up as it trilled another quiet ring. The ID said “Black.”
I stared longingly at Ella, who was doing the combination to her locker, then pressed the talk button with a frustrated sigh. “Archer here.”
“Sorry to call you this soon after school, but park rangers discovered the remains of four bodies this morning. We’ve triangulated the locations of the remains in an attempt to pinpoint the Bear’s den. I’m sending coordinates to you now. You and Cruessan are on alert tonight. Call me once you’re at his place and ready to be briefed. Say, thirty minutes…you can make that, right?”
The fact that other people had to come first really hit me over the head right then. I watched Ella put on her coat. This sucked. “Yeah. I can make it.”
After I rang off, I went to her, my feet feeling too big and heavy to make the trip. “Ella, I’m really sorry, but something’s come up. I have to head out, um, right now.”
The look on her face made me want to fall on my knees to beg forgiveness for upsetting her again. She managed a teary smile. “Sure, I understand. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Feeling braver, I brushed her wrist with my fingers. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I left by the side door without looking back at her. I couldn’t do it.
* * *
“Lock and load!” Will said. He scurried around the garage, making sure the ATV would start and that all the gear was packed up.
“This is it, man, we’re really going! Hey, I dug out some of my heavy-duty winter coveralls.” He held them up. They were camo-print, with a bunch of zippered pockets on the chest and legs. “These are my old ones, from when I was ten. They should fit you.”
“Gee, thanks, dude. Nice of you to remind me that I’m a shrimp,” I grumbled.
“You will thank me,” Will said, grinning. “They’re made out of GOR-TEX, so the coveralls aren’t bulky and you can move fast in them. Perfect for stalking monsters. Those crap BDUs the Army gave you have nothing on these.”
I nodded, unable to muster up much excitement. Ella’s hurt expression kept tapping me on the shoulder, begging me to relive it until Colonel Black called to give us our briefing. I put the sat-phone on speaker so Will could hear.
“The remains were found about three miles east of where you got the last kill,” the colonel said. “Program these numbers into your GPS.”
I punched in the longitude and latitude as instructed. “That’s an eight-mile hike from Will’s. Think we can use the ATV for part of it, sir?”
“Probably, but at the first track you find, cut the engine and go on foot. Mike told me about your less than stealthy attack last time. Try to do it like you were taught—by the book. Got it?”
“Sir, yes, sir.” I rolled my eyes at Will, who was laughing. I pushed the mute button. “This from the guy who called a monster ‘good bear?’”
Will made a face at me as I unmuted the phone. “Anything else, sir?”
“Yes. Sunset in Billings is at four-thirty today. With the hike and the tracking, you’ll be out late. Is that an issue?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Will said. “My folks are in Aspen and Millicent has her ‘programs’ to watch.”
I cleared my throat—it had constricted. Our first solo hunt…this was it. “I can talk my Mom into letting me stay over at Will’s. I’ll tell her we have a school project or something.”
“Then saddle up, boys,” the colonel said. “You’re going hunting tonight.”
Chapter Fourteen
The ATV purred along the trail. Mr. Cruessan liked his toys, and we benefitted. The black four-wheeler we rode was Will’s own personal mode of transportation—a hand-me-down from when his dad bought two new ATVs, both bigger. With special, heavy-duty tires, Will’s ATV could drive through anything but foot-deep snow, and it had a tight turn radius, making it perfect for trekking through the woods. The four-wheeler made for a bump
y ride, especially with me on back, but it beat hiking. Will even had an extra helmet for me.
Reflected in the headlights, the trees passed as shadows set against a blur of pale gray and white snow. Thin clouds danced across the sky, blocking out what little light the waning moon gave. This was both good and bad. We’d have an easier time sneaking up on the monster since it was darker. But the same could be said for it sneaking up on us.
I held the GPS in one hand and the seat rail with the other. Our green dot made steady progress toward the coordinates Colonel Black had given us. After driving five miles, we got our first sign.
“Will, cut the engine.” I shook his shoulder to make sure he stopped. The stupid helmets made it hard to hear, but better safe than sorry. It’d be difficult to explain that I’d failed to make a kill because I’d gotten a concussion.
Will parked the ATV near a large pine and covered it with a camo blanket while I put on the night-vision goggles to make sure nothing was hiding, waiting to attack us. No heat signatures—all clear. I pulled off the goggles and clicked on my flashlight, shining it across the trees.
The torn up deer I’d seen with Mike had been bad enough. This time, it was a bobcat. Strewn around the gnarled roots of big spruces, and hanging from the lower branches of pines, were the torn remains of meat and entrails. The only reason we knew it was a bobcat was because the monster had left its head behind; outside of that, there wasn’t a bit of its pelt, claws or bones to be seen.
“Holy Mother of Brett Favre. Is that what I think it is?” Will asked, looking like he was about to hurl our hastily eaten dinner of Kung Pao chicken all over the snow.
“Unfortunately.” I closed my eyes, trying to block out the image of ground meat stuck in the evergreen branches. “It also means we’re getting close.”
The front pouch of my backpack flashed. The knife was vibrating, waiting to hunt. I slid it into my thigh pocket, to keep it close. “We hike from here.”
Matt Archer: Monster Hunter Page 11
