by Amy Meredith
She told herself not to think about that night, not now. ‘So, Seth, I heard that you’ve given Jess full control of picking your tux. Smart move.’
‘Oh, I forgot to tell you,’ Seth said, turning to Jess. ‘My dad still has the tux he wore to his prom. He said I could borrow it.’
Jess rolled her eyes. ‘That was when, the early eighties?’ she asked.
‘Something like that.’ Seth shrugged.
‘I’m picturing a pastel suit. I’m picturing a gigantic floppy bow tie and a shiny matching cummerbund. What I’m not picturing is going to the prom with a guy dressed like that. Ewww!’ Jess squealed.
‘Relax. I was just kidding,’ Seth told her.
Jess didn’t respond. She was staring down at the ground. Slowly she lifted her foot. A gasp escaped from Eve’s throat. The bottom of Jess’s loafer was smeared with gore. ‘Oh, God. I stepped on a dead squirrel,’ Jess cried. She began frantically scraping her shoe against a tree trunk, trying to wipe off the blood.
‘Here. Give it to me.’ Seth held out his hand for the shoe. Once Jess gave it to him, he used some leaves to clean it for her, then put it back on her foot, all Prince Charming.
Luke crouched down and studied the body of the small animal. He frowned and shot a worried look at Eve. She forced herself to study the squirrel more closely. Almost immediately she saw what was bothering Luke. There were no teeth marks or claw marks on the squirrel’s body, nothing that indicated an attack by another animal. Its throat had been neatly slit.
‘Looks like some kid found it and messed around with it after it died,’ Seth suggested. He’d clearly come to the same conclusion about the wound as Eve had: that it certainly hadn’t been made by an animal. ‘I got a Swiss Army knife when I was eleven, and I tried it out on everything.’ Jess shot him a horrified glance, and he quickly added, ‘I never did anything like this, though. It was more like I’d try to cut through a soda can, that kind of thing.’
Jess whipped her head towards Eve. ‘What if it was killed by what killed Kyle!’ she exclaimed. ‘Could that animal be back?’ Her voice got higher with the question. She knew exactly what that animal had been.
‘Of course it can’t. There haven’t been any attacks for months. Those science experts said it had moved on,’ Seth said.
‘I think they’re right. Even if it was one of those animals – remember some people thought it was a pack – it would have to be feeding, and that would leave evidence,’ Luke added.
Eve nodded. ‘They have to be far away,’ she told Jess, saying the words slowly and deliberately, so that Jess would get the message – the wargs were still trapped on the other side of the portal, and the portal was closed. There was no way they could be back in Deepdene. She was glad she hadn’t told Jess about the missing animals her mother mentioned the other night. Jess would be even more scared right now – and she looked pretty scared already.
‘Like I said, if the animal was back, there’d be evidence of it feeding,’ Luke assured her. ‘One dead squirrel, that’s definitely not evidence. They wouldn’t go after something so small. And anyway, there’s no sign of anyone having tried to eat this thing.’
Eve could see that her friend was convinced now. She was convinced too. But, still, the woods seemed a little darker, even though she knew the light hadn’t actually changed. ‘So,’ she said. ‘Tell us what you have planned for Seth on prom night. We know it won’t be a pastel tuxedo.’
She knew exactly what kind of tux Jess had in mind, of course. But talking about the prom would make Jess happy and take her mind off the squirrel. It would also make the woods feel more normal.
‘It all depends on the dress, obviously,’ Jess answered, the smile returning to her face. ‘But definitely single-breasted, probably three or four buttons.’ Luke and Seth exchanged a who-knows-what-she’s-talking-about-but-whatever look. Jess didn’t notice, just kept talking. ‘Those look great on tall guys, and—’
‘Watch your step,’ Luke called. ‘Up ahead, another squirrel.’
Eve took a long look. There was a slit along the squirrel’s throat. A warg wouldn’t have left anything but a few specks of blood and flesh behind if it had bothered to attack something so small. This wound obviously hadn’t been made by some ordinary animal. That meant the squirrels had been killed by a human – or a demon. She knew by now that there were many different types of demon. Maybe one had used a knife to kill. Or had a single sharp claw, or something.
‘Come on. Let’s walk faster. I’m ready to get out of the woods and into the stores.’ Jess picked up the pace. Luke grabbed Eve’s hand as they followed her.
‘I should have brought a sweater,’ Eve commented. ‘I was fine when we were out in the sun, but it’s a lot colder in the woods.’
‘You think so?’ Jess asked. ‘I didn’t notice.’
‘I didn’t notice at first either. It just hit me,’ Eve said. Luke let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
‘You are cold! You’ve got goose bumps,’ he exclaimed. He rubbed his hand up and down her bare arm.
Eve nodded. She did. Not just on her arms, either. Her whole body was covered. That had never happened before. She felt cold inside too, like she’d been eating ice. Her lungs felt frozen, unable to expand enough to bring in air.
Eve reached out and put her hand on a tree trunk, leaning most of her weight on it as she struggled for breath. ‘Hold up,’ Luke called to Jess and Seth. ‘There’s something wrong with Eve.’
‘I’ve got to go back,’ Eve managed to say through chattering teeth. She’d thought being so cold your teeth chattered was limited to freezing winter nights, but hers were clicking together uncontrollably even though it was May. ‘I need to get in bed under a blanket.’
‘I’ll get you back.’ Luke tightened his hold on her shoulders. ‘Lean on me.’ He helped her turn round and she was able to take a few shaky steps. Jess and Seth stayed close behind them. Eve was scared; she wasn’t sure she’d be able to make it out of the woods even with Luke supporting her, but as they retraced their steps, she began to be able to pull in deep breaths of the warm spring air.
‘That was weird.’ The words came out clearly. Her teeth had stopped chattering. ‘I felt like I couldn’t breathe.’
‘It wasn’t just weird, it was scary,’ Jess said. ‘You went really pale, Eve.’
‘You’re OK now?’ Luke asked, his eyes dark with worry.
Eve nodded. ‘Still sort of cold, but OK.’ She stopped walking, and forced a smile at her friends. ‘I still want to go home, though. Jess, you and the boys go shop. I know they won’t be any real help, but they can carry things. And you can text me dress pictures.’
‘No way. I am not shopping for my prom dress without you,’ Jess replied. ‘Just not happening. We can go tomorrow if you’re feeling better.’
‘If you think I’m going to let you walk home alone after what just happened, you’re crazy,’ Luke added.
‘Skipping the trip is fine by me,’ Seth said. ‘I hate shopping.’
‘Let’s go back to my place. It’s closer,’ Jess suggested as they continued walking out of the woods, and Eve and the guys agreed right away. With each step, Eve felt better.
What was that? she wondered as they reached the edge of the woods and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The sunlight streaming down on her felt as good as a cashmere sweater. That was so freaky, the way it came and went in seconds.
‘You still feeling all right?’ Luke asked. ‘I can call my dad for a ride.’
He was such a good guy. ‘I’m fine. Really,’ Eve told him. ‘More than fine.’ She proved it by keeping up her end of a lively discussion about what everybody had planned for the summer. It lasted all the way to Jess’s.
‘Uh-oh.’ Jess stopped in front of her mailbox. A thick cream-coloured envelope was poking out. It looked just like the one that had come with the candy. ‘No address. Somebody has hand-delivered it.’ She glanced at Eve, and Eve knew they were thinking
the same thing. Simon had been back.
Jess ripped open the envelope, not bothering to open it carefully as she had with the previous one. There was no chance this was going in her memory hatbox.
‘What is it?’ Seth asked.
‘It’s from Simon,’ Jess told him.
Seth cursed under his breath. ‘That guy is out of control. What does it say?’
Jess began to read as they walked up the flagstone path to her house. ‘He says that he didn’t think I was the type of person to judge someone by appearances, but clearly he was wrong about me. Then he calls me cold and callous.’
‘That is so not you,’ Eve cried. ‘You’re toasty warm and well-moisturized. You—’ She forgot what she was about to say as her eyes snagged on a few droplets of glistening red shining up from one of the stones of the Merediths’ walkway. For a moment Eve thought it was nail polish. Then she saw a bigger puddle near the bushes that ran under the living-room window. Blood, she realized. It was blood. It looked so wrong against the perfectly manicured green of the lawn.
Eve’s breath caught in her chest. Was there a new demon on the loose? Was it still around? The last thing they needed was to have Seth see her use her powers.
Jess saw the blood a second later, and let out a shriek. Then another, high and shrill and horrible to hear. Her father burst out the front door. ‘Jess! What’s happened?’
She pressed her fingers to her lips, unable to answer.
‘Over here,’ Eve told him. She walked across to the bushes, scanning the area for any sign that a demon was nearby. Luke remained at her side. So did Mr Meredith. Seth hung back with Jess. Eve could hear him murmuring reassurances as she crouched down on the balls of her feet to get a closer look. She began breathing through her mouth to avoid the familiar – way too familiar – metallic smell of fresh blood.
‘It looks like a cat,’ Jess’s dad said. He pushed a clump of the bushes aside. ‘Yeah, that’s what it is. I think it’s Pumpkin from down the street.’
‘His throat has been slit,’ Luke observed. His hand moved reflexively to his back, and Eve knew he was wishing he had the demon-killing sword strapped under his shirt the way he did when they were sure a demon was on the loose.
‘We saw a couple of squirrels that had been killed like that, out in the woods,’ Eve added, wishing she could reach over and close Pumpkin’s staring golden eyes. ‘Do you think something could have followed us back?’ she asked Luke, knowing he’d understand she meant a demon.
‘Pumpkin was dead when we got here,’ he reminded her. ‘That means whatever killed him was here before we showed up. It’s probably gone now.’ But Eve could see that the muscles in his jaw were tense, and his hands had curled into fists.
‘The poor thing must have been killed right near here,’ Mr Meredith said thoughtfully. ‘There wouldn’t be so much blood if he hadn’t. And you’re right about the wound, Luke. It looks like the throat was deliberately slit. Another animal couldn’t have done this. Someone stood right in front of the house and …’ His words trailed off and he shook his head. He released the clump of bush, and it sprang back into place. ‘I’m going to go get something to wrap him in.’
Eve stood up, but she and Luke didn’t move. It was as if the blood had cast a spell on them. Neither could look away.
‘Why would this animal-killer risk coming so close to Jess’s house?’ Eve murmured. She didn’t want to say the word ‘demon’ aloud, not with Mr Meredith and Seth nearby. She shot a look over her shoulder at her friend. Seth had managed to calm Jess down, at least a little.
‘You said that Jess called Simon just before we left, right?’ Luke asked.
‘Pretty much,’ Eve said. ‘Maybe five minutes before.’
‘And he sounded angry,’ Luke continued.
‘Definitely, even though we didn’t understand what he actually said,’ Eve agreed. ‘You don’t think … Do you think he was angry enough to kill the cat? He could have thought he was Jess’s. Pumpkin wanders over here a lot.’ She was relieved that there was an explanation other than a demon in their town. But the idea that Simon could have done something so violent was almost as frightening.
Luke sighed. ‘I don’t know. It’s something to think about,’ he said. ‘But there are the squirrels too. And I’m really starting to wonder what happened to those missing pets your mom told us about.’
‘I don’t understand it,’ Mr Meredith said when he returned with a towel. ‘Just this morning, I was golfing with a friend, and he said he’d seen a dead dog in the middle of the road when he was driving back into town last night. He mentioned it because the dog hadn’t been hit by a car. He said it looked like its throat had been cut with a knife.’
Chapter Four
That night Eve sat propped up in her bed, wearing the Santa Cruz T-shirt Luke had given her. She loved sleeping in it; it was so oversized and comfy. And it still had a little of that yummy Luke smell.
She clicked the remote, but nothing on the TV could hold her attention. Her mind was doing some channel-surfing of its own, flashing images – all of them unpleasant. Dead squirrel, dead squirrel, dead kitty, Jess’s scared face, blood on the lawn, and Eve herself, standing paralysed in the woods, her entire body coated with ice. Not that that’s exactly what had happened, but that’s what her brain was showing, probably because that’s what it had felt like to Eve. She’d felt like she was encased in ice.
You’re fine, Eve told herself. And she was. There were still no after-effects from that moment in the woods.
Still, maybe she’d stop by the power plant in the morning before she met up with Jess. A smile tugged at her lips as an idea occurred to her. There was no reason for her to wait until tomorrow. She could juice up a little right now, right here.
She reached over and slipped her hand under the shade of the lamp on her bedside table. The light bulb went out with a soft pop, and Eve felt a corresponding pop inside her, a little pop of new power.
Nice. But more would be nicer. Especially with the possibility that a demon was in Deepdene.
Eve scrambled to the edge of her bed, leaned forward, and pressed both hands against the large screen of her TV. With a crackle, it went out, and Eve instantly felt that power joining the hot core inside her.
She glanced around the room. What else?
She realized she’d been kind of destructive. All she’d been thinking about was the power. She didn’t want to ruin her computer or her CD player or anything else. But why not go right to the source?
Would it even work? Eve didn’t know. But she slid off the bed and sat cross-legged in front of one of the power outlets. Gently she pressed two fingers against the slots for a plug. She couldn’t stop herself from giggling as the hot electric sizzle zipped up her fingers and zigzagged through her entire body.
‘If you’re out there, demon-breath, bring it on,’ she whispered. Right before the overhead light went out.
‘Why is the power out again?’ her mother exclaimed. ‘This seems to happen every week!’
‘Maybe someone ran their car into an electric pylon,’ Eve heard her dad suggest.
‘I’ll go get the candles,’ Eve called to them. Not that she really needed them. If she wanted to, she was pretty sure she could light up the whole town.
‘I hope they still have that dress at Cynthia Rowley,’ Jess said on Sunday.
‘If they don’t, it’s not meant to be,’ Eve told her. ‘We must trust the prom gods.’ She and Jess were walking down Main Street. Neither of the guys were available for shopping that afternoon, so they’d decided to make the jaunt to East Hampton to check on the possibly perfect prom dress Jess had seen.
‘Are you sure you want to go through the woods after what happened yesterday?’ Jess asked. ‘You felt pretty sick, and those squirrels are probably still there. We could just hop on the train.’
‘No, I’m up for walking. That was pretty bizarre yesterday, but I feel fine now,’ Eve assured her. ‘In fact, I felt better almost
right away, and whatever it was never came back.’ She spotted something white and floaty out of the corner of her eye and whirled towards it. A soft ‘oooh’ escaped her lips as she took in the phenomenally gorgeous dress in the window of the Dolce & Gabbana boutique. Strapless, form-fitting until the knees, where it flared into a cascade of chiffon layers that went to the floor with just a few ruffles. Romantic, classy, a little bit princess, and just so, so Eve. ‘Dibbies!’ she cried, pointing to it.
Eve and Jess had created the dibbies system years ago. It made shopping together much more fun and much less stressful, because there were always things they both liked and both wanted, but it’s not like they could buy matching clothes. That would be ridiculous. So they each got to call ‘dibbies’ on three items per shopping trip. Calling ‘dibbies’ meant the caller had first shot at whatever the item was – in this case the most insanely beautiful dress Eve had ever seen. She could already imagine the besotted expression on Luke’s face when he saw her in it.
Jess didn’t say anything, which was seriously unusual for Jess. Eve glanced over and saw her best friend staring at the dress with lust and longing all over her face. ‘You were too slow, missy. You need some dibbies practice,’ Eve teased her. ‘I can’t wait to try it on! What do you think for shoes? Maybe a nude high-heeled sandal.’ She opened the door of the boutique and stepped inside, holding it open for Jess. ‘Nothing that takes attention away from the dress, I don’t think.’
But Jess was still standing in the same spot. She hadn’t moved even an inch towards the door. It was like she’d grown roots.
‘Come on. Maybe you’ll find something in here too,’ Eve said. They’d obviously gotten a bunch of new stuff in – like the gorgeous dress. If it had been there before, Eve would have noticed it. It pulled her like a magnet.
‘Eve … we’re shopping for my prom dress. Why are you calling dibbies?’ Jess asked, her tone just a little whiny, which wasn’t like her.
