by Gabby Fawkes
Just then, Elliot’s voice from the trees became raised. He was shouting.
“I won’t!” he screamed. “I can’t go back! They’ll kill me!”
I shot Retta a look. “I think we can take that as a no,” I said, answering her question.
I leapt to my feet as it dawned on me what was happening. Our last hope was about to bolt.
“You’re not gonna like this, kids,” I said, “but we’re gonna have to grab him.”
“What?” Juniper cried. “We’re not kidnapping him, Theia!”
But Birch was up on his feet already, rubbing his hands together with excited glee. “Leave this to me.”
“No!” Juniper cried, too late; Birch had streaked off into the forest.
“Sorry,” I told her sheepishly.
She just shook her head with frustration.
We followed after Birch until we heard the sound of a scuffle up ahead. When we caught up to him, we discovered Birch was pinning the frail Vanpari down with the whole weight of his body like a wrestler in the ring.
“Got him!” he cried, evidently thrilled with himself.
Well, it might not have been the most sensible way of doing it, but at least now we could take Elliot back to the house, feed him, clean him up, and give Nik the chance to persuade his friend to help us face to face.
But as the first morning doves began to sing in the dawn of election day, I couldn’t help but worry we might already be too late.
31
Elliot thrashed and bucked wildly as we heaved him up between us. Despite being weakened by his time in the forest, he was still able to wrench his stick-insect limbs from our grasps.
“Something’s not right with this kid,” Cora commented, her hands gripped around his right ankle.
Aaron was holding onto the left. “You’re telling me. It’s like he’s lost his mind or something.”
I was on shoulder duty — holding Elliot beneath his pits while Retta and Birch stopped him from clawing at me by gripping onto a hand each — and looked down into his face. They were right. Elliot was foaming at the mouth. Something about him seemed less than human. Or Vanpari, whatever. You know what I mean.
“You don’t think he caught brainrot, do you?” Birch said.
Brainrot was a nickname given to the collection of symptoms you’d get from ingesting the wrong kind of plants. Elkie kids get taught in school what foliage is edible. It was highly likely Elliot, being a clueless city dweller, had accidentally chowed down on something he shouldn’t have.
Juniper grimaced. “You might be right.”
Foaming at the lips. Wild, pinprick pupils. Anxiety. Violent outbursts. Yeah, Elliot was showing all the classic symptoms. Crap. This was exactly not what we needed right now.
“What the hell’s brainrot?” Aaron asked, grunting and almost losing hold of Elliot’s flailing leg.
“It sounds fatal,” Cora replied.
“It’s not,” I said quickly. “But it’s definitely the last thing we need right now.”
Without the proper treatment, Elliot wouldn’t improve. And while his mind was temporarily lost, what chance did we have of convincing him to help us? It didn’t bear thinking about.
It took us hours that we definitely didn’t have, but somehow we managed to wrestle Elliot all the way back to the cottage. Once inside, we deposited him in the dining room and barricaded the door. He banged against it, cursing us the whole time.
Juniper slunk down, her back against it, completely exhausted. “So that could’ve gone better,” she said over the noise, jerking with each kick Elliot made on the other side of the door.
Everyone else looked just as drained as she did, and equally as depressed. A sense of hopelessness began to creep in. I pushed it quickly away.
“I’ll go and see if Gran has any brainrot treatment,” I told them.
I was about to head upstairs when a lull in Elliot’s screeching and kicking made everything go silent. In the quietness, I heard a voice calling from the living room.
“Theia? Is that you?”
I looked at Juniper and Birch, frowning. “Is that…?”
“Gran!” they both cried.
We’d completely forgotten all about her in the drama.
We ran down the corridor — leaving Cora, Retta and Aaron to watch over Elliot’s door — and into the living room. The sight that awaited me made my eyes ping wide with surprise.
There, drinking tea out of china cups and eating buttery toast, were Gus, Nik, Lucas and Gran. Nik was sporting a large bandage across his midriff. Though he kept his eyes averted, I was relieved to see he looked way less pale than when I’d last seen him. We might have been yelling at each other before I left, but I was still glad the color had returned back to his cheeks. I wasn’t that much of a hardass…
Lucas looked exceptionally well rested, with freshly washed and styled hair, like he was getting ready for a modelling shoot, rather than in the middle of a crisis. And Gus and Gran, well, they were both grinning devilishly at their male companions - especially the half-naked Siren with muscles fit to rival Michelangelo’s David.
“What the heck is going on?” I asked.
Here I was looking like a bum on a bender, and Nik, Gus and Lucas had just been kicking it back with Gran?
“Augustus has been filling me in on all the gossip,” Gran said. “And I’ve been getting to know your new friends.” She winked.
“I can see that,” I replied wryly.
“I’m guessing by the commotion that you found Elliot?” Gus said.
I nodded and looked at Nik. “We had to drag him back here. He’s not doing well. We think he ate something bad in the forest.”
“Brainrot?” Gran asked.
Nik’s eyes widened with panic. “Brain what?”
“It sounds worse than it is,” I told him quickly. To Gran, I added, “Do you have the remedy?”
She nodded. “Of course. Birch, go and fetch it from my medicine cabinet.”
My younger cousin dutifully followed her orders.
I paced further into the living room and planted a kiss on Gran’s cheek. It was nice to see her, despite everything that was going on.
Exhausted, I sat on the couch beside her. Juniper took the armchair. Birch came back into the room holding a jar filled with a gross-looking gooey substance.
“It takes a few days to work through the system,” Gran explained. “You won’t be able to get anything intelligible out of him for a while.”
My stomach sank. Just as I’d suspected.
“We don’t have a few days,” I said. “We need Elliot now. The voting will be starting in a matter of hours.”
“Try him on a double dose then,” Gran said. “Washed down with my infamous colonic cleansing juice, it should speed everything through his system. But take him to the bathroom. I don’t want a mess on the carpet.”
Everyone made disgusted faces.
Birch stood there holding the jar at arm’s length. “I’m not giving it to him,” he said.
“Don’t look at me!” Gus replied, cleary appalled at the suggestion he get involved in anything even remotely icky.
Nik stood and took the jar from Birch. “I’ll do it. He’s my friend.”
“Good luck,” I said. “Don’t expect a happy reunion. Your buddy’s kinda… pissed.”
Nik frowned at me, his eyes mournful. Okay, so I could’ve been more sensitive. But I was still mad at him after our fight. And okay, sure, I was also a little bitter that he’d been able to rest this whole time while I’d been stuck out in the forest getting headbutted by a Vanpari with brainrot. Sue me.
I watched as Nik hobbled out of the room. He still appeared to be in some pain but significantly less than when I’d left him.
“What kind of voodoo did you work on him?” I asked Gran.
She rolled her eyes. “I started by wiping off all that runny nose medicine you’d slathered all over him. Then I used an Elkie remedy — not voodoo — to clean and
seal the wound. You’d have known how to do it yourself if you ever listened to a word I said!”
Lucas began to chuckle. I flashed him a glare.
“Nice to see you’ve finally woken up, Sleeping Beauty,” I said, scathingly.
He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. “No point us all being dog-tired, T. Besides, I’m the designated driver. You don’t want me falling asleep at the wheel.”
Gran nodded like Lucas was the know-it-all kid in class that teachers adored.
“We won’t be driving anywhere soon by the sounds of things,” I muttered. “Elliot’s in no fit state to talk to the press.”
“Or get in my van,” Lucas added. “Not if he’s crapping all over the place.”
I sank my head into my hands. This was not how I’d pictured my trip to Harriman going. I’d thought we’d have more time. I’d thought tracking Elliot would be easy. The only hard part was supposed to be whether Nik could convince him to come back to New York City and testify. But now it was the morning of the election and our star witness was about to be forced-fed laxatives to help flush the brainrot out of his system.
“Don’t give up just yet,” Gran told me. “Elliot might only have a mild case. Several hours in the bathroom might be just what he needs.”
I grimaced again. “Let’s hope. But I’m not holding my breath.”
Although, depending on what exactly happened with Elliot, maybe I would be…
I let my head slip down to her shoulder. “I’m glad to see you, Gran.”
“You too, darling.” She patted my hair. “It was quite a surprise waking up this morning, calling out for my breakfast tea, and having this lovely young man deliver it.”
She was talking about Lucas. I couldn’t help but smirk. “I bet it was.”
“Augustus told me everything,” Gran added. “You kids really ought to keep me in the loop.”
Juniper’s face cracked with concern. “I’m so sorry, Gran. I wasn’t not telling you. It all just happened so fast. Theia appeared and then we had to help Gus, and I honestly didn’t think we’d be gone all night. Are you mad?”
My feisty grandma started laughing. “Absolutely not! Do you know how long it’s been since I had an adventure?”
My cousins and I all exchanged a glance. Gran was getting pretty frail these days. All the excitement might be too much for her. But on the other hand, having her around was hugely comforting. It was only breakfast and she’d already managed to fix Nik. Having an actual adult take some of the responsibility from my shoulders was such a relief.
Just then, some shouting and yelling came from the other end of the corridor. Clearly, Elliot was being wrangled into the bathroom to begin his treatment, putting up a fight the whole way.
Just listening to the din made me tense. Elliot was in a bad way and I doubted even the most explosive diarrhea would solve the problem.
The screeching noises finally died down. Then I heard approaching footsteps. Finally, Retta, Cora and Aaron appeared at the door.
“Come in,” Gran exclaimed. “You all look exhausted. Augustus, fetch the red velvet cake from the pantry. Let’s get some sugar in your blood streams.”
My exhausted, mud splattered, sleep-deprived friends all murmured in appreciation. They crowded into Gran’s sitting room, settling in beside one another and on the floor when there were no spaces left on the couches.
I had Retta at my feet, resting her head against my knees.
“So Nik’s on poop duty with Elliot?” I asked her.
“He’s locked inside. Poor guy.” She pulled a gagging face. Then her expression turned darker. “Theia, I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
“Me neither,” I replied.
Birch turned on Werefox News. Protests were still raging in the city. But of course the main news was the election. Voting was about to begin.
I snuggled in to Gran, breathing in her comforting scent. She stroked my hair tenderly, the way she always did. I yawned deeply. Exhaustion was starting to take over.
Then, somehow, in spite of everything, I fell asleep.
32
I was abruptly awoken by the sound of shouting.
I sat up, alarmed, and instinctively reached for my bow. I found nothing but an empty space beside me.
My brain still foggy from sleep, I glanced around. I was in Juniper’s bed. Someone must have moved me upstairs after I’d passed out.
More yelling came from somewhere down the hall.
I tore the bed sheets off and leapt up, hurrying out the door. Just at that moment, the bathroom door at the end of the hall burst open. For the briefest of seconds, I saw Elliot standing there, wild eyes, wire-thin. Then he bolted, using his Vanpari speed to disappear from view.
Nik staggered to the door, clutching the frame to steady himself. When he saw me, he gestured down the stairs. “Don’t just stand there!”
I ran, hurrying down the steps two at a time. The front door was open, swinging on the breeze.
I burst out, tearing up the hill and into the forest. But Elliot was gone. Clearly now he’d pooped the brainrot out of his system he’d regained his full Vanpari power. I guess blind panic also accounted for some of it.
I headed back toward the house and saw Nik coming out. I quicked my pace.
“What the hell happened?” I demanded. “How’d he get free? Weren’t you watching him?”
Nik instantly bristled. “Hmm, let me see. Maybe leaving the guy with a knife wound in his gut to do all the work wasn’t the best idea after all.”
I’d just about had it with his attitude. He was reaching jerk level 10. If he tested my patience any more I’d rip him a new one.
“Did it work? The remedy?”
“If it was supposed to make him shit for two hours straight, then yeah, I’d say it worked perfectly.”
“You know what I mean,” I shot back. “Is the brainrot gone? Is Elliot intelligible again?”
“Intelligible enough to run for the hills and never look back,” Nik replied. His owl familiar hooted the saddest twit-twoo I’d ever heard.
I exhaled, furiously. “Let’s get the others. Try again.”
I headed for the door. Nik came too, shaking his head. “It’s not going to work.”
“We’re not giving up until we’re dead.”
We walked into the living room. Everyone except for Gran — who was presumably now tucked up in bed — was pretty much in the same spot where I’d left them, staring at the TV.
“The results are in,” Retta said, turning her head over her shoulder to look at me.
“What?” I cried.
“Yup,” Gus answered. “Geiser won by a landslide.”
Okay, that wasn’t unexpected. But it still sucked to see it for real. The graphs on the screen showed Henrietta Sugar Plum’s purple column down at 20%. Geiser’s yellow one was up at 80%.
“Shit,” I said, slumping my shoulder against the wall.
I looked around at my weary friends. The heavy atmosphere in the room was as thick as molasses.
“Guys,” I said. “This isn’t over.”
No one spoke. No one dared meet my eye. No one dared even move.
Gus stood and came to me. He took me by the shoulders. The voice he spoke with was firm. “It’s over, Theia. We failed. All that’s left is for Gesier to be announced as mayor of New York City. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
I shook myself free. “I’m not giving up. We can try again with Elliot. Or, I dunno, convince Kevin Edward to help us.” I started pacing. “Trevor? He might spill if we paid him enough.” I knew I was scraping the bottom of the barrel now. But giving up wasn’t my style.
Just then, Geier’s face flashed onto the TV screen and my words died in my throat. The smug look in his eyes made my skin crawl.
He’d won. His plan had worked. His fake Vanpari cronies, the attack on Heidi’s party, the hostility, getting me out of the way… it had all worked. The sun-class had handed him the keys
to half the city. Whatever awful laws he wanted to pass now, he could.
The camera panned out and my chest clenched. Standing next to Geiser was Mom. She’d chosen her loyalty and boy did it sting.
My legs started to tremble beneath me. From her place on the couch, Retta reached up and gently tugged my sleeve to guide me down beside her. I slowly lowered myself down, almost as if hypnotized, as the reality of it all began to sink in.
On the screen, Geiser stepped up to the microphone.
“By voting for me rather than Henrietta Sugar Plum as the sun mayor of New York City,” he began, his voice harsh and grating, “the ordinary sun-class citizens have made their desires very clear. Our attempts to share our city with the moon-class has failed. The Peace Treaty forced us to share our streets and facilities with the moon-class. For decades, we did just that. For decades, they showed us no gratitude.”
On television, the crowd roared their applause. Their rapture. But in Gran’s living room, my moon-class friends and I were seething. I felt my shoulders slump as a sense of bleak hopelessness started to envelop me.
Geiser continued, his voice becoming bolder. “The moon-class have shown they cannot peacefully live overground. Therefore, they are no longer welcome to. I would like to announce my intentions to bring New York City back to full control of the sun-class. It’s time for the moon-class to return underground.” He held up a document, his evil eyes glittering with glee.
“This is a formal eviction notice for Mayor Storm, the moon-mayor, to say we are revoking our shared premises. At midnight, I will perform the necessary ceremony at the Statue of Liberty to create twenty-four hours of daylight, and New York City will be returned to the sun-class once more.”
All the air seemed to leave the room. I was stunned. The crowd watching his speech reached a fever pitch that was giving me serious Nazi vibes.
I couldn’t believe what was happening. I thought Geiser was going to tighten the Twilight Curfew, not drive an entire class underground! I knew he would attempt something like this eventually; I just didn’t realize he’d have that much power that quickly.
It all hit me in a rush. All the emotion at once, like a speeding freight train.
