Root

by LeeAnn McLennan

  “Aunt Kate, leave it here for now. It’s too bulky,” Lange suggested.

  She pursed her lips but dropped the bag in a dark corner.

  We moved into the cavernous room where bands played. The room looked vastly different than it had during the times I’d attended all-ages shows with Anna and Jack. Instead of people crowded together, bumping into each other while dancing, the room was empty except for two bodies sprawled face up, spreadeagled, with gaping wounds under each arm. Dim light hid the worst of the blood on the floor, but the rank smell of human guts was almost overpowering. I breathed through my mouth as shallowly as possible.

  I didn’t understand why the room wasn’t swarming with cops and investigators, but then I heard screams and gunshots coming from the opposite side of the building near the restaurant. They must be chasing the monster. I tightened my grip on my sword and started in the direction of the screams.

  “Hello, Brighthalls!” We all jumped as a jubilant voice rang out, echoing throughout the cavernous room. I spun around, looking for the speaker’s location as it continued. “You made it! And all of you are here, well, all of you who aren’t dead, incarcerated or in time out.” The voice sounded thick, as if the speaker was talking through a mouth full of caramel.

  “Who are you?” Lange rose from the crouch he’d gone into when our unseen greeter started talking. “Don’t hide. Aren’t you brave enough to face us?”

  The speaker gave a sharp laugh. “Not to worry, we’ll meet face to face.” The voice was moving. I lifted my gaze up – the voice came from near the ceiling. “But not, I think, today.”

  I squinted, bringing my eyes into better long-range focus. A vaguely man-shaped blob undulated along the wall near the ceiling. Reaching out one arm, it swung up onto a rafter and crouched, looking down at us with yellow eyes. A shiver went down my back. It was a man, or at least resembled a man in every way I could see.

  Then it opened its mouth and extended its tongue in a leer. It was like watching a snake come out of a man’s mouth. I recoiled with disgust and tried very hard to ignore the shiver of fear down my back. The tongue waved around in the air, like a separate entity from the creature. The dark pink tongue forked at the end with black bristles along the top. After a moment, the creature pulled its tongue back into its mouth and took a deep breath. Then it smiled and dropped from the rafters to the floor in the middle of us, landing easily as if its legs had springs in them.

  I reared back, jerking up my sword in a defensive stance. Around me, Kevin and Lange raised their swords in similar positions while Zoe raised her whip over her head, ready to strike. Aunt Kate stepped to the opposite sideof our family circle, hefting her whip in slow circles. She looked dark and dangerous. Uncle Alex held a cudgel. The heavy club looked out of place in my peaceful uncle’s hand, but his fierce expression was all business.

  I shifted my sword to one hand and flexed my other hand, tempted to shoot fire at the thing, but concern over setting the building on fire stopped me.

  “I’ve changed my mind. I have to see what you’ve got.” The lymph monster held up its hands and gave us a “come on” gesture. “When he told me to come to Portland, he said to be cautious, but screw that. I’m feeling frisky today.” It lashed out its tongue tauntingly, then lunged at Zoe, whipping out its tongue in a rapid series of strokes.

  Zoe danced back, meeting his whip action with her own whip, staying out of reach of the tongue. Somehow she never managed to hit the thing; it was too quick, dodging and ducking between her strokes. The whips, both tongue and leather, kept the rest of us from attacking, though I darted around, trying to find an opening.

  “Come on, little girl. Can’t you even get a hit in?” The monster laughed gleefully as it dodged Zoe’s strike. My cousin gritted her teeth and looked frantic. With a jolt, I saw that the monster was getting closer and closer to her with every step.

  Lange dove down, slashing at the beast’s feet with his sword. I thought the blow was going to land, but at the last minute, the lymph monster leapt over the blade. Spinning around, it kicked Lange in the head. Lange rolled away, jumping to his feet but visibly dazed by the kick. The monster slapped at Lange with its tongue, but Kevin stepped in, holding his sword up to block a second hit.

  Zoe managed to get a few whips in before the monster twisted out of reach, hitting her with its awful tongue. I started forward, gripping my sword in one hand with the other hand ready to channel my ability if I got an opening.

  Six stepped in front of me, planting her feet firmly. She raised the staff and froze, staring at the creature. I shouted, “Six, get out of the way!” She ignored me, abruptly swinging the staff around, whacking the lymph monster on the back of its head.

  It staggered forward enough to give me an opening. I dashed behind the creature, grabbing it in a throat hold. The monster sniggered at me even though I held my sword to its neck. It flicked its long tongue out, but I twisted out of reach while still keeping hold of its neck. Lange and Kevin held their swords at the ready a few feet from the tongue. Uncle Alex crouched down, balancing his arms on the end of the cudgel while he stared at the monster with an expression of repugnance. Six grinned at me, holding the staff over one shoulder.

  Aunt Kate walked over to Zoe, who stood breathing hard, and squeezed her arm. “Nice job, kiddo.” She raised her voice. “Nice job, Six and Olivia.”

  The creature shifted, trying to get free, but I shoved my sword more firmly against its neck. It laughed again, this time with a wry edge. “You know, Isaac told me you Brighthalls were good, but I gotta say, you’re quite exceptional.” Its voice was thick but surprisingly vibrant despite the bulk of its tongue. I stiffened when it pressed its back against me, wondering who Isaac was. “I tangled with your mother once. She was good.” It shifted its feet and I saw Zoe shake out her whip warningly. “You’re better. I’m Godfrey.”

  It knew Mom? My sword trembled, but I managed to keep it firmly in place. The thing had a name? I’d never thought of a beast as having a name.

  Godfrey kept talking, its gaze flicking around the room, looking for an escape. “I’ve probably fought some of your ancestors as well. I think I remember a few Brighthalls before your mother.”

  “How old are you?” Kevin had shifted from behind me to cover my right side. I frowned at him for engaging the creature in conversation. He shrugged.

  “Ah, one of you speaks to me.” Godfrey grinned and flicked out its tongue again, trying for an opening. “The advantages of my diet keeps me young. I’ve been around a long time, since there were more of your kind in the world.”

  I couldn’t let his declaration pass by without comment. “That was two hundred years ago.” I assumed Godfrey was referring to the Cataclysm when the most famous Benjamin Hallowfield killed so many supernormals. Godfrey looked younger than my Dad did. “There’s no way you’re that old.”

  It laughed again, amazingly cocky for a creature with a sword at its throat and surrounded by bow- and whip-wielding adversaries. “Supernormals nowadays are so weak and pointless. You’ve forgotten too much of your heritage.” Its voice took on a wheedling tone. “I could tell, for my freedom. Tell you all about that day, the day the world went crazy right in front of me.”

  Aunt Kate made a noise in her throat as she leaned forward, opening her mouth, a longing look on her face.

  “No.” Uncle Alex nudged his sister gently. “We don’t make deals, especially not with monsters.”

  She swallowed. “Of course, you’re right.” She eyed the lymph monster critically as it tried to squirm anyway. I tightened the sword against its neck. Aunt Kate sighed and wrapped her whip around its handle, clipping it to her belt. “We should get the transport bag.” She gestured to Uncle Alex and they disappeared through the dark archway. Six followed them.

  Lange circled around behind Godfrey and prodded it with his sword. “I don’t have to rely on forgotten heritage to know you’re going away for a long time, dude.” He brought his sword under the cre
ature’s chin. “Who’s Isaac?”

  I couldn’t see Godfrey’s reaction to the question, but its answer was in line with its brash behavior so far. “Guess you’d have to make a deal with me to find out.”

  Lange snorted. “Yeah, like that’ll happen.”

  “Don’t engage.” Zoe crouched down, watching Godfrey intently.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Lange answered. “No talking to the inmates…or soon-to-be inmates.”

  But where would it go? Not to one of the habitats, because it would be difficult to keep it from hurting the other creatures. I guessed it would go to Ley Prison. Did monsters go to the prison? “Hey, Lange, where do –”

  “Olivia?” My ex-boyfriend Jack’s voice cut through my question.

  Chapter 24

  I jerked around to stare at the dark archway where Jack stood dressed in his police cadet uniform, mercifully alone. I gaped at him and he stared back, open-mouthed at the sight of his ex-girlfriend holding a sword at the throat of what appeared to be a kneeling man.

  “Jack, I…” I couldn’t think of anything to explain away the scene he witnessed. I looked around wildly for help from my cousins.

  Unfazed by Jack’s appearance, Lange walked over, discreetly slipping his sword into the scabbard across his back. “Hey, Jack Fitzgerald, right? We’ve never met. I’m Olivia’s cousin, Lange Brighthall.” He held out his hand and Jack shook it automatically. “We were doing a little Cosplay and found this guy.” Lange pointed at Godfrey with his thumb. “He seems pretty crazed.” Lange leaned in, lowering his voice in confidence with a glance at Godfrey. “He thinks he can drink lymph fluid. Gross, right?”

  Jack cleared his throat. “Yeah, I should go get –” He angled slightly, probably poised between leaving and staying to find out what we were up to in the cavernous room.

  I’d let my attention wander from Godfrey, but it was jolted back when I felt the jarring sensation of my sword knocked out of my hand. As my sword clattered to the floor, I spun around, but it was too late. Godfrey leapt straight up from the floor as if his legs were on springs, bounding off the wall and into the rafters. I shot a stream of ice after the thing, but Godfrey was too fast, shooting its middle finger at me with a sneer as it disappeared into the darkness. Zoe yelled, darting up the wall at superspeed before coming to a stop, balancing on a beam. Kevin bounced from the floor to land next to her. They both peered around, whip and bow ready for action.

  After a moment, Zoe swore and dropped from the rafters, making no sound as she landed lightly. “It’s gone.” She glared at Jack. “No thanks to you.”

  Jack’s mouth worked, but no sound came out. He turned to me, shut his eyes tight, then opened them. He finally found words. “What the hell, Olivia?”

  “Um…” First Anna, now Jack. After keeping my double life hidden for several months now, all of a sudden I was crap at hiding. “Well, Cosplay? Um…Lord of the Rings?” I said weakly, falling back on Lange’s clever cover-up. Too rattled to attempt a Glamour, I sheathed my sword, hoping it would take Jack’s attention off it.

  Jack swallowed and shook his head. “Nope, not buying it.” He glanced behind him where I heard voices shouting. “You’ve always made fun of Cosplayers, called them lame.”

  Lange gave me a look of mock betrayal, though his eyes were tight with worry. “Remind me to work on your education later.” He continued, before I could comment, “Zoe, Kevin, track the creature. I’ll find Mom and Uncle Alex – give them an update. Olivia,” I grimaced at his stern expression, “deal with your friend.”

  I nodded, waiting for the rest of the family to leave before grabbing Jack’s arm and dragging him out of the archway, across the room and though the door we’d come in earlier. He struggled, but I held on without any trouble. Once we reached the hallway near one of the exit doors, I felt mostly safe from curious ears and I let go of Jack. My mind spun with the protocol for these situations. I had a few choices: try to convince him he’d seen nothing out of the ordinary or get him to the warehouse to use Aunt Kate’s memory eradicator. Alternatively, tell him the truth.

  I stared at Jack for a moment, thinking of how long I’d known him and how I’d always thought he’d be a better hero than I could ever manage. He’d joined the Portland Police cadet program as a reaction to his helpless feeling when he couldn’t save everyone in the bank robbery last fall. I’d heard Mindy bragging that he was a star cadet, trusted to ride along on tougher cases than most cadets were able to observe.

  “Olivia, you’ve got to tell me what happened back there!” Jack’s eyes were still a little wild and his face was red. “What are you involved with?” He lurched forward, putting his face up to mine. “Did that guy really run up the wall? Did your cousins follow? Why do you have a sword?”

  My hand twitched and I barely held back from punching him for shoving his face in mine so aggressively. I didn’t want to hurt him. I clenched my fists while I struggled with what to tell him about the scene he’d witnessed. Would he believe the creature was on drugs? How would I explain Zoe and Kevin’s feats of athleticism? What about the sword in its sheath across my back?

  His brown eyes glared into mine, full of betrayal, along with fear. His mouth was set in a skeptical line, ready to pick apart any story I told him.

  I knew what I had to do. Tell him the truth. Stories about people on drugs or role-playing wouldn’t convince him to forget what he’d seen. He’d barely believed me when I’d claimed adrenaline rush in the bank robbery.

  The words stuck in my throat as I stared at him, uncertain where to begin my confession.

  “Olivia?” Jack stepped back, crossing his arms. “Are you going to answer me?”

  When I hesitated, he turned to leave, but I grabbed his shoulder. “Jack, wait.” I breathed in through my nose, already worried I was making the wrong choice. “I need to tell you something.” Wow, this really was harder than telling Anna. “I wasn’t telling you the truth just now.”

  He raised an eyebrow in an “oh really” gesture I knew so well.

  Then I knew why it was harder to tell Jack than Anna. I’d never actually lied to Anna about my secret life, but I had deliberately lied to Jack about how I’d stopped the bank robbery. Telling him the truth now meant admitting lying to him last fall. “So, listen, you can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. I, um, I’ve got abilities, powers, superpowers, my entire family does.” I gestured in the direction of the cavernous room where he’d come upon us. “We fight monsters. Some of us do, at least. That’s what you saw. We’d caught the monster that killed those people.” I grimaced. “Of course, it got away when you distracted us.” I scowled at him accusingly.

  Jack stared at me without speaking for several heartbeats.

  “Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” I finally asked, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach.

  “I don’t know what to say.” Jack spoke stiffly. “I’d say you were making up a story, but I know what I just saw, so I’m trying to decide if you’re telling the truth or pranking me.”

  I decided that words weren’t enough. Holding out my hand, considering we were inside a building, I choose ice instead of fire. I held up my arm, encased in a thick sheath of ice.

  Jack jumped back. “Whoa, how are you doing that?”

  I took a deep breath, but before I could tell him about my heritage, shouting came from down the hallway. “Cadet Fitzgerald, where are you?”

  Jack kept his eyes on mine as he answered, “Down here, sir.”

  I hastily released enough heat to melt the ice off my arm and dry out my sleeve. Jack grunted in surprise but didn’t say anything.

  Heavy footsteps sounded as a uniformed policeman came towards us. I barely had time to hiss, “Don’t tell him anything. I promise to tell you what’s going on.”

  Jack didn’t look at me and my stomach clenched with worry. Had it been a mistake to show him my power? I resisted the temptation to grab Jack and run out the door behind me. However, I
was certain the cop would consider the manhandling of a cadet to be suspicious behavior. I stepped back enough to hide my face in the shadows and balanced lightly on the balls of my feet, ready to run if Jack told the cop about me.

  As the cop drew closer, I saw his nametag said Officer Gordon Richland. He was medium-sized and bulky, but his bulk was more muscle than fat. I shifted, very aware of the sword on my back. I concentrated on hiding it behind a Glamour so the cop would see it but not pay attention to it. Maybe Jack would also forget about my sword, but I doubted I was that fortunate. Some normals were better at seeing through the supernormal Glamour than other normals – especially once they’d witnesses a supernormal event. The witness stories from Emma’s attacks were a good example. While most normals didn’t see anything unusual until the explosions occurred, a few insisted they saw a teenager disappear and reappear in the blink of an eye. One guy had even written a disturbingly accurate blog article about it. Uncle Alex’s theory was that those astute normals had some latent supernormal DNA. Not enough for abilities to manifest, but enough to see through the Glamour.

  Officer Richland approached us, eyeing me thoughtfully but without unusual attention. I gave Jack a sideways look. I was still worried he would out me.

  “Jack, what’s going on?” Officer Richland peered closely at Jack.

  Jack stood straight, not quite at attention but not too far from it. “Sir, this is a friend of mine from school.” He paused, rubbing his nose while I tensed, ready to dash away if Jack tried to arrest me for holding a sword to what he thought was a man. Jack glanced at me. “I ran into her in the hallway and was trying to get her to safety.”

  I blew out a quiet stream of breath, relieved. Officer Richland waved his hand in dismissal. “Okay, get your friend to safety and then meet us in front of the building for an update.” He opened the exterior door behind us and almost pushed us out of the building.

  Jack asked, “Have you caught the attacker?”

  Officer Richland frowned. “Not yet, so we need to get all civilians to safety as quickly as possible.”