Shadowed

by Connie Suttle

  "Kid, come see me when you're ready to graduate," Winkler said seriously. The community began filtering in quickly, so they turned their attention to the impending ceremony.

  * * *

  "No, we wait until Mom and Dad are asleep," Jeremy hissed. "Mom keeps her car keys on the counter beside the door. We can sneak out our bedroom window and go to Clinton. Somebody will buy beer for us, if we have the proper persuasion." Jeremy lifted the folded cash from his pants pocket.

  "Put that back. You want somebody to see?" Chad hissed. "Are you sure the distraction will work? Can we even trust that kid?"

  "I think he wouldn't mind causing a little chaos," Jeremy smiled grimly. "And we can drive out of here while the guards are busy elsewhere. They may even think Mom or Dad went somewhere, if they find the car gone afterward." Jeremy and Chad had chosen the English classroom to dress in their graduation robes. At least their punishment had one up side—they didn't have to give a speech before receiving their diplomas.

  "I'm glad we found that walkie-talkie after Lizzie left us," Chad grinned. "Who knew two of those empties would help get us what we want?"

  "I'm glad Mom's not here to tell us not to speak ill of the dead," Jeremy laughed.

  * * *

  Philip was angry. As angry as he'd ever been. Those two boys had burned down Luanne's house and they'd only been grounded for it. Sure, everybody called it house arrest, but he knew they'd found ways around their punishment. And then they'd had the nerve to contact him on Elizabeth's walkie-talkie, asking him to sneak out to find a box of fireworks they'd stashed somewhere and set them off while the night guards weren't looking.

  Philip wasn't the only one who'd been observing the guards, once he knew what to look for and once he'd learned what he could become if he just concentrated a little. He'd lifted himself up after changing the first time, placing paws on his bathroom sink to see that he'd transformed into a mountain lion. He wasn't going to tell his mother or anyone else about this. It was a secret that might become useful when all was said and done. Now, he was waiting patiently for those two arsonists to contact him again by walkie-talkie, and he'd be out his window as a large cat, racing to the fireworks. Only he didn't intend for things to turn out exactly as those boys wanted.

  * * *

  Six students were in Cori's graduating class, and since Chad and Jeremy weren't giving a speech, that portion of the ceremony went quickly. Ashe recorded Cori walking in and sitting down, and then recorded a beaming Nathan and Lavonna Anderson as they watched their oldest daughter rise to give her speech. Marco, too, was snapping digital photographs as quickly as his camera would record them.

  Shuffling notecards on the podium, Cori cleared her throat as Mr. Dodd adjusted the microphone for her. "I'm not giving the speech I originally planned to give," she announced as soon as Cloud Chief's History teacher stepped away. "Instead, I'm giving a speech about being unselfish." Ashe blinked in surprise at Cori's revelation.

  "I told a friend that I wanted to win the essay contest, because I wanted to fix up my dorm room at college," Cori gazed around the crowd. "And when that friend won the contest instead, well, he gave the money to me. I didn't deserve it. I hadn't done anything to get it. But it was handed to me anyway. At first, I made all sorts of plans. I was going to buy a matching comforter and window curtains. Or a mini fridge. So many things went through my mind as I mentally spent that money. But I felt bad that I was getting what I wanted and my friend wasn't. Then I started thinking what I might do with the money instead. Thinking about better things. Unselfish things. Today, I donated all that money to a charity that helps find missing children. Ashe, I hope that's okay with you." Cori wiped her cheeks as every person inside the school cafeteria rose and cheered.

  Ashe, his mouth open and the camcorder pointed at his feet, nodded wordlessly at Cori. She offered him a trembling smile and accepted her diploma from Principal Billings.

  * * *

  "We're going to Clinton. Do you think your parents will let you come?" Cori stood in front of Ashe later, Marco right behind her. It was tradition that the graduating seniors went out for dinner in nearby Clinton after the ceremony, and then to a bowling alley to celebrate following that.

  "Doubt it," Ashe muttered, lowering his eyes. Sali stood at Ashe's shoulder, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. It was a coup for anyone below senior level to be invited along.

  "Marco, can I have your promise that he'll be safely guarded?" Aedan had come up silently behind Ashe.

  "Absolutely," Marco nodded solemnly.

  "We will, Mr. Evans," Cori was promising, too.

  "I'm buying," Winkler handed a wad of cash to Marco. "Get what you want and bowl as long as they keep the doors open," the older werewolf grinned.

  "I can go?" Ashe stared at his father in shock.

  "Go have a good time, son. Just stay out of trouble." Aedan patted Ashe's shoulder.

  "Come on, tapeworm," Marco crooked an elbow around Sali's neck. "I know you're hungry." Sali whooped as they walked through the corridor of Cloud Chief Combined.

  * * *

  Chad and Jeremy had to wait until nearly ten, but Diane and Neil Booth finally went to bed. They'd agreed to allow the boys to stay up and watch a late movie on television. As soon as their bedroom door was closed, Chad was on the stolen walkie-talkie, contacting Philip Raymond.

  * * *

  "What the?" Nathan had just relieved Roger and Toby, two of William Winkler's Pack, in order to help Aedan guard the community. Nathan stared at the night sky as the first bottle rocket went up and exploded nearly a quarter of a mile away.

  "Let's go," Aedan muttered grimly and both vampires swept away, faster than a human eye might follow.

  * * *

  "That's our cue," Jeremy snickered as he and Chad stood in the front yard, watching as fountains of fireworks burst in the night sky. Both ran for Diane Booth's small import. Jeremy slid into the driver's seat and started the car quickly. When Chad was buckled in on the passenger side, Jeremy pulled away, driving toward the entrance to Cloud Chief as quickly and silently as he could. Less than two minutes later, Neil Booth and his wife were in the front yard, discovering that Diane's car was missing (along with both boys) and that someone was setting off fireworks in Cloud Chief.

  "That's over the O'Neill's pasture," Neil muttered grimly. "Probably kids, but the grass may be dry enough for it to catch. Get in my truck, Diane. We'll help the O'Neills first and worry about those boys later. They're probably heading toward Clinton right now."

  "Halfway there is more like it," Diane said. "Let's go. If that pasture catches on fire, we'll have to get the lambs out."

  * * *

  Philip had carefully planned the raid. His backpack fit well enough even after he changed to mountain lion, and it was simple enough to sneak out of the house and race away as an animal, until he arrived at the designated pasture. Macy and Luanne had gone on and on about the lambs and calves in the O'Neill's pastures, and had visited with Dori and Wynn several times. Well, if he were lucky, he'd take some of those stupid animals out with the fireworks and draw everyone's attention away from what he intended to do.

  Kneeling beneath the window of Chad and Jeremy's shared bedroom, Philip cut the screen with a pocketknife and then pulled the small bottle of gasoline from his backpack. He'd siphoned away a small amount of fuel from a resident's car they'd left parked outside their garage. Uncapping the bottle, Philip stuffed a piece of cloth inside it and then pulled out the book of matches he'd found in his mother's things. She'd quit smoking but still had a few things left over, including matchbooks from restaurants they'd visited before their lives were turned upside down. The gasoline-soaked cloth caught fire quickly. Stuffing the bottle inside the screen, Philip pulled his backpack on again, turned back to mountain lion and ran.

  * * *

  "I'm just thankful it didn't start a fire," Marcus stated flatly. Aedan and Nathan were examining the ground where the fireworks originated, hoping to find tracks.<
br />
  "Do you smell that, Aedan?" Nathan looked up at Cloud Chief's other vampire.

  "Smells animal," Aedan agreed. "Marcus, can you tell us what this scent is?"

  Marcus walked over to the two vampires and drew in a breath. "Mountain lion," he declared right away. "And it's fresh."

  "You think it might have been after the lambs or calves and was scared away by the fireworks?" Aedan offered Marcus a puzzled glance.

  "I've heard of mountain lions in Oklahoma, but usually they're reported elsewhere. Jonas!" Marcus called. "We may have a real predator here. Have you had any livestock come up missing?"

  Jonas O'Neill, followed by his wife Sharon, was walking the field, just to make sure no sparks lay in the grass to start a fire. The sheep and lambs were cowering in a far corner of the field, still frightened from the loud noise of the unexpected fireworks display. Jonas immediately joined Marcus.

  "What did you find?" Jonas asked.

  "Mountain lion," Marcus replied. "Have you lost anything?"

  "No, everything's accounted for."

  "Then we may have a hunt if more tracks show up. I don't want anything threatening the livestock," Marcus said.

  "What did you find?" Amos Thompson joined the others. He'd come to help with the animals if needed.

  "Mountain lion scent," Jonas sighed. "You should keep an eye on your poultry, Amos."

  "I will. They're all locked inside the chicken house right now, but we'll watch." Amos nodded at Jonas.

  "Aedan, I smell smoke," Nathan said.

  "Yes. I smell it too," Aedan turned toward the scent. "Look. Isn't that smoke near the Booth home?" An orange explosion lit the night sky, with a loud boom following close behind.

  "Neil!" Diane Booth shouted. She'd been talking with Adele Evans and Denise DeLuca in a corner of the field, only now realizing that her home was ablaze.

  "Get the pumper truck!" Marcus shouted. Aedan and Nathan had already disappeared; running toward the Booth home faster than the others could imagine getting there.

  Chapter 15

  This looks intriguing, Ren sent to Ashe. He'd shown up at the bowling alley and seemed content to watch Sali, Ashe, Cori and Marco bowl.

  You should try it, it's fun, Ashe returned.

  You know I cannot reveal myself. That could become interference. Aside, of course, from frightening your friends.

  Too bad you can't disguise yourself as me. I could turn to mist and watch you bowl, Ashe ducked his head to hide a grin.

  I can do that, Ren said. That will work quite fine.

  You're kidding? Really? How can we do this?

  Follow me. Tell the others you are going to get a drink of water, Ren rose from an empty seat. Again, no other had taken it, choosing other seats instead. Ashe found himself wishing for that trick more and more.

  "I need a drink of water," Ashe tapped Sali on the shoulder. Sali nodded before turning back to watch Marco toss a ball down the lane. Ashe followed Ren, who was making his way toward the water fountain located just outside the restrooms.

  "Turn to mist, I have us shielded," Ren said, once they reached the tiny hall outside the restrooms. Ashe blinked at the tall, blue youth before going to mist. He watched in astonishment as Ren altered his appearance, becoming Ashe's identical twin. "Now, I bowl," Ren chuckled mischievously before turning and walking toward Sali and the others.

  "I have achieved my objective," Ren laughed and clapped after throwing a strike on his third attempt. Ashe, hovering above Ren's head, sent mindspeech.

  Dude, you have to talk like me, too, Ashe reminded the Larentii boy.

  "Dude, that was awesome," Ren (as Ashe) said as he grinned at Sali, who rose to bowl next. Ren went one further and high-fived Sali. If Ashe had been solid, he would have laughed aloud at Ren's antics. Not only did the Larentii sound like him, he was now acting like him. Ren didn't hear Marco's cell phone ringing, but Ashe did.

  "It's Mr. Winkler," Marco pulled the cell from his pocket. "Mr. Winkler?" A note of surprise was in Marco's voice, since it was only a few minutes past midnight. They weren't late. Ashe maneuvered his mist until he hovered over Marco's head so he could hear both sides of the conversation.

  "Marco, have you seen Chad and Jeremy?" Winkler asked.

  "No, sir. Aren't they supposed to be at home? I thought they were under house arrest."

  "They are. But they managed to sneak away and take Mrs. Booth's car. After they left, the Booth home burned to the ground."

  "Do you want us to come back?" Marco was standing in a moment, bowling forgotten.

  "I think it's for the best. We may need your help tracking those two."

  "We'll be there in half an hour," Marco replied and ended the call. "Come on, everybody. Chad and Jeremy are missing and it looks like they burned their house down behind them."

  * * *

  Pierce Ingram changed the bandage on his arm as he sat in the convenience store parking lot outside Clinton. His motorcycle was already gassed up—he'd taken cash from Nick Lawford's wallet when he'd knocked the agent out. He'd chained the agent to a tree, determined to get information from Nick before killing him. Pierce had returned to Lake Altus to accomplish those things when he discovered the agent gone. Whatever had chased him afterward wasn't a normal man. Pierce had the evidence to prove it—two very deep gouges in his left upper arm. If he hadn't turned around and fired the agent's pistol, he'd have been taken down. Pierce grimaced as he slapped a fresh bandage over the wounds. Pierce Ingram wasn't his real name. It was the name on his current ID, though. He'd gone through several incarnations since coming to Oklahoma. So many, in fact, during his lifetime that he hardly remembered his real name any longer.

  "Mister, how'd you like to make a few buck," two youths now stood beside Pierce's motorcycle.

  "How?" Pierce lifted an eyebrow in their direction. The agent he'd captured hadn't carried much cash and Pierce spent most of that on food, gas and bandages.

  "Fifty bucks, if you buy a case of beer for us," one of the boys replied.

  "Show me the money first," Pierce growled. The two boys looked at each other and grinned.

  Ten minutes later, Pierce handed the case of beer over to the boys and slid onto his motorcycle. He watched silently as the boys loaded the beer into the small import they were driving. Pierce was about to turn away when one of the boys spoke again.

  "Sure glad that stupid human kid helped us out," the teen laughed. Pierce pulled his hand back from the starter, deciding to wait and follow the two boys instead.

  * * *

  "Dang." Sali glanced at Ashe. Ashe was back to himself and Ren was shielded and standing beside him as they stared at the burned ruin of the Booth home. Mrs. Booth was leaning on her husband and wiping tears away. Mr. Booth seemed stunned as he held onto his wife. Marco and Cori volunteered to go looking for the missing boys and had already driven away. Half the community had emptied for the same reason—adults had climbed into vehicles to search for Chad and Jeremy.

  "Ashe, Sali can come with us," Adele walked up beside the boys. "Marcus and Denise are out searching with the others, and they said Sali can spend the night."

  "Mom, do you think Chad and Jeremy did this?" Ashe swept a hand toward the smoldering remains of the Booth's home.

  "I don't know, hon. Mr. Winkler says Director Jennings will send arson investigators tomorrow, to check things over. And if we find those boys, Nathan will place compulsion. I think your father may be too angry to do it. This may have exposed all of us—two big fires so close together, not to mention the fireworks."

  "Fireworks?" Sali turned to Ashe's mother.

  "Somebody set some off in one of the O'Neill's pastures. We all ran in that direction to make sure the field didn't burn, and then the house blew up and burned to the ground. We got the pumper truck out but we weren't able to save much."

  "Yeah." Ashe could see that for himself. "Where are Mr. and Mrs. Booth going to stay?"

  "Marcie is moving in with Sali's parents, so the Bo
oths can have Pat Roberts' old house," Adele patted Sali's shoulder. "I said Sali can stay with us as much as he likes. We have an extra bedroom that we don't use."

  "Really? That's cool, Mrs. Evans," Sali was excited over the prospect of spending even more time with Ashe.

  "Aedan, Nathan and some of the others will rebuild this house. They should have it finished in two or three weeks at most," Adele said.

  "What will Marcus do, since Chad and Jeremy broke parole?" Ashe asked.

  "Ashe, that's none of our concern. Come on, let's go home. It's way past your bedtime. But," Adele held up a hand at Ashe's protest, "You and Sali can stay up and watch movies and have popcorn if you want." Ren, following along invisibly, climbed into the Evans' SUV right behind Ashe.

  * * *

  Pierce was tired of listening to both boys whine about being punished. He'd gathered early on that they'd sneaked away when they weren't supposed to, and were now drinking beer and throwing empty cans in a rural ditch outside Cordell. Pierce didn't care that they'd broken the rules; he just wanted them to shut up and go home so he could follow them. They'd mentioned names of several children, calling them empties, and one of those names was the one Pierce most wanted to hear.

  * * *

  "That empty will pay sometime; just wait and see," Chad sneered, crumpling another empty can and tossing it into a weed-filled ditch.

  "Yeah. It's always Ashe this and Ashe that. It'll be worse since he won that stupid contest and gave the money away." Jeremy threw his can farther than Chad, just to show he could.

  "Come on, last two," Chad popped the tab on a beer and handed it to Jeremy before grabbing the last one for himself.

  "Too bad; we shoulda asked for two cases," Jeremy hiccupped.

  "Yeah. We'll know next time," Chad burped rudely.

  * * *

  "What's that—down that road?" Marcus pointed toward a car sitting in the middle of a narrow, dirt road between barbed wire fences. Winkler was driving a Winkler Security van with the lights turned off. The only things they'd seen on the road so far were a skunk and a raccoon.