A Curse So Dark

by Heather Davis

  “Pioneer Falls is full of treasures, isn’t it?”

  I shrugged. “It’s all right. You’re just visiting?”

  He nodded. “Temporarily.”

  “So you’ll be around,” I said, and then shook my head, realizing I was doing it again. Speaking without thinking, as if I was in some kind of a stupor.

  He dazzled me with another grin. “I will be. Temporarily.”

  The bell over the door jingled, rousing me from the mental fog I was in. I wished Morgan a good day and slid back behind the counter. The only remedy for acting like a fool was to lose myself in my work.

  I took more orders from the small crowd of people who’d come from a book club meeting at the library. By the time I’d worked through the line, I noticed Morgan was gone. I felt a pang of disappointment as I cleared his table a few minutes later. That was silly, I told myself. I didn’t have time these days to think about Kyle, let alone some hot guy who was visiting Pioneer Falls. I had to find my father. And it had to be soon.

  ***

  When the bell rang Friday afternoon, I burst into the library on a mission. An hour later, I came away with an armload of maps and a couple of volumes on local history that Mr. Pinter, the librarian, insisted I also check out for good measure.

  I had this feeling that Dad could be hiding in the hills. Maybe it was the influence of his nutty letter to Mom, or thinking about the times that he went off camping alone. If he was having delusions about being a wolf, then maybe he would have run off to the woods.

  I hesitated under the main entrance’s portico as rain pelted the sidewalk. Some of the maps wouldn’t quite fit in the backpack I carried and I didn’t want them to get ruined. While I was deciding what to do, I heard Alex roll up before I saw him.

  He skidded to a stop, his wheels grinding on the covered pavement. “Hey,” he said, kicking up his board to his hands. “Been looking for you. Figured you might be searching the area. Library maps are good, but I have something better. Forest Service maps.” Alex grinned. “Downloaded some for you last night. If you want, we can head up to Grant Ridge tonight. My dad’s been working up there. He says they just graded the road.”

  “You’d go with me? Why?”

  He shrugged and gazed down at his sneakers. “I’ve got nothing else going on and I want you guys to find your dad. I mean, Rose must be freaking out. We can go now if you want.”

  “No, I can’t. I’ve got plans.”

  “Gotcha. Another time, then...”

  “No, it’s not like plan-plans. It’s the twins. We’re all having dinner at Lewis Carter’s house. I promised Fawn I’d go. And then, you know, there’s the football game—we’re going to hand out flyers there.”

  Alex looked down and dug in his messenger bag. “Okay, well... Here’re the printouts of the maps. Let me know if you want to go up there tomorrow or something.”

  I took the maps from him. “Thanks. Yeah, meet me at the coffee shop around lunch tomorrow if you wanna go.”

  “Cool.” Alex gave me a little salute.

  I watched him walk away, realizing that I’d made plans with Alex without even knowing what Kyle was up to for the weekend. A part of me felt like I should let Kyle know, but he hadn’t been at school that day. And he hadn’t texted me to check on how I was doing. So much for his offer to help me search or fix things between us. I’d see him that night at the game, since he’d be playing. Hopefully he’d have some kind of explanation for not being around that week.

  I ran to the truck, dodging raindrops. At the far end of the parking lot, Alex carried his board under his arm as he headed toward a green SUV that I guessed was driven by his father. I passed them as I drove to the entrance, but Alex didn’t look over or wave or anything. His expression was grim and he stared straight ahead. In the driver’s seat, a man, probably his father, wearing sunglasses and a low-brimmed baseball hat, seemed to be yelling at Alex, his lips twisting in a sneer.

  A chill rippled through me. No wonder Alex had reached out to me, and why he’d been skating late in that parking lot alone on Monday night. Maybe things weren’t that great at home. I’d always been lucky—even if it had just been us and Dad, he was a great parent. I exhaled and made the right-hand turn toward the Carters’ place. But something was nagging at the back of my mind.

  Cooper North. I drove toward the cemetery, hoping to get a few answers before I spent hours tomorrow searching the woods.

  ***

  “Hey! What did you mean the other day?” I yelled as I walked across the manicured grass of the graveyard.

  The rain had just stopped and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, sending weak beams through the crypts and monuments in the old section of the cemetery. A single raven perched on a white cross near a nearly naked dogwood tree, flicking raindrops from its feathers. It was almost pretty, if not peaceful.

  Cooper knelt on the ground, a screwdriver in his hand, replacing a grate over a drain. He cast me a look over his shoulder. “I told you to go away.”

  “Maybe you haven’t heard, but my dad’s missing. He left me a note that said to ask the Norths for help. That’s you.”

  “You want my father, Ivan,” he said. “He deals with all things wolf related.”

  “Wolf?” I tried not to react, startled by him mentioning those creatures straight off. “Cooper, you really don’t remember me? You were a senior when I was a freshman.”

  “I know who you are.” He stood up, apparently satisfied with his repair job. “I told you the other night I don’t do favors for the Turner family.”

  “What does that even mean?” I followed him as he stepped toward the path, carrying his tool box. Whatever charm I thought he’d exhibited in high school, I didn’t like this extra-gruff version of him. “C’mon, I need answers. Not another brush-off.”

  Cooper snorted. “Really?” He waved me closer. “You don’t know jack about your own family? Come on.”

  “Well, actually,” I said with a nervous laugh. “Dad wrote something crazy in a letter I found...that we were—”

  “No.” He held up a hand. “Not here. Better to talk inside.”

  “I probably shouldn’t,” I said, my nerves tingling with worry. “I could just meet you at the coffee shop, maybe tomorrow?”

  Cooper rolled his eyes. “You want answers, you follow me. This way.” He waved a hand toward the path. “My place isn’t far. I promise I won’t hurt you...if you don’t hurt me.”

  I glanced back toward the gates. I’d come this far to find out what he knew, so it wasn’t going to do any good to chicken out now. If there was a chance I could get some kind of info from this guy, then I had to take it. I’d be late for dinner with the Carters, but this was way more important.

  ***

  “You really expect me to believe that you don’t know anything?” Cooper said, handing me a mug of tea sweetened with honey a few minutes later.

  “I know that ex-military dudes don’t usually have green tea on hand.”

  “Stereotypes,” he said. “Can’t live with ‘em, can’t seem to escape ‘em.”

  “The honey’s a nice touch.”

  “My dad’s hives. They’re out on his property,” he said.

  I remembered his eyes, how girls had swooned over their light blue color. Now they held a deeper, darker look, as if they’d seen things he’d rather forget. His face was tan, probably from all the outdoor work, and he had the faintest crow’s-feet at his eyes, from squinting without sunglasses. There was no doubt about it, Cooper had a rugged, worldly thing going on. He’d become even more handsome in the years he’d spent away from town.

  “Tea okay?” he asked, catching me studying him.

  “Yeah, thanks.” I set my mug on the table, finding a clean spot between the stacks of books and newspapers. The large room was simple but cozy. At one end, a pegboard wall held gardening tools above a workbench. The other side was furnished with a desk setup, kitchenette, and a cot. “So, you live here?”

 
“Not usually,” he said. “But since I’ve been back, my dad and I haven’t seen eye to eye. It’s easier to stay here.”

  “It’s, um...nice. You know, for being in a cemetery.”

  A hint of embarrassment showed in his smile. He ran a hand through his messy hair. “Hey, I’m sorry about the other night. You and I aren’t mixed up in this by choice.”

  “Mixed up in what?” I picked up my mug.

  He smirked. “We both know those aren’t hybrids we’ve been seeing around town.”

  I nearly choked on a sip of tea.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I know what you are. So I can only assume you’ve been out hoping to meet some friends of yours in my cemetery.”

  My whole body tensed. “I don’t...I mean— What do you think you know?” I said, in as casual a tone as I could manage.

  Cooper smiled. “I know that this town has seen an influx of wolves...unusual wolves.” He blew on his tea. “And you’re Deputy Turner’s daughter.”

  “Yeah, and he’s missing.”

  “And he’s a werewolf.” Cooper seemed to watch my face for a reaction. “So you must be too.”

  Time seemed to stop for a second. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I took a drink from my mug and hoped he didn’t notice my hand was shaking. “Right. You watch too many movies. Werewolves don’t exist.”

  “Okay, you’re still in denial,” Cooper said, leaning back in the folding chair. “I get it.” He took a sip of tea. I felt self-conscious, not only of how he was studying me, but how simply he was stating this insane theory that had only come to me by way of a letter written more than a decade ago.

  “Dad made it all up,” I said, finally breaking the long pause.

  “No such luck,” Cooper said. “Your dad went missing around the time this pack rolled up in town. You think that’s a coincidence?” Images of the wolves attacking the buck and hanging out in the cemetery when I’d gone to look for Fawn flashed through my mind. “My guess is something bad went down. That’s not supposed to happen,” he added.

  “Okay, then...tell me, what’s supposed to happen with werewolves? You know, if they were real?”

  “Blending in, being a good citizen like your dad, that kind of thing. But with your father being of the lone wolf variety, he should have seen this coming. A weak territory like this could have looked like easy pickings for a roving pack.”

  “Sorry, where are you coming up with this stuff?” I set down my mug.

  “Let me break it down for you. We’ll start with history.” Cooper opened a worn notebook on the table and flipped to a tabbed section. “Pioneer Falls influenza epidemic, 1870s.”

  I shrugged. “So? I read about that in our state history class. The graves are all in the old section of the cemetery.”

  “Right.” Cooper slid the notebook toward me. “That’s the official story. Here’s what you don’t know. There was no influenza. Those poor townspeople were victims of animal attacks. Pioneer Falls had a werewolf problem. The earlier records told the truth.”

  He pointed to passages in the notebook, showing me the reproductions of the handwritten records page that had been attached to the paper. “But the prosperity of the town was at risk. They needed new workers at the mill, and a town where you’d be likely to get mauled or eaten wasn’t a big draw. The officials started recording the deaths as influenza, not uncommon in those days. Money talks, right? The officials were invested in the mills, they couldn’t allow it to go under. Eventually, the pack with a taste for human blood was driven out and the town went on as before.” He flipped the page, showing me a copy of the new entries, showing the deaths reported as influenza.

  I saw familiar names there: Carter, Robbins, Larsen. “Where did you get this?”

  “Okay, progress. We’re warming to the truth, that’s a good first step,” he said, revealing a half-smile.

  “I didn’t say this was the truth. I’m trying to establish this is a real document. Where did this come from?”

  Cooper’s smile dimmed. “My dad had friends at Town Hall years ago, made copies. Lately, he’s been trying to pass on what he knows. Not that I could give a crap.”

  “You seem to,” I said, arching an eyebrow.

  “Just trying to keep random wolves out of my cemetery.” A trace of a smile lingered on Cooper’s lips. My initial fear of him was melting away. He was easy to talk to, and I liked his determined spirit. But I still didn’t believe this story.

  “So what do your records say about how were they driven out back then?”

  “Supposedly, there were a few in the pack who had a stronger moral compass than others. My ancestors struck a deal with them, helped them conceal their true natures and got them to safety. But this town has always been a magnet for wolves ever since. This pack hanging around now, it’s possible they’re connected to the original Pioneer pack that caused the epidemic so long ago.”

  “So you’re saying this is a werewolf hot spot? My dad only moved us to Pioneer Falls fourteen years ago.”

  “I don’t know too much about his history,” Cooper said in a soft voice. “But maybe he’s passed through here before. This might not be his first time in town.”

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Werewolves age very slowly once they reach maturity. Not immortal, more like delayed on a very long lifespan. That’s why I think the leader of this pack that rolled in could be one of the original pioneers. He’s an old wolf.”

  “So you’re saying my father is telling the truth in his letter? This blood curse he’s talking about is real...”

  “Blood curse,” Cooper said, gazing at me over his mug. “That’s one way to put it. An incurable curse, though. But at least you have a lupine stone around your neck. That’s a rare treasure.”

  “Dad said something about protection from the stones in the letter I found, but when he gave mine to me, he only said it was family jewelry.”

  Cooper let out a long, slow exhale. “These fathers of ours. Mine tells me too much and yours not enough. Listen, I hate to break it to you, but that stone is the only thing standing between you and your wolf. You take it off at the full moon and see what happens.”

  I crossed my arms and sunk deeper into the chair. “Right.”

  Cooper’s eyes widened. “Seriously. You mean you’ve never removed it? Ever?”

  “I did take it off once, last summer, night swimming with some friends. I thought the pendant might fall in the water and be lost, so I put it with my clothes and then went down to the dock and jumped in.”

  “And...” Cooper prompted.

  “When I came up for air, maybe the moon seemed a little brighter, but big deal.”

  “Nothing happened?”

  “I mean, my stomach started to cramp, so I swam toward the shallows. I’m pretty sure I was just going to puke. I didn’t, though. I ran into the bathroom and stood in the cold camp shower for a minute, then dried off and got dressed. It was probably something I ate.”

  “Nope. That was probably the change. As far as I know, the lupine stone is the only thing that keeps your kind from involuntary change at the full moon.”

  “My kind?” I repeated. “And what is your kind? You’re a Protector.”

  “I’m not a Protector.” Cooper stood up and collected the mugs from the table. “My father is,” he said, rinsing them in the sink. “Just like his father before him. You know, Ivan North, the crazy Wolf Man. He raises wolf-dogs just to stave off questions about wolves spotted in our area. I didn’t want any part of that way of life. That’s why I joined the Army.”

  “But you’re back.”

  Cooper turned off the faucet, his back still to me. “Yeah,” he said. “Didn’t mean to be so soon, but here I am.” His tone was taut, his body tensed. I’d heard something in town about Cooper being injured overseas, but didn’t know the details. Right then, it didn’t seem like he wanted to share them with me.

  “So if what you say is true––and I’m not saying it
is–– why is this pack here and how do we get rid of them?” I asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

  “With wolves it’s all about territory. They’re probably looking to expand and this area is weak. Don’t get me wrong, your dad was a good guy. He’d have fought hard to keep killers like them out of this town.” Cooper turned back around and leaned on the small counter, his arms crossed. I could read the respect in his expression. Respect for a fallen soldier, maybe.

  “Fought and lost, you mean,” I said. “You think he’s dead.”

  “It’s safe to assume so.”

  “I don’t want to assume anything. I feel like he’s still out there. I need to find him, and get him help for this werewolf delusion. No offense, Cooper.”

  He joined me at the table. “I know you want to keep looking for your dad, but mission number one needs to be getting that pack out of town before more people get hurt.”

  “They’d hurt people?”

  Cooper’s eyes narrowed. “Are you listening to me? They already have. That’s what packs like this do. And if they kill again, who do you think is going to get blamed? That’s right—you. Your secret’s going to be public and you’ll all end up dead. Where wolves go, so go hunters.”

  “Wait—hunters?” I said, blinking at him. “No... There are people who hunt werewolves?”

  He nodded. “Hunters have always kept an eye on this town, with its history.”

  “How can this be real?” I muttered as I put on my coat and followed Cooper to the door.

  “There are more things in heaven and earth...” Cooper trailed off, quoting Shakespeare as he locked up the shed.

  I shivered. “I still don’t believe it. I don’t believe any of this.”

  “Yeah, that’s not an option anymore,” Cooper said, leading me to the gates. The glow of sunset fell across his face, highlighting his strong jaw, his high cheekbones and his lips, set in a look that hovered between concern and resignation. “I need to stay out of it, let wolves be my father’s burden to bear, not mine. I’ve been shot at plenty of times, in Afghanistan. I don’t need to be target practice here.” Cooper rested a hand on the iron gates.

  “I thought you said that’s what your ancestors signed up for. You obviously care about this town and its history. Why else would you have those so-called records?”