A Curse So Dark

by Heather Davis

  I exhaled. Things were going to be all right. We’d make it through the night because of him. I gazed toward the trees, wondering if Morgan was out there, watching. It made me feel safer to think so.

  At least until the trouble continued.

  ***

  The party was in full swing, and finally, I’d allowed myself to relax a bit. I’d even grabbed a bite of food. As I watched the dancing, the weight of Morgan’s lupine stone was a comfort against my collarbone. My fingers moved to the disk. The memory of his lips against mine was still fresh and I couldn’t keep from smiling. He’d cared enough to sacrifice his comfort for my safety—that made the memory of kissing him even sweeter. I hoped he was all right wherever he’d gone off to. I needed him to be, because I had to see him again.

  There was a tap-tap on the microphone. “All right, everyone! The girls have a few words prepared,” Mrs. Carter said, motioning the twins forward.

  Fawn beamed and pulled a blushing Rose to the lectern. I made my way to the front of the crowd, feeling a swell of pride for my sisters. Rose’s dress looked pinker in the spotlight, while Fawn’s deep violet seemed to drink in all the shadows. They both looked grown up. I felt my chest tighten a little at the thought that Dad was missing this. He would have been so proud of them.

  “Rose? Would you like to start?” Mrs. Carter adjusted the mic for her. “Could we lower the spotlight?”

  The bright light faded. Diamonds from the mirrored ball and the bluish light from the windows fell across Rose and Fawn. It gave them an almost otherworldly glow. Beautiful, but eerie.

  “That’s better, thanks,” Rose said. “First, we want to thank everyone for the support in searching for our dad.” A murmur went through the crowd at the quiver in her voice. “The sheriff tells me there’ll be another big effort tomorrow. If you can help, please meet at the station around noon.” She looked small up there, delicate in her pink gown, like a princess. With her blond hair plaited and twisted into a bun, all that was missing was a tiara. Dad would have appreciated the work Mrs. Carter had put into that up-do.

  “It’s bittersweet to hold this celebration without him,” Rose continued. “But he’d put a lot of effort into making this special for us. He was always like that, doing things for me and my sisters. He’d appreciate all of you being here tonight.”

  Applause filled the room. Rose gave a timid wave as she stepped back from the mic. Fawn patted her on the back. It was nice seeing them support each other like that.

  Next Fawn stepped up to the mic, to the sound of a few hoots from the back of the room. “Settle down,” she said, shooting them a wink. Fractured light from outside fell across her creamy white skin. She seemed a little nervous, which wasn’t like her. But then again, this was a real spotlight. Maybe some people who crave attention aren’t comfortable with it once they get it.

  “Okay, let me start with a few people we need to thank.” Fawn shuffled a few notecards on the lectern. “My awesome boyfriend Lewis and the Carters, obviously. This party is so beautiful. I feel so lucky. We both do.”

  There was gentle applause. Lewis blew her a kiss.

  “And there’s someone else we really need to thank. That’s our big sister, Lily,” Fawn said, her voice breaking a little. “She’s been the primary force behind the search for Dad. If anyone is gonna find him, it’s Lily. It’s been really hard going through this. Seriously, it’s been stressful for everyone, but especially her. She’s been trying to keep us all together and stay strong.”

  My breath caught. I stared at Fawn in disbelief.

  “I don’t tell her this often enough, but I am really thankful she’s here,” she said, lifting her gaze from her notecards to find me in the crowd. “She never gets too mad when I raid her closet. She’s always willing to listen to any problem, big or small. She’s always been much more than a sister to us...” Fawn trailed off, seeming to lose her place.

  I held up a hand. “It’s okay,” I mouthed to her, assuming Fawn was overcome with emotion, but then she doubled over at the lectern.

  Worried murmurs rose from the partygoers.

  “Sorry. That’s it,” Fawn managed to say as she sank to the ground. “Oh, man. I suddenly feel like crap.”

  Mrs. Carter took the mic. “We’ll see to Fawn. Everyone, please refill your glasses and plates and we’ll be cutting the cake real soon.”

  “Are you okay?” Rose dropped to her knees next to Fawn on the hardwood floor.

  Meanwhile, I hurried past Mrs. Carter and several other good samaritans. “Let me see her!”

  “Lily?” Fawn said weakly, her eyes widening at the sight of me. “My skin, it hurts.”

  “No, no,” I said, realizing Fawn’s makeshift pendant was failing. “This can’t be happening.”

  Rose grabbed my sleeve. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Get these people out of the way!”

  Rose shooed away the helpers and asked Mrs. Carter to find Dr. Burrows.

  Fawn groaned again, holding her arms around her torso. “Oh, it hurts!”

  I pulled the vial from Fawn’s dress. “You didn’t take it off,” I said. “It’s still on you. This makes no sense.”

  “Is this the sickness?” Rose whispered. “Is she becoming a—”

  “Ohhhh.” Fawn drew in a sharp breath. “My bones ache.”

  “Shh. We’ve got to keep this quiet.” It only took a second for me to slide Morgan’s pendant from my neck and secure it around Fawn’s.

  “Where’d you get that?” Rose asked.

  Fawn swiped weakly at my hands. “No, Lily! Is this going to happen to you?”

  “Don’t worry about that.” I removed the vial and cord from Fawn’s neck and told Rose to put it in her purse. It obviously wasn’t working, so there was no use putting it on myself. I guided Fawn’s fingers over Morgan’s pendant, whispering for her to breathe. “Just feel the stone.”

  “It’s awful,” Fawn wheezed. “I—I can’t let you—”

  “Quiet now. Just calm yourself,” I said, stroking her hair.

  A minute later, Fawn’s breathing started to improve. A relieved smile surfaced on her lips. “It’s working.”

  “Stay with her now.” I gave Rose a stern look. “Whatever you do, do not let anyone take those pendants from you.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have to go out to the woods. Now.”

  Fawn and Rose exchanged a worried glance.

  “Please be careful,” Rose said.

  “Seriously. We need you.” Fawn reached a hand toward me and pulled me into a side hug.

  Dr. Burrows hustled to us, out of breath, and began to check Fawn’s vitals.

  Satisfied the twins were okay, I made my way to the door. The full moon sliced through the tall window now, lighting up the hall in its bluish glow. I felt sweat gathering under my arms. I didn’t know how long I had. But the signs were there. My stomach was starting to cramp. My hearing was sharpening—I was catching snippets of conversation from all around the room.

  “You can’t come in. This is a private event. And how about showing me some identification,” the sheriff was saying at the double doors of the hall. I could see a big dark-haired guy and the woman who’d pretended to be the social worker, trying to peer around her into the party. Wolves.

  I whirled around and headed back through the crowd, scanning for more backup for the sheriff. Even Kyle would have been helpful, but I didn’t see him. His date, Beth, was sucking down a glass of punch near the DJ, who was spinning a Frank Sinatra ballad. That could only mean the formal dance would start soon. That’d be a good thing. It’d be hard for strangers to grab the twins with the entire town watching them.

  I had to get outside and into the woods before I lost control. I excused my way through the throngs at the buffet tables. The smell of the food was overwhelming—I could hardly breathe. With one last “Pardon me,” I pushed open the kitchen doors.

  “Hey! Wait up!” Alex grabbed my arm. “What’
s happening?”

  “I can’t talk. Look, I have to go.”

  “It didn’t work, did it?”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. “What, sorry?”

  “The vial. I saw Fawn had it on earlier.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.

  “He told me it probably wouldn’t,” Alex said, his gaze dropping.

  “Your father. Was that even the real stone powder?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I scraped it up from the alley myself. So it’s true then. What he said about you?”

  I glanced nervously toward the back door. “This isn’t the place or time, okay?”

  “But he’s out there,” Alex said, his voice frantic. “You’re not safe.”

  “And no one’s safe while I’m in here!” I snapped. “I have to get out now.”

  Alex blanched and his eyes cut to the kitchen door, his own escape route.

  “Wait. I need a favor from you,” I said, softening my tone.

  “I mean, do you think that’s smart? My dad—”

  “Listen!” I grabbed a handful of his shirt in my fist. “Please keep an eye on my sisters. There are some bad people trying to get into the party that may want to take Rose and Fawn, maybe harm some people in the process.”

  “Yeah. Okay.” Alex gulped.

  I saw the next question in his eyes. He was wondering if Rose and Fawn were wolves like I was. With the aggressive behavior I was exhibiting, I could see why he’d be worried if Rose would turn on him too. I released him from my grasp.

  “It’s going to be fine,” I said, calmly patting his shirt and tie into place. “If things get scary, please, please, please have the sheriff take the girls and lock them up at the station or something. Make sure no one can get to them.”

  “You can count on me,” he said, exhaling. “Really. I’m not like him. You know that.”

  My eyes narrowed. “I want to believe you. Really. But I swear if anything happens to them...”

  “It won’t. I wouldn’t let it, okay? You know me. I tried to help,” he said, through gritted teeth. “I’m your friend.”

  “Yeah, you are.” I forced a grateful smile. I wished there was more time to explain to him that it wouldn’t be so easy to count on him as a friend, not anymore. I stalked off to the back of the kitchen, my senses prickling like there was a storm coming.

  At the door, Deputy Williams was busy guarding his dinner plate. “Oh, hey!” he said around a mouthful of salmon. “They serving cake yet?”

  “No, in a little while. I’m sure they’ll bring you a piece.” I scanned the woods behind the fire hall. “Have you, um, seen anybody who shouldn’t be here?”

  “Sheriff radioed me about a couple crashers at the front door a while ago, but I haven’t seen them back here.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  He took a napkin and wiped sauce from his mustache. “You’re leaving your sisters’ party already? Something wrong?”

  “Yeah, I forgot something at the house,” I fibbed, nervously glancing at the woods ahead. I felt sweaty again, panic rising a little as the seconds ticked away. Maybe it was my imagination, but my skin felt as though it was drinking in all the light it could find. My cheeks burned a little.

  “Well, then.” He saluted me with his fork. “This has been a real fine event. I hope you got something to eat. The fish is outstanding.”

  “Yeah, good. Glad you liked it.”

  “Full disclosure: my aunt Barbara’s the caterer,” he whispered, smiling.

  “Awesome.” I wished him good night and strolled casually around the corner. Then I ran toward the refuge of the dark woods.

  The change was coming.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Cooper!” I whispered as I slipped into the trees. I wanted him to keep an eye on the girls. I didn’t feel good leaving them with Alex as their only protection. “You out here?”

  The deeper I went into the woods, the more I noticed the variations of the shadows in front of me: a spectrum of navy, blue, purple, charcoal, black, deep green, black. All the colors of the night presenting themselves to me in a strange, dark rainbow that I’d never stopped to notice before. The moon itself seemed impossibly large and edged with gold. Its light bathed everything with an otherworldly glow, turning even the simplest leaf into a study of shadow and highlight. In the distance, the hills rose like gray and white ghosts against the deepening sky. A few stars shimmered overhead.

  Everything seemed so clear at that moment. Everything was more defined, more real. And there were scents, too. I lifted my face, taking it all in. Cedar trees, the musty smell of decaying leaves, rich earth from the forest floor. And I picked up the faintest hint of my father’s shirt, his cologne, the leather of the chair in the den, books and gunmetal. All of the things that reminded me of him. I felt a swell of hope. Maybe there was still a chance he was alive. My heightened senses freaked me out, but made me realize that there would be so much more when I transformed.

  A shiver worked its way down my spine. Then I felt a nip of pain in my bones. “No, no, no,” I muttered, moving to a stand of cottonwood trees. I paused, listening again if I could hear Cooper. I caught the slightest scent of him, motor oil, sweat, green tea.

  “Anybody there?” I called as quietly as I could. “Cooper?” I started to take a step forward, but then my foot hit something hard. I reached down and saw a pair of binoculars, the source of Cooper’s scent.

  Where was he? Had something happened to him? I glanced around, but there was no time to pause.

  The muscles in my arms twitched. It was happening. I ran the final yards to the hollow stump where I’d left my bag. Another spasm hit me, and this time the marrow in my bones screamed fire. Tears trailed down my cheeks as I wriggled out of the blue dress, then stripped everything else off and stuffed it all into my bag, which I hid again. The cool night hit my skin, making me feel even more vulnerable. Tree needles and rocks pricked my feet. I dug my cold toes into the dirt and crouched down, waiting.

  The moonlight found me easily now. It streamed through the branches above, leaking through every frond and hollow, on a direct path to my body.

  A cry tore from my throat as the pain hit me again. I covered my mouth, but it was too late—the sound was out there, reverberating through the woods. Struggling to stand, I scrabbled at the nearest tree trunk for stability. Horrified but fascinated, I watched my skin ripple with new structures forming beneath it. This was happening, whether I wanted it or not. I thought of Fawn and Rose still at the party. I’d managed to save them from this horror, at least.

  “Why us?” I cried, gulping in breaths between the spasms of excruciating pain. The sound of my bones crunching as they morphed was nauseating. I wondered if fighting the change was making it worse. I tried to relax but muscle cramps chewed at my legs and arms. Finally, I curled into a little ball and closed my eyes.

  “You have me, moon. I surrender!” My voice sounded strangled, garbled coming from my throat. I raised what I thought was my hand to check and felt fur against my cheek. Toes were forming, paws with long nails, pads.

  “Oh, no!” came out in a wolf-like yowl. I gasped and then ran a long tongue over the sharp teeth that had sprouted in my mouth.

  Footsteps. My ears pricked with the sound of someone coming. More than one someone. And too many feet to be human. I raised my head to the breeze, seeking out that familiar scent, my father, again.

  And then, before the pursuers could reach me, I bolted into the darkness.

  ***

  I’d never been more aware in the dark. Every sound competed for my attention. The flight of an owl from a nearby fir tree. An insect scuttling along the twigs and needles. The scritch-scritch of a rodent’s teeth against a gnarled root. I’d never heard the night so vividly.

  The trail held scents, too. Smells that made me stop and lift my muzzle to the wind, nostrils flaring instinctively. I stamped my paws on the dirt path, marveling at the shape of my prints, th
e claws clearly visible above the imprint of the pads of my paws and toes. I didn’t need a dream pond’s reflection to tell me that I was that dark wolf from my dream, that my eyes must shine like moonlight on a lake, a silvery blue.

  Morgan had said it wasn’t that bad, being a wolf. Maybe he was right. I’d never felt as physically free as I did at that moment. The change was awful, but this was surreal. I saw the shadowy rainbow of colors again, the dark shaded with a hundred separate hues. Variations I’d never seen in my human life. Arching my back, I extended each leg in a stretch. All the running was tiring. Though I’d started out strong, my body wasn’t used to this. Then again, my muscle structure had changed completely with the transformation. It was hard to say what was normal.

  I panted a bit now, thirst and exhaustion hitting me at once. I needed to look for a water source. There had to be runoffs and springs that ran down to the falls. I hadn’t heard any so far, or smelled them, for that matter, but I’d pay more attention now.

  I set out again at a loping pace. There were black bears up in the hills. Better to move cautiously so I had time to react to the terrain and not disturb any larger predators. Of course, I was a predator, too. I didn’t even want to imagine what might happen if I ran across a rabbit or a squirrel or something that might look like food. I shook off that worry and tried to focus on the scent I’d smelled before. Dad. He’d been this way.

  A few minutes later. I paused before I stepped across the worn dirt and gravel of a rough road. I heard water ahead. I traveled toward the sound. Then, passing the sign for Alpine Lake, I knew I was headed in the right direction. As I approached the area, I paid more attention to where my paws landed. I didn’t want to end up in a snare, like the one Alex and I had found nearby. It was a noisier way to go, moving through the thicker brush and staying off the worn mazes through the forest, what locals called game trails.