Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1)

by J. M. Cataffo

  The bear was awkward, clumsy on two legs, but it made up for that fact with its sheer size and power. Jake had gone in search of Lani’s knife and was now trapped behind the bleachers. Mrs. Padilla had spotted him during her advance and took a moment to tear the bleachers to shreds. Jake ducked and tumbled out the side where Dumaat was waiting. Sally watched helplessly as it readied itself for an attack.

  Sally scrambled beneath another set of bleachers and readied her crossbow. She missed, but it was enough to distract the creature. Jake gave her an appreciative bow and scurried off to find shelter.

  Dumaat caught Sally by surprise and knocked her to the floor. Most of her remaining arrows now lay sprawled across the court and if she took the time to retrieve them she’d be toast for sure. Dumaat had already twisted overhead and was facing her once more. Sally darted for cover, barely missing the creature’s razor sharp claws.

  Mrs. Padilla had Jake and Lani pinned, defenseless—Sally saw that Lani’s pistol was out of reach. Jake screamed, raising an arm to protect himself as the bear swiped at him.

  Frantically, Sally loaded her last arrow into the crossbow as Dumaat attacked again. She was forced to take cover. As long as that thing was flying around, there was no way she could rescue Jake and Lani.

  With a loud bang, the doors to the gym flew open. Yasif stood silhouetted in the entrance, his bow raised and ready to attack. Sally had been so busy with the fight, she hadn’t even noticed he was gone. He released an arrow with blinding speed, hitting one of Mrs. Conley’s wings and sending her crashing into the bleachers. She’d managed to let loose a ball of fire, but her aim had been thrown and it sailed harmlessly past Sally. He released another into the bear’s thick shoulder, and it stumbled back a couple paces. It let out a terrible roar as it reached over with the opposite paw. It changed into something more resembling a human hand and it pulled the arrow out. It wasted no time, immediately charging toward Yasif.

  He’d been ready, however. He released another arrow, which lodged in her flank. She growled angrily and backed away. Sally noticed this arrow was different. It wasn’t one of the one’s they’d bought.

  “Tranquilizers,” Yasif said with a smile. “The archery club apparently doesn’t play around when they go on their hunts.”

  “You saved my life!” Sally drew him into a hug.

  She wasn’t sure how long the bear would be out of commission, but she wasn’t wasting any time. Sally faced the shape-shifters. “Now you’re going to listen to me!”

  Mrs. Padilla bellowed angrily, but Sally could tell the drugs were affecting her. Dumaat was hurt as well and hadn’t yet recovered from the damage to its wing.

  Sally squared her shoulders. “Just so you know, everything that’s happened here has been recorded, including your transformation.”

  The creature paused, surveying her with its beady black eyes.

  “That’s right.” She motioned toward the small cameras she’d set up around the gym. “We’ve recorded everything, and it’s already been copied over to a secure location. If anything happens to us, that video will be transmitted to every news source we have. Your little charade here will have ended.”

  The beast made a strange noise, which at first Sally had mistaken for a cough. It became painfully apparent, however, it was laughing.

  “Puny, pathetic creature.” Its deep voice seemed to vibrate her skeleton. “Do you think that would stop us?”

  “Whatever you’re planning, you must want it a secret. Why else use shape-shifters in the first place? How far do you think you’d get if everyone knew what you really were?” she asked.

  The bear paused a moment as if actually considering her words. “A minor inconvenience.”

  Mrs. Conley had returned to her human form and appeared at Padilla’s side. “Yet one which Maarduk would not approve of.”

  Padilla growled. “A risk I’m willing to take!”

  The bear growled, grew larger, its hulking form filling the entire gym. It yanked at the now-miniscule arrow lodged in its mid-section until it finally dislodged. It then bellowed so loud it rang Sally’s ears and shattered the windows above.

  “Okay,” she said. “Whether Idric’s done or not, I think it’s time to go!”

  Sally felt her knees go weak as the tremendous creature moved toward her. It had to be at least sixteen feet tall. The wooden floor buckled with each step as it lumbered toward them. Their only escape was the back doors.

  “Run!” Sally screamed.

  She wasn’t sure if the others made it out or not. In fact, she’d barely registered what had happened. There was a huge crash behind, then debris and rubble rained down. She covered her head, ducking as close to the ground as she could. A wall of dust hit her from the side and she found herself unable to breathe. She took refuge behind a large tree, coughing, then glanced back to see what the bear had done.

  Sally’s breath caught in her throat. She hoped the others had made it. The bear had torn through the back wall of the gym, leaving a massive hole behind.

  Sally frantically searched for the others. She found Lani and Jake crawling out from under some debris, but she couldn’t find Yasif. She wanted to call out to him, to make sure he was all right, but she knew she’d draw the attention of the massive bear.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

  IDRIC GLANCED AROUND, trying to figure out where the dogs had come from. Huge and hairy, each of them growled in their own particular way. Sticky saliva dripped from their fangs and they stared at him as though he’d doused himself in gravy.

  Stephanie looked far less worried as though she faced this sort of thing every day.

  One of the four dogs leapt toward them, snapping and snarling. It crashed into Idric with such speed he didn’t have time to respond. Pain shot up his back as he hit the ground, the wind knocked from his lungs. The backpack fell a few feet away.

  The creature bounded off, using its momentum to push itself into the air. It landed a few yards away and turned back toward him, ready for another attack.

  Idric hadn’t yet recovered, his head still swimming in confusion. He tried to stand, but found himself off balance. The creature snarled and barked, then bolted in his direction. It was then Stephanie’s staff collided with the creature’s head. Idric had been so focused on the dog, he hadn’t even noticed her nearby.

  The creature was dazed but spun, ready to attack. Stephanie twirled the metal pole and clocked the creature again. She’d lost her grip, however, and the pole flew away from her. The dog took advantage of this and rounded on her once more, Stephanie grabbed her prosthetic arm and cracked it across the creature’s skull. It yelped and tumbled to the ground.

  Idric coughed, winded from the attack. “Nice one!”

  Movement to his right alerted him of another strike. He pushed himself to his feet and thrust a hand into his pocket to retrieve a stone. He uttered a few words and a ripple went up a few feet in front of him. The dog crashed into a field of shimmering energy, sending it flying backward.

  Idric coughed again, his head still swimming. He put his hands on his knees to steady himself. Another dull smack came from behind.

  Stephanie had retrieved the pole and was taking on another of the dogs. Idric was amazed at her stamina. Not once had she taken a breather.

  Idric noticed another of the pack creeping up slowly behind her. He pulled his slingshot from his back pocket, loading one of the smaller stones. Concentrating, he drew on the convergence of the battle, funneling energy into the stone. It glowed, and he released it on the unsuspecting hound. It smashed into the dog with the force of a speeding train, knocking the creature backward. Its body collided with a tree, then flopped onto the ground, unmoving.

  Before Idric could even think to celebrate, he found himself violently pitched forward, face first into the dirt. He pushed himself up with his hands and spit out the bitter grit and grass, wiping more from his eyes. The third dog must have given up on Stephanie and used him as a launch pad. When he’d clear
ed his vision, he saw Stephanie and the dog locked in a tug-of-war over his backpack.

  “Get off!” Stephanie yanked, trying to dislodge the creature, but it wouldn’t budge.

  Idric attempted to summon another attack, but his eyes still burned and he couldn’t concentrate on the convergence. He coughed up more dirt and spat it to the ground.

  Stephanie spun, trying to loosen the dog’s grip. It let up just long enough to give her a chance to hit it with her staff—but she missed.

  The animal’s muscled jaws latched on to the bag again, tearing the strap. The dog turned and ran with the bag hanging from its jaws.

  “Oh no, you don’t!” Idric raised his slingshot and readied another stone. This one flew toward its target, then burst into a net made of light. It fell upon the dog, immediately contracting and trapping it within.

  Again, Idric didn’t have a chance to cheer. A fourth dog appeared from nowhere, pulling the bag free and racing back toward the school.

  Idric fell to the grass, defeated. There was no way he could catch up to the fourth dog. It was then a loud sound drowned out everything else around him. The gym wall had burst outward, a monstrous form emerging from within. It took him only moments to realize it was a larger form of Mrs. Padilla’s grizzly bear.

  Idric picked up a stick and threw it at a nearby tree in anger. “Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

  SALLY DIDN’T KNOW what to do. Her plan didn’t include fighting off a gigantic bear and three huge angry dogs. She was panicked, unable to keep her body from shaking, and having a hard time getting her breaths under control. All of this was made worse when Dumaat came sailing out of the gym.

  Hearing a yelp off to her right, Sally turned to see Stephanie fighting an overgrown dog. Another was headed straight for the giant bear with something hanging from its mouth. It took her several moments to realize it was Idric’s bag. She could only guess the book must be inside.

  Lani and Jake were nearby. Jake looked as though his leg had been hurt. Lani was tending to it, but she kept the bear in her field of view. It was then Sally spotted Yasif. He was laying nearby in the grass, blood covering one side of his face. Sally ran to him, grabbing his arm, and checking his neck for a pulse.

  “Yaz! Are you okay?” She was relieved when she felt the faint beating of his heart. She leaned over him, holding him close.

  “Don’t you think this is a bad time?” he whispered into her ear.

  She sat up in surprise. “You scared me! I thought you were dead.”

  Yasif smiled. “Nope. Though I’m sure I’ll have a headache for a few days.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Sally saw Mrs. Padilla’s bear form holding the backpack. She stood, grabbing an arrow from Yasif’s quiver and fitting it into her crossbow. There was no way she was letting the shape-shifters win this battle. Sally waited, knowing Padilla couldn’t open the bag in her bear form without damaging the book. As expected, Padilla shrunk, returning to the small body of their headmistress. Sally released the bolt without warning as Padilla began to unzip the bag. The arrow caught her in the arm, causing much more damage than if she’d been a bear. She dropped the bag, but before Sally could make a move, Dumaat swooped in and grabbed the remaining strap.

  Sally’s heart sank. It seemed a near impossible to get the bag back now. She was tired of these things always being one step ahead.

  First, they’d lured them to Mt. Holly, now they they’d come for a book only one person knew about. She couldn’t figure out how they did it.

  Idric wasn’t ready to give up the fight. He’d released something from his slingshot toward Dumaat. Fortunately, the creature’s wing was still damaged and it was having a hard time gaining altitude. The glob of glowing energy grew as it followed. By the time it reached Dumaat, it enveloped it and solidified instantly into crystal. The weight of it dragged Dumaat out of the sky. The crystalized bat fell to the ground. Idric’s bag had somehow come loose and was lying nearby in the grass.

  “Good work!” Sally called to him.

  “We’ve got to get out of here!” Yasif said.

  The trees nearby parted, and the bear stepped through. It had returned to a more manageable size, but it was still ferocious enough foe for Sally.

  “Run!” she screamed.

  Frantically, she searched for cover, then spotted something lying in the grass. It was the gas canister for Jake’s makeshift flamethrower.

  It was a crazy idea, but she couldn’t think of anything else strong enough to stop these creatures. She wasn’t even sure if it would work, but she was desperate and tired of losing.

  The ground shook as the beast approached, her heartbeat matching its steps in both rhythm and intensity; she could barely contain her fear. With shaking hands, she ripped a strip of cloth from her blouse, tying it around the nozzle and turning the valve. She pulled the lighter she’d taken from Jake from her pocket and lit the cloth.

  The next few seconds seemed an eternity and yet happened before her brain had registered it. There was really no way for her to know if it would work. Her timing could be off, the tank could explode before the creature reached it, or may not explode at all. What if it just fizzled out and nothing happened? Her mind imagined being mauled by the grizzly’s claws.

  Sally felt heat first, then pain as she was hit from behind with the force of a loaded bus slamming her into the ground. Her ears buzzed, her chest and lungs burning with each breath. Pain coursed through her head and neck, her face stinging from the abrasion of the dirt. Her head swam as she struggled to pull in oxygen. She rolled into a semi-sitting position and gasped at the massive ball of flame rising into the air.

  Had it worked?

  The smoke cleared and she saw the grizzly thrashing and waving its front legs, its body completely engulfed in flame. Sally almost felt sorry for the beast as it let out a bone-chilling plea for mercy.

  It was like watching a train wreck. She wanted to look away, but her gaze was glued to the unbelievable carnage.

  It wasn’t every day she saw a gigantic bear on fire.

  The fur burned off its body, its form becoming a blackened and charred. Then, after one final bloodcurdling sickening cry for help, the bear collapsed and was consumed in flame.

  Sally fell backward onto the soft dirt. She tried to move, but became acutely aware of every pain in her body.

  Yasif appeared at her side and assisted her to her feet. She leaned on him for support, mentally cataloging her injuries. She could barely walk, her ears felt as though someone had shoved cotton inside them, and her face felt as though she’d slept on sandpaper, but it was over. They’d managed to defeat the shape-shifters and kept hold of the book. Sally breathed a rather large sigh of relief.

  “Greetings.”

  She froze, not wanting to accept what she’d just heard. It couldn’t be. But that oily voice was far too familiar. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

  Van der Haak smiled, leaning on his lion-tipped cane, seemingly unconcerned they’d just blown up his bear.

  He wore his usual top hat and black suit, although the suit looked fancier than before. Another addition was a monocle with a golden chain that hung past his cheek.

  As if the guy wasn’t pretentious-looking enough.

  “What do you want?” Sally eyed him warily, trying to look far more confident than she felt.

  He gave a slight chuckle and responded in his uptight British accent. “You’re a brash one, aren’t you?”

  She put a hand on her hip, mostly to keep herself from falling over.

  “You still do not comprehend the powers you are fighting against. I assure you that dissension is completely unnecessary; I am not your enemy.” Van der Haak looked down his nose, still smiling.

  “Seriously? You expect us to believe that after you tried to have us killed?” she asked.

  He raised a finger and walked toward them. “That may have been an unfortunate misjudgment on my part.”
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  Sally stood her ground. “I don’t know who or what you are, but this is my home and I’m not letting you boss us around.”

  “Your home?” Van der Haak gave hearty laugh. “You think you own this realm? I assure you that is not the case.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  The man made a grand gesture. “Forces beyond your comprehension are at work here. A battle is coming, and you will not stand in our way.”

  Sally held his gaze. “Watch me

  He eyed her, raising his cane.

  Lightning shot from the lion’s head, converging at a point in the sky, casting a brilliant glow upon the lake. Clouds swirled overhead, bolts shot out, striking each and every light source around, shrouding them in complete darkness.

  In his palm, Van der Haak held a ball of energy. He rolled it around with his fingers as if it were merely a billiard ball. He flicked it toward her and it crashed into the ground with a huge explosion that threw them her backward.

  When she hit the ground, Sally landed on her shoulder with her arm twisted behind her. Searing pain let her know she’d torn a muscle. She scrambled to get back to her feet, but before she could get a footing, Van der Haak released another energy blast, knocking her back to the ground.

  “Sal!” Yasif called out.

  The pain in her right arm was now too great for it to be of any use. Sally had to rely on her left arm to lift her body, but exhaustion was beginning to take a hold.

  Van der Haak sneered.

  All her bravery couldn’t save them against this. How could she stand up to someone with powers like his? She began to lose faith, to accept this may be a losing battle. There was nothing left for her to do. She was in pain, could barely move he shoulder, and they were completely out of weapons.

  Out of the corner of her eye, something darted from the trees so fast she couldn’t see. It raced toward Van der Haak with blinding speed. Whatever it was collided with him, knocking the man backward. The ball of energy in his hand went with him as he splashed through the surface of the lake, the energy dissipating across its surface in spectacular arcs of lightning.