Public Enemies

by Ann Aguirre

  “Are you sure about this? It might not be safe having me around.” I felt like I had to remind her of that. Guilt about her failure to stop my humiliation last year shouldn’t push her to endanger her parents.

  “Uhm…”

  I let her off the hook. “Don’t worry about it. Having me around is high risk, basically an invitation to screw up your life.”

  Jen bit her lip, dropping her gaze to the floor. “Sorry. I really do want to help.”

  “It’s enough that you joined the search party.”

  “I can stay with you,” Raoul offered.

  “In my dad’s room?” Though misgiving flickered through me, Raoul could definitely protect himself. He was training me, for God’s sake. And it would make me feel better if he was around. It wasn’t like I was using him to replace my father, either.

  “Okay,” I said.

  Kian was frowning. “Is that safe? There are eyes on Edie all the time and if word gets back to Wedderburn—”

  “It won’t end well for me, I know. But I’m already living on borrowed time, am I not?” Raoul gave a weary smile, as if he was sick of the cloak-and-dagger bullshit.

  “Just be careful, okay?” Kian clapped Raoul on the shoulder, a bracing gesture when his eyes were saying all kinds of crazy worried stuff.

  When an imperious knock sounded, we froze. I gauged the windows, wondering if Raoul could slip out that way if need be. Jen answered the door hesitantly and I don’t think anyone was more astonished than me to find Allison Vega standing there in her cheerleading uniform. She swept past Jen and Davina in a cloud of mango-fruity-smelling perfume.

  Allison seemed to take stock of our war council and sighed, tipping her head back to stare at the ceiling. “This is the lamest thing ever. How did any of you survive before I got here?”

  “I don’t know what you’re doing here,” I snapped back.

  “Saving your ass apparently. Word is, you pissed off your protector and are fair game.”

  “He can’t do that,” Kian snarled.

  “Calm your tits.” Allison sat down without being invited and crossed her legs daintily. “I’m sure you’ve told them about me by now?”

  “I have questions,” Raoul interjected.

  She gave the older man a long look, one I’d ordinarily qualify as challenging or defiant, but there was a curiosity too. I didn’t know what to make of that silent exchange but she was smiling when he looked away. Raoul rubbed his fingers over his forearms; it freaked me out to see that Allison was capable of unnerving him. In the short time I’d known him, he was always so calm and purposeful.

  “You’re not young at all,” Aaron said unexpectedly. “You … are a very old thing.”

  “Out of the mouths of babes. Shall I speak in ancient Sanskrit? Nah, no point. Nobody remembers the old tongue.” Allison rapped her knuckles on the table. “I’ve just called this crap to order, so settle down.”

  I was curious enough about her intentions that I perched on the edge of the sofa and Kian joined me, quietly linking our fingers. Jen and Davina sat at the dining table with Allison and Aaron while Raoul opted to stand near the door. That was probably smart if she was setting us up; her plan might be to stall long enough for reinforcements to get here. Deep down I hoped she was on the level because I needed all the help I could get. Even from people I hated.

  Fortunately Davina had no problem being attitudinal with Allison, regardless of what she was. “State your business then, bitch. You’re no friend of mine.”

  “Don’t be bitter. Aren’t you more confident about your abilities because of how hard you worked trying to make the squad?”

  Davina lunged at her, only to be restrained by Jen. “I thought you hated me because you’re new money and I’m no money, but that’s not it, is it?”

  Allison grinned. “It was fun to crush your dreams, little girl. They were so fragile.”

  For a few seconds, the rest of us might not have even been in the room as Davina seethed. “Did you have anything to do with what happened to Russ?”

  The girl-looking thing hesitated, appearing uncertain for the first time since she’d swept in here, ostensibly to do me a favor. “I knew something was feeding on him. I had no idea there was a kill order pending. I don’t pay that much attention to politics.”

  Raoul had been listening with careful attention, likely assessing Allison as a potential asset. “Exactly where do your kind fit into the game?”

  “I have no horse in this race, if that’s what you’re implying.” Her lip pulled back in a half snarl that sent shivers over me even as her face seemed to waver for a few seconds, as if she could look like something else entirely.

  “Let’s hear her out,” I said.

  Question and answer could wait until we heard what she’d come to say. Allison nodded at me, either in thanks or agreement. Then she spoke. “You definitely shouldn’t trust me. But until further notice, I’m on your side. I’ve always had a soft spot for the underdog and it’s clear you have a hell of a fight on your hands.”

  “What do you bring to the table?” Kian asked.

  “Contacts, mostly. I understand your dad’s gone missing?” She didn’t use the word kidnapping, which I appreciated.

  I nodded, then described the thing that took him. Allison’s mouth twisted as she listened. It was hard not to shake her and demand info but Kian’s hand on mine kept me calm. I noticed Jen and Davina trading holy-shit looks. I appreciated them not asking if I was high when all this went down.

  “Do you recognize it?” Raoul asked.

  Allison shook her head. “But there are tons of awful uglies prowling the dark shadows. People are always buying into some new horror. With humanity’s penchant for grimdark, it’s a wonder any of you are still around.” Then she stood up. “There’s no need for me to hang around. I’ll put the word out on your dad, and I have your number, Edie. I’ll text if I hear something.”

  Two words I never expected to say came out then. “Thanks, Allison.”

  She smirked and brushed past Jen and Davina, lingering long enough to make Raoul uncomfortable. Everyone was tense until the door shut behind her.

  Aaron actually shivered. “I don’t like her. She smells sour.”

  “Try being on the same squad with her,” Davina muttered.

  “It’s disturbing that she chooses to hang around a high school,” Raoul observed.

  I suspected that was because it was a great place to start drama, lots of negative energy to eat on a daily basis. But we were allies, at least for now; there was no point in speculating. I just had to believe she meant it when she said she’d help me find my dad. Of course, maybe that offered the most potential for a splatterfest and she’d be on the sidelines soaking it in.

  Pushing to my feet, I said, “Let’s not worry about it now. Raoul, are you ready to go?”

  He picked up my backpack as I slipped into my borrowed shoes. I was about to leave Kian’s place, over his vociferous protests, when someone knocked on the door. Nobody seemed to have any clue, though I guessed maybe Allison forgot to tell us something. To my astonishment, when Kian answered, Rochelle stood on the other side.

  She radiated urgency when she beckoned. “There’s not much time. The Harbinger’s looking for you, and he’s in no mood to talk. I tried my best to convince him otherwise but he’s decided the only way to save you is to—”

  “Make me his pet,” I finished.

  Rochelle inclined her head somberly. “You have other options, Edie. But there’s darkness down every path. Do you trust me to teach you how to unlock the power you need to survive?”

  No, I thought.

  But I followed her anyway.

  DEAD BOYS DO NOT MAKE GOOD PETS

  “Are you crazy?” Jen asked, running after us.

  “You just met this woman.” Davina seemed to agree with Jen.

  “I have to take help when I find it. You get how messed up everything is, right?”

  They didn’t respond
, so I took that silence as a yes.

  Raoul wore a speculative look, as we paused in the hallway outside Kian’s apartment. I didn’t care what anyone else thought. If she could teach me something that would give me a leg up in the game, then I was on board. I handed him my keys.

  “Here. You can move your stuff in. I’ll be back later.” Unless this was a calamitous misjudgment. I was willing to take the risk.

  Aaron stood in the doorway with a lost look. “If it’s okay, I’ll stay here.”

  “No worries,” Kian said.

  “Do you plan to accompany us?” Rochelle asked.

  He stilled, a dangerous glint in his green eyes. “Is that a problem?”

  “Not for me.”

  Kian relaxed and took my hand. “Then let’s get going.”

  We went our separate ways outside with me promising to text Jen and Davina as soon as I got a new phone. Actually, money might become an issue. No, I’ll get my dad back before I have to worry about rent or the electric bill. It was hard to stay positive, but if I let it, reality could truss me up and leave me helpless.

  Rochelle took us to Jamaica Plain on the orange line, where we got off at Green Street Station. She went west from there, winding through avenues unfamiliar to me. This area was full of small, quirky shops and cafés, and the population was diverse. I followed her through multiple turns until we came to a narrow street where all the buildings were constructed using the same red brick, giving it a peculiar, uniform air. She stopped in front of what looked like a consignment shop of some kind. The dusty front window was full of interesting oddments: a mannequin half tied into an old corset, a wig of long black ringlets, two music boxes, one of which was open to show the tiny ballerina spinning in endless circles, along with a broken fan, and two dingy satin shoes. There were no store hours posted and the faded sign above the shop read FORGOTTEN TREASURES. BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

  “It looks abandoned,” Kian said.

  “Looks can be deceiving.” Rochelle got out a heavy key ring and fiddled until she found the right one, an enormous iron thing with sharp teeth. “Here we are.”

  The shop sighed when she popped the door open, emitting a gust scented with dried lilac and dust. Hesitantly I stepped over the threshold behind her, wanting to believe she hadn’t lured me here to turn me over to the Harbinger or worse, Dwyer & Fell. Tinnitus flared sharply and I spun in a shaky circle, looking for the source.

  “It’s the artifacts,” she said kindly. “Think of it as a feedback loop.”

  “Wait, so everything in here—”

  “Is charged, so to speak. I’ve been collecting cursed and haunted objects for centuries. It started as a hobby, but then I realized how much harm I was preventing, just by keeping the wretched things away from people.”

  “Yet here we are,” Kian observed.

  Rochelle switched on a lamp with a fringed shade that threw rosy light over the jumbled premises. “Don’t touch anything. Some of them are probably quite hungry by now.”

  I threaded through the narrow gap between a sheet-draped harpsichord and a grimy leather chesterfield with carved legs. On closer examination, there was a deep, dark stain on the seat. “Noted.”

  A shiver rolled through me. I’d just gotten used to the idea of monsters; now I had to adapt to the possibility that household items could be possessed and might try to kill me. But there was no doubt there were unfriendly forces in this room. Rochelle seemed mindful of this as she picked a path toward the back counter. I made sure to stick to her route and not brush against anything. Kian copied me, staying close, as Rochelle emptied a box atop the counter. She showed no fear in sorting the objects but she had the power to protect herself.

  “This.” With a flourish, she showed me a square compact, Art Nouveau style, either pewter or badly tarnished silver. Rochelle snapped it open to reveal a cloudy mirror; the other side had space to affix a photo.

  Sometimes it sucked being human. “Sorry, I don’t get it.”

  Her expression went grave, her eyes deep and somber. “Remember I mentioned your passenger?”

  Cameron.

  I nodded. “What about him?”

  “There’s a way you can use him, if he’s willing. I sense no malice from the spirit and I believe he wants to serve you.”

  “What the hell?” Kian gritted out.

  Rochelle explained better than I could about the ghost hanging around me. I couldn’t remember if I’d told him about what happened in the locker room and feelings I’d had before. So much shit had happened, it wasn’t like I meant to leave him out. To my surprise, he didn’t lose it over my ghost infestation and seemed all right with whatever Rochelle had in mind.

  But he’s been in this world longer. Weird is relative.

  “If it’ll keep her safe, do it,” he said, once she finished.

  Rochelle glanced my way, but I had some questions first. “Are there any dangers?”

  “Yes.” Her answer came way faster than I could feel comfortable with but it was probably good she wasn’t lying. “The biggest risk is you getting addicted to the power and becoming disinclined to set your spirit familiar free when the time comes.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Where do you think stories of wizards like Merlin and Rasputin came from? They were human, once. But if you traffic too long with the dead, you will be forever changed.”

  “So I might not even be a person anymore? It could … turn me?” I wanted so much for Rochelle to reassure me, but that wasn’t her style apparently.

  She paused, weighing the pewter compact in the palm of her hand. Then she whispered, “I mentioned that all your paths are dark ones, did I not? Though I’m no oracle, I believe this offers your best chance at survival.”

  “What do you think, Cameron?” It seemed unlikely he could answer but I hated the idea of imprisoning him without checking in.

  Kian jerked his head toward me, eyes widening. Oops. Forgot to mention that, huh? But Rochelle glanced around as if she sensed a change in atmosphere, then I felt it too. The nape of my neck prickled with goose bumps and the air got perceptibly colder. Kian stepped closer in reflex and put an arm around me, not that the threat was anything he could see.

  “You’re always with her,” Rochelle said softly. “I thought so. Knock once if we should proceed, twice to decline.” One clear rap sounded on the wall immediately to my left. She turned to me with a satisfied expression. “Your familiar has volunteered. That will make the binding easier.”

  That word had all kinds of icky connotations but I didn’t argue when she started setting up. First she cleared off a long table, then she unearthed long metal trenchers, which she arranged in a rectangle with the pewter compact between them and me on the other side. Candles came next and an assortment of herbs, sprinkled into the trays. Finally she went into the back and returned with a pitcher of water.

  Probably seeing my confusion, she explained, “It’s the perfect conductor. I’ll submerge the talisman and you’ll dip your hands when the time comes, forging the link.”

  “Okay.” God, this shit was strange, especially for someone who preferred science to magic. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t figure out a formula for any of this.

  “Go around the table, wait for my signal.”

  I did as instructed; Kian stood nearby to my left, though what he planned to do if this went heinously awry, I had no idea. Still, it was pretty cool he was right here, taking the risk along with me. The chill in the air intensified as proof that Cameron was still hovering.

  “Why are you helping me?” I asked her.

  Probably I should’ve questioned sooner. This would likely piss off the Harbinger, definitely Dwyer & Fell, and I had the impression that Rochelle got along by staying neutral. At this juncture, her aid could almost be interpreted as allegiance to Wedderburn’s faction. It wasn’t that I hoped she’d realize this was a bad move and back out but I had to be sure I wasn’t signing some kind of implicit contract, like, by accepting
my assistance now, when I knock on your door in three months, you have to help me bury this body, no questions asked.

  And how bizarre that this was how my mind worked now.

  “You remind me of someone.” Her expression went sweet and soft, eyes glazed by time and distance.

  Even I couldn’t bear to pry further. “Then … thank you.”

  “This is all I can do,” she warned. “I won’t answer if you knock. And I certainly won’t fly to intervene as the Harbinger has done, on more than one occasion.”

  “He’s obligated,” I mumbled.

  She raised her eyes, an amused light in them, and a cruel smile twisted her mouth. For the first time I saw the opposite side of the coin. Healing wasn’t only kindness; there was also pain. “Is that what you think? He’s enthralled, Edie Kramer, and that’s dangerous. You see, the Harbinger is like a cat. Do you know anything about feline behavior?”

  “They pretend to be tender and affectionate,” Kian said. “They purr. They show softness. And when you least expect it, they bite.”

  Rochelle nodded. “They also kill their favorite toys. Repeatedly.”

  Fear was too weak a word for the knot in my stomach. I didn’t want the Harbinger to find me fascinating. Maybe I should’ve displayed more awe, less speaking my mind. It had probably been a long time since anyone failed to kowtow in his presence. That was the only reason that I could imagine; otherwise his interest made no sense.

  “Can we get this done? I’m feeling vulnerable.”

  “Remember this moment.” Her eyes met mine.

  “I will.”

  “And recall that you cannot keep the power that you’re borrowing. To permanently confine a spirit for your own use, that is true evil.”

  Her somber mien hammered home how dangerous this must be, how much potential it had to turn me dark. I imagined myself as a witch covered in talismans and shuddered. No, this is temporary. I’ll set Cameron free as soon as I can. Helping me would probably let him move on too, as I suspected he was stuck because he needed expiation for the dog-girl video.

  “I’ll treat him as a companion, not a slave,” I promised.