by Kelli Kimble
“Simple.” Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he pushed over one of the garbage cans. It clattered to the ground. He pushed another, then picked up the lid and threw it so that it hit the nearest car. “He should be out here any second.”
The back door of the office opened, and a flashlight beam shined out. “Hey. Who’s back here? There better not be any hooligans back here messing with my car.”
Unfortunately, it was a woman’s voice. Sally.
When we didn’t make more noise, she got a little braver. She opened the door enough so that we could see her silhouetted by the lights inside. She swept the flashlight back and forth, and we stayed hunched behind the remaining cans. Her beam caught the edge of one of the downed cans.
“Stupid raccoons.” She propped the door open with a rock and came out. She picked up the lid that Jacob had thrown and brought it over to the cans. I was watching her from the shadows, waiting as she picked up the garbage that had fallen out and stuffed it back in the can before putting the lid on. “Disgusting vermin. They make such a mess —”
A hand went over her mouth from behind. A fur-covered hand. Her eyes flew wide and she stiffened. I searched the shadows around me. Jacob had snuck up behind her.
This is bad. This isn’t the plan.
But Jacob had it under control. He pulled Sally to his chest, locking his other arm around her waist. “We want to talk to the sheriff,” he said into her ear. “Is he inside?” A strange smell was now pulsating off of Sally in waves. Based on her expression, it was either fear or adrenaline. Maybe both.
Sally nodded.
“Is anyone else inside?”
She shook her head.
“What about in the cells? You holding anyone in there?”
She nodded.
“Okay then. I’m going to take my hand off your mouth, and you’re not going to scream. You’re going to call for the sheriff, real calm. Just like you need his help with this dirty garbage. Can you ask him for help with the dirty garbage?”
She nodded.
“And you aren’t going to scream?”
She nodded.
“Okay. Call for him.”
“Sheriff Stone,” she said. Her voice was wispy and soft.
“No, no. He needs to hear. And you can’t sound scared.” Jacob turned her so that she was facing the door. “Now go ahead and call.”
“Sheriff. Sheriff, come out here and help me pick up this mess.” Her voice only cracked a little.
After a minute, Sheriff Stone’s silhouette shuffled into the doorway. He was hitching up his pants. “Sally, I got work to do. Whaddaya want?”
“Please come and help me with this,” she said.
The sheriff took a step towards Sally. “What happened?”
“Raccoons, I guess.”
He had a lit cigar in his mouth. He sucked on it, and the tip glowed orange, illuminating his wrinkles for a moment. “Woman, you are about as useless as they come. Can’t you even pick up some garbage on your own?” He strode out of the lit doorway and towards the trash cans. He didn’t even look at Sally. He stooped to pick up the other can.
I darted from the shadows and grabbed his gun from the holster. I tossed it underneath his car.
“What the?”
Jacob emerged from behind Sally, and the sheriff’s mouth opened. The folds on his face rearranged as he seemed to be running through a variety of emotions. For just a moment, the cigar hung on his lip. Then it dropped and rolled away on the cement. Jacob growled and advanced. I stuck out my foot, catching it on the sheriff’s as he tried to retreat from Jacob.
“Oof,” he fell backward, landing on his bottom. There was a sharp crack, which might have been the arm he’d stuck out behind him to break the fall. I pushed Jacob away and crouched over top of him, my knee digging into his soft belly.
He screamed once, then briefly collected himself. “Sally! Run!”
Sally darted forward like a startled rabbit. She ran straight into Jacob.
“You need to watch this,” Jacob said to her. He turned her towards the sheriff and again covered her mouth. Her eyes were wide, and the strange scent rolled off her in waves, mixing with the scent of the cigar and the similar scent that was now coming off Sheriff Stone.
“Stone,” I said. Lying on the ground, the folds on his face eased backward to reveal more of his features. His chin had once been strong, and his eyes were a watery green. “You have something you need to confess.”
Leaning over him, I realized that I couldn’t yet control what my mouth was doing. Drool dripped from my teeth, and my tongue wanted to hang out. I curled back my lips, hoping he’d take it as a warning that I was about to bite him.
“What?”
“You have someone in your jail that you know doesn’t belong. And you did something against the law to get him there. Tell me about that.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. His eyes narrowed and he shoved at my knee with his uninjured arm. I dug it in harder and he pushed out a heavy breath.
“Tell us about what you did.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” he struggled for a moment, then gave up. “What do you want?”
I grasped him by the uniform and lifted his upper torso, then slammed him back to the ground. He grunted. “I want you to tell the truth.”
“Everyone in my jail is guilty of something.”
There was a scuffle behind me. I didn’t look.
“You want me to try?” Jacob asked.
“No.” My patience was getting thin, but I didn’t want Jacob beating the sheriff. For a moment I was back at the school, sitting astride Gary and holding a bloody helmet. I shuddered.
“You don’t have the stomach to do what you need to do,” the sheriff said, propping himself up on his good arm. “You’re weak.” His voice dripped with derision. Unable to control myself any longer, I hauled my arm back and slapped him across the face.
Only, my hands aren’t shaped quite like hands, and my claws raked across his cheek, leaving a trail of deep bloody scratches.
Now, Sally really started to struggle.
I leaned down into the sheriff’s face. The tip of my nose was just an inch or two from touching his, and I bared my teeth. “I can rip your throat out with one good swipe,” I said. “I don’t want to kill you, but I will.” I wrapped my paw around his throat, letting the claw on my thumb rest on an artery that was thumping hard in his neck.
“Just tell them what they want to know!” I looked up at Sally. She was in tears and hung in Jacob’s arms with limp acceptance. I pushed down on his neck just a little, just enough to start restricting his breath.
“All right, all right,” he tried to push my hand away. I didn’t release his neck, but I stopped pushing. “Sampson wasn’t drunk when I picked him up. I was just mad that he won the poker game Saturday night.”
“What? No. I want to know about Clark. Clark Hond.”
He paused. I could practically see his brain churning through information. “That miserable bastard is going to prison for a long, long time,” he finally said.
I squeezed his neck a little harder this time. When his eyes started to bulge, I let go.
He coughed and sputtered. His voice was weak, but I clearly heard him say it. “I planted the evidence at his office. There’s nothing that connects him to the fire.”
“So, he’s innocent?”
“Maybe.”
I tightened my fingers.
“Okay, he’s innocent. He didn’t commit any crimes that I know of.”
“So, you’ll release him?”
“Yes.”
I leaned back, releasing some of the pressure on my knee. “Sally, you heard that he’s going to be released?”
Jacob had his hand over her mouth again, but she nodded. She was still crying.
“You have twelve hours to release him and to tell the newspaper that he’s innocent. If he’s not released and there isn’t an article in tomorrow’s paper, t
hen we’ll be back. And trust me when I say you don’t want to see me again.”
“What are you?” the sheriff asked.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Twelve hours.”
I jumped to a stand and Jacob set Sally on the ground and we took off running. When I was sure they weren’t following, I stopped and let out a long howl.
Jacob laughed. “You really scared him.”
“Yeah.”
“How’d it feel?”
“Great.”
“Come on. Let’s go home.”
* * *
It was hard to get up in the morning. We’d stayed out until nearly four o’clock, running and howling and just enjoying the feel of our alternate forms. But when it was time to get up and do our schoolwork, I felt like my head was stuffed with cotton and my joints ached like I had the flu.
When I didn’t come downstairs, Mother came to my room to check on me.
“Iris, dear, what are you still doing in bed?” She pulled the curtains aside. The light stabbed my eyeballs. I covered my head with my pillow.
“No, Mother. Don’t open those.”
“Come, now. It’s time to get up. You have chores to see to and Tessa is starting to think that you don’t want to get your GED anymore.” She sat on the edge of the bed and pried the pillow away from me.
“Iris, are you feeling sick?”
“Why?”
“You’re pale as death, and you’ve got bags under your eyes. What’s this?” She tugged something out of my hair. “A twig? How did that get there?”
“I don’t know.”
“Betty?” Tessa called from downstairs. “There’s a telephone call for you.”
Mother put her hand against my forehead and clucked her tongue. “You’d better stay in bed.” She left my room, closing the door behind her. I sank back into sleep, grateful for the reprieve though I felt a little guilty at letting her think that I might be sick.
A short time later, a car started and drove away up the driveway. I didn’t get up to see who it was, but I figured it was Mr. Anu. Someone knocked on my door.
“Come in,” I said. I pulled the bedcovers up demurely in case it was Mother.
Mr. Anu entered and shut the door behind him. “Iris. How are you feeling?” His face was mostly neutral, but a smile was behind his eyes.
“I’m sore and tired.”
“The soreness will pass in time. However, fatigue is your own doing. I didn’t hear you come back until quite late.”
“We were —”
He held up a hand to stop me. “It’s not important what you were doing. I gather that you both enjoyed the time, yes?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now, I have several points of business to address with you. First, your mother has gone to Sheriff Stone’s office to pick up your father. He’s coming home today, and it seems he’s been cleared of any wrongdoing.”
“Thank goodness,” I said.
“Yes, I’m thankful for that, as we all are. My second order of business is related. I’m sure I don’t know what happened to change Sheriff Stone’s mind. But I can tell you that whatever it was, it will never happen again.”
“But Mr. Anu,” I said. “Sheriff Stone deserved —”
He cut me off again. “Miss Hond. Your alternate form is a sacred thing, an Anubian thing. You’ll use it only for the advancement of our Anubian heritage. I’ve allowed this to pass this time because it was your first night with the form, and I know that your father’s predicament weighed heavily upon you. But such a stunt shall not be repeated. Do we understand each other?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now. You probably don’t like it, but coffee will do wonders for your current state. I suggest that you be dressed and ready to greet your father when he returns with your mother.”
He went to the door and put his hand on the knob. “The sheriff must have been frightened out of his wits,” he said, without looking at me.
“Oh, yes.”
He kept his face averted and grinned, though I could see him in the reflection of a mirror near the door. “Good. Now get ready for the day.” He left me alone.
When I’d cleaned myself up, I dressed and went downstairs. Kal and Jacob were both sitting at the table, Jacob was looking almost as bad as me. He was already nursing a cup of coffee. Our eyes met.
“Iris, your mother went to pick up your father,” Tessa said, rushing in between me and Jacob. “Isn’t that fabulous news? He’s coming home.”
“Yes, that’s great,” I said. This was one thing that could motivate me to enthusiasm in spite of how tired I was. “I can’t wait to see him.”
“I'm so happy for your family.” She hugged me. “You look a little worn out,” she said. “Did those howling dogs keep you awake, too?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. I gave her a meek nod.
“Have a seat. Would you like some eggs?”
My stomach turned over at the thought of food. “Just coffee,” I said.
“That’s weird. That’s all Jacob wanted, too.”
“That is weird,” Kal said. He gave me a knowing look. I was suddenly fascinated with the cup of coffee that Tessa handed me. It tasted terrible and I wrinkled my nose.
“If you don’t like it, why are you drinking it?” Kal asked me.
“Forget it, Kal,” Jacob said.
“Seems like I heard some sounds coming from the barn last night,” Kal pressed. “What do you make of that?”
“Probably those dogs Tessa heard howling,” I said.
“Oh, these couldn’t have been dogs.” Tessa leaned against the counter with her own cup of coffee. “The sound was entirely too emotional. It sounded almost like sounds of joy. Triumph, maybe.”
Kal rolled his eyes. “What kind of animal has an emotional howl?”
“I don’t know. Wolves, maybe.”
I tensed. Kal was looking directly at me, studying my reaction. “When will my parents be back?” I said, hoping to derail the wolf talk. I wasn’t sure if anyone else was supposed to know about our alternate forms and the ceremony. I was saved by Mr. Anu entering the kitchen.
“It seems there is someone in town who is near death,” Mr. Anu said.
“Oh, how terrible,” Tessa said. “Is it anyone we know?”
Mr. Anu’s eyes found mine. “It’s Gary.”
Everyone turned to stare at me.
“What? I didn’t do anything to him.”
“You mean you haven’t done anything in a while?” Kal asked, smirking.
I glared at him.
Mr. Anu pointed at Jacob and then at me. “Tonight, the two of you shall come with me when I visit him. It’s time for your training to begin.”
Tessa’s eyes widened. “You mean . . . they’ve gone through the ceremony?”
“As a matter of fact, they have.” Mr. Anu’s chest swelled. Was he proud of us? “You might have heard them enjoying themselves last night. It was their first attempt at using their alternate forms.”
Kal laughed.
“But tonight, things become serious. Gary needs to be guided to the afterlife.”
“What would happen to him if we didn’t guide him?” Jacob asked.
Mr. Anu frowned. “Most eventually find their way. But not to be guided leaves confusion, often fear or anger. It negatively charges the world. That is why modern history has grown so violent and passive. Humans do not have the same sense of responsibility for their environment because of the accumulated bad feelings of the dead.”
“I don’t want to guide him,” I said. “He deserves to be afraid.”
“No. He is the sort that leaves the worst residue behind. If we do not guide him, we are allowing him to continue to touch the world. Is that what you want?”
“Of course not.”
“Then it is agreed. We shall leave tonight. Tessa, I am sure you do not mind if my proteges are excused from their studies today so that they might rest. It will be a trying
night, and they need their strength.”
Tessa’s shoulders drooped. “Okay. But they really need to return to their schooling. We’ve got to start working on university applications.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Cucciolo. They shall return to their studies, and they’ll find their way to university, too. I will make sure of it. Iris, I believe you’ll want to spend some time with your father when he arrives. That is understood. I shall be in the barn if anyone needs me.”
As soon as he was outside, Tessa descended on Jacob.
“You went through the ceremony and didn’t tell me?”
“He didn’t really give us the chance. And I thought it was a secret.”
“It will be a secret from my parents,” I said. “Mr. Anu hasn’t explained to them.”
The popping of gravel in the driveway caught my attention. Even though I didn’t have shoes on, I flew out the door and to the driveway. It was my parents, with my father driving. He had the window down, and he was beaming. He waved when he saw me.
“Cinnamon Bun!” The car stopped with a jolt and he bounded out with more energy than I’d seen him have in years. He swept me up into his arms and lifted me off the ground.
“Daddy, I’m so glad your home.” I buried my face in his shirt, which didn’t smell like him, and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Let me look at you.” He pulled me away. “There’s no need for tears. I’m here now.” He brushed the tears away; tears I hadn’t even realized I was shedding. “I think you’ve grown.” He turned me first to one side and then the other. Then he held one hand above my head as if he were gauging my height. “Yes. Definitely. I’d say three or four inches.”
“Daddy,” I said, starting to giggle.
“There’s a smile. Now let’s go inside, it’s cold out here and you’re not wearing shoes.”
We started inside, but Mr. Anu came out of the barn. He strode over and grasped Daddy’s hand.
“Clark. I’m happy to see you home.”
“I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for my family,” Daddy said. “I don’t know how we’re ever going to repay you.”
Mr. Anu’s eyes flicked to me for a moment. “Just having you here is repayment enough. I could use your help with a few things. Perhaps tomorrow? You need a day to catch up with your family.”
