by Holly Hook
“In Shacklesburg?” I ask, thinking of the place where Riley and I danced on the dock that beautiful night.
“Yes. There,” Lily says. “If the Originator was controlling your dad, then we have to find your dad. Maybe your dad didn't have a choice about leaving you here. This killer might have wanted to separate all of us and then make you do things you don't want to do. Maybe he's been making us all do things to further his plan.”
I gulp. After what happened on the beach, it's clear. The killer doesn't want Lily or Riley in the picture, and my dad was no longer useful to him. What if this was the killer's first slip, and he's been pulling the strings behind everything for the entire time? He must want me and Riley to show up at the Convening. Maybe his plan is to get us killed, and then he can rise during the distraction and fulfill the Prophecy of a Nightside enslaving the Truebloods and turning against humanity. Or I'll have the joy of doing the dirty work while he sits there in the background, ready to steal power.
“We need a change of plans.” My voice is getting hoarse.
“Shacklesburg,” Riley says. “It's too dangerous to spend much time at the mansion right now. Your mom's at work right now, correct?”
“Yeah. She works at the emergency vet over there, actually,” I say, relieved that Mom is around witnesses and that she won't be a super easy target.
“Then we train there,” Riley says, turning right at the downtown intersection.
We wait for people to cross the street before proceeding past the train station where Edward died. This same killer could have taken out the railroad manager, who was planning to bring the Beaumonts back into town. Clearly the killer is operating alone, dividing and conquering. Yes, that's a grab for power if I ever saw one.
I might not be the monster in the Prophecy that Dominic wrote about.
But that doesn't make me feel any better.
Chances are, we've been playing right into the Originator's hands.
I struggle to think of who could have attacked Riley. This Nightside has the power to make us see our entire reality wrong. That means that my observations at the carnival were probably wrong, too. And so was the hunters' checking of the footage back at the train station.
We've suffered reality shifts this entire time.
I've got to find Dad.
“We're going to Shacklesburg right now?” I ask.
Riley grits his teeth. “Yes. Right now. At the very least, we train out there and away from this monster. While we're there, Lily can keep investigating.”
I'm glad we're leaving Moon's Peak for the time being. “Should we get a hotel and tell Mom to do the same?”
“Absolutely.” He nods.
“I must tell my family about this,” Lily says. “My parents won't be happy about me hanging out with you, but I don't legally have to do what they tell me anymore. I'm still a hunter, but I'm also your friend. And I won't rest until we find this monster. And your dad.”
* * * * *
Ending up a puppet sounds like an even worse fate than the monster Nightside in the Prophecy. That’s why I'm glad when we reach the next town. A charming sign welcomes us to Shacklesburg. The last time I came this way was on the back of Riley's motorcycle. Now we're here for serious business.
“I don't know this place like Moon's Peak, but it's similar in that people here work in the logging industry,” Riley explains. “That means some connections to the Beaumonts, so we have to be careful. People live here who benefited from them running Moon's Peak.”
“So the Beaumonts have allies. Great,” I say. After feeling the effects of the killer, the Beaumonts don't seem that terrifying anymore. I've controlled the most powerful of them with some help now, and that means I can handle the others, right? I've killed most of Dominic's older coven members, leaving the younger crowd alive.
“Shacklesburg was always safer than Moon's Peak, which is why I brought you here for that date,” Riley says. “The people here might not recognize us by sight alone.”
At least we've got one thing going. “So, the hotel.”
“Oceanside,” Riley says, pulling into a parking lot.
A charming hotel waits in front of us, built from carved, pale driftwood. A blue sign above the door reads Oceanside and there are paintings of killer whales and other wildlife on the planks that have faded. Just beyond the hotel's grounds is the ocean itself, peeking at us from between the scattered pines. People walk along the boardwalks, with couples hand in hand and sometimes accompanied by small dogs.
It looks safe. “Hide the car in the back lot, though.”
Riley restarts the engine. “I agree.”
We pull into the back lot, and then Riley gives Lily his credit card to book us a room. At least she's of age and can get us one. In no time, we're unlocking a door on the second floor and checking out the two beds and the view of the ocean.
“As for clothes, we have plenty of cash to stock up,” Riley says, eyeing the room. “Lily, it's not safe for you to go back to Moon's Peak right now, and definitely stay in the same room with us. You'll be safe so long as the Originator doesn't find us.”
I'm a bit disappointed that Riley and I will have no privacy, but we have no time for that right now. Lily needs to stay with us, and she should be safe so long as the Originator doesn't come near. Already, the pressure inside seems to have cooled down, and along with it, my anger at Dad. Was the Originator affecting me that much? Or am I just coming to terms with everything? Maybe it's a bit of both.
Heck, maybe the killer distanced Dad from me after I showed off my power by mistake. He went, wow, I've got to get this girl to work alone and alienate everyone from her. Get her angry. Then I can use her as a puppet to wipe out the Truebloods.
Can I even do that? Is that the Originator's plan?
I can't tell if I started going out of control because of my anger at Dad or because of this person. It didn't happen until I pulled off that major kill.
Lily walks to the window. “Yes. We should all stay together. Hunters rarely work alone, and definitely not with vampires, but this is an exception. Stopping this rogue Nightside from rising to power is in the interest of everyone.”
I wait for her to explain, but she just closes the curtains again. I gulp. “So, we should train out here for sure.”
“We have a lot to do,” Riley says. “I can't abandon the mansion at all. We're going to need a cover for your disappearance, Olivia.”
I face him. “My disappearance?”
Riley stays by the door. “Yes. The Originator needs to think you've fled. That would make sense, after you caught wind of what this person was doing behind the scenes. We’ll fake you getting a bus ticket and getting the hell out of here. We can make it look like you fled back to Chicago, and a big city can only distract this Originator for a while.”
I grin. “Good idea. How do we do that?” I look at Lily, waiting for her answer.
She sits on the bed and unzips her huge laptop bag. At least she's been taking that with her everywhere, not wanting to miss any research time and opportunity. “I won't make it super obvious, but the hunters have technology to access some records the public can't. They can get into cell phone data. Olivia, if you give me your phone, I can fake some stuff, with effort. I'll need a bit of help from some people who know how to hack and mess with files, since that's not my area of expertise. In fact, it might be best for you to separate from your phone completely. This Originator might control the hunters and other Nightsides.”
“He will be able to,” Riley adds, checking the door to make sure it's locked.
I gulp. Everyone could be a puppet and an enemy without knowing.
I hand over my phone, hating that I've got no way to let Mom know I'm okay. “What would be so bad about a Nightside taking over the Truebloods? I'm not sure how one could rise to power?”
“This Originator is centuries old,” Riley tells me. “And very, very powerful.”
Lily looks at me over her open laptop. “Nig
htsides are far better hunters than Truebloods. They blend into human society with no effort. You know that. Control isn’t just to get prey, but to do other horrible things. Vampire society will change if the Nightsides take over, and I don't mean that to be offensive.”
I gulp. “Don't worry. No offense taken.” I didn't want to help Riley take over this coven. The power is there, but I don't want to seize it and go crazy. The thought's terrifying. How can this Originator have no conscience?
“The hunters,” Lily says, “won’t be able to balance out the vampires and keep the whole of human society safe. Before us, it was dangerous for regular people. People died from Truebloods all the time, and there was no control. And it will be dangerous again if Nightsides rule. The Truebloods have access to the highest tiers of human society. Imagine what will happen if a cruel Nightside gets to the top?”
I gulp. “You can stop there.” The Prophecy returns, and Riley, as if sensing my worry, wraps his arms around me from behind. I lean back, basking in his comfort.
Yes. This Originator wiping out the High Council will be bad. Using me to do it will be even worse. And then what? Can one Nightside really take over thirty Trueblood covens, or make them so terrified they’ll do what he says? I don't like the way Trueblood society works, but now that I look at it, I see it as a delicate balance. It can improve and stop using slavery, but it's still a balance. A scorned Nightside will disrupt that.
“We have to stop this at all costs,” Riley says. “Truebloods have gotten better in modern times. Blood banks are a thing now, and more and more Truebloods are using them. Even my coven used one. A lot of covens are trending in the right direction. Right now is the best time humans and vampires have had living in the same world, and that has to keep going.”
“You didn't feel that way before.” I look at Riley over my shoulder, and he's right there, nuzzling me with his lips barely over my ear. Gone is that close distance.
Has something changed between us since the Originator tried to make the three of us fight? A mountain has lifted from me since that scene at the lake. Maybe I'll never know if my earlier episodes were mine to own, but I'll take this. We know what's going on now. That means we can face reality and fight it.
“So,” I ask. “I should probably take a fresh look after the Originator saw the redhead at the lake. Can you help me figure out a new disguise?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
So, we have a few goals during our weekend stay at Shacklesburg.
One, train. Adopt a fresh look, again, so I can waltz back into the coven as a new Nightside that Riley found and wants to have as a new servant.
Two, keep looking for Dad. Lily's helping with that, as she's already caught wind of unusual credit card activity in this town. However, that could be anyone.
And three, make it look as if poor Olivia fled back to Chicago. I'm glad for Lily and whatever help she can find online, but it means being separated from my phone from now on.
“At least the Originator can't control people online,” Riley says as the two of us walk away from the Oceanside hotel that evening, hand in hand. The sun has already dropped out of the sky, leaving a pale orange glow on the horizon, and the sky is shifting from dark purple to a deep bluish-black. The stars are out tonight, and the air has lost what little heat it gathered during the day. But the walk down the long, rocky beach is satisfying, and it's helping me blow off steam. “Lily thinks you should take that homeless girl look since the story will be that I found you wandering around this town. Homeless Nightsides exist, and they're often on the move, so the story will check out.”
“I hope it does,” I say. “It'll still tip off whoever the killer is that you left with Olivia and came back with some other girl.” I focus not on the redhead this time, but on a girl with dyed black hair, growing out lighter roots. She's wearing cheap makeup, like she's trying to hide herself, and a pair of those jeans you can buy holey. I add a faded sweater to the image with a kitten on the front. Beggars can't be choosers. Oh, and tennis shoes that are on the verge of falling apart. Then as Riley walks, facing the empty beach ahead and the cold ocean lapping against the shore, I project the image of that girl walking beside him, grasping his hand.
“Hello,” I say, thinking of a voice higher than mine. “Sir, do you have any change?”
Riley jumps and looks right at me. “Who are you?” he asks in shock before splitting a grin.
I've caught him off guard again. I’m getting good. “So, did I do it?”
Riley stops and blinks. “You've got talent. I see a girl with dyed black hair and a kitten sweater. I can see you if I focus, because I know it’s a disguise, but it really worked on me for a second. What should your name be? Pick one.”
“Sarah? No, too old-fashioned. I could be a Miranda or something less common,” I say. “Yeah. I'll go with that. My name's Miranda, and I think I'm going crazy because I have a craving for blood that started just a month ago, and I fled home after I tried to attack my brother in my sleep. I'm horrified and I don't know what's wrong with me, and you saw the opportunity to bring in another servant into the coven. And since I'm new, I don't know how to use my powers.” I let go of his hand and shrug.
Riley scratches his chin. “You know, I think that story will work. The High Council won't want to see any powerful Nightsides that can go against me at the Convening. But new ones I can mold? Yes. Definitely. And better yet, you can sit back and try to see who the actual killer is before we get there.”
I let the image slip away and I become Olivia again. Riley blinks as my influence comes off. “Great. That's our best chance. It's not perfect, because someone will suspect me of being Olivia when we go back to the mansion. But the High Council might not expect me.”
“It's not a guarantee, but it's the best plan we have,” Riley says. “We have three weeks to find the killer.”
“And Dominic,” I whisper, eyeing the beach ahead.
Shacklesburg has fewer people than Moon's Peak. This beach lacks the footprints that the one near the Derp House has, and I get the sense that most people don't walk this far when they're staying at the Oceanside hotel. All I can see are trees, gravel, sand, and lapping waves. Riley and I walk back, holding hands after I scan the area and make sure that no one's watching. At least there are plenty of woods out here for hunting, since Riley will need to do that before I do.
We find Lily sprawled out on the bed when we get back to the room, and I update her on my progress. “Any signs of life?” I ask.
She taps the computer screen. “Well, you're on your way to Chicago right now via a bus, and with luck, we'll figure out who left the mansion to go look for you. That'll tell us who the killer is.”
“Great,” I say. I'm not interested in the long details of how Lily made that happen, at least right now, but I'm thankful for her all the same. “You're awesome. Riley and I need to take you out to dinner. With cash, of course.” I nudge him in the side, poking him through his leather jacket.
“Hey,” he says.
Lily sighs. “We have so much to do. We haven't even looked for newcomers to this town yet. I'm just getting started on that.”
My heart leaps. That means there's hope we can at least gauge which direction Dad traveled in. He wouldn't have stayed so close to Moon's Peak and not reached out, would he? Mom has been more worth his time than I've been, and—
Lily frowns at me.
“Olivia.” Riley takes my shoulders and massages.
I'm opening and closing my fists. I relax my hands, swallowing as the pressure rises in my chest. So some of my issues were coming from me and my lack of control after all. I can't blame everything on the killer, and that's disappointing. I must keep working on it.
“Yes. Dinner,” I say. “It won't hurt to have me and Riley just plain look around town, too.”
* * * * *
It's Riley's idea to eat at that same seaside restaurant we visited back on our first proper date. He eats some food, because he still can, bu
t I can tell it's not satisfying him the way blood does. Empty calories, so they say. I have a plate of fish and so does Lily, finishing it quickly. Her huge laptop bag sits on the booth beside her, and she opens her computer and gets to work before her plate is even clean.
The restaurant is cozy and warm, with white string lights and nautical decorations everywhere, but there's nothing suspicious happening here or any sign of people other than the sleepy locals. The others in the place tonight are older couples and a frazzled family with small children.
As dinner settles, Lily types a few more things into her laptop, and I know she's moving on to finding Dad. Or Dominic. Or the other Beaumonts. Lily rubs her temples and I want to tell her to stop and take a break, or she's going to burn out.
“We still need some clothes to get us through, however long we're here,” I say.
“I'd give it the weekend.” Riley throws some bills down on the table and rises. “We can't stay gone from the mansion for long.”
We walk out into the night, and I face the side street we’re on. It’s a row of tightly packed brick stores, some with lights on inside. I hate that I'm leaving Mom for the weekend with zero explanation. She'll worry, but Riley has a point. I have to disappear for now or the Originator might go after her to get to me. I put nothing past this killer.
How evil is this killer, anyway? Would he be capable of hurting Mom?
After almost making me kill my bestie, I know the answer is yes.
“So we need a couple sets of new clothes and underwear,” I say. “Any stores out here?”
Riley motions across the narrow street. “There are a few shops, but they're for old ladies. The classy one is downtown, two streets over.”
Lily runs back downtown to deposit her laptop at the hotel. I'm looking forward to a relaxing night out.
“You got more cash?” I ask Riley.
He nods with a grin. “I've come prepared. After I took Dominic's blood, I took a bunch out of my account just in case we had to hit the road, and just in case the Beaumonts sent assassins after me.” He reaches into his tight jeans pocket and produces a bulging wallet.