Chaos and courage

by Willow Rose

  Duncan seemed out of it. He glanced at Jayden. "What's he doing here?"

  Robyn lifted an eyebrow. "I’m dating him, remember?"

  Duncan grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. Jayden jumped to his feet, ready to defend her if it became necessary. Duncan gave him a look to stay back. Robyn pulled her arm out of his grasp, then rolled her eyes at him.

  "You don't own me, Duncan."

  "I need to warn you," he said.

  That made Robyn laugh. "Ha! You warn me? The vampire warns the human; there's a first. Warn me against what? You?"

  Even though Jayden was enjoying her brushing him off the way she did, he still thought she was being a little harsh on him. He didn't say anything, though.

  "There have been rumors of a creature in your neighborhood. A vicious one who will kill humans if he gets the chance."

  "Let me guess," Robyn said. "He is a shapeshifter who impersonates people and then kills like he is them while trapping his victims in a memory and once they're loose, once the creature shifts to another victim, they're released but don't remember anything?"

  Duncan looked at her, puzzled. "Yes, how did you know?"

  "Oh, it's the talk of the town these days. How did you hear about it?"

  "When the vampires attacked the spiders' camp, we found lots of interesting information on their computers. One was a report that spoke about this creature. We think the spiders were looking for it. We also think they are trying to get rid of all other supers because they want to swarm the world with spiders and take control of this world. That's why they’ve been attacking us all. It's an eradication. A cleansing, if you will, of everyone else so they'll have this place to themselves. I don't know what will happen next, but I care about you and wanted to make sure you knew that."

  For a second, Jayden almost found Duncan to be sympathetic…almost that was. But apparently, Robyn didn't see that. Once again, she brushed him off.

  "Yeah, well, I can take care of myself. Good-bye, Duncan. You can go now."

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Amy huffed and puffed.

  "Come on, girl, you can do it!"

  Her mother was the one urging her on. They had been at it for hours, but with no luck. Amy gave up and threw herself on the couch.

  "It's no use, Mom," she said, annoyed "You saw it. Not even a puff of smoke. No fire, nothing."

  "Oh, poor baby," her mom said and sat next to her. "I’m sure it'll come back to you. I’m certain you'll figure out how to change again; you just need to give your body the time it needs."

  "And just how long is that exactly?" Amy asked. "It's been weeks. I don't even change at night anymore. The drugs should be out of my body by now. So, what is holding me back?"

  "You're probably still weak," her mom said.

  "I don't feel weak. I feel very strong."

  "Well, maybe it's something else. Maybe you're too much in your head. That can sometimes prevent the dragon from coming out."

  "You're saying I’m thinking too much?" Amy asked and sat up.

  Her mom nodded. "It's been known to happen."

  Amy sighed tiredly and leaned back on the couch again.

  "Do you have something you're worried about?" her mom asked cautiously. "Anything that you’re thinking about a lot?"

  "Try everything in my life," Amy grumbled, picked up a cushion and placed it on top of her head to hide from the world.

  "What do you mean?" her mom asked. "You have a sweet boyfriend and some wonderful friends. You're doing well…well, okay in school and the threat to our lives is gone. What do you have to worry about?"

  Only the spiders coming back and taking down everyone I care about that isn't my family, the killer on our street pretending to be any one of us and…oh, yeah, the fact that I am the worst coward in history and you're all about to soon find out.

  Just that.

  "I don't like that you keep cooped up in the house so much. You should be out having a great time, enjoying your youth. Instead, you're in that darn kitchen constantly, cooking so much we're going to need a new house soon in order to hold it all. Good thing your dad engaged a few of his friends and they started flying the food to places where it is more needed. Otherwise, we would drown in it. But it’s ruining us, Amy. This is costing us a lot of money. You need to cut down."

  "I'm sorry," Amy said. "I can't help myself."

  Her mother grabbed Amy's hand in hers. "I worry about you, honey. I don't think you're doing very well. Melanie even mentioned that she thinks you're hiding something from us, a secret or something."

  Amy removed the pillow and looked at her mom. "Melanie? She's been talking to you about that?"

  "Yes, honey. She's worried about you too. We all are. Even Kipp. He came to me two days ago and asked if I believed you were all right. I don't think you are. What’s wrong, honey? You can talk to me. You can tell me anything. You know that."

  Not if you're the killer. I can't talk to you about that. And the other thing? I will never tell you about that. You'd resent me for the rest of my life.

  "It's not healthy to keep something like this inside," she continued. "You have to get it out." Her mom stood to her feet. "If you can't talk to me about it, then at least talk to one of your friends. You hear me? Talk to someone. Anyone. Now, I have to go; I have a hair appointment downtown. But you promise me, okay?"

  Amy nodded with a deep sigh. "Okay. I promise."

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  They were holding hands and kissing. The night was so beautiful and calm; Vickie could hardly believe how romantic it was.

  Elliot leaned his head on her shoulder as they watched the moon above the waters of the lake. She could barely see it in the dim light, but Vickie still couldn't help herself. She kept looking down at her finger wearing the big ring that Elliot had just given her. He had taken her to dinner and then stopped by the park and told her to walk with him to the lake. There was something he needed to show her. As they had arrived there, she had wondered what on Earth it could be that was so important for him to show her when he had sunk down on his knees and held the box with the ring out in front of her.

  It had been the most romantic moment of her life. And as they sat there, getting used to the fact that they were now engaged to be married, Vickie felt the butterflies in her stomach when thinking about her future.

  She knew exactly how the wedding was going to be. She had planned this for years and had an entire book with preparations. She knew what the dress was going to look like, even where to get it. She had everything planned out, down to the flower arrangements. It had been Vickie's dream since she was a young child to get married one day.

  Elliot wasn't exactly what she had pictured her husband would look like. He was a lot shorter and stubbier, and he stuttered a little when he was nervous. But he had a good job at the insurance company with the possibility of climbing the ranks. He made a steady salary and could support her while she took care of the children like it had been her plan for her entire life. It would be a boy first and, when he was about five years old, they would go for a girl. It was Vickie's mom who had told her it was important not to have the children too close in age since it would make it harder, and that having a boy first was best.

  "Boys tend to grow up to be a little odd when growing up with a bigger sister," she had told her. "They become weak. Boys need to be in charge and know that they are the protector of the younger and feebler little sister. It's the order of nature. They are stronger when they are the oldest. They become good decision makers and protective. Plus, they experience everything first, like driving and dating. It's easier with a teenage boy than a girl."

  Vickie had always listened closely to her mother's words, sucking in her words of wisdom. Her mother was also the one who told her to marry Elliot if he ever asked her. Vickie had her doubts since she didn't really feel like she loved him, but her mother had told her love had very little to do with it. He was good for her, he could provide a good and stable life for Vicki
e, and that was what mattered.

  So, Vickie had said yes when he asked earlier the same evening, and for that, she was now very happy. The ring was beautiful. She had shone her phone's flashlight on it when he put it on her finger, to better be able to study it, and it was definitely worthy of her delicate finger. Vickie had pointed it out at the store a few weeks ago, to make sure he knew exactly what kind of ring she wanted. The huge diamond would make all of her girlfriends sick with jealousy. Vickie would marry Elliot for that alone.

  "So, you wanna head back?" Elliot asked, almost whispering. "It's getting late."

  He leaned over to kiss her, but his breath reeked of the onions he ate at dinner, and she pulled away, repulsed.

  "I'm tired," she said. "Let's go."

  They rose to their feet and held each other's hands as they walked back toward the trail leading to their car when Vickie heard something.

  "What was that?" she asked, clenching Elliot's hand.

  Elliot shrugged. "I don't know. An animal maybe?"

  Vickie stared in the direction the sound had come from and spotted two red glowing dots in between the bushes. She gasped and clung to Elliot.

  "Something's there."

  "It's probably just a cat," Elliot said and grabbed his phone. He turned on the flashlight and shone it in the direction of the red dots.

  What showed up in the cone of the light wasn't a cat or even an animal, much to their surprise.

  "Ah. It's just a young girl," Elliot said, relieved.

  "What's with her eyes?" Vickie asked, still sounding anxious but less so than when she thought it was an animal coming after them.

  "I don't know," Elliot said. "Maybe she's sick."

  "Maybe we should just go," Vickie said and tugged at his shoulder. "Come on. I don't like this."

  As they were about to leave and turn their backs on her, the girl let out a low growl, sounding a lot more like a big animal than a sixteen-year-old girl. Startled at this, they both turned around and looked at her, gaping. Barely had they faced her before the girl leaped through the air and jumped them, pinning them both to the ground, stabbing them with her long claws.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  They met at Jazmine's house. Amy was the one who had texted them all to let them know she needed to talk. So, they met up after school, and all went to Jazmine's house where Aunt Tina served them hot chocolate and marshmallows, something Jazmine figured she couldn't completely mess up.

  Jazmine had just gotten off the phone with Adrian, who had told her he would be home for the Halloween Block party and would stay home all weekend. Jazmine was so excited to be able to see him again. She knew he had been there when she was still in her coma, and he had also visited her briefly at the hospital when she woke up, but they hadn't had a chance to really be together, as in just be them and hang out. She was looking forward to that like crazy. She missed him so much.

  Everything had gone back to normal after Jazmine got out of the hospital. She had made a quick and miraculous recovery, and after the doctors—quite baffled—had run all their tests, they found her to be in perfect health again and released her.

  A few days later, Jazmine was doing so well that she was back in school. There was a lot she needed to catch up on, but she had found a spell in her mother's book that had helped her do that in no time. Now, she was back to getting straight A's and being her own self. All she needed now was her mother to be released. They had all promised to work on that together, but so far, they hadn't gotten any closer to finding the real killer.

  Jazmine had met with Caleb, a lawyer Robyn's family knew, and he had told her he might be able to help her, but he had one condition. He needed her to get Robyn to go on another date with him. Jazmine had told him she was already seeing someone, but he had told her to fix it if she wanted his help.

  Now that Robyn was sitting in her bedroom, Jazmine stared at her, wondering if she had the courage to ask. It would have to be in private when Jayden wasn't there.

  "I have summoned you all here today," Amy said sounding very formal. She had brought Melanie too, and she was sitting on the floor, looking very suspiciously at her friend as she spoke. It didn't seem to Jazmine like they were very good friends anymore and Jazmine was wondering what had happened between them. Was it just a quarrel? Or was it something deeper?

  "Because I need your help."

  "With what?" Jazmine asked and leaned forward as she grabbed BamBam and put him in her lap and began to pet him. The cat purred.

  Jazmine would do anything for Amy. They were never the closest of friends, as Amy was closer with Melanie and Robyn, but they had always liked one another. And she knew Amy had risked her own life to save Jazmine. Even though it hadn't worked, it wasn't something she could easily forget.

  "I’m afraid I have some terrible news," Amy said.

  Jazmine could tell she was sweating heavily in her white shirt. Amy seemed out of it. She was very little like her usual self, and when Jazmine thought about it, she had been like this for quite some time now. Something was definitely going on with her.

  Amy took in a deep breath. "Mr. Aran is loose."

  They looked around at each other while murmurs broke out in the room. They all ended up looking at Jazmine for answers. She leaned forward and nodded.

  "It's true. My aunt accidentally let him out of the Yeti cup. She told me about it when I was in the hospital. He found his vacuum-machine thingy and dug it up from my backyard. When I went to look, there was just a hole in the ground. I didn't say anything because I figured he left with all the other spiders."

  Amy exhaled. "But that's the thing. He didn’t."

  Jazmine's eyes grew wide. "What?"

  "He's very much here," Amy said looking at her hands. "I don't know where he is physically, but he's been here, and he still has his eye on all of us. He's waiting for the right moment to strike."

  Melanie rose to her feet. "I knew it! It was him, wasn't it? He broke you!"

  "Melanie!" Jayden said.

  "She's been spying on us for him. I knew it when you wouldn't leave that kitchen…"

  "Melanie!" Jazmine said. "Let Amy talk, please."

  Chapter Fifty

  Amy's heart was in her throat, thumping, and she could hardly stand up straight. She had never felt so awful in her life; still, she believed this was the right thing to do. She had to come clean. She had to tell them everything before it tore her up. Her mother had been right about that part. It was better to get it off your chest than let it eat you up. Her only fear was that in doing so, she would ruin her deal with Mr. Aran. There would be no protection for her and her family.

  "When I was at the camp, I was interrogated," she said. "By Mr. Aran. I…I am…I feel awful…"

  Jazmine got up and walked to Amy. She opened her arms and pulled her into a deep hug. Amy couldn't help herself. She began to cry.

  "I have been so sick with worry that you were going to find out how horrible of a person I really am."

  Jazmine let go of her and looked into her eyes. "Just tell us everything, sweetie."

  "Melanie is right," she said with a deep sniffle. "I broke. They…he told me Melanie was dead, that they had killed her and then I…I agreed to help him in exchange for him letting me go and for leaving my family alone when they came."

  "You sold us all out?" Robyn asked.

  Amy nodded, crying. "I'm a terrible person; I know. You can all start hating on me now."

  Amy didn't dare to lift her eyes and look at her friends. She was ready to leave, to simply turn around and leave when something extraordinary happened—something she could never have foreseen.

  Jazmine looked at her with warmth in her eyes, then said:

  "You only did what any of us would have done. How could you have known that there would be a raid on the camp shortly after? You wanted to protect your family. They got to you; that's only natural. Any of us would probably have broken down when beaten and hurt like that. I want to say it's only human…bu
t you're not that, so I guess it's just natural."

  They all approached her and put their arms around her, holding her in a long and very warm hug. Tears sprang to Amy's eyes again as she felt their love and Melanie said, laughing:

  "Have you seen no movies…like…ever?"

  Amy wiped her eyes. "What do you mean?"

  "Telling you that I was dead is like the oldest trick in the book."

  Amy sniffled and nodded. "I guess I was a little naïve."

  Melanie put her arm around her. "Hey, that's my friend you're talking about, and she's as tough as they get."

  "So, you're not angry with me anymore?"

  "I never was," Melanie said. "I was disappointed that you didn't want to share with me what was going on. I am your friend. You can tell me anything. It hurt me that you kept a secret from me."

  "Wait a minute," Robyn said and looked at Amy. "Mr. Aran. What have you told him? What is he planning?"

  Amy shook her head. "I don't know much. But he does know about the party, and I think he's planning something then."

  They all looked at one another, then back at Amy.

  "What are we going to do?" Jayden asked.

  Jazmine bit her lip, then locked eyes with Amy. "There really is only one thing we can do." She sighed. "We need to tell our parents."

  Just as Jazmine had said the words and they lingered in everyone's mind, the door to her room slammed open and Aunt Tina rushed inside.

  "Have you heard? Oh, dear God, it's awful."

  "What's going on?" Jazmine asked.

  "They found two bodies in the park."

  Chapter Fifty-One

  The police were already all over the scene. Jayden felt anxious and held Robyn's hand in his as they rushed through the park and got to the police tape keeping nosy bystanders from entering the scene.

  They pulled through the crowd and came so close they could see the two bodies on the ground. They were being examined by people wearing full body suits and gloves.