Dead Is Not an Option

by Marlene Perez

  Wolfie cleared his throat. "Claudia and I have been going out for a while, but we knew, with all the stuff going on between the shifters and the vampires, that neither side would be happy if they found out. So we started sneaking around."

  "He didn't want to," Claudia said. "But I insisted."

  "Anyway, we were sitting in a tent by the beach—I set it up so Claudia could see the sun rise—and we saw them when they dumped that vampire kid. The one who almost burned up in the sun?"

  "We thought that one of the Scourge saw us as they were leaving, but we weren't sure," Claudia said. "We called for help and the vampire lived."

  "How did you know it was the Scourge?" Ryan asked.

  "They weren't shifters, and they weren't vamps," Wolfie said. "We would have recognized them if they were."

  "One of them was that woman who just shot Circe," Claudia said. "I'm sure of it."

  "So why did the vampire kid say it was Weres who attacked him?" I asked.

  "He had been blindfolded before he saw his attackers," Claudia explained. "But Wolfie and I saw them, so we were scared."

  "I thought the kidnapped vampire said he smelled wolf," I said.

  "He did," Wolfie replied, blushing. "But it was me he smelled, not his kidnappers."

  "We went to my grandfather, and he told the council everything we knew," Claudia said. "They knew that the Scourge would try to eliminate us. So they called Circe."

  "To help guard you?" I asked. "That's why she was holed up at the hotel?"

  "Yes," she said. "Sorceresses aren't tied to the whims of the full moon and can't be repelled by a cross."

  There was a knock at the door. No one moved until Chief Mendez said, "Ryan, it's me."

  Liam, Nicholas, and the chief walked into the room. Mr. Bone had sent the task force. Interesting.

  "Where's Grandfather?" Liam asked Claudia, but she didn't answer. She stared at the blood and then, without warning, lunged. Liam moved so quickly I didn't even see him leave the doorway, but in an instant he had grabbed Claudia by the arm and was restraining her.

  She broke into loud sobs. "It's okay," he said. "It's okay." He patted her shoulder. "She isn't as old as I am," he explained to us. "She has a harder time fighting the urge."

  He led her into one of the bedrooms, and after ripping off his wig, Wolfie followed.

  "Daisy, are you and Ryan okay?" Nicholas asked. "Poppy and Rose are freaking out."

  "We're okay," I said. "But Circe, she's definitely not okay."

  "What did you tell the San Carlos police?" Chief Mendez asked.

  "We didn't say anything about council business," Ryan said. "Just that three strangers came in, shot Circe, and left."

  "I also didn't tell them that I'd seen the woman before," I said. "I saw her at Mr. Devereaux's condo."

  "Are you sure you saw her there?" the chief said.

  "Positive. She said her name was Trinity, and that was what one of the guys with her tonight called her." I paused remembering something else. "She might have had something to do with Elise Wilder's attack, too."

  The chief nodded. "She does fit the description that Miss Wilder gave us."

  We told them everything that happened, but I found myself falling asleep as we talked.

  "Ryan, Nicholas will drive you and Daisy home," his dad said. "Mort and I have to get Wolfgang and Claudia to a new location."

  I noticed Balthazar was shivering in the corner, and I scooped him up. "I'll take Balthazar home with me," I said.

  I was intrigued to see that Nicholas and Liam shook hands before everyone went their separate ways. At least my sisters' boyfriends were getting along, even if the rest of Nightshade was not.

  Ryan and I didn't talk on the drive back to Nightshade, but Balthazar curled up in the back seat and snored all the way home while I kept replaying the night over and over again in my head.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  By the next day, we got word that Circe was expected to make a full recovery. I didn't know how long she'd be in the hospital, and I knew that this might be my only chance to free Lily and Balthazar. But I would need Natalie's help.

  One of my sisters had the car, so I called Sam to pick me up and take me to Slim's. When she pulled up to my house and I walked out carrying the supplies for the spell, and Balthazar, she seemed surprised.

  "I hope you don't mind if he rides with us," I said.

  "I just hope Sean doesn't get jealous," she said, laughing as the pig hopped into the front passenger seat.

  I spotted Natalie through the window of Slim's and we rushed inside.

  "Are you going to be here for a while?" I asked her breathlessly.

  "I'm just hanging out," she replied.

  "I found everything we need to break the spell," I said. "I'll be right back." I could hear my voice shaking with excitement.

  My heart jumped. I went to Sam's car and grabbed the library books, the pen, and the dress. It had been making me nervous carrying around the very items that might save Lil from her jukebox. It might not work, but it was the only shot we had.

  Natalie went into the back kitchen and then came out a few minutes later. She turned the sign to Closed and locked the front door.

  "Slim's hoping we can get this over with before we completely ruin his dinner rush," Natalie said. "But I asked him to close just for a little while so we could try the spell." She was waving her hands around as she spoke.

  I grinned at her. "I couldn't help but notice that enormous sparkler on your hand," I said.

  She grinned back. "Yep, Slim and I are engaged."

  We talked wedding details for a few minutes but then got down to business.

  I handed Natalie one of the books I'd checked out of the library. "I marked the page where it talks about halting the aging process," I said. "Do you think it will work?"

  She opened to the page I had indicated and read quickly. She ran a finger down the page. "I have everything I need for the antiaging spell," she said. "But I think we need one more ingredient to break the enchantment."

  "What are we going to do?" I asked.

  "Let me make a call," she said.

  She had a brief conversation with somebody and then hung up.

  "Anyone hungry?" Slim asked. "I can make some snacks. Darling, what is appropriate to serve at a de-enchantment?"

  Natalie chuckled. "Nachos, I think."

  Slim went into the kitchen to whip up something to eat while the rest of us waited. An elderly couple who had been finishing their meal paid their bill and left.

  Finally, there was a knock at the door and Natalie answered it. I couldn't see who was on the other side of the door, but Natalie came back carrying a small jar full of a pungent liquid.

  "What is that horrid smell?" Sam asked.

  "The bitterness of unrequited love," Natalie said. "I need just a drop."

  "Any more and it'd be a ready-made stink bomb," Sam said.

  "Are you ready?" Natalie asked me.

  I nodded, but my stomach did a nervous little dance, and I prayed that I wouldn't be sick.

  "Positive thoughts," Natalie reminded me. "Place the dress and the pen in the circle."

  I did what she asked and then stepped back. "Now what?"

  "Now I do my thing," she said. "First I'll embed the spell that will preserve Balthazar and Lily at the ages they were when they were first enchanted. Then, when I'm sure it's taken, I'll try to break the original spell."

  The first thing she did was head to the kitchen to forage for ingredients. She came back with strawberries and honey. She pulled a long glass bottle out of her bag and added the strawberries and honey to the liquid. She shook it vigorously, took a sip, and then said, "Perfect."

  She said a couple of words and then sprinkled a bit of the liquid in the air. It dissolved immediately but left a tantalizing fragrance.

  "What was that in the bottle?" I asked.

  "Yearning," she said.

  Then Natalie got out an old pottery bowl that was dec
orated with moons and stars, carefully poured a dry green powder into it, and added a drop of tears.

  There was a little puff of smoke when the ingredients combined, and then nothing.

  "Did it work?" Sam leaned in to get a look.

  "I don't think so," Natalie said. "I don't think we have the right items."

  "Don't be sorry," I said. "Thanks for trying."

  "Maybe I did something wrong," Natalie said. "Or maybe there's something missing."

  Sam could tell I was disappointed and gave me a hug. "We'll figure it out."

  "I think I managed to conceal the antiaging spell, so if Circe ever does change her mind about releasing them, she won't know that I added a little something," Natalie said.

  "I'm sure this is the pen that Circe was talking about, but I'm not sure what item she used that belonged to Lily."

  "I think it will work if you can figure out the other item," she said. She reached down and scratched Balthazar's nose. "What are you going to do with this little guy in the meantime?"

  "I don't know," I admitted. "I don't really want to give him back to Circe."

  "We can keep him at our place," she offered.

  "What about your cat?" I asked. Natalie's familiar had never seemed that friendly to me, but cats seldom were.

  "Oh, Fluffy loves company," she said.

  A huge plate of nachos floated to the table, which meant my boss was back.

  "Consolation nachos," Slim said.

  Natalie reached over and snatched a chip. "I'm famished," she said.

  "She's starving after she works her craft," Slim said.

  "All magic has its price," Natalie said.

  "What should we do about the pen?" I asked. "I don't think Circe knows I have it, but I don't want her to get her hands on it again."

  "You can lock it in the safe in the office," Slim said.

  "Do you think it will be safe there?" I asked.

  "I'll make sure of it," Natalie said. "I'll add a little something so only the three of us can unlock it."

  We trooped back to the office, and I put the pen in the safe. Then Natalie dug in her bag, sprinkled a dark-colored powder over the safe, and mumbled a few words.

  "That should do it," she said.

  As I was getting ready to leave, Natalie handed the book back to me. "I'm going to look for a copy of this," she said. "There are some great spells in there. Where did you get it?"

  "Ms. Johns, the librarian, loaned it to me. It's part of her personal collection."

  "Interesting," she commented. "It's not many librarians who would loan out a rare first edition."

  "What? She told me it was published in 1960," I said. I felt myself turning pale. "I had it in my backpack. Don't tell me it's valuable."

  "I won't," she said. "It's priceless."

  "I've got to get it back to her before the library closes," I said. I said my goodbyes and then made it to the library just in time.

  "I had no idea this was such a precious book or I would never have borrowed it," I told her when I found her in her office.

  "Did it help?" she asked mildly. "Did you bring it back undamaged?"

  "Yes to both questions," I said.

  "Then it was a good decision," she said.

  Just then, a thought occurred to me. "Do you have any books on the history of Nightshade?" I asked. "In the general collection, I mean." I remembered someone had said something about the Weres and the vampires being at peace for over fifty years. I wondered what life in Nightshade had been like prior to that time.

  "We have a nice selection of books on local history," she replied. "I'll show you." I found a couple of likely-looking items and made it to the checkout line as the five-minute warning was announced over the loudspeaker, then went home to do an hour or two of light reading about the history of my hometown. Nightshade's history was a bloody one, involving years of hatred between the shifters and the vampires. I hoped my nighttime reading wouldn't give me nightmares.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  During the school week, I was unable to shake the feeling of dread that followed me everywhere I went. They still hadn't caught Trinity or her accomplices. Circe's shooting had made the papers, and tensions were high. They were passing it off as a random act by a crazed fan, but rumors were flying.

  And the thing we feared had happened. Our senior prom was canceled. The news came during morning announcements, and there was an immediate uproar.

  "I can't believe it," Penny said.

  "We knew it was a possibility," I reminded her. "Everyone is freaked out about the paranormal attacks going on."

  "We're the ones suffering," she said.

  I raised an eyebrow. "You mean besides the victims?"

  "You know what I mean," she said. "Everyone loses."

  Penny was right. Everyone loses except the Scourge. It was their mission in life to eradicate paranormals forever. The members of the Scourge I'd met hated anyone they considered different.

  Our homeroom teacher, Ms. Tapia, was still trying to restore order. For a minute it looked like everyone would ignore her, but it finally got quiet.

  "Your safety is our first consideration," she reminded us.

  This didn't seem to make the Nightshade High student body feel any happier.

  At lunch, even Samantha was complaining. "Did you hear about prom? It's not fair."

  "That blows," Sean commented.

  "There isn't anything we can do about it," I said.

  Ryan picked up on my bad mood and took my hand. "That gloom and doom doesn't sound like you. We'll figure something out."

  "What can we do?" I refused to be cheered up.

  "Penny said you mentioned an alternative prom," Samantha said.

  "That was when I didn't think prom would really get canceled," I replied.

  "But it's not a bad idea," Ryan said. "We could pull it off."

  "We wouldn't be able to tell our parents," Samantha said. "They'd freak."

  "We have to tell them. They'll notice if we get all dressed up and a limo pulls up to pick us up," I said. "We have to find a place where they think we'll be safe."

  "What about Slim's?" Sam suggested. "It's right on Main Street."

  "That's not a bad idea," Ryan said. "The police station is right across the street, so my dad and Officer Denton can keep an eye on things."

  We decided that I would be the one to ask Slim. I wasn't sure what he'd say, but I went to the diner right after school to talk to him.

  "If all the parents sign off on it, I'd gladly host an alternative prom," he said. "But it's up to you to get the parents to agree."

  "Samantha can do that," I said.

  He laughed. "I'm sure you're right."

  The tickets went on sale three days later. Sam worked fast. She also thought of the 1950s theme, which sent the junior and senior girls of Nightshade straight to the boutiques and thrift stores for vintage prom dresses.

  And right after that, I was bewailing my lack of an appropriate dress to Sam.

  "Why don't you order from my designer?" she asked. Samantha had found a designer on an online craft site who did fabulous reproduction '50s dresses.

  "She's ridiculously expensive," I said. "And prom's not that far away."

  "I'm paying extra for a rush job," she said. "Daddy okayed the extra cost."

  "I don't think I can spend that kind of money," I said. I frowned at her, but she didn't even notice. Sam had been spending her dad's money fast and furiously.

  "What are you going to do? There isn't anything decent left in the stores."

  She had a point. I took a bite of my so-so salad to give my-self time to think.

  "My grandma's closet," I finally replied. My grandmother was one of the most stylish people I knew—a trait I clearly hadn't inherited—and I'd bet money she had something I could borrow.

  After school, I gave Grandma Giordano a call and explained my predicament.

  "Why, I think I may have just the thing," she said. "I've been meaning
to go through my closet."

  Rose and Poppy decided to come with me. If clothes were involved, Poppy was there. She even let me drive.

  "So, how are things going with Liam?" I asked.

  "I'm not letting him bite me, if that's what you're asking."

  "I'm not," I said, put off by her snarky tone. "I was just trying to make conversation. You haven't brought him around since we all had dinner."

  "To be honest, you still seem skittish about the whole vampire thing," she said. "Besides, after my very public breakup with Gage..."

  "He didn't break up with you," Rose pointed out. "The last thing he said was that he loved you."

  "A breakup is a breakup," Poppy replied. She was still guarding her heart against any more pain.

  "Why don't you invite him over for movie night?" I suggested. "I promise to hide all the cheesy vampire movies."

  "Maybe," she said. "I'll talk to him and see what he says."

  I parked the car, and we walked up the path to Grandma Giordano's. She had a bunch of planters filled with jasmine, and there was a dwarf orange tree in a pot by the entrance.

  Grandma opened the door before we could even ring the bell.

  "It's so good to see you girls," she said. "Come on in. Let's go straight to my closet."

  Grandma's closet looked like one of those celebrity closets you saw on TV.

  "This is as big as my bedroom," Poppy breathed. And she wasn't exaggerating by much.

  Grandma laughed. "I converted one of the bedrooms. I just couldn't bear to let go of my memories. I even have the dress I wore to my junior prom."

  "That was in the fifties, right?" I asked.

  She nodded. "I think it might fit you," she said. "You're a little taller than I am, but I can let the hem out a little."

  She flipped a switch and the clothes started to rotate, carried on a circular motorized track. "The newer stuff is in the other closet," she explained.

  "Grandma, you're my hero!" Poppy exclaimed.

  She chuckled and then pushed the button again. "This is the fifties section," she said. She pulled out a strapless white organza dress that was patterned with tiny pink polka dots. There was a silk flower pinned to the waist.

  "I wore this to a spring dance," she said. She pulled out another dress, this one white with sheer lace over the bodice and a tulle and chiffon skirt. "I wore this one to my cotillion."