The Werewolf Whisperer (The Werewolf Whisperer Series Book 1)

by Camilla Ochlan

  "That's just Kai." Xochitl tossed a balled up napkin at the teen Were.

  Without missing a beat, Kai hurled the wad back at Xochi and yanked the laptop away from Lefty. "Leave it!"

  Lucy smirked. She leaned over Kai's shoulder, her eyes growing wide.

  "What?" Xochi grabbed the laptop from Kai.

  Somehow Kai had managed to connect the dots and swirls to create an image — like an elaborate multi-dimensional digital puzzle — mimicking Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. As in the original pen and ink sketch, a human figure with its arms stretched wide was centered in a circle within a square. However this drawing depicted two werewolf-like creatures morphing from the man, one image overlapping the other as if evolving from human to Beast.

  Werebeast.

  Xochitl couldn't take her eyes off the Vitruvian Wolf with its lithe musculature, thick mane of fur, and elongated snout. But it was the Beast's keen-edged fangs and razor-sharp claws that sent shivers down her spine.

  "Holy shit!" Miguel said, leaning across the couch. "What do you think it means?"

  "Not sure," Lucy mumbled, her stupefied look giving way to grave concern.

  "What?" Xochitl passed the computer back to Lucy.

  As per usual, Lucy didn't answer Xochitl's question right away, but instead, stared at the drawing.

  "So, feel like sharing?" Xochi pressed.

  "Well, Da Vinici's purpose for drawing the Vitruvian Man was to illustrate man's perfection both mathematically and philosophically."

  "Okaaay," Xochitl said, a little taken aback by Lucy's scholarly oration. "Are you saying Kyon Knows thinks the Werebeast is more perfect in design?"

  "Maybe." Lucy brushed her hand through her hair. "Or, maybe whoever began this epidemic believes that."

  "Láng jiějie." Kai reached over Lucy's arm and pushed a button on the keyboard. "¡Mira!"

  "Whoa!" Lucy said and pivoted the screen around to Xochitl.

  The Vitruvian Wolf had transformed into a black and white drawing — like a lithograph from an antique children's fairytale book — of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.

  Not sure how Lucille Lowell figures into the equation, or how she is able to do the things she can do, but it is clear that Kyon Knows she is the missing piece of the puzzle.

  The words Kyon Knows wrote just a month ago clawed their way up from the recesses of Xochitl's mind.

  "Crap!" She sunk into the couch, closed her eyes — her mind swimming with images of Werebeasts and children's rhymes — and listened to Lucy read from Kyon Knows.

  Listen to Mother

  Don't stray from the path

  Red relinquished

  Do the math

  Mother sent Red with cakes and wine

  It was said upon a time

  Grandma gave Red the little red hood

  Now Grandma's sick — that's no good

  Get in from the heat without losing the way

  And don't forget to "Have a good day"

  The cakes and wine make Grandma strong

  The wolf in the dark woods stifles the song

  Flatters the girl, says look at your life

  Hear the birds

  Watch the strife

  It's more fun in the woods

  The bad wolf cries.

  Don't gather the flowers

  Shut your ears to the lies

  Grandmother alone

  He swallows her whole

  Can't be stopped

  He eats her soul

  Now the world ends in a sneer and a howl

  Until the wolf sleeps

  Our future is foul

  By chance a hunter can slit the beast

  Put rocks down the body

  And end the blood feast

  Weigh him down

  Watch him fall

  Dead must he be

  Once and for all

  Then take the skin and drink the wine

  Mother says now is the time

  To run

  To hide

  To slink

  To wait

  Listen to Mother

  Don't stray from the path

  The End is here

  The choice is near

  Gather your forces

  We'll meet in the West

  And don't forget

  Kyon Knows best

  "I hate poetry," Xochi groaned.

  Xochitl's head snapped up as her cell once again vibrated loudly. She snatched the phone and was shocked by the countless Twitter notifications filling up her home screen. She tapped on the app and discovered Punk Girl Megan's earlier tweet about her re-tweeted over a thousand times in the past five minutes.

  "What the hell's going on?" She clicked on Punk Girl Megan's tweet.

  @NoFConLaGuera is all over the news!

  Xochitl had to read the tweet two more times before the words "all over the news" sunk in.

  "Quick! Turn on the news!" Xochi shouted.

  Miguel grabbed the remote and switched on the television.

  Xochitl's mouth dropped open as random pictures of her and Lucy were plastered all over local evening news.

  "Wanted for questioning are The Werewolf Whisperer and her companion," Enrique Baldwin said, as Xochitl and Lucy's faces were replaced by the now news anchor's slimy smile.

  "¡Ay carajo!" Miguel's mouth went slack.

  "I'm not her companion!" Xochitl shouted at the TV.

  "Xoch." Lucy sounded scary calm. "I think that's the least of our worries."

  The newscast switched once more to a shaky cell phone video of Kai running out of Empyrean High School followed by two huge men clad head to toe in black military fatigues.

  "Hound Chow! What did you do? "Xochitl reached for the boy but he ducked under the table, whimpering, before she could nab him.

  "...in yet another video linked to the now infamous Werewolf Whisperer," Enrique's smug voiceover not so subtly indicted. "An eyewitness shot this film of a Werebeast, allegedly thought to be in the company of said Werewolf Whisperer, running out of the local Empyrean high school."

  A petite blond woman in a wheelchair rolled into view of the amateur video.

  "Hey! That's the chick that was driving the black SUV at Molly's today!" Xochitl snagged the remote from her brother and paused on the image of the mystery woman, cutting off Enrique Baldwin's report.

  "Looks like we're going north after all." Lucy dropped down onto her chair.

  Xochitl handed the remote back to her brother.

  "I need a drink." She poured four shots of tequila.

  Xochitl, Lucy, Miguel and Lefty each lifted their glasses in the air.

  "To being wanted!" Xochi downed her drink.

  Chapter 32

  TROIKA: She is safe where she is.

  OMEGA: i want her out of there

  TROIKA: When WE are ready.

  OMEGA: make it happen

  TROIKA: You have your orders. See they are carried out.

  20 months ago

  Warden Bucknell's office was smaller than Lucy had expected and more utilitarian than she had imagined. The walls were stark white, and only a few framed photos of Folsom Prison over the last century broke the severity.

  Warden Harold Bucknell sat behind an oak desk, his full attention on a file marked with The Great Seal of the State of California. He didn't look up when Lucy arrived with her court-appointed representation.

  A little man she'd never seen before, Kent Wortham, had shown up in a cheap suit, with a briefcase full of documents and had forced her release from solitary before sunrise. Lucy didn't understand many of the convoluted details Wortham had explained about the re-opening of her case.

  Both Bucknell and Wortham looked exhausted, apparently conserving their energy as if they still had a long day ahead.

  Lucy hadn't eaten much since the day of the riot; she felt weak. The air conditioner blew alternating freezing or sweltering blasts directly on her, making her shaved hair stand up on the back of her neck. She held herself u
p very straight, but small tremors shook her body, and the glare of the bright sun coming in through the windowpane spiked a migraine she hadn't anticipated.

  Warden Bucknell examined the file again, shrugged and signed the last form on the bottom. He pushed himself away from his desk and looked up.

  Wow, he's young.

  Square jaw, bright blue eyes and curly brown hair gave him the air of a high school football star. His speech was slow and clear, so deliberate in fact Lucy felt slightly offended.

  "According to the California Penal Code, Section two hundred." He looked at Wortham and then quoted directly from the papers. "The willful extermination of a Werebeast that has been determined to threaten human lives is not, has not, nor will ever be considered a punishable offense."

  Kent Wortham picked up in a monotonous drone, "Elizabeth Geneva Lowell, mother of Lucille Elizabeth Lowell, was in a transformational Werebeast state at the time in question. Final witness testimony signed by one Hanna Khani..."

  "Hanna?" Lucy gasped, and her thoughts drifted to the last time she'd heard Hanna's voice.

  Hello? Hanna's Rescue and Rehabilitation.

  This is a collect call from Folsom State Prison from *Lucy Lowell* Do you accept the charges?

  No.

  Wortham rambled on "...declares that without a doubt, Lucille Lowell was acting in self-defense and the defense of others when she shot and killed...her mother."

  Lucy felt like she had been kicked in the head. Mama was dead; she'd shot her mama, and these men were going to let her out of prison.

  "The State of California has ruled that the previously categorized homicide was justifiable and excusable in light of the Federal Werebeast Defense Mandate." Warden Bucknell continued the proceedings efficiently. "No crime was committed. Further, the State of California formally apologizes for your incarceration and discharges you as of this moment, with the provisos of psychiatric evaluations and quarterly reviews conducted by a licensed therapist appointed by the court. You are free to go. May I just add on a personal note, keep up the good work, Officer Lowell."

  "Just Lucy," Lucy replied in the barest whisper.

  How am I ever gonna to make this right?

  She stared past Bucknell through the window up at the open sky.

  *

  Sacramento county summer heat scorched the air as Xochitl parked in front of Folsom Prison's East Gate. Having passed the media circus at the front gate, she was taking a chance on the warden releasing Lucy more discretely.

  Huh, no one else here to meet her.

  Leaning across to the passenger side, she looked through the open window at the temporary home of Lucy Lowell. Any moment, Lucy would step through the gates — free for the first time in three months.

  Wonder how she'll react to seeing me.

  Correctional facilities were not foreign to Xochitl, having picked up more than one of Memo's Locos from the joint. The prisons in L.A. were modern, cold structures made of concrete and steel, but Folsom was an entirely different beast. Massive thirty-foot grey granite walls, thick and impenetrable, stretched into the sky. Stone spires topped the guard towers on either side of the spiked iron gate, reminding Xochi of a medieval castle.

  Kinda beautiful...well except for the whole prison thing.

  She turned her attention back to the gate. She didn't see Lucy, but she was a little early, and the release procedures sometimes took a while.

  Too hot to wait in the car, Xochi decided to get out and stretch her legs a bit. Her drive up from Lake Arrowhead had been long, and her legs felt stiff. She pulled the rooster key chain from the ignition. It was hot to the touch. Xochitl sucked in a breath.

  "¡Híjole!" She quickly crammed the keys in Lefty's military jacket and shook out her hand.

  The heat was even more stifling outside the Toronado. Xochi began removing the tan camo jacket. She felt a jab at her side. The serrated edge Bowie knife strapped to her hip reminded her that it and the Filipino Karambit knives hooked on her jeans needed concealing. She pulled the coat back on, adjusting it to assure her weapons didn't show.

  Xochitl groaned at the heat the added layer created. She leaned back on El Gallo, crossed her arms and legs in front of her and waited.

  She didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, Lucy Lowell approached the gate.

  *

  "This ain't the Receiving and Release Gate, Lowell. No reporters back here for the 'hero cop,' bitch." The exit guard grinned, hatred and jealousy in his eyes. "I'll save a spot for you when the new women's facility opens."

  "You better pray I don't ever come back, Peklar." Lucy held his gaze and accepted the small paper bag holding her belongings.

  Remember that kick I gave you, you stupid, cowardly son of a bitch?

  Officer Peklar swallowed and involuntarily shuffled backward.

  Lucy pushed away the memories and silently headed for the road. She had expected to see Hanna waiting, annoyed but happy to have her back. Ready to mourn together, ready to plan their next step, ready to forgive Lucy.

  She'd also counted on the change of clothes she thought Hanna would bring. The grey sweatshirt and ill-fitting jeans provided by the prison upon her release reeked of mothballs. The odd low-cut tennis shoes pinched her toes.

  At least I'm outta that suffocating pink jumpsuit.

  After a mere two steps, Lucy found herself staring at the bright orange gleam of a ridiculously large 1960s American muscle car. Against the glare Lucy shoved dark sunglasses on her face, having fished them from her paper bag in a hurry. As she made out the person who casually leaned against the behemoth, her knees buckled. Not Hanna. No forgiveness. No reunion.

  "Hola." Draped in turquoise jewelry and encased in tight leathers, a familiar young woman flashed a broad smile. She straightened up slowly and ran her fingers through the tangle of her long blond hair.

  Xochitl had changed. Gone were the trendy, girly fashions Lucy's former confidential informant had favored not so long ago. The camouflage jacket she wore now easily concealed a sidearm or large knife; Lucy couldn't be sure at a distance. It was Xochi's manner, however, her stance, the unblinking stare that made her a striking contrast to the bleeding victim Lucy had peeled off of Memo Morales' warehouse floor just a few months before.

  "Xochi..." Lucy nearly bolted back through the prison gates.

  *

  Lucy stiffened. She brushed her hand through her short, spiky hair.

  Last person you expected.

  "Just me chica."

  Not surprising, Lucy was dressed in typical Goodwill release garb. In the sunlight, her hair glistened a brighter shade of red than Xochi remembered.

  Other than that, she looks the same.

  It wasn't until Lucy reached the car that Xochitl caught a glimpse of the scars running up from her wrist and disappearing under her grey prison sweatshirt.

  Oh.

  Xochitl forced her stare away from the obviously self-inflicted wounds back to Lucy's face.

  Lucy took a few small steps backward.

  "No worries. You're not the first person I've picked up from the joint. Day one's always weird." Xochi winked, clicking her tongue.

  She crossed to the driver side door, swung it open and for added effect, jangled the audacious rooster key chain in front of her.

  "You took Memo's car?" Lucy sounded impressed.

  "El Gallo's El Gallo is all mine...as it should be."

  Xochitl laughed and slid in behind the wheel. She turned the ignition, revving the Toronado's engine. She patted the dashboard.

  "See. She likes you, baby."

  For a brief moment, Lucy looked back at the prison.

  What happened to her in there?

  The thought vanished as the door squeaked open. Lucy scooted in beside her.

  Lucy reclined into the leather seats, looking comfortable. Xochi smiled and punched the gas. El Gallo's engines roared as he tore down the road — Folsom State Prison in their rearview mirror.

  Chapter 33<
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  OMEGA: they r coming ur way make sure she's not harmed

  ORACLE: The other 2?

  OMEGA: disposable

  ORACLE: When will u b here?

  OMEGA: soon

  "Thanks, Hanna." Lucy slid her new smartphone onto El Gallo's dash and put both hands back on the wheel.

  "Good news, Molly's isn't filing charges. Hanna said she's trying to straighten things out with the local PD," Lucy said and looked over to Xochitl who slumped in the middle of the bench seat, Miguel's Luchadores cap pulled down over her face. Kai snored loudly, his face pressed up against the passenger window, his warm breath fogging up the glass.

  "Hey Xochi," Lucy teased. "You and Lefty were up drinking pretty late last night. Any confessions to make?"

  "Yuck! It's Lefty." Xochitl made a sound like a cat coughing up a fur ball. She groaned. "Bad things happen to people who drink tequila. Last time this..." Xochitl said with difficulty and lifted her left arm, reconsidered, then lifted her right arm instead and pointed to the La Güera tattoo. "This time..." She searched. "Lefty gave me something...Something he shouldn't have."

  Lucy whooped and shook with suppressed laughter. Her eyes watered with the effort. "Digging yourself deeper," Lucy sang out.

  "¡Cállate!" Xochi said and air-paddled both hands in Lucy's direction.

  Xochitl settled back into her slumped sleeping position, apparently unable to get comfortable. She grumbled about needing coffee and mushed her face up against Kai's shoulder, desperate to hide from the sunrays beaming into the car.

  Kai, who'd slept through the entire conversation, woke up, yawned wide and vigorously bounced up and down in his seat.

  "Wake up, Xochitl! We gotta figure this out." Lucy swatted at Xochitl's shoulder. "We have to steer clear of Empyrean. Only use cash," Lucy said, laying out their options again. "Any major cities are off limits. L.A., San Diego, San Francisco. Anywhere we've been recently. The law has a raging hard-on for us."

  Lucy continued, "Hanna said her friends in Tolinka Hills are cool with us staying until everything blows over."

  "And if it doesn't blow over?" Xochitl made a production of sitting up and rummaging through her bag for aspirin.

  "We'll burn that bridge when we get to it." Lucy reached one hand over the seat and grabbed a sealed water bottle from a grocery bag balancing precariously on the backseat.