While everyone deals with cleaning up their leaked emotions, I sneak a sleeping bag, an extra blanket and a small box of food to the garage.
I half-hope Gio will be up and joking with Tomás and all of this is a mistake. The virus didn’t reach his blood, or Zombie Sire was some fool in a mask. It’s possible. Tourists think the supernaturals in this town are fake, so they dress up as vampires or those horrible witch costumes—the black pointy hats and skimpy corset tops, as if any witches dress that way—and walk up and down the streets.
Nocturne Falls advertises that it celebrates Halloween 365 days a year. It’s our excuse in case any of them see a real vampire with their fangs out or a tail peeking out of the hem of a werewolf’s skirt. Even though we’re not supposed to advertise who we are, mistakes happen, and some people live life more recklessly. So yeah, maybe the zombie was playing a part, and Malik is wrong.
Or maybe this is a prank. Gio isn’t above dramatically teasing. No, he’s never been malicious though.
My hope is completely squashed when I enter the garage and see Gio's still asleep, lying in the corner like a corpse.
“Man, your family is wicked entertaining,” Tomás says.
I hand him the sleeping gear and box of goodies. “Glad you think so.”
His eyes light up at the bag of crunchy Cheetos. “Dude, there’s nothing like a cheesy night with Netflix.”
I giggle despite everything. I know I can count on Tomás. It makes my next step a bit easier. “You have your cell if you need to call me?”
He pats his left pocket and frowns. It takes him nearly a full minute before he pats the right and smiles. “Yep.” He opens the bag of cheese doodles and sighs. “Did you bring any…”
I pull out a two-liter bottle of root beer soda from the box.
“Chica, enmudece mi corazón. Usted me conoce bien. Mucho amor.”
I took French in junior high, but I’m guessing from his cheesy smile, it’s some sort of thanks. “I’ll keep the key, but if you go out to pee, remember to lock yourself back in.”
He nods, but I doubt he’s listening. He’s too busy searching for a movie on his phone while twisting off the soda lid and munching. He needs a third arm.
I take a deep breath, walk outside and lock the door. The burnt stench wrinkles my nose. I step toward the house and hear the snap of a branch. My body freezes and my heartbeat sounds like a ticking bomb. The hairs on the back of my neck are alert and saluting. What if it’s Zombie Sire? Maybe he followed us home. Maybe he’s been lurking in the shadows this whole time, waiting to get one of us alone. This virginal one. Wait, zombies don’t watch and wait. They attack upon sight, right? Man, I really need to learn what they’re about.
Just the same, fear makes my palms itch. I’m defenseless. How will I protect myself? Jam the key into his Adam’s apple? I could scream for Dad, but would he make it out before I’m coleslaw?
A hand clamps down hard on my shoulder.
Chapter Five
“Hi,” says Davey Peters, my normie friend. He goes to Nocturne Falls High School with me.
The kitchen light casts a triangular glow along the backyard and illuminates his awkward smile. It always looks as if he’s trying hard to make it work, but the smile itself feels bashful.
Relief and anger weave so tightly through me I think I’ll snap in two. I slap his forearm. “Are you insane? You can’t sneak up on someone after tonight.”
His brows furrow, and I realize I’m going to have to explain that last bit.
Nocturne Falls has public schools, like other towns, where they teach the core academics, and then there’s Harmswood Academy—a prep school for paranormals from kindergarten through senior year. It’s a private school that teaches classes like candle magic and telekinesis for witches, as well as whatever other species need to learn. My entire family went there. I did, too, until freshman year.
When I hadn’t received my powers by age fourteen, I knew they weren’t coming. It didn’t make sense for me to continue at a school I couldn’t benefit from, where my grades were suffering because I couldn’t light the candle wick with a snap of my fingers, or keep up with my classmates. So why bother? Mom and Dad weren’t thrilled, but I convinced them, and I’ve been going to Nocturne Falls High since. It’s where I met Davey.
We’re only friends. I’m not interested in him romantically, but I like that he’s normal and has no clue about the paranormals. I’m just Aria Ricci, the cute girl with good grades and a passion for cooking and gardening. This is the precise reason he can’t know my sister can cause rain, floods, and tsunamis if she’s upset. Unfortunately hanging with him means I sometimes have to lie, and I’ve a feeling today won’t be any different. What creative one will I conjure this time, ’cause it’s only a matter of seconds before he asks…
“What happened?” He points to the front yard. “Are you okay?”
His concern is super sweet. Phoebe thinks he has a crush on me. She doesn’t know him as well as I do, which isn’t deep, but the three of us have hung out before. He’s a science geek and works at Mummy Diner, which has the best blueberry pancakes in the world, and they even make a vegan variety, so Davey and I connected over food. And I really don’t want to scare him off. A normal friend is important.
Cari's meltdown put out the fire, but the tree’s still in Leo's car, which drowned in the downpour. I think Leo boo-hooed too. Thank Goddess no one called the fire department.
“Yeah, I’m cool. Lightning struck the tree earlier during the storm.”
It wouldn’t land me an Academy Award, but at least it was the truth. Mostly.
“Really? It didn’t rain on the other side of town.”
I shrug and try to act casual. “Well, you know how wacky Georgia weather is.”
He cocks his head, causing his long blond bangs to shift into his light brown eyes. I don’t understand a lot of his science rambles, but I don’t think weather is his thing. Luckily he doesn’t question it any further because I’m not sure how else I’ll explain my family’s emotions.
The back door opens and Mom sticks her head out. “Aria, it’s getting late. Hello, Davey. You’ll have to see Aria tomorrow.”
“Okay, Mrs. Ricci. See you at school, Aria. Bye.” He turns and walks off, peering over his shoulder with a smile.
I wave then turn to go inside and realize I’ve no idea why he even stopped by. He’s only visited me at home once before when needing notes for class. He was probably bored.
As I pass Mom, she grabs my arm, stopping me. “We had the talk, right?”
I roll my eyes. Yes, and it was painful. She’s super organized and loves charting things. Nothing like her explaining my reproductive system with a PowerPoint presentation and laminated handouts. “Mom, Davey and I are only friends.”
“And we covered protection?”
I stare into her eyes for emphasis, even though I want to jump out of my skin and run screaming from the room. “I’m not Cari. I’m the smart one.”
She smiles and pats my shoulder. “Good. Remember, no hood, no entrance.”
“Mom!”
An hour later, I’m sitting at the breakfast table, by the back window. I’ve parted the shades—one eye on the garage and one on my grimoire. Well, not literally. Ouch, that would be painful. I flip through the pages at warp speed. I haven’t looked through it in months, and I can’t find a thing about…
“Darn zombies,” I say out loud.
“What?” Leo walks to the fridge and starts rummaging through the shelves. He’s not over the damage to his car, but knowing him, he’s trying to appear calm to keep Mom and Dad at peace. He takes his job as oldest sibling very seriously.
“Nothing.”
“You said zombies. That’s not nothing.” He eyes me dead on. “What gives?”
I perk up. “You know about them?”
“Doesn’t everyone? They’re all over the movies and TV. Caaarrrllll,” he over-enunciates in the voice of Rick Grimes, the Sheri
ff from The Walking Dead. His chuckle is beyond annoying. There’s nothing worse than when Leo thinks he’s funny.
I let out a fake laugh. “You’re hilarious.”
“Didn’t you have a crush on Daryl, the dude with the greasy looking hair?”
“It’s not greasy. They can’t shower as often as we do.” I no longer crush on Daryl Dixon, but he’s still super cool. Carol is now my fave because she’s so kick-butt.
“Okay, Ariyl,” he says, combing my and Daryl’s names, but it ends up sounding like Ariel, so he frowns and tries again. “Daria.”
I grab a banana from the fruit bowl and chuck it at his head. “Shut up.”
He sidesteps it and the yellow crescent whacks a cabinet and falls to its death. His annoying booming laugh brings Mom and Nana into the room.
“What’s funny?” Mom asks, a hopeful smile on her face, like maybe we discovered Cari isn’t pregnant, somewhere between the box of lasagna noodles and a can of kidney beans.
“Ask Daria.” Chuckles turns back to the fridge and pokes his enormous head inside. Why are both of my brothers so full of themselves?
“I want to know about zombies. They aren’t mentioned in the grimoire.”
Mom looks disappointed and Nana raises one brow. “They’re vile, disgusting creatures.”
I shudder at the venom in her voice and the knowledge of her grandson a few yards away. “So they do exist?”
Mom goes to the dish drain and busies herself with putting away the washed cups and plates. My job. But I’m not complaining.
“There were some here years ago, but they’re long gone,” Nana says.
Leo pulls a pan of roasted chicken out of the fridge, peels back the foil covering, and pulls off a chunk of white meat. He shrugs. “Since when do you care? I thought you wanted nothing to do with the magical community.”
Must he remember everything I say?
Nana sits in the chair across from me. “Nocturne Falls is safe. You don’t have to worry about seeing one. They’re extinct.”
Oh, if only she knew the truth.
Mom shuts the cabinet door and quietly walks out of the room. I feel bad because I know Cari's news has taken her for a loop, but it’s just a baby. I mean, yeah, it’s unexpected and will make things harder on Cari, but it’s not like she’s dead and turned into a zombie.
Leo joins Nana and me with his carcass. “Why the sudden interest?”
“Tomás thought he saw one.” Deceit’s become my way of life. I lie to Davey about my family. And now I’m lying to them about one of their own.
“That bunyip knows nothing.” Nana spits when she talks, and Leo moves his pan closer to me.
“It’s why I’m asking you. You know everything, Nana.”
She smiles and deep wrinkles crease at the corners of her eyes. Her expression softens.
Leo coughs, muttering “brown nose” under his breath.
Luckily Nana doesn’t notice. “They were infected by a virus. I’m fuzzy on the history, but once bitten, you become infected too.”
Yeah, I know all this. “Why did they leave Nocturne Falls?”
“Because they’re diurnal,” says Leo.
When we don’t respond to whatever he said, he smiles wide. “It’s the opposite of nocturnal.”
I roll my eyes at Mr. SAT overachiever. “It’s actually not funny if you have to explain it.”
Nana shakes her head and stares off into the distance. “I’m not sure. There are a lot of magicals in these parts though.”
What does she mean?
“Yeah,” Leo chimes in again. “Maybe they wanted to feast upon ignorant humans. Less chance of being killed.”
It sounds kinda wonky, but what matters is they’re back and one is comatose in our garage.
Nana stands and walks toward the living room. “If you ever see one, you kill ’em. Knife to the brain and all. Filthy scum will bring down civilization.”
Chills snake my arms. Will she still feel that way knowing one is Gio?
Chapter Six
Monster Mash melody blares from the side of my head and I reach for my cell, wanting it to stop. That ringtone means it’s Pheebs. I hit the green button. “Hey,” I say, mid stretch.
“Why didn’t you call me last night?” Her voice is shrill and way too perky.
I rub the sleep from my eyes. “A lot happened.”
“Oooh, tell, tell. My life is so boring.” She slurps on something.
I tell her about Cari and we discuss how stupid crazy it would be having a baby at twenty. Sure she’s an adult, and plenty of people have kids young, but Cari wanted this huge professional career. A baby will slow those plans down for sure. I don’t mention my brother or the hunter because it’s not something I want to discuss over the phone, but I do need to ask her what she may know. It’s silly to still deny what happened last night, but maybe this is a nercromancy spell gone awry?
I don’t know if a sibling or parent is listening though, and I don’t want anyone learning the truth while eavesdropping. I’ll discuss it with Phoebe next time I see her.
“Wow,” she says. “Who’s the father?”
I didn’t get a chance to ask Cari last night. Mom’s probably asked, but Cari hasn’t told or the earthquake through the house would’ve woken me. “I don’t know.”
“Sounds like a mystery you need to unravel.”
I softly chuckle. When we were kids, Phoebe and I would pretend we were private investigators and play our own versions of Clue and Nancy Drew. And while the idea sounds like fun, I’m not a kid anymore, Cari would kill me if I snooped around in her life, and there are more important issues to investigate. Or in this case, research.
When I don’t say anything, Phoebe says, “What are you wearing to the party tonight?”
My stomach knots. I forgot all about it. It’s one of many parties Harmswood Academy’s senior class has thrown and will continue to throw this year, all leading to graduation. I’m sure there will be a ton more during the summer before college too. Parties in general aren’t my thing. Parties with a bunch of elite, cocky supernaturals are torture. But Phoebe begged me to go to the last one with her, and I couldn’t say no. Now they’re in her blood, and she wants to drag me along to every one.
I hate to leave her hanging tonight, but I can’t ditch Gio. Maybe I’ll figure out a cure before then. I won’t cancel on her until I have to. I push the covers off me and get out of bed. It’s time I check on the garage.
“Not sure yet. Probably my black skirt and silver tunic.” As the words leave my mouth though, my gut tells me I’ll be in leggings and a T-shirt babysitting a zombie.
A chill has settled in the room. I pull on socks and then my gray hoodie over my white tank top and pink pajama pants.
“Oooh, sounds good. I’m…”
“Pheebs, let me call you back after I use the bathroom.”
“Okay. Pee fast.”
I hang up, pee, and hurry downstairs. The living room is empty and calm and everything is back in its place. I peek out the window beside the front door. Everything but the tree. A couple of voices sound from the kitchen—one male and one female. My cell says it’s nine-thirty-three Saturday morning. It has to be Mom and Leo or Dad. Cari spends every Saturday morning hanging with her old high school friends. Nana could be anywhere. She doesn’t seem to have much of a routine.
It would be easier to go out the front door but chances are Mom and Leo will notice me sneak into the garage. I may have to wait until later. I dial Tomás’ number but it goes straight to voicemail. Darn, he’s supposed to leave it on.
I walk to the kitchen, figuring I can at least peek outside and make sure I don’t see blood splattered garage windows, but when I step over the threshold, I’m stunned.
Mom’s sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of steaming coffee, happy, smiling, and having what seems like a lively conversation with Malik.
They look over to me, smiles huge on both of their faces.
&nbs
p; I stare at Malik. “What are you doing here?”
He stands and Mom bats her lashes at his manners. “I came by to visit.”
Mom pulls out the chair between them. “Come have breakfast, dear.”
I notice the almost empty plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of Malik. How long has he been here, and why do they look like the best of friends?
“Malik was telling me about his adventures with his father.”
“Really?” I sit in the chair but scoot it way back, so I’m not touching the table or getting too close to our guest.
“Yes, he and his father just moved back to town.”
Back? So he is from Nocturne Falls.
“His grandfather lives here and they’re a family of hunters. That’s why you were asking about zombies last night, right?”
I hold my breath, suddenly fearful he’s told Mom about Gio, but then I remember the house would be cracked down the middle. There’s no way she’d be calm.
“They’ve been traveling all over the United States slaying them.” She says it with such pride, as if killing is something she subscribes to. This is the woman who made certain we never squashed a bug growing up.
“What about the ‘all things are living creatures and life is sacred and should be honored and cherished’ speech?” I ask, even though it never made sense to me. I mean, get it. We’re very in tune with nature, but while I’m vegan, my family still chooses to eat animal, so how sacred is all life? Is it only some lives? And assuming she’d spare her zombie son, would she do the same for others, like the one who infected him?
“Well, yes, but zombies are different.” She pats my hand in the way she does when she wants me to stop talking.
I look her square in the eye. “How?”
Yes, I realize I’m practically baiting her. I don’t mean to, don’t want this sudden jolt of annoyance to run through my veins, but why is she being so chummy with him? She doesn’t act like this with Davey. Not that I want her to be.
Broccoli & Broomsticks Page 3