I still might be– that’s so crazy.
“You know, I think that’s considered battery.”
She shrugged. “It’s not like they threw me to the ground for unlawful arrest. Maybe harassment?”
“Something, definitely. It doesn’t sound legal. Your dad isn’t back yet?”
“No,” she smiled. “This sounds awful, but it’s been nice.” “I don’t blame you.” His chestnut eyes shined, locking with hers. His thumb brushed across her knuckles. Remembering the feeling of his solid embrace, grounding her to the earth, Aly shivered. She had held her breath, afraid he’d hear if she lost it.
Maybe it’s only a little crazy.
He squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. If my brother can weasel his way out of a full - blown DUI, some biologists forgetting to tag a trap shouldn’t be a big deal.” He winced. She suppressed a laugh. It hadn’t come out right, but she knew what he meant. “His company probably has fancy lawyers from the city. I’ve never heard of a business have an issue like that.”
“I think it’s an organization,” Aly replied, fighting a frown. She jumped as the doors to her right flew open, two boys bustling in. Noah steadied her. They both braced for his brothers to rush in. Instead, Luke stumbled to catch his footing, Owen’s head thrown back in laughter.
“Not cool, man.”
“You were looking through the window so hard, I thought I’d help you find your way in.”
“I was not.”
“Not stalking?” “Hey!” Noah yelled, motioning for them to calm down. They shoved past each other, continuing to bicker, sounding irrationally passiveaggressive. “I thought you girls ran for the hills when the wood beast came running. I assumed you were still floating out there.”
“Hello Alyson, the perfectly nice person who is not Noah who I am ignoring,” Owen said, feigning some sort of accent, like a Siberian who learned to speak English in the Outback. Aly waved until they reached the table.
“I’m surprised you weren’t a meal,” Luke added. “I guess Old Woody wasn’t hungry. Lucky-ducks, you two.”
“Yes, because you clearly didn’t survive,” Noah smirked.
“Got told off by my dad for it too.” Owen grimaced. “Because I’m the idiot who actually asked an elder about it.” “Really?” Aly leaned forward, eager to listen. Flushing, she elbowed Noah’s ribs as he chuckled, watching her with a curious expression. “And?”
“They like the ladies,” Luke offered, brow wiggling.
“Most tribes are very protective of women,” Noah informed. “The beasts, or whatever, are believed to take interest in them.” “Rolland said there are legends were women and sasquatch mated and stuff. The babies end up mentally disabled and grow too fast. They never learn to speak or understand the language. Then they die young or get kidnapped,” Owen explained.
“That’s horrible, but unlikely. It looked monkey-bearish, not like a halfperson.”
“Monkey-bearish?” Luke snorted, sliding into the seat across from them. Owen dropped in at his side. “It’s probably an animal,” Aly disagreed. “But since you guys are so afraid of the forest monster, I doubt we’ll ever figure that out. My guess is bear. And hey, there are owls that sound like that too.”
“I am not!” Luke defended, a crimson clouding his cheeks.
“You ran out of there screaming like a girl.” Owen laughed, his hands clutching his stomach as he released throaty laughs.
“You were no better!” Noah accused, exchanging a glance with Aly. Beneath the table, her hand was locked with his.
When did that happen?
“Enough,” Luke said, palms falling to the table like the slap of a gavel. “We were not scared of the imaginary forest gigolos.” Mid-laugh, Owen furrowed his brow. He warned, his voice losing a playful edge, “You shouldn’t talk like that. People around here respect them, whether they’re real or not.”
“Not,” Luke corrected, rolling his eyes. He slumped against the window, grumbling unintelligibly.
“You should go find one then,” Aly challenged. “You know, since you’re not afraid or anything.”
Luke froze, countering, “Yeah right. You can’t find what’s not real.”
Aly shook her head, dark waves brushing her face. She insisted, “Sure you can.”
“That’s right,” Noah agreed, “I know we heard something.”
“Walk right up there, Detective No-Fear.” Owen nudged Luke’s elbow. He blanched, turning to point an accusing finger.
“You were just as bad as me! You know what? I will. Because unlike you, I wasn’t freaking out.”
Owen raised his palms in surrender. “I’m going, I’m going.”
Maybe I’ll get to the bottom of this whole thing with my dad.
Aly grinned, straightening in her seat. “Me too! I’m insanely curious. You in?” “I’d love to,” Noah smiled, holding her gaze. Feeling the onset of a blush, she looked away. Shifting to stare out the window, she hid behind the cover of curls, her hair falling across her eyes. Wordlessly, Noah removed his hand from hers, sliding an arm around her shoulder.
She held still, conscious of the heat at her back, the coolness settling into her warmed fingers. He tucked a front lock behind her ear, exposing her face. She glanced up. Owen and Luke were too animated in conversation to notice. From their hands, gesturing and pointing indignantly, it seemed they were content trying to one-up each other’s bluff. Realizing she had burrowed into Noah’s embrace, she straightened, swallowing hard. Aly waved to grab the boys’ attention, releasing a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.
“So are we doing this?”
“Definitely,” Owen confirmed, sticking a fist forward.
“Gentlemen and Aly,” Luke announced, punching Owen's offered knuckles, “Challenge accepted.”
CHAPTER 10 | NOAH
Aly glanced atNoah, her expression unreadable. “Do you spell your last name… unusually– or is it just…?”
He shrugged. “Not really. L-O-C-K-L-E-A-R. Pretty straightforward. Why?”
“Because my father’s being a jerky jerk,” she sighed. Noah grinned, pleased she remembered his advice. They said it in school as kids – life’s too short, jerks are too jerky. Most agreed the dried meat was foul smelling, if not generally disgusting, an unpleasant surprise dropped in their lunchbox. Cheap rations in offseason was a fact of life. When the tourists moved through the coast midJuly and again in December, the town’s delicacies could shoot past six bucks a slice plus flavored brine fees. There were always mini-recessions when the vacationers dispersed. In those months, it was the only protein available for seventy cents a pound.
The adults seemed to get into it, but then again, they also enjoyed hard liquor and sports on cable that had never been played in Ashland. As far as Noah was concerned, acquired tastes were the small town’s thesis.
Aly sighed, slumping against the window. As Noah pulled into the familiar parking lot, his peripheral nervously focused on Owen’s uncalled-for tailgating. When they passed through shade cast across the street with trees, a glare let up enough to see his friend had his hands off the wheel more often than not.
It’s incredible he’s not crawling out of a ditch by now. Unable to tell if they were singing or arguing, Noah risked a glance at Aly. She looked like she was fighting tears. His brow knitted in concern.
“Hey, is everything okay?” he asked. The pickup slowed to a stop. He cut the ignition.
Aly lied, nodding. Climbing out of the truck, he sprinted to get her door. She hugged herself, staring at the blinking cell in her lap. She made an effort to avert her gaze as she unbuckled, ignoring his concerned expression. Moving to wait at the hood, she shuddered as she leaned back at his side. He cocked his head. “Seriously, Aly, what’s wrong?”
Her face twisted. For a fleeting moment, he expected her to brush him off. Wordlessly, she stuck out her hand, the screen open to an instant messaging app.
Thunderbird02_PHD: ALLISON, Y THE HELL IS MY SU
V @ LEEs?– GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly: Did you really forget how to spell my name?
Thunderbird02_PHD: AUTOCORRECT. ANSWER THE Q – GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly: I was literally just at the diner.
Thunderbird02_PHD: WHERE R U – GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly:Hiking. I’ll be back in a few hours.
Thunderbird02_PHD: U CANT LEAVE IT THERE. – GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly:Don’t you have the keys? I can get a ride if you want it home.
Thunderbird02_PHD: IDON’T GET BACK UNTIL MON. MORNING– GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly: How do you even know about the SUV then?
Thunderbird02_PHD: WORK FRIEND. WHO R U WITH?– GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly: Noah Locklear and some friends.
Thunderbird02_PHD: WHAT? Y?– GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly: If this is an interrogation, call me. This is a lot of typing.
Thunderbird02_PHD: BAD TIME. ANSWER THE Q – GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly: BECAUSE I’M TRYING TO BE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING AND INTERACT WITH MY KIND.
Thunderbird02_PHD: CAP LOCKS ALLISON. – GREG GLASS
Noah raised an eyebrow. Was that a scolding or an observation?
Austen-esque_Aly: No, sarcasm.You can yell later. I’m going now. – AUTOCORRECT ALYSON
Thunderbird02_PHD: ALYSON MACKENZIE – GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly: Meanwhile, you can figure explain the troopers.
Thunderbird02_PHD: WHAT??– GREG GLASS out how to
Austen-esque_Aly: Officers, hunting vendetta, Familiar?
thug tactics.
Thunderbird02_PHD: WHAT DID U SAY 2 THEM?– GREG GLASS
Thunderbird02_PHD: ANSWER THE Q – GREG GLASS
Thunderbird02_PHD: HOW DARE U ALLISON MACKENZIE – GREG GLASS
Austen-esque_Aly: Nothing. I always say nothing.
Austen-esque_Aly is invisible.
Thunderbird02_PHD: Message not delivered.
Thunderbird02_PHD: Message not delivered.
Thunderbird02_PHD: Message not delivered.
I know the feeling.
Noah winced sympathetically, offering it back. “Is he always like that?” “When he’s actually talking to me.” She shook her head, as though it needed to be cleared. “On the bright side, a bigfoot might show.”
“You know if you’re not up for it, this can wait.” She shrugged, a forced smile tugging at her lips. “It was my idea. Besides, if I went running to Mr. Grumptastic Overlord, he’d havethe satisfaction I’m not feeling generous enough to offer.”
She gets it.
He smiled. “You’re a spitfire, you know that?” “I’m surprised you do.” She smirked. As the beeping in her hand continued, she shut it off, sliding the phone into the back pocket of her shorts. “Well, it was nice while it lasted.”
“What’s that?” He frowned.
“Greg leaving me alone, not constantly making demands,” she sighed.
“At least he’s not back just yet,” Noah offered, waving as Owen U-turned across three spaces.
What is wrong with that kid? He’s going to get himself killed. “But he’s watching from afar,” Aly noted, seeming troubled as she watched Luke jumped out of the vehicle. Owen reached across the seat, slamming the door shut before attempting to correct his parking. Laughing, she added, “That sounds so creepy.”
“And you were worried about the troopers stalking you,” he teased. “You know what? It is creepy. There’s something wrong with that man. I’ve always known that, of course.” She groaned, burying her face in her hands. “What was my mother thinking? Greg is insane.”
Noah chewed his cheek, unsure how to respond. The last time he had asked about the pretty woman from the photograph, Aly seemed hurt. He wasn’t sure how to comfort or evade, or which would be better.
“Sorry,” she apologized, frowning. Aly waved, as though it could fan the comment from the air. “I didn’t mean to drag an elephant in.”
“No worries,” he smiled, relieved. “We’ve all got baggage. My parents are insane, too. Hell, you know. You saw what happened to my sister.” Noah grimaced. “My dad’s problems are the only ones that matter, but at the same time, they don’t exist. Nothing is acceptable to him except his own messedup… -ness.”
“I know exactly what you mean. I know I’m not good enough. I know I’m not what he wants me to be.” Aly admitted, biting her lip. “I just wish he would get over it so I can.”
They fell silent, mulling over her words. In an instant, he knew there was an unspoken awareness between them. What she didn’t know, she would understand. Why Owen and Luke were the closest thing he would have to brothers, why his sister needed to be protected, why he needed to get out and as far away from this hell of a town as possible. Their pain was totally different and exactly the same. He loved her for it, and hated himself for that.
Noah grabbed her wrists, pinning them to her chest, leaning in. Her breath grazed his, their eyes locked. Suddenly, he guided her arms out, stretched like she stood on the stern of The Titanic. Moving away, he motioned to hold still, and circled her, coming to a stop as he completed a 360, absorbing every detail. Ivory skin, dark hair cascading down her back. The pale freckle to the right of her blue eyes, the exposed indents of her clavicles, a shamrock-shaped birthmark on her wrist. Every curve, every feature. She shivered, biting her lip beneath his scrutiny. He cupped her chin in one hand, gently turning her face to each side.
“Do you know what I see, Aly Glass?” Noah whispered, his thumb brushing across her cheek. She closed her eyes, trembling beneath his touch. “I see perfect, literally everywhere. I see Aly, not how-dare-you-Alyson-Mackenzie: this beautiful person, amazing as she is – someone who doesn’t need to change for anyone, especially her anal-retentive father that everyone hates anyway.”
CHAPTER 11 | ALYSON
The blue of his hoodie disappeared in the woods ahead. He moved beneath a low canopy, sprinting behind the thickest parts of the brush to circle her. Reentering the path, he held his breath, sneaking behind her.
Aly stood on the tips of her toes, inclining her head as though it would help her searching eyes dart through the trees. She jumped as he wrapped his arms around her waist, leaving a kiss on her cheek before resting his chin on the crown of her head.
She laughed. “That was kind of evil.”
“Maybe,” he agreed, pleased.
Impressed, Aly inquired, “How’d you do that?”
“Magic,” Noah teased. “Hey love -birds, come see!” Owen shouted, sounding like a child showing his mother a Lego creation. Aly grabbed Noah’s hand, sprinting ahead until he met her pace, surpassing until she struggled to keep up. "Right where my dad said it would be!"
A footprint burrowed into the ground. Surrounding wet dirt was a clay-like consistency, the dip filled with water from last night’s rain. It was nearly twice the length of Aly’s sandal. Distinct toes, no claws, no balls of human feet. Whatever it was, it was flat footed – and the size of Goliath.
“Wow,” Aly commented, raising an eyebrow.
“Maybe the big man here was sleepwalking,” Luke snickered.
“Maybe your fellow pigmies dug you a watering hole.” Owen snapped.
“Young, your mom’s a hunter,” Noah said. “What does this look like to you?” “Bigfoot,” Luke snickered. Bending to his knees for a better look, he stared for a moment, squinting with scrutiny. He blanched. “Well, yeah. I guess it’s… It looks like the freaking wood beast.”
“I’ve got my phone. We can take pictures,” Aly offered.
“We really should cast it.” Luke rolled his shoulders as he stood. “I don’t have the stuff for that kind of thing though.”
“Don’t some people dig it out of the ground?” Owen asked, fingers outstretch, miming where they could cut.
Noah shook his head. “You’d probably just crush it anyway.”
“Pictures it is,” Aly decided, digging her phone fro
m her pocket. “So, who’s playing foot model?”
“What?” “This thing is huge. We need something to scale it with so they can figure out how big in case these get ruined while we're gone.” They hesitated, exchanging glances. Luke raised his hands in a silent refusal. Owen scratched his head, sighing. “Look, I’m really sorry Alyson. We can’t be on camera if you show those to your dad.”
She blinked. “Why?”
Noah’s jaw set. “It’s because they’re scared of the elders.” “We’re considering our parents, Noah. You know we’re not supposed to mess with this stuff. We were raised to respect this thing,” Owen defended, his voice both offended and apologetic.
“A God-fearing respect,” Luke added. “So that it didn’t steal your wife and force her to have its mutated baby spawn.” Noah threw up his hands. “Those legends are outdated, most aren’t even from this area. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but people can’t breed with animals, no one here is married, and the idea of displeasing the big scary sasquatch is like saying it’s going to run out of the woods and burn the place down. The people who are telling you to freak are the same ones who thought bigfoot could breathe fire. I’m not saying we can’t respect the stories and the elders, but this has got to stop.”
“No, you have to stop,” Owen retorted, crossing his arms. “We shouldn’t have come up here.”
“Then why did you?” Noah demanded.
“It just doesn’t feel right, okay?” Owen yelled, blushing beat- red. “Get over it.” “Guys,” Aly intervened, exchanging a look with Noah. “It’s totallyokay. I respect that, Noah respects that. No one’s going to force you to do anything. I’m just as capable as sticking my leg out, figuratively or not.”
They looked to Noah, expressions commanding agreement. He nodded. “It’s not a big deal.” She smiled to dissipate the tension. Stepping beside it, she snapped a picture, and another, holding it to different angles. Backing up to gouge the shadows, she noticed another in front of it, a smudge after that. By the time she was finished, it was documented like a crime scene. The boys watched, occasionally pacing, taking interest in a tree here or a flower there. It took a few minutes for her to realize they were on high-alert, Noah included.
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