“Can I ask you a question?” I stood with my hands in my jacket pockets, eyes lowered, pushing around pebbles with the toe of my boot.
“Of course you can.” I detected a slight tremble in her voice.
“What was all that about in the cave earlier? I mean … at first I thought you were just telling spooky stories to try and scare us. But after the fire roared back up and I saw your face …” I trailed off.
“Gen, my great-great-grandfather was an Inuit shaman, highly respected by the tribes in Alaska. All the great leaders came to him for guidance, or prayer, even healing. He was very powerful. He talked of the great war between the Blood Drinkers and the Shape-shifters.”
“Shape-shifters? Blood Drinkers?” I sort of shook my head, and smiled.
“Lycan are Werewolf slaves, and Adlet are giant Werewolves. Any creature that ‘transforms’ is known as a Shape-shifter. And Blood Drinkers are vampires. They have all been fighting for many years. Before my grandfather died he told about a vision he had with his spirit guide. A princess would walk among us, and on the night of the blood moon, she would claim her throne and end the war.
“Do you really believe all this? Because you sound a little … stressed.” Subconsciously, I had taken a few steps backward.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve seen them!” she snapped, but I don’t think she meant to. I also didn’t think she noticed how I kept glancing past her, looking over the top of the cave.
“You saw them tonight, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Saw who?” I furrowed my brow. I was beginning to get a little freaked out.
“Not who … what. The Lycan were here tonight. They know of the princess too, except they don’t want the war to end. They want to kill her before she rises to take the throne.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was stuff that was only supposed to exist in fiction books, and sci-fi movies. It wasn’t supposed to happen in real life, and certainly not around me.
I stared at Miss Baylor, waiting on her to laugh and say it was all just a big joke. But she never did. She believed every word of what she was telling me. I just wasn’t sure that I believed it.
“So … this princess … is she here?” I asked jokingly, but got totally freaked out when she stared at me, but never said another word.
Chapter 9
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I flipped it open to find a text message from William.
Are you going to hang out with Miss Baylor the rest of the night? I looked up and William was leaned back against the front of his car, resting on his elbow with his feet crossed. Even from across the fire his eyes were mesmerizing. My heart fluttered again, and I wondered how long I would keep reacting to him like that.
Be there in a sec. I text messaged back.
“Um, William is waiting for me,” I said, breaking the silence.
“We need to talk about this, Gen,” she called out as I walked away.
I briefly turned to face her, and kept walking backwards. “We will,” I told her, but had no intentions of further entertaining the craziness she was trying to feed me. I’d definitely be talking to Aunt Bev later.
I knew it was late, but I didn’t want this night to end. When I reached William’s car he smiled, but kept his distance, which bothered me. Luna came be-bopping over with her perky attitude and totally silly grin. She looped her arm through mine, pulling me slightly further away from William.
“Gen, it’s getting late. I have to be home by twelve,” she said, smiling dryly at William as if to say, “ha-ha she’s mine.”
I peered longingly at William and sighed. “I guess I need to get going.”
He pushed himself off of his car. “I’ll walk you.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and we started walking. Luna was a few steps ahead. His hand on my back felt like ice, but his touch set me on fire.
We reached my Jeep faster than I would have liked. I was disappointed after turning to face him, he didn’t even attempt to kiss me. He just opened my door and waited for me to climb in. I was crushed when he said a simple bye and closed my door.
I stared through the windshield and watched him until he disappeared somewhere on the other side of the bonfire. I sighed heavily and dropped my shoulders.
During the drive home, Luna was extremely quiet. She stared out the window while listening to Slick Puppies. Whenever she noticed me glancing in her direction, she would smile. But, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, when she thought I wasn’t looking, her smile was promptly replaced with a frown.
I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I reached, turning the music down. “What happened inside the cave tonight?” I asked earnestly. Of course, she attempted to play dumb, but the look on her face said she knew exactly what I was talking about. I slammed on the brakes, and skidded onto the side of a very desolate road.
“Gen!” she screamed when the seatbelt caught and jerked her neck. “Why are you stopping?” she asked apprehensively.
I narrowed my eyes and turned to her. “I want the truth, Luna! Especially if it involves me,” I shouted ominously. I glowered at her while waiting for an answer. I wouldn’t really do anything, like make her get out and walk, but I wanted to intimidate her so she would tell me everything she knew.
“Miss Baylor has these bonfires from time to time. She’s convinced her great-great-grandfather had a vision quest, and as the shaman of her family, it’s her responsibility to keep searching for the Adlet princess. That’s the only way there will ever be peace between the tribes and the Blood Drinkers.”
“Okay … so … what does that have to do with me? I’m clearly no princess!” I snapped sardonically.
“I don’t know that it has anything to do with you, but I will tell you that the fire turning black tonight has never happened before. That’s why Miss Baylor was so freaked. I swear that’s all I know.”
I pulled back onto the road and drove the rest of the way to Luna’s house in silence. Before she climbed out the door, I touched her arm. “I’m sorry.” I dropped my shoulders. “I didn’t mean to go off on you like that. It’s not your fault.”
She reached back and hugged my neck with one arm, then smiled sadly. “We’ll talk tomorrow.” I sat in front of her house, even after she was safely inside, rubbing the back of my neck. When Luna hugged me, I guess it got irritated again.
Her house was a small wooden structure among several others, each sitting close to the next. Narrow but deep, they reminded me of row houses, kind of like the one my mom and I had when we lived in Maryland for a whole three months. I didn’t know who all lived with her and her three brothers, but the tiny place hardly looked big enough.
I felt really bad for coming down so hard on Luna. My temper seemed to be growing worse lately. Actually, I had been noticing other things about myself changing.
I was hoping Aunt Bev would still be awake when I got home. When I came in through the kitchen door she was getting off the phone and I overheard her telling whoever it was that she had to hang up because I had just gotten home. It was well after midnight, which made me wonder who she would be talking to at such a late hour and wondered what it could be that she hadn’t wanted me to hear.
I forced a smile. “Hi,” I said over my shoulder while reaching into the fridge. “How was your night?” I asked guardedly.
“It was quiet actually. I did some reading—a book that I’ve been meaning to read for a while.”
“Oh? What kind of book?” I asked skeptically. I don’t know how I knew, but she was being evasive.
Her normally open face closed up a bit. “Nothing you’d be interested in.” She changed the subject abruptly. “How was your night? Did you have a good time?” She sat down at the table across from me, watching as I made myself a sandwich. I noticed her brow furrow when I popped open a can of soda.
“What?” I asked, wondering why she all of a sudden looked so weirded out.
“Oh … nothing. She forced a smile. “Your na
ils grow so fast. If you’re out of nail polish remover, I have some in my bathroom.”
“I just trimmed and painted …” My voice trailed off when I held up my hand and saw how long my nails were, again. The nail polish I’d just put on two days before was already gone from a large portion of my nails. “Wow!” I smiled nervously, tucking my hands under the table. “I, um … I guess they do grow fast.”
I lay in bed unable to sleep. The brightness of the full moon shone through the window above my bed, hitting me in the face. It made me think about everything that had happened at the bonfire. But mostly, it made me think about William. Even when he wasn’t around I couldn’t get him off my mind. When I thought about the way he had almost kissed me my heart fluttered again.
I got on my knees to draw the curtain closed, and I saw movement outside, down by the lake. I looked on curiously, thinking it was probably a moose or maybe even a bear. Although I couldn’t quite see it, I knew it lurked just beyond the yard, in the shadows of the trees that lined our property.
I was more curious than frightened and sat back on my knees, staring into the night, which at this time of year lasted barely a few hours. I quietly slid open my window a tiny bit so that I might be able to hear movement close by.
I cocked my head to the side and listened intently. It was completely quiet outside. I found it ominous that no animals moved, not even the call of an owl I had gotten used to hearing every night. Suddenly, my heart about jumped out of my chest when the eerie silence was broken by my phone vibrating across the night stand. I had placed it on vibrate earlier just in case someone called while I was driving Luna home. With the music blasting through my speakers, I wouldn’t have heard it ring.
I took my eyes off the back yard and eyed the time displayed on my alarm clock before scooping up my phone. It was two thirty-seven. I flipped open my phone.
Are you awake? It was a text message from William.
My face lit up and my heart beat wildly. What are you doing awake so late? I wrote back, chewing at the inside of my cheek and was glad he couldn’t see how nervous and excited I was to hear from him.
Couldn’t sleep. he messaged back in like, five seconds. You wanna hang out tomorrow?
Sure. But first I’ll have to ask my aunt. I was already going through in my mind what I was going to wear.
I’ll call you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.
A grin lingered on my face as I flopped over onto my back, staring up at the ceiling daydreaming about being with William until my concentration was broken by the familiar echo of a wolf’s howl wafting in through my window. It sounded the same as at the bonfire only this time it was closer … much closer.
Chapter 10
After fighting the bright sunlight that managed to find its way through every little crack in my curtains, I decided sleeping in was not going to be a viable option for me, so I sat up and angrily threw my pillow across the room. It hit the shelf above my dresser, knocking several books and my collection of seashells onto both my dresser and the floor. “Argh!” I slammed backward against the mattress, and then I remembered the howling that happened outside my window. I thought about telling Aunt Bev everything that went on, but decided to wait until I went back to school. There was no reason to freak her out and ruin the rest of my weekend, because as soon as she found out, she’d probably lock me in my room until I turned like thirty.
Since my mom’s death a few weeks back I’d hardly slept, which was probably why my temper had gotten so much worse lately. I thought about her all the time, wondering if I’d been home would I have been able to save her.
I put on a pair of baggy sweats and my mom’s old long-sleeved Bob Marley tee-shirt I had borrowed for my trip. I stood in front of my bathroom mirror, staring at my face. My light blue eyes seemed to be getting darker and taking on a green hue. My hair was turning a deeper red as well. I knew that wasn’t really possible … or was it? I shrugged my shoulders, pulling my hair into a loose bun, brushed my teeth and headed down stairs.
Aunt Bev was not in the kitchen when I went down for breakfast. She had a pitcher of fresh orange juice on the table, and a plate with bacon and biscuits beside it. I went down the hallway and as I entered her room, I heard her shower running.
I scanned her bedroom admiring how beautifully it was decorated. A large wrought iron canopy bed covered the biggest part of one wall. Sheer curtains were twisted and draped through the top, and the bed was covered with an overly plush white down comforter trimmed in light blue with matching throw pillows of white and blue. There was a chocolate-colored, faux suede chaise facing a huge rock fireplace with a forty-two inch flat screen attached to the wall above it. I glanced at the antique dressing table and that’s when I noticed her cell phone sitting next to a picture of her and my mom.
I quietly crossed the room, and picked up her phone. My heart raced from the fear of being caught, but I just had to see who she had been on the phone with so late at night when I’d come home from the bonfire.
My heart all but stopped beating when I scrolled through her recent calls and found the name Annalisa. Just then, the shower water stopped. I promptly closed the phone and ran from her room, not slowing down until I’d reached the kitchen. I tossed a biscuit onto my plate, shoved a piece of bacon in my mouth and poured some juice.
A few minutes later, Aunt Bev came into the kitchen. It didn’t take much to notice she was so totally not acting like herself.
“Good morning,” I said, forcing a smile.
She poured herself a cup of coffee as I watched, then reached into the cabinet and took out a tea bag and dropped it into her mug. “Good morning,” she replied, with a look of trepidation.
“Um … is everything all right?” I asked, furrowing my brow. Normally something like that would have been funny, but the way Aunt Bev had been acting lately told me something had her preoccupied.
She turned around to face me, and I could tell she was forcing herself to smile by the worried look on her face. “Of course. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no reason … except you just put a tea bag in your cup of coffee.”
She stopped just before taking a sip, and looked down at her cup for a brief moment. She quietly poured the contents into the sink, then just stared out the window.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?” I asked, but I don’t think she even heard me because she didn’t bother to answer. “William and I are running away to get married because I’m pregnant,” I teased, trying to get a response from her … any response.
She was lost in her own world, not hearing a word I said. “Really? That sounds like fun.” She checked her watch, and then scooped up her purse from the desk. “I’ve got to run some errands. If you go somewhere before I get back, leave me a note.” She kissed the top of my head, then disappeared out the kitchen door.
Something wasn’t right with my aunt and I needed to find out what. I mean why would she have been on the phone after midnight with my school counselor? They certainly hadn’t been discussing my academic future.
After finishing breakfast I cleaned the kitchen because Aunt Bev was a clean freak and would have had a meltdown if it wasn’t clean. I sure didn’t want to do anything to make her change her mind about letting me go out with William later.
I checked my phone like every five seconds but William hadn’t sent me a text message. I had no clue what time we were going out, but I didn’t want to get ready too early and have to just sit around and wait.
I wandered around the den peering at all of Aunt Bev’s pictures hanging on the wall, and sitting on top of the piano. I decided to try my hand at the piano, which I hadn’t played since we’d moved from Wyoming when I was eleven, and had to leave our piano behind because we were moving to a much smaller house.
I opened the bench to find something I could play. When lifting some of the music sheets I found an old book beneath them. I got it out and carried it to the couch where I placed it in my lap. It appeared to be very old so I c
arefully open the cover, exposing pages so yellowed they were turning brown. It smelled of mold, and made me sneeze.
I quickly realized it wasn’t a music book, but an old book of legends. It had no title—which I found weird—but it did have a table of contents. I ran my finger down the page but found it hard to read because the words were so badly faded. I struggled to make out some of the headings and my jaw dropped open when I spotted something familiar. One of the headings said something about Adlet, which was the same name Miss Baylor had been talking about at the bonfire.
I was beginning to find the whole thing a bit too coincidental. I rushed through the pages until I reached the story “Searching for the Adlet Princess.” I read the first page which talked a lot about the Adlet woman who had fallen in love with a shape-shifter posing as a Russian. I turned the page and read through it. While reading the third page I suddenly froze when I saw the picture of a painting on the adjoining page. It was a young woman surrounded by a pack of giant wolves. The woman looked a great deal like my mom. My heart pounded in my ears. I slammed the book closed and returned it to the bench before rushing out of the room.
I didn’t know what to think. I fell back onto the couch and stared out the window, trying to take in everything I had just seen and read, along with what Miss Baylor had said the night before. There was something very familiar about the book, but I just couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.
“Oh God.” I threw my hand over my mouth. It had just dawned on me the reason the book seemed familiar. I had seen my mom reading the exact same book.
Chapter 11
I was curled up on the couch watching a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon when my phone started ringing. I snatched my phone from the table. It was a text message from William. My heart immediately raced with excitement.
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