Novel Hearts

by Rebecca Boucher

  “I think you’re overreacting, Dad. Dylan will listen to us and he’ll help. He knows we mean no harm. Come on, Dad. This is the Twenty-First Century. Surely we can all be civil,” Ruby stated with great naivety.

  “Ruby, you don’t understand. They don’t want us here. They won’t stop until we are gone.” Wringing his hands together, he began to pace. “I’m pretty sure they are going to frame me for that alleged bomb threat today.”

  “Shut. The. Front. Door! You can’t be serious! Why?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe they view me as a threat. Maybe it’s you and Dylan. I don’t know, Rube, but we’re in the crosshairs of the Wolf brothers and that, my dear, is a dangerous place to be.”

  “Now, I would advise getting all your facts straight, Mr. Hood, before you go spouting ill wills about decent, hardworking citizens of Woodsville,” Kent Wolf said, stepping out from behind a large oak.

  Tyler Wolf snarled low and Kent gently smoothed his thumb back and forth over his crossbow. Ruby stepped up and stood between her father and the crossbow. “Whoa! I have no idea what’s going on here, but this is getting out of control. First, off,” she wagged her finger in Kent’s direction, “my father had nothing to do with that bomb! Secondly, I just saved your life, Kent, so back off.”

  “Ruby, I’m warning you guys. You need to go … now. They’ll be here any moment. They won’t think twice about killing you right here and now in the Wood. It’d be a piece of cake for them to dispose of your bodies. As far as the city is concerned, Tyler Hood is unstable and needs to be dealt with. The rumblings are already making their way through the local watering holes and rumor mill. Go now!” Kent whispered while ushering Ruby and her father off to the north end of the Wood. The father and daughter moved quickly to the shelter of the tree and disrobed before they shifted into more comfortable skin. Ruby turned into a gorgeous, tiny blonde wolf with eyes the color of coal. Tyler morphed into a stocky brown wolf, with gray flecks around his muzzle. The brown wolf licked his daughters muzzle before they split apart to put distance between the Huntsmen and themselves.

  Ruby tore through the Wood headed west and her father went east. Her senses were definitely keener on all fours. She ran with one purpose: to scatter her scent so she could double back and eavesdrop. Huntsmen could smell a wolf if they tried. She wanted to make sure that they smelled her, but the vastness of her scent should make it impossible for them to detect her ten feet away. She made multiple figure eights and found her way back to the edge of the clearing in a tangle of bushes and grass that had grown together for centuries.

  Ruby listened intently and could hear their footsteps in the distance, not entirely sure what to expect. She didn’t even know who would be attending the meeting. Creatures of the night scurried past her as the Wolf brothers entered the Wood. Ruby wondered what kind of Huntsmen these were.

  Ruby heard their voices and made out their conversation. She listened to Kevin and Ken joke about the name of the Wood, slurring their words as they trampled through the Wood. The pair laughed and broke through the other side of the clearing. A low, guttural growl escaped Ruby. She couldn’t help it.

  “Over here, Dad,” Kent said, as he stepped into the clearing. He looked at the men and nodded in compliance. Then, he turned his head, looked straight at Ruby and scolded her with one swift movement of his head. Ruby took a step back.

  “Kent! My boy! Good to see you. Did you take care of our little problem?” Ken swayed from side to side.

  “I’m working on it, Dad. I think it’d be better if we ran them off. Another murder would stir the pot with the Guardian,” Kent replied.

  “‘It would stir the pot with the Guardian’ … do you hear this nonsense, brother? We need to eliminate Tyler Hood … now. We should have done it eight years ago. Too bad it wasn’t him instead of the wife that wondered in the wrong direction that night. He needs to go, dear nephew, and it’s long overdue,” Kevin Wolf sneered.

  “Well, you two asked me here for a reason and I’m giving you my two cents worth, regardless of whether or not you want it. We should let this sleeping dog lie, so to speak. I’m sure I can convince the Hoods to go within a week and never return. We leave the grandmother alone and the Guardian never needs to know you’re responsible for killing his father,” Kent said, squaring his broad shoulders, standing up to his uncle. His father’s eyes widened.

  “You don’t have the balls, boy,” Kevin said, laughing, spitting in his nephew’s face.

  “Doesn’t have the balls? I don’t know. I’ve known this kid a long time and I’ve never seen him back down. A little family spat?” Dylan Hunter replied, stepping into the clearing, clapping both men on the back. Immediately, the tension in the area dissipated. “Now, would someone please explain to me why my chief of police is spitting in the face of my best friend?”

  Kevin laughed nervously first, then Ken joined in. “Aww, we were just busting his chops over tonight’s target practice. Nothing but a little family rivalry. It seems the young guy has some secret shots he pulled out all of a sudden. I underestimated him, that’s all,” Kevin Wolf laughed menacingly.

  “What can I say, I learned from the best, uncle,” Kent said through gritted teeth.

  “Everything all good?” Dylan asked, skeptical.

  As if on cue, the quarrelling Huntsmen broke out into a twisted smirk and shook hands just a touch too hard.

  Still in her wolf form, Ruby watched as the two older Wolf brothers went off in one direction, and the high school friends went off in the other. Thankfully, neither party came in her direction. She realized she had been holding her breath as they passed. She quickly inhaled and exhaled several times, waiting until they were gone. Eventually, she found her way back to the spot where she had transformed. Then, she shifted back into the cute blonde human version of Ruby Hood. She dressed quickly and decided to take the scenic route home, knowing that she had a lot to think about.

  ***

  After a particularly sleepless night, Ruby continued to replay the meeting she witnessed in her head, trying to rationalize the situation while she hastily got ready for school. Deep down, Ruby knew she and her father needed to get out of Woodsville as fast as possible or her father would most likely be “accidentally” killed by the Wolf brothers. She was also pretty sure she couldn’t tell her father about what she witnessed the night before. He had a short fuse. Ruby was certain he would go off half cocked and probably make things worse. She entertained the idea of telling Dylan. From what she saw last night, Dylan had no idea what the Wolf brother’s had done to his father. He should know, Ruby thought. Not to mention that they killed her mother. They should most certainly pay for what they did. Anger pulsed through her and she growled as she brought the mascara wand to her eyelashes, but Ruby stopped short. She wasn’t concocting a plan to save Dylan and seek revenge. She was trying to get herself and her father out of town alive. She shook her head and got her mind back on track as she applied her red lip gloss. She pulled her long golden locks into a careless bun, grabbed her gear and jetted down the stairs.

  Then, she walked into the kitchen and froze. She wasn’t entirely sure what caused her to pause, but an idea passed through her mind quickly. She couldn’t quite get a handle on it and it slithered in and out of her consciousness.

  “Ruby!” Grams shouted, obviously not for the first time. “What’s with you, girl? I’ve been calling you for the last five minutes.” Grams eyed her carefully as she spooned some home fries onto her plate. “Are you okay?”

  “Huh?” Ruby responded absently, then smiled. “Oh, Grams, I’m just thinking about the Valentine’s Day Dance this Saturday. I found a dress last week. It’s black, but it’s supposed to be freezing and I don’t have anything to wear over it, so you know I’m totally stressing about my wardrobe. Typical girl stuff.”

  “Hmmm, I’m not buying it, but I might be able to help you with your wardrobe issue,” Grams said as she walked to the hall closet.

  When Grams tu
rned around, a velvety crimson swooshed around her. Ruby eased herself off the breakfast nook barstool and oohhhed and ahhhed as she walked toward her grandmother. “What is that? It’s absolutely gorgeous!”

  “It’s cloak, Ruby. It’s been in the family for generations. If you’d like, I’ll have it dry cleaned and you may wear it to the dance. I’d say the red is quite fitting for both Valentine’s Day and Ruby,” Grams said, winking at her granddaughter while she held open the cloak for Ruby to try on.

  Ruby squealed with delight as she slipped her arms through the large, billowing sleeves. “Oh, my goodness, it’s so luxurious,” she murmured as she pulled the crimson hooded cloak around her. Golden flecks were embedded in the delicate floral pattern of the deep red cloak. It was lined with honey satin and felt soft against her skin. As Ruby fastened the three flaxen buttons down the front, it cinched and outlined her slim waist. She twirled and the cloak rippled around her, encompassing her frame. She giggled in true teenage girl fashion and ran to hug her Grams.

  “It’s perfect, Grams,” Ruby said with affection.

  “Well, then it’s all set. I’ll take it to the dry cleaners today. I’m sure my friend Ida can have it ready by the weekend,” Grams said somewhat distractedly as she helped Ruby out of the cloak and laid it over her forearm. The women looked at each other and were about to go in for a rare Hood hug when there was a knock at the door. Confused by who could possibly be calling at this hour, the women stared at each other for a moment, shrugged and decided to ignore the knock.

  Ruby teetered on the verge of confiding everything about her father and the Wolf brothers to her Grams, when Grams sighed deeply. Ruby realized a frail, old woman would be of no help. The young woman smiled feebly and reached over to give her Grams a quick hug. “Thanks, Grams.”

  “Any time, girl.” Grams returned the hug.

  Laughing, Ruby steadied herself. Maybe Grams wasn’t so frail after all.

  “Hey! Everything okay in here? I knocked about five times.” Dylan said as he cautiously stuck his head in the front door.

  “Come in, Dylan,” the women sang in unison, smiling at each other.

  He walked in and stopped to stare. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing,” Ruby said happily, standing on her tip toes to kiss her sexy boyfriend, and for a brief moment in time, nothing was wrong. “Sorry for ignoring your knock. We were just having a little girl bonding episode.”

  “No worries,” Dylan said, shoveling bacon into his mouth. “Ready, Rue?”

  “Yep,” the stunning blonde responded. Maybe Dylan was her ticket out of this mess. After all, he seemed to really care for her. She wondered if he would help her get out of town. No, she realized. He wouldn’t let her run away without an explanation. But once he learned about the Wolfs’ involvement in his father’s death, Ruby envisioned that he would be feeling hate, death, destruction and vengeance. Telling him about his father wouldn’t make anything better and it might get Dylan killed.

  “You okay?” the Guardian asked.

  Ruby forced a smile, “Yeah, fine. Let’s go.”

  ***

  Walking in a daze for the better part of the day, Ruby tried desperately to find a way to escape that didn’t resulted in death. She was about to throw in the towel and just tell her father everything, when an unlikely ally approached her. She balanced the box she was carrying as she unlocked the science lab door. She couldn’t reach the lights with the box in her arms, but she shuffled forward until she came to one of the lab tables, then set the box down carefully and turned to flip on the lights.

  “Leave them off.”

  “Huh? What? Who’s there?”

  “Ruby, relax it’s only me,” Kent Wolf replied, stepping out of the shadows.

  “Holy Crap! You totally freaked me out!” Ruby exclaimed, placing her hand over her heart to calm its rapid beating. “Why are you in here? In the dark?”

  “I’ve been here all day waiting for you. I need to talk to you, but I also couldn’t risk anyone seeing us together. Ruby, I think I can help you and your father.”

  Ruby eyed him seriously, “I’m listening. You have fifteen minutes. Get to the point and hurry.”

  ***

  Tonight was do or die … literally. Ruby exhaled deeply, cocked her head and stared at herself in the mirror. She was ready for the dance … well … she looked ready, anyway. A gorgeous jeweled French braid elegantly held back her long, blonde tresses. She had dark, smoky eyes with light lip gloss brushed across her lips and a touch of blush on her cheeks. Her form-fitting, black strapless dress complimented everything about her waifish frame. Lastly, she flung the red Hood cloak over her shoulders; it completed the ensemble perfectly.

  Starring in the mirror, she fiddled with her hair jewels and went over the plan again in her head. She was going to drug her father, kidnap him and get out of town tonight. Kent actually helped concoct the plan. She thought back to their conversation in the science lab only days before.

  “Why are you helping me? Why do you even care what happens to us, you’re a Wolf.” Ruby asked. They were after all of their natural enemies, but then again, nothing about this situation was natural.

  “Look, Ruby, you saved my life in this very room just days ago. The way I see it, I’m paying off a debt. Plus, I like you. You’re a good person. I misjudged you at first. It’s just that I’ve never known anyone like you. I’ve never known a wolf like you … well,” Kent paused thinking, “actually, I know one wolf like you … your Grams.”

  Ruby swelled with pride when Kent compared her to her Grams. She listened and together they had agreed this was the best possible scenario.

  She gently pulled her gorgeous, crimson cloak tightly around her. In just a few moments Ruby would drug her dad. She had already crushed the pills, in a package inside the pocket of her cloak. Now, she only needed to empty the contents into whatever he was drinking at dinner tonight. According to the plan, he would pass out on the couch. After the dance, she would say goodnight—and goodbye to Dylan. Kent would then emerge from somewhere and help her load her father into the backseat of Ruby’s car. Then Ruby would drive through the night, headed to Kingman, Arizona. Apparently, there was a large and very accepting wolf population there. Ruby hoped by the time her father woke up, they would be halfway there and she could convince him this was best.

  In the other secret pocket of her cloak, Ruby felt the corners of the letter she had written to say good-bye to her grandmother. She gently crept into Grams’ bedroom, kissed the letter and tucked in under her Grams’ pillow.

  Ruby stood at the top of the long, winding staircase. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed below. Eyeing her at the top of the staircase, Dylan Hunter gaped at her wide-eyed, then let out a low sultry whistle. Her father grinned like a buffoon with his phone on video, as Grams smiled with her rosy cheeks and kerchief, holding an old fashioned digital camera. Tossing her head back, Ruby laughed. Another perfect moment. She knew it wouldn’t last, but at least she was having more of them. Descending gracefully down the winding staircase, Ruby ran her fingers along the rail, enjoying the moment.

  “Wait here, Dylan. I have your boutonniere in the fridge,” Ruby said. The cloak billowed around her as she floated across the gleaming, wooden floors. Reaching into the fridge, Ruby grabbed the small plastic box, and dumped the drugs into the glass of sweet tea sitting in front of her father’s dinner plate. Secretly pleased with her stealth, she turned around, coming face to face with Grams. Her eyes widened and her smile faded.

  “I think I know what you’re trying to do, girl,” Grams said quietly, and Ruby knew better than to open her mouth. “Ever since your mom, he’s been missing part of him. I’d hoped by coming back he’d be able to fill that missing piece, but it seems to have become bigger instead. Too bad, though,” Grams laughed ironically, “you seem to fit in real nice here, Ruby.” A tear tumbled down Grams’ cheek as she looked into her granddaughter’s eyes. “But I understand you need to go,
for both of your sakes.” Grams took out her kerchief and blew her nose. “Does he need to drink that?” she asked, pointing to the drugged glass of sweet tea.

  “Uh, huh,” Ruby mumbled, then nodded, confirming Grams suspicion.

  “I’ll see that he finishes it, and I’ll pack you guys a nice basket of goodies to get you through,” she said, blowing her nose again.

  “I love you, Grams,” Ruby said, then grabbed Grams in a huge bear hug. She resisted the urge to cry, swallowing several times to contain the lump in her throat.

  “Maybe you can join us once we get settled,” Ruby said, wiping a tear from her cheek.

  “Ah shucks, girl, Woodsville’s my home. I’m not going anywhere.” Grams sniffled.

  “No one is going anywhere except to a dance. Another sentimental girl moment?” Dylan asked playfully, entering the kitchen.

  “Something like that,” Ruby said with a smile, giving Grams one last hug before the stunning couple said their good-byes and left for the dance.

  ***

  The music blared and the colorful lights twirled around Ruby. Smiling, she swayed along to the beat and enjoyed what was left of her perfect evening. By her calculations, she still had a few hours left.

  “Where’s Dylan?” Kent whispered, but she heard him perfectly, even though she hadn’t noticed him sidle up next to her.

  Ruby shrugged, “I don’t know. I thought he was in the back getting ready for the Valentine, Cupid, King, whatever ceremony.” She raised her hands absently. She had never paid much attention to high school politics. Of course, Dylan was nominated to be king of the dance and was expected to win. The other nominations were just for show. “Why aren’t you there, too?” she asked.

  Kent grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him.

  She furrowed her brow. “What’s wrong?”

  “Dylan’s gone,” Kent whispered.

  Ruby laughed, “What do you mean he’s gone? He’s about to be crowned king of something or another. Why would he leave?” Then, Ruby’s phone buzzed in her cloak. She reached in and read the text message. “Shit!”