Valo

by Jonathan Kuiper

  “We didn’t do anything. The machine fell over on its own.” Luza’s white hair covered her face as she continued to eat more crackers. A lone streak of black was now visible, tucked unknowingly behind her left ear.

  “Yeah whatever. I’m not dealing with this now,” Keira shook her head and immediately jumped into the front seat of the truck.

  Before Luza and Birchard could get down, Keira had already started the truck and was backing up.

  “Come on, don’t leave us back here. It’s not safe,” Luza said.

  “Safe? Did you say something Princess?” Keira shifted the truck into reverse.

  “Fine, I’ll tell you what happened. The fat man got angry and pushed the machine over.”

  “Nice try Luza,” Riley looked away from the white-haired teen and towards the road.

  Luza nodded to Birchard.

  “We ran out of money...” Birchard squawked.

  “So you thought it would a good plan to knock the machine over?” Riley sighed.

  “No it fell over after I ran up against it.”

  “You’re an idiot Luza. What is it with you and food?” Keira clutched tightly onto the steering wheel.

  “I told you I was hungry. Now can you let me in?”

  “Give me one good reason why I should.” Keira pulled over to the side of the road, across from the rest stop.

  “Because they’re on their way,” Luza shouted.

  “Who?”

  Riley pointed at the police car lights in the distance. “We don’t have time. Stay down. Keira drive!”

  Not knowing how to explain their unique situation, Keira put her foot on the gas pedal and drove.

  * * *

  Whether the police was really after them, Keira didn’t stop to see. She quickly took the next right, towards Intervale, and sought out another road to get lost on. It was a high stress time, but her instincts took over. Keira sped down the road.

  “You know this is going to make it worse?” Riley commented.

  “I didn’t see you coming up with any ideas,” Keira brushed her black locks out of her line of sight.

  Luza slid in through the back window.

  “Seriously?” Keira clutched tightly onto the steering wheel as their fox altered friend shimmied to the middle seat.

  Falling partly onto Riley’s lap, Luza had one arm wrapped around his neck.

  “Don’t get too excited my prince. With the way she’s driving, it’s safer in here than out there.”

  “Not now,” Riley placed her down firmly on the seat and then had to readjust some more as Birchard landed on Luza.

  “You too? I’m trying to drive here.”

  “Go ahead, I’m not stopping you,” Birchard said.

  “Out of all of us, couldn’t you have flown away?” Keira thought it was a worthwhile question.

  “But then who’s going to tell you where to go?”

  Keira looked over at Riley and yelled, “The map!”

  “Who needs a map? I found my way to you,” Luza said.

  “And you ran for how many months? Look at you now a little person.”

  Luza nudged Keira’s shoulder. “That wasn’t nice.”

  “Don’t push me while I’m driving.”

  “I wouldn’t have to if you were nicer. Take it back Keira.”

  “Or what? You’re going to push me again? We’ll drive off the road if that happens.”

  “Ladies stop it! Both of you are going to kill us,” Riley interrupted.

  Birchard flapped his wings.

  “What Red-Eye?” Luza said.

  “There’s a road to the left past this bridge. It goes up over the mountain. We should be able to lose them there.”

  “Now that’s helpful. Thank you.” Keira floored the gas to the old truck.

  Birchard smiled at Luza.

  “It doesn’t mean she forgives us dodo.”

  “What? Why not?” Birchard threw his wings up in the air.

  “Because if you two had just asked us for help, none of this would have happened.” Keira barely had time to comment on Birchard’s questions.

  The flashing lights of a Ford Explorer were gaining quickly.

  “We might need to go faster!” Riley squeezed onto the door handle.

  “I’m going to hurl,” Luza cried.

  Keira took the tight turn, directly up the adjacent road and the steep hill.

  “Was that necessary?” Luza asked as she slammed into Riley. Birchard hit the windshield before stabilizing himself on Riley’s knee.

  With her foot on the gas, firmly pressing the pedal to the ground, Keira forced the truck to go up the steep grade.

  It was no use as the Explorer continued to gain.

  “Now what, Riley?”

  “This was a great idea Red-Eye up a hill, where we go slower,” Luza glared at the loon.

  He didn’t respond but looked out the window instead.

  “Just pull over, we’re not going to out run them,” Riley shrugged.

  “How am I going to explain this?”

  “We’re not. Just run for it.”

  Keira looked over at Riley and nodded. An idea came to her head.

  “You two are batty. I can’t just change into fox mode and scurry away.”

  “You don’t have a choice. Open the door Riley!” Keira slammed on the brakes.

  The truck jerked to a stop at the crest of the first hill. Partially off the road, Keira had pulled over in the direction of a grove of pine and birch trees.

  Riley didn’t wait for further instruction. He jumped out and ran for the woods. Taking Luza by the hand, he led her past several branches and logs. Birchard shot up in the air and Keira jumped out the passenger door, close behind.

  She ran twenty feet into the woods and waited for the Explorer to approach.

  The police siren filled the air. It didn’t take long for the Explorer to pull up behind the Dodge. A second Explorer’s lights flashed in the distance.

  “Shouldn’t we be running?” Luza asked Riley.

  He put a finger up to his mouth.

  “Stay close and don’t let them see you,” he whispered.

  “What about Keira?”

  “I think she has it covered.”

  Luza looked through the bare branches and saw Keira was no longer there. She could tell the truck was still running, clear from the exhaust pipe shooting a grey smoke into the air. The passenger side door remained open and the two police cars were parked only meters away.

  Both officers exited their vehicles. The taller one of the two, who drove the first car, was a chubby fellow. He wore a military vest over his khaki uniform shirt and a pair of aviator sunglasses that made him appear more ridiculous than officer-like. The shorter officer looked liked a pit bull between his compact figure, stocky build, and a severe underbite.

  Each officer had his hand resting on his PR-24 night-stick.

  “We know you didn’t get far. Come on out kids, before you get yourself into more trouble,” the chubby officer shouted.

  “If you don’t do what you’re told, we’ll get the dogs to come get you,” the second one added.

  Luza looked back at Riley who shook his head and smirked. “Not the dogs,” he said as he contemplated changing to his oversized deer form.

  “You know I can’t see anything with you standing in front of me.”

  “Then cut to the side.”

  Birchard swooped down onto the branch above them.

  “You two make a lot of noise. Why don’t you tell them right where you are,” Birchard said.

  “Shut up Red-Eye,” Luza pushed her long hair away from her eyes, hopeful of getting a better look.

  “We hear you out there. Stop messing around. Someone’s going to get hurt,” the chubby officer yelled.

  “Where is Keira? Go do something Riley.”

  “Shhh, I think we’ll be okay.”

  With Riley’s words, the tall officer walked around the perimeter of the truck. He glanced
in to the empty front and shut the open door.

  “All clear Sammy.”

  The shorter officer nodded to the senior officer and said, “It’s your last chance. The dogs are being called and when we do get you —”

  “You’ll what?” Luza shouted. She spotted the Princess and smiled.

  “I hate teenagers,” Sammy swung his night-stick in motion.

  “Join the club,” the chubby one said under his breath before he shifted tone and cried out, “Have it your way.”

  “What the heck is that?” Sammy took a step back from the truck.

  The other officer followed as Keira in mountain lion form came out from the tree line and into their line of sight.

  “A catamount? In the day time? Go get the shotgun,” the chubby one trembled.

  “It’s too fast for that. We wouldn’t have enough time.”

  “Then what are we going to do?”

  “Get back to the Explorers and pray it doesn’t attack.”

  Keira moved stealthily out of the shadows of the pines. She looked over at both of the men and showed her sharp incisors.

  Sammy lowered his night-stick. “Good kitty,” he repeated several times. “We will go on our way.”

  “What about the kids?” the chubby officer asked.

  “What about them? I can’t back you up with this wild animal here. Let them deal with that thing. Lesson learned right?”

  “Darn it. Just once I want my picture in the paper.”

  Keira walked closer to the chubby officer. She hissed in his direction and raised her large left paw at him.

  “Get in the Explorer!” Sammy yelled. He ran back to his vehicle and shut the door behind him.

  “I suggest you kids run while you can. Don’t let this thing get you!” The chubby officer’s legs shook as he cowered behind the door of his Explorer. Cautiously, he got in and locked his doors.

  Keira stood between the truck and the police car. She glared at the officer and waited.

  It seemed longer but it was only a matter of thirty seconds before both Explorers were in reverse going down the hill. After one hundred feet they did three point turns and disappeared from view.

  Chapter 5

  “That was some quick thinking,” Birchard said as he landed on the bed of the truck.

  “Yeah, scare the police so they leave us alone,” Keira shook her cat like head as she transformed shortly thereafter to her normal human self. “Let’s get out of there before they come back.”

  “Wow, no bragging. I’m a bit surprised. I would be,” Luza said as she stepped out from the woods.

  “We know you would. But I’m not you, and I didn’t think there was any other safe solution.”

  “Safe huh?” Luza laughed as she took the middle seat between Keira and Riley who followed her into the truck. “Yeah transforming into a large cat with a reputation of killing other animals sounds like a safe alternative to me.”

  “Jealous much,” Riley gently patted Luza’s leg.

  She rolled her eyes at the teen and responded, “I suppose it was a better idea than running through the woods. We don’t want the big buck here to get all scratched up. You’re used to running aren’t you Riley?”

  “Ouch,” Keira held back a smile.

  “What did you want me to do? Attack them all Luza? They could have used a gun.”

  “I don’t know . . .” Luza looked out the window. “I feel out of sorts.”

  “Probably because you ate too much food,” Keira laughed.

  Luza grimaced. “That’s not it. Although, I am still hungry.”

  “We’re not stopping.”

  “I didn’t say to.”

  “Good, because we need to get out of New Hampshire and on to Maine, in one piece.”

  Luza nodded and softly said, “Fine.”

  The inside of the truck was quiet for several minutes. Keira focused on keeping the truck on the road, without garnering any unnecessary attention. Meanwhile Birchard flew overhead with a flock of geese that had appeared.

  Luza stared downward. She avoided eye contact with Riley or Keira and just kept to herself.

  Riley was the first to pick up on her shift.

  “What is it? What are you brooding over?”

  She hesitated to say anything. Looking carefully at her porcelain hands, she whimpered softly.

  “I miss my paws. This sucks.”

  “I get it.”

  “No tail either to curl up with. Now I have all this hair.” Luza pulled several pieces of hair away from her ears and towards her line of sight. Despite the majority of her head being white, several black hairs were appearing. “And what is this, a few dark strands now too?”

  “At least it’s wavy,” Keira attempted to lighten the mood.

  “Like it matters, shape shifter.”

  “I didn’t ask to change form. Trust me, I’d rather go back to the way things were,” Keira admitted.

  “You could have fooled me, she-lion.”

  “I’m serious. Everything seems more complicated. Part of me for sure wishes I had my old self.”

  “That makes two of us.” Luza turned to Riley and looked into his doe colored eyes.

  “Don’t look at me for comfort. It had to be done. You’ll get used to your new body, both of you will.”

  “That’s easy for you to say Riley. Nothing happened to you.”

  “Sure nothing at all, just some psycho trauma. You both know that I wanted to keep Luza out of the dark as to what could happen. Or you Keira, like I really wanted to tell you Bilal was planning to come after you, shoot you with his arrows. That was great. All of those secrets paid off well. Now I just have to go home and see if my parents were murdered in the process. That’s a fair trade,” Riley snarled into the window.

  “Wait, what?” Keira looked over at Riley. “No one’s murdering your parents.”

  “You just got into this game Princess. You don’t know all the moving pieces.”

  “Don’t be mean about it, Riley.”

  “Then you tell her, Luza. Or are you still in boo hoo mode?”

  Luza pushed Riley. “If I still had my paws, you would be one sorry buck right now.”

  “Men,” Keira mouthed.

  “Tell me about it. Freddo never talked to me this way.”

  Keira laughed. “Really Freddo? I’m sure he didn’t.”

  “Your cousin is ridiculous. I’ve never seen an Arctic fox waddle when he walks.”

  “That’s not anything to make fun of. He was born that way.”

  “Oh my goodness,” Keira laughed again.

  “I’m serious,” Riley repeated. “I remember meeting him. You think Luza loves and appreciates food. He waddled because the fox ate a little too much if you get my drift.”

  “You keep hitting me when I’m down huh deer boy? I have nothing bad to share about my sweet cousin. At least he was always nice to me, unlike you.”

  “Come on now.”

  “Now you really upset her Riley,” Keira glanced over to Riley.

  “He’s a deflector Princess. It’s fine. Let’s take the topic off of him and the fact he’s known as the traitor of the forest.” She waited for a response, but Riley went quiet. “Exactly nothing to add now huh? Lucky for you I know you were only doing what your parents asked you to do. But at what cost huh? Oh yeah, for this.”

  “What is she talking about, Riley?”

  “Stuff she doesn’t understand,” he glared down at Luza.

  “I’m not a little kid. I’m a grown fox, well woman now, well okay little woman. Still, you were there that night; I know she asked you to do something.”

  “Who?” Keira asked.

  “Waliyah,” Riley mouthed.

  “The Great Mother,” Luza stressed every syllable.

  “Okay so why is that a big deal, aside from the fact Lane is off to find her at this very moment?”

  “Don’t you get it, she sent him to act on her behalf, to save us, even if it meant putting his
family in the cross hairs of Bilal and that pig Sohon.”

  “Can we not talk about this right now?” Riley said.

  “You opened this can of worms. Why can’t she know the whole story? For that matter why can’t I? You know what we have to do next.”

  “Just shut up Luza. You are speaking sideways. What do you know about what happens next? You know nothing.”

  “So tell us,” Luza demanded.

  “Come on Riley please. How else are we going to work together?” Keira’s question had more than a touch of concern.

  “Work together,” he repeated the words softly. “Why do you think you were told to go to Moosehead Lake?”

  “Portia told me to head there. That’s where my dad is.”

  He laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Did you ever ask Luza where she’s from?”

  “What are you getting at? She’s from a cold climate clearly and ran for months through the woods.”

  “Canada, right?”

  “Yeah, that makes sense. Right Luza?”

  “What? It didn’t matter at that time. I was honest,” Luza pleaded.

  “You’re not from Canada?” Keira lifted her right eyebrow.

  “Not exactly,” she said quietly.

  “Where else would she be from?”

  “You have no concept of anything, Princess. I don’t have the energy to share with you everything you might think you need to know. Let the Princess of the Northern Wood, or for us normal folk Lapland, tell you how she journeyed here. Maybe then you’ll understand why Portia told you to head to the lake. We just got started on this journey and there is no way to tell if and when it will be finished.”

  “Lapland?” Keira looked over to Luza. “Isn’t that in Finland or Sweden?”

  Luza released a rather sly smile, “Ja as a matter of fact.”

  Questions raced through Keira’s mind. She didn’t know where to start. A bit overwhelmed and confused, she turned on the radio to the truck. Cranking the volume, the teen ignored the other two passengers and continued driving them down the road.

  * * *

  The next hour of driving was uneventful compared to the beginning of the day. No one said anything. Keira gave up on the idea of stopping for a map and just followed the signs along Route 16 through the Mount Washington Valley, onto Route 2 and into Maine. They had gone past the skiing town of Bethel, Maine when Keira even bothered to look down at the gas gauge.