Willow

by Amy Richie

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Gossip Mill

  The moon was too bright in my room that night; sleep was completely out of the question. I rolled over on to my back and stared at the shadowed ceiling. "Let Andros have it," Gage's words echoed again in my over-full head. "Dangerous thoughts … "

  He was right, Gage was right about the thoughts being dangerous. They were what got Noreen killed. Well, not exactly, I amended in the darkness. Mikhaul's hatred killed her, but she was marked since she spoke out against Andros. He wouldn't have let her live much longer anyway.

  I turned my head to see the clock. The red numbers glared unkindly at me, flashing 1:26. I squeezed my eyes shut as tightly as I could, I needed sleep. Unfortunately it was no use, they popped right back open.

  I slid my legs out from under the covers and put my feet on the ground. Without bothering to put my jeans back on, I made my way to the huge window seat and climbed onto the cushion. I pulled my knees up to my chest and sighed deeply.

  The night was calm, as it should be at 1:30 in the morning. I half expected to see Gage. He had an uncanny ability to know just when I needed someone to talk to, but he wasn't out there anywhere. It was probably a good thing, seeing as how the thing most on my mind was him.

  Gage worked with the council, so of course his thoughts about the Ancient City were different than most. Had he pledged allegiance to a vampire? The thought made goose bumps rise on my arms. I shivered despite the warmth of the cabin.

  Andros.

  What kind of a monster was Andros? I didn't know very much about him. How had he been able to find the City anyway? It was supposed to have a powerful charm spell around it. He had to have done something terrible to make the elves tell him. My lip snarled up. It was only too easy to imagine him doing terrible things.

  Maybe Gage just was loyal to the council. My shoulders drooped with my next thought. The council was three males. Gage couldn't be loyal to a male wolf, it wasn't possible.

  The council was just a group of loners that were misguided by Andros. A strange urge to see the council and get them away from Andros overtook me. It was a crazy thought, but my heart went out to the lost males in the ancient city. As much as I hated Andros being there, it was worse thinking of the council.

  The sound of the front door slamming shut made me jump off the window seat. Had someone just come in? I tiptoed to my door and pressed my ear against the wood. No sounds came from the other room though.

  I turned automatically to the window. There, sitting outside, was the huge black wolf I had wanted to see earlier. My lips curled up a little but it wasn't a full smile. Gage lay down on the ground under my window and rested his massive head on his front paws.

  I slowly went back to my bed and crawled under the covers. Had he just heard all my thoughts? I punched my pillow into a more comfortable ball and flopped down. Probably, I thought with a groan.

  

  Gage wasn't there when I got up the next morning. The cabin seemed bigger without him there and I felt smaller. I popped two pieces of bread into the toaster, knowing I wouldn't have enough time for much else even if I was hungry. The toast wasn't very good but I managed to choke down most of one piece before Rueben pulled up.

  "Hey," I greeted him happily as I slid into the passenger side.

  "Hey," he smiled widely.

  "You're in a good mood," Rodney remarked from the back.

  "And why shouldn't I be?" I laughed.

  "Gage came over early this morning," Rueben yawned.

  "What did he want?" I tried not to frown.

  "Him and Jed went somewhere," Rodney answered.

  "Where?"

  Rueben shrugged. "I don't know."

  "Maybe they went to hunt."

  "Yeah," I mumbled. Rodney was probably right, of course. Just because Jed and Gage went on a morning run wasn't a reason for me to pout.

  "Gage will take care of him," Rueben comforted me.

  I smiled and turned my head to look out the window. We were just pulling into the school parking lot. My eyes automatically sought out Colby and Tyson, who were standing in a crowd with Lindsey and Aubrey. They were laughing along with everyone else. I didn't see Steven anywhere, but that wasn't unusual.

  "Park close to the front," I pleaded. If I was lucky maybe I could get into the school without Lindsey and Aubrey noticing.

  Rueben obliged and I soon fell into pace with Rodney as we made our way into the school. "I'll see you inside," Rueben called. He smacked his knuckles on the roof of the car.

  I turned to smile my agreement but something in his eyes made my smile freeze in place. "What is it?" I whispered to Rodney.

  "Listen," he hissed.

  "I don't hear anything." I expected screaming or growling or both but there were only the normal sounds of high school.

  A small group next to the door was hurrying to copy each other's homework before the first bell. There were a couple of boys, wearing spiked belts, that were smoking more than cigarettes in the car next to us. Rodney was likely friends with the pair but that wasn't what made Rueben look at me like that.

  I pushed my senses out further. I usually kept the sounds of other people's conversations blocked out, especially at school, but I needed to know. Snatches of conversation confused me at first but the longer I listened, the heavier my stomach became.

  "Did you see it?"

  " … huge grey wolf … "

  "My dad saw it, I didn't … but he looked scared."

  "It wasn't a normal wolf."

  "You know what Carlie said at the Lounge the other night. Maybe she was right."

  "Werewolf."

  "Werewolves in Grover … "

  "Werewolf."

  "Who are they talking about?" I hissed. Rueben had come to stand close to me.

  "Was it Gage?" he asked.

  "They said it was grey … "

  "It's got to be Steven," Rodney spoke my thoughts out loud.

  "We should go to class," I murmured.

  The boys didn't argue. For once, Rueben looked as worried as I felt. Well maybe not that bad. My stomach twisted violently when I bent to get my books from my locker.

  "See you at lunch," Rueben half-heartedly said goodbye at my locker before hurrying away.

  Was he going to talk to Steven? My heart sped up. I should be present when the two of them talked. I suddenly felt oddly calm. I felt the air whoosh in and out of my ears and I heard the soft murmurs of gossip all around me peppered with the fear of giant wolves. I didn't feel panicked, though.

  I set my lips in a straight line and hurried to catch up with Rueben. We'd have to move this time, I realized with finality. I had to get the boys away from all this before the council decided I couldn't handle things.

  I found them all huddled in a circle in a back hallway of the dungeon. Rueben was glaring at Steven but Steven wasn't cowering down.

  "Are we having a party back here?' I asked cheerfully. I stepped into the middle of their circle and everything clicked into place. "Why wasn't I invited?"

  "It was Steven," Colby confirmed what I had already figured out.

  I raised an eyebrow at Steven, who managed to look ashamed and defiant at the same time. "Decided to go on a morning run?"

  He jutted his chin out in the aftermath of Rueben's warning growl. "I was running late," he said tightly.

  "You should have just taken the tardy," I told him with a hint of a smile still tugging at my lips.

  "We're supposed to stay in character; I didn't want to be late."

  "Or," I widened my eyes on the word, "you were feeling cocky and decided to see how far you can push your new morphing abilities." He looked away quickly.

  "I was … late," he said, sticking to his story but he had lost most of his defiance.

  There was a small moment of complete silence then Colby asked me, "So what do we do now?"

  Five pairs of eyes swung around to rest on me. "We move on," I told them in a clear voice. My tone le
ft no room for argument. I had made my decision. It was easier to come to than I would have thought.

  "Just like that?"

  "We'll send Jed and Rodney ahead of us to secure a place." I looked at Rodney. There was a strange sort of excitement there. He nodded.

  "When?"

  "In a few days. I'll talk to Gage and see where would be the best place for us to go. I want to stick with a small … "

  Suddenly the space in the small hallway became very crowded. Someone behind us cleared their throat quietly. I turned slowly, already knowing who I would see.

  "You coming to class?" Carlie asked in a small voice. It was obvious from her expression that she had heard most of our conversation.

  "Yeah," I stepped out of the center of our makeshift circle. "Of course."

  "We're all late."

  "You shouldn't have waited," I laughed nervously. Moving out of Grover would get rid of Carlie. I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed by that.

  "I was worried." She shrugged but her green eyes were entirely too bright.

  "I'll see you guys at lunch," I said by way of dismissal. Like a wave of motion, they all shot off in different directions.

  "Willow?" Her eyes moved to take in the gaudy blue and yellow tiles of the floor.

  Like a sore tooth that you couldn't help wiggling with your tongue, I couldn't stop myself from questioning Carlie; even if I didn't want to know. "What's wrong?" My concern invited her to say what was on her mind.

  "Are you guys moving?"

  "We're um … we're thinking about it." It was my turn to study the tiles. The one I was standing on had a deep crack running through the middle. I wondered absently what had happened to it.

  "Why?"

  I looked up sharply. "Haven't you heard the rumors?"

  She shook her head, looking puzzled. "I was running late this morning. I haven't talked to anyone."

  "Well, let's just say you weren't the only one running late." I tried hard not to smile, so it might have looked more like a grimace.

  "I have no idea what that means."

  She looked so serious, I couldn't choke down my laughter. Soon we were both laughing, the sound echoing down the empty hallway. She put her arm through mine and dragged me along the hall, still laughing.

  "Where are we going?" I gasped.

  "To class," she hissed, pressing her finger to her lips.

  "Class?" My nose wrinkled in distaste. Forty minutes of Elizabeth Bennett. We had the same last name, but that's where it ended. I couldn't see how anyone thought her story was interesting. And what did she see in Mr. Darcy anyways? He sounded like a complete …

  "Willow?" Carlie stopped abruptly and turned to face me. I jerked myself back to stop from running into her.

  "What?"

  "You won't leave tonight, will you?"

  "No," I answered truthfully. "I don't know when, but not tonight."

  "So I still have time to talk you out of it," she grinned.

  "Carlie … "

  She didn't wait for me to say anything though. She whirled back around and pulled me along to English.