by Holly Hook
“It's not a big deal,” Sven said.
“So, where do you have your headquarters? Where's your family staying?” Talking was keeping me sane. There was no Tasha to fill that role right now.
He continued to trudge through the shallow water. At least the level was dropping again, allowing us to scramble back onto drier stone. “In Olivia,” he said at last. It was clear he didn't want to give out too much info.
I wondered why.
“I won't go off telling dragons where you are.”
“You don't know who they are,” he said.
I thought. “Good point. So, they look like us unless they don't want to?”
“Yes.”
I shuddered. “Don't tell me Principal Adler is one.” It would explain how dragons got in and out of those small corridors if they could shift.
“Then I won't tell you that.”
His tone of voice told me the truth. “Yikes. Thanks, Sven.”
“But I didn't tell you,” he said with an innocent tone.
“How can I spot a dragon?” I asked. He had charm.
“It can be hard,” he said. “Vampires and werewolves could always smell them, but humans can't. The Wiglaf Society has tools that help but they have drawbacks. Dragons in the modern age know better than to reveal themselves. It got them killed in the past. Times have changed. But they are no less dangerous, and they guard themselves and their treasure with more fervor than they ever have.”
That explained the contradiction. “What can I do to protect myself, then?”
Sven faced me, serious. “You should stay away from me.”
“What?”
“This has already gone too far,” he continued. “I'm sorry. You've meddled too much.”
“Why are you making that sound like this is my fault?” I asked, raising my voice. Which was a bad idea, considering that a dragon shifter could be any distance behind us, following the river. “You wanted me to come down here and free you and then you're pushing me away?” I should have known. A small town girl wasn't good enough for a Slayer who traveled the world.
"This is complicated, Felicia," he said. "You'll be glad I stopped this before it could go any further. I'm sorry. You seem like someone I'd like to know, but it's...it's just not a good idea." Sven couldn't hide the pain in his words.
"Geez. What a great thanks for saving your life," I say.
Sven faced me, a great sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said. "I needed to do what I needed to do, and that was to survive. Pushing you away isn't what I enjoy. You're the first person I've liked here in Olivia."
A loneliness filled his eyes.
Sven liked me. He had even admitted it out loud. He, the new guy. Now that no dragons were about to roast him, his confidence was returning. But once we left this tunnel, he wouldn't speak to me again. He had noble intentions, but it still hurt.
"I understand," I said, choking back tears.
What was with me? I hadn't dated the guy. We had just held hands, saved each other's lives, joked with each other, made up after a misunderstanding...
Did we have a spark?
"Come on," Sven said. "I want to make sure you get out of here without getting in trouble. Since no one realizes you know me, you might be okay. The principal thinks you hate me. Keep it that way."
"I will." I hated the thought of lying to Adler, but if it came to that, I would. Sven getting burned alive wasn't something I wanted to happen. No one deserved that punishment. The dragon in Beowulf had gone on a killing rampage over a stolen goblet. Talk about anger management issues. "I need to leave this town sooner than I planned. Got any traveling tips?" I was holding back tears.
"You're planning to leave Olivia?" he asked in shock.
"Well, I was escaping the boredom here, and now I have to escape insanity," I said.
"I think you'll be okay."
"You sound sure. I don't feel that way." There was every possibility that the dragons under us would get angry and torch the town to the ground.
Sven didn't respond to that. We continued down the riverbank as the sunlight intensified. Soon, we emerged in a small canyon. Blue sky stretched overhead. Until now, I never realized how beautiful the sky was. I wanted to sail away into it and away from Sven.
I climbed out of the water and onto smooth gravel. Sven did the same. "Well, we need to climb out."
"Yes. We do." I was giving him attitude, but why would he tell me all this about dragons and then leave me to deal with it on my own? I saw one regularly. Maybe Larissa was one, too. Who knew? "See any way out?"
Up ahead, the water flowed through a big metal box with a screen and pipes coming out. We wouldn't be able to proceed past that point, but there was a service ladder. Sven pointed to that, not realizing I'd seen. "We can always do it the mundane way."
"That'll work."
"You're not afraid of heights?"
"I don't think I am," I said. "I climb into olive trees all the time to pick. Yeah, I live on a farm."
"It's no wonder you want to get out."
"Not everyone gets to train as a Slayer and see the world."
"It's not everything. We have to move often. I can never make friends or connect with anybody."
"You have the opposite problem as me." I was getting over this. Maybe that was why Sven was pushing me away. He'd leave next week if the dragons moved on or if his family killed them.
They might kill Principal Adler.
The thought froze me as I placed my hand on the bottom rung of the service ladder. Machinery inside the box hummed as pumps took the river hostage inside.
"Felicia?"
"You'll slay my family friend," I said, facing him.
"You're pale. And I won't slay her."
"What has she done?" I asked.
Sven paled, which seemed impossible as he was already light. "This is putting me in a bad position. I promise, I won't kill her."
"You don't seem to like your job," I said. "What about the other Slayers?"
Sven took a step back. "I'll think about that. If it's someone you know, wow, I don't want to endanger her."
The air thickened as if we were in the cave all over again. What had Principal Adler done other than drag Sven off and try to get him executed? Okay. He had a point. I was putting him in this position.
A scream of frustration rose in me as I climbed. Right then, I wanted to get home and hide, though school was still in session. By the time I got there, classes might let out.
Sven paused, then scrambled up the ladder under me. I climbed through a circular metal hole and found myself in a fenced-in area with a gate that had a latch on the inside. Rushing over, I lifted the latch, freeing us from the Water Company. I kept my back to Sven, not wanting to face the mess anymore. Most of all, I didn't want his amazing body, perfect voice, and gorgeous blue eyes to suck me in once more.
"Felicia."
Keep walking, I told myself. I had to make a story for Tasha, anyway. If I didn't, she'd mark me down as crazy.
"Felicia. If she's a family friend, then I won't report her."
I stopped.
He sounded legit. Sven stood there between two Water Company structures, a big tank and a low warehouse looking thing. Somewhere, a man laughed. Employees were here. We'd have to use extreme caution.
"She tried to kill you, and now you don't want to tell on her?” I asked.
I wasn't trying to get Principal Adler killed, but after what I'd seen, I wasn't sure what was the right course of action anymore. There was no telling what to think.
Sven stood in the shadow of the building. “No. I don't, not if it would hurt you.”
A rush of heat ran through me. Sven already had even if he was just trying to keep me out of this mess. “You're right,” I said. “This is a way too complicated situation for both of us.”
He exhaled. “I agree. So, shall we go our own ways? I'm sorry I dragged you down there, Felicia.”
“I came after you out of my free wi
ll.” How could I let Sven die after the look of terror he gave me? After I'd landed him in that situation? “Well, it was nice knowing you. If I walk home, I'll make it by the time school is supposed to let out. Principal Adler must know the way back to the school. By the time she gets to her office and looks up where you live--”
“You don't have to warn me,” Sven said. “My family didn't give her the right address. And I won't return to school unless Adler stops working there. What she did was too risky. The other dragons will no doubt chastise her for that.”
There. He had confirmed the worst. I'd never be able to look at Principal Adler the same way again. How could I even stay civil around her, knowing what she'd almost done to Sven? He'd become a Slayer, so she had her reasons, but he hadn't even harmed a dragon yet if he was telling the truth. “That's good news. Stay alive, Sven.”
I turned and I ran across the parking lot of the Water Company, not looking back.
Chapter Nine
I told Mom and Dad I was feeling sick when I got to the olive farm. Since I ran most of the way home, I got there forty-five minutes early. Last period would be in session right now. Money Management.
My parents were in the middle of picking once again, and Mom lifted her eyebrow. “You're feeling funny?”
“I have a migraine,” I said, which was a total lie. “I was about to cry and didn't even go to class after lunch, so you might get a call from the school about that.” Principal Adler called the homes of everyone who skipped class in her militant effort to keep everyone attending. She was gentle on the outside, but now I knew the truth and would never look at her the same. “My entire fifth hour got spent in the bathroom, holding wet paper towels to my head. Then I threw up.”
“You look pale,” Dad said. “You should lie down. We won't make you help with the picking today even though that was our original plan.” He flashed me an evil grin. While I was glad to help for an hour after school, my parents knew I needed to tackle homework and let me off easy on weekdays.
“Thanks.” I realized I left my stuff at school. Tasha would have seen it still lying under the cafeteria table. “Great. I left my backpack and my phone.”
“Well, your friend might bring it,” Mom said. “You look sick. Get rest.”
I didn't even care about my stuff or the homework I was missing. Tasha would bring it over in the Zombie. She wanted answers about what happened today, guaranteed.
But after retreating to my room and stuffing my head under my pillow for the next hour, it was Mom who brought it up. It turned out she'd turned Tasha away and took my backpack from her.
“Honey?” She sounded concerned as she put my backpack on the floor.
“Migraine,” I reminded, keeping my head under the pillow.
“Are you sure it's just a migraine?”
“There's no such thing as just a migraine,” I said. I'd had a few and just was not the word to describe them.
“I know. Sometimes I get them myself,” Mom said. “Stressful day?”
I lifted my pillow, allowing in some light. “Well, with the migraine, I guess it was. I tried to go to the principal's office to get let out, but she wasn't in. You'll get a call about that, too.” I imagined patting myself on the back. If there was any skill I'd developed, it was making my stories consistent. It might save my life.
Dragons had tempers.
I had freed a future Slayer whose family was hunting Principal Adler.
The phone downstairs rang. My parents still paid for a landline to deal with business stuff.
“That's her right there,” I said with a groan.
“She won't be hard on you,” Mom said. “It's not as if we don't know her.”
My heart raced as Mom answered the phone. I sat up on my bed, careful not to let it creak, and cupped my ears.
“Yes...she has a migraine. Said she stopped at your office after lunch, but you were gone. Oh, a meeting? I'll let her know she's not in trouble.” Silence. “Say, would you like to come over for dinner on Thursday night? We might finish the week's picking by then. I'll have Ted barbecue kebabs.”
Barbecue. I hated that word suddenly.
And most of all, I hated Sven for showing me hope and pulling it away.
* * * * *
True to his word, Sven wasn't at school the next day. As if sensing his absence, Dirk smiled at me in the hall between classes and reminded me that my first Journalism meeting was after school today. I'd forgotten to tell my parents about that, so I sent them a text at lunch.
Mom was okay with it so long as I stayed at school for the activities. I hadn't told her about my new job yet. Tasha bombarded me with questions about what happened when I followed Adler at lunch.
And in response, I told her that Principal Adler had taken Sven to a waiting police car outside the school. After that, I got my migraine and retreated to the bathroom.
“So you got upset about Sven leaving,” Tasha said.
I'd roll with it. “I suppose. Don't tell me you're not upset, either.”
“Well, now that I realize he's a bad boy--”
“But aren't bad boys hot?” I asked, glad to steer the conversation. “I think so.”
“Well, yeah. It sucks he's gone. He's the guy you could travel the world with, you know? And then get arrested for hitting you.”
I felt an urge to defend Sven. He wasn't that type. “Maybe,” I said instead. “But traveling the world. Think about that.”
“It won't happen for us,” Tasha said. “We're condemned to be small town girls. Lifetime membership, complete with country hits on heavy rotation.”
“Why don't you try to get out of here?”
“What is there? Student debt?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Sven's gone,” Tasha told me. “Move on.”
She'd been the one trying to drool on him. Maybe I had been, too. I'd faced dragons for a once-in-a-lifetime dream guy. All Tasha had done was sit next to him in class and strike up a conversation.
I'd also helped get him into that life-or-death situation.
That was why he wanted me to get him out. It all made sense now. The more I thought about that, the more likely that scenario sounded. And it didn't make me feel the best.
But something was still bothering me. It was as if a thought refused to complete itself as if a part of my mind had erected a wall. I stared at the window while Tasha said something about how unhealthy it was to hold on to unrealistic dreams.
I stayed out of focus all the way to the Journalism meeting. Dirk ran the show. He'd gotten the position as President of club since his parents ran the real Olivia paper, the Olive Plantation. (Yes, that was its name.) There hadn't been an election, but no one had ever said anything about it. The meeting consisted of him, me, Yasmine Swan, and Becca Harrington. Small club. It was no wonder Dirk was recruiting.
He winked at me as I sat at the table in Mrs. Cornea's classroom. I knew the second reason he was recruiting. But, what the heck. Sven was gone as Tasha said and there was no point in wondering when he'd return. He might still be in town, but he'd already clarified that nothing could happen between us. I was a small town girl and might be for life. He was a traveling, hot Slayer who had great adventures. It wasn't meant to be.
So I smiled at him.
Dirk was in a great mood as he fished a real gavel out of his backpack and tapped it on Mrs. Cornea's desk. “This Journalism meeting is called to order,” he said. “Our next school paper comes out on the first next month. We need ideas on news stories, other than sports.” He gave me a silent look first.
“Um, sports?” I asked. “We could cover something that's happening around town.”
“The water bill hikes,” Dirk said. “Your parents are getting hit hard by it, aren't they?”
“Well, yes,” I said. “There are other people we can ask other than my parents. I joined to get out of the house.”
He smiled. “I see. We can ask the water company themselves.”
�
�That's not something people would read in a school paper,” I said.
But Dirk wasn't having it. The guy had big dreams for the journalism industry, both paper and digital, and he would investigate bigger stories than school club meetings and insignificant football games. We headed out into the heat and walked to the Water Company. I hated going there, but I was doing my part to make sure I got to keep my weekend job. Yasmin and Becca gossipped about why Sven had hit Principal Adler yesterday, which only made me feel worse.
We arrived at the Water Company. The guard at the gate, Morton, waved at us and let us step through to the main building. He was a young, college-aged guy whose family had gotten him the job. His father worked inside the plant. People came in and out all the time to pay and dispute their bills so it was no big deal. I tried not to eye the ravine that ran through the place.
We stepped into the front lobby of the Water Company, where two people were paying their bills. Dirk took charge, asking to speak to the owner.
The receptionist, Maggie, looked up. "He's not in. He's with the survey crew right now in the river."
"What? Al Musterson?" Dirk asked. "He's always in."
Maggie played with her computer mouse as if trying to dodge the question. "Al Musterson sold the Water Company last week."
"He what?" Dirk exploded. "To who?"
"I'm not at liberty to say."
“Maybe you can answer questions for me,” Dirk tried while the three of us waited in silence. “Why did Al sell the company?"
Maggie looked between us, impatient. “You're asking for private information. The new owner is not available for comment. It will not affect the way the business is run.”
Dirk kept pressing for answers, but by now, my feet itched with curiosity.
A new family.
Someone who had arrived in the past week.
It couldn't be.
Maggie answered a phone and started talking, but I had the sense she was just faking it to get Dirk to leave her alone. At last, he thanked her for her time and turned away, disappointed he hadn't scored a story before the local paper.