Not even close.
My eyes never left him, and even with my super-senses, I didn't see him move. He was there and then he wasn't there.
"Guys, you're not going to catch me, seriously. So, please, just listen, okay?" Red was now sitting on a large branch of the Elm tree at the back of the yard. With my abilities, I knew I could make the distance in one jump, but I believed the kid. We would not catch him.
"All right," I conceded and waved Elyse over to me.
"Like I said, your aunt is fine. We're not going to hurt her. We just thought it best that she get pulled from that blood mage death-match." The kid winced and then looked at Elyse. "Hey, sorry about the death-match thing and your mom — I'm so sorry."
The sound of sirens, tires squealing to a stop, and doors slamming filled the air.
"We're out of time. Everything will be explained, but you need to come to the old boarded up UA Movie Theater in North Hollywood. Got that? The old UA movie theater."
"I got it."
"And only you two. No one else. Now get out of here."
Blink.
He was gone.
This time, I was monitoring the magic spectrum and caught just a hint of a power surge when the kid disappeared.
"I didn't know society members could apparate like Dumbledore," I said, just a tiny bit amused. The kid was likeable.
"As far as I know, they can't," Elyse responded, before shifting.
They can't? That was not the answer I expected. If the kid wasn't a Society member, then who was he? Where did he come from, and more importantly, whom was he working for or with?
Elyse bumped my hand to get my attention and vaulted over the back fence. I shifted into bear-form and followed.
CHAPTER 20
North Hollywood sounds much more glamorous than it actually is. It isn't, as the name implies, the North part of Hollywood. Instead, it's a small city located within the San Fernando Valley. There are a couple of movie studios located nearby, so maybe that's why the original citizens tried to cash in on the Hollywood mystique. Unfortunately, North Hollywood had slowly evolved into a lower income area and that brought with it all the associated problems — gangs, drugs, and crime in general. There were still pockets of really nice homes, but much to the owners' dismay, they were surrounded by some very rough neighborhoods.
There were entire blocks of North Hollywood where businesses had closed up shop and all that remained were the empty husks of buildings. The UA movie theater was located in one of these sections. The theater's parking lot was a cracked, weed-filled wasteland; its front windows were boarded up and covered in spray-painted street-art and gang graffiti.
The run from my house had been swift. We had used the interconnected series of what L.A. liked to call rivers but were actually just giant cement storm-drainage channels. They crisscrossed the Valley and Los Angeles basin and were perfect cover for a couple of shape-shifters trying to cross the city.
We approached the Theater with caution. We were both very aware this could be a trap, but we didn't really have another choice. The last we heard, Mr. Kelly was at the Society council meeting surrounded by people who wanted me taken into custody or terminated.
I reached out with all of my senses, magical and non-magical. The parking lot seemed clear. The theater was another matter entirely; it was lit up like a Las Vegas casino in the magic spectrum.
I slowed, trying to discern what all the swirling light might mean. I so needed a lesson in magic color association — if such a thing existed. Elyse and I would need to shift if we wanted to talk and that could be dangerous. The redheaded kid made our decision for us.
"Hey, guys, you made excellent time," Red shouted from his perch on the roof of the theater. "The board on the far left window opens like a door. Come on in. There is water and clothes so you can clean up. See you inside."
Blink.
He was gone.
I led the way to the window the kid had indicated and pushed on the board with a paw. It swung open, smooth and quiet. I poked my giant bear head through the door; it had proven indestructible so I wasn't too worried. The interior of the theatre was gloomy, with lots of dust and cobwebs, but no one waited to attack us. I caught Aunt Tina's scent and that convinced me. It may still be a trap, but my aunt was inside, and I wasn't leaving without her.
I shifted. "Aunt Tina's somewhere in this building."
Elyse shifted. We both looked like hell. Which made sense, considering we'd been fighting bad guys for almost twenty-four hours.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
"Let's do it."
We stepped through the door and into the lobby of the movie theater. It was covered in what looked like a decade's worth of dust and grime. The once multicolored carpet was worn and faded. The concession stand was a long rectangle against the far wall, with an ancient popcorn machine still standing sentinel behind it. I counted six doors leading to what I assumed were the individual screening rooms. A single movie poster had survived the ravages of time mostly intact — Lethal Weapon — so this place must have closed down in the late 1980s.
A folding table was set up just to the left of the door and, true to the kid's word, we found water, baby wipes, and clean clothes - gym shorts and t-shirts with the Burbank High School logo on them. Interesting. We cleaned ourselves up as best we could and waited.
One of the screening room doors cracked open and the kid called out, "Are you guys decent?"
"Yes. Thanks for asking."
I shrugged my shoulders at Elyse. The kid was polite.
The door opened wide and Red waved us over. The screening room beyond was well lit. Aunt Tina's scent was much stronger here. Elyse tapped my hand with her fingers. She had picked up the scent as well. I scanned as much of the area as I could. It seemed my aunt was in there alone — which made no sense.
"So, where's the rest of the welcoming committee?" I asked.
"They'll be here soon." Red waved us in. "Come on inside. Your aunt is kind of a basket case. She doesn't believe me that you're okay."
"I don't know your name," I said.
"Oh, yeah. Wyatt, my name is Wyatt." He stuck his hand out. He was a real piece of work. I reached out and took his hand. I didn't get any kind of magical, psychic, Ollphiest insight, no sense of impending danger. He was just a kid.
"How old are you, Wyatt?" Elyse asked, as she shook his hand.
"I'll be seventeen in four months." Wyatt bristled, a slight frown threatening his perpetually happy demeanor.
"So, sixteen then," I prodded.
"Yes, I am sixteen, but don't let that fool you."
"I've seen you in action. I would never let your age 'fool' me."
"Good." Wyatt seemed satisfied. He waved us in to the screening room. Rows of chairs had been removed from the back third of the screening room. In their place were two old sofas, a few folding chairs, and a couple of mismatched dining room tables.
Aunt Tina was sitting on the edge of one of the sofas, looking stressed. She jumped to her feet when I walked in, rushed over, and pulled me into a hug. After a moment, she reached out and pulled Elyse into the hug with us.
"I'm so glad you two are okay." Aunt Tina's voice cracked. She was trying real hard not to cry. "Let me look at you." She pushed Elyse and me back to arm's length and gave us the once over. Satisfied that we had no mortal injuries, she pulled us back into a hug. "Elyse, honey, I'm so sorry about your mom. Wyatt told me what happened."
I felt Elyse stiffen at the mention of her mom, but she didn't pull away. She let Aunt Tina console and mother her, relaxing into the embrace. I could feel Elyse shaking as she began to cry again. Aunt Tina gave me a squeeze, let me go, and turned all her attention to Elyse.
Wyatt wasn't sure where to look. He knew this was deep personal family stuff, and he wasn't family. I gave him a nod to let him know that it was okay.
Aunt Tina led Elyse to one of the sofas and they both sat down. She cradled Elyse in her arms, stroked her hair, and let
her cry.
Wyatt pulled a bottle of water from an ice chest and offered it to me, pointing at Elyse. I took it from him, cracked it open, and knelt in front of the two women I loved. I touched Elyse's arm. "You want a sip?"
Elyse nodded, wiped her eyes, and took the bottle, giving it a long pull before handing it back. Elyse took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. "Sorry about that. Thank you," she said.
"No sorry needed, ever." Aunt Tina kept an arm tight around Elyse's shoulder.
I have to admit Aunt Tina's calm state was surprising. She had been attacked by blood mages, had probably watched poor Tony die, and witnessed her nephew shape-shift from a monster bear-man into human form. I would have expected a little more anxiety on her end.
"So, Aunt Tina, you doing all right?" I asked tentatively. "The past few hours must have been . . . well you know . . ."
"Different?" Wyatt offered.
I rolled my eyes at him. "Sure. Different is one way to describe it. A horribly understated way to describe it, but yeah, let's go with Different."
"I'm doing all right. I've mostly been worried about you."
"I'm sure you have questions. Ask me anything . . ."
"I think we should wait on the questions," Wyatt interrupted. "Sorry, I'm just thinking it will all make more sense, maybe, if we wait."
Wyatt's cell phone rang, and he answered it. He had experience with shape-shifters, because he didn't even try to walk away or speak in whispers. Smart kid.
"Are you almost here?" Wyatt asked.
"I'm pulling up now." The voice was female, that's all I got before she disconnected.
"Can I use your phone please?' Elyse asked. "My dad's probably heard about my mom and is probably really worried about me."
I could see the conflict on Wyatt's face. He was a nice kid who wanted to help, but knew he probably shouldn't. I watched the battle rage across his freckled features and could pinpoint the instant he decided to hand Elyse his phone.
"What's going on?" a female voice demanded. We all jumped, because she hadn't made a sound. Even my super senses hadn't picked up anything. I turned. Standing in the screening room doorway was Lucy, the battle mage.
Well, crap.
Wyatt recovered and said, "She needs to call her dad. You know because the . . . thing."
"Oh. Sure, but can I ask that you not tell him where we are just yet?" said Lucy.
I was floored.
Compassion.
Lucy wasn't flinging spells or throwing magic daggers. She was offering to let Elyse call her dad. This was a very unexpected turn of events.
"If you go down toward the front of the theater, you'll have some privacy. But with all the enhanced hearing in the room, complete privacy isn't possible, sorry." Lucy shrugged her shoulders. It was such a normal person thing to do, and it seemed so out of character. The first time we had met, the interaction had lasted for less than five minutes, but in those few minutes, she had attacked me with absolutely no mercy. So this kinder, gentler Lucy was freaking me the heck out.
Elyse stood, took Wyatt's phone, and walked down to the front of the theater. I could hear her dial, the phone ringing, and her dad answering. Mr. Kelly sounded horrible. When he realized it was Elyse, he started shouting into the phone. Elyse kept speaking in soothing tones until he calmed down.
"We should try to give her privacy, no?" Lucy asked.
"Yes, of course," I agreed, and did my best to tune out Elyse's conversation.
"It's so cool that you guys can hear that." Wyatt was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I can't hear anything, except, like, a low murmur. How about you, Tina? Can you hear anything?"
Aunt Tina shook her head and smiled at Wyatt's enthusiasm. I could see how it would be contagious; the kid just had one of those personalities that could brighten even the darkest mood.
"We should sit," Lucy suggested.
I took the spot next to Aunt Tina. Wyatt plopped down on the other sofa and Lucy spun a folding chair around, swinging a leg over to sit on it backwards, her elbows resting on the back of the chair. She stared at me, a frown of concentration on her face.
"What?" I asked.
"You look normal. Even in the magic spectrum, you're like a regular person. It's the most complete camouflage I've ever encountered. It's scary."
"Scary?" My eyebrows shot up.
"Yeah, you're invisible to people like me and that's dangerous."
"Dangerous for you maybe, but for me, well, I consider it protection."
Lucy folded her arms and continued to glare at me.
I ignored her and turned my attention to Aunt Tina. "Are you sure you're doing all right? I know all of this must be confusing, and if you're freaking out, I understand."
Aunt Tina patted my arm, "I'm okay, really. Now that I know you're safe."
"Your aunt isn't as innocent as you think she is," said Lucy.
"I don't think you know as much as you think you do," I snapped back.
Aunt Tina shocked me when she said, "Orson, she's not completely off base."
"Huh?" What could Aunt Tina possibly know about shape-shifters and secret societies?
"I think we need to wait for your girlfriend. It sounds like she's just finishing up her conversation."
I stood up as Elyse hung up with her dad and handed the phone back to Lucy.
"Thanks again," Elyse said to Wyatt and Lucy.
"No problem. Everyone has a dad," Lucy said, smiling. Again with the compassion. It was bizarre.
Elyse and I sat down next to Aunt Tina.
"How's your dad?" I asked.
"He's a mess," Elyse said. "He's trying to put up a strong front, but I can hear it in his voice. He's devastated. He kept demanding to know where I was."
"You didn't tell him," Lucy asked abruptly.
"No. I didn't tell him, but we need to finish whatever this is, so I can go hug my dad."
I looked at Lucy and Wyatt expectantly. This was their rodeo, but I felt reluctance from both of them. Wyatt was fidgeting, crossing and re-crossing his legs. Lucy picked at the chipped finish on her folding chair.
"Well? Why did you kidnap my aunt? Why are we here?"
"Dude, kidnap is, like, a really strong word," said Wyatt. "In a way, you can say that we helped keep her safe. Those blood mages were blasting everything in sight."
"You're kidding me, right?" I was incredulous. As far as I understood, Lucy and Wyatt were members of the opposing team. Maybe not total bad guys, but they had definite bad guy tendencies.
"Maybe you should start at the beginning?" Aunt Tina suggested. "The internal problem at the Society."
Elyse and I both stared at my aunt, our mouths hanging open in disbelief. I held up a hand to stop Lucy or Wyatt from responding.
"Excuse me? The Society?" I stared at my Aunt Tina.
She knew.
She knew about the Paragon Society. If she knew about the Society, then did she know about my potential to become a shape-shifter? Why hadn't she ever said anything?
"Aunt Tina?"
"I told you she wasn't as innocent as you thought," Lucy quipped.
I stabbed a finger in her direction. "Shut up, please." My anger was stirring.
Lucy stiffened at my rebuke. Her eyes blazed.
Wyatt spoke up, doing his best to diffuse the situation. "Whoa. Hey now, everyone just calm down. Tina, maybe you could tell Orson what you told us earlier?"
Aunt Tina folded her hands around my pointing finger and pulled my hand down against her chest. Elyse placed a reassuring hand on my thigh. I waited for Aunt Tina to speak. Waited for an explanation. And it had better be the most awesome explanation ever.
"My great uncle, your great-great uncle, was like these two." Aunt Tina indicated Lucy and Wyatt. "He could do magic, real magic. He never did anything as crazy as Wyatt here, no teleportation, at least I don't think so. He was just a funny old guy, who occasionally did something really weird and unexplainable. And as far as I understand it, he was me
mber or had been a member of this Paragon Society."
Elyse let out a sigh of disbelief. I couldn't do anything except stare at my aunt. I thought maybe if I stared long enough, her words would begin make more sense. My world had been turned upside down, and she had known that our family had a history with magic.
As if she was reading my mind, Aunt Tina continued, "I swear, Orson, I didn't know you would have any kind of latent abilities. Uncle Jacob didn't have any kids and none of his nieces and nephews, including my dad, showed any magical ability. Needless to say, I don't have any special abilities, except never losing when I play the slots in Vegas," she added, trying to lighten the mood.
"Actually that's probably magic based," said Lucy.
We all turned to stare at her, and she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm just saying: extraordinary luck is a very weak magical ability."
"Orson, I watched you like a hawk growing up for any signs that you had inherited any kind of ability. You were just a normal kid."
"Well, he's not normal anymore, is he?" Lucy clucked.
Elyse shot Lucy a withering look. I pulled my hand back from Aunt Tina and sat back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. I had been worried how I was going to tell her about what had happened and was still happening to me, and as it turns out I had stressed over nothing. I couldn't really be angry with her. What was she supposed to have done? Tell me that her uncle was a magic wielding member of a secret society? I would have thought she was crazy.
This new information also meant that I hadn't inherited my ability from my dad like the Kelly had theorized, had that only been this morning? It seemed like a lifetime ago. I have to admit that I had liked the idea that my dad and I shared something, it had made me feel connected to a man that I'd only seen in pictures.
I reached out and took Aunt Tina's hand. "I get it. You didn't know what you didn't know, so how could you warn me?"
Aunt Tina's eyes welled with tears, and she hugged me hard and long. Wow, she had really been worried how I'd react. I hugged her back and whispered, "I love you."
Wyatt rubbed at his moist eyes. "You guys are awesome."
Lucy rolled her eyes. I guess compassion time was over. "If you're done with the family therapy session, I've got more info on crazy-old uncle Jacob. The reason nobody in the family inherited his ability is because he wasn't your great uncle, he was your great-great-great, oh I don't know how many greats, the guy was old even by Society standards. And according to Society records, he was supposed to have died during WWI."
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