Reveal (Cryptid Tales)

by Brina Courtney

  In the very back of the drawer I finally find a comb and hair gel. He better not mix up the gel and the lotion. That would lead to some very interesting questions from his brothers. He would never live it down! I pick up the comb, the voices are getting louder, and see a single medium brown strand. I grab it and stuff it into the baggie as fast as I can. Just as I put the baggie in my pocket a guy walks into Lance’s room.

  I spin around to see who is standing there.

  Thank God, it’s Hugh. I breathe out in relief; I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath.

  “Shay, where have you been? I ran out of money like five minutes ago. We have got to go! I can’t stay if I can’t play, house rules.”

  “Well I got what we came for,” I whisper.

  He winks at me and we walk nonchalantly down to the door as to not attract attention to ourselves. We high-five after making it safely to the street.

  As we walk back to Hugh’s apartment, I remind him of my plan.

  “So I just have to switch the hair in the vial after Chad goes to sleep tonight. Should be fairly easy. I’m sure he’ll put it in his backpack so he won’t forget it tomorrow.”

  Hugh gives me a quick peck and squeeze of the hand. “You can do this, good luck.”

  I smile, “Thanks,” and get in the car to go home and complete the mission.

  While I’m driving I crank up the music and jam out to Dynamite, I got lucky back there and I need to take a moment to let loose before I finish this task at home.

  Just as the song is ending and I turn onto my street, I see her. The little girl from my dreams is standing in the middle of my driveway.

  I stay in the car and turn off the ignition, staring at her translucent little frame.

  “Shay, come out here,” she says, “we need to talk.” The last word comes out all sing songy, but she doesn’t look happy.

  I sit there, my chest heaving as left over adrenaline pumps through my veins. She’s just a little ghost, nothing I can’t handle.

  I get out of the car making sure to slam the door extra loud. It’s like I’m claiming my territory or something, Discovery Channel here I come.

  “What do you want Wendy?”

  “You’ve been watching me, haven’t you Shay? Interested in what’s going on in the blue house on the hill?”

  “Watching you? No. I see you sometimes, dream of you, but no, you’re not the highlight of my life right now. Sorry to disappoint you.”

  She continues to roll out the fake sweetness. “No, you’re right, that would be Hugh, lovey dovey Hugh. Your mate.” Her eyes narrow.

  “So what if he is? What happened to Daddy, Wendy? Where is he?”

  “Daddy’s gone, he didn’t want to play by the rules.”

  “By who’s rules Wendy?” And then it dawns on me, the dark overlay in my last dream. Of course, it all makes sense now. The woman in black, Erika she called her. I collect my thoughts and say, “Malsumis?” It was Malsumis who told her how to bring her dad back, he wanted to control her. Somehow Erika has a handle on her.

  Her eyes widen for just a moment and then she relaxes again. “You’re quite observant, aren’t you Shay?”

  “Wendy, I brought your dad here for you, not for him. Where is your father Wendy? Come on, it doesn’t have to be like this.” I try to plead with her. It’s obvious she’s changed and probably not by her choice.

  She suddenly rushes at me in full force. The breeze makes my wisps of hair move around my head. She stops just short of touching me. Suddenly she looks like the Wendy I once knew.

  “Shay he made me do it. He’s coming for you, you need to hide.”

  I search her eyes, “What did he make you do? Wendy, we can get Jeremy, he can help.”

  “I banished him Shay, my own father. Malsumis is so strong, you’ll never win.”

  I try to take a second to think, but I can’t breathe. My eyes widen as the fear sets in. There’s a dark mist settling around us. I can hardly see my hand in front of me already. It’s so dark and coming in fast. I know I have to leave her. I don’t want to, but I can’t stay. I sprint to the house just as the black fog brushes the ground. I grab the doorknob and luckily it’s unlocked. I slam the door behind me. The mist pushes against my door, making my whole body move with it, but once I shut and lock it, Malsumis can’t come in. I take a deep breath and lay my forehead on the hard wood. I need a minute to relax before anyone sees me. This is the first time in my life I felt like I could die, but I have a terrible foreboding feeling it won’t be the last.

  Hugh told me on our way home from Texas that when our fathers were close friends Alo’s father came to my house and put protections on it. I don’t know what those are but Malsumis can’t get to us once we’re locked inside. However, if the door is left open, or even a window, it’s an open invitation for the deity and his followers.

  I look around my house to see who all is home. It’s only seven, so I’m still early. Mom is sitting at her desk in the study going over thesis papers. It’s April, so most of the students are getting ready to finish up with classes and handing in their biggest papers.

  “Hi Mom!” I fake cheeriness as I pop my head into the office. It’s lined with books so it makes it a little darker than the rest of the house.

  “Hey there,” she says almost looking relieved for a break.

  “How goes the grading? Kids doing any good?” I nod to her pile of papers about fifty pages high.

  “They’re doing alright I guess. I’m concerned they’re not grasping the schizophrenia case we studied, but perhaps that’s my fault for choosing such a difficult file.” Her shoulders are slumped forward. She turns and looks out the singular small window in the room. She had it built so there would only be one. Fewer distractions that way she had said. “Weird weather, came on so quickly and such a dark fog too. I hope you didn’t get caught driving in it.”

  I shake my head, “Nah, it came on just as I walked in the door.” Ain’t that the truth.

  “And I heard a noise when you walked in, everything OK?”

  “I just dropped my bag, same as every day.”

  She squints at me, “Your practice bag? I didn’t realize you took it to Hugh’s with you.” She eyes my empty hands as if they’ll tell her the truth.

  “Well since it’s nice out I thought maybe we would go for a run, but he wasn’t into it.”

  “I can tell what he was into,” she eyes my hoodie turned inside out suspiciously. It’s better if I just go along with it, embarrassing, but better.

  “Mom! Shut up! Nothing happened!” I let my voice go higher than normal, she laughs and plays along.

  “Of course it didn’t.” She looks back to her papers, but I can still see her smiling.

  “There are steaks in the fridge, help yourself. Chad’s at Tim’s and I already ate.”

  “Mmmm,” I say as I turn away now having an excuse to leave. Now just to find the backpack. I start with the obviously location, the kitchen where Chad spends all of his time when he’s not playing video games. He’s gotta eat. I take out a steak and put it on a plate with a hearty scoop of mashed potatoes before popping it in the microwave.

  I take a look at Chad’s usual spot on the high stool near the fridge but there’s no book bag. While the microwave beeps, I go upstairs to a place I haven’t been in years, Chad’s disgusting bedroom. I open the door which pushes aside some dirty clothes that are lying on the floor. There are piles of garbage and clothes, magazines and books everywhere. His bed isn’t made, and I see some dirty dishes on his computer desk. It smells like sweaty socks in here, I pray to God this isn’t how I smelled earlier, Hugh may never want to see me again if it is.

  After looking over the dishes, I see his backpack hanging on the computer chair. Jackpot! I immediately cross the room and start rummaging through the bag. There’s a baggie marked with his name with a small vial in it. It already has a hair. I pop off the plastic top and shake out the hair onto the floor. I take Lance’s hair out
of the baggie from my pocket and place it into the vial. I stand there for a minute thinking about how this means Chad won’t know who he really is. But this isn’t the time. He needs to grow up and learn all of this on his own. Not from some website that could expose us all and cause us more problems than we ever could have imagined. Malsumis has already found me, it’s only a matter of time until he makes my life a living hell and I kick his ass. Chad doesn’t need any of that right now. I want to let him continue to be young and naive, at least for now.

  I put the vial back in the bag and creep back downstairs to eat my dinner. I send a text to Hugh.

  mission complete- me

  He responds only a minute later. It’s just a smiley face but I know he’s thinking exactly what I am. We dodged a bullet on this one.

  Chapter 26

  For the next few weeks I focus on school and work. Wendy drifts in and out of my mind, but there hasn’t been another sighting of her. I asked Jeremy if he might have seen her but no luck there either. Somehow we have to get her out of whatever trouble she’s in, but I don’t know how yet.

  Once school lets out on Tuesday, Olivia and I go for a trip to the college. I feel like we haven’t been here in weeks. Mostly because when I’m done with school lately I’ve been going over to see Hugh between his classes. Then I go right to practice and to work. The past couple times I’ve been at work Olivia hasn’t been there, between piano lessons and now tennis starting, she’s really busy. So today is a nice break for us to just catch up.

  We sit in the coffee shop and she starts talking about her new tennis instructor, “He seems like he’ll actually teach me some new skills. It’ll be good for college ya know? Track and tennis, there’s gotta be a scholarship out there somewhere. I need to get the upper hand from somewhere.”

  “Any new acceptance letters?” I ask her, trying to sound interested, even though all I can think about is Wendy’s situation and how close I came to being taken by The Darkness the other week. It’s all I’ve been thinking about lately, what if I was just a second slower? What would have happened to me? I didn’t tell Hugh about my run in with Wendy, I don’t want him to worry about me. He’ll just tell me to stay away from her, but I know I really need to help her.

  Olivia brings me back to reality. “So how are things with Hugh?” She bats her eyelashes as she talks.

  I blush and look at my shoes, “Really good, I think we’re ya know…”

  She raises her eyebrows as her eyes widen, “You think?”

  “Yeah I mean, I love him Liv. I really think this is it. He could be The One.”

  She looks impressed, “The One? Wow! Good for you girl, I mean he’s a hottie!”

  Laughing I say, “I know right?”

  She high fives me and gives a word of advice. “Just be careful OK? Make sure you’re safe and all that.”

  It’s times like these that it’s important to have a great best friend like mine. “I will Liv, thanks.”

  After practice that day I’m hanging out at Hugh’s reading a mystery book I’ve been trying to finish for over a month. I take a break from reading to finish the PB and J sandwich Hugh made me for dinner. Mostly he eats using his meal plan on campus so he doesn’t have a lot of food in the apartment. It’s nice he offers to make me anything at all. When I finish my dinner, I decide to ask Hugh a question that’s been plaguing my mind for weeks.

  “Hugh, can I ask you something?”

  He looks away from homework he’s working on. “Sure, what’s up?”

  “Why are my eyes yellow? I mean they never were before, why are they now?”

  He sets down his notebook, “Because you met me. Cryptids have this ability to bring out features of other cryptids, it’s so other tribes can’t hide from us. It’s more of a safety precaution; I’m probably the first one outside your family you’ve met.”

  I nod as I think on this and go back to reading my book. I guess he’s right, they were just boring brown until we actually talked. I wonder what else meeting him has triggered within me. I continue to read for a while and then as Hugh finishes his homework I decide to ask another question.

  “Hugh?” I ask apprehensively. I put down the book and I’m suddenly overly interested in the nail polish that I’ve been steadily chipping off for the past two days.

  “Yeah?” He looks back at me with a confused look.

  I sigh “I was just wondering, with the whole telepathy thing, it’s all about the genetics right?”

  “Yes, it has to do with genetic inheritance. You inherit your parents genes and with that the possibility to speak to them in your mind. It’s a really unique ability. My parents and I can do it, but only when were close and looking at one another. Really strong cryptids, like yourself, can do it over long spaces.”

  He looks down, “That was another part of your dad’s study. He wanted to see how far he could still speak to his father.”

  My eyes light up, I sit up so straight that I almost drop the plate on my lap. “My grandfather died before I was born, does that mean…” my voice trails off as my hope builds.

  Hugh sighs heavily, “I’m sorry Shay, but once a cryptid dies their ability to communicate with their family dies with them. They can’t connect with the living unless they’re a ghost, but I’ve never heard of a ghost who can get into your head.”

  I turn away, I think I already knew that answer, but the stinging behind my eyes says I didn’t want to believe it. I rub my eyes in an effort not to cry. I may never hear my father’s voice again. I suddenly feel as though I wish I had more home movies or that I had listened to him better as a child. Do I even know what he sounded like at all? The tears stream down my face as I shake into an all out sob. Hugh cradles me in his arms. His compassion envelops me. I can feel how much it hurts him to see me like this. It comes out of him in waves, each time I choke out a stronger sob, he pulls me closer into him.

  I feel like my dad has disappeared all over again. I really thought I would find him, I thought that Alo and Chenoa would have all the answers. But instead I feel like they believe my worst fears, he’s gone and he’s never coming back.

  Hugh puts his hands through my hair and looks at me straight in the eyes. “I love you Shay Tafford. I knew the minute I met you I was going to be with you for the rest of my life. We will make it through this, I promise you.”

  I choke back the tears and nod at him, “I love you too.”

  I lean in to kiss him, slowly at first and then more passionate. My emotions surge through me and what I’ve been feeling for Hugh over these past couple months rise to the surface of my skin. I feel like I’m on fire as he runs his fingers down my face and wipes away my tears. His hands move to my neck, tracing the lines of my collar bone following down to my chest. He unexpectedly puts his hands underneath me and lifts me up. Hugh carries me to the bedroom and lays me down on the bed.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” he asks softly as he sits down next to me.

  “Yes.” I whisper, and for the first time since I’ve met Hugh, this is something I’m absolutely sure of.

  Chapter 27

  The soft sheets feel cool against my skin. I pull them tightly around me as we sleep for a little while, just enjoying each other’s company. Lying in Hugh’s arms I feel like there’s nothing in the world that I can’t handle. When he stirs in his sleep I subconsciously move too. It’s almost like there’s a magnetic force that pulls me whenever he moves. I watch him closely and I decide to test out my theory while his eyes are still shut. I move my hand up to his bare chest running my fingers over the grooves that shape his chest muscles. He instantly turns so that more of his body is closer to me. We really are tied together, I just must not have noticed it before.

  When Hugh wakes up he looks at me with his beautiful yellow eyes. No contacts tonight. No need to hide when it’s just he and I. He takes his hands and brushes the hair out of my face. He settles his hand on my cheek for just a moment and it feels electric. Like there’s
a real spark between us.

  He smiles, he must feel it too. “I love you Shay.”

  I close my eyes and push my face against his hand, “I love you too.”

  After we lay there a while, just enjoying the bliss of being together I notice how late it is.

  “I hate to do this, but I’ve got to get going. School tomorrow.”

  He laughs, “Yeah not all of us get to sleep in till 11am.”

  I hit him with the pillow and I move to get up. He sits up in the bed wrapping the sheet around his waist as he pushes his back against the pillow.

  “You sure you have to go? I mean can’t Liv cover for you or something?”

  I pull my jeans on, “No she can’t. She got into a big mess when she lied about me staying at her place over our little trip.”