Bumble

by Connie Suttle

  "I'm okay Mom," Ashe said, sitting up and gazing at the two wrecked vehicles. Adele hugged him tightly anyway. Ashe felt shaky, Adele wept and Denise held onto Sali, although he attempted (unsuccessfully) to wriggle away from her grip.

  "Mom," Ashe patted Adele's shoulder; she was shaking and too frightened to let him go at the moment. "Mom," Ashe repeated, "I think we need to get Dad here as soon as possible." Ashe had his eye on the western horizon—the sun was slipping below it, leaving them in early twilight.

  "Honey, why?" Adele held him away from her.

  "Because that's Georgia Daniels' minivan," Ashe replied, nodding toward the vehicle that had crashed into theirs.

  * * *

  Aedan and Radomir arrived quickly, with Marcus and Marco in Marcus' van. Sali and Ashe waited in a small room at the Clinton Police Department later while Adele and Denise answered questions about the incident. Ashe, hearing every word said, learned from another officer working in an office down the hall that Georgia Daniels hadn't survived the accident. What worried Ashe, however, was that she was the only one inside the minivan. Ashe relayed that information to Sali, whose face went pale.

  "But," Sali said.

  "Hush. We can tell our dads later," Ashe whispered. Sali nodded, his eyes wide. Aedan had slipped into the room earlier to be with Adele, and Ashe knew his father had likely employed compulsion to remain there.

  "No, I don't think we need to go to the hospital; my son managed to push us out of the way before the crash," Adele told the officer as they walked out of his office. Ashe noticed the officer's nametag read Goodwin.

  "Then he has good reflexes," the officer nodded. "Do you have your bags and things?" Ashe and Sali had unwittingly held onto the shopping bags as they went tumbling.

  "I think so. Thank you, Officer Goodwin."

  "Call me Eddie," he said, smiling and offering his hand. Ashe knew he was completely ignoring Aedan Evans, because Aedan had likely told him to do so. Adele and Denise shook hands with the officer while Aedan watched both women carefully. Ashe and Sali followed them out the door of the Clinton Police station, surprised to find Winkler, Jason and Trace waiting outside, standing around Mr. Winkler's van and talking with Radomir, Marcus and Marco.

  "I'm hungry," Sali complained as he crawled inside Marcus' van.

  "We can get something on the way home," Marcus sighed and climbed into the driver's seat. Trace loaded in with Sali and the others while Aedan, Adele and Ashe climbed into Winkler's van with Radomir and Jason.

  "Are you hungry too, son?" Aedan sat on one side of Ashe, his mother on the other. Jason had climbed into the third set of seats. "That's quite the black eye," Aedan added, a slight smile quirking his lips.

  "I'm a little hungry," Ashe admitted. "Mrs. Daniels is dead, Dad."

  "I know," Aedan sighed wearily. Right then, Ashe wished he had mindspeech, that other rare gift that vampires sometimes had. He'd be telling his dad about seeing Mrs. Daniels with Principal Billings as Winkler drove.

  "Will a burger do?" Winkler asked. The Sonic drive-in was the only thing open at the moment. The questioning had taken more than two hours and the other restaurants were closed.

  "Yeah. And tater tots," Ashe's appetite was waking up. Adele hugged her son and kissed his cheek.

  * * *

  "Ashe, you should get in bed," Adele said later as they walked into the house.

  "I know. Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?" Ashe asked, looking up at his father. Winkler had dropped Ashe, his parents and Radomir off at the house before driving toward Marcus and Denise's home.

  "What is it, son?" Aedan sat down at the kitchen table. Radomir leaned against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed over his chest.

  "I'm going to bed. Ashe, brush your teeth and go to bed too, when you're done," Adele went through the middle door, closing it behind her.

  "Dad," Ashe listened while his mother's footsteps faded down the stairs, "Dad," he said again. "I saw Georgia Daniels in Greerson's Department Store while I was trying on clothes. Sali saw her too."

  "You think she was watching your mother?"

  "I don't know. She wasn't looking at us when I saw her."

  "This is confusing, son," Aedan pinched the space above his nose. Ashe knew the gesture was a sign of frustration from his father, who'd never had a headache since becoming vampire.

  "Yeah. But Mrs. Daniels wasn't alone." Ashe's statement caused his father's head to jerk upward.

  "Who?" he snapped, gray eyes going red and boring into Ashe's blue.

  "Principal Billings," Ashe whispered.

  * * *

  "What did you find?" Winkler was waiting for Aedan and Radomir to return from a quick reconnaissance mission.

  "Car isn't back yet," Aedan replied. "We didn't get too close to the house in case he's looking for scent."

  "I know how Marcus feels about this," Winkler said. "And I've got more information on the Daniels woman."

  "What's that?"

  "The gun used to kill Terry Smith and Megan Lindley was found in the back of her van, with her fingerprints on it. My contact in Oklahoma City called a few minutes ago to let me know," Winkler said.

  "I don't believe for even a moment that she was capable of this." Radomir sounded sure. "I think this is a way to placate the authorities, leading them to believe they have the person responsible."

  "Marcus doesn't see it that way," Winkler said. "Georgia Daniels' husband died six years ago in a challenge, and Marcus thinks she went crazy. We've had to use one of the decoy houses outside the property as her home," he added. Citizens in Cloud Chief had a post office box to receive mail, and their license listed an address outside Cloud Chief as a street address. It was necessary to protect the community.

  "This needs to be kept quiet," Radomir observed.

  "I've already contacted the Grand Master; he feels the same. He's ordered Marcus and his family to keep it quiet while we investigate."

  "But if someone else is involved, how did they convince Georgia Daniels to do this?" Aedan asked. "And what will be done with her son?"

  "I'll take Trace and do some questioning tomorrow—Marcus asked Micah and Greta to take Chad in for the night and break the news to him. They'll keep him out of school until this is resolved." Winkler shook his head.

  "Are they still planning to execute the Smith boy?" Radomir asked.

  "They are, but they have to find him first. The Grand Master has sent two trackers but they haven't located the boy."

  "Did his mother ever call you?" Aedan asked.

  "No." Winkler sounded disappointed. "I'll let you know what I learn from the Daniels boy tomorrow night. Will you keep an eye on Billings and let me know when he returns?"

  "Of course," Radomir agreed.

  Ashe, hovering over their heads as mist, zoomed away.

  Chapter 14

  "I've already called Principal Billings and told him that you're staying home today," Adele told Ashe when she woke him Tuesday morning. "He said he'd hand your assignments to Dori and she can bring them. Sali is staying home today as well. Your father says not to discuss the accident with anyone."

  "I know," Ashe slid off the bed and searched for clothing. "Want me to make breakfast? I can do scrambled eggs and toast."

  "That sounds really good. I'll meet you upstairs."

  "Dude, you know how to cook?" Sali and Denise were at the door just as Ashe was scraping a pile of scrambled eggs onto two plates.

  "Your confidence in my culinary skills is lacking," Ashe grinned. "Want some? I can make more."

  "Sure." Sali settled into a seat at the table while his mother rolled her eyes at his seemingly insatiable appetite.

  "How about you, Mrs. DeLuca?" Ashe pulled more eggs from the fridge.

  "I'm not hungry, Ashe, we ate breakfast half an hour ago."

  "Mom, I'm a growing boy," Sali whined, dipping into eggs and toast while Adele gave him a bright smile before eating her own breakfast. Denise DeLuca accepted a cup of coffee from A
she before he sat down to eat.

  "Dude, my Aunt Marcie is leaving Uncle Dom early," Sali whispered as he and Ashe walked downstairs later. "Your black eye looks better."

  "Yeah, it's purple, green, brown and yellow now," Ashe said. “At least I can see out of it. What do you mean, your aunt is leaving your uncle early?"

  "A lot of werewolf marriages are arranged, dude. The males outnumber the females six to one, so not every male werewolf will get to marry a female werewolf. Didn't your mom and dad tell you about that? Female vampires are nearly nonexistent. Dad told me that, too. Anyway, Grampa Sal had Aunt Marcie marry his Second, Dominic Pruitt, who's Packmaster in Phoenix now. 'Course she told him she was leaving him when Cousin Jackson turned eighteen, right after Uncle Dom challenged Grampa Sal and won. Cousin Jackson is fourteen, now, and Cousin Dustin is seventeen. Two kids is the rule, dude, before the Grand Master will allow a divorce. Then the female werewolf is allowed to pick her next mate."

  "Dude, do you know how messed up that sounds?" Ashe shook his head. He only knew a little about how the Pack dealt with marriage. "And your uncle challenged your grampa? That sounds awkward."

  "I heard Aunt Marcie was really mad at him. He didn't tell her what he was planning. Mom said Grampa was old, but she still gets upset about it, too."

  "Did you ever meet your grampa?"

  "Mom says I was a baby when he saw me, so I don't remember it." Sali shivered. "Grampa Salidar is the one I'm named after."

  "I know werewolves do things differently. I sure hope you don't want the Pack someday."

  "Nah. You think I want to deal with some of those guys? They complain to Dad all the time."

  "So, your Aunt Marcie is leaving your Uncle Dom, four years earlier than she planned? Where is she going?"

  "She's coming here. Mom says Aunt Marcie will be here sometime Saturday, so she wants to invite people over. Dad said the Cloud Chief Pack will consider her request to join."

  "What about your cousins? Cloud Chief will be a big let-down after Phoenix."

  "They won't be coming," Sali mumbled. "If the female leaves, the father gets the kids. Werewolf tradition. It's an incentive for the mothers to stay until the kids graduate high school."

  "Dude, that is seriously messed up." Ashe flopped against the headboard of his bed.

  "Mom and Dad asked to be together, so it wasn't arranged so much. Now, Mom's worried that Marco will think she's going to leave him, too, and that's not the case."

  "But Marco's nearly eighteen. You're the one who might be affected most. If it did happen," Ashe amended. He liked Sali's mom and worried that things might not be as stable as he thought.

  "Yeah, but Marco's been hit twice," Sali worried a hole in one of his socks.

  "Your mom isn't planning to leave, is she?" Ashe voiced his fears aloud.

  "Nope. She talked to Marco and me right after she talked to Aunt Marcie. Marco's in a bad mood anyway, so I don't think anybody is getting through to him."

  "He was okay when we had the cookout."

  "But now he's depressed again. They're having Megan's funeral tomorrow and Marco's still mad that he can't go."

  "What if there was a way?" Ashe traced a pattern in his comforter, decorated with green, blue and brown rectangles.

  "Dad said he could stay home, but that's all he said," Sali hunched his shoulders.

  "But what if there is a way?" Ashe persisted.

  "He'll be seen. That's what Dad is trying to avoid."

  "And if he isn't seen?" Ashe's comment, made with head bowed as he traced a blue rectangle this time, had Sali drawing in a sharp breath.

  "You're kidding," Sali gasped. "You can't." He was skeptical immediately.

  "Mom told me I was staying home again tomorrow," Ashe said. "Want to go ask Marco if he can get away for an hour or so?" Ashe felt scared and excited at the same time.

  "Dude, I don't know," Sali backed up a little, staring at Ashe in disbelief coupled with a healthy bit of fear.

  "Come on, try it for five seconds. If you don't like it, I'll put you down."

  "Fine," Sali shivered with fear and anticipation, as if Ashe were about to ask him to leap off a tall bridge with only a slender bungee cord attached to his feet.

  "All right," Ashe grinned triumphantly and became mist. Once that was accomplished, he touched his mist to Sali, who also became mist. See, nothing there, Ashe said silently to his friend as they hovered before the mirror atop Ashe's dresser. No image of either boy was reflected in the glass. Ashe let Sali go and Sali reappeared immediately, staggering to remain upright in the floor.

  "Dude," Sali whispered reverently, his dark eyes blinking at Ashe in something akin to worship, "I heard you!"

  "What?" Ashe became corporeal, staring at Sali in surprise. "What did you hear?"

  "You said see, nothing there," Sali replied, grinning hugely. "That was amazing! I could see and hear! Let's go tell Marco."

  "He has to promise to keep his mouth shut," Ashe warned, shaking himself. He had mindspeech after all. He had both rare vampire gifts.

  "If you take him tomorrow, I think he'd do just about anything," Sali observed.

  "Then let's go." Ashe became mist again, gathered Sali up and went straight through the ceiling, through the kitchen floor past his mother, right through the attic and out the roof. Arriving at Sali's home bare moments later, Ashe zipped right past Winkler and Marcus in the DeLucas' kitchen and straight into the hall, where Ashe dropped Sali before changing back to himself. Sali knocked softly on Marco's bedroom door.

  "What do you want?" Marco's muffled voice was surly.

  "Marco, I think I have the answer to your problem," Sali said softly, leaning against his brother's door.

  "What?" Marco almost flung his bedroom door open, halting in half swing when he saw Ashe standing there with his younger brother. "When did you get here?" he demanded.

  "Just now," Ashe said. "And we can always leave, if you don't want to go into Cordell with me tomorrow."

  "And just how are you going to get me there?" Marco's words were snarled.

  "Dude, we're supposed to be at Ashe's house right now, and we may not have much time. Let us in and we'll explain," Sali whispered, his black eyes begging his brother to hear him out. Ashe got the idea that Sali wasn't allowed inside Marco's room very often.

  "And this was my idea," Ashe said. "So Sali isn't to blame for any of this."

  "Get in," Marco stood aside to allow both boys inside his room. Ashe took in the rumpled bed, scattered clothing and books piled on the dresser. It was an older version of Sali's room. Ashe wasn't about to say that to Sali, though. He bore enough pressure as Marco's younger brother. Marco shut the door and Ashe and Sali moved uncomfortably into the space between Marco's bed and dresser.

  "Marco, I can get you into Cordell and inside the church tomorrow, but you have to promise you'll never tell that we went or how it was done," Ashe mumbled, staring at his feet. He'd worn his new shoes; they didn't pinch his toes.

  "I don't think that's possible, but go ahead. Tell me how you plan to do this." Marco flopped onto his bed, prepared to be unimpressed.

  "All right. Sali, do you want to be the guinea pig?" Ashe turned to his friend.

  "Sure. Let's show him impossible," Sali wore a smug smile as he studied his older brother. Ashe nodded, went right to mist and had Sali drawn into his mist and invisible in only a second or two. Marco was backing up on his bed, his feet pushing the bedspread into a puddle as he scrabbled with his feet and hands.

  "What the," Marco didn't finish his statement. He stared, hard, as Ashe and Sali became visible again.

  "Mom and Dad don't know yet," Ashe said. "You can't tell, Marco, or I'll be in trouble for sure. I found out I could do this on the last full moon. If I come for you right at two tomorrow afternoon, I'll take you to the Prairie Harvest Baptist Church and we'll find somewhere to sit so nobody will see us. We have to come right back after the service, though. If Mom finds me gone, I'll be in hot water for su
re."

  "Yeah. I know that feeling. You don't feel weird doing this?" Marco slid to the edge of the bed as he asked Sali about riding with Ashe as mist.

  "Dude, its flying. Weightless flying. And you can see and hear everything while you're with Ashe. And Ashe can talk to you while he's taking you. In here." Sali tapped his temple.

  "I don't know how this is possible," Marco stared at Ashe.

  "Dad says there are some really rare vampires who can turn to mist and mindspeak. I think that's all it is, Marco. I get this from Dad, somehow. I'll be here tomorrow at two unless something happens. Be ready to go."

  "I'll be ready." Marco still seemed stunned but nodded at Ashe anyway.

  "Ready?" Ashe turned to Sali.

  "Ready," Sali grinned. Ashe went to mist, turned Sali to mist as well and scooted right through the roof.

  "Dude, that is an awesome talent," Sali sighed as Ashe dropped his friend on his bedroom floor moments later. "We should have timed it," Sali added.

  "Yeah. I had to be going around sixty or seventy when I caught up with Mom's truck on the highway," Ashe said, flopping onto the bed with a sigh.

  "And it was just speeding along without a driver?" Sali asked.

  "Yeah."

  "Dude, that's just weird. You think somebody started driving and then jumped out?"

  "Had to. I guess. How else could it have happened?"

  "No idea. Have you started writing your essay yet?"

  "Are you kidding? I'm stumped. I don't have a single good idea." Ashe chewed thoughtfully on his lip.

  "Me either. And I really want a cell phone."

  "A cell phone would be nice." Ashe agreed completely. "But we have to write the essay first, and then it has to be better than anybody else's. Wait—we have a whole box of essays to look through." Ashe stared at Sali.

  "Yeah." Sali hauled the box that Ashe had stolen from Principal Billings' attic out of Ashe's closet. Ashe jerked the lid off and lifted out half the papers inside. "I'll take this half, you take the other half. See what you can find, dude."

  "Here's Marco's," Sali snickered after a minute of reading. He slapped that one on the bed for future scrutiny and went back to looking.