97 (Rise of the Battle Bred)
Page 19
I sat up quickly, dumping milk on myself, and Snoopy defied his age by zeroing in on the spill with laser sights. While he mopped up, I clicked feverishly to get the sound up.
“…recent attack of Mick Klipper who will be released later today. The unprovoked attack occurred outside Deer Run High. Police have ordered the school to stay in Lockdown until the creature has been captured by Animal Control. Witnesses describe a bear-like animal prowling around the parking lot in this morning’s fog. The condition of the student is unknown at this time, and the name will not be released until relatives have been notified. Back to you, Ricky,” The news reporter smiled with gleaming teeth and the camera panned back to show the anchor team.
My breath caught in my chest. I put my bowl on the floor so Snoopy could finish, and raced to my room to get dressed.
My mom caught me running around my room looking for socks and tennis shoes.
“Where do you think you’re going?” She asked.
“Um. School?”
“I already called them after you told me you were staying home. And you’re not riding anywhere, if that’s what you’re planning,” She gave me that look.
I made a face but quit jumping around. I sat on the bed and got my phone out. My mom went back to the office.
I texted Crady.
What the heck is going on????
Did you see the news
YES
Nobody knows what happened. Principal told everyone lockdown. We’re all sitting here
Someone got attacked in the parking lot. They won’t say who. Witnesses said they saw a bear in the fog.
A bear? Like attacked you last night?
Well, it wasn’t William, if that’s what you’re getting at
Stop being all sensitive Jane. Couldn’t have been William this morning, could it? He was with my Dad, remember?
Believe me now?
Probably, yeah.
Gee thanks. Now what?
I can’t get out.
Me neither. My mom.
What about Mick?
What about him?
Make your mom take you to see him
I love the way you think
Ikr. Gtg
K, bye
Crady was so stinking devious. One of the reasons I loved her, and hated her.
I had to play this just right, so I went back to the living room and cleaned my mess better, got Snoopy settled in his spot and made a cup of hot chocolate for my mom.
I took it to her.
“What about Mick? Could you take me to see him today?” I asked her.
She sipped her hot chocolate, her face showing bliss at the scent of the dark chocolate hazelnut aroma.
“He’s coming home today, Jane. What’s the point?” She answered and turned back to her computer. Dang it!
I thought about sneaking out again. But if that thing was skulking around, then I didn’t want to be bait again. My shining knight was in the dungeon and couldn’t rescue me. Plus, there was the whole 98 life thing. I was NOT going to be the death of him one more time.
The dungeon! I called the police station, having memorized Crady’s dad’s number many years ago. I asked for him. I only had to wait a few minutes.
“Hey Detective Johnson,” I said calmly, even though my heart was racing like mad.
“Hi, Jane! What can I do to help you?” he asked, so politely that I grew uncomfortable at the prospect of pumping him for information.
“I, uh, just wondered if you already knew what was going on at the school, and if, uh, Animal Control caught that bear?” I hoped I sounded natural.
“You’re not at school now?” He asked me.
“Um, no, after last night, I kinda needed a break.”
“Ah, I see. Well, we’ve got that situation under control. You just stay put, alright?” he said, and I got annoyed. He had tried on that condescending tone adults take when they think they’re talking to a dummy.
“Oh, that’s great!” Two could play his game. “I was so worried about Crady, you know, and my new neighbor William. Because he was supposed to go with me on my paper route this morning, and he never showed, you know?” I laid it on thick, the whole ditzy teen act.
He cleared his throat. “Well, Jane, William was still here at about the time of your paper route, and, uh, he and his dad are actually on their way out of town. I convinced them they needed to tie up some loose ends at their previous address.”
“Oh,” I said, a lump climbing up my throat. “They’re leaving? Leaving?” Yes, I said it twice. Guess the ditzy teen act was hard to drop.
“That was the plan,” He said. “Sorry to brush you off, Jane, but I really need to get back on this Animal Control situation going on. You get some rest, okay? We’ve got it all taken care of on our end,” He hung up without saying goodbye and I just stared at the phone in my hand.
I knocked briskly on my mom’s office door, and looked in on her.
“I’m running down to William’s real quick. His cousin helped me on my route this morning, and I think he dropped his watch,” I spoke fast, trying to flood her with so many details that she would let me be.
She signaled to me that she was on the phone, and gestured that I should just go. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, I closed her door softly and raced out of the house. I jogged down to their house and knocked on the door.
Gordon answered. Crap.
“Sorry to bother you, Gordon,” I said politely. Tried not to sound too friendly though, ‘cause he would know it was a scam.
“Is William back yet?” I asked as calmly as I could.
Gordon opened the door wider and suggested I come in.
“Um, thanks,” I said.
“You may as well sit down,” He told me.
I didn’t blame him for the cold shoulder. I had been pretty rude to him this morning.
“This is the deal,” he continued. “Jacob and William didn’t have a choice. They had to return to Toledo to talk to the police. My dad went with them, because he can probably help them out.”
“What about the Lochspawn? It attacked someone at the school!” I blurted out.
“We know about the Lochspawn. We sent a patrol out this morning to try and track it down,” He answered.
“Do you know who got attacked?” I asked him.
“We’re not sure,” He said. A girl came around the corner, rubbing wet hair with a towel.
“Gordon, you can have the shower now…” she saw me and stopped. “Oh. Hi! My name is Trixie. What’s yours?” She bubbled kind of profusely, and I couldn’t help but like her. Really, the only reason I didn’t like Gordon was because he wasn’t William, and I could hardly blame him for that.
“I’m Jane. Plain Jane,” I said, and then my heart did a little herky jerky dance that kind of hurt.
“Hi Jane! It’s nice to meet you! This is all so exciting. So, how long have you known that you’re a Warrior?” She asked me.
I frowned at her. “What?” I asked, confused.
“Trixie!” Gordon barked her name. She looked wounded. “Not everyone in this town is a Warrior. This is William’s…friend,” He looked at me, and I felt a blush coming on. He didn’t know what to call me either.
She held her hand to her mouth.
“It’s okay,” Gordon said. “She knows about us. But not all Warriors are like us, either.”
Trixie melted onto a chair. “Thank goodness. Wow, I really stuck my foot in it, didn’t I?” She laughed a little and looked at me. “Yeah, I guess some Warriors know their whole lives, and some of us don’t know right away. Like our family,” She giggled and shrugged.
“We were talking about the Lochspawn,” I said.
She shivered. “Horrible things. I never saw one until a few months ago.”
I just stared at her. How was that possible? William’s entire family had fought for their lives on a continual basis. Here, her dad had gotten a law degree and the kids had never even seen a Lochspawn?
Gor
don put a calming hand on my shoulder. He must have seen the consternation on my face.
“Look. We’re all kind of learning a lot here. Let’s just take it slow, okay?” He said to Trixie and me.
My phone buzzed, and I grabbed it out of my pocket, full of hope. It was Crady.
Emma is not at school. You should hear the rumors. They’re saying it’s her
I opted not to text her back yet. Poor Emma. None of us humans had a chance up against those gargoyle demon spawn.
“The victim might have been a girl at my school,” I told the brother and sister. They just nodded, not knowing anyone here.
“Well, guess I better get back home. Thanks, Gordon,” I nodded at him, grateful for his cool head even though he’d been faced with my hormonal wrath this morning.
He walked me to the door.
I lowered my voice so only he could hear me. “Sorry about this morning. I was…am…upset to have William gone.”
He nodded at me. “Hang on. He thought this might happen, so he left something for me to give you,” He walked back into the house, and I looked at the room, still full of folding chairs, lawn chairs and empty pop cans. Must have been a real hoe-down. Gordon came back, holding a sealed white envelope. “Here you go. Good luck and all.”
I thanked him and made my way back home, clutching the envelope which was my lifeline to William.
I got home, said hi to mom, and retreated to my room. My hands trembled as I opened the envelope.
If you’re reading this, then I must have had to go back to Toledo with my Dad. Don’t worry about me, if it’s not too bold of me to assume that you might.
I know I never wanted to talk about Toledo. Maybe it could have explained things better for you when Crady told you her concerns, if I had.
The Lochspawn found us one night when we were practicing hand-to-hand combat in a glen in the woods. There were two of them, and they fought like dragons.
My dad had been scolding me all night during practice. “Protect your right side, Will!” I was mad at him, distracted, and wanted to try my own way. My carelessness cost me a life. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, but Dad and I both got distracted by a group of college kids that had wandered into the clearing where we were. We weren’t far from a campus, and they were drunk and stupid.
Between my dad shouting at me and the sounds of the kids shouting, we weren’t paying attention. The Lochspawn chanted the death spell. One of these incantations, if completed, has the ability to knock out multiple lives at once. I went from having 47 to 97 after that one battle.
Dad was able to kill one of the beasts, but he had to pull me to safety and watch helplessly as the remaining Lochspawn slaughtered those kids.
Something really strange happened though. The Lochspawn are usually just as cautious as us about not revealing our existence to humans. They are ruthless, but generally less conspicuous. Killing four kids at once was very careless of the Lochspawn. My dad discovered later that his wallet was missing. If it fell out in that cursed glen, then maybe the police found it.
That night was so brutal and unnecessary, and dad and I both felt so helpless when it was all over. We buried the bodies. Maybe that was the fatal mistake. We’ve always done that though, if some innocent got caught in the crossfire. We thought it was more merciful to the family of the victim to hope their loved one was still alive somewhere, rather than to know they died horrifically and violently.
I don’t know what’s going to happen now.
What I do know, is that I’ll never forget the few days we had together, and how you make me feel when you look at me. I’ll never forget the way your skin pinks up when you’re embarrassed. I know you hate the blushing, and that you think it would somehow ‘precede your imminent death’ in the animal kingdom…but believe me. I’m the one who’s slain by it.
No matter what happens, I’ll always be able to find you. Remember, I can see where you’ve been. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, if I have to. But hopefully, this will all get cleared up soon, and I’ll be back in time to ask you to the Homecoming dance or something. Not that I’ve ever gone, or even wanted to before.
Here’s another quote for you, dear Reader. “I could fancy a love for life here almost possible,”
All my best,
William
I clutched the letter to my chest, a tear fighting its way out of my eye, but my eyes were tightly shut. I gave a shuddering breath.
No wonder he didn’t want to talk about Toledo. It was horrible. The life he and his father had to live was horrible, and I couldn’t see how they, or any of them, could ever have normal lives.
I read the quote again, and realized it was from Wuthering Heights. How had he known? I hit my palm against my head. Of course; it was the book I was reading the day we met.
I got my phone out and texted him immediately.
Got your letter
He didn’t respond. I looked at the time. Could be he was in the mountains by now…terrible, if any, reception. I sent one more.
Hey, miss you so much. See you soon
That didn’t sound too desperate and needy. Even though that’s pretty much exactly what I was, in spades. What on earth was I going to do now? I pouted and read William’s letter again and again, just the good parts.
My phone buzzed. I jumped to read the text. It was Crady.
You’ll never believe this. I don’t.
What?
Emma is texting everyone at school. She’s in the hospital
What did she say?
She said it was William that attacked her.
And that’s when I learned that if I was mad enough, I could crush a cell phone in my bare hands.
THE END FOR NOW
Acknowledgments
In my case, Book 1 ended up being a collaborative effort. Sure it was my idea and mostly my words, but when it came down to the wire, I needed help.
Thank you Scott Barnes for the initial run-through of edits and for not criticizing my mistakes. Thank you Pat, Charmaine, Scott, Daryl and Peggy for many fun years of writing group madness and mayhem, gift exchanges, writing exercises, laughter and inspiration and encouragement, not to mention great food.
Thank you to my sistahs, Becca and Lucy, for cheering me onwards; three sisters talking accomplished much good.
Thank you to my cover designer, Becca. What can I say more than I already have? Wonderful.
Thank you Donna McKnight for the jewel-encrusted fine tooth comb and the gentle reminder that commas almost always end dialogue sentences. I think I got them all!
Thank you Mom for your typo catches and upgrading the ending, and also for giving birth to me and raising me to adulthood and also for encouraging me to write my own book(s).
Thank you Dad for being my number one fan for all these years, and for getting on my case to make this happen. Lecture #431 came in handy.
Thank you high school English teachers, Mr. Rusk and Mr. Petroff in particular for acknowledging my talent and encouraging me to continue with it.
Thank you cousin Kim for your cheering section!
Thank you Misty Provencher; you are an inspiration. And your real world practical advice was invaluable as well.
Thank you Facebook friends too!
Thank you cheerleading section from Notre Dame ward!
And most of all, thanks to my family for supporting me in this dream. You sacrificed clean socks on occasion, hot meals once in a while, mommy’s attention sometimes, and general upkeep. Thanks D for kicking me in the pants to get moving on the editing phase. Thanks C for being my first young adult beta reader. Thanks E for helping me market to your friends and YouTubers. Thanks T, F and H for being patient for Mommy.
Thank you Glen. You’re my everything, and I would give all of my lives for you too.
About the Author
V. L. Holt is happy to be married to the love of her life, and to be a mother of six children. She's been writing since childhood, loves to read all kind
s of books, and is excited to welcome everyone into her imagination which is colorful, vivid and sometimes frightening.
Table of Contents
Prologue
The Middle Ages
25 Years after the Battle Spawn were Born
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
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