Wolf Sirens Fever: Many are Born, Few are Reborn (Wolf Sirens #2)

by Tina Smith

  Under the full light of day the river was a sight to behold. The hill we walked down shaded deep green moss and fluorescent emerald grass. I stripped to my undies, lying my clothes on a dry boulder and Cres went commando as she wadded in nude, her second skin. I felt silly in my underwear and I took it off in the water and slung it on a silvery log to dry. Wearing only my precious tag, the icy river enveloped my pale skin as I dunked my head under the freezing clear water.

  After that, our job was done - one less wolf to terrorize the town. But nothing had changed in my heart. I acted the way I was supposed to. I told her I would do better next time. She nodded quietly as we dressed our damp taut skin and headed back down, our gruesome quest completed. It had felt good to roam, my legs felt alive, my blood was moving. Our excursion was the invigoration I had longed for.

  “Why was he alone?” I heard myself ask aloud as we started out.

  “He was new.”

  “Had he got anyone yet?” – passed on the venom?

  “No,” she admitted as we trod through the undergrowth.

  I thought about this and then stopped myself. What did it matter? Why should I know the details? At once I felt an overwhelming sense that it was part of my job to know at least the basics. But that was exactly why she didn’t tell me. She was being blatantly evasive, it seemed I wasn’t allowed to know anything. Even about my victims.

  “Who took him in the first place?”

  She shook her head and took her time in answering.

  “Maybe one of the older wolves?”

  She looked at me.

  “Then why don’t we hunt them?” I insisted.

  “No,” she said swiftly in a hard voice. I knew not to press her further, this day.

  We didn’t talk much until we got home. I glanced at my eyes in the side mirror on the drive home, again relieved to see the crescents remained. When we did speak on the way back home it was only about Sophie and mundane things. We were both worried about how late it was. We were home after dark and it was Sunday. But Sophie had only just got back herself and despite the fact that she’d been working clay all weekend at a studio, we found she was in the shed under a lamp surrounded by moths drawn to the light, examining some of her work, which had dried. I could feel Cres was almost guilty as she lied to my mother about how we’d been at Giny’s place. Mum thought because we were so tired that we’d had a ripper weekend. I noted how good a liar Cres was.

  I wanted to somehow tell her I had killed the rogue wolf – I now knew to be a man called Daniel Lovett - so that she wouldn’t feel so tortured. But then I knew she had shot and killed her own before, so it was not remorse that had made her feel so gloomy as we drove home. Maybe she felt bad about teaching me a lesson, if that’s what it was. Something was wrong. But she never told me what it was that bothered her and life went back to normal – well, at least our version of it.

  Maybe somehow she knew, like I did, that nothing had changed in me. I was going to run and kill on my terms. Was her inner torment deeper than I could comprehend? We should have been happier. It was a successful kill, a good hunt, but then I realized she had no confidence in me, I had fumbled the ball. Certainly if she wasn’t there I would have been dead. I learnt patience on this hunt and that there was a time to act without hesitation - skills I would use to escape. The kill hardened me. But next time I wouldn’t have Cres watching my back. I decided neither would I miss. I wanted to tell her I would improve. I decided actions spoke louder than words. I would learn from my mistakes.

  I would improve by outsmarting her.

  Giny had her benefits – such as agreeing to cover for us with fake sleepovers and she didn’t ask questions, allowing us to track the latest threat to Shade. Giny gladly helped me with the party arrangements by taking a lot of the load off me and leaving me free to pursue other necessities such as possible escape routes…but I couldn’t make anything concrete as Cres might stop me at each turn. I pretended to be interested in make-up and fashion and I could tell mum was pleased. The concerned eyeing she would occasionally give me became less frequent. The black crescents remained in my eyes.

  The whole setup was going nicely. Cres had me attend a Firearms Safety Awareness Course at the local gun club, so I wouldn’t shoot off my thumb, she joked. Perhaps as a belated birthday gift and it almost made up for the charm bracelet. It was a good thing gun laws were so relaxed in this part of the country. You were required to register your firearms but that was about it, and a girl at the local Firing Range wasn’t an unusual sight. No one batted an eyelid. When dangerous creatures lurk in your backyard you have the right to arm yourself. The instructor was a little amazed and perplexed at my aim. He scratched his head as he looked over the target which had a finger sized hole in the middle – the whole seven round magazine had hit the bull’s eye. The gun was lighter than I was used to, a Hammerli. It came as naturally as a bow and arrow to me. In answer to the instructor’s unasked question, I imitated Cres’s mannerisms at school, and gave a smile. I told him my mother had recommended I learn as a safety precaution, and shrugged.

  My mother thought I was going shopping. Gin agreed to buy some clothes for me, to make it realistic and I gave her my birthday money. I told mum I didn’t mind driving around in Reid’s jeep anymore and hurriedly added that Gin, Cres and I were going shopping, pretending not to notice the flicker of disappointment which crossed Sophie’s face.

  I showed my mother how the new dress looked, turning at the top of the stairs in a tasteful shiny strapless black satin dress which finished just above the knee, all the while thinking of rifle cleaning procedures and the new 40 cal Glock they’d let me try after the instructor saw what I did with the Hammerli. I planned to steal it if I had the opportunity. I had Giny acquire something nice for Cres, as pay back. I asked for it to be pretty- something nice she could wear at the party, as we both knew she was low on clothes. I think Giny got what I was going for, as she unsurely laid out a powder pink satin strapless number, matching the jet black one she had picked out for me. It was priceless.

  “They were on sale.” She smiled timidly. “Is it okay?” She gritted her teeth, watching my expression, expecting the worst. “We didn’t have much,” she worried.

  “No.” I covered my mouth. “Its classic.” And a smile burst forth, so rare on my face that Giny looked taken aback as she nodded at me, pleased with my reaction.

  “No, it’s perfect.” I assured her as I covered my mouth again with a cupped hand trying to contain the absurd hilarity. Imagining Cres and me in matching dresses.

  I laughed thinking what we would look like.

  “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!”

  13. Last Ditch

  For the most part Cres had taught me everything I had to know. Perhaps leaving out a few crucial details here and there to keep me under control, but who could blame her? The newfound insight that the huntress gave me helped me to empathize with her. I began to wonder if I was as cold and heartless as the huntress was supposed to be.

  She told me how it was as though her aunt had just pretended that her parents were on a holiday for six months, before she broke down and had to grieve. How every night Cresida wished her parents would come home and how she blamed herself for it. But a car accident isn’t anyone’s fault, she’d said dryly. I wondered if she talked about it now because of the rogue wolf we killed the weekend before.

  “If I was with them -” she started to say.

  It seemed what happened on a hunt stayed there. I guess neither could we risk discussing it. I didn’t like to mention it. Seeing the body afterwards was too much. They phased into human form when dead. Perhaps to remind us of what they were.

  I was glad she hadn’t been in the car when her parents had died. But I didn’t say it and instead I tried to change the subject. “Cres let’s get away.” I hardly knew why I kept saying it, first to Reid now to Cres. I realized I didn’t really want to be alone out there, at least subconsciously.

  “Soon,” she
said.

  Her reply caught me off guard.

  “What?” I hadn’t expected that. Had my ears deceived me? I forgot about the possibility of Cres’s death, and her parents. “What? Where are we going?” I sat up in bed.

  From, the mat on the floor, in the dark I couldn’t make out her expression though I strained to see.

  “Oh, um, I don’t know, when school ends - would probably be the best,” she offered.

  “What?” How could she be so casual about it, after all this time?

  “Well, we’re expected after year twelve to explore the world. So it’s a golden opportunity. We can hunt,” she added.

  I was taken aback. I hadn’t thought about the future, not the one she was suggesting anyway. ‘Golden opportunity’. It sounded like she was quoting commercials. The only conclusion I could draw was that it was very sly of them; the party was less than two weeks away. Yes, she knew me better than I knew myself. I was right in the beginning. Cresida James was not to be underestimated. I wanted to believe that we were going away and throw in my plans and I did believe her, which made it worse.

  “Why haven’t you mentioned this ’til now?”

  “Because I wasn’t sure. Now I am…it will be for the best.”

  “I don’t know what to think?”

  “Isn’t it what you wanted?”

  “Yes,” I replied, unenthusiastically. That was too easy I thought. I had been suggesting a holiday of sorts for weeks, months even. “Reid’s not coming is he?” I asked flatly.

  “No,” was her quick reply.

  Her answer pleased me. It was certain; she didn’t want him to come. He’d been hanging around and annoying us for months. Spying on us.

  Why had she agreed all of a sudden? Surely it wasn’t just the power of my suggestion? She had always said it wasn’t a good idea, and now she wanted to leave too? When nothing had changed. I didn’t like it, but I hid my suspicions, as I seemed to hide everything inside me from her now, not just my thoughts about him.

  “But stay quiet about it, okay?” she cautioned.

  “Yes, of course.” I wasn’t about to jeopardize my escape from Shade. If that’s what it was? Was she running from them too, from Reid’s guard? I had felt like she was the one holding me back but just maybe Cres was a victim herself.

  “Cres, is there something you can’t tell me?”

  “No, why? What are you thinking … yes.” I thought she hissed a ‘Yes’. I wasn’t sure what she was getting at. I narrowed my eyes.

  “I know you’re good, Cres, despite what they did to you. I just want to hear it from you, if something’s up, okay?”

  “Well nothing’s up, Lila, I would not lie to you. Please just trust me.” And like that I felt her shut me down. In the dark silence that followed I knew I was on my own. I had to believe she was turned. I didn’t want to believe she could sell me out. But what sort of opinion was this to give me? Had she decided to turn to their side? Had the infection won over or was it winning slowly? Maybe she wanted me to go before it did.

  “Do you want me to leave, really?” I asked into the darkness.

  “No, only with me, you must not go without me. Do you understand, don’t go without me.” She emphasized the words go without me. I was dead silent. I could hear my breath. Had I actually just heard what I thought? Was she giving me a message ‘go without me’?

  “I will do whatever you say, Cres.” I squinted, wary of her meaning.

  After much contemplation in the dark above Cresida as she slept on the floor, I thought I had only imagined it. What did she see me doing that I didn’t yet know myself? And then she spoke again in the silence.

  “If I was to kill a beast again I’d aim for the heart – or the head,” she yawned. And I listened intently until her breath became the heavy, slow kind of sleep. And I wondered if she was awake when she had said it.

  If she was giving me a message to escape without her, to run, she was as trapped as I felt. I cursed the fact, again, that I had entirely too much energy and I didn’t know who to trust, or where to turn. Either way, I had decided before then that I was going to go like hellfire the second I had a chance, and the party was my opportunity in waiting. Maybe I was hearing things now too. It was a full moon outside and I heard the faint call of a wolf from the distant mountains. I wondered if it was the one who had infected the Lovett guy, whose life I had ended with little remorse. Or if Sam was out there stalking, waiting. My hand reached for my tag and clutched it. Sky, I thought as I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep.

  14. The Party

  The date of the party crept slowly closer. Giny and Sophie were enthusiastic and they took over the decorations side of organization. My mum seemed to be making up for my absence from the prom, buying balloons and even hiring a band. A friend of hers had a son who offered to DJ for free – everyone was being really helpful.

  I pretended to keep Cres busy (who by now, due to her gift, I was sure knew more about the party than anyone). There was an air of anticipation. Giny drove me to the venue a day before the party. With the loan key, we opened the door, unbolting the stiff padlock to check it out. The musty building was basically a disused hall, mostly now hired out for events – including belly dancing, I noted from the flyers on the notice board. I pretended to be interested in Giny’s ideas for the party decorations, waiting until a moment where I could casually mention that I needed to use the bathroom.

  “I’ll check out the toilets,” I offered.

  “I’ll come.”

  “Actually, I’ll take a wiz while I’m there.”

  “Me too,” Giny shrugged.

  I walked through a doorway and found the door to the toilet. Luckily there was only one loo.

  “I’ll wait,” Giny offered shyly, as I went in.

  I didn’t waste any time as I snapped the door shut. I grasped the cistern lid on each side and jimmied it up, exposing the inside. I pulled a zip lock bag from my shoulder satchel and gently placed it in the water, the weight of the gun made it sink under the water, to sit on the floor of the cistern. I hurriedly replaced the lid, clipping it in place as soundlessly as I could before I flushed the loo then opened the door. While Gin used the amenities I slyly checked out what was around the building. There was a door to the back through a kitchenette, which opened onto grass and trees, bins - nothing to block my path. Perfect.

  The dresses weren’t as bad as I thought; my black satin strapless number even had hidden pockets, inside which fitted the bullets I might need. It was bulky enough to conceal my knife tucked in my strapless bra. I actually looked classy with my long dark hair slicked back. I was done up, nothing could give away that I planned to escape. I clipped on the bracelet. Cres hadn’t reacted as badly as I’d hoped to her number. She smiled when she saw it on the hanger. When we were alone she asked if I had borrowed Tealy’s prom dress, and laughed. I was kind of relieved in the end that she didn’t hold me accountable for my bad taste, because it would have soured the night. My mother took pictures before we left. I pulled on my black cardigan and slung my bag over my shoulder, carefully. In it was a disassembled rifle wrapped in brown cloth next to a purse and tampax – which might deter Reid if he did happen to have a suspicious peek. He had told my mother he would ride with us there and help set up. Cres let me keep a few weapons but no bullets - but it is amazing what you can source online and have next day delivered.

  My mother thought Reid was sweet as could be for helping out. I couldn’t believe how strict their guard had become. I hoped I would still be able to make a break for it. I wore ballet flats with a decent sole, in case I should need to bolt. Mum helped me pick them from the shoe store on the main street. She was happy I had decided to spend some of my savings on something nice. It was the last outing I would have with her and at the time I was just glad I would have an excuse not to be coerced into wearing her heels again. I couldn’t let myself feel anything but certainty about what I was going to do. There was no time for guilt or sorrow.
There would be no goodbyes.

  Everyone knew Cresida. Small towns don’t often have big parties and the turnout was huge. Donations for teen suicide flowed into a box at the door adorned with Lily’s photograph – Giny’s idea – as loud music vibrated through the hall. The whole thing became less of a surprise party, as such. Cres arrived with her aunt and little brother when everyone else was gathering around the town to converge on the hall. Cars were parked filling the front of the hall outside, and then stretched in a line down the roadside in either direction. Balloons showed the way. The whole thing had the feel of a town dance more than a birthday party. The open invitation had spread and it had become the event everyone was going to attend – a happy turn. The anticipation was palpable. There was even a subtle police presence.

  People were pleased to see Cresida and came in their neat clothes. I watched on as her parents’ friends hugged her. Perhaps they told her how proud they would have been. I offered to tidy up the rubbish and took the wrappers and discarded packaging out the back. I noticed Reid involved in a conversation with some locals as I slipped out the door – this was my opportunity. I grabbed my bag as I went out to the bins, set the rubbish down and headed for the trees. Under cover of dark I stuck the rifle in a V cleft in the branch, and hurriedly returned. Placing my bag in the back room, which contained the kitchenette, I passed the toilet on my way back to the crowd.

  Music boomed from huge speakers with too much bass and the DJ alternated between the band sets. Some junior from school named Aaron had offered his lighting services – the only thing missing was the smoke effects. Ribbons of every primary colour hung from the ceiling, connected to helium balloons that vibrated in the atmosphere. People were dancing in groups. Cres actually did look happy because I could see her gums when she smiled through the blue lights. I hoped I wouldn’t have to kill her later in that powder pink dress. I left it until Giny and Jackson seemed to be on guard. Cres was singing Happy Birthday with the crowd in the matching pink satin dress that Giny had picked for her, when I excused myself for the bathroom to the chorus of “Happy Birth-day deeeaaar Cccresidaa-.” Hopefully it would be some time before they noticed I was missing. I knew I wouldn’t have time to change. Anything that caused me to waste time I had to ditch. I dropped the cumbersome bracelet in the toilet cistern with a splash in exchange for the gun. This was no time for sentimentality.