**********
Carefully, the three of them left the cave the next morning. Savannah and Harry had turned back into their animal forms and raced back to the line of trees near the car. After changing into their human forms, they walked home. They had told Eamon that he could go ahead and make sure that everything was alright, but he refused. Even with his broad-rimmed hat and long cloak, she knew that the sun must be painful. Savannah wondered if he was afraid of being torn apart for showing up without them. Not sure if he was wrong, she didn't press the issue.
Eamon called a tow truck to tow the car to a nearby mechanic and told them that he would pick it up after it was fixed.
"Ya know, Fangs, I'm pretty decent at fixing cars," said Harry after Eamon hung up the phone. " I work on the pack's cars and trucks with Larry."
"I will keep that in mind. How much do you charge?" Eamon asked.
"Well, we could make a trade of services. I become your personal on-call mechanic, in exchange for the '67 Shelby Mustang GT," said Harry. He had a doubtful half smile as he said this.
"That's a pretty expensive trade," said Eamon. He thought about it for a bit, and said, "Done! As long as you can prove to me that you actually are a decent driver."
"Seriously?" Harry said, jumping up and down. "I totally thought you would say no!"
"Well, it seems that I have the need to broaden my employment," said Eamon. "Usually, I only hire Humans."
"Why?" asked Harry, wrinkling up his face as though he had tasted something awful.
"Because I make a lot of their money, and it's a way for me to insert it back into their economy. It seems only fair," Eamon said simply.
Savannah whipped her head in Eamon's direction, "That's why you had Hannah and George?"
He nodded, and they made their way home in silence, grateful that they were able to make it home at all.
Chapter 10
After dropping Harry off on the eleventh floor, the one that the Waldrons had chosen, Savannah and Eamon headed to the twelfth-floor landing. Eamon stopped Savannah outside the door. "I am so sorry for putting you in danger last night."
Shaking her head, she said, "It was an accident; we are fine."
"It's not fine. You warned me, and I didn't listen to you. You know that forest better than anyone, and I should have put more stock in what you were telling me. I apologize," he said. "I'm going to grab some takeout from the dumpster. Please tell your mother that I will talk with her when I get back. If you both want me to leave, I will completely understand."
"That won't happen, Eamon!" Savannah said, looking him straight in the eyes.
Perking up a little at her words of encouragement, he gave her a small smile before disappearing, his long, dark cloak trailing after him.
Savannah opened the door, letting out a sigh of relief and happy to be home. She was surprised to find six Dwarves, two black cats, two large bears, and a Wizard crowded into her living room. They were all asleep in a circle around a massive purple stone box. It looked like it was made out of the Polarstone that she saw on Chert the day before.
Checking the time, she realized that it was almost six in the morning, and a Monday. A school day! She hurriedly cleaned out the coffee pot and began a fresh brew before going back to the living room. She tried waking everyone up gently, but when that didn't work, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Wake UP!" Bears roared, cats yowled and arched their backs, and Dwarves snorted as everyone was jolted awake.
"What happened?" Savannah asked the room.
"Savvy? Is that you?" she heard the box say. "Oh, thank god! Get them to let me out of here!"
"Momma?" she asked, looking at the room incredulously.
The Waldrons turned back into their Human forms, naked! And, the Dwarves stood up and went over to Thalia who was now just waking up.
"What did you do to her?" demanded Savannah, shielding her eyes from the sight of a naked Johnna and Henry. It was bad enough that she had to deal with their boys.
"That Kite went loony after you didn't come home last night! Shootin' magic out of her hands and screamin'," said Alabaster. He ran his hands through his short mohawk, trying to wake up. "We tried to calm her down, but she was leaving too much residue."
"We didn't know what else to do," said Opal. She was still wearing her silvery ball gown look.
Savannah nodded her head. She had known that it was a possibility and thanked them for keeping her safe.
"We didn't do it to keep her safe!" scowled Johnna. "We did it to keep us safe!"
"Regardless of your reason, thank you," Savannah said, struggling to keep her cool. "Chert, will you please let her out now?"
Grumpily, Chert waved his hands and removed the Polarstone box surrounding Lanie. He formed it into a ball, then inserted it back into his suit. When he was done, Thalia escorted the Dwarves and herself out of the apartment. On her way out, she told Savannah to come and see her after school.
Savannah waved them off, then turned to Samuel. "We have school! I totally forgot! I will tell you about it on the way. You may need to wake up Harry again. He's back in your apartment."
Samuel looked as though he was going to say something, but his mother ushered him out the door with Henry carrying a tired Michael in tow. Turning to her mother, Savannah noticed a faint glow of magical residue. She was sure that it had been a lot more apparent a couple of hours ago.
"Momma, I'm making some coffee, but I've got to get ready to go to school," Savannah told her mother gently.
Lanie nodded and looked around at the mess that was left from the previous night. She didn't remember much. She searched her mind and found that she remembered Eamon and Savannah leaving with Harry. She had been on her way to take a quick shower, then woke up in a hard purple box that looked as though it was made from Polarstone from the Arc. The others were yelling at her. They refused to let her out and just kept telling her to calm down. That had been a few hours before she heard her daughter's voice again. In the box, she had seen the evidence of why she was in there. A rainbow of glowing residue had surrounded her before slowly fading away.
"Are you sure that you don't want to stay home?" Lanie asked, following Savannah to the kitchen. "Why are you just getting home now? Where's Eamon?"
Turning to her mother, she realized that Lanie must have started her 'episode' early in the evening. "Eamon is fine; he will be back in a moment. There was an issue. We figured it out, and we are all safe. I'm sure that he will explain it to you today, but you need to be understanding, okay? It was an honest mistake," she said, kissing her mother on the cheek and going to their room to pick out an outfit from the mall.
She had been hoping to have time to at least hang up and organize her new clothes from the other day, but things had gotten hectic since then. Digging through the bags, she laid out an outfit on her bed with the accessories that Chrystal had made her get. She jumped into the shower and welcomed the feel of the warm water and scented soap. She scrubbed herself three times, trying to get the smell of dog from the cave out of her hair and skin. She wrapped herself in a towel and shuffled back to her room.
Eamon was back by the time she came out. She was dressed in blue jeggings, a long asymmetrical teal shirt with some saying about how girls like to have fun, black sandals, and matching obsidian beaded necklace and bracelet combo accented with mother of pearl charms and pendant. Jogging over to the coffee pot and toaster, she quickly made herself breakfast and joined Eamon and her mother at the table.
"I just don't understand why you didn't remember that the Prius was broken!" Lanie said, getting heated. "Why didn't you call someone to come and get you? I'm sure Henry would have done it, or any of your precious pack!"
"Momma!" Savannah said, firmly.
"Lanie, I am truly sorry. If it would make you feel better, I will stay somewhere else," started Eamon.
Lanie shrugged, and Eamon's shoulders fell. He knew that she would be upset. He couldn't blame her and w
asn't sure that he would react any differently.
"No, Eamon!" said Savannah. "Momma! Enough!" she said turning to her mother. "No one is going anywhere. Eamon has a lot on his mind. Look at him, Momma! He is stretched thin trying to keep everyone safe, and you can't figure out why he forgot a minor detail?" Facing Eamon, she added, "Stop beating yourself up! We still need you! Everyone around here needs to just relax. Both of you, take some time for yourselves today. Everyone needs refreshing. I have to go to school!" She drained her cup of coffee, hoping that the caffeine kicked in soon because she felt like she might pass out from exhaustion right there. Grabbing her backpack, she headed for the door.
"Don't you want a ride to school?" asked Eamon.
"If you'll let him, I'm sure that Harry would love to take us in the car you promised him," she said.
"That's fine. The key number is forty-two. Have a good day at school, and don't forget to change your hair," he replied.
"I meant it about relaxing today, Eamon," she said over her shoulder.
"Yes ma'am!" he smiled. He was grateful for Savannah's support but knew that it would take awhile for Lanie to trust him again with her daughter.
**********
"Wahoo!" exclaimed Harry, as he whipped his new ride into the school parking lot.
Savannah, still gripping the door handle, was having second thoughts about her suggestion to Eamon. At least he had been able to drop Michael off safely before letting loose on his new car.
"Ha ha! That was awesome! I can't wait 'til we can open her up out on the highway!" Samuel said, laughing.
"After school, man!" Harry said, as they bumped fists and got out of the car. "It's amazing!" he said, sticking his head back in the car before lifting the seat. "She still has that 'new car smell'!"
Carefully, Savannah climbed out of the back seat rubbing her now brown-haired head where it had hit the ceiling of the car several times in a row. Apparently, Harry felt that speed bumps were a flying challenge and not a reminder to slow down. "She?" she asked, pulling her backpack out of the car.
"Of course! And she's beautiful!" Harry said, caressing the warm hood of the Mustang.
Shaking her head, she said, "Okay, just make sure that Michael and I are safely at home before you two lunatics 'open her up'!"
"Awww, you'll be missing out," Harry laughed, as the three of them made their way to the front of the school.
Chrystal joined them in the hallway and distracted Harry by the lockers before the bell, while Samuel gave Savannah a short quiz. She was assigned to Mr. Beacher for the first period and had all of her tests set up on the corner of his desk. Though exhausted, she was feeling more confident than she had over the last couple of weeks. Savannah grabbed the first test and fished a number two pencil from her bag.
By the time lunch rolled around, she had completed all five tests, this time answering all of the questions. During lunch, Chrystal intercepted Savannah to protect her from Jen, and they met the boys outside to talk about the previous night's events.
"Well, at least you got a car out of the deal," Chrystal said, as she grabbed another fry from her tray.
"Yeah! That part of it is pretty sweet. But come on, babe, I was all heroic and stuff. Ya' know, standing watch and protecting everyone," Harry said, puffing out his chest.
"Yes! Of course, that was the most exciting part of the story!" she said, rolling her eyes at Savannah.
Savannah stifled a giggle and leaned back against the trunk of the tree. Waves of exhaustion were rolling through her. She grabbed her third vending machine bottle of water for the day and chugged it. It seemed to help dim the pounding in her ears and clear her head a bit. She would need to get some shut-eye as soon as she got home. On the other side of the tree, she overheard a couple of students.
"Did you hear about Felicia?" one girl said.
"Yeah, it's so sad. The funeral's on Friday. Her parents are devastated. I had her in Biology, ya' know. I'm gonna miss her so much," said the second girl.
"She stood next to me in chorus. I don't know how I'm going to hit my notes now. I'll always be reminded of her when I stand there," the first girl said.
"We're planning a candlelight vigil for her and Freddie's dad tonight here at the school. Spread the word," said the second girl.
"I will," the first girl sniffled.
Savannah rushed to get up from the tree, which sent her head spinning, and almost ran into the girls she'd heard talking.
"Yes?" a tall blond with barrettes in her hair said.
"Sorry! I just overheard about the candlelight vigil," said Savannah, feeling dizzy.
"Isn't it so sad," said the weepy redhead.
"Very! I was just going to suggest having it during the day. Maybe so more people could come," Savannah said. Panicked and weary, she was trying to make sense, but it wasn't working. Feeling her friends come up behind her, she felt relief. They would understand the vigil was dangerous and help her.
The girls scoffed at her. "Whoever heard of a candlelight vigil during the day?" said blondie as they walked away. "Yeah, Jen was right! She's unhinged!" said the redhead.
"What's up, Savjo?" asked Harry.
"They're holding a candlelight vigil for the Twitchies tonight," she said, running her fingers through her hair.
"That's what they do," said Chrystal.
"Yeah, and they'll be putting themselves in danger while they do it," Savannah said, her voice barely above a whisper as she turned to look at her friends.
"There's nothing we can do," said Samuel. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as the four of them stared after the girls. Savannah leaned into him, wishing there was a way they could stop the vigil, or at least stop the killing. She had found out that more had died while she was in the cave the previous night. She was the reason that the Siphons were around. Knowing that she wasn't ready to face them made it harder for her to cope with the death toll. She was tired of feeling guilty for their murder spree. Samuel shoved another bottle of water into her hands while holding her up. Chugging it, she felt her head clear again. Savannah grabbed a dram of honey from her purse that she kept around for emergencies. She found, while living in the forest, that honey had a way of keeping her alert for at least a few hours. Savoring the thick sweetness coating her throat, she rested her head on his chest, waiting for the honey to take effect.
"Do you think they'll ever stop?" she asked Samuel quietly.
"I don't know," he said. "But you have to remember that this isn't the first time that they've gone nuts on the Twitchies."
Savannah nodded, remembering the short history lesson he had given her. In different times throughout history, the Siphon's work had been blamed on plagues, serial killers, and the Bogeyman. They didn't do it alone, but they left the most gruesome scenes in their wake. She shuddered at the thought that history would repeat itself here in Greenhaven.
"At least now we have some real hope," he said looking down into her gray eyes. "By training with you, we might be able to figure out how you killed those monsters, maybe even be able to learn how to do it ourselves, or at least inflict lasting damage!"
Shrugging out of his arm, she pulled away from him. "We don't know how long all of that is going to take! There has to be something we can do about that vigil tonight! Even if it's just convincing them to move it indoors," she said.
Hanging his head back and groaning, Samuel agreed to talk to Jen about it. Then the school bell rang, indicating the lunch period was over. Chrystal kissed Harry and wrapped Savannah in a reassuring hug. "We'll try to figure something out," she said. "By the way, LOVE the outfit! The jewelry is a perfect touch! Probably why Jen has been glaring at you for the last thirty minutes," she giggled, before jogging away. Savannah stared after her new and unlikely best friend. Feeling a smile sneak up on her, she waved goodbye to the guys and headed inside.
Waiting on the uncomfortable wooden bench in the front office, Savannah stared at the blank walls. It had the same drab and depressing feel as
the classrooms, except more confining. Her cabin was smaller than the room she now sat in, but it had never made her feel claustrophobic. She imagined that some of the prisons that she had read about in her library books were based on this very room. All it was missing were the iron bars. There was an olive-colored steel desk barring the way to a wooden door with a window. On the window was a peeling decal that said Principal Ha_mer. She wondered what the third letter was supposed to be.
Behind the steel desk was a stern-looking woman with curly hair that was so tight, it looked as if it had been fused to her scalp while the rods were still in. Her face was weathered, and she appeared perpetually run-down. Her dim floral blouse was halfway untucked, and her skirt was facing the wrong way, as though she forgot to check herself when she left the bathroom. Every time she opened her mouth to speak into the phone, the smell of stale smoke wafted towards Savannah. The white and black plastic plate sitting on the desk said her name was Mrs. Plattmouth.
Savannah was grateful when a tall, friendly looking bald man opened the door.
"Joleen?" he called to her.
She nodded, stood up, and followed him through the door. She was amazed by the change on the other side of the door. The walls were a pale blue and accented with overstuffed brown leather chairs. There were a few paintings on the walls, and behind a large executive oak desk, there were pictures of a happy family-- the tall, bald man, a heavyset, pretty blond woman, and two small children. They all seemed to be laughing at something when the picture was taken.
Indicating one of the chairs, the man said, "Have a seat," before strolling around behind the massive desk and relaxing in his high-backed leather office chair. Savannah sat down and immediately felt as though the giant chair was trying to swallow her small frame. Trying to sit up as tall as her height would allow, she was forced to peer over the desk to look at the man. He sat forward and templed his long fingers under his chin, smiling.
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