by Abby Tyson
Savi glanced at her mom, her cheeks reddening. "He told the Zuun," she said, "and I overheard."
Something in her eyes told Marley not to ask for details, and he was glad to comply. The less he heard Savi talk about Ren, the better.
The room went silent. When Marley had called that afternoon to tell Savi that they were nearing Tallahassee, she had made it clear that she didn't want her mom knowing about the rescue plans. The less she and her mom knew, the less likely they could be blamed by Berto when it happened. So as far as her mom knew, Nissa was their adopted kid sister, and they had all been driving down so Savi could see her mom. Keeping all of this in mind made small talk rather difficult.
"How was the drive from Virginia?" asked Mrs. Claudie.
"It was okay," he said. "We hit crazy traffic around Charlotte, and it poured for most of yesterday, but otherwise it was... okay."
Mrs. Claudie surveyed the room, her eyes landing on the open notebook in front of her. "What's this?"
Diving for the book, he yanked it off the table. "Sorry," he said, stuffing it in his backpack and chewing on his lip.
"Do you enjoy poetry?" Mrs. Claudie asked.
"Almost as much as her," he said, grateful for the excuse to smile at Savi, although he was once again startled by how different she looked.
She must have noticed his reaction because she asked, "Is it really that bad?"
"You could never look bad," he said. He snuck a glance at her mom to see if she approved of his compliment, but her tight smile was unreadable. "It is really different though. I'll just have to get used to it."
Savi smirked at their inside joke, but when the back door opened, the smile disappeared. The sound of Lila's voice made his heart race in a way that was both pleasing and disturbing.
"Here's some cash for -- oh, hi."
"Lila," said Marley, jumping up from the bed and moving to stand by the bed headboard, "this is Savi and her mom, Mrs. Chloe Claudie."
"What a lovely name," said Mrs. Claudie, shaking Lila's hand.
"Thanks." Lila was clearly not at all uncomfortable about the fact that she was the least dressed person in the room. With a five-dollar bill sticking out of her bikini top, she offered her hand to Savi as well; Marley forced himself not to flinch when they touched.
"Nice to meet you," said Lila, "now that we're not strapped to beds and drugged off our asses. Hey, didn't you have long hair before?"
"Uh, yeah," said Savi. "I cut it all off today."
"It's hot," said Lila, sitting on the bed where Marley had been sitting. "Say, can you tell me how I got out of there? All I know is I woke up yesterday morning curled up beside a half-eaten cat, and sandwiched between railroad tracks and Route 23. Nude hitchhiking may not be the best way to meet guys, but it's definitely the fastest, let me tell you. Of course, I have the luxury of not needing to worry about the crazies, like most gals do."
Lying back on her elbows, Lila seemed unaware of the impact she was having on their visit. Marley didn't realize he was staring until she met his gaze.
"What?" she asked. Then she looked at Savi's mom and grimaced. "Did you not know about all that?"
All eyes were on Mrs. Claudie. She gave Lila a pained smile and said, "Not the details, no."
"Ah," said Lila with a slow nod. "Well, Kofi always told me to leave after the first offense, so I guess I'll go back to keeping Miss Mopey company." Lila stood and walked toward the slider door.
"I'll order pizza for me and Crabby," she said as she stepped through the door. "It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Claudie." Addressing Marley, she said, "I'll meet you guys out front a little before seven."
Marley stared at the door after Lila's figure had disappeared, then turned a dazed look on Savi. As he tried to decode the strange expression on her face, Mrs. Claudie's voice once again broke the awkward silence.
"She's... nice."
Savi was glad when it was time to go. The visit improved slightly after Marley suggested they order some pizza too, but every time she looked at him, the image of Ren in a cage flashed before her. Human Marley was there in front of her, but all she saw was the coywolf.
They tried to keep conversation light and free of supernatural talk, but even the most seemingly benign question ended up heading down that path.
"Do you have plans to go to school?" Savi's mom asked him over a slice of mushroom pizza.
"I'd love to," he said. "To sit in a room and talk to other people about poetry would be a dream come true."
But when Chloe asked about whether he'd applied anywhere, he became visibly uncomfortable and said that he'd been putting it off until he helped his dad get better. All of them knew what the euphemism meant, and that line of conversation came to an abrupt end.
As they were about to leave, Glenn scratched at the back door. When Chloe saw him, she went pale. "Is that a werewolf?" she asked.
"No," Savi answered, before Marley could. "That's Nissa's pet wolf -- just a weird coincidence. I'll go bring him back to Nissa's room." She gave Marley a sharp look, but kept her voice light. "Can you walk my mom out?" Not waiting for him to answer, she slid outside and, stepping out of view of the room, knelt in front of Glenn.
"If you're asking to come with me," she said, "there's no way that's going to happen."
Glenn whined and pawed at her knee. Savi opened the door to the next room, where Lila was getting dressed and Nissa lay face down on her bed.
"Hey," said Lila, pulling a tank top over her bikini and hopping up to sit on the dresser, "sorry about saying that stuff in front of your mom."
"Don't worry about it," said Savi, turning to Nissa. "Can you translate for Glenn, please?"
A small sniffle escaped from Nissa's pillow. "He wants to go with you," she said, her voice even smaller than normal.
"Well I already told him that's not happening. Don't you want him to stay here with you?"
"Don't act like you care, not you!" Nissa cried, openly sobbing now. "I have no one left. None of you are here for me. The only person in the world who truly cares about me is locked in a cell ten minutes away, but because of you I'm powerless to do anything but lie here and weep, like the pathetic child that I am. So don't you dare pretend to care about me!" She threw herself back on the bed.
Although she wanted to object, to say that Marley and Ren were here to help her, Savi knew that wasn't true. They were here to help Warren. Ren had only agreed to help after Nissa admitted that it was Karis who had bitten his dad.
Lila was giving her a curious look, perhaps wondering what role Savi had played in Nissa's fall. Savi was surprised Marley hadn't filled her in on all of that. Or was there another reason she was appraising Savi so darkly?
Savi shook off her wandering thoughts. Instead of offering Nissa empty words of comfort, she said, "I saw Karis's wolf half."
"What?" sniffed Nissa.
"Where?" asked Lila.
"In a cage in Berto's office, in the administration building." Savi didn't have the heart to tell Nissa that she didn't think the wolf was sentient anymore.
Kneeling in front of Glenn, she said, "I know you want to stay with me so you can watch out for me and my mom, but Berto's bound to suspect something if he sees a wolf at our cottage. And honestly, other than the fact that he's blackmailing us to stay here until the full moon, he seems to be treating us pretty well. If he finds out we're part of this whole plot to get Karis back though, I doubt his hands-off approach to our imprisonment will continue. I really think it's safer if you stay here."
Glenn whined, but nodded.
"Thank you," said Savi.
Heading back through Marley's room to get her purse, she went outside and found her mom and Marley standing beside the van.
"Were you ever going to tell me that you drove my car all the way down here?" asked her mom.
"Honestly, I didn't even think about it," said Savi. "My car certainly wasn't going to make it."
"Well, at least it appears to be in decent shape," said Chloe. But then she opened
the driver's door and saw the dent in the ceiling that Ren had caused when they were ambushed by the Zuun.
"A tree branch fell on the roof," said Savi at her mom's scowl. "Lila should be out soon," she said to Marley, desperate for a distraction.
"She and Ren are in the station wagon already," Marley said, pointing to the car Savi and her mom had driven there.
"Are we switching cars?" she asked. "Aren't we not supposed to do that with a rental?"
Chloe hopped up into the driver's seat and dangled the keys from her hand. "I miss home too much. Screw the rental car people. Second got it for me anyway, so it's her insurance that'll suffer, not mine. I'm driving my own car."
Marley's hand found Savi's, and she felt the familiar spark of warmth at his touch. With her mom watching their every move, they hadn't even dared to hug during their visit. "Is it okay if Savi walks me to my car?" he asked.
"I'll be right here," said her mom. It was as much of a warning as it was a yes.
Tugging her toward the station wagon, he led her across the parking lot. "I need to apologize," he said.
"For what?"
He gave a soft laugh. "A lot of things, but right now, only two. One," he stopped walking and stood in front of her, "I love your hair -- or, lack thereof. Two, I've never done this properly..." Marley got down on one knee.
The ground shifted beneath Savi's feet. This isn't possible. What is he doing? He can't really be doing this!
"Will you, Savannah Claudie, have dinner with me tomorrow?"
Letting out her breath in long, frantic heaves, Savi laughed. "You are ridiculous," she said.
A flicker of pain crossed his eyes. "I'm ridiculous for asking you out?"
"No," said Savi, wishing she hadn't laughed, "your whole presentation -- it was very... unexpected."
Marley smiled, apparently taking her words as a compliment. When she didn't say anything else, he said, "Well?"
"Well what?"
He rolled his eyes. "What's your answer?"
Savi was so relieved that he hadn't asked what she thought he was going to ask, she'd almost forgotten what he actually said. "Dinner? Tomorrow?"
"That's right."
The vision of Ren as a coywolf was there in her memory, but it was distant now, chased away by Marley's skin on hers. Studying the young man kneeling before her, Savi asked herself if she could truly see past his animal half. Could she still be attracted to him, knowing what he was between sunset and sunrise? Could she care for the human, without being afraid of the animal?
His smile wavered as he watched her, and the worry that flashed across his eyes pierced her heart.
Yes.
This was the real Marley. No matter what he became, to her he would always be the handsome, caring, and sweet young man at her feet. The certainty filled her with a deep, pulsing warmth, originating from Marley's hand on hers, and spreading to envelop her heart.
"Sure," she said, beaming down at him.
"Sure?" He held a hand over his heart in mock anguish. "That's all I get? Sure?"
"What time?" asked Savi with a questioning shrug.
Marley stood and took her face in his hands. "You have got to be the least romantic person I've ever met in my whole life."
The horn of the station wagon honked, and Marley waved as he said, "Except maybe Ren."
His chuckle caught in his throat, and a shadow passed over him. His head snapped back to look at her, searching for something in her face.
"You okay?" she asked.
He smiled, the cloud lifting. "Yeah." He kissed her, then said, "I'll pick you up at three tomorrow."
"Pick me up? At the Den?"
"Oh, right." He bit his lip as he always did when lost in thought, then waved her worry away. "I'll wear a hat or something. They won't recognize me. I'll only be there for a few minutes anyway."
The thought of Marley being anywhere near the Den made Savi's throat clench with fear. "How about I meet you here?"
Marley held up his hand. "This is going to be a legitimate dinner date, including all gallantries, the first of which is being properly whisked away."
"A dinner date at three in the afternoon?"
"Work with me here," he said. "It can't very well be seven, unless you want to wait two weeks?" His hands were on her shoulders, and he ran them slowly up and down her arms. Savi's body shivered as if his fingers were weren't just on her skin but under it, massaging their way deep and low.
"Okay," she whispered. "Call me when you're on your way, and I'll wait for you by the road."
"That's not very romantic," he said, watching her lips, his voice low and husky.
"Neither is getting lost trying to find our cottage."
He smiled, then glanced over her shoulder at the van before pecking her on the lips. "I'll find it. Be ready at three on the dot."
As Marley jogged to the station wagon, Savi waved at Ren and Lila, then joined her mom in the van.
"What was that all about?" asked her mom. "Why are you grinning like that?"
Savi touched her lips, and realized that she was indeed grinning.
"I'm going on a date tomorrow."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
It was before sunrise Saturday morning when Savi's mom, still in her pajamas, walked her to the cafeteria.
"I'll be in the medical center after nine," said Chloe. "Dave is off today, so he'll meet you here at ten to walk you back."
"You guys don't need to escort me everywhere."
"Everyone here, even those who are obviously here out of need, have been very respectful of me and Dave, so far." She gave Savi a pointed look. "But I've seen plenty of evidence at the medic center that proves not all of the residents get treated so well, and I'm not willing to take any chances with you. I don't want you walking around the campus without me, Dave, or Second with you. Not that I trust Second as far as I can throw her, but the men here treat her like a general, and they won't forget their manners if she's around. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mom," said Savi, stopping outside the unlit cafeteria.
Her mom gave her a big hug. "Thanks for being so supportive of me and Dave. I know it's not easy for you, but I see the effort you're making with him, and it means a lot to me -- to both of us."
"He obviously makes you happy, which makes me happy," said Savi. "And he's been remarkably restrained when it comes to inquiries and commentary about my mental and emotional health."
"I love you." Her mom gave her another hug, then started back toward the cottage. "I'll be home in time to see you all dressed up for your big date!"
The main space of the cafeteria was dark, and the main door locked, so Savi went around back and found an open door. Stepping through, she was assaulted by the heat of half a dozen industrial ovens that lined the back wall. People were rushing in and out of freezers and pantries, filling a giant steel table with covered pans of food, while others took those pans and put them in the ovens.
A man emerged from a freezer, wearing thick gloves and a hat, and put two pans on the table. When he noticed Savi lurking in the doorway, he shouted, "Veronica!" and disappeared back into the freezer. A woman with a hair net ensnaring her red hair looked up from the oven farthest from the door. She waved to Savi and walked over.
"Savannah?"
"That's me."
The woman tucked an oven mitt under her arm and gave Savi's hand one firm shake. "I'm Veronica. I'll be showing you around today."
She got Savi a hair net and gave her a quick tour of the kitchen as she went back to her post at the oven. "This half of the kitchen is where we heat up the food for today's meal. That half," she pointed to the far end, where several people were using mixers or cooking on stovetops, "is where the food is made for tomorrow. Once a pan is hot, we bring it out front."
Savi proceeded to help set up the buffet, finding it difficult to keep up with Veronica's swift pace. By the time they'd finished loading all of the silverware holders and making sure the juice machines were full,
Savi was grateful for the few minutes of respite before they unlocked the doors. A crowd of people had gathered outside, and Savi and Veronica stood with most of the other workers by the back wall, waiting for the onslaught.
"Are all of those people residents here?" asked Savi.
"Most are pups, but some are alphas who help out between jobs."
"Pups?"
"People who haven't graduated," said Veronica. "Have you signed up for your classes yet?"
"Classes?"
"The training program here is really good. They give classes in all sorts of stuff, like other languages, computers, and self-defense. They also help you find a job. There are posters all over saying they've got almost 100% job placement."
"Job placement?" scoffed Savi. "Is that what you call it?"
Veronica gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"
Keeping her voice low, Savi said, "I am well acquainted with what's really going on here. You don't have to pretend with me."
"You don't think people like me should get a second chance?" snapped Veronica.
"A second chance? How is cutting people's lives short giving them a second chance?"
Fear flickered across Veronica's eyes, but then her anger returned. "You don't know what you're talking about. Berto and his team are saints. I was pregnant, addicted, and living on the streets when I found this place. They pay for my son to go to preschool, and I'll get a good job after I graduate at the end of the month."
With all of the running around, Savi hadn't gotten a good look at Veronica's face until now. Although there were deep lines around her mouth, and even strands of white hairs peeking through the hair net, there was a youthfulness to Veronica that indicated she wasn't much older than Savi. Because of her mom's early pregnancy, Savi had many times put herself in her mom's place, imagining the burden of having a child before she was ready. But she hadn't ever coupled that situation with the devastating effects of a substance abuse problem. No wonder Veronica appeared older than she was.
One of the workers headed to the front door and began unlocking it.
"Don't you know what they're going to do to you?" asked Savi.