They had a date to go to the movies in town. He looked at his phone. It was 4:35 p.m. He wondered if Niel and Sadie were ready. They had volunteered to go with him so things wouldn’t be so awkward. Nick hadn’t seemed real thrilled with the idea. But Todd figured maybe he should have spoken up faster before Niel beat him to it and asked to go with Sadie. He wasn’t sure what was up with those two, and he didn’t much care. He had his own personal life to worry about.
He stepped out of the bathroom as the front door opened and Niel came through. “You ready? I figured we’d collect Sadie on the way.”
Todd nodded and tucked his wallet in his back pocket.
Sadie grinned when she answered the door, but he watched her eyes sharpen beyond their shoulders. Nick had left the other cabin and without so much as a nod in their direction, striding towards the dining hall. Sadie’s lips firmed.
“You guys are early, good thing I’m ready. Let’s go.” Both guys exchanged perplexed looks as she stalked off ahead of them. The weather was holding nicely and it was a beautiful afternoon. Clouds hung puffy and light in the sky, obscuring the sharpness of the sun and allowing the light breeze that cooled them to do its job as they walked down the trail into Purdy where they were meeting Jayne.
“Where are we meeting her?” Niel asked Todd, who glanced his way.
“McDonalds. Figured we’d get a bite to eat before we hit the movies. I think we’re all tiring of pizza.”
“You get tired of that?” Sadie teased him, her good humor returning.
He rolled his eyes. He knew where that dig came from. “I’m not my brother, I’m actually more into burgers and steak.”
Sadie nodded. “And salad, it’s good for you,” she added.
“Not salad. That’s for rabbits. I’m a wolf, remember? We eat meat,” he insisted.
“And little girls?” Niel quipped back. Todd laughed.
“Only if they’ll let me.” He grinned.
#
I rolled my eyes, dropping back to walk with Niel. I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened with Franz Hobert on the practice field. “The other day… Why me do you think? I mean, why be so determined to push me towards controlling my change. It’s dangerous, right, but I have time, I’m only 17. I got the impression he thought I was running out of it.”
Niel laughed. “You aren’t that special Cross,” he started, in a pleasant mood and glad to be going into town to get away from the redundancy of camp life.
I shook my head. “No, I mean, it sure seemed like I was the target. There were at least twenty other Dragon shifters on that field in class, just like me. So what made me special?”
Niel gave me a sober look. “I’d say you were imagining things, but I won’t tell you to ignore what bothers you or makes your hair stand on end. If you think there was something going on, maybe there was.”
I watched Niel hasten to catch up to the others. And maybe I just had an overactive imagination, and what had happened had nothing to do with my nightmare or the rash of attacks in town.
But as I picked up my pace, I remembered falling in my dream. I hadn’t been quick enough then, either.
#
Jayne waited impatiently at one of the high stools along one counter in McDonald’s, nursing a coke as she waited. She’d taken care with her hair, pulling it back into a simple ponytail high on her head and adding a decorative clip in the same color as the frilly tank top she wore to show off her tan. She knew she looked good—if she wasn’t so nervous. Maybe that was the problem; Todd mattered. There’d been others that hadn’t. She bit her lip and when she tasted blood, forced herself to stop. What had she been thinking, agreeing to a movie when she hardly knew him? When it was better off for him if she didn’t.
Her heart contracted as she watched the three of them come through the door. Niel and Sadie hung back. Todd came through first, a wild shock of unruly hair falling over his forehead endearingly. His light brown eyes caught hers immediately, lighting up in a smile that made her heart give a little leap.
She glanced at her phone, less because she needed to see the time, than because she was nervous and desperate to hide it.
“Hi. How was your walk down? Pretty day for it. Long ways though.”
Todd shrugged. “Nah, nothing much at all. What do we have, like about forty-five minutes before the movie starts?”
They fell in behind Niel and Sadie, ahead of them and already in line to order. Neither spoke, both trying to come up with something easy to say. Ahead of them, Niel and Sadie chatted like old friends.
Jayne wished friendship was all she felt, but from the furtive glances Todd sent her way, and the frisson of excitement that tickled her spine whenever he did, she was fairly sure ‘just friendship’ was out of the works for either of them.
They stepped up to order.
Despite the nerves though, they were all teenagers and put away a healthy amount of junk food. They chased them with shakes drained down to the last annoying draw of their straws on the way out the door. The cups sailed into the garbage cans as the doors banged behind them.
Inside the movie theater, popcorn and pop in their hands, they moved down the aisle looking for four seats in a row. Jayne blinked in the sudden darkness, jolting at the shock of Todd’s hand on her elbow and his tickle of breath against her ear as he bent close and whispered. “Down on the right, four right on the end. Follow Sadie and Niel,” he urged. Jayne shivered.
The movie was a horror film and the edge of your seat suspense kept them all tense.
Jayne jumped for the third time with a yelp loud enough to scare the neighboring middle-aged couple beside her. They shot her a gleam of angst in the dim lighting.
“Sorry!” she hissed. She jumped once more when she felt the warm glide of Todd’s fingers sliding over hers, twinning her hand with his. The warmth sent a tingle along her spine and her heart picked up even faster. But she was no longer afraid.
Instead of screaming every time there was a scary scene, they giggled.
They exited the movie theater late, well after 11:00 p.m. when it let out and they took to the sidewalks leading down through the center of town. It was a weekend, but other than the semi-loud music emitting from a nightclub they passed and the lights winking out as businesses shut down, the town was quiet for a Saturday night.
“Do you want to take a walk down by the lake? It’s pretty at night. Lights reflecting from houses and business light it up from one side to the other. If you watch closely and listen, you can hear the fish jump. It’s pretty.” Niel added, looking at Sadie and daring any of them to refuse.
Jayne glanced around them; they’d left the others exiting the movie long behind them. They were on their own, the streets dark. She opened her mouth to mention how tired she suddenly was.
Todd beat her. “I’d love to do that. How about you Sadie, Jayne? Nights young and I haven’t seen the lake at night, yet?”
Sadie agreed, not near ready to turn in yet it appeared. Jayne grudgingly nodded, her eyes looking for anything that didn’t belong around them. Refusing at this point when everyone else wanted to go would just seem petty and strange.
The lake itself was a smooth as glass, and they wandered along the pier that butted up against it, looking beyond and noting the fish as they jumped, their slim silver scaled bodies breaking the surface of the water in graceful glittery arcs as they hit the surface looking for food.
Jayne stared nervously at the dark buildings that stood silent and dark along the quay at its edge as well as dotted down several side streets further away from the gleam of the water. She felt Sadie’s eyes on her as they walked. Sadie observed, “Seems odd don’t you think. The town is almost nothing. But this looks like a booming business district.”
Niel nodded. “Well, it once was for sure. Used to be a thriving paper mill. The boom of advancing technology alongside the flagging economy caused several to shut down. This one didn’t make the cut. Many people moved away, though others remain
ed and found different jobs. But they abandoned the buildings. There are probably at least five different warehouses here and about that stand empty now. No one wants to mess with the expense of tearing them down.”
“I wouldn’t know about that. Our family only just arrived in town a couple months ago. We’re from further down state.” Jayne admitted, a quaver in her voice.
Todd frowned. “Are you all right Jayne? You aren’t afraid of the dark are you?”
Jayne jerked her eyes up and met the light golden gleam in his.” She shuddered. His eyes were disconcerting. A skitter of pebbles over concrete a couple streets over in the utter silence caught their attention. Jayne gasped and jerked in the noise's direction. Everyone listened. Nobody had missed that they were all alone and on their own. But they were also in some insignificant Podunk town on the side of a mountain. Nothing bad ever happened in Purdy. Still, Jayne felt a frisson of fear tickle her spine. She tried to tamp down the shaky alarm as she felt more than one set of eyes on her person.
Jayne rubbed her arms and shivered, coming to a stop. “Um, look. I’m getting cold and its late. Maybe we should turn back?”
Sadie and Niel laughed. “Don’t worry. You’re safe with us, you know.” Sadie stated.
Jayne dug her heels in. “I know that. I just wanna go back, okay? I’m tired, that’s all.”
Sadie jerked as she glanced at her sharply, something less than friendly flaring in her eyes.
Sadie added, eyes cool. “All right. If we need to go, I suppose we can. It is a long way up the mountain.”
Turning around together, Todd reached out and snagged her hand once more. She let him keep it, needing the warm reassurance.
“Where should we walk you to?” Todd asked. Jayne was too busy listening for sounds that shouldn’t be there to catch the odd looks that were sent her way.
“Nowhere. Just drop me back at Haggett’s and I’ll find my way from there. You should all get on home. It’s late and don’t you have class tomorrow or something?”
Niel shot her a perplexed look. “Um… tomorrow is Sunday. We don’t have classes on the weekends.”
Jayne wasn’t fond of the speculation that rolled through his eyes. Turning to Todd once more. “No, really. I’m fine. You go on and get,” she finished. They came to the end of the road. A left took her straight into the center of town. A right led them up the mountain. They’d left the wharves and the old warehouse district behind them.
Jayne looked at Todd, feeling a lump of panic settle. She’d had fun tonight, she realized, with her new Montana friends and Niel. “Thanks for an awesome night.”
Niel grinned. “Maybe the movie was a bit much for those of us who do believe in things that go bump in the night,” he teased her.
She returned a weak smile, turning to Sadie, who was not smiling.
“Yeah, that movie was over the top and gory to boot. Good thing we’re all smarter than the chick that just happened to ‘stumble’ into the wrong mansion at midnight. I knew Roth was lying to her right off. I’m good at that. Detecting lies.” Sadie murmured; eyes hard on her.
Jayne’s smile was wobbly. “You stay safe going home, alright?”
Niel and Sadie nodded, moving ahead. Todd hung back and watched them go. He sent Sadie a perplexed glance as she moved stiffly up the road beside Niel.
He turned to Jayne. “Are you sure you are okay from here? I can walk you to Haggett’s at least…”
“No!” she said sharply. Jayne took a deep breath. “Look, I had a ball with you guys. But I’m a big girl and you need to stay with Sadie and Niel. You have a ways to go, I have like what, a couple hundred yards?”
It was more like 400, but Todd knew when to cut bait and run. “Okay. Can you send me a text when you get home at least?”
Jayne readily agreed. “As soon as I hit the front steps, I promise.”
Todd shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, unsure of what to do next.
Jayne looked at his kind face and nervous expression and took pity on him. She moved in close and placed cool fingers on his forearms. She leaned in and gave him the slightest buss on the lips, a cool whisper of breath fanning his cheek as she stepped back. She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down in reaction and smiled, satisfied.
“I’d like to do this again sometime.” He started lamely.
Jayne gave him a soft smile. “Goodnight Todd. I had fun,” she whispered.
Todd watched as she turned and headed down the road and back into town. He turned around and headed back towards Greylock Mountain, where the shadows of his friends waited for him.
#
“I don’t feel comfortable with her walking on her own.” Todd admitted, digging in his heels and coming to a stop when he reached Niel and Sadie. “I’m going back to make sure she gets to Haggett’s at least. I’ll catch up with you guys.”
Sadie sent him a cool glance. “I don’t like it, Todd. I think she will be fine.”
There was an odd note in her voice, but he ignored it.” Just the same, don’t wait for me, I’ll be along shortly.”
“We aren’t supposed to go anywhere alone, remember?” Niel reminded him as Todd turned to go.
“Stop being a Nancy. It’s like not even a half mile and I’ll be hoofing it back to you. Go on, get out of here, we’re wasting time.”
Todd didn’t wait for them to answer, turning back the way he’d come. He fell into a light jog towards Purdy.
#
Jayne’s heart kicked up a notch as she passed Haggett’s and continued on towards Green Lake. She hadn’t gone far before she realized she was being followed; the telltale skitter of a scuffed foot over gravel alerting her. She changed directions sharply, making a sudden turn onto a side street towards Wayne Street Apartments. It wasn’t where she lived, but it would be a suitable place to lose a tail, especially if her stalker was Todd, checking to make sure she made it home alright. The fool.
She passed the first building and headed for the second. She chanced a glance behind her as she trotted up the steps, praying the door was still ajar and maintenance hadn’t fixed it. She couldn’t see anyone, but her instincts were rarely wrong. She pulled the door open and scooted inside, stepping to the right of the door and taking to the shadows of the apartment foyer. She risked a peek through the windows of the twin doors, off to the side and nearly invisible. Sure enough, several seconds passed and a tall shadow separated itself from the corner of the next building. She knew that dark figure. Her heart kicked up another notch and her eyes grew damp with longing and fear.
Go home, Todd. Get away from me while you still can.
#
Todd watched as she entered the apartment building. It made sense, since she’d mentioned that she wasn’t a native of Purdy and her family had just moved there. He stared at the double doors for several more seconds. Was it his imagination that he thought he felt the weight of eyes?
Abruptly, he turned back and picked up the same jog that had brought him into town. Sadie and Niel were probably three quarters of the way back to camp by now. He’d need to hoof it to catch them. He didn’t mind walking in the dark. He was used to it. But he didn’t really want to deal with the camp director, Franz Hobert, if they found him wandering the mountains by himself.
He was well up the mountain when he realized he wasn’t the only one moving along the road. Something or someone was tailing him. Spending time as a prisoner in an alternate dimension and almost dying more ways than he could count last semester in Wyndoor had honed his senses in ways he didn’t care to think about. Todd Tuttle took nothing for granted in being cautious and suspicious by nature. Survival had demanded it of him.
Instead of speeding up at first, he slowed, placing each step along the broken trail large enough for an ATV with care. He needed information.
It wasn’t long in coming. Though placed with caution, the footfalls behind him were in a hurry; and there was more than one. His breathing picked up along with his pace. One he could handle,
maybe even more than one if they were human. He was a Tuttle, after all. And a werewolf, even if he hadn’t completed his first change. He was stronger and quicker than any human could dream of being.
Unless they had guns.
He began to run.
#
Jazz had gone on ahead. They’d been following the teens’ progress since they’d left the movie theater and wandered down by the lake and too close to ‘home’. His father, Terrence, and brother Wyatt, waited in town. They’d come up with the plan when they realized the teens were splitting up. The first two had gone up the mountain already, and that was fine. There would be time for them later. They weren’t foolish enough to risk going up against three Magicals at once. They needed the boyfriend alone. They waited until the girl gave the boy the slip at the apartments, knowing she wouldn’t re-emerge until he was long gone. Now Jazz waited up the trail for the teenager to come to him. He watched Todd as she’d called him, glance back several times. Boy knew he had a tail and that was fine. Because what he didn’t know was that he had someone waiting up front for him to arrive. Jazz fingered the smooth length of the tranquilizer gun, loaded with a cocktail guaranteed to bring down an elephant, or a Magical with supernatural strength like a werewolf.
Keep coming boy, just a little closer and you’ll be in range. Then we can start the party.
#
He was faster, and maybe that gave him an inflated self-confidence he should have been wary of. His tail was falling back and he was gaining ground and had started to relax, figuring they would give up as he entered an entire camp of Magicals. Todd was so busy listening for the footfalls behind him he wasn’t paying attention to what was in front. It was probably what saved his life.
He tripped over the fallen limb that had come down to partially block the road, stumbling forward. The whir of air and the sting along the crease of his ear alerted him to the fact that someone had just shot at him. He moved forward into the fall, rolling into a forward summersault and coming up with a five foot limb clutched in his hand, his gold eyes scanning the clearing ahead of him, narrowing in the near darkness that the moon couldn’t cut.
Rule 9 Academy Series Boxset: Books 3-5 Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy (Rule 9 Academy Box Sets (3 Book Series) 2) Page 9