Lani glanced up at a nearby monitor; the feed looked normal enough. She was about to question the girl further when the science supply closet door burst open. A boy stumbled out backward, crashing into a couple stools, knocking them to the floor as he fell.
“What on earth?” Lani moved to where she could see the kid and recognized him immediately. “You!”
“Oh, my god! Oh, my god!” Idric screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Stephanie shifted uncomfortably.
Lani glanced at the door to make sure no one had heard the commotion. “Idric? It’s okay. What’s going on?” She put a hand on his shoulder. The kid was panicked, murmuring a few sentences Lani couldn’t understand. She grabbed his other arm and gave him a firm shake. “Calm down, I can’t understand you. Now, what happened?”
Idric took a few breaths, tears still streaming down the sides of his face. “Mrs. Padilla.” He breathed. “She’s dead!”
“What?” shrieked Stephanie.
Lani was overcome with shock. “Impossible. I just met with her.”
The poor kid looked terrified. “I swear! This is no joke! I was in the science storeroom looking for ingredients for a…” He glanced up.
“Go on.”
“Well, I went into the storeroom anyway, and she was there, stuffed in there like some discarded mop!” He stared at the floor.
“Show me.”
His gaze flew to her face. “What?”
“I need to see.”
“No way!”
“Look, Idric. There’s some really big things going on around here and I need your help. Okay?”
His eyes seemed especially green today. He stared at her wide-eyed.
Lani knelt to him. “I know you’re scared, but you could really help me piece a few things together, okay? I promise, I’ll be with you the whole time.” She offered him a hand. He took it and stood, giving her a slight nod.
They followed the boy back to the science storeroom. It was larger than Lani expected, connecting several classrooms. The space was filled with beakers, graduated cylinders, triple-beam balances, and other things the school would need to conduct science experiments. Idric led her toward the back and slipped behind a set of shelves where there was a small chemical cabinet. It was obvious the door was meant to be locked. He stopped just short and pointed inside.
Stephanie went over first, as soon as she glanced behind, her hands flew to her mouth. Lani took a deep breath and peeked in.
Crumpled in the corner, she saw the body of Maria Padilla. “She’s wearing the same godawful dress I saw her in earlier.”
“Huh?” Idric threw her a confused look, but clearly didn’t want to see her again.
“I was just in her office. I just met with the woman.”
Stephanie offered, “Shouldn’t we tell someone?”
Lani turned on her quickly. “No! I know this is going to sound incredibly strange, but for now, tell no one.”
“But what if—” Stephanie continued.
“No one!” She put a finger to her lips. “You’re both going to have to trust me on this.”
The boy scoffed, “Trust you?”
“I know I haven’t given you much reason, but consider this—I was just in the headmistress’ office. I talked to the woman fifteen minutes ago, for Pete’s sake! Whoever is in that office, looks and acts just like the real thing.” She paused. “Now I don’t know about you, but that seems a bit fishy to me. There’s some seriously freaky stuff going on, and I don’t know who we can trust.”
Idric said, “You mean the disappearances?”
“It’s more than that.” Lani closed the chemical closet, replacing the lock. “At first, I thought a few students were playing a dirty prank. But with the things I’ve seen so far, we’ve really got to be careful who we talk to. At least until I know what’s going on.”
Stephanie asked, “What do we do then?”
To that, Lani had no answer. Until she knew more, she could only guess at a course of action.
“I still think we ought to tell someone,” Idric said, staring at the closed door of the closet. “You’re crazy!”
Lani put her hand on her hip. “Don’t forget, young man. I know about your little secret. It’d be a shame for me to have to tell—”
“Secret?” Stephanie cocked her head.
“None of your business!” Idric shot her an angry look.
“I’m sorry, that’s just the way it’s got to be right now.” She watched him for a response.
He glared, defiantly.
“Are you with me on this?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Fine.” Idric stormed past, then added, “Sheesh, woman. You play a mean game.”
“Secret? Is he gay?” Stephanie asked.
Lani rolled her eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
SALLY RACED across the school parking lot, Jake immediately behind. She knew he was having difficulty with the server strapped to his back, but there was nothing she could do to help him with Mrs. Padilla close on their tail. It was insane for her to think their headmistress was chasing them until she glanced back and got an even stranger picture of what was really happening. Mrs. Padilla knelt and leapt into the air.
Sally stopped in her tracks, her gaze glued to the woman soaring overhead, trying to reconcile the absurdity of it all. Jake, not having anticipated her sudden stop, crashed into her, nearly knocking her to the ground.
The headmistress landed in front of them, crouching with one hand on the ground. Sally’s feet seemed rooted to the pavement, her legs as stiff as stone, her mind still struggling with what she was seeing. Mrs. Padilla stood upright, scowling. As she did, her body grew, her shoulders expanding, her arms bulging, her clothes tearing away. She strode toward them with thick hairy legs, the rest of her joining them in what looked to be a giant grizzly bear. It must have been at least ten feet tall. Sally’s heart raced as the massive animal let out a deep throaty growl, sticky saliva dripping from the ends of its gleaming white teeth.
Seeing this transformation actually made a strange sort of sense to Sally, her mind pairing what happened with the cat she’d seen in Atlanta. This thing, whatever it was, was a shape-shifter; it was the only explanation.
Sally had heard of such things from the silly SciFi movies Yasif and Daniel used to watch, but those were just movies. And yet there in front of her was something she couldn’t explain. That wasn’t, however, what Sally was most concerned with. The real question was—what did it want?
“What do we do?” Jake cried out.
“Are you kidding? Run!” Sally grabbed his arm, doubling back toward the school, searching for a way to lure the thing away from Jake’s car. Then something occurred to her. In order for the thing to fit back into the school it would have to revert back to the headmistress. That and it certainly couldn’t jump inside the building.
Sally wrenched open the doors they’d escaped through and ran back inside the empty hall. They’d made it halfway to the commons when the door behind them opened again. Sally glanced back to find Mrs. Padilla striding toward them.
They burst through the doors to find a startled-looking Yasif on the other side. “What’s going on?”
“No time!” Sally pulled him with them, moving at a brisk walk through the commons, trying her best not to draw too much attention. “She can’t make a scene here, at least.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Jake warned.
“What are you talking about?” Yasif asked.
“Mrs. Padilla is dead.” It was Stephanie.
Sally wasn’t sure where she’d come from, but it was who was with her that bothered her the most. Why would she betray their trust to a reporter? Sally was so focused on Lani, she’d barely noticed the boy.
“Your headmistress is not who she appears to be,” Lani stated.
Sally eyed her.
“What are you talking about?” Sally asked.
“Mrs. Padilla is dead.” The boy looke
d frightened out of his mind.
“Who are you?” Yasif asked.
“Idric.”
“What do you mean she’s dead?” Sally asked.
“Can we possibly discuss this at a later time?” Jake added, wagging a finger at the double doors. Mrs. Padilla had entered the commons.
“You kids are in quite a great deal of trouble. To my office—now!” Several students glanced up, obviously taken aback by the uncharacteristic tone.
“I agree, I think it’s time to go,” Sally said.
Yasif glanced around. “Where?”
“This way.” Lani directed them toward the front doors.
“But my car’s in back,” Jake said.
Lani smiled. “My van’s out front. It’s the only way we can all fit.”
“All of us?” Yasif turned to Sally. “Why are we listening to her?”
“She’s trying to help,” Stephanie countered.
Sally eyed her, a million things popping into her head that she wanted to say, but something in Lani’s expression told her to trust the reporter. “There’s not time to argue. Let’s see where this goes.”
Yasif looked as if he wanted to argue, but said nothing.
The group spilled into the parking lot and then raced toward the news van, the station’s log scrawled across the side.
“Hurry!” Idric called as Sally wrestled with the sliding door. She glanced back and saw what had caused his alarm. Free of the confines of the school, Mrs. Padilla had already begun to change.
Sally pulled and the door screeched open as the bear-creature launched itself into the air. Sally climbed inside, helping Jake with the backpack, the kid scrambling in behind him. Mrs. Padilla landed halfway across the parking lot ready to take to the air once more.
“Drive!” Jake screamed as Lani situated herself in the front seat. Her hands shook as she fumbled with the keys, trying to force them into the ignition.
“What are you waiting for?” Stephanie hollered.
“I’m trying!” Lani replied. The van shuddered as the engine roared to life. It lurched forward violently, sending anyone not secure to the floor. Fortunately, Sally had strapped herself in to the passenger seat. Before she could ask what had caused it, there was a sudden crash on top the roof, and she knew Mrs. Padilla must be on top the van. The roof began to buckle with each blow.
“We’re all gonna die!” Stephanie hollered.
Yasif glared at her. “Seriously? Who brought her?”
The creature pounded and scraped on the roof, trying to get inside, the sounds echoing through the small space. It was only a matter of time before the shape-shifter tore through and made its way in.
Sally searched the open area in the back, looking for anything that could repel the thing on the roof. All she could see was camera equipment and electronics, nothing useful against a gigantic killer bear. In her search, she caught sight of Idric with his eyes shut. At first, she thought he was just afraid, but she realized he was muttering something under his breath. Within moments, his body seemed to take on a faint glow. A burst of energy shot outward from his body as though he’d exploded with light. Sally covered her eyes, but felt the force of it as it blasted away from him. The van shifted, Lani fought for control, but the banging and scraping above had stopped.
“What was that?” Yasif asked.
“It fell off!” Stephanie announced from the back window.
Sally could now see the creature in the side-view mirror. It was gaining on them. “Drive faster!”
“This is a cargo van, not a BMW!” Lani said.
“You’d better do something or that thing is going to tear us apart!” Sally cried.
Lani let out a grunt of frustration, then dropped the van into a lower gear, causing it to surge forward. The engine whined in complaint, and they were all pressed back into their seats.
“Come on, baby!” Lani petted the steering wheel.
Sally glanced in the side-view again. It had worked. The creature began to fall behind. As they rounded the bend, it disappeared from sight, and Sally let out a sigh of relief.
“The gate!” Idric cried.
Lani let out a scream, but didn’t slow the van.
“Oh, my god!” Stephanie hollered and covered her eyes as the van crashed through the iron gates. Sally caught sight of the frightened guard, who’d apparently tried to call in the incident. He’d dropped the phone and ducked behind the counter as they went through. It wasn’t until they were safely down the road before the rest let out a collective sigh of relief.
Sally turned to Idric. “You okay?”
He nodded.
She wasn’t sure how to ask him about what she’d seen. She whispered, “Back there…with the creature…you did something.”
He glanced at her nervously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Idric,” she replied. “I saw you. You did something.”
He shook his head and refused to say more.
“Great,” Yasif said. “We’ve got a drama queen and a freaky kid.”
Sally cast him a reproving look.
Yasif shrugged. “Sorry.”
Idric remained frustratingly silent.
Sally didn’t have time to worry about the kid. She was focused on one thing. “We need to go to my mother’s apartment.”
“Why?” Lani asked.
“She could be in trouble thanks to Miss Loose-Lips back there.” She motioned toward Stephanie.
“Well, I didn’t know what was going on!” Stephanie shot back.
“You still don’t know what’s going on.” Yasif’s hands were shaking.
“I think we have far more important things to worry about right now,” Lani replied, still visibly rattled by the encounter.
“My mom could be in trouble!” Sally shot back, more forcefully than she’d intended.
Lani brought the van to a sudden stop on the side of the road, then turned to Sally. “I need some answers. I know you know what’s going on, and I’m not going anywhere until I know why I’ve just risked my life to escape from some shape-shifting creature. If you don’t start talking, you can get out and walk!”
Sally blinked, taken aback by Lani’s brashness. “I don’t know what’s going on. I started investigating the disappearance and all this happened since. And now Mrs. Padilla is dead.” The reality of Mrs. Padilla being dead had just hit her. Sally tried her best to hold in her emotion, but she teared up. “All I know is there’s something strange going on and I can’t get a hold of my mother. I’m worried they’ve done something to her.”
“What have I gotten myself into?” Lani put the van back into drive. “Okay, I’ll take you to your mom’s place, but if what you’re saying is true, we still have a lot of things to worry about.”
Jake interrupted. “I hate to add one more flame to the fire, but we need to get this server plugged in before the Hi-Li site gets overwhelmed.”
Sally glanced at him. “I need to make sure my mother’s okay. We’ll deal with the server after.”
“I wasn’t suggesting…” He held a hand up. “You just need to understand the longer we wait, the more chance there is of the temporary server collapsing.”
Sally gave him a slight nod.
Lani shook her head. “I can’t believe all this. Shape-shifters? Vanishing students? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d think you kids were on some serious drugs.”
“What I want to know is how that creature got knocked off the van.” Yasif cast a side-long glance at Idric.
“Whatever it was, it came from the kid,” Jake said.
“Hey!” the kid replied. “I’m not a kid!”
Yasif turned on him. “How old are you again?”
“Fifteen! I’ll be sixteen in a few months.”
“You’re a kid!” Yasif crossed his arms.
“Cut it out!” Sally interrupted. “We’ve got more important things to worry about.”
“What’s more important than Padil
la the gorilla back there?” Stephanie asked with a chuckle.
“It was a bear,” Idric corrected.
“Whatever the hell it was, it wasn’t any kind of bear I’ve ever seen,” Yasif explained.
“I feel like I’m caught in the middle of the X-Files,” Lani stated. They all looked at her with puzzled expressions. “X-Files? Really? The TV show?” She rolled her eyes. “Oh, my god, I’m with a bunch of kids!”
“Oh yeah! I watched a few of those on Netflix. I think this is more like Fringe,” Idric offered.
“No doubt!” Yasif agreed. The rest nodded, except Stephanie, who seemed to have no clue what they were talking about.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
JAKE FIDGETED IN HIS SEAT, the urge to light up gnawing away at his nerves. It was bad enough he felt completely out of place, but the things he’d seen since he joined this little group were stranger than anything he’d ever imagined.
He stared blankly at a swinging camera strap hanging from a shelf, its motion matching the movement of the vehicle. What would he be doing if he weren’t there? Drinking? Smoking? Sitting in his filthy house, listening to music on his phone? Was his life really that pathetic? He knew the answer even if he wouldn’t admit it to himself. It was fear. He’d carried the idea in his head that he was somehow broken and it was all because of that one day.
It was him. Daniel had been the one thing in his life that was supposed to go right. Jake had never felt so close to anyone before—or ever again, for that matter. And what did he do to repay Daniel’s kindness? He turned on him, blamed him for what had transpired between them, and all because Jake panicked when his father burst in on them. It didn’t matter that he took the blame. His father still sent him to that damned camp where they tried to make him “normal.” He was only allowed out when he convinced his father that he was a “chick-banging straight boy,” but no matter what, the truth was he’d only suppressed his true self, buried the pain of his past. Here, he had a real chance, a real opportunity to do something good for Daniel—maybe even help find him, and that gave him something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time—hope.
Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1) Page 9