by Kat Zaccard
“Hi.” I smiled.
“Um, I wanted to say I’m sorry, about your mom, I mean. How is she?”
I was surprised. Jillian Reynolds was expressing compassion to me? “Oh, wow, I mean, thanks, Jillian. It’s really kind of you to ask. She’s going to be fine. I mean, it was terrible that she was attacked, but she’ll be okay.”
Jillian looked genuinely relieved. “I’m glad. When I heard what happened … well, I felt really bad about it.” Jillian actually looked on the verge of tears.
“Thanks Jillian. How are you holding up?”
A glimpse of the old Jillian flashed behind her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you must still be grieving.”
Jillian’s suspicious look softened. “Thanks. I miss Grammy so much.”
“She was an impressive werewoman,” I said.
“She was, wasn’t she?” she said, brightening. Then Jillian scowled. “I just wish I could get the things she left me. I want to go through her clothes and smell her perfume bottle.” Jillian glanced up at me, looking slightly embarrassed.
“That’s perfectly reasonable. What’s the holdup?”
“I don’t know, it’s Mother. She keeps saying she needs to go through her papers, but Grammy told me a long time ago she had a special box set aside just for me. Mother is arguing with the executor of the will, who says Grammy left very specific instructions. I’m waiting on the litigation to get her things. I know she left me most of her personal belongings, but I really just want this sweater she always wore when we were on holiday in London. She would never wear a sweater stateside, but in London, she’d say she had to blend in with the locals. She always seemed more relaxed when we were there.”
“Well, you were on holiday.”
“True,” she agreed.
“I hope it works out soon.”
“I wish the stupid lawyers would figure it out already!”
“Are they your lawyers or your mother’s lawyers?” I asked.
“Well, they’re Mother’s, I suppose.” Jillian looked thoughtful.
“Maybe you should hire your own lawyer to talk to the executor of your grandma’s will. I mean no offense, but your mother isn’t the most trustworthy.” I knew I was treading on treacherous territory here.
Jillian raised an eyebrow at me. “I suppose you do have a point.”
“I can recommend my lawyer Robert.” I thought back to my unsuccessful petition. “Or maybe Nadia has a better recommendation.”
“Actually, I know just the wolf. Grammy had a private lawyer of her own. He’s likely the executor anyway. I will call him personally. Thanks, Alice.”
“You’re welcome. I … I hope you have lots of support.”
“Thank you. It’s been hard, but Logan’s been really great.” She glanced up as if his name had slipped out accidentally.
“Jillian, please know I do wish we could figure out a way for you two to be together,” I said earnestly.
“You know, I actually believe you.” For the first time, Jillian smiled at me without malice or mockery.
Impulsively, I hugged her. She stiffened in surprise then accepted my embrace. We parted awkwardly, not quite friends, but no longer enemies.
Later at lunch, I informed Shea, Adam, Hayley, Sara, and Fanya about my conversations with Gwendolyn and the upyr attack. They urged me to tell Jack and Sir Henry. I wanted to, but every time I saw Jack, he looked like he had enough on his shoulders. I felt guilty about it, but I had to admit I was avoiding him.
Shea gave me a good scolding and we decided to visit him the next afternoon. We brought him a pie from Luciana’s and he greeted us with a big smile. He still looked a little gaunt and his beard was thicker than ever, but there was a lightness in his voice I hadn’t heard in a while. I was ashamed all over again for not visiting him sooner. We chatted amiably for a while, enjoying the strawberry rhubarb pie. Finally, Jack got down to business.
“I’m assuming you didn’t just come for the pie?” he inquired.
“Of course we did!” I smiled.
“But there is something you should know,” put in Shea, earning me an I-knew-it look from Jack. We filled him in on the upyr attack on my mom and Gwendolyn’s progress with the potions and book. Jack was horrified and amazed, the dueling expressions wreaking havoc on his forehead.
“I’m glad no one was hurt. I trust the witches to protect the town, but I’ll send Levi and Max back to Greenville anyway. Can you get word to the coven?”
His promise to put a discreet guard on my parents put me at ease. Despite Gwendolyn’s assurances, I wondered if the witches could protect my parents and the rest of the town by themselves. I agreed to send word to Gwendolyn and request her permission to send wolves into her territory.
“But you must be discreet. It’s treason to act as an unofficial emissary,” Jack cautioned.
“This is a request between friends,” Shea suggested. Jack looked dubious.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” I reasoned.
“I don’t want to jeopardize a potential alliance with the coven. We need all the friends we can get.”
“If that potion does what Gwen says it does, we could have a powerful advantage,” Shea added.
Jack agreed that we should keep the upyr attack to ourselves. We could do little else to protect ourselves or my parents than what we were already doing. We didn’t want the Queen Regent to know that we were onto her. She had no idea I had any connection to the witches at all, therefore, no reason to suspect I knew who was behind the attack on my mom. I had to grit my teeth and be patient, but it was getting harder and harder to do so.
I threw myself into training and planning tactics for the Fur Patrol. We agreed to let Sequoya join our junior patrol, since Damka was still avoiding us. On the next full moon, I was all business. No time for play. I had an army to train, starting with my own pack. We practiced the new techniques that Melinda and Coach Murry had demonstrated earlier that week then ran the drills I’d prepared. I knew I was a little tough on Sequoya, but she didn’t hold it against me.
The next day, we all met for breakfast to discuss that night’s run. Hayley and I were going over strategies, when Sequoya ran past us in tears. Shea and I sprang to our feet and chased after her, following her into the nearest bathroom. She’d locked herself in a stall and was crying uncontrollably.
“Sequoya? What is it?” I called softly through the door. “It’s Shea and Alice; come out and talk to us.”
After a few more sniffles from her and words of encouragement from us, Sequoya finally unlocked the stall door. Her eyes were red from crying. We made soothing noises and asked what was wrong.
“It’s Nolan,” she sniffed. “He, he didn’t shift last night!”
Shea and I gasped in unison. Sequoya went on, “I just talked to him. He says the entire Apollo dorm knows and he’s furious. He was so mean to me, but I didn’t do anything!”
“Oh, that’s terrible! I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” Shea started to offer sympathy.
“Of course he didn’t mean it! That’s not why I’m upset. But if he can’t shift, how will we...?” Her questioned trailed off and she dissolved into tears again. We comforted her for a while then cajoled her back into the dining hall for breakfast. She couldn’t bear the scrutiny, however, and quickly left to go to her room. Shea and I filled the girls in on the news.
By the next day, it was all over campus. Last night was the full moon, the most gibbous of the three days werewolves consider the moon full. If Nolan was able to shift, last night should have been the night. I called Nadia and asked if she would see me. She told me she couldn’t see me that day and suggested later in the week.
Sir Henry walked me to Nadia’s townhouse in Dryden on Thursday afternoon. Nadia greeted me with a grim face. We sat in her parlor sipping tea in silence. Finally, I broached the subject.
“Nadia, I’m so sorry. Do you think Nolan would let me try to help?” I inquired.
“We just need permission from the headmaster.” Werewolf etiquette wouldn’t allow us to train together.
“Pish,” Nadia scoffed. “You can come to my estate.” A glimmer of hope reached her eyes.
“But there’s still another full moon before the end of term?”
“Nolan won’t stay.” Nadia’s face fell once again. “He can’t stand the embarrassment or the teasing. It’s terrible for a runt.” She whispered the last word like it was a slur.
“I’m so sorry, Nadia. We don’t know that for sure yet. Let me try to help on the next full moon.”
Nadia perked up just a bit and asked about my other news. Jack had filled her in on most of the particulars, but as per usual, she wanted to hear it all straight from the horse’s mouth, or in this case, the wolf’s mouth. I filled her in on my visit to Greenville and the attack on my mom.
“Hmm, an upyr in America is bad news, Alice. I think you should tell Jack about Sloane.”
“But then he’ll never let me run! He’s so protective of me, Nadia.”
“Yes, but what if you’re right, and Sloane is still protecting you? Maybe she’s the one who left the dead deer?”
“I don’t think so, Nadia; she would’ve told me. And I doubt she’d be so sloppy. Plus, I haven’t spoken to Sloane in months. She’s gone dark to spy on the upyr nest. I have to trust she’ll contact me when she has news.”
“Well, then that’s all the more reason to tell Jack. If you have an upyr ally, he should know.”
“But … I’m afraid he’ll hate her on principle. After Kulani…”
Nadia sighed. “Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps it’s too soon. But you’ll have to tell him eventually.”
I didn’t want to ask, but I suspected my royal advisor sometimes wished for an advisor of her own.
I left Nadia’s with the promise to spend the next full moon at her estate. She said she’d pull some royal strings to make it happen. Stepping outside, I realized it had started raining lightly and I had no umbrella. To my surprise, Sir Henry wasn’t waiting for me either. In his stead stood Diego, tall and grinning under a huge rainbow umbrella.
“Where’s Sir Henry?” I asked with a smile to let him know I wasn’t displeased with the change of guard.
“I happened to stroll by and he was out here soaking wet and shivering. I offered to relieve him of duty since I recently passed the test for royal guard duty.” He swelled with pride, revealing dimples in his caramel cheeks.
“Congratulations! And I’m grateful for the umbrella.” He lifted the umbrella high as I stepped underneath. I could feel heat radiate off his body as we walked down the cobblestone street. He smelled like cinnamon and something abstract but familiar.
“You’ll also be grateful when we swing by my mom’s café. She made a whole batch of lemon poppy seed muffins just for you.”
“She did? That’s so sweet!”
“She said you needed fattening up, and it would help you study for exams.”
“Exams are weeks away!”
“Well, pretend you’re already studying.”
We walked on amiably, huddled together under the umbrella. By the time we walked the few blocks to Dryden’s town square, the rain had let up and the sun was shining.
“Look, a rainbow.” Diego pointed.
I stepped out from under the umbrella to get a better look. A few raindrops fell on my face as I smiled at the beautiful double rainbow arcing across the sky. I grinned at Diego and ducked back under the umbrella. The rain had lessened, so it wasn’t really necessary, but I didn’t mind the excuse to press my arm against his.
By the time we reached the café, the rain had stopped. Luciana was already outside wiping the outdoor tables and chairs dry. She smiled at us as we approached.
“Hola, papi. Hola, Alice,” she called with a wave of her cloth.
“Hola, Sen͂ora Galvan,” I replied.
She directed Diego to run inside for the muffins while I helped her finish wiping the tables. She tried to refuse my help, but I insisted it was the least I could do in exchange for the delicious gift.
“How do you know they’re delicious if you haven’t tried them yet?”
“Because you made them.” I stated the truth, not flattery.
Luciana was about to respond, but the retort died on her lips. Her face froze, though her eyes widened in shock. I glanced behind me and noticed an average-sized man approaching. He wore cargo pants, a T-shirt, and an old leather jacket that’d seen better days. He was handsome, but his features struck me as very unique. He looked Peruvian, his skin was pale and freckled, and his hair was a shocking red. I saw him catch Luciana’s eye, and his face broke out into a familiar grin. Looking between them, I realized this might be Diego’s father.
“Luciana?” The man approached warily.
Luciana shook herself out of her stunned reverie. “Renzo,” she replied softly.
He took another step toward her and cautiously reached for her hands. “Amor,” he breathed.
Suddenly, they were embracing and talking rapidly in Spanish. I felt hella embarrassed and hella confused. A moment later, Diego stepped outside and dropped the bag of muffins in surprise.
The pair broke apart. Luciana looked terrified. The man, Renzo, asked softly, “Diego?”
Diego looked at the man, and I saw his good humor withdraw behind a carefully constructed mask of calm. He looked at his mother. Then they all started speaking Spanish too quickly for my limited skill to follow. I caught a few words. Padre … mijo … explanación. But they meant little out of context. I could tell it was not going well. Finally, Diego said something about Alice and stormed away from the two.
My muffins forgotten, I quickly followed Diego down the path to Mt. Henley, assuming he had told his mother he needed to walk me home.
“Diego! Wait up,” I called as my awkward speed-walking led to a stitch in my side. My arm was aching after the rain despite Nurse Ellis’ assurance that formerly broken bones aching during a rainstorm was a myth. Diego finally stopped. He was facing away from me with his fists clenched hard at his sides. I approached and reached for his arm. He snatched it away from me and whirled around.
“How can they just do that? I mean, seriously! He shows up out of nowhere after almost twenty years and what does he expect? I’m just going to give him a hug and play catch?” He trailed off into a string of expletives in English, Spanish, and French. I was impressed by the end of his rant and made a mental note to have him teach me the ones I didn’t know later.
“So I take it that was your dad, huh?” It was a stupid question, but I had to say something.
Diego shrugged. “I guess so.” He had burnt off some of his anger but still looked like steam was coming out of his ears.
“Wanna go for a run?” It was the only thing I could think of that might make him feel better.
Diego looked at me then out into the woods longingly. “I’d love to, but Sir Henry would have my hide if I did. As it is, I better get you home soon.” He looked at the shifting light then down at his empty hands.
“I forgot your muffins.” He looked so sad and sorry.
“It’s only muffins,” I said softly. He gave a rueful snort. I took his hands in mine, ducking my head to catch his downcast gaze. Slowly, he lifted his chocolate eyes to mine. “Are you okay?” Again with the stupid questions! I had to get better at this pep talk thing Shea did so well.
He let out a sigh. “I don’t know.”
“Well, I’m here for you, whatever you need.”
“Thanks, Alice.”
We stood there for a moment, then Diego glanced at the sky again. “We better get going before more storm clouds blow through. It’s supposed to be spotty rain all evening.”
We walked back in silence. Finally, my curiosity got the
better of me.
“Have you ever met him before?”
“No.”
I didn’t know what to say after that. I figured the best thing I could do was get home quickly so he could go back and talk to them. He left me at the steps of the Artemis dorms with a promise to call me later.
Later never came or at least his call didn’t. I couldn’t blame him, though. I understood birth parent drama. I never knew much about Diego’s dad, and by the looks of it, neither did he. I hoped he would tell me so he didn’t have to carry his burdens alone. I knew how hard that was too.
Chapter 28
A week later, I finally heard from Diego. He’d left a message while I was in class asking me to go for a walk after school. I glanced at the clock and realized I had to dash if I was going to meet him on time. I ran down the Artemis steps catching a glimpse of him walking away.
“Diego!” I called and was relieved to see him stop and turn. Oh right, werewolves have excellent hearing. I knew that.
I jogged to catch up with him. He seemed normal. He grinned when he saw me and didn’t look like he wanted to punch a tree … all good signs.
“Hey, Alice. I thought I missed you.”
“You almost did! I forget to check my cell phone sometimes, since I rarely have it on me these days.” I waved the device in question.
“But you brought it on our walk?”
“Yep! It’s selfie time!” Ignoring his protests, I made him take a few pictures with me. “We have like zero proof that we’re even friends,” I explained when he questioned the sanity of selfies and teenage girls, for that matter. I ignored his jibe, knowing he was just feeling self-conscious. We looked at the pics.
“That’s a good one,” he admitted.
“Yeah, you look great,” I said without thinking. I felt my cheeks burning.
“I was thinking the same thing about you.” He said it offhand, like it was also an accident.
We each took a step back and a moment to regroup with some toe-scuffing and throat-clearing. After a moment, Diego gestured toward a trail off the main path.
“As long as we stay within the new student boundaries, we can take a stroll through here.”