by Holly Hook
The Beater sounds like a wind-up car every time I speed up. Though Noah and I have made jokes about it, my sense of smell tells me it's an oil leak and my levels keep getting low enough to kill the engine for good. "Noah offered to keep putting the black gold in it," I say. "Besides, I don't need the car as much anymore. I'll volunteer at the store and you don't have to pay me a cent."
"Brie, you're a lifesaver."
I force a smile. "And I won't sue you. I promise." For once she's accepting my help. Nobody else will catch her.
"You bought us several more months," Aunt May says. "Do you know what? I know I'm lousy at baking, but I'll make you a cake. Right now."
I eye the clock. It's going on ten. "You're tired. Maybe tomorrow?"
"We both have to be at the store."
"So does Leonora," I say. "I talked to her a bit after we saved the girl."
"So the girl is safe," Aunt May says, snapping her gaze to me. She moves her arms like she wants to open them for a hug. "What happened? You had to leave our territory and I couldn't help you." Her eyes shine with guilt. For a moment, she forgot about me putting myself in danger.
"Aunt May, you're exhausted. Don't feel bad. I steered the conversation away from that. We got her out and kept our secrets safe. Only Leonora got yelled at by her. Matt gave her a view right before he shifted and tried to bite her, but I think she'll live. And there was a warlock."
"A what?" Her blue eyes widen. Now she's awake.
I describe the whole situation to her, starting with Leonora having spotted Alesha and Matt walking into the woods together. Maybe Alesha wanted bragging rights by scoring the former school jock. Then I move on to our fight and how the warlock threw something explosive at Cayden.
She furrows her brows, thinking as she marches over and pulls a coffee mug from the cabinet.
"And this is the part where you say your parents never talked about the history of Breck with you," I say. "Have bad witches come around here in the past?"
"Our parents," Aunt May says, "told us to let sleeping matters lie when we were children."
"That's what Leonora's dad just said!"
"They wanted peace and normal lives for us. So they removed us from everything." She grips the counter with her free hand and starts the coffee machine with the snap of the button. "I still resent them for never giving us any information. Your parents died because that failed to keep us safe. A pack of Savages came in and killed them before moving on."
"But it's your history! Don't we have a right to know?" I hold back emotion. "And if keeping secrets was supposed to keep us safe, well, it didn't work so well, did it?"
"We do," she says, shaking her head. "We do. Maybe the newest wave of Savage Wolves could have been stopped if we had embraced our nature instead of hiding it."
"I agree." I think back to the human side of my life, when senses were dull, an unknown danger lurked in the trees, and I stood at the sidelines of everything. I'm there again. "The Russells keep secrets, too."
"The Russells?" She lets go of the counter.
I tell her about the display her father gave with Leonora. "He also wants hush hush."
"But the Russells have given us so much food to sell," Aunt May says. "They've helped us so much over the years. Why keep secrets?"
"Back when your parents were alive and mine were alive, maybe they spilled, but something must have happened that changed their minds." I know one truth. "Mom and Dad. Them dying got them to start staying quiet. Maybe they hoped if we kept a low profile, the Savages would stop coming?"
"Possible," Aunt May says. "But it's done us no good. The Lowes coming here might have started it all again."
Her last sentence hangs heavy with emotion. She blinks away tears she's held back for my sake for the past thirteen years. I rush over and wrap her in my hug as she collapses into my arms.
"A knife used to help me focus. Forget everything you think about magic. Anyone can learn it. Rites are just a play to put me in an altered state of consciousness so I can manipulate the universe."
"You're saying everyone can manipulate the universe?"
"Their small universe," Leonora says. She pinches me on the arm. "Nobody can change the color of the sky or control the weather. Think of small changes. Results from spells will use real-life events to happen."
"So if I were to do a spell to ace an exam—" I say.
"Your friend might come over later and want to study," Leonora fills in. "And then you'd ace the exam."
"Sounds like I could just study."
"Well, you could, but your friend gave you that extra motivation to do it. See the difference?"
I'm not sure I'm buying Leonora's explanations. She sounds as if she's trying to make magic work in a world that's supposed to function without it. But werewolves are real, so I'll give it a shot.
"So, what if I did a spell to make someone fall in love with me? Just curious."
"But you have Cayden. The way he looks at you, I can tell. He's in love with you."
"This is hypothetical," I say, though my thoughts drift to Cayden's pulling away back in October. "I'm thinking of what Matt tried to do to Alesha. Or pretend, anyway."
"It's immoral to manipulate someone," Leonora says. "That's the dark arts."
"But, in theory, could you?" I ask. "I was wondering for Alesha's sake."
Leonora checks the door. "It's possible. But more likely, if Matt had bitten her and they'd done the rite, Alesha just would have found herself unable to get away from Matt," Leonora says. Her tone darkens. She levels her eyes at me. "The Savage Wolves don't care about love."
"They only care about the most brutal parts of nature," I fill in.
"Yes. Matt would have dominated her. Maybe she'd try to run away at first, but circumstances would have stopped her. Maybe her car would have broken down. Her phone might have died."
"I see. Magic makes mundane things work for your goal."
Then she smiles. "You got it."
"Then why are your parents so against it? That's useful."
"Because they worry about my safety? I grew up with parents who fear cell phones."
Maybe Leonora's coming around now that she's hanging out with us more. "This is different," I say, gripping the wooden crate of squashes. "The older generation is hiding something from us. I know Savage Wolves tried to take Breck before, and both my families fought them, but I can't figure out why they keep wanting this town. Maybe your parents think keeping it quiet will stop the Savages from coming here?"
"But they're already close." Leonora narrows her eyes at me. I don't have to be a werewolf to read her expression. She's planning to rebel.
"Why won't they do magic anymore?"
"Well, I'm not my parents," she says. "And I'm tired of hanging around the cabin all the time. I mean, we're both almost adults. They need to treat us the same."
"Agreed. Have you asked Remo why the Lowes settled here?"
It's the closest I've come to mentioning Leonora's and Remo's relationship to her. Since I saw them at the cabin two months ago, I've kept things quiet around Everly, our resident chaperone.
"Yes," Leonora says, "but he doesn't know much. But since he's the oldest out of the bunch, his parents told him a little."
"Are you serious?" I ask. "That's unfair. I mean, he's adopted and Cayden and Everly should have got that information."
"I agree. But I didn't tell Remo that. He's quiet, but he's still a werewolf."
"Remo wouldn't hurt a human."
"He has his moods. I guess I would if I were living a normal life and then lost my family. Except, I don't have a normal life either." I've asked him why they came here, and he told me his parents sought protection from another Noble Wolf pack," Leonora says. "That's all he knew."
"You mean," I ask, "they wanted my family to protect them. Except we were almost gone by the time we got here. We have a reputation among Noble Wolves?"
"Yes. I didn't want to tell you this."
The air
in the store thickens. The cloud of tension only breaks when the door opens, making the chime go off.
I smell Noah and Ellie before I see or hear them walk inside. The cold wind carries their scent and fills the store with the high school props room—Noah—and the natural vanilla scent of Ellie.
I motion for Leonora to zip her lips. She nods. And she doesn't need to say why she's withheld this info.
She knows how I'll take it.
Leonora, like Cayden, has figured out what I'm like. I'm the problem solver, even if it kills me.
Were all the Wolves in my father's family like this? Strong protectors? So strong, in fact, that other Nobles looked up to them?
Instead of sating my curiosity, it only dumps water—and super fertilizer—on the plant already growing. As I walk up to meet my friends, I shake my head, trying to stop my mind from working. But the plant grows a new shoot that bangs inside my head, demanding attention.
"Brie!" Noah spreads his arms for a hug.
I dive into his arms. "Hey," I say. "Have you heard what the new play will be?"
"Not yet," he says, releasing me. "I know Cayden will get the male lead if he auditions. Olivia will rock the female lead."
"Any luck with her?" I ask.
Noah smiles. "We've been talking in class, but only as friends," Noah says. "She's been weird since the Spooktacular Dance. But at least she's not bothering you anymore. I know that got to you."
"Don't mention the dance," I say. "It was traumatic." Noah knows Matt shifted into a wolf. Like everyone else, he knows three wolves ran out of the high school afterwards. Though the official rumor flying around Breck High is that someone—probably Matt—staged an elaborate prank and let wolves into the school, every time Noah mentions the dance, a gleam of fear fills his eyes. He pretends to believe the BS rumor, but I sense he knows the truth about Matt. I just hope he believes the story Cayden, and I gave him that we threw our costumes at the wolf to distract it before hiding in the bathrooms.
"I know," Noah says, looking at Ellie for a moment. She nods and frowns. "Sorry."
"But yes. Olivia's being nicer," I say. But Olivia knows the truth. That's why the snide comments have stopped. She knows my secret and I know hers. Her eyes plead with me not to reveal that she tripped like a moron and broke her leg. It seems like a dumb thing to keep secret, but Olivia is all about getting attention. Tripping doesn't bring the right kind from her jerk father who walked out years ago.
But I also feel sorry for her. So I haven't revealed her secret to anyone, not even Noah.
"You can always try asking her out again," I say. "Since Matt ran off, you don't have to worry about him anymore."
Noah grins. "True. Maybe my costume got him thinking, he got scared, and then he ran off." He flexes his biceps and grins.
"Sure," Ellie says, slapping him on the back. "You'll scare him away with your amazing physique."
"What's wrong with having a dancer's body? At least I'll be able to get out of bed without help. Those bodybuilders and football players need their girlfriends to help them. And I've heard other rumors about what happens to their bodies—"
"That's enough," I say, stifling a laugh.
"Say, did you want to go to Teeyah's when you get out?" Noah asks.
It sounds good. I can pry and see if he's heard anything about Alesha. But then I feel slimy. Noah and Ellie have been my friends forever. I'm not here to use them, but I still can't connect the way I want. The two don't know my secret, or that a supernatural community exists under their noses.
"I'd love to," I say.
Behind me, Leonora shifts. Over the past few months, I've gotten better at picking things up with my hearing. While the sense itself hasn't grown, my ability to figure out what everything means has.
Leonora's upset and trying to hide it. And I think I know why.
"So you close in a half hour," Ellie says.
"Well, it's Sunday. So yes," I say. "Maybe we could all go grab a caffeinated drink or two."
This is the part where Leonora defaults to talking about the chemicals and GMO coffee beans used to make the drinks in Teeyahs, but she stays silent.
Something's changed since last night.
"Want to go?" I ask, facing her.
Leonora holds back her smile, but then she nods. "Sure. Why not try something new?"
"You've never gone to Teeyah's?" Ellie asks.
Leonora takes a step back, making her checkered skirt tremble. "I haven't gone," she says. "My parents say caffeine messes with the mind, but you know what? I want to try some."
"You won't regret it," Noah says.
Chapter Four
"I think I regret it," Leonora says, rising from the booth. "Where's the bathroom?"
"We forgot to warn you about that," Noah says, taking another gulp of his hot chocolate.
Teeyah's is full tonight, of both people and scents. Holiday lights hang from the ceiling and circle the inside. The radio plays annoying Christmas songs that haven't had a remake in fifty years. Low chatter fills the room.
"The bathroom's in the back," I say, pointing.
"I can't believe she's never had caffeine," Ellie says once Leonora vanishes into the hallway.
"Well, Leonora is also never sick," I say in her defense. I sure know what it's like to be different. "But being cooped up all the time isn't good for her. She doesn't know what to think."
"I'd die if I had parents like hers. Plain skirts and homemade clothes?" Ellie says. "Not that I'm against that, but school's been a nightmare for her."
"Yes," I agree.
"Maybe we could take her shopping?" Ellie asks. "She can always hide her new clothes with one of us and put them on once she gets to school. Maybe she could even date."
I haven't told them about Remo. "Maybe," I say. And if I tell Noah and Ellie I work for free now, they'll freak. I won't be able to go shopping soon. I'll rely on my friends' good graces to do anything, and I don't want that.
Time to make excuses, then.
Ellie opens her mouth to speak, but the front door opens with another jingle. A young guy walks in alone, dressed in a leather jacket that goes down to his ankles. Though it's dark outside, he wears dark sunglasses and sits in a booth near the door. I sniff. Every time I see a new person, I do it. A faint scent like burning straw meets me rather than the rotten wood Savage Wolves give off. He's safe, then.
"Who's that?" Ellie asks.
The guy must be Noah's age. The tall dude taps his fingers on the table as he waits for a barista. Entitled. His metallic blond hair drapes over one side of his forehead like he walked out of a cyberpunk movie set.
"Well, he looks stuck up," I say. "You don't need a guy like that."
"I wasn't talking about dating him. He's never been around here before."
"I agree on the entitled part," Noah says. "He must be from the city."
Since turning, I've felt wary of all new people. The last new, non-tourist folks to show up were members of the Baltic Wolves, the Savage pack who had chased Cayden's family for years.
So far, my instinct stays quiet. The new guy's not like Matt, who was infected. But something sets me on edge.
"Hot chocolates for all of you. Dessert?" The barista asks. "We have carrot cake on special tonight."
"Sounds good," Noah says.
I reach into my pocket and jingle change—the last of my money. Crap.
"I'll pass on the cake," I say.
"Are you sure? That one time you came here, you devoured it," Noah says.
My back prickles and I know the guy is looking at me.
Just because he's human doesn't mean he can't be a danger. I can defend myself, but now I know dark witches and warlocks exist. Magic is out there and not all of it is cozy like Leonora's. Maybe she'll know something once she gets back out here.
She returns as the barista vanishes behind the counter.
I expect Leonora to notice the guy, but she sits beside Noah instead and sips again at her plain, bl
ack coffee. "Okay. So long as there's a bathroom nearby, I don't regret this too much."
"Coffee's just made from a bean," I say. My back keeps prickling. Why? The guy could be a tourist here to ski. He's not the only stranger in the place. A whole family sits opposite us, sipping hot chocolate. The kids are quiet and tired.
Then it hits me. He's alone. He hasn't gone to the counter to order a drink. And there's a sign by the door saying you have to walk to the counter to place your first order. And he's not dressed for the ski season. In fact, he's not even dressed right for an eighteen-year-old. Sunglasses at night? Only creeps and government officials do that.
I snap my gaze back to the guy.
His sunglasses fix on me. But as he catches me staring, he plucks a menu off the table and opens it, raising it as if I'm the rude one.
"Brie?" Noah asks.
"That guy's creepy. Didn't you see him staring?" I ask.
"But he's hot," Ellie says.
"Staring and being a creep is not hot," I say.
"Aren't you overreacting?" Ellie asks.
I thought I had been with Matthew. "I'm not," I insist. "Stay away from that guy, okay? Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars."
"What guy?" Leonora leans and looks over my shoulder. "Oh. Who the heck is he?" Confusion blooms on her features.
"He's waiting for something," I blurt. "It's the way he's parked himself in front of the doors and the way he's been tapping his fingers." To leave, we must pass him unless we use the back door.
"How do you know?" Leonora asks.
"He's acting like a predator." I should know. Since turning, I think like one.
"Maybe that is a little creepy," Ellie says. "Maybe he's got friends coming?
"Yeah. Creepy friends," I say.
"And you call me paranoid about GMO's," Leonora says.
"People can be way scarier," I say. I'm not in the mood to argue about the big, evil food companies.
"I don't see the problem," Noah says.
"Guys don't have to worry as much," Ellie tells him. "Matt, remember?"
Noah rubs his chin. "Good point. If that guy doesn't move or order something in the next ten minutes, we can write him down on the creepy list." He gets out an old receipt from his pocket and writes those two words on top. And then: "Matthew. Sometimes, Mr. Saffron. I'll put an asterisk by his name."