by Aimee Carter
“I’ve seen them on your wall.” Her brow furrowed as she examined the handwriting. “‘Wish you were here’? What does that mean?”
“She sent it from Arizona,” he said, flipping it over to show her. “Paradise Valley, wherever that is.”
“And what are we supposed to do about it?” she said. Simon stared at her, and her eyes widened. “Simon, no. We can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Why do you think? You obviously remember what happened last time you tried to take on Orion. Do you really want the same thing to happen again?”
“She needs my help,” said Simon, guilt gnawing at his insides. The last time he had tried to take on Orion, Darryl had died. “I can’t ignore her. She’s my mom.”
“How do you know it’s really her?” said Winter.
“Because I know her handwriting. She wrote to me my whole life. I could recognize it anywhere.”
“And you don’t think anyone could duplicate it?”
He scowled, staring at those four words. It could be a trap. Maybe it was. Orion was desperate to get his hands on him, and he must have known Simon wouldn’t hesitate to rescue his mother. Still, that was a risk he had to take. Even if Orion was waiting for him, he wasn’t prepared to face the Beast King’s heir. As long as Simon didn’t reveal his secret, he would have the upper hand. “Please, Winter. I need your help. I think they’re going after the reptile kingdom’s piece.”
For a fraction of a second, her annoyed expression slipped, revealing a hint of terror underneath. “No. Absolutely not. I don’t care how many pieces of the weapon they’re hiding—”
“You swore you’d help me,” said Simon. Winter dug her hand into the popcorn again, but he pulled the bucket away, spilling kernels all over her lap. “After Darryl died, you said you’d do anything to help me find my mom.”
“Anything except this,” she said, throwing the kernels she’d managed to snatch on the ground.
“Why?” said Simon. “I thought you’d jump at the chance to leave the city. You hate it here.”
“I’d hate it more there,” she muttered.
So this, too, like everything else, was about her Animalgam form. “You’re upset about not being a bird. I get it—”
“You don’t have the slightest idea.”
“Maybe not, but I’m trying.” There was an edge to his voice that caught in his throat, sharper than his usual tone. “You know you’re going to have to accept it sooner or later, right? You’re a cottonmouth. Yeah, you’d rather have wings, but that doesn’t mean you’re useless or have nothing to offer. You’re venomous, which means people will leave you alone when you want them to—”
“You mean like right now?” she said. Simon ignored her.
“You’re smart and creative, you never let anyone else tell you who you are, and you love to read like the rest of the reptiles at the L.A.I.R.—”
“I am not one of them, and I never will be,” she snarled. “I’m not going to Paradise Valley, Simon, and you can’t make me.”
“I’m not trying to—” He raked his fingers through his hair and let out a frustrated huff. He’d fought enough with Winter over the past couple of months to know a losing battle when it stared him in the face. “Fine. If you’re not going to help, then I’ll find someone who will.”
“You do that,” she said bitterly, brushing the popcorn off her lap. “It won’t be me.”
Standing, he shoved the postcard in his pocket. “If you’re not back for afternoon training, Malcolm’s going to come looking for you.”
“I don’t care.”
“Fine, then be expelled. Doesn’t matter to me.”
He started to walk off, but before he could get more than a few steps, he stopped. It did matter to him. It mattered to him a lot, and while she acted like it didn’t bother her, he knew he was Winter’s only real friend. Even Jam and Ariana put up with her because of Simon, and if he abandoned her, she would have no one. He turned around, and though she looked as if she was about to cry, the moment their eyes met, her expression turned stony.
“If you don’t want to come, then—okay. I get it,” said Simon. “But you can’t change who you are. You’re a cottonmouth, and that’s okay. It doesn’t make you a bad person, and it doesn’t make me like you any less. Anyone who does care—they don’t matter, and they never will.”
“Easy for you to say,” she mumbled.
“No, it isn’t.” He didn’t think it would help to point out the fact that he was the only bird Animalgam in the entire school and that everyone hated him for it, not when being a bird was all Winter wanted. He didn’t have to, though. She already knew how bad it was for him, and it passed unsaid between them. “But as long as you’re my friend—as long as Jam and Ariana are still my friends, people like Garrett . . . they don’t matter, because they’ll never be able to see who I really am. Or who you really are. And you’re pretty cool, you know. Sometimes you’re not very nice—”
She scoffed.
“—but if I had to choose between being your friend or being an eagle, I would choose being your friend every time.”
He took a step backward. The groups and families milling around didn’t seem to be paying any attention to them, but he knew it was only a matter of time before a member of the pack came by and recognized them. He couldn’t be caught in the zoo again today, not if he wanted to have any hope of sneaking out a third time.
“You’ll still be my friend whether you come with me or not,” he continued, even though she was now staring resolutely at the pigeons instead of him. “But if you change your mind, I’m going to try to leave tonight, after dinner. My mom needs me, and I can’t lose her again. And I don’t want to lose you, either.”
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Winter on the bench with a flock of pigeons and a half-empty bucket of stale popcorn.
Simon returned to the Den ten minutes before afternoon classes began. Felix assured him no one had come by or noticed his absence, and once Simon fetched his backpack, he headed down into the bottom level, where the Tracking and Survival classroom took up more space than the dining hall and pit combined. It was by far his favorite class. Vanessa, a member of the wolf pack with curly dark hair and an expression that always made Simon think he’d done something wrong, taught them to survive in the wild not only as a human, but in their Animalgam forms, too. It was the closest Simon ever got to feeling like a real Animalgam and not an impostor among the rest of his classmates, who always seemed to be three steps ahead of him. Most of them had grown up in communities, so they seemed to know as much as Simon when it came to surviving the wild on their own.
The Tracking and Survival classroom had a combination of multiple terrains, with a forest in one corner, a swamp running along another wall, and a patch of desert toward the opposite end of the room. Though he doubted Winter would bother attending, not after she’d skipped their morning classes, Simon searched for that familiar head of dark hair as he entered the room. There was no sign of her, and instead, a loud burst of laughter caught his attention. Nolan was once again in the middle of a knot of mammal students. Making a point to avoid them, Simon trudged toward the back of the room, where Ariana was perched on a log.
“Any luck?” she said as he sat on a mossy rock beside her, dropping his backpack at his feet.
“Found her feeding pigeons,” said Simon. Winter liked pigeons about as much as Simon liked Orion, and the fact that she’d voluntarily gone anywhere near them spoke volumes about how much she must have missed her old life in Sky Tower.
“I don’t know why she stays here if it makes her so miserable,” said Ariana, studying the ends of her purple hair. “She must have family somewhere.”
Simon shrugged and tossed a pebble into a gurgling creek that cut through the center of the room. “The only family she wants is Orion, and he’s never going to let her back now.”
“I wouldn’t want to go back if I were Winter, not after Orion abandoned her,
” said Ariana, while Jam plopped down between them.
“I saved some lunch for you, Simon.” Jam offered him a wrapped sandwich. “It’s dolphin-safe tuna. I hope that’s okay.”
“As long as I’m not eating one of your relatives. Thanks,” said Simon as he peeled back the waxed paper. Before he took a bite, however, he pulled the postcard from his pocket and handed it to Ariana. “I found this at the base of my uncle’s statue. My mother sent it to me.”
“Your mother? How do you know it’s from her?” said Jam. Ariana flipped it over to reveal the words on the other side. Wish you were here.
“The handwriting matches the other postcards she sent Simon,” she said before he could answer. “It’s definitely from her.”
Simon took a bite of tuna and swallowed. “She had a bird bring it to me, but I don’t know how long ago she sent it.” Wiping his mouth, he added, “I’m going after her.”
Neither of them looked surprised. Instead, Ariana examined the picture, while Jam peered curiously over her shoulder. “When are we leaving?” he said.
“We?” said Simon.
“Yes, we.” Ariana handed the postcard to Jam. “You didn’t think we’d let you leave by yourself, did you? You can’t even fly around the park without being attacked.”
“But—”
“Whatever you’re going to say, helping you find your mom is more important,” said Ariana. “Besides, if she’s in Arizona, that means they’re looking for the reptiles’ piece of the Predator. Do you even know the first thing about the reptile kingdom?”
Simon hesitated. “They’re, uh—creative? And they have a council instead of an Alpha or a queen or anything.”
“And do you know who the head of that council is?” said Ariana. He shook his head. “Robert Rivera. No one likes him, not even his own kind. Usually the reptiles stay neutral in Animalgam wars, but Councilman Rivera threw his support behind the mammal kingdom years ago. My mother always says she’s surprised he’s lasted this long, but the reptiles that don’t agree with him have a nasty habit of disappearing.”
A shiver ran through Simon. “We won’t have to go anywhere near Rivera.”
“Except Paradise Valley is where the council is based,” said Jam, handing the postcard back to Simon. “And if Orion’s after the reptiles’ piece of the Predator, the council’s probably protecting it.”
Simon deflated. Terrific. “So we’ll just have to find a way around Councilman Rivera.”
“Or you could just ask Winter,” said Ariana. Simon blinked, and she blinked back. “You do know her name’s Winter Rivera, right?”
As far as he knew, Rivera had been a fake last name she’d given Malcolm the day they’d tried to sneak into the L.A.I.R. She had claimed Councilman Rivera was her grandfather, Simon remembered. Simon had assumed that she was lying, but now he couldn’t ignore the possibility that she wasn’t.
“But Winter doesn’t want to come,” said Simon. “I already asked. She refused.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to find a way to convince her,” said Ariana. “She’s our best shot at finding out what’s really going on. When are we leaving, anyway?”
“After dinner,” said Simon, tracing his mother’s handwriting on the back of the postcard once more. His chances of convincing Winter to come along were slim, but he had to try. “I don’t know how we’ll get there, though.”
“We can take a train from Penn Station,” said Ariana with the air of someone who had run away plenty of times in her life. “I have some extra money saved. It should be enough to travel to Arizona and back.”
If they came back at all. “You know it’ll be dangerous even if Winter does come with us, right?” said Simon. “Orion still has my mother. I don’t think we’ll be able to rescue her without seeing him again.”
Ariana cracked her knuckles. “Good. This time, we’ll make sure he gets what he deserves.”
“The general won’t be happy when he hears I’ve left,” said Jam, pushing his glasses nervously up his nose. “But there’s no way I’m letting you go without me.”
“Even though we’ll be in the desert?” said Ariana. Jam gulped.
“It can’t be that bad, right?”
“Keep telling yourself that,” she said.
Jam turned a vague shade of green. Simon felt a pinch of guilt, but he knew it was pointless trying to talk his friends out of joining him. And selfishly, he wanted them to come. He wasn’t sure he could do this without them.
Instead of trying to start a fire without matches, like they were supposed to, Simon, Jam, and Ariana spent the entire lesson whispering over their dry kindling. Whether or not Simon could convince Winter to come, they would meet by Darryl’s statue after dinner, they decided—that way, if one of them was caught leaving the Den, the remaining two would be able to escape. And Penn Station wasn’t far. If they could make it there without the pack following them, they’d be home free.
Near the end of the lesson, Vanessa began to hover, insisting they should have at least produced a little smoke by now. Ariana grabbed the sticks and, in under a minute, she’d started a fire. As Jam warmed his hands by the flames, Simon felt the back of his neck prickle, and he looked over his shoulder. Nolan sat two campfires down, watching him.
Simon turned away. He knew he should tell his brother about the postcard, but Nolan would want to come to Paradise Valley, too. And no matter how much danger Simon was putting himself in, he couldn’t do the same to his brother.
Once afternoon classes ended, Simon said good-bye to Jam and Ariana and headed back to the Alpha section, where he had every intention of packing and pretending he was doing his homework. As soon as he walked inside, however, a member of the pack with scars peeking out from the collar of his shirt stopped him.
“Malcolm wants to see you in his office,” he said gruffly.
“Right now?” said Simon. The man nodded.
“He wanted me to escort you—”
“I know the way,” said Simon shortly. He didn’t mean to be rude, but the last thing he wanted was to visit Malcolm’s office yet again.
Reluctantly Simon headed out of the Alpha section and up to the second level above the pit, trying not to panic. There was no way Malcom could have found out about his plans. He, Ariana, and Jam had made sure Vanessa hadn’t overheard their conversation, and he was pretty sure Winter wouldn’t have told.
Maybe someone had spotted him talking to Winter in the zoo earlier. Simon trudged down the hallway, his boots sinking into the green grass that acted as carpet. Or had his mother sent word to Malcolm, too? Did he know where she was?
Simon picked up the pace, but when he reached Malcolm’s office door, it was closed. Frowning, he raised his fist to knock, but a muffled voice on the other side stopped him. Malcolm was talking to someone.
Taking a deep breath, Simon checked over his shoulder to make sure he was alone, and then, against his better judgment, he pressed his ear to the door.
“. . . spotted in the park. There’s no telling how many there are,” said Malcolm in a deep growl. “I need reinforcements.”
There was a nervous edge to his uncle’s voice that wasn’t usually there, and a prickle of anxiety ran through Simon. Anything that made Malcolm uneasy couldn’t have been good.
Several seconds passed in silence before Malcolm spoke again. “I don’t care who you send. I’m not asking for your entire reserve. But the pack won’t be able to hold off an onslaught, and if she’s found allies in another kingdom—”
“What are you doing?” said a voice inches from Simon’s ear. He jumped back, stumbling away from the door and nearly tripping over his own boots.
Behind him, his arms crossed, was Nolan.
Fly the Coop
“I—” Simon opened and shut his mouth as he and Nolan stared at each other in the middle of the grassy hallway. His brother wore a triumphant smirk, and Simon got the distinct impression that he had been hiding out in one of the empty offices, waiting for
him. That would explain why Simon hadn’t heard him coming. “I think someone’s trying to attack the school.”
Nolan gave him a withering look. “Maybe if you paid attention to someone other than your friends, you would know that Celeste is trying to take the kingdom back from Malcolm. She’s been closing in on the zoo for weeks.”
Simon blinked. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Guess you’re not as important as you think you are,” said Nolan with a sneer.
Suddenly the door opened, and Malcolm loomed over them both. Simon spotted dark circles under his uncle’s eyes that he was sure hadn’t been there before. The worry lines in his forehead looked more pronounced, too, and he rubbed his neck wearily. “Inside, both of you.”
“Simon was eavesdropping,” said Nolan as he passed. Malcolm sighed.
“I suppose you two aren’t so different after all.”
Simon slipped inside the office. “I’m sorry, I heard you talking and—”
“And you couldn’t help yourself.” Malcolm closed the door. “I know. I was your age once, too, so believe me when I say eavesdropping is a habit you’re better off breaking sooner rather than later, before you find yourself in real trouble.”
Nolan slouched in the chair nearest the exit. “I have homework,” he said.
“This is more important.”
“Did something happen?” said Simon anxiously. “Did you hear anything about Mom?”
As Malcolm leaned against his desk, he studied Simon with a look that was all too familiar. Simon didn’t want his uncle’s pity. He didn’t want anyone’s pity.
“Not yet,” said Malcolm slowly. “I have the entire mammal kingdom looking for her, though. Eventually we will find her.”
“You’d better,” said Nolan. “Else I’m going to track her down myself.”
Malcolm shook his head, the lines on his face deepening. “That’s exactly what I want to talk to you about. I need you both to swear to me you’ll stay in the Den. No more trips outside. Not to fly, not to find a friend”—here, Simon shifted uncomfortably—“and definitely not to swim with the polar bears. Got it?”