Beasts and Magic

  "You have to do something," Jayden's mother said, growling as she spoke. "They attacked my son!"

  "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, Claire," my mother said, sounding so arrogant I got embarrassed. "From what I’ve heard, your son was the one attacking them with a baseball bat first."

  "There were three against one," Claire said. "His brother had to fight them off."

  "Well, one always thinks one’s offspring is the innocent one, doesn't one?" my mother said. "It's hard to see the thorn in your own eye."

  "Are you protecting them?" Jayden's mom said.

  My mom snorted. "We're not really getting anywhere with this. Was there anything else you wanted or was this it?"

  Claire shook her head. "This could have been such a nice and quiet neighborhood if it hadn't it been for you and your…"

  "Now, let's not forget who it is that is killing all these people and attracting all the attention to us in the first place," my mom said. "They all said it was a wolf. I don't know many werewolf families living around here besides yours."

  "Would you keep your voice down, please?" Claire said and looked toward Mr. Aran's house.

  "Maybe I will and maybe I won't. He's looking for a wolf, isn't he?" my mom said.

  "Are you threatening me?"

  My mom didn't answer. I looked down and saw the smirk on her face. It made me so angry that she would act that way toward Jayden's mother.

  "I can't believe you," Claire snorted.

  "Maybe not, but you make sure you keep those boys on your side of the street, you hear me?"

  But Jayden's mom had already left and raised a hand into the air to let her know she didn't care what my mom had to say anymore.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Amy couldn't stand watching her dad fight for his life like that. It was absolutely heartbreaking. Not just to watch the fight itself, but also to know that it was her fault that he was in this position.

  Amy had asked her mother why she didn't just use her blood to cure him, but she told her this type of sickness could not be cured by dragon blood. He was sick because he was running out of his own blood. There was no cure for that.

  "Can't we just give him a transfusion or something?" she had asked. "Give him some of my blood?"

  But her mother had told her no. "It can't be done."

  "Why?"

  "Because it would kill you. And we wouldn't even be sure it would save him. I would risk losing both of you. I am not talking about this anymore, Amy," her mother had said and walked away.

  Melanie was awake now, and she had come down to eat some of Amy's chicken pot pie. Amy served her a plate and sat with her for a little while, happy to have her here again. She felt so close to her now that she had rescued her from the long arms of Mr. Aran. It was like having a sister.

  "So, how are you holding up?" Melanie asked and drank milk from a glass Amy had served her. Billie Jean was sitting by her chair, a couple of puppies crawling up Melanie's pants, but she didn't seem to mind. They were all quite smitten with Melanie, it appeared. Amy wondered if they too saw her like a sister.

  Amy shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

  Melanie scoffed and drank again.

  "What?" Amy asked.

  "It's just so typically you."

  "What is?"

  "Your dad is fighting for his life in there, and you're telling me you're okay? You're not okay, Amy. It's okay to be scared. It's okay to be devastated every now and then. You don't have to pretend with me."

  Amy stared at her, then chuckled. "I guess you're right. I’ve just been so used to pretending for so long, I guess it's an old habit that is hard to kick, huh?"

  Melanie nodded. She ate some more chicken pot pie while Amy wondered about her dad and what they were going to do if he didn't make it. It would absolutely crush her mother. And her as well. She could hardly finish the thought and wondered if she had enough ingredients for a Shepherd's pie. She went to the freezer and pulled meat out when her mother stepped into the kitchen.

  "What are you doing, honey?"

  "I was sure I saw some ground beef in here somewhere," Amy said and dug through the freezer, pulling out meat and frozen vegetables, when her mother came up to her and pulled her away.

  "We have enough food, Amy. "

  "But…but I have to…"

  "No, you don't, sweetie. I know you don't like to think about difficult things, but cooking more food than what we can eat is not going to help you."

  Amy was crying now, leaning on her mother's chest. "What are we going to do without him, Mom? I just got to know who he really was, who I am, and what…what we're capable of. He can't leave me now; he can't…he just can't. I won't let him. How am I supposed to…"

  Her mother pulled her close into a warm embrace while Amy cried, finally breaking completely down and letting it all out, all the cooped up emotions, fears, and anxiety that she had kept inside of her for days, maybe even years.

  "I know, sweetie. I know."

  Chapter Forty-Four

  No one could make my mother angry like Jayden's mom. I could hear my mother in the gym the rest of the afternoon, working out, panting heavily, and mumbling under her breath. Even my dad didn't really know what to do about her and, as dinnertime came, he took something out of the freezer and heated it for us since my mom still hadn't shown her face. It had to be the first time in as long as I had been alive that she hadn't prepared some hideous vegan meal for us, the first time we hadn't eaten together in as long as I could remember.

  "What's wrong with mom?" I asked, as we were halfway through dinner, which consisted of leftover tofu lasagna.

  My dad shrugged. "It's nothing, sweetie. Just a little quarrel with the neighbors, that's all. It'll pass."

  My older brother was still stoned and sat in his chair, leaned back, and ate, chuckling after every bite. My dad kept sending him looks and sighing. My three cousins had all crashed on the couches in the living room, which suited me fine since I wasn't very thrilled at the idea to have to sit through another dinner with them after what happened.

  "I don't think they'll stay much longer," my dad said like had he read my mind. "Your mom will probably send them away soon."

  "I sure hope so," I mumbled.

  "Everything will go back to normal soon," he said.

  I would never have thought I would think so, but I hoped he was right. Even my normal was better than this.

  Duncan had called me earlier, right before dinner, and asked how I was. I was a little annoyed with him, to be honest because I felt like he had been ignoring me. He told me he had been busy taking care of Stacy, teaching her things, vampire-stuff, and I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. It made no sense since I should not care whom he hung out with, but there was something in the way they had looked at one another like they shared this deep intimate connection that I didn't understand. It worried me. It shouldn't. I knew that. I was with Jayden. Duncan was free to be with whomever he wanted to be with. So why did it bother me? Why was it bothering me so much?

  My mom still hadn't shown up when we were finished with the food and started to clean up. Adrian went to his room, probably to sleep it off while I went back to mine as well and sat by my computer, watching Anime, hoping it would get my mind off things. But it didn't. I kept glancing out the window toward Jayden's house and wondering if things were all right between us. He had been so distant the night before; it had me worried. I was concerned that he might be comparing Ruelle and me and I was falling short. She was this girl who was perfect for him, and they shared so many interests; there was no way I could compete. All I had was the we've-known-each-other-forever-card. I wasn't sure it was enough. People were known to grow apart. Suddenly, I was struck with this deep fear of losing him.

  I looked at my phone with an exhale. If only things weren't so flippin' complicated. If only I had a normal life.

  My eyes fell on the bus parked in front of our house. I shuddered when thinking about what I had seen in there. I
had thought about telling my mom, but I didn't know how she would react. I knew how they looked at humans, and maybe she would think it was fine that the cousins were drinking the boy's blood and keeping him strapped down in there. I had a feeling she wouldn't care much. He was, after all, just human.

  I felt a pinch in my stomach, knowing he was in there being tortured, slowly being emptied of blood.

  The sound of our front door slamming pulled me out of my train of thought. In the light of the streetlamps, I spotted my three cousins rushing out the driveway, hoodies pulled, then walking past the bus and continuing down the street, giggling and punching each other as they walked.

  Where the heck are they going?

  I watched them till they stopped in front of the old abandoned house down the street.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  They walked inside. I had run into the street and watched them from a distance as they walked up to the entrance and, still while playing around, they opened the door. Remembering what had happened to me and the others the last time we went in there, how the place somehow had made us get completely lost, I wondered if they would ever come back out.

  I decided I didn't care.

  I turned and looked at the bus parked in front of my house, then hurried back, deciding it was time for action.

  I ran to the bus and pulled the door open the way I had seen them do it from the window, by pulling the small handle on the side. The door hissed open, and I walked inside, heart throbbing in my throat.

  I couldn't find a light switch anywhere and didn't have time to look for one, so I used my phone to light my way in the darkness.

  I spotted him in the seat all the way in the back and rushed down there. I shone my light on the boy and saw him move. His eyes were still closed, and he was moaning deeply. His collarbones were sticking out over the edge of his shirt.

  Suddenly, he opened his eyes. As he saw me, he started to scream behind the gag. I screamed too, startled, then calmed myself down.

  "Don't be afraid. I’m not here to hurt you," I said.

  The panic grew in his eyes, and I could tell he didn't believe me. I removed the gag and he screamed loudly. I had to put a hand over his mouth to make sure no one heard while I shushed him.

  "I am trying to free you," I whispered in his ear. "But if you scream, they might hear you and come for you, so please, do yourself a favor and stop."

  Finally, he calmed down. He was still whimpering beneath me, squirming desperately, pulling the straps on his arms. I unstrapped them one after another and helped him get up on his feet. It was hard for him to walk, so he had to support himself on my shoulder as I helped him down the aisle toward the door.

  "Just a few more steps," I said. "Then we're out of here."

  And that was when I heard it. The sound of voices coming from the street ahead of us. The sound of their voices.

  My cousins.

  They were approaching us, giggling and punching each other as they walked up the street.

  Oh, dear God. How did they get out of the house? And so fast?

  I stared at the three of them, desperately wondering what to do next when they started to yell.

  "Hey! The door is open! Who left the door open?"

  Think fast, Robyn. Think really fast.

  "Someone is in there!"

  The boy started to shake in my arms when hearing their voices approach. There was no way we could outrun them. The boy could hardly walk. And they were vampires. They were fast. I had to find a way to get out of there with him.

  I looked down at the seat and spotted a spare set of keys dangling from a small hook. I wondered if I could be so lucky? I put the boy in a seat, then grabbed them and put the key in the ignition, then turned it. The bus roared to a start.

  "Hey! What’s your name?" I said to the guy, then put it in drive.

  "S-Sam," he said.

  "All right, Sam, hold on tight. This might be a little bumpy."

  The bus leaped forward, and Sam fell out of his seat with a small whine. I could hear my cousins yelling as I rushed past them down our street. I didn't stop to make the turn, but simply pulled the wheel, and the bus skidded out but made the turn perfectly and fast. I then stood on the accelerator, rushing through the entire neighborhood of Shadow Hills, tires screeching loudly, the roar from the engine bouncing off the walls of the cookie-cutter houses.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  I heard their screams first. We had made it out of the neighborhood and onto the bigger road leading to town when I heard it. I knew that scream. I had heard it many times at night when my parents left the house. It was usually a sign that I could go to Jayden's house without being seen. This time it meant something completely different.

  They were coming for us.

  "W-what is that?" Sam asked and came up behind me, holding onto the back of my seat as we drove on.

  I looked at him in the big rearview mirror. He was a boy about my age, maybe even a year or two older, but he appeared so fragile and skinny it made him seem younger.

  "We might not be quite in the clear just yet," I said, just as I heard the sound of something landing on the roof of the bus. Something heavy. Something human-sized.

  "W-what was that?"

  "We've got company," I said.

  There was another bump, then another. Then more bumps followed as they moved forward, and soon a face peeked down in front of me. Sam screamed. I turned the wheel and steered the bus onto the pavement in shock. The face grinned. It was hard to tell if it was human or animal. It hissed and showed off its fangs.

  "What is that?" Sam asked, terrified.

  "A nightmare," I said.

  The bat-like creature knocked on the windshield, then let out a loud shriek. Another jumped down from the roof and landed on the windshield; its wings spread out, blocking my view. I screamed again, then turned the wheel to the right and blasted through a picket fence. Between the wings, I could see a tree approaching and turned the wheel once again, the branches brushing against the bus, hitting the vampire in the back and swiping it off my windshield. As I could see once again, I realized we were heading straight toward a huge truck going the opposite way. It was honking loudly.

  "Turn!" Sam yelled, and I did.

  I grabbed the wheel and turned it, rapidly, making the bus skid sideways, throwing off yet another vampire. It screeched as it was slung through the air and into the truck. I stepped on the gas again and rushed the bus forward. The last vampire was still staring at us and now digging its claws into the window, the glass cracking slowly.

  "He's gonna get in here," Sam cried. "He's gonna crack the glass!"

  The vampire lifted its claws once, then slammed them into the glass again, creating an even bigger crack, then lifted it once more and slammed it again, this time shattering the glass completely. Glass was flying everywhere, and I had to cover my face with my arms to not get hit. The bus skidded sideways again as I tried to stop it, then fell onto its side, glass splintering everywhere. I banged my head on the wheel and, as I lifted it again, blood was running down my face.

  A vampire was now jumping inside the bus, approaching me, nostrils flaring as he smelled the blood while shrieking loudly. The two others came flying, joining him while I tried to get back up, but my leg was stuck after the crash.

  "Please…" I said, hoping I could appeal to my cousins. "Please, don't hurt me."

  But they were mad for blood. I saw it in their eyes. I realized the crash had made the bags of blood inside the bus fly around and splatter blood everywhere, smearing it on all the seats and windows, and the smell was overwhelming for my dear cousins. One of the vampire triplets came closer to me, staring intently at the blood on my face, hissing loudly, the two others coming up behind him.

  He grabbed me by the neck, then examined my head, then let out a fizzling sound, getting ready to bite me, when suddenly something struck it from the side, jumping at it so fast the vampire never saw it coming.

  Chapter Forty-Sev
en

  It was a wolf. Much to my surprise, a wolf had attacked the vampire who was about to bite me, and now it was standing above it, holding the vampire down on it's back, growling at it.

  The two others came up behind it, ready to strike the wolf when something else amazing happened. A bolt of fire came shooting through the air, as if from nowhere, and landed on their backs, burning their wings, causing them to scream and whimper in pain.

  I turned and spotted Amy in her dragon shape come running toward them, spewing more bolts of fire at them, burning them, making them shriek and run off. The wolf roared at the last vampire before letting it take off, screaming into the night.

  I chuckled. Sam whimpered. "What the heck was that?"

  "That was my friends," I said. "Amy and…Melanie? Is that you?"

  The wolf nodded and approached us, so I could see her properly. I smiled, even though I was in pain.

  "This is Sam," I said. "Sam, these two are my friends."

  Sam was shaking badly. He was bleeding from wounds in his face and on his arms. He backed up while Amy pulled out the seat that had been pulled loose at the crash and landed on my leg. I could finally move my leg and get up, even though my leg was hurting. Amy helped me get up and out of the bus, then went in to get Sam out too, lifting him up. She put him on the asphalt. Sam was shaking as he stared at us.

  "Sam…I know you…" I started. "It's a lot to take in; I know that."

  Sam shook his head and reached out his hands in front of him. "Don't come any closer," he said, his voice trembling.

  "Sam…we saved you. We're the good guys," I said and turned to look at Amy the dragon and Melanie the wolf. When I turned to look back at Sam, he was gone. I spotted him running down the street, screaming.

  Uh-oh.

  Amy turned back into herself and fell to the asphalt with a thud. She hurt her arm in the fall. "Dang it. I need to get better at that part," she complained. "I always end up hurting myself when I go back. And I still don't know when it happens." She looked around. "Where did he go?"