Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 7

Finding Todd and Vic rancid out not to be easy.It was late afternoon by the snip bloody shame-Lynnettewalked into the Briar creek widely distri s worked store, which soldeverything from nails to nylons to canned peas.Hi, Bunny. I dont suppose youve catch up withn Todd orVic round?Bunny Marten looked up from fanny the counter. She was pretty, with soft blond hair, a round,dimpled face, and a timid expression. She was in MaryLynnettes class at school. Did you check oer attheGold Creek Bar?Mary-Lynnette nodded. And at their houses, andat the other store, and at the sheriffs office. Thesheriffs office was also city h altogetherway and the public library.Well, if theyrenot playing pool, theyre usu all(prenominal)yplinking. Plinkingwas shooting atcans for practice.Yeah, unless w here(p trigger-happyicate)? Mary-Lynnette said.Bunny shook her head, earrings glinting. Yourguess is as good as mine. She hesitated, utter(a) ingest ather cuticles, which she was pushing endure with a unforesightful blunt-pointed wooden stick. rightful(prenominal) now, you k straight off, Iveheard they go down to Mad Dog Creeksometimes. Her wide blue hearts lifted to Mary Lynnettesmeaningfully.Mad Dog Creek. . . Oh, great. Mary-Lynnette grimaced.I k at present. Bunny raised her shoulders in a shiver.I wouldnt go down there. Id be work outing virtuallythat body the whole time.Yeah, me, too. Well, thanks, Bun. See you.Bunny examined her cuticles critically. Good hunting, she said absently.Mary-Lynnette went out of the store, squinting in the hot, misty August sunlight. Main Street wasntbig. Ithad a handful of brick and stone buildingsfrom the days when Briar Creek had been a gold rush supplytown, and a few modem frame buildings with peeling paint. Todd and Vic werent in any of them.Well, what now? Mary-Lynnette sighed. in that respect was no road to Mad Dog Creek, only a trail that wasconstantly stop by new growth and deadfall. And everyone knew more than plinking went on there.If theyre out there, theyre probably hunting, she thought. Not to mention drinking, peradventure using drugs.Guns and beer. And then theres that body.The body had been found put up year around thistime. A man a hiker, from his backpack. Nobodyknew who he was or how hed died-the corpse wastoo desic throw offed and chewed by animals to tell. yet hoi polloi prateed active ghosts drifting around the creek last winter.Mary-Lynnette sighed again and got into her station wagon.The car was ancient, it was rusty, it made alarming sounds when forced to accelerate, but it was hers,andMary-Lynnette did her best to keep it alive. She loved it because there was plenty of room in back tostore her telescope.At Briar Creeks only gas station she fished a scrolled fruit knife from under the seat and went to work, nosy at the rusty gas cap cover.A little higher up . . . almost, almost . . . nowtwist The cover flew open.Ever come back of passing play into the safecracking business? a voice behind her said. Youve got thetouch.Mary-Lynnette turned. Hi, Jeremy.He smiled-a smile that showed mostly in his look,which were dear dark-brown with outrageously darklashes.If I were divergence to fall for a guy-and Im not-itwould be for somebody like him.Not for a big blond catwho thinks he can machinate clean his sisters friends.It was a moot point, anyway-Jeremy didnt goout with girls. He was a loner.Want me to look under the hood? He wiped his transfer on a rag.No, thanks. I proficient checked everything last week. Mary-Lynnette started to pump gas.He picked up a squeegee and a spray bottle and began to wash the windscreen. His movements weredeft and gentle and his face was utterly solemn.Mary-Lynnette had to put down a giggle herself, butshe appreciated him not laughing at the pitted glassand corroded windshield wipers. Shed always had an odd feeling of kinship with Jeremy. He was theonly person in Briar Creek who seemed nonetheless slightlyinterested in astronomy-h ed helped her build amodel of the solar system in eighth grade, and ofcourse hed watched last years lunar eclipse with her.His p atomic number 18nts had died in Medford when he was justa baby, and his uncle brought him to Briar Creek in aFleetwood drone. The uncle was strange-alwayswandering off to douse for gold in the Klamath wilderness. One day he didnt come back.After that, Jeremy lived alone in the . trailer in the woods. He did odd jobs and worked at the gas stationto make money. And if his clothes werent as straightlaced assome of the other kids, he didnt care-or he didnt allow it show.The handle of the gas hose clicked in MaryLynnettes hand. She realized she had been daydreaming.Anything else? Jeremy said. The windshieldwas dean.No well, actually, yes. You arrestnt, um, seenTodd Akers or Vic Kimble today, have you?Jeremy paused in the middle of taking her twentydollar bill. wherefore?I just wanted to talk to them, Mary-Lynnettesaid. She could feel heat in her cheeks. Oh , divinity,hethinks I want to see Todd and Vic socially-and he thinks Im crazy for askinghim.She hurried to explain. Its just that Bunny saidthey tycoon be down by Mad Dog Creek, so I thoughtyou efficacy have seen them, maybe sometime this morning, since you live down around there.Jeremy shook his head. I remaining at noon, but I didnthear any gunshots from the creek this morning. Actually, I dont think theyve been there all summerI keep telling them to stay away.He said it quietly, without emphasis, but Mary-Lynnette had the sudden feeling that maybe evenToddand Vic might listen to him. Shed never knownJeremy to get in a fight. But sometimes a look came intohis direct brown eyes that was .. almost f adeptening. As if there was something underneath thatquiet-guyexterior-something primitive and pure and deadly that could do a lot of damage if roused.Mary-Lynnette-I know you probably think thisis none of my business, but well, I think youshould stay away from those guys. If you r eally wantto go begin them, allow me go with you.Oh. Mary-Lynnette felt up a cordially flush of gratitude. She wouldnt suck him up on the cleft but it wasnice of him to make it.Thanks, she said. Ill be fine, but thanks .She watched as he went to get her change insidethe station. What must it feel like to be on your ownsince you were twelve years old? Maybe he neededhelp. Maybe she should ask her dad to offer himsome odd jobs around the house. He did them for everyone else. She just had to be careful-she knewJeremy hated anything that smacked of charity.He brought back the change. hither you go. And, Mary-Lynnette She looked up.If you do find Todd and Vic, be careful.I know.I mean it.I know, Mary-Lynnette said. She had reached for the change, but he hadnt let go of it. Insteadhedid something odd He opened her curled fingers with one hand while bragging(a) her the bills and coins withthe other. Then he curled her fingers back over it. In effect, he was holding her hand.The mo ment of visible get to surprised herand touched her. She found herself looking at his thinbrown fingers, at their unfluctuating but delicate grip on her hand, at the gold seal ring with the black propose thathe wore.She was even more surprised when she glanced up at his face again. thither was open charge in hiseyes-and something like respect. For an instant she had a wild and completely inexplicable impulse to tellhim everything. But she could just imagine what he would think. Jeremy was very practical.Thanks, Jeremy, she said, conjuring up a weak smile. Take care.Youtake care. There are people whod miss you if anything happened. He smiled, but she couldfeel his worried gaze on her even as she drove away.All right,now what?Well, shed wasted most of the day looking forTodd and Vic. And now, with the image of Jeremys level brown eyes in her mind, she wondered if ithad been a stupid idea from the beginning.Brown eyes and what color eyes did the bigblond cat have? Strange, it was hard to remember.Shethought that they had looked brown at one point when he was talking about his old-fashioned family. Butwhen hed said he liked a girl with spirit, she remembered them being a multifariousness of insipid blue. And whenthat odd knife-glint had flashed in them, hadnt they been icy gray?Oh,who cares?Maybe they were orange. Lets just go home now. beat back ready for tonight.How come Nancy Drew always found the people she wanted to interrogate? Why? Why? Why me?Ash was staring at a yellow cedar weeping into a creek. A squirrel too stupid to get out of the sun wasstaring back at him. On a rock beside him a lizard lifted first one foot, then another.It wasnt fair. It wasnt right.He didnt even believe it.Hed always been lucky. Or at least hed alwaysmanaged to escape a hairsbreadth away from disaster.But this time the disaster had hit and it was a total annihilation.Everything he was, everything he believed abouthimself could he lose that in tailfin split seconds? Fo r a girlwho was probably deranged and certainly more dangerous than all tierce of his sisters put together?No, he concluded grimly. Absolutely not. Not in five-spot minutes. It only took five seconds.He knew so many girls-nice girls. Witches withmysterious smiles, vampires with delicious curves,shapeshifters with cute furry tails. horizontal human girls with fancy sports cars who never seemed to mindwhen he nibbled their necks. Why couldnt it have been one of them?Well, it wasnt. And there was no point in inquire about the injustice of it. The question was, whatwas he going todo about it? Just sit back and let fate ride over him like an eighteen-wheeler? Im sorryfor your family, Quinn had said to him.And maybe that was the problem. Ash was a victim of his Redfern genes. Redfern never could stay outof trouble they seemed to tangle with humans at every turn.So was he going to wait for Quinn to come backand then offer that as an excuse? Im sorry I canthandle things here after all I cant even finishthe investigation.If he did that, Quinn would call in the Elders and they would investigate for themselves.Ash felt his expression harden. He narrowed his eyes at the squirrel, which suddenly darted for thetree ina flash of red fur. Beside him, the lizard stopped moving.No, he wasnt just going to wait for fate to finish him off. Hed do what he could to salvage the situation-and the family honor.Hed do it tonight. Well do it tonight, Rowan said. After its fully dark, before the moon rises. Well move her to theforest. kestrel smiled magnanimously. Shed wonthe argument.Well have to be careful, Jade said. That thingI heard outside last night-it wasnt an animal. Ithink it was one of us.There arent any other Night People aroundhere, Rowan said gently. That was the whole pointofcoming here in the first place.Maybe it was a vampire hunter, Kestrel said.Maybe the one that killed aunty Opal.If avampire hunter killed Aunt Opal, Rowansaid. We dont know that. Tomorrow we should look around town, see if we can at least get an ideawho mighthave by dint of with(p) it.And when we find them, well take care ofthem, Jade said fiercely.And if the thing you heard in the garden turnsup, well take care of it, too, Kestrel said. Shesmiled, a hungry smile. Twilight, and Mary-Lynnette was watching thedock. The rest of her family was comfortably, settledin forthe night her father reading a book about World War II, Claudine working conscientiously on aneedlepoint project, coiffure trying to tune up his oldguitar that had been sitting in the basement for years.He was undoubtedly trying to think of words to rhyme with Jade.Mary-Lynnettes father looked up from his book. Going starwatching?Yup. It should be a good night-no moon till aftermidnight. Its the last chance to see somePerseids.She wasnt exactly lying. It would be a good night, and she could keep an eye out for stragglers from thePerseid meteor storm as she walked to Burdock Farm.Okay just be careful, her father s aid.Mary-Lynnette was surprised. He hadnt said anything like that for years. She glanced at Claudine, whojabbed with her needle, lips pursed.Maybe Mark should go with you, Claudine said, without looking up.Oh, God, she thinks Im unstable, Mary-Lynnette thought. I dont really belt her.No, no. Ill be fine. Ill be careful. She said it too quickly.Marks eyes narrowed. Dont you need any help with your forget?No, Ill take the car. Ill be. fine. Really.Mary Lynnette fled to the garage before her familycould come up with anything else.She didnt pack her telescope. Instead, she put a dig in the backseat. She looped the strap of hercamera around her neck and stuck a pen flashlight in her pocket.She lay at the foot of her hill. Before she gotthe shovel out, she paused a moment to look dutifullynortheast, toward the constellation Perseus.No meteors right this second. All right. Keys inhand, she turned to open the back of the stationwagon-and jumped violently.Oh, GodShed nearly walked into A sh.Mary-Lynnettes pulse was hotfoot and her knees felt weak. From fear, she told herself. And thats all.You nearly gave me a heart attack she said. Doyou always creep up behind people like that?She expected some smart-ass answer of either the joking-menacing or the hey-baby variety. But Ashjustfrowned at her moodily. No. What are you doing out here?Mary-Lynnettes heart skipped several beats. But she heard her own voice answering flatly, Imstarwatching. I do it every night. You might want to make a note of that for the thought police.He looked at her, then at the station wagon. Starwatching?Of course. From that hill. She gestured.Now he was looking at the camera looped aroundher neck. No telescope, he commented skeptically.Or is that whats in the car?Mary-Lynnette realized she was still holding the keys, ready to open the back of the wagon. I didntbring a telescope tonight. She went around to the passenger side of the car, unlocked the door, reachedin to draw off out her binoculars . You dont need a telescope to starwatch. You can see plenty with these.Oh, really?Yes,really.Now, that was a mistake, Mary -Lynnette thought, suddenly grimly amused. Actingas if you dont believe me just you wait.You want to see light from intravenous feeding million yearsago? she said. Then, without waiting for him toanswer Okay. Face east. She rotated a finger at him. Here, take the binoculars. olfactory modality at that line of firtrees on the horizon. Now pan up She gavehim directions, rapping them out like a drill sergeant. Nowdo you see a bright disk with a kind of smudgeall around it?Um. Yeah.Thats Andromeda. Another galaxy.But if you tried to look at it through a telescope, youcouldnt seeit all at once. Looking through a telescope is like looking at the sky through a soda straw.Thats all the field of view you get..All right. Okay. Point taken. He started to lower the binoculars. Look, could we suspendthe starwatching for just a minute? I wanted to talk toyouWant tosee the center of ourgalaxy? Mary -Lynnette interrupted. Turn south.She did everything but physically make him turn.She didnt dare touch him. There was so muchadrenaline racing through her system already-if shemade contact she might go supercritical and explode.Turn, she said. He shut his eyes briefly, then turned, bringing the binoculars up again.You have to look in the constellation Sagittarius. She rattled off instructions. See that? Thatswhere the center of the Milky itinerary is. Where all the star clouds are.How nice.Yes, it is nice. Okay, now go up and eastyou should be able to find a little dim sort of glow.The pink one?She gavehim a quick look. Yeah, the pink one.Most people dont see that. Thats the Trifid Nebula.What are those dark lines in it? Mary-Lynnette stopped dead.She forgot her drill sergeant manner. She stepped back. She stared at him. She could feel her breathing spacecoming quicker.He lowered the binoculars and looked at her. Something wrong?Theyre dark nebulae. Lanes of dust in figurehead of the hot gas. But you cant see them. I justdid.No. No. You cant see those. Its not possible, notwith binoculars. Even if you had ninemillimeter pupils She pulled the flashlight out of her pocket and trained it full in his face.Hey He jerked back, eyes squeezing shut, hand over them. That hurtBut Mary-Lynnette had already seen. She couldnt tell what color his eyes were right now, because thecolored parts, the irises, were reduced to almost invis ible rings. His eye was all pupil.Like a cats at maximum dilation.Oh, my God the things he must be able tosee. Eighth-magnitude stars, maybe ninth-magnitude stars.Imagine that, seeing a Mag 9 star with yournaked eye. To see colors in the star clouds-hot hy drogenglowing pink, oxygen shining green-blue. To see thousands more stars cluttering the sky .. .Quick, she said urgently. How many stars doyouseein the sky right now?I cant seeanything,he said in a muffled voice, hand still over his eyes. Imblind.No, I meanseri ously,Mary-Lynnette said. And she caught his arm.It was a stupid thing to do. She wasnt thinking. But when she touched his skin, it was like completing acurrent. Shock swept over her. Ash dropped hishand and looked at her.For just a second they were face-to-face, gazes locked. Something like lightning trembled betweenthem.Then Mary-Lynnette pulled away.I canttakeany more of this. Oh, God, why am Ieven standing here talking to him? Ive got enough aheadof me tonight. Ive got abody to find.Thats it for the astronomy lesson, she said, holding out a hand for the binoculars. Her voicewas justslightly unsteady. Im going up the hill now.-240She didnt ask wherehe was going. She didnt care, as long as it was away.He hesitated an instant before heavy(p) her the binoculars, and when he did he made sure not to touchher.Fine, Mary-Lynnette thought. We both feel the same.Goodbye.Bye, he said limply. He started to walk away. Stopped, his head lowered. What I wanted tosay Well?Without turning, he s aid in a flat and perfectly composed voice, Stay away from my sisters, okay?Mary-Lynnette was thunderstruck. So outragedand full of disbelief that she couldnt find words. Thenshe thought Wait, maybe he knows theyre killers and hes trying to protect me. Like Jeremy.Around the sudden niggardliness in her throat she managed to say, Why?He shook his drooping head. I just dont thinkyoud be a very good influence on them. Theyrekind ofimpressionable, and I dont want them getting any ideas.Mary-Lynnette deflated. I should have known, shethought. She said, sweetly and evenly, Ash? Getbent and die.