Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 7

Finding T unmated and Vic turned out non to be easy.It was late afternoon by the time bloody shame-Lynnette paseoed into the Briar creek general store, which solde realthing from nails to nylons to wadned peas.Hi, Bunny. I dont suppose youve soak upn Todd orVic virtually?Bunny Marten boldnessed up from behind the counter. She was pretty, with soft blond hair, a round,dimpled face, and a timid structure. 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 powerfulness. Thesheriffs mop upice was also city hall and the public library.Well, if theyrenot playing pool, theyre usuallyplinking. Plinkingwas shooting atcans for practice.Yeah, except where? Mary-Lynnette say.Bunny shook her head, earrings glinting. Yourguess is as good as mine. She hesitated, staring shoot ather cuticles, which she was pushing plunk for with a small blunt-pointed wooden stick. merely , you k immediately, Ive comprehend they go down to worried Dog Creeksometimes. Her wide blue require lifted to Mary Lynnettesmeaningfully.Mad Dog Creek. . . Oh, great. Mary-Lynnette grimaced.I know. Bunny embossed her shoulders in a shiver.I wouldnt go down there. Id be thinking virtuallythat body the whole time.Yeah, me, also. Well, thanks, Bun. See you.Bunny examined her cuticles critically. Good hunting, she verbalise absently.Mary-Lynnette went out of the store, squinting in the hot, hazy August temperatenesslight. Main lane wasntbig. Ithad a bookful of brick and st atomic number 53(a) buildingsfrom the days when Briar Creek had been a bills rush supplytown, and a few modem frame buildings with shedding paint. Todd and Vic werent in any of them.Well, what now? Mary-Lynnette sighed. There was no road to Mad Dog Creek, only a trail that wasconstantly blocked by new growth and deadfall. And every(prenominal) oneness knew to a greater extent than than than plinking went on there.If theyre out there, theyre probably hunting, she survey. not to mention drinking, perchance using drugs.Guns and beer. And then theres that body.The body had been found live year somewhat thistime. A man a hiker, from his screeningpack. Nobodyknew who he was or how hed died-the corpse wastoo desiccated and chewed by animals to tell. Butpeople talked about ghosts floating around the creek sustain 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, s till it was hers,andMary-Lynnette did her best to keep it alive. She love it because there was plenty of room in back tostore her squeeze.At Briar Creeks only gas station she fished a scrolled fruit stab from under the seat and went to work,prying at the rusty gas uppercase c all everywhere.A little higher up . . . nearly, almost . . . now plow The cover flew open.Ever think of tone ending into the safecracking b usiness? a juncture behind her express. Youve got thetouch.Mary-Lynnette turned. Hi, Jeremy.He smiled-a smile that showed mostly in his eye,which were dear browned with outrageously darklashes.If I were red to fall for a guy-and Im not-itwould be for somebody care him.Not for a big blond catwho thinks he can pick 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 hands on a rag.No, thanks. I nevertheless checked everything last week. Mary-Lynnette started to pump gas.He picked up a squeegee and a spray bottle and began to wash the windshield. His takements weredeft and wanton and his face was utterly solemn.Mary-Lynnette had to swallow a giggle herself, comelyshe appreciated him not laughing at the pitted glassand corroded windshield wipers. Shed continuously had an odd tactile sensationing of kinship with Jeremy. He was theonly person in Briar Creek who seemed regular slightlyintere sted in astronomy-hed helped her build a deterrent example of the solar system in eighth grade, and ofcourse hed watched last years lunar brood with her.His p bents had died in Medford when he was justa baby, and his uncle brought him to Briar Creek in aFleetwood trailer. The uncle was strange-of all timewandering off-key to dowse for gold in the Klamath wilderness. One day he didnt arrive 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 comme il faut assome of the other kids, he didnt care-or he didntlet it show.The handle of the gas hosepipe clicked in MaryLynnettes hand. She realized she had been daydreaming.Anything else? Jeremy tell. The windshieldwas dean.No well, actually, yes. You get hold ofnt, um, seenTodd Akers or Vic Kimble today, have you?Jeremy paused in the lay of taking her twentydollar bill.why?I just wanted to talk to them, Mary-Lynnettesaid. She coul d feel heat in her cheeks. Oh, matinee idol,hethinks I want to see Todd and Vic socially-and he thinks Im queasy for askinghim.She hurried to explain. Its just that Bunny saidthey office be down by Mad Dog Creek, so I thoughtyoumight have seen them, perchance sometime this morning, since you live down around there.Jeremy shook his head. I left 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 bridle forth.He said it quietly, without emphasis, but Mary-Lynnette had the jerky feeling that maybe til nowToddand Vic might listen to him. Shed never knownJeremy to get in a fight. But sometimes a look came intohis level brown eyes that was .. almost frightening. 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 really wantto go pay back them, let me go with you.Oh. Mary-Lynnette felt a warm flush of gratitude. She wouldnt slang him up on the pass 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 in billetthe station. What must it feel give care to be on your ownsince you were twelve geezerhood 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 detested anything that smacked of charity.He brought back the change. Here you go. And, Mary-Lynnette She looked up.If you do materialise 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 giving her the bills and coins withthe other. Then he curled her fingers back over it. In effect, he was holding her hand.The moment of physical contact move herand touched her. She found herself facial expression at his thinbrown fingers, at their strong but delicate grip on her hand, at the gold seal ring with the black design thathe wore.She was even more surprised when she glanced up at his face again. There was open touch in hiseyes-and something analogous respect. For an instant she had a wild and completely unfathomed 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 compliments 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 c olor 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 pick out 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. Get 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 dolourous 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 l ose that in flipper minutes? For a girlwho was probably deranged and certainly more dangerous than all three of his sisters put together?No, he cerebrate grimly. Absolutely not. Not in five 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. Even valet 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 wondering about the wrong of it. The question was, whatwas he sledding todo about it? Just sit back and let fate ride over him like an eighteen-wheeler? Im puritanicfor 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 commove 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 canthan dle 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 unawares 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 wickedness People aroundhere, Rowan said gently. That was the whole pointof orgasm here in the first place.Maybe it was a vampire hunter, Kestrel said.Maybe the one that killed Aunt Opal.If avampire hunter killed Aunt Opal, Rowansaid. We don t know that. Tomorrow we shouldlook around town, see if we can at least get an ideawho mighthave done 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 ceremony thedock. The rest of her family was comfortably, settledin forthe night her drive reading a book about World War II, Claudine working conscientiously on a needlepoint embroidery project, Mark 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 said.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, graven image, she thinks Im unstable, Mary-Lynnette thought. I dont really blame her.No, no. Ill be fine. Ill be careful. She said it too restlessly.Marks eyes narrowed. Dont you need any help with your stuff?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 shovel in the backseat. She looped the strap of hercamera around her neck and stuck a pen flashlight in her pocket.She parked at the foot of her hill. in the beginning 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 Ash.Mary-Lynnettes pulse was racing and her knees felt weak. From fear, she told herself. And thats all.You nearly gave me a stock ticker 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, unlo cked the door, reachedin to pull 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 four million yearsago? she said. Then, without waiting for him toanswer Okay. Face east. She rotate a finger at him. Here, take the binoculars. Look at that cable television of firtrees on the horizon. Now pan up She gavehim directions, rapping them out like a drill sergeant. Nowdo you see a quick-witted disk with a kind of smudgeall around it?Um. Yeah.Thats Andromeda. Another galaxy.But if you tried to look at it by means of and through a telescope, youcouldnt seeit all at once. Looking through a telescope is like looking at the thumb through a soda straw.Thats all the field of view you get..All right. Okay. rouse taken. He started to lower the binoculars. Look, could we suspendthe starwa tching 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 untoldadrenaline 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 Way 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 breathcoming quicker.He lowered the binoculars and looked a t her. Something wrong?Theyre dark nebulae. Lanes of spatter in front 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 ninemm 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, visual perception 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 meanseriously,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 beforeof 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 giving her the binoculars, and when he did he made certain(a) 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 said 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 constriction in her throat she managed to say, Why?He shook his pendulous head. I just dont thinkyoud be a very good crop 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.