Eighteen

Brie-vengers, Assemble!

For a few moments, Fin could not move. She knelt on the redwood needles, beneath the shadow of a water tower.

She had lost Brie.

She had lost Brie.

The SNACC Pack would take Brie down to Los Angeles and study her, figure out that she wasn’t anything humanity had ever encountered before. Aldermere would be overrun with scientists, with gawkers, with hunters. The bigfoot herd would be driven back into the wilderness; the town would be picked apart and put under a microscope. The magic would be drained, and it would be the end of Aldermere—of home, of everything that Fin had tried to protect. She yearned to go ten minutes back in time, to do something that could have averted all of this. But she couldn’t—and she was just a kid. A kid couldn’t stop three adults, not even three young adults, from kidnapping Brie.

Despair swept in. Fin let out a ragged breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

Come on. The words came from deep within her. That voice was quiet and resolute, and Fin recognized it. She had heard it before: a voice that was both hers and not hers. Teafin. She had been made of bad memories, of anger and sadness and defiance—all the pieces of herself that Fin had once tried to forget. But she was also the voice of reckless bravery, of a girl who’d been a little wicked and fearless.

Right now, Brie needed that girl.

Ana had mentioned emailing someone. And River—

River.

The moment Fin thought the name, her anger flared even hotter. River had led them to Brie. He must have followed Fin to the water tower. It hadn’t been Penny that Eddie had glimpsed in the woods—it had been River. And then he’d led the SNACC Pack here.

Fin picked up River’s fallen glasses. They were black rimmed, smudged a little at one corner. Rising to her feet, she turned toward town and began to run.

“I’m gonna take all of River’s homework and dump it in a mud puddle,” said Eddie, his face alight with fury.

They jogged down Main Street. Fin had found Eddie back at the cottage, where he’d been preparing several sandwiches. Fin had explained the situation in gasps, but he’d understood enough to be angrier than she’d ever seen him.

“Revenge later,” said Fin. “Brie now. You grab Cedar and I’ll go to River’s house. He might know what SNACC’s planning.”

“I am going,” replied Eddie, “to find something that smells really, really bad and put it in his locker every day for the rest of the year.”

“I’m fine with that,” said Fin.

Eddie continued to mutter threats until they parted ways. Eddie headed toward Brewed Awakening, while Fin veered toward River’s house. The porch still held several unpacked boxes. Fin hesitated, then knocked on the front door. There was no answer, and after a minute she peered through a window and saw an empty living room—a few paintings leaned against the walls and there was a half-assembled coffee table, but no people. She darted around to the back of the house.

The old burned shed had been torn down. There was a spot of dead grass where it had once stood. Someone had strung a clothesline from an apple tree to the house, and several shirts were drying in an afternoon breeze. A bench had been placed near the back of the house—and River sat on it. When he caught sight of Fin, he shrank back.

Fin’s anger, which she’d managed to tamp down, roiled to the surface. She strode across the backyard, hands clenched into fists.

“Why?” she snarled. “Why did you do it?”

River didn’t stand up. “Do what?” He looked younger without his glasses. Less certain of himself.

“You went to the film crew,” she said. “You told them about Brie!”

River swallowed audibly and his gaze skittered to one side. As if he couldn’t bear to meet her eyes. Ashamed, she realized. He was ashamed.

“They were offering a cash reward,” he said tonelessly. “For proof of cryptid sightings. And—and someone had to know. That thing . . . you can’t keep that for a pet. Whatever it is, it’s wrong, it’s—”

“She,” said Fin harshly. “Brie isn’t an it, she’s a she. And she’s a baby. Don’t you get that? She’s a baby, and now the film crew took her. They’re going to drag her off to some lab.”

River’s gaze jerked to meet hers. “What? They said—they said they wanted pictures. Study it for a while. They didn’t say they were going to take it.”

“Well, Ana Bell lied.” Fin crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s taking the bigfoot to Los Angeles to study. Brie was crying the whole way—and now she’ll never see her family again. That’s what we were doing, you know. Trying to get a baby back to her family without someone like you screwing it up!”

River flinched. “Maybe people should know. This place . . . it’s wrong. It’s weird and dangerous and—”

“It’s Aldermere!” said Fin. “And just because you don’t understand this town doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with it. You can’t barge in here and think you know better than everyone else! Things can be dangerous, yes. But it’s also beautiful and wonderful, and maybe you’d figure that out if you gave it a chance! Or talked to anyone without being a jerk.”

“I never asked to come here!” cried River. His frustration seemed to boil over. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“Neither did I,” said Fin. “But you know what? Coming here was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

That silenced him. River looked up at her, his face oddly exposed. With a huff, Fin held out his glasses. He blinked, surprised. Then he took them and slid them on.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said. “If that means anything.”

“Are you?” came Eddie’s voice. He and Cedar rounded the corner of the house, walking into the backyard. “You know those sad commercials you see about polar bear pups separated from their parents and stuff? Well, congrats. That’s going to be the bigfoot baby, thanks to you.”

“I didn’t mean to—” River cut himself off. “I thought it was a weird animal and if the film crew was paying people for pictures of weird stuff, then—”

“She’s a living creature,” said Cedar hotly, taking a step closer. River cringed. “She’s got a family, a home. And now she’s never going to see them again. That’s on you, Scott.”

Fin expected River to protest, to try and make excuses. A hot flush spilled across his face, but all he did was nod. “I know.” He closed his eyes. “If you’re going to hurt me again, just do it.”

Cedar took a step back in surprise. “Why would I . . . oh, come on.” She reached down and tapped River lightly on his shoulder. “Look at me.”

He didn’t look at her. Instead, his thumb roamed across a thin scab along his knuckles—where Penny’s mane had cut him, Fin realized.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” said Cedar. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. And I’m sorry that happened. It was an accident. My shadow—her name is Penny. When you called me a freak, I got angry and she reacted. I apologize.”

River finally looked up. “What was she?” he said helplessly.

There was so much to explain and so little time. Fin said the only thing she could think of. “Magic,” she said.

Several emotions darted across River’s face: denial, confusion, and finally an almost irritated acceptance. “I hate that that’s the only answer to make sense.” He took a deep breath. “Why are you here?”

“Because we need to know where SNACC might’ve taken Brie,” said Eddie. “She’s going to be yelling the whole time.”

“Not inside the inn,” said Fin. “Jo wouldn’t stand for it.”

River sat a little straighter. “Their van,” he said. “I’ve seen the inside. It’s mostly full of equipment and stuff, but it’s the only place they trust. It’s soundproofed too. For recording. They could put a screaming animal in there and no one would ever know.”

“We have to move fast,” said Fin. “Before they leave—or before the others hear Brie.”

Cedar nodded. “Do you think the other bigfoots will come for her?”

“Maybe,” said Eddie, “if she was loud enough before they put her in the van. But what if they leave before the bigfoot army can arrive?”

River went even paler. “Bigfoot army?”

“Yes, and they’re coming for you,” said Eddie, without missing a beat. “So worst case scenario is a bunch of angry bigfoots show up, looking for their lost kid, and she isn’t here anymore.”

“We won’t let that happen,” said Fin determinedly. “Cedar, can you check the van? See if they have Brie in there?”

Cedar nodded.

“Good,” said Fin. “Eddie, you’re going with her. Watch her back. I’m going to make sure that they don’t upload their pictures.”

“How?” asked Eddie.

Fin smiled, and she knew it wasn’t a very nice smile. “The only place in town they can get online is the inn. Or at least . . . until I stop them.”

River pushed himself off the bench. “What can I do?”

That stopped all of them in their tracks.

“What?” said Eddie incredulously. “You want to help? Why should we trust you?”

River gave a helpless little shrug. “I can’t make things worse now, can I?”

“I’m sure you could find a way,” said Eddie.

River didn’t defend himself; he merely stood there, accepting all of their anger. And it was that and that alone that made Fin want to trust him. Bad people found excuses. But River wasn’t even trying to defend himself.

“SNACC trusts him,” said Fin. “We could use that.”

Eddie looked at her sharply. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“This isn’t about you,” she snapped. “I get it. You don’t like him. I’m not his biggest fan either, but we don’t have a choice! Not if we want to save Brie!”

River raised his hand a little. Like a kid waiting to be called on.

“What?” said Fin irritably.

River put his hand down. “I—I wanted to know why you named the bigfoot after cheese?”

For a moment, they were all silent. And then Cedar let out a half laugh, half snort. And then Fin was smiling and even Eddie started laughing. It broke the tension, and Fin’s shoulders relaxed and her breath came a little easier.

“We’ll explain on the way,” said Fin. She looked at the others. “Unless you think we shouldn’t bring him.”

Cedar gave a little shrug. “I think we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“And you?” said Fin to Eddie. He was frowning like he’d been asked to eat a bowl of dirt for dinner.

“Fine,” he said. “But I’m still going to sabotage his locker at some point.”

“I can live with that,” said River.

They split up.

Eddie and Cedar headed toward the inn’s parking lot. River went with Fin, because teaming up Eddie with his archrival didn’t seem like a good idea. She and River veered around the inn, going near the garbage bins and the back entrance.

“Are we allowed to be here?” asked River, eyeing the EMPLOYEES ONLY—INN ENTRANCE sign.

“Yes,” said Fin, pulling it open and gesturing him through. “My mom’s the assistant manager. And besides, the label’s just so people don’t pop out somewhere else.”

River blinked at her. “They what?”

“Magic,” said Fin. “I’ll explain the rules later.”

“Rules,” said River, sounding relieved. “There are rules?”

Fin pressed a finger to her lips. She tried to walk as quickly as she could without drawing attention. One of the cleaners ambled by with a cart full of clean linens, and Fin gave her a small wave. As soon as they were alone again, Fin darted into the next hallway.

To her relief, the storage closet wasn’t locked. She pulled it open and stepped inside. River hesitated, then followed and pulled the door shut behind them. A buzzing light flickered on overhead.

The wireless router was on one of the plastic shelves in the farthest corner. The router’s green lights blinked merrily. Fin gazed at it for a heartbeat. “You know how to do this?” asked River. “Sabotage the internet?”

“Sure,” said Fin, and reached down to unplug it. “Not everything has to be complicated.”

“I guess,” said River with a small laugh. “But how long until someone fixes it?”

“First people will have to figure out it’s down,” said Fin. “And then someone’ll complain to Jo, the lady at the front desk. She’ll finish whatever she’s doing at her desk. Trust me, she’s not a big fan of pushy customers. We’ve got time.”

River nodded, seemingly impressed by Fin’s grasp of the situation. Fin led them back through the side entrance; the last thing she wanted was to run into any of the SNACC Pack. She walked quietly around the garbage bins, peering into the parking lot. There was a family unloading a few suitcases from a truck, a couple walking arm in arm toward town, and the SNACC van across the lot. No one was near it.

“Come on,” Fin whispered. “Follow me.” She darted to the first car, keeping it between her and the inn in case anyone walked outside. They crossed the lot in bursts of speed, pausing to make sure no one was watching. Finally they approached the van. Cedar was crouched in the bushes nearby.

“Hey,” said Fin quietly.

Cedar looked up. She flashed Fin a small smile. “Hey.”

“Where’s Eddie?” asked Fin, glancing around. There was no sign of her cousin.

“Near the lobby doors,” answered Cedar. “If the SNACC Pack starts to come out, he’ll walk out and cough loudly.”

“What’d you find?” asked Fin.

“I think she’s in there,” said Cedar, throwing a look at the van. “But I’m not entirely sure.”

“Would they leave her?” asked River. “I mean, you’re not supposed to leave a dog in a car, never mind a . . . bigfoot.” It sounded as though saying the word cost him something. “Wouldn’t they leave at least one of them to keep an eye on her?”

“Michael,” said Cedar. “He’s in the passenger seat up front. We saw him get in. It sounded like Ana and Ryan went inside to get their stuff and check out.”

Fin bit her lip. Michael would complicate things.

“We need to lure him out,” said River. “Distract him.”

“I can do that,” said Cedar airily. “I’m forgettable.”

“But what if they believe in magic now?” said Fin. “They’ve seen Brie.”

“They could just think she’s a wild animal,” replied Cedar. She took a deep breath. “Trust me, I’ve got this.”

“Okay,” Fin said. Because she did trust Cedar.

Cedar rose and stepped out from behind the bushes. She walked around the van, right up to the passenger side. Fin couldn’t see through the windows—they were all tinted black. Cedar rapped several times on the door. There was no reply. She rapped again.

The door opened a crack, and Fin heard the voice from inside. “Yes?”

“Hey,” said Cedar. Her voice was pitched high, excited. “I heard you’re paying for cryptids!”

There was a pause. “Yes, we are,” said Michael, and there was a note of apology in his voice. “But we’re busy at the moment and—”

“Please,” said Cedar. “It will only take a moment. My family could use the money and . . .” She let her voice trail off.

There was a sigh, and then the van door opened fully. Michael stepped out. He looked strange without his holster of cameras. Shutting the van door, he took two steps toward Cedar. “Let’s see your pictures.”

Cedar looked up at him. Her eyes glittered. “I don’t have a picture.”

“But you said—” Michael began to say.

“I have a cryptid,” said Cedar. “I want you to see it.”

Michael clearly thought this was either a prank or some kid trying to con a reward out of him. His brows swept upward, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah? Where is it?”

“Right here,” said Cedar. She took a deeper breath, closing her eyes. She knelt and pressed both hands to the pavement. To her shadow. She rose, and the darkness followed.

Michael stumbled back, his eyes wide as Cedar’s shadow changed. And to be fair, with that uncanny slant to her shoulders and her lack of eyes, Penny did look rather terrifying. The enormous, unsettling shadow stood over Cedar, her mane drifting in a nonexistent breeze.

“What,” said Michael faintly, “the—”

Fin wondered what it was like to find out about magic the way River and Michael had—not the gentle introduction that Fin had experienced, with whintossers and magical tea, but with the sudden realization that monsters were real.

Penny reared up. Her hooves were sharp as daggers, her head tossing menacingly. She made no sound, none at all, which was even more nightmarish. And when she landed, one of her hooves cracked the pavement.

Cedar grinned.

Michael choked on his words. He recoiled so fast he nearly fell, his expression aghast. With a breathless little cry, he turned and fled, not bothering to look back. He sprinted away from the van and the inn, a blur that vanished in the direction of town.

Cedar watched him go with a satisfied look. “Well, that should give us a little time.” She glanced at Penny. “Mind hiding in the woods, in case any of the inn’s other guests walk out?”

Penny tossed her head and jauntily trotted into the woods, as if she was pleased with herself.

River was frozen beside Fin, his eyes fixed on the horse. “That thing’s her shadow?”

“Yes,” said Fin. “And why you shouldn’t cross bridges without knowing the toll first.”

“Why . . .” River began to say, but Fin ignored him. She hurried to the back of the van and rose to her tiptoes, trying to see inside. All she could see was her own worried reflection in the glass. Her sweat-slick fingers slid along the van’s back door as she tried the handle. Of course it didn’t open; the SNACC Pack would have made sure it was locked. The panic Fin had been holding at bay threatened to rise up in her chest, throbbing like a fresh bruise.

“Brie’s in there,” said Fin. “We have to get her out.”

“We can’t break a window,” said Cedar. “It’ll probably start an alarm.”

River gazed at the van, then walked right up to the passenger door and pulled on the handle. It opened easily. He leaned in. A moment later, the van’s back doors popped open.

Fin and Cedar stared at him.

“What?” said River. “He left it unlocked. And our moving van had the same feature.”

“You are officially forgiven,” said Fin. Relief made her legs feel shaky. Without hesitating, Fin grabbed the edge of the van and hauled herself inside.

The van had been turned into a recording studio: there was a built-in desk, a laptop, several shelves of recording equipment and lights and cords. A familiar holster with twin cameras hanging from the sides was draped over one of the seats.

On the floor was the sack. It had been tied shut several times, and Fin’s fingers slipped on the plastic rope. A soft whining sound came from inside the bag, and it twitched.

“Hey,” said Fin. “Hey, it’s me. You’re okay. I promise we’re getting you out.”

She glanced around, and her gaze fell on a pair of scissors hanging from a hook on the wall. She seized them, kneeling beside the bag. It wasn’t easy to cut open; the burlap was thick and Fin feared accidentally hurting Brie. But after a few tries, she managed to cut a wide enough swath so she could dig her hands in and rip it wide open. The plastic net was easier to cut.

And then Brie was spilling out, all big feet and wide dark eyes. She looked around wildly, her ears pressed tightly to her head.

“It’s me,” said Fin, holding out her fingers. Brie looked at her and meeped.

Fin’s heart cracked a little at the sound. “Come on,” she said. “We have to go. I promise we’re going to get you back to your family—”

“Oh no,” came Cedar’s voice. Fin went still. “They’re coming.” Cedar stuck her head in and said, “Hold on a second,” and carefully almost shut the van doors, leaving them open a scant inch.

Breathing hard, Fin crouched and peered through that inch.

Two familiar figures were striding out of the inn. Ryan and Ana Bell.

They were coming this way. Fin swallowed hard, unsure of what to do. They were only forty feet from the van, winding their way through the other cars. Should she and Brie make a run for it? Could Cedar use Penny? Or maybe Fin would have to yell for help, to get her mom out here for backup.

But before Fin could do anything, River sprinted across the lot. He planted himself in front of the SNACC Pack, speaking so loudly that she heard every word.

“Hey,” he said. “You’re supposed to pay me.”

The film crew halted in surprise.

“Oh,” said Ana, impatient. “Mr. Rivers, right? Of course we’re going to pay you. We took down your mailing address and a check will be in the mail—”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” demanded River. “You think you can placate me because I’m a kid, say you’re going to pay me, then send a T-shirt in the mail as compensation? You’re going to pay me now, understand? I want five hundred dollars. Or else I’ll go on your website and comment on every video, saying you needed an eleven-year-old to find your monster for you.”

That got their attention.

Which was precisely the point, Fin realized. River was delaying them, making a fuss so that Brie could escape.

“Come on,” whispered Fin, reaching for Brie. The bigfoot looked as though she didn’t want to be picked up, but she was too frightened to protest. Fin hefted the bigfoot into her arms as Cedar carefully edged the van door open. Fin jumped down, keeping a tight hold on Brie. It was a bit like holding a very soft, long dog. Albeit one with feet that were gently thudding against Fin’s thighs like swim fins.

Cedar darted around to the front of the van. “What are you doing?” hissed Fin.

Cedar ducked inside, then emerged with the holster of twin cameras. She hastily slung it over her own shoulders and gave Fin a significant look.

The pictures. The evidence. “Good thinking,” Fin mouthed.

Keeping low to the ground, they sprinted to the next car over, putting it between them and the SNACC Pack. River was still loudly demanding money while Ana spoke in low, soothing tones. Fin looked around. They needed to get into the forest, where SNACC wouldn’t see them.

Fin glanced deliberately at the trees, and Cedar nodded in understanding.

With Brie over one shoulder, Fin scuttled toward the woods. As soon as the trees closed around her, she straightened and began to run. Cedar kept pace behind her. They moved as quickly and as quietly as possible, struggling through the undergrowth until they met the trail.

And then somewhere in the parking lot behind them, a cry rang out.