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Closing his eyes, the boy zoned out their conversation. His heart was beating faster than he cared to admit. He knew they had made it this far, and now he finally had a chance to process what happened.
Lowering his head, Riley took a deep breath. He saw himself running into Bilal. What a desperate moment, one that had been so close to going wrong. He couldn’t fathom how he had been able to get up when Bilal left him on the cold stone floor, bleeding out of his chest. It took all of Riley’s strength to cover the wound and apply enough pressure so he could transform.
Even as a deer, it hurt to move, let alone walk or run. His mother had told him what he would need to do and what would happen had he failed to get up off that ground. How Bilal was still standing after Riley drove his antlers into the hunter’s side was beyond him.
Yet it had been enough. Keira had transformed and they were now one step closer to fulfilling the prophecy. Riley kept his eyes closed tight but lifted his head as he heard a Bronco pull up beside the truck.
“It can’t be,” Riley whispered.
He opened his eyes and looked over at the light blue two-door Ford Bronco. Riley saw a larger in size older gentleman with a head full of white thick hair, open the driver’s side door.
Trying not to stare, Riley watched the man carefully. He noticed the empty soda cans, the pile of candy wrappers, and several torn open Slim Jim boxes in the weathered interior. The old man left the Bronco running.
“One of these days someone is going to steal his car,” Riley said under his breath.
While he was fixated on the man, and relieved it wasn’t Bilal or anyone else to be overly concerned with, Riley decided it was time to stretch his legs and check on things. They were not even a fifteen minute drive from Diana’s Baths, so feeling safe wasn’t an option quite yet.
Watching the old man swing open the glass paned front door, Riley looked around the empty parking lot one more time. He noticed clouds moving in over Mount Washington and a distinct chill in the air.
“Weird,” he said as he opened the door.
“I’m telling you put the money in first,” Birchard squawked.
“Why I’m taking advice from a bird is beyond me.”
“Beats me, since you know until a few hours ago you were an Arctic fox. Sure Foxy, what do I know since I’ve watched people do this thousands of times?”
“Thousands huh? I thought you lived on the lake?”
Riley poked his head around the corner of the open foyer and noticed Luza fumbling with the loose change while Birchard lectured her from his perch on the top of the snack vending machine. There were two other machines. One older machine was for coffee and hot chocolate, with the cup dispenser included, and the second was a Coca Cola machine. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an attendant observing the dynamic duo.
“I’m not there all the time.”
“Whatever, Red Eye. Just tell me where to put these coins and how many.”
“Princess,” Riley interrupted. “Four coins should be enough to start. There’s nothing in that machine over a $1.00.”
Luza’s head spun quickly to look at Riley. Her hair almost floated with the movement.
“Thank you.” She looked back at Birchard, “Was that so hard? Sure you’ve seen this done before.”
“Just get something I like,” Birchard added.
“I’m not sharing with you. Get your own money.”
Riley laughed at the exchange. He left the pair to their purchase and cut in the other direction where the stairs led down to the lower level and the bathrooms. There was still no sight of Keira.
Purposely Riley walked down the circular cement stairs. The recessed lighting made it even brighter than he anticipated as he squinted with each step to the lower level.
The hallway for the bathrooms were directly at the bottom, while the exhibit area on the history of the Mount Washington Valley and the Presidential Range were to the right with massive windows looking out onto Mount Washington.
He looked casually over to the exhibit and saw no one, not even an attendant.
“Where is she?”
Ever so faintly, he could hear Keira’s whimper down the hallway. Her cries echoed softly from the bathroom stall that she was sitting in.
Unsure whether he should wait for her, Riley hesitated but thought better of it and proceeded down the hallway. He saw the open doors for the men and the women’s bathroom respectfully.
Keira’s crying grew louder.
Hoping no one would see him, Riley took a step towards the bathroom door and was about to enter when the old gentlemen walked out of the men’s room.
“What are you doing?” he mumbled.
Riley ignored the man. He took another step into the women’s room.
“Hey creepy boy, the bathroom’s right here.”
He didn’t know if he should turn around but when the man’s arm reached out and grabbed onto the collar of his sweater, Riley didn’t have a choice.
“If you got to go, do it in here. That girl doesn’t need your help.”
“Maybe she’s a friend of mine,” Riley batted the man’s hand off his shirt.
“Or maybe she’s not. Maybe you’re why she’s crying.”
“I didn’t make her cry. I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“I’m not going to let you do it.”
Riley glared at the man. “Really? How do you suppose you’re going to do that?”
“Don’t act all big now, boy. I’ve dealt with you ruffians before.”
“Clearly not, because you left your Bronco running, you idiot.”
The man’s cheeks puffed out. Riley didn’t realize he was significantly undersized compared to the old timer who was easily 250 pounds and well over six feet tall. He didn’t even have time to react when the man slammed him against the wall between the two bathroom doors.
“I should beat the snot out of you right here, right now boy. First you try to sneak in there and get a look at that girl and then you insult me.”
“She’s my friend. Let go of me, or you are going to regret it.”
It took all of Riley’s strength to not transform.
As the man’s right arm wound up, Keira cried out from the bathroom stall, “It’s okay. He really is with me.”
“It’s your lucky day,” the man loosened his grip slightly. He turned towards the bathroom door. “Are you sure honey? I can take care of him right now if you want me to.”
“Please don’t. He’s okay, I promise.”
“Can you let go of me now?” Riley fumed.
Lowering his fist from Riley’s face, the old man released the boy.
“You better know your place next time.”
“Yeah whatever you say, old timer,” Riley pushed the man away and took several steps into the women’s bathroom.
“Keira may I come in?”
“I suppose. What are you doing here anyway?” Keira asked softly from behind the stall.
The old man gave Riley a parting look. He put two of his fingers up to his eyes and then pointed those same fingers back at Riley. Annoyed, the teen waved his arm in the air and blew the man off.
Riley stepped further into the bathroom and leaned against the wall across from Keira’s stall.
“I was looking for you after making sure the two animals figured out the vending machine.”
Keira giggled. “That’s funny. Don’t let her hear you say that?”
“We’re all animals I suppose. Just imagine learning to walk again. That’s what Luza’s going to have to do.”
“Or learning how to control what’s inside of me,” Keira said as she unlocked the bathroom door.
“It’s only been a matter of hours. It takes time.”
The teen opened the stall door and looked curiously at the boy. She wiped the fallen tears from her face and sniffled.
“I could hear what happened. Why didn’t you just transform?”
Riley smirked. “Let me show you.”
He led Keira out of the bathroom and to the hallway where the exchange occurred.
“Would you have?”
Keira looked at the tight quarters of the hallway and then the two open bathroom doors.
“You can’t just transform because someone is messing with you. There are consequences. I wouldn’t have fit in this area, or maybe barely. Then what happens? I can guarantee you the police would have been called.”
“Yeah, but —”
“Part of me wanted to. But there has to be some restraint. I can’t just change every time someone is messing with me. It’s not even fair.”
“I don’t know... certainly, if given a good reason, it should be okay.”
“Have a seat,” Riley motioned to a pair of chairs that looked out onto the Presidential Range.
The black-haired girl followed the boy down the hallway and to the waiting seats. She looked around the open foyer, glancing over the exhibit, and then turning back to Riley.
“There’s so much at stake that changing form just to deal with an old man would be foolish.”
“You sound like my dad.”
“Thanks, I guess. Really he didn’t know who or what he was dealing with. It’s different than say Bilal, a trained killer.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Keira looked downward and shuffled her feet. “But even that, was it fair?”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Keira. You had no choice. He wasn’t going to let you walk out of there.”
“It doesn’t make things easier. I felt good taking his life. Am I supposed to?”
Riley gently bit down on his lip and looked over at the princess. “I never had to take a life before. I imagine if I did, it would be for the right reason.”
“Wait, never?” Shocked, Keira looked straight at him.
He shrugged. “Just because I know what I’m doing, doesn’t mean I have walked that path. I’m sure the time will come when I have to.”
“I wanted to kill Carrie today.”
“Don’t we all?”
“I’m serious. She baited me and I was so close to acting on it.”
Riley smiled. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Aside from me being a killing machine, why are you glad?”
“A killing machine huh? That’s sort of funny. Now if you had managed to take her out, I promise you wouldn’t have survived the rebuttal.”
Keira wanted to know what Riley meant by “rebuttal.” As she looked to clarify what he said, a loud crash came from above.
“Luza!” Riley yelled. He jumped up from the seat. “Come on, we got to go.”
“How do you know?” Keira looked up at the stairs.
“I know.”
Riley bolted up the steps with Keira close behind. He saw the vending machine knocked over onto the floor. There was broken glass and food scattered everywhere.
“Are you serious?” Keira shot a glance to the front doors and then back at the scene.
“This doesn’t seem right.” Riley listened carefully to the sounds around them.
“What?”
Keira couldn’t figure out what was going on. She followed Riley out the doors and into the parking lot where they found Luza and Birchard sitting on the bed of the truck.
Riley was relieved to see that the Bronco and the old man were gone. For a second he thought he was going to have to contend with that issue on top of everything else.
“What happened?” Keira said in a very firm tone.
“Nothing,” Luza said as she ate two Cheez-It crackers.
“Nothing at all,” Birchard repeated. He disappeared from view and came up with several gummy worms in his mouth.
“Nothing at all huh? I don’t buy it. Do you, Riley?”
“Not so much.” The boy looked at the pair. “How else would that machine have fallen over?”
“You’re not our parents so get off it,” Luza replied.
“You’re also not some little kid Luza. What are you like 17 in human years?” He motioned to Keira. “We have to get out of here before someone calls the police.”
“We didn’t do anything. The machine fell over on its own.” Luza’s white hair covered her face as she continued to eat more crackers. A lone streak of black was now visible, tucked unknowingly behind her left ear.
“Yeah whatever. I’m not dealing with this now,” Keira shook her head and immediately jumped into the front seat of the truck.
Before Luza and Birchard could get down, Keira had already started the truck and was backing up.
“Come on, don’t leave us back here. It’s not safe,” Luza said.
“Safe? Did you say something Princess?” Keira shifted the truck into reverse.
“Fine, I’ll tell you what happened. The fat man got angry and pushed the machine over.”
“Nice try Luza,” Riley looked away from the white-haired teen and towards the road.
Luza nodded to Birchard.
“We ran out of money...” Birchard squawked.
“So you thought it would a good plan to knock the machine over?” Riley sighed.
“No it fell over after I ran up against it.”
“You’re an idiot Luza. What is it with you and food?” Keira clutched tightly onto the steering wheel.
“I told you I was hungry. Now can you let me in?”
“Give me one good reason why I should.” Keira pulled over to the side of the road, across from the rest stop.
“Because they’re on their way,” Luza shouted.
“Who?”
Riley pointed at the police car lights in the distance. “We don’t have time. Stay down. Keira drive!”
Not knowing how to explain their unique situation, Keira put her foot on the gas pedal and drove.
* * *
Whether the police was really after them, Keira didn’t stop to see. She quickly took the next right, towards Intervale, and sought out another road to get lost on. It was a high stress time, but her instincts took over. Keira sped down the road.
“You know this is going to make it worse?” Riley commented.
“I didn’t see you coming up with any ideas,” Keira brushed her black locks out of her line of sight.
Luza slid in through the back window.
“Seriously?” Keira clutched tightly onto the steering wheel as their fox altered friend shimmied to the middle seat.
Falling partly onto Riley’s lap, Luza had one arm wrapped around his neck.
“Don’t get too excited my prince. With the way she’s driving, it’s safer in here than out there.”
“Not now,” Riley placed her down firmly on the seat and then had to readjust some more as Birchard landed on Luza.
“You too? I’m trying to drive here.”
“Go ahead, I’m not stopping you,” Birchard said.
“Out of all of us, couldn’t you have flown away?” Keira thought it was a worthwhile question.
“But then who’s going to tell you where to go?”
Keira looked over at Riley and yelled, “The map!”
“Who needs a map? I found my way to you,” Luza said.
“And you ran for how many months? Look at you now a little person.”
Luza nudged Keira’s shoulder. “That wasn’t nice.”
“Don’t push me while I’m driving.”
“I wouldn’t have to if you were nicer. Take it back Keira.”
“Or what? You’re going to push me again? We’ll drive off the road if that happens.”
“Ladies stop it! Both of you are going to kill us,” Riley interrupted.
Birchard flapped his wings.
“What Red-Eye?” Luza said.
“There’s a road to the left past this bridge. It goes up over the mountain. We should be able to lose them there.”
“Now that’s helpful. Thank you.” Keira floored the gas to the old truck.
Birchard smiled at Luza.
“It doesn’t mean she forgives us dodo.”
“What? Why not?” Birchard threw his wings up in the air.
“Because if you two had just asked us for help, none of this would have happened.” Keira barely had time to comment on Birchard’s questions.
The flashing lights of a Ford Explorer were gaining quickly.
“We might need to go faster!” Riley squeezed onto the door handle.
“I’m going to hurl,” Luza cried.
Keira took the tight turn, directly up the adjacent road and the steep hill.
“Was that necessary?” Luza asked as she slammed into Riley. Birchard hit the windshield before stabilizing himself on Riley’s knee.
With her foot on the gas, firmly pressing the pedal to the ground, Keira forced the truck to go up the steep grade.
It was no use as the Explorer continued to gain.
“Now what, Riley?”
“This was a great idea Red-Eye up a hill, where we go slower,” Luza glared at the loon.
He didn’t respond but looked out the window instead.
“Just pull over, we’re not going to out run them,” Riley shrugged.
“How am I going to explain this?”
“We’re not. Just run for it.”
Keira looked over at Riley and nodded. An idea came to her head.
“You two are batty. I can’t just change into fox mode and scurry away.”
“You don’t have a choice. Open the door Riley!” Keira slammed on the brakes.
The truck jerked to a stop at the crest of the first hill. Partially off the road, Keira had pulled over in the direction of a grove of pine and birch trees.
Riley didn’t wait for further instruction. He jumped out and ran for the woods. Taking Luza by the hand, he led her past several branches and logs. Birchard shot up in the air and Keira jumped out the passenger door, close behind.
She ran twenty feet into the woods and waited for the Explorer to approach.
The police siren filled the air. It didn’t take long for the Explorer to pull up behind the Dodge. A second Explorer’s lights flashed in the distance.
“Shouldn’t we be running?” Luza asked Riley.
He put a finger up to his mouth.
“Stay close and don’t let them see you,” he whispered.
“What about Keira?”
“I think she has it covered.”
Luza looked through the bare branches and saw Keira was no longer there. She could tell the truck was still running, clear from the exhaust pipe shooting a grey smoke into the air. The passenger side door remained open and the two police cars were parked only meters away.
Both officers exited their vehicles. The taller one of the two, who drove the first car, was a chubby fellow. He wore a military vest over his khaki uniform shirt and a pair of aviator sunglasses that made him appear more ridiculous than officer-like. The shorter officer looked liked a pit bull between his compact figure, stocky build, and a severe underbite.
Each officer had his hand resting on his PR-24 night-stick.
“We know you didn’t get far. Come on out kids, before you get yourself into more trouble,” the chubby officer shouted.
“If you don’t do what you’re told, we’ll get the dogs to come get you,” the second one added.
Luza looked back at Riley who shook his head and smirked. “Not the dogs,” he said as he contemplated changing to his oversized deer form.
“You know I can’t see anything with you standing in front of me.”
“Then cut to the side.”
Birchard swooped down onto the branch above them.
“You two make a lot of noise. Why don’t you tell them right where you are,” Birchard said.
“Shut up Red-Eye,” Luza pushed her long hair away from her eyes, hopeful of getting a better look.
“We hear you out there. Stop messing around. Someone’s going to get hurt,” the chubby officer yelled.
“Where is Keira? Go do something Riley.”
“Shhh, I think we’ll be okay.”
With Riley’s words, the tall officer walked around the perimeter of the truck. He glanced in to the empty front and shut the open door.
“All clear Sammy.”
The shorter officer nodded to the senior officer and said, “It’s your last chance. The dogs are being called and when we do get you —”
“You’ll what?” Luza shouted. She spotted the Princess and smiled.
“I hate teenagers,” Sammy swung his night-stick in motion.
“Join the club,” the chubby one said under his breath before he shifted tone and cried out, “Have it your way.”
“What the heck is that?” Sammy took a step back from the truck.
The other officer followed as Keira in mountain lion form came out from the tree line and into their line of sight.
“A catamount? In the day time? Go get the shotgun,” the chubby one trembled.
“It’s too fast for that. We wouldn’t have enough time.”
“Then what are we going to do?”
“Get back to the Explorers and pray it doesn’t attack.”
Keira moved stealthily out of the shadows of the pines. She looked over at both of the men and showed her sharp incisors.
Sammy lowered his night-stick. “Good kitty,” he repeated several times. “We will go on our way.”
“What about the kids?” the chubby officer asked.
“What about them? I can’t back you up with this wild animal here. Let them deal with that thing. Lesson learned right?”
“Darn it. Just once I want my picture in the paper.”
Keira walked closer to the chubby officer. She hissed in his direction and raised her large left paw at him.
“Get in the Explorer!” Sammy yelled. He ran back to his vehicle and shut the door behind him.
“I suggest you kids run while you can. Don’t let this thing get you!” The chubby officer’s legs shook as he cowered behind the door of his Explorer. Cautiously, he got in and locked his doors.
Keira stood between the truck and the police car. She glared at the officer and waited.
It seemed longer but it was only a matter of thirty seconds before both Explorers were in reverse going down the hill. After one hundred feet they did three point turns and disappeared from view.