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Mom droned on and on over dinner concerning the dangers of magic and how I shouldn't try anything without supervision. I kept silently pleading to Dad for help, but he refused. Maybe he thought I deserved, given I worked with Gramps now. Thank God Mom didn't know, or I’d get yelled at for a week straight. Henry kept eating, not saying a word, not wanting to be next on the agenda.
I removed dishes from the table and escaped to my room to study. Aw, peace and quiet! At seven o'clock my cell rang. It was Gramps.
"Can you get away?"
"Maybe. Why?"
"Midnight wants us to take him to a park and meet with a few of his friends."
"Why?" I asked.
"The case. They have information for us." Gramps inhaled and exhaled into the phone.
"Where'd you want to meet?"
"I'll come and get you in half an hour."
“Let me ask Dad if I can go. Mom has me under house arrest. Hold on.” I hurried out to the kitchen and found my father rummaging through the refrigerator. “Hey, Dad. Can I go with Gramps tonight?”
Dad shut the refrigerator door, holding a soda and frowned. “Is this regarding the case?”
I nodded.
Dad released an exaggerated sigh. “This is a school night, you know.”
“We won’t be gone long.”
Dad mulled the idea over, staring at me the entire time.
“I think it’s a break in the case,” I said.
“What are you going to tell your mother?”
“I’ll let Gramps explain.”
“Do you have your homework completed?”
“Yes.”
He sighed again. “Okay. Don’t stay out late.”
“I won’t.” I got back on the phone with Gramps back in my room. “It’s a go.” I clicked off and forced myself to finish my English paper. Did anyone want my opinion on the latest State budget cuts? I mean, what a waste of time. I know we lived in the Capital of Washington State, so we should understand laws and how government works, but really, budget cuts?
I had finished printing the paper and stuffing it in my binder when Gramps rolled into the driveway, his headlights flashing in my window. I grabbed my coat and headed for the front door when Gramps knocked and stepped inside.
“What are you doing here?” Mom sat on the couch watching television.
Gramps drew in his lips and brows.
I gave a slight shake of my head.
He tottered into the living room. “I’m here to get David. We’re going to visit Tom at the hospital.”
"How is Tom doing?" Mom lowered the television volume.
"He's doing better. The doctors think he'll wake up any time now."
"I hope so. I’m going to make his family a couple of casseroles. I’ll take it to them tomorrow." Mom forced a smile. "Don't stay out too late, David. It’s a school night."
"I know Mom. I won't." I followed Gramps out the door and into his car. Midnight sat in the backseat, transformed into a full-sized Sekhmet. "Hey, Midnight."
His reply came out a purr rather than words.
We drove to Pioneer Park. Gramps handed me a flashlight and kept one for himself. We zapped open the locked gates and filled a slot at the south end of the parking area, far from the road and light poles. I had played in these woods during the summer months, floating the river in inner tubes, but never visited at night. It was different, forbidding, and dark. Midnight led the way with Gramps following and me at the end. The canvas of the night sky was cloudless with a half-moon to guide us. A far away splash of stars glittered until we crept on foot into the woods. A chill ran over my skin, as I followed Gramps. It was a feeling of being watched as if someone was hidden behind the wall of trees. The disturbing notion caused me to jerk my head in every direction. The more I tried to shake the thought the more it intensified.
A dirt path showing you the way to the river in the daytime had vanished under the cloak of the night. Dark shapes, which had been green shrubs, huddled like lumpy monsters and blocked the line of sight between the trees.
I stumbled on rocks and roots embedded in the dirt and should have kept my eyes on the ground. An earthy odor mixed with rotting logs, mud, pine, and cedar was dank and stagnant. Darkened trunks loomed on either side of us, and groaned from their enormous weight. As we furthered in no wind or light breeze touched us, a deafening silence hanging in obscurity. The flashlights emitted little light and needles of the thick fir branches blocked out much of the moon.
Reaching close to the end of the path the rush of the river blasted louder. Goosebumps rose on my skin. I turned for a second. Was someone following us? But there was nothing, not the rustle of leaves, a snap of a twig, or the thumping of footsteps. We reached a sandy beach area and halted. The river bent at a right angle along its winding path.
Midnight screeched, the sound a cross between a lion's growl and a cat's meow. I jabbed my fingers into my ears and released an uncontrollable shiver. Dogs in some far off neighborhood barked.
A rustling resulted in ten Sekhmet's melding out of the trunks of fir trees. Did they live inside them? Two towered over six-foot, but the rest averaged five-foot-eight inches. They were fit, except for two, who had big bellies. Three were female, the rest males.
They recognized Gramps, but many of them studied me with curiosity and suspicion. A gray-headed cat hobbled forward, his mane thick and bushy, his eyes as old as time, and much sadness in them. "Who is this one? Why do you bring him here?" A trace of panic laced his words.
"He is Ashir's grandson, David. He is also a wizard and is helping with this case." Midnight was calm. "He will bring us no harm." Midnight continued. "David. Gravine is our leader. You deal with him."
I nodded. I had a million questions I wanted to ask the group. Instead, I remained silent.
"Midnight tells me you have information." Gramps kept his flashlight pointing at Gravine's feet.
"Yes. But you must guarantee us you'll find this person soon and bring him to justice." Gravine spoke in a low and gravelly voice. "We are getting blamed for the animal killings in the area. These creatures have already wounded one of us."
"We're working on it. I think we're getting close. The person responsible has already attacked David twice."
Gravine briefly glanced at me. "So you know he has wizard powers?"
"Yes."
"They have struck many goat and rabbit farms, wiping out animals by sucking their blood dry."
"We know this." Gramps shrugged.
"The authorities think we are behind it. They have warned us if the killings continue, there will be a price to pay."
"Did you tell them you weren't behind them?" Gramps asked.
"Yes. But they do not believe us."
"They don't want to think there's something else out there making a massive killing." Gramps paused in thought. "So what information do you have for us?"
"The person behind these slaughters is creating a pack of dog-like creatures."
"Chupacabras." I gained a sharp glower.
"Yes." Gravine continued. "He has gathered young men from Olympic High School to start his pack."
"We know all of this." Gramps’s temper was short.
Gravine ignored Gramps. "But they need females to breed with. They have selected them and will take them to a dance.” He frowned as if he wasn’t sure what the word dance meant. “There they plan to complete the process."
"The process?" Gramps frowned.
"Yes. The process of changing them entirely. Once this happens, there will be no turning back for these young people."
"Where is this going to take place?" Gramps asked.
"We assumed at the school."
“How did you get this information?”
“We have our ways. This is a serious matter for us. It might end in dire consequences.” Wrinkles formed on the sides of Gravines’ snout.
Our meeting soon ended. I followed Gramps and Midnight as we tramped on the path. I peeked behind to find the Sekhmet’s had already melded back into the woods. I wondered how many other creatures and what kind lived in this area. I had been to this park a million times and hadn’t a clue the Sekhmet's lived here.
Once we got back to the car, I said, "I'm going to the dance, Gramps. I know some of the guys who are taking this drug. I’ll keep an eye on them."
"Good. If you see anything out of the ordinary, call Hoss or me right away."
"I will." We retraced our route but passed the street we turned on to go home. Instead, we drove to town. "Are we going to the hospital?"
"Yep. I thought we'd see how Tom's doing. We can't make a liar out of me, now, can we?"
"I guess not." I didn't want to lie to my Mom, but sometimes it made life easier, and I'm for easier. "How'd your friends come by this information?"
Midnight lifted a shoulder. "When we want to find out something, we find a way."
"Can you be more specific?"
"We're cats. We can shapeshift into small animals. And though we have human form, we can travel sometimes faster in cat form, getting in and out of places."
It was hardly an explanation. Sekhmet's possessed powers, but what exactly the powers entailed I wasn’t sure. I did know they understood what humans said whether they were in human or cat shape.
Gramps drove to his house to drop off Midnight, and we headed to the hospital. As the elevators opened to the third floor, I spotted Sabrina and her mother in the hallway, smiling.
I waved as we approached. "You look happy."
"My father woke up." Sabrina grinned widely.
"Great!" I met her smile.
"Can we see him?" Gramps asked.
Sabrina's mother shook her head. "The doctors are in with him right now. It'll be awhile before we get to see him."
I felt Hoss’s presence, his energy stiff and vigorous. Letting Gramps go and talk to him, I remained with Sabrina. "You must be pretty excited."
"I am." A broad smile was frozen on her face.
I envied Sam.
"I wanted to thank you for rescuing my father."
I shrugged. "It's no big deal."
"Yes, it is. You saved his life. I call it a big deal."
I didn't know how to reply. I didn’t receive many compliments, especially from a pretty girl. After a long pause, I mumbled, "You’re welcome."
"Hey, Romeo," Hoss said. "Come here."
I followed him into the waiting room. "Yes, Hoss, Boss, Sir."
He stared at me, at least, I think he did, through his black sunglasses. "So I hear, you got your butt kicked today by a dog."
"Chupacabra. And I didn't get kicked by it. I had it under control."
Rumblings came from the man's chest. "Yeah. Right. It's why Ashir came in and saved you."
"Is that what my grandfather said?"
"No. But I can read between the lines."
"I'm the first to admit Gramps’s powers are stronger than mine. And I made a mistake dissecting the pill on my own. But I had no idea it had magic connected to it."
Hoss sobered. "You have a lot to learn, Grasshopper. Don't forget it."
I frowned.
“Of course, Kung Fu, the television show was before you were born.”
What the heck was he talking about? I shook my head and returned to the subject. "I'll be more careful at the dance. I can do better."
"The dance?" Now Hoss was confused. Gramps didn't tell him what the Sekhmet's had said. Why?
"The Homecoming dance. I'm going to it, and I thought I'd keep an eye out on the kids who are taking the drug." I tried hard to cover up. I swallowed.
Hoss grunted. "Better to keep an eye on the guys, not the girls. If anything happens, I want you to call me immediately."
I nodded, knowing I'd call Gramps first. After all, Gramps was magical. What could Hoss do, besides look scary behind his sunglasses?
"You taking Cinderella over there?" Hoss asked.
"You’re sure interested in my personal life. Are you trying to live vicariously through me?"
"Turned you down, huh?" Hoss wore a lopsided grin.
"No. I asked somebody else."
"Oh, I get it. The boy who was here the other day asked her first." A low rumbled erupted from his chest again.
"Mind your own business." My stomach tightened, and fingers curled into the palms of my hands.
"Did I hit a nerve?"
I shook my head and walked away before I used my magic on him. Big oaf!
