Fifteen

Ashes and Discoveries

“I have deliveries,” said Fin a little despairingly. The thought of traipsing about Aldermere, packages in hand, while some monster that looked like her was wreaking havoc was almost unbearable. But if she skipped out, Mr. Hardin might say something to Mom. And even if he didn’t, word got around fast. People would ask why their medications or packages hadn’t arrived on Tuesday, as always.

She and Eddie parted ways. He returned to the big house while Fin trudged toward the Ack.

The weight of everything slowed her down. She felt as if there was a visible mark on her, some way for everyone to see that she was hiding something, that she knew more about the fire and the break-ins than anyone else. It was her fault, after all. Surely people would see. But everyone’s attention was on the fading plumes of smoke, and Fin found herself standing alone inside the tiny grocery store.

The place behind the cash register was empty. Fin gazed at it for a few moments, feeling even more off-balance. Mr. Hardin was always inside the Ack. To not have him here felt wrong. Everything was spinning out of control and she didn’t know how to stop it—and now even her normal routine was falling apart.

“He said he’d be back in a few minutes,” came a voice from behind her.

Fin turned.

It was Cedar. She gave Fin a small smile. “Mr. Hardin,” she said, by way of explanation. “He said he’d be back in a few minutes. He wanted to see what all the commotion was about.”

“A fire,” said Fin. The words came from far away, not from herself. “At Bellhop Ben’s house.”

Cedar raised an eyebrow. “Bellhop Ben?”

Fin flushed hotly. She’d never let that nickname slip before. “It’s just—Ben. From the inn. I—I had trouble remembering names when I first came to Aldermere, so I sort of nicknamed people in my head.”

She half expected Cedar to laugh, but the other girl nodded.

“I do that,” she said. “Except I attach a rhyme and a fact about the person. Like, ‘Harry Hardin loves to garden.’ Stuff like that.”

“Do you have a rhyme for Eddie?” asked Fin, unable to help herself.

Cedar’s smile sharpened. “Eddie, Eddie, always steady.”

That fit. Eddie was always easygoing.

Fin opened her mouth to ask. She thought of all the things that would rhyme with her name—tailspin, has-been, even break-in. But then she forced the question down, because honestly, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“So it was a fire?” asked Cedar, and Fin nodded. Cedar gazed out the big front window, through the dusty glass and painted letters.

“Everyone was pretty freaked out about it,” said Fin, glad for something else to talk about. “The head volunteer firefighter woman seemed to think that someone had set it.”

“Mrs. Petrichor?” asked Cedar. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yes, that makes sense. She would have to make sure it wasn’t arson.”

Fin frowned. “Who would set a fire?”

“Maybe a tourist kid,” said Cedar. “Playing with a lighter. Or someone has it out for Ben.”

Fin forced a laugh. “There’re some angry customers at the inn, but I don’t think so.”

“Maybe it was Mayor Downer,” said Cedar thoughtfully.

“The mayor?” said Fin, startled. “I mean, I know Ben turned off her mic once at a town council meeting, but I can’t see her trying to set him on fire afterward.”

“I don’t think she’d try to burn him. But the magic? She doesn’t like unexplained things,” said Cedar, as if it was perfectly obvious. “That’s why she became the mayor. She wants to make this place normal.”

Fin thought of Mayor Downer on people’s lawns with a ruler, measuring the height of the grass. “Then she shouldn’t live here.”

Cedar shrugged. “Maybe she’s the opposite of Nick—she’s stuck in town. Other people go for jobs or shopping, but Mayor Downer never takes vacations.” Cedar let out a breath. “Or she’s scared to leave. People’ll do that. They think it’s easier to change a place than themselves.”

“I don’t know how setting fire to Ben’s shed would change the town,” said Fin.

“Well, if it got bigger,” Cedar said. “It could change everything. Fire purifies. Strips things of their magic.”

Burn nothing within the town borders.

Fin had always thought it was because of the threat of wildfires. Every late summer and early autumn, the state would be on high alert for any sign of fires. Fires could tear through dry forests like a match on newspaper. Every building in Aldermere had at least two fire extinguishers, and even matches were heavily restricted. Maybe it was as much to protect the magic as it was to protect the town.

Cedar added, “That’s what happened to the old town.”

“Redfern?” asked Fin.

“Redfern was caught in a wildfire,” said Cedar. “Burned all the magic out of that place.” She leaned forward, her voice lowering. “I’ve heard the adults talking about it. Dad volunteers with the firefighters, so Mrs. Petrichor comes over sometimes. No one knows for sure, but Mrs. Petrichor thinks the fire at Redfern was arson.”

“Arson?” asked Fin, startled. “You mean someone tried to make the magic go away on purpose? Why?”

“Because magic scares some people,” replied Cedar. “And I think it scared someone so much that they burned Redfern for it.”

“I like the magic,” said Fin.

“So do I,” said Cedar. “It’s why my family came here.”

That startled Fin. She’d always thought that Cedar must have grown up in Aldermere like Eddie. “You moved here?”

“When I was six,” said Cedar. “My parents were cryptozoologists. They self-published a few books, had a website and everything. They were trying to prove that Aldermere was the one place in California where cryptids were real.”

“Proving that the magic is real . . . Wouldn’t that be bad?” Fin thought of Nick and his raven and his warnings.

Cedar looked down at her shoes, frowning, and Fin’s stomach lurched. Maybe she’d offended Cedar by questioning her. She should have kept her thoughts to herself.

“You’re right,” said Cedar, and Fin relaxed a fraction. “It’s why everyone in town avoided us for so long. They didn’t trust my parents, thought that every conversation might end up in a blog post or something. I didn’t have any friends for the longest time and didn’t understand why.”

“Oh,” said Fin. “I’m sorry.”

Cedar shrugged. “By the time I was eight, my parents were kind of running out of money and they hadn’t found anything because no one would explain the magic or the rules. So they ended up working at the coffee shop and eventually took it over. After that, people chilled out around us. Figured we were settling in.” Cedar let out a wistful breath. “I know we’re not supposed to investigate the creatures, but I’d still love to meet Bigfoot.”

Fin said, “Isn’t Bigfoot supposed to be a monster?”

Cedar’s mouth crooked in a smile. “Monsters are only monstrous until you befriend them.”

The bell above the door jangled, and Fin looked up to see Mr. Hardin. He wore the familiar apron of the shop, but there was sweat along his brow and he looked a little ruffled. “Ah, Finley,” he said, “so sorry to keep you waiting. Were you here long?”

“No, it was fine,” said Fin.

Cedar walked up to the counter and Fin saw what she was buying: a bag of cheddar popcorn. It seemed oddly mundane after their conversation.

Once Mr. Hardin had counted her change back, Cedar popped the coins into her pocket, tucked the bag under her arm, and made toward the door. As she passed Fin, she said quietly, “Fin, usually at the inn.”

It took Fin a moment to understand—that was Cedar’s rhyme for her.

Something tight unspooled in Fin’s chest. It could have been much worse.

The door swung shut behind Cedar, leaving Fin alone with Mr. Hardin. The stray cat meandered down one of the aisles, meowing plaintively. Mr. Hardin rubbed at his forehead with a handkerchief. “You here for deliveries?”

Fin nodded. The cat wound around her ankles, and she squatted down to stroke his back. He purred loudly, then leaped up onto the counter.

“The fire’s caused a commotion,” said Mr. Hardin. “I doubt half the people who have deliveries are even home at the moment, and leaving stuff on porches will be too much of a temptation for the ravens.” He looked apologetic. “How about you come back tomorrow or the next day? I’ll have everything ready for you then.”

She nodded. Again, there was that unsettling sensation that the world was spinning off its axis.

She left the grocery store, hands shoved deep into her pockets.