Lure Page 20

  Chapter 19

  DAVID

  “They’re headed in a completely different direction now. We shouldn’t run into them for a while,” Mom said a while after the Seelie had passed.

  “Can we get out of this tiny hole now?” Eric asked. The little bit of light that made its way into the hollowed out trunk showed just how uncomfortable he was. Eric and I had come in last and we were practically sitting on top of Mom and Cearo. This tiny space may work as a quick hiding place for just Cearo, but with all four of us inside we could hardly breathe.

  Cearo was pressed up against my still shirtless back and every place we touched I felt tingles. Actually, I was alright with staying here a little longer. I quite liked this position. I let myself relax into it slightly, and to my surprise, felt Cearo do the same. I felt her arm slide down my back as she pulled it out from between us to search one of her pockets.

  “Give them a few more minutes to get away from us. Here, eat this,” Cearo said, tossing some strips of dried meat to Mom and Eric. She reached around my body to hand some to me, and her arm brushed mine several unnecessary times. Unnecessary, but oh so pleasant. I wondered if it was possible that she was doing this on purpose. I could have shifted away from her touch, but I certainly held still on purpose. Why would she do that though? It didn’t serve any function, and it’s not like she was actually into me. I couldn’t picture her being interested in anyone that way. She’s so closed off and unemotional, not to mention really old, according to Mom. She’s probably bored with the world and everyone in it. What kind of person would it take to overcome all of that? I didn’t think that person would be me, so I tried to tamp down my heart’s unwarranted excitement.

  When I managed to strangle my hopes for Cearo, our position, combined with the silence, grew awkward. Or maybe it already was, and I was just now noticing. I should probably shift away from her. I still didn’t really want to though, and it’s not like I could anyway. I just cleared my throat instead. I opened my mouth, begging my brain to come up with something cool or relevant to say, but of course, it gave me this wonder of stupidity instead, “Nice place here.” Really, brain? That’s the best you’ve got? I wanted to shoot myself. Or turn myself over to the Seelie. Anything but see the looks on Mom, Eric, and most likely, Cearo’s, faces. They were all staring at me like I’m stupid, which is true right now. I tried to save myself. “I mean…you know…it’s small but still nice for…what it is.” And I failed miserably.

  I shoved the rest of the meat into my mouth to stop myself from digging my hole any deeper. I nearly choked until I felt Cearo’s hand on my back. She patted me gently, not hard enough for it to be a response to the choking. I twisted around so I could see her out of the corner of my eye. Her mouth was an expressionless line as usual, but her eyes were shining bright, almost like she was laughing on the inside. I felt my mouth twitch up as we made brief eye contact. I could laugh at myself with her.

  We all sort of telepathically agreed to leave a minute later, with no more attempts at awkward conversation. Eric scrambled out first, happy to be getting his tall body out of that cramped space. I went next, with Cearo so close behind that we only stopped touching when we were both completely out and climbing down. As soon as I touched the ground though, Cearo was there, having jumped down and come straight to my side. She wasn’t looking at me this time, but my mouth twitched up again anyway.

  Mom jumped down a few seconds later and came over to us. I pulled my gaze away from Cearo to find Mom giving us an odd look like she didn’t quite get what she was seeing. That’s when it hit me that I actually had a crush on Cearo. Cearo, who is my Mom’s friend. Cearo, who is really old. This is really weird. I tried again to smother the feelings.

  Cearo seemed to realize something too. She stepped away quickly and muttered, “Let’s go.”

  The trip back to the dead dogs was uneventful. We didn’t go out into the open though, in case Boden left a look-out. Skirting around the area, we made it to the path that Mom and Eric had made when they had run from the dogs. It went in the exact direction we needed to go, but we were all hesitant to leave a trail so obvious, and one Boden already knew about at that. We ended up walking alongside it, keeping hidden and at as much of a distance as possible without completely losing sight of it. If the Seelie did come this way, we’d see them before they saw us. They never appeared on the path though; still on their wild goose chase, I guess.

  Eventually, the trail of destruction tapered off when we got to where Mom and Eric had slept last night. A high-pitched, desperate whine came from the end of the path, even though there was nothing there. I stopped, thinking maybe we’d been found again. “What is that?” I asked. I was the only one who seemed concerned.

  Eric, surprisingly, was the one who answered me. “It’s the hellhound that chased us. Mom trapped it in a hole. You can’t see it unless you’re practically on top of it.”

  I nodded, impressed. “Nice. Maybe Boden will fall in there too,” I joked. Eric and I snickered and left that evil, pretend puppy behind without a backwards glance.

  We were moving into new territory now, and I was relieved again that we had Cearo. The forest thinned out, but instead of letting more light through, it allowed thick fog to roll in. I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me, so I stuck close to Cearo, who still navigated like she knew every inch of the land.

  The earth became soft under our feet, and every step let out a squelch. We’d moved fully into a swamp. The water was only an inch or so deep at the moment, but it was getting deeper. The fog wasn’t letting up either. All this water would soon soak me completely, making me wish I hadn’t lost my shirt. Hypothermia seemed inevitable. Great.

  Mom suddenly spoke up from right next to me, evidently deciding we could talk, given that our steps were noisy anyway. “How far does this swamp go?”

  “Not far,” Cearo replied simply.

  I looked over at Mom and saw just how uncomfortable she was here. Every step was tense, and her frown became more and more exaggerated as we went. By the time the water reached our ankles it was clear she’d rather take a page from Cearo’s book and leap from tree to tree than continue slogging through this. I grabbed her hand and held on for support.

  Surprisingly, I wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Moving through the water was easy and not nearly as freezing as I thought it’d be. Maybe Mom was having a harder time because water isn’t her element. I looked over at Eric, expecting him to be having an easy time of it too, but he looked about as happy as Mom. Weird, I thought, but I guess some people just don’t like getting their socks wet. In fact, Sid would probably make someone carry him. It was so hard not to laugh out loud at the mental image of Cearo dragging Sid through this while he wailed over his ruined shoes.

  “Not used to this…” Mom muttered. She continued at a normal volume, “You know, the UnSeelie land doesn’t have any swamps. A few small bogs, but it’s mostly fields and forest.” Her eyes went far away as she spoke, and a reminiscent smile touched her lips. “The castle is set in the middle of a huge field of grasses and wildflowers. I used to run through it and make all the flowers bloom and multiply in my path. Sometimes I would make them bloom in a pattern, like my name or the shape of a giant flower. It was beautiful….” She trailed off, her grin widening as she remembered.

  “Do you miss it?” I asked, returning her happy smile as I imagined her words.

  “A little. I can’t do that at home. I can’t let anyone know what I am.”

  That was the first time I thought about how hard it must be for her to stay in the human world. She can’t use her element, she has to hide her stories, and we live in L.A., where the land is practically all concrete and no green. “Maybe when we get back, we should move somewhere with more open space. So your element doesn’t feel so stifled.”

  “Oh, we don’t need to move. We have a nice life there.” She waved me off casually, but I could tell the idea was appealing.

  “Alright. But we�
��ll at least find a secluded field for you to run through.”

  She smiled but said nothing more while she continued reminiscing. I noticed Cearo watching the exchange with curious eyes that had gone blue now, but she didn’t add anything. She seemed pleased though, rather than irritated, which was a good change. I liked the blue eyes too. They suited her almost as much as the yellow.

  Eric was the only one whose mood hadn’t lifted. I couldn’t blame him. He was shivering now from the dampness. I still didn’t feel anything, but looking at him, I knew I should. I asked Mom and Cearo, “Are one of you guys doing something so that I don’t feel the cold here?”

  Eric looked to Mom, betrayed, as if she would keep one son warm and not the other. Mom shook her head though. “There’s nothing I can do.” She glanced at Cearo for an answer, but Cearo didn’t see because she had turned sharply to me and was still watching. “Cearo, have you been using fire?” Mom prompted.

  Never taking her widened eyes off me, she said, “Of course not….”

  She couldn’t be, since her eyes had been blue the whole time we’d been in the swamp, and Mom seemed to know that too. “Maybe your adrenaline is still up,” she suggested.

  That wasn’t it either though. I felt completely calm. But I had no other explanation, so I just nodded. Cearo knew though, or at least had suspicions. The way she trailed off before retreating into her thoughts said it all. Clearly she didn’t want to voice it, but I’d make her tell me eventually. When she confirmed them. Or the next time we’re alone. Yeah, that one. Because it means that there will be a next time. And no matter how many times I try to smother these feelings, I still can’t wait for that time.

  Cearo shook her head quickly as if trying to dislodge a thought that had no place being there. Then she came to a stop and peered around. The swamp around us looked the same on all sides. A few trees rising up from the water, impenetrable fog all around, blocking out everything more than a few feet away.

  “I need to get my bearings,” Cearo said.

  “You’re lost?” Mom asked, trying very hard to ask it calmly. I didn’t say anything, but oh shit, if Cearo was lost, we were beyond screwed.

  “I believe we are fine, but give me a moment. Rest.” She climbed the closest tree and disappeared from view.

  “What does she expect to see up there? It’ll still be foggy,” Eric pointed out. He and Mom sat down on an exposed root of the same tree and huddled together for warmth. I stayed in the water.

  Mom shrugged. “Maybe it’s clearer at the top.” That was weak, but it didn’t matter. Cearo was gone already.

  Eric was still disgruntled, and he and Mom continued to speak in low voices. Their words didn’t make it to me, so my mind drifted. I looked all around, trying to pick out any details that made it through the mist. I wandered around to the other side of the tree, and to my surprise, there was something there.

  It was faint, and I could only just make it out enough to know it was there. It was a small, white orb of light, only slightly brighter than the surrounding fog. I couldn’t tell what it was coming from. It just hung there in the air. I took a couple of small steps toward it, hoping it would become a bit clearer. But just as I was about to take one more, it bobbed away. I could still see it there, but it’s like it wanted to keep its distance from me. I took another step, and it bobbed away again. What the hell was it?

  Step. Bob away. Step. Damn it, why won’t it stay still?

  I wanted to chase it. I wanted to catch it. I didn’t know why, but I had to. It just seemed like the best idea. It would be like that fish I caught in the river in Yosemite. I knew I could get it.

  I took a moment to ready my stance. My muscles tensed in anticipation.

  A sound, maybe a voice, came from behind me.

  Breathe.

  The sound came again but it was not important.

  Go.

  I sprinted for it. Or attempted to sprint. In the calf deep water, it was more of a series of loud, splashing leaps. The light reacted instantly. It bobbed away from me faster this time. I kept going though, determined to catch this thing. I thought I was gaining on it, but that may have been wishful thinking. It was still nothing but an indistinct light in the fog. I could tell though, that as much as it bobbed away from me, it never increased the distance between us. I would get it eventually. As soon as it tired out even a little, I would be on it.

  The noise behind me came again, more urgent this time. It was still of no importance to me.

  All of a sudden, the light jerked to the right. Since it moved sideways rather than forward this time, I definitely gained on it. I angled my body in the new direction and finally got close enough to make out a shape. I could just barely make out what looked like a tiny, hunched man carrying a lantern.

  There were more noises now. I wished they’d stop, but I didn’t waste time shushing them. The little man was right there.

  He stopped, lantern swaying a few times before it too rested. I kept on splashing my way over. I was going to reach him now. Just as his form became distinct, he turned to face me with an eerie smile. Before I could ask myself why or stop moving toward him, I dropped.

  Straight down, I was pulled by some unseen force under the water. A second ago the water was only a foot or two deep, but now I was completely under. I thrashed and tried to swim up, but it was no use. The water was pushing at me almost like there was a current traveling downward. It was much too strong for me to fight. I could see the light above me, held by the little man, growing dimmer. Lungs burning, I reached for it, but I knew it was useless. I couldn’t make it back up there at this point, even if the dragging force stopped. I’d run out of air first. Then to murder my very last drop of hope, a new shape blocked out the light entirely.

  I let my eyes drift down to what I presumed would be my grave. I was going to die down here. I escaped the Seelie and a freaking hellhound just to drown in this bizarre swamp. I glimpsed a pair of malicious, silvery eyes below me before deciding that I didn’t want to know what’s down there after all. I thought about how Mom was going to kill me for wandering off and dying. And about how Cearo would be disappointed. Those were my last thoughts before I lost consciousness.