“Where are we?” I stumbled into a half-crouch, head still throbbing. “If we’re in heaven, why does everything still hurt?”
“Heaven?” Fickle cackled, shaking her head. “We wish!”
Alden stuck out his hand, helping me to my feet. His grip was surprisingly firm as he steadied my wobbly form, and I cradled my hoodie between my arms. “We’re on the outskirts of town. It’s the only place where drones aren’t constantly flying around, and that’s only because of the trees.”
“Why are there still trees out here?” I glanced around. They were just like skyscrapers, except they had a decent aroma and didn’t flash every second. “And rivers? I thought they were all destroyed during the town’s expansion.”
“Yeah, most of them were. This place only survived because it’s protected under a national contract for another thirty years.”
“Must be a pretty strong contract then.” I couldn’t imagine my parents abiding by some piece of paper unless it had true power behind it. They’d always taught me to take what I wanted, no matter what got in the way.
“Rumors say that it was signed in blood forty years ago,” Fickle lowered her voice conspiratorially. “And were it ever broken, the children of those who defied the blood pact would be cursed and turned into humanoid rats!”
Humanoid rats?!
“You’re joking.”
“No one knows if I am or not!” She wiggled her fingers in front of my face. “I guess if you ever turn into a giant rodent, we’ll know I wasn’t.”
A shiver ran down my spine. It was a full possibility that I could wake up one morning as a mutated rat person? Just another worry to add to my list!
“What do the mutated rat people look like?” Were they titanous beasts with matted hair and twisted teeth? Did they have huge claws and crusty noses?
“They’ve never been spotted.” She glanced around as though one could pop out from the trees at any time. Was that why we didn’t have any in town? Because they harbored mutant rat people? “But from what I’d assume, they’ve got colossal teeth, twisted claws, matted fur, and noses strong enough to smell you from fifty miles away!”
“Fifty miles?!”
“Fifty. Miles.”
I had to cover my mouth with my hands to prevent a yelp of terror from escaping. Fifty miles was such a large distance! They could probably smell me now. Were they attracted to fear? That made me even more scared, which made them even more attracted to me… which then frightened me more…which made them more attracted…Augh, what a vicious cycle!
“Fickle, don’t frighten him!” Craven prodded her roughly in the side, sending her tumbling. “You and I both know that rat people aren’t real.”
She glared up at her brother, gaze narrowed irritably, and lip curled over in a slight pout. “Not that we know of! I’m just pointing out a possibility.”
“A possibility with unimaginably low chances of happening. Since when have you heard of blood pacts with rat people consequences? How would that even work on a biological standpoint?”
“That’s the thing! It’s evil magic, so it defies biology.” She straightened up, turning her nose to the sky. “And I think that with all that’s going on, it’s a completely realistic event.”
While the two went back and forth, Alden glanced down at his phone. “Oh, it’s getting late. The sun will be starting to set before we know it.”
His words snapped Craven to attention, and Fickle’s cries fell upon deaf ears. “I suppose it probably is getting close to curfew. Did you say that you’ve got plans?”
“Yes, I’ll be staying home to ensure my mother eats something. Don’t worry about doing anything tonight; just take it easy. Link will be off anyway, and he’s the most helpful when it comes to that heavy-lifting business.”
Craven’s eye twitched, though he didn’t speak.
“Take the night off and get some sleep. You look like you need it.” Turning to me, he gestured to the woods. “I’ll walk you home myself. Your place isn’t too far from mine, and I don’t want you passing out again.”
Great, now they were fussing over me like a helpless baby. Hopefully, this wouldn’t be a new thing.
“I’m perfectly capable of walking myself home.” The sentence came out a hint more pouty than I’d intended.
“I’m fully aware, but perhaps I’d like a bit of company.” He nudged me teasingly. “Never hurt to hang out, did it?”
As long as you don’t pull the whole interrogation card again.
“I suppose it never did.”
“Then come along.” He began stepping toward where the trees began to thin. “Drone activity picks up around sunset. We don’t want to have to deal with any more than we must. Goodnight, Craven and Fickle.”
Craven dipped his head with practiced grace while his rowdy counterpart waved her arms, jumping up and down. For a moment, I was torn between following Alden and staying in this new, natural haven. I’d never seen trees before, and since the chances of rat people emerging were relatively low, I wanted to explore them more. Could I climb up them, or would they collapse under my weight? I wanted to see the river too. The water over my feet, the sandy earth beneath…there were so many new things I wanted to experience. However, if I stayed out here, I couldn’t guarantee being home before sunset, and coming home after dark would certainly raise questions. Picking up my feet, I followed him toward the distant skyscrapers, hoodie dragging in my arms.
END OF PART ONE COMING NEXT WEEK
