The Key Page 4

  Every day she’d prowled the market, swayed her hips, and enticed the local men. Then one day she’d been found dead, face down in a pile of rotted fish. A scrawled note had been pinned to her back: Now your outside matches your inside.

  The perpetrator had never been found. Dougal assumed it was like the death of Julius Caesar — there hadn’t been one culprit, but many.

  He covertly snuck a glance at Stephanie. An imaginary target hung from the girl’s back. Students paid attention to her because of her popularity and head cheerleader status, but once that was gone, the adoration would leave with it and she would either self-destruct or someone would help her along.

  “What are you thinking?” Stephanie asked, her breath smelling of mint.

  “I was thinking about your future.”

  She knitted her brows together, but asked no more questions as the teacher began to lecture about covalents.

  ****

  Chase couldn’t believe it, but Dougal openly flirted with both Stephanie and Maddie. He gritted his teeth until his jaw ached and couldn’t make himself stop. What was wrong with him? He couldn’t be jealous. No, it wasn’t jealousy; he just hated jerks.

  The class bell rang and he ran to his next class. It was a complete bore and failed to occupy his mind. The teacher strutted about the room discussing supply side economics and Chase fought off yawns. He’d had economics before, both macro and micro. Why was he even in that class?

  He lowered his chin and movement to one side caught his eye. In the back corner Stephanie filed her nails. Marley sat beside her, doodling in a notebook. Suddenly she glanced up and their gazes meshed. Marley’s lips twitched and she waved. Embarrassed at being caught staring, Chase silently groaned and looked away. Hopefully she wouldn’t think he was interested. The queen’s lady-in-waiting wasn’t his type.

  Finally the boring class ended, and Chase grabbed his books and rushed to the gym. The locker room echoed with voices, and he picked an empty stall for changing clothes.

  Voices drifted from the next row over. “Have you seen that Dougal guy?”

  “No, man. I don’t look at guys.”

  “No, stupid. I meant, have you seen him play football? He puts us all to shame.”

  “If you say so.”

  Maybe he should try out for the team, despite what he’d said to the principal, and take the guy down a few pegs. Someone needed to. Chase strode from the stall, shoved his belongings in a locker, and went to stand with the other students.

  The gym class was co-ed. Girls grouped in the corner while the boys milled about. Some played basketball while others talked.

  He grabbed a ball and took a shot. It bounced off the rim and tumbled in.

  “Lucky shot.” Dougal retrieved the ball. He lifted it above his head and sent it flying. It whistled through the air and swooshed in. “Nothing but net,” he said, rubbing his knuckles across his chest and blowing on them.

  Yep, he really hated jerks. Chase bent to pick up another ball when the gym doors slammed.

  “Line up!” Coach Johnson yelled.

  The students complied and Chase moved as far away from Dougal as humanly possible.

  “Since the weather is nice, we’re going to hit the track.” The air filled with groans. Coach lifted his hands in defense. “If you don’t want to run, then you can do push-ups. Your choice.”

  In a single file line, boys first, they moved outside and onto the track. Chase took off in a steady jog.

  “So how do you like it here?” asked Maddie as she jogged up beside him.

  He couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. But he needed to act like her interest hadn’t affected him. He shrugged without breaking stride.

  “Coach Johnson really isn’t so bad. At least he didn’t make us race each other.” She smiled and he smiled back. “I wanted to thank you for your offer earlier,” she said, a little out of breath.

  “My offer?”

  “Of help.”

  “Oh, that. No problem.”

  “Still, I wanted to thank you. Not many people will go to bat for me right now, so knowing I have a friend makes all the difference.” Chase didn’t respond and she hesitantly added, “I can call you my friend, right?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She placed a strand of hair behind her ear and sped up. “See you at the finish line.”

  Ready to chase her, he was surprised by a rush of air blasting past. He blinked. Dougal had flown ahead of him and pulled alongside Maddie. Scowling, Chase slowed his pace and continued to the finish.

  Chapter 5

  Dougal ran alongside her. Maddie grimaced. The guy was bad news. His behavior, flirting with her while dating Stephanie, testified to that. She needed to get away from him before he gave her emotional whiplash or worse. She pushed herself to speed up but quickly realized there was no point; she couldn’t outrun him.

  “Can I help you, Dougal?” she asked in a strained voice.

  “Most definitely you can.”

  Great. Exactly what she needed.

  They reached the finish line and moved off the track. She downed the contents of a water bottle, liquid dribbling off her chin, and bent over, placing her hands on her knees and sucking in air. He’d get the hint. He had to.

  “Are you all right, love?”

  Then again, maybe he wouldn’t, not unless she made it more specific. Maddie straightened, leaned away, and placed one hand on her jutted hip. “What?”

  “I asked if you were all right.”

  “I’m fine.” She turned, intending to stalk away.

  But he grabbed her arm. “Have I offended you?”

  She glared at his hand, wrapped around her arm. “Offended me? Of course not. How could you have possibly offended me?”

  That hint he got. He released her and she stomped into the girls’ locker room, showered, and dressed. Nestled between two rows of lockers, she pulled on her socks and shoes. Maybe she’d escape without further confrontation. But nearby a door squeaked and Maddie froze, heart thudding in her throat.

  “I thought you said you won him over,” whispered Marley.

  “I did,” said Stephanie, sounding steamed.

  “Apparently Dougal didn’t get the memo.”

  “Marley, I told you I’d convince him to stop staring at Maddie and I will.”

  “Whatever.” There was a brief pause. Marley added, “Maybe you should work on someone else, like Chase.”

  “Don’t drool, Marley, it is totally unbecoming.”

  “Do you think Chase would go out with me if I ask?”

  “Nope. I don’t think he would.”

  “Hurtful.”

  “I thought you would appreciate the truth.”

  Their voices faded as other girls swarmed into the locker room and hit the showers.

  Heart still thudding, Maddie peeked around the corner. The coast clear, she left the locker room for the gym, settling into a quiet corner behind the stacked bleachers. Ear buds in and sketchpad in hand, she waited for the final bell.

  Soft strokes covered the page as the portrait took shape. Feathered hair lay in a wave over his forehead and there was a playful tilt to his full lips. Gentleness shone from his shaded eyes. Capturing emotion in her drawings had always been easy for her, even when she couldn’t get the details exactly right, such as the hard parts like hands and ears. Details were important, her art teacher used to say, but the soul was vital.

  When the bell rang, she shoved the pad in her backpack. It slipped from her grasp and sprawled open, a sketch of the tower splayed across the visible page. Her heart hammered in her chest and she grabbed the pad and closed it with a snap. Why did the image from her dreams cause her to feel ill? It was only a dream, even if it was one she couldn’t get rid of. Again she shoved the pad in her pack, and followed everybody else out of the gym.

  Books stored in the teachers’ lounge, she grabbed her bike helmet from a shelf and strode to the parking lot.

  Covertly she sea
rched the fleeing students. Chase climbed into a rickety old truck and drove from the lot. Dougal hoisted himself into his jacked-up SUV and peeled away. Neither of them sent her a second glance.

  When the lot emptied, Maddie climbed astride her bicycle and headed home, exhausted.

  ****

  Mom frowned at Chase across the table. “Is something wrong?”

  “No.” He pushed the pork chop around the plate again. Maybe she wouldn’t notice.

  “You’ve barely touched your food.”

  Nope, she’d noticed. Might as well exit gracefully. “Can I be excused?”

  She nodded, and he pushed back from the table and rushed upstairs. At his desk, he stared at the blank computer screen. He checked his email and replied to a few of his friends from California. There were the general questions about his new home and school, and the rote words about missing him. He leaned back in his chair and threaded his hands behind his head. If he closed his eyes, he could visualize his old bedroom. Felt baseball pennants pinned to the dark brown walls, football trophies covering hung shelves, bookcases filled with novels. He opened his eyes to the white, sparsely decorated room. He’d decided not to paint or put anything up for at least three months, just to make sure they were really staying put.

  Sighing, he hoisted his backpack onto his lap, drew out his books, and slapped them on the desk. Homework consumed the rest of the evening. Before bed Dad called him downstairs for a nighttime snack, but he declined and sacked out early.

  But sleep eluded him. He drew back the corner of his curtain and studied the starry sky. If he closed his eyes he could mentally etch every one of Maddie’s features. Her high cheekbones, her slightly upturned jade eyes.

  He sighed, rolled onto his side, and punched his pillow. His infatuation with a girl he’d just met was driving him mad. Besides, she was clearly into the Dougal guy. Best to just forget her and move on. Yet why did it seem that was easier said than done?

  ****

  Maddie finished her homework and decided to go to bed early. Curled beneath the covers, she snuggled into her pillow and her eyes grew heavy…

  The wind lifted her hair off her shoulders and the swaying grass tickled her legs. She glided in slow motion through an endless emptiness. A structure shimmered before her, a brooding tower gleaming white in the dark, and she reached out. Before its fullness materialized, before she could touch it, smoke engulfed her.

  The field, the wind, the tower vanished. Instead she stood in her childhood home. Flames covered the floor and ascended the walls. She couldn’t breathe. A hand grabbed her wrist…

  The force of her own screams jerked Maddie awake. Cold sweat covered her brow and her heart raced. Covers knotted around her legs and she kicked until she achieved freedom, throwing them on the floor.

  Her breath came in short rasping gasps as she paced the length of her bedroom. Fortunately Grandma Draoi removed her hearing aids at night. Concerned questions would only make it worse.

  The dream had been the same, the strange empty place, the white sparkling tower, and then a return to the fire. It was always the same. It haunted her and refused to leave her alone.

  She glanced at the clock. Four a.m. glowed red. Groaning, she thought about lying back down. But images of red hot flames flashed before her vision. They waited for her to close her eyes again. They always did.

  Instead she grabbed her sketchpad and opened it to the tower. Grazing her fingers across the deep lines she’d drawn, she closed her eyes. She’d sketched it after one of her more extended dreams, when the terror of her past had felt vivid and alive. Would the images ever fade? Why did the dream repeat?

  Sighing, she thumped the sketchpad onto her nightstand and cradled her chin in her palm. Sleep was over. Normally she left home by six, so what difference would an hour make?

  She prepared for school, ate breakfast, and wrote her grandma a brief note. At the back screen door, though, she stopped and peered out. Dark gray clouds covered the sky. The first fat raindrops struck the roof and cascaded over the gutters. A bad storm, and it was just getting started. What lousy luck she had. She mumbled unhappy comments under her breath as she searched for a poncho in the hall closet. Two of them, one with a purple leopard design and the other with white kittens covering it. They must have been stowed away from when she’d visited as a young child. The kids at school would make fun of her, but what did she care? At least she’d be dry.

  The kitty poncho, the smaller one, covered the backpack and she swathed herself in the purple leopard, tugging hard to cover her entire body. Finished, she strolled outside into the drizzle and climbed astride her bike.

  The rain hampered her progress and she arrived in the school parking lot as Chase’s truck shuddered to a complete stop. He looked out his side window, a frown covering his handsome face. Great, all she’d needed was for Chase to see her in full dork gear. She made a mental note to get a new poncho, one that wouldn’t humiliate her quite so badly.

  Quickly she donned her pack and headed for the protective cover of the school’s awning. But she wasn’t fast enough and a touch on her arm announced Chase’s arrival. Oh, it was going to be a wonderful day. She looked at him and fought a cringe as a stray bead of water trickled under her collar and into the valley of her bra.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey.” She reached for the school’s glass door and restrained the wiggle she felt coming on.

  “So you rode a bike to school in the rain.”

  “Yep.” Come on, just riff on the dork gear and get it over with.

  He sucked on his lower lip and her heart jumped in her chest. “If you ever need a ride…” His voice trailed off.

  Wow, and not a word about the stupid purple leopardskin. He really was a nice guy. “Thanks.” Water dripped from the poncho and pooled at her feet. When she tugged open the door, cool air struck her and she shivered. “I guess I better go to the restroom and dry off before class starts.”

  He nodded. Maddie didn’t wait for further conversation. Instead she rushed to the bathroom. Ponchos folded and stored in a plastic bag, hair fingered through, she left the sanctuary and rushed to homeroom, unsurprised by rampant snickers. The weather had turned her naturally wavy hair into an unruly mass of frizz, and Chase hadn’t been the only one to see the purple leopardskin. Everyone was laughing at her and her rain gear.

  Ignoring them, she took her seat and glanced around the room. Her heart sank. Dougal was missing. Why she cared, she didn’t know. But she couldn’t deny that she did.

  ****

  His claws had clutched the tree outside Maddie’s window as he’d studied her through the night. The dream had wakened her and she’d jumped to her feet, racing around the room like a chicken without a head. Raindrops slipped through the leaves above him, fell onto his back, and slipped between strands of his thick fur. He shivered as the cool water touched his sensitive skin. The entire tree had shaken with the movement and he had peered through the window to make sure his presence remained hidden.

  Maddie had moved downstairs, yet he had waited. When she left the house wrapped in mismatched ponchos, he had to bite his tongue to keep from snickering. The teenagers, some his close personal friends, would have a field day with Maddie’s new attire.

  He had waited until she and her bicycle started down the long drive before jumping from the limb and taking flight. He’d soared above her, spreading his wings as widely as he dared. He had hoped to block some of the rain from her person, but he couldn’t risk her noticing a large bird-like shadow soaring overhead, even without direct sunlight. Serena would not be happy if he was caught.

  Once Maddie had reached the parking lot, he’d changed course and returned home. He would be late to school, but that was alright with him. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the thought broadened his smile.

  The lair was secured in the mountain ridges above Coal Creek. Few people knew of the location and fewer still could reach it. He landed in front of the
cave’s entrance. The smell of baking bread stretched from the dark arch and he lifted his snout to the air, sniffing.

  “Don’t procrastinate, Doran.” Serena’s voice echoed from inside.

  He folded his wings to his sides, whispered a few words Serena had given him, and changed into his human form. The tunnels were dark, but he narrowed his eyes and his vision increased, allowing him to see. Before sitting at the table, he strode to his section of the cave and dressed. Black pants, black boots, and a clean black T-shirt. He thought about wearing a black beret, but it seemed like overkill. Did the modern crop of teenagers laugh at berets or think them cool? Frankly, they weren’t worth the bother of finding out.

  “How did it go?” Serena slithered across the floor and set a plate of hot bread on the table. Thick blond hair swathed her face. Serena looked like a beautiful mermaid, only instead of a fishtail, her lower half was that of a massive snake, like Echidna, mother of all monsters.

  The steaming bread made his mouth water. He pulled the hunks apart and slathered them with butter. “It went well.” He shoved a piece in his mouth and almost drooled.

  She buried a butcher knife in the table close to his hand, but he didn’t flinch.

  “I tire of waiting. You’ve rescued her, you’ve inserted yourself into her dreams, you’ve flirted with her. How much longer will it be before she does your bidding?” She clicked her nails against the wooden tabletop.

  “Serena, since you have no one else to do your work, perhaps you should stop nagging me about my progress.”

  She ran her finger along his arm. “I wouldn’t say there is no one else.”

  He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? I thought I was the only black gryphon left.”

  “Well, there might be one other.”

  That was news indeed. He’d wondered if any of the Ancient Ones lingered on, and now it seemed one did. But if he showed much reaction, he’d be handing her a weapon against him. Instead he took another bite and swallowed before saying, “Really. Who?”