Flying Blind (Camren)

Flying Blind Ch. 19

Lauren was able to see the neighborhood from a ways off, her sharp eyes able to pierce the darkness with the aid of moon and star light. She flew low, looking at the house numbers. Professor Hill's old house was set back a bit from the others, and did not look to be in the best condition. There was a "For Sale" sign out front, and Lauren wondered if it had been like that since Hill lived here. The front yard consisted of several acres of wooded area that was going for the overgrown natural look. She did a pass over the back, seeing that the property butted directly up to the woods and mountains.

She perched on the chimney and began to look around. The place was incredibly quiet. That was when Lauren realized that she did not hear any birds. No insects. Nothing. There were no animal sounds anywhere on the property.

'That's not right,' she thought. She was getting ready to launch again when a large raven landed on the chimney next to her.

Birds were not normally known for their facial expressions, but the blackbird was shooting the eagle a look that could kill. If birds could blush, Lauren would have. She shifted back to her human form, which was sitting buck-assed naked on a chimney. The raven shifted as well, and Edgar stared over the brick structure at her.

"And you would be doing what?" he asked slowly and acidly. "Exactly?"

"Looking at potential investment real estate? At eleven o'clock at night?"

"Lauren, go back to the house. After you explain why the hell you're here. No, on second thought, go back home, then you can explain --"

Lauren shifted but rather than flying home, she floated to the ground and then shifted back. Ed joined her, after a moment of quick shifting on his own part, and he looked vexed.

"Lauren --"

"Listen, this guy is obsessed with his dead professor. This is where his idol lived, and this is where he died. That gives this place some serious meaning for our boy. I just thought that he might come here."

"So you're master plan was to come here, by yourself, naked, and challenge an insane sorcerer with delusions of being a voodoo priest to . . . what? A game of scrabble, winner take all?"

"It'd be nice. I would totally kick his ass. Ed, do you sense any other animal life around here? Besides us?"

Ed looked like he was going to say something snarky, but then he looked confused, followed shortly thereafter by alarmed. "No. I don't."

Lauren hurried over and looked in the window of the house. She saw no signs of life in there, and would have been willing to bet that no one had been there in years.

Edgar noticed an exterior cellar door, and when over to check on it. It was locked from the outside, meaning that no one who might be inside probably was not using it. "There is something weird about this place, but whatever it is --"

"-- isn't happening inside," Lauren said. "But Professor Hill didn't kill himself inside. He killed himself --"

"-- out back," Ed finished. Both members of the Jauregui clan looked towards the dark woods that stretched out behind them. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Why are you headed towards the bad feeling?" he asked as his sister found a small, mostly overgrown trail and headed down it. "Laur?"

"I just want to check it out."

"Lauren, let's go back and call in the troops."

She glanced back at him. "You think that they aren't on their way already? I took off, you took off to follow me --"

"-- and Aaron knew exactly where we were heading. Still, we should . . . oh why do I bother?" he grumbled as Lauren crept into the woods. Her eyes were still glowing, granting her the superior eyesight of her eagle form, as well as pumping up her strength and speed.