Monsters Like Us (Book 1 in The Huntress Series)

Chapter Seven (Part Two)

Not long after, Esperanza ventured back into the courtyard, the stone fountains bubbling cool water against a grey sky. The sun had disappeared again, the weather taking a sudden turn for the worse. As she drew closer to the garden and the woods beyond that, she realized that someone was following her. Esperanza glanced over her shoulder to find Mottie balancing on the fountain, teetering along the edge like an acrobat on a tightrope. Claw circled below her, flicking his long tail as if pleading with her to climb back down.

Esperanza crossed her arms over her chest. "What is it, Mottie?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Mottie sing-sung eerily. But Esperanza had already made up her mind and there was no talking her out of it.

"I'll be back before lunch is served," she promised, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"If you're lucky..."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Esperanza rolled her eyes. She didn't have time for this. Bridger thought she was still in her room freshening up. The last thing she wanted was for him to come looking for her. "What are there? Wolves?"

Mottie smiled. "Something like that."

"Listen, Mottie. There's no need to be cryptic. I don't have time for this, so why don't you just get to the point."

Mottie placed a small hand on her hip and jut it out to the side. "Everyone knows not to roam the grounds when it's dark. Mother says a storm is coming. I don't know where you're going, but I can assure you it's not worth it."

Esperanza shrugged. "Thanks for the advice, but no thanks."

Mottie giggled. Esperanza thought she sounded like a little girl in a horror movie. "Fine by me, and don't worry, I won't even warn Bridger. You'll have to fend for yourself."

Esperanza stomped into the woods. "Trust me. I'm tougher than I look."

Mottie called after her, a final taunt thrown past the trees, "It was nice knowing you! Not."

***

The sky was growing darker, but it didn't take long for Esperanza to reach the lake. It looked different now, its surface appearing sticky and black like tar. She scanned her surroundings, the way she was taught. Be vigilant and always watch your back. A piece of advice that her aunt had drilled into her. The woods were so still, so deafeningly silent, that she felt there must be something wrong.

Earlier, there had been birds and bugs, a gentle breeze that shook the trees, making a sound that mimicked the rain. But now there was nothing. Just an overwhelming stillness. Somehow, she felt as if she had disturbed something. But what exactly?

Esperanza gripped her blade, choosing to keep it close as she scaled the trellis on the side of the boat shed. Near the top, her foot broke through one of the wood panels, which was weak with rot. Somehow, she managed to catch herself, the trellis creaking loudly beneath her weight.

"Stupid dress!" she grunted as the silk clung to her legs. "Never wore so many dresses in my life!"

It was a miracle she made it to the roof without breaking her neck.

The magpie nest was empty—the bird must have flown away in search of other trinkets—but there at the bottom, covered in twigs and moss, was Bridger's skeleton key. Esperanza grabbed it, tucking it into her bra with a sigh of relief.

A noise like thunder broke the resounding silence. The whole trellis seemed to vibrate beneath her shoes, and she leapt down to the ground before she could be knocked off. What the...