No One Can Know

Chapter 2

The lights and noise of the festival surrounded Enid and me as she pulled me through the crowd. I didn't know where we were going, just that Enid needed to find Wednesday.

"Why do we need to find her?" I called over the noise.

Enid looked back at me as people moved out of the way, "Cause she said she was planning on leaving tonight."

"Oh," was all I could say, I had only known her for a few days, but I was already sad to see her go.

I glanced around as we went through the crowd and caught a glimpse of pale skin and dark hair. I pulled Enid to a stop and pointed.

"Is that her?" I had to raise my voice so she could hear me.

Enid's eyes followed where I was pointing, "Yes!"

I almost fell over as she yanked me in that direction.

"Wednesday! Wednesday! Behind you!" Enid shouted.

The girl turned and her dark eyes caught Enid and me, "Why are you attempting to dislocate their shoulder?"

Enid glance back at me and gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I didn't realize I was pulling so hard."

I waved her off, "I know you were eager to say goodbye."

Enid gave me a quick squeeze, "I'm still sorry, anyway Wednesday, you still waiting on that Normie?"

"Yes," Wednesday replied and turned to me, "Not a word out of you, no one can know what my plan is."

I held my hands up as a sign of defeat, "Trust me, no one else will know. Just, it was nice being able to meet you Wednesday."

Wednesday nodded at me in return and turned back to look into the parking lot. I turned to walk away, and Enid grabbed my arm.

"Where are you going?" she asked and Wednesday turned around.

"Plausible deniability, if I leave now then everyone will just assume that I was making sure you," I pointed at Enid, "Were safe, and with another person, people are weird."

"They're right," Wednesday noted, "The fewer people the better."

"Well I'm not leaving you, but," Enid turned toward me, "Can you get me the big turkey leg?"

I laughed, "And let you throw it up on me? Absolutely not."

Enid pouted at me before a grin broke across her face.

I waved over my shoulder and began to walk along the edge of the parking lot.

It had been close to ten minutes, and I was avoiding everyone when I saw a group of boys. I had seen them before and my stomach dropped at the sight of them.

Memories of me and my aunts on family day flooded my brain. Being yanked out of my seat by one boy, gasping as he punched the air out of me. The panicked sound of auntie Ella's voice as she reached out to free me. The thunderous look of aunt Ali as her wife was shoved back into her seat by another boy. The sound of wood scraping against the tile as her chair was thrown back and the woosh of air as I was pulled to her. So much happened in such a short time, I remembered, and the scene began to block out the world around me.

"Hey look, isn't that the kid that was with the dykes?" one called.

"Maybe we should give them a lesson on what it means to mess with us," another replied.

One of them held the two back, "We're here for one thing, and that's to put that goth chick back in her place, we can come back for them later."

I snapped out of my trance at that. Goth Chick? They had to have meant Wednesday, I hadn't heard from her about any run-in with these boys, but would she tell me about them?

I shook my head and slipped between the cars, there was something wrong here and I needed to prevent it. Various animals ran through my mind, I needed something fast but not too out there, something that could fly would be best to avoid the crowd. A bird was too easy to mess up with the feathers, bugs were too small, maybe a bat?

I focused on the image of a bat, deep breath in, and on the exhale I had shrunken down.

I jumped around trying to force the familiarity of the newly shaped limbs so I could move. I pulled my arms back and slammed them down and into the air I flew.

Bat's eyes aren't that great for looking around, and I could barely keep track of the three boys, I clicked my tongue gently. The noise bounced off of the surrounding cars and I pulled up to avoid a lady and her kid, the sound of their shrieks behind me.

The moving mass I told myself, just follow them. It was easier said than done, my head swung left and right trying to differentiate the different masses. The boys, the boys, where were the boys? A flash of black and white, I banked to follow it. Please be Wednesday, I thought.

Her voice sounded louder than it would have in my human form, she was calling for a boy. I saw a boy grab onto her arm, and I folded my wings in for a dive.

The wind whistled around me as I dropped, I landed on the boy's chest with a thump and fell backward onto the ground. He looked down, confused, then sneered and rushed away. I turned around in search of Wednesday but didn't see her.

I glanced around before relaxing, and when I had become human-shaped again I turned to rush after the boy as well.

I ran after him farther into the parking lot, dodging groups of people around us. He ran around a car and before I could follow him a group of people separated us. I groaned in frustration and ran around them, but the boy was already gone.

I stepped past the line of cars and into the woods. I held my breath trying to listen for any footsteps but heard none.

"You've gotta be shitting me," I mumbled, my brain trying to think of ways to find this boy.

The woods were getting darker and the sound of night critters filled the air. Perhaps another animal? But look at where that got me. I took a deep breath and let it out, what to do?

The sky had darkened and now it was getting harder to see, so if I choose another animal it needed to be able to see. I couldn't choose something that would draw attention, so something small that one would find around here. My shoulders were sore from having to fly so I needed something that could move easily on the ground.

I took another deep breath and focused on an animal, I let it out and when I opened my eyes I could make out much more than I could before. A deep breath through the nose picked up the scent of ink and fresh snow. I focused on that and began to run through the woods. No one would question a fox in the night after all.

I ran until I could hear the sound of Wednesday trying to talk to someone. I stopped for a moment before creeping closer.

"Rowan," I heard her say.

Rowan was rambling, and as I rounded a tree I could see Wednesday held against a tree with some invisible force. Rowan's body was shaking with the effort of his power, and I crept closer.

Wednesday kept her eyes on the boy as she gasped for air. My ear twitched at the sound of a branch cracking.

"Rowan!" Wednesday screamed and I jumped at him, digging my teeth into the flesh of his arm.

The taste of blood had only a second to fill my mouth before I was ripped off of him by claws that dug into my sides. I yelped as my back made contact with a tree. It took all my effort to keep the fox form as I lay limp on the floor. Through blurry vision, I could make out a hulking figure ripping Rowan apart. I closed my eyes as I felt something splatter on me.

I took a deep breath and shuddered at the pain it brought. I tried a smaller breath and pushed myself onto shaking legs and slowly started to walk towards Wednesday's form on the ground. Maybe I should go for a bigger form? But the monster turned to look at Wednesday and I froze in place.

I was just beginning to conjure an image of a bear when the monster took off, I let out a breath and held onto the image of the fox. Wednesday seemed frozen, looking at the bloody scene with wide eyes. I turned, avoiding the image of Rowan in parts, and limped into the woods.

I needed to get back to Nevermore, back to my dorm and bed, but most of all? I needed a shower.