It was awkward. While Tonya and Aunt Helene sat on the hood of the car, Ducky kept shooting Tonya secret glances to make sure she was okay. Eventually it got so blatant her Aunt whispered: "I know that boy is sweet on you but are you sure he isn't wrong in the head?"
Fearing her murderous Aunt would read her mind, Tonya tried to think: 'pink elephants, pink elephants, pink elephants,' but couldn't help remembering her panicked text from the sandwich shop. Confused and desperate to say something innocent, she blurted: "We're not going out!"
That earned her a grin from Ducky but Zain remained beside the car, staring at her.
"So, uh, how are things on campus?" Tonya asked.
The guys described how their high-speed chase with Officer Hungry landed them both in the pond, and Ducky in a jail cell with cannibals.
"Are you hurt? Let me help." Tonya reached for Ducky's arm.
"The bites are clean and bandaged," said Ducky.
"You must be traumatized," she said.
"Not after watching three hundred zombie movies." Zain struck a heroic pose. "We're prepared for anything!"
Ducky laughed.
"I feel like everybody in uniform is against us," said Tonya.
"Now you know why I want you to leave," said Aunt Helene.
"How do we know things won't be worse in Toronto?" Tonya laced and unlaced her fingers.
"The Entity is localized for now, but I sense It reaching critical mass."
"What's that mean?" Zain crossed his arms.
"Local history." Aunt Helene sighed. "It's a long story."
"We're in no hurry." Ducky propped his foot on the bumper of her car.
Aunt Helene looked at her fingernails. "It's not pretty."
"Tell them," said Tonya.
"We want to help," said Ducky.
"I hope you feel the same when you know everything."
Like Tonya, Helene had grown up ignorant of her powers. It was a community-wide tradition. "Back in those days there were rules. You would never see cursed civilians wandering the streets like this, and kids were absolutely off limits."
Helene's parents put off explaining magic the way some parents delay the 'sex' talk until -- too late -- their kids have researched the mechanics and started on technique.
As for sex, the same for the supernatural. Helene was drawn to mystical energy thrumming through the Three Century Ash. Without instruction, she had all the local dogs, and even some of the cats, doing her bidding.
Her abilities grew until, one day, she could make her parents do almost anything she wanted. 'Could she stay out late Saturday night?' Yes. 'Would they write her a sick note so she could skip school and go swimming in the creek?' Yes. 'Would they buy her that dress for the dance they really couldn't afford?' Yes. Yes. Yes.
She had to live with the consequences of course. Three months of baloney sandwiches and beans for supper while her folks paid for the dress. Failing, and having to attend summer school after too many skipped classes. Having the car on Saturday nights, however, made it all worthwhile.
Still, it was wrong, manipulating her parents like that. No sooner had Helene promised herself to leave them alone when she started to influence others who restricted her teen existence. She subconsciously charmed teachers into giving her A's, even the Phys. ed. teacher who intended to fail her for refusing to wear uniform shorts.
"We girls had to wear the ugliest 'bloomers' in those days, until I talked the school secretary into ordering cheerleader uniforms for gym classes. It caused a scandal!" Aunt Helene smiled and shook her head, her white teeth flashing in the headlights.
"Why cheerleader outfits?" Ducky wanted to know.
Helene shrugged. "It was before track suits. Girls' Phys. Ed. outfits were so ugly, just wearing them was demeaning. Like I told the reporter, if short skirts were okay for cheerleaders, they should be okay for everybody."
Despite stirring things up, Helene didn't get expelled until she ran into Bartholomew Waldock, a locally-born principal with powers of coercion that soon made him mayor. A month later, when Helene was bored of doing nothing at home, Waldock's son, Jack, appeared out of nowhere.
"He was strong and handsome, and had all sorts of interesting ideas for spending my time." She sighed.
"Did you date?" Tonya asked.
Her Aunt laughed. "Not a chance, and if I saw him tomorrow, I'd bury him."
Zain asked: "Why?"
"The first time didn't take."
"Enough jokes," said Tonya. "Tell me everything or I can't help."
"Jack was always good with necromancy and fungi. He found a way to bring himself back from the dead. The 'Entity' I'm fighting is part Waldock, part telepathic fungus."
"That's impossible," said Ducky.
Zain cocked his head. "How do you bring someone back?"
"He had help. Tonya, you've met his crony, Len? When they were young, Jack's powers grew with every corpse Len snatched for him, until they became too dangerous to criticize. Waldock specialized in mind control, and Len conjured fire. I tried to help with fire charms but Waldock could get into people's heads and make them forget to use them. By the time I fought him, the Town was living in terror."
"What does he want?" Tonya asked.
"He wants to run Loon Lake like his father never did, and get back at me for killing him. How was I supposed to know he wouldn't stay dead?" She put her hand on Tonya's arm. "Watch yourself.
The tow truck arrived and Aunt Helene went to speak to the driver.
"We should leave," said Zain.
Tonya hesitated. Her Aunt's story had been a mystery all her life. She needed to know more, but what she was hearing scared her. Aunt Helene talked about murder casually, as if burying a man was mundane, like tying her shoes.
Tonya accosted her Aunt, who was chatting up the driver. In her ear she whispered: "Can you promise me no more violence?"
"I'm not strong enough to hurt him anymore."
Ducky had come with her. "You seem pretty strong to me," he said.
Aunt Helene turned to face them. "I really have been in and out of the hospital, and I must go back."
"What's wrong?" Tonya asked.
"Stomach cancer. I've had chemo and I need an operation, but I've been putting it off."
"Why?" said Tonya.
The tow truck headlights revealed dark circles under her eyes accentuating her wrinkles. "I thought nobody could stand up to him, but since you refuse to run... Fight in my place Tonya."
"What?"
"The fight against Len drained me. I can feel the cancer taking hold again."
"Heal yourself," said Tonya.
"I've tried. It's a bad one."
Tonya stepped forward and gave her Aunt a hug. "You have to get better."
"It won't matter if you don't save Loon Lake. Don't be afraid." She stepped back to look at Tonya at arms length. "Use your talents."
"I don't know magic."
"Get your friends to help. Whatever it takes."
"But..."
"The doctor says if I put off the operation again, it will be too late."
********
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