We'd set out a plan: find the girl from the woods, see what she knows. She didn't seem particularly threatening that night, but we felt better safe than sorry. It just happened to be the perfect weekend for it, with Ostara finally come around and Ma wanting us to make friends with the locals. The parents loved April's carefully planned luncheon: conservative company deemed respectful enough to mingle with the older folk.
Ivy showed up among the early chatter, and April had been excited to point her out to me. Before I could get carried away by my own hot-headed jealousy to see her clearly with a boyfriend, I determined off instinct it wasn't the same girl from the woods.
"I could have told you that," Coal told her in good humor. "Ivy doesn't look the kind to wander the woods stoned out of her mind."
"Twins," April said. Her head shook at the delight of having been duped.
"Maybe she's one of us after all," Coal mused.
"Imagine triplets," Flint joked.
I tried not to imagine triplets, but as the afternoon went on and the girl from the woods didn't show up, it became a running joke for Flint and Jag to point out Ivy every time she passed within sight. Until finally Jag got bored and went to go find Amber, and April disappeared somewhere with Rowan and Flint to help close out the luncheon and prepare for the rowdier guests sure to come for the evening party.
It took a lot of debate to allow this part. Dad tried to argue it was too much of a risk, being so new to the community and the region itself, not to mention what kind of unforeseen disasters a group of spirited high schoolers could cause. But Ma stood in our favor: we'd tried isolation and it had failed us twice as hard. Strengthening our ties with the community could be our best chance of protection until Dad found what he was looking for.
And we were responsible enough, weren't we?
But then the sun began to set and our parents disappeared up into the woods for ceremony. A new wave of guests started to arrive in awkward clumps of friends and classmates; none of which made a move to acknowledge any of us without our initial approach. I couldn't blame them for it. We were a bunch of strangers moved into their quiet-enough town with hardly a hint of warning. Almost as if we were hiding from something...
Which was true, but they didn't know it for sure.
Flint finally said, "This will be much easier if we spike the punch."
So Jag spiked the punch. And the lemonade, and the sodas, and just about all the rest of it that wasn't water. Flint was right, anyhow. Once they'd washed away enough of those sober walls, they were hard to keep away. The music got louder, the food disappeared, and Rowan found me trapped in a literal corner by a couple dancing just a bit too close to each other.
"I've got you beat," Rowan said, pulling me out from my wedge. He rubbed at his forehead, smudged with a peach-pink lipstick. "I think I was just molested, but on the bright side: I think I've also found your girl."
I'd already given up on finding her at the party. Ivy had long since disappeared, and most of the people in my house were trashed enough to fill a dumpster. I was a drink or two in myself, but when he mentioned that bit of hope, the rush of the room as we moved towards my backyard hardly swayed me.
She was talking to Coal. Good ol' Coal, standing there with her in the middle of the yard under the silvery moonlight, the drunken flush of her cheeks emphasized inthe aggressive way she handled her conversation. As soon as Rowan pulled open the glass door, I could already hear her voice.
"I lose her every goddamn time," she told Coal, who nodded in absent understanding. "She's like a fucking fish, really... she spots something flashy in the crowd and boom she's just gone—"
She saw Coal motion eagerly to us and followed his gaze. The way she jerked made me hesitate. I'd been a little aggressive with her that night under the moon. There was even the yellowish hint of a lingering bruise where I'd grabbed her arm.
"Hey, you!" she said, lurching forward. But it wasn't me she grabbed for; it was Rowan. He caught her with surprise, leering at me in panic from the corner of his eyes. "I am so sorry about Elsie, man. I was just telling Coal how fucking relentless she is when she's drunk. I... we brought a lot of booze to the party. I should apologize for that too."
And then, finally, she turned and noticed me. I waited for the recognition to cross her face, the breath tense in my chest as she blinked. Her lips parted, painted a dark purple that made her smile a shade of toxic, and said,
"Hello... you."
When she straightened up off of Rowan with a teetering smile, I realized: she didn't recognize me at all.
"We brought booze to your party," she said to me with burning cheeks. She swallowed hard, trying not to betray herself with a giggle. "I know it's irresponsible. It was Tristan's idea, and weird shit was being said about you guys, so it just seemed easier... to do this drunk."
"Most of the people here are drunk," I told her, "and not because of you."
"No offense taken, anyhow," Rowan said at my side. "Hey Coal, you wanna..."
Coal got the message without having to hear the end of it, trailing off after my cousin with a sheepish but encouraging smile. Jade stood in front of me, looking me over with pursed lips before finally pulling herself back together.
"Do you want a drink?" she offered.
The way her head tilted in a wry smile set my face on fire. She suddenly tipped, leaning so far over herself I had to catch her by the arm. The look in her forest green eyes set off inside me an irrational fear of losing her among the crowd. She was hard to keep up with—by alcohol and by socializing, which seemed to be the same thing for most of the people here.
Now she stood before me again, fully naked and with the morning light of the high windows seeping through. She glowed as if a goddess brought to life. The only thing that reminded me she was the same girl from the woods was the uncomfortable knot of her eyebrow. It seemed to be fighting hard against the half-smirk on her lips.
"What is your name, again?" she asked.
The sound of her voice swirled around in my head, making me feel dizzy. The back of my head screamed to reach out to her, to touch her again, just to hold her—it took all my self-control to shut myself down. I answered her, unable to help the smile on my own lips. She was so beautiful, even with the faint traces of makeup smeared haphazardly about her face.
"Clay," she nodded, looking down at herself. She was embarrassed, though her attempt to cover herself with her hands was half-hearted. "Nice to meet you, Clay. I'm Jade. I'm going to get dressed again, because this is uncomfortable."
A good idea. My own pj bottoms were lying at the end of the bed. The sound of the door opening nearly made me trip in surprise. I flinched at the sudden change in atmosphere; Jade herself let out a gasp as she turned to the door.
"Clay."
Oh, shit.
"Hey, Ma," I greeted my mother as the image of her face swam into focus. Her eyes glanced over Jade, and I felt the instinct to put Jade behind me so my mother couldn't gawk at her like that. But the look my mother tossed to me made me simmer down; nothing shut me up quite like that look.
"Holy sh—I am so sorry, ma'am," Jade stammered. Ma turned her gaze back on Jade, furrowing her brow as if confused. "I didn't mean to be here. I was actually just about to leave. I am really, truly sorry."
The terror rolling off of Jade made my head spin. I reached out to put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her, but she jumped away from me. Ma relaxed her stance.
"It's fine, love, don't you worry a thing," she told Jade, her gaze softening. Jade seemed to shrink into herself. "Once you're both dressed you can meet us downstairs for breakfast, if you'd like to and you have the time."
"Oh," was Jade's first response. She sat there quietly for a second, the sound of her heartbeat loud in her veins. "That... that's very sweet of you. But I think that I should pro- I..." She turned her head very pointedly. "I actually, erm, my stomach—"
"Just through there, love," Ma told her gently, pointing to the door on the next wall.
Jade nodded and, as calmly as she could, made her way to the bathroom. I couldn't help but stare at the curve of her back as she walked away.
"Clay," my mother demanded my attention as soon as the door was closed. "You promised to have this under control."
"I know, Ma," I muttered, scratching the back of my neck. Her voice pounded in my ears.
"Don't you think you have enough to worry about without bringing a human into the mix?" she said. "I'm sure she's a lovely girl, but I don't need to list out the reasons humans are off limits like this. Especially right now."
Jade had gone quiet in the bathroom, though only for a moment. My insides squirmed at the thought of her being miserable and alone in there. I wanted see if she was alright, but my mother's gaze pinned me to the bed.
"No more once she leaves, Clay. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, sure," I muttered, swallowing an exaggerated sigh. I rubbed my face to hide the impatient roll of my eyes.
Ma didn't reply. She merely shut the door behind her. I felt my chest tighten—with rebelliousness or despair I couldn't tell. Before I could allow myself to wallow I pushed myself off the bed and over to the bathroom door. I tapped on it with my knuckle.
"Are you okay?" I called through the door.
There was a moment of silence.
"I'm... single handedly going to feed the entire population of fish in the ocean," came Jade's weak reply from the other side.
"Do you want me to bring you your clothes?" I offered.
It was a moment before her soft, "Yes, please" came through.
Fifteen minutes passed before she emerged from the bathroom. She was dressed again, in her open-backed, teal dress, and her face looked slightly blotched from scrubbing the remainder of her make-up from her face. Even her auburn hair looked like it had been brushed through with her fingers. I felt the familiar tingle of instinct and desire run down my spine.
"We should go downstairs," she said, looking over me with an impossible expression. It was the first time I couldn't tell what she was thinking. "So your mom doesn't get... angrier."
"She's not angry," I assured Jade as I followed her down the stairs. She cast me a wary glance over her shoulder. "Really, she's not. She's pretty relaxed about things. Better her to walk in than my dad."
"Right," Jade muttered, unconvinced.
My heart began to sink. In the millions of ways I'd imagined finally meeting Jade, this hadn't even made the list. In my mind it had involved a lot more smiling and a lot less of my mother. She'd been nice enough, at least, but as I began to lead Jade to the kitchen, she stopped.
"I need to get home," she told me, her green eyes tired as they danced to the front door. "My sister will get really worried if I don't return soon. I was supposed to text her last night, and I... didn't."
"Oh," was all I could reply. I couldn't help the disappointment that overtook me. "Well, do you need a ride? I can drive you home."
"No, thanks," she told me, turning to look out the glass. She pointed through the window at a white Honda sitting at the side of the road. "That's my ride."
"Alright," I conceded, biting the inside of my lip as I opened the front door for her. She began to make her way down the steps, then stopped and turned back to me. Hope flooded back at the look of interest in her face.
"Maybe I'll see you around, then?" she asked. I smiled at her, nodding to answer. She nodded back, her eyebrows lifting. "You know... I'm always up for a good chat. Just don't be a stranger." I nodded again, too excited to answer verbally. She clicked her tongue, glancing back at the white car. "Tell your mom I said thanks for the breakfast offer. I'll have to get a raincheck."
I watched as she shoved herself into the passenger seat. Longing set like concrete in my lungs as the car disappeared down the drive, and I closed the door with a pained sigh. Had I so soon blown any chance of a normal relationship with her? It felt as if she'd barely said five words to me, and she was already so far out of my grasp again.
The sound of breakfast sizzling in the kitchen made my stomach growl. Food would have to be enough to put Jade off my mind. For now, anyway.
Pa beat me to the kitchen. He stood at the other end of the kitchen with Ma, the two of them huddled together with their voices hushes. Neither seemed to notice when I entered, and when neither of them said anything as I plucked a chewy piece of bacon from the pan I realized something was amiss.
"What's going on?" I demanded, shaking the pain of the heat from my fingers.
Ma met my gaze with a steeled look that stopped the half-swallowed bacon in my gullet. It would have choked me for sure if I hadn't remembered to swallow. Either way, the words that came from my mother were more effective in leaving me winded.
"Jag and Amber are missing."
I didn't feel myself move. For the faintest second, I was sure I'd dropped cold in shock. And then my Pa's strong grip was crushing my bicep, not nearly so painful as his scowl. Instinct had driven me toward the door, ready to personally search every spare inch of the woods. Pa, knowing the desperation well enough, anticipated me and blocked my intended exit.
"Think it through," he said. "What don't you know? We've all too much at risk for you to head into something unprepared."
He was challenging me. It wasn't unusual, nor had it been unexpected when it started five years ago. After all, he only ever got in my way when there was something I could be doing better. His challenges had grown farther and fewer between as I'd gotten older. So, despite the voice at the back of my head telling me to snap back, I took a leveled breath and reminded myself he did it for my own sake. For the sake of my future pack.
Behind me, Ma was waiting for my attention. The heat in my face was involuntary and humiliating.
"Brook has sent parties out to find them," she told me. "The signs haven't pointed to any danger—"
A spiteful laugh escaped me. "There's no danger?"
"That's not what I said." Ma snapped her fingers at my face, her upper lip twitching irritably. "Until we have answers, every moment a packmate is unaccounted for is dangerous. I said I have not received any signs of danger."
The frustration hit me as soon as her implication. Anything relating to the Other world was way beyond my capacity for patience. Against a physical target I could very well maim a man, but it was the Alpha Female who wandered and spoke for the spiritual realm.
"I can't just sit around and wait for them to be found," I told them. As much as I wanted Ma's words to console me, the anxiety settled hard in my stomach.
"You have several other packmates who will be just as worried as you are," Pa said behind me. "There is strength in unity."
"I'll go round them up," I said with a nod. "We can go looking together. Double-check where they might have missed..."
"Clay," Ma sighed. "Do you think Nova and Coal will want to go looking for what might be out there? After the last two? Or April, for that matter, after having lost her own sister?"
The guilt that wormed its way up my spine didn't come from what she said so much as the realization that I ought to have thought of it first.
"I know you're eager to split from us, but this is a situation better left for your father and I to handle. Sit and eat breakfast, and then you can check in with your ring. Your head is lousy without something to eat."
I picked at the plate of eggs she put before me. I managed to get them down, as well as an extra slice of toast and a couple extra pieces of bacon. While half of my brain worrying over my friends, the other half preoccupied over Jade, remembering the glow of her green eyes. I couldn't remember most of the night after Coal introduced us, and when I'd woken just before dawn to find her in my bed, so still and peaceful against my pillow, I'd been half worried that I'd hurt her in some way.
I was still worried about it.
"Clay?"
I looked up from my plate. Both of my parents were staring at me. I'd clearly missed part of something.
"Uh... sorry. What?"
"Your father is asking whether or not you'd put any more thought into leading next moon's run."
"Oh." Oh, shit. "I mean... do you think that's a good idea? It's... with everything going on..."
"We think it best to continue things as normally as possible, Clay," Pa murmured. I met his gaze evenly. "Come the end of your senior year, you'll be off and establishing your own. We can't put all of pack life on hold just because—"
"Just because we're being hunted."
"Nothing has happened yet," Ma reminded me gently. "Not here."
"Right," I said, unable to help the whirlwind of negativity crushing my lungs. "Except that two of our packmates are missing."
My father let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair. My mother looked away, standing so that she could gather our plates and put them in the sink. It was a definite but subtle way of saying the conversation just ended.
Simmering, I left my parents in the kitchen. I was almost out the front door when I realized I was still in my night clothes. After a moment of hesitation, I figured it would be more sensible to change before trying to round up my ring.
My room still smelled faintly of Jade, her herbal perfume soaked into my sheets. I sat down for a moment to enjoy it, and then shook my head clear of distractions as I tore through my dresser to find the few articles of clothing I'd managed to unpack so far. Most of my stuff was in the giant walk-in closet, making my room look sort of bland, but for now an old tank would have to work with a pair of jeans that had been through the wash at least twelve times in the last fortnight.
Someone knocked on my door. With a sigh, I turned around and opened up for them, readying a stinging remark for whichever parent wanted my attention. But standing in front of me was my younger sister. A faint feeling of surprise passed over me.
"Hey, Opal. I thought you were still at Pike's house," I grunted. She frowned at me, peering past my shoulder. Her blazing blue eyes glimmered as she picked up the scent of the room behind me.
"Gross," she muttered under her breath. "It reeks of..." She looked up at me and caught my slightly irritated expression. "Never mind. No, I just got back, obviously. How did your 'disguised investigation' go?"
I stared at her.
"Hello? Your party?" she sighed, flexing her fingers in air quotes.
My nose twitched. I looked away, feeling my cheeks flush. Her words sunk my stomach like a rock; I was surprised that she had asked me about it at all. Neither of my parents mentioned it earlier this morning; Ma hadn't even mentioned seeing Jade in my bed at the breakfast table.
"Uh... kind of a bust, on my end," I told her, avoiding her gaze. "I didn't really learn all that much. Just that this town is boring and parties are apparently a huge thing. They all like to get drunk."
"Mm, yeah, I noticed," Opal sniffed, letting her bag fall off of her shoulder. It fell to the floor with a loud thump. I pressed my fingers to my temple. "I saw some kid passed out on Brook's lawn, which I guess is a pretty good example of everything that happened up here." She shrugged. "I would have told her, but I figure if she wants to do something about it, she'd send Rowan out with a hose."
"Yep," I agreed.
Opal shrugged her shoulders as she turned down the hall to her room. Before closing the door behind her, she turned back to me with a scowl on her face.
"It wasn't Nova, was it?" she asked. I lifted my eyebrows, surprised by her assumption. "Because you know that's not allowed."
I rolled my eyes.
"Add it to the list," I muttered.