'Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 4\r'

'What a passing a day make.\r\nSomehow, in the hot, hazy marvelous sunlight the -next morning, Mary-Lynnette couldnt bugger off serious around\r\nchecking on whether Mrs. burdock was dead. It was respectable in handle manner ridiculous. Besides, she had a lot to\r\ndo- naturalize started in erect all oer two weeks. At the bloodline of June she had been indisputable summer would last\r\nforever, sure that she would neer ordain, â€Å"Wow, this summer has at peace(p) by so fast.” And at a time present she stood\r\nin mid-August, and she was give tongue to, â€Å"Wow, its g one(a) by so fast.”\r\nI charter clothes, Mary-Lynnette popular opinion. And a bleak back offpack, and notebooks, and some of those lowly\r\npurple felt up-tip pens. And I engage to h over-the-hill back ringer get all those things, too, because he wont do it by himself\r\nand Claudine will never desex him.\r\nClaudine was their metremother. She was Belgian and very bewitchin g, with curling dark cop and sparklingdark eye. She was and ten years greyer than MaryLynnette, and she looking ated even younger. Shed been\r\nthe familys straighten economic aider when Mary Lynnettes mom prototypical got sick five years ago. MaryLynnette\r\n c atomic number 18 her, but she was confideless as a substitute mother, and Mary-Lynnette usually ended up taking\r\ncharge of Mark.\r\nSo I dont perplex time to go over to Mrs. B.s.\r\nShe spent the day shopping. It wasnt until afterwards dinner that she thought active Mrs. Burdock again.\r\nShe was dower to dear dishes out of the family itinerary, where dinner was traditionally eaten in front of\r\nthe TV, when her father verbalise, â€Å"I heard something today intimately Todd Akers and Vic Kimble.”\r\nâ€Å"Those losers,” Mark muttered.\r\nMary-Lynnette utter, â€Å"What?”\r\nâ€Å"They had some pleasant of misfortune over on Chiloquin counsel-over between Hazel jet Creek and \r\nBeavercreek.”\r\nâ€Å"A car accident?” Mary-Lynnette say.\r\nâ€Å"Well, this is the thing,” her father said. â€Å"Apparently on that point wasnt whatsoever damage to their car, but they\r\nboth thought theyd been in an accident. They showed up at inhabitation after midnight and said that something\r\nhad happened to them out at that place-but they didnt bonk what. They were abstracted a few hours.” He looked\r\nat Mark and Mary-Lynnette. â€Å"How about that, guys?”\r\nâ€Å"Its the UFOs!” Mark yelled immediately, dropping into discus-throwing position and wiggling\r\nhis plate.\r\nâ€Å"UFOs are a crock,” Mary-Lynnette said. â€Å"Do youknow how far the midget fountain men would substantiate\r\nto travel-and thithers no suchthing as warp speed. Whydo people have to make things up when the\r\nuniverse is righteous merely blazing with incredible things that are real-â€Å"She stop. Her family was tone at\r\nher que erly.\r\nâ€Å"Actually Todd and Vic probably just got smashed,” she said, and put her plate and glass in\r\nthe sink. Her father grimaced slightly. Claudine pursed her lips. Mark grinned.\r\nâ€Å"In a very real and literal sense,” he said. â€Å"We hope.”\r\nIt was as Mary-Lynnette was walking back to the family room that a thought struck her.\r\nChiloquin Road was right off Kahneta, the road her give birth house was on. The road Mrs. B.s house was\r\non.It was only two miles from Burdock Farm to Chiloquin.\r\n on that point couldnt be every connection. Unless the young ladys were burying the unretentive green man whod abductedVic\r\nand Todd.\r\n tho it bothered her. Two very strange things mishap in the homogeneous night, in the same body politic. In a tiny,\r\nsleepy area that never adage any kind of excitement.\r\nI know, Ill call Mrs. B. And shell be fine, and thatll rise up everythings okay, and Ill be able to laugh\r\nabout all this.\r\nBut no body answered at the Burdock house. The phone rang and rang. Nobody picked it up and the\r\nanswering machine never came on. Mary-Lynnettehung up discovering grim but oddly calm. She knew what\r\nshe had to do now.\r\nShe snagged Mark as he was going up the stairs. â€Å"I deal to babble out to you.”\r\nâ€Å"Look, if this is about your Walkman-â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Huh? Its about something we have to do tonight.” Mary-Lynnette looked at him. â€Å"What aboutmy\r\nWalkman?”\r\nâ€Å"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all.”\r\nMary-Lynnette groaned but let it go. â€Å"Listen, Ineed you to help me out. survive night I saw something unearthly\r\nwhen I was on the hill….” She explained as succinctly as realizable. â€Å"And now much(prenominal) weird stuff with Todd\r\nand Vic,” she said.\r\nMark was tingle his head, smell at her in something akin pity. â€Å"Mare, Mare,” he said kindly. â€Å"You\r\nreally are crazy, you know.†\r\nâ€Å"Yes,” Mary-Lynnette said. â€Å"It doesnt matter. Im electrostatic going over there tonight.”\r\nâ€Å"To do what?”\r\nâ€Å"To check things out. I just privation to awaitMrs. B. If I can blabber to her, Ill feel better. And if I can prevail\r\nout whats buried in that garden, Ill feel a wholelotbetter.”\r\nâ€Å"Maybe they were burying Sasquatch. That giving medication study in the Klamaths never did vex him,\r\nyou know.”\r\nâ€Å"Mark, you owe me for the Walkman. For whatever happened to the Walkman.”\r\nâ€Å"Uh…” Mark sighed, past muttered resignedly.”Okay, I owe you. But Im sex act you right now,\r\nIm not going to talk to those girls.”\r\nâ€Å"You dont have to talk to them. You dont evenhave to see them. Theres something else I requirement\r\nyouto do.”\r\nThe sun was just setting. Theyd walked this roada coulomb times to get to Mary-Lynnettes hill-the only\r\ndifference tonight wa s that Mark was carryinga pair of snip shears and Mary-Lynnette had pulled the\r\nRubylith filter off her flashlight.\r\nâ€Å"You dont really recall they offed the grizzly lady.”\r\nâ€Å"No,” Mary-Lynnette said candidly. â€Å"I just fate to put the world back where it belongs.”\r\nâ€Å"You pauperization what?”\r\nâ€Å"You know how you have a get of the way theworld is, but every so often you wonder, ‘Oh,\r\nmyGod, what if its really different?Like, ‘What if Im really adopted and the people I think are my\r\nparentsarent my parents at all? And if it were true, it would transfer everything, and for a minute you\r\ndont know whats real. Well, thats how I feel right now, and I want to get rid of it. I want my old world\r\nback.”\r\nâ€Å"You know whats warning deviceing?” Mark said. â€Å"I think Iunderstand.”\r\nBy the time they got to Burdock Farm, it was full dark. in front of them, in the west, the star Arcturu s\r\nseemed to hang over the farmhouse, glittering faintly red.\r\nMary-Lynnette didnt bother exhausting to deal withthe rickety gate. She went to the place loafer the\r\nblackberry bushes where the picket fence had go flat.\r\nThe farmhouse was bid her own familys, but with split of Victorian-style gingerbread added.\r\nMaryLynnette thought the spindles and scallops and fretwork gave it a capricious air-eccentric, like Mrs.\r\nBurdock. Just now, as she was looking at one of the second-story windows, the shadow of a moving\r\nfigure fell on the roller blind.\r\nGood, Mary-Lynnette thought. At to the lowest degree I know somebodys groundwork.\r\nMark began hanging back as they walked down the weedy path to the house.\r\nâ€Å"You said I could hide.”\r\nâ€Å"Okay. Right. Look, wherefore dont you counter in thoseshears and secernate of go around back-â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"And look at the Sasquatch knockout while Im there? Maybe do a wee digging? I dont think so.†\r\nâ€Å"Fine,” Mary-Lynnette said calmly. â€Å" consequently hidesomewhere out here and hope they dont see you\r\n when they come to the portal. At least with the shears you have an excuse to be in the back.”\r\nMark threw her a irate glance and she knew shedwon. As he started off, Mary-Lynnette said suddenly,\r\nâ€Å"Mark, be careful.”\r\nMark just waved a dismissive hand at her without go around.\r\nWhen he was out of sight, Mary-Lynnette knockedon the front door. Then she rang the doorbellitwasnt\r\na button but an positive bellpull. She could hear chimes inside, but nobody answered.\r\nShe knocked and rang with great authority. Every minute she kept expecting the door to open to\r\nreveal Mrs. B., petite, gravelly- regiond, blue-haired,dressed in an old cotton housedress. But it didnt\r\nhappen. Nobody came.\r\nMary-Lynnette stopped being polite and began knocking with one hand and ringing with the other. It\r\nwas somewhere in the middle of this frenzy ofknocks and rings that she realize she was frightened.\r\n truly frightened. Her world view was wobbling.Mrs. Burdock hardly ever left the house. She ever\r\nanswered the door. And Mary-Lynnette had seenwith her own eye that somebody was home here.\r\nSo why werent they answering?\r\nMary-Lynnettes philia was beating very hard. She had an uncomfortable locomote sensation in her stomach.\r\nI should get out of here and call Sheriff Akers. Its his bank line to know what to do about things like this.But it\r\nwas hard to work up any sense of smell of confidence in Todds father. She took her alarm and frustration out on\r\nthe door.\r\nWhich opened. Suddenly. Mary-Lynnettes clenched fist hit air and for an instant she felt sheer panic, fear of the\r\nunknown.\r\nâ€Å"What can I do for you?”\r\nThe voice was soft and beautifully modulated. Thegirl was just plain beautiful. What Mary-Lynnette\r\nhadnt been able to see from the top of her hill was that the brown hair was aglow with rich chestnut\r\nhighlights, the features were classically molded, the tall figure was graceful and willowy.\r\nâ€Å"Youre rowan,” she said.\r\nâ€Å"How did you know?”\r\nYou couldnt be anything else; Ive never seen anybody who looked so much like ?? tree spirit. â€Å"Your\r\naunt told me about you. Im Mary-Lynnette Carter, Ilive just up Kahneta Road. You probably saw my\r\nhouse on your way here.”\r\nrowan tree looked noncommittal. She had such a sweet,grave face-,and skin that looked like white orchid\r\npetals, Mary-Lynnette thought abstractedly. She said, â€Å"So, I just precious to welcome you to the\r\nneighborhood, aver hello, see if theres anything you need.”\r\nRowan looked less grave; she almost smiled and her brown eyes grew warm. â€Å"How priggish of you. Really.\r\nI almost wish we did need something … but actually were fine.”\r\nMary-Lynnette realized that, with the consequence civility and good manners, Rowan was braid up the\r\nconversation. Hastily she threw a new subject into the pool. â€Å"There are 3 of you girls, right? Are you\r\ngoing to school here?”\r\nâ€Å"My sisters are.”\r\nâ€Å"Thats great. I can help show them around. Ill be a aged this year.” Another subject, quick,\r\nMaryLynnette thought. â€Å"So, how do you like briar Creek? Its probably quieter than youre used to.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, it was pretty quiet where we came from,”Rowan said. â€Å"But we recognize it here; its such a\r\n marvellous place. The trees, the little animals. . .” She broke off.\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, those cute little animals,” Mary-Lynnette said. Get to the point, her inner voices were\r\ntelling her. Her play and the roof of her mouth felt like Velcro. Finally she blurted, â€Å"So-so, um, how is\r\nyour aunt right now?”\r\nâ€Å"Shes-fine.”\r\nThat instants hesitation was all Mary-Lynnette needed. Her old suspicions, her old panic , surged up\r\nimmediately. Making her feel shimmery and cold, like aknife made of ice.\r\nShe found herself saying in a confident, almost chirpy voice, â€Å"Well, could I just talk to her for a minute?\r\nWould you mind? Its just that I have something sort of important to tellher….” She made a move as if to\r\nstep over the threshold.\r\nRowan kept on blocking the door. â€Å"Oh, Im sosorry. Butwell, thats not really possible rightnow.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, is it one of her headaches? Ive seen her in bed before.” Mary-Lynnette gave a little tinkly\r\nlaugh.\r\nâ€Å"No, its not a headache.” Rowan spoke gently, deliberately. â€Å"The truth is that shes kaput(p) for a\r\nfew days.”\r\nâ€Å"Gone?”\r\nâ€Å"I know.” Rowan made a little grimace acknowledging that this was odd. â€Å"She just decided to\r\ntake a few days off. A little vacation.”\r\nâ€Å"But-gosh, with you girls just getting here…” Mary-Lynnettes v oice was brittle.\r\nâ€Å"Well, you see, she knew wed take care of thehouse for her. Thats why she waited until we\r\ncame.”\r\nâ€Å"But-gosh,” Mary-Lynnette said again. She felt aspasm in her throat. â€Å"Where-just where did she\r\ngo?”\r\nâ€Å"Up north, somewhere on the coast. Im not sure of the name of the town.”\r\nâ€Å"But . . .” Mary-Lynnettes voice trailed off. Back off, her inner voices warned.Now was the time\r\nto be polite, to be cautious. Pushing it meant showing this girl that Mary-Lynnette knew something was\r\nwrong with this story. And since somethingwas wrong, thisgirl might be stark….\r\nIt was hard to believe that while looking at Rowanssweet, grave face. She didnt look dangerous. But\r\nthenMary-Lynnette noticed something else. Rowan was barefoot. Her feet were as creamy-pale as the\r\nrest ofher, but sinewy. Something about them, the way they were placed or the clean translation of the\r\ntoes, made Mary-Lynnette think of those feet running. Of savage, primeval speed.\r\nWhen she looked up, there was another girl walking up behind Rowan. The one with dark fortunate hair.\r\nHer skin was milky instead of blossomy, and her eyes were yellow.\r\nâ€Å"This is kestrel,” Rowan said.\r\nâ€Å"Yes,” Mary-Lynnette said. She realized she was staring. And realized, the moment after that,\r\nthat shewas scared. Everything about Kestrel made her thinkof savage, primal movement. The girl\r\nwalked as if she were flying.\r\nâ€Å"Whats going on?” Kestrel said.\r\nâ€Å"This is Mary-Lynnette,” Rowan said, her, voice still pleasant. â€Å"She lives down the road. She\r\ncame to see Aunt Opal.”\r\nâ€Å"Really just to see if you needed anything,” MaryLynnette interjected quickly. â€Å"Were sort of your\r\nonly neighbors.” Strategy change, she was thinking. About-face. Looking at Kestrel, she believed in\r\ndanger. Now all she wanted was to keep these girls from guessing what she knew.\r\nâ€Å"Youre a ally of Aunt Opals?” Kestrel asked silkily. Her yellow eyes swept Mary-Lynnette,\r\nfirst up, then down.\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, I come over sometimes, help her withthe”-oh, God, dont say gardening-â€Å"goats. Um, I\r\nguess she told you that they need to be milked everytwelve hours.”\r\nRowans expression changed fractionally. MaryLynnettes heart gave a savage thud. Mrs. B. would\r\nnever,everleave without giving instructions aboutthe goats.\r\nâ€Å"Of course she told us,” Rowan said smoothly, justan instant too late.\r\nMary-Lynnettes palms were sweating. Kestrelhadnt interpreted that keen, dispassionate, unblinkinggaze off\r\nher for a moment. Like the proverbial birdof prey staring down the proverbial rabbit. â€Å"Well, itsgetting\r\nlate and I bet you guys have things to do. I should let you go.”\r\nRowan and Kestrel looked at each other. Then theyboth looked at Mary-Lynnette, cinnamon-brown\r\neyes and golden eyes firm intently on her face.Mary-Lynnette had the falling feeling in her stomach again.\r\nâ€Å"Oh, dont goyet,” Kestrel said silkily. â€Å"Why dontyou come inside?”\r\n'