Chapter 2
1160 Words
2
Al and Lilly’s jaws hit the ground. The normally unflappable agent was the first to shake himself loose of his shock, but not his concern. “Lemme get this straight: you’re saying that there is not only another werewolf out there that’s faster than you and can hide their scent, but they know where you are and were probably sniffing you out?”
Paul frowned. “They didn’t hide their scent; the scent was masked.”
“By garlic?” Lilly guessed.
Paul gave a nod. “Yes.”
Al threw up his hands and nearly tossed his cell phone in the air. “Just great. A werewolf who probably knows as much about legends as we do and knows where you live. You know this probably means my worst fear has come true, right?”
“That people will learn about Paul being a werewolf?” Lilly guessed.
Al shook his head. “No, that Paul will be blackmailed into debt, and I’ll have to take on more clients to make ends meet.”
“There’s nothing we can do about that now,” Paul mused as he returned his attention to his agent. “You mentioned that a reporter had called.”
“Well, she texted me,” Al amended as he looked down at the screen on his phone and wrinkled his nose. “Damn kid knows I don’t type that fast.”
“What does she want?” Paul persisted.
Al crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. “It turns out the police were out at the Helm manor a couple of days ago. People got worried after they didn’t hear from them for two weeks.”
Lilly’s eyebrows shot up. “Has it been that long?”
Al snorted. “Feels like just yesterday we were trying to avoid their teeth, doesn’t it? Still gives me nightmares.” His hand unconsciously moved up to his eye patch, but he shook himself and straightened. “Anyway, figuring we were involved she gave me a heads up about the rumors flying around with what they found in that place.”
Paul frowned. “What did they find?”
Al looked down at the screen on his phone and scrolled through the messages. “Well, besides the interesting assortment of meat in the freezer, it seems like our entertainment moguls had a fine collection of books in their library.”
“What sort of books?” Lilly asked him.
Al stopped scrolling and a dark shadow passed over his brow. “Stuff about witches, zombies, vampires and I’m sure you can’t guess the last bit.”
“Werewolves,” Paul and Lilly answered together.
Al nodded. “You got it. The media’s going to report about it being study for a new screenplay they were writing.”
“Do you have confirmation of this?”
Al’s eyes shot up and he frowned at Paul. “You think I wouldn’t do my own digging? Turns out the pipsqueak is right, there is a screenplay and the movie’s even been green-lit for production. The auditions are scheduled to start next week, and here’s the real kicker. They’re doing them at night.”
Lilly tilted her head to one side. “Is that not done?”
Paul furrowed his brow. “No. Who’s attached to the production?”
Al scrolled through his phone again. “According to my sources, it’s a lot of people I don’t know.”
“But weren’t the Helms really well known?” Lilly spoke up as she looked between her companions. “I mean, wouldn’t they have famous people wanting to work with them?”
“Apparently they did have the barbarians clamoring at the gates, but the Helms refused every single one of them for whoever these people are.” Al tucked his cell phone into its holster and looked up at Paul. “Sounds a little fishy, doesn’t it?”
“Fishy enough that we will have to pay a visit to these auditions,” Paul confirmed before he lowered his gaze to Lilly at his side. “But before that happens, are you up for testing out your night vision?”
Lilly half-turned to the woods and winced. “Another garlic trial in the trees?”
Paul set a hand on her shoulder. “We can wait if you want.”
“Maybe forcing her is what she needs,” Al spoke up. They turned to him with puzzled expressions. He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Think about it. Every time she’s been put into some bad spots, she learns something new. Maybe that’s just the way she needs it. Dangerous.”
Paul cupped his chin in one hand and furrowed his brow. “So, you’re suggesting she go into the dark woods to experience some danger?”
Al’s eyes sparkled with a light that made Lilly swallow hard. “What I’m saying is maybe she needs to use that super speed of hers through that ‘dark woods’ and maybe trying to avoid crashing will make her see in the dark.”
Lilly winced. “That sounds like a hard lesson.”
“Literally,” Al added.
Paul’s gaze fell on Lilly. “The choice is yours. You don’t have to learn your last skill this night, or even this year.”
Lilly sighed before she straightened and stiffened her chin. “I know, but we all know that if more trouble comes that it could really help.”
Al dug into his coat and drew out a piece of paper. “I guess that means I need to get started on this, huh?”
“Get started on two,” a voice spoke up as Una crossed the yard to join them on the edge of the woods. She raised her hand to show off Floyd clasped in her fingers. “If Lilly is going to try to do this, so am I.”
Al frowned. “But you’re not a Star.”
“No, but I’ve done pretty good up to this point, and it won’t hurt to be a little better,” Una pointed out as she side-stepped up to Lilly and draped an arm over her friend’s shoulders. “Besides, that way Lilly won’t be stumbling alone out there.”
“I might crash into you out there,” Lilly pointed out.
Una grinned. “That’s good. I’m a little softer than a tree.”
Something rained down on them from the sky and dropped hard on Una’s head. She yelped and stumbled back against Lilly as the item bounced off her head and landed with a thud on the grass in the center of the group.
Al scooped up the round object and turned it over in his hands. “A helmet?”
The party looked up at the sky. A pile of body pads and another helmet floated over their heads, all of which was surrounded by a white glow. Henry walked up to them with his hand raised in the air toward the floating objects. “I thought perhaps you might be in need of these.”
Lilly blinked at him. “Could you hear us talking all the way from the house?”
Henry nodded at Al’s phone. “No, I heard you through the phone.”
Al glared at him as he clapped a hand over his phone holster. “I told you to quit doing that!”
Lilly tilted her head to one side. “You can listen in through a phone?”
Henry gave a nod. “Electronic devices are very susceptible to spirit energy and may be commandeered at any time.”
Una arched an eyebrow. “Then you can do that with anybody’s phone or just to annoy Al?”
“Anyone.”
Paul set a hand on Lilly’s shoulder. “Are you ready to begin?”
Lilly stooped and picked up a pair of shin guards. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
- Writer
