Willow slid into the chair across from Rune and smiled. “I see you weren’t scared off.”
He shrugged. “If a food fight’s the worst thing that happens here, I’ll be glad. You did say they don’t happen often, though, right?”
She laughed. “Yeah. You’ve probably got until December before you’ll need to keep an eye out again. And the teachers will be on high alert until the end of the month at least.”
Rune glanced around the cafeteria until he saw the two teachers by the door. Noticing, Willow grinned. “So,” he said, ignoring her expression. “What is it you do when you’re not at school?”
“I hike. Sometimes I read. Get chased around by my little cousins. Nothing really interesting. You?”
“Read. Research. I game a bit too. Where do you hike?”
“The park mostly. Our property backs onto it, so it’s pretty easy to it. I go most days. Except right now, since we think there are poachers out there. We forbade all the younger ones from going into the forest, just for safety’s sake, and so Ed decided that most of us older ones ought to stay out too. Just so it’s fair. Which is stupid, because if you’re wearing anything brightly enough coloured, you’ll be fine.”
“Poachers?” Rune asked, leaning forward.
“Yeah. One of my uncles heard shots and since the park’s protected against that kind of thing, they can’t be anything but poachers. Luckily, one of my aunts works at the park, and she’s got her people looking into it. Apparently they already found one deer carcass missing its head, so we’re guessing they’re trophy hunters. Every couple of years we get a group. Then they get caught and used as an example, until people’s memories begin to fade and then we get to start all over again. It’s nuts.”
“Could you take me out there? I’d love to see the crime scene.”
Willow blinked then focused on Rune. He was facing her full on, his grey eyes bright as they watched her. “Uh, why?”
“Practice. I want to be an investigative journalist. The kind who write stories that can bring down politicians, that help provide breaks in criminal cases, or at the very least, inform people of what’s really important. I heard that this school had a newspaper, but that was apparently shut down a few years ago, so I’m back to practicing writing articles and posting them to my blog. Being able to do a real piece on poachers would be great! And seeing the corpse, maybe even getting pictures of it, would be good experience.”
“That’s cool, and I’m impressed with how dedicated you are to this, it’s just…You know we’ve still got summer heat, right? Bodies tend to rot quicker in the heat. If we find the kill site, the body’s likely bloated, rotting, and stinking in a way I can’t properly describe. And that’s without whatever scavengers will have gotten at it. It’s going to be wicked gross.”
He shrugged. “I should start training my stomach now to handle those kinds of things. I fully intend to visit crime scenes in the future, so I could use all the help I can get.”
Willow scratched the back of her head. “I don’t actually know where the corpse is. We could end up spending the whole day wandering the woods and not find anything. There are too many unmarked trails and unnamed spots for this to be easy. Have you ever been hiking before?”
“Once when me and my mom went camping. And I don’t mind. Every experience teaches you something new.”
Inwardly, she sighed. She knew the look on his face. She’d seen it on several of her cousins faces before, when they’d made up their mind and nothing you said was going to change it. “Alright. I guess I can take you. But you’ll have to meet me at the park entrance, and you’re going to need to wear comfy shoes and find the brightest shirt you own. Preferably a colour that doesn’t appear in nature. If the poachers are still around, you don’t want them mistaking you for an animal and taking shots at you.”
Rune smiled. “Thanks. Do you want to go tomorrow?”
Willow shook her head, knowing she had to make some preparations with the family first. The last thing she wanted him to see, especially since his goal was to become a reporter, was one of her cousins in sasquatch form. “Saturday. It may take us a while to find the spot, if we do at all.”
“Cool. I can get my mom to drop me off. Is there anything else I should bring? And what time should we meet?”
“Is nine alright with you? As for what you should bring, water is a good idea, lunch too, since I’m guessing we’ll be out for a while. Anything else you think you’ll need. And we’ll have to tell my aunt and the rangers what we’re doing, in case they’ve got something set up that we might blunder into.”
“Nine works. I’ll bring my camera and notebook with me.”
Willow shook her head. “You’re really into being a reporter.”
“It’s been my dream since I was like ten. I really thought I was going to get some real print experience here, but…” Rune shrugged.
“Why don’t you ask the principal if you can restart the paper? You could even make it an online one if they’re too cheap to let you do a print one.”
“A one-person paper would be too biased and wouldn’t give me any more experience than what I’m doing now, on my own.”
“Let’s see how Saturday goes. If it’s alright, I could always help you. I don’t have any extra-curriculars, and I know a lot of universities like them. Besides, it could be fun,” Willow said with a smile.
Rune answered with a wide grin. “I’d definitely like having your input. I think you have the right outlook to be a journalist.”
Willow chuckled. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“Neither am I.”
YOU ARE READING
Silver Bound Girl
FantasyWillow's a Byron and they aren't just your average family. Not just because there are so many of them, but because they have secrets and traditions far outside the norm. Like spending as much time outside as in, and doing everything to keep rumours...
