Silver Bound Girl

Chapter 25

            Birdsong lured Willow away from her homework, leaving the last math problem she was struggling with for later. Out in the sun, she felt her tension drain away, smiling as she turned her face up to feel the full force of the rays. Humming now, she let her feet wander down the nearest path, her mind going blissfully blank.

            It was the first chance she’d had to properly relax since she’d gotten home. Something she definitely needed, after Rune had convinced Mr. Marsden to let him post his bullying article. Worry for her friend already burned in her stomach. There was no way Walter, one of his friends, or some other student wasn’t going to take offense and come “talk” to Rune about it. The only reassurance she had was that it was unlikely any of the other students, excepting the ones related to her, had been trained in fighting as long as she had.

            She did hope it didn’t come to that. That would start the bad kind of rumour about her and her family. Besides, Willow always felt guilty about fighting those less trained. It was almost unfair.

            Rounding the corner of the trail that led to nearest grouping of houses to her, Willow heard laughter. Curious, she aimed herself towards the noise that was coming from behind the blue house surrounded by a garden overflowing with white and yellow flowers. Even the flowers’ perfume wasn’t enough to mask the other smell.

            Willow sneezed twice.

            She rubbed her nose then wrinkled it. She knew that smell, having come across it more than once at school. So she wasn’t terribly surprised, when she reached the back of the house, to find three of her cousins sitting around the food covered patio table, watching something off a laptop and laughing. The only difference between the scene and what most people would expect to see, was the fact that all three boys were wearing only their own fur.

            Willow coughed as she got closer; both because of the smoke that still lingered around them and to let them know she was coming. She saw the three jerk their heads up, their red eyes testament enough to what they’d been doing, even without the smell. She sighed and swept all three of the sasquatches with a look made up of equal parts disappointment, disbelief, and disgust. “Really guys?”

            Trent laughed and faked a look of terror, odd on a face that was more bear than human. “Oh no! We’re busted.”

            She looked down her nose at him, lines of disapproval etching themselves into the skin around her mouth. “I didn’t come over to hassle you, but if you keep this up, I have no problem with changing my mind about it.”

            Damian made a face, wrinkling the skin of his face even more than it was naturally. “Whatever. It’s not like we’re hurting anyone. And it’s nice to relax, without worrying about everything.”

            She shook her head. “I understand, but couldn’t you have just stuck to alcohol like the rest of us? Where did you even get the pot?”

            “One of the guys in my Civics class was selling it,” Francis said, leaning back in his chair, his hands behind his head. “It was wicked cheap.”

            “How did you manage to smoke it? I can barely stand the smell wearing silver. It’s got to be a hundred times worse when you’re squatched out. I’m actually kind of impressed you guys could.”

            Trent chuckled. “We smoked it, then took off our silver. Once you’re high, you don’t even notice the smell, not even when squatching.”

            Willow sighed again. On the one hand, her cousins were being stupidly reckless. Anyone could just come stumbling in and find three sasquatches, high as kites, watching a laptop. Worse yet, someone could get a picture of it. But on the other hand, Willow understood the pressure her cousins were under. High school was bad enough without turning into a giant bear-creature every time you lost your jewellery.

            “Have you guys thought about moving inside, away from potential prying eyes?”

            Francis rolled his eyes. “Yeah, cause my parents would be super happy about me smoking pot. With use being literal freaks of nature, it’s not like it’s something I could hide easy.”

            “Being out in the open’s not much better. Seriously, if you won’t go inside your house, why didn’t you go in someone’s garage? Anyone walking by can hear you.”

            Trent flipped her off with both hands. “Make us,” he said, laughing.

            Willow’s eyebrows went up but she only smiled. “I don’t have to do anything to you boys,” she said, her voice acid-sweet. “I just have to let Carol know what you’re up to, and she’ll make you wish you were dead. Or I could tell Ed, and you three could have fun being lectured until your ears bleed.”

            “Come on, Willow,” Francis said, standing. “You’re not really going to tell Carol, are you?”

            “No. But if you stay out here and she comes looking for you, I’m not going to have to say anything.” Seeing the mutinous look on Trent and Francis’s face along with the resigned expression on Damian’s, Willow sighed again. “Look, I don’t really care what you guys do in your free time. I’m just telling you that, for your own good, you ought to move inside. Our family might not care if we drink as long as we’re careful, they’re not nearly so liberal about drugs, ‘kay?”

            Damian nodded, followed a moment later by Francis. It took a kick from Damian before Trent nodded his agreement as well. “Good,” she said, a faint smile playing across her lips. “You also might want to bring a bottle of Febreze and a couple of scented candles with you. That ought to help keep the smell from telling everyone exactly where you are.”

            From the shocked looks on their faces, Willow could tell her cousins hadn’t even thought of the possibility of being found out from the smell alone. Chuckling to herself, she left them scrambling for perfume and candles.