Manipulating Fate (Carousel Series #2)

Chapter 5: Santa Cruz, CA | 1987

Ruby stretched slowly, curling her toes. She felt the knowledge that the sun had sank deep below the Pacific and darkness was fully engulfing the cave. In an odd way it was nice having an internal clock, although it was set to yet unnatural hours for her.

"Marko?" she reached over and expected to find the Lost Boy's body under her hand. She came up with blankets. "Marko!" Ruby scanned the room, but it was empty save her. Ut-oh.

"CAAAAAAWWWWWWW!" the sound of crows echoed up the hall, racing around the tiny alcove-like room and rang in Ruby's ears.

"Give me back my pizza, you damn bird...s!" Paul was shouting. Birds? Normally there were pigeons living in the cave, occasionally a seagull or two blown in by a storm, but crows? Ruby pulled the blanket off the bed with her, using it as a coat against the chill, then realized she felt no chill now. It stopped her dead. For a whole minute she stood there trying to figure out if she should take the blanket and use it or just wander around in her t-shirt and jeans. She probably would still be standing there if it hadn't been for the second mighty caw that rocked the room.

Ruby ran down the tunnel.

The main cave was a sea of black feathers, literally dripping with a mass murder of crows. They perched on anything they could: the fountain, the tables, chairs, couches, oil barrels, surf boards, tool chest, even rocks jutting from the cave walls. What few of the pigeons remained were roosting nervously on their nests, the rest having long been chased off by their larger relatives.

The cawing was almost deafening. Dwayne was trying to read a book, a crow or two trying to use said book as a perch. Marko was starring in horror, cradling one of his friendly pigeons. Paul was attempting to eat day-old pizza, not getting very far because the crows were ganging up and stealing the slices and the box en mass. David wasn't in sight.

"What is going on?" Ruby called before she entered. Which was a mistake. Every pair of beady eyes trained on the entryway and onto Ruby. The silence was now more deafening then the cawing.

"They're here for you." David appeared practically out of thin air over in the mass of crows by the cave entrance.

"Me?"

"Ruby?" Paul, Dwayne, and Marko chimed in.

David raised a pale eyebrow. "You can't hear them chil... Ruby?" Marko's flinch was barely visible.

"You've totally lost it, D." Paul shook his head, now sharing his pizza with the crows.

"Hear them? The crows?" Ruby pointed at the hoard of birds. Instantly they cawed in unison, practically rocking the cave. Ruby jammed her hands in her pockets in shock.

"You know we have powers Ruby."

"So what, I have power over birds?"

"Over crows." David folded his arms across his chest. "This isn't a joke Ruby. I didn't send the Boys off to gather all these crows and trap them in the cave to tease you. They came here of their own accord, to find you."

"Yep. Totally crazy." Paul remarked, mouth full of pizza.

Ruby looked at the crows; they looked back, each and every one, eyes unblinking. "Are you here for me?"

"CAAAW CAAAW!" Ruby jammed her fingers in her ears.

"This isn't happening."

"Oh but it is Ruby. Now please, kindly ask your minions to leave our cave." David seemed incredibly pissed. Ruby tried to briefly touch their mental link but the boiling anger seemed almost to burn her mind. Instead, more to cover the flinch, she closed her eyes and sought out what David had told her. To hear the crows.