Hidden Close (Jr. Year)

Chapter 27

Part 27 Of The First Draft

Today is going well. Our first day back to school after the long and stressful weekend had proven fruitful for the three of us. Becky ran and played in gym class at her former extreme level, impressing the coach with her seemingly miraculous recovery. At lunch, I had confessed to Perry about how I changed her. Perry didn't seem one bit surprised nor disappointed in me,

“You didn't mess with natural order as some would say you’ve done, Mindi. Instead you gave an angel back her wings.”

Becky, who was sitting across from us, her dark hair done back and her gorgeous smile showing, seemed well pleased over Perry's words. She laughed, and then relaxed, insisting,

“I'm no angel, Perry, but thank you.”

After school ended, we gathered, and and went home together. Perry had not sensed our plans at all. I can tell when something is off with him, and he has not shown any signs of knowing of our future actions. Let me tell you something, I must be amazing if I can trick a mind reader. That fact made me nervous. It's almost as if he does secretly know and is not willing to show that he has discovered our deception. When we got home, Becky approached me in secret and seconded my concern,

“Mindi...I think he knows what we are going to do. You should talk to him. I bet Perry is crazy enough to help.”

“Yes, I believe he knows, too. I will have to talk to him. I feel guilty not asking him for his help in the first place. I....”

He was right there in the garden with us, listening. Renee was there, too, and she asked us,

“You two are brave, I'll give you that. We'll help you....we just can't let Brad know.”

I was intrigued.

“He can fight. Why can't he help?”

Renee giggled in a rather girlish way that spoke of delight and mischief,

“Because we need him to cover for us. He's invited your folks and our mom to watch him play....at none other than The Weekend Freak!”

Becky and I turned to each other, both of us with shock on our face. Brad must be braver than I think, going right into the den of the lioness herself. I had only one question on my mind,

“Where will we be confronting Carlita at, then? Won’t she be at the club?”

Renee laughed, and announced with much pleasure,

“That is why we won't be confronting her! We discovered her little secret....you’ll never guess!”

Of course as always, I bit.

“What could it possibly be?”

Renee laughed once more, and spilled the beans,

“She’s an old one that is quite different from new vampires. She keeps some of the soil that she was buried in scattered in her lair. If we remove enough of it from where she rests, she will return to a mortal state and she will no longer be a threat.”

Becky pulled forward, and her eyes widened. She pleaded,

“What is an old one?”

This is where Perry started to speak, explaining to us carefully the true nature of Carlita,

“Carlita is a vampire that is, as you guessed it, a very old. She is not like the vampires that were born in the last century, and she requires much of the conventions that vampires of old myth require, such as to avoid moving water and to retain the soil in which she was buried in. Believe it or not, Mindi’s mother tipped us off to this.”

Becky shot another glance at me, one still of amazement. She only had one more question for Perry, as emotion rose up and spewed out of her,

“Do you really think we can end her madness without killing her? Can we really save people from her destructive rampage without ending her life?”

Perry smiled and assuredly replied,

“Of course.”

Becky called out,

“Woo hoo! I love you guys!”

She then gave each one of us a hug, and we all went to celebrate in the dining room, where Grace, who was obviously listening to us, was standing. She then poured us all a glass of hot cider, and prodded both her son and her daughter,

“Do you kids really think that your plan will work?”

Perry dryly replied,

“It has to.”

He then put his arm around me, giving me a squeeze, and proceeded to take a long drink from his cup. The night didn't stick around for long, as is common for mid-fall in Knoxville. Perry spent the rest of the evening with me, and when the clock struck ten, he admitted,

“I wish this night didn't have to end. I'm really glad that I was able to catch your secret plan. You three would have died.”

“Me too. Lemme guess. You heard it from Lana?”

Perry chuckled, and replied in a smug manner,

“Not her.....but more her mind. I don't know what it is about you, but you've became a tough one to crack.”

Odd. I didn’t question him, but instead got up from the couch we were sitting on in the study, saying,

“It’s late, love. These days I'm pulling out my hair so much that I really need my beauty sleep. Surly you understand.”

After leaving the study, I went down and joined the already sleeping Becky and the studying Lana. I'm glad that they will be going with us when we attempt our plan. You can already sense that something will go wrong. It just sounds too easy. You know how things are when they are like that. Before I turned in, I hurried through my math homework and asked Lana,

“Do you think that you can handle this, Lana? I would never ask you to do anything that you aren't comfortable doing. Will you have my back against Carlita?”

Lana smiled, and said some rather encouraging words to me, capping the night perfectly,

“Even if we die, I'll be ready. I'm a Wild Girl for one, and two, I'm the one who taught you how to be the big bad she-wolf....”