Flesh and Bone // Wyatt Lykensen

Chapter 4: We Own the Night

As I walked into City Hall, flanked by Addison and Zed, I noticed almost everyone was piled into the auditorium. Nervous chatter surrounded me, and I could hear Bucky and the Aceys freaking out by the windows. Zed went to sit by his dad and sister, and I could hear the little zombie talking about a new werewolf friend. I smiled softly, but it didn't last long as my mom and dad rushed up to us.

"I'm ok!" Addison exclaimed.

I sighed. "Yea guys, we're fine."

Bucky rushed up to our group and put his arm over Addison's shoulder and his hand on mine. "Aunt Missy, Uncle Dale. The crash was horrible, but I protected the twins. Anyone as courageous as me would have done the same." He smiled to himself. "Though not really, I am super brave."

I chuckled at my cousin's antics and shrugged his hand off. "Mom, dad, everything's fine." I told them, Addison nodded beside me.

My dad glared at me. "It's not fine! There are werewolves circling us right now waiting to attack!"

I scoffed as Bucky spoke up. "Yea, and I'm way too tasty. I'm always looking like a snack." He smiled his Bucky smile. "Somebody has to do something!"

With a look of determination, my mom stepped forward. "And someone will." She walked past my dad. "Hold my purse."

As she walked up to the front of the room, I got a bad feeling. My mom was always very emotional about things, and I could tell she was about to do something disastrous. She stormed up to the podium, and grabbed the gavel, banging it a few times. As my dad sat at his council chair, the room went quiet.

"By order of city council, effective immediately, all anti-monster laws are reinstated." My mother banged the gavel again.

Addison and I stared at her in shock, as the room erupted in cheers and in confusion. She couldn't do this! Everything that we had worked for this past year, gone, because of her! "Mom!" I yelled out.

"That is unfair!" Addison finished for me.

Our mother just turned to us and made a zip it motion. I frowned and pulled Addie in for a hug. Everything had come undone, and it's like our family had just reverted to how they were before. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zed pop up out from his seat and make his way over to us. Zoey was still sitting on her father's lap, but Zevon looked crestfallen. He felt just like we did.

I let Addison out of my hug as Zed got to us. She turned around quickly when she saw her boyfriend. "Zed, we need to talk!"

"We do." He smiled sadly. "Even though you didn't write or answer any of my letters."

Addison frowned and shook her head. "No, I wrote! A lot." She pulled out homemade pom poms. "The Aceys shredded all of our letters."

I glanced at the aforementioned cheerleaders. They just waved back condescending and laughed. "Of course they did. Bucky's minions are the legit worst." I mumbled.

Zed smiled softly and got down on one knee. Addison and I's eyes went wide. "Addison. Will you make me the luckiest zombie, and be my date to Prawn?" My best friend asked my sister.

"No." She responded quickly.

"Great. No?" Zed asked incredulously. I also stared at my sister like she was crazy.

As Zed stood back up, my sister answered. "Everyone's freaking out about werewolves, so the anti-monster laws are back in effect again. Which means...:"

Bucky jumped into our conversation, cutting Addison off. "Zombies can't go to Prawn. Ouch." He seemed a little too happy about that.

I grabbed Bucky and dragged him back a ways from Zed and Addison. We could still hear their conversation, but now it was just the two of them. "But we're going to fight this Zed!" My sister said.