Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1) (29 page)

The bear moved toward them, its massive paws slamming against the polished wood floor.

Stephanie grabbed a pole used to retract the bleachers and twirled it back and forth around her body.

Jake stared in awe.

“What? First place baton twirler since I was nine.” Stephanie smiled.

The bear attacked, paws raised, jaws ready to bite. Stephanie whacked it a time or two, causing it to stumble backward.

“Thanks!” Sally said. “Now, go with Idric and find that book, okay?”

Stephanie nodded.

“I think you’ll find your plans here are a bit wasted, my dear.” Mrs. Padilla called out in her deep bearish voice. “You cannot defeat us. Dumaat is quite temperamental.”

Dumaat? That must have been Mrs. Conley’s real name. It didn’t matter. If Sally’s plan worked, they wouldn’t need to defeat these creatures. Jake readied his flamethrower for another burst. As Dumaat swooped down toward him, he pulled the trigger, but nothing happened.

“What’s wrong?” Sally screamed.

“I don’t know!” Jake shook the nozzle, but quickly realized he was out of time.

Dumaat dropped, and he barely had time to react. He hit the ground, sharp pain erupting across his back. The wetness of blood came next and he knew Dumaat’s talons had scraped his skin.

“Go!” Jake heard Sally scream, then caught sight of a frightened Idric and Stephanie as they exited the gym.

Sally appeared at Jake’s side, helping him to his feet. “We’ve got to buy Idric and Stephanie some time!”

He knew she was right. He choked back the pain and went to work fixing the flamethrower.

“Get that boy!” Mrs. Padilla exclaimed, a bear claw pointing at Yasif.

Dumaat swooped again, this time at Yasif. Without a weapon, Yasif’s only defense was to run.

Sally turned, releasing an arrow, but missed the creature’s wing.

Yasif darted toward the gym doors, Dumaat trailing behind him. Jake almost cheered when the creature realized it wouldn’t make it and made a desperate attempt to avoid colliding with the wall.

“Sucks to be a bird inside a box, huh?” he taunted.

The bat-like creature turned on him and readied itself for an attack. Jake struggled with the flamethrower, barely aware of Sally and Lani battling the bear. Lani flung a dagger, hitting it square in the chest. The bear screamed in pain, but quickly pulled the blade from its thick fur and continued toward them unabated.

Jake wasn’t sure how long they could keep this up.

Dumaat had perched itself on one of the rafters as though deciding its next move. It eyed Jake, watching him, shifting from one foot to the other, readying for an attack. It must have realized he’d managed to fix the flamethrower; it remained just outside maximum range.

He glanced at Sally and Lani to make sure they were all right. The momentary distraction was enough for Dumaat. In a surprising move, the creature fell backward off the rafters and swooped toward him. Jake caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned the nozzle toward it, squeezing the trigger. This time, he was relieved when a plume of fire erupted.

But Dumaat had been toying with him. It effortlessly swerved, and before Jake could readjust his strategy, it descended. Jake tripped over the tank and toppled backward onto the floor, his wounds now pressed against his shirt, causing him to wince in pain.

As the creature bore down on him again, claws readied for another assault, Sally fired another bolt and caught Dumaat in its wing. It screeched and retreated back to the rafters.

Jake let out a sigh of relief.

In the corner, Lani had the bear pinned, having apparently used a bolo to tie it up. She came trotting over, her brow glistening with sweat.

For the moment, they could breathe.

“Are you okay?” Sally stood above him, extending a hand.

“I think so.” Jake took it and stood.

“You think Idric and Steph have made it yet?” Jake asked.

Sally shrugged. “I don’t know. I told him to text me when the book was safe. One thing’s for sure…we can’t keep this up much longer.”

A deep growl rumbled from behind. Jake turned just in time to see the bear rip through the thick ropes.

Lani frowned. “I think we need a new plan!”

IDRIC AND STEPHANIE
made their way out of the back of the school. The students usually evacuated to the front parking lot during a drill so as not to be under trees in the event of a real fire. This left the team unobserved at the lake, which Idric had insisted was necessary.

“Where is this book thing?” Stephanie fiddled with her prosthetic, grimacing as she adjusted the fit.

“You’ll see.”

They reached the edge of the water, and he pulled the yellow stone from around his neck. “This might get a little crazy.”

Stephanie huffed. “At this point, I don’t think it could get any crazier.”

Uttering a few words, Idric held up the stone. As it began to glow, wind swirled around them, tossing Stephanie’s hair. The stone flared intensely, and a beam of light shot upward. Gray clouds formed around the point of light, darkening the sky. A moment later, the clouds began to swirl and another beam shot downward into the center of the lake.

Stephanie glanced around. “Won’t someone see?”

Idric didn’t acknowledge her. He was too busy trying to maintain control on the key’s energy while wind whipped violently through his curly hair.

As he completed his incantation, a line of light traced from the center of the lake toward them until it touched the shore. It split, a wedge of dry land forming between. The line continued to spread apart until a thin walkway was revealed, stretching toward the center of the lake.

“Come on.” Idric grabbed her arm, pulling her toward a now visible door. Dark clouds billowed above, their surroundings made eerie by flashes of lightning. Ignoring the rumble of thunder, he wrenched open the entrance to reveal a set of stairs leading into the darkness.

Stale air washed over them as Idric whispered something to the yellow crystal in his palm. A pale golden light bathed the path before them as the door closed behind and they descended the stairs. Idric remained focused, expecting the path to be wet from lying at the bottom of the lake for so long. Instead, they were completely dry and dusty.

At the bottom, they found a small room at the center of which stood a wooden pedestal, supporting a large leather-bound book.

“Is that it?” Stephanie pointed at the tome, her voice echoing in the small round chamber.

Idric stared in wonder. The last time he’d seen that book was when his father had placed it on that very pedestal two years earlier.

He nodded.

As he approached, a bright white light filled the room. Idric stepped back, and Stephanie instinctively shielded her eyes.

“What’s going on?” Stephanie hollered.

The light faded and two figures materialized just beyond the pedestal. Idric’s heart seemed to freeze. “Mom? Dad?”

“Hello, son.” His father’s voice was deep, his vaguely Dutch-European accent still the same as the day he’d left.

“We’re so sorry it’s come to this.” His mother wasn’t smiling, though her voice was sweet, gentle, and kind.

“What’s going on? Why are you here?” Idric ran up to his father, throwing his arms around the man. Instead of feeling the warmth of his father’s body, he passed right through as though he weren’t actually there.

“Wha–?”

“I’m sorry, son.” The man turned to look at him. “For reasons you’ll understand soon, we can’t be here with you now.”

“Where are you? What do you mean?” Idric had begun to panic, his heart pumping faster.

“We don’t have much time,” his mother explained. “If you’ve come here, then things have gotten worse than we anticipated.”

“I don’t understand.” Idric couldn’t hold back the tears.

“I know this is difficult for you, but you must listen. The Anunaaki have returned.” His father glanced upward as though he could see something Idric couldn’t. “Two years ago, they began hunting down the Aashrs for reasons we don’t understand. It was why we had to leave our home and try to protect everything we hold dear.” He motioned toward the book. “This book represents all Aashr knowledge and must be protected at all cost.”

Idric shook his head. “Anunaaki? What? What do you mean hunted?”

“Remember the tales I taught you.” His mother moved toward him, kneeling. “They will help you in troubled times.”

“We can’t stay, son. Our essence can only remain a short time.”

“Essence? Where are you? Mom? Dad? Please, I’m scared!”

His mother’s frowned. “I’m sorry, Idric. We’ve been gone for some time. You are all that remains of the Aashrs.”

Idric’s mind reeled. The room seemed to spin. Gone? How could they be gone? He’d just talked to them a couple months ago on the phone.

He turned to his father, panic rising in his voice. “Dad?”

But their images had already begun to fade.

“No! Come back!”

In moments, they were gone.

Despair rose in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. He felt as though he’d pass out right there on the floor.

A hand steadied him. It took him a moment to remember Stephanie was there. She rubbed his back, but he couldn’t seem to take his gaze off the spot where his parents had been.

He wasn’t sure how long had passed before Stephanie spoke, her words soft and gentle. “We’ve got to get this out of here.”

He nodded, wiping his wet cheeks with his sleeve. More tears took their place, but he tried his best to regain control.

Were they really gone?

He stared at the book. It now represented everything he’d ever known, a world he’d never see again. He was hesitant to move it as though doing so would further damage what he’d lost. He was alone now, and it was up to him to protect his people’s legacy.

As he slowly lifted the heavy volume, more tears streamed down his cheeks. He slipped the book into his backpack without a word and then zipped it closed.

He took one last glance before turning toward the stairs.

Sally and the others were waiting, counting on him to get the book while they fought the shape-shifters. He couldn’t let them down.

The two ascended the steps toward the door at the bottom of the lake. The storm was still brewing outside when they emerged, lighting flashing through the gaps in the trees. They walked the path to the edge of the lake. As soon as their feet touched the dry earth, the light vanished and the water crashed together behind them.

As soon as the commotion of the water ended, Idric noticed a new sound that sounded like growling.

“Um… Where did they come from?” Stephanie asked.

He turned to find four rather large dogs with their teeth bared, growling at them. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

SALLY REALLY WISHED
Idric would hurry. The two creatures were gaining the advantage and she was running out of ideas.

Lani and Jake threw themselves out of the path of one of the flying creature’s fireballs. It blasted against the polished wood of the gym floor, leaving a scorch mark in its wake. The three were scattered, cut off from each other, and Mrs. Padilla’s bear-form was staggering toward Lani, who had lost her knife under the bleachers during an attack. She now had only a pistol to defend herself—she might as well have been throwing pebbles at it for all the good it did.

The bear was awkward, clumsy on two legs, but it made up for that fact with its sheer size and power. Jake had gone in search of Lani’s knife and was now trapped behind the bleachers. Mrs. Padilla had spotted him during her advance and took a moment to tear the bleachers to shreds. Jake ducked and tumbled out the side where Dumaat was waiting. Sally watched helplessly as it readied itself for an attack.

Sally scrambled beneath another set of bleachers and readied her crossbow. She missed, but it was enough to distract the creature. Jake gave her an appreciative bow and scurried off to find shelter.

Dumaat caught Sally by surprise and knocked her to the floor. Most of her remaining arrows now lay sprawled across the court and if she took the time to retrieve them she’d be toast for sure. Dumaat had already twisted overhead and was facing her once more. Sally darted for cover, barely missing the creature’s razor sharp claws.

Mrs. Padilla had Jake and Lani pinned, defenseless—Sally saw that Lani’s pistol was out of reach. Jake screamed, raising an arm to protect himself as the bear swiped at him.

Frantically, Sally loaded her last arrow into the crossbow as Dumaat attacked again. She was forced to take cover. As long as that thing was flying around, there was no way she could rescue Jake and Lani.

With a loud bang, the doors to the gym flew open. Yasif stood silhouetted in the entrance, his bow raised and ready to attack. Sally had been so busy with the fight, she hadn’t even noticed he was gone. He released an arrow with blinding speed, hitting one of Mrs. Conley’s wings and sending her crashing into the bleachers. She’d managed to let loose a ball of fire, but her aim had been thrown and it sailed harmlessly past Sally. He released another into the bear’s thick shoulder, and it stumbled back a couple paces. It let out a terrible roar as it reached over with the opposite paw. It changed into something more resembling a human hand and it pulled the arrow out. It wasted no time, immediately charging toward Yasif.

He’d been ready, however. He released another arrow, which lodged in her flank. She growled angrily and backed away. Sally noticed this arrow was different. It wasn’t one of the one’s they’d bought.

“Tranquilizers,” Yasif said with a smile. “The archery club apparently doesn’t play around when they go on their hunts.”

“You saved my life!” Sally drew him into a hug.

She wasn’t sure how long the bear would be out of commission, but she wasn’t wasting any time. Sally faced the shape-shifters. “Now you’re going to listen to me!”

Mrs. Padilla bellowed angrily, but Sally could tell the drugs were affecting her. Dumaat was hurt as well and hadn’t yet recovered from the damage to its wing.