Chapter 19

19

VIOLET

Our search ends in failure. We can't find any magic or a single item in the woods, related to Holly or not. Rowan and Leif grumble that they got soaked for no reason. At least visiting the café doesn't involved traipsing around in the rain, so they can now cease their complaints.

We choose the café that's open latest in the evening, close to the edge of the town, a short walk from the park and playground leading to the woods. The shifter's presumed route from the scene led to several possible exits from the woods, but Grayson believes that the trail ends at the exit closest to the town, not in the direction of the shifter community.

Shifters aren't welcome in the town, nor will their elders allow them to visit. With no reports from the elders demanding where one of their own is, the missing shifter may not be from the area at all, which won't help.

I stir my coffee, deep in thought, until Leif places a hand over my fingers to stop the noise, and I place the spoon down. "I've seen him. The shifter."

"Just then? Like scrying?" Leif asks.

Rowan chuckles.

"Scrying with coffee? Don't be absurd. Remember I told you about the person visiting the ward this morning, while we spoke to the delightful detectives? He asked about Holly's welfare." I shift to face Leif. "Do all hospital visitors bring inmates cards and gifts?"

He half-smiles at me asking him as the expert on gift giving. "Yeah. Usually."

"This person did not. Neither did he wish to leave a message. I've concluded that's unusual for visitors."

"Local or academy kid?" asks Grayson.

"Not academy, and not in high school uniform. I hypothesize that this male person is the shifter who ran last night, and he was enquiring about Holly's welfare."

Leif sinks back. "Huh. Unlikely. That's an odd and risky move. The detectives were there and would've questioned him if they'd seen the guy."

"Still, he could be the missing shifter, and that's why he didn't hang around," says Rowan. "What did he look like?"

"Darker skin than you and hair in that style." I point across the café to a group pretending not to watch us, including a guy with his head shaved and left longer on top. "But not him."

"Was he a definitely a shifter?" asks Leif.

"The stench of the hospital interfered, so I'm making a presumption." I continue to unsubtly study the human group. "I haven't seen Kai on any occasion recently. Is he under curfew again?"

Rowan shrugs. "Or he left town? His dad was pretty pissed that night at the party."

"I do hope Kai has not left now that he's aware of the danger to his life."

"Another reason Kai might leave. To escape the threat," Leif suggests.

I pull a disparaging face. "You of all people know that running from a supernatural threat is pointless."

"Violet!" says Rowan in hushed shock.

"Apologies, Leif. Excuse me." I abruptly stand and approach the table of local teens, with Leif immediately at my shoulder.

They're wearing the local school's black and white uniform, school bags beside them. Honesty, I never understand their desire to spend more time with each other. They've already been forced to interact at school for hours on end. Don't they want a break?

A girl with brown hair in a braid sits affectionately close to a guy with a buzzcut and hard expression. Another, beside him, with hair similar to Rowan's, is shoveling fries into his mouth.

"Where is Kai?" I ask. Nobody responds, staring at me with a mix of worry and disdain. "Is he still residing in town?"

Buzz cut guy leans back and links his fingers behind his head. "I heard there're zombies in town."

"Excuse me?"

"Zombie shifters." He tips his chin. "Is that what happens when your necromancy goes wrong?"

I hold his look, not blinking. "I have not utilized my necromancy skills on a shifter, neither do zombies exist."

"My dad's on the council. Heard him talking to Mum about a zombie at the witches' property. The mayor called in your father, but nobody's allowed to talk about it." He gives a smug smile and arches a challenging brow.

His companions don't seem surprised by news of the undead—the guy beside him that I identified earlier snickers, while the girl continues to drink her coffee. The detectives were wrong. News has spread.

"Yet you and your father have spoken," I reply evenly. "And again, zombies don't exist."

"Then what do you call a necromancer's… thing?" asks the girl beside him, genuine interest in her eyes.

"Not a zombie."

"But you control the dead, right?"

I give her a long look. This absurdity is not helpful to me. "Where's Kai? I require a meeting with him to ascertain his physical state."

"Why? Is he a zombie?" The smug guy laughs.

"Don't say that, Dale," says the girl and slaps his arm. "Nobody's seen him since his birthday."

Dale shrugs. "Kai might be at home."

"Hiding from zombies." The second guy puts in, and licks ketchup from his fingers.

I grind my teeth at their continuing mindlessness as Dale and the girl laugh.

Especially because the guy's theory may be true.

"Does the academy lock the zombies up at night in case they start eating brains?" continues the second guy.

"Good grief. How long do your brains usually take to process information? There are no zombies in town, at the academy, or in existence at all."

"You saying my dad's lying?" says Dale and straightens. "What do you think, mate?" He jerks his chin at the silent Leif beside me.

"That you're idiots?" he replies.

I arch a brow at Leif. That would've been my line. But if knowledge about the necromancy spreads around town, even if twisted into tales of horror films, that's a concern. Does Dorian know?

"Holly." I snap my head back to the girl at her speaking my friend's name. "I heard she's in the hospital and nobody can visit."

The wildfire spreads…

"Family only. She's too sick," says Leif.

The second guy whispers to Dale, "The hospital won't allow visitors because they're worried Holly might eat people's brains. She's dead." He slices a finger across his neck.

A shadow sweeps across my vision, and the guy's eyes go wide as I lurch at him. Leif grabs my arms and pulls me backwards.

"Holy shit. Look at her," the guy says hoarsely, eyes darting around for an exit. I bare my teeth, and he practically pole vaults over the bench seats towards the counter.

"Violet." Leif places a palm on my forehead, the warmth and energy grounding me. Slightly. "Ignore them."

"You heard what they said. About Holly."

"It was a joke!" says Dale. "No wonder people don't trust you. Vamps shouldn't go around… vamping at people."

Vamping? "I am not a vampire; I'm?—"

I watch the guy who jumped the seats rushing towards the exit, Grayson and Rowan looking on in confusion between us from their seat in the window, but his swift departure isn't what halts my words.

A guy stands across the street, facing the café, hands in pockets. Rain pours onto him, and I can't see his face or hair beneath the black jacket hood but do recognize the soaked gray trackpants. I drop a look to his black sneakers. The same ones as the guy wore at the hospital.

Why is he watching us?

Forget moronic humans and their zombie obsession; I need to get my hands on that person.