Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

" W hat?" Paige cried. "Just a second, what's that supposed to mean?'

The Banshee repeated her warning. "You'll die, you'll die, you'll die."

"Yeah, I got that part. But what I don't understand is why you're saying it."

She shrugged. "I'm just the messenger." With that, she faded from their view.

"What–Hey!" Paige raced forward and waved her hands in the air where the Banshee had once stood. "Where did she go? Banshee? Banshee! Get back here right now and explain yourself!"

"I don't think that's going to do it, Paige." Dewey shook his head as he flew over to land on her shoulder. "Besides, now she's probably mad that you called her Banshee after you ran her over."

"I couldn't help that! How was I supposed to know a Banshee would be roaming around on the street."

"Well, it is Scotland."

Paige shot him an unimpressed glance .

"What? And plus, like I said, you ran over here calling her Banshee. Come on, Paige."

"Well…I didn't know they had names."

"Really? Do you? Or do you think the Banshee should run around saying Human? Human!"

Paige rolled her eyes. "Whatever, she's gone. After delivering that dire message, she just up and leaves. I can't believe this."

"I can."

Paige eyed him. "Why? Do you know something I don't about this trip?"

"No. But…" Dewey crinkled his brow as he stared at Paige. "That's literally what Banshees do. They spread dire news about death and stuff. Do you really not know that?"

"I…no, how could I know that?"

"It's like basic knowledge, even in the human world. People talk about Banshees. It's not like it's hidden."

"Well, it's sort of hidden. People don't believe they are real."

"Whatever. I really feel you should have at least known the details about them being harbingers of death and bad things. That's on you."

Paige blew out a sigh as they returned to the car. "So, at least it was just her being a typical Banshee, and we don't need to worry about anything."

Dewey fluttered inside the car and landed on the passenger seat. "Oh, no, we need to worry. They don't just say that because they're all doom and gloom. Whatever they say usually does happen."

Paige froze with her hand hovering over the start button of the car. "Are you serious? So, our mission to St. Philomena's is going to kill us?"

"Sounds like that's a very good possibility. "

Paige stared through the windshield with her jaw agape. "Should we call Ronnie?"

"For what? Every mission we're sent on has a possibility of death. Also known information. It was in your contract. Didn't you read it?"

"I mean, yes," Paige said as she fired the engine. "I just…forgot."

"You forget?" Dewey arched a fleshy eyebrow. "How did you forget you signed a contract that says you'd be sent on deadly missions constantly?"

"I just did, okay?" Paige pulled back onto the road and continued at a slower pace as she fought through the fog.

"You didn't. You didn't remember. You never read it. Admit it. You never read the contract you signed."

"I…" Paige shook her head. "Okay, I didn't. Okay? I got to the part about the pay and was so astounded that I didn't read anymore."

"Blinded by the paycheck. Just like you're blinded by Devon's beefy muscles."

"I am not. I so am not," Paige said, pressing the accelerator down to speed up. "Is it hot in here?"

She fiddled with the controls on the dashboard.

"Nope," Dewey said. "It's because I mentioned Devon."

"No, it isn't. It's hot. Look, the windows are getting fogged."

"Because you're all steamed up over Devon's washboard abs."

"No."

"The chiseled chin with the perfectly trimmed stubble that shows off his dimples."

"Definitely not."

"The impossibly perfect hair. The dark eyes. The bulging biceps."

"Stop. I'm not. That's not the case. "

"Sorry. I just…well, the Paige in my book is definitely falling for all of that. My mind was going to my story."

Paige wrapped her fingers tighter around the steering wheel as more heat washed over her. "Go back to Malice in Wonderland. Stop writing nonsense about me and Devon."

"Why? PNR is a hot niche. I could make a mint. Plus, I could make a series out of it. That's where the real gold is."

Paige flexed her jaw, shaking her head. "Please at least tell me this is a sweet romance."

Dewey screwed up his face. "In PNR? Sweet? Are you crazy?"

Paige heaved a sigh. "Remind me to delete this from your laptop before you can publish it. And, by the way, I thought you changed the names."

Dewey pulled his teal lips in a wince. "Yeah, about that. I couldn't get on board with any other names. I tried so many. Paige just sounded right."

"Please tell me you named Devon something else."

"I tried but…"

Paige smacked the steering wheel. "Oh, come on! Really? Darren."

"No, reminds me of Bewitched."

"Declan."

"Uh-oh, too Irish."

"Dylan."

"Five words: nine-oh-two-one-oh."

Paige shot him a dirty look.

"Look, Paige, face it, the names are perfect. And before you know it, Madelaine Petsch is going to be starring against some hot young heartthrob as she plays Paige Turner on screen."

"You used my last name, too?"

"Yeah, but no one is going to believe that's your real name. I barely believe it, and I've known you for a while. Besides, don't worry. I changed Devon's last name."

"Oh, perfect. That'll throw them off the trail."

"I thought so."

The GPS chimed, and Paige slowed the car and turned onto a narrow road. The tires bounced over the rocky pavement, or what was left of it.

Dewey climbed onto the console and glanced out. "Wow, this road stinks."

"Yep," Paige said as she swerved to avoid a pothole. "Looks like the cemetery is up there."

"Yeah," Dewey agreed as a wrought-iron fence peeked through the fog.

Paige eased the car to a stop in the desolate area. A wrought-iron gate closed off the entrance. Ivy climbed the brick pillars on either side, stretching over to seal the gate shut. The moon lit a solitary, gnarled tree outside the entrance.

They climbed from the car, and Paige wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, that's not creepy at all."

Dewey perched on her shoulder. "This looks awful. No wonder the Banshee warned us. We'll probably die in there."

An owl hooted in the distance, sending a shiver down Paige's spine. "Wow."

"Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse."

Paige retrieved her backpack from the backseat and slung it over one shoulder before she trudged toward the gate. "There has got to be at least one ghost in there."

"I already told you there aren't ghosts."

"There's Banshees but no ghosts. Are you serious?"

"There may be a Banshee in there. But I doubt it. We're more likely to run into a ghoul."

"A ghoul? Like a ghost?"

"Definitely not. In theory, ghosts are just spirits who still roam around. Ghouls are evil spirits who rob graves and feed on dead bodies."

"Ew. How do those exist and not ghosts?" Paige wrapped her fingers around the cold, wet metal of the fence and tugged. The hinges protested with a creak, but the gate didn't budge.

"It's sealed shut by the ivy." Dewey pointed a claw at the tendrils curling around the iron and stretching from one side of the gate to the other.

"Of course, it is." Paige shifted the backpack and dug inside for a knife. She exposed the blade and began hacking at the ivy stretched between the gates.

After cutting through the top layers, she squatted down to work on the bottom. "There," she said as she sheathed the knife and rose. Her jaw dropped open as she stared at the work she'd done moments ago. All the ivy had repaired itself.

"I just cut this!" she cried.

"Lick it," Dewey said.

Paige screwed up her face. "What? No. Why are you always telling me to lick things?"

"Just slice it open and take a lick. If it tastes like strawberries, it means it's supercharged smart ivy. We'll never get through it. It'll just regrow in seconds."

Paige stared at the plant. "I think we can safely assume it's smart ivy. It's regrown in seconds already."

"Well," Dewey said with a wince, "we really should check. Because it could also be fast-growing smart ivy."

"Okay, why do we care about the difference between them?"

"Well, supercharged smart ivy will just regrow in seconds and stop us from getting through. Fast-growing smart ivy will regrow in seconds, then try to attack the person who hurt it. So, before we cut–"

"Ah!" Paige tried to leap backward while shaking her foot. Something pulled on her, and she toppled onto her backside. She glanced down at her leg, her eyes going wide. "I think we know which one it is."

"Ow, Paige, watch it. I nearly face-planted into the pavement here." Dewey fluttered down to her ankle. "Oh, yeah. This must be fast-growing smart ivy. It's attacking you."

"Well, get it off me."

"No way. I'm not going to put a target on my back."

Paige grunted as she pulled herself up to sit and tried to unwrap the tendril curling around her leg. "I can't get it."

"I doubt you will. It's not letting go. In a few minutes, it'll have crawled to your thigh. And then, it'll reach out and pull you onto the gate and wrap you up like a mummy."

"Do something!" Paige shouted as she tugged at the plant. She retrieved her knife and held over the ivy stretched between her leg and the gate.

"No," Dewey warned. "You'll just make it mad."

"It's already mad. I have to get it off of me."

"There are better ways."

Paige shot him a terrified glance. "Like what?"

"Well, we could create a serum that would reduce its growth rate, then try to attack it."

"Do we have the stuff for that?"

"No. I could use the magical generator though. But it would take hours to make everything."

Paige groaned as she slapped a hand against her forehead. "Are you kidding me? Dewey, we have to stop this. It's almost to my knee. That's it, I'm hacking it."

The moment the words left her mouth, another tendril shot out from the gate and wrapped around her neck.

Her eyes went round as she clutched at the vine around her throat. The knife clattered to the pavement as she grabbed at her attacker .

"Whoa. I told you about threatening it," Dewey said with a shake of his head.

"Help me," she said in a hoarse voice before she choked out a cough before gasping for more air. Her tail swished behind her as she fought to breathe.

Dewey fluttered around above her, rubbing his chin. "Let's see. What's the best way to go about this?"

"Cut it," she hissed. "Cut it!"

Dewey flicked his gaze to the knife before he returned it to Paige. "I really don't want to. It's mad enough. It'll smother me in seconds."

"Dewey!" she choked.

"Wow, you're not green anymore. Now, you're blue."

Paige's eyes rolled as she tugged against the ever-tightening vine wrapped three times around her neck.

"You're right," Dewey said as he grabbed the knife from the ground. "There's no time for delicacy."

The knife gleamed in the moonlight as Dewey hacked at the first piece of ivy connected to Paige's neck before he moved on to slice the one wrapped around her ankle.

Paige scrambled backward the second she was free, racing back to the car and flinging the door open before she dove inside. She waved for Dewey to enter before she slammed the door shut.

"I can't believe this," she cried, ripping the remaining tendrils from around her body and throwing them out the door before she closed it again.

"You and me both. I just cut into a fast-growing smart ivy. And lived to tell the tale. We're definitely winning best library team again this year."

Paige shook her head as she shifted the backpack, still dangling from one shoulder, onto her lap. "Okay, let's drive around and try to find another entrance or something."

"Good idea. One without ivy. "

Paige nodded before she tossed the backpack over the console and into the backseat. With a foot on the brake, she pushed the start button. The engine hummed to life.

"Let's blow this popsicle stand."

"And find another entrance to it where the popsicles are a better flavor."

"Right." Paige shifted into reverse and twisted to glance over her shoulder.

"Why aren't you using the backup camera?" Dewey asked.

"What?"

He poked a claw at the console. "The backup camera. It's not 1901, Paige. You don't have to look behind you through the rear windshield to back up."

"I don't know. I just…fine." She shifted her gaze to the console and lifted her foot from the brake, expecting to drift back. Nothing happened.

"Gas is on the right," Dewey said.

She let her eyes slide closed as she bit her tongue before she eased her foot against the accelerator. The engine revved but the car didn't go anywhere.

"What the hell?"

"Did you leave the parking brake on?" Dewey asked.

Paige checked the dash and the push-button brake. "No, it's not on."

"Try again."

Paige pushed her foot against the accelerator. The engine screamed, but they didn't budge. "What is wrong with this stupid car?"

"Maybe you're stuck on something. Like a rock."

"I didn't drive over a rock. I would have known that."

"Well, there's some reason we're not moving, Sherlock. What else could it be?"

Paige pushed the button to lower the window and stuck her head out into the misty air. Her jaw dropped open, and her eyes went round. She slid back inside the vehicle and closed the window as she stared at the logo on the steering wheel.

"Well? What's the problem?"

"The ivy…it's attacking the car. It's all wrapped around the bumper."

"Seriously?" Dewey buried his face in his paws. "OMG, it's going to kill us."