Growing Wildflowers | WLW

Arrowhead

Leroy and Leah track me with their eyes as I pass their table. I nod for them to follow me, and they do. They're too fast, too quiet. They're terrible at blending in. Maybe they could pass in Los Angeles with the humans who pretend to be us, but in small town, white picket fenced, Bolton? No way. They follow too close to me. I can feel the air around them go cold, or maybe it's all in my head.

I don't know where I'm going but I continue walking until the white light from the front of the building shifts to shadows. The books back here are kept on the shelves that you can spin to open different aisles. It's not closed to the public but, regardless, no one is in this section of the building.

"She knows about us," I say. "She just told me."

Leroy tilts his head. "She told you so easily?"

I swallow, nod. Not really. "I can kill her now. Or...are you guys going to take care of that since you're the professionals?"

Leah takes a step closer, narrowing her eyes. "What did she say exactly?"

"She told me something supernatural killed her friends. She asked me to help her figure out what it was." I watch their faces closely.

Leroy folds his hands in front of him. "That's not..." He shakes his head.

"Kill her," Leah orders.

"What?" Leroy's head snaps in her direction. "Absolutely not."

She turns her body so she's only speaking to Leroy. "We have enough on our plate as it is. We don't have time to babysit a newborn all day. "We kill her, blame it on the werewolves, and move on," Leah argues.

"Oh, please. As if we leave our victims even half as mutilated as those dogs. Besides..." Leroy pulls his white gloves off and tucks them under his arm. "We need to keep the kill count down in Bolton County before this gets out of control."

"It already is out of control," Leah snaps. "We have vampires on the loose, killing whoever they come into contact with, the city is swarming with hunters, and how long before our connections at the police department have had enough and tell the public what's really going on?"

"I agree with Leah," I chime in. My voice is small and the intensity of Leroy's stare as his eyes snap to my face makes me want to sink within myself. "I don't want to be in this town with a hunter on the loose and I think it would be better if we kill her before she starts spreading rumors about us." I pause, dig deep for what they might want to hear. "I mean... How long will it take for her to figure out it's vampires who killed her friends if she already suspects it's something supernatural?"

"Well, unfortunately, child—"

"Actions have consequences," Leah interrupts, leaning toward me like an animal intimidating their prey. "And you don't get a say in how this works. You don't get to simply kill the target because you messed up in the forest." She steps closer to me. "You will obey our commands and do exactly as we say. Nothing more, nothing less. Do you understand?"

My chest clenches. "So, this is all just some kind of game? A test to see if I can survive while meeting your bullshit expectations?"

They shake their heads in unison.

"You're not even nearly correct," Leroy says.

I stare at him, cross my arms over my chest, but I don't speak. I don't know what to say anymore. In the beginning, they claimed they wanted her dead. They said they just needed proof. I've given them the proof they want. Jamie knows something is going on. How long before she connects the senseless killing at that wedding with her friends in the forest?