The Return: Shadow Souls

Caroline was still giggling in that childish way, as if she were a little girl and someone had just told her a naughty joke.

Bonnie felt cold sweat break out all over her body at once. Fine hairs lifted on her arms.

“What are you hearing, Caroline?” Meredith wet her lips. Bonnie could see that she was trying to hold Caroline’s eyes, but the copper-haired girl turned away. “Is it…Shinichi?” Meredith moved forward suddenly and grasped Caroline’s arms. “You used to see and hear him when you looked in the mirror. Do you hear him all the time now, Caroline?”

Bonnie wanted to help Meredith. She did. But she couldn’t have moved or spoken for anything.

There were — gray threads — in Caroline’s hair. Gray hairs, Bonnie thought. They shone dully, much lighter than the flaming auburn Caroline was so proud of. And there were…other hairs that didn’t shine at all. Bonnie had seen this brindled coloration on dogs; she knew vaguely that some wolves must look the same. But it was really something else to see them in your girlfriend’s hair. Especially when they seemed to bristle and quiver, lifting like the hackles of a dog….

She’s mad. Not angry mad; insane mad, Bonnie realized.

Caroline looked up, not at Meredith, but straight into Bonnie’s eyes. Bonnie flinched. Caroline was gazing at her as if considering whether or not Bonnie were dinner or just garbage.

Meredith stepped to stand beside Bonnie. Her fists were clenched.

“Don’t starrre,” Caroline said abruptly, and turned away. Yes, that was definitely a snarl.

“You really wanted us to see you, didn’t you?” Meredith said softly. “You’re — flaunting yourself in front of us. But I think that maybe this is your way of asking for help—”

“Harrrrdly!”

“Caroline,” Bonnie said suddenly, amazed by a wave of pity that swamped her, “please try to think. Remember back when you said you needed a husband? I—” She broke off and swallowed. Who was going to marry this monster, who a few weeks ago had looked like a normal teenage girl?

“I understood you back then,” Bonnie finished lamely. “But, honestly, it won’t do any good to keep on saying Matt attacked you! No one…” She couldn’t bring herself to say the obvious.

No one will believe something like you.

“Oh, I clean up rrrreal prrretty,” Caroline growled and then giggled. “You’d be surprrrised.”

In her mind’s eye, Bonnie saw the old insolent flash of Caroline’s emerald gaze, the sly and secretive expression on her face, and the shimmering of her auburn hair.

“Why pick on Matt?” Meredith demanded. “How did you know he was attacked by a malach that night? Did Shinichi send it after him just for you?”

“Or did Misao?” Bonnie said, remembering that it was the female of the twin kitsune, the fox spirits, who had spoken the most to Caroline.

“I went out on a date with Matt that night.” Suddenly Caroline’s voice was a singsong, as if she were reciting poetry — badly. “I didn’t mind kissing him — he’s so cute. I guess that’s when he got the hickey on his neck. I guess I might have bitten his lip a little.”

Bonnie opened her mouth, felt Meredith’s restraining hand on her shoulder, and shut it again.

“But then he just went crazy,” Caroline lilted on. “He attacked me! I scratched him with my fingernails, all up and down one arm. But Matt was too strong. Much too strong. And now—”

And now you’re going to have puppies, Bonnie wanted to say, but Meredith squeezed her shoulder and she stopped herself again. Besides, Bonnie thought with a sudden twinge of alarm, the babies might look human, and there might only be twins, as Caroline herself had said. Then what would they do?

Bonnie knew the way adult minds worked. Even if Caroline couldn’t dye her hair back to auburn, they would say, look what stress she’s been under: she’s actually going prematurely gray!

And even if the adults saw Caroline’s bizarre appearance and strange behavior, as Bonnie and Meredith just had, they would dismiss it as being due to shock. Oh, poor Caroline, her whole personality has changed since that day. She’s so frightened of Matt that she hides under her desk. She won’t wash herself — maybe that’s a common symptom after what she’s been through.

Besides who knew how long it would take these werewolf babies to be born? Maybe the malach inside Caroline could control that, make it seem to be like a normal pregnancy.

And then suddenly Bonnie was snatched away from her own thoughts to tune into Caroline’s words. Caroline was through growling for the moment. She sounded almost like the old Caroline, offended and nasty, as she said, “I just don’t understand why you should take his word over mine.”

“Because,” Meredith said flatly, “we know both of you. We would have known if Matt had been dating you — and he wasn’t. And he’s hardly the kind of guy to just show up at your front door, especially when you consider how he felt about you.”

“But you’ve already said that this monster that attacked him—”

“Malach, Caroline. Learn the word. You’ve got one inside you!”

Caroline smirked and waved a hand, dismissing this. “You said these things can possess you and make you do things out of character, right?”

There was a silence. Bonnie thought, if we have said it, we’ve never said it in front of you.

“Well, what if I admitted that Matt and I weren’t dating? What if I said that I found him driving around our neighborhood at about five miles an hour, just looking lost. His sleeve was torn to pieces and his arm was all chewed up. So I took him inside my house and tried to bandage his arm — but suddenly he went crazy. And I did try to scratch him, but the bandages were in the way. I scratched them off him. I even still have them, all covered in blood. If I told you that, what would you say?”

I’d say that you were using us as a dry run before telling Sheriff Mossberg, Bonnie thought, chilled. And I’d say that you were right, you probably can clean up pretty normal looking when you make an effort. If you’d just stop that childish giggling and get rid of the crafty look, you’d be even more convincing.

But Meredith was speaking. “Caroline — they’ve got DNA tests for blood.”

“Of course I know that!” Caroline looked so indignant that for a moment she forgot to look sly.

Meredith was staring at her. “That means they can tell if the bandages you’ve got have Matt’s blood on them or not,” she said. “And if it flows in the right pattern to match your story.”

“There isn’t any pattern. The bandages are just soaked.” Abruptly, Caroline strode over to a dresser and opened it, plucking out a length of what might have originally been athletic bandage. Now it shone reddish in the faint light.

Looking at the stiff fabric in the ruby light, Bonnie knew two things. It wasn’t any part of the poultice that Mrs. Flowers had put on Matt’s arm the morning after he’d been attacked. And it was soaked with genuine blood, right to the stiff tips of the cloth.

The world seemed to be spinning around. Because even though Bonnie believed in Matt, this new story scared her. This new story might even work—provided that no one could find Matt and test his blood.

Even Matt admitted that there was time unaccounted for that night…time he couldn’t remember.

But that didn’t mean Caroline was telling the truth! Why would she start out with a lie, and only change it when the facts got in the way?

Caroline’s eyes were the color of a cat’s. Cats play with mice, just for amusement. Just to see them run.

Matt had run….

Bonnie shook her head. All at once she couldn’t stand this house any longer. It had somehow settled into her mind, making her accept all the impossible angles of the distorted walls. She had even grown accustomed to the awful smell and the red light. But now, with Caroline holding out a blood-soaked bandage and telling her that it was Matt who had bled all over it…

“I’m going home,” Bonnie announced suddenly. “And Matt didn’t do it, and — and I’m never coming back!” Accompanied by the sound of Caroline’s giggling, she whirled, trying not to look at the nest Caroline had made under her corner desk. There were empty bottles and half-empty plates of food piled in there with the clothes. Anything could be under them — even a malach.

But as Bonnie moved, the room seemed to move with her, accelerating her spin, until she had gone twice