Night World : Huntress Chapter 4

Rule Number One of dungeon with humans. Always wash the blood mop up before coming in the house.Jez stood at the discover access faucet, icy-cold water splashing over her hands. She was scrubbing- spikeorial bearingfully-a huge, slim thorn do of split bamboo, with a cutting edge as snappy as glass. When it was clean, sheslipped it into her in effect(p) knee-high boot. thus she daubed water over some(prenominal) stains on her T-shirt andjeans and scrubbed them with a fingernail. Fin wholey she whipped out a pocket mirror and examined herface critically.The girl who looked back didnt much gibe the wild, laughing huntress who had leaped from tree totree in Muir Woods. Oh, the features were the same the height of cheekb maven, the trim vote down of chin. Theyhad flush picturesqued out a bit because she was a year older. The expiration flag of hair was the same, too, althoughnow it was pulled back in an attempt to castigate its fiery disorder. The difference was in the ex pression,which was sadder and wiser than Jez had ever imagined she could be, and in the eyes.The eyes werent as sil really as they had been, non as dangerously beautiful. But that was scarce to beexpected. She had discovered that she didnt indigence to drink blood as long as she didnt use her lamiapowers. Human food kept her alive-and do her look more(prenominal) human.One other thing about the eyes. They were scarily vulnerable, even to Jez. No matter how she tried tomake them hard and menacing, they had the wound look of a deer that knows its going to die andaccepts it. Some periods she wondered if that was an omen.Well. No blood on her face. She shoved the mirror back in her pocket. She was mostly presentable, if super late for dinner. She off the faucet off and headed for the back door of the low, wholesaleranch house.Everyone looked up as she came in.The family was in the kitchen, consume at the oak table with the w sume trim, under the bright fluorescentlight. The TV was ruinous cheerfully from the family room. Uncle Jim, her mothers brother, was munchingtacos and leafing through the mail. He had red hair apparitioner than Jezs and a long face that looked nighas medieval as Jezs mothers had. He was usually off in a gentle, worried dream somewhere. right away hewaved an envelope at Jez andgazed at her reproachfully, plainly he couldnt prescribe anything because his mouth was full.aunt grannyami was on the phone, drinking a diet Coke. She was small, with dark shiny hair and eyes that rancid to crescents when she smiled. She open(a) her mouth and frowned at Jez, entirely couldnt pleadanything, all.Ricky, who was ten, had carroty hair and expressive eyebrows. He gave Jez a big smile that showedchewed-up taco in his mouth and state, HiJez smiled back. No matter what she did, Ricky was in that location for her.Claire, who was Jezs age, was sitting primly, eating bits of taco with her fork. She looked corresponding a smallerversion of Aun t naan, entirely with a very exercise expression.Where have you been? she verbalise. We waited dinner almost an hour for you and you never evencalled.Sorry, Jez said, spirit at all of them. It was such an incredibly normal family scene, so alltypical, and it struck her to the heart.It was over a year since she had walked out of the Night serviceman to find these people, her mothers relatives. It was eleven and a half months since Uncle Jim had taken her in, non penetrating anything abouther shut that she was his orphaned niece and that her fathers family couldnt handle her anymore andhad given up on her. All these months, she had lived with the Goddard family- and she still didnt fit in.She could look human, she could act human, but she couldnt be human.Just as Uncle Jim swallowed and got his mouth clear to speak to her, she said, Im not hungry. I thinkIll in force(p) go do my homework.Uncle Jim called, Wait a minute, subsequently her, but it was Claire who slammed down her napkin andactually followed Jez through the house to the other side of the house.What do you mean, Sorry? You do this any day. Youre always fade half the time you stayout until after midnight, and then(prenominal) you dont even have an explanation.Yeah, I know, Claire. Jez answered without looking back. Illtry to do better.You aver that every time. And every time its exactly the same. Dont you realize that my p atomic number 18nts worryabout you? Dont you even care?Yes, I care, Claire.You dont act like it. You act like rules dont apply to you. And you say sorry, but youre dear going todo it again.Jez had to keep herself from turning near and snapping at her cousin. She desire everyone else in thefamily, but Claire was a royal pain.Worse, she was a shrewd royal pain. And she was right Jez was going to do it again, and there was noway she could explain.The thing was, vampire hunters have to keep weird hours.When youre on the trail of a vampire-and-shapeshifter killing te am, as Jez had been this evening, chasingthem through the slums ofOakland , trying to scramble them cornered in some crack housewhere there arent lower-ranking kids to conk out hurt, you dont think about missing dinner. You dont stop in the pose of staking the un utterly to phone home.Maybe I shouldnt have make out a vampire hunter, Jez thought. But its a little late to change now, andsomebodys got to protect these stupid- these sincere humans from the Night World.Oh, well.Shed reached the door of her bedroom. Instead of yelling at her cousin, she simply half turned and said,Why dont you go work on your net page, Claire? thence she opened the door and glanced inside.And froze.Her room, which she had left in military neatness, was a shambles. The window was wide open. Papersand clothes were scattered across the floor. And there was a very large ghoul standing at the leg it of the bed.The ghoul opened its mouth menacingly at Jez.Oh, very funny, Claire was saying, right behind her. Maybe I should help you with your homework. Ihear youre not doing so great in chemistry-Jez moved fast, stepping nimbly inside the door and slamming it in Claires face, pressing the little knob inthe handle to absorb it.Hey flat Claire sounded really mad. Thats rudeUh, sorry, Claire Jez faced the ghoul. What was it doing here? If it had followed her home, she was in abominable trouble. That meant the Night Worldknew where she was. You know, Claire, I think I really need to be alone for a little while-I cant talkand do my homework. She took a step toward the creature, watching its reaction.Ghouls were semi-vampires. They were what happened to a human who was bled out but didnt getquite enough vampire blood in exchange to be suffice a true vampire. They were undead but rotting. Theyhad very little mind, and only one idea in the world to drink blood, which they usually did by eating asmuch of a human body as possible. They liked hearts.This ghoul was a new one, about two weeks d ead. It was male and looked as if it had been abody-builder, although by now it wasnt so much buff as puffed. Its body was swollen with the gas ofdecomposition. Its tongue and eyes were protruding, its cheeks were chipmunk-like, and bloody legatowas leaking from its nose.And of course it didnt olfactory sensation good.As Jez edged restrictingr, she suddenly realized that the ghoul wasnt alone. She could now see slightly thefoot of the bed, and there was a boy lying on the carpet, apparently unconscious. The boy had light hairand mess up clothes, but Jez couldnt see his face. The ghoul was stooping over him, reaching for himwith allantoid fingers.I dont think so, Jez told it softly. She could feel a dangerous smile subsiding on her face. She reachedinto her right boot and pulled out the sticker.What did you say? Claire shouted from the other side of the door.Nothing, Claire. Just getting out my homework. Jez jumped onto the bed The ghoul was very big-sheneeded all the height she could get.The ghoul turned to face her, its lackluster bugeyes on the dagger. It made a little hissing sound well-nighits swollen tongue. Fortunately that was all the upset it could make.Claire was rattling the door. Did you lock this? What are you doing in there?Just studying, Claire. Go away. Jez snapped a foot toward the ghoul, transmitted it under the chin. Sheneeded to stun it and stake it fast Ghouls werent smart, but like the Energizer Bunny they kept going andgoing. This one could eat the immaculate Goddard family tonight and still be hungry at dawn. The ghoul hit the wall opposite the bed. Jez jumped down, putting herself between it and the boy on thefloor.What was that noise? Claire yelled. I dropped a book.The ghoul swung. Jez ducked. There were giant blisters on its ordnance store, the chromatic color of old blood.It rushed her, trying to slam her against the chest of drawers. Jez flung herself backward, but she didnthave much room to maneuver. It caught her i n the stomach with an elbow, a collide blow.Jez wouldnt let herself double over. She twisted and helped the ghoul in the direction it was alreadygoing, giving it impetus with her foot. It smacked into the window seat, facedown.What is going on in there?Just looking for something. Jez moved before the ghoul could recover, jumping to vagabond its legs. Shegrabbed its hair-not a good idea it came off in clumps in her hand. rest on it to keep it still, sheraised the sum bamboo lingua high and brought it down hard.There was a puncturing sound and a terrible smell. The knife had penetrated just under the shoulderblade, six inches into the heart.The ghoul convulsed once and halt pitiable.Claires representative came piercingly from behind the closed door. Mom Shes doing something in there consequently Aunt grannies voice Jez, are you all right?Jez stood, pulling her bamboo dagger out, wiping it on the ghouls shirt. Im just having a little troublefinding a ruler. The ghoul was in a p erfect position. She put her arms around its waist, ignoring thefeeling of skin slipping loose under her fingers, and heaved it up onto the window seat. There werentmany human girls who could have picked up almost two hundred pounds of dead weight, and even Jezended up a little breathless. She gave the ghoul a shove, rolling it over until it reached the open window,then she stuffed and maneuvered it out. It fell heavily into a bed of impatiens, squashing the flowers.Good. Shed haul it away subsequently tonight and dispose of it.Jez caught her breath, brushed off her hands, and closed the window. She drew the curtains shut, thenturned. The fair-haired boy was lying perfectly still. Jez touched his back gently, see that he wasbreathing.The door rattled and Claires voice rose hysterically. Mom, do you smell that smell?Aunt gran called, JezComing Jez glanced around the room. She needed something there. The bed.Grabbing a handful of material near the head of the bed, she flipped comfo rter, blankets and sheets overso they trailed off the foot, completely covering the boy. She tossed a couple of pillows on top of the smokestack for good measure, then grabbed a ruler off the desk. Then she opened the door, leaned against thedoorframe casually, and summoned her brightest smile.Sorry about that, she said. What can I do for you?Claire and Aunt Nan just stared at her.Claire looked like a rumpled, angry kitten. The fine dark hair that framed her face was ruffled she wasbreathing hard, and her amygdaliform eyes were flashing sparks. Aunt Nan looked more worried anddismayed. be you okay? she said, leaning in slightly to try and get a look at Jezs room. We hear a lot ofnoise.And youd have heard more earlier if you hadnt been watching TV. Im fine. Im great. You know howit is when you cant find something. Jez liftedthe ruler. Then she stepped back and opened the door farther.Aunt Nans eyes widened as she took in the mess. Jez this does not happen when you cant find aruler. This looks like Claires room.Claire made a choked sound of indignation. It does not. My rooms never been this bounteous. And whatsthat smell? She slipped by Aunt Nan and advanced on Jez, who sidestepped to keep her from getting tothe pile of blankets.Claire stopped dead anyway, her face wrinkling. She put a hand to cover her nose and mouth. Its you,she said, pointing at Jez. You smell like that.Sorry. It was true what with all the contact shed had with the ghoul, and the dirty knife in her boot,she was pretty ripe. I think I stepped in something on the way home.I didnt smell anything when you came in, Claire said suspiciously.And thats another thing, Aunt Nan said. She had been glancing around the room, but there wasnothing suspicious to see except the unusual clutter-the curtains hung motionless over the shut windowthe pile of bedding material on the floor was still. Now she turned to face Jez again. You didnt call to say youwere going to miss dinner again. I need to know where you go after school, Jez. I need to know whenyoure going to be out late. Its common courtesy.I know. Ill remember next time. I really will. Jez said it as sincerely as possible, and in a tone shehoped would close the subject. She needed to get rid of these people and look at the boy under theblankets. He might be seriously hurt.Aunt Nan was nodding. Youd better. And youd better take a shower before you do anything else. do your clothes in the laundry room Ill put them in the wash. She made as if to kiss Jez on thecheek, but stopped, wrinkled her nose, and then just nodded again at her.And thats it? Thats all? Claire was looking at her mother in disbelief. Mom, shes up to something,cant you see that? She comes in late, smelling like dead dummy and sewage and I dont know what, andthen she locks herself in and bangs around and lies, and all youre going to say is Dont do it again? She gets away with everything around here-Claire, quit it. She said she was sorry. Im sure she wont let it happen again.If I did something like that youd skin me, but, no, if Jez does it, it must be okay. Well, Ill tell yousomething else. She cut school today. She left before one-sixth period.Is that true, Jez? a new voice asked. Uncle Jim was standing in the doorway, pulling at his chin withlong fingers. He looked sad.It was true. Jez had left early to set up a trap for the vampire and shapeshifter. She looked at her uncleand made a no-good motion with her head and shoulders.Jez, you just cant do that. Im trying to be reasonable, but this is only the second week of school.You cant start this kind of behavior again. It cant be like last year. He thought. From now on, youleave your motorcycle at home. You drive to school and back with Claire, in the Audi.Jez nodded. Okay, Uncle Jim, she said out loud. Now go away, she added silently. Thin curls ofanxiety were churning in her stomach.Thank you. He smiled at her.See? Claire jumped in, her voice hitting a note to cashier glass. This is j ust what Im talking about Younever yell at her, either Is it because youre afraid shell run away, like she did from her dads relatives?So everybody has to walk on eggshells around her because otherwise shell just take off-Okay, thats it. Im not listening to any more of this. Aunt Nan waved a hand at Claire, then turnedaround to shoo Uncle Jim out of her path. Tm going to clean up the dinner table. If you two want to fight,do it quietly.No, its better if they do their homework, Uncle Jim said, moving slowly. Both of you, do yourhomework, okay? He looked at Jez in a way that was probably meant to be commanding, but came outwistful. And tomorrow come home on time.Jez nodded. Then both adults were gone, but Claire was staring after them. Jez couldnt be sure, but shethought there were tears in her eyes.Jez felt a pang. Of course, Claire was dead on about the leeway Aunt Nan and Uncle Jim gave her. Andof course, it wasnt fair to Claire.I should say something to her. Poor little thing. Sh e really feels bad.But before she could open her mouth, Claire whirled around. The eyes that had been wet a event agowere flashing.You just wait, she said. They dont see through you, but I do. Youre up to something, and Im goingto find out what it is. And dont think I cant do it.She turned and stalked out the door. Jez stood for an instant, speechless, then she blinked and closed the door. She locked it. And then forthe first time since shed seen the ghoul, she allowed herself to let out a long breath.That had been close. And Claire was serious, which was going to be a problem. But Jez didnt have timeto think about it now.She turned the measure radio on her nightstand to a rock station. A loud one. Then she flipped the coversoff the foot of the bed and knelt.The boy was lying facedown, with one arm stretched over his head. Jez couldnt see any blood. Shetook his shoulder and carefully rolled him over.And stopped breathing.Hugh.