Girlwood (14 page)

But what if Bree didn't answer? What if it
had
been her mom pretending to be the fairy queen and replying to Polly's notes? What if Baba didn't know where Bree was, what if Bree was just a girl with a death wish, what if life was as merciless and magic-less as that?

Polly had cramps now, terrible ones just below her navel. She looked at the note in her hand, then tossed it into the flames. The moment it ignited, she threw in the jacket too. The coat melted rather than burned, sending up a cloud of foul-smelling smoke, and Polly smiled grimly. Without evidence to the contrary, Bree could still be out there. No one could say for sure that she was dead.

The Greek name
Arctostaphylos
means "bear berries" while kinnikinnick is a Native American word that translates as "smoking mixture"The tart, mealy berries are invaluable, remaining edible throughout the coldest part of the year. The plant helps alleviate inflammations of the urinary and digestive tracts.

Polly didn't tell her friends that she burned the jacket. In fact, she asked them not to mention the discovery of Bree's coat at all. Not only would it cause her parents more grief, she explained, it might bring another posse to the woods, and perhaps even lead to the discovery of Girlwood. It would do nothing to help Bree.

So at lunch they talked of other things, of silver fish and Bridget's wigwam, of a sheltered cave where the sweetroot was still green. At one point they got so loud, John Bender leaned
over from the table he shared with Peter Wendell and asked if they'd become wilderness survivalists. The girls looked at one another, then Bridget said, "We're enjoying the woods while we still can."

"No kidding," John said. "I've been thinking about Mountain Winds ever since the debate. We've got to do something!"

The boys joined the girls' table. Peter had an uncle who worked for a state senator, and he said it wouldn't hurt to give him a call.

"We could circulate a petition," John said.

"And hand out flyers!" Bridget added. "This is great! We can't just sit here and let the Leylands ruin everything. I'll print up something tonight."

***

In the cafeteria the next day, Bridget showed off a flyer with
STOP MOUNTAIN WINDS
printed in bold black ink. Everyone agreed it was perfect until Lily Bentz, a goth girl who rarely spoke to anyone, said it had no punch.

"Oh yeah?" Bridget said. "What do you suggest?"

Lily grabbed the flyer and quickly sketched a disturbing landscape of bare ravaged mountainsides, tombstones, and smoke—absolutely over the top, and a runaway hit. When John asked why Lily wasn't in his advanced art class, the goth
girl actually blushed. Peter said he could make copies at his father's office. Suddenly they had a plan.

"We'll distribute these at school first," Bridget said. "Then go door to door. Maybe even to Carly's house."

Mandy giggled as she bit into an apple. She never ate sweets anymore, not even outside Girlwood. Then suddenly, she stopped laughing. Polly turned to find Carly right behind her, peering over her shoulder at the flyer.

Everyone around them had gone quiet. Then Carly waved her hand dismissively, as if they were too pathetic to be believed.

"Are you going to hang that on the refrigerator?" she asked. "Because Mountain Winds is a done deal. By next spring, you won't recognize the place."

She laughed as she walked away, and with a sinking heart Polly knew that she was right. The mountain had already been sacrificed and sold; builders and lawyers and even her own mother had seen to that. She looked around the table, knowing they were just fooling themselves, yet for some reason Olivia burst out laughing. Even more surprising, Lily grinned too. Then, as if someone had given the signal, the whole table erupted into hysterics. The lunch ladies paused with scoops of rice in their serving spoons.

Carly turned back. "Are you guys drunk or something?" she asked, which only made them laugh more.

"What a bunch of spazzes," Carly said.

As she walked away, Polly looked around the table. "Would someone please tell me what's so funny?"

That started another wave of hysterics. It was five minutes before anyone spoke.

"She started it," Mandy said at last, pointing to Olivia. "I saw her face and—"

"Yeah," Lily said. "It's her fault. I never laugh like that."

Everyone turned to Olivia. She and Polly hadn't spoken much since Polly found Bree's jacket, but now Olivia reached over and took her hand.

"I couldn't help it," Olivia said. "I wasn't sure about Gir—I mean, about the woods, but now I think we've got to fight for it, if only to wipe that smug look off Carly's face."

They all nodded, still giggly and happy, and Polly was horrified to realize she was the only one Facing Facts. She forced a smile, but she couldn't forget how that angelica had died before it even had a chance to save her grandmother, and how it had been Baba herself who told her there are some fights you just can't win.

***

Polly circulated petitions and tried to be hopeful, but even the weather seemed to be on the Leylands' side. A week before Christmas break, exactly eighty days after Bree had disappeared, Laramie got one of those fluky winter warm spells: T-shirt weather in December and perfect conditions for bulldozers. Even when she went into her bedroom and closed the window, Polly heard the rumble of machinery. Every time a picture rattled on the wall, she knew another tree came down.

Yet the mixed-up seasons had done some good. The chickweed started growing again, and, most important, Baba's health improved. The warm sun drew her out to the garden, where Polly could barely make out her rainbow in the dry air.

The last day of school before the Christmas holiday could have passed for spring, and that afternoon Polly and the girls hiked to Girlwood in short sleeves. Mandy caught two fish, and they grilled them over the fire. With a topping of bearberries, which stay edible all winter, they sat down to a feast.

While Mandy doled out pieces of the flaky white trout, Polly went to gather more wood. Loaded up with fallen larch branches, she didn't see the wolves until she was nearly back to the fire.

It appeared to be the same wolf pack as before, led by the black male and the tan female with the gash on her snout. Polly counted eight of them, including one that looked like Bronco, even though he didn't wag his tail or bark. He stopped on some silent command from his leader, ears pricked, tail down, fully transformed.

Mandy, Bridget, and Olivia went on talking, oblivious to the danger creeping in around them. Polly stepped forward, and the leader growled from deep in his throat. The girls stopped talking abruptly, and Mandy's face went pale.

Polly clutched the branches against her chest. "Get into the shelter," she whispered. "Don't run, or they'll chase you."

For a moment, none of them moved, then Bridget slowly got to her feet. The black wolf had a terrifying flaming aura. He was the vicious one, Polly knew, the one to fear. Bridget helped Mandy to her feet, then glanced across the fire at Olivia, who just sat there, mesmerized.

"Go," Polly said.

With one more glance at Olivia, Bridget and Mandy slowly backed into the lean-to. The black wolf bared his teeth.

"Oh my God." Mandy's voice came from the shelter. "Did you see..."

"Sssssh."

Polly knelt down to drop the wood, and the female's ears pricked up. Olivia still hadn't budged. Polly swallowed hard and inched forward, trying not to make any sudden movements. At any moment, the wolves could spring, yet Olivia seemed clueless, smiling as Polly approached.

"Wolves!" she said, her eyes wide.

"No kidding," Polly whispered, grabbing Olivia's arm. "Come on."

Olivia kept twisting and turning. "Is it the same pack?" she asked, not bothering to whisper. "Could that be Bronco? I count eight. How many do you see?"

Polly wanted to strangle her, but she focused on leading Olivia past the last wolf. An unusual rust color and well over a hundred pounds, the animal stood between them and the lean-to, his body low and ready to pounce.

When the fur stood up on the back of the wolf's neck, even Olivia went silent.

"Just walk past it slowly," Polly whispered. "Pretend you're not afraid."

Olivia nodded, though Polly could feel her shaking. Polly nudged her forward, and the wolf crouched lower. Then he sprang.

Polly cried out at the brush of thick fluffy fur against her arm, but the wolf was merely racing past them toward the fire. The leader pair tore into the fish, and while the others waited deferentially for scraps, Polly pushed Olivia into the shelter and fell in after her, her legs weak with terror and relief.

When the food was gone, the female raised her head and looked toward the girls.

Polly tried to keep Olivia back, but she acted like she'd just seen a movie star and wanted a better view. The female stepped forward, low to the ground, and bared her teeth. Polly couldn't believe this was happening—she'd been certain nothing could hurt them in Girlwood.

"Get back," Polly said, but Olivia did just the opposite and stepped out of the shelter.

Olivia and the female faced each other, then something deep and strange rose from Olivia's throat. The wolf tilted her head as if the guttural sound painted a picture in her mind of a wolf in girl's clothing, an ally where an enemy ought to be.

Polly's skin prickled. "Olivia, please!" she whispered.

She should never have spoken. The moment the words left her lips, the black wolf attacked. He charged the shelter, fangs bared, the light around him blazing. Polly barely had time to snatch Olivia back before the female jumped between them. Olivia cried out as the two wolves tore into each other. Everything happened so fast, Polly couldn't make sense of it. The wolves were snarling, then from the entrance to the grove came shouting, footsteps, a gunshot. Something whimpered.

"No!" Olivia screamed.

Olivia rushed forward, but the female was already down. The other wolves and Bronco scattered as Polly's mother and grandmother ran into the grove. Officer Wendt stood over the wolf, aiming his gun at the animal's head to shoot again.

"No!" Olivia cried, throwing herself on the wolf.

"Get away from it!" the officer shouted.

The wolf might have taken Olivia for a kindred spirit, but the animal was wounded now, in a panic to escape. She writhed on the ground, teeth bared and her lethal claws flailing at Olivia's jeans. For a moment, Polly thought the wolf
hadn't broken the skin because Olivia didn't cry out. But as Olivia stood, Polly saw the tear in the fabric and the blood seeping through.

In the fading light, Olivia's eyes were watery with pain. "I can't believe you shot her. She saved us."

Officer Wendt lowered his gun. Baba hung back, her medicine bag slung around her neck, the rainbow around her strong again. Polly's mom's face was ashen, but she was the only one who didn't just stand there. She pushed past Officer Wendt and pulled Olivia from the wolf.

"No!" Olivia said again, squirming. "Don't kill her!"

Polly's mother gripped Olivia's arm and looked at her like she was crazy. "Those wolves were going to kill you!" She turned to Polly. "I got off work early and went to Olivia's to pick you up. Her mother had no idea where you were. Then when we tried Bridget's and Mandy's houses, no one could find any of you!"

Olivia was hysterical, writhing as much as the wolf. They seemed to move in unison, even their bleeding matched drop for drop.

Baba stepped forward. "I think you'd better leave that wolf alone," she said to the policeman. "These girls are upset enough. They don't need you to kill a poor creature right in front of them."

"It's a
wolf,
" the man said. "A goddamn nuisance animal."

Baba stared at him, and even though he was a large man with a gun in his hand, he somehow looked like the one in danger.

"You've done enough," Baba said quietly. "She's already dying."

Olivia buried her face in her hands as Polly's mom confronted Bridget and Mandy. "Do you realize what could have happened if my mother hadn't figured out where you were? You could all be dead right now! Your parents are out of their minds with worry. Do you think this is a joke? Making up phony choirs and chess clubs? Lying?"

She cast a white, cold light, and none of the girls spoke. "I had to call the police.
Again,
" Polly's mother went on. "You should have seen your parents' faces when they found out all of you were missing. They thought they might end up like me."

None of them dared to look up as Olivia's weeping filled the air. Polly felt sick inside, not only at the sight of the dying wolf, but because she knew the magic was over. The secret of Girlwood was out.

"How could you do this to me, Polly?" her mother asked, her voice breaking.

Polly could think of nothing to say as the wolf's eyes rolled back in her head.

"We've got to save her," Olivia said, turning toward Baba.

"If the bullet went through cleanly," Baba said, "there might be something I can do."

"Oh no, there isn't," Officer Wendt insisted. They had almost forgotten about him, but now he stepped forward, towering over them all. "This is my jurisdiction and there's no way you're going to—"

Baba walked past him. Polly wondered if the man also saw her grandmother's rainbow, because he raised his hand to shield his eyes. By the time he dropped it, Baba had already crouched beside the wolf. The animal was too weak to bite now. There was a rainbow around them both.

Baba slid her medicine bag off her neck. "I'll need water," she said to Mandy. "It's getting dark. Can you still make it to the river?"

Mandy was already moving toward the cliff. Officer Wendt reached out to grab her, but she slipped past, as slippery as a fish.

"Come back here!" the policeman shouted. "Young lady, do you hear me?" Mandy had already disappeared through the trees. "Is anyone listening to me?"

Baba took something from her bag, and the wolf's nose twitched as she slipped whatever it was into the animal's mouth. "She should go to sleep soon."