Tyger Tyger (10 page)

"Choirboy's in trouble again?"

Aiden had been in first grade for a whole month, and he hadn't spoken in class. Not once. His teacher said he wouldn't follow instructions. He sat and hummed to himself or wandered around the classroom. Teagan wasn't sure how Ms. Skinner got involved, but she had called to make an appointment with Mr. Wylltson to discuss the situation. The appointment he'd just missed.

"Yeah," Teagan said.

Abby frowned. "Angel's got his car. He could give you a ride."

"Thanks," Teagan said. "I've got one. Molly's going that way. Gotta run, but I'll call you."

"Hey," Abby shouted after her, "I need some shoes to wear to the dance. Can I borrow your baby dolls?"

"Sure." Teagan waved. "Come over after work."

***

"Thanks for the ride," Teagan said as Molly's sunshine-yellow Volks-wagen pulled up outside her house. "I owe you."

"You can help me with calc." Molly laughed. "See you tomorrow."

Ms. Skinner wasn't sitting on the porch. Teagan used her key out of habit, but the door wasn't locked.

When she stepped inside, Teagan could hear a voice in the kitchen.

"Did your father lock you in that closet?"

What was Ms. Skinner doing in the house?

Aiden jumped up and ran to Teagan as soon as she entered the room.

"She caught me, Tea," he said. "I sneezed."

"You shouldn't have left Mrs. Santini's," Teagan said.

"She's cooking cabbage!" Aiden gagged. "It stinks."

"This child was locked in a closet. And he refuses to speak to me. Has he been told he will be punished if he does?"

"Aiden, did you lock yourself in the closet?" Teagan asked, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"It's the best place to hide when there's an Elvis
impersonator
in the house."

Aiden glared at Ms. Skinner. He had moved from terror of Elvis impersonators to complete disdain of the pretenders who had no music of their own. It was the vilest insult he knew.

"She came into the house? You didn't let her in?"

"I told you, the Skinner was here."

Teagan turned to Ms. Skinner. "How
did
you get in?"

"I'll ask the questions." Ms. Skinner had the decency to turn slightly pink. "Why would a closet have a lock on the door, anyway? How long have you been locked in there, Aiden?"

"It's an old basement door that Dad hung there," Teagan said. "You can work that lock from either side. Aiden locked himself in."

Ms. Skinner ignored her.

"And why aren't you in school, young man?"

Aiden's eyes slid away from her, and he started humming. Teagan bit her lip. His personal playlist selection was Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall."

"Come back over here and sit down," Ms. Skinner commanded. Aiden hummed louder.

"Aiden is never left alone, Ms. Skinner." Teagan forced herself to smile. Whatever was going on, her dad would sort it out as soon as he got here. But it would be better if she could calm things down before he arrived. Or
before Aiden started singing out loud.
If Ms. Skinner didn't already know the words to the song, Teagan was sure she would not be pleased.

"His school has an in-service today. He is supposed to be across the street at Mrs. Santini's. She probably hasn't noticed that he's missing."

"This child needs intervention," Ms. Skinner said, as if Aiden weren't even in the room. "Something is clearly amiss. With your family history ... he needs to be evaluated."

So much for making nice.

"Did you let yourself in?" Teagan asked. "I know Aiden didn't leave the front door open."

Ms. Skinner pressed her lips together. "Mr. Wylltson and I had an appointment today. When he didn't answer the bell, I thought something might be wrong. Apparently, my professional intuition was correct. Do you know where your father is?"

"He should be at work."

"I have been calling his work number. They don't know where he is."

"I'll let him know that you came by." Teagan motioned toward the door. "Since he is not here now, I think you should leave."

"This child was unattended."

"He's attended now. And I'm sure Mrs. Santini would be happy to verify where he was supposed to be."

Ms. Skinner gave her a sour look. "Tell your father that I will be here at exactly two tomorrow. And I would watch my tone if I were you, young lady."

"I would watch breaking and entering if I were you," Teagan said. "You had no permission to enter our home."

"I didn't break anything. The door was unlocked, and I am on official business. You're seventeen, as I recall. I can have your brother
and
you removed with one phone call."

"There is no reason to remove anyone."

"You could spend a year in a foster home waiting for your father to prove that. Tell him not to make me wait tomorrow. I don't like what I've seen here."

Teagan showed her to the front door and resisted the urge to slam it after her.

"The Skinner said Mom's paintings were bad," Aiden said.

"She went into the basement? What for?"

Aiden shrugged. "Where's Dad?"

"I don't know," Teagan said. "Let's go find him." She made sure both the front and back doors were locked before they left, just in case Skinner decided to come prowling around again.

"I don't want to go into the park," Aiden said. "The trees are still crying."

"That's all right," Tea assured him. "We'll go up into the library stacks. We can look out the window to see if he's in the park. But first we've got to talk to Mrs. Santini."

Lennie let them in when Teagan knocked. Mrs. Santini's cheeks were flushed from the heat of her kitchen, but they turned redder still when Aiden explained what he had done.

"I thought you were taking a nap," she said. "I don't know what I am going to tell your father."

"He won't blame you," Teagan assured her. "I'll let Dad know what happened."

Aiden stomped on every crack in the sidewalk all the way to the library and gave his foot a twist on the bigger ones. "Are you trying to call up
'the masses of bears/Who wait at the corners all ready to eat/The sillies who tread on the lines of the street'?
" Teagan asked, quoting one of Aiden's favorite Milne poems.

"Yes," Aiden said. "But they won't eat me. I'm going to send them after the Skinner."

"Don't worry about her. Dad will talk to her, and everything will be all right."

"You should stop saying that," Aiden said. "It's never going to be all right."

"It will," Teagan said. "But you have to look people in the eye when they talk to you. Even people like Ms. Skinner, or your teacher. If you don't, they'll think something is wrong with you."

"I'm not like them," Aiden said.

That was true enough. Aiden was definitely his own creature. Her dad said he was a lot like Aileen had been when they first met, following only rules that made sense to her. Apparently nothing about school made sense to Aiden.

"Can you pretend to be like them at school? It could be a game. I'll bet there are things at school you would really like if you tried them."

"Nope." Aiden stomped hard on another crack, and Teagan studied his curly blond head. There had to be some way to convince him to give school a chance.

Suddenly, the hair rose on her arms.
Finn.
It wasn't a question. She knew he was somewhere close.
Close enough to make her shiver.
He wasn't on the library steps, or the street. She turned to the bushes under the windows and saw him sitting very still in the shadows there.

He was wearing jeans, lace-up boots, a T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, and a blue bandanna tied pirate-style. A Celtic tattoo curled around his biceps. He hadn't had that before. Or the scar along his jaw.

"Finn?" Teagan grabbed Aiden's shoulder.

"In the flesh."

Finn's right arm was sun-browned where the cast had been, and he looked older. Older and a little ... dangerous. Teagan glanced around.

"If it's goblins you're looking for, there's none about." He stood up, brushed the dirt from his pants, and stepped into the sunshine. It was Finn, but not the same Finn. His easy smile was gone, and there was a different look in his eyes. A wary look.

"I remember you," Aiden said. "You're the Mac Cumhaill. What happened to your face?"

Finn ran his thumb along the scar. "You mean this? Got into a disagreement with something ugly."

"The night you ran away?"

"It was. I'm more sorry than I can say about your ma, Tea. The news just reached Mamieo. She sent me to talk to John. When did it happen?"

"The day after you left," Teagan said. "Mom collapsed the morning after you left."

"You're all right, though? You and Aiden and John?"

"We haven't seen any more bad guys," Aiden said.

"That's good."

"The doctors said it was acute leukemia." Teagan shivered again. "They said she must have had it for weeks."

Finn studied her. "Did they?"

"Yes."

"And you believe them?"

She pulled Aiden closer.

Finn nodded. "I'll be gone before sunset, and I won't come to the house. But I need to speak to John. It's very important. I asked inside, but they said he wasn't in."

"We're looking for Dad, too," Aiden said. "Because the Skinner's going to take me away."

"Skinner?" Finn spat. "What's this about, then?"

"Aiden's had some trouble at school," Teagan explained. "Ms. Skinner set up a meeting with Dad, but he didn't show up. We came to look for him."

"Mind if I come along?"

"You might as well." Teagan started up the steps. More than Finn's looks had changed. He was keeping his distance from her, almost like the wolf that had shadowed the Wylltsons as they hiked in the woods one summer. Curious, cautious.

"Where have you been?" Teagan asked.

"Living with Mamieo." Finn jumped up the steps and held the door open for her. "Asking her questions I should have asked before, Cuz."

"So I'm your cousin now?"

"You are."

"Good," Teagan said. That would make it easier to ignore the sparks. Because they were there, all right. Stronger than ever.

"We're closing in five minutes, Tea," the woman at the desk said.

"We'll be gone," Teagan assured her. The woman gave Finn and his bag a suspicious look but didn't suggest he leave it behind.

They went up the wooden stairs to the third-floor window that looked out over the park.

"You think your da is up here?" Finn asked.

"No," Teagan said. "I think he's walking in the park, but Aiden doesn't like to go there. We can see most of it from this window." Aiden climbed into the window seat and pressed his nose against the glass.

"Nope," he said. "Not there."

Teagan sat down beside him and leaned over to look. The park had gone wild over the summer. Morning glories had escaped from some city garden and planted themselves, and their vines grew up the walls, mixing with the trumpet vines. First frost hadn't touched them yet. It was beautiful, but Aiden was right. There was no one in the park.

She turned to Finn. "He might be at the very back, under the trees. You could check..."

"Poof!" Aiden shouted. "There he is!"

Mr. Wylltson was walking toward the park gate, almost all the way across the lawn that had been empty a split second before.

"Poof?" Finn leaned over and looked out the window. "Something went poof?"

Teagan was already following Aiden to the stairs. She waved at the librarian behind the desk as they went past. Aiden slammed through the doors and ran to his father.

"Dad!" Aiden threw his arms around him. "Don't let her take me away!"

"Who?" Mr. Wylltson asked.

"Ms. Skinner came by," Teagan said. "You missed your appointment."

"Missed it? What time is it?"

"Past five," Teagan said.

"That can't be right. I've only been in the park for a few minutes." His speech was slightly slurred, and he brushed one hand across his eyes.

"Did you fall asleep?" Teagan asked.

"I don't think so..." He was coming more awake. He looked at his watch and frowned. "Good Lord, I must have. I wonder why someone didn't call? They must have noticed that I didn't come back to work."

"Your cell was off," Teagan said. "I tried to call."

He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "It's on. Six missed calls. Finn?" He noticed the extra person standing with his children for the first time. "Is that you?"

"It is," Finn said.

"Mamieo sent him," Teagan explained.

"You're looking well," Mr. Wylltson said. "Come on over to the house. We'll fix some supper and talk."

Finn nodded. "I think I'd better."

Aiden grabbed his father's hand and pulled him ahead of Finn and Teagan.

"I thought"—Teagan glanced at her dad's back and lowered her voice—"you said you wouldn't come to the house?"

"Things have changed. Why are you whispering?"

"I don't want to upset Dad. What things?"

Mr. Wylltson turned around before he could answer. "What day is it, Tea?"

"Tuesday. Ms. Skinner is coming back tomorrow," Teagan said. "Are you sure you didn't fall or hit your head?"

"I'm sure," Mr. Wylltson replied.

"The Skinner came into our house without permission," Aiden said. "She found me in a closet."

Teagan explained as they walked, glancing at Finn now and then. Something must have changed. He wasn't a cautious wolf anymore. He was a hunting wolf, alert to everything around him.

"Son," Mr. Wylltson said when they reached the house, "what have I told you about staying at Mrs. Santini's?"

"Not to leave without permission," Aiden said.

"That's right. I expect you to mind me, even when I'm not there. I'll sort Ms. Skinner out tomorrow." Mr. Wylltson paused as they reached the front door. "And you owe Mrs. Santini an apology. Just think how worried she was."

"Tea made me apologize already," Aiden said.

"That's good." Mr. Wylltson unlocked the door.

Finn followed them through the house into the kitchen. He looked uncomfortable, and Teagan wasn't sure whether it was the walls around him or the changes in the room. Her mom's easel was gone, with nothing but a few spatters of green and yellow on the wall to show where it had been. There was a shelf above the random paint dots with a few knickknacks that reminded Teagan of her mother, and a green urn.