What Goes Up.
The “dance floor” was just a square of grass and dirt out in the middle of the enormous field ringed by nothing but forestation. As the participating parents stepped out- more than I’d expected, less than I’d hoped- Aegis squeezed my hand.
“Ready?” He said, glancing down at me and grinning.
“No,” I said. “But I’m going to go, anyway.”
Brittani was standing atop a temporary stage, the kind you can stow away after use. A microphone was in her hand, speakers standing on either side of her. When Aegis and I stepped out onto the “dance floor”, there was a brief ripple of surprised silence.
“We are very lucky today to be graced by the presence of our Alpha himself and the newly returned Sylvia Lake,” Brittani said into the microphone. A bright cheer went up from around us, like a scene out of some terrible teen movie from back in the day. “Unfortunately,” Brittani added, popping the microphone into a stand, “they’ll be joined by Lawrence and myself.”
A goodhearted roar of disapproval went up around the crowd, good-natured “booing” from all sides. Brittani laughed in spite of it, handing the microphone off to another PTA member before dropping down onto the field; Lawrence appeared from the crowd to take her hand, stiff and unsmiling.
“Consider it a win in advance,” I said dryly, the two of them coming to stand near us. “I have not learned how to dance at all in the last ten years.”
“It’s less about winning and more about the energy,” Brittani said, smoothing out her already perfect ponytail. “We’d just donate the prize money to the school, anyway. All of Black Lake pack knows about our feud; if competing gets more donations, then who am I to deny the crowd their satisfaction?”
I had to admit, Brittani was more than just confusing. She was as complicated as she’d always been, since the day she told me I had to choose between her or Ivy. I’d never understood… and I still didn’t understand where she stood, all this time later.
“Alpha,” Lawrence said, nodding slightly in greeting.
“Everything all right in the crowd?” Aegis asked, his tone nearly identical.
“There is tension, but nothing major.”
“Parents and parental figures,” the woman now announcing for the dance-off called out. “Line up with your partners! As per usual, there will be three tracks; the couple to most impress our panel of judges will receive the prize, along with bragging rights!”
I glanced around to see if either Collin or Dylan were watching, but I only managed to spot Lucy sitting on top of Jade’s shoulders. Neither Ivy nor Paul were present, which eased my nerves… a little. If the boys get into any danger while I’m distracted, then maybe Ivy and Paul can bail them out…
“Everyone ready?” The woman called out, snapping me from my thoughts. Aegis stepped up close to me, and my breathing hitched; those in the crowd who knew us (a majority of those present) all started cheering.
Then the first song started, and whatever Aegis was expecting to be able to control, he was sorely mistaken.
The second the music started over the speakers, my heart leaped into my throat, and before Aegis could so much as touch me, I immediately jerked forward and smashed into his chest.
“Oof,” I moaned, rubbing my nose.
“You’re fine,” he laughed, before taking my hand.
It was upbeat dance music, the kind most of us plebeians just bobbed around to and awkwardly shimmied at. At an attempt to spin me (only slightly off-beat, because Aegis was laughing so hard), I suddenly slipped out of his hand, bent my ankle, and nearly careened into Brittani and Lawrence, saved only at the last second by a speedy move on Aegis’s part. I over-corrected, crashed back into his chest, and only his sheer size and strength stopped me from toppling him into another couple.
It got slightly better for the second song, though my face was on fire and Aegis was barely moving at all, just to avoid disaster. Meanwhile, Brittani was three feet away, pulling off moves I didn’t think my hips could handle when I was eighteen, let alone at twenty-nine. She and Lawrence moved as a single unit, sliding past each other and reading each other’s moves like professional dancers.
Aegis gripped my hand and pulled me close to his chest. “Stay here,” he said, amber eyes dancing so brilliantly that it slowly stilled some of the horror blooming in my chest. “We’ll just go back and forth.”
“That doesn’t match the energy of the song,” I wailed. “We look ridiculous!”
“Better that than accidentally taking out one of the other couples!” Aegis laughed, but it was so brilliant and airy and bright that I couldn’t help but laugh with him, all the tight feelings in my chest easing.
As the third song came to an end, Aegis became brave and tried to dip me, but my traitor ankle twisted out from under me and I accidentally dropped all my weight on his arms. With a grunt, Aegis dropped to one knee and braced himself against the sudden imbalance, and just barely managed to keep my head off the ground. We looked like we were doing some dramatic reenactment of Romeo and Juliette.
“Well,” I said, the roaring in my ears either the sound of my blood rushing through my veins, or the relieved applause of everyone involved at their apparent survival. “That could’ve gone… better.”
“Never in a million years,” Aegis said, grinning as he righted us both.
“That was an incredible display of… dancing,” the announcer said, barely concealed laughter leaking into her voice. There was delight all throughout the crowd. “Our panel of judges will consider all aspects of a good dance!”
“I was considering tripping you for dramatic effect,” Brittani said, rejoining with us and looking almost like she was amazed, “but I needn’t have bothered.”
“That was like the good old days!” A familiar face- Susan- materialized next to us, smiling and delighted. “Oh, everyone’s talking about how good you two look together! Tell me you’re finally dating?”
My entire face burst into flames, and Susan bounced up and down, clapping her hands together before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
“That’s that,” Aegis mused. “The entire town is going to know in minutes.”
“Aegis! Sylvia! Brittani!”
We all looked up at once, the joy rapidly deflating as Ivy pushed her way toward us. She shoved through the crowd, which parted quickly for her; her expression was alarmed.
“Never a dull moment,” Aegis muttered, tensing up.
“We have a situation,” she said. “You all need to get there, now. Pack tensions and teenagers. It’s getting nasty!”
----
We moved hard and fast, Aegis in the lead, Lawrence bringing up the rear. As we followed her around the side of the school, the music faded, and we could now hear more clearly the sound of shouting and aggravation.
“What’s going on?” Aegis shouted over his shoulder.
“We didn’t see how it started,” Ivy called back. “All I know is it involves the boys and Annie!”
Lawrence swore, and I turned to see Brittani pale.
There was a large crowd of teenagers, none of whom I really recognized. I realized with a pang that I was going to need to seriously start memorizing faces; without the ability to scent who was part of the Black Lake pack, I was at a disadvantage. There were three people here that I knew, and two of them were my own sons.
At the heart of the crowd, we could see two sides had formed. To my mounting horror, Collin stood at the head of one side, and a boy who was stuck in the half-way of puberty but still half a foot taller than Collin helmed the other.
“-your hands off of her,” Collin was shouting. “She said ‘no’!”
“’She said no’,” the taller boy sneered, mocking Collin. I started to dart forward through the crowd, but Aegis grabbed my shoulder; Brittani shoved her way through to Annie’s side, taking her hand; Lawrence stood stock still beside his Alpha, eyes trained on the boys. Annie seemed to be a mixture of anger and fear, standing just behind an anxious Dylan.
“You jackasses don’t know how to take a hint,” Collin said heatedly. “I said, back off!”
“No loser loner is going to tell us what to do,” the other boy sneered. “Look at you. No one actually wants you, do they? You smell like shit.”
“Surprised you can smell anything past your own bullshit,” Collin retorted, and for a moment, I was kind of proud of him.
The boy’s grin dropped off of his face, replaced with anger. “Piss off, loser. Your old home didn’t want you, and neither does anyone here.”
“Practicing for your speech to your mirror later?”
“This is the pity party you want to hang around?” He was addressing Annie now. “All I said is that you’d like our pack territory better!”
“And I told you I didn’t want to go,” Annie shot back. “Then you started dragging me!”
“You’re all stupid; if you just saw our pack, you’d all jump ship! Our pack is the best pack!”
“She doesn’t need anything from you or your pack,” Collin shouted. “Last time, dude. Back off!”
“I’m not going anywhere, freak,” the boy retorted. “We all know who you are. How’s it feel, being the only one in your shitty bloodline to be a werewolf? Even your brother’s just a sad, loser human.”
Dylan flushed and said nothing, but Collin apparently had had enough. He stepped forward, hackles raised, ears back, and bared too-large teeth. Something flickered in his eyes, a low glow.
“I said back off.”
It was low and completely unlike him. I stared, totally taken aback, because for a moment, the other boy’s ears went back, flat against his skull. He and the others backing him flinched away from Collin, feet sliding in the dirt… and then anger and rage flooded the boy’s face, and finally, Aegis stepped through the crowd.
“Enough!” He snarled, and the effect was instantaneous. Every teen in the vicinity flattened, Collin included; all taunting and shouting ceased at once. He turned to the strange boy. “Go home.”
“This is not my fault,” the boy ground out, struggling against the raw Alpha rage that was pouring out of Aegis.
“This is our territory,” Aegis said. “You are here as a guest. Where are your parents?”
Lawrence moved past me now that the spell was broken, straight to Annie’s side. I grabbed both Dylan’s and Collin’s hands; Collin looked a little winded and confused, as if he’d actually fought someone with his fists. Fear prickled across my skin, because if that had been what I’d thought it was…
“You did good,” Paul said, appearing beside Collin, expression grim. He squeezed Collin’s shoulder. “I saw most of what went down.”
“Were you going to step in, or what?” Dylan demanded. His voice was odd.
“Only if things went south,” Paul said, bemused. “I wouldn’t have let him hit either of you… but you were doing well.”
Dylan snorted, bitter. “I wasn’t. It was all him.”
“Hey,” I said, frowning as I lifted Dylan’s chin up. “Hey. What’s up with that?”
At precisely that moment, my cell phone started ringing. I quickly silenced it in my pocket, before turning back to Dylan, but he had pulled away.
By now, the rest of the parents were catching up with us, all shouting now. The teens all split into groups, and I was dismayed to see that they were all already forming three different packs. Aegis re-appeared at me side, expression grim.
“Everyone, relax,” Ivy said, stepping forward. “The situation has been resolved.”
“My son says you were purposely singling him out,” a woman said, stepping forward. She had her hands on the little jerkwad’s shoulders. “I want a verbal apology!”
“He was harassing my friend,” Collin shot back, activating his second wind. “If anyone needs an apology, it’s her!”
“I’ve got footage!” A girl shouted, jumping to Annie’s side. “I just knew something was going to happen, so I filmed the whole thing!”
My phone started ringing again, and I quickly silenced it, irritated. Always at the worst time…
“What’s going on here?” A man who had to be the Alpha of the teenager stepped forward. He wasn’t nearly so intimidating as Aegis, but it was undeniable that he was a man in charge. He was also older than Aegis, and there was an air of caution to him that gave me a little hope.
“I can show you,” the girl said, quickly scrambling forward and hitting the play button on her cell.
I wanted to see it for myself, but my own cell phone rang a third time, and suddenly, that very familiar 6th Sense that only seemed to trigger after the fact lit up. I dragged it from my pocket, fingers shaking, and saw a number I didn’t recognize. Aegis’s attention was on the other Alpha; Brittani was now the one standing closest to me.
“Hello?” I said quietly, stepping away. My entire stomach was in knots, and dread was filling in every single corner of my being.
“Hello?” A very serious, grim voice spoke on the other line. “Is this Ms. Sylvia Lake?”
“Yes, this is she. Why?"
“I have you marked as Rudy Rodriguez’s next of kin.”
There was an explosive ringing in my ears, and my heart nearly stopped. “I’m… his…”
“I’m going to need you to come down straight away,” the man said, tone severe. “There’s been an incident.”