The Lights on Knockbridge Lane (Garnet Run 3)

“I know. And a werewolf.”

He winked at her, then howled.

Adam started, but Gus laughed and then joined in the howls.

“Darren and Rose McKinnon said witch,” Adam added.

Wes nodded sagely.

“Yeah, that too. I’m a vampire-werewolf hybrid who practices witchcraft and worships Satan. I’m extremely busy.”

Adam laughed.

“Okay, but seriously. What’s up with the snakes and spiders and leeches?”

Wes carefully set the jar of leeches down with a little pat, like the one he’d given Gus earlier.

“I like them,” he said simply. “I’ve always liked them. They’re fascinating.”

He trailed a finger over an aquarium that Adam now saw contained several lizards.

“Everyone likes fuzzy things like dogs and cats. No one asks them why. But tarantulas are fuzzy and people find them terrifying. They love butterflies but they think leeches are disgusting. People kill totally harmless snakes all the time because they’re scared of them.”

He reached into the aquarium and one of the lizards—a small black one with an orange back—scampered up on his hand.

“But if people spent as much time with lizards and snakes as they did with dogs and cats, they’d realize how amazing they are. They have personalities too. All animals do.”

Adam edged closer to Wes. The lizard was very beautiful. It flicked its tiny tongue out like it was tasting Wes’ thumb.

He could acknowledge the beauty of the lizards, but the thought of that tarantula still filled him with utter horror.

“I don’t mean to be scared of them,” Adam said softly. “But isn’t it, like, human nature?”

“No,” Wes said. “Wolves are a threat to humans too, and anyone confronted with them would be afraid of them, but we don’t naturally jump back from dogs because of it. We learn to fear snakes and spiders because we only encounter them in threatening contexts. By surprise in nature, or as villains in kids’ movies. The way they move is unfamiliar, so we find it creepy.”

He was watching the lizard fondly.

“But if we grew up in a culture where everyone had snakes and tarantulas as pets, we would be much less afraid of them. It’s considered strange to have a pet rat, but normal to have a pet hamster. They’re both in the Cricetidae family. But we think one is cute and one is horrible.”

“Let me guess,” Adam said. “You think rats are cute.”

“Not especially. But I acknowledge that it’s merely convention that makes people think they’re less cute than hamsters.”

He looked at the jar on the table.

“Leeches are much cuter than hamsters,” he said.

Adam laughed, until it was clear Wes wasn’t kidding.

“Can I hold a leech?” Gus asked.

Wes said, “If you do, it’ll bite you and suck your blood a little. Are you okay with that?”

Adam gaped.

Gus asked, “Will it hurt?”

“Not really.”

Gus shrugged. “Okay.”

“Um, sorry, not okay. I would really prefer my daughter doesn’t hold anything guaranteed to suck her blood.”

“Well, I suppose it’s not guaranteed—” Wes began.

“No. Nope. Thanks, but no.”

“We have plenty to spare,” Wes said mildly. Then, “You can hold Ludwig. He doesn’t suck blood.”

Wes held up the lizard that had scampered up his arm and onto his shoulder.

Gus nodded and held out her hand. She stroked the small lizard’s back and giggled with delight when it ran onto her wrist.

“Gus isn’t scared of them,” Adam said.

“No.” Wes cast a fond, respectful look at Gus.

“Wes, what do you do?” Adam asked. “Besides being a vampire-werewolf hybrid who practices witchcraft and worships Satan, of course.”

Wes’ blue eyes were intense as he spoke.

“I’m working to create a viable sustainable natural alternative to electric light,” he said intently. “It’s a huge problem, both in terms of unnecessary energy output and lack of access to necessary energy. Lighting accounts for twenty percent of worldwide energy used every year, so a natural alternative would cut down on our general energy usage. Electric light pollution spoils rural areas and scares animal populations out of their natural habitats, which can change entire ecosystems over time, so a natural alternative would be less disruptive. And urban neighborhoods that are primarily lower-earning people of color are severely underserved by cities’ infrastructures, so they have a lack of electric streetlights, which makes the areas less safe and more susceptible to crime. A natural alternative to electric light could be more accessible for neighborhoods of that sort. If I can find a way to create this bioluminescent light, it could be used everywhere. Anywhere.”

His eyes glowed with purpose.

“Holy crap,” Adam said. “You really are a superhero.”

Chapter Six

Wes

Adam Mills arrived at Wes’ doorstep looking harassed.

Since Adam had called him a superhero two nights before, Wes had carried around a feeling he didn’t recognize. A spacious, fizzy sensation that made his head feel a bit light and the corners of his mouth turn up.

“I need to ask you a huge favor,” Adam said, grimacing. “It’s Gus’ turn to do a show-and-tell at school, and all she’ll talk about is wanting to bring, er, Bettie.”