“And if he’s remembering—”
“Yeah,” I say. “My spell is wearing off too. We need to go. We need to get home and start making a new spell. I’m pretty sure—”
Pell covers my mouth and then taps the door quietly closed. Someone’s coming, he mouths.
I hold my breath as loud footsteps approach. But then let it out when whoever it was goes into the bathroom instead.
“Let’s go now,” Pell says. He’s got the door open before I can answer, sticks his head out, nods to me, and then he’s tugging me down the hallway towards the emergency exit.
He pushes through, but the fire alarm goes off.
We panic and stand there for a moment just staring at each other. Like deer in headlights.
And then the bathroom door swings open and who is in the hallway staring at us?
Who else?
Former high-school quarterback Sheriff Russ Roth.
He squints his eyes. And he’s about to open his mouth and say, Pie? I just know it. I just fucking know it. But then we’re outside and Pell is dragging me through the parking lot.
“Run,” he says. “Run!”
And that’s what we do. We run. We run like we’re kids again. Leaping over shrubs, ducking under branches, scrambling up the hillside towards the portal.
And at some point, I realize two things at the same time.
One. I am no longer human and neither is Pell.
We are monsters.
And two. Russ Roth sees us. Because he yells, “I see you, Pie! I see you! I see those horns, and those hooves, and—”
But the portal is right there. It shimmers and quakes in the dark woods. Giving off a silvery light.
“I see that too!” Russ yells. “You’re one of them! I knew it!”
And even though we are monsters with long, strong hind legs meant for escaping things, Russ Roth is not very far behind us.
And for a moment—one eternal, time-bending moment—I know in my heart that he will catch us.
But then Pell says, “Jump!”
And we leap. We leap right through that portal and as soon as we slip inside, they’re gone.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO – PELL
Pie and I fall into my tomb, tumbling and rolling head over heels until we both come to a stop in the grassy clearing. All the doors and rings lined up in front of us.
I get to my feet, help Pie up, and then look her over. “Are you OK?”
“Holy shit!” she yells.
I chuckle. “I’ll take that as a yes?”
“He saw us, Pell!”
“I know. But it’s fine. We’re here. He can’t get in.”