Wilderwood Ch. 12

Penny Knight uses the after-the-slap picture that Cody Shay took on Friday night, but further down on the page there's another picture, taken at the start of the evening, of me and my great-uncle shaking hands when we first said hello. There's a caption to go along with it...

SAFE HANDS: The eldest and the youngest of the Wilderwoods form a bond across the generations. Might Nathan, 80, now be looking upon Jamie, 18, as the one to carry on their famous name?

I show that to Emma. She laughs and tosses the paper aside, then pushes me down onto the couch and climbs on top of me. What we do after that is definitely one of the things the Wilderwoods are famous for. Or infamous for. Or both.

* * * * *

I quit my job at Pop! as planned. Steve takes my resignation sourly, not because he doesn't want me to go but because he wanted the pleasure of firing me. I think he's joking, but he's a Brit so who the hell knows with those guys. We're sitting in his office at the back of the store and he pulls a bottle of scotch out of his desk drawer along with two glasses and insists we drink to my future with "real scotch, not that godawful stuff you yanks insist on calling whiskey." So we do and then we talk for a while until he tells me to get lost.

Then he calls Zack in. Him he fires.

Emma has also finished with her job at the Wilderwood Hotel. She hadn't been back since Friday night and she tells me that Harold was so uncomfortable even alluding to what happened that night that she felt she was doing him a favor by quitting.

We spend another couple of days at Lauren's place but I head home on Thursday. The Coven are gathering before Lauren heads upstate again and it'll be very definitely a girls only night. As I'm leaving I see Lauren shuffling a deck of Pictionary cards and she gives one of her very knowing smiles

Mom comes back from her sister's that day so I'm not alone at home. Dad has moved out and is currently staying at the hotel, and since Edward Danforth is handling the divorce proceedings for Mom I guess Uncle Nathan got that part of what he wanted as well and Dad no longer has friends in high places.

In what's probably the longest conversation we've had in years my mom tells me that she's probably leaving Wilderwood. I can understand why. The Gazette might have been as discreet about our latest family drama as it's always been, but people are still talking, as they always have. Mom tells me to look after my sister and when I tell her Emma is staying in Wilderwood rather than going back upstate she actually seems pleased.

She also tells me that Edward Danforth has assured her that we won't suffer financially. Our allowance won't be quite what we're used to, but we won't have to worry about finding our tuition fees. It's nice to know the lawyer who's been plotting with Dad for years is now plotting with Mom to take him for everything he's got.

Finally she tells me to stay away from our great-uncle, and to tell Emma to do the same. It's a bit late for that, though she doesn't know that and to underline her point she tells me a story she's never told either of us before. From nearly twenty years ago.

When Emma was born there was an attempt by James Sr. to patch things up with his brother, and so the four of them went up to the Hall to show Uncle Nathan the newest addition to the Wilderwood family. The way Mom tells it they all got together and when our great-uncle looked at baby Emma for the first time she saw him suppress a shudder, and all he said was "I was hoping for a boy."

That's the real reason Mom hates Uncle Nathan. Not the way he cut his brother off fifty years ago, or cut us off five years ago, or even the way he never looked on her as a true Wilderwood 'of the blood', as she puts it. She's just never forgotten the way he looked at her baby girl, and she'll never forgive him for that.

Mom shakes her head after she finishes the story. "Don't tell your sister. But don't ever let him get his hooks into either of you. Nathan only cares about the idea of the family, not the people in it."

"Yeah," I say. "I kind of figured that."

* * * * *

The next day we go to Wilderwood College to sort out Emma's transfer. We've left it very late and though I'm sure my sister can sort this out on her own she asks me to come along with her, figuring that the dean might be more receptive to the heir apparent (apparently) of the Wilderwood family. Since we're looking for a favor and will be leaning on our illustrious name I'm wearing a suit again. Emma is more casual, in a smart, black blazer and loose white shirt, but teamed with faded blue jeans and sneakers, and she's got her hair in a pony tail. She looks great, of course.

As it turns out the thing we've actually spent the most time discussing and debating over the last six weeks turns out to be really easy to resolve. Maybe it's just that I'm sitting there in the dean's office looking all blue blooded and patriarchal but the dean can't say yes quickly enough. Oh there's paperwork to be completed but his secretary will sort that out for us, no trouble at all. Anything to oblige.

"Your great-uncle has always been a most distinguished friend of the college," he assures us as he sees us out of his office at the end of the meeting. "Be sure to give him my regards the next time you speak to him."

"For sure," says Emma.

"Yeah," I add, "I'm sure he'll show his appreciation for what you've done for us."

The dean smiles. So do we. We wait until we're outside before we exchange quick, ironic smiles.

"He'd better hope Uncle Nathan doesn't show his appreciation," Emma says as we walk along the corridors of the admin block on our way out. It's the first time she's actually referred to him by name since that night up at the Hall.

"If he wanted to block your transfer back here he could have." I shake my head. "He said he won't interfere and I believe him."

"For now."

"Yeah. For now."

We exit the building and head through the grounds to the gates, passing the statue of Colonel Ethan Wilderwood that stands confidently atop the Civil War memorial, one foot up on that pile of rocks that probably aren't actually human skulls.

Though from what we know now of our family it really wouldn't surprise me if they were.

"You don't think we're making a mistake here, right?" I ask, and Emma gives me a questioning look. "I don't mean us, I mean staying here in Wilderwood. Even if he doesn't do anything we're right under his nose here."

"Good," says my sister. "I want him to see us make this work."

"Prove him wrong, huh?"

"Uh huh."

I smile. "Spoken like a true Wilderwood."

"Yes," says Emma, smiling back, only her smile fades as we come up to the gates and see, parked across the street, a long, low, black car. Felix's Jaguar, and standing beside it, very sharp in a gray, pinstriped suit, Felix himself, standing beside the Big Cat with his hands in his pockets. He gives us a quick nod as we approach.

"Nice to see you both," he says.

"What do you want, Felix?" I don't even bother asking how he knew we would be here. It's not like our appointment with the dean was a secret and I'm sure he, or our great-uncle, has contacts at the college.

Felix looks a little pained at my tone and one hand flicks up to run through his tangle of red hair as he settles his expression again.

"There's something I wanted to tell you both," he says. "Dr. Dunning has resigned from the Newley Institute, with immediate effect. It's being kept very quiet naturally, but he'll be gone from Wilderwood by the end of the day, and he won't be coming back. That was one of the conditions of none of what he's been doing going public."

Emma gives him a wary look. "Whose conditions? Uncle Nathan's?" She pauses before adding, "Yours?"

Felix shakes his head. "Dr. Reinmar's. Apparently she's had her suspicions of him for some time, but never enough to actually confront him. Until now."

His eyes linger on us both and I shrug. "I didn't tell her," I say, and Emma shakes her head.

"Someone did," says Felix, then gives a slight shrug of his own, "but who knows who he's been sharing his secrets with, eh? What matters is that Alex Trowley is now free to look into whatever he wants, and sooner or later that's likely to include the Wilderwoods."

"Thanks for the warning, I guess."

Felix nods. "I just wanted to let you know." He gives us a quick nod. "I'll be off now, and let you two get on with your day."

"Felix?"

He stops and looks back, his hand on the door handle of the car.

"Uncle Nathan. Is he crazy?"

He doesn't answer right away, like he's thinking about how -- or if -- he'll answer that question.

"No," he says at last, "he's not."

"So," Emma says, "you think he's right, about us?"

"If you spend long enough looking for a reason why things happen you'll find one. That doesn't mean it's the real reason."

"That sounds a lot like another way of saying 'I don't know.'"

"That's one way of looking at it."

"Were you always this evasive?"

"Maybe."

He smiles as he says it and Emma and I exchange looks.

Emma shakes her head. "We always thought you knew everything."

"Sorry," he says, all mock-apologetic. "I can't tell you what to think or what to feel." He pauses, then adds, "Neither can anyone else."

It feels like that's as much of an answer as we'll get from him. I guess it's enough.

"Thanks, Felix."

"Be seeing you." He gives another quick nod and then gets into his car. The Big Cat prowls off quietly, its roar stilled today.

Emma watches him go then turns back to me. "So did you tell Dr. Reinmar about Dunning?"

I shake my head. "No. Did you?"

"No, and I know for sure that Lauren didn't."

"I might," I say, very casually, "have said something about it to Steve."

"What?" Emma gives me a baffled look. "Wait... Steve knows Dr. Reinmar well enough that he..." She shakes her head. "Oh, no way."

"I think they're friends," I say innocently, then add "Ow!" when my sister punches me in the arm.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me that!"

"I didn't know! But yeah I figured if I told Steve about Dunning and Trowley it might get back to Dr. Reinmar... and without any of our names coming up."

"Plausible deniability, huh?" Emma smirks. "Uncle Nathan would be proud of you."

There's a lot of sharp edges on that comment, but I risk running with it a little anyway. "I guess it runs in the family, right?"

"Very funny, little brother."

"Anyway, he's lost his hold on Trowley now."

"Is that why you did it? So he can't use Trowley against us later?"

"Kind of," I say, but then I shake my head. "We can keep our secrets without having to fuck other people over. I'm tired of mind games, so I think we just take the chance that Trowley will find out about us."

Emma looks at me for a moment, then nods and gives me a quick smile.

We start walking up toward Trinity Cross. We still need to find somewhere to stay and Lucy has given Emma a few suggestions of places up this way in the old part of town. As we walk under the long shadow of the church steeple Emma nudges me.

"You know, Jamie, it might all be true."

"What might be true?"

"Maybe I really am possessed by the succubus Simon Wilderwood summoned three hundred years ago."

"Huh?" I glance over at my sister, just to make sure she's smiling.

"I'd look great with horns and a pointed tail," she adds.

I smile. "Yeah, it's all true, and Lord and Lady Wilderwood really did ride down into the Wilderwood at night to fight monsters."

"Yes, in their masks and black cloaks." Emma grins. "It would make a great couples costume for Halloween. We could get a couple of swords too..."

"Couples costume?"

"Okay, maybe we should call it something else."

"You think?" I smile. "You still like that story, don't you? Even though we don't know it actually ended."

Emma nods. "I'm okay with that. It lets us decide on our own ending."

"Which is?"

My sister smiles and walks in a little closer to me, letting the back of her fingers brush against mine. "They stood shoulder to shoulder, against all the odds, and because they were together they won."

"Yeah," I say, and slip my arm around Emma's shoulder, in a very brotherly way, "I like that ending."