Dangerous Creatures(72)

Still, nobody knew what would happen now.

The waiting part was the hardest.

Ridley stared at a poster of Sid Vicious. She moved down the wall to Johnny Rotten, then Social Distortion. X. Black Flag. Dead Kennedys. She didn’t know much about punk rock, but she was guessing she was looking at the hall of fame.

“The Necros? It’s a band?” She lingered over another ancient punk poster. “Is that where she got her name?”

Floyd nodded. “Nec’s from Toledo, Ohio. So was the band. I think she felt like it was meant to be.” She smiled. “Kind of like Link Floyd.”

“You start that again, Supertramp. I dare you.” Rid glared.

Link cut them off. “Speakin’ a Necro, how much longer you think we gotta wait?” He sounded worried. He’d been like that ever since Nox had undone the Cast.

“The real question is, how many places can a person stick a safety pin?” Rid shook her head, touching the Social D poster. Then next to it, Dead Kennedys. Every single face she could see looked like they should be in Necro’s family, or at least her band. Half of them were even more pierced than she was.

Floyd looked at Rid. “Nec loves Dead Kennedys. She says they’re her tribe.”

Ridley raised an eyebrow. “Necro has a tribe?”

“Sure she does. She has us,” Floyd said.

“You guys must be pretty close. I mean, to let her take over the walls like that.” Ridley fingered the edge of the X poster.

“Didn’t you ever have a best friend?” It was clear from Floyd’s tone that she wasn’t betting on it. “Or did you always live alone in that cave you call a heart?”

Ridley fixed her eyes on the giant X.

Don’t answer.

Don’t let her see.

Don’t give any of them that satisfaction.

“Cut it out, Floyd,” said Link, looking up. “Rid has a lot of friends and a big family, and she has me. She has all of us.”

Rid’s eyes met Link’s from across the room.

“We’re her tribe,” he said.

And it was true.

She felt like she was going to burst into tears, except she would’ve rather stabbed her own eyes out than break down in front of Floyd.

Only a groan coming from the low, rickety bed saved her.

“Holy Toledo,” Necro muttered.

Link grinned. “Hey, we were just talkin’ about that.”

Necro’s eyes fluttered open. “I feel like crap.”

“You look like crap, too.” Ridley smiled at her. She had never been more relieved to see a few more piercings and a blue faux-hawk.

“Hey, buddy.” Floyd took Necro’s hand. Floyd’s other hand bloomed instantly into a bouquet of flowers.

Necro nodded. “Can you make those chocolates?”

“And let you eat my finger?” Floyd’s hand fell back into its natural form while Necro turned her head to the rest of the room, smiling weakly.

Link was hovering. “No worries, man. We got this whole thing all figured out. You’re gonna be up and jammin’ in no time at all.” He patted her bed awkwardly.

“Rock on.” Necro flashed him the horns, the universal heavy metal hell-yeah. “What’s the boss man doing here?”

Nox sat on the floor, leaning against the wall of her room. He was so quiet that they’d almost forgotten he was still there.

Floyd reached up to brush a stray blue wisp away from Necro’s face. “He’s just worried about you, like the rest of us.” Floyd didn’t say anything more than that, though Ridley knew she’d have plenty to say on the subject of Nox Gates and his secret relationship with his favorite Necromancer.

They would fight it out later, Ridley suspected. That was what bands did.

Just like tribes.



“I’ve never done one of these before. I hope it works.” Ridley lit the last candle in the Circle of Protection around apartment 2D. A wide ring of flickering light now wound its way from the stage to the beach to Necro’s room and back again. Rid wasn’t sure Necro was in danger, but they were all too afraid to leave her unprotected in her present state.

Nox looked back after she blew out the last match. He kept his eyes on Ridley. “I’m sorry, Little Siren.”

Me, too, she thought. About this. About everything. He looked for a second like he didn’t quite know what to say, but Ridley didn’t, either.

She shrugged it off. “Don’t. It was an accident. And anyway, you came back here to help Necro. That’s the important thing.” It doesn’t matter now, she thought.

Lines had been crossed. Everything had been said. There was no point in talking about it beyond that.

Nox reached out to touch a pink strand of hair. “I guess this is good-bye.” He dropped his hand. “Take care of Necro. And yourself.”

“I always do.” Her eyes lingered on him.

“I know,” Nox said.

He took a tentative step toward her.

“Do you mind?” He gestured awkwardly. “A real good-bye? Seeing as I may never see you again?”

“What?”

Nox extended his arms. One last embrace. A hug between friends. Rid couldn’t refuse. But she also couldn’t avoid looking over her shoulder before she moved any closer to him. Just to make sure the door was shut.