The Marradith Ryder Series Part 2
The man shook his head. His eyes pleaded with her. “Look, I’ll tell you what you want to know, but please…if you beat me you’re not going to get any information. Marradith, we don’t have a lot of time. You heard me talking to someone on the phone. I am not the only one who knows you’re here. You need to accept what I am about to tell you. I am Justin Granthem. You‘ve already seen what I am.”
She took a step back. “How do you know me?”
“I know of you and your family. Your parents are Paul and Nora Ryder. You have two brothers, Scott and Danny. Scott is away at college. Your younger brother Danny is with your parents.”
She felt a chill down her spine. It hadn’t occurred to her that something might be wrong with Danny and her parents. They were supposed to be in California visiting her Grandmother.
She wasn’t expecting them back for another week.
“Where are they? What did you do to my family?”
“Nothing has been done to them, they are safe. We have them in protection. This did not go the way it was supposed to. The man that I spoke to earlier is expecting me to call back in. If they don’t hear back from me within five minutes, you’re going to have more than one werewolf on you hands.”
She shook her head. “I don’t care what you say, I want to know my family is alright.”
Justin sighed. “I don’t even know where they are exactly, but I have a number. You can call them.”
“Give me the number.”
“We don’t have much time. And you can’t stay on the phone for more than two minutes.”
“Yeah, whatever, you’re going to give me the number.” She picked up the receiver. With the other hand, she pressed her bat against his thigh, applying just enough pressure to make him uncomfortable. “Come on.”
“If you talk to them will you believe me?”
“I am not making you any promises.”
He recited the number. She dialed, holding her breath. It rang twice before there was an answer.
“Honey?” Nora’s voice flowed over the line.
“Mom! Are you okay? Are Dad and Danny alright?”
“Yes. You must have met Justin by now, right?”
“This man… this thing says he’s Justin. You know him?”
There was a pause before she continued. “Yes. Marradith, we were going to explain everything, but they came for you early. This is something that we’re all going to have to deal with right now, and you should know that Dad and I are sorry that we can’t be there with you. You have to do exactly what he tells you to do.”
“Mom! He’s a were…”
“You’re not going to say that word over the telephone,” Nora Ryder replied sharply. “I know what he is. Justin is there to protect and teach you, and you’re going to follow him to the letter.”
“What…?” Marradith had never come so close to cussing out her own mother. “Are you serious?”
“This is more serious than anything we’ve ever talked about. Do what he says, Marradith.”
“Someone is making you say these things. This can’t be right.”
“Listen here. You stubborn girl. I love you but for once in your life you’re going to have to go along with someone else’s plan. I can’t stay on this line. We’re fine, but if you don’t do what Justin says things might not stay that way. You understand?”
“Mom…!”
“I love you. Remember what I said.”
She hung up.
Marradith held the phone.
Justin stomped his foot. “Well?”
She got a knife from one of the drawers, and he flinched when she came near him. She cut through the ropes. He stood slowly, not backing away. He was a good six inches taller than her, but she still gripped the bat in her left hand, and the knife was in her right.
He picked up the phone from the counter and made his call. A male voice answered.
“She is compliant,” he said. “Call off the men.”
Justin hung up. He stretched, relieved to be free of the ropes, though he was still aching and sore. If Marradith was fearful before, she looked like she was in shock now. “Like I said before,” he said softly, “this was not supposed to happen this way. But there isn’t time to explain now. We need to get out of here.”
“Where? For how long?”
“That depends.”
“I’ll need to pack.”
“No you don’t. Go and get your jacket. If your parents left some cash here, we’ll need that, too.”
She rolled her wide eyes at him. Marradith was only sixteen, and he guessed that she could pass for younger if she tried. Her heart shaped face reminded him of a cat. Her black hair was in a ponytail, but strands had gotten loose and now hung around her face like a dark halo.
“Get your jacket, and come on. We need to make this quick.”
She ran upstairs. For a moment, she stood in her room, looking around. She thought about trying to escape. She could climb out onto the roof and shimmy her way down the side of the house. She could make it outside into the night before Justin knew she was gone. But if she did that, how long would it take for him to realize she was gone? How long before he (or the other werewolves ) would find her? What price would her family pay for her disobedience?
She remembered her Mother’s voice over the phone.
For now, she’d have to go along with it.
She pulled out her favorite jacket and put on socks and sneakers.
She scrawled words across her bathroom mirror, and shoved her cell phone into her jeans pocket before she ran back downstairs to join Justin.
Under what circumstances, she wondered, does any parent turn over their teenage daughter to a werewolf?
***
(If you missed it, you can read Part 1 here.)
___
© 2009 Lori Titus
Lori Titus’s The Marradith Ryder Series appears in episodes on Flashes in the Dark. Many of her short stories appear on MicroHorror.com, DemonMinds.com, and Shadeworks.org. An upcoming story will also be featured as a pod cast on SFZine.org. For more information see her at http://www.myspace.com/talesforthedark.
Artwork by: Raul Faria of Faria Graphics.
Tags: Lori Titus, Marradith Ryder, werewolf, werewolf hunter
February 21st, 2009 at 11:28 am
Great update - I’m already looking forward to more! I like the illustrations, too!
February 21st, 2009 at 11:28 am
Great update - I’m already looking forward to more! I like the illustrations, too!
February 21st, 2009 at 1:32 pm
More great stuff, Lori. It’s got that easy flow narrative, kinda like Laurell K. Hamilton or Patricia Briggs. Can’t wait for more.
February 21st, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I’m working on part 17 and a half this weekend, so there’s plenty more to come.
February 22nd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Awesome! Can’t wait to see what happens next!
June 16th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Well that is one way to meet your new teacher. At least she is listening for the moment.
Hello teach, may I bean you across the back of the head again….
June 16th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
@ Daymon34:
Well, that’s what he got for sneaking up on me! If he had known me back then he would have known that wasn’t going to work.