Poisoned (Part 1)

A retelling of a classic fairy tale that takes a completely different path over the river and through the Wood...

An Excerpt from 

"Ruby Hood, A Twistedly True Tale"

By Aspen Hite

Ruby! Ruby! It’s here. Hurry.

It was Dylan, in her mind. Where?

In the basement. Looks like a janitor office. With Kellan. Hurry.

Ruby shuffled sideways and squeezed through tight spots to get around a congested main corridor to the smaller hallway, the road less traveled. Then she set off at a run.

A vision tickled her mind. Dark and shadowy. The Unnaturalness lurked nearby. Ruby knew it was watching her as she rounded the corner and sped down the stairs. Pulling open the office door, shock stopped her in her tracks, “What happened?”

Dylan sat on his knees, cradling Kellan’s very sickly head in his lap, “I don’t know what to say, Ruby, I found him this way. I stopped by to see how you guys things went this morning, and I saw Kellan stumbling and moaning toward the park. I brought him into the nearest door and called to you.”

Ruby made her way to the floor and rested a hand on Kellan’s forehead. “Jeez, he’s burning up.”

“Rue, is that you?” Kellan opened his eyes and tried to focus on her. “You came. It’s good to see you. You’re so pretty.” Then he faded as his eyes fluttered closed and some drool leaked out.

“Kel, what…” Ruby took his head in her lap. “Talk to me…”

“The Unnaturalness, Ruby. It's in the park. I was going to the park, but it this hit me. All of a sudden, I was weak and tired and couldn't stand. I felt like I'd been smacked upside the head with a two by four,” Kellan’s voice came out in short bursts and his eyes stayed closed, “I think I’ve been poisoned. I can feel it burning its way through my insides. It hurts.”

“We need help, Ruby. Like right now. Here at school. How does that work?” Dylan said, glancing around them. “There has to be an Otherly Natural emergency system in place.”

Kellan pushed his hand into Ruby’s, giving her a white wadded piece of paper. “Use the phone. Call this number. Someone will come. Now.”

Dylan made the call from the rotary phone in the office.

Eight minutes had ticked by when two men in suits and sunglasses, like something out of Men in Black, knocked on the door. Ruby tucked a crystal into Kellan’s pocket as Dylan opened the door. Without a word, the men swooped into the room, picked him up and disappeared out of the tiny office. Ruby watched through the window as they blended right into the swelling student population, “How did they do that?”

“A glamour, I suppose,” Dylan ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just glad for the help.”

“Yeah, me too. But who do you think those men were exactly?”

“I’d guess we just saw another part of the Lycan army, especially if your last name is Wolf.”

“An army?”

“Yes, Ruby. Your boyfriend has his very own entire army. Of villains.”

“Huh,” She said, and at that moment it struck her. She had an alliance with an army. But were they villains?