Free Revealers by Amanda Marrone Page B

look.”
    Michael laughs as he slows the van to a stop in front of my house. “Yeah, the capes are a little retro.”
    “Hey, keep going,” Dani says. “I saw the kitchen lights on—maybe you should let us out down the street, I’ll fly home and it will look like you did, too. I don’t want any of us to get in trouble.”
    He accelerates and pulls over farther down the block by the woods.
    “Viva la revolution!” I say.
    “I’m just feeling a little spooked, all right? I mean all this talk about lists and traditions, well—remember the time Mrs. Keyes reamed me out because I hadn’t made the binders tight enough and they fell apart before they hit the ground?”
    “She was mad the vamp got away,” I say. “This is just a ride.”
    “Well, you never know what’s gonna make her go nuts,” Dani says. “She came down on Z
    that time for showing up on a hunt without a stake even though we were going after a wolf!”
    “Okay, fine,” I say, opening the door. “But I plan on asking my mom a few things when I get in. Thanks for the ride, Michael. It was really nice not having to fly home in the cold even if we get in trouble!”
    Dani gets out and shakes her head. “I can’t help it if Mrs. Keyes scares the crap out of me!”
    “Mrs. Keyes scares the crap out of everyone!” Michael says. “But I’ll keep this illicit ride home under wraps. If you guys don’t have another hunt tomorrow, I’ll see you in school.”
    Michael drives off, and Dani turns to me.
     
    “Are you really going to ask your mom about the list?” she asks, mounting her broom.
    “Margo said not to.”
    “Damn straight I am. Just because you’re too chicken to buck tradition, doesn’t mean I am.”
    “Too chicken to buck tradition? Oh, please. I rode in the van same as you. I just like to keep my rebellion under the radar. Let me know if your mom says anything interesting.”
    “Will do.”
    Dani says the cloaking spell and takes off.” I walk toward my house. As I pass the side garden, I’m tempted to sneak out to Mom’s workshop to make sure Connor cleaned up, but I want to catch her before she heads to bed.
    I open the kitchen door and smell mint hot chocolate. I walk in and see two mugs out on the counter and a pot steaming on the stovetop next to the cauldron.
    “I’m home!”
    Mom comes in tying her blue bathrobe sash tight. “I got home just a bit ago and thought I’d wait up in case you wanted to talk. I know that girl went to school with you all. Did you know her well?”
    “We had a couple of classes together and we worked on a group project once, but Sascha was the only one that was kind of friends with her.” I decide to not mention Michael. I throw my cape over a chair, and spot the Ouroboros ring. Does my mom know about it? I get up and turn the burner off, and then I pull my sweater sleeves over my hands so just my fingertips are showing. “Brrrr, I’m still cold. This will warm me up, though.” I fill up the mugs and bring them over to the table, wondering how long I can hide the stupid ring. “It was a tough kill, though.”
    Mom blows across the top of the milk. “Did she attack before you bound her?”
    “No! That’s what made it so hard. She just wanted to hang out with us.”
    “Well,” Mom says with a little laugh, “that’s not likely, but who ended up staking her?”
    I take a sip and burn my tongue. “Ow! Margo did it. She showed up late, but once she saw Kelsey bound by home plate, she staked her without blinking an eye.”
    The corners of Mom’s lips curl up and I wonder why this news makes her smile.
    “So now that Kelsey’s taken care of, who’s next on the list? Anyone I know?”
    Mom’s smile dissolves in a flash. “What are you talking about?”
    “It’s okay, Mom. Margo let it slip out that there’s a list of creatures we have to hunt. It’s not like it’s a big deal.”
    She smiles again, but I can tell it’s forced. She takes a sip of chocolate, obviously