Chapter One
The call came through on the car radio, interrupting the song that had been playing.
“It’s your sister,” Preston said.
Camellia glanced over at the screen, then pressed the green button. “’Sup, Carly?”
“Hey, Camellia,” Carly’s voice came through the radio’s speakers. “Sorry; I know you hate talking on the phone, but you weren’t answering my texts.”
“I’m driving.”
“Ah. I don’t suppose there’s any chance that you’re not busy right now, then.”
“None. Why?”
“Are you working?”
“On my way to an assignment, yes.”
“Oh. Well . . . Mom was going through the piles of junk in the basement. She found a box of Dad’s old stuff.”
Camellia’s foot lifted off the gas pedal lightly. She shook her head and focused back on the road. “What kind of stuff?”
“Stuff from his days with the hunters,” Carly said. “It’s really cool, a bunch of old relics he kept from missions . . . I thought you’d be interested in seeing it.” She paused. “There’s also a video recording. We don’t know what’s on it. Mom thought we should all watch it together, her, you, me, and Cayden. Would you be free later tonight?”
“I’m gonna be out of town for a few days, at least,” Camellia said. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“She can be there tomorrow,” Preston jumped in.
“Preston, shut up—”
“Who’s that?” Carly asked.
“No one,” Camellia said, shooting a glare at Preston. “Why don’t you have the video sent to me? I don’t want to hold you guys up; you all can watch it together and I’ll watch it myself.”
“Are you sure? I don’t think we’d mind waiting.”
“It’s all right. I wouldn’t be able to give you a definitive date, anyway.”
“If you’re really sure. I’ll get it to you digitally.”
“Thanks, Carly.”
“Talk to you sometime.”
“Later.”
Carly hung up.
“If you want to go watch that video with your family, I can cover the mission for you,” Preston said.
“That is a terrible idea,” Camellia said.
“But don’t you want to watch it with them? It sounds important.”
“Yeah, you don’t know anything about it, so drop it.”
“Is your dad . . . gone?”
“What did I just say?”
“Sorry; sorry. I just . . . How come you’ve never mentioned this?”
“Take a wild guess.”
“I don’t know, man. I mean, I thought we were pretty good friends.”
Camellia gave him a side-eye.
“I’m being serious!” He looked slightly hurt. “What — are not good friends?”
She paused. “I didn’t say that.”
He grinned. “Aha! Thought so! So why haven’t you told me this, then?”
“Because, Preston, I didn’t want to,” she said, momentarily taking her eyes off the road to give him a look. “I’m not obligated to give you my life story; am I?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Then, if we’re such ‘good friends’, you can respect that I don’t want to.”
He sighed. “Of course I can. I just . . .” He trailed off and stared out the window for a brief moment. An oil truck passed by Camellia’s car in the lane next to them just before they turned down a side street. “So he was an anomaly hunter, huh?”
“Preston.”
“Fine, fine, I’ll shut up.”
Camellia sighed contentedly. “Oh, how long I have waited to hear those exact words in your voice.”
“It wasn’t a promise—”
“No, no, no, no, go back to the shutting up thing.”
“I—”
“Shhh, be a good Preston, now.” Her eyes searched both sides of the road until she found her destination. She pulled into the parking lot of the Granite Motel and parked close to the entrance. Few other cars were there.
Camellia pushed a button to open her trunk. She grabbed her bag and let Preston get his own, then led the way through the front door into the lobby. The motel was small and less-than-fancy; the lobby contained a singular desk and two armchairs. Camellia hoped they wouldn’t be staying long.
She checked in at the front desk with a receptionist named Celia. Celia gave them their room key, and Camellia thanked her. Their room was on the top floor — the third floor. It was twice the size of the lobby and held two double beds and a nightstand in between. An armchair identical to the ones in the lobby sat in the corner. The adjoining bathroom was just big enough to hold a toilet, a sink, and a shower. Camellia thought about the time they stayed at Briar Manor. She missed it and all its amenities.
On the wall opposite the door was a window that overlooked the bunches of trees below. Camellia nodded to it. “There’s our clearing.” In the middle of the trees was a perfect circle of blank grass. That was where they were to keep watch for the anomaly they were assigned to catch.
Preston dropped his bag on one of the beds. “They have Wi-Fi here; right? These kinds of missions are so boring.”
Camellia looked at her phone. “No Wi-Fi, but the connection seems fine. We’re only just out of the city.”
“I guess. When are we eating? I’m hungry.”
She pulled her keys out of her bag. “We can find someplace now. I think I saw an Olive Garden down the road.”
“There was also a McDonald’s,” Preston added hopefully.
“You are a child.”
“Aw, was that a no?”
Camellia rolled her eyes. “I don’t care. Let’s go.”
Preston cheered and scrambled out the door after her.
