But before I could ask my first question, Brooks said, “Rosie, like most dogs… they don’t trust me at first. They sense my… that I’m…”
Part animal? I wanted to say, but I knew it would sound worse out loud, and I also didn’t want to make her say it. “Well, she likes you now,” I said.
After a small stretch of silence, I had to ask, “Are you even human?”
“Yes….I mean, mostly.”
Mostly was good. A lot better than barely.
“We need to get moving.” Brooks patted Rosie once more, then began climbing the narrow trail.
“I don’t think we’re allowed up there,” I said. “That’s the crash site, and there’s an investigation…”
“I thought you said this is your volcano.”
“It is.” I already hated the way she twisted things around. “But where exactly are you going? To look for the demon?” If so, I was outta there.
“There has to be a way inside… and since this is your volcano, I thought you could show it to me.”
I wiped my brow. I’d never even talked about the secret caves, much less shown them to anyone. But they might impress her, and that was important to me for some reason. “There might just be a hidden entrance….”
“I knew it!” Brooks pressed her lips together. “Will you take me there?”
I was about to negotiate—I still needed Brooks to give me more info—when Rosie barked and took off toward the caves. Traitor!
With a light laugh, Brooks quirked her left brow and said, “Okay, then, come on. Do you want to know the truth or not?”
How much truth could a person handle in one day? I hurried alongside her, wishing I didn’t have to use my cane, but she didn’t seem to care.
Thankfully, the entrance was only halfway up the Beast, but it was around the back, so it took some time to get there.
Brooks’s footsteps crunched along the ashy gravel as we followed Rosie, but otherwise she was quiet.
“So can you change into anything you want?” I asked. I was starting to realize how awesome her shape-shifting ability was. I mean, seriously, who wouldn’t want to change into whatever they wanted whenever they wanted? Definitely a hundred on the amazing scale.
“I can only change into a hawk, at least for now. I’m still learning, and when I get nervous I can’t really control it. It just sort of happens.”
The switchback trail was steep and rocky, bordered by clumps of wayward weeds that, in the dark, could definitely be mistaken for hairy sea creatures.
After some moments of silence, Brooks finally asked quietly, “So you don’t think I’m weird?”
“Weird? Well, yeah.”
Brooks stopped and turned to look at me.
I quickly added, “But in a good way. I think you’re about the most interesting person I’ve ever met!” I know, I know, I should’ve played it cool, but it slipped out.
Her eyes crinkled around the edges and I could tell there was a smile waiting there.
“How come you were at Baumgarten’s if you don’t go to my school?” I asked.
“I thought it would be better to meet you somewhere… you know, public. It wouldn’t be as creepy as me showing up at your front door.” She continued hiking.
“Right.” Not creepy at all. And she’d shown up at my front door anyway.
“So how come we’re climbing up here?” I asked. “I mean, I’d rather not run into Señor Demon again. He looked pretty vicious.”
“You ask a lot of questions. And officially, he’s a demon runner.”