Spirit Storm by E.J. Stevens Read Free Book Online

wheel.
    “Thanks,” she said. “I just got it back this morning. Feels good to be driving my own car and not my mom’s gas guzzling monstrosity.”
    “Where to?” I asked.
    “My place,” she replied. “You are so totally going to learn how to make vegan cookies.”
    I called Cal on the way to Emma’s house, but got his voicemail. I left a message letting him know where we were going to be hanging out and wished him luck in his search.
    “Voicemail?” Emma asked.
    “Yeah, it’s cool,” I said. “Hard to answer the phone with paws!” I was trying for levity, but my words came out flat. Awkward with a capital A.
    “Let’s go make those cookies,” Emma said, ignoring my weirdness. “I’m starved.”
    Walking into Emma’s house meant stepping into a wild menagerie where humans were a minority. The first thing I always noticed in the dimly lit entryway was the sensation of being watched and then the gleam of many sets of eyes from the adjoining living room. There were animals of nearly every furred and feathered variety and they perched and lounged on every surface.
    I nearly jumped when a paw swept down to bat at Legs’ fabric legs. Many of the strays and injured animals Emma and her family fostered would eventually leave to return to the wild or go to a good family, but there were a few here who were long time family pets. The brave tom cat with one ear was one of these permanent fixtures in Emma’s home.
    “Hey Van Gogh, you like Legs?” I asked, reaching up to scratch the cat’s good ear. I was nearly knocked off my feet by the other long-term resident, a huge Maine Coon cat with a jealous streak. “Don’t worry Chairman Meow, you’re next.” I made sure to give them equal attention, scratching and cooing until they purred like motorcycle engines, and moved on toward the kitchen.
    Emma was setting out ingredients and I went over to scrub my hands at the sink. Amazingly the animals of the house didn’t cross into the kitchen. I wasn’t sure if this was due to the slippery linoleum floor or training, but I was glad we wouldn’t have to worry about pet fur in the cookies. Then they wouldn’t really be vegan, right?
    *****
    We were already eating from the first tray of cookies and waiting for the second batch to cool when I received a call from Cal. He and Simon hadn’t found the missing teen and were on their way back to town. We agreed to meet them at the cabin in thirty minutes.
    Emma and I waited for the last cookies to cool and cleaned the kitchen. Her mom and dad would be home from work soon which was why we didn’t invite the guys over to her house. Simon didn’t play well with others. We left a plate of cookies wrapped in cling wrap on the kitchen table for her parents and a note explaining Emma would be back by eight o’clock. I hoped the cats would continue to stay out of the kitchen after we left. Chairman Meow might be getting a plate full of vegan cookies for dinner.
    On the drive over to the cabin Emma was fidgeting at the wheel and seemed distracted. We had been laughing and having a good time while baking, but now she looked anxious and little worry lines were beginning to pop out on her forehead. I tried to remember if I had said anything to upset her, but was drawing a blank. I even liked her cookies and had told her so. Emma fuming wasn’t good. I needed to do something to defuse the Emma bomb… and fast.
    “So, are you okay?” I asked. I might as well be direct. We were only a few minutes from the cabin so I didn’t have time for subtleties.
    “Oh sure, if by okay you mean totally freaked out,” she answered.
    Okay. “Did I miss something?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”
    She sighed and put her turn signal on, pulling over to the side of the road. When we came to a complete stop she still held the steering wheel with a white knuckled grip. “Please tell me I’m not going crazy,” she said.
    “Whatever it is, you are not going crazy,” I said. “You’re one