Page 73 of (Mostly) Human Resources

“No evidence?”

“Conservation laws haven’t caught up with everything yet,” he explained. “We would need to keep Jackalopes in captivity to truly understand their vocal mimicry and how they use it. For all we know, they could hold on to the same voice for months, possibly even years.” Alexys tried not to feel discouraged as she finished repacking her backpack. “That said, we know Elliot hasn’t been out here fortoolong, so …” Nic shrugged, but he wouldn’t meet her eye.

It would have been nice to have a positive voice on the trip to balance Nic’s endless cynicism. She knew it was just as bad to get her hopes up, but a little optimism from him, genuine optimism, would’ve made her feel a little less hopeless.

“It’s a good thing we at least have the compass with us.” He walked to the edge of the cave and held it in his palm. “Even without a map, a person should still be able to find their way through the woods with a compass. I have to assume Elliot was in possession of one. They come standard in all Warden packs.”

She appreciated the silver lining, but the truth was it wasveryeasy to get lost in these woods. And all the trees looked the same, everything dense and brown and green, a sea of the same in all directions. She’d been lucky to escape the woods herself, that first night, otherwise Waylan …

Suddenly a horrible, absolutely god-awful idea occurred to her.

“What time is it?” she asked first.

Nic narrowed his eyes at her, but checked his watch nonetheless. “Half past seven in the morning. Why?”

The idea was reckless. It had gone horribly wrong the first time, but she’d be prepared. She knew what to expect. The Jackalopeswere proof enough: Elliothadbeen here, and recently too. So what if they needed to divert their course slightly? It was worth asking someone who might have seen him.

“I don’t like that look, Keane.” Nic cleared his throat. “Keane?” Hello? Earth to HR.’

Alexys looked up at him. She felt confident and a little crazy, and judging by his expression, it showed.

“Waylan might have seen Elliot.”

Nic stared at her for several seconds. He took off his glasses to rub his eyes, already exasperated. “Let me get this straight. You want to ask a homicidal ghost for directions?”

CHAPTER 38

“There are different types of spirits and ghosts that haunt our world. It can be difficult to classify them in any way that makes sense as each one appears and behaves in different ways. All we know for certain is that there are no good or bad spirits. They simply are.”

Haints and Haunts: A Study of the Spiritualby Makenna Petera

Finding Waylan was, surprisingly, very easy.

Alexys expected to wander the woods for a few hours before finding him, but the boy seemed to materialize within a few minutes of their search. She wondered if that was part of his cursed limbo: sensing when people were wandering through his area of the woods and appearing before them. Being summoned by some force even greater than his own spirit.

It was an unsettling thought.

Waylan looked exactly the same as he had the day before (before his terrifying transformation): faded overalls that were several sizes too large, a lopsided grin, and bare feet coated in mud. A little monster wrapped in an innocent shell. She gave him an energetic wave.

Despite knowing what he was capable of doing, what he had already done, she was still happy to see him.

“Mornin’, Miss Alexys!” He came bounding toward them and bounced to a stop before her. “I see ya found your friend.”

She returned his smile easily. “Not quite the one I was looking for, but yes.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nic tense. Had he never seen a Haint before? Was Nic Dyreactuallynervous? She made a mental note to relish this moment later.

“Still looking for the other one then?” Waylan turned his sunny smile on Nic, and Alexys snuck a glance to see Nic’s response.

The smile he gave the boy was friendlier than any she’d seen before. It surprised her, as did the fluttering in her stomach.

“You must be Waylan.” Nic crouched down to Waylan’s level and held his hand out for a handshake. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Nic.”

Waylan looked at Nic’s hand, brow furrowed.

“I’d like to shake your hand, mister, seeing as that’s polite and all. But I’d lose my roly polies if I did.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” Nic pulled his hand back, giving a warm laugh. “Do you think you can help us find our friend, Waylan?”