Page 22 of The Cursed Sebastian Storm

“At least it doesn’t sound like that shade was resistant to light,” Parker said, perhaps in an attempt to look on the bright side.

“True.” James leaned forward, elbows on his knees, peering around Melinda to Parker. “But I wonder if that means we have two separate problems. The light-resistant shade that attacked Sebastian seemed different, and I remember Eli saying the same thing back when he was attacked. At the time, we thought the differences were insignificant, but what if those differences mean we’re dealing with a new kind of shade, as well as shades willing to possess animals.”

“We can’t rule it out,” Eleanor admitted, though her tone implied she wished she could.

“I’ll search the archives for anything on light-resistant shades,” Mila offered, to which Eleanor nodded. “At least possessions have been known to happen and dealing with them isn’t unprecedented. The other problem seems more concerning.”

“I agree,” said the man in the blazer. “But even if it is two problems, it’s hard to imagine they aren’t related.”

William, the city councilor, looked down his nose at the other man. “Why would you assume that?”

Blazer-man sat up straighter, apparently not put off by the condescending look. “We’ve seen no real change in the shades visiting Moonlight Falls for as long as I’ve been alive. Then, suddenly, we have a possession and this light resistance all happening at once. If they aren’t related, the timing is unbelievably coincidental.”

“While we’re trying to figure out why any of this is happening,” Nora cut in before William could argue, “we should make announcements informing people extra caution is needed.”

“Yes,” Eleanor agreed. “The town needs to know that light might not be enough and that going out at night without the ability to summon fire could be risky.”

William crossed his arms. “But what about tourism? We can’t scare away the city folk coming for the supernatural tours.”

“It’ll be a liability if we do nothing. People need to know the risks.” Eleanor pulled out her phone. “I’ll talk to the tour company. It’s ultimately up to them to decide what to do about the tours they run. If their guides are comfortable swapping shade-lights for fire, that’s their call.”

William looked displeased. “But tourists might be too skittish to come and book a tour if they think there’s a real risk.”

Eleanor gave him a dismissive one-shoulder shrug before turning to the rest of the group. “Why don’t we have Nora and Tony draft up some statements. One for the school and one for the general public. We have to let everyone know about the bear in the least alarming way possible.”

“I’ll leave that for the parents to deal with.” Tony brushed off the sleeves of his blazer and made a face. “The only things I’ll be saying to the kids as principal will be about safety procedures and to remind them to ask an adult about anything they’re unsure of.”

“We’ll have to let them know shade-lights might not be enough,” Nora reminded him.

Tony grimaced. “That’s going to scare them. But I suppose there’s no way around it. If we can have something written up and distributed around town tomorrow, we’ll have until Monday to worry about the school announcement, and hopefully, the kids will have heard what’s going on from their parents by then, so they won’t be caught off guard.”

Parker said he was happy to have notices put up at the diner, and Melinda offered to help distribute flyers into mailboxes.

The meeting wrapped up after that. Sebastian promised Mila he’d stop by the library soon, and she hugged him again before leaving.

Sebastian didn’t talk to anyone other than Mila as people milled around the auditorium and he was relieved to get outside, even though it was dark and they had no real idea what would happen next with the shades. As long as a possessed bear didn’t stroll into town, they’d probably be fine. People would need to readjust. The immunity to light wasn’t ideal, but it was manageable.

Still, Sebastian wondered what would happen if things didn’t return to normal. What if things got worse? Light immunity wouldn’t be so manageable if a whole horde of shades required fire to banish. Would things get bad enough that they’d find out how many people in Moonlight Falls truly believed this place called to them and was a comfort like no other? How many would leave it all behind for a place without violent beasts from Beyond?

Sebastian hoped James, Eli, Hazel, and Parker didn’t change their minds about loving life in this town, especially since none of them had any choice about staying.

CHAPTER EIGHT

James pulled Eli’s car into the garage. It would be a little while before his truck was repaired, so the brothers would have to share. Parker planned to pick Eli up from work later because walking home at night didn’t seem like a great idea. He’d take Eli back to his house, which meant Sebastian and James were on their own.

James faced Sebastian as he turned off the car. “The meeting went well.”

Sebastian shrugged. He’d cried in front of a group of people and hadn’t been able to make eye contact while talking, but it hadn’t gone terribly. “Guess so.”

They climbed out of the car, and James popped the trunk. “Here, I grabbed some stuff at Storm House this morning.” James had transferred a couple of boxes from his truck before it was towed. They each grabbed one. “Let’s take them upstairs.”

Sebastian followed James through the house and up to James’s bedroom. Sebastian set his box on the floor, the top flaps falling open to reveal the clothes he’d ordered for James. He smiled.

James set the other box on a chair in the corner. “This one is yours.”

Sebastian maneuvered around the bed. “Thanks.” He opened the box to find an assortment of his clothing.

James began putting the things from his box away in the closet. “I can make space in a drawer for you if you want.”

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