she’d cured the zombies; she didn’t make much use of her fame, but she could if she wanted to. Taking Kiki to homecoming had helped my status, but I still got swirlied every once in a while. That wouldn’t ever happenagain if I brought in the yeti.
Everyone was watching me, waiting to see what I’d do. Even the yeti. It was the kind of situation I’d always play-acted but never lived, the kind that really mattered.
“Hey, big guy,” I said, moving cautiously toward the shaggy, hulking beast. “It’s okay; we’re not going to hurt you. You’re safe now.”
The yeti shrank away as I drew closer, and I held up my hands to show how harmless I was.
“Seriously, dude. It’s okay. I’m a good guy.” I tapped myself on the chest, and the beast stared at my tunic like it might manifest teeth and go on the attack. “Oh, don’t worry about the outfit. I’m just wearing these funny clothes for a game.”
The yeti huffed.
“Where did you come from?” I said. “Did someone hurt you?”
The creature snuffled and wiped its nose with the back of a paw. Then it gently grabbed my arm. The tips of its claws punctured the thin fabric, scratching me a little, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t washing this arm until I got Kate to swab it. For all I knew, I had yeti DNA on my skin. Which was so freaking cool.
“What are you trying to tell me?” I asked.
The beast stood up (and up and up) and tugged me down the trail a couple of steps into the underbrush. I scrambled to match its long strides, feeling like a toddler being dragged around by a very hairy mother.
“Come on!” I exclaimed wildly, even though the girls were right behind us. “Let’s see what the yeti wants to show us.”
“He really is insane,” Amethyst muttered to Calamity, just loud enough for me to hear.
“Yeah,” Cal replied. “But we love him anyway.”
I grinned back at them as the yeti towed me into the woods.
CHAPTER 6
I lost track of how long we walked, mostly because I had to struggle to keep up with the yeti lest I be dragged along the forest floor on my face. Pretty soon, I was huffing and puffing and tripping over my own feet. The yeti finally realized that his stride was about three times bigger than mine. He looked down at me with a sheepish expression and released my arm.
He wasn’t even out of breath, but I couldn’t stop gasping as I took in our surroundings. Nothing looked familiar, but the area wasn’t exactly bursting with landmarks. There were trees and rocks and dirt, all of which looked no different to me than the trees, rocks, and dirt we’d just left. I couldn’t even see a path, and I really hoped the yeti knew where he was going, because if he didn’t, we were totally screwed.
The girls had fallen far behind us. I sat on a log trying to catch my breath while we waited for them. Finally, they appeared in the clearing.
“Where are we going?” Amethyst asked, vaulting a fallen tree branch and brushing her hands off on her thighs. “I’m all for equal yeti rights or whatever, but I’m not sure this is the wisest thing we’ve ever done. We need to be able to find our way back, you know. And I’d still like to LARP some too.”
“I’ve got a compass,” I said, patting my bandolier and trying to sound more confident than I felt. I couldn’t expect the girls to follow my lead if I didn’t at least make an attempt at bravery under pressure. “It’ll be okay. We’ll make it back in time.”
“Reassuring, but I repeat—
where are we going?
It’s been almost a half hour, and it’ll be lunchtime soon. I don’t think we’re even in the Scout camp anymore.”
I looked up at the yeti. He seemed to understand us, so I figured I should at least ask. “Is it a lot farther, big guy?”
The yeti shook its shaggy head and gestured up the path. All I could see were more trees.
“I’m sticking with him,” I said after a moment of consideration. “I’m not going to comethis far only to turn around,
Everyone was watching me, waiting to see what I’d do. Even the yeti. It was the kind of situation I’d always play-acted but never lived, the kind that really mattered.
“Hey, big guy,” I said, moving cautiously toward the shaggy, hulking beast. “It’s okay; we’re not going to hurt you. You’re safe now.”
The yeti shrank away as I drew closer, and I held up my hands to show how harmless I was.
“Seriously, dude. It’s okay. I’m a good guy.” I tapped myself on the chest, and the beast stared at my tunic like it might manifest teeth and go on the attack. “Oh, don’t worry about the outfit. I’m just wearing these funny clothes for a game.”
The yeti huffed.
“Where did you come from?” I said. “Did someone hurt you?”
The creature snuffled and wiped its nose with the back of a paw. Then it gently grabbed my arm. The tips of its claws punctured the thin fabric, scratching me a little, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t washing this arm until I got Kate to swab it. For all I knew, I had yeti DNA on my skin. Which was so freaking cool.
“What are you trying to tell me?” I asked.
The beast stood up (and up and up) and tugged me down the trail a couple of steps into the underbrush. I scrambled to match its long strides, feeling like a toddler being dragged around by a very hairy mother.
“Come on!” I exclaimed wildly, even though the girls were right behind us. “Let’s see what the yeti wants to show us.”
“He really is insane,” Amethyst muttered to Calamity, just loud enough for me to hear.
“Yeah,” Cal replied. “But we love him anyway.”
I grinned back at them as the yeti towed me into the woods.
CHAPTER 6
I lost track of how long we walked, mostly because I had to struggle to keep up with the yeti lest I be dragged along the forest floor on my face. Pretty soon, I was huffing and puffing and tripping over my own feet. The yeti finally realized that his stride was about three times bigger than mine. He looked down at me with a sheepish expression and released my arm.
He wasn’t even out of breath, but I couldn’t stop gasping as I took in our surroundings. Nothing looked familiar, but the area wasn’t exactly bursting with landmarks. There were trees and rocks and dirt, all of which looked no different to me than the trees, rocks, and dirt we’d just left. I couldn’t even see a path, and I really hoped the yeti knew where he was going, because if he didn’t, we were totally screwed.
The girls had fallen far behind us. I sat on a log trying to catch my breath while we waited for them. Finally, they appeared in the clearing.
“Where are we going?” Amethyst asked, vaulting a fallen tree branch and brushing her hands off on her thighs. “I’m all for equal yeti rights or whatever, but I’m not sure this is the wisest thing we’ve ever done. We need to be able to find our way back, you know. And I’d still like to LARP some too.”
“I’ve got a compass,” I said, patting my bandolier and trying to sound more confident than I felt. I couldn’t expect the girls to follow my lead if I didn’t at least make an attempt at bravery under pressure. “It’ll be okay. We’ll make it back in time.”
“Reassuring, but I repeat—
where are we going?
It’s been almost a half hour, and it’ll be lunchtime soon. I don’t think we’re even in the Scout camp anymore.”
I looked up at the yeti. He seemed to understand us, so I figured I should at least ask. “Is it a lot farther, big guy?”
The yeti shook its shaggy head and gestured up the path. All I could see were more trees.
“I’m sticking with him,” I said after a moment of consideration. “I’m not going to comethis far only to turn around,
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