Endangered Species Endangered Species (Time Served #1) - Onley James Page 0,1

was how they’d discovered the tiny hidden space in the attic, looking for a place to hide their snacks and contraband so Phoebe couldn’t take it and dole it out to them as rewards for doing her bidding. Phoebe hated the attic because she was sure there were rats up there. Nicky had never seen rats, but he’d seen plenty of other creepy crawlers. Still, he was content to share the space with almost any living creature besides her.

Phoebe was tiny—Nicky’s nana used to say Phoebe’s blonde hair was bigger than she was—but her footsteps on the hardwood floor sounded gunshot loud to him, drowning out everything else except the blood whooshing in his ears. The attic was freezing, but, somehow, Nicky was cold and sweating at the same time.

“I’m gonna find you. You can’t hide forever,” she said, her voice taking on an edge sharp enough to cut.

“Bitch,” Cy muttered, his hand falling from Nicky’s mouth to rub his arm in a reassuring manner, like he’d done two weeks ago after Phoebe had beat him worse than usual because he’d gone to the Sheriff to tell them what she was doing to him. To them. Sheriff Dooley had listened the whole time and even said he could help him…but then Phoebe had walked in and taken him home, her hand dragging along the sleeve of Dooley’s shirt in that way that always made others talk.

“She’s gonna kill us,” Nicky whispered, so sure of his prediction.

Phoebe hadn’t found their hiding spot yet, but she would get there eventually. She was on the top floor of the large farmhouse now, hollering Nicky’s name as she paced the upstairs hallway, throwing open doors and slamming them shut again. This wasn’t anything new, not the pacing or the raving or even the weapon in her hand, the fireplace poker probably still dripping with Ray’s blood. Would she kill Nicky and Cyrus, too? Did she even think of Cyrus? Did she know he was there? Nicky shivered, and Cyrus pulled him tighter against him. Maybe he was cold, too.

Nicky felt bad for Cy…and Ray. Well, maybe not Ray. He’d known what Phoebe was. Maybe not at first, but eventually. He’d seen the bruises on Nicky and Cy. She’d even broken Cy’s arm once. He had to stop playing football for half a season. Ray had called it discipline, had told them both they could do better.

Cy said Phoebe had cast some kind of spell over his dad that made him not think clearly. It was the only explanation. If somebody told him his mama was a witch, Nicky would’ve believed it. Not a good witch, like Glenda, but something cold and evil, who made people do their bidding. When Ray was home, it would be better, though. Maybe it was the presents he brought home from his many business trips, or maybe it was just having his attention. Ray said Phoebe needed people to love her, like flowers needed the sun.

“We can’t stay up here. She’s going to find us,” Cy whispered. “I’m gonna go downstairs and distract her. You need to get to my room and go out my window. You can make it to the tree. Shimmy down there, and get Ms. Sheila to call the police. Can you do that?”

Nicky shook his head vehemently, his little hands clinging to Cy’s arm around him. “No. I don’t want to go without you. She’ll kill you, too.”

There was a look on Cy’s face that scared Nicky. His eyes looked sad, his expression stubborn. “You gotta go, Nicky. I can’t protect both of us. You gotta go get help. I’m bigger than she is. I’ll be fine.”

Cy didn’t sound convinced of that at all, but there was no time to argue. Phoebe was coming up the attic stairs. Slowly. Methodically. Probably gearing herself up for whatever creepy crawlies were in there. Cy pushed Nicky to his feet then stood behind him.

Before Nicky could say a word, Phoebe’s head appeared, her eyes hard and shiny, like pools of ice, as she spotted them. Cy let out a cry that sounded like it came from his toes and barreled into her, the two of them stumbling down the stairs. Phoebe screamed, but it sounded more furious than hurt.

“Go, Nicky!” Cy screamed from the bottom.

Nicky was off like a shot, his legs pumping past the two as they wrestled for the fireplace poker. He struggled to open Cy’s window but finally managed to get enough space to