Simon opened his mouth to apologize for her, but Jam shrugged sheepishly and dropped his hand when it became obvious that Winter wouldn’t take it. “My sisters like to get me in trouble all the time, so my mom used to joke that I was always in a jam. It just stuck.”
Winter looked unimpressed, but to Simon’s relief, she didn’t make any more comments. “I like it,” he said.
“Thanks. Me, too. Do you have someplace to sit? You can sit with me, if you want,” added Jam. “Unless you want to sit with the land mammals. But they don’t like you very much.”
“I don’t like them much, either, so that’s okay,” said Simon. “If there’s room, I’ll sit with you.”
“There’s always room.” Jam picked up a plate at the start of the buffet and headed straight for the fish. “What do you like? I’ve heard the fries are good, but nothing beats sushi. You should try it.”
Though Simon politely declined the sushi, the rest of the food looked even better than it smelled, and once they’d each filled plates and grabbed something to drink, the three of them headed to the table. Before they could reach it, however, Nolan stepped into their path, flanked by several large boys, including Garrett.
“Oh, look, the losers found each other,” said Nolan. “How sweet.”
Jam’s smile faded, and he gripped his tray hard enough to make his water teeter. “Hi, Nolan. Congratulations on finding out you have a brother. That must be cool.”
Instantly Simon could tell Jam had said exactly the wrong thing, as Nolan’s face clouded over and he balled his hands into fists the same way Simon did when he got angry. “I don’t have a brother,” he spat.
Jam frowned and looked at Simon. “But—”
“I said I don’t have a brother!” Without warning, Nolan shoved Jam’s tray into his chest, spilling water all down Jam’s front and mashing sushi against his shirt.
The entire dining hall fell silent. Jam stood there, dumbfounded and pale, and all Simon could think about were the times Bryan Barker had done the exact same kind of thing to him in front of everyone.
The knot in his chest felt like a hot coal burning him up from the inside out, and without thinking, he grabbed the glass of chocolate milk from his tray and marched up to Nolan, dumping the entire thing over his head.
“What—” sputtered Nolan as chocolate milk ran down his body, and his expression twisted into an enraged snarl. He lurched forward and tackled Simon to the floor, ripping at his shirt and tearing at his hair.
Every instinct he had screamed at Simon to fight back, but no matter how much Nolan might’ve deserved a chocolate milk bath, he was still his brother, and Simon couldn’t hit him. Distantly he heard Winter shouting at them to stop, but all he could do was shield his face from Nolan’s punches and protect his chest with his knees the same way he had against Bryan earlier that afternoon.
“No-lan, No-lan, No-lan!” chanted the other mammals, and Simon opened his eyes enough to see that a tight circle had formed around them. Several of the students had shifted into their animal forms, and Simon spotted a mountain lion and a pair of coyotes lurking on the edge of his vision. No doubt they would jump in with their claws and fangs if Simon tried to retaliate, but as long as Simon kept his fists to himself, it was just Nolan. He wasn’t even hitting that hard—nothing like the eighth-grade bullies who had had years of practice. Judging by the way Nolan grew winded after only fifteen seconds, Simon guessed this was his first time beating someone up by himself.
“Enough!” A vicious roar cut through the cheers, and the students scrambled back to make way for Malcolm and the three hulking wolves that flanked him. Nolan ignored them and raised his fist again, ready to strike.
“Did you not hear me?” said Malcolm, grabbing him by the back of his collar and lifting him into the air. One of the wolves padded up to Simon and sniffed him.
“Still alive, pup?” she said, shifting into a tall brunette. Simon nodded, pushing himself upright. His nose ached, and when he wiped his mouth, there was a smear of blood on his hand, but otherwise he felt all right.
“He dumped his milk over my head in front of everyone!” cried Nolan. His face was flushed and his eyes were watery, and he squirmed against Malcolm’s unyielding grip.
“And does the sushi on Benjamin’s shirt have anything to do with why he did it?” said Malcolm. Nolan opened and shut his mouth. “I thought so. The four of you, come with me. The rest of you, finish your dinner and get back to your dorms. And you lot—” He glared at the mammals who had shifted in anticipation of Simon retaliating. “Threaten to attack a member of the Alpha family one more time, and I will personally make sure that you never again see the inside of this or any other Animalgam academy for the rest of your miserable lives.”
The three boys shifted back sullenly, while Malcolm dragged Nolan out of the dining hall. The woman with the brown hair touched Simon’s shoulder and led him after them, and when he glanced back, he saw that Winter was helping Jam wipe sushi off his shirt as they followed.
“Ow, ow, ow!” cried Nolan, but as far as Simon could tell, Malcolm didn’t loosen his grip. Instead he dragged him to the atrium inside the Alpha section, where he shoved him onto a sofa against the wall.
“You will never lay a hand on your brother again,” he snarled, looming over him. “And if I ever catch you so much as thinking about it, so help me, you’ll be more prisoner than prince for the rest of your education. Do you understand?”
Nolan shrank back into the couch cushions, rubbing his neck. “Yes, sir,” he muttered, and he shot Simon a look so venomous that Simon could practically feel his insides curdling.
“Here, hold this to your nose,” said the woman as she urged Simon down on the other end of the couch. She offered him a handkerchief, and Simon took it.
“Is his nose broken, Vanessa?” said Malcolm, and she shook her head.
“Just bloodied. No loose teeth, either, from what I can see.”
“I’m fine,” said Simon. “He didn’t hit me hard.”
Nolan’s expression darkened, and Simon realized that once again he had said the wrong thing. But he wasn’t sure there was ever going to be a right thing to say, so instead he turned his attention to Jam, who was now trying to soak up soy sauce from the front of his shirt with a wad of napkins.
“Are you okay?” he said.
Jam nodded. “I’m fine, but the captain won’t be pleased. Laundry day isn’t until Sunday.”
Malcolm began to pace in front of the sofa, his jaw working and his biceps flexing. “You two”—he jerked his head toward Simon and Nolan—“can be each other’s greatest allies, or you can be each other’s greatest rivals. Maybe you think you’ve already decided, but, so help me, I will do everything in my power to make sure you get along.”
“But—” began Nolan.
“No buts. Tomorrow, while we’re above ground, you will spend every moment together, is that understood? You will sit next to each other on the bus. You will stick together during the visit to the exhibit, and you won’t leave each other’s side.”
Nolan’s mouth dropped open. “The whole day? But—”
“The whole day,” cut in Malcolm. “Argue, and I’ll make it the week.”
“Wait—we’re going to be leaving the Den tomorrow?” Simon said. He had only two days before the Alpha returned. He couldn’t leave now, before he’d even had the chance to look.
“Don’t you know anything?” said Nolan nastily. “It’s Unity Day. The day the Beast King was overthrown. The whole school goes to his old Stronghold and celebrates.”
That name again. Simon swallowed. Asking would only invite more of Nolan’s insults, but he had to know. “Who’s the Beast King?”
“Who—” Nolan’s eyes widened, and he gave Malcolm an indignant look. “And you want to chain me to him for the whole day?”
“It’ll be good for you,” said Malcolm, and he shifted uneasily. “The Beast King and his history is a very long story best left to another
time. All you need to know is that he was a tyrannical ruler, and hundreds of years ago the five kingdoms banded together to overthrow him. Tomorrow is the anniversary of that victory, and we cannot miss the celebration. It’s the most important holiday in our world.”
“But—I thought the flock would attack us if we left,” said Simon.
“I would rather keep you both here, away from the skies, but you’ll be safe in the Stronghold. I’ll be with you the entire time, and the underwater kingdom has already agreed to augment our forces. If Orion dares to come after you, then he’ll pay the price for his stupidity.”
Simon glanced at Winter. Their time was already dwindling. Unless they got enormously lucky, losing an entire day would only make finding his mother that much more difficult.
“Vanessa, make sure Mr. Fluke and Miss Rivera return to their dormitories and have dinner delivered to them,” said Malcolm, and she nodded. “Nolan, you have homework.”
Nolan all but leaped to his feet and ran up the spiral staircase, and the slam of his bedroom door echoed throughout the atrium.
“And Simon,” added Malcolm after silence fell once more, “you’ve had a rough day. Tomorrow can’t be better if you don’t get any rest.”
Taking the hint, Simon stood, too. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said to Winter. She shot him an amused look, though what she found so funny, he didn’t know.
“Right. Tomorrow.” She headed out of the room without waiting for Vanessa, making a sharp right toward the reptiles’ section. Simon watched her go, feeling more and more hopeless with every step she took.
“I’ll be there tomorrow, too,” said Jam, who smelled like the seafood restaurant around the corner from Simon’s apartment. “I’m sorry about your nose.”
Simon shrugged. “Sorry about your shirt.”
“Never liked it much, anyway.” And despite everything that had happened in the dining hall, Jam grinned. “See you, Simon.”
Once Vanessa led Jam out of the atrium, Simon shuffled over to the spiral staircase, weariness hitting him like an eight-hundred-pound gorilla. Before he could start the climb, however, Malcolm put a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ll send a sandwich up for you,” he said, and then hesitated. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
Simon wasn’t sure he would ever be okay again, but he didn’t know how he was supposed to tell that to Malcolm. “You’re a lot like him, you know,” he said. “Darryl, I mean.”
Malcolm’s grip on his shoulder tightened. “He’s really alive?”
Simon nodded, and something flashed across Malcolm’s face—something Simon recognized all too well. He wasn’t the only one who had been blindsided by a brother today. “I’m sorry he lied to you.”
“I’m sorry he lied to both of us,” said Malcolm, and he cleared his throat. “Right, then. Upstairs with you. If Nolan gives you any problems, I’m two doors down the hall.”
“Do you think there’s a way you can let Darryl know I’m here?” said Simon, worry knotting in the pit of his stomach. It had been there all day, lurking in the background, but he could no longer avoid it. He might have discovered a whole family he’d never known about, but his uncle was still the one who had been there for him his entire life.
“I’ve already sent out a messenger,” said Malcolm. “Now that we know Darryl’s alive, we’ll find him.”
If the last twelve years had proven anything, it was that his uncle had an uncanny ability to hide right under someone’s nose. But Simon was too tired to do anything but accept that Malcolm knew what he was doing.
When he reached his bedroom, Simon briefly considered collapsing into the huge four-poster bed without changing into his pajamas, but then he saw the origami swan sitting on his pillow.
Exhaustion momentarily forgotten, he picked it up and examined it. On one wing, someone had written OPEN ME, SEAWEED BRAIN in neat, blocky handwriting.
Winter. He unfolded the swan, careful not to tear the edges. On the back of what looked like plain paper was a note.
Stop panicking—you’re going to give us away. If she’s here, I’ll find her. Just trust me.
Simon glanced around the room, searching for any sign of her. But somehow, in the short time he’d spoken with Malcolm, Winter had managed to get into his room from the reptile section, write him a note, turn it into folded art, and disappear completely.
He smiled. It seemed he wasn’t the only one with secrets in this place, but at least someone was on his side.
12
THE BEAST KING
True to his word, the next morning Malcolm paired Simon and Nolan together, forcing them to sit at the front of one of the two buses that would take the whole school to the Beast King’s Stronghold. Simon had tried everything to get out of going, including feigning illness, but Malcolm had none of it—instead, all he’d succeeded in doing was making sure his new uncle watched him even closer.
Felix hadn’t made an appearance that morning, and every time Simon tried to ask Winter if she’d had a chance to search for his mother, Nolan or Malcolm hovered nearby, and he’d had to quickly change the subject. To make matters worse, Nolan barely said two words to him, instead staring out the window with his hands clenched. Any hopes Simon had had of his brother helping him find their mother were gone.
After only fifteen minutes, the bus stopped at a private dock on the East River. “We’re going by boat?” Simon said as he pulled on his backpack, and Nolan scoffed, the first sound he’d made since boarding.
“It’s an island. What did you think we’d do, swim?”
In the spirit of making the day as tolerable as possible, Simon chose not to reply.
A burly man with hair the color of steel was waiting for them in front of a ferry big enough to hold the entire school. As they passed, Jam squared his shoulders and raised his chin.
“Captain,” he said, pausing long enough to salute.
“Fluke,” said the man. “At ease, soldier.”
Simon followed Jam up the walkway. “He doesn’t look too scary on land,” he said. “Fewer teeth, for sure.”
“That’s the shark we saw yesterday?” Winter said nervously.
“He’s harmless out of the water,” said Jam in what he must have meant as a reassuring voice, but Winter only paled.
Nolan protested when they chose a seat in the back of the lower level, as far away from the older mammals as they could get, but the last thing Simon wanted was to give Garrett and the others a chance to throw him overboard. Eventually, once Malcolm joined them on the other side of the aisle, Nolan ceased his griping, though he continued sulking for the rest of the ride there.
“So what’s this place like?” said Simon as the ferry rocked in the wind.
“This is my first year at the Academy, so I’ve never been,” said Jam. “But I know it’s where the L.A.I.R. used to be, before the Bird Lord started the war and destroyed part of it. Now we only come here to celebrate Unity Day.”
“When the kingdoms defeated the Beast King,” said Simon. Jam nodded. “Who was the Beast King, anyway?”
“I still can’t believe you’ve never heard of the Beast King. That’s like not knowing who the president of the United States is,” said Jam, baffled.
“He’s an idiot,” said Nolan, and he scooted even farther away from them. Ignoring him, Simon shrugged.
“Malcolm told me he ruled hundreds of years ago.”
“Right—he killed countless Animalgams who refused to bow down to him. Eventually the rulers of the five kingdoms united to overthrow him, but we nearly went extinct in the process,” said Jam.
“What made him so powerful in the first place?” said Simon. It was hard to imagine any single Animalgam being able to overcome a whole wolf pack. Or a bird flock.
“Because he could shift into any animal he wanted,” said Winter from Simon’s other side. “You try defeating an enemy who can suddenly grow venomous fangs or dive underwater or fly away. Not to mention he had thousands of fo
llowers willing to fight for him.”
“The kingdoms won eventually though,” said Jam. “And afterward, they transformed his Stronghold into the original Academy. It’s supposed to be really cool. My sister said the section that’s still standing has all kinds of artifacts from the war, and—”
“It’s boring,” interjected Nolan, his arms crossed. “Just lots of old stuff no one cares about anymore.”
“It sounds cool to me,” said Simon, and Jam gave him a grateful smile.
Suddenly there was a flurry of motion near the middle of the ferry, and a magenta-haired girl darted out the side door—Ariana, the black widow Simon had fought the day before. Even with the loud drone of the engine, he could hear the sounds of her being sick.
“Is she going to be okay?” he said as Vanessa also disappeared out the side door, presumably to join her.
“She’ll be fine,” said Malcolm from across the aisle. “Stay in your seat.”
Eventually Ariana returned, green-faced and looking as if she was seconds away from being sick again. Vanessa sat her down near the door with a paper bag, and she spent the rest of the journey with her head between her knees. Simon watched her while Nolan, Winter, and Jam argued over which kingdom must’ve been the one to finally kill the Beast King, but after Simon had beaten Ariana in the pit, he was sure he was the last person she wanted to see.
At last the ferry docked. Several students let out loud whoops as they rushed to shore, and Simon trailed after them, one of the last off the boat. Nolan rejoined his friends, and rather than endure an entire day dealing with their taunts and whispers, Simon chose to remain in the back with Winter and Jam. It wouldn’t work forever, but maybe he could get away with avoiding Nolan long enough for him to cool down and—
“Simon,” barked Malcolm as he stood beside a sign that said PRIVATE PROPERTY. He gestured for Simon to join his brother and the other mammals. Simon sighed.
“You two stay here,” Simon said to Winter and Jam. “I don’t want you getting caught in the cross fire.”