Chapter 5

Sylvie glanced out the window of the house at the sound of tires in the driveway. She could easily see the chief's car pulling up, its lights silent and unblinking. That seemed odd to Sylvie for a moment, until she remembered that her father had said something about trying to stay out of the public's eye. She assumed that her father had told Chief Brodrick not to use the lights.

She got a good look at the Chief as he straightened up from the car and hurried to the house. He seemed a little thinner to her, a little grayer than when she had last met him a few months ago. Never a particularly tall man, he had always stood straight backed. Sylvie had always assumed that it was to cover up his shortness. Now however, he moved as if he was always on guard, his entire demeanor suggesting that he was ready to combat any threat. It was probably her father, she supposed. He must have hinted that something dire had happened and the chief had taken it to mean an attack or a kidnapping. She sighed inwardly. This was not going to be a fun meeting.

They heard his heavy boots clattering downstairs.  He was clearly looking for them.

Sylvie's father stepped out of the room to call him up. Sylvie heard his call of acknowledgement, and the sound of feet ascending the stairs.

"I can't hear, is he coming up the steps yet?" asked her mother. She had stopped her pacing and was now standing next to her, her head cocked as if she was listening.

Sylvie stared at her in surprise. The sound of his feet on the stairs was as plain as day to her. She turned to Taryn and saw the same look of confusion on her face as well. "Mom," she said slowly, "I can hear him coming up the stairs. He's moving a little slowly perhaps, but he is still coming."

Her mother had an odd look on her face as she stared at her. Sylvie felt a little uncomfortable at the stare and turned to Mrs. Grogan. "You hear him too don't you Mrs. Grogan?" she asked pleadingly. She wanted her to tell her that she could hear him as well, and that it wasn't something else that had changed in her as well.

Her hopes were dashed when Mrs. Grogan shook her head. "No honey. I don't hear him yet either. However, I think I should if he were on the stairs." She seemed to understand Sylvie's fear because she added, "I may just be getting old though. I don't hear things the way I used too."

Everyone jumped when the door slammed open from a powerful kick. There stood Police Chief Ben Brodrick of the Red Leaf Police Department, a grim look on his face and a large caliber handgun pointed into the room. "Don't anybody move!" he commanded.

Everyone had their hands up and had already frozen when they caught sight of the gun. Sylvie stared at the barrel, picturing what the bullet from that cannon could do to her if the Chief pulled the trigger.

"Really chief, the theatrics are quiet unnecessary." sniffed her mother, folding her arms across her chest. She looked rather severe.

Chief Brodrick seemed not to hear her as he was staring at Sylvie and Taryn. His jaw hung slack and his eyes were bulging in their sockets. The effect was comical enough that despite the gun Sylvie gave a nervous giggle.

Her father entered the room right behind the chief, the irritation at not having enough time to explain what was happening plain on his face. Tapping the police chief on the shoulder in order to make him turn around, he asked sharply, "Brodrick, why are you pointing a gun at my wife?"

The chief seemed to come to his senses, holstering the pistol to everyone's sigh of relief. The chief apologized for his actions, saying that when he had received the strange call from the mayor, he had automatically assumed the worst.

"Those punks are getting bolder every year." he said. Sylvie knew he was referring to the gangs that had made the center of the city their battleground. So far as she knew, there were only three groups that were battling for supremacy, and were responsible for the high crime rates in that district. Already that year there had been four shootings, more than a dozen muggings and a string of arson fires that could be traced to the conflict. That's why she stayed more to the outskirts of the city center when she was on her own or with Taryn.

"It's only a step up from mugging to kidnapping." the chief said darkly. "And you or your family would be a prime target Greg." he warned.

Greg shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant fashion, but Sylvie could see the sudden worry in his face that told her he hadn't seriously considered the possibility before now.

His warning delivered, the chief went back to staring at Taryn and Sylvie. "Excuse me girls," he started, "but could you perhaps tell me what you're doing with horses for butts now?"

Sylvie and Taryn recapped their story for Brodrick and then pulled their shirts up a little to show the smooth transition from human skin to horse. Like her mother, the chief felt the line for any seam or other indication that this was a hoax. Sylvie giggled from the ticklish sensations that emanated from the questing fingers.

Satisfied with his examination, the chief stepped back and investigated Taryn just as closely. Although Sylvie knew that this was important she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed for her friend as he checked her over as well.

The chief gave a noncommittal grunt as he finished his investigation. He stepped back from Taryn with a sigh and scratched his head while she pulled her shirt back down. He looked at the parents and sighed. "I've never seen anything like this." he confessed. "This goes beyond mere kidnapping or abuse. I've never heard of anyone being transformed before, and especially not by putting on a costume. We'll need to get started at the shop where the girls were changed. Then I'll have CSU run a sweep. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"We have a Crime Scene Unit?" asked Sylvie, surprised.

Chief Brodrick shook his head. "Nothing capable of handling this. I'm going to have to call the state for their unit. I'll tell them that it's a suspicious site or something. Maybe we'll find something that will give us a clue as to what we are dealing with."

"The State!" cried Sylvie. Visions of her and Taryn being carted away and dissected in a white lab by doctors dressed in white scrubs flashed before her eyes. She realized that she had backed away from Brodrick and was pawing the floor, just like a horse would do when threatened. Not again, she thought as she forced herself to calm down. Still, she could feel the hearts beating faster in the chest. And something else that caused her face to warm slightly.

"Uhm," she started abashedly. Everyone turned towards her, which didn't help matters at all. Her face was flaming, she was sure of it. Probably matches my hair by now, she thought distractedly. "I've, uh." She whispered as her throat tightened up on her.

Her mother looked at her with concern. "What is it sweetie?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

Sylvie sighed. There was no getting around this she thought as the feeling intensified. "I think I need to go to the bathroom." she groaned. This was not something she had wanted to blurt out in front of everybody.

Everyone suddenly got that uncomfortable look on their face. There was a lot of coughin and shuffling of feet, which made Sylvie feel a lot worse. Still it was necessary to ask.

"I don't know how I'm going to get downstairs though." She admitted.

Greg looked up in confusion. "Downstairs?" he asked.

Sylvie looked up at him, the feelings of embarrassment evaporating instantly into the far more familiar feeling of irritation. Sylvie welcomed that irritation, embraced it. It was something she could understand. So she responded with a bit more force than she normally would have. "Yes dad. Downstairs. I've got a horse for a butt, remember? It's not exactly like I can sit on a toilet now, can I?"

Her father's confused look evaporated into one of anger. "You listen to me young lady," he said in his 'you're in trouble' voice "Just because you have changed does not mean you can get snippy with me! I am still your father and you will treat me with the respect I am due. Do you understand?"

Sylvie stubbornly held her ground. She was sixteen, for god's sake. Her parents always treated her like she was two. It was beyond time for them to learn that she was old enough to make her own decisions. She could talk to anyone any way she liked. Her tail flicked in irritation and she whinnied a challenge slightly. Her father got a confused look on his face when he heard her do that. Oh, my God, she realized, did I just whinny like a horse?! Bile rose sharply in her throat. Swallowing, she lost all of her confidence and her bluster.

"I'm sorry dad." she apologized. Bowing her head, she meekly waited to hear what punishment he might deem appropriate. My temper got me in trouble again, was her only thought.

Her father's features softened slightly. "I understand honey. You're stressed. We all are. We are just going to have to deal with the situation as it happens. However, I think we had better deal with the current problem before we do anything else.

Sylvie nodded gratefully and followed her dad out of the room. Taryn came along with a "Wait for me!"

The stairs, while looking so easy last night, were going to pose some serious problems today. Since they had grown, the stairs were much tighter than before. Experimentally, Sylvie placed one hoof on the top stair, and then the other. She was surprised at how much her weight shifted just like that. Licking her lips, she tentatively took another step. And then another. Now her back legs were at the top of the stairs and her front legs were on the fourth step. Her horse body was angled down a lot, gravity pulling her down hard. To compensate, her back was arched so that she was nearly bent backwards, showing the suppleness of her spine.

"I don't think this is working." Sylvie stated nervously. The feel of gravity pulling her down the stairs was a frightening one. She had a flash of her falling down the stairs never to get back up and panicked. Shoving herself backwards, she caromed of the wall and nearly went down the stairs again.

"We aren't going to get down the stair that way." She panted, sweat dripping off her brow. Sylvie considered the problem a bit more. Granted, she was a lot larger now, but they had still managed to climb the stairs last night. Wait a minute.

"That's it." she cried triumphantly. Her body pranced slightly, her white and red hide rippling slightly.

"What?" asked Taryn, looking up from her contemplation of the staircase.

"To go down, we simply go up." Sylvie grinned. She giggled at Taryn's confused face. The stare was priceless. "Think about it. If we can't go down facing forward, then we need to do what we did last night. We face up the stairs like we are continuing to climb, but we step backwards."

Taryn looked back at the stairs as she considered. "That could work." She said slowly, making Sylvie grin. Finally, something she had figured out before Taryn! "However, I think that we are going to have to have your father guide us down the stairs." she continued, bringing Sylvie down to earth a little. She hadn't thought about that!

"Right." She said hurriedly. "I knew that."

Taryn cocked an eyebrow at her but let the matter drop. Her father started town the stair first, pausing a little ways down. He nodded to show that he was ready. Sylvie took a deep breath and turned around. It was not an easy thing to do in the narrow hall, and she ended up knocking a small hole in the wall.

"Hey." Yelped Taryn. "Watch it."

"Sorry." muttered Sylvie as she finally got turned around. "I'm still not completely used to this body yet."

Now situated, Sylvie took a deep breath and stepped backwards. Her hoof was on air for a moment, making her body panic slightly until her butt sank and she felt the stair beneath her hoof. She quickly moved her other leg down to join it and then moved her fore hooves. Stepping again, she felt herself sink again. Two cold hands suddenly gripped her, and she yelped in fright. She just about kicked until she realized it was her father trying to help her.

"Sorry." He grunted. "I wouldn't have done that if I had actually thought about it. This horse-human business is damned confusing."

Sylvie could do nothing but nod. Now that was an understatement!

With her father's hands guiding her back, she was soon able to leave the top floor and walk down the stairs. She found it odd that her body kept trying to strain forward. She wanted to climb up the stairs, she realized, not walk backwards. The landing proved to be a sticky point. Though quite wide for humans, for a horse it was almost too tight to get around. She nearly ended up stuck, but with her dad pulling and Chief Brodrick coming down to help by pushing her front, she made it past the turn. The lower half of the stairs went relatively easy, and she was soon on the ground floor.

Her father and chief Brodrick went back up to help Taryn while Sylvie went out the backdoor to the little yard that the house had. It was pretty run down, Taryn not having time to fix it up much this year. Plants, brown in the crisp autumn air, were wasted husks. The apple tree that stood near the center was bare of leaves, its skeletal fingers reaching towards the leaden sky. Fortunately, the yard was penned in by thick hedges that were able to keep prying eyes away while she selected the far corner to do her business.

By the time she had finished, Taryn had come out. Striding past Sylvie, she went to do hers. Sylvie politely looked away until she was finished. Sylvie shivered slightly in the cold air. There was something about today that put a cold chill in her spine, a feeling of dread that hung about everything, guttering hope and murdering joy and happiness. Something, she knew, was coming.

"You feel it too?" came Taryn's voice behind her, making her jump slightly. Her hooves crushed a lone branch with a crack like a gunshot.

"Dang girl." she said when she had recovered her wits. "You scared me." Then what she had said registered. "Wait, you feel it too?"

Taryn looked at her with a slight smirk on her face, "That's what I said, dummy." She teased. Her teasing smile fell away to be replaced by a solemn look. "A feeling of impending doom? Yep, I feel it too."

Shaking off the feeling, Sylvie grabbed Taryn's hand. "Come on. The Chief is going to want to investigate the Enchanted Threads. Maybe if we're lucky, Roland will be there and he can tell us how to change back."

Taryn nodded. Together they made their way back into the house. Sylvie risked one last glance at the yard. "This place definitely has that Halloween vibe to it." she muttered before closing the back door firmly.

Inside, she found her father standing in the living room, watching Brodrick drive off. He looked back at her before resuming his watch. "Brodrick will be back in a moment. He went to fetch his police van. It might have enough room for you two to stand in."

Sylvie nodded in surprise. She hadn't thought about how they were going to get to the shop. But the van would be nice to ride in. She wasn't sure if it would be less conspicuous however. Brodrick had bought the old van from a policeman's auction. It had been a LAPD SWAT van, and he had got it for the kicks of driving around in it. He had restored it and put the Red Leaf Police Department sigil on the sides. She knew Brodrick was awfully proud of that van.

She turned to Taryn. "Hey, did you still want to try and make it to the Halloween party tonight?" she blurted.

Taryn looked at her with a mixture of shock and horror. "What!" she gasped. "Are you insane?!"

Her father jerked back from the window and looked at her in bewilderment. "I thought you wanted to keep a low profile."

"I did." Sylvie said defensively. "However, this whole affair started because I wanted to win that stupid party prize and beat Sara. If I'm going to be stuck as a centaur for Halloween, then I might as well have the satisfaction of winning. Besides," she added pleadingly, "I'm sure that Josh will be there. He's going to flip if you walk in dressed in you bikini top and horse bottom."

Taryn opened her mouth to argue, but paused. "You really think so?" she asked almost unconsciously. She tried to look at her body as if judging whether or not it really looked good.

"Sure." said Sylvie encouragingly. "Just think about it. You and him, eating ice cream at Harry's ice cream shop. A perfect way to celebrate our victory."

"I'm not sure about this." Her father murmured. He was still holding the curtain in his hand. "You could be discovered so very easily."

"Oh please, Dad." Sylvie said, practically begging. She could see Kendall's face when she realized she had lost. "It'll be fun. We can say that our parents got us these really great costumes from out of town. That way, people won't look too closely at what they see."

Her father still looked unconvinced, although he was wavering. "Well, if it means that much to you, I suppose if we haven't found that shop by tonight, you could still go to the party." He relented.

"Yay" squealed Sylvie, exited. She was going to make Sara pay for her pathetic attempts to take over her school! She swooped down on her father and kissed his cheek. Magic costumes, a party with a guaranteed victory, and a manhunt for a disappearing store. This was going to be the weirdest Halloween ever.