Little Rock Channing Potatums

Things calmed down a lot after that night. There were no more reports of werewolves kidnapping people. In fact, some weird stories began to surface about vigilante werewolves: showing up and saving younger kids from bullies, tackling burglars and returning stolen belongings to grateful families, that kind of thing. Maybe Dacey had turned over a new leaf. Emily didn’t seem to think so, but I didn’t see her as often now because I was spending a lot of time with Diana. Once Diana had her brother back and we had more time to actually get to know each other, she turned out to be a really incredible person. After a few months of skirting around the issue, I finally got the courage to ask her out. I took her to this wild lesbian rave. Just kidding. It was your typical high school date: dinner and a movie and home by ten. I insisted on walking her to her door when I dropped her off. “That was more fun than I expected!” she beamed. “I’m happy that I get the benefit of your low expectations.” I was trying too hard to be funny. She was smiling at me, and it felt so good to see her happy. Of course, then I managed to ruin it. I leaned in to kiss her on the forehead, but at the same time she leaned in to kiss me on the cheek. We bumped faces awkwardly and I panicked and decided to SHAKE HER HAND. What is even wrong with me? She gave me a puzzled look, but then we both laughed. “I’ll see you at school on Monday,” I said, and turned to walk back to my car. As I turned, I thought I saw her wink at me, but I wasn’t going to risk another giant awkward failure by turning back around. As I made my way down the sidewalk, I was feeling ok about the date. The handshake was … pretty awful. But then she maybe winked, right? I can recover from that. Should I text her when I get home tonight? Normally I’d text her, but maybe I shouldn’t? I was too lost in my hopeful speculation to even see it coming. I slammed into the ground and felt a rough cloth slip over my head. I was too scared to yell, but the arms holding me down were covered with coarse fur. Shit. “Look what do you want? I don’t know where the cloak is!” Was it possible Dacey was still after that stupid cloak? I felt them--at least three of them?--shove me into a car and pile in after me, still holding my arms. A few second later the motor started. “Hello?” No one answered me. None of them have said a word. I was in no position to fight back, so all I could do it wait and see where they were taking me, and try not to freak out. My shoulder was sore from where it hit the pavement, but they hadn’t really tried to hurt me. Yet. They drove for less than five minutes before we stopped. I was trying to pay attention to as many details as I could, but this stupid bag was still on my head. They pulled me out of the car. I planted my feet, hoping one more time that I might get some answers. “Look, just tell me where we’re going? I don’t have anything you want. What could Dacey possibly want with me?” Suddenly I heard a low snarl that seeped into a deep, breathless laugh. “Where have you been?” one of them finally said. “We don’t answer to Dacey anymore. I would think that’s obvious.” What the actual heck? I mean, I guess it would explain the recent spate of good deeds. But kidnapping me was most definitely NOT a good deed. None of this made sense, but just as I was about to ask another probably dumb question, one of them pushed me in the back and I stumbled forward. “Get moving. The boss demanded to see you and we’ll be in trouble if we waste any more time.” As they led me forward, I heard what sounded like a massive door swinging open. I could tell we were no longer outside when the wind stopped making the bag on my head smack into my face. Inside wherever we were, I could hear breathing from all sides of me. There must have been hundreds of them. I got scared all over again. Finally we stopped walking. “We brought her, unharmed just like you said.” One of my captors was apparently reporting to the boss, whoever that was. “Good. I may change my mind later, but right now I just want to ask her a few questions. You know how protective I can be of my family.” And whatever I expected the boss to sound like? This was NOT it. It sounded… well, it sounded a LOT like Diana. But that was impossible! I was wrestling with that quandary when I felt them yank the bag off my head. It took me a second to realize I had my eyes closed, and then another few seconds to adjust to the light once I opened them. I was in an enormous cave, and I couldn’t even count the number of werewolves but suffice it to say there were roughly a bajillion. At the front of the room, commanding everyone’s attention, was a small figure sitting on a… I mean, I guess it was a throne? It was a big chair. As my eyes began to focus, I could finally see the person sitting in that big chair. It was a boy, no more than 11 years old, wearing a bright red hooded cape. He was the only one in the room who wasn’t a werewolf. I gasped, “Benedict?”

Stir and top with whipped cream, sprinkle with gold sugar glitter, cinnamon and chili powder.

FRANDS.

Every Arkansas summer is That Burning Summer.

When you’re trying to get your YA read on, but the ankle biters wanna play.

LRFYA on the road to AMAZING, a.k.a. Diagon Alley. Has there ever been a road that led to a more amazing destination than this?

If you’d like more information about Lucie’s Place, visit their website or follow them on Facebook.

I don’t know about you, but when we think of style the first YA character that comes to mind is Riverdale’s favorite ginger goddess, Cheryl Blossom. We recreated her look with a red fleece blanket (it’s the one the cats sleep on!) and dollar store hair extensions. A rubber spider stands in for Cheryl’s signature brooch, and candy wax lips “seal” this Lewk with a kiss (groan).  Now you too can impress everyone’s second favorite ginger goddess, Archie Andrews! - Kate

Hey, have you read that book about some plucky young people on a daring adventure full of magic and intrigue? The one with a vain, wealthy villain trying to corner the market on a dangerous new magical discovery? The one with an Asian character added in later on in one of the sequels? The leader of the rag tag group falls in love with a female member of the group, and two of the other dudes in the group end up paired off, as well? The one with a giant black wing on the cover? What do you mean you still don't know which book I'm talking about? - Maggie

I avoided his stare, turning for the kitchen. “You must be hungry. I’ll heat something up.” He straightened. “You’d--make me food?” “Heat,” I said. “I can’t cook.” It didn’t seem to make a difference. But whatever it was, the act of offering him food … I shook a dozen of the frozen pizza rolls out of the bag and onto a foil-lined baking sheet, and turned on the oven to preheat. “I don’t know the rules,” I said, my back to him. “So you need to explain them to me.” He lingered in the center of the cabin, watching my every move. He said hoarsely, “It’s an … important moment when a female offers her mate food. It goes back to whatever beasts we were a long, long time ago. Some mated pairs will make an occasion of it--throwing a party just so the female can formally offer her mate food … That’s usually done amongst the wealthy. But it means that the female ... accepts the bond.” I stared at the small, frozen pizza rolls. “Tell me the story--tell me everything." He understood my offer: tell me while I cooked, and I’d decide at the end whether or not to offer him those pizza rolls. … He leaned back, loosing a long breath. Slowly, I turned around, to where the pizza rolls were now slightly brown and crispy on the outside, and put them onto a plate with a little side of marinara dippy sauce. He watched every step I took to the table, the steaming pizza rolls in my hands. I stopped before him, staring down. And I said, “You love me?” He nodded. And I wondered if love was too weak a word for what he felt, what he’d done for me. For what I felt for him. I set the plate of hot pizza rolls down before him. “Then eat.”

::hits confirm::