Lexi stood between Gemma and Marcy, so Gemma swallowed hard and took a step back toward Daniel. Lexi lowered her head, her eyes narrowed, and when she stepped forward, her head made a bobbing movement that reminded Gemma of a robin looking for worms. It wasn’t nearly as cheerful an image, since Gemma and Daniel had become the worms.
“What’s the plan?” Daniel asked as Gemma moved toward him.
“I don’t really have one,” Gemma admitted.
“I have a plan for you,” Lexi said, her lips stretching in a distorted smile. “I plan on killing and eating both of you, and then getting the hell away from this town. The two of you are the reason I’ve been stuck here for so long, and once I get rid of you, I’ll be free of this godforsaken shithole.”
“Penn won’t like that,” Daniel said.
“Yeah, well, there won’t be much she can do about it once you’re dead,” Lexi shot back, and she ran at them.
Her legs were long and frighteningly fast. She looked clumsy and oversized, but she was agile and quick.
Gemma grabbed Daniel’s hand and bolted out of the way just in time to get out of Lexi’s grasp. They’d been standing by the broken window, and Lexi’s feet slipped in the water from the rain, so she skidded across the floor and crashed unceremoniously into the wall.
It would only be a matter of seconds before she was back on her feet again, which didn’t leave Gemma enough time to grab Marcy and get out of there.
They needed to come up with a game plan. Gemma ran to the only place she could think of where she and Daniel could at least grab a few seconds to gather their thoughts.
She led Daniel into the pantry and slammed the door behind them. It wasn’t a huge space, and it was totally dark, but both of them could fit in there easily. The door wasn’t the strongest, but at least it was something standing between them and Lexi.
“This is your plan?” Daniel panted as they leaned against the door.
“This is more like my plan before a plan,” Gemma said.
“Let me in, let me in,” Lexi cajoled in the silkiest voice she could manage. The tone wasn’t quite up to her usual standards. Something about being the bird-monster made it impossible for her to sound sweet.
Her talons ran up and down the door, making a scraping sound that gave Gemma the chills, but she wasn’t really trying to get in. At least not yet. The eerie clawing at the door was for effect.
“Not by the hair of my chin,” Daniel shot back, and that made Lexi cackle loudly again.
There was complete and total silence for a few seconds, which Gemma didn’t like. She didn’t know what Lexi was doing out there, but it probably wasn’t good.
“You’re supposed to let me know before you do shit like this,” Daniel reminded Gemma.
“Sorry.” She grimaced as she pressed her weight against the door. “I thought I could handle it.”
“Why don’t you turn into the monster?” Daniel asked, keeping his voice low in case Lexi was listening.
Gemma shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her in the darkness. “I can’t.”
“Sure you can.”
“No, maybe I can, but I can’t control it once I do. I might hurt somebody,” she insisted.
“That’s kinda the point, though, isn’t it?” Daniel asked.
Ever since Lexi had started attacking her, Gemma had actually been fighting to keep the monster down. It was her body’s natural instinct to transform into it, to try to defend herself, but she was afraid that if she let it out, it would completely take over again.
Lydia had even given her the instructions on how to kill the sirens, but Gemma wasn’t sure she could do it. Well, she knew for certain she wouldn’t be strong enough to do it in her human form, and as a monster, she wasn’t convinced she’d be able to control herself enough to do it.
“I did it once before and I don’t even remember it,” Gemma told him. “I wasn’t in my mind at all. I was a complete monster, and I killed someone.”
Suddenly Lexi slammed into the door. Gemma and Daniel had simply been leaning against it, but now they pushed back on it with all their might, trying to hold it shut.
“Again, that doesn’t sound so bad, given the situation,” Daniel said through gritted teeth as Lexi ran into it again.
“Yeah, if I hurt Lexi, but what if I hurt you or Marcy?” Gemma countered. “No. I can’t risk it.”
“Well, we’ve got to do something or Lexi is going to kill us pretty quickly,” Daniel said as the door began to crack. “Can you at least do a partial change? I’ve seen the other sirens do that.”
“I don’t know how.” Gemma pushed against the door, but she knew it was going to give soon. “I’ve tried, but so far it’s been all or nothing.”
Lexi’s hand smashed through the door. It was a small hole, just enough room to fit her slender wrist, and wood poked up at Gemma with jagged edges and splinters. Lexi’s long taloned fingers reached out, feeling around for either Gemma or Daniel.
“Open the door!” Daniel commanded, and when Gemma didn’t do it immediately, he shouted again, “Open the door, Gemma!”