by Kristie Cook
“What is it?” I ask him in a daze from his kiss.
“It’s a surprise, remember?” he asks in amusement.
“Okay,” I smile, too. “But, this better be good, because I’m giving up a whole day with you.”
“It will be worth it. I promise,” he murmurs against my lips, before kissing me gently again.
Rising from my side, Reed asks me to go over my plans for the day again. He is coming across as a little nervous, like he is afraid I’m going to do something dangerous or reckless before he sees me again. I assure him that I am only planning on going to my classes, and then to the costume party at the Delt house tonight.
Leaning down, Reed kisses me goodbye. “I will see you tonight,” he says with a sexy smile. As he straightens, his dark wings unfold from his back, spreading out around him like a mantle.
“Tonight,” I agree breathlessly, before Reed goes to the window and disappears from sight.
I get ready for class quickly after that, putting on Russell’s necklace so that I won’t lose it. I head to Saga for breakfast and find Freddie at our table.
His eyes are animated, so I quirk my brow, asking, “What’s up?”
“Happy Birthday, Evie!” Freddie says, grinning at me. “How does it feel to finally be considered an adult? You can vote now,” he beams at me, taking a sip of his juice.
“Is today the thirtieth? October thirtieth?” I ask incredulously.
“Uh huh … you didn’t know it was your birthday today?” he frowns.
I rub my forehead anxiously. “It must’ve slipped my mind. How did you know it was my birthday?” I eye him suspiciously; I can’t ever remember telling him the date.
Freddie sighs at me and says, “Freshman Directory, it was in your bio. Dude, I’ve never heard of anyone forgetting her own birthday before, especially a chick. You’re really sketchy, Evie.”
My eyes roll playfully. “Thanks, Freddie. You’re so sweet to get me just what I always wanted for my birthday: insults and a hard time,” I reply.
“I was going to tell you how shady it is to be born on devil’s night, but now that I’ve already given you enough grief, I’ll just give you your present. So, here you go,” Freddie says, placing a beautifully gift-wrapped box in front of me.
My eyes widen. “Freddie … you never cease to amaze me with your kindness,” I say honestly, staring at the package. “Why did you do this?”
Freddie’s brow wrinkles. “Because you’re my friend. Open it, Evie,” he says, smiling.
I pull the ribbon and paper off to find a polished wooden box, encrusted with dragonflies. “Oh, Freddie, this is beautiful. Where did you get it?”
“An antique store—this area is littered with them. But, that’s just the box, Evie. You have to open it,” Freddie says excitedly, and I hardly know what to do because this gift looks terribly expensive.
My eyes meet his blue ones as I say, “Freddie … you didn’t have to do this …”
He rolls his eyes. “Would you just open it? I got a really good deal on it—I’m very practiced at negotiations,” he says, winking at me.
“Okay …” I reply, before opening the box.
Inside the box is a round silver compact with an etched dragonfly on the lid. Three inset opals make up the torso of a dragonfly’s body. The ornate wings of the insect are incised into the silver lid of the compact. Running my fingertips over its cold surface, I trace the delicately carved lines of the wings. Looking up, I smile at Freddie, before opening the lid of the compact. Inside is a small mirror.
“Freddie,” I breathe his name reverently, “I’ve never had something so beautiful in my life. Thank you.” I close it with a snap and run my fingers lightly over the silvery surface again, feeling the coolness of each opal beneath my fingertips.
“It is a shame if my gift really is the prettiest that you have ever received,” Freddie says to himself, but since I have really good hearing now, I hear every word.
“Hey, what’d I miss?” Russell asks before sitting down on my other side with his tray of food.
“I gave Evie her birthday gift,” Freddie says, and I hold up the compact for Russell to see.
“Very pretty,” Russell says, smiling at me. He isn’t surprised, so he must know it’s my birthday, too.
“Happy Birthday, Red,” Russell says, pulling a small, unwrapped cardboard-box from his bag and placing it on the table in front of me. “I can’t wrap to save my life, sorry,” Russell adds sheepishly.
I frown and look from him to Freddie and back again. “Russell … I don’t need gifts,” I say.
“Yeah, ya do. Yer a girl—it’s like genetic or somethin’,” Russell says with a grin as he pushes it nearer to me.
I reluctantly open the box. Under the tissue paper, I find a silver bracelet with a small, metal pendant attached to it. Examining the pendant, it is a silver medal of St. Jude Thaddeus.
Quirking my brow at Russell, he smiles at me, saying, “It’s St. Jude. He’s the patron saint of desperate situations. I thought he might come in handy.”
His smile is warm, but I see something else in Russell’s eye … fear. He’s afraid for me.
Holding the bracelet out for him to take, I ask, “Will you put it on me?”
His fingers brush my palm as he picks up the bracelet. Holding my wrist nearer to him, he fastens the clasp. I jiggle my wrist so that the pendant rests on top.
My eyes cloud as I murmur, “Thank you, Russell.”
“I sincerely hope ya don’t need it, Red,” Russell says quietly, but we both know that it is more likely that I will.
I imagine him thinking about Sebastian and the minivan when he was picking out my birthday present. It occurs to me then that my life hardly resembles what it had been on my last birthday. It has become almost unrecognizable to me when I see it in those terms. Will it always be like this? Will a pendant be enough protection to see me through to the next birthday? Will Russell be there with me? I wonder.
Looking back at Russell, worry etches in his face. I smile reassuringly at him. “I have your necklace, Russell,” I say, reaching up to unclasp it from my neck. Handing it to him, he put it on. Remembering the pendants covered in blood, I shiver.
“Thanks,” Russell says, examining the clasp for damage. “I wonder how I lost it? It looks fine … must’ve just slipped off. Are ya cold?” Russell asks in concern when he sees me rub my arms to dispel the goose bumps.
“I’m okay. What are you guys doing tonight? Are you still going to the Delt costume party?” I ask, hoping they are. I need to stay as close to Russell as I can from now on.
“Yeah, I got invited to the party, since the Delts still seem to be interested in me as a pledge for next semester. Freddie said he’d come with me,” Russell replies, and I see the look that Freddie and Russell exchange. They’re coming to babysit me and I’m going to babysit Russell.
“Well, you two make a nice couple,” I say, trying to bring some levity to this birthday party. Freddie throws his balled up napkin at me while Russell just laughs.
“I’ve got to run. I’ll see you guys tonight. Thank you for my present, Freddie.” I say, leaning over and pecking him on the cheek. “And thank you for my present, Russell,” I say, but when I would’ve kissed him on the cheek, Russell turns his head fast at the last second, so I end up kissing him on the lips.
“Yer very, very, welcome,” Russell says smoothly, grinning at me with his dimples exposed.
“Russell!” I say in exasperation, and I hear him chuckling as I walk away.
***
Dead people! I think, while a cold shiver slips through me. I move entirely too close to Buns as we walk together to the Delt house. She finally just links arms with me to keep me from bumping into her every few feet.
“Sweetie, are you okay?” Buns asks as I sidestep another apparition in my path: a deceased middle-aged man in a hospital gown that seriously needs to have the back fastened more securely, since he is representing a reall
y bad image of eternity. The next soul, however, is much worse. He is a young man who appears to have only recently died, based on his clothing. Judging by the way half of his face is scraped off, I’m guessing his motorcycle is buried next to him.
“Your wings are getting tangled in mine. Hold still, I’ll unhook them,” Buns groans.
I wait anxiously next to her as she unhinges the wing of her costume from the wing of my costume. Brownie is just ahead of us on the sidewalk, next to the pasty old lady soul with her just-as-dead cat. The cat is taking an interest in the lavender-color wings of Brownie’s angel costume, gazing at her feathers as if it would like nothing better than to spring at them.
Buns, Brownie, and I, along with their entire sorority house, have dressed up as those runway models that do the lingerie show attired as angels. I’m wearing a white camisole over a lacy push up bra. Along with an exceedingly short skirt and pink angel wings, my outfit is my way of being tongue-n-cheek about what I am. Too bad only Reed will get it. I had been fairly excited for this party, knowing that Reed will be here, but now the dead people are ruining it. They are literally everywhere. It’s like the cemetery is open and the ghosts are taking a holiday.
“I think I have our wings untangled. There, sweetie, that’s better,” Buns adds, brushing a stray piece of hair back from my brow.
She clips it back, using one of the golden butterfly clips that she and Brownie gave me for my birthday. She arranged all four of the golden clips artfully in my hair before we left the dorm this evening. “You look sexy, sweetie,” she says, smiling at me.
“Thanks, so do you,” I reply. “And thanks again for the butterflies. They’re so beautiful. They remind me of the Golden Goose,” I add, because they’re the same color as her car.
“You’re welcome again, sweetie. Brownie spotted them when we were out shopping, and we agreed that they were meant for you,” she smiles, leading me again towards the Delt party while I try not to walk through anybody disgustingly dead.
When we arrive at the Delt house, it is awash with scantily clad sorority angels. JT and Pete spot us as we walk up to the wooden deck of the house. JT is dressed as that really freaky guy from that slasher movie, wearing a mask and carrying a fake chainsaw that makes an authentic mechanized noise. As we approach him, JT waves the chainsaw menacingly; it’s buzz saw-like noise carves the air. Immediately, a sharp pain etches across my back, and a twitching sensation follows as adrenaline courses through my body. Anxiously, I look over my shoulder, thinking I snagged my costume on something, but I can’t see anything wrong.
Taking his mask off, JT grins at us, “We found the composite!” he notifies us. “Whose idea was it to hang it on the other side of the lingerie angel poster in our storage closet?” he asks, looking at all of us in turn.
“That was Evie’s idea,” Brownie replies, “she said it would be easier to try to hide the composite in plain sight than to try to take it somewhere and hide it. That way, a crime was never really committed, since we just moved the composite, rather than stealing it from the house. We were able to be honest with the Dean when we told him we didn’t take the composite, and we knew that none of you would take the poster down, not with angels in lingerie on it,” Brownie says, beaming at me.
“That’s sick, Evie. You’re wicked,” JT says appreciatively, saluting me with his beer bottle.
Feeling my back twitch again, I reply distractedly, “JT, I think it was Nietzsche who said ‘Gaze into the abyss, and the abyss gazes into you.’”
JT roars with laughter, and I think that Pete enjoys my comment, too, but I can’t quite tell because he is wearing an old, white hockey goalie mask, so I can’t see his face.
“Come on, Evie, let’s get you a drink,” JT says, still laughing as he leads us in the door.
We find several coolers of beer set up in the billiard room, and when we walk in, we receive cheers from the room of frat boys. Taking our bows, we are each handed a beer from the cooler. As the girls talk to Remy, I glance around and notice Will in the corner of the room, watching me. Holding my breath, I freeze as he nears me, his ghostly image raising the goose bumps on my arm.
Feeling myself growing pale, I whisper to Will, “What do you want?” before I face a composite on the wall, so no one will see me talking to myself.
“Reed spoke to me about you. He asked me to keep an eye on you if I saw you around campus. I’ve been looking for him—came here to warn him. Word is out about you in my community. The dead know that there is a human here what can see them, so they’ve come to enlist your services, ma’am,” he says grimly, not looking at me as he speaks, but constantly scanning the room as if making sure that no one observes us.
I cringe. “I’m only half human,” I correct him softly.
A crooked smile touches his ghostly lips as he says, “Yes ma’am, I reckon you are at that, but none of ‘em have reckoned that … yet.”
My hand tightens on the bottle in my hand. “You mean all these dead people are here to see me?” I whisper in bewilderment.
“Yes, the old bat that lives in the Fine Arts building saw your reaction to me on the porch and told everyone she knows that there’s a seer on campus. It’s no wonder her husband killed her,” he mutters in displeasure, “she can’t keep her mouth shut for a second. Most of the souls want you to contact their loved ones for them … the ones that still have loved ones, that is.”
My eyes lift to his as my jaw tightens in fear. “I can’t do that, Will. I’m trying really hard to keep a low profile here,” I say helplessly.
“Yes, I reckoned that, too. Reed told me. You need to pretend like you can’t see us. The other souls don’t know who you are; they’re just hoping to stumble across you,” he replies sagely. “You should go hide until they give up looking for you. This is gonna attract attention. Attention you don’t want,” he says significantly, allowing his eyes to rest on me briefly, to see if what he’s saying is getting through to me. Judging by the way my legs have gone numb with fear, I’d say I get the picture.
“Thank you for the warning, Will. I’ll be leaving as soon as I can,” I reply. Will nods, and then he disappears through the exterior wall of the fraternity house.
Intent on leaving, I sneak by Brownie and Buns. I don’t know how to explain to them sufficiently that I have to leave the party tonight because the dead want to commune with me. I will have to think of something to tell them later, after I am safe.
Leaving the billiard room, I turn the corner to head out the front door, but I stop when I see two young men just beyond the threshold of the entrance. Neither one of them is wearing a costume, but that’s not what gives me pause. What gives me pause is that they both have that shine to them that is becoming familiar to me. By shine, I mean unbelievable beauty, the type of beauty that humans rarely possess, the type of beauty that I’ve only seen in the faces of angels.
They haven’t seen me, not yet anyway, and I am grateful that someone has started the music because the thumping of the bass is probably helping to camouflage whatever it is that my heart likes to do to give me away. Creeping down the hall, I crouch down in order to keep several people in the angels’ direct line of sight. As the crowd gets thinner toward the end of the hallway, I straighten up, trying to appear to be walking like a “normal human” if the angels happen to glance my way.
Making it to the end of the hallway, my blood pounds in my ears, and I am having trouble breathing evenly. Intense fear washes over me. Every cell in my body screams for me to turn around and check where the angels are in proximity to me, but I resist doing so.
Rounding the corner hurriedly, I walk right through a soul who must have had his head beaten in with a baseball bat. His jaw hangs askew, and he has lost most of his tongue. His left eye is out of its socket and is sort of hanging there, still very much attached. He looks atrocious. I can’t contain the gasp that the sensation of being inside of him elicits from me. It feels like I am in a freezer and I am being shocked by static
electricity; it isn’t really painful, it’s just scary.
Noticing my reaction, he turns back around and says, “Hey! I’ve been looking for you!” but it doesn’t come out very clear because he has a lisp from only having a partial tongue.
Pretending not to have heard him, I hurry down the back stairs to the rear exit. I move supernaturally fast in my haste to get away, hoping that no one is around to observe me. I make it through the exit and into the parking lot in back.
“Red! Just the gal I was hopin’ to find and lookin’ heavenly might I add. Freddie just went inside to look for ya,” Russell grins at me under the soft yellowish-glow of the floodlights.
Russell is wearing a white toga and looks every inch the Greek Senator with the red, theatrical cape, a green-leafed laurel in his hair, and leather sandals, but playtime is over for me. I have to escape the warriors that stalk the house in search of the creature that has attracted the souls to it. I don’t intend for them to find me here.
Feeling ghostly pale, I say, “Russell, listen to me carefully and don’t interrupt. I’m about to have an occasion to use that birthday present that you gave me today. There are two Sebastians inside, and I think they’re looking for me. I have to leave. Call Reed; tell him I’m going to his house. Do you understand?” I ask him, while my voice trembles in fear.
Russell stares at me for a moment before he nods and all signs of the grin vanish from his face. Moving toward me, he catches me up in his embrace, squeezing me hard. “I can drive ya, let me get a car,” he says, but I shake my head.
“I’ll be okay. I have to go now before they find me,” I whisper in his ear. “You do know that I love you, right? “ I ask him softly. “You’re my best friend.”
He squeezes me tighter, burying his face in my neck for a brief second before setting me back on my feet. “I know,” he replies. “Go,” he says with fear in his eyes. I go, and I can only imagine what Russell must think as he watches me disappear in an instant from his sight, leaving behind the fake pink wings I had worn for the party.
