by Jane West
When the teacher started counting row, it wasn’t a shocker to see Aidan Bane swagger into the classroom late like he was the exception. He was the epitome of the bad boy that didn’t bother with authority.
Ms. Terry tossed him a heated glare. He smiled back only antagonizing her more as he made his way to his desk. I wondered why the teacher didn’t order him to the principal’s office. Maybe he got special treatment since his parents had deep pockets or perhaps the faculty was afraid of him. I’d seen with my own eyes how violent he could become. He was intimidating at best.
When Bane passed by me to his seat, he didn’t glance my way nor did I glance at him. Yet his dismissal stung. He was driving me crazy. I’d never wanted to-no-want something so badly in my life. I needed to forget him. We were destined to fail. We had nothing in common, and we didn’t get along. Which meant, I couldn’t be any more than a bootie call to him. I respected myself too much to let him turn me into his own private escort whenever it suited him.
I sat through class feeling like a ham sandwich. In front of me sat Sally, the Energizer Bunny with nonstop yammering, and behind me, Bane, aka, Frosty the Smug Man throwing blue icicles at my back, making me one on-the-edge nippy ham.
Finally, the bell sounded off, and Aidan whizzed past me like I had bad body odor. Whatever! It didn’t matter now. Our little thing had ended. I frowned watching him dart out the room.
I gathered my books and headed off for gym. Not my favorite class. I hated changing in front of others, and the showering in front of mass strangers was the worst.
After class, Coach Rosedale took me off to the side and asked. “Hey, are you up for a little extra cash?” she smiled.
I shoved my hands in my pockets and answered. “Sure. What do you have in mind?” I liked the coach. She was tough but fair.
“The supplies closet needs a little rearranging. I got fifty bucks for you if you want the job?”
“Sweet! Yeah, I’ll do it.” Perfect timing. I still needed to replace the windowpane that Sara had broken.
“Great!” Her small brown eyes twinkled. “Come by my office after school and you can get started then. The cleanup shouldn’t take you more than a couple of hours, tops.” She patted my shoulder and darted off in the opposite direction, down the hall.
I smiled to myself. It was kind of her to give me the job. God knew we needed the money. I fretted the landlord might see the broken window and evict use for property damage. It had happened before.
I checked the clock on the wall. Only two minutes to get to my history class before the bell sounded off. I picked up the pace and hurried along.
School had let out, and laughter cluttered the halls. A sea of heads and backpacks headed off in one direction, out the front door.
I was running behind. I got caught up, speaking with my history teacher, Coach Matt, about one of my lessons that somehow had slipped past my notice. Luckily, he was going to allow me to make it up.
By the time I headed to my locker, the halls had thinned. Once I finished unloading books, I trotted off to the gym. I thought it felt strange hearing the echoes of my footfalls ricocheting off the lockers.
I turned the corner and entered through the gym’s double doors. When I reached Coach Rosedale’s office, I stopped abruptly, staring at a note taped to the door addressed to me. I pulled the note down and opened it. It read,
Stevie, please rearrange all the supplies. Wash the uniforms, sweep, and take the trash out back.
Thanks!
Coach Rosedale
“Oh!” At first, I was a little bothered. I assumed Coach Rosedale was going to be here. Oh, well, no biggie. I shrugged.
Inside the note was a key. I snatched the key up and tossed the paper in the trash. Off I went to the closet.
I was humming a tune as I unlocked the door. It was a bummer that I couldn’t use this extra money to buy a pair of earbuds. Music would be nice right now. I opened the door with the key and walked inside, searching for a light switch.
“Ah! There it is.” I mumbled to myself. I reached up and flipped the switch. Immediately, the light flashed and extinguished. Blackness enshrouded the room. I gasped, startled. “Damn!” I hated the dark. Feeling around like a blind person, I dug my cell phone out and swiped the flashlight on.
Holding the small stream of light up, my eyes washed over the closet. My chin dropped to the floor as I gawked at the heap that lay before me. Sucker came to mind. Apparently, the coach had left out a few minor details.
I didn’t know what Coach Rosedale had in mind, but this wasn’t a closet. It was a gigantic trash bend. Garbage scattered aimlessly, clothes thrown in a heap. This wasn’t a two-hour job. It was an all-nighter. And, I was the chump who got played. I huffed, shaking my head.
I paused, biting my bottom lip. What if I left? I could tell the coach I’d gotten sick. A small measure of hope sparked. Then I remembered the broken window. “Damn!” I needed the money. I stalled, eyeballing the disaster.
Begrudgingly, I went to work. I started with laundry, stuffing it in a basket that I’d found in the back. When I rose up with the basket in my hands, I spotted a heavy-duty flashlight sitting on the corner of the shelf. I realized then that the coach must’ve known that the lights were about to blow. A rush of ire flitted through my mind. I dropped the basket and grabbed the flashlight, quickly flipping it on. The beam was four times brighter than my little old phone. It wasn’t as good as the Fluorescent lighting, but it was better than my phone. I tossed the flashlight in the basket and then shoved my phone in my back pocket.
I picked up the basket and headed for the Laundromat past the lockers. That same tune ran through my mind, one of Meghan Trainor’s songs. I began to hum to it.
Like a shot from nowhere, an eerie sensation blew through me, making me stop in my tracks and stiffen. All at once, the room’s warmth dissipated and a coldness took its place. I jumped as a dark shadow flickered from the corner of my eye. Snatching up the flashlight, I spun on my heels, shedding the light beam over the room. Nothing! I breathed a long sigh. A soccer ball bounced across the floor. I watched as it rolled to a halt at my feet. I gave in to a curt laugh. “I’ve been watching too many horror movies with Jen.” I laughed aloud. “Paranoid much?”
I kicked the ball, letting out some of my frustration. It shot off, bouncing to the other side of the closet. Back to my job, I headed toward the laundry room but stopped. I heard footfalls. I froze. Quietly, I set the basket down and grabbed up the flashlight, shining the light over the closet once more. I huffed with irritation, pissed at my vivid imagination and myself. There were no signs of an intruder. I was the only one here, and if I kept freaking out, I’d never get done. Aggravated, I snatched up my basket, pursing my lips.
I tossed the clothes into the washing machine, dumped the soap and turned the water temperature to hot. I slammed the lid down and headed back. I held the flashlight in front of me as it spread its beam across the floor. That was when I caught a hazy outline, a silhouette of a man moving amid the shadows. Startled, I froze. Quickly, I flashed the light back over the spot. Nothing! “I’m such a scaredy-cat,” I mumbled to myself and proceeded to make my way back.
Then my gaze caught a pair of black boots stepping into the dim light. My eyes bulged as I gaped. It hit me like a lightning bolt, shoes didn’t move on their own. Panic welled in my throat.
Screw this!
I made a beeline, straight for the door. Just as my fingers clasped the handle, hands snatched me up and thrust me into the air like a tossed salad. I flew across the floor, colliding into a pile of dirty clothes. The flashlight went sailing in another direction, and total darkness devoured the light.
I blinked for a second as the peril sunk into my brain. In a state of raw fright, I groped for my phone from my back pocket. Hands trembling, I felt a sudden prick to my finger. “Ouch!” I mumbled. I felt something wet and sticky, blood. Damn! I’d crushed my phone when I hit the floor. Now my alarm just intensified. I had
no phone. Holy shit!
In the next breath, a fist clasped a wad of my hair, jolting me to my feet. I shrieked in sheer pain. The flashlight flipped on, glaring in my face. I shut my eyes, arms flailing, trying to knock the intruder’s hands off me to free myself.
Behind the light, a voice pierced the air. “Well, well! We meet again.” The stranger’s voice hummed like a machine.
The light dimmed, and I opened my eyes. Instantly, I drew back a gasp. Eye to eye, I stared into the face of my stalker. The man in black from the fair! Oh, dear God, he’d found me.
Helpless, he held me in the air by my hair, feet dangling, and blinding pain. My mind flooded with crazy thoughts. I begged. “Please mister! Let me go.” I sobbed. “What do you want from me?”
“Surely, they haven’t left you ignorant?”
“They? Who’s they?” I cried out. “Please let me go! I won’t tell anyone. I swear!”
He unleashed a deep guttural sound like an animal. “My, my, I expected more fight from you. I’m rather disappointed.” His robotic voice threatened with the certainty of death.
“Please just let me go!”
“It’s a shame they did not teach you the histories of your true nature, your rightful inheritance,” he hissed.
“Mister, I’m nobody. You got the wrong person!” I screeched, winching from the terrible pain.
“That’s where you are wrong, Dream Angel.”
A strange chill clung to my skin. It felt like frostbite only worse. I had to think fast if I wanted to survive. I started spitting out questions. “Why were you following me at the fair?” I blurted out. The longer he talked, the longer I lived.
“I represent a prominent family. My mission is to watch you.”
“Why would anyone hire you to watch over me?”
“I am not a lowly menial,” he spat in my face. I’d enraged him. “I am a prisoner, a slave.” He bared his jagged teeth at me.
Terrified, I rambled. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m so, so, sorry! I’m only trying to make sense of this. That’s all, mister.” I spied the door, only a few feet away. I might have a chance to run. Keep stalling, a voice in my head urged. “A prisoner? That’s horrible.”
“You can’t imagine.” He took on a haunted look.
I played the sympathy card. “Tell me more. I’d like to know.” My eyes cut to the door and then back at the stranger.
“Does the word, Illuminati mean anything to you?”
“No! I’ve never heard of it.” I squeezed my eyes shut. Oh, god! I wanted to vomit.
“You’re lying!” He shook me harder. “Your boyfriend is a member of the Family.”
“Mister, I don’t have a boyfriend.” I tried to reason with him.
“Call him whatever you like.” He gnarled. “I happen to know that you are of great value to him.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about!” The stranger squeezed tighter, making me scream out. “I swear! I don’t know!” I swung my arms, trying to loosen his.
“You are quite an accomplished liar!” He hissed, “But not enough to fool me. I know you very well. After all, I’ve watched you since childhood. You are a hybrid, the property of the Family. You’re not even human.”
“Look!” I swatted at his hand. “I don’t know anything about this family, mister.”
The stranger wrangled me closer against his frame, sniffing my body like a hungry dog. “You smell quite delicious, angel.” He snarled. “You and I are going to have some fun.” He laughed against my ear as his other hand brazenly grabbed my crotch.
I had a sick feeling he planned to torture me first before he killed me. “Please don’t hurt me!”
“I’m afraid I cannot honor your request.” He kissed my cheek. My stomach heaved. “You see, I must punish them for their crimes that they have committed against me. They have disgraced my kind. I must take revenge upon them.”
“Then go after them!” I shouted. “Your beef’s not with me.” I desperately looked around trying to find anything that I could use as a weapon.
“Ah… I am doing just that. Ending your life will end their lifetime conspiracy. You are a priceless commodity to the Family, and yet they leave you unprotected. Such fools, they are!”
My whole life flashed before me. I wanted to live. I had to fight. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I don’t believe you!” I screamed. “You’re just some ugly circle-jerk who’s forgotten to take his meds.” I shot spittle in his face. “You, schizo, crazy bastard, go back to the rock you crawled out from under!” I railed at the creature. If I angered him enough, maybe he’d loosen his grip.
In one swift move, he jerked my head so hard that I nearly fainted. “I shall show you what I am.” He broke into a prideful grin and then it really got freaky.
The stranger snatched off his shades, revealing his true nature. I gasped. I remembered his pupils from my vision, a repugnant yellow like cat-eyes.
He laughed, dropping me to the floor as he began his performance, popping in and out of view, now-you-see-him-now-you-don’t. He flickered back and forth in and out of sight, like blinking. Only my eyes held still as I watched him bounce like a super ball from one corner to the other. Disappearing and reappearing.
At that second, I seized my chance to escape. I darted for the door. My fingers barely touched the doorknob before the creature clenched my hair. My breath wedged in my throat as he flung me with lethal force, slamming me against the metal lockers. I screamed, fighting for my life. My head pounded, my body coiled with agony. Blood saturated my clothes, my hair. I was a dead girl breathing.
My mind slipped into a tunnel, a dream-like state. Bane hovered over me, whispering. “You’re safe now, Princess. I’ve got you.” A warmth wrapped around my chilled body and a faint glow encircled me as I drifted in and out of consciousness.
A sense of calmness came over me. I closed my eyes and slumber came.
Misunderstanding
My eyes flew wide open as I gasped, swinging my arms, fighting off the monster that plagued my brain. When I heard Bane’s voice, it brought me back to the light, and I calmed.
A sharp throb resonated from the back of my head, and the rest of my body throbbed as well. I tried to raise my head, but Bane with gentle ease held my shoulders flat on the bed. “Don’t move, Love.” His voice soothed me like music. I clung to it as if it was my lifeline.
I raised my hand to the back of my head. I felt some sort of cloth encircling my skull. I flinched from the pain. I closed my eyes tight, shutting out the light that irritated the ache. “What happened?” My voice sounded raspy.
Bane sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers laced with mine. My gaze lifted to his radiant face. He smiled down at me. “You took a good fall to the head. The doctor said you’ll be fine after bed rest for a few days.”
“I hit my head?” My brain felt full of cobwebs. “How did I get hurt?” I drew a blank.
“You slipped on baby oil at school.”
“How did you find me?”
“I came back for my book bag, and that’s when I found you passed out on the floor.”
“Lucky me, huh!” I tried to smile, but the pain stopped me.
“You certainly are!”
“Where did you find me?”
“Hush, rest now. No talking. Worry about the details later.” He smiled, bending down and gently kissing me on the forehead.
Strangely, the thought of being alone terrified me. “Can you stay with me?” I sounded pathetic. I never wanted to be one of those girls, clingy and needy. Yet I couldn’t stop myself. I needed him.
“Anything for my princess.” He lifted the covers up and slid underneath next to me. He threw his arm over me, his body flushed against mind. He gently kissed my neck and my bare shoulder and moved to my heated cheek. Even with a muddled mind and a pounding head, I desired him.
I rolled on my back, facing him as our eyes locked. My pulse began to race. I reached up and ran my fingers throu
gh his black curls. His eyes were piercing and yearning. He lowered his lips to mine and kissed me. It wasn’t rough or possessive like our first kiss. This time, his kiss was gentle and sweet. Geez, I’d been craving those lips of his. I wanted to drink him up, down to the last drop.
I glanced down at myself and realized that a thin T-shirt draped my body. “Uh,” I lifted my gaze, wide-eyed. “Did you undress me? I don’t recall changing.” Embarrassment colored my face down to my toes.
Bane cuffed his hand over his mouth as his shoulders gently shook in silence. It had taken a minute before he answered. “I believe your mother had the pleasure.” Behind his glint, his blues interned a thirst that sent goose bumps over my body.
“Oh,” I replied softly.
Bane kissed me one more time on my forehead and exhaled a regretful sigh, “Sleep, Princess. Rest now.” He gently threw his leg over mine and held me close to his chest. I felt his warm smile resting on the back of my neck. Chills, goddamn chills!
A shaft of light pierced the window, showering its warmth throughout my bedroom as I blinked the morning haze away. It took a moment for me to gather my thoughts. I rubbed my eyes, yawning. I glimpsed at the clock on my nightstand and shot straight up with a jolt, Holy shit! Eight in the morning, I gotta get dressed. I scrambled to my feet. I had my paper route to run and school!
A sudden bout of dizziness struck, and I quickly eased back down on the bed. I sat on the edge waiting for it to pass.
Moments later, I heard a light tap at my door. “Can I come in?” Sara stood, peeking through the crack.
“Yes,” I mumbled, clenching my stomach. I felt like I might barf.
The door creaked opened, and Sara entered, making her way to my bed and flopped down. The bed jiggled, and my stomach roiled. I kept my eyes on the ceiling trying to hold the urge down.
