by Jane West
I groaned, twirling in slow motion. I came to a halt staring at Jeffery’s critical face.
He tapped his finger against his chin, eyeballing me. “You ain’t model material.”
I scoffed. “Thanks!”
“No, gurrrl that’s a good thang.” His eyes washed over me from head to toe. “You got curves!” He jumped from his roost and stepped up to me. “You’re not a stick, boo. I’m just sayin'.” Jeffery lifted a strand of hair. “Your hair color is sorta the color of rust, not red and not brunette either. We get you some hair product, and a good brushin' out that bird’s nest and your hair should shine like glass.” His lips twisted. “Why ain’t you wearin’ your hair down than hidin’ it up in that awful ponytail?”
I swiped my fingers over my hair. “The ponytail is easy.”
“Gurrrl, you need to let me give you a new look.” He flung his arm over me, air framing my body. “This look you got now is plum tired. We need to get you up to speed.”
Ouch! That stung. My eyes dropped down to my choice of clothing, raggedy jeans with gaping holes in the knees that I bought two years ago at Wal-Mart, a yellowish faded tank top, a wrinkled hoodie, and my scuffed up Western boots. I withdrew a long sigh. “I-I,” the right words seemed to have vacated my brain. “I never have time.” I shrugged, quickly changing the subject, “Have either one of you seen Bane this morning?” I climbed back on the stool.
“He was here earlier.” Jeffery smiled, returning to his seat next to me. “He didn’t stay long, just long enough to grab his coffee and skedaddled.”
My eyes rounded, “Coffee! Do you have any left?” Oh, what I’d do for a cup right now.
“Oui! Pardon me for not offering you a cup earlier.” Dom smiled reaching for the coffee pot and pouring a heaping amount in a large mug. He returned to me carrying a side dish of cream and sugar with a large dose of hot caffeine. As Dom set the mug in front of me, I hovered over the curls of steam taking in the delicious aroma, a rich darkness, smooth with a fruity flavor. If the world went to hell in a hand basket, as long as I had my coffee, I’d be just fine.
“Thank you!” The coffee buzz would make this day go a lot easier. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t help my living situation any. Even though Jeffery and Dom were starting to grow on me, I refused to be a prisoner. I needed to find a way out and do it fast. The one problem that kept nagging me I needed money.
“Gurrrl! You best swallow that shit! I gotta get you to school. Hustle, hustle!” Jeffery snapped his finger. “Mister Aidan will have my butt if I get you to school late.” Jeffery shoved me off the stool and nearly causing me to spill my coffee on myself.
“All right! Chill, dude. I’m coming!”
I took one more scorching gulp of my coffee, nearly giving my tongue a third-degree burn, and darted out the door following Jeffery.
By the time I walked into the garage, Jeffery had the Royse roaring to go with a scowl on his face. I hurried along jumping in the passenger’s seat. Jeffery’s brows dipped down, lips twisted into a sneer, eyes bulging, as he glared up at me, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m getting in the car.” I looked at him surprised.
“Gurrrl, you is supposed to be riding in the back, not with the hired help.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m just like you, Jeffery, I’m the hired help too but of another kind.” I snapped. “Just drive.”
“Hold the hell up!” Jeffery’s eyes went wide as golf balls. “Is Mister Aidan keeping you here against your will?”
I flashed him a knowing glance without uttering a word.
“Chile does yo momma know this?”
I swallowed down the knot that persisted. “Yep, she set it up.” I looked out the side window.
“Oh my sweet Jesus, Lord have mercy on my lovely soul!” Jeffery ranted as if he was the one sold in slavery. “That explains a lotta shit!” He held his hand to his face. “It ain’t like Mister Aidan to bring guest home. In fact, he’s never brought a girl home. The only ones we ever see are his uncle and that mofo cousin of his. Now that no good count cousin, you need to hide from him. He cray-cray as the looney bend and retched as the devil.” Jeffery wagged his finger at me.
“After you drop me off at school, will you go by and check on your aunt?” I fiddled with my bag. “I don't want her to worry.” My eyes latched on to Jeffery's face.
“Sure, boo, I need to check on her anyway.” He patted my hand. “Don’t you fret none? We look after our peeps.” He smiled.
Kiss My Eyes and Lie Me to Sleep
I wished Jeffery had dropped me off a block from the school, although, he insisted on depositing me at the front entrance. I wanted to crawl under a rock. The pointy stares and turned heads targeting my back were cringe-worthy. I reckoned it wasn't an everyday thing to see a rag doll stepping out from a Rolls Royse.
First class, English, the second I entered the room, Sally’s head popped up, shooting her gaze at me as if I was a dart broad. A frown had flickered across her face before she smiled. It had become apparent that we didn't care for each other. A part of me felt relieved, no more pretenses.
“Good morning!” Sally half turned in her seat, facing me.
“What’s up?” I halfheartedly replied.
“How’s Aidan?” she asked nonchalantly.
I wondered how much she knew about my living situation. Rumors carried fast in a town that wasn't big enough to spit on. I got the impression Sally had heard. “Fine, I guess.” I dropped my bag by my feet and settled in my seat.
Sally shrugged uncomfortably. “Glad to see your back but I think Gina's pissed at you.”
I rolled my eyes. “What’s new?”
Sally heaved a heavy breath. “She knows that you’ve been hanging with Aidan. I don’t blame her. They’re dating.” Sally emphasized the word dating.
I eased an on-the-brink-of-knocking-Sally’s-block-off sigh. “Can you knock it off? Really! You’re like a nonstop chalk screeching across the board.” I railed full force. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about what Gina thinks or her kicking my ass. Like she could!” I scoffed. “Just turn around in your seat and shut the fuck up for a change! It actually would be a real treat to hear the Ms. Terry instead of listening to your diarrhea of the mouth!”
Shock splashed across her face. “I was just giving you heads up. I thought I was doing you a favor.”
“Sal, you are the biggest liar ever! The only heads up you give…” I fumed, “let’s be honest is the football team.”
“You’re still pissed at me for telling you about Gina and Aidan.” She threw the words at me like shards of glass.
“Cut the shit! You've never had my back." I snapped. "Sal, were you hoping I’d kick Gina’s ass?” I clamped my mouth closed, and then I decided to drive my point into her thick chest. “Maybe it’s you who wants to kick Gina’s ass, but you’re too much of a coward to do it yourself.” I was on a roll now. “I believe you hate Gina more than anyone else in the whole wide world.” My brow arched, daring her to deny my theory.
“My friendship with Gina is none of your business!” Sally’s ireful retort hardened her features.
I sat back with a fat smile on my face. “I’m right, aren’t I?” I glared at her as she beamed red.
“Name calling isn’t a quality to be proud of either.” She snipped back.
I bit back a laugh. Sally surprised me. She did have a little backbone after all. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you.” I bit my lip trying to block a snide comeback, but I couldn’t stop myself. “I didn’t call you a prick-teaser. I merely suggested that you should tease a prick. Totally different.” I smiled, unkindly.
Sally’s nostrils flared. I could’ve sworn I saw steam curling.
Right then, the teacher walked in when the bell rang, and that ended the conversation.
Sally turned to face the teacher. She didn't bother speaking to me during the rest of the class. A nice change that I duly noted.
> After thirty minutes into class, Lord Aidan decided to bless us with his presence. Our eyes locked and my heart lurched. He looked good too. The way his black hair fell over his face and his step, fluid and confident, capturing every eye in the room.
He’d dropped a small pink slip on the teacher’s desk and didn’t pause for his seat.
Ms. Terry cleared her throat and spoke, “Mr. Bane, this makes the third tardy this week. A hall pass isn’t an excuse.” Ms. Terry's face tightened. “See that this doesn’t happen again.”
“No problemo, Teach.” Bane flashed a cocky grin that made a girl go weak in the knees. “I’ll be sure to give Dr. Vann your regards.”
The class roared with laughter. Without a further word, Ms. Terry blushed into an angry hue.
As Bane headed down the aisle to his desk, I tucked my chin down, burying my face into my English book. It seemed easier to pretend we were strangers.
Then an epiphany struck. It occurred to me that Bane had a duel personality. Here at school, he betrayed the typical bad boy with adamant defiance. Off campus, his behavior displayed someone much different, older even. He was a mystery and one hard nut to crack.
He slid in his seat with a soft groan. The sort of sound that made your toes curled. Chills spread up my arms. Just hearing his voice and that signature scent of a woodsy spice sent my pulse to the stars.
He didn’t even glance my way. After all, he didn’t want anyone to see us together. A little burn trickled down to my gut. I sighed. I’d never belong in his social circles, not that I wanted to be. But how did I separate myself from him when the very air around him seemed magnified.
The bell sounded off, and Sally scurried out the door.
I gathered up my load, stuffing my book and work inside my bag and shouldering it.
Bane was talking to one of the football players as I passed by him. He never glimpsed my way. I told myself it didn't bother me, but it did.
I stopped at my locker to unload when Sam snuck up behind me, tickling my waist. I leaped with a yap, books and paper went flying. I turned around and slugged the crap out of his arm. “That’s what you get for scaring me!” I huffed, my pulse jumping.
Then Sunday night popped in my head, and I slugged him again. “That’s for leaving Jen and me stranded. You jerk!”
I bent down picking up my papers and books. I reckoned Sam wanted to redeem himself as he assisted, gathering my scattered stuff.
His puppy dog eyes glistened like black obsidian. “What are you talkin' about? I had to take a piss.” A bewildered look crept across his face.
“Did you use the outhouse?”
Sam shrugged both shoulders, eyes shaped like bowling balls. “I looked hell and high waters for you girls. I finally asked the bouncer if he’d seen you two. That’s when I discovered that Old-Blue came and whisked you girls off on his broomstick.”
“Oh, funny! Now Bane’s a witch.” I rolled my eyes.
“No, not exacting.” He unconsciously rubbed his arm. “I heard his family owns the joint.”
My eyes dropped to his arm and gasped, eyes wide. “Oh, my God! Your arm has claw marks.” My gaze lifted to Sam. “What happened?”
He swiftly drew his arm away, covering the marks with his sleeve. “Aw, nothin’.”
My brows collided. “It looks like you got in a cat fight.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He patted my arm. “Hey, I got practice. See you later.” He flashed a maquillage smile.
“Yeah, sure.” I eyed him suspiciously. He sure did rush off when I mentioned the scratches. I wondered what happened.
Lunchtime hit, and I went looking for Jen. I was on a mission, and I needed Jen's help.
Right outside the cafeteria, I spotted her heading for our tree. The same oak tree that Bane and I stood under the first day of school. Jen and I usually ate lunch there if the weather permitted. It beat the cafeteria, sitting under the burning glare of Gina.
“Jen!” I called out to her, making my way to her, panting slightly.
Jen’s eyes lit up. “I see you survive the woes of punishment.” She smiled. “How much time did you get?”
A little pain hit me in the heart. It wasn’t easy admitting the downfall of a parent. “My mother doesn’t know.” I shrugged. “My mom is hardly ever around.” Right away, I shifted gears into another subject. Though I knew Jen wouldn’t judge me, I didn't want to talk about my woes with Sara. “I need your mad computer skills. You up for the challenge?”
Jen paused a moment. Mischief filled her brown eyes. “What you got cooking in that brain of yours?”
“I want to google Aidan Bane.” I held my breath, hoping she’d be up for the task.
Jen laughed. “Girl, you don’t stop!” she shrugged. “Let’s go! I’m not hungry anyhow.”
“Yeah!” my eyes gleamed. “Me neither.” We bumped shoulders, laughing.
Once we entered the library, we headed straight for the computer section, nicely tucked away in private cubicles. More private and out of earshot. I wanted to keep this under wraps.
We picked the last cubicle. Jen tossed her book bag down on the floor next to the chair and flopped down, fingers on the keyboard. She clicked on the google icon. In the box, she typed Aidan Bane. I leaned on the desk holding my breath while the circle churned. I swear the computer must’ve been on dial up.
“I wish I had my laptop. This bitch is ancient.”
“Yeah, you right!”
Finally, the search engine pulled up several pictures, a long list of Aidan Banes.
“Whoa! I guess his name is pretty common.” I bit my bottom lip.
“There are a bunch, but look at this one.” Jen clicked on one link that seemed to be the bio of a deceased person.
The circle churned for a handful of breaths then finally it stopped. We both gasped, staring at the new page and a picture that could’ve been Aidan’s twin. “Oh my God!” I barely breathed. “That has to be Aidan’s great grandfather.”
“Something all right!” she whistled low. “Read this, Stevie!”
I leaned in at the screen, scanning over the information. It was an obituary. The piece read,
Aidan Bane, age 23, of New Orleans, Louisiana passed away on February 25, 1918, died of the Spanish influenza. He was born on August 21, 1897, in New Orleans, Louisiana. One survivor includes his wife Sabella Mae, no children. Mr. Bane was a student at Yale and a sorority member of the Skull and Cross Bones.
“Oh, my gosh!” I braced myself against the table. I was three shades of stun. I expected a lot of things, but I didn’t expect to find his twin. My eyes fell on Jen. “Do you think this is our Aidan Bane?” As soon as the question left my lips, it sounded ridiculous. Of course, it couldn’t be. This man died at the turn of the century.
Jen shrugged. “I don’t see how, but that guy in the picture could be Aidan's clone.” Jen blew out a sharp breath. “Maybe the dead Aidan Bane had a kid by another woman that he didn’t know about?”
I tapped my finger against my lips, thinking. “Possible, I guess. Hey, type in Skull and Bones.” My curiosity was running with me.
“Yeah, that is a weird name for a Frat house.” She laughed. “Those rich kids with Daddy’s deep pockets usually are wicked.”
I giggled. “Rite, like that bar!”
“Girl, you know it!” She shook her head. “Freaky Freaks!” Jen laughed typing.
I grabbed another chair from the cubicle next to us and dragged it up beside Jen. After several ticks, the browser stopped with several hits.
Jen clicked on a link reading, Yale’s Skull and Bone Conspiracy Archive. The front page displayed a large skull with crossed bones with crimson in the background, reminding me of a flag or an emblem like privates.
As we scrolled down the page, our eyes halted on a black and white picture. The bi-line read, 1916. Thirteen men were in their Sunday’s best, black suits and black ties.
In the front row, two gentlemen sat, opposite sides of a table with a s
kull and crossed bones as the centerpiece. Behind the two seated, eleven other men stood. All heavily mustached. When my eyes gravitated to one man who stood nearly a head taller than anyone else did, I became grateful for the chair that saved me from falling to the hard floor.
Jen and I shared a shock glance. For a minute silence hung in the thick air as we studied the tall man’s face. The only way I could explain it was that the guy in the picture had to have been Bane's doppelganger.
“Jen, this cannot be possible!” My heart raced faster than a Russian racehorse.
“Inconceivable, man!” Jen stared at the screen.
Dread washed over me. “No way!” I leaped from my chair, feeling electrified.
“Stevie, you gotta listen to this.”
Jen drew me back to the computer.
She tossed me a quick look and began reading. “The Skull and Bones is an ancient symbol with a powerful, clandestine connotation. Folks today have been misled to believe that the Skull and Crossed Bones signifies ‘poison’ but this is a calculated deception by the elite to hide its true interpretation. In fact, the Skull and Crossed Bones is an ancient instrument used by necromancers to gain satanic powers.”
After Jen finished, she turned in her seat, staring up at me. When our eyes locked, we both mirrored each other’s spooked gaze.
“What the hell is a necromancer?” This had eerie stamped all over it.
Jen’s brows knitted. “Heck if I know.” She placed her fingers on the keyboard and googled the word. “It means sorcerer, a person who practices magic.” She flashed a faint smile.
I scoffed. “I wonder if that includes the tooth fairy? If so, my life’s crushed.” I joked, pretending this stuff didn’t have me rattled.
Jen laughed. “Yeah, rite!” Then we sat in silence for a moment, mulling over our discovery.
I barely murmured. “Could this be Bane?” I shoved my hands in my jean pockets.
Jen sighed sharply, wringing her hands. “I don’t see how it’s possible. Still, how can we explain the look alike thingy? This dude in the picture not only is the spitting image of Bane but has the same smile. Look at the guy's teeth."
