Reeling with the sudden understanding that she could make someone forget something, Jordan led Betsy to the sofa and sat down with her. “I was having an argument with Carla, and you came in to see what was going on. You were upset, so I hugged you and Carla left. It’s not a big deal, Betsy. You talked about how much stress Dad’s been under, but I know you have, too.” She patted her arm. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off and go see a movie or something? I’ll fix dinner tonight.”
Still looking addled, Betsy nodded. “Maybe you’re right. I think I’ll go bake some cookies.” She smiled at her. “You have a good day at school, and don’t be worrying any about me. I’m old, but I’m tough. Even if I do lose my wits, I’m still going to look after you.”
Jordan kissed her cheek, then stood to leave. She said as she walked to the door, “You really do love me.”
“Nonsense! Love is for saps.”
As soon as Jordan and Gunther hit the front doors of the school and walked into the entry hall, she was surrounded by people, all asking at once how she was doing. She said, “I’m okay,” over and over, and accepted a lot of hugs and well wishes; after a while, people began to drift off toward the main hall and their lockers.
She was feeling glad to have the initial bit over with when Courtney Byrd and her four besties, publicly known as the Bible Bees and privately called the Buzzkills, descended on her. She cursed not having seen them coming so she could escape, but she was in it now with nowhere to run. She glanced at Gunther and wished the Secret Service also provided protection from obnoxious people.
“Jordan, I just wanted you to know how hard the Bees prayed for you.”
“Thank you, Courtney.” She glanced around at the others and smiled. “Thank you all. It’s good to be back.”
“We also wanted to let you know about a problem,” Courtney said solemnly. “Since you’re the president of the student body, we think you should put a stop to the prom committee’s plans. The theme they’ve chosen is completely inappropriate.”
Oh, boy. Some things she wouldn’t miss after she went back to Colorado. Like Courtney and her over-the-top, fanatical religion. “How is the Garden of Eden inappropriate? It was a beautiful place, made by God.”
“Invaded by Satan! He spoiled it, and that’s exactly what will happen if this prom theme is the Garden of Eden.”
“You think Satan will invade our prom?”
She totally saw Gunther’s lips twitch while he stared ahead from behind his aviators.
“There are people at this school who’ll use the prom to tempt others to sin, maybe even to give their souls to Lucifer.”
She shouldn’t encourage Courtney, but she felt compelled. “If we don’t use the Garden of Eden theme, what sort of prom do you have in mind?”
Eyes bright with excitement, Courtney stepped closer and said in a conspiratorial voice, “Rapture.”
“You mean, like, end of times?”
Courtney nodded eagerly. “It’d be amazing, Jordan! We’d have decorations like the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and we could serve punch that looks like blood. Instead of music, we’d have someone reading from Revelation, with the sound of earthquakes in the background. Dancing encourages impure thoughts, so instead, we’d have games.”
“Games? At a prom?”
“We’ll play the rapture game and see who will be taken by Jesus and who’ll be left behind.”
Courtney, of course, would sit in judgment. She was a master at it by now.
Gunther wasn’t smiling any longer. And Jordan was all out of patience. “The purpose of a prom is fun. People expect to dance, and drink pink lemonade punch, and look at the pretty decorations. The Garden of Eden is a universal concept everyone can accept.”
She expected Courtney to argue with her, but instead the girl began to back away, her brown eyes huge in her long, narrow face as she looked over Jordan’s shoulder.
Then Jordan caught the scent of evergreens and knew Key had walked in. She felt his heat when he came to stand just behind her, making her suddenly breathless. Courtney nearly tripped over her Bees, she was in such a hurry to go.
Turning, Jordan took one look at him and knew why Courtney had run away. He was dressed in the Mephisto monochrome, and the hard look on his face did nothing to dispel his menacing appearance. He wasn’t trying to fit in at all, and she kind of admired him for it. She was also way too glad to see him. She’d planned to dial everything back to how it was before their time on the plane, but how could she do that if the first thing she wanted to do when she saw him was throw her arms around him and kiss him? It didn’t matter that she could now kiss him without guilt, since Matthew was no longer her boyfriend.
But she wasn’t going to think about that. Not yet. She couldn’t get that picture of Tori out of her mind, or the anger she felt toward Matthew, which felt wrong even if it was justified. She was all mixed up and didn’t want to think about it now.
Aware of Gunther’s presence, and the kids passing by on their way to class, she knew she had to pretend she’d never met Key. Ruthlessly shoving away thoughts of kissing him, she pasted on a smile and said, “You must be one of the new students. I’m Jordan Ellis. Welcome to Oates.”
From behind a pair of Wayfarers, in a deep, warm voice that didn’t match his cold expression at all, Key said, “Hello, Jordan. It’s really nice of you to be so … nice.”
A nerdy guy in a blue oxford and a pair of khakis stepped around him and smiled at her. “Hi, I’m Brody DeKyanos, and this is my brother, Key.”
“Hi, Brody,” she said, instantly liking him. He had the sweetest eyes behind geeky glasses. “The office is just over there,” she pointed to her right, “where you can check in with Mrs. Black and get your schedule, unless you already have it.”
A piece of paper appeared from his back pocket. “Yeah, got that. Key and I are in all the same classes.”
He handed it to her, and in one glance she saw they were in every one of her classes. Even AP government. No doubt the records Luminas had taken care of their schedules.
Before she could make any comment, she heard Tessa calling her name. She sounded way excited.
When Jordan turned around, she went stiff, and a giant rock of anxiety lodged in the pit of her belly.
Headed her way down the main hall was her best friend, holding hands with Eryx.
FOURTEEN
SHE FELT KEY’S HAND ON THE SMALL OF HER BACK, THEN heard him say in the softest whisper, “Take it easy, Jordan.”
Tessa practically skipped up to them, beaming with happiness. “Jordan, this is Eryx DeKyanos, one of the new students I was telling you about.”
She was speechless. All she could manage was a nod.
“He’s living with Senator Markham and his wife while he finishes school here because his parents were called to Uganda on a missionary trip.”
Jordan nearly choked.
“We went to dinner at the Markhams’ last night because the senator wanted to talk to Dad about contributing to a new wing at the school, and Eryx and I hung out.”
Senator Markham was on the list of lost souls Key had told her about, one of the ten they would take out at her birthday party. No doubt Eryx had put him up to inviting Mr. Barnes and his family for dinner, just so he could start something with Tessa.
She looked into Eryx’s dead, flat eyes and couldn’t fathom how her friend could be attracted to him. More than attracted. She was practically drooling on him. Sure, he had an incredible face, with a five o’clock shadow, he was tall and built, and he was dressed in übercool clothes—a frayed white oxford with its tail out, a loosely knotted skinny black tie, and black trousers—but his horrible eyes overrode everything else. How could Tessa see past those eyes?
His arrogance was infuriating, and she imagined how it would feel to stab him. It wouldn’t be like it was with Jax during training. She’d hold nothing back. She’d go for Eryx’s heart, and when he was out, she’d drag him over to the school cha
pel, to holy ground, and watch him burn.
The way he was looking at her, she suspected he knew exactly where her thoughts had gone. He looked smug, like he was completely confident that she had no chance of taking him down. Key’s hand was still on her back, silently telling her to relax. She took a breath and asked Eryx, “Besides spreading the word about Jesus, what are your parents doing in Uganda?”
“Our family aren’t Christians, but another faith, so it’s not about Jesus. Dad’s helping build a water-purification facility, and Mom’s administering inoculations to children.”
He sounded so sincere, so real, if she didn’t know it was a giant load of BS, she’d be swallowing it the same as Tessa. “I took a religious studies class at church, so I’m all kinds of fascinated. What faith is your family, Eryx?”
“True Messiah. Like the Jews, we don’t believe Christ is mankind’s savior; but unlike the Jews, we believe the messiah has arrived and walks among us.”
“Is this messiah a son of God?”
“He’s a son of the world.”
Tessa was never big on religion, but she was gazing at Eryx as if he was the second coming. How long would it be before he told her he was the true messiah? How long before Tessa pledged to follow him? What could Jordan do to keep it from happening? Panic nearly choked her, and she caught Eryx’s meaningful look. He knew she was freaking out. He’d designed this little scene for just that purpose. Go with me, his eyes said, and I’ll leave her alone.
Tessa was staring over Jordan’s shoulder, frowning. Jordan knew just what she was thinking—who was this hard, rough biker-looking guy, and what was he doing dirtying up the front hall of Oates? “Tessa, this is Key, and his brother, Brody. Key, Brody, this is Tessa Barnes.”
Tessa looked at all three of the new arrivals, then focused on Key and Eryx. “Y’all look so much alike. You’re related, aren’t you?”
Before Jordan could make up something, Brody said, “Eryx is our cousin. We lost our parents, so we live with our aunt, our mother’s sister. She decided we should move to Washington from London. Eryx could have stayed with us to go to school, but our aunt doesn’t like his father.”
“Your aunt is a witch,” Eryx said. He saw Tessa’s shocked look and smiled. “Not in the bad sense. I mean, she really does think she’s a witch.”
“That’s a lie,” Key said, not bothering to put a fake face on it like Brody did.
“So you’re not a True Messiah?” Tessa asked Brody.
“No, we’re … something else.”
“Wiccan?”
“Does it matter?” Jordan interjected, wishing Tessa would get off the religion train.
“No, of course not.” Tessa smiled at Brody. “It’s very nice to meet you. If you need anything, let me know. I kind of have an in. My dad’s the headmaster.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, “and so will my brother.”
Tessa missed Brody’s point—that she’d completely ignored Key. Smiling at Eryx, she tugged on his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you around some more before first period starts.”
Eryx shot Jordan another look before they turned and walked away.
Gunther said, “I’m switching out with Hank. Stay here until he gets inside.” Turning, he walked to the doors and exited.
“Gunther’s probably going to run a background check on you,” Jordan said to Key. “I thought you were going to dress to fit in.”
“I changed my mind. How are you?”
“Not so good. I attacked Carla, the press secretary’s assistant, this morning.”
His expression was instantly concerned. “What happened?”
She told him, and he asked, “Are you sure the nanny doesn’t remember?”
“Positive. I didn’t know I could do that.”
“Just don’t abuse it, and next time you feel that kind of rage, try to remember that killing a lost soul is a win for Eryx.”
“I’m not sure I can, Key. I’ve never felt like that. It was as if my brain had checked out and I had no control. If Betsy hadn’t made me stop, I’d have killed Carla.” She looked at the buttons on his coat and sighed. “And I can’t believe it, but I don’t feel bad about that at all.”
“For Mephisto, this is totally normal, and it’s why I’m here, why we need to stay together as much as possible. It’s going to be hard for you because Eryx has already collected followers at this school. His being here will make it way worse because he sets you off, and because he’ll have told the lost souls who and what you are. They’ll taunt you on purpose, hoping to get you into trouble. His goal is to make you desperate enough to give him what he wants, and he’s got a good start already. You’re so pumped on adrenaline right now, you could probably burn the place down.”
“Is that so surprising? Tessa is my best friend, and she was practically climbing into his pocket.”
Key looked like he almost felt sorry for her. “Right now, she’s more at risk than anybody else at this school.”
“I know.” She stared after Tessa, who’d walked Eryx all the way to the end of the main hall and was showing him the photo gallery of all the famous politicians who’d given commencement speeches at Oates.
“Tessa may resist,” Brody said.
“Don’t give Jordan false hope,” Key said. “He’ll suck more and more of them in before her birthday.”
“Maybe we should plan something else,” Brody said. “Something sooner.”
“It wouldn’t make any difference. We take out ten, he’s got ten more a week later. As long as he stays here, it’s a losing battle. Skia have a harder time convincing people to pledge, but Eryx is the original, and it’s like people can’t help themselves.”
And yet, he didn’t hate him. “Let me tell Tessa,” Jordan said.
“You can’t tell her about us, about you. It’s grounds for taking you out, and your sacrifice would be for nothing, because no matter what you tell her, in the end it all comes down to her faith. If she’s strong enough, she won’t pledge.”
“You don’t think she is, do you?”
He stared down at her for a long time before he said, “Most people aren’t, Jordan. Some will pledge for something incredibly trivial, but even people with deep faith and a firm belief in God will pledge if they’re desperate enough. Eryx has a talent for figuring out people’s weaknesses.”
Hank came inside and smiled at her. “Gunther is rechecking the perimeter, then he’ll be back.” He gave Key a look, maybe because he was standing so close to Jordan.
Key nodded at him and held out his hand. “I’m Key DeKyanos. This is my brother, Brody.”
Hank smiled and shook Brody’s hand just as the first bell rang.
With a frown, Key asked, “Why is that annoying bell ringing?”
“It’s to let everyone know we have five minutes to get to class.” She looked at Brody. “Ready?”
He sighed. “I can’t believe I’m doing this again, but yeah, I’m ready.”
She turned and headed down the main hall toward the science rooms, to chemistry, followed by a Mephisto who looked like a Hell’s Angel, a Lumina who looked like a chess champion, and a Secret Service agent who could be on tour for the WWF.
As soon as she rounded the doorway and stepped inside the room, she knew Key hadn’t been exaggerating. Three of her classmates, guys she knew and liked, stared at her from behind the shadow across their eyes. She was feeling grief at the loss until they looked at Key and Brody and laughed. One of them, a guy named Mark, who she’d had a crush on in seventh grade, said to the others, “Hey, look, it’s the League of Nerds.” He focused on Key. “Are we supposed to think you look like Neo from The Matrix?”
Key walked toward Mark, who was stupid enough not to back off. Jordan was beginning to understand that lost souls gave away more than their spirit—they also tossed their common sense.
“Ooh, I’m so scared,” Mark said. “What are you gonna do? Force me to eat a blue pill?” His buddies all laughed, and other
s in the class joined in.
At Mark’s desk, Key stopped, reached out his hand, and placed his index finger on Mark’s forehead. Mark tried to jerk away, but was clearly stuck in his seat. When Key lifted his finger, there was a ginormous zit on Mark’s face, oozy and disgusting. Key turned and walked back to stand next to Jordan, while everyone who was watching gasped. Six more zits appeared, and Mark looked around at the faces, his eyes wide. “What? Why is everyone staring at me? Hey,” he called after Key, “what did you do to me?” He bolted from his chair and ran out of the room.
Key said to Mr. Shelley, who was staring with his mouth open, “Pretty weird when boils come up like that. That guy’s got some infectious disease. Maybe you should send him home.”
“Why did you touch him?” Mr. Shelley asked.
“I thought he looked like he had a fever. He does. Really, he should get out of here before he infects everyone else.” Key took off his shades and looked pointedly at Mark’s lost soul buddies, who shifted in their chairs and became interested in their chem books.
Mark ran back in the room, his face covered with more boils. While everyone gasped and made ick sounds, he rushed at Key, fists raised. “You sick bastard, you’re going down!”
But Mark was the one who went down. He’d barely moved a foot before Hank took him to the floor, facedown, and placed his wrists in handcuffs.
Jordan blinked. Secret Service never hesitated when dealing with a threat, real or perceived, but she couldn’t remember anyone moving as fast as Hank.
He looked up at Mr. Shelley. “I believe school policy is zero tolerance for physical assaults. I assume this young man will be taken to the headmaster?”
Nobody ever got in fights at Oates. Kids argued, and there were asshats who liked being mean to the geeks, but Jordan couldn’t remember anybody actually getting violent. Maybe that’s why Mr. Shelley looked like a deer in headlights. This wasn’t something he usually had to deal with.
The Mephisto Kiss (The Redemption Of Kyros) Page 22
