Arianna Rose: The Gathering (Part 3)

by Martucci, Christopher

  Arianna lifted both fists to chest-height and gripped them tightly, squeezing and clenching as firmly as her muscles allowed. A series of hair-raising cracks whipped sharply and Scott sagged forward. His lifeless eyes stared vacantly in her direction and a sense of satisfaction overwhelmed her.

  “We need to go, now,” Desmond said quietly and interrupted her moment of satisfaction.

  “Yeah, that sounds like a really good idea,” Beth said. “Where are we headed, you know, so I can set my sifting GPS,” she chuckled then looked to Desmond’s expressionless face. “What, too soon?” she asked jokingly.

  Arianna felt like laughing, but thought it inappropriate given the circumstances. “My place,” she said to Beth. “The cabin is the last house on Ridge Road.”

  “Got it,” Beth said. “But don’t go getting any funny ideas about me coming over,” she arched an eyebrow mischievously before disappearing.

  Arianna shook her head and moved toward Desmond. “Shall we?” she said and opened her arms to him. He immediately enveloped her in his strong arms and the world around her began to fade.

  “Yes, we shall,” he replied and they were gone.

  Chapter 21

  When the white, warm rush of sifting with Desmond ended, Arianna found herself standing in her living room. Beth arrived seconds later and stood with her trademark look of disinterested annoyance on her face. Only Arianna no longer saw her as an annoying Goth girl who constantly accused her of being interested in her romantically. She saw her as the girl who’d saved not only her life, but more importantly, the life of the man she loved, Desmond. She did not know how she would ever repay her, had never been so indebted to another person in her entire life, but knew deep within her that she would someday return the favor. Before that time came, however, a thank-you would have to suffice.

  “Thank you,” Arianna blurted out. She knew there was probably a much better time and way to thank Beth, but after the experience they’d just endured, she seriously doubted flowers or a fruit basket would be appropriate. Now was as good a time as any to express her gratitude.

  Beth looked quizzically to Desmond then to Arianna. “Huh?” she said.

  “Thank you,” Arianna said again. “For saving Desmond’s life and mine.”

  “Uh, whatever,” Beth said uncomfortably before mumbling, “You’re welcome,” under her breath.

  “I knew you were one of us, you know,” Arianna smiled. “I felt it the first day I met you. It was weak, but it was there.”

  “Well what did you expect?” Beth asked and rocked from her heels to the balls of her feet. “With weirdo George always lurking, glued to Scott’s side and shadowing you, too, you couldn’t feel a supernatural being if she walked up to you and bit you.”

  “Whoa, sounds like you’re getting ideas now,” Arianna arched a brow at her playfully and smirked.

  Beth loosened up visibly and stopped rocking.

  “Ha! Guess I had that one coming to me, you know, after all the shit I gave you the last few days. Sorry about that, by the way.”

  “Are you seriously trying to apologize to me?” Arianna asked incredulously.

  Beth’s eyes dropped to her feet and shifted anxiously. Arianna could not tell if she’d shocked or insulted her. Either way, neither had the intended reaction she’d been going for.

  “You saved my life, Beth. If you hadn’t taken out George, we wouldn’t be here,” she gestured between her and Desmond. “You do not owe me an apology for some smartass comments.”

  “I kind of do though,” Beth shrugged. “You’re the Sola, and whatnot,” she concluded with the same uneasiness.

  Arianna looked at Beth puzzled. She knew she was the Sola, but how had Beth known? And why was Beth being so weird, even weirder than she usually was? Arianna wondered whether Beth was expecting more of her, whether the fact that she’d needed to be saved meant that she’d fallen shy of all the grand predictions about her. She supposed she would find out soon enough. In the meantime, Beth had just revealed that she’d known Arianna was the Sola, yet she’d kept it to herself. Arianna was genuinely surprised.

  “You know who I am?” she asked.

  “Of course, I knew as soon as you came to town, before even. I felt you coming. Everyone should have, you know, people like us. The fact that Scott and the others did not seem to know was really confusing.”

  “So you knew from the first time you met me?”

  “Yep,” Beth admitted and only made brief eye contact with her.

  “But why – ,” Arianna started, but Beth interrupted.

  “Why did I give you a hard time?” Beth finished. “Scott and George and the rest of his stupid groupies were oblivious to me. You see, I can hide my power. It’s a neat trick my mother taught me. Since you’re the Sola, I’m sure you can, too. You’ve just never tried.”

  “Huh,” Arianna said and knittted her brows.

  “I’m sure you can do it. It’s nothing special really. I wasn’t trying to brag or anything,” Beth rambled.

  Arianna bristled a bit. Her powers had matured considerably, but she still did not know what all of them were yet. The last thing she needed was to be patted on the head. She felt as though Beth were saying, “Oh don’t worry, you’ll get it soon enough. Now here’s a lollypop. Go sit in the corner and eat it, stupid Sola who needed to be rescued from a group of lowly, doofy, supernatural teens.”

  “Beth, I have not gotten a handle on my powers yet. Hell, I don’t even know what half of them are. But I will, and soon. I’m sure I must seem like a real disappointment after all the hype from the Tome of Ares, but isn’t there a learning curve? Jeez!”

  “Arianna, I don’t think Beth meant,” Desmond began, but Beth cut him off.

  “Wait, hold on a second. What the hell are you saying, Arianna?” Beth asked sharply. “It sounds to me like you’re getting way ahead of yourself,” she huffed. “It sounds like you’re accusing me of being I don’t know, like, disappointed in you or something, which is not the case by the way.”

  “Well, it’s just seemed like you were,” Arianna started, but Beth cut her off too.

  “It seemed like exactly what it was. I helped you out. Period. The fact that you’re the Sola, well, that is a whole other issue,” Beth said with her brow furrowed.

  “How so?” Arianna asked.

  “As you know, there are two very different interpretations of your destiny.”

  “Yes, and?” Arianna motioned with her hand for Beth to get on with it already.

  Beth took a deep breath then spoke. “The second I saw you, I knew you were the one. I just didn’t know if you were like the prophecy said, if you were a slaughterer of innocent people who was going to turn our people into monsters, or if you were the way you had been depicted to me by my mom, that you were here peacefully.”

  “And?” Arianna prodded.

  “And what?” Beth screwed up her features, annoyed, and shrugged.

  “And you’re still not convinced that I am not looking to off humanity and turn all of our kind loose on the people of the world?”

  “After what you did today, yes, I am mostly convinced, but you can’t blame me for still worrying, right? I mean look at Josh and George and Jess and all of them. They seemed normal enough at first, right?”

  “Yes,” Arianna admitted and recalled how happy she was her first day at Hallowed Hills High School, how accepting and, well, normal Jess and the others seemed.

  “It’s easy to be tricked by our kind. I just stay guarded, that’s all.”

  “You don’t have to,” Arianna assured her. “I’m not out to hurt anyone.”

  She could see the tension in Beth’s shoulders loosen visibly and she began chatting and laughing with Desmond about their first interaction when she’d told Arianna she wasn’t interested in her. But Beth and Desmond’s voices began to fade in and out.

  Arianna’s head was suddenly spinning. She had so many questions for both Desmond and Beth, too many. The adrenaline r
ush had not yet left her. She felt as if each of cells teemed with both her power and nervous energy. She felt dizzy and the sudden need to sit pressed her.

  “Arianna, are you okay,” Desmond was suddenly at her side again with his arm around her waist, his voice strong and clear.

  “Yes, I’m all right, I think, just a little, I don’t know, lightheaded,” she said and allowed him to lead her to the couch.

  Once she was sitting, Desmond slid into the spot next to her and watched her with concern.

  “How lightheaded do you feel?” he worried.

  “It’s okay, Desmond. I’m okay,” she assured him, though she did enjoy how he fawned over her. No one had ever done that before. “I just feel exhausted all of a sudden. It just hit me all at once.”

  Relief relaxed his features and he exhaled. “You’ve used so much power today. I’m surprised you’re still awake.”

  “So this is normal,” Arianna looked to him then Beth.

  Beth nodded. “I would need to sleep for like twelve hours after doing what you did today.”

  “She layered her powers, too,” Desmond said to Beth proudly.

  “No kidding! Really? Wow. I’ve heard of that being done by elders, but never someone as young we are,” Beth replied about her and Arianna. “Wait, what am I saying? She’s the Sola. She can do, well, anything.”

  “As an, ahem, elder, as you put it,” Desmond seemed a bit offended by being referred to as an older warlock. Arianna could not help but smile. “I can layer my powers like she did, but it took many years of practice and patience to do it.”

  “Great,” Arianna said unenthusiastically. “I can sift like an old warlock,” she joked and winked at Beth. Beth laughed, only her laughter started sounding as if it were coming from the end of a long tunnel. Arianna blinked several times and clutched the arm of the couch.

  Beth stopped laughing and Desmond turned Arianna to face him. “You need to rest,” he said firmly. “We can talk another time. We need to leave, and soon. A lot of people will be looking for us, others like Scott and the group my father sent, others who’ve been waiting for you to wage war against humanity.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You will be their number-one enemy. We will need to hide.”

  “Oh my god,” Arianna breathed.

  “Rest, if only for a little while,” Desmond advised her. “Just let your eyes close and your body relax. You will need every ounce of your strength to travel. They will be coming soon.”

  “They will know we helped,” Beth said solemnly.

  “Yes,” Desmond matched her tone.

  Arianna felt as if she were living in a nightmare. First Lily, then her mother and Luke had lost their lives because of her. Now, a bounty existed for both Desmond and Beth. They’d all been marked for death.

  As her mind struggled to comprehend the gravity of their situation, something Agnon said popped into her mind.

  “What did your father mean when he said ‘he’ was coming for me? Who’s ‘he’? Who’s coming for me?”

  Desmond paused before answering, staring hard at his feet. When he lifted his chin and leveled his brilliant blue eyes at her, Arianna felt her heart flutter wildly before stopping.

  “The man my father referred to is the man you are supposed to marry. He is supposed to rule our people with you.”

  Arianna’s heart began beating again, racing, in fact, thundering in her hears deafeningly. Nothing that Desmond had said made sense. The more information she received about her role as the Sola, the more confusing and contradictory things became.

  “I thought I was supposed to be the most powerful witch on the planet, that here and now, I was coming of age, or whatever nonsense, mumbo-jumbo the book said,” she felt her temper flare. “None of this makes sense, Desmond! What the hell! Why is it that the more I learn, the less I understand and the more confused I become?”

  “Here and now, you are the most powerful witch in the world, even though not all of your powers have manifested themselves yet.”

  “You’re talking in riddles again, and it’s really starting to piss me off!” she protested.

  Desmond reached out his hand and placed it on her knee. She looked down at it then to his face. He started to pull it back, but she placed her hand over his. “Look, I’m sorry, but this is crazy.”

  “I know, Arianna. You were not born to other supernatural beings. This is all new to you. You’ve led a normal life until recently.”

  “Huh,” she huffed. “Oh yeah, my life’s been a dream!” she said and felt as if she were unraveling. “What does it mean that here and now I am the most powerful witch?” she asked and braced herself for his answer.

  “The man who is to marry you is not in this dimension,” Desmond said softly. “But the prophecy says he’s coming for you, for the world.”

  “What? When? This is news to me!” she shouted and sprung to her feet. “Another dimension! This is nuts!”

  “Calm down Arianna, please,” Desmond said calmly, but she could not.

  Her eyes were wild as they darted about the room. Beth remained, as if rooted to the flooring in the living room, with her arms folded across her chest and watched as Arianna had a tantrum. But she was not sorry in the least. How else was she supposed to react to this new nugget of information? She had a fiancé now? How brilliant! Of course she did! Weeks earlier, she’d learned that she was a witch, but not just any witch. She was the frigging Sola, the most powerful of all witches. Now, some random guy from another dimension, no less, was coming to make her his bride! They would be the king and queen of the Super Bowl of supernatural proms. Terrific! She felt as if she were losing her mind.

  “How do we know this exactly? This could be bullshit, like the chapter your dad added to the Tome of Ares.”

  “I read the rest of it, read the chapter my father added. It tells of him coming for you.”

  “So? Nothing that your dad said was true in there, right? I didn’t hurt anyone.”

  Desmond’s eyes, those bottomless pools of tropical water, stared straight into her soul once again. “You might have,” he said quietly and let his words hang in the air.

  His words stung, though she did not know why right away. He had not spoken them in an accusing tone, but guilt weighed upon her, nonetheless.

  “Remember,” she heard him whisper through her. His voice, teased at the back of her mind, coaxing and encouraging her memory, and his eyes did not leave hers. All of a sudden, it came back to her in striking clarity. Her heart made a mad leap from her chest to her throat and she remembered. Arianna remembered what had begun to happen, the vile feelings and thoughts that had swirled inside her when Agnon had confronted her in the school. She’d seen death and destruction, the fall of towns and cities, and all at her command.

  “You’re right,” she said and tears burned behind her eyelids. She fluttered her lashes, trying to blink them away. “If it weren’t for you, I would have fulfilled the prophecy. I am a monster,” she said and the tears she’d been fighting began to fall, realization hitting her full-force.

  “No,” Beth’s voice broke the silence by saying. “It’s the two of you together that unites us. That’s what I was told. That’s what my mother and grandmother always taught me. You complete one another. Together, you will guide those of us who are good and lead us to defeat the evil among us.

  “I was told I would someday protect both of you, but when I saw you with Scott and his gang, I wasn’t so sure. But I understand it now. I understand. Evil is rising and we need to stop it.”

  Understanding filled Desmond’s features and he seemed to glow with divine radiance as brilliant light streamed in from the sliding glass doors.

  “We need to go,” he said in a voice rich and sure. “We will leave before they find us.”

  “So what, now we live a life on the run?” Arianna asked.

  “For now, yes, we have no other choice,” Desmond replied.

  “Where are we headed?” Beth asked and offered a half
-smile.

  “Somewhere far from here,” Desmond said and took Arianna’s hand.

  Together, they walked to Beth and each of them took one of her hands.

  Arianna’s cabin in the woods wavered, and for a fleeting moment, she was annoyed about losing the sizable security deposit she’d given to John Jervis. She envisioned his bushy eyebrows rising and his ruddy cheeks deepening in color when he realized she’d skipped town. He would feel a smug sense of self-satisfaction and get to keep her money. The idiot. It wasn’t until she forced him, and all the other worries of her former world from her mind that she felt her body fill with warmth and light, and felt herself fade. She knew that only time would tell what the future held for them, for her. All she was certain of was that she was no longer safe.

  About the Authors

  Jennifer and Christopher Martucci hoped that their life plan had changed radically in early 2010. To date, the jury is still out. But late one night, in January of 2010, the stay-at-home mom of three girls under the age of six had just picked up the last doll from the playroom floor and placed it in a bin when her husband startled her by declaring, “We should write a book, together!” Wearied from a day of shuttling the children to and from school, preschool and Daisy Scouts, laundry, cooking and cleaning, Jennifer simply stared blankly at her husband of fifteen years. After all, the idea of writing a book had been an individual dream each of them had possessed for much of their young adult lives. Both had written separately in their teens and early twenties, but without much success. They would write a dozen chapters here and there only to find that either the plot would fall apart, or characters would lose their zest, or the story would just fall flat. Christopher had always preferred penning science-fiction stories filled with monsters and diabolical villains, while Jennifer had favored venting personal experiences or writing about romance. Inevitably though, frustration and day-to-day life had placed writing on the back burner and for several years, each had pursued alternate (paying) careers. But the dream had never died. And Christopher suggested that their dream ought to be removed from the back burner for further examination. When he proposed that they author a book together on that cold January night, Jennifer was hesitant to reject the idea outright. His proposal sparked a discussion, and the discussion lasted deep into the night. By morning, the idea for the Dark Creations series was born.