Allie was in the cafeteria at her usual table, waiting for Sara to come and have lunch with her. She looked down at her tray with disgust, imagining what horrors were secretly put into the so-called meatloaf surprise today. Playing with her food with her fork to pass the time away was all that she could think to do while she waited. Then she remembered the book she wanted to finish. She pulled A Tale of Two Cities from her backpack and began reading.
“Hey, girl.”
Sara Johnson had not grown out of her idol envy phase. Her favorite entertainer had been Rihanna for several months now. She dressed in an outfit worthy of her idol and dyed her black hair red in her honor: she kept the thin red and green braid on her right side. She hated that she was a shade darker than her idol but vowed to stay out of the sun, hoping she would lighten and get closer to her idol.
“Hey. I like the hair.”
“Thanks, it took forever. New beginnings.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Sara set her tray down across from her friend. She opened her milk and took a sip.
“What’s up?”
“Not much.”
“You look lost. What you got going on upstairs?”
Sara smiled; Allie returned it.
“I’m not hungry for whatever this stuff is they are trying to kill us with this week. I would start bringing my own stuff but with my mom, it would turn into a disaster quick. I mean, she would have all kinds of junk stuffed in a suitcase she would call a sandwich bag. I mean, for real.”
Sara giggled.
“Girl, you is still crazy!”
“What do you mean still?”
“Nothing, my mistake. Girl – you crazy!”
They laughed. Demetrie walked by their table behind Allie. He nodded and smiled at Sara. Sara’s smile quickly soured. She did her best to remain calm, but inside, she was angry and wanted to lash out. How dare he have the nerve to parade in front of her? How dare he get that close to her?
The secret about Demetrie was his age. He posed as a transfer student: tall, good looking, short brown hair, and a slim yet muscular physique. Sara had been told by an Elder long ago that he was much older, perhaps as old as twenty-five. He dressed like a regular teenager and wore a necklace, only his was a crest with a small cross beneath it. Demetrie was a Guardian. His sole function was keeping an eye on those who had been cast out. He made sure their memories did not return to them, and if they did, he would order a re-flashing, or something much worse. This school was his territory, his to rule without prejudice or interference from others.
Today was Thursday, and Sara had not seen him for days. She had not yet had the time to adjust to the sudden changes in her life, but she was coping as best she could. Every waking moment she resisted telling her friend the truth, and although it was getting easier now, it was still hard. She was grateful Allie had no memory and seemed as crazy as ever. Sara was grateful Shelby had left her personality alone. Grateful, yes, but forgiving? Not a chance: she blamed both Shelby and Demetrie equally for taking her friend from her. Lucky for them Bethany was out of town, but Sara planned on confronting their leader about Shelby as soon as she returned. Sara took another sip of her milk and tried to shake off the bad feelings that surrounded her.
As Allie sat, she noticed a girl with long red hair staring at her from the end of a table. But why? She knew the girl; Sara had told her in the gym her name was Shelby. Other than that, she knew nothing more except the girl was staring intensely at her, a smirk plastered across her ugly face.
“Why is that girl back there staring at me like she’s crazy?”
Sara turned to the back table. She saw Shelby’s fiendish look and turned back around.
“She’s crazy. Don’t pay her no mind.”
“I’m not sure, but I think I bumped into her in the hall. You were there with me and –”
“Nope! Now you are being crazy.” Sara scanned the room for Demetrie. What if he’d heard the conversation? If Allie was fighting the block, it was going to get dangerous for the both of them. “Believe me, I would have remembered a dust up between the two of you. You need to eat some of that food; your brains gone to mush, girl.”
“I guess.”
After one final look back at the girl, Allie began to eat. She stayed away from the meatloaf surprise and nibbled on vegetables and drank her milk. As she was finishing the last of it, she heard her friend counting.
“And one, and two, and three, and four, and five. Let’s try it backwards. And five, and four, and three, and two, and one.”
Ding. The bell rang.
Allie looked amazed: Sara wore no watch, and the clock was behind her. “How do you do that?”
“Magic!”
The two of them headed down the hall to Mrs. Taylor’s class. Today there was a lecture on Teen Abstinence. After the lecture, Sara went to her next class and Allie went to her locker to get a book.
The day continued as normal until Allie had gym. She was at a locker getting ready to change out of her uniform after a session playing volleyball. Time was short and she needed to shower before her last class. She reached into her locker for her towel and when she turned, Shelby was in her face.
Shelby didn’t speak. She was face-to-face with Allie and let her eyes roam over the young girl’s face as if checking every millimeter of her skin. She grinned sadistically and met Allie’s eyes. She sniffed the young girl several times and grinned some more.
Allie never moved or said a word. Ideas of things to say occurred to her, but not a word left her lips. She thought of actions to take, but was unable to move a muscle. She thought about screaming or yelling for help, but given the fact that the room was crowded a minute ago and now only the two of them were there, screaming was futile.
Shelby ended the suspense.
“Take a long shower. You stink.”
Shelby walked away laughing. Allie regained control of her body and rushed from the spot she had been glued to.
Hours later in her backyard, Allie was chasing her cat Lissy. Lissy got away from her and ran through a hole in the back fence. Fearing for her safety, Allie tore a bigger hole in the fence and went through after her cat. After yelling her name several times with no results, she ventured deeper into the woods, and as it was getting darker, she realized she was lost.
Allie had stumbled off the main pathway into thick underbrush. Several times she thought she heard Lissy. This spurred her on deeper and deeper into the woods. When she came to a small stream she found a clearing and relief. Before her was the path, lit by moonlight. Now she wouldn’t lose it again. She looked up at the moon and debated whether or not to give up her search and head back home. Lissy would find her way back.
A meow came from beside her, and Allie swung to her left. Lissy was on the ground, playing with some kind of toy. Allie took a few steps in her direction and was stopped by rustling sounds in the trees above her. She looked up. Down came a figure, gliding softly like a feather straight down in front of her. When the figure touched the ground, Allie’s heart began beating faster. It was Shelby. Why was this girl always around? How in the hell did she come down like that? Thoughts circled around Allie’s head, flying by one after the other, all going by unanswered.
Shelby’s eyes darkened and her fangs and claws grew. She took a step toward Allie, looking ravenous and dangerous.
Allie saw the fangs, panicked – and turned and ran, screaming, moving as fast as she could. She left the open area and ran to the trees. She zigzagged through them, looking behind her ever so often for signs of the vicious monster chasing her.
Allie had no way of knowing Shelby had leaped to the air and was high above her in the trees. Shelby stood several yards in front of her, waiting with bated breath for her victim to run straight into her arms.
Pushing harder, gaining confidence, Allie ducked under branches. She turned back to look one last time for her enemy, and when she turned back around, she realized she was running straight into Shelby.
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Backpedaling as fast as she could, she screamed – but was too late to stop her forward momentum. She was going to hit Shelby.
Shelby swung her right arm trying to cut the approaching Allie in half with a single swipe. Victory was finally hers.
Allie saw it coming and ducked down. She was under – except her arm. It stung from the claw marks and forced a scream from deep within her.
Allie lay helpless on the ground with Shelby towering over her. Shelby looked every bit the monster Allie imagined she was. With another smile, she approached her helpless prey, ready to deliver the death-blow. She laughed maniacally and raised her arm.
“Stop!”
Malcolm and Demetrie were there.
“What are you doing here?”
Demetrie spoke. “I’m doing my job. I wish I could say the same about you.”
“How dare you interfere with me?”
“My job is to interfere.”
“I will have your head for interfering with me.”
“Did you forget the wee lass was being watched?” Malcolm asked.
A Guardian’s training is nearly as long as a Gate Master’s. They are trained to blend in and access all barriers so that they may do their job of protecting their subject. Somehow, Demetrie managed to gain entry to the women’s locker room and reported to Malcolm what Shelby had said and done. For Allie’s safety, they joined forces to watch over her.
“I will forget you lost your place. And I will remind myself to bring flowers to your grave if you don’t leave now.”
“And I will remind the Queen. I am yours to destroy, Princess, but even in death, she will know my truth,” Malcolm said.
Shelby looked at them both. Suddenly all her power was gone; she felt like a cornered animal. Her prey lay at her feet whimpering – and she could do nothing to kill it. She fumed at the men, thinking fast, forming a plan quickly: she was going to kill them and chop their bodies into pieces so small they would never be found. No way could mere humans outsmart her. A broad smile crossed her lips as she readied to make her move. Which of them should she take out first? Her claws grew an inch longer.
The trees rustled again and both Demetrie and Malcolm smiled. Demetrie pointed to Shelby’s left and she turned to see leaves falling from tree branches so high up they blocked the night sky. Brad descended from the darkness. He landed as softly on the ground as Shelby had done earlier.
“You are good enough to kill all of them,” said Brad, “and if you want too, I won’t stop you. That is your right. But believe me, your secret will see the light of day tomorrow morning.”
“You would take their side against me?”
“You had won, Shelby. Why didn’t you leave it alone?”
“She attacked me!” Shelby’s face reddened with every shouted word.
“It was an accident, but you couldn’t let it go. It meant nothing to anyone but you. You were so busy springing your trap that you didn’t see the one you fell into.”
“What trap?”
“I will let Bethany decide if it is a trap or not. Only she can judge. That is, if I have to report it to her,” Brad said, hoping she would get his meaning.
Shelby was defeated. She looked down at her cowering prey and over at the two men. She accepted her defeat and surrendered.
“What do you want?”
“Restore the lass, Princess.”
“You heard him,” said Brad, “restore her and wipe this from her memory. She will be as she was, with all her abilities and memories, minus the bad ones of your making.”
“No!” Shelby fumed. To lose was enough, but to suffer this humiliation was too much.
“As you wish,” said Demetrie. “I will report the loss of one of my charges to the queen in person. She had big plans for this one.”
Shelby was seething. She shook violently. Now she understood the trap Brad had spoken of. With no other recourse, she accepted defeat. Shelby walked five feet in front of Allie and turned around to face the girl who had defeated her again.
Allie, still on the ground, whimpered like a cowering dog. Who were these people? What were they talking about?
Shelby lifted her arms and small fireballs began forming in her palms. They swirled around and grew larger to the size of her palms. Allie watched in horror. She was about to be burned alive, but still she couldn’t move.
The right fireball grew larger, turned as white as Shelby’s eyes, and with a fling of her wrist, it struck the girl. Allie shook with an electrical charge and passed out. The left fireball grew larger and turned blue. Shelby closed her eyes and mumbled some words as if in prayer. She opened her darkened eyes and threw the fireball. Allie only shook slightly this time. The fireball hit her and spread out in all directions. It formed around her, stayed in place for a minute, and then dispersed.
“I won’t forget this,” Shelby warned. “If she crosses me again, I will remember my past mistakes. I will be quicker.”
And with that, she leapt into a tree and was gone.
“I guess my job is done here,” said Demetrie. “I hope my next assignment is somewhere tropical. I could use a tan.”
“Me, too, laddie. Me, too,” said Malcolm.
They all laughed. Brad volunteered to take Allie back home. In all the confusion, her cat disappeared. Malcolm volunteered to track Lissy down and return her to the backyard. Demetrie volunteered to help with the search and together they would repair the back fence.
It would take time to discover if Shelby had been thorough or not. They were hoping Allie would skip over the past days and be back to where she was before. The men crossed their fingers and hoped for the best.
Chapter 14
Cavers: A Vampire Tale Page 16
