by Mintie Das
When it is close enough that I can see a faint silhouette, I jump out of its path and onto the ground. My hand rushes to my heart when I realize that it missed me. I catch my breath before jumping up and starting to run.
“Violet! They’ve forbidden me to fight along with you,” Lukas shouts as he appears out of nowhere. He grabs my arm and places something in my hand. “Take this.”
I look down. I don’t really know how useful the skull chain is, considering I was never given even basic instructions on how to use it. However, I decide to hold on to it since I have no other weapons and no idea how I am going to survive this battle.
Suddenly, I feel the beast pounce on me and throw me to the ground. The weight of its body bears down on my chest. I feel my lungs cave in and I struggle to breathe. I try to raise my head but it slaps me down with its large paw. Its claw rips through the side of my face and I cry out in pain.
I sputter and cough as the preta continues to choke me. I can now see it in its full glory and it is heinous, part man and part beast. Its white fangs gleam in the dark.
Terror like I have never experienced rushes through me, paralyzing me from head to toe.
I feel the beast’s razor-sharp teeth bite down on my throat and hear the loud pop of my skin as it’s sliced open. Waves of excruciating agony radiate through my body and settle somewhere deep inside of me. I tremble from the shock and pain.
The creature plunges its talons into my belly and rips it apart. It is ravenous, just like pretas are supposed to be. I can feel the life drain out of me. Images flash through my mind. The Aiedeo. Tears of rage roll down my cheeks. I hate them with every last breath left in me. The Aiedeo are quickly replaced with thoughts of Naresh, Meryl, and Dede. I hear the fading sound of my heartbeat. I don’t know where the hell Naresh is but Meryl and Dede are only steps away. I think of Naomi lying in that casket and I remember that this isn’t just about me. The thought sends a rush of adrenaline through me.
I feel the creature bite down on my liver. I try to push the horror of what’s happening to me aside and I fight to wrap my fingers around the skull chain, which is lying beside what I believe is my half-eaten stomach. The beast looks up at me with its face and mane soaked in my blood. I want to turn my head away from it but then I decide not to. If these are going to be my last seconds on earth, then I am going to look straight into my killer’s eyes. Fuck fear. I’ve been afraid all my damn life, and clearly, it isn’t working for me.
My heart beats louder. I am alive. Barely, but I am and I decide that chow time is over. I muster the strength that I didn’t know was in me and manage to lift the skull chain with my right arm. To my own awe, I begin to swing it in the air. First, it starts to buzz, then it gradually rattles until it flies around in my hand with an energy that I have never seen. I don’t know if the force is going from me to the skull chain or from the skull chain to me, but whatever the case, I’m strong.
Before the beast can do anything about it, I wrap the skull chain around its neck and pull as hard as I can. My muscles feel like they’re shredding apart because I’m tugging so hard. The jaws of the beast stop moving and it looks at me again. I tighten the chain until its eyes pop out of its head and roll onto me. Its belly, which is now bloated and bulging with my flesh, convulses and spasms. It opens its mouth and regurgitates all over me. A large chunk of my liver falls next to my head. The sour, putrid smell makes me gag but I don’t stop.
I pull tighter and tighter until I have no more power left in me. My body goes limp. I try to hold on but I feel my grip loosen. I hear the faint moans of the beast, and my heart plunges into a deep, dark abyss. Its breathing is labored but it is still breathing. That means the preta is alive and I am not. They won. I drop the skull chain and let go.
Twenty-Two
LUKAS SHUDDERS AT THE SIGHT of the dead beast on the ground. In all of his centuries of fighting, he’s never seen a preta so savage. He lays Violet’s limp body across his lap and rests her head against his chest. The guests at Naomi’s funeral don’t notice him, but in any case, he looks like he is merely sitting under a tree to get away from the unusually bright afternoon sun.
Lukas sees Dede’s face grow pale. She wasn’t able to see the battle but now she can plainly see her girl’s mangled body. Dede starts to get up from her seat but Lukas raises his hand to stop her. She scowls but stays put.
Meryl can’t see Violet at all, but apparently that doesn’t matter. She’s halfway out of her chair and looks like she’s about to charge at Lukas but Dede yanks her back down.
Lukas takes off his suit jacket and uses it to cover Violet’s torso. That monster literally ate her alive. He forced himself to watch the entire battle even though he couldn’t step in. Lukas almost gave up hope sometime between the throat-slitting and the liver-eating, then was surprised to realize that he actually believed in her. Slightly.
He’ll probably receive a reprimand and perhaps even a permanent note in his file for helping her out with that skull chain but he’s never been good about following the rules. Besides, Violet earned the weapon from the Aiedeo, so all he did was give her what was rightfully hers.
Lukas picks a blade of grass. He knows the Aiedeo are desperate but what were they thinking, sending a preta that vicious to an amateur? Lukas looks down at the girl. Even if Violet obviously isn’t really an amateur at all.
Perhaps the Aiedeo are so pushed that they can’t afford to have limits anymore. All Lukas knows is that all these family, ancestor, and legacy matters are way too complicated for his pay grade. He’s looking forward to a much-needed hiatus from the Aiedeo and to getting Violet off his hands completely.
Lukas takes out his cell phone and checks the time. It’s been nearly a half an hour and the Aiedeo still have not contacted him. He looks over at Naomi’s funeral and sees that it’s close to the end. For Naomi, certainly. But what about Violet?
Lukas sighs and leans against the tree. Patience is a trait that has been trained into him; it doesn’t come to him naturally. However, he realizes that right now, he can do nothing but wait.
* * *
“They won,” I hear myself murmur, although I barely recognize my weak voice. “They won.”
I look up and blink my eyes repeatedly because it’s hard to believe what I’m seeing. It’s Lukas. He stares back at me with a surprised expression that quickly changes to what I think is relief. I realize he’s even smiling when it dawns on me that I’m sprawled across his lap, and I want to jump up because I don’t know what the hell is going on. But I can’t move at all.
“No, you won, Violet,” Lukas whispers. “Your shama is complete and the Aiedeo are satisfied.”
“I’m going to live?” I croak out. My throat is parched and my entire body feels like it’s been ripped into pieces. I flash back to the preta eating my liver and I feel sick.
Lukas nods his head.
“I can’t be alive if you’re smiling.”
“Apparently, today is a day for miracles or whatever you think is responsible for the fact that the worst fighter that I’ve ever witnessed managed to destroy the worst preta that I’ve ever seen.” It’s a major backhanded compliment that makes me want to punch him. Except that I can’t lift my arms.
“The Aiedeo are in the process of returning you to the living. They’ve informed me that you’ll be rid of your bhoot body in a half an hour or so. You sustained some very serious injuries in your battle with the preta and they must attend to those in order to assure a smooth transition back to your human form without any complications.”
I don’t pay attention to most of what he’s saying because all I can think of is that I destroyed that mofo preta! “I gave that beast a serious beatdown, right?” I beam. I can already feel my voice growing stronger and louder. “Slayed it.”
“An exaggeration, as usual. Although it was your first preta, so I understand the excitement.” Lukas grins and arches an eyebrow. He’s still reserved but he doesn’t seem to hate me as much as us
ual at this moment. “But try taking twenty at a time like I’ve done.”
I roll my eyes and continue to gloat. Then I remember what this is all about and I feel a lump in my throat. “Who is the preta? I mean, who did it belong to? Who killed Naomi?”
“You’re about to find out the answer along with everyone else.” Lukas points to the crowd at Naomi’s funeral.
I lift my head slowly. Just as the coffin is being lowered into the ground, a cacophony of phones start to ring.
“You’d think they’d turn their cells on silent for a funeral.”
“This wasn’t their doing,” Lukas says as he angles his phone so I can see the screen.
“How did you get a text message from Naomi?”
There’s an audible series of gasps, whispers, and cries from the crowd and I assume all the funeral guests received the same message. Lukas opens the text and presses the link inside of it. A video comes on the screen. I squint to see it better. It’s shot at nighttime and it’s hard to make out what’s going on. Then slowly, a swing set and a slide come into focus.
“It’s Grant Elementary School,” I say under my breath.
My pulse starts to race. Suddenly, Naomi’s bhoot is standing right in front of me. I push Lukas’s phone out of my face and sit upright.
“Wh-what’s happening?” Naomi asks in a shaky voice.
“I’ll show you.” This isn’t about my shama or my Aiedeo powers. I don’t have to struggle to do this. In fact, it feels so natural that I ease into it quickly. A shot of the Grant Elementary School playground projects in my palms. I start to see it all like a movie, except that instead of watching this, I am in it. It’s not mind-reading, channeling, or even finding anyone’s karun. Instead, I’ve been pulled inside the scene and I can feel it. And I can help Naomi feel it too.
Naomi recoils at the image. “You’re going to show me what happened, aren’t you?”
I reach out for her. “You’re not alone. I’m here with you.”
Naomi nods hesitantly.
It’s dark and wet outside and I can feel the humidity in the air stick to my skin. The blacktop glistens from the rain shower that fell earlier in the evening.
After seeing that video of herself on H and H yesterday, it’s like her entire world went to hell and she doesn’t know what to feel anymore.
“Hey, I know you need to talk but I gotta get back before my parents find out I’m not in my room. They’re really pissed off about the party.”
Naomi would have preferred to phone Tessa but Tessa’s parents had found out about her going to the cornfield kegger. They’d grounded her for two weeks and taken away her computer privileges and her cell. Tessa was always getting in trouble for something, but luckily, the girls still had the secret walkie-talkies they’d bought together when they were nine. If one of them needed the other, she could radio and they’d meet up at their usual spot here at Grant Elementary School.
“I won’t take long, Tess. Just that I gotta vent.”
Tessa slides her hood back and reties her messy, mangy hair extensions into a ponytail. “What’s up?”
“I was reading all the stuff those trolls wrote about me in the comments section of my blog. I think Collette had a hand in some of the particularly nasty stuff but there was one that stuck out—”
“Nay Nay! I told you not to look at any of that crap. It’ll just mess with your head. People are so cruel. And we’ll make sure Collette pays.”
Naomi nods. “Forget about Collette for right now. The comment I’m talking about, it was posted this morning but I didn’t notice it until later. It says ‘Like mother, like daughter.’”
Tessa gives her a confused expression.
“I know at first it doesn’t seem like a big deal,” Naomi continues. “Except then I started thinking about it and out of all the trash that everyone has written about me, it’s the only comment that’s personal. The reason it hit me is that no one knows about my mom’s affair—”
“I don’t think they’re talking about your mom screwing that doctor specifically. It’s a pretty general remark.”
Naomi is too caught up in her own thoughts to pay much attention to what Tessa is saying. “I think whoever wrote that was the one who posted that video on H and H. They want to take me down.”
“Really?” Tessa’s eyes grow wide. “Who do you think it is?”
“Violet Choudhury.”
Tessa stands there for a moment before breaking out into loud laughter. “What?”
Naomi is so sure that whoever wrote that comment is responsible for the video that Tessa’s dismissive attitude really irritates her. “I just tried calling and texting her but she’s ghosting me. Violet does have the brains to pull this off.”
“But, like, none of the brawn. She’s a scared little mouse who would never have the courage to come after you. Even if she wanted to.”
Naomi mulls over what Tessa just said. She’s right about Violet being an unlikely suspect, not just because she’s a chicken shit but also because Naomi thought they were friends. Or at least, Violet doesn’t hate her as much as she knows a lot of other people do. She’s about to say something when she spots Tessa eyeing her. Goose bumps run down her legs. There’s something about her right now that just doesn’t feel right. Naomi can barely find the words. “You’re the only other person I told . . .”
Tessa arches her eyebrows and juts out her hip in the same way Naomi always does. Naomi never noticed it before but now that she does, it totally creeps her out. Tessa is like her shadow.
“You couldn’t figure it out because you can never give me credit for anything. You don’t think that I can pull something like this off. Instead, you wanted to blame it on little loser Violet.”
Naomi feels like someone’s just stomped on her chest. “Why?”
She knew she could be wicked but never to Tessa. They’re sisters and they don’t hurt each other like this. For the first time, she sees Tessa for the fake that she is and her hurt quickly turns to rage. But the artificiality goes way beyond just looks. Tessa is always the “nice” one although she’s been just as much a part of their mean-girl schemes as Naomi and she’s reaped the benefits as well. Without waiting for Tessa to answer, she lays into her.
“I made you! Without me, you’d be wearing ninety-nine-cent dresses from the Salvation Army. I paid for our spring breaks with my modeling money just so you could see something else besides this hell hole. I even made you co-captain of the Squad even though you have a flat ass and no rhythm. No guy would even look at you twice if you weren’t best friends with me. And this is how you repay me?”
“Repay you for what?” Tessa yells back. “For the hand-me-downs you make sure everyone knows were yours first? The trips to Cabo where I spend most of the week holding your hair back as you puke? Sloppy seconds you throw my way because you can’t stand the idea of any guy liking me over you? And for making me your all-around little bitch, stuck in your shadow, always second best, because you haven’t wanted to share the spotlight for one damn moment of our eight glorious years as best friends? Did it ever occur to you that people might genuinely like me because I don’t have to step all over them to make myself feel better the way you do?”
“Like you? They feel sorry for you because without me, you’d be nothing but poor white trash.”
A slow smile crosses Tessa’s face. “And without me covering up all your secrets, everyone would know you’re nothing but a drunken slut who screws anything that moves the moment you cross the county line. You’re a whore. Like mother, like daughter.”
Naomi clutches her gut. It isn’t just the words, it’s the hate behind them. That’s why at this very moment, she knows. It was Tessa recording her that night.
“You were the one that put that video up on Heffers and Hos.” Naomi’s voice is trembling along with the rest of her body. “You recorded my rape.”
“Rape? Is that how you’re spinning it?” Tessa crosses her arms in front of her. “I just fin
ally showed everyone what a regular weekend with Naomi Talbert was really like. It’s not the Barbie life you sell on Instagram.”
“I was trashed. I didn’t even know what had happened until I saw it on H and H.”
“I admit that you did seem a bit more out of it than usual. I think Caleb improvised a little with some drugs. We hadn’t discussed that part.”
Naomi feels nauseated. “You told Caleb and Nate to do that to me?”
“Now who’s being the dumb one?” Tessa rolls her eyes. “I didn’t give them specific instructions. In fact, I didn’t say anything to Caleb. He was just a happy coincidence. You’re the one who always tells me that every guy is into you. Nate was no exception. So I just outed Trent and Missy’s cheating, which I knew would piss you off. Then I told Nate to make out with you. I thought I was going to record you guys kissing on the couch. I had no idea when I snuck back up with my cell phone, there’d be a threesome right there in the Talbert living room. It was so juicy I decided to hold on to it until the first football game for maximum exposure.”
“Why?” Naomi whispers, trying to fight back the tears. “Because you were jealous of me?”
“Yes, if you want the easy answer. But mostly because I hate you. Not just because you have everything handed to you on a plate. I mean, that does really piss me off. But because you get away with everything! Everyone thinks you are so perfect and here I know what you really are. I’m just as sick of Princess Naomi as everyone else but I can actually do something about it. I can bring her down.”
“Is that why you’re admitting everything? Because you think that I’ve fallen so low there’s no redemption?”
Tessa bobs her ponytail like an excited puppy. “Pretty much. This is Meadowdale. Once a slut with a sex tape, always a slut with a sex tape.”
