The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set

by Sharon Ricklin Jones

  Mark asked me what I had planned for the weekend, and added, “Hey, what’s going on tonight? It’s kind of driving me nuts that Melinda wouldn’t say much - just that it’s a girl’s night out.” He looked sullen as his mouth puckered, but it looked cute on him.

  “It’s no big deal. We’re just hanging out- Fiona, Lindy and me.” I wished he hadn’t mentioned it; now I couldn’t stop thinking about it again. My answer must have been comforting. He gave up with a quick smile, glanced at his phone and said he had to get to Quantum Mechanics. I wished him good luck as he raced off.

  One more hour, and I could get out of here for the weekend. For the most part, I had enjoyed all my Anthropology and Sociology studies; however, the professor in my next class seemed to have it out for me. And with all that was on my mind, it would be difficult enough to concentrate without having to deal with her rudeness. We’d already had a few minor disagreements, but since our last meeting I thought I’d have a hard time showing any respect for her at all. I wasn’t against constructive criticism by any means, but she had said something to me during class which should have been said in private.

  A few days earlier, as she handed back an essay, she peered at me over her glasses and said in a condescending tone, “Tsk, Tsk, Elizabeth. I expected better from you.”

  My face had burned - three shades of crimson. Why would anyone want to embarrass another person in public, anyway? Just to show their superiority? I hated that. I hated my face when it gave my feelings away and I hung my head down hoping my hair covered my embarrassment.

  I knew I couldn’t listen to her after she made me feel like a fool. She had been thoughtless and mean, and I no longer cared about anything she had to say. I doodled in my notebook and never once looked back up at her. She had let her profession go to her head, and it made me angry. I got quite a surprise when I finally turned my essay over after class that day. I had figured I got a “D” on the paper. No. I got a “B”. And now, two days later, I still couldn’t look her in the eye.

  I sat down in my seat prepared to ignore her for the next hour, and with everything swirling through my mind, it was even easier than I had imagined it could be.

  When I arrived at home later I was surprised to find Fiona had gotten there already. Lindy was in the shower, and Kathy was nowhere to be seen, so we’d be able to talk and hear ourselves. Fiona wore white dress pants and a slinky green tank top with lace all around the chest. The color brought out her green eyes and made her look less pale. I didn’t say so, but I thought the top looked more like sexy lingerie - not something I would ever wear, but then, according to my sister, I had always been a prude.

  “What on earth should I wear, Fiona? I’ve never been to a vampire gala before!”

  “You’re so funny...” She went to the closet and started rummaging through our clothes - Melinda and I shared everything. “You could wear this red dress!” she suggested, calling over her shoulder.

  She turned to face me and, with the dress still on the hanger, held it up to herself. It happened to be a fancier dress Lindy had bought for a Christmas party last year. Even though it was lovely, it was too low-cut for my tastes.

  Before I had a chance to voice my opinion, the bathroom door flew open and Lindy leaned out, wrapped only in a towel, and shouted, “No! I’m wearing the red one!”

  Decision made. The bathroom door closed again and Fiona drifted back to the closet. I had been so busy thinking of a way to ask Lindy if we could stop at the pub to see if Emrys was there, so she could invite him to the party, that I all but ignored the outfits Fiona kept shoving into my face. Until she brought out the shimmery, cobalt blue dress that I forgot we owned. It had short sleeves, was trim fitting, and had a low scoop neckline - not so there was cleavage, just low enough to show some skin. The color was outstanding, and I gave her a wide grin as she held it up to me. “Lizzy! This makes your eyes look like sapphires!”

  I chuckled, “That’s so funny! I meant to tell you that your top made your eyes look like emeralds!”

  Melinda stepped out of the bathroom with her makeup all finished. All she needed was to get dressed and add a few more curls to her hair. We both looked at my sister and laughed when she held up the red dress.

  “Yes?” Lindy asked with a huge smile.

  “Yes!” Fiona and I chimed together.

  I hopped into the shower and washed as fast as I could. Of course, I did my hair first so that the intense cream rinse and conditioner could stay on as long as possible. With our hair, we spent more on hair-care products than we did on food. As I patted myself dry, I peeked out of the window to check on the weather. The wind had picked up a bit and I shivered at the thought of what we were about to do. For a brief moment I felt a dizziness come over me and I stepped away from the window, bent down to let blood flow back into my head, and then stood slowly – this time it worked. I was able to finish my routine of powder and lotion without another episode of light-headedness or chills.

  When we were just about ready, I grabbed Fiona and pulled her into the bathroom.

  “Please, let me do this. You want to meet the love of your life tonight, don’t you? Well, he shouldn’t have to see you so pale just yet, right?” I teased.

  She gave in and sat down on the toilet and let me play makeup artist. I put a soft layer of foundation on her whole face, a little pink blush on her cheeks, and light green shadow on her eyelids. I found my medium brown eyeliner and lined her eyes, adding as a final touch, a bit of mascara. Since she hated lipstick, I handed her some pink lip-gloss, and as I hovered over her like a mother hen, she applied it with a reluctant grunt.

  “There! Are you happy now?”

  “You look stunning, Fiona. If your perfect someone doesn’t fall madly in love with you tonight, he’s blind as a bat!”

  She rolled her emerald eyes at me and smiled. When she left the bathroom, I heard a low whistle - my nutty sister letting Fiona know how ravishing she looked.

  For once I thought my hair had turned out perfect; it hung to my waist in long, shiny strands. My makeup was good - not too much, not too little - and I put on my red lipstick. When I walked out of the bathroom, both girls whistled. I laughed, and then saw my sister. The red dress was even more revealing than I had realized. It showed far more cleavage than I’d ever be comfortable with; but she did look fabulous. Her upper-arms were thin and well toned; and even though we worked out together three days a week doing exactly the same reps, I was positive her arms appeared thinner than mine. Sometimes I wished I could be as brave as she was, dressing so sexy. The hem of her dress came to mid-thigh, and her legs were shapely and smooth. At times like this, it amazed me how different we could be. She turned toward the mirror, finished her last curl, and unplugged the iron. We were ready.

  “I have to ask you girls a question before we leave,” I announced. “Would you mind if we stop at the pub to see if Emrys is there? I thought if he was, then you could ask him to come with us, Lindy. You didn’t invite anyone, did you?”

  They both glanced at each other like I was insane. Did they know something I didn’t know?

  “What?” I asked, doubling the syllables in the word. I was totally in the dark here.

  “I filled Fiona in on your so-called date the other night with Emrys, since you hadn’t mentioned it yet,” Lindy started. “She asked me what he looked like, because the whole concept of you flitting around a guy you didn’t know was so strange... so I told her.”

  “Told her what? That he’s tall, dark, and handsome? That he has eyes to die for and he sends volts of electricity through me when he touches me, and I want to ravish him?” I stood with my hands on my hips.

  Fiona’s mouth fell open. “No, she said he had long dark hair and beautiful eyes. What’s wrong with you, Lizzy? Why are you so weird lately?”

  “I’m not being weird,” I said in defense. This conversation annoyed me and I wasn’t sure why.

  Lindy continued, “When I told her what he looked like, Fiona me
ntioned she may have seen him that night her random guy invited her to this party.”

  I glared at Fiona and snapped, “Explain!”

  “Well...” She took a breath. “Remember that day when we went to the mall? After I dropped you guys off, I stopped at the coffee shop for a quick pick-me-up. I knew I had to stay up late and study,” she added, still guarded. “You already know how the random guy invited me to the party. After I said yes, he went to a table and joined a guy that had long black hair. I saw him glance over for a minute, but I didn’t actually see his face. I was next in line.” She shrugged. “I honestly have no idea if he was your eye man or not. I never caught any names. And by the time I got my coffee, he was gone.”

  “What was he wearing?” I had to know if it was Emrys or not.

  “I don’t remember, Lizzy.” She shook her head and flipped open her cell phone to check the time. “Chances are it wasn’t even him. Let’s get going, we can’t be late! And if you want to make a pit stop at the pub, we have to hit it now,” Fiona added, looking flushed. Or, maybe it was only the blush - I couldn’t be sure.

  Most often, we’d walk to the pub, but since Fiona’s car was just outside and we had to drive to the dock anyway, we rode the few blocks in her VW. Luckily we were all small girls; it was a tight fit, especially all dressed up for a night out.

  When we strolled into the pub, there wasn’t an eye in the place that didn’t turn and stare at us. We heard a few whistles, but ignored all the ogling. A couple girls that Fiona knew came up to us and asked us where we were headed in our fancy clothes.

  Fiona did her rendition of fast introductions by saying all our names, followed by: “Nowhere, just out, here and there. We stopped in to see if Lizzy’s new friend was here.”

  I elbowed her hard.

  “Ouch! What was that for?” She looked at me through squinted eyes.

  The chubby girl called Natalie leaned toward me and whispered, “I think I saw him earlier just outside of your building! Doesn’t he usually wear a long trench coat?” I could only imagine she’d seen us here together on Thursday night. My stomach curled into a large tight ball. I tasted blood – from biting my tongue so hard.

  “I never told him where we lived,” I said using my fake calm voice. Fiona and Lindy stared at me, waiting for my reaction. “I guess he must have been looking for me too.” I said, trying to reason it all out. I could not, for the life of me, imagine who would have told him where we lived. I shrugged, pretending this news didn’t bother me, smiled at Natalie and said, “Thanks” just as I realized I hadn’t answered her question about his coat. “Yes, a trench coat, I think.”

  Melinda saw the mortified look on Fiona’s face and said, “Nice meeting you both, but we’ve got to head out now.”

  The girls scooted back to their game of darts after giving us one more round of compliments on our appearance, and as soon as they could no longer overhear us, Fiona grabbed my arm - a little rougher than necessary.

  “Lizzy, why would he be looking for you tonight? You told him you were busy, right?” she asked in a frenzied whisper.

  “Yes. But I didn’t tell him where we’d be going. You don’t think he would try to follow us, do you?” I began to feel a bit panicked now - my hands grew sweaty and my head spun. I didn’t want to ruin Fiona’s night. If you allowed anyone to come that wasn’t invited, the consequences were simple, - you would be uninvited. And I for one didn’t want Fiona to pay for any mistakes I may have made, even unknowingly.

  We hurried out the door after looking around one more time. No men with long dark hair at all.

  Back in the car again on our way to the Marina, Fiona glanced into the mirror and touched her hair. “Do you guys think my hair is too curly?”

  “Fiona, don’t be silly. You’re beautiful exactly as you are.” I had no patience for any of her insecurity right now, but I was glad she wasn’t concerned with uninvited guest mishaps any longer.

  CHAPTER 7

  DON’T ROCK THE BOAT

  So there we stood, waiting. Thirteen idiots gathered together on the dock of the bay, all in a row - in the dark – ready and willing to be whisked off by boat to an unknown location - to a party given by vampires. And we could call our leader Captain Red! I couldn’t decide if we humans fit better in the category of fools - or raving lunatics.

  As our tattooed and pierced hostess finished her invitation interrogation, I thought again about the chances we were taking. Glancing up, I watched as the thin clouds grew dense and began to block out what little light the moon had allotted us. And then, like an omen, the streetlight above us dimmed and flickered off, and even our shadows slithered away into the darkness. The smaller boat took off with a roar, and once its noise faded into the distance, I heard the distinct screech of an alley cat and then the sound of far off foghorns. A shiver of alarm shot through me. All the night sounds seemed to be getting louder now, and the thickening clouds appeared to dip downward bringing with them a misty haze. All these things did nothing for the increasing spine-chilling creepiness that descended upon me. I was sure this night would turn into, quite possibly, the most unearthly night of my life.

  I peered at Melinda through the darkness. As she turned her face to me, I thought I saw the same fear in her eyes that I had been feeling. We grasped hands. If nothing else, we would be together. I took a quick glance at Fiona. She watched our hostess as she made her way to the last person in the line. Fiona’s eyes were wide, but with more of a determined excitement than fear. She had made her mind up a long time ago, and she simply wasn’t going to let all this freakiness scare her.

  My mind kept wandering all over the place and I didn’t hear what Captain Red had just said. Lindy elbowed me as our hostess and her servant glided toward the ramp that led up to the yacht. I marveled at their ability to see in the dark.

  “What did she say?” I whispered.

  Someone clicked on a bright spotlight. It showered us with enough light to see one another and the pathway to where Captain Red stood waiting.

  “Just shut up and get on the boat,” Lindy whispered as she pushed me forward. Apparently she wasn’t as fearful as I had thought.

  We had to be careful as we climbed onboard; some of us wore heels far too pointy and tall for an evening stroll on a gangplank. I was just glad I didn’t trip and fall into the water. Even global warming wouldn’t have made the temperature tolerable for a swim in October.

  One thing I was happy about was the fact that this vessel was large – huge in fact, with a lower deck where we’d be out of the wind. Once in the lower level we emerged into a luxurious living room with plush sofas, tables, chairs and a bar. Nothing about this space felt like a boat. The carpeting was a deep maroon with intricate designs, the furniture - sleek but comfortable, the bar - completely stocked and even had a full sized refrigerator.

  At first we sat in silence, easing into our new surroundings - still trying to shake off the edginess of the dark harbor. I picked at my fingernails wishing I had remembered to paint one more coat of polish. The nail on my pinky had chipped a little. Fiona opened and shut her phone three million times and cleared her throat two million times. Lindy looked bored as she glanced around at all the other passengers, or victims - depending on how you looked at them. I wondered what could possibly be going through everyone’s mind, now that it was too late to turn back.

  Did any of these people have a clue? Or were we the only ones who had even heard about the legends? Could there be more than three out of thirteen who knowingly and willingly decided to take their lives into their own hands - risking everything? I doubted it. But who was I to judge? I was one of the biggest idiots of all. I could be out dancing right now with Emrys, and even though I hated dancing, I would force myself if it meant I was in his arms.

  The boat ride took far longer than I had expected. Most likely, by my estimation, we had to be well into the Narragansett Bay by now. Captain Red came below deck to check on us and asked if we needed to use the lava
tory. Fiona raised her hand, and was directed to the door at the end of a short hallway.

  “If anyone is thirsty, please feel free to help yourselves,” Captain Red announced. “There are drinks in the refrigerator.” She pointed behind the bar with her long red fingernail. No longer carrying her notebook, her dress was visible, and all eyes were now on her cleavage. It was shocking. The neckline plunged down to her navel, tiny glimmering studs edged the trim - most likely diamonds, and they matched her sparkling blue-gray eyes. I had no idea how her dress stayed on or why her breasts didn’t pop out when she moved. Maybe she used super glue. She only stayed long enough to give us this information, and then she glided away.

  One of the men stood and went to the stainless steel fridge. He looked around and asked, “Anyone else want a beer?”

  Lindy waved at him, and he tossed her a bottle. I snickered in relief when she caught it. If it had shattered at my feet splashing my dress with hops and barley, I would have been pissed. One of the other women asked if anything else was available in there besides beer. He pulled out a bottle of white wine, and the woman went to the closed cupboard and pulled out some glasses. She passed them out to anyone who held out their hand, which was basically me, one other lady, and herself. We passed the bottle around and poured our own glasses. The wine was tart and crisp, but had a decent flavor. After three sips, I realized I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and if I kept this up, I’d be wasted in no time at all. I wasn’t much of a drinker, and it didn’t take a lot to push me over the edge of intoxication.