The Crimson Hunt

by Smith, Victoria H.

  I put down the sketch I’d been working on and stood. Stretching out my legs, I viewed the quad. School buildings surrounded the grassy enclosure. Some students sat by trees doing some weekend studying, while others just hung out as we were. The place was just an all-around mellow environment.

  I stretched my arms and turned my neck from side to side. After warming up, I walked in front of Blaine and placed my hands on my hips. “So, Duncan, are you ready to get your ass handed to you by a bunch of chicks?”

  Blaine gave a slight laugh. He rose up and retrieved his favorite orange, circular disc from his bag. “Keep talking, Richmond. Have you forgotten about how us guys totally schooled you girls last week?” He made a tossing motion with the disc.

  “Well, that was just a practice round for the real competition during our lake trip. Besides, we let you guys win because we didn’t want to hear you bitch the rest of the day.” The voice was followed by the arrival of Portia. Her dark, mocha skin, glistened in the sun, and the volume of her curly hair swayed in the wind as she made her way toward us.

  The Sullivan twins accompanied her, both sporting their usual cocky smiles they always made before a game. And, of course, their jeans were extra skinny today. Gotta love my hipster brethren.

  Piper hugged Portia in relief, and then gave both the boys a slap on the ass.

  Blaine looked over longingly. That poor kid.

  Portia placed her hands on her hips. “I’m surprised you agreed to play with us today, Ariel, especially since you’re a big, featured artist now.”

  I shook my head at her and gave her an arrival hug. “Okay, Portia.”

  “I’m just kidding, but seriously congratz.” She released our hug. “You know, it was Professor Frankton who practically begged Demitasse to show your work. My boss said she came barreling in with it early this morning. She must have been really excited about it.”

  “Really?” I asked. After how she quickly gave up my spot to the clacking beast, I was sure she hated my pieces. I had no reason not to believe Portia, though. She was the assistant coordinator to the owner of Demitasse and was on the up-and-up with pretty much everything that went on there.

  “So, I guess your hard work paid off. I forgive you for missing our last few games.” She eyed me.

  I bowed to her. “Why, thank you.”

  “Jesus, I hope this wind doesn’t continue like this. Otherwise, we’ll have to take the girls out for cappuccinos after their tearful loss.” Gary Sullivan walked over and punched his brother’s arm. Sam laughed and grabbed his favorite disc out of Blaine’s bag.

  “Real nice, guys, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. Us chickadees are going to give you a major smackdown.” Piper clapped her hands twice. “So, let’s get the annihilation started, shall we?”

  We all gathered our belongings, then walked over to the disc course, which was adjacent to quad. We got into position, and I was first up in the round. I did really well on the first “hole,” rocking it like a champ. But at my attempt of the second, the sight of Luca made me lose my focus. My rogue disc hit Blaine square on the back of his head.

  “Oww! What’s the big idea, Richmond?” Blaine rubbed at his head.

  I barely heard Blaine’s complaint, for I was completely entranced by Luca’s swagger. He walked down the sidewalk located across the quad, oblivious to my stare. And by God, he even seemed to move in slow motion, like in one of those cheesy teen flicks. I was startled, once again, by how good he looked.

  He wore his usual body-hugging, business-casual attire. In addition, a black messenger hat sat atop his dark hair. The accessory was a very hot addition.

  He smiled again like he did in the woods this morning. Why would he ever hide such a beautiful thing when we first met? Quickly mustering up the courage to wave in his direction, I lifted my hand, but hesitated. His attention was taken.

  Following his line of sight, my eyes widened.

  Lila slithered her way toward him in her pearl-colored pumps and scandalously-short, white dress.

  Okaaay. What the hell does she think she’s doing? My gaze shifted to Luca, thinking he would change paths and flee from the crazy. That didn’t happen. He continued to walk and had the same bright smile when she intercepted him.

  They know each other?

  Lila flapped her over-glossed lips, chatting it up with him like they were old pals. She giggled on occasion as she spoke.

  I shook my head. Maybe they have a class together, or …. Nausea set in, and I no longer thought they just had a class together.

  Lila reached up and caressed his cheek with the back of her boney hand. He continued to smile brightly and nodded. She then rose on her toes and planted a lingered kiss on his jaw. She briefly cupped her hand under his chin before looping her arm around his. He gestured toward the books she carried, and she handed them off to him with a wide grin. And after that, the two walked off together and out of sight.

  A burning heat filled my face, and my heartbeat charged in my chest. Instinctively, my hand went to the midpoint of my waist. No necklace once again.

  Dropping my hand awkwardly, I just stared in the direction of their exit. I didn’t know why I felt so hurt. He wasn’t mine. But I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

  Piper, who witnessed the entire event play out as I had, put her arm around my waist. Laying her red bob on my shoulder, she didn’t say a word. Neither did I.

  Chapter Seven

  “This is it,” I said nervously under my breath. “The night of the gala.”

  My grip on the steering wheel turned my hands various shades of white, and my feet dug into the worn carpet of my ‘80s VW.

  I let out a deep breath, opened the car door, and then stepped out in a pair of Piper’s strappy, black stilettos.

  It took me almost three hours to get ready, but I knew my labor paid off. My long black hair lay in slight waves past my shoulders. The shimmer of my smoky eye shadow complimented the bright blue shade of my eyes exquisitely. And my lips were a full, pouty red, the precise shade of a red rose.

  My budget for the month would be tight, but I didn’t care. The short black dress I bought hugged my curves perfectly. With only a fair amount of my chest exposed to the world, I looked more professional than risqué. I was the epitome of old Hollywood glamour, and had to be for the importance of this night. Tonight, my life could change forever. Tonight was my night.

  I stepped toward the breathtaking establishment, wishing Piper was here. On the phone earlier today, she said she would meet me here later—’his name is Adam.’ For now, I had to rely on my own strength to get me through the night.

  Standing tall, I opened the grand doors to the gala.

  A mosaic of famous, international paintings decorated the marble tiles of the room, and the ceiling gave the illusion of being made of pure crystal with its translucent clarity. The ambience was only added to by the elegant ceiling. It was made of glass, and tonight, acted as a gateway to the galaxy, letting in the power of the stars and the moon’s romantic light.

  A baby grand piano sat in the middle of the room, and the music of its host filled the room with a dulcet melody. The melodic tunes made perfect background music for the powerful individuals in the room. The elite chattered away, all decked out in elegant formalwear for the event. The creative works of art surrounded them.

  There was so much to take in. I wasn’t sure what to do first, but decided that scanning the room for my collection was a good place to start. Only seeing them up close would make this whole thing a reality.

  As I slipped through the crowd, the works of other featured artists caught my eye. I swallowed hard. They were really good. I suddenly felt self-conscious. I hoped my work didn’t look amateurish beside theirs.

  A server moved about the room with fluted champagne glasses on a silver platter. I casually took one when he walked by, pretending I did things like that all the time. Technically, I wouldn’t be twenty-one for a few more weeks. Thankfully, this wasn’t the k
ind of event where servers went around carding. The temptation for the liquid courage was too great for my overactive nerves. I couldn’t help myself.

  I lifted my flute, noticing a single raspberry at the bottom of the glass. Wow, even the champagne is fancily dressed tonight.

  The sip of the sweet, bubbling liquid helped to calm me. I found my bearings enough to make my way through the social elite. Discovering an elevator, I stopped. Maybe the second floor offered what I looked for.

  I walked inside the shining silver doors and pressed the glass button to the only other level. The noise of the room silenced when the doors closed.

  I took a quick, greedy chug of champagne, letting go of my sophisticated act for a moment.

  When the doors opened, I was back in character. This new location was another opulent room of people schmoozing and fawning.

  I was one step away from the elevator when the blonde strands of the clacking beast met my eyes. My heels dug into the carpet, barely preventing myself from crashing into the exposed back coming from her plunging back line.

  Jeez, what did she do, crash? Was there anywhere I could go without that girl being nearby?

  I turned and made a beeline for the balcony to my right. Glancing back, I witnessed her scanning the room with a vicious look on her face.

  Who or what was she looking for?

  I shrugged it off and continued my heeled sprint. Stepping out onto the unoccupied balcony, the cool night air hit my face. I snuck another glance behind me and let out a sigh of relief. She’d disappeared somewhere within the crowd. Thank God she hadn’t seen me. This was my night, and I didn’t want the memory tarnished by an unpleasant run-in with the beast.

  I rested my arms on the smooth, wooden banister and gazed up into the moonlit sky. Seeing the beauty of the starlight calmed my nerves even more.

  “Sei bella,” said a silky, melodic voice.

  Chills filled my body. I turned around and there stood Luca. His eyes practically glowed in the dark with their magnetic hue. The allure of them pinned me in place and made all rational thoughts flee my mind.

  He was gorgeous in his daily, business-casual attire, and swoon-worthy in running clothes. But the English language had yet to come up with a suitable adjective for how he looked in his tailored, gray suit with the black, collared shirt underneath. My eyes drifted to the muscular definition peeking out from the open neckline of his shirt. My fingers fought a twitch; a wild desire brewing inside me to rip his shirt open to see more.

  With the dryness that formulated in my mouth, I didn’t know if I could speak. I desperately wanted to know what he said, though. I couldn’t deny that witnessing him and Lila together in the quad left some hurt, but I knew it wasn’t fair to bring up what I’d seen. Their relationship had nothing to do with me. I wanted to call him out on it, but in the end I left it alone. “What was that you said?”

  He flashed a devastating smile. “Sei bella: You are beautiful.”

  I wanted to cry out in frustration. I wanted to punch him square in his gorgeous nose. He couldn’t keep doing this to me, pissing me off one minute then being sweet and completely irresistible the next. I took in a deep breath, holding onto the image of him and Lila together. That visual was the only thing that would get me through this.

  “So you speak other languages now?” I dodged his compliment with my most unimpressed voice. I didn’t want him to know how his statement really made me feel.

  He slid his hands into his pockets, then strode my way slowly, his gaze fastened on mine. “I never told you I did not.” He leaned his left hip against the banister.

  I stared hard into the spot on the banister he touched. I never wanted to be a cold, unfeeling banister so much in my damn life. I blinked and rubbed at the goose bumps on my arms. The pebbles seemed to hold a death grip on my skin. “What are you doing here anyway?”

  His gaze drifted to the sky. “I know the gallery owner,” he said, then looked back at me. “I also heard a rumor that some of the students from campus were going to be featured here tonight. I figured I would see for myself.”

  My near-jellied legs teetered, and I stepped back from the banister so I wouldn’t plummet over. I had to get myself under control.

  “Have you been avoiding me, Ariel?” he asked.

  My heart hitched. Dammit. He must have noticed when I dodged him the other day by diving into that pack of music majors playing through the quad. “What makes you think that?” I giggled nervously, pretty much giving myself away.

  “That trombone player looked pretty put off the other day. It did not seem as if you were part of the repertoire.” He cocked his head to the side with a half smile.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied, my lips fighting a smile. I looked away, not wanting him to see my moment of weakness.

  “How did your extra credit assignment conclude? Did you get the results that you were looking for?”

  Finally, a question that didn’t take much of my thought process to answer. “I’m not failing.” I tipped my chin, trying to act as cool and intellectual as he was. But then I wondered why.

  Why was I trying to impress him? Better yet, why was I still out here talking to him? I should be networking and hobknobbing with influential people. Didn’t he have somewhere else to be? Like making out in the broom closet with Lila? Ugh! The thought made me want to vomit. But even with all those thoughts racing through my head, I still couldn’t bring myself to leave him.

  “Ariel, may I ask you a question?” he asked, breaking the silence.

  Anything. “S-Sure,” I said. Smooth. That was really smooth.

  He waited what seemed a long time before he asked his question. He glanced away, and his eyes shifted upon the sky. When he slid his gaze back to me, a smile had formed in the corner of his mouth. “My friend is scheduled to perform at Demitasse Café, and I was wondering if you would like to attend with me?”

  I replayed what he said several times in my head, but the question remained the same. Did he just ask me out? He couldn’t have. I must have imagined it. And yet, he looked at me expectantly, waiting for a response. The crushing schoolgirl inside me squealed in giddiness, but the rational woman next to her felt a sudden pang of disgust. I’d just witnessed Lila all over him not that long ago. Was this guy some kind of creep that liked to date multiple women at the same time? And even if he wasn’t still going out with Lila, I was not about to take her sloppy seconds. I didn’t care how gorgeous he was, or if he smelled like pure sunshine. I refused to be his rebound girl.

  I leveled a hard look at him. For the first time since we’d met, I didn’t feel like jelly when I spoke.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Before I could change my mind, I turned and walked away.

  That jerk got what came to him. He wasn’t going to make me feel like a fool.

  I spotted Henry Shufflebeam, the gallery owner, as I entered the building again.

  I walked toward him. Seeing he was deep in conversation, I stood off to the side. I wanted to thank him for the wonderful opportunity he’d given me, but I didn’t want to disturb him. And speaking of my work … there the pieces were. My mouth opened in shock. Mr. Shufflebeam and his companions stood before one of my paintings! Fighting the giddiness inside, I slipped away. I found a nearby plant and hid behind it. It probably wasn’t good to spy, but I wanted to hear if they were talking about my piece.

  “Wherever did you discover this fresh, young talent, Henry?” asked an older woman wearing a red dress and white sweater.

  Mr. Shufflebeam smiled coyly. “Her work really is amazing, isn’t it? I’m thinking about asking Ms. Richmond back for a solo showing.”

  I bumped into the plant in excitement and grabbed the leaves so it wouldn’t fall over. Not only did they like my work, but a solo showing? The turn of events was too good to be true.

  “You can’t leave us in the dark now, Henry. Where did you find this girl?” asked a middle-aged gentleman in a
navy suit.

  Mr. Shufflebeam beamed. “Well, if you must know, I received a call from a delightful young man by the name of Luca Grinaldi who adamantly insisted I go to the coffeehouse where her work was being displayed.”

  My champagne glass slipped from my fingers. The glass shattered into a million pieces upon impact, and the raspberry rolled across the floor.

  What had I done?

  I spun, and ran back to the balcony. But when I arrived … he was gone.

  Chapter Eight

  “Thank you again for the opportunity, Mr. Shufflebeam,” I said into the receiver of my cell.

  I disconnected the call and walked back inside the library to continue studying with Piper and Portia. Mr. Shufflebeam called to congratulate me on the success of my feature. He also offered me a solo showing in his gallery the week following midterms.

  I didn’t want to talk to him. I was sick of the congratulatory comments being thrown my way. That was all people said to me the whole rest of the evening at the gallery that night. “We love your collection, Ms. Richmond,” they said, or “How can someone so talented be so young?” I was happy that my work got such praise, but honestly, I didn’t really feel like I deserved it. I wouldn’t have been given that opportunity at all if it weren’t for Luca.

  The following Zoology class after the gala, I tried to speak to Luca. But after lecture, he was gone before I could even rise from my chair. Our next class, I tried coming in early to catch him. I waited for him in the hall, but didn’t see him. The bell rang for lecture to begin, and I gave up. When I got inside the auditorium, he was already sitting in his chair.

  I walked back to our group’s study table in the corner of the library, fighting my fingers from going to the spot of my necklace. I plopped down on my chair, pretending to study. Portia and Piper watched me like the pathetic piece of crap that I was.

  “Girl, you got it bad.” Portia frowned.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I flipped through the pages of my Zoology book, not reading a single page.