Cursed (Book 1, The Watchers; Young Adult Paranormal Romance)

by S. J. West

  If her plan had succeeded, I knew I would probably be dead now. Brand hadn’t given me his phone until after that happened. The realization of how close I had actually come to death finally hit me, hard.

  “We also did a blood work up on her to see if she was taking any drugs. What we found was …odd.”

  “Was she on drugs?” Tara asked.

  “Not exactly. They found high levels of something called androstadienone in her system.”

  “I don’t know what that is,” I confessed.

  “Well, the lab guys tell me it’s thought to be a human male pheromone. How she came into contact with so much of it we’re not sure. Whether or not it has anything to do with why she wanted to kill you is a mystery too. I just thought you might want to know.”

  Detective Randall thanked us for coming in and said it was pretty much an open and shut case. I wouldn’t need to do anything else except show up to her sentencing hearing, but that was up to me.

  We left the station and went back home. When we got there, Will was waiting outside our apartment sitting on the steps leading to the second floor landing.

  “Hey, I just wanted to come by and check on you,” he said standing up as we made our way towards him.

  “I’m fine. We just went to the police station to give my statement.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

  It was nice to see Will wanting to help me. It was almost like when we were kids and he’d always been there to comfort me when I needed it the most.

  “Not really. I think I just want to take it easy today.”

  “Well, if you need me, call me. I’ll be here before you can blink your eyes.” He kissed me on the cheek.

  “Take care of her,” he told Tara before getting in his car and driving away.

  Tara and I spent the day cleaning the apartment. I have no idea why, but I always clean when I’m trying to forget about things going on in my life. Since the apartment was small, we were through by noon. I called Dr. Barry and told her I wouldn’t be in that day. Apparently my near death experience was the hot topic on campus that morning. She already knew everything that happened before I had a chance to tell her. She told me to take my time and come back when I was ready.

  The rest of the afternoon I tried to catch up on my homework in my bedroom. I started with the journal I was supposed to be keeping for Mrs. Connor in English lit. In no time at all I had filled almost 20 pages with what had happened to me in the last two weeks. Some of it was highly personal but I didn’t care. It helped me work through my feelings about nearly losing my life and losing Brand.

  Brand. I had been trying not to think about him. Every time I did I felt like crying because my heart hurt so much. The joy he had brought into my life was replaced with emptiness now. Why had he turned his back on me? Why, when I was ready to choose him above Will, did he completely reject me and say he didn’t want to see me again? Was that the way you acted toward someone you supposedly loved?

  As if sensing I was thinking about Brand, Tara came in with a dish filled with a mountain of freshly made chocolate fudge.

  She looked at my face and ordered, “Stop thinking about him. He ain’t worth the effort.”

  She sat down on my bed and I took a piece of fudge from the dish eating it quickly.

  “I can’t help it. I just don’t understand what happened.”

  “Well, I ain’t an expert but maybe he just needs some time. I mean I hate to say it and give you false hope, but that man loves you. Why he’s actin’ like a jackass right now, I don’t know. But I’ve seen how he is around you. I’ve never seen anyone in love more than him. Just give him some time. Maybe he’s scared or somethin’.”

  “Scared of what? Me?”

  “He was half crazy when you went missing. Maybe almost losing you was too much for him. I think you should just give him some time, Lilly.”

  I took Tara’s words to heart. Maybe she was right. Maybe he just needed to sort out his feelings for me.

  “I wish he could have seen me in my dress.”

  “Who says he won’t?”

  “Well, it’s not like he’ll be taking me to the ball now, Tara.”

  “Pfft, who needs a man to take you to a dance. I’ll take ya, girl.”

  “But you’re going with Simon.”

  Tara waved her hand in the air like that didn’t matter. “Girl, he can just meet us there and feel lucky I let him dance with me a couple of times. There’s no way I’m letting you sit here alone in the apartment on Friday night and let that dress go to waste. Anyway, it’s a Black and White ball. We’ll match the theme.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle at Tara. I really did want to wear my new dress. And maybe, just maybe, Brand would show up to see me in it.

  The rest of the week at school was torturous. Everyone kept looking at me like I was an attraction to a side show carnival. Brand didn’t show up to any of the classes we shared that week. In fact, I didn’t see him on campus at all. It was just as well. Seeing him again would have just made me feel bad. Will came by each afternoon to check up on me. He could tell I was depressed but didn’t ask me what was wrong. I got the feeling he already knew what had happened between me and Brand.

  The night of the ball I felt like our apartment had turned into a mad house. Tara was so busy fixing me up she barely had time to do anything to herself. I finally forced her to stop fussing over me and fix her own hair and make-up.

  “I don’t want to show up with some nappy haired girl on my arm,” I teased her. “You better look good if you want to be seen with me.”

  She stuck her tongue out at me. “Go put that dress on. I want to see those high heels on your feet too, girl!”

  After I put the dress and shoes on, I looked at my self in the full length mirror in the bathroom. Tara had done an excellent job of making me look like an old Hollywood siren. She had put soft bouncy waves in my otherwise straight hair and parted it to the side letting the waves frame my face. Then she put in a fake diamond barrette to lift it up on one side. The lipstick she used seemed awfully red to me be it did go with the illusion of yesteryear glam.

  When Tara came out of her room, she whistled at me. “Well if that doesn’t draw some attention from the male population on this campus, I don’t know what will.”

  “There’s only one person I want to see me, and we don’t even know if he’ll be there tonight.”

  “Well, whether he’s there or not, girl, I don’t think you’re gonna have a hard time findin’ a guy to dance with. Come on!”

  The dance was being held on the football field. They had brought in a dance floor made of large black and white tiles. The band stage was lit up with blue lights and the wall behind the bandstand was black with white floating music notes and musical instruments. There were a few tables scattered around but most people were standing.

  When we stepped onto the dance floor, I immediately scanned the crowd for Brand.

  “I don’t see him,” I told Tara, unable to hide my disappointment.

  “Well, his loss. I’ve obviously got the hottest date here.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  She looked around the dance floor and whispered, “What guy isn’t lookin’ at you right now?”

  When I looked back at the crowd, I saw what she was saying. It did seem like most of the guys, whether they were with a date or not, were staring me up and down. It was unsettling. I didn’t feel comfortable with all the attention.

  One guy I had never met before came up to us. “Hey, aren’t you Brand Cole’s girlfriend?”

  “Not anymore she’s not,” Tara said before I could answer the question. “She’s free if you want to dance with her.”

  I glared at Tara. I felt like she was pimping me out.

  “Would you like to dance?” he asked holding his arm out to me.

  For the next thirty minutes, I think I danced with over five different guys who I had never met before in my life. They all seemed
nice enough but I couldn’t help watching the entrance, hoping to see Brand again.

  And then it happened.

  I was standing by Tara and Simon when I saw him make his entrance into the ball.

  He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a whiter than white shirt and black bow tie. I thought I would melt on the spot he looked so gorgeous. Every girl at the dance was watching him.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” I heard Tara say beside me. “Who’s that hoochy mama he’s with?”

  I’d been focused so much on Brand I hadn’t seen Izzi standing by his side in a dress that left me speechless. It was a black and white skin tight dress with cut outs in places that seemed inappropriate and a slit up the side that left little to the imagination. In fact the whole dress seemed inappropriate for a college dance. All the girls were looking at Brand and all the guys were now focused on Izzi. Who could blame them? She looked like she might spill out of the dress at any moment.

  When I looked back at Brand, he was staring straight at me. I couldn’t read the expression on his face at all. It was like he was made out of stone. I saw his jaw muscles tighten but that was it. I turned my back to him no longer able to look at him and Izzi together.

  “Would you like to dance?” a familiar voice said behind me.

  When I turned back around, Will was standing there in a black tux and slim black tie with his hand held out to me. I wordlessly accepted his offer by placing my hand into his.

  As we swayed to the music, Will said, “You look beautiful tonight, Lilly.”

  “Thanks. I think it’s the dress more than anything.”

  “No, it just enhances the beauty you’ve always had.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that.

  “You didn’t come with a date?” I asked him.

  “No,” he smiled down at me. “I wanted to dance with the prettiest girl here. I thought she was already spoken for but luckily I was wrong.”

  “Don’t let Tara hear you say that. She’s supposed to be my date.”

  “Well, I’ll have to thank her for bringing you. I was waiting for my chance to dance with you. You seem to have a lot of would be suitors here tonight.”

  “I don’t know any of them. If you asked me, I couldn’t tell you what their names were.”

  I saw Brand and Izzi dancing in my periphery vision and turned my head away slightly, a movement noticed by Will.

  “Would you like to get away from here?” he asked me.

  I silently nodded and let him lead me off the dance floor. We left the field and ended up walking in the rose garden by the Common’s.

  “What happened between you and Brand, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “He left me. Said he didn’t want to see me anymore and that I needed to leave him alone.” Saying the words out loud opened a fresh wound in my heart. I stopped walking and put my hands up to my face to hide my tears. Will took me in his arms and let me cry silently on his shoulder.

  “Oh, Lilly, don’t cry. No man is worth you crying over.”

  I thought this an odd statement coming from someone I had cried over for the past two years. Strange how things worked out, that my first love would be comforting me about losing the second love of my life. A love I was waiting to declare that very night. What a perfect setting this would have been for me and Brand to share our first kiss in. A full moon with music playing in the background amongst a garden of rose petals. The image of what could have been made me cry even harder.

  Will cupped my tear stained face in his hands and kissed me on the forehead and then on my cheeks. He looked into my eyes as if asking permission to continue. All I could think of was, why not? It was obvious Brand had moved on. Why couldn’t I move just as quickly? Leave his empty promises behind and try to find the love I had for Will again. Hadn’t Will said he had always loved me? What was wrong with trying to find happiness in his arms?

  Will started to lower lips to mine.

  No. This wasn’t right. Brand might not love me anymore but I hadn’t stopped loving him. I couldn’t stand here and pretend that I had.

  I pulled away and took a step back from Will.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t.”

  When I looked at the terrace behind Will, I saw Brand standing beside the table where we had shared our first lunch, watching me with a hooded expression.

  I turned as fast as I could and ran away. I heard Will yell my name but I didn’t care.

  On the way home, it didn’t take me long to realize I was still wearing high heel shoes. My ankle turned as I ran across the street. I took the shoes off as quickly as I could and kept running. I didn’t plan to stop until I was back in my apartment. It was only half a mile away. Surely I could make it that far on my own.

  About half way back home, I had to stop running. The cold concrete of the side walk against my bare feet made me wish I had worn the flat shoes and not the high heels to the dance. I didn’t like walking home alone but didn’t have much of a choice now. I’d left my phone at the apartment so I couldn’t call Tara to come pick me up. Anyway, by the time she made it out of the dance to where I was I would be home.

  The streets were silent that evening. Most everyone on campus had either gone home for the weekend or were at the dance. The only sound was the hum of the street lights lining the sidewalks. There was only one place where I wouldn’t have much lighting, the parking lot behind the maintenance building. I would have to cross the pitch black asphalt to get on the street my apartment was on.

  I was half way across the parking lot when I stepped on a piece of glass. I stopped and tried to feel around for it in what little light there was coming from the two side streets. I could feel the slick wetness of blood on my fingers as I pulled out the shard and threw it to the ground. I had almost made it across the parking lot to my street when I saw a man standing underneath one of the street lamps staring at me.

  To say he was oddly dressed would be an understatement. He wore a black coat but it looked like it was made completely out of feathers. He had long dark hair which was combed into a ponytail that lay across his shoulder. His skin looked pale in the dim light of the street lamp. I couldn’t see his eyes but I could feel them on me. I didn’t want to go past him so I turned around.

  From the corner of the maintenance building I heard something growl. It was like a dog’s growl but different, almost like it had a human quality to it. When I heard it the second time, I turned back around. I would either have to pass the stranger or face what ever animal was making the strange growling noise. I changed my trajectory so that I wouldn’t have to pass the man directly but cross the street below where he stood. I averted my eyes and tried not to look at him, walking as quickly as I could. When I reached the sidewalk to my street, I felt a hand grab my elbow.

  Startled, I stopped walking and looked beside me to see the man I had been trying to avoid. He reminded me of one of those men you see on the covers of romance novels. He wore a black cloak made from midnight black feathers. He was shirtless and wearing tight black leather pants and boots with silver buckles on the sides.

  “Hello, Lilly.” His voice had a deep resonant quality, like it was coming from deep inside his chest.

  I yanked my elbow out of hand and backed away.

  “What do you want?”

  Even I could hear the fear in my voice. I was sure he noticed it.

  He looked down at the hand I had pulled the piece of glass out with. It was still wet with blood because I didn’t want to ruin my dress by using it like a towel. I continued to slowly back away but it was useless. He disappeared and reappeared right in front of me, like he had teleported or something.

  “I see you’ve cut yourself.” Before I knew it he had my blood stained hand in his grasp. He brought my hand up to his face and closed his eyes inhaling the blood there like a sommelier would a glass of wine.

  “Interesting.” He breathed letting my hand go. “You have some powerful enemies, Lill
y.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Was he related to Michelle in some way? If he was, I could well see why she was a complete loon. Maybe he was here to seek retribution.

  “Listen, I didn’t ask for Michelle to try to kill me.”

  “Michelle?” His dark eyebrows furrowed in consternation. “Who might that be?”

  “You’re not a relative of hers?”

  “No.”

  “Who are you then and how do you know my name?”

  “You may call me Malcolm,” he said bowing to me at the waist with a flourish of his hands like a knight before his lady.

  “What do you want with me?”

  “Well, Lilly, I’m not one to beat around the bush so I’ll just come out and say it. I was sent here to kill you.”

  That was all I needed to hear. I made to dart across the street to get away from him but he was faster than me. A million times faster. He was standing in front of me before I knew it.

  “Not just yet,” he chided.

  It didn’t really look like I had any choice.

  “What are you waiting for?” I asked, standing up to him while I could. There wasn’t any way for me to win. No where for me to hide.

  He grinned at my bravado.

  “There’s something about you that’s different. Your blood,” he said looking down at my hand. “It doesn’t have the usual bouquet of most humans.”

  “Sorry it doesn’t meet your standards,” I was surprised by the courage I found to stand up to him considering what he had just confided to me. “What were you going to do? Drink it?”

  “Yes, I was actually.”

  I stood there completely silenced by his words, unable to think of a way to escape.

  Malcolm stared at me like he was trying to figure something out about me. “I’m not sure why he wants you dead so badly. You seem harmless enough.”

  “Who do you keep talking about? Who wants me dead?”

  He smiled. “That’s not something I can tell you, dearest Lilly. He wouldn’t like me talking about him with you.”

  “What are you going to do with me then?” I could feel my body start to shake.