“Are you okay, Tori?” Ian asked. “You look ghastly pale.”
“It’s just…I’ve been pretending all week nothing was wrong. But March first is days away and I can’t pretend anymore.” Her fingers trembled as she reached for a glass of ice water.
“Say the word and we’ll leave L.A. right now,” Raven said. “Just throw some things in a backpack and we’ll hit the road.”
“No, Monday after school should be soon enough.” These people have made sacrifices on my behalf. As Felicia says, the world doesn’t revolve around me. The least I can do is to suck it up and act brave. She forced herself to smile. “Once more unto the breach.”
“Henry V,” Raven said. “Spoken like a true Shakespearean.”
Felicia chimed in. “Well said, Tori.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
“Well, what shall we do with our last footloose and fancy free Friday?” Fletcher asked.
“Unfortunately, I have to drive to Misty’s house this morning to water the house plants and get some clothes,” Tori said.
“I’ll come along,” Raven said.
“Has Grandfather called you yet, Felicia?” Fletcher asked.
“No, and I’d really rather not speak with him.” Her tone was flat.
“I think we should have a party.” All eyes swiveled toward Chase. “Tori will be out of town for her birthday, so we ought to celebrate beforehand.”
“What a marvelous idea!” Felicia exclaimed. “I’ll put up decorations.”
“I’m in charge of the music,” Fletcher said.
“I’ll ask Mrs. Trumbull to work up a menu,” Ian said. “Let’s have the party Sunday night instead, to give her enough time to prepare.”
“Can we invite Mr. Mime and Cody?” Tori asked. “We don’t have to tell them it’s a birthday party. We’ll call it an Apocalypse Party.”
“Gallows humor,” Felicia said. “But I like it.”
“Why not?” Ian said. “I’ll call them.”
“What can I do to help?” Raven asked.
“You can emcee a talent show,” Tori said. “Everybody in the house is required to perform.”
“That’s brilliant!” Fletcher said.
“What will we do for costumes?” Felicia asked.
“I have the key to Misty’s storage locker,” Tori said. “The costumes from her Vegas shows are there, and she’s always encouraging me to borrow things. We can all find something to wear, I’m sure.”
“Your foster mother won’t mind?” Felicia asked.
“She’d be thrilled, I guarantee it.”
“Dad, will you lend me the SUV to visit the locker?” Raven asked. “We’ll need the extra room for Chase, Fletcher, and Felicia.”
“Certainly.”
Chase cleared his throat. “Unless you count killing demons, I don’t have a talent.”
“Sure you do,” Felicia said. “Ballroom dancing. You’re my new partner.”
Chase’s eyes widened, but he didn’t demur.
Tori glanced at Raven. “You and I will perform a pas de deux.”
“Is that a good idea?” His eyebrows drew together. “What if I step on you?”
“You won’t.”
Ian gestured toward Fletcher. “What say you, lad, to playing Iago to my Othello? Act Three, Scene Three?”
“Why, I’d like that very much.” Fletcher rubbed his hands in anticipation. “I’ve always wanted to play against type.”
“Who said Iago is against type?” Felicia teased.
As everyone broke out into excited chatter, Tori gave Chase a smile of gratitude. “Thank you for your wonderful suggestion. It’s lifted everyone’s mood already.”
He nodded. “My pleasure.”
On the drive to Misty’s house, Felicia sat in the back seat between Chase and her brother. She felt Chase’s proximity keenly, relishing the few moments when the turning movement of the vehicle brought her into contact with him. Up front, Tori and Raven were chatting about the talent show. Fletcher, ever the over-achiever, had downloaded Othello from the Internet onto his e-reader. His face was a study in concentration as stared at the device, studying his lines.
Felicia glanced at Chase. “Have you ever danced ballroom before?”
“Um…I learned to waltz in middle school, but I was terrible.”
“You probably had the wrong partner.”
A chuckle. “Maybe so. She was a bossy American from New York.”
“Oh, dear. Well, you’re into the club scene, so you must like to dance.”
“I integrated into the shadow world community to gain their trust.” He paused. “But yes, I like to dance.”
“We could do a swing routine, if you prefer.”
His eyes met hers. “The waltz, I think. It’s more romantic.”
“Good choice,” Fletcher muttered, his face buried in his pages. “She and Nicholai medaled in the waltz.”
“Nicholai…is he the fellow in that photograph you showed me?” Chase asked. “I didn’t know he’s your dance partner.”
“Was. He killed himself two years ago,” Felicia murmured.
“Oh. Oh. I understand now.” Chase reached over and took Felicia’s hand in his. “Forgive me.”
“Nothing to forgive.” As long as you keep holding my hand.
Fletcher didn’t blink an eye, but he made an almost imperceptible squeaking noise deep in his throat. If she could have gotten away with pinching his arm, she would have. As the SUV turned onto Mulholland, she was afforded a view of the San Fernando Valley. An unpleasant haze filled the basin, but it was less orange than before. Ash had ceased to rain from the sky, although many of the parked cars were still covered with the stuff. When Raven drove into the driveway of Misty’s house, Tori gasped. The number 666 had been sprayed onto the garage door in red paint. The hair on the back of Felicia’s neck stood at attention.
Raven parked the car and set the parking brake. “Give me the key, Tori. You girls wait here and we’ll check inside.”
“I have to punch in the alarm code,” Tori said.
“Fine, but then return to the car and lock it. I’ll let you know if it’s safe.”
Although Felicia would have preferred to check the premises with the men, she realized Tori needed moral support. She accompanied her to the front door while Tori disarmed the alarm and then escorted her back to the SUV.
“It was probably just vandals, getting their kicks,” Felicia said.
Tori shook her head. “When I left the house last Monday morning, the number 666 had been drawn into the ash on my windshield. I thought it was a random imp, but obviously it wasn’t.” She paused. “Did you speak with your grandfather?”
“No, I haven’t screwed my courage to the sticking-place yet.”
The reference to Macbeth was one Tori recognized.
“Because my parents are alcoholics, he practically raised me and my brother,” Felicia continued. “I don’t want to believe he’s a murderer.”
“I don’t want to think that either,” Tori replied. “I just want this whole thing over with.”
Minutes later, Raven emerged from the house and waved for them to come inside. When Felicia and Tori entered the house, everything seemed serene.
“It doesn’t look as if anything has been disturbed,” Raven said. “Some of the paintings on the wall are slightly askew, but that was probably caused by the last earthquake.”
“Okay. I’m going to my room to pack my things. If you guys could help me by watering the plants, we can get out of here faster,” Tori said.
Raven followed her up the stairs. Felicia went into the kitchen and rummaged around until she found three empty plastic bottles to fill with water. Chase and Fletcher took one apiece and they split apart to find houseplants. Several minutes later, Felicia stopped her brother before he watered an artificial fuchsia plant in the laundry room.
“That’s not real.”
He peered at the plant. “Of course it is.”
“I’m not going to argue with you. It’s silk.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s too perfect.”
“Well…so am I.”
“What does that—”
Notes from the baby grand piano in the next room interrupted Felicia’s retort. Somebody was playing When Irish Eyes Are Smiling. She hastened into the living room, only to discover Chase at the keyboard. “I thought you said you didn’t have any talent.”
“That’s what my piano teacher told me. In fact, he insisted I was the worst pupil he’d ever had.”
“I’ve always liked that song.”
“Me too. It’s my Irish heritage.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Irish heritage?”
He grinned. “You know…O’Shiro.” Wink. “A little Japanese humor.”
Felicia giggled. “I like you this way.”
“And just what way is that?”
“Approachable. Relaxed.”
His expression was unreadable as he launched into another melody. She listened for a few stanzas, but couldn’t place it. “What are you playing now?”
“I’m Falling in Love With Someone.”
She flushed and her heart began to race. Did Chase choose a random song or is he trying to tell me something? He looked up from the keyboard, as if to gauge her reaction.
“I like it,” she said. “I’ve never heard it before but I like it very much.”
“I was hoping you might. I’d sing it to you but I’ve never been good with words.”
His attention fell to the keyboard once more, but she noticed a stain of color across his cheekbones. As the song came to a close, the corners of his lips turned upward. Her impulse to kiss those lips was stymied by the inopportune appearance of Fletcher.
“Piano sounds great,” he said. “Budge over. I play a mean Chopsticks.”
While Tori packed up some clothes, Raven explored her room. He knelt in front of her bookshelf and skimmed the titles. “Fantasy…dance biographies…several classics…more fantasy,” he murmured. “You like to read?”
“Yes, and my e-reader is stuffed full of books. Thanks for reminding me to bring it.”
She rummaged around for the device and charger and put it in her suitcase. Raven moved from the bookshelf to a wall of photographs—mostly of her in recital and Halloween costumes over the years.
“You were a stunning little girl who grew up into a stunning woman.”
“Okay, now you’re embarrassing me. When I was little, people used to call me a mosquito because my arms and legs were too long for my body.”
He drew her into his arms. “That’s because they don’t see you like I do. The Nephilim are known for recognizing inner as well as outer beauty.”
“Uh-huh. You’re the Marquess of Malarky.”
“No! More like the Baron of Balderdash.”
She gave him a soft kiss and then wriggled from his grasp. “I hear music downstairs. I think the natives are getting restless.”
After she gave the room a once-over, she zipped the suitcase and set it down next to her boom box and portable media player full of music. She took Raven by the hand and tugged him into the hall. “Before we go, I want to show you Misty’s Hollywood wall of fame.”
Once inside her foster mother’s bedroom, however, she was brought up short. Although the nails and hooks on the wall remained, nothing hung from them. “Huh? The photographs are missing.” She turned to Raven, stricken. “I hope they weren’t stolen!”
“There are many other things in this house to steal which are much more valuable than photos,” he said. “Misty probably sent them out for reframing.”
“That has to be it.” Tori frowned. “What a shame. I thought you might enjoy seeing her posing with celebrities.”
“Ask her about them when she gets back. I’m sure I’ll get to see them one day.”
Raven and Tori brought her things downstairs and into the entranceway. She dashed into the living room, where Felicia, Fletcher and Chase were congregated around the piano.
“We’re ready.”
Tori’s eyes focused on the mantle. The painting of Baphomet was missing, too.
Misty’s costume locker was located inside a climate-controlled storage facility in Sherman Oaks. After Tori unfastened the lock, Raven and Chase slid the wide corrugated metal door upward. The huge unit measured five hundred square feet, and was filled with rolling racks of men’s and women’s costumes. Overhead lights reflected off sequins and beads, and highlighted copious amounts of feather trim. Tori giggled when she saw a pair of leather chaps. I wonder if Misty’s corset is here too? Felicia immediately reached for a spectacular carnivale headdress. “Oh, my! I’m in heaven.”
The next hour was spent picking out costumes. Fletcher even found a few costume pieces appropriate for his dramatic scene with Ian. Felicia gurgled with happiness when she unearthed a spotlight on a shelf in the back. They loaded their newly found treasures into the trunk of the SUV and left the facility.
They quickly discovered the traffic on Ventura Boulevard was jammed. The street was choked with shadow world denizens who were running in between cars, climbing onto hoods, and generally spreading negative energy.
“The drivers can’t see these demons on a conscious level, but they’re slowing down instinctively,” Raven said.
Tempers were quickly fraying. A pair of drivers left their cars to exchange blows while surrounding demons hooted with glee and took bets among themselves on the winner. To circumvent the melee, Tori directed Raven onto a side street. At last they reached the freeway, only to find traffic was erratic there, too. Raven narrowly avoided a fender bender when someone cut him off in a four wheel military-style vehicle. As he did so, the driver saluted him with a one-fingered wave.
“Isn’t that precious?” Felicia said. “That man needs to stick his finger in his eye.”
“It’s not his fault,” Raven said.
“Excuse me?” Fletcher was incredulous. “We all saw him swerve into you!”
“What I meant is, the shadow world has everyone on edge,” Raven said. “The idiot probably doesn’t even know why he’s in such a foul mood.”
“Unless something is done, things will get worse before they get better,” Chase said. “In the end, demons will have everyone at each other’s throats, and civil society will disappear.”
“Sounds like the Apocalypse,” Tori said.
Up ahead, the military-style vehicle pulled onto the shoulder to circumvent slowing traffic. As he sped along, cars began to honk at him in protest. Finally, a trucker in the right lane angled his semi so the smaller vehicle couldn’t pass. At a standstill, the two drivers began to yell at one another.
Fletcher chuckled. “Thereby illustrating the irresistible force paradox.”
“When an oversized ego meets an immoveable twit?” Felicia joked.
Everyone except for Tori laughed. Although she forced a smile, she was on the verge of tears. This dissonance is the result of my birth. As soon as the thought entered her mind, she tried to erase it—but guilt made her feel as if monkeys were nibbling at her hair. If the underworld portal becomes necessary to remove the preponderance of evil from Earth, I’ll volunteer to go. I might not be morally culpable for this imbalance, but how can I ask anyone else to bear the responsibility in my stead?
When they returned to Blackfriars, it was past noon. After a quick lunch, everyone split into teams to rehearse their talent. Tori brought her boom box and met Raven in the gym to teach him the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. The original choreography was Balanchine’s, but Tori simplified it for Raven. In addition, the piece was over eight minutes long, but she shortened it by half. A particularly beautiful lift made a perfect break…and spared Raven from the more bravura danseur steps that followed.
“We’ll leave them wanting more,” she said.
“They’ll always want more from you.” Raven slipped his arms around her waist. “As do I.”
Since Raven and Tor
i had claimed the gym for practice, Felicia brought Chase to a large room on the ground floor which was empty except for the spacious raised dais across the far end.
“This room used to be a chapel,” he said.
“How do you know that?”
“There’s a faint marking on the wall where a cross was attached.” He stepped up onto the dais to show her.
“I think you must be right. I don’t know what Mr. Cassidy intends to do with this room in the future, but it makes a wonderful performance space, doesn’t it? This dais can serve as our stage.”
Fletcher stuck his head in the doorway. “Oh, there you are.” He held Felicia’s portable media player and a pair of small speakers. “Tori is using her boom box, so I borrowed these speakers from Mr. Cassidy.”
“Oh, thanks. Just put them on that stool,” she said.
Her brother left. Felicia sorted through the music on her player and selected a beautiful pop tune in triple meter. As the song flowed through the speakers, she glanced at Chase. “What do you think?”
“Hmm…I hadn’t thought of that song as a waltz, but it’s perfect.”
He crossed off the dais and led Felicia to the center of the room. “Let’s see if I remember what to do.”
As they began to waltz together, he gazed off into space with a look of concentration on his handsome face. His attention thus diverted, she allowed herself to marvel in his exquisitely shaped cheekbones and almond eyes. The man oozes magnetism—and cool. He suddenly met her gaze and she realized they’d stopped moving. The song is over. She cleared her throat and took a step back. “I think you’ve got the hang of the waltz just fine.”
“It was better than I expected. I guess a bossy English girl is easier to partner than a bossy American.”
Her hands went to her hips. “I’m not bossy! I’m a woman of firm opinions.”
“Good to know.”
Dancing With Raven (The Young Shakespeareans Series) Page 19
