by A. C. James
I shivered when I saw the gates to Resurrection Cemetery. At least we weren’t going there. “Wait…you passed it. You have to turn around,” I said to Arie.
We’d taken his car and Victoria followed us in my BMW.
“And you’re sure she’s at Bethania?” Arie pulled in front of the gates to Resurrection Cemetery and turned the car around.
“I can’t promise she’s there now, but she was here. I saw her.”
It wasn’t just the story about Mary. I didn’t like this area—it felt like we were intruding. Archer Avenue hosted several very old cemeteries, and Archer Woods was used as the town’s potter’s field for many years. It’s where they buried people who were unknown or just too poor to pay for burial. St. James of the Sag Cemetery sat on top of a bluff and was consecrated in 1837. Stories of phantom monks wandering the headstones by the Red Gate Woods chanting in Latin had circulated for years.
I knew better than to question if it were true. I’d come out here for years hoping that the dead liked to remind the living when they were unwilling to let go. There was one very specific dead person I wanted to talk to, but in all these years I’d never seen a ghost. It’s funny that the only person I ever wanted to contact on the other side had never made an appearance, no matter how many times I visited her grave at Bethania Cemetery.
My caseworker wouldn’t tell me anything about my family other than saying my mother was dead. When I’d asked where she was buried she evaded my question, but when she put her arm around my shoulder ushering me out, the Sight gave me a vision that led me here. Since Rue told me my grandmother still lived around Lake Springfield, I wondered why she had buried my mother here. Unless transporting her was too much of a burden. Knowing my family’s background it did make sense, at least in part, because Bethania Cemetery wasn’t affiliated with a particular church and various religious traditions were represented amongst the dead. I imagined that if my grandmother really was a witch like Rue had told me, that their respect for various traditions might be why she’d chosen to have her buried here. But now that it was starting to get dark out, driving to where we were headed put me on edge.
Arie pulled off the road a little ways down from the cemetery and I could see the headlights of the BMW in the side mirror as Victoria parked behind us. I took a deep breath before getting out of the car. I walked over to Arie and we stood near the road as Victoria walked toward us. Victoria and Arie made eye contact over the top of my head. I hated that they could communicate telepathically with one another. They could of course communicate that way to me. I just couldn’t say a damn thing back without opening my mouth.
“Come on,” Arie said, as he walked across the street.
Victoria and I followed him even when he climbed the fence surrounding the well-kept grounds of the cemetery. We slowly walked the paths before coming to a stop beneath the canopy of a tree, but the cemetery appeared to be deserted. It was frustrating coming out here only for it to be a bust.
“There’s something I have to do while we’re here,” I said, turning toward Arie.
“What?” he asked.
“I’d like to visit my mother.” I’d been thinking about her the whole way here.
Arie reached for my hand but I pulled away. “I’ll go with you.”
“No, this is something I have to do by myself.”
Victoria arched a pale eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s prudent. We are here for Katarina.”
“I’ll be fine. Really.” I didn’t really know that with any definite certainty that I could explain but climbing the fence and walking through the cemetery, it didn’t seem like Katarina would stick around. But I didn’t know how to explain what I felt in my gut. So why even try?
“We won’t be far. We can hear you even across the cemetery if you need help,” Arie said.
It seemed like Arie understood that I needed some privacy in visiting my mother’s grave. I nodded and adjusted my army satchel before heading down the path toward the part of the cemetery where her grave was located. This path I knew far too well as I’d stumbled it in the dark more times than I could count.
I reached the heart-shaped headstone that marked her grave which read: ‘Here lies our Sara who died too soon. I wish you were here. I’d give you the stars and the moon. Loving daughter, lovely girl, where have you gone?’ It always made me tremendously sad to see the polished surface of her headstone. The first time I read the inscription on her grave I cried. There were never flowers or memorial crosses, except once a year when I left them on my birthday. It also happened to be the day she died.
I looked in both directions, knelt in front of her grave, and closed my eyes. When I opened them I placed a hand on her headstone.
“Hi, Mom.”
In the distance a crow let out a caw that echoed through the empty cemetery. I opened my locket and looked down at the picture of my mother, which I had placed on top of my baby picture once Rue had told me it was hidden behind it. Tears stung my eyes but I refused to cry. I didn’t want to feel sorry for myself.
“I wish you were here. There are a million things I want to tell you and even more that I want to ask you.”
The evening air felt brisk and I pulled my jacket around me a little tighter. I placed my hand on the cool surface of her headstone.
“What good is magic? What good is having the Sight if all the times I come here you never hear me?”
Leaves rustled as a wind blew through the branches of a nearby tree. I let my hand drop to my knee. I didn’t expect this time to be any different. Sometimes I’d come here just to talk to her. I’d never get an answer but there was still something comforting about sharing the trivial details of my day. Sometimes I could almost picture her or hear her voice. Maybe I wanted to see her so badly that I had made it up or imagined it. Unbidden tears flowed down my cheeks. Footsteps crunched across the frozen grass and I turned toward the direction of the sound. When I saw Arie and Victoria I wiped the tears off my face with my hands, rising from my crouched position on the ground. Victoria didn’t meet my eyes but gave my shoulder a squeeze before turning toward the entrance.
“We should go. If Katarina was here, she’s not here now,” Victoria said.
“Still, we should keep an eye on this place in case she comes back,” Arie said, not commenting on my tears.
I nodded. “Somehow I doubt that she’ll be back. But let’s go.”
***
Victoria followed us to Arie’s loft and dropped off my BMW. I didn’t say much on the drive back and Arie kept looking over at me as if he expected me to start sobbing uncontrollably. On the way to his loft in the elevator he reached for my hand, giving it a squeeze, and I smiled to reassure him I wasn’t going to have a breakdown. When we reached the door to the loft it was ajar. Arie hesitated before bending time and moving so fast I couldn’t follow his blurry figure dashing around the loft. The trail of his figure headed up the steps of the loft toward the bedroom. I walked into the loft and waited at the foot of stairs.
He appeared at the top of the stairs. “She was here. She must have dazzled Harry to let her in.”
“How do you know it was her?”
“She left me a note on the mirror,” he said in a scathing voice. “I’m not leaving you alone.”
I walked up the stairs and rested my forehead on his chest. Arie wrapped his arms around me, stroking my hair.
“Whatever happens, I’m with you now,” I said in a whisper.
Arie sighed. “Holly, I will love you forever, whatever happens.”
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear that,” I said, smiling into his chest.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you.”
I laughed. “Oh? How long is that?”
“Long enough that I’d forgotten that once you love then comes fear of losing the person that you love, and I don’t want to lose you.”
He ran his fingers into my hair, holding my head against his chest, and I inhaled the scen
t that was distinctly his on his cold, hard skin. I could stand like this forever, forgetting about all the craziness of the past few weeks. I kissed his chest through his cotton t-shirt. Arie tilted my chin up with his fingertips before his mouth came crashing down. His mouth was very clever as his tongue explored mine. His fingers trailed down the line of my back and followed the curve to my hips where his hands dug into my jeans.
“Mmmmmm, you smell so good,” I said with a sigh. “I’m going to go take a bath.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it then.”
He planted a kiss on my forehead before letting me go. In the bathroom I tried to ignore the message in lipstick scribbled on the mirror and turned on the water to fill the tub. I can kill her anytime I want. I understood now why his declaration of love came when it did and came with the fear of losing me.
Suddenly, I realized the real reason for her breaking into the apartment. As I stood in front of the vanity I saw that the protection amulet that Rue had given me was missing. I’d left it sitting there and it wasn’t there now. Since Katarina had been a gypsy witch before Arie turned her it only made sense that she would know the purpose of the amulet. What made my blood turn cold was the fact that she knew that I had it. She must have been watching me when I went to Rue’s shop. In my godmother’s vision she had seen me wearing the protection amulet the night of the gala.
How will I protect myself now?
I took off my clothes and submerged myself in the water, letting it wash away my panic. My eyes were closed when I heard Mystic meow. I opened my eyes to find him sitting on the corner of the tub just above my head. Mystic always hated water. It was very uncharacteristic for him to be within ten feet of the bathtub let alone perched on it, towering over my head. I sat up a little straighter in the tub.
“Hey, boy.”
An unexpected hiss followed by a growl emanated from him. His ears folded back before he swiped at me with his claws extended. Without cause he clawed my neck, drawing a long scratch down my throat that began to bleed. I splashed water at him and he darted out of the bathroom. Mystic had never attacked me. I wiped at the blood and held a washcloth to the wound until it stopped bleeding. I couldn’t believe my cat attacked me. And I didn’t know what to make of it. Mystic had always been so loving and gentle—a loveable ball of fur that curled next to my head while I slept.
Even though the bleeding stopped I knew more blood would need to be spilled to quiet Katarina’s cruelty. And I had nothing to offer but my blood. I only hoped it would be enough when innocent people were dying over some ancient jealousy. I just wanted peace, but sometimes blood must be spilled in order to obtain it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The week leading up to the gala passed by faster than I imagined. Arie never left my side. Mystic had been acting strange all week, but fortunately the scratch down my throat had healed without scarring as I thought it might. My face was plastered on a billboard near the Loop. Its intended effect was to draw Katarina out of the woodwork but we wouldn’t know whether it worked or not until the night of the gala. And tonight was the night.
Victoria came over to help me get ready. I told her I needed help with my hair and make-up. Usually, I wore my hair twisted in a bun to manage the chestnut mass that frizzed out of control otherwise. I scarfed down some dinner sitting at the breakfast bar with Victoria. There was a knock on the door to the loft. I rose to answer it but Victoria placed a hand on my arm and stopped me in my tracks.
“Wait,” Victoria said. “You’re not expecting anyone.”
I watched as she went to the door and opened it. A man with a bouquet of black roses stood on the other side.
“Flowers for a Miss Ellis,” the man said. “Can you sign here?” He handed Victoria a clipboard and a pen.
Victoria scribbled her signature and took the vase of flowers. She sat them on the kitchen counter and handed me the card that came with them. It read: “Enjoy. I’ll see you tonight.” The roses were beautiful, although I would have thought Arie would send red or white. Except the florist messed up the arrangement or they must have been damaged during delivery because one of the twelve blooms was missing.
“They’re beautiful,” I said.
Victoria shrugged. “You should start getting ready. The car will be here for us in an hour.”
I nodded. Then I headed upstairs to shower. The strapless black dress hung in the closet. I stepped into the gown and zipped up the side. The full-length mirror in the bathroom revealed a stranger. The rhinestones on the corset bodice sparkled under the vanity lights as did the spider web of rhinestones that draped its bell-like bottom. I clasped my locket around my neck. It wasn’t fancy, but at least it was silver. The fingerless black velvet gloves came up over my elbows.
“You look lovely,” Victoria said in a whisper.
I startled. “I didn’t even hear you come up behind me.”
“Sorry. Here, sit down. I’ll do your hair and make-up.” She pulled out the stool under the vanity counter in the bathroom.
Our eyes met in the mirror. “Tonight it has to end,” I said.
“One way or another, otherwise the Legacy will send someone else to deal with it.”
“Maybe they should have, because I don’t think this is good for Arie.”
“He’ll deal with it.” Victoria twisted my hair up into an elegant design and held my hair in place with rhinestone pins before she set about doing my make-up.
“I’m nervous about tonight.”
Victoria dusted mineral make-up over my face and dusted my cheeks with rouge. “Don’t worry. We’ll both be there.”
I remembered what Rue told me. That she had seen my death; but there was no turning back now. I had to trust that Victoria and Arie could protect me.
“I hope you’re right.”
She applied my eyeliner and mascara more liberally than I would have liked. “We won’t let her hurt you.”
“I want to believe that everything will be all right.”
Victoria smeared my mouth with lipstick. “Take a breath. You’ll be fine. I promise.”
Somehow I doubted that, but what else was there to say other than ‘everything will be okay’ and just hope for the best, even though I knew deep down it wasn’t true? Rue couldn’t be wrong. Victoria slipped out of her clothes and put on a gown that shimmered silver. She looked like a star that lit up the sky with her pale skin, pale hair, and sparkly silver dress. Then she donned a silver mask with a white feather that covered her eyes. Victoria had told me Tessa loved masquerade balls and planned the gala accordingly. Her cropped hair didn’t need much of anything, but she’d spiked it and put on make-up before dinner. I envied that she didn’t have to do much of anything to maintain her hair, unlike mine. I opened my locket, staring at my mother’s face smiling back at me when Victoria’s cell phone rang.
She answered it and hung up abruptly. “It’s time.”
I slipped on the black spike heels with ruffled lace that reminded me of a spider web and I very much felt like I was tangled in one now. I’d been dreading wearing them. Even though I’d practiced walking in them, I was still unsteady on my feet, but at least I was able to walk without falling flat on my face. I grabbed the black clutch purse that I’d picked up from a thrift store years ago. Although I never had the occasion to use it other than graduation and it sat on a shelf in my closet gathering dust. A limo waited for us in front of the apartment building and a chauffeur opened the door for us. Arie wanted to do a perimeter sweep and scan for Katarina before the gala. He’d told us to meet him there.
When we arrived at the club it was already filling up with a crowd mixed with those that wore glittering gowns and others who wore dark colors. Some wore masks while others carried black fans. Others looked like Goth versions of Glamour magazine models. We pushed our way through the growing crowd and made our way to the elevators. Victoria swiped her key card. When we reached the second level it appeared to be occupied only by vampires, along with the regula
rs, our human clientele. They were all decked in their finest and I wondered about the age of some of their garments, which appeared yellow rather than white.
Arie sat at the bar.
“Over there,” Victoria said as she gestured toward Arie.
He must have heard her because he turned toward us almost as soon as she spoke. As we made our way to the bar he gave me an appraising look. Arie wore a simple black and white tux which made him stand out among the rest of the crushing bodies vying for the bartender’s attention and a drink.
“You look stunning,” he said when we reached him.
I could feel warmth flood my cheeks. “Thanks.”
“Can I get you a drink?”
“I just want club soda.”
Arie flagged down the busy bartender. “A club soda for the lady and a pint of Puncture.”
The bartender brought us our drinks and we made our way to a table over by the balcony that overlooked the club below. A woman wearing a short black dress sat alone at the table. Without acknowledging her, Arie and Victoria sat on either side of her which drew her attention from one of the burlesque acts performing on stage below. Her lips parted and a look of alarm passed over her face before she rose without saying a word to either of them, leaving the table.
“That was a little rude,” I said to Arie before taking her seat after she departed.
Arie said nothing.
Victoria laughed. “How else were we supposed to get a table? This place is already packed.”
The first act was finishing up when Tessa approached our table wearing a green dress that made her eyes stand out. Arie nodded at her in greeting while Victoria focused on the stage.
“Arie, I need you to come with me,” Tessa said.
“Why?”
“The security footage shows a woman that resembles Katarina, but I can’t be certain.”
He arched his eyebrows. “Victoria, I’ll be back. Take care of her.”
