“Hey!” I shouted, yanking my arm away, but it wasn’t Ranson. It was a kid named Michael McPhee. Michael breathed heavily, like he’d just run a marathon.
“Sorry. It’s just that I’ve been kind of on edge and there’s not too many people I can talk to about this, you know?” His green eyes darted back and forth wildly at our classmates going about their business in the hallway. His crazy eyes paired with his disheveled auburn hair made him look like a madman. Michael’s eyes were red, making me wonder if he had even slept the night before.
I knew exactly what he meant. Michael was a creature too, and if he was so afraid, something bad must have happened. “What’s going on Mike?”
Michael was a Taker like me, a Black-Eyed Being to be exact. He was exactly what his name said. When he transformed, the whites of his eyes would disappear, making his eyes appear to be black, inky pools. I’d seen pictures and they were some of the creepiest things I’d ever seen and I had seen some creepy stuff. A Black-Eyed Being’s main purpose was to steal someone’s soul. Why or what they did with them, I wasn’t sure.
He took a few deep breaths. “Aaron went missing two nights ago.”
I stopped breathing. Aaron Matthews was Michael’s best friend, also a Taker—a Jinn to be precise. “Oh,” was all I could say.
“I hadn’t heard from him for a whole day which is not like him. We’re always together all the time.” Yes, they were. “I went by his house and demanded that Mrs. Matthews let me see him. Her eyes and face were all puffy and red like she had been crying non-stop. Anyway, do you know what she told me?”
“What?”
Michael rolled his eyes. “She said that they decided to send Aaron away to live with his aunt in New York. Out of the blue, just like that. It makes no sense.”
The bell rang for first period to begin, but neither one of us moved. I hadn’t even noticed how the hallway had emptied.
Michael’s eyes misted over and the last thing I wanted was for him to cry in front of me. My heart went out to him. I couldn’t even imagine how I would have felt if Fletcher disappeared. My life would never be the same. “Mike—”
“You and I both know what happened,” he said. “His Gemini found him and killed him. Claudio was right.”
Claudio Reyes was an Imp, another Taker.
I gripped the strap of my backpack as the sounds of high-heels tapping on linoleum came our way. Michael peered around the corner of the trophy case. “Vice Principal Parker.” We were so about to get detentions, but that was the least of our worries.
“Claudio was right about what?” I whispered. The footsteps stopped.
Michael held his finger to his lips as Vice Principal Parker stormed past us in a burgundy pants suit, yelling at some poor kid who had probably just entered the building.
“School begins at eight on the dot, young man!” she crowed. “Every minute counts!”
A door opened and closed and the hallway fell silent.
“Anyway,” Mike continued, “Claudio said that we couldn’t just sit around when it comes to this curse. That we had to be proactive and take matters into our own hands. This curse favors Givers anyway. Both Aaron and I had decided that we couldn’t do it, that we couldn’t kill anyone. Well, I guess Aaron’s Gemini had a different idea because they came after him and now my friend is gone forever.” He punched the side of the trophy case. “We were so stupid.”
I placed my hands on his shoulders and squeezed them gently. “No, you weren’t stupid. You’re good people. That was noble of you.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, well look at what being noble did for Aaron. What’s the point of being noble if you’re dead? Those bastard Givers think they’re so good, but they wouldn’t hesitate to take us out. Why shouldn’t we do the same to them? Arden, don’t be like Aaron. Don’t wait. If you know who your Gemini is, get rid of them.”
The morning announcements began over the intercom, but neither of us listened.
I let go of him and swallowed hard. “I don’t think I have to. I’m getting stronger. I’m winning.”
His eyes widened. “That’s even worse. Your Gemini will probably come for you if they’re losing. That means you’re in even greater danger because killing you is their only chance of winning. I know this is still all new to you, but this Gemini Curse isn’t a game. This isn’t the time to do the right thing. It’s kill or be killed.”
Chapter Ten
Talking to Mike got me thinking and I needed to hear what the others had to say about it.
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.”
I paused with my fingers clasped around the handle of the door that led to the janitor’s closet. Craning my neck, I searched the branches of the great willow tree that towered over the school building. A flash of purple caught my eye. “Why’s that, Violet?”
“Mr. Mason is on the war path. He’s yelling at all the older kids about not finding their Geminis fast enough. When he gets crazy, I kick rocks.”
Taking a deep breath, I contemplated whether or not I should continue. Dealing with Mr. Mason was never a good experience. I decided to woman-up and go inside to see what was going on. “I think I’ll be all right. Later, Violet.”
“Okay,” she said in a sing-song I told you so tone.
I stuck my head into the hallway, which was unusually quiet. Violet hadn’t been exaggerating. Mr. Mason paced up and down with his hands behind his back. He was an older, bulkier version of his son. He wore nothing but a pair of black leather pants and his massive wings were retracted.
Wes, Cadence, Hollis, and three other creatures stood against a wall, watching him with horrified expressions. I wondered if it were too late to back out when Mr. Mason finally spoke. “Nice of you to join us, Ms. Moss. Your timing is impeccable.”
I swallowed hard and scurried into the lair, taking the spot next to Hollis. My back pressed against the cold, cement wall.
Mr. Mason curled his lip in disgust. “I was just expressing my deep disappointment with you all. You are the oldest and should be setting an example for the others. How are they supposed to be motivated to locate and destroy their Geminis, when the lot of you are just fiddling around waiting to be killed? Do you not understand how serious this is? This is not an if or maybe situation. Your Geminis will take you out unless you take them out first.”
I understood Mr. Mason’s frustration, but there was no way I could do what he was asking of us. I wanted to tell him so, but that would only make things worse so I pressed my lips together to keep my mouth shut.
Mr. Mason stopped in front of his son, speaking about him as if he weren’t even there. “Hollis is the biggest disappointment of all. He’s supposed to be a leader—the one who will take over after me, yet he can’t seem to accomplish this simple task.”
“Father, I’m—”
“Silence!” Mr. Mason barked. “Don’t insult me with your excuses.” Hollis looked down and didn’t utter another word.
Mr. Mason stopped in front of me. So much for keeping my mouth shut to avoid confrontation. “I have to say, Ms. Moss, after my son, you are the second-biggest disappointment.”
I couldn’t have cared less what he thought of me. “That’s a shame.”
He stepped much closer to me than I wanted him to be. Mr. Mason really had an issue with personal space. “You have it much easier than anyone standing here. They have to sneak around under the cover of night. They must stay hidden in the shadows because of their appearance. Not you. You can go anywhere you please at any time. There is nothing stopping you from going after your Gemini. You know who your Gemini is, don’t you?”
I nodded. “Y-yes, but, I’m winning. I’m getting stronger. I don’t need to kill anyone. Takers only kill when they have to, right?” Suddenly, I imagined poor, beautiful Rose just wasting away to nothing.
Hollis shifted beside me as his father grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. “That isn’t good enough. We don’t just sit around waiting for things to happen. We make them
happen.”
“Let go of me,” I said through gritted teeth, but he only squeezed my shoulders harder. I grimaced.
“Father, please stop,” Hollis pleaded.
Mr. Mason cut his son a hateful glare that would have broken my heart if my father had looked at me that way. He pulled me away from the wall. “You know what’s going to happen to you if you don’t defeat your Gemini soon? You will become full Wendigo. Is that what you want?”
I was too terrified to speak, so I shook my head. Maybe if I just agreed with him, this would all stop.
Mr. Mason narrowed his eyes at me. “I think it is what you want. You want to become a Wendigo. You want to spend the rest of your life in the sixth tunnel with the beasts. Why waste any more time? Let’s just cut to the chase.”
He dragged me away from the others. Kicking and screaming, I reached out for Hollis, who took a hold of my hand, but his father yanked me harder, almost pulling my arm out of its socket. The others stared on silently and wide-eyed.
“Dad, you don’t have to do this,” Hollis shouted, but Mr. Mason ignored him. Hollis didn’t move from his spot on the wall.
Desperately, I reached for walls and cement columns as we passed them, trying anything to keep myself from going wherever Mr. Mason was dragging me, but it was no use. So many thoughts ran through my head. Where was he taking me? Why wasn’t anyone trying to stop him?
Once we reached the elevator, the doors parted, and he shoved me against the wall. I made a move for the doors before they slid closed, sealing me in with the lunatic.
He gripped the back of my neck as I elbowed his stomach and kicked his legs. My efforts seemed to be hurting me more than him and his grasp had tightened on the back of my neck, so I relented.
Mr. Mason lifted the black band he wore around his wrist to his mouth and spoke into it. “Samuel, open the tunnel.”
That order sent waves of panic through my body. He was really going to do it. He was going to throw me down to the beasts. I would be eaten alive and never see my family again.
The elevator door opened to a floor I had never seen. I grabbed Mr. Mason’s hand, sinking my teeth into his skin as hard as I could. He growled and flung me to the ground. I caught a brief glimpse of blood from where I had broken the skin. On the ground, I tried to find my bearings, attempting to crawl away from him on my hands and knees. He hoisted me up by my waist as I screamed and thrashed in his grip, but nothing slowed him down. He clamped his arm around my belly and pressed so tight, I thought I might pass out.
The dim, dingy hallway reeked of mold, rot, and dead things. It vibrated with the thumps and roars coming from under the ground. We were directly above the sixth tunnel.
A single light dangling from the ceiling flickered on and off, leaving us in complete darkness every few seconds.
At the end of the hallway, Mr. Mason stamped his foot on a metal trap door built into the cement. At once, several thunderous booms, rattled the entire hallway. The trapdoor swung open and a large hand poked through. Mr. Mason dropped me to the ground. “You want to live in the sixth tunnel, so be it. I think it’s only right to give you a little preview.”
The hand groped around, landing on the collar of my dress. It pulled me through the hole. I caught a glimpse of a steep, lengthy staircase as I dangled over the sixth tunnel. I didn’t want to look down, but I almost had no choice. I had to look.
The stench was indescribable, like nothing I had ever smelled or imagined. Like every bad smell in the world wrapped into one deadly odor. I had seen the sixth tunnel before, but only through a surveillance camera. There was nothing like seeing it up close and personal and actually dangling over it. If the Giant dropped me, I would be dead in seconds.
Below me, the ground was covered in a greenish-brown liquid. I didn’t want to know what it was. Wolf-like creatures with two heads and vicious-looking dogs raced back and forth, snapping at each other. Several spotted me and leapt in my direction, trying to get a taste.
“Please,” I whimpered, but who could hear me over the growls and snarls of the tunnel? My stomach twisted in knots at the thought of becoming a snack for the beasts.
Ghostly Ghouls moved as if in a trance, looking almost iridescent. Other Giants moved through the crowd carrying large clubs covered in spikes, attempting to keep things under control. They were filthy, as if dirt had been baked into their skin and they wore nothing but tattered rags tied around their waists. Chupacabras and tinier creatures ran through the legs of the Giants. Large serpent-like things wound themselves around the Giants’ legs and then disappeared underneath the disgusting liquid.
I looked over my shoulder at the Giant who held me. He stared ahead blankly as if my life wasn’t in his hands at that very moment.
“All right,” Mr. Mason called down and I swelled with relief.
The Giant lifted me to the top of the staircase. My stomach dropped as if I were on a roller coaster ride as it placed me gently in the hallway. The trap door slammed shut as I struggled to find my breath again.
I looked up at Mr. Mason who watched me with a sick smirk on his face. “Just a little motivation.”
I stood, though my legs felt as if they were made out of rubber and made a dash to the elevator before he could stop me. I jammed the button over and over because the doors seemed to take forever to open. At last they did and I couldn’t get onto that elevator fast enough. Mr. Mason stood in the same spot, laughing at me as the doors slammed shut.
Back at the top level, I pushed my way through the others who seemed to be waiting for me at the elevator.
Hollis frowned. “Arden, are you okay?”
He touched my arm, but I shoved his hand away. “Leave me alone. You didn’t even try to help me. What’s wrong with you?”
Hollis followed me, finally wrapping his large hand around my arm before I made it to the exit. “I’m really sorry, Arden, but he did the same thing to the rest of us.”
I felt slightly guilty about that, and to be fair, there would have been no way for them to stop Mr. Mason anyway. I pulled away from Hollis. “I just want to go home.”
In my bathroom, I showered for what seemed like forever, trying to get the stench of the sixth tunnel out of my hair and skin. After that, I nursed my knees, which were skinned from being thrown around. I didn’t want to kill. But Mr. Mason wasn’t playing games. The twisted look on that man’s face told me he would toss me or any of us into that tunnel without hesitation.
Chapter Eleven
“I’m going to kill a girl today.” I said that to myself when I woke up on Saturday morning. No matter how many times I said it, it didn’t feel real.
I was grateful to Hollis for coming with me to face Rose. He didn’t have to, especially when the others had been so firmly against him helping me. There was no way I could do it on my own. If Fletcher knew what I was about to do, he would never look at me the same way again. He could never know.
I’d told my parents that I would be spending the day exploring downtown with Imani. Mom was so happy that I was finally doing something normal with a friend besides Fletcher. If only they’d known what I was really up to. I hated lying to them but how was I supposed to say “Oh by the way, I’ll be taking the train to Crescent City to kill your birth daughter. Have a great day.”?
Hollis wore jeans and a trench coat with no shirt underneath. Maybe he didn’t even own a shirt. I’d only ever seen him bare-chested. I knew the coat was to cover his wings just in case. He wasn’t yet a full-grown Aswang so he was still learning how to control his wings. They would pop out and retract any time they felt like it. Above ground, around Humans, that would pose a definite problem.
We sat in the lobby of the train station waiting to catch the morning train to Crescent City. Everson Woods was right on the border of Oregon while Crescent City sat on the border of California so the ride wouldn’t be long. Still, it left plenty of time for us to talk and get to know each other better. Hollis had given me Rose’s address and a list of
things she did every single Saturday.
At birth Rose had been taken from my mom and dad and placed with my birth parents. Unfortunately, my birth parents had been murdered during the massacre, so she was living with the couple who had adopted her. It would have been nice to see what my biological parents looked like at least.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked Hollis. “We can’t just walk up on her and . . . you know.” I couldn’t make my mouth form the words “kill her.” How was I supposed to do that anyway? I’d tried my best not to think about it. I had no idea what I was going to do.
We stood on the platform as the train slowed to a stop. My knees wobbled underneath my dress. I doubted my legs would be strong enough to carry me onto the train. What the hell was I doing? I was no murderer. Well, I was, but I had no intentions of doing it again.
At least the day was bright and sunny, a nice contrast to the relentless thunderstorms.
Hollis pulled his phone from his pocket. “Her Saturdays are always the same. In the mornings she goes to this elementary school to do volunteer tutoring for small Humans who need extra help. Then she has violin lessons. After that she meets her friends at the Smoothie Bar, then at night she goes out to dinner with her parents. That’s it. The same thing every Saturday.”
“That’s all she does?” She really was an Angel. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but I’d thought about it. I envisioned her hanging out with her multitude of friends, because surely a girl who looked like her would be popular, and then going to parties at night. Rose’s life seemed pretty tame. Not that much different from mine, minus the volunteer work.
The train came to a screeching halt in front of us. The doors slid open. The other people on the platform moved past us and toward the doors, but my feet stayed planted as if stuck in wet cement.
Hollis placed his hand on the middle of my back and pushed me forward gently. “Come on.”
Dust and Roses: Book Two of the Dust Trilogy Page 7
