by Amber Garza
“I bet you also believe in vampires and werewolves.” Jake laughs, spewing out bits of his sandwich.
A flash of red catches my attention. I look up to see Micah and Delaney heading out of the cafeteria. They were born with special powers and their duty is to save us. Could it be? Is that why Saraf wants Delaney so badly? Is she an Ekloge Warrior? And if so, am I putting the entire town in danger by giving her to them? My head swims, and I think I might suffocate against the weight of my decision.
Bree’s room is decorated in nothing but pink. Every time I set foot in it I have the sensation of jumping into a giant vat of cotton candy. It even has the same sickeningly sweet scent. It’s over the top and begs to be noticed, so it fits Bree perfectly. Her parents aren’t home, but even if they were they wouldn’t care that I was in her room. It’s where we spend the majority of our time together.
The minute we enter, Bree throws herself on her bed. Languishing on it, she winks seductively. It’s one of the things I’ve always loved about her. There’s never any pretense. Right now, though, it’s a complete turn off. If only she had more self-confidence, it would be a lot sexier.
I sit down on the edge of her bed, my body sinking into the springy mattress. Bree moves closer to me and rests her head on my thigh.
“So, what’s up? You playing hard to get?” She smiles up at me, her hair falling into my lap. “Or do you just wanna sit around and talk?”
What is wrong with me? An incredibly gorgeous girl is practically throwing herself at me and I’m acting like an idiot. I lean down and give her a quick kiss. “No. Of course not.”
She giggles. “I didn’t think so. The Sam I know is a man of few words.”
My mind travels back to my time with Delaney. We talked about more stuff than Bree and I ever have. I mean, Bree talks nonstop, but usually it’s just gossip or silly stuff. Delaney and I shared real things with each other — things that matter.
Bree crawls into my lap and kisses me hard on the mouth. Her arms circle my neck and her legs come around my waist. I want to respond to her in the way I always do, but for some reason I just feel so turned off. What is happening to me?
Delaney’s face swims in my mind. I shake away the image and force my mind back to Bree. I command my hands to move, my mouth to respond, but it’s a losing battle. All I keep seeing is Delaney’s red hair, green eyes and impossibly long legs. I hear her voice in my head — that clear, melodic voice. How has she done this to me? Did she cast some type of spell on me? Am I cursed?
Bree pulls away and eyes me curiously. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing baby.” I wink and draw her close.
She cocks her head and narrows her eyes. Her lips curl downward. “You’re acting so strange lately.”
I sigh, frustrated with myself. “I’m sorry.”
Her frown deepens. “Did Sam Peterson just apologize to me? What happened to your whole ‘I never apologize for anything’ stance?”
“I-I-don’t know.” I shake my head, more confused by my out of character behavior than she is.
Bree slides off my lap. “You’ve changed. You’ve gone soft, Peterson.” She walks to the door with a look of disgust on her face. “And it’s not sexy.”
Chapter 22
Delaney
THE SKY IS dark outside. Mom and Dad are already in bed, and I can hear Camille singing softly to Asa down the hallway. Her lilting voice fills me with a strange comfort. My mom does not have a good singing voice, and I suspect she’s a bit tone deaf. When she sings it never sounds the way it’s supposed to. It’s like every song she sings is one she’s made up on her own. That’s probably why I have such a terrible voice. I wonder if Ariel can sing. I’m sure she can. Her speaking voice alone sounds so pretty and lyrical.
After slipping on a pair of soft sweatpants and a t-shirt, I check my phone to see if I have any texts from Sam. I haven’t heard from him all day. Disappointment fills me when I see that I haven’t. Biting my lip, I set my phone down on the nightstand and walk toward my bed.
When I pass the window, I catch a glimpse of two people outside of Micah’s house. For a minute I assume it is Zerach’s men but then I notice one of them is a girl. Pressing my face to the cold glass, I strain to see in the moonlight.
Two silhouettes are visible beneath the porch light at Micah’s. Ariel’s profile comes into focus, and I see Micah facing her. Even though I can’t see their expressions, their body language indicates that this is no casual conversation. Their hands are clasped between them and their heads are bent close together. I feel irrational jealousy rear its ugly head. Not that I have any claim on Micah. In fact, I’ve been seeing someone else. But still. It feels strange seeing him with another girl. For much of our life it’s just been the two of us.
Ironic that I’m the one that always wanted to branch out and make other friends. However, now that we have I can’t help but feel a pang of longing for the way things were. I suppose that’s natural. Change is always hard. My thoughts drift to Sam, and I realize that change can be good too.
I return my gaze to the window and force myself to be happy for Micah. It’s only fair that he find someone too. It would be selfish of me to want him pining after me when I’m with someone else. Even in this frame of mind, I’m shocked when I see them kiss. I’m so shocked, in fact, that I gasp out loud and step away from the window.
Taking a deep breath, I turn away. As I climb into bed, I try to erase the image from my mind. It’s one thing to know that they like each other, but it’s entirely different to witness an intimate moment between them.
I just hope she doesn’t hurt him. It’s clear that she’s hiding something, and I don’t want to see my best friend’s heart broken by her. With all the thoughts racing through my mind I know I won’t be able to sleep, so I prop my pillow behind my back and pick up my book. I open to the dog-eared page and start reading. It’s not until I’ve turned several pages before I realize that I haven’t read a word. My mind has been whirling with thoughts of Sam, Ariel and Micah.
The door to my bedroom opens and Ariel steps inside. Her cheeks are flushed and her lips are red. I look down at my book, embarrassed by what I saw.
“What’re you reading?” she asks.
“Oh, just some vampire romance thing.” I chuckle. “Silly, huh?”
She shakes her head. “No, I love those kind of books. They’re great escapes.”
I nod and force a smile. Ariel grabs her nightgown and heads across the hall. I hear the bathroom door click and the water faucet turn on. The rest of the house is silent, so I know Camille must have finally gotten Asa down. A few minutes later Ariel returns, wearing her nightgown. Her face is shiny and scrubbed clean.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Micah lately.” I set my book down and pull the covers up to my waist.
Ariel lowers herself onto the air mattress, and without looking at me she nods.
“You like him?”
“Yeah, he’s a great guy.”
I pick at the comforter with my fingernails. “I know. I’ve always felt lucky to be his best friend.” I look up at Ariel. “It must have been lonely for you before.”
“Why?” Ariel raises a brow.
“Well, I mean, you must not have had any friends since you’re homeschooled and everything.”
“I wasn’t always. I used to go to school and I had a lot of friends. I even had a boyfriend at one time.”
“Wasn’t your mom afraid they would find out about your powers?”
She shakes her head. “My gift isn’t like yours. There’s no fear that I’ll have some kind of vision I can’t control. I can heal people. It’s a choice I can make to use or not use my gift.” Ariel frowns. “But for some reason after my dad died Mom pulled me out of school and wouldn’t let me see my friends. Things haven’t been the same since.” Her lip quivers and she bites down on it to make it stop.
“I’m sorry. That must have been awful,” I say and I mean it. Even though I
don’t trust Ariel at all, I understand how she must feel. “I’ve always kind of felt sorry for myself for not having any other friends, but I don’t know what it would feel like to have them and then have them taken away.”
Ariel nods, a sad look cloaking her face. “Mom just didn’t trust anybody anymore, no matter how well she knew them.”
“How did your dad die?”
She ponders this for a minute and then turns away, her eyes shining. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
I nod. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” I try to imagine someone taking Micah away from me, or even Sam. The thought of him makes my stomach tighten. Not just because of how I’ve been sneaking around behind everyone’s back but because if anyone finds out I will lose him. Even though we haven’t been seeing each other that long, I feel connected to him in a way I never thought possible.
“It’s okay.” Ariel smiles slightly and drops her head onto the pillow.
Taking the hint, I sink down into my covers and pull them up to my chin. “Good night, Ariel.”
“Night.”
I click off the light and darkness swallows me. Pressing my face into my pillow, I think over our conversation. So badly I want to just be Ariel’s friend, but something about her makes me nervous. She’s keeping too many secrets, I can tell. Until I know what they are, I just can’t trust her fully. And I know I have secrets of my own so I shouldn’t judge, but my fear is that her secrets have the power to hurt us all.
Howling awakens me — a low guttural howl that shoots through my body. I sit upright in bed, honing in on it. The deep sound spins around me, cocooning me in terror. Panic binds me and I struggle against its restraints. I know that sound. It’s the same one I heard that day when Micah and I were running near the river. And it’s the same sound I heard at Ariel’s house when we were attacked. I recognize the call of the creatures of the night. Only they are too close.
I push the covers off of me and slide out of bed. Ariel is still sleeping, her breathing even while her chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm. Her lips are parted and her lashes fall against her pale face. I’m struck with envy at how beautiful she looks even while she sleeps.
I peek out the window and see Zerach’s men outside. It gives me some relief, knowing they are protecting us. I wonder what they think of the noises. Saraf’s creatures are too close to our city. What are they doing here? I shiver, wondering if an attack is imminent.
My conversation with Ariel the other day comes to mind. I pled with her to tell me who her attackers were, but she swore she didn’t know. Only her story still doesn’t jive with me. How would anyone get that close to her without her getting at least somewhat of a glimpse? I remember the attack at her house. What was it that she needed so badly?
I move quietly toward Ariel’s bag – the one she keeps with her always. I unhook the top and open it. The first thing I see is a photograph of a man. He looks to be in his early twenties. I can tell the picture is old though. For a minute I wonder if it’s her dad, but then I notice the blond hair. I know Ariel’s dad is dark haired from the image on Asa’s skin. Next I come across an envelope ripped in half. I grab it between my fingers and pull it out. When my gaze connects with it, I almost gasp out loud. Clamping my mouth shut, I stare at it – the symbol of fire. Why does Ariel have an envelope with the symbol of Saraf on it?
I am startled by the rustle of covers. After quickly shoving the paper back in the bag, I stand. Ariel stirs, but keeps sleeping. Suddenly I remember something. A story I was told as a child. I tiptoe out of the room and down the hallway. When I enter Dad’s study, I silently close the door and flick on the wall switch. Light illuminates the room and my heart slows down a bit. Just being out of the dark makes me feel a little better.
Searching his bookshelf, I finally find the book. It’s heavy and it takes strength to lug if off the shelf. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, I set it in my lap. I trace the E on the front with my fingertip before opening it.
As I peel back the first gold-edged page, I wonder if Ariel has ever seen the book. There aren’t many out there. My dad is the only person I know who has one. It holds all the stories about our kind. It serves as a book of prophecy, because it is said that every generation of Warriors follows the path of those before.
I flip through the pages quickly, looking for one story in particular. It’s one I hadn’t paid much attention to before, but now I really want to know. Ah-hah. I find it. I read through it with a growing sense of dread.
In every generation of Ekloge Warriors there has been one who has betrayed us. That one Warrior has sided with the Sarafites and fought against us. And every time the Warrior has been a woman. I swallow hard. Could it be Ariel this time?
I think of all the lies and the envelope in Ariel’s room, and I’m sure she’s the one who is going to betray us. Maybe she already has. My mind travels back to the intimate moment I witnessed between Micah and Ariel. How will I tell him? And more importantly, will he believe me?
The door to the study creaks open. I close the book swiftly and shove it behind me. My breath catches in my throat when I see that it’s Ariel. Her nightgown swirls around her body. Her eyes pierce into mine. I shudder beneath her gaze.
“Wh-what are you doing in here?” I scold myself for acting afraid. Glancing down at her arm I see the pictures still visible on her flesh, and it gives me comfort. If she plans to betray us, she hasn’t gone through with it yet. I still have time.
“I couldn’t sleep.” She rubs her hands down her arms.
I nod. “I know. Did you hear the howling?”
“What howling?”
“You didn’t hear anything?” For a minute I wonder if maybe it was just a dream and I feel silly. I have been having a lot of nightmares lately.
“No. I just haven’t been sleeping well since the attack.”
I nod.
She looks up at me, an expression of terror on her face. “Delaney, I’m scared.”
I stare her straight in the eye and say, “So am I.”
“I can’t believe you got detention.” Micah sets his sandwich down on the slick cafeteria table and picks up his bottled water. “I mean, how were you tardy more than three times to second period?”
Biting my lip, I force myself not to glance over at Sam. But I can feel his presence like a physical being. I know he’s just a few tables away, and the thought causes my palms to clam up. “My second period class is clear across campus from first period. I guess sometimes I just walk too slow.” It’s a flimsy excuse and I know it, but it’s all I can come up with. It’s not like I can tell him that I’ve been sneaking into the janitor closet and stairwell with Sam. Micah would totally freak.
“I guess we’ll have to train later then.”
I hide a smile. Never in my life did I think I’d be happy to get detention but I’m actually looking forward to it. The thought of spending time with Sam in the library for an hour after school sounds so much better than training. Besides, now I won’t have to sneak away to be with him. My parents know exactly where I’ll be. It’s perfect, really.
I look up at Micah. He’s seemed so tense the past several days. I want to tell him what I found out about Ariel. I’ve wanted to all week, but his mood is so sour that I’m not sure it’s a good idea. I decide to test the waters a little. “Hey, it’s not so bad. This way you can spend time with Ariel this afternoon.”
His lips tug upward slightly when I say her name. It irks me a little that just the thought of her can make him look that happy. However, I know that I won’t say anything today. I mean, what if he gets upset with me? What if he doesn’t believe me? And worse yet, what if I’m wrong about the whole thing?
No, I’ll wait until I have more proof. Maybe I’ll get lucky and Ariel will come clean to him.
There are only a few other students in detention with Sam and I. We sit at a table by ourselves, as far from the other kids as we can. The library smells like dust, ancient books and Mrs. J
ohnston’s old lady perfume. Speaking of which, Mrs. Johnston sits at the circulation desk staring at all of us from under the glasses that are perched on the end of her nose. Her gray hair is piled in a bun at the very top of her head and she wears a floral dress and a cardigan sweater. Turning away from her, I pull a textbook out of my backpack, which sits by my feet, and I set it on the table in front of me.
Across from me Sam throws me a wink. Then he stands up, pushing his chair back. I raise my brows, wondering what he’s doing. He walks to Mrs. Johnston’s desk. I watch him lean over the counter and whisper something to her. Cringing, I wait for Mrs. Johnston to get upset. Surprisingly she smiles and whispers something back. I’m impressed. It may be the first time I’ve seen the librarian smile.
Sam saunters back to our table, wearing a large grin.
What is he up to?
He bends down next to me, placing his palms on the table next to my textbook. His face is inches from mine.
“I told Mrs. Johnston about our history project and she said we could look around for some books to help us with it,” he whispers and throws me another wink.
I fight back a giggle and nod.
“C’mon.” He stands up, straightening his spine. A couple of the other students watch us as we walk back to the aisles of books. Once we escape down one, I laugh into my palm. We are completely hidden behind shelves of books.
“Our history project, huh?”
“Well, I had to think of some way to get you alone, didn’t I?” Sam finds my hand and tucks it in his. “I’m guessing this is the only time we’ll get to spend together today.”
“So, where should we look first?” I ask.
“I found what I was looking for.” He leans into me.
I giggle and then clamp a hand over my mouth.
“C’mere.” Sam pulls me down a different aisle. To my surprise, he takes a book off the shelf and then guides me to a beanbag in the corner. He sits down and pulls me into his lap. “Hey, check this out.”
