by Jones, L. A.
Aradia sighed deeply, debating with herself whether she should tell Rhonda the truth.
Once again, she decided against it, shrugged, and said, "I am just stressed that's all."
Surprisingly, Rhonda's facial expression changed from that of concern to bitterness.
She then nodded as she straightened up and muttered, "I suppose I would be stressed too if I was dating half the student body."
Aradia slowly looked up from the book she was reading, and turned to give Rhonda a dark bitter glare.
"What's that supposed to mean Ron?" She whispered softly.
Rhonda shrugged nervously, now looking scared of Aradia's change in demeanor. At first, she shook her head, and tried to make Aradia forget her comment by saying never mind. However, Aradia persisted in wanting to know what her best gal pal had meant.
So reluctantly, Rhonda shrugged, and said, "It's just I know you haven't exactly talked or even bragged about it but I have noticed that you seem to be dating a hell of a lot of guys lately. In fact, everyone in town says they can't go anywhere without seeing you on the arm of a different guy."
She then paused, and waited for Aradia's reaction.
There was none so Rhonda continued. "I mean Aradia, it was bad enough when you were caught between Dax and Roy but now...For Christ's sake Aradia five guys and I am not talking about the restaurant! I am talking about the five guys you seem to be dating. I mean five in addition to half the student body especially the most attractive ones! Jesus Aradia! How can you do all this? It's so selfish of you."
Aradia said nothing, at least for a few minutes.
Finally, she took a deep breath, and looked Rhonda right in the eye.
She then said in a voice that started out sounding like a serrated blade, but soon escalated into a horrifying roar. "Rhonda, despite what you think I am not deliberately dating five guys or half the student body or anyone for that matter. Would you rather I say no to all these guys, and hurt their feelings? I think you underestimate how much rejection can hurt men as much as it does women. Most of all, I am not playing these guys or lying to them in fact ask everyone single one of them, and they will tell you that they know I am seeing others. Besides, I have my reasons for why I am doing all this in the first place, and since you are my friend, you should trust that my reasons are good ones. However, if you really think I am dating all these guys just to be selfish then I can assure that that is not the case. In fact, not only can I honestly say that I am not really enjoying dating so many guys at the same time, but also these last few months have been the absolute worst months of my life!"
The librarian turned to face Aradia, put a finger to her lips, and said "Shh!"
Aradia being too pissed off to care about the rules of the library just whipped around, and shouted at her. "Aw shut up, you bitch!"
The librarian stared at her in shock while Aradia breathed heavily. She had finally released all her pent up anger, but not wanting to wait around for the consequences, she grabbed all her stuff, and stormed out of the library.
As soon as school let out, Aradia had run off into the woods. After losing her temper like the way she had, she could not bear to face Rhonda or anyone else for that matter. As soon as she found the most isolated and deepest part of the woods, Aradia sank to the ground. A part of her wanted to cry until the stress had completely left her body. She just could not believe how crazy her life was getting. In addition to what she was facing in the hidden world there were also things in the human world that she had to worry about as well such as school, junior prom, the S.A.T, and worst of all: college.
Aradia truly felt like the world was falling down all around her, and she did not know what to do about it. She buried her face in her hands, and shook her head from side to side. For a while, she just sat there in stressed silence until she heard a rustling far off in a clump of trees near a bunch of boulders. Intrigued, Aradia made her way to the trees and pushed the branches out of the way. She then clasped a hand over her mouth, and tried to muffle a scream!
It was Xan, Dax's foster brother, swimming in a natural pool of what was probably freezing cold water with his arms around Roy's cousin, Brenna. Aradia was surprised that they could be swimming in this weather, but seeing how hotly and passionately they were kissing, she doubted if they could really feel the cold. For ten long minutes, Xan and Brenna plunged their tongues into one another's mouth while their hands roamed all over each other. Aradia blushed, and tried to turn away.
After a while, Xan and Brenna finally started heading for the shore. Aradia gulped hoping to God that they were not naked. Luckily, when the two emerged from the water Aradia could see that Brenna was wearing a black bikini and Xan was wearing gray swimming trunks. Slowly, the two of them put their clothes back on, glancing at each other from time to time with a dreamily gaze. When they were both fully dressed, Xan took Brenna in his arms and kissed her one last time. The two of them lingered until finally Xan whispered something into Brenna's ear. She then giggled, and hugged Xan tighter. After a few more long silent minutes, Xan reluctantly pulled away. Holding onto her hand as long as he could, he turned and walked back into the woods.
Brenna sighed as she watched him walk away.
Until suddenly she said, "You can come out now Aradia."
Aradia gulped, and stood motionless.
Brenna chuckled as she said, "C'mon Aradia, I know you are there! You seem to be forgetting how unique your smell is. Hell even Xan could smell you and realized you were watching us. The only reason he left is because I told him I would talk to you."
Aradia sighed, stood up, and squeezed through the trees. "Is that true? Do I really smell that bad?"
Brenna shook her head and said, "No. You do not smell bad. You smell unique."
Aradia nodded, but then stopped awkwardly as she asked, "Is that a bad thing?"
Brenna shrugged. "You're the one with your smell so you tell me."
After explaining how she got to the woods, Aradia and Brenna ending up sitting on top of one of the boulders overlooking the pool.
There was an awkward silence until Aradia finally said, "So you and Xan huh?"
Brenna chuckled. "Yours is not the only love life in Salem, you know?"
Aradia sighed heavily. "At this point, I wish I didn't have a love life."
Brenna exhaled a breath through her nose. "It's funny how much or how often you can wish for something, it doesn't come true until you do something about it."
Aradia looked over to Brenna, and a few moments of silence passed.
When Aradia opened her mouth to say something, Brenna cut her off. "Take my advice Aradia, if you have the opportunity to marry for love or do anything for love do yourself a favor and take it. Love is harder to find than you think. If someone loves you, and treats you right never let him go but especially if you know he will never stop treating you right."
Aradia said nothing.
She looked at Brenna long, and hard until Brenna looked away.
Aradia then asked, "But what if he hurts me again?"
"As long as he doesn't hurt you too much than..." Brenna stopped and sighed.
However, despite the pause she continued by saying, "Take it from someone who knows Aradia. It's better to have a little pain, and a lot bit of love in a relationship than be in a relationship where there is absolutely no love at all."
Aradia raised an eyebrow. "How many relationships have no love in it?"
Brenna laughed softly with a bit of bitterness in her tone. "You would be surprised."'
Chapter Seven
"Aradia, we are running out of food!" Al shouted over the loudness of the crowd.
It was now around nine thirty on Saturday night and despite the darkness, the ear-shattering music, and the endless chatter echoing throughout the club Aradia saw Al speak. She then motioned for him to get the others, and join her in the back. Moments later, the whole gang (except for Everrett who was still DJ-ing) gathered in the cold, drafty, storage spot where
they kept the extra equipment. The place was big, blue, and had a door that led out to the back parking lot.
"So what's the problem?" Aradia asked Al.
Al groaned, and repeated his concern.
Aradia sighed deeply as she ran her hand over her sweaty face and hoped she had not smeared her make-up.
"Don't we have anything extra?" She finally asked.
D shrugged while Al shook his head and the others offered no answer as well.
"We could order a pizza," Brenna suggested.
Aradia smiled, but only briefly. "I don't have any money."
Everybody also avoided looking at Brenna indicating that his or her funds were low too.
Brenna, however, laughed at their hesitation.
"Don't worry I got money," she said.
"You are going have to order hell of a lot of pizzas you know? Considering how many people are here. Hell you might even have to spend more than two hundred dollars!" Felix pointed out.
Brenna shrugged as if that amount meant nothing to her.
"I got five hundred dollars in my car," she explained nonchalantly.
Everyone turned to look at her with his or her mouths wide open.
Finally, Aradia sputtered, "Why on earth would you keep that much money in your car?"
Brenna rolled her eyes and said, "Oh yeah like I am really going to take that much cash into a club?"
Not waiting for an answer, Brenna pushed past them to get to the door leading out to the parking lot. However, upon opening the door Brenna's look of amusement suddenly turned into a look of pure horror!
"You!" she cried out.
Aradia was shocked to hear that tone from Brenna and pushed past the others to see whom it was that Brenna was staring at.
He was a dark, heavily brown tan-skinned man with long black hair, a black goatee on his pointed chin, and high cheekbones. He also had the most malicious looking smile Aradia had ever seen on anyone, but what were truly frightening about him were his eyes. They were icy black, almost like Dax's. However, unlike Dax's there was no warmth in his eyes just pure coldness as if they were not really eyes but meteors hurtling towards the Earth eager to destroy it. Brenna backed away slowly as the man advanced into the room.
He slammed the door behind him and chuckled. "Honey, I am home."
Brenna gulped.
A few moments of awkward thick silent tension passed until Brenna finally managed to say in a weak voice, "Holden, what are you doing here?"
He rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Why do you think I am here Brenna?"
Aradia, unknowing of the situation but hoping to ease the tension, chose this point to crack a joke. "You're here to see the sights of Salem?"
Holden turned, and looked at Aradia through narrowed eyes.
"The last witch I presume?" he said, sneering.
Aradia did not even dignify that with an answer.
Holden did not answer either.
Instead, he turned back to look at Brenna and said, "Honey did you really believe that rolling with the last witch's crew would prevent me from taking you back? Ha! Please. I maybe a bunch of things, but I am not that seriously deluded."
Brenna said nothing.
Take her back? Aradia thought suspiciously, what is he talking about?
Since no one else said anything, Holden continued by asking, "So who is he?"
"What?" asked Brenna.
He rolled his eyes. "Oh give me a break Brenna, for three long years you bounce from one relative to another in two months time all over the damn country, but the moment you get to Salem you end up staying for more than a year? Only reason you would do such a thing is because a guy. So who is he? The least I can do is know what his name is before I rip out his heart, and eat it in front of him!"
He then grinned viciously while everyone stood stunned, not daring to breathe or move. Holden, however, did not wait and began to move towards Brenna. He was instantly blocked by Roy, Al, and D who stood protectively in front of their cousin folding their arms with their feet apart.
All of the brothers were very formidable, but Holden looked at them as if he was facing down a bunch of five-year olds. "Oh don't tell me she's doing all three of you?" he joked crudely.
Roy took one threatening step forwards, but Brenna quickly stepped in front of him. "They are my cousins Holden, leave them alone!" she snapped.
Holden looked back at them, and then nodded with sudden understanding. He then however asked, "But if they are not the guys you have been shacking up with who is?"
"What's going on here?"
Everyone turned to the voice that suddenly spoke from out of the darkness. Once they noticed it was Xan, Brenna gasped. She then started waving her hands motioning for Xan to get the hell out of here.
Xan did the exact opposite; he made his way towards Brenna, and stepped in front of her. He was now merely inches away from Holden, and glaring at him. Brenna looked scared, and paler than a ghost did. For a while, no one said anything until curiously Holden stepped a little closer to Xan, and sniffed the air between them. Naturally, Xan recoiled but did not waver in his intimidating position and expression. Holden's weird actions, fortunately, lasted only for a second. Unfortunately, his expression then turned from amusement to shocked disgust.
"A vampire?" he said slowly. "This is the guy you dumped me for Brenna? A vampire! My god! Have you no shame? I mean it is bad enough you are lying flat on your back for another guy, but for it to be a vampire. Dear lord! I don't think I could be more insulted if I tried!"
"I would disagree with that especially if you asked someone about your haircut," Xan muttered loudly.
Another tension-filled silence filled the room while Aradia looked over to Rhonda, Felix, and Calvin. Quickly, she grabbed Rhonda's arm and whispered into her ear to call the police. She then told Calvin to clear out the club so when the cops showed up no one was arrested for illegally occupying the club. As for Felix, she told him to go look out for the cops, and warn them once they got here.
Her friends reluctantly complied, and Aradia breathed a sigh of relief. She now had no reason to fear exposure from the others. However, she also realized that without the humans there was nothing to prevent Holden or any of the other hiddens from engaging in a huge terrible violent battle.
No one noticed them leave though; everyone was still watching Holden and Xan.
Holden glared at Xan, and Xan was looking at him with pure disdain.
"Just who the hell are you?" Aradia finally demanded.
Holden stared at her. "You mean you don't know?"
Aradia groaned. "If I did, why would I ask in the first place?"
Holden looked at the entire crowd, and then at Brenna who now stood at Xan's side.
"You mean you never told them?" He asked Brenna accusingly.
"You make it sound as if it's something to brag about," Brenna muttered under her breath bitterly.
Holden glared at her, but when he turned to look at the others again, he was smiling.
After a few moments, he finally said, "I am her mate."
Everyone's mouth dropped open at the same time.
Xan looked from Brenna to Holden and said, "What?
"You know? Her mate. Her werewolf mate," Holden clarified while smirking evilly. "In other words, I am her husband."
Xan head shot around to stare at Brenna whose gaze shifted to the floor.
Holden shrugged and said, "If you don't believe me ask Brenna. She'll show you her wedding ring."
He then turned to her and said, "Show 'em Brenna."
For the first time since Holden had shown up, Brenna smiled.
She looked up at him and said proudly, "I sold it Holden."
This time Holden's mouth dropped open in shock.
"You what?" he sputtered.
"You heard me. I sold it," Brenna said grinning.
Holden shook his head in disbelief. "You sold a 24 carat white gold diamond wedding ring? Are you out of your mind? It was
worth five thousand dollars!"
"Yeah well," said Brenna folding her arms. "It didn't mean jack shit to me!"
Holden angrily advanced towards her, but Xan stepped in front of her and pushed Holden away. He pushed him so hard that Holden practically flew backwards. When he slid down from the wall he collided with there was a huge imprint of his body impact left on it!
Strolling over to him and lifting him up by his shirt collar, Xan growled venomously into Holden's face. "Look dude I don't care if your Brenna's husband or even if your her parole officer! I want you out of here right now!"
Not waiting for a reply, Xan dragged Holden, threw him out the door, and slammed it in his face. He then extended his claws, dug them into a huge piece of broken electronic equipment, and dragged it in front of the door.
For a few moments, Holden pounded on the door.
When he finally ceased, he still managed to shout loud enough for all to hear. "This isn't over!"
They waited until they heard a car drive away and presumed it was Holden. At first, they all breathed a sigh of relief but then everyone turned to stare at Brenna. Everyone looked at her expectantly, but when she finally raised her head, she spun on her heel and ran off.
Aradia made a move to run after her, but Xan stopped her and said, "I will handle this."
Reluctantly, Aradia let Xan go after Brenna while she turned back to look blankly at the others.
It took a while, but Xan finally found Brenna. She had somehow managed to find a way to get into the main building, and hide in one of the empty apartments. Once Xan walked in and noticed she was crying, he offered her a tissue.
Sitting on the other side of the column that Brenna was sitting against, Xan exhaled a slow breath.
A few moments of silence passed until Brenna spoke. "Well aren't you going ask me about him?"
"I figured you would tell me once you were ready," said Xan.
Brenna chuckled; amazed that she could considering the circumstances.
Finally, she raised her head, and laid the back of it against the column. "You know for all the times we criticize the humans being part of their race does have its perks."
