Sweet Desire, Wicked Fate

by Wray Ardan

  I knew it! He’s had a run-in with the Mal Rous. Jaden stared at the sheriff and considered the chances that she could end up looking like him.

  “Thank you again, Officer Duncan. I’ll call Dr. Schilling first thing in the morning.”

  Unable to find an uninfected area on Jaden, Brooke took hold of the hem of her daughter’s grimy T-shirt and dragged her into the house.

  Home. Jaden hadn’t realized how happy she could be to see the tacky, second-hand furnishings that filled the rental house. When the door shut, the chill of the air conditioner was a welcome contrast to the muggy night air.

  Brooke grabbed the remote from Ava and clicked off the television. “Okay, I’m going to try to stay calm. Now, where were you all day?” Jaden stared at the blank TV screen, her lips flattening into a straight line as she listened to her mom’s tirade. “We were worried sick about you! What were you thinking? I drove back to the mansion a couple of hours ago and you weren’t there.” Brooke’s grand intentions of staying calm had rapidly devolved into a stream of babbling. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you have your phone? Where is it? What’s the point of having one if you don’t use it when there’s an emergency?”

  When her mom seemed to have run out of steam, Jaden looked at Ava, who was sitting on the sofa, watching complacently. “You almost got your wish,” Jaden told her sister. “I could have been—”

  “Jaden Olivia Lisette, that’s enough! Your sister’s been here all night pacing the floor with me.”

  “Yeah, Mom.” Jaden walked toward the bathroom. “I’m sure you were both upset.”

  “Don’t you walk away from me, young lady. We’re not done here.”

  “Mom, I’m really tired and I need a shower.” She felt numb.

  “Just know that this conversation isn’t over.”

  Jaden shook her head. Brooke always called her lectures conversations.

  Her mother gave her plenty of room to pass, then added, “Make the water as hot as you can stand it. It’ll help stop the itch for a while. There’s some baking soda in the refrig. I’ll mix up a paste for you to put on the blisters.”

  Jaden stood in the shower letting the hot water penetrate her sores, gradually easing her discomfort, her resentment toward her sister, and her anguish over the events of the day. Crying, she stayed under the running water until it turned cold. As she shut it off, she realized that she’d never be able to wash away her fears.

  She spent that night quietly weeping.

  When she woke the next morning, her skin was an itchy, oozing mess of poison ivy rashes, flaring up as if screaming at her that the Mal Rous were real. She desperately wanted to escape from her body. Her world would never be the same; she would never be the same. As long as her family remained in this town, none of them were safe. Was this to be her fate, dying at the hands of ruthless mutant pond scum? She wanted to leap up and start running. But she had no idea where she would go. Running had always been a way for her to clear her mind—the same mind she felt certain she was now losing.

  “I’m exhausted,” Ava complained, all comfy in her twin bed. She propped her head up and looked down as Jaden rolled off her air mattress onto the carpet. “I didn’t get any rest last night with all the scratching and racket you were making. You’re sleeping in the other room tonight.” Ava crinkled her nose. “You look so gross. What did you do after you jumped out of the car yesterday?”

  Jaden stood up and looked at Ava’s oh-so-cute dimples accentuating her annoyingly perfect smile. “Jumped out? Yeah, sure, that’s what happened.” She stalked from the room, closing the door behind her, then gagged. She hated it when she sounded like her sister. Their similarities bothered her way more than their differences. Preparing for a long lecture with some fuming tossed in, she took a deep breath and went into the kitchenette.

  “How are you, sweetie?” Her mom poured milk over a bowl of cereal, averting her eyes from Jaden’s blotchy skin. “I called that doctor Officer Duncan recommended. They’re going to work us in, so we have to leave soon.”

  Jaden deliberately blinked in slow motion. “Who are you and what did you do with my irate mom?”

  Brooke smiled kindly and shrugged her shoulders.

  “Are you sure he was a real officer?” Jaden asked. “He didn’t even have a uniform.”

  “Sweetie, he brought you home to us. That’s all that matters. I’m sorry I was so angry last night. I … I was afraid that something terrible had happened to you.”

  It did. Jaden thought.

  “So. Are you ready to tell me what happened?” Leaving her breakfast on the kitchen counter, Brooke sat at the table beckoning Jaden to sit in the chair next to her. “I promise I won’t overreact.”

  Jaden eyed the bowl of cereal still on the counter. Ava was right. She was disgusting. Her mom couldn’t even eat in the same room with her. Jaden’s hand hovered over a patch of her poison ivy as she fought the urge to scratch her sores. She sat on the edge of the seat. Her thoughts hopped around as she searched for the right thing to say.

  “Yesterday I—I found these things on the property that are really dangerous.” She lowered her voice, not wanting to sound like a whiny kid. “We have to get out of here.”

  “Jaden, poison ivy is not dangerous. It’s just a pain in the butt. You will survive.”

  “No, I’m not talking about this.” Jaden gestured at her inflamed skin. “Mom, we need to get out of town. I know why Dad’s family left this place.”

  “I’m listening. Go on, tell me your story.” Brooke always used that tone when she expected her daughters to tell her a tall tale. She leaned her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm.

  “Something bad is going to happen to us, Mom. You have to believe me.” Jaden pressed her lips together and looked out the window wondering what the repercussions would be for sharing her disturbing secret. After all, the Mal Rous wouldn’t necessarily know.

  “Jade, just tell me what happened.” Brooke tapped her fingers on the table to get her daughter’s attention.

  “What do you know about Dad’s family?” Jaden’s gaze shifted to her mother’s hand. “I know his father died before Dad was born. Was he some kind of a professor?”

  “I don’t know. Your dad said your grandmother was so heartbroken that she never talked about him.” Brooke gestured toward a Fed Ex box on the counter. “If your Aunt Amelia hadn’t died, I wouldn’t even know about this estate. I was surprised when she left us everything. I didn’t think she … or your grandmother, wanted anything to do with us. Especially after your dad… .”

  Jaden knew her mother had never thought she would marry a career military man. “Love is blind,” she’d said every time her husband had shipped out. But he was so much more than his career. He was a great dad. A good person. It had been five years since he’d been deployed to fight in what Brooke always referred to as another pointless war. And four years since he was declared missing in action. Eleven months later, when his body was recovered, Jaden thought she’d feel a sense of closure. She was still waiting.

  “Guyon Manor,” Jaden whispered. Looking at the Fed Ex box, she asked, “Do you think Dad ever got to see it?”

  “He never mentioned it to me.”

  Jaden expelled an exaggerated sigh. “Maybe he did. Maybe he knew all about it and that’s why he never said anything.”

  “Jade, what’s going on? What’s this about?”

  Tears rimmed Jaden’s eyes.

  “Honey, are you going to tell me what happened?”

  “Will you keep a really open mind?” She held her mother’s gaze. “Don’t say I have a remarkable imagination. This isn’t like one of the stories I write for extra credit in English class.”

  Before she could explain anything, Ava walked into the room and plopped on the sofa with her phone, ready for a busy morning of texting. Jaden crinkled her eyes to stop the tears from reaching her lashes and stared at her sister until she appeared distorted, resembling a wicked witch.
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  That’s it! I must have hit my head during the storm. Instead of seeing Munchkins, I’m seeing Mal Rous.

  “Sweetie? Jade … ?”

  “I’ll tell you later, Mom. Don’t we have to leave soon?”

  In another twenty minutes, the two of them were alone in the car. Clicking on her seatbelt, Brooke looked over at her daughter. “Okay, I’m listening. Start talking.”

  CHAPTER 4

  The clock in Briz’s room clicked to ten A.M. and he called Jaden’s number again. He’d left a dozen messages and texts for her. Jaden always returned his calls. Did something happen to her? Did he do something to make her mad? They’d only met three weeks ago, but he considered her a good friend. Again he got her leave-a-message message.

  “This is Jaden. Precycle. Recycle. Plant a tree.” Beep.

  Still no answer. Now he felt more anxious. He sprang from his desk as if he’d just had a shot of crystallized caffeine and grabbed his car keys.

  When he arrived at Jaden’s house and knocked on the door, Ava greeted him. Her damp hair trailed down the front of her skimpy tank top, making the fabric almost transparent.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Ava’s words were dipped in nectar. She scanned his nearly six-foot frame and licked her lips. “Too bad you weren’t here earlier. You could have showered with me.”

  Briz blinked in surprise. Though he was originally from Seattle, he couldn’t help feeling that Ava saw him as her southern boy-toy. He was all too aware of the khaki shorts hanging loosely on his hips, and the fact that his shirt was only buttoned halfway up. He suddenly understood what his sisters said about feeling self-conscious and unempowered when guys undressed them with their eyes.

  It took Briz a moment to remember that he hadn’t come over to see Ava. “Is Jaden home?”

  “No. The idiot got into poison ivy. It’s all over her. My mom took her to a doctor.” Ava took Briz’s hand. “Come on in. I have something for you.”

  He didn’t move.

  “Come on. I won’t bite.”

  He let his hand fall away from hers as he followed her into the house.

  “I picked this up for you.” Ava handed him a bag. Standing on her toes, she put her lips next to his ear and added breathlessly, “For your birthday.”

  Briz couldn’t ignore the surge of energy. It made his skin tingle. Opening the bag, he pulled out a book. His eyebrows rose. “You got this for me?”

  “Yeah. Jade said you’d like it. You don’t already have it, do you?”

  “No.” He tried to speak up, but it was as if someone was flicking his voice on and off with a mute button. “I, I don’t.”

  “Well.” Ava leaned against him. “You don’t sound very grateful.”

  “I just didn’t expect to get anything from you.”

  “I know. But giving just the right gift is one of my many wonderful assets.”

  Ava’s assets were pressing against him, making him feel as if he was a soft furry bunny and she was the big bad wolf. He was used to being the pursuer, not the pursued. She ran her fingernails along his arm, which was hanging at his side like a piece of cardboard.

  “Relax, Briz. I’m sorry about yesterday. I was in a bit of a mood.”

  “Yeah, no problem.”

  The fragrance of her shampoo invited him to lower his head next to hers. “Thanks. This is really great.” Fumbling with the book, he walked to the door. “Um, yeah … well, I better get going. I have to help my dad with some stuff. Tell Jaden I hope she feels better soon.”

  “Sure.” Ava gave him a mischievous smile, her eyes fixed on his mouth.

  Tripping over his feet, he said goodbye and sprinted to his car.

  CHAPTER 5

  Jaden prided herself on being able to keep a secret. Her friends knew they could trust her with their most private thoughts. But this was a matter of life and death. So in spite of the Mal Rous’ warnings, she told her mom the whole story while they drove to the appointment.

  When she got to the part about the walking, talking humanoid fiends, she saw her mom go rigid. Her reaction wasn’t a surprise. Jaden had expected her to think this was another one of her daughter’s elaborate fables. In fact, the entire time she tried to convince her mom that the Mal Rous were real, Jaden was hoping that they weren’t.

  Brooke let her do all the talking on the way to the doctor’s office. But during the drive home, it was her turn.

  “Jade, if this is all because you’re mad at your sister, stop it. Don’t blame Ava. It’s not her fault that Briz asked her out instead of you. You shouldn’t have jumped from the car and run off to find him.”

  “Mom, I didn’t—this isn’t about Ava! I’m telling you the truth—unlike your other daughter, who despises me.”

  “Jaden, I’m not blind. I know how different you two girls are. But Ava doesn’t despise you.”

  Did her mom honestly believe that? Ava found ways to make Jaden feel worthless every day. She shook her head, but Brooke misinterpreted.

  “Oh baby, I’m not so old that I don’t remember what having a crush is like. Especially when it’s not reciprocated.”

  “The only crushing I’m worried about is how the Mal Rous are going to pulverize us.”

  “Jade—”

  “Well, it’s the truth!”

  “The truth, huh? Well, I don’t believe your alien monsters are real. End of story.”

  Jaden knew end of story didn’t mean end of lecture. She pressed her lips together to keep quiet, but when Brooke spoke again it wasn’t about the alien monsters.

  “And as far as Briz goes, he’s too old for you.”

  “Dad was six years older than you.” Why was she bothering to defend her feelings? She couldn’t compete with Ava. Besides, she had Mal Rous to deal with.

  “Yes, but I met your dad when I was twenty-seven, not fifteen.”

  “I’m almost sixteen. And I just wanted to go out with him. Not marry him.” It was true. Jaden didn’t want to marry Briz. But she had to admit to herself that from the moment she first saw him, she wanted to be a whole lot more than friends. “And now Ava stole him—”

  “Jaden, let it go. We’re here to fix up that house, not have fun. Try to understand. We need the money we can make selling the estate. I’m a schoolteacher, not a plastic surgeon. Will you just try to get along with your sister? For me? By the end of summer we’ll be back home and you’ll never see this Briz boy again.”

  Never having to see Ava again—or the Mal Rous—sounded better. “So you’re going to ignore the fact that monsters want to kill us.”

  “Oh, please!”

  “No, Mom, you please! You don’t get it. They want to skewer us like shish kabobs. They’re real!” The lesions that covered Jaden’s body flared up.

  She had never raised her voice at her mother before. “Sorry,” she murmured.

  What was wrong with her? Was it the disgust she felt at the idea of Briz hooking up with Ava? Frustration that her mom wouldn’t believe they were in a life-threatening situation? Or a glitch in her personality caused by that Tig creature’s venom and Ivan’s poison ivy?

  “I love you, Jade,” Brooke said, parking in their driveway and sweeping her fingers through Jaden’s hair; the only place on her body where there weren’t any sores.

  “Yeah, I love you, too,” she replied automatically.

  “Now, no more ridiculous stories to get your way.” Her mom handed her a large jar of ointment. “Dr. Schilling said to keep a thick coat of this on and stay calm. Getting upset will only make it worse.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Opening the car door, Jaden looked at the inflammations on her arms, and muttered to herself, “No problem, just stay calm. I mean, what’s the big deal? Why go postal about rank mutations from the bayou mutilating us while we beg them to finish us off?”

  When they entered the house Ava was lounging on the couch wearing her normal aggravated expression.

  “What took you so long?” Like a hawk honing in on a mous
e, she fixed her gaze on Jaden. “By the way, Briz came by. Yum. Who knew I’d ever think a book nerd was hot? Ends up he’s just my type. I told him what a twit you were, falling into the poison ivy. How disgus—”

  “Ava, that’s enough!” Brooke walked past her to the kitchen.

  “What guy isn’t your type?” Jaden squeezed the jar of ointment; nothing would have made her happier than flinging it at her sister.

  “Jaden!” Brooke took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “The two of you are going to drive me to drink.”

  “Oh, no.” Ava grinned. “We’re driving you to drink water?”

  Jaden didn’t laugh. How could she when she was the number-one reason her mom was stressing?

  “Ava, just go get ready,” Brooke said wearily. “We’re leaving now.”

  “Come on, Mom. It’s already late. Let’s take the day off and do something fun for a change.” Ava recited the words posted on the sign they’d seen as they entered town, “Let’s ‘enjoy the southern charm of Belle Fleur.’ Hah.” Slouching back on the sofa, she propped her feet on the edge of the coffee table. “What a joke.”

  “Just hurry up and get dressed. I have to take some electrical supplies over to Carl.”

  “Duh, I am dressed.”

  “Get more dressed.” Brooke looked at her older daughter’s ensemble. “We’re going to work, not to entertain the crew.”

  “Come on. It’s too hot to wear more.”

  Stone-faced, Brooke held Ava’s gaze until her daughter sauntered off to the bedroom. Then she turned to Jaden. “Go put that stuff on your sores.”

  Jaden went in the bathroom and opened the jar. The ointment was bright fuchsia. Her face wrinkled like a prune at the awful smell. “You’ve got to be kidding. This stuff is nasty.” Smearing it on, she balked at her reflection in the mirror. “Oh, real nice.”

  Regardless of how bad it smelled and looked, the medicine had already started to sooth her festering sores. She emerged from the bathroom coated in a thick layer of goop, braced for Ava’s abuse. Brooke did a double take, while Ava howled with delight.