Dark and Twisted

by Heidi Acosta

  “He just invited me for moral support. Try not to make a bigger deal out of this than it really is,” I correct her.

  An evil grin spreads across her face. “That’s not what he said to Jamie.”

  “Liv, please, can we stop dancing?”

  “I’m just so glad you have moved on from Jaxson. That kid was one petty theft away from jail time.”

  And the thought of him is back. My stomach constricts at the mention of his name.

  Sensing my mood change, Liv pulls me in for a hug. “I just hope they catch him soon. I hate to think he is out there stalking his next victim.” She shivers.

  “I can’t believe they are still holding homecoming when it’s only been a few days since Juliet disappeared.” I sit back down on the bed. I wanted to talk to Cardelian about it, but couldn’t muster up the courage. I can’t begin to imagine what he is feeling, since his brother a suspect.

  “I know.” Liv sits down next to me. “I keep waiting for her to try to snatch Jamie away or try to take my spot on the cheer team … but she’s gone.”

  She moves closer to me and slips her hand into mine. “It feels wrong, the dance, being happy, all of it. We should be doing more to help find her. Not moving on so quickly.”

  “Everything that could be done was and is,” she says. “Her parents were the ones that called off the search for her.”

  She is right. Even the rumors of what happened to her have died, replaced with the pettiness of homecoming.

  “That’s why we’re going tonight. The whole night is being held in her honor, even the gym is decorated in red, her favorite color. She is also being named homecoming queen. Her crown will sit in the trophy case until she is brought home. It is everything she wanted.”

  Having a dance in her name seems twisted and sick. The town should be looking for her, not hanging streamers and balloons. Sighing, I fall back into the pillow. Since I found out that Jaxson and Juliet are gone, it is like I’m just going through the motions of living. The stone slips across my skin with a tiny thud, and it’s a small comfort. An all too familiar lump forms in the back of my throat, and I swallow hard, forcing the emotion back down.

  “Don’t worry, I will find you the perfect outfit for tonight,” Liv smiles at me, making her way to my closet.

  ###

  I tug at the green velvet skirt Liv convinced me to wear. Paired with an oversized sweater, black tights, and black suede ankle boots it is not too far out of my comfort zone.

  “Stop fidgeting! You look great.”

  Abandoning her cheer duties, Liv sits next to me on the bleachers. The cheerleaders did a routine in Juliet’s name, but what it had to do with her, I’m not sure. There was a lot of flips and a red flag at the end.

  “What did you think of the routine?” Liv asks.

  “It looked great. I’m sure Juliet would have loved it.” I pat her on her shoulder to show her my support. Right after the routine, there was a small speech by Principal Black, then the game began, and the memory of Juliet was quickly replaced with anticipation of the impending win.

  Just about everyone who lives in town came out tonight. Cardelian brings a new kind of energy to the game, one that wasn’t there before. With him, we actually have a chance of making it to state. Even I can’t help feeling a tiny flutter of excitement. We are ahead in the first game we have a chance at winning in over a decade, all thanks to Cardelian. He is almost unnatural on the football field, his speed and stamina are astonishing each pass he makes it is as if he is flying.

  We stand, cheering with the crowd, and sit back down. Liv glances in my direction and then to her feet.

  “What?” I ask when I can no longer take her nervous stares.

  She bites her bottom lip. “I promised I wouldn’t say anything.”

  “So then don’t.” I stand up again and cheer.

  “But I have to tell you.” She pulls me back down.

  “Fine, so tell me.” I turn to her.

  “I didn’t think it would matter because we never win, I mean everyone said this would be our year, but …”

  “Liv, what are you talking about?”

  “Okay, so, Cardelian told Jamie that if we won tonight, he has something special planned for you. I think he’s going to ask you out.” She squeals, then covers her mouth with her hand.

  “What? He wouldn’t. Not with everything going on,” I quickly correct her.

  “Bad times bring people closer together. Just think about it. If he asks you out, we can double date.”

  I stare at her in shock. Has she lost her mind?

  “You will be his girlfriend,” she clarifies.

  “I know what going out means. I just don’t believe it.”

  “See what the right outfit can get you.” She bumps me with her hip. “I have to go, it’s almost half time.” She hugs me then squeals again. “Eden, you’re going to have a boyfriend.” She hugs me tighter before letting me go and skipping down the bleachers.

  Liv seems so certain, but I’m not even sure if it’s is what I want. I need time to process this. It was a mistake coming here tonight. I press the stone into my skin, and a small ache spreads across my chest.

  The stone feels colder than normal. Ice slides down my spine, and my stomach drop out from under me. He is here, I can feel him all around me. The air is charged with him. I search for him. Scanning my surroundings. A mound of players sits on top of each other while Cardelian darts across the green with the ball in his hand. The crowd is going crazy, and the bleachers shake from their movement.

  The Wind pulls at my hair, and my heart races, he has to be here. As twisted as it is, I crave the beautiful darkness that he radiates. And then I see him. Jaxson stands on the edge of the football field next to the woods. My eyes are drawn to him, like a magnet, and every fiber in my body aches to go to him. The stone thuds hard, alive with his presence. Even with his features shaded, his eyes glow like a beacon. He watches me, waiting to see what I will do. My skin itches to touch him, to be near him. My heart is at war with my brain, which is telling me, this is bad. Go get help. I stand up, unsure of what I’m going to do, but I know I need to do something or I might explode.

  He slips back into the shadows, but I can still feel him there watching me, waiting for me. I lean over the railing and someone behind me complains that I’m blocking their view, but I ignore them. He is here for me. A mixture of fear and excitement swirls inside of me. This is a dark and dangerous game I’m playing, one that can end very badly, but I’m ready to play.

  I jog down the stairs, the whole structure shakes as I descend. Music erupts, signaling halftime as my feet hit the dry grass. My heart leaps a little higher in my chest with each step as I try to ignore the alarms going off in my head, telling me this is dangerous. I think I might be becoming one of those adrenaline junkies, running toward the danger and not away.

  “Are you leaving? Hope my playing wasn’t that bad.”

  Cardelian steps out in front of me and I skid to a halt, my hands stopping on his padded chest. I instantly feel hot all over, despite the freezing cold air. His helmet rests under his arm, and his hair is damp with sweat as it hangs in his honey-colored eyes. Liv is right, he really is gorgeous. I should be ecstatic that he likes me. This isn’t like the figment of Jaxson I’m chasing, Cardelian really likes me.

  For a moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like to be his girlfriend to forget about Jaxson. Going to parties, watching him play football, and him leaning in to kiss me at my locker.

  Heat rises off him and a warm breeze swirls around us, kissing my skin. I grip at the silky material of his jersey as he pulls me close. My head spins with the smell of sweet, foreign spices. My legs wobble feeling like they might give out.

  “Cardelian.” When I say his name, my voice comes out distant, far away.

  “Eden, are you okay?” He touches my elbow.

  No, everything has a fuzzy dreamlike quality to it, making me feel dizzy. The only thing that is
keeping me awake is the fast beat of the stone.

  “Yes … yes. I just need some water,” I say shakily, staring at the trees where’d I’d seen Jaxson only seconds before. I hold on to Cardelian for support. Heat spreads through my body as a cold, angry wind whips my face.

  Cardelian takes me over to a bench and hands me a bottle of water from a nearby cooler.

  “Thanks.” I carefully take a sip as he sits down next to me, dropping his helmet to the ground.

  “Are you sure you are okay? You look like you saw a ghost.” The heat is gone, and an angry, cold wind whips flurries at us, but he doesn’t seem to notice the change in theweather.

  “I’m fine. Just overheated.” I loosen my scarf and take another sip of water as I glance at the tree line. Could I be imaging it?

  Cardelian moves closer to me, his knee resting against mine. “I’m really glad you came tonight. I didn’t think you would show.”

  I give him a weak smile and force my eyes away from the tree line. Liv is right, I need to forget about Jaxson. I need to think about the here and now. Now is Cardelian, a boy that likes me, one that is not playing sick games with my head. I take another gulp of water, letting the fog clear.

  “I’m glad I came.” And I mean it—I think.

  Cardelian leans in towards me, his eyes closed, and I freeze. He’s going to kiss me. The wind picks up, whitening everything in front of me. I can no longer see anything, yet somehow, Cardelian’s lips still press hard against mine. Once again I’m washed in warmth. The storm stills and tiny flurries dance around us. This should be romantic, but sharp pain shoots through me. I gasp, pulling away.

  The pain I’m feeling is not mine. It’s someone else’s. I grab the stone around my neck, where it thuds softly, feeling as if it’s going to break in to a thousand tiny pieces. I glance up at Cardelian, and he is staring at the necklace in my hand with a look of hurt.

  “I’m sorry. I—”

  He stares at the stone still clutched in my hand. “No, I’m the one who is sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you so soon.” He gets up and grabs his helmet. “Will you please stay?”

  I look back at the trees, but see nothing except shadows.

  Jaxon is gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I watch my breath trickle out in a tiny white cloud and swirl into the air. We won, the town is ecstatic with our new golden boy. The king of football. Music thumps from the school gym in celebration of our victory. I wait for him, leaning against the cement wall outside the locker room and drawing a smiley face on the frozen ground with the toe of my boot. Avoiding looking up at the trees, I refuse to allow my mind to go back to the one thing that is skirting its edges.

  “I see why you’re failing art.”

  My stomach flips and my heart races, I try to play it cool and ignore the excitement I feel. Don’t feel this way.

  “I’m not failing art.”

  He steps on my happy face, crushing it with the tip of his black boot. He is too close. Electricity travels through me, and all of my senses fill with the sweet, metallic smell of fresh snow. The chill dancing off him makes me feel alive. I can’t hide the smile tugging at my lips.

  “You sure are happy for someone that is failing.” He taps his boot against my foot.

  I still don’t look up at him. I keep my eyes on our feet. “I already told you, I’m not failing. Maybe I’m happy that we finally won a game.”

  He snorts. “I doubt that’s why you’re happy.”

  He knows why I’m smiling, and he wants me to say it, but I refuse to let him win this little game we are playing.

  “Yeah, then why?”

  He moves his hands to the wall, bracing himself, his body a mere inch from mine. It takes all I have not to close the distance between and smash my body against his. I give in and look at him, into those otherworldly pale blue eyes. I tilt my head towards him, his cold breath leaves a trail of ice down my neck.

  I’m lost in him, and I forget about the world around us and why I was here in the first place. I forget that I’m supposed to be scared of him, or that we are playing a game. I forget the rumors of him being dangerous. For now, it’s just him and I. My breath comes fast and my chest heaves, pushing my jacket open. His mouth lingers above mine.

  “You’re happy because you are dating my brother,” he says coldly, pushing away from the wall and leaving me trying to catch my breath.

  I feel like a child who just had her blanket ripped from her. I’m filled with anger and hurt once again. Anything this beautiful has the right to be sharp, and like a knife, he slashes open a wound. He takes two large steps back, and the distance between us looms in front of me like a trench.

  Why did I let him do this to me again? He’s a sociopath. I’m just a piece in his sick game, and I’ve fallen for it again.

  “You are right.” I jut out my chin. “He’s about to take me on a date.”

  He laughs again, and it’s cold and calculated, sending a different type of chill down my spine. “Is that what he’s calling it nowadays?” Agitated, he shoves a hand into his hair, pulling it forward in a curtain. He takes a pack of cigarettes out from his back pocket, with one swift move, it rests between his lips the end of it glowing red.

  “Didn’t you ever hear that cigarettes kill?” I snap.

  “There are worse ways to die, besides I thought you smoked a pack a day?”

  “I quit.” My cheeks warm at being caught in my lie.

  “Why are you even here, Jaxson? Did you come to mock me? Because you can save it and get in the long line of people waiting,” I spit.

  “I’m sick and twisted. I want to watch my blood run, even if I’m not the one holding the knife.”

  “What the hell does that even mean?” I yell, my anger boiling over.

  “Just forget about it, Ace.” He starts to walk away, but I’m not going to forget it. He came here to drive me crazy, and it’s working. I run after him yanking on his arm. “Seriously, why did you come? Did come to play games with my emotions…or did you come here to hurt me?” Tears sting at my eyes.

  “Is that what you think that I want? To hurt you?” He turns on me, and once again, he is too close to me.

  “Yes.” Salty tears slip down my throat. He looks tired in the shadows of the yellow light flickering above us, threatening to go out. “What did you do to Juliet? Did you hurt her, too?” My words are sharp on my tongue, the venom stinging as I let them slip out.

  “No. I tried to help her, but she didn’t want——”

  “So she’s alive?” I cut him off, relieved.

  “She is her same soulless self,” he says cynically.

  Alarms ring in my ears as I let out a nervous laugh. “Everyone has a soul.” My stomach flutters and twists nervously.

  He steps closer, his body crowding mine again. “There are creatures out there that are soulless. Creatures of nightmares,” he whispers into my ear.

  I want to back away, but I can’t. “Nightmares.” The whisper slips off my tongue. My heart feels like it’s going to pound right out of my chest.

  “They think you had something to do with her missing,” I breathe. “If you know what happened to her,” I push on, “you have to say something. Go to the police.”

  “Ace, I …” He stops shaking his head and tries again. “The only thing I want with of all my heart …”

  “Eden?”

  Snapping my head around, I see Cardelian looking confused. I glance back at Jaxson, but he is gone. The only thing that remains is the frost on the ground where he stood.

  “I’m sorry,” is all I say before I take off running.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Heavy snow falls, landing between the tightly woven trees and blurring the world around me. I have to fight the spindly arms of the bare trees that reach for me, yanking at my hair and tugging at my clothes. The wind blows me back, but I don’t stop. I keep fighting to get to him. Somehow Jaxson is controlling the weather, he doesn’t want me to fo
llow him.

  Someone darts in front of me, knocking me back, I land with a yelp, jarring my insides. My attacker stands over me, their eyes glowing bright red. A low, throaty growl vibrates from him. I push myself up, bracing myself to run. A red glow envelopes him, and he begins to twitch. I should be running and going for help from the police or the government. Instead, I stand frozen like an idiot.

  My attacker falls to the ground withering—and then nothing. It stops, the light goes out, and in his place is a dark heap. I squint, trying to get a better look. My attacker is gone, and in his place, is Cardelian. He tries to push himself up, but falls back.

  “What the heck?” My mind tries to make sense of what I just saw. Alien theories are replaced with werewolves, vampires, and then back to aliens.

  His body pulsates as I watch him change once again in the moonlight. His hair is slicked back, showing off pointy ears. Not werewolf pointy, but more in a Lord of the Rings way. What the hell? I squeeze my eyes shut and look at him again. Its official, I’m crazy.

  Wings unfurl out of his back. They’re on fire, and the red and orange flames lick them. He stands, stretching the wings out, they are as long as he is in length and about twice the height. Heat moves off the fire, melting the snow in their vicinity. Everything else about him looks normal. Well, as normal as a gorgeous, ripped, eighteen-year-old boy with wings and pointy ears can look. He turns to me, his eyes glowing a bright red.

  I should be freaking out now, but I’m mesmerized, as if in a trance. He bows his head, his breath coming out fast and ragged as he grips a nearby tree for support. The bark burns where his wings touch, falling in ashes.

  “Eden,” he gasps before falling back to the ground.

  I’ve read enough books to know I should be terrified. He changed into the monster from those fairy tales I read as a child, but all the fear is gone seeing him in this weak, vulnerable state. I just hope that if he turned into a vampire, it’s one of those sparkly vegetarian types.