Ageless

by Cege Smith

  “No, it wasn’t supposed to be time now either,” Margo said. “But I’m not the one that gets to make those decisions and a few people got a bit overzealous. I was going to tell you everything right after the term ended.”

  “Why then?” Violet asked, afraid of the answer.

  Margo stopped and stared at her. Violet could see pity in her eyes. “I wanted you to have that last little bit of a normal life before everything went crazy for you. Because you are my friend, and it’s what I wish someone would have done for me.”

  Violet didn’t understand what Margo was telling her; it was like she was talking in code. What she did understand was that everything Margo had done was in an effort to manipulate Violet to some end that she didn’t know yet. If what she saw in that room at Mike’s house was any indication, Violet knew that she wasn’t going to like it. Somehow her best friend was involved what whatever had played out there. Violet felt sick thinking that Margo may have even participated.

  Violet was scared. She was in a room in a place that she had never seen before and she had no idea who may be lurking outside. She needed time to think. She saw that Margo was watching her face intently. She took a slow breath. As much as she wanted to scream and try to find help, she needed to find out where she was first.

  “If you truly are my friend, Margo, then I’d like you to take me home now,” Violet said carefully. “You are scaring me.”

  Margo shook her head. Violet could see that she was struggling with what she was saying. “I can’t do that, Vi. Even if I could, it isn’t safe for you at Bayersfield right now. Not after what happened at Mike’s. There are too many people who are sniffing around that are trouble.”

  “What are you talking about?” Violet was scared but she could feel something else bubbling inside of her. Anger. “I don’t know what you are mixed up in, Margo, but it has absolutely nothing to do with me and it is unfair that you dragged me into it. I didn’t ask for any of this. I want to go home. NOW.”

  The pity had returned to Margo’s eyes. “Oh, Vi. What’s happened has got everything to do with you; you just don’t know it yet. Let me explain.”

  “No!” Violet yelled. “Leave me alone. Get out of here! You aren’t my friend, you never were my friend, and I’m not going to believe a damn word that comes out of your mouth from this point forward. Get out!” Violet swung around and went to stand next to the window sill. She looked out and saw a wide expansive lawn below her that led to a wooded area about a hundred feet away. There was nothing familiar about it.

  “Vi—” Margo started.

  “Shut up and leave me alone, Margo.” Violet refused to listen to anymore.

  There was a long pause. Then Violet heard soft footsteps crossing the floor, but they weren’t headed in her direction. She closed her eyes, relieved. She rarely spoke in anger, and Margo had a knack for always being able to cajole her to her way of thinking. But whatever was going on wasn’t natural and nothing Margo said was going to change her mind. Violet needed time to sit and think and figure out a way to get out of there.

  She heard a soft knock on the door and then the click of a lock. She hadn’t realized that they were locked in the room. She turned to see the doors open. Margo stood to the side with a small nod when the man from the library swept into the room. Violet’s mouth dropped.

  He looked exactly like she remembered, except now he wore a pair of khakis and a button-down purple shirt that made his violet eyes even darker. The outfit made him look even older. In the library he had appeared curious and friendly, but now his face wore a frown.

  He dug his hands into his pockets and then looked at Margo. “Judging by what I just overheard, things don’t appear to be going as well as you assured us, Margaret.”

  Margaret? Violet stared as Margo’s head bowed down even further. She had never seen her strong and confident friend look so subservient.

  Margo mumbled something under her breath and the man’s gaze swept back over her. “What was that?”

  “She said that she was doing just fine until you came along with your antics, Jeremiah,” a cool voice said. Violet saw another man lounging against the doorjamb with his arms crossed, watching her intently. She saw a striking similarity between him and the man standing in front of her. The man in the doorway was equally handsome, except instead of black hair his was dark brown. But the violet eyes were the same. “Margo couldn’t have known those kids were going to call in Pamela’s crew too. Who are you using to gather your intel? I’d say this is wholly your fault, brother, as usual.”

  Brothers. That explained it. Either one of them would easily exceed any girl’s fantasy of the hottest guy they could imagine. Both of them together in the same room made Violet’s pulse race. It was hard for her to remember her own name at the moment.

  “Margaret had ample time to secure Violet’s agreement to our plans. Instead, based on what I saw, I think that she was a bit too enthralled with the idea of reliving her childhood,” the man called Jeremiah said as he turned to smile at Violet. Her heart skipped a beat as he stepped closer and took her hand in his. “Welcome to my home, Violet. I apologize that I did not have a chance to fully introduce myself yesterday, and now we are doing so under such strange circumstances. I can assure you that you will want for nothing during your stay here. All you need to do is tell me what you desire.”

  Violet blinked as the den in Mike’s house flashed through her mind. She was certain whatever had happened there would be classified as much more than simply strange circumstances. Then she caught his glance down at her and the appreciative twinkle in his eye. She remembered what she was wearing and flushed. She was practically naked in front of this strange and alluring man. She snatched her hand out of his and pulled the afghan tighter around her shoulders to cover herself.

  “I don’t care who you are. I want to go home,” she said in a much more confident voice than she felt inside. His brief touch had made her knees go weak.

  Loud chuckles filled the room and Jeremiah whirled around. Violet saw that his brother was trying, but not succeeding, in keeping his laughter at bay. “It is refreshing to find someone who is immune to your charms, Jeremiah.”

  Violet wasn’t sure that immune was the right word, but she had never been one to fall all over a hot guy. Not that she had any real experience in that arena. Plus no matter what Margo had said about being safe, there was definitely an air of tension in the room. The people that surrounded her were keeping secrets.

  Jeremiah stalked over to his brother and stared at him hard. “All right, Jonah. If you feel she would be more receptive to your charms, be my guest. We’ll see if you have better luck.” He shot a glare at Margo. “She needs to be ready by 8 p.m. I trust I will find her more amenable or else you will be the one to pay the consequences, Margaret.” With that, Jeremiah left the room.

  Margo’s face had turned ashen. Jonah stepped into the room and put a hand on her arm. “He didn’t mean it.”

  “He did,” Margo said. She looked distraught.

  Jonah put his arm around Margo and placed his chin on top of her head. “I’ll take care of Jeremiah. I always do. Don’t worry.”

  As Violet watched the intimate scene in front of her, she found it surreal. All of the fuss and Margo’s distress seemed to be about Violet, and she had no idea why. Although ten minutes before she had no desire to get involved, there was a part of her that still didn’t want anything to happen to Margo. Violet felt hurt and betrayed, but she wouldn’t leave her friend in the lurch, especially if she could help.

  Violet cleared her throat and watched Jonah release Margo. Then he approached her cautiously but with clear intent. Although Jonah seemed more easygoing than his brother, he still had the presence of a predator. Violet saw the elongated teeth again in her mind and her eyes widened. She was certain that the man who had caught her in the hallway was Jonah.

  His eyes slipped down her still form. She could see that he was as pleased by what he saw as his brother, and
she flushed. He stopped just in front of her and then held out his hand. “Any friend of Margo’s is a friend of mine. I’m Jonah.”

  She looked at his hand but didn’t put out her own. “Violet,” she said. She needed more information if she was going to make sense of this mess that she was in, but Violet realized that she was going to have to play nice to do that.

  Jonah smiled and she felt a burst of pleasure inside. Her reaction to him, like her reaction to his brother, was strange and primal, but not at all unpleasant, which confused her even more. Jonah had been in Mike’s house. Like Margo, that almost surely meant that he had participated in whatever had happened there. But his open smile begged her to trust him, and she found that she wanted to.

  “Pleasure, Violet. I’m not sure what Margo’s told you, but I for one am delighted to finally make your acquaintance. It’s been a long time coming. You’ve caused quite a stir around these parts.”

  “I don’t understand any of this,” Violet confessed. She wasn’t going to beat around the bush. “I don’t know what any of you are talking about. It would really help me out if you would all let me in on the secret.”

  “Then allow Margo to explain,” he said. “I understand that you’ve seen things that have frightened you, but I can assure you that no harm will come to you as long as you are staying in our home.” His words were formal and felt like they were spoken by someone who was much older than he looked.

  “Was it you that I saw at Mike’s?” she said. Her voice dropped to a low tone.

  He nodded with a grimace. “I check up on Margo from time to time and I stay close in case she needs me. Last night that turned out to be a very good thing, for both of you.”

  Violet flashed a look at her friend, who looked wore a dour look on her face. Was it because it sounded like Margo needed help, or because she sensed that Jonah’s obvious interest in her? “So if I stay here and let Margo tell me what’s going on, you’ll let me go home?” she asked.

  A sad look crossed Jonah’s face. “The intention is not to keep you here against your will, Violet, although it may feel that way. Talk with Margo. Ask her your questions. Then you can decide.”

  “So what’s happening at 8 p.m.?”

  Jonah grinned and his eyes swept over her again. “Why, it’s your coming-out party, Violet. You wouldn’t want to miss it.” He winked at her and then turned on his heel. He nodded to Margo as he pulled the double doors closed behind him, leaving the two girls alone.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Margo held eye contact with Violet until she heard the click of the lock in the door, and then turned her attention to the armoire. Violet watched her sweep open the doors and start to sift through whatever she was finding in there. With Jonah’s words ringing in Violet’s ears, she slowly crept closer to Margo. A coming-out party?

  As she got close enough to see over Margo’s shoulder inside the armoire, Violet gasped. There were dresses in every color and design that she could imagine. Even to her untrained eye she could tell by the resplendent fabrics that each one probably cost a small fortune. Whoever Jeremiah and Jonah were, they appeared to be rich.

  “Are you going to stand there with your mouth hanging open all day, or are you going to give me an opinion on what you’d like to wear this evening?” Margo said without turning around. She paused and pulled two dresses from the rack, one a deep crimson red with a circular halter top, and one a sapphire blue that was so dark it looked almost black. “You have to make a grand entrance. Jeremiah won’t accept any less, so we have to be sure that you are the most dazzling you can possibly be, otherwise he’s going to blame me.”

  Violet was speechless. It sounded like Margo was annoyed with her. Spying a mirror on the inside of the door, Violet decided to try putting aside her questions for the moment. She nudged Margo out of the way so that she could see her reflection, wondering what the men had seen that seemed to pique their interest. Even in the simple nightdress, Violet barely recognized herself.

  It wasn’t that Violet was uninterested in what she looked like, but over the years she had grown used to being almost completely ignored by the members of the male sex. That usually suited her fine because she found the guys her age boring. Her clothes had gotten baggier, and she wore her long hair swept up in a ponytail every day. Make-up seemed like a waste of time when she wasn’t trying to draw attention to herself. So seeing herself in the sweeping, fitted nightgown almost made her eyes pop out of her head.

  “Vi, I told you that you’re a stunner and tonight everyone’s going to see what I knew you’ve been hiding underneath all those baggy clothes all along,” Margo said, holding up the red dress for her inspection. “My opinion? You should wear this one.”

  Violet wasn’t quite ready to talk yet. For a moment, she allowed herself to enjoy feeling like she was someone special. She took the hanger and held the dress up in front of her. The dress had a plunging neckline that made her blush as she thought of anyone seeing her in it. Then Margo handed her the blue dress and pulled Violet’s hair up into a high pile on her head so that soft curls fell down around Violet’s face. The blue dress had a more modest neck and a fuller skirt.

  Margo pulled a face. “Yep, definitely the red. I hate it when Jeremiah’s right.” She took the blue dress from Violet and hung it back up in the armoire. “He handpicked almost every dress in here. I picked the blue. I have to admit that the guy’s got an eye for what looks good on a woman.”

  She hung the red dress on the door. Her eyes caught Violet’s in the reflection of the mirror and she smiled shyly. “What do you say? Friends?”

  Listening to Margo, Violet suddenly wondered what else had been going on around her that she hadn’t seen. Violet had the sense that she needed a friend more than anything at the moment, and she realized that her earlier anger at Margo had mellowed. She smiled timidly back at Margo. “Friends.”

  Margo was at her side seconds later giving her a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Vi. It wasn’t my fault. I would never have allowed things to happen the way that they did if I had known what Tesla was up to. Add in Jeremiah being all impatient and it was just a mess, although I’m glad he sent Jonah to find us. It could have ended really badly.”

  Violet had no idea what she meant, but her mind was tripping over the idea that things could have been worse than what she had seen.

  There was a soft knock on the door and Margo cocked her head, listening. Then her face softened. “Jeremiah sent tea. You do seem to have made an impression on him.”

  As Violet watched, the doors opened to reveal a small woman carrying a large platter with a steaming pot of tea and two cups. Violet felt a flash of warmth shoot through her as she heard mention again that Jeremiah was thinking about her. It was confusing and strange, and she wondered again what she had done to draw his attention.

  Margo gestured for the woman to put the tea on the coffee table in the small sitting area. She did so and then quietly left the room. Violet heard the distinct click of the lock again. It was clear that no one intended for her to go anywhere. She wondered what they were afraid she would find if allowed to wander outside the room.

  Margo sat on the edge of the small sofa and patted the cushion next to her for Violet to join her. Violet crossed the room and took a seat in the small Victorian armchair across from Margo instead. She wanted to trust Margo, but she couldn’t quite yet. A look of frustration crossed Margo’s face, and Violet saw it before her friend covered it with a tense smile. Then Margo poured a cup of tea for both of them and handed one of the cups over to Violet.

  “I need to clear something up, because I know this is part of the problem for you. So before I get into anything else, I need to tell you that what you saw last night wasn’t what it probably looked like,” Margo said quietly.

  The cup of tea was halfway to Violet’s mouth, and then the scene replayed itself in her mind. Violet gagged, remembering the smell, and her hand started to shake, causing the cup in her hand to rattle against the saucer. She
quickly returned it to the tray and took a deep breath, holding onto the edge of the table. Margo seemed to sense that she needed a minute.

  “So what exactly was it then? Some kind of sick joke?” Violet said. As much as she wanted Margo to explain that bloody scene away, she didn’t know how Margo could. Violet wasn’t that naive.

  “I was going to try to crack the tension here with a joke, but I can tell you aren’t in the mood to appreciate it,” Margo said with a sigh. “You’ll understand better once I get through this other part, but just know that nobody was killed or anything like that.” She lifted the tea to her lips and took a sip.

  Although Violet wanted to believe her, she wasn’t going to let Margo off that easy. “But the screaming. I heard people screaming in pain,” Violet said. She heard those screams again in her mind and winced.

  Margo frowned, putting her cup down. She pointed at Violet. “If we’re going to get all technical, I didn’t say that no one got hurt.” Margo pulled her hand back into her lap and paused as if trying to figure out the best way to say what she needed to say next. “Like I said earlier. Tesla and Mike were in contact with other people that I didn’t know about, people who aren’t as cool as the Montroses.” At Violet’s confused look, Margo clarified, “Jeremiah and Jonah Montrose. I know you are going to have some sympathy for those other people, but you shouldn’t. I don’t, and I liked them a lot. In the end everyone there knew what they were getting into. Of course, the reality of it all was pretty typical.”

  “What are you talking about? You are talking in circles.” Violet’s stomach was doing flip-flops waiting for the answer.

  Margo took another slow sip of tea. “The closest thing I can compare it to would be groupies that follow bands around. Groupies party with the bands and everyone knows that if they could, the groupies would be in the band. Mike, Tesla, and the others, they were groupies.”