*
Running past everyone on the deck I knew where I needed to go and went for Freya’s book, something wasn’t adding up and I had to find out what they were hiding from me before I went any farther. I ran past the parlor, past the stairs, through the hall and I was hauling ass to stay one step ahead of the crowd catching up with me. Suddenly a thought stopped me dead in my tracks, they knew what I was doing I didn’t have to run from them, if Freya didn’t want me to see the book she certainly didn’t have to catch up with me to do it. I closed my eyes and felt a strange sensation through my body, I had to catch my breath as I opened my eyes, I was standing in Freya’s room and the book was open on her alter. I had projected myself without Kali, I looked around to make sure I was alone and bolted for the book. Sure enough it was open to the Lechuza. I was shocked as I read aloud.
“Lechuza possesses supernatural powers that are granted by her magic and her shape shifting abilities. The Lechuza possesses a nearly supernatural degree of strength, as she can pick up adults with her talons and carry them off. This makes her more powerful than any known bird. One of the distinguishing powers of the Witch Owl is her ability to summon storms (and, quite possibly, to direct and control them). In the olden days, sightings of La Lechuza almost always coincided with the appearance of thunderstorms. One of the more obvious abilities of La Lechuza is her power of shape shifting. She is able to become a man-sized bird creature by night.” I looked at the scary picture below the words and was certain that the legends couldn’t be true, she wasn’t a monster at all she was cursed like the rest of us and I couldn’t destroy her but I could save her, it was at that moment I knew what I had to do and it was for all of us, even the monster that lived in the trees and watched me sleep at night. I closed my eyes again and as I opened them I was face to face with Freya.
“Did you see what you needed Ella?” I smiled at her and nodded.
“Actually I did, and I want to start putting an end to this in the morning if you think I really can.” She put her arm out and took my hand in hers.
“Ella, I know you think that there is some good that can come to our families past but I am telling you there isn’t. You can’t think about that, it’s more important to look at today and the future if you want to succeed.” I hugged her and then she pulled away with a stern face. “You can’t move forward until you are ready Ella, I don’t want to take any chances do you understand me?” I smiled again and we walked to the stairs where I could see Selene in the corner be herself, she saw me and pointed to the dining room. I knew that meant the mystery of my father was over; she had put the pictures in the basement. I had to wait till everyone was asleep before I went down but I felt good and even got a smile from Selene as I walked by.
*
It was the smile that made me question her motives, she had not said one nice word to me since we met at my mother’s funeral, and suddenly she was not only being nice and helpful but smiling at me too? I decided that since I could use Kali’s gift without her hand, maybe I could use Carna’s gift as well and as I walked into the dining room I sat alone at the table and thought about Eris as hard as I could, if anyone could tell me I wasn’t crazy it was her.
‘Eris, if you can hear me come into the dining room.’ I sat in my place waiting to see if anything happened, and before a minute went by there stood Eris, wide eyed and a little freaked out as she sat at the table across from me. ‘Eris, nod if you can hear me.’ She did as I asked so I decided to try something else. ‘I want you to try telling me something Eris.’ She put her head down to look at the floor and then looked up at me with wild eyes.
‘Holy shit Ella, can you hear me?’ I tried to hold it in but I laughed a little and she smiled.
‘Yes Eris, I can hear you and I need your help without anyone knowing about it.’ She nodded again. ‘Selene is being really nice to me and wants to help me learn about my Father, but I am worried and I need someone to know what’s up.’ She started to shake her head at me and then like a sonic boom she screamed inside my head.
‘Are you fucking mad woman? You and I both know that she doesn’t do anything without personal gain!’ Eris was right and deep inside I knew it, but eighteen years of not knowing made me question every rational thought I had at the moment.
‘She said that she knew where pictures of him are and that she would put them in the basement so I could look at them in private tonight.’ Eris stood up and walked to my side of the table, she stood over me and her look was one of a disappointed mother.
‘Ella, no one goes into the basement, especially Selene. That’s where they said the men were tortured and held, no one goes in there, and I have seen her shiver as we walk by the door so I know she is just fucking with you but I don’t know why.’ She sat beside me and took my hand. ‘I know you want to see your Dad but I bet Freya would have pictures of him and you wouldn’t have to go into the basement to see the either.’ I knew she was right and squeezed her hand.
‘You are right Eris, thank you.’ I hugged her and we both pinky swore never to tell anyone we could talk this way before I walked back to the kitchen to help with dinner. As soon as I knew the connection was broken I started planning my sneaky midnight walk to the basement, Eris was right and I knew it but I had to look, just once I had to know.
ELEVEN
Lying in my bed careful with my thoughts in case anyone noticed my jumpiness at dinner, I thought of Xander and the river. My body became warm all over and a grin washed over my face too big to conceal. I reached to turn the radio on beside my bed and the most amazing song was playing, I could never remember the singers name though. Purple? Or was it Red? I couldn’t remember but closed my eyes and listened to her song as if she was singing right to me. I hummed along with the tune and let my memory take me away to that magical place only he could take me, I was knee deep in happy thoughts when a noise outside jumped me off the bed. My heart raced and I clutched my chest, maybe I had been wrong about Cora, maybe she had just been waiting for the right moment to take me out, and under the cover of night she was going to strike. I stood at the edge of the bed, holding the mattress feeling my heart trying to escape my chest when I heard the noise again. This time I almost fell over, not from fear but complete embarrassment as a medium sized pebble hit my window. Shaking off the hysteria and replacing it with humility as I walked to the window I was almost shaking as I opened it knowing that the man of my dreams would be standing below.
“Good evening beautiful, can I come up?” Could he come up, I looked at the wall and laughed, the only way up was to climb a hedge and make a spider like leap to the sill and hope like hell he didn’t fall.
“If you think you can make it you can certainly come up.” I laughed to watch him find his footing in the hedge, swearing and laughing as the small limbs seemed to stab him with every step. He somehow reached the top of the narrow but tall bush without falling and winked at me as I stepped back unable to watch him jump. I closed my eyes and heard the thud against the sill; I opened my eyes and grabbed his hands as he threw a leg into my room. Pulling him inside I couldn’t stop laughing, I fell back and we both landed on the floor, he had a proud grin smeared all over his face and I just kept laughing as he leaned in for a kiss.
“I was thinking that I could come up and kiss you goodnight, but now I am here and thinking that may have been a bad idea.” I almost pushed him off me as I sat straight up, did I look bad at night? Was he sorry about what happened earlier? I may be a witch but above all else I was just an eighteen year old girl who was terrified he was going to walk away.
“Ella, relax honey.” He put his arms around me and squeezed me so tight. “I meant because now I am in here and I don’t want to leave after our kiss.” I let out a sigh and wrapped my arms around him, feeling safe and loved as we fell back on the floor kissing with a passion so hot my fire place came on and we both let out a yell, jumping back a bit. I just started laughing and he smiled at me. “I don’t know if I will ever get used to
that Ella, we need to remember all of this so we don’t get hurt when you get turned on.” I laughed and grabbed his shirt to pull him closer to my face.
“I think what you meant to say was, let’s see how hot we can get that fire to blaze tonight.” He put a finger to my lip and began to trace my body with his tongue, lingering in all the right places until the only two things that covered my sweet spots were my underwear and his body. Everything he did turned me on, his smile made me tingle, his kiss made me warm and the touch of his skin on mine made me want nothing more than all of him on me, with me, inside me forever.
“No two people have ever fit so perfectly you know, I am never leaving you alone Ella, not ever.” His words took me to places no O ever could, and as I pressed my face against his chest and clutched his legs with my own I knew I was addicted to everything he made me feel, and never wanted to recover.
*
“Delilah, will you tell me something about you I don’t know.” I lay back on his arm, naked and glowing as bright as the fire beside us as I thought hard about the past eighteen years of my life, so many things he didn’t know, so many things that seemed so boring no one would want to know.
“Let me see, I grew up in Nebraska with my Mom. I had a quiet life with her and I was as quiet, very shy and never stuck out in a crowd.” He raised his head and gave me a sideways smile.
“You certainly stick out here, and as far as shy goes.” He ran his eyes all over my naked body and then winked at me; I felt my cheeks get hot as I remembered that he liked to look. I thought about the time, and what I still had to do tonight, I knew I wanted to talk to him about it but my brain was preoccupied with what had just happened and his amazing body, naked beside me. I ran my fingers over his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
“You are my amazing Xander; you bring out all the best of me.” He laughed and lifted my chin.
“You mean thunder clouds, lightning and fire balls?” We both laughed and I sat up without reaching for my shirt so I knew I had his full attention.
“Xander, I have a chance to see my Dad tonight for the first time and I am a little scared. I never thought about the fact that he was probably around Freya and the Aunts, they have pictures of him and I am going to sneak a few of them tonight, well Selene is actually going to get them for me.” Xander shot up and shook his head, taking my hand.
“Ella, honey listen to me this is a bad idea. Ask the Aunts to show you the pictures don’t involve Selene in any of it.” A part of me, a big part knew he was right but I had no other choice right now, if they were going to volunteer the information I felt like they would have already and since Selene was the only one offering I had to at least try to find out.
“I know in my head that your right, but my heart wants to give her a chance. It will be ok, and if she really is just messing with me I will go to the Aunts to get answers.” He didn’t seem very comfortable with my answer. “Xander, I promise you I will be ok.” That was the last thing I said as we got dresses, kissed and he climbed out the window to his house. I watched as he made his way through the garden till the darkness stole him from me, I turned from my window and my feet felt like they were wearing concrete boots. I had so much fear growing inside me. For a split second I thought about undressing and getting into my bed, but then my legs began to move closer to the door and I opened it up, I just had to know.
TWELVE
Making my way through the kitchen I saw a knife on the counter and picked it up, putting it into my belt loops, since no one had been in the basement for decades and who knew what was living in there. Rounding the corner I was nervous and as I walked into Eris I almost pulled the knife out. I yelled and jumped back as she grabbed me and put her hand over my mouth.
“Shut up would you; you’re going to give me away.” I nodded and she released her hand. “I am here to make sure you don’ do anything stupid like go into that basement.” I began to think again, maybe I shouldn’t go down, and then I heard another voice come around the corner.
“I knew you would chicken out, you don’t care about your father at all do you?” I turned around and made a fist, this was not the time to bring up my Daddy issues and she knew the right buttons to push. I needed to give her the benefit of the doubt though.
“Selene, did you really take the pictures down there?” She laughed and walked to the door, opening it without hesitation.
“Not only did I take them down there, but it’s really not spooky at all, I spent more than an hour just looking at all the stuff the old bats hid down there.” I looked at Eris who was clenching her jaw and glaring at Selene. I took a step forward and Eris put her arm out to stop me.
“Ella, you and I both know she is full of shit right now. Freya said that is where Cora and Emma took the men to be tortured and they say the men never came out. Do not go down there please.” I took a deep breath and stepped forward; looking down the stairway I saw nothing out of the ordinary just an everyday looking basement to me.
“Eris I will be fine. I will look at the pictures and come back up just give me two minutes; I need to see his face.” She let go and I started down the stairs, I could hear her talking to me with every step, I reached the bottom and walked onto the floor. Looking around I saw what appeared to be rock walls, a chill came over me and I looked everywhere I could see for the photos, she said she left them by the stairs but they were not here. I turned to yell at the Bitch for tricking me, but as I turned around instead of angry words, a shrill scream escaped my body as I stood face to face with a rock wall where a stairway once was. I looked up and the high walls showed no light, but for one little space near the ceiling of this trap letting the light from the moon come through. I screamed at the top of my lungs and threw my body against the wall trying to find the secret spot to bring the stairs back, no matter how loud I screamed I never heard Eris yell back, and as I dug at the walls my hands burned and stung from scrapes and then cuts that left blood on the rocks as I cried and continued to try clawing my way out. I put my back against the wall and fell to the ground, bloody and tear stained I screamed again. I had no way of knowing what was down here, and since the magic opened up when I entered who knew what was about to come out. I remembered my knife and felt better. I had no intention of moving for a while though, I sat under the small light of the moon hoping that by morning I could see someone walk by and they would hear my screams. I ran my hands through my hair and closed my eyes; I had to stay calm if I were going to get out of here. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes again, I could see two halls at the end of the room I was in, the room was built up with rock and the halls looked like they had been dug out, it was hard to see any detail with the small amount of light I had and I was suddenly distracted by this intense itchy feeling on my arms and legs. I started to itch, that’s when I felt it, tiny hairs on legs brushing my fingertips. I jumped, screamed and started to brush my body off, I felt the hairs everywhere, the legs slowly creeping up my arms and legs, I couldn’t see them but I felt them moving and it made me itch and scream with disgust. I tried grabbing one as I felt it move up my neck, slowly, dragging a hairy leg past my windpipe causing a shiver run through my body, but nothing was there. I stood up, slapping myself as I felt a hairy leg brush my right ear, then my knee and another on my left breast, they were everywhere but I couldn’t get them. I was jumping and crying, I felt every move they made all over my body, making me itch making me scream out with fear. I had been hitting myself and running in circle for minutes, seemed like hours and everywhere I hit came up empty. They were moving faster towards my face, and I let the panic take over, making me feel dizzy and my chest get heavy. I couldn’t take in any air; I was going to die in this dirty basement at the mercy of the curse. The curse, it was the curse fucking with my brain. The stories had to be true, the chamber was an entry to the labyrinth of mind fucks to torture, and I was just getting a taste of what was to come. I took a slow, deep breath and told myself I didn’t have any tarantulas crawling up my chi
n, inside my thigh or tangled in my hair. I closed my eyes and stopped hitting myself, as they moved I could see them in my head, they were huge and as the one in my hair moved I felt a leg curl around my ear, he was bigger than my whole outstretched hand and I felt my knees give out from under my own weight. I had to tell myself that it wasn’t real, none of them were real. I focused on my own thoughts, blocking out what I was feeling all over my body, slowly I stopped feeling them one by one beginning at my legs and working its way to my head. I opened my eyes and stood up, I couldn’t feel them anymore but I was still freaked out, a hair fell from my own head and landed on my shoulder. I punched myself and ran to the other side of the room screaming. I stood, looking at two openings in the wall before me, they looked like someone had made them by hand, and each one had a pile of rocks on the floor beside it. Why were there two though? Wouldn’t they both lead to the same place, being side by side? I began to move when my brain told me to stop, why would someone make another opening in the wall unless one of the openings is so bad that they had to run to the beginning and start over again?
Precious Anathema Page 10
