by KB Benson
Your song? You have one of the strongest songs of the clan. How can he pull away from you, daughter? I hear anger in his voice. Are you not trying?
“Of course I am trying. He is different; and I think in the time I can lure him to the beach, I will have been able to seduce another and bring him for the Harvest.” This is a lie, one I hope Damion can’t detect. Getting Jace to the beach would be physically easy; emotionally it would be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
And the boy who’s heard your song lives?
“That would be the idea as the moon only requires one sacrifice in its light.” I avoid the urge to wring my hands together. That will give me away.
I do not agree or accept your proposition. You will bring the boy who has heard your song already, and you will do it within the time of the full moon. Your weaknesses make you less desirable. Should they consume you, your value to the clan will cease to exist.
My sudden fear drags my heart to the pit of my stomach. Of course, Damion would threaten eternal exile from the clan.
Damion’s disinterest in our conversation drifts with the tide. I can’t leave it this way. He can’t leave until he accepts to save Jace’s life.
“What about two?” I blurt before I think it through. Immediately my hands cover my mouth.
Two, you say? I knew that would interest Damion.
No, no, no. “Yes. Two.” I’ve already said it, retracting it now would clearly define that my weakness is the humans.
Damion is all about making a profit and two boys in one feasting are definitely better than one. I know he’ll say yes, although I’m not sure how I’ll attract two at once; but I’ll figure that out later.
“You have my word, Damion.” A last-ditch effort to convince him.
Explain.
“I will bring you two if the one who has heard my song survives as well as the guarantee of my own survival.”
Damion remains silent. This is a big favor to ask. When a siren sings her song, someone must die. If it’s not the man who the song was meant for, then the siren will take his place.
His approval ripples through the water. Do your best.
I nod, strangely reaffirmed at his reply. I expected a rebuking, a chastisement, anything except an agreement. Still unsure of our conversation, I slowly remove myself from the water.
I walk back to the city, unable to bear being around the ocean and Damion any longer. I hold my hands in front of me as I blindly walk through the dark streets: my hands are shaking. I put them down and look up at the sky, staring at the stars. For a moment I imagine what it would be like to be a star rather than the murderous beast I am. I imagine it would be peaceful—perfect.
I know what I need to do. Jace must disappear. Damion will hold up his end of the deal but only for so long. I have a week to lure these two boys into the ocean by the full moon, breached and frozen by my seductions—ready to harvest. I can’t wait any longer.
Chapter 21
JACE
I pace back and forth in my bedroom, my cell phone sitting on my bed. Ring, I beg. Ring. Ring. C’mon, Ring! It sits silently, unmoving. I keep pacing back and forth. I’ve left Iris six messages so far. After she’d run out on me after school, I waited for an hour for her to return; but she never did.
My stomach churns, and I can’t shake the idea that something serious has happened. I review what I’d said again that made her freak out: you have an amazing voice. I can’t believe I’ve never heard it before. It’s perfect.
That shouldn’t have freaked her out as badly as it did. I’m torn between being angry with her for keeping secrets from me and ignoring all of my questions and being worried about her again. My questions don’t matter anymore, though. Yes, she lives with Demonas; but I wouldn’t want anyone knowing that either. I still don’t get why she lied to me about swimming, though.
I glance at the digital clock on the table next to my bed. It flashes 12:15 AM. I sigh. I don’t know where Iris is; but I doubt she’ll call this late, if she decides to call back at all. Flipping the light off, I slide between the sheets of my bed. I’ll just have to see her tomorrow, I guess.
By the time I get to school, I’m no longer upset; I’m dying to see Iris. Although I know she lives with Mr. Demonas, I think she’s hiding more. But I don’t care. It doesn’t matter that she kept secrets from me—that she might still be keeping them from me—I just want to know why. Most of all, I want to know she’s safe, that she’s okay, that we’re okay.
That pull toward her is stronger than yesterday. I need to see her. I try to concentrate through my morning classes, but I can’t stop my eager nerves when I think of how soon I’ll be in Mythology with Iris, how soon all this chaos will end. I need her to talk to me straight and tell me what’s going on.
Finally, after suffering through another dreary lesson on systems of equations, I escape from math and head for Mythology. Part of me doesn’t want to see Iris; I don’t know if I want to face what’s coming. A ball of nerves reels in my stomach—something’s not quite right, but I can’t put my finger on it. The other part of me is stoked for her to arrive, to hold her hand, to feel her skin against mine.
My foot taps against the floor as I wait for Iris to walk in. Drumming my fingers casually on the desk, I stare at the door to the classroom. In a matter of seconds, Iris will walk through that door. My eyes grow wider as student after student breaks the threshold; but Iris never does. Soon Mr. Demonas starts the lecture without her.
Frantically I glance at Mr. Demonas, his monotone voice fading into background noise. How is he starting the class? Iris isn’t here. I almost jump out of my seat to stop the lesson. We should wait for her.
Shifting on the edge of my seat, I vaguely remember Iris missing class before. I try to think back to the memory, and I know Mr. Demonas never waits on those who are late. I stay seated quietly, my hands wringing each other, sweat beading on my forehead. I watch the door again. Now I hope Iris doesn’t walk through them. I hope she doesn’t catch me betraying her by not stopping the lesson in her defense. My blood boils, making it nearly impossible to hold still in my seat. I need to find Iris. My leg bounces irritably underneath my desk, the whole structure vibrating with the motion.
Feigning attention to Mr. Demonas, my gaze drifts back to the door over and over waiting for Iris to glide through. I shut my eyes and press the palms of my hands against my closed eyelids.
Stop it, I beg. Stop waiting for her. She’s not here today, just leave it alone. But I can’t. I know I can’t, but I don’t know why.
The bell clangs, cutting through my unfocused thoughts. I leap out of my seat and am the first one out the door. I all but run to the cafeteria, scanning the halls for Iris. The people surrounding me blur, their smiling faces blending into one another. I shake my head again, wiping the sweat from my forehead. Just before reaching the cafeteria, I beeline it to the restroom. Shoving open each stall, I breathe a sigh of relief. They’re empty. I can go insane in peace.
Flipping the faucet on, the cold water flows over my fingers. I splash a handful on my face. Icy water streams down my cheeks and onto my neck, the cold seeping to my veins. The water is refreshing; and, for a moment, my mind is clear, blank. I splash my face with cold water until it’s entirely numb.
Stepping away from the sink, I tear off a few paper towels and dry my skin. My hair drips from the madness of trying to save my sanity.
“What’s happening?” I whisper. I’ve never felt so totally out of control before.
I take a few deep inhales, my hands resting on the sides of the sink. A wild, frenzied man stares at me from the mirror: my reflection. My dark hair pulls upward into a faux hawk, a little disheveled from the water. My skin is flushed and my eyes look glassy. I stare at my eyes. The dark brown irises almost seem clouded, like a sheen of something has been laid on top of them.
I tilt my head back and forth to get a better view and then something sparkles. I jump back and look behind me. Still, I am alone.
Refocusing on the mirror, I open my eyes wider for a better view. Again the sparkle reflects into the mirror and across the room in one quick motion. I blink against the flash of light, and then I see it. A tiny diamond fragment embeds itself into my iris.
I blink a few more times. I don’t feel anything in my eye, but I see it. It’s so obviously there. Gingerly, I swipe a finger across the diamond, a light burning sensation trailing where my skin meets my eye. My finger doesn’t feel anything. I try it again: nothing. My eye is smooth, yet a diamond is lodged in it.
I shake my head one more time, trying to just forget it all. I don’t want to think about irises: mine or the girl I’m in love with. Without another look in the mirror, I walk out of the bathroom. Just as I’m about to enter the cafeteria, I catch a glimpse of the darkest, longest hair I’ve ever seen. My heart leaps inside my chest and the urge to lose control peaks again. Before I can run to her, I take a calming breath.
“Relax,” I mutter to myself. “It’s only Iris.” My pep talk helps me control my outward actions but does nothing for the tumultuous mess writhing inside. As casually as I can, I walk up to Iris.
“Hey, beautiful, what’s up?” I ask, my voice a little more strained than normal.
Iris faces me, her expression lighting up when her eyes meet mine. She stands next to a boy I’ve never seen before.
“Jace.” Relief spills out with her voice with that one little word. Her smile touches the corners of her eyes and I want to run away with her right now. She watches me, beaming for a moment; and then, as though she remembers the boy standing next to her, her smile slips and fades until it disappears and worry touches her beautiful face.
“What’s wrong?” I touch her soft cheek. I don’t care if this boy sees; Iris is mine. Iris tilts her head in toward my hand.
“What’s wrong with me?” she asks. “Jace, what’s happening to you? You look—you look awful.”
I smile. “Hey, I work with what I’ve got.”
Iris laughs a little, but the sadness doesn’t leave her face. “Jace, your eyes. They’re—they’re sparkling.”
Great, she can see it, too. I sigh. “Yeah, I was hoping that I’d just imagined that. I guess not.”
Without warning, the boy at Iris’ side thrusts his hand between Iris and me. “Stewart Battingshaw,” he says, his deep voice booming.
I eye him warily. “Jace.” I give his hand a hard shake. “I haven’t seen you around here before.”
“That’s because I’m not a local.” A smug smile settles on his face as he hangs on Iris’ arm—figuratively, of course. They don’t actually touch. “I’m visiting from New Mexico.”
“Oh, Albuquerque?” I haven’t been here too long, but I already know a rival when I see one.
“Bloomfied, actually.” Pride oozes from Stewart’s lips. “You know what they say, the Bobcat always catches the Cardinal.”
I hate him already. Besides the fact that he stares at Iris every chance he gets, I can’t stand puns with school mascots. Before I can retort with a snarky comeback or chastise him for coming to our campus, Iris’ soft touch monopolizes my attention.
“Jace.” She places her hand on my arm. Looking up and down the hall, she leans close and whispers in my ear, “Stay out of the water.” When she pulls away, she turns on her heel and walks down the hallway.
Stay out of the water? Stewart follows her like a puppy, running and yapping at the heels of his master. The relief that had flushed through me at seeing Iris dissipates. As she reaches the end of the hall—at least I think it’s her, she’s too far to really tell—the boy wraps his arm around her waist.
I grunt and push through the school’s front doors. I need to escape. Racing home, I grab my board, ready to take my anger out on the waves. As I secure my board on top of my truck, I remember Iris’ loving touch this afternoon before her catastrophic words. Stay out of the water. I grab my board tighter—who cares what Iris says?
I latch the back end of my board to the roof, but I can’t quite finish securing it. I want to go against Iris so bad, but I can’t. Defeated, I drop the ties and slide alongside my truck until I sit on the warm concrete next to the back tire. What am I going to do then? After a few moments, I stand and run. I don’t have a plan; I just need to do something, go somewhere, somehow distract myself.
Is Iris cheating on me? Has she been cheating on me? My stomach curls at the thought. Iris wouldn’t do something like that, would she?
The day drags on as I fill my time with anything to distract myself. I wish I hadn’t run out on school that would’ve given me a good, long distraction. There must be a reason behind what Iris told me, but I can’t figure out what it is. I waste the rest of the daylight washing my truck on the cement driveway outside my parents’ apartment. I detail the rims, polish the hood, vacuum the seats and floor, dust the dashboard, clean the windows and finally install the new radio I’ve been meaning to do for weeks.
I stand, popping my back and wiping the sweat from my brow. It feels good to be productive like this, as though I’m doing something worthwhile, something I am in control of. My mind flashes to Iris for a moment before I block out her face. I won’t think about her.
Taking a break, I grab a Coke from my stepdad’s stash in the garage fridge. My stepdad is practically addicted to the stuff, so we always have a never-ending supply at the house. Mom tries to get him to be healthier and kick the addiction; she thinks he chucked it all out. This fridge down here is mine and his secret.
I take a deep breath after chugging half the bottle. Much better. The heat is sweltering as I rest against the hood of my car.
“Hey,” a familiar voice shouts from the down the road.
I squint in the setting sun and put my hand over my eyes to block out the glare.
“Hey, what’s up?” I call back as Chase heads down the street, Laney right behind him. Honestly, I am so grateful for this momentous distraction.
“Dude, what happened to you during school? Why haven’t you answered your phone? I have some major news to tell you,” Chase says stoked.
“I-uh—.”
“Whatever,” Chase interrupts. “It doesn’t even matter ‘cause we finally found you. Guess what is happening tonight?”
Chase stares at me in anticipation for a moment, his eyes almost bulging from their sockets. I shrug my shoulders. “What?”
Chase rolls his eyes. “I can’t believe you aren’t more stoked. Tonight. Nine o’clock. Moe’s Alley is throwing a funk-a-licious battle of the bands.”
“Cool,” I say, unimpressed.
“Dude! Do you know what that means?”
I shake my head.
“When Moe’s throws a battle of the bands, they let in high school kids meaning we can go party: dance it up, meet a girl…” Chase elbows me in the side. “The only thing they have a lockdown on is their bar drinks.”
“Chase, you’ve never had a bar drink,” Laney pipes up, laughing.
Chase shrugs. “So? What if I want to try one?”
Laney gives Chase a dirty look. I can’t help but laugh at the two.
“Anyway,” Chase continues, “a group of us are going to hang out there. You in?”
I don’t even have to think about it. “Yeah, man. Of course, I’m in.”
“Sweet! Kay, so we’ll swing by at about eight-ish to get you.”
“Sounds good.”
I finish spiffing up my truck within the next hour and head inside to get ready for the party. Excitement pushes against my lungs, making it hard to breathe; if there’s a party everyone goes to, maybe Iris will go, too. I shake the thought from my mind, but I can tell it doesn’t disappear. Warm water sprays over my face as it runs down my head and back in the shower.
I imagine the party: bright lights, dancing, food, good music, and people laughing, having fun. I’ve never been to a club before, so I don’t totally know what to expect; but when my imagination adds a certain dark-haired girl walking toward me across the dance floor
, my chest swells. It doesn’t matter how many times I deny it, I know what I’m really excited for. I don’t care about the party, the dancing, and especially not meeting other girls. I’m excited to see one specific girl. I hope when I saw Iris with Stewart today, it was a random occurrence and that tonight, if I see her, she’ll explain what happened and all this craziness will end.
Unless she really is cheating on me. My excitement bursts. If Stewart wants to compete for her, I’ll compete. And I’ll win.
Stepping out of the shower, I do a once over with my razor, shaving away any stubble before applying deodorant and dabbing on some cologne. I pull on my jeans and a button up shirt just as I hear a honk outside the house. Grabbing my wallet and keys, I rush out the door. Chase’s Jeep idles by the curb, Laney in the passenger seat. I climb into the back and we take off.
Moe’s Alley is about a thirty-minute drive from my parents’ apartment, but we make a few stops on the way to pick up Quinton and Lisa. Mostly Laney and Chase talk about what will happen when we get to Moe’s, thrilled about the novelty of it all. I focus on not thinking about Iris. I know my version of what happens tonight will only lead to trouble, but I can’t help but be wound up by the chance to win her back.
How did I even lose her in the first place? As quickly as the thought comes, it’s replaced by another: Should I kiss her again? Make her know I want her as mine? Maybe she doesn’t know...
“Jace? Jace!” Quinton shouts, hitting my arm. “Holy cow, what’s on your mind? We’ve been saying your name for like five minutes,” he says checking his watch.
“Oh, sorry,” I mumble.
Chase laughs at Quinton frown.
“Well, now that I have your attention,” Chase repeats, “how are you doing for the talent show next week? Do you have all the kinks worked out of your song?”
The talent show. I’d completely forgotten.
