by Sarah Erber
Chapter Six
Friends & Enemies
“Maybe you should invest in some mace laced with garlic,” Karma says.
I laugh. “Believe me, I’ve thought about it.”
“Did you see the monster from your dream in the forest, too?”
“No, but then again, I didn’t look for him.”
Karma allows silence for a moment. “Will you go back into the forest?”
I tap a polished nail against the cell phone. I asked myself the same question all night long. It is driving me even more insane. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“Be careful if you do and you better bring a list of questions with you. Otherwise I doubt you’ll remember them.”
Aunt Sally pulls up in front of the high school. I exit the car in a hurry. “Sorry, Karma. I have to go.”
“You better not forget to call the next time you decide to go sneaking off. Later.”
A circle of students play with a hacky-sack, while a group of skaters and outcasts send text messages to each other, despite the fact they are right next to one another. I keep my gaze on the pavement. Today, I crave invisibility. I never expected to confront my nightmares from the past year in Rosewood. The memory of the previous day injects a high dose of fear into my very bones. Despite the warm morning, my teeth chatter. Using my hair as a black veil, I drape it around my shoulders.
“Freak…. Orphan girl!”
On top of the concrete headstone with the engraving Rosewood High sits Victoria. A few of her unpleasant friends imitate fashion models as they pose against the slick stone.
“Heard you’re having more hallucinations. Maybe the accident screwed your brain up. You should get out of Rosewood and seek mental help.” The crowds of onlookers are snickering. “By the way...if I hear of you flirting with my boyfriend again,” she leans forward as if to whisper a frightening secret, “I’ll rip your throat out.”
The anger in Victoria’s eyes confirms the reality of her threat. I saw it last night in Herald’s eyes, which makes me question Victoria’s humanity.
“Hey, Babe.” Herald rubs his hands down Victoria’s thighs, but his gaze locks on mine. His fingernails grow into arched claws.
“What’s going on?” Jerald struts to the front of the crowd.
“Your brother’s play toy is jealous. Maybe you ought to help him learn how to put her in check.” The priceless shock on the twins’ faces and the outrage on Victoria’s face sends a ripple of pleasure through me. “Oh, and don’t worry, Victoria. Like I said, I don’t date vermin-loving-maggots.” Abandoning the speechless students, I sashay up the steps leading into the school, filled with a new emotion.
Bravery.
Unfortunately, acts of bravery usually sprout from stupidity, and I fear the rebuttal that will arise from my actions.
The bell tolls overhead. Students wade through the crowds, but the deadly glares of the twins follow me.
In English class, I flop down in the back seat. The other students ignore my presence, making me feel invisible. A welcome feeling I have craved since the start of school. The bell tolls again. Demon or not, I refuse to take abuse from anyone. I am not afraid to die…again.
“–I’m Mr. Dredfield. First thing we’ll do today is have the new stud–”
The door reopens and a scraggly boy with puffy hair which best resembles a dead Pomeranian enters the classroom. I recognize him as the skater boy who helped me on the first day of school.
“Whelan, class started two minutes ago, and I believe you missed the second day of school–”
“Dude, was that yesterday? I totally didn’t know.” His bloodshot eyes scan the room.
A stoner. At least not everyone in school is so uptight.
“You’re telling me you didn’t notice the lack of children in town yesterday or the day before?” Mr. Dredfield’s brushy mustache twitches. “Let me guess, you think there’s a conspiracy going on to keep you out of school?”
“Nah, didn’t get up till like...five o’clock. But little people were running around my bedroom last night. Totally kept me up.”
The students erupt into a fit of giggles.
“Settle down!” Mr. Dredfield rakes his stubby fingers though his thinning hair. He points to the vacant seat next to me. “Sit down in the back row, Whelan. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can go ‘hit the peace pipe’ or whatever you new age hippies call it.”
Whelan acts oblivious to the fact that the entire class is mocking him. I cannot help but giggle a little as I realize he is walking like Shaggy from my favorite cartoon show.
“What’s up?”
Displaying a genuine smile, I say, “Nothing much. I’m Temptation.”
“Oh yeah, you’re that rebel chick who told the Jenkins twins off, huh? I thought I recognized you; you’re the same chick who almost got into it with Kayla on the first day of school. She was pissed. Totally crazy, but do you really think Herald is breaking up with Victoria?”
“Umm…I’m not sure. Why would you care though?”
“Cus, that Victoria chick is sexy,” Whelan says a little too loud, causing Mr. Dredfield to stop his lecture, and drop his marker. “Have you seen her ass?”
“Mr. Coldwell and Miss Falls, I would appreciate it if you could both pay attention to me, and discuss the hotness of your fellow student’s body parts, later.”
Snickers fill the classroom again.
“Sorry, Mr. Dredfield.” Whelan reclines back with his scrawny arms cradling his fuzzy head.
“Thank you. I want you newer students to sign up for our Halloween Masquerade Ball. You have to participate in some way, whether you want to bring snacks, or try out for the lead singer. This is a town-wide event, and you’re all required to attend. This means no sleeping in Mr. Coldwell!”
Peering over at Whelan, I notice his zoned out expression. A tiny drop of drool escapes his mouth. I kick his foot.
“What – Oh yeah, that Ball thing. Got it.” He drops his head again and dozes off.
The teacher sighs, rolls his eyes, and then continues with our daily assignments.
I end up zoning out after the first ten minutes of Mr. Dredfield’s lecture. A knock at the door startles half of the class. A timid girl sticks her head through the door. “I have a note for you Mr. Dredfield.” She takes a few steps into the room, passes a yellow piece of paper to the teacher, and leaves.
He frowns. “Miss Falls, you’re needed at the principal’s office.”
Whispers break out. “She’s gonna get it!”
“Did you hear what she did this morning?”
Snatching up my Indy bag, I exit the classroom. The principal’s interest in my personal life calculates as just weird. Bet Victoria is partly behind it. Mrs. Peters’ words reverberate in my head, “The Jenkins twins are the descendants of the founder of Rosewood.” I wonder how many people know their dark secret.
Down the main hallway, I cease walking as the lights flicker and then extinguish. Vacant of windows, a small amount of light seeps in through the cracks of the classroom doors, and highlights the pitch-black hallway.
The lockers creak.
A low breathing tickles my sensitive ears. The image of a hand shoots out of the darkness and encloses my neck, slamming me against the metal lockers.
“I thought I made it clear, yesterday, you’re not to disobey me?” The faint light outlines Herald’s transformed face. “I guess you need a little taste of what I could do to you.”
Yanking on my arm, he extends it out, and strokes his claws against my bare flesh. The ugly points trace my thumping veins. “Did you know if I bite deep into your arm, you would die?” Razor teeth exposed, he rests them on my wrist.
I gasp. The points of his teeth, like scalpels touching my skin, cut through it like tissue paper. Tiny beads of blood trickled down my wrist and burn like flecks of hot bacon grease. “Wait – all right! I’m listening. What do you want from me?�
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Herald retracts his teeth and licks the crimson blood from my wrist. He smiles as if he won a child’s game. “You’ll do what I tell you without question. And if you try and degrade me or Jerald again, I’ll make an example out of you.” He caresses a lock of my hair. “I don’t think you understood my intentions yesterday. You see, goblins are attracted to broken humans...and you’re a walking tragedy. If Jerald and I were to leave you alone, they’d find a way to lure you into the woods and kill you.”
“And why would you care if I died or not?” I tilt my eyes to capture his. “You obviously wouldn’t have a problem with killing me.”
“I like you, Temptation; you’re…special to me. Believe me, my desire is not to kill you. I care about everyone in Rosewood. This is my town.”
“But don’t you kill people, too? I mean isn’t it how demons stay alive–”
Herald snorts. “Demons are immortal. We won’t die if we don’t feed, but we’ll be as weak as a normal human. We do treat ourselves to the occasional human, but we only kill those who have broken the laws of Rosewood.”
“You mean people like me?” I ask. My internal alarm shrieks for me to abandon Rosewood. I want to escape from the dark hallway; to walk in the sunlight. “You know there’s something that’s really been bothering me, how can you and Jerald walk in the daylight? Isn’t it supposed to hurt you?”
“Temptation, you really shouldn’t believe all the rubbish written by humans.” Herald releases my neck; I bet it started bruising already. “Don’t forget I was once part-human. But if I did transform in the sunlight, it would injure me.” He stares down into my plum contact lenses. “Are you going to give me anymore trouble?”
I twist the tips of my hair between my fingers. “I’m not promising to obey you, but if you keep Victoria away from me, I’ll mind my own business.”
“Don’t worry about Victoria.” Herald narrows his scarlet eyes. “She’s already been taken care of.” The cruelness in Herald’s voice almost makes me feel sorry for Victoria.
Almost.
“I don’t know what you two are doing to this town, but I want no part in it. I’ll leave the goblins alone. They’re not an interest for me. But don’t you ever threaten to hurt my family again. I’ll make you regret it.”
I expect him to get angry again or maybe bite me and finish it. Part of me still hopes for death. What I do not expect, are his arms pulling me to his chest. I can feel him fondling my hair and his lips dip down to meet mine.
“Hold on.” Using all the strength I can muster, I ram Herald away from me. “I’ll do what you ask, but I’m not signing up as your play thing.”
Releasing me, he retreats into the darkened hallway. “You can’t resist me forever, Temptation.”
A second later, the lights flicker back to life. I blink, but as my eyes adjust to the brightness, the bell rings.
The narrow hallway crowds with warm bodies. I wonder what he did to Victoria.
I do not have to wait long before I find out. Victoria sits in silence with her friends at lunch and keeps part of her chocolate hair covering her face. I am willing to bet my soul Victoria has a black eye.
Herald kept his promise. Victoria did indeed avoid me. A few times, Victoria ambled in the opposite direction of her classroom to evade brushing past me in the hallway. A week passes with no verbal or physical confrontations.
Not looking forward to Speech class, I meet up with Whelan in-between our classes. For the past week, we have hung out every day. A few people suspect a relationship brewing between the two of us. “So what’s on your agenda today?”
“Ditchin’ class and smokin’ myself stupid.”
I playfully flutter my eyelashes at Whelan. “But you’re already stupid.”
“I see how it is.” He locks my head in his arm. A childish move, but I enjoyed it.
“Seriously though, are you for real, ditching?”
“Wanna come with? We could totally get lit together.” Slackening his chokehold on me, he drapes his arm over my shoulders.
“Where?”
“I know a quiet place in the cemetery. Come on.” He leads me out of the school.
Normally Karma knows when things are wrong before I ever have time to notice, but this time awareness grasps me. A tugging sensation in my gut indicates a spy surveys me from a distance.
Whelan pulls me under a weeping willow.
“Mr. Coldwell. Miss Falls. What are you two doing in the parking lot?” Mr. Dredfield emerges from behind the tree.
I cling to Whelan’s hand. He gives me a slight squeeze of reassurance.
“I said what are you two doing?” Mr. Dredfield’s eyes remind me of some insane patients I saw in the hospital months ago.
“Chasing the white rabbits of course! What do you think we were doing? Totally wicked fluff balls. Stole my homework too, so…the assignment you gave me. Don’t think I can do it.”
Mr. Dredfield rolls his eyes. “Back to class. Both of you! Don’t let me catch you trying to cut school again. There’ll be consequences next time.”
I allow Whelan to lead me back to the school, but someone still keeps us under observation. The knot in my gut constricts. I know. To my left, I spot the Jenkins twins leaning over the metal rails on the stairs. Their eyes are inhuman.
Crap, they are pissed.
Though the twins are inhuman, I accept it. After almost a year of monsters haunting me, this pair of new stalkers adds to my ever-growing list.
The envious gazes of the twins never leave me for the remaining week, but I learn to block them out. Victoria’s desperate efforts to tempt Herald’s gaze back never works. Jerald tries to stop me in the hall a few times, but I blow right past him every time. One twin is enough for me to deal with, without the other also jumping my ass.
I hang out with Whelan at lunch most of the time. When I ask him why he wants my friendship, he brushes it off. Everyone in school is his friend. I suspect he is hiding the real reason.
“I’m glad it’s Friday,” I say to Whelan as we exit our class.
“Totally. I’ve gotta jet, though. Mr. Dredfield gave me detention for tardiness all this week. Peace.”
Shaking my head, I giggle. I like chilling with Whelan. His friendship helps tune out the tension from the other students. At least he never bothers me about my past.
The bell echoes across the hallways. Thank the Gods the school week is finally at an end. Out of the hectic school, I walk down the street, with my tribal belly dancer skirt swishing around my ankles. Sunlight beats down on me. I remove the mesh shirt covering my black tank top. The new henna-tattoos on my arms, along with my outfit, make me look barbaric; pagan.
Catcalls and whistling rouses me from my thoughts. One of the boys from the crowd shouts, “Keep taking it off!”
In the parking lot, I spot the twins on their motorcycles with their usual crowd. Victoria wraps her arms around Herald’s neck and sits down behind him on the skull bike.
Jerald’s grin stretches out across his handsome face. His human eyes roll over my figure.
My stomach lurches with unease at the catcalls, but wrestle with the telltale heat of flattery coloring my cheeks. Choosing to ignore the catcalls, I keep strolling in the direction of home.
Predatory eyes still follow.
A roar of motorcycles deafens my hearing and in a split second, Jerald stops his bike at my side. “Hop on Temptation, you’re coming with me today.” He scoots so I can slide on.
I twirl my black and white hair between my gold fingernails. “I have things to do. Maybe another day.” I continue walking, a bit faster this time. Honestly, I thought the guy would take the hint.
Jerald’s bike lurches forward. He reaches out and grasps my hand; tugging me closer. “I’ve been trying to talk to you since the first day of school and you keep avoiding me. I don’t know the whole story of what happen
ed between you and my brother, but I can assure you I hold opposing characteristics from him. Besides...you’ll like where we’re going.” He pulls me over to the bike, trapping me with his arm.
Inwardly cursing my hormones, I say, “I made an agreement with your brother to leave the goblins alone, not to do anything either of you asked of me. But if you promise not to threaten me like Herald did a couple weeks ago, I might reconsider.”
Jerald’s facial features soften. “I’m not my brother, Temptation. We may look identical, but are complete opposites. Herald possesses more of…an animalistic edge.”
“You mean a jerk edge? I picked up on that one when he tried to bite me.”
Jerald winces proving either the shame of his brother’s actions or of his own inaction. A few strands of his black hair blow across his forehead.
I find myself staring for too long and say in a stronger voice, “I’m not taking any more of my clothes off.”
Jerald’s depressed demeanor vanishes. I swing my leg over the hot metal. He revs up the engine once more. The motorcycle lurches forward. Herald and the rest of the crowd follow. They whoop and holler at the passing school buses.
The scent of gasoline surrounds me for a brief moment. Flashes of the burning car, screams, and monsters, cause me to shudder.
Jerald must have felt my arms tremble, because he uses one hand to reach behind him to press me closer against his back; an oddly comforting gesture.
A bus passes.
I smile at the startled face of my cousin.
At the theater house, we turn right, and travel out of town. Picking up speed, I wrap my arms tighter around Jerald’s waist. After traveling a few miles, the bike swerves down a dirt road leading into the woods. Tree branches swish and sting my skin. The motorcycles skid to a halt at the top of a small hill. A car stops behind the motorcycles. A group of girls emerge from the car.
I worry about another encounter. Jerald strokes my hand in a calming sort of way. I like it.
A glistening lake stretches out below us with picnic benches and a few grills on the shore. Oak and pine trees encircle the lake.
“I’ve got the beers!” Someone shouts in back.
“Woo! Last one to the tables takes all their clothes off,” Herald shouts.
All the boys rush past me, while the girls take their time sashaying to the shoreline. Victoria ignores Jerald and me. She and the other girls start pulling their shirts off while the boys camp out on the picnic tables, egging them on.
I slide off the bike and narrow my eyes at Jerald. “I’m not stripping for anyone.”
Jerald’s amused laugh does not help my nervousness. “It’s okay, Temptation. The only person you have to strip for,” he rises off the motorcycle and grabs my waist, “is me.”
I plant a hand on his chest and push. “I told you I’m not taking any more of my clothes off.”
“You’re going to have to if you want to get in the water.” Jerald pulls me down to the rest of the crowd. “Come on, Temptation. Relax. Have a little fun for a change.” Jerald grabs two beers and hands me one.
Maybe he is right. I take the cool beer from Jerald and sit at the vacant part of the picnic table. The girls strip down to their bras and panties, while the boys strip to their boxers. My jaw drops slightly when Jerald and Herald remove their shirts. Greek Gods would envy their bodies! I study the other girls and know the same thought surfaces in their minds. The boys rush at the girls and carry them to the water, while they giggle and scream. Jerald stays behind with me. I look away and take a swig of beer.
Yuck – it tastes disgusting!
How people enjoy drinking beer stretches beyond my comprehensive abilities. As I sit the bottle down, I wish for the taste to subside.
Jerald slides off the table. “Don’t you want to go swimming?”
“Not really.”
His fingers comb my hair off my cheeks while his other fingers trail up my jawbone. Little tingles of desire follow beneath the surface of my skin. “Come on, I promise the other guys won’t touch you.”
“Why’s that?” I ask. “I never agreed to be your girlfriend. I don’t need a guy.”
“Hmm, it’s a good thing I’m a demon and not a guy.”
Sighing, I shift my gaze away from him. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, if you’d rather sit up here and play a drinking game with me…”
Ready to gag at the idea of drinking more beer, I grumble. “I’ll get in the water.”
“Good choice. Learning you can’t win against me, huh?”
“No.” I slide off the table and walk in a circle until the table divides us. “I’m learning the next time you ask me to go anywhere, I’ll run like the hounds of Hell are chasing me.” I remove my shirt and skirt.
Jerald’s eyes roam over my figure and then stop on my abdomen. “Whoa. No one works out to have a stomach that hot without wanting someone to see it.” Jerald leans against the table and crosses his arms. A string of black hair slices across his face. “I think you enjoy surprising me.”
I swing my hair forward so it covers up my chest and part of my stomach.
“Jerald – Temptation! Come on,” Herald yells, while Victoria pouts into his shoulder.
“Coming!” Jerald snatches me up. He carries me down into the water.
“Unbelievable as it might seem, I can walk!”
“Yes, but then I don’t get to touch you.” He grins when I glower at his response.
Descending into the water brings shivers to my skin as the cold lake encompasses my abdomen. He releases me, twirls me, and then presses my bare back to his chest. I do not resist this time. His warmth in the cold water stops me from shivering. Strange. I always thought demons are supposed to be cold.
“Are you in love with Whelan?” His claws grow against my skin.
“What makes you ask?”
“You keep sneaking off with him. Makes me wonder what you two are trying to do. All alone.”
Making Jerald mad is not an option. I remember quite vividly how Herald reacted and I wonder if Jerald will react the same way. Will he hurt me in front of witnesses?
As if sensing my thoughts, Jerald rests his chin on the curve of my neck, and pulls me closer to his abdomen. “I’m not going to hurt you even if I don’t like the answer, Temptation. I need to know.”
My heart simmers down. “Fine. No. Whelan and I are friends. Period.”
His claws retract. A warm kiss heats the side of my neck.
“Hey, who’s up for a race?” Herald asks.
The crowd cheers in response.
“Whoever swims to the island first, gets to choose who they want to make out with.”
“What island?” I whisper to Jerald.
“In the middle of the lake. Do you see it?” He points out in the distance.
I spot the wooded island. Thank the gods I know how to swim.
“Ready?”
Jerald releases me with a feral look of determination. He is aiming to get to the island first. An equal determination stirs in me.
“Set.”
A silence sweeps across the lake.
“GO!”
The group lurches forward and starts swimming. I duck under the water. I never quite got the hang of regular swimming, but I can swim fast underwater. After a couple of minutes, I emerge to the surface for air. Jerald and Herald are neck and neck in the lead. At least I am holding second place. Frustration causes Victoria to dig harder into the water.
I immerse myself back in the water and keep swimming. A few more stops to the surface for air, and a short while later, I make it to the shore of the island. The Jenkins twins gaze down at me with satisfied smirks. They haul me out of the cold water. I ring my hair out and check out the lake, where the rest of the crowd is wading to shore. Wet ringlets twist down to my waist. The Jenkins twins watch me with identical lust.
“What?”
“Herald’s
trying to decide who to make out with. I choose you.”
I cross my arms. “Who won?”
“We both made it to shore at the same time,” Herald says.
“You’re with Victoria. Aren’t you?” I eye Herald’s uncaring reaction. “Shouldn’t you be making out with her?”
“We’re not dating,” Herald says with a casual wave of his hand. “We’re more like friends with benefits.” He exposes his perfectly human teeth.
“Does she know that?” I raise my sleek eyebrows and twist a ringlet of hair in her violet-tipped fingers.
Victoria stumbles onto the pebbled shore along with the rest of the crowd.
“You know this is starting to get old,” one of the boys says. “You two always win.”
I shift to one leg. It had been a set up.
“So.” Victoria passes me, bumping my shoulder. “Do you want to make out here or somewhere more private later on tonight?” She wraps her arms around Herald’s neck.
Herald removes her arms from his neck. His face holds a look of revulsion. “We’ve both chosen Temptation this time.” Herald gives her a slight shove.
“What?” Jerald and I voice in unison.
“But I’m your girlfriend!”
Guess she didn’t know she is just his play toy.
A loud siren echoes out over the lake from the direction of Rosewood. Frenzy and a loud splash startle me. For a moment, I think someone may have been drowning. In the lake, the Jenkins twins are racing to shore. “What’s going on?”
One of the boys says, “The recruiters are back.”
“What recruiters? You mean like military recruiters?”
The crowd laughs, except for Victoria. She stares out after the twins, who make it to shore and rev up their engines. They disappear into the forest.
“Chevy, go to shore. Get Temptation’s clothes and bring them back to the island,” Victoria says.
“Awe, come on–”
“DO IT!”
“All right, all right. Dang, don’t go all psycho on me.” Chevy jumps back into the chilly water and heads for shore.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re not coming with us. You’ll have to walk home.”
“So why are you bringing my clothes to the island? I can easily go back to shore and get them myself.”
“I don’t need the twins getting pissed off at me. If you walk back the way we came, you won’t get home until one in the morning. Swim over to the other side of the lake and walk straight through the woods. You’ll cut your walking time in half.”
“What’s your problem? It’s not my fault you allowed Herald to treat you like a slut–”
“Everything was perfect until you showed up! They only like you because you can see those nasty goblins,” Victoria kicks a rock. “I was the only one who could see them and I never tried to find them like you. You broke the law! They should’ve killed you for it!”
“I never sought those goblins out; Herald and Chevy took me to see them.”
Victoria blanches. “What?”
Taken aback by Victoria’s shock, I ask, “You mean Herald never took you into the forest to see the Goblin King?”
Victoria’s shock dissipates and anguish replaces it. “I didn’t need to see the king to know he is a monster.” She turns around and lifts her hair. Four long scars, similar to claw marks, streak across the back of her neck.
No. My mind cannot process the evidence before me. “What happened to you?”
Victoria drops her hair. “Last year, on Halloween, he cornered me in the old theater house. Jenkins still doesn’t know how he managed to do it, but the king said I had to leave the twins and come with him. Ha! As if I’d be stupid enough to fall for his false concern. I spat in his face and tried to run, but he grabbed my neck. Cut me. I escaped but he didn’t follow. I don’t think he could leave that room in the theater. Jenkins was happy with me. He loved me.”
Chevy returns to the island with my surprisingly dry clothes in his hands. He tosses them to me. “Let’s get back to town.”
Victoria pushes me out of the way and dives back into the water with the rest of the crowd. The sun begins to sink behind the tall pine trees.
“Lovely,” I mutter as the others reach the shore and drive off. Raising the clothes up over my head, I wade into the water. The water reaches my neck. I doggy paddled to the opposite shore. “I swear I’m knocking her out when I get to school, Monday.”
Stumbling up onto shore, I stop at a dead log. Putting my clothes back on, I rejoice at my decision to wear slip-on shoes today, instead of athletic shoes or boots. At least my clothes are not soaking wet. Tightening the tribal belly-dancer skirt around my waist, I decide against putting my shirt back on, since my bra will only soak it. The curvy shoreline leads me to the far edge of the woods. Sunlight disappears before my eyes and darkness embraces the forest. I bet I still have a couple miles to walk. In the shadowy woods, I count my footsteps. I lose track when the splashes of the lake water disappear and the swishes of the trees replace the water’s melody. The creaking of brittle tree branches mixes with the animal noises in the forest. It makes for a creepy path to walk alone. I mentally conjure up lyrics for a new song to subdue my rising panic.
I don’t want to, be seen by you...
Because I’ve fallen,
Broken down in this crippled life.
Forsaken,
From all the others, I’m not their kind.
I’ve fallen from your light.
An hour passes and still there is no sign of the town. I cannot even see evidence of artificial light in the clear night sky. Only the annoying fireflies buzzing around the forest presents me with a shred of light. My toe still hurts from stumbling over a large pile of loose rocks a short distance from the lake.
This does not seem right. I should have reached the town by now.
A soft light and the rumble of voices reverberate from the other side of the hill. Perhaps the campers can give me a ride back into town.
At the top of the hill, I face my worst nightmare. Goblins, of all shapes and sizes, roam around the base of the hill. They hobble in and out of cliffs with hollow openings. A little stream runs through the middle of the goblins’ cove. Decorative stones on the ground mimic pathways from cave to cave. Little lanterns line the stream, illuminating the bright water.
I bow behind an old tree and suck in a breath.
A screeching sound erupts past the goblins’ cove. Stretching, I peer through the branches. I cannot see very well, so I grasp the lowest tree branch. I climb until I get a good view of the roaming bodies. Masked goblins run over the hill screaming, “Recruiters in the forest! Recruiters in the forest!”
A bulky figure emerges from the largest cave entrance. The disfigured face of the Goblin King shines in the lamplight. “What’s going on?”
“Me lord!” A crooked goblin steps forward and bows. “Recruiters be in the forest and Jenkins be leadin’ ‘em.”
The king’s eyes reflect the flames of the lanterns. “I want every goblin out here and ready to fight. Jenkins does not leave alive!”
“Wait, me lord. There be one more thin’.” The goblin grins. “Temptation be lost somewhere in the woods. That’s why they be here. I heard ‘em talkin’ ‘bout her travelin’ from de lake.”
The king’s gleeful expression roots a rush of panic into my heart.
“Remorse!” An older, noble-looking goblin steps forward. Remorse’s face mirrors the goblin I met on my way to the theater house. “Seek Temptation out and don’t allow her to escape.”
“Yes, me lord–”
“Silus!”
On the hill where the goblins previously emerged, stand the Jenkins twins in their demon forms, along with a group of humans.
“Do you have her?” Jerald asks. “If you laid one disgusting claw on her, I’ll–!”
“You know, Jenkins, I find it astonishing you can’t cont
rol this one. Is she a bit too headstrong for you? Or could she possibly see through your caring disguise?” The Goblin King’s claws grow. Those same claws created the markings on Victoria’s neck. I cannot help but wonder if the king would do the same to me if I refuse him.
“I assure you, Temptation headed into the goblin forest blindly. She’s loyal to me and isn’t the least bit interested in you, Silus.” Jerald’s nails arch into sharp points. He flexes his fingers. “Temptation’s mine.”
“Oh?” The king taps a claw against his misshapen mouth. “Did you already mark her? I don’t recall seeing anything on her neck or shoulders.”
Without thinking about my actions, my hands clutch the tree until blood drips from my fingers. I try to breathe out the stress and panic, and loosen my grip.
“You know neither of us can mark her until Halloween. I’d kill her if I tried before–” Jerald stops.
The goblins are acting the way hounds do when they catch a scent of their prey. Their ears bend and rotate, probably trying to catch a sound of my beating heart. Their noses twitch, smelling for the source of my blood. I quickly wrap my hand in my shirt I still carry.
“She’s somewhere close by.” The king says, while never taking his eyes off the Jenkins twins. “Remorse, take a regiment of goblins and find Temptation. The rest of you remain here with me.”
“Stay out of our way, hybrid beast, or I’ll start murdering your goblins.” Herald’s chrome teeth mirror a ray of moonlight.
The king lunges, charging into Herald.
Herald howls an earsplitting screech and sinks his fangs into the king. Goblins flood out from the caves and move into battle with the humans accompanying the Jenkins twins.
I spy a small window of opportunity to escape. Leaping down from the tree, I hit the ground and then sprint back the way I came. As I circle around the hill, I can see the battling bodies of humans, and creatures in the distance. Blood spatters the leaves and colors the water. One of the humans slams a thick branch on an older goblin’s leg. The crack from the breaking bone sounds like a gunshot through the forest. The goblin’s otherworldly cry cripples my hard emotions toward the creatures. The human stands over the goblin, ready to bash the creature’s head into the forest floor. The goblin’s massive head lunges forward. He sinks his prickly teeth into the recruiter’s leg. The man screams and bends forward. Before my heart can create another beat, the creature slashes the recruiter’s throat. Blood pools out from the man’s neck. He drops to the ground with a gurgling gasp.
I force my limbs to shift. Legs moving in the direction of town once again, the screams fade when I reach the third hill. I can see a faint light ahead and the wall. The welcome sight jumpstarts my adrenaline. Sprinting to the wall, I almost fall over when a small body jumps in my path.
“Hold on there, Girlie!” The goblin, Remorse, says. “Me master be wantin’ ya. He’d be very mad at me if I let ya escape again.”
I sprint past Remorse. The wall is a few feet away.
“Aw!” I fall into a mud pit. “What is this stuff?” I cannot move forward. It reminds me of trying to remove gum from a sidewalk; it keeps sucking me back in.
“Stop strugglin’, Girlie. That be mud with ah spell on it. The one who can get ya outta there be me master. Not even Jenkins could free ya.” Remorse swivels and runs back in the direction of the goblins’ cove. “Me master should be pleased. Sit tight, Girlie.”
Planting my feet into the base of the mud pit, I try to push forward, but the sticky mud sucks me back down. Up above my head, I spot a low tree branch. Twiddling my fingers on the branch, I am able to grip it. The branch in both hands, I begin to pull myself upward. The mud tugs at me; stretching my body out. Gritting my teeth, I heave myself up. My thighs rise out of the sticky muck. The mud sucks me in even harder. A sick sensation of my skin ripping apart makes me scream out in pain, but I do not surrender.
A thick arm encircles my waist, while an inhuman hand uncurls my sore fingers from the branch. “Shh,” the Goblin King whispers. “It’s all right. You can get out of it.”
The mud slackens and falls off my body. It rolls off my clothes the way water rolls off metal. I am clutching the king’s arm while he elevates me out of the cursed mud. Hot tears start to form behind my eyelids. I bite my tongue to stop myself from experiencing a breakdown.
A rough hand strokes my hair.
I finally look into the eyes of the monster I have heard so many horror stories about.
“I’ll not keep you here, Temptation. This is my prison. Not yours. I’ll give you your freedom.”
“But then – why did you order your goblins to capture me if you’re just going to let me go?”
“You were watching us in the goblin cove, weren’t you?”
I trail my scratched fingertips against the king’s dark fabric. It is coarse and brutal to my abused skin.
He studies my movements. “I wanted you captured, because you have a right to know the truth about us. About me. I can’t waltz up to your doorway and simply tell you.”
“But you have,” I say. “Or at least your goblins have. I’ve seen them in different parts of town, even in my bedroom.” I do not release any more information to him. I do not want anyone to know about the monster man who stops my suicide attempts or his visits to my bedroom the first day I came to Rosewood. Plus I am unsure of how the king would take it or what he would do to him.
The Goblin King rubs my back in small circles. His claws brush my wild hair from my forehead.
“Why can’t you show up in my room?”
He chuckles and then says, “Well I’m glad to know you’re eager to have me in your bedroom.”
I lower my gaze so my hair shields my face.
“I’m afraid I don’t have the strength for using magic anymore. My goblins can still travel to specific areas in Rosewood, but I wanted to speak with you, face to face.”
“W-What truth did you want me to know?”
“I’m sure Jenkins–”
“Why do you call them Jenkins? They’re two different people.”
The king smirks. “Are they?”
My eyebrows pucker at his puzzling answer.
“Like I was saying, I’m sure Jenkins already told you of a fantastic story of how I murder children and rape women.”
I shake my head. “No, but I did read a story; a folktale of Rosewood which said something to the same effect.”
“You mean you found a copy of the folktale of Rosewood? Amazing. I thought Jenkins destroyed all those books.”
“Why would they want the books destroyed? The story condemns you not them.” I try not to look away from those piercing eyes and hyena-like face.
“The story hints on how to free me. I’m not a rapist or murderer, Temptation. True, the townspeople wanted help because of all the murders in Rosewood. Dead bodies kept turning up with monstrous bite marks on the neck and shoulders. Remind you of anything?”
“Vampires. But they’re demons.”
“The stories of vampires originated from the demons.”
“So in a way, they are the original vampire?”
The king nods. “The townspeople blamed my goblins and me for the murders. So, they hired the twin sons of a priest to exorcise us out of Rosewood. They did not realize until it was too late, Jenkins was responsible, and the goblins were protecting the victims. So yes, I stole children and women. But not for the reasons the twins told you of.”
“You hurt Victoria.”
“Accident.”
I shift in his arms. “If that’s true, then let me go over the wall.”
The Goblin King’s shoulders slacken. Hands, the deep color of tarnished bronze, fall away from my body.
I hurry around the mud pit and hop over the wall. My heartbeat pounds in my ears. He actually let me go! Peering back at the king, the sadness in his eyes stirs in me a drop of sympathy. “Tell me one more thing. If what you say is true, don’t you
think the townspeople would’ve realized people started disappearing and dying when the twins moved to town?”
The king’s depression dissipates and a malevolent grin replaces his frown. “Jenkins was born in Rosewood. He was not a stranger.”
Confused by this new information, I ask, “Then how did they become demons? Did they get possessed by something?”
The king throws back his head and laughs. “In a manner of speaking. You see they were always rascals in their youth and one of their pranks went horribly wrong. They died.” He stalks closer to the wall. “They went to what you humans call Hell and saw monstrous things too horrible to describe. They escaped and their souls returned to their bodies. The townspeople rejoiced, calling it a miracle from God, not realizing the creature borne into the twins that day. They’ll never be able to experience peacefulness again. The only thing to calm their demons is song. It’s why Victoria is their...doll. Her voice is what makes them feel human; strips them of their immortality for a brief moment in eternity. It would be wise to not allow them hear you sing, Temptation. I heard you in the theater house.”
Color rises into my cheeks. “I didn’t want anyone to know. It’s not a part of my life anymore.”
The king tilts his head. “A shame.”
“So – how did they get their wings? I didn’t think demons had angel wings, I thought they would be more bat-like.”
“I’ll answer with a question. Have you ever heard of the Nephilim?”
I shake my head.
“They’re the offspring of human women and fallen angels. Jenkins is a Nephilim and a demon. The only one I know of in existence. Young as he is, he’s still extremely dangerous. He needs to be stopped before he can escape from Rosewood. Free me, Temptation.”
Thunder claps overhead. I jump. As I stare into the night, a single raindrop falls on my cheek. Weird, I thought, the sky was clear a moment ago. Back over the wall, the goblins, and their king disappear. I hug my torso and dash back in the direction of town. Aunt Sally is going to murder me!
