Wicked Winters

by Melanie Karsak et al.

  “Oh, hey. Nothing, just having a bad day,” I retrieved my card and shoved it into my coat pocket.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I lost my job the other day and my rent is due or I’m going to be evicted.”

  “Well I can help. How much do you need?” he asked, reaching for his wallet.

  “Oh God, no. I wasn’t asking, really, I can figure something out.”

  “Ruby, please. My parents are loaded. I’m not going to miss it. Let me help.”

  “Oz you just met me.”

  He shrugged. “So? I’m not going to see you on the streets.”

  I felt like a total shit to even consider it, but there was no way I could get the money together in time. “I will pay you back every penny,” I said.

  He headed into the bank to withdraw the money. One guy steals from me and this one is willing to hand me five hundred bucks, five minutes after meeting me. Could my luck actually be changing?

  He returned a few minutes later and handed me a white envelope with the money inside.

  “Thank you. Really.”

  “It’s not a problem. Have a drink with me tonight.”

  I grinned. “I see how it is. You think I’m going to sleep with you because you gave me money.”

  A look of alarm crossed his face. “What? No, of course not. I would never…”

  I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him. “Relax. I mean, I will sleep with you, but not because of the money. It’s because I think you’re hot.”

  He laughed. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.”

  “Eight, at the bar?”

  He nodded. “Can’t wait.”

  Kissing him goodbye, I headed back to the trailer. Mr. Sullivan looked stunned when I handed over the money.

  “Thought you were bullshitting me,” he said.

  “Well you were wrong.”

  Back in the trailer, I picked something to wear for tonight. Maybe the Sheriff would catch up to me about Ted, but if that was the case, I was going to enjoy tonight.

  Four

  Lily and Ben showed up at the bar too. We got a table together. I wanted Oz all to myself but didn’t want to be rude. Lily did most of the talking again, but at least Ben and Oz seemed a little more relaxed this time.

  “Rubes, let’s go to the bathroom,” Lily said, grabbing my hand. In other words, she wanted to talk.

  The second the bathroom door closed, Lily asked, “So? What’s happening with you and Oz? He’s great, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, he is actually.”

  She started fixing her make up. “Well it’s obvious he likes you. Just think how great next year will be, if things work out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She grinned at me. “My cousin owns an apartment building in the city. She’s going to set me up with one when I finish college.”

  So she really is going.

  “Good for you.”

  “Good for us, you mean. I am going to need a roommate.”

  “Seriously? You want to live together?”

  “Of course I do! There’s nothing in this town for either of us. We’ll move to the city and I’ll help you get a job. It’ll be so much fun.”

  I stared at her in stunned silence. I didn’t know about any of this, but she seemed to have it all worked out. Normally, that would annoy me, but this sounded amazing.

  She isn’t going to abandon me.

  “Are you okay?” Lily asked.

  “Yeah, I just…”

  She hugged me tightly. “Things will get better, you’ll see.”

  I forced myself not to cry. A future. Something to look forward to. For the first time in a long time, I actually felt hopeful.

  Lily returned to her make up. I opened my purse to find a tissue, noticing a corkscrew inside. I must have left it in there from the last time Lily and I went drinking.

  For a moment, I pictured myself lifting it out and stabbing Lily in the throat with it, spraying the mirror with her blood. I let out a gasp, doubling over.

  Where the hell did that come from?

  “Ruby? What’s wrong?” Lily cried, putting a hand on my back.

  “Nothing. I’m fine.” I pushed her away. “I need some air.”

  Running from the bathroom, I headed outside. Breathing in the freezing cold air, I tried to make sense of what I saw.

  “What the hell is wrong with me?” I whispered.

  Am I going crazy? Why would I imagine something so horrible?

  “Ruby?” Oz came up to me, carrying my coat. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I just needed some air.”

  He held my coat out and I slipped it on. “I’m fine, really.”

  Oz didn’t look convinced. “Want to go back inside?”

  I glanced in the window. Lily and Ben were talking at the table. She looked worried.

  “No. Can we go to your place instead?” I asked. I couldn’t be around her right now.

  “Sure. I’ll just let them know we’re going.”

  We didn’t talk on the short walk to the B&B. Or rather Oz tried and when I didn’t respond, he fell silent.

  Once we were inside, I started kissing him. “Take your clothes off,” I urged, pulling off my coat.

  “You sure you want to do this?” he asked.

  “Yes, now do as you’re told.”

  “You’re dead, Ruby,” Ted said, lunging at me from the darkness. I screamed as his hands closed around my throat.

  Jumping up, I found myself in bed. Oz lay asleep beside me, the blankets tangled around his waist. I checked my phone, a little after 3am.

  All of this seemed to be triggered by Ted. I got up, dressed quickly and slipped out of the room. The town was silent, this late at night. A light flurry of snow was falling.

  I walked to the bridge, terrified that Ted would appear again, but I had to face this.

  The bridge was lit by streetlamps, casting a soft glow. Under any other circumstances, it would make a picturesque Christmas card.

  On the path below, running along the river, I could see the police tape. He was pulled out close to where he fell. If I had called for help, would he have survived?

  Hiking down the hill, I headed for the taped off area. The water looked black. It would be bitterly cold. I couldn’t imagine what that would feel like. Ted probably went into shock very quickly. Could he even swim?

  “I’m sorry, Ted,” I whispered, tears falling.

  “No point talking to the dead,” someone said.

  Spinning around, I found a dwarf behind me. He was maybe four feet tall, with a bald head and a long black beard that reached his ankles.

  “What the hell? You are real?”

  He grinned at me, his black eyes glittering. “As real as you are.”

  “What do you want?” I backed away. A chill ran through me, whoever this guy was, something was off about him.

  “You should stop ignoring the dreams, dearie. They’re preparing you for what’s to come.”

  “What are you talking about?” How did he know about the dreams?

  “You already know.”

  “That crap about good and evil. Yeah, I don’t know what you and my grandmother have come up with, but I’m not buying it.”

  “Constance Roth? Haven’t seen her in a long time. Not since she made an agreement with me.”

  “What? My grandmother made a deal with you? For what?”

  He smirked. “For a child, of course. She thought it would be the only way to tame her wild daughter.”

  I’m here because Grandma wanted Sally to settle down?

  “No, that’s ridiculous.” Although it explained how she knew so much.

  “I saw an opportunity. It only happens once a millennia, you know.”

  “What does?”

  “The chance for darkness to be born in mortal form.”

  “I’m not evil,” I snapped.

  “I didn’t call you evil. It’s all a matter of perspective. The powe
r you have, comes from darkness. Lily was born to smite you. Are you going to let her?”

  “I would never hurt Lily. And she would never hurt me.”

  “Believe me, she will. On the winter solstice, two days from now, your powers will be fully unleashed and the two of you will meet in battle. Only one of you will survive.”

  “No,” I said. “Lily knows nothing about this. There won’t be a battle.”

  “She knows everything. The brothers are here to see that you both play your part.”

  I let out a breath. “Oz and Ben? You’re saying they are part of this?”

  “Guides to make sure you do the right thing.”

  “You’re a liar. Just get away from me.”

  I hurried past him, heading back up the path.

  “Kill her, Ruby. Or you’ll die. Not that anyone will miss you,” he called.

  Anger coursed through me. I spun, throwing my hand out and a blast of energy escaped me. It hit the ground, scorching it. The dwarf had vanished.

  Five

  I returned to Oz’s room in a daze. Either I had lost it completely, or this was real. I shot energy out of my hands!

  Oz woke up as I stumbled into the room.

  “Rubes? What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Is it true? Are you in on it?” I asked.

  “In on what?”

  “I just spoke to the dwarf. Don’t lie to me, Oz.”

  He looked away. “I’m sorry, Ruby. I should have told you sooner, but I wanted you to trust me first.”

  “This can’t be real. It’s insane.” I paced the floor, trying to make sense of everything.

  Oz got out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans. “I’m afraid it is real. I’m sorry, I know this is a lot.”

  He poured me a drink. I knocked it back, my mind reeling. Why is this happening to me?

  “What do you have to do with all this?”

  “I’m part of a brotherhood. We are supposed to protect you, guide you in the fight.”

  “The fight? The one that is supposed to be happening two day from now? Kind of late to the game, aren’t you?”

  “I know. Things went wrong and I was only assigned to you a few days ago. I blagged my way into coming here through Lily.”

  “And were you going to tell me?”

  “Of course, but what would you have done if I walked up to you in the diner and told you all of this?”

  “I would have laughed in your face.”

  “Exactly. But now you know, you need to get ready to take her on.”

  “No, I don’t. There isn’t going to be a fight. Lily knows nothing about this.”

  “She knows everything.” He jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. A few hours ago, we were having sex, he was just a normal guy.

  “Earlier, she told me that she is getting us an apartment next year. Why would she say that if she’s planning to kill me?”

  “Ben would have told her to act normal, so you wouldn’t suspect…”

  I slammed the glass down on the table. “No! This is bullshit. You are delusional. I’m done.”

  Lying in the trailer, I couldn’t sleep. This whole situation was completely fucked up. It was all an elaborate trick, it had to be. Oz and the dwarf were working together. Hell, maybe Grandma was in on it too. They had banded together to drive me crazy. I had no clue as to why, but there was no other explanation for all of this.

  Well screw all of them. I’m not falling for it. Tomorrow I’ll tell Lily everything and I’ll know she’s on my side.

  Maybe she could help me chase Oz out of town. Why did I always pick the weirdos? I think what hurt more than the lies, was the fact that I was really starting to like him.

  Throwing the blanket over my head, I forced my eyes shut. It was so cold in here that I was sleeping in my clothes.

  There was a thump from outside. Leaping up, I moved to the window and peeked out. I couldn’t see anything, but I could sense something was out there.

  Grabbing the baseball bat I kept under the bed, I opened the trailer door and stepped outside.

  It was quiet. I listened intently but the only noise came from a television several trailers away. I took a few steps forward, imagining Oz watching me or that creep from the bridge.

  Let them try something, I’ll beat the shit out of them.

  A whooshing sound filled the air, I turned in time to see flames engulf my trailer.

  “What the hell?” I took a step forward, then backed away. A moment later, something blew up inside and the trailer went up.

  I stood in the snow, too shocked to move, when I heard a truck drive off. The road out of the park curved past my trailer. A dark colored pick up sped by, it slowed down long enough at the curve for me to see who was in the passenger seat. Lily.

  She did this? That’s impossible, she would never…

  But this was real, it was happening. She torched my home and if I hadn’t come outside, I’d be dead.

  Six

  “Open the door, Oz!” I yelled, banging my fist into it.

  He wrenched it open. “What’s going on?”

  “My trailer is gone. Burned to the ground. It was Lily.”

  He sighed. “I told you. For fuck’s sake, what are they playing at?”

  “My guess, trying to kill me.” I pushed past him into the room.

  “That’s supposed to happen on the solstice. This is the coward’s way out. Although it might be good news.”

  “How is my best friend burning my home to the ground, good news!”

  “Because she doesn’t want to face you in combat. She might hesitate.”

  “We’re not going to fight.” How many times did I have to say it?

  “You don’t have a choice,” he snapped.

  “Yes, I do. I can leave town right now. I’ll never look back.”

  “It won’t work. The two of you will keep getting drawn back to each other until the job is done. The whole point is for it to happen now, or you’ll be forever linked.”

  “And what would happen if I succeeded? Would whatever this is, go away?”

  “No, your magic would grow. Being untethered to her means you can do whatever you want.”

  “I’ve never been able to do what I want. I am not evil.”

  “No one said you were. Your power comes from dark magic, but you can use it however you like. Dark doesn’t mean evil, it means being able to use magic without being tied down by rules. When the fight is over, we could leave town. Go wherever you want.”

  “Sure you want to do that with the Mistress of the Dark?”

  He smiled, taking my hand. “Ruby, you are like a Goddess to me. The brotherhood have been preparing for this for centuries. I never dreamed that I would be the one to meet you. Let me help you.”

  “The power escaping from you is just the beginning,” Oz said. We had moved to the woods to test out my abilities. Oz thought it was better to lay low in case Lily tried again.

  “It will take years to refine them, right now all you can really do is blast people. It’s not fatal, but useful in a fight.”

  “How long has Lily been with Ben?” I asked. Knowing that she knew about all of this, it made me wonder how long it had been going on. When we would talk on the phone, was she secretly plotting how to kill me?

  “A few months. You said anger triggered it before, and fear…”

  “How do you think she’s going to do it? Kill me.” Fire didn’t work. What next?

  “She isn’t going to kill you, Ruby.”

  “Why not? If I’m the dark one or whatever, it should be me, shouldn’t it?” That’s how it went in the movies. Good fights evil, good wins.

  He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. “Don’t talk like that. Why should she survive over you? She’s been lying to you, she tried to kill you in your sleep.”

  I took a shaky breath. “She didn’t even have the decency to look me in the eye when she did it. All the years we’ve been friends and it means not
hing to her.”

  “Hold onto that anger. I promise you, Ruby, when its over, you get to live the life you want.”

  I nodded slowly.

  Oz took several steps back. “Now, blast me.”

  “What? I can’t do that.”

  “It won’t kill me. Focus your anger, feel it build inside you. All the years you’ve had to struggle while she went to bed every night in her perfect house, with her perfect parents.”

  I did as he asked. “She always got everything. All she had to do was flutter her eyelashes and everyone falls at her feet.”

  I threw my hands out, feeling the power surge out of them. It hit Oz square in the chest, knocking him down.

  I dropped my hands. After a few seconds, he got up, unscathed. “Again.”

  We practised all morning until I was sure I could call it at will. After Oz picked himself up for the twentieth time, he called a timeout.

  “I have something for you,” he said.

  He removed a box from the black duffel bag he had brought with him. He handed it to me. I opened it to find a silver knife inside.

  “How do you know she won’t get her hands on a gun?”

  “It has to be a blade. The whole trailer thing never would have worked. The two of you are destined to fight.”

  I lifted the knife out, feeling the weight of it in my hand. Despite the dreams and visions, what would it be like to actually do it? To drive a knife into Lily and watch the light leave her eyes?

  In less than twenty-four hours, I would find out or I would die instead.

  Seven

  The town was quiet. All the stores had shut up for the night. Fresh snow was falling, most people headed home early in case it got worse.

  I paused at a store window. Christmas lights were strung up around it and an animatronic snowman stood inside, waving its arm at me. Someone appeared behind me, I could see their reflection in the glass.

  “Cold night,” Lily said.

  I turned slowly. She was alone but Ben was bound to be nearby, just as Oz was.