Deadly Darlings (October Darlings Book 2)

by Wendolyn Baird

  Apologizing profusely, I back out of the room as Tomas gathers up all his books, and we hurry out of the classroom. Once we’re outside, we listen carefully for the sound of metal against the sidewalk, and not hearing any, Tomas whistles softly.

  True to his tale, a grackle soars over, perches on a railing near us, and fixes Tomas with one, beady eye. Their interaction is silent, and I presume, they’re communicating telepathically. The moment the bird flits off, Tomas explains it’s scanning the area for us.

  “I’ll make sure one or two birds stick around you. Just look at them and ask for me if you need any help.”

  “That’s a hell of a lot weirder than just giving me your phone number,” I grumble.

  “Do you want my phone number?” Tomas smirks at me as he pulls out a cigarette, trying his best to regain his previous bravado.

  “No,” I splutter. “That is definitely not what I meant!”

  Unfortunately for me, the sky opens with a downpour of rain yet again, and I’m cut off by the weather. Jerking my jacket up over my head to block some of the water, I cringe, knowing my thin, grey dress is only a minute away from being completely drenched and clinging to my body in all sorts of awkward ways.

  Stowing the unlit cigarette back in his pocket, Tomas surprises me by taking off his own jacket and wrapping it around me, holding it in place as I try to reach my dorm.

  “Stop walking all weird,” Tomas shouts at me over the rain.

  “I can’t help it,” I yell back. “You’re throwing me off balance! You don’t have to do this, you know!”

  “I know.”

  But he does. And when he leaves me in the foyer of my dormitory, he nods at a couple of black birds cackling in a tree nearby, throws his jacket over his shoulder, and strides back out into the rain, completely drenched.

  Chapter Five

  DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS— and Tomas’ help— my dress is still splattered in rain, and the soles of my boots squeak all the way up to my room. Several strands of hair have slipped from my bun and are frizzy and straggled across my forehead and cheeks, and I can’t shake the chill from my bones.

  Hanging my bag and clothes on a free hook in our shared bathroom, I lock both doors to keep out Sabrina and our neighbors. Cracking open the bottom drawer under the sink that I’d claimed for myself the first week of school, I hold my wrist out and wait for Frank to clamber in. Nestled amongst my toiletries is a soft bed made out of washcloths, and within seconds, he falls asleep.

  Falling back to sit on the bathmat, I lean my head against the shower door and massage my temples. At least if Frank’s sleeping, I know I’m not in danger of being attacked at the moment. Tomas’ weird bird friends probably have something to do with that. No wonder he knew what a sentinel is; the birds are practically a type of familiar!

  “I can’t do this,” I groan out loud.

  I decided to come to Blackwood because it was close to home and I could stay with Ellis and Sabrina. I wanted a break from hauntings and death since I lost Dad right before graduation. I just wanted a break from all the reminders.

  I didn’t want this.

  “Frank,” I groan, “what am I going to do? Who makes up these rules, and why do the creepy siblings think they’ve got some kind of claim on me?”

  But he’s asleep. And there’s no use in telling Sabrina and Ellis about any of this. It wouldn’t do them any good to know they're walking around with someone who literally attracts death. It’s not like they could stop it, and it isn’t fair to panic them. I’ll just have to learn to handle this myself.

  With a sigh, I drag myself up off the floor, switch on the water, and begin the tedious process of unlacing my boots. I may as well shower and try to move on with my day, if I can.

  I DO MY BEST TO AVOID creepy one and two over the couple of days, and by the time Friday night rolls around, it’s easy to pretend there’s nothing weird skulking around campus.

  “You’re going to be great,” I tell Ellis over the phone. Sabrina has pulled my hair into such a tight ponytail, my scalp is aching, and my eyes are burning, but I hold my head still as she tucks a star-speckled comb into the base of the hair tie. “You’re a great guitarist, and y’all have practiced this set a hundred times. You’ve got this. Besides, I can’t wait to see you up on stage. You’re going to look awesome.”

  “You mean I don’t always look awesome?” he teases back.

  “Nah, only when you bring me presents,” I joke.

  “Presents, like this?” There’s a knock at the door, and Ellis enters, phone in one hand, a fresh cup of coffee in the other.

  “Hey! You’re the best!” I stand up as soon as Sabrina backs up, and hurry over to Ellis. Seeing him is like getting a breath of fresh air, and the smile he gives me washes away all the stress the week has brought me.

  It’s good just to see him. Normal, not normal, whatever any of it means, it doesn’t matter. I’m simply Addie, and he continues to pick me for me. And as for him...

  He slips his phone into his pocket and sets the coffee on the desk behind me, running his hands along my waist as he pulls me forward, against him. His breath is warm compared to his chilled cheeks, and the tip of his nose is slightly pink from walking outside in the wind. Warm, golden eyes soften as he draws nearer. One hand cupped on his jaw, and the other clinging to his shoulder, I sigh as our mouths meet, and relax against him.

  “You’re going to be great,” I whisper again once we break apart.

  “I know. But only because I know you’ll be watching me from the crowd. Tonight, you’re my moral support.”

  I laugh softly at his joke, remembering the first time I came clean about my powers. When I asked him to just have my back, so I didn’t feel alone. He let me fight things on my own from the beginning, but I never doubted whether or not I had his support.

  “Enough making out, guys,” Sabrina says. Her own hair and makeup are done, and tossing my green corduroy jacket at me, it’s obvious she’s ready to go. “I haven’t left campus in like, days!” She complains. “Let’s get a move on, I want to eat before we head to the show.”

  “I still have to go set up,” Ellis reminds her.

  She shrugs and glances my way for approval. “Okay, we’ll drop you off first. But then we’re going out for orange chicken.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I agree. Lifting the end of my ponytail out from beneath my collar, I peck Ellis on the corner of the mouth and grab his hand as we head out the door. “I’ll order you something to go,” I promise him.

  Since we’re just dropping Ellis off at the venue, I offer to drive, and he ends up drinking a good half of the coffee he’d brought me while I curse under my breath at the intersections.

  “You sound like your aunt,” Sabrina laughs from the backseat, referencing my aunt’s disdain for slow drivers.

  “I learned to drive in San Antonio,” I retort. “I may have more patience than Delia, but not by a lot.”

  The narrow streets of Blackwood fluctuate between historic looking houses that have been converted into businesses, and buildings that are half hidden by the trees that give the town its name, and in the dim light of dusk, pedestrians waver like shadows beneath the streetlights. My stomach is squirming with the faint bit of uneasiness that's been my constant companion over the last few days, and as I park, my eyes flit to the tree branches overhead.

  It’s silly to be caught up the way that I am. Half of me is terrified of the way the grackles eye me, their penetrating stares marking my every move. Another part of me is almost comforted by the fact I’m being looked after. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s nice knowing I’m not alone when it comes to the supernatural. But mostly, I’m just irritated at feeling so caught.

  “Come on.” I sigh as I lock up the car, shifting impatiently in the parking lot while Sabrina takes her time adjusting her jacket.

  “Is everything okay?” She asks me, her hands pausing at her top button, and bottom lip sticking out on consternation. “You’
re being like, a little more on edge than usual.”

  “Everything’s fine,” I lie. “I’m just cold out here. Hey, how’d your essay go over?”

  Taking the bait, Sabrina launches into a happy description of her latest history assignment, and by the time we reach the doors, I’m inundated with enough information about the aqueducts in ancient Rome, that I almost miss the dark, iridescent feather that floats to the ground in front of me.Doing my best to focus on Sabrina’s monologue, and nod at all the right times, we both almost miss the hostess motioning us towards a table.

  The dining area is crowded, and the chilly, fall air discourages all but the bravest from sitting at the outside patio. Even our table, a good six feet away from the patio door, comes with a breeze that leaves me clinging to my jacket sleeves.

  “I wish I’d remembered to snag my camera on our way out,” I muse to myself as we wait to order our food. “It would have been nice to get some pictures for Ellis to look at later.”

  “I don’t know,” Sabrina argues. “If you go right into camera mode, he’d probably feel like you were bored.” She pauses to take a sip of her soda, and then shakes her head. “You’re a good photographer, girl, don’t get me wrong, but when you’re behind that lens, you’re gone. I could try talking to you for half an hour, and you’d never hear.”

  “That’s not true!”

  “Mm hm, then you’re telling me you did something at the party last week besides pout around and snap pics of people?”

  Throwing my straw wrapper at her, I laugh when it sticks to her sleeve. “Hey, don’t knock my hobby. I was mainly taking pictures of you. I did get a terrible one of Tomas though, if you want to check it out,” I tease her.

  “No need.” Sabrina’s eyes go wide, and she sits up straight, staring just beyond my shoulder. “It looks like gorgeous and brooding wanted Chinese food tonight too.”

  And before I can stop her, and because I’ve been stupid and not warned her about anything Tomas and Ramona have said to me, she waves him over.

  “Sit with us,” she offers candidly. “You’ll be waiting for freaking ever otherwise. We’ve got the room, right Addie?”

  I plaster a smile on my face, willing the heat at my cheeks to recede. “Uhm yeah, of course,” I respond automatically.

  Tomas winks at me and pulls out a chair, slouching into it as though this was his plan all along.

  “Another Friday night running into y’all, but again, I seem to have missed this mysterious boyfriend of Addie’s. I’m starting to wonder if he actually exists.”

  I drop my mouth open in indignation, but Sabrina speaks first.

  “He’s setting up for a show over at Diablitos; we just dropped him off. If you don’t believe us though,” Sabrina shrugs, “come hang out with us for a bit. Last time we met, things got weird, and hey, I never got to hear about that ghost story you were telling me about.”

  Tomas raises his eyebrows, glances over his shoulder to catch our server’s attention, and then forces a laugh. Sabrina, still smitten with his face, or maybe his body, I’m not sure which, doesn't seem to notice his unease.

  “Oh, it isn’t that scary of a story. Just old rumors, in my opinion.”

  He’s lying. The moment the words slip out of his mouth, that small, violet bird I’d caught a glimpse at before pecks at his shoulder, invisible to everyone but me. His lips twitch downward, as if he’s resisting the urge to frown, and I set my gaze on him, demanding and resolute.

  Do not tell her the truth, do not tell her the truth! I furrow my eyebrows, trying my best to send him some kind of telepathic message.

  Sabrina laughs, touches his arm in a show of amusement, and presses him again for an answer. I grit my teeth and frown even more. This is my fault.

  Do not tell her the truth... my nails dig into my palms beneath the table, and I’m barely breathing.

  “It’s really not much.” Tomas shrugs, sliding the napkin holder to the center of the table. “Just a bunch of unexplained disappearances and the rumor of a murderous ghost.”

  Okay. Mark telepathy off my list of magical powers. Obviously that one doesn’t work.

  Sabrina’s eyes widen so much, her lashes brush over the tops of her wide glasses, and she curls her fist under her jaw as she leans towards him. “And like, you think that’s not much? Oh my gosh, no way, that’s terrifying! What happened?”

  “People died, obviously,” I say deadpanned.

  “No, actually,” Tomas replies.

  Our server returns to take our orders, during which time I manage to scoot my chair close enough to him to nudge his ankle with my foot. While Sabrina is thanking our server, I take the opportunity to hiss into Tomas’ ear.

  “Do not tell her anything else! I don’t want her, or Ellis involved in any of this!”

  Taken aback, he shoots me a strange glance, but before I can explain, the server is walking away, and I have to plaster a fake smile on my face.

  “You were saying?” I prompt him.

  “Yeah, like, if they didn’t die, what the heck happened to them?” Sabrina adds.

  “Nobody knows. They most likely dropped out and went home, but so many students left in the same semester it became this thing where people were convinced there was a murderer.” He shrugs again, this time stirring the ice in his cup around with his straw. “Like I said, it’s really not much. Sounds scarier at night when you’re sneaking down to a basement though.” His eyes glitter mischievously, and I roll mine in response. Sabrina, on the other hand, can’t get enough of him.

  Forty-five excruciating minutes later, we’re packed into my car, with a carton of eggs rolls and rice tucked next to my seat for Ellis.

  “So why were you, uhm, eating dinner by yourself?” I ask Tomas as we pull into Diablitos. The slanted, grey roof is awash with fallen leaves, and the bright, red lights flashing band names on the sign over the door makes my eyes water.

  “I wasn’t supposed to be,” he admits. “My sister told me to meet her there, but she never showed. I was actually looking around for her when I bumped into y’all.”

  I pull into the closest space I can manage, one eyebrow shooting up near my hairline as I consider his alibi. If I had to bet, I’d guess Ramona was sending Tomas my way on purpose. Which means not only is she up to the same, cryptic tricks as before, but she’s probably stalking me. Great.

  We’re marked as under twenty-one when we file through the entrance, and Ellis rushes forward to make sure they know I’m with him and accepts his food with fervor. Inside the building, the bass is so loud, it tremors through my chest, and the bouncing lights off the stage are a striking fuchsia.

  The guys nod at each other and exchange names, and then I’m wrapped happily under Ellis’ arm and able to lean my head against his chest. Shutting my eyes against the chaos of the venue, I allow the music to wash over me as I appreciate the safety of his embrace, and I wish I could stay like this, always.

  Yousef, Connor, and Aimee are all lounging in the back of the crowd, manning their merchandise table. Ellis smiles broadly at his band mates as we approach, and Aimee rushes out from behind the table to give Sabrina a hug. Connor, it seems, is familiar with Tomas, and the two of them fall into a quick, mostly inaudible conversation about math.

  Leaving Ellis to finish his food, I step up next to Yousef to help shift the screen-printed tees and vinyl stickers around the tabletop to hopefully entice more attention. By the time they head backstage, I’ve almost forgotten Tomas hanging around the edge of our group.

  “Hey,” Sabrina shouts at me over the music. “Why don’t you go enjoy the show? Go watch your boyfriend!” She shoves me forward playfully, and I take the excuse to sidle away from Tomas, still standing at her side. His shoulders are tense, and his gaze is serious, but his attention seems to be somewhere else.

  Slipping through the crowd, I make it to the front, near the stage where Ellis grins at me proudly.

  “How’d you like your dinner date?” Ramona shouts over
the music and sidles up to me. Dressed down today, she’s in combat boots and jeans with a thick, emerald sweater covered in embroidered spiders.

  “I knew you did that!” I yell. “What is your deal?”

  “Nothing, nothing.” She waves her hand, shaking her emerald locks over her shoulders. “Just a little push for socialization! Tomas is terrible at making friends, and he really needed to meet you.”

  “Seriously? Then how do you explain tonight’s stunt?” I gawk at her, temper rising, and the flashing lights are overwhelming my senses.

  “I promise I’ll explain,” she insists. “Meet me tomorrow at my place. And don’t bring anyone you don't want knowing all our secrets.”

  With a wink, she vanishes behind a group of girls headed for the bathroom, and I’m left standing before the stage, as aggravated as ever. Ellis and his friends finish their set, and by the time we tumble out of the building, sweat covers almost every inch of my body and the cold stings my exposed skin.

  “I love the weekend!” Sabrina shouts, spinning in circles down the sidewalk.

  Yousef laughs and runs forward to sweep her off her feet, and the two of them continue twirling towards the parking lot. The sky is wide and dark, with scattered stars shining silently down on us. Aimee listens quietly as Connor and Tomas discuss an upcoming exam, and I find my mind wandering to the dark trees as Ellis chatters on about the show.

  Watching eyes pierce the night, following our every move with sharp gazes, and ruffling their feathers every time the wind blows. How many flocks of birds do Ramona and Tomas use as their spies? And how many others are like them?

  Questions plague far into the drive home, and even the good night kiss Ellis gives me when we reach his dorm can't shake my thoughts. Sabrina and Aimee get wrapped up in their own conversation about the artwork found in some ancient tomb, and every crackle of dried leaves underfoot leaves me on edge. Frank is nervous as well, winding and unwinding his tail beneath my jacket sleeve.