by Mary Ting
Skylar quickened her steps. With her back against the wall, she peered downward. Remus had entered with two females, his arms draped around their shoulders. They were talking, laughing, and walking as if they were drunk. Remus was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, but the ladies were dressed like they wanted to be noticed.
Suddenly, he stopped, sniffing the air, walking closer to the stairs with the ladies still in his arms.
“I smell something sweet and delicious,” he said cunningly.
“Are lou…ungry?” The blonde lady slurred.
“No!” Remus snapped, pushing them out of his arms. The ladies toppled over, falling to the hard floor.
“Ouuu…ch!” the blonde lady huffed, pushing her friend’s legs off her.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” the brunette yelled angrily, becoming more aware of the situation. She got up, stumbled toward him, and flirtatiously ran her hands down his chest. “Come on big guy. You promised me the time of my life.”
Skylar wanted to gag. The blonde was on the other side of him doing the same thing, but she could hardly hold herself up.
Looking annoyed, Remus effortlessly gripped the backs of their dresses, one in each hand, lifting them up so their feet dangled, and carried them to the door. “Get out,” he yelled callously.
Under normal circumstances, Skylar would have freaked out, but now, knowing who Remus was, his ability to hold up two grown women like that didn’t surprise her at all.
“Put me down!” the brunette screamed.
“Vat do lou meeen?” the blonde girl mumbled, seemingly unaware she was lifted off the ground.
“Out!” Remus didn’t give them time to register his words. He dropped them, opened the front door, pushed them out, and slammed the door behind them. Then he dropped his car keys on the table by the vase.
Skylar swallowed a frightened lump in her throat. Quietly, she tiptoed back to Mason’s room. Her pulse raced for unknown reasons. Remus didn’t know she was in the house, and Mason wouldn’t have told her to stay unless he thought she was absolutely safe. Besides, even from the way he’d treated those girls, and those times he had stared her down, she didn’t know why she felt threatened by him. He’d never indicated or shown he wanted to harm her.
As these thoughts flooded her mind, she tried to calm herself, but hearing the loud, hard thumps of Remus’s footsteps as he climbed the stairs gave her icy cold chills. Suddenly, the sound of his footsteps dissipated. Most likely, he’d gone straight to his room.
Her heartbeat became steady again, and she exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she relaxed and thought watching television might be a good idea.
Just then, the door flew open and Remus stood there, looking like he was ready for a kill.
Skylar stood up and took several steps toward him so he could clearly see her, ready to defend herself with words. “It’s me, Skylar. I’m Mason’s friend. He told me to stay here and wait for his return,” Skylar said loudly and quickly.
Remus advanced toward her while Skylar took small steps back, thinking all the while that she was scared for no apparent reason. After all, this was Mason’s half brother, which made him a demigod. Her self-assuring thoughts ended when he suddenly stood right in front of her with a look of hatred in his eyes.
“I know what you are. You are the keeper of death, aren’t you? You’re here to kill us…right?”
“No, no, no….” Skylar shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s what they all say. They act so sweet and innocent, and when you’re not looking, they attack. So, how do you do it? Do you have a special weapon?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I’m not what you think I am!” Skylar shouted, thinking by raising her voice it would get through his thick skull, but it didn’t.
“Liar!” Remus backhanded Skylar across her face. From his strength, her body swept across the floor like a mop, sliding to the other side of the room and crashing against the wall with a loud thump.
Indescribable pain erupted through her body like sharp razor cuts. It took Skylar a few seconds to realize what had just happened. The ache from the impact of his hand to her face and her body practically being thrown across the room made it difficult for her to stand. Wincing, she started to pull her achy, wobbly body up, and felt a small pool of blood streaming down the side of her lower right lip. There was no way she could fight him, especially when he held such powerful god-like strength.
By the time she was standing upright, Remus was already by her side. His fingers wrung her shirt, dragged her across the carpet, and tossed her on the bed. “I’m going to beat it out of you if I have to. Talk! Who are you?”
Trembling, she could hardly speak, but she managed to bounce off the bed and run. Remus immediately stood in front of the door, blocking her way out. “You can’t out run me,” he snickered. “You talk now, or die holding your tongue.”
Again, Skylar was glad her mom had made her take self-defense classes. It had helped her at the nightclub; surely it would help her again. Without heels this time, the impact would be less effective, but she thought to try it any way. She slammed her foot on top of his, but the mocking expression he showed was as if she had just brushed it. Seeing that it had no effect at all, she ran the other way.
Remus yanked the back of her hair and dragged her like before. When they reached the bed, she twisted her body and jabbed her elbow into his stomach with all her strength, then aimed lower and hit his private area with her fist like a hammer. With a loud growl, he released his grip. She guessed god’s descendants or not, when it came to the male parts, they were all just as sensitive.
He wasn’t in pain for long. Skylar’s strength was no match for his. Managing to crawl to the top of the bed, she curled her body in. Tucking her knees close to her chest, she hugged a pillow as if somehow it would create a barrier between them. The only way she could leave here alive was to talk some sense into him.
“Remus, I’m just Skylar,” she whimpered as her lips quivered. “I’m nobody. Look at me. Do I look like I can fight you back?” Tears trickled down her cheeks.
Remus looked confused at first, raising his hand to let her know he was coming toward her in peace. “So…you’re not a keeper?” His tone was soft.
Skylar shook her head. What she really wanted to do was give him a hard sock in the face and call him a dumbass, but she didn’t have the energy to move.
Remus sat on the edge of the bed, looking apologetic. He raised one hand and slowly ran it down the side of her hair, making Skylar cringe from his touch. “I see why Mason has taken an interest in you. All this time I thought he was trying to get close to you, thinking you were a keeper.” With the back of his hand, he glided over her soft, red cheek he had smacked minutes before.
Skylar turned her face away from him and pleaded. “Please…get out. I want to be alone. Mason will be here soon.”
“Where did he go?” Ignoring her request, his hand traveled down her arm. “You feel so soft. How is it that you can resist me? I see you’re wearing his clothes. What belongs to Mason belongs to me.”
Does Mason know? Skylar wanted to vomit. Was he for real? She wanted him out, and since he wasn’t leaving, she was going to leave. “I’m going to the restroom.” Skylar turned her aching body, crawled out of bed, and headed for the door. But before she could get there, Remus had beaten her to it, blocking her way again. “Do you mind? You’re going to watch me take a piss now?”
“Not until I get what I want.” His tone was low and demanding.
“Excuse me?” She tried to sound polite, but she was scared out of her mind. “Please….”
Before she could finish her words, Remus ripped opened Mason’s T-shirt, exposing her bra. He picked her up like a rag doll and threw her on the bed. At that moment Skylar knew what he wanted, and the human need to survive kicked in.
Remus’s strong h
ands gripped both of her wrists, pinning them to the bed. She wiggled and pushed with all her human strength, but to no avail. His tongue ran down from her face, to her neck, to the base of her breast. Feeling violated, Skylar screamed as tears poured down her face. “Get off me!” she yelled.
Remus continued to take pleasure in his actions, disregarding her shouts. In order to keep her quiet, he covered her lips with his, taking her in, and started to pull down her sweat pants. Though her body throbbed in pain, she wasn’t going to let him have her. Pinned beneath his weight, she did the best thing she could think of. She bit down hard on his lips, so hard that his blood seeped out of his mouth, but he still continued as if it had no effect on him. Unintentionally, she swallowed his blood, so cold and sour, and she was sure he swallowed hers.
“Don’t bother fighting back. You can’t hurt me. I heal fast,” he gritted through his teeth with a malicious tone, seeming to enjoy the control he held over her.
Skylar didn’t care what he said. Just when she was ready to bite him again, without warning, he jolted upright like a puppet pulled by its strings and looked like he was having a seizure.
“You…you…what did you do?” he murmured under his breath as he continued to convulse. His eyes were wide with disbelief. Stumbling backward, he coiled to the floor as if all his energy was being drawn out of him. His hair and tanned skin were now as white as the sheets. What looked like thick spider veins began forming on his face, and like poison, started spreading to the rest of his body at an incredible speed.
Skylar covered her ears to block the loud cry that escaped from Remus’s mouth. Was he in pain or frightened by the change? As she stood there and watched the transformation, she wanted to help; but then again, he deserved what was happening to him. Regardless, she didn’t want him to die. After all, he was Mason’s half brother, and that alone was the only reason she needed to help, but how?
Afraid Remus would attack her again, she backed away. She wasn’t sure if he was going to change into a monster…she couldn’t believe she was thinking these thoughts. It wasn’t normal to have such thoughts, let alone see what was happening in front of her eyes.
Remus kept staring at Skylar with a look of revulsion in his eyes, as if she was to blame for what was happening. Finally, his body curled into a fetal position and became still, like a statue. When he stopped moving, she advanced toward him to get a closer look, to see if he was all right. Without thinking, she peered lower to his face. He looked unidentifiable—hideous, like some kind of ugly creature.
“Remus,” she called.
When there was no answer and he didn’t show any indication he was alive, she tapped him and jerked back just in case he reached out to grab her. Instead of seeing a movement from him, he crumbled into ashes.
“What?”
Remus was simply gone. He turned into dust right in front of her eyes. She covered her face with the palms of her hands and frantically paced around the room.
“This was a dream. This isn’t real.” She tried to calm herself, but it wasn’t working. How could this have happened? She had no weapon…in fact, he’d attacked her. All she could think about was what Mason would say when he came home. Not only that, she had taken a life…why should he believe her words when his brother was dead?
Tears welled up and her heart thumped out of control. What to do? She had no other choice but to run. Then she remembered it would be much too far to walk or run to her house. Suddenly, she remembered Remus had flung his car keys on the table. She was sure he had an expensive car that would undoubtedly have a navigator to help her find her way. Closing the bedroom door behind her, she ran downstairs. With the car keys and her arms crossed to cover Mason’s ripped shirt, she went out the front door.
Chapter 14
Skylar parked Remus’s car around the corner, where it was out of sight, and trudged her aching body the rest of the way home. What she really wanted to do was run, run as fast and as far as she could from all this madness. It was insane to even imagine what she had been through, and without anyone to talk to, she felt so alone. She couldn’t confide in her mom or even to Kayla; they would think she was crazy. Perhaps they would even get her some psychiatric help. But what would happen when Mason found out his brother was in ashes, dead in his room, and she was the last one who saw him?
Wanting to get inside, she realized she didn’t have her purse. Without the house keys, she had no way to get inside Kayla’s house. All the lights were off and nobody was home. Kayla must be still out with Nick—that no good Nick, who would end up breaking her cousin’s heart…and Auntie Kelly was still at the diner. Then she recalled Kayla telling her about the spare key under a rock by the front door.
There were many rocks. Which one? She lifted each one frantically until she found the key. With relief she opened the door and placed the spare key back under the rock. Shutting the door behind her, she went upstairs, straight to the bathroom.
Looking at her cut lip, strangely, it wasn’t as bad as it felt, but she winced from the pain. It was more on the inside than out, but she was sure it had been bigger from the amount of blood that had swirled inside her mouth. Wanting to forget about tonight, she took a shower and changed into her sleepwear. Afterward, she scrubbed her teeth vigorously, as if she could wash away the fact that Remus had stuck his tongue in her mouth. Then she took out a plastic bag that was underneath the sink cabinet and placed Mason’s T-shirt inside it.
Exhausted, she tucked herself into bed, thinking about what she could have done differently, but there was no answer. It didn’t make sense. Maybe he’d had a stroke, but that didn’t explain why he’d turned into ashes, unless that was just how they died? Skylar’s thoughts were broken when she heard Kayla’s steps on the stairs.
“Skylar, are you up?”
Skylar was relieved it was nighttime. The dim, small lamp on the nightstand was still on. Hopefully Kayla wouldn’t notice her lip, or at least she could try to hide it by purposely cascading her hair down toward it. Then she wiped away any evidence she had been crying. “Come in.”
Kayla peered in. Happily, she walked through the door, placed Skylar’s purse beside her bed, then plopped herself on the edge of the bed. “So, where did you and Mason run off too?”
“Tell me about what you did first,” Skylar asked, trying to move the topic away from her.
“We saw the movie…well…we were in the back. There was hardly anyone around. So…you can say we saw some parts of the movie.” Kayla giggled. “Then we went out for some ice cream.” She giggled again, her eyes beaming blissfully.
“Sounds like you had fun.” Skylar tried to sound cheerful. Though she was glad for Kayla, she couldn’t help but recall Mason telling her how they were the types of guys that didn’t take relationships seriously. Not only that, if Kayla decided to give all of herself to Nick, then she would be touched by a god…her life could be in danger, but only if she got pregnant. She had to do or say something. “Are you serious about him?”
Kayla gave her a side-glance, most likely wondering why she had asked such a question. “I…umm…really don’t know. It’s summer. I’m just having fun.”
“That’s good. You should think like that. I don’t want you to think that this relationship could go anywhere. I mean…just don’t rush into things, okay?”
“And why not?” Kayla’s tone sounded defensive. “Maybe I will be the one who dumps him.” She paused, frowned, and exhaled a deep sigh. “Most likely not. Why? Do you know something I don’t know? Did Mason tell you anything?”
“Yes…I mean…no.” This was way too complicated. Kayla was a virgin, just like her. They had made a bond they would wait until they fell deeply in love. “Just remember our promise, okay?”
Kayla looked like she was thinking, most likely trying to figure out which promise Skylar was referring to. There were so many; a promise not to do drugs, a promise to be each other’s maid of honor, and many more.
Skylar just needed to say one wo
rd. “Sex. Remember?”
Kayla turned red, giving her a giddy smile. “Oh, yeah.”
“You didn’t…did you?” Skylar raised her tone.
“No….” Kayla squinted her eyes, giving her a “why are you raising your voice” look.
“Just promise me that you won’t, okay? Just wait. Give the relationship some time.”
“Don’t worry. Nick has been perfect. He hasn’t tried to. He knows I’m ’V’, okay. So…you never told me how your date went.”
“We….” Skylar started to say, but they were interrupted by loud knocking on the front door.
Skylar’s heart leapt out of her chest. At this point any sound made her jumpy.
“Who’s banging at my door after midnight?” Kayla bounced off the bed.
“If it’s Mason, can you tell him I’m not home?” Skylar said impassively. She wanted to disappear now that Kayla knew something went wrong.
“I want details. First, I’m going to tell him off. I’ll be right back.”
Before Skylar could tell her not to, Kayla stomped downstairs and opened the door.
***
“Yeeesss.” She narrowed her eyes on Mason with a look of disapproval. Letting him know he wasn’t welcome, she opened the door one third of the way.
“Could I speak to Skylar?”
“Do you know what time it is, Mason?” Kayla placed her hands on her hips and tried to look upset, but when she looked into his eyes, her rage softened.
“I know it’s late, but it’s important or else I wouldn’t be here.”
“Well…Skylar isn’t home right now.”
“Really? I wonder where she could be this late at night?” he asked sarcastically, letting her know he wasn’t buying her story. “Her bedroom light is on.” Mason pointed upward.
“That’s…that’s because I was just in there looking for something.”
Mason shot his eyes to the floor and then back up again. “Could you please tell her I was here, and that we need to talk? It’s very important.”