Catching Temptation (In Darkness She Fades (Book 1)

by Sarah Erber

  I do not stop him. I cannot if I tried anyway. His lips crush into mine and a new feeling blooms in my soul, replacing my pain. Hope.

  ****

  The days go by in peaceful bliss. The jumbled puzzle pieces of my life finally fall into place. Aunt Sally bought me new clothes to replace most of the India-print clothing I wear. I do not mind, but a part of me misses Dark Temptation.

  Class is strange on Thursday. Victoria picks a fight with Herald. It does not end well. Victoria now disappears from school periodically. The twins do not show any concern and they instruct me not worry either. I listen to their suggestion. I had forgotten how nice it is to be accepted. Popular.

  Whelan almost kisses me when he finds out Victoria is single. He does not stand a chance with Victoria, but I cannot convince him otherwise, so I drop the subject.

  The goblins vanish from my reality. Literally. I investigate the log huts and try to discover a secret tunnel. Nothing. Even when I traveled to the rock wall one weekend, no bronze bodies are visible. I am beginning to wonder if I have been imagining them to deal with my parents’ passing. It saddens me a little.

  Karma is happy for me, though she still insists the monster are real, but does not know how to explain their sudden disappearance either. She is worried about Jerald. She does not trust him. I try to question him about the goblins, but lose every time his hands touch me. I love the electrical shock under my skin as he breathes across the arch on my shoulder.

  ****

  On October 31st, the bell signals the end of the last class period. The intercom comes on and the principal’s voice echoes throughout the halls of Rosewood High. “Happy Halloween, everyone! Don’t forget our annual Halloween Mask Ball is tonight at nine, at the old theater house. For you newer students, who don’t know where it is; get with the counselor before going home today. Temptation Falls will be our lead singer this evening,” My cheeks burn as I hide my face behind a folder, while ambling through the cheering crowd in the hallway. “And the carnival will start at seven. This is a community event and everyone will be attending the Ball, so be there. Have a wonderful holiday!” The intercom turns off.

  Whelan drapes his freckled arm around me. “Hey, I really owe you one for getting Victoria away from those twins.”

  “You mean...you’ve seen her recently? She’s been missing from school for two days.” I bump the school doors open. Whelan and I descend the stairs, and saunter toward the buses.

  “Yeah, like–” Whelan starts counting his fingers with his free hand. “–four hours ago. She said she has no hard feelings toward you and she’ll be coming to the ball with me tonight! Totally lucked out, huh?”

  Ever since Victoria’s vanishing, I have suspected foul play. “I guess.”

  “Hippie!”

  Whelan and I swivel to face the school. The Jenkins twins sprint down the stairs.

  “I think your boyfriends–”

  I punch him playfully on his side.

  “Okay, boyfriend is getting jealous.” Whelan removes his arm from my shoulders. “Catch ya later on tonight!” He disappears into a bus crowd with gossiping cheerleaders.

  “How he can run around in shorts in at the end of October, I will never understand,” I mumble.

  Jerald captures my waist and swings me about. Herald stands next to us, staring at the bus.

  “What was he doing with his arm around you?”

  “Jerald, he’s my friend and has been before we started dating.”

  “I don’t like him,” Herald says.

  Herald’s eyes possess a red gleam. “Really guys, he’s into Vic – uh – someone else. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  Despite Jerald’s anger, he does not press the matter. “You prepared for the Ball?”

  “I’d feel sorry for myself if I wasn’t.”

  The buses are almost full.

  Jerald tightens his arms on my waist. “You’ll be going to the theater for an hour to practice before the Ball tonight. I’ll take you over there.” He leads me in the direction of the parking lot before I can utter an answer.

  I walk, obediently, to the skull motorcycle gleaming in the sunlight. Legs straddling the bike, I slide my palms down Jerald’s chiseled arms and stop at his waist.

  A smirk forms in the corner of his mouth. “You don’t have to stop, you can keep going.”

  In a playful manner, I slap his thigh. “You can keep dreaming, but it’s not happening yet.”

  He laughs. Revving up the engine, we take off in the direction of the theater. We remain silent as we pass the yellow buses and travel down the street. Cool air stings my skin. Stopping the motorcycle next to the theater, he helps me off, kisses me, and says, “Stay inside until you’re ready to go and don’t leave for home alone.” The twins aim their bikes back to town, abandoning me with the echo of their exhaust.

  “What’s their problem?” I voice to the empty street.

  The strangest feeling comes over me, as I enter the theater. At the top of the balcony, I stare at the closed doors along the corridors. I never investigated the rooms in the theater. The door closest to me is ajar. Taking the opportunity, I peer inside. An elegant bedroom reflects out of my eyes.

  A hand clamps down on me.

  “Mrs. Peters, you nearly scared me to death!”

  “Sorry, Dearie, but what’re you doing?” Mrs. Peters removes her withered hand.

  “I wanted to know what’s in these other areas of the theater. Didn’t know they were bedrooms.” A little ashamed of my curiosity, I twist the ends of my white hair.

  “Not all are bedrooms and it’s perfectly fine if you want to explore the theater. I think you’ll find a particular room interesting. Try going all the way down this hallway. Turn right and keep following that hallway, until you come to the last door. In that room holds some of the most extraordinary artifacts collected in Rosewood.”

  “Are you sure it’s okay? I won’t be breaking any rules, will I?”

  Mrs. Peters smiles. “Nonsense, it’s our history. You have a duty to be curious. Go on.”

  “But I still have to rehearse–”

  “Temptation, if you do anymore rehearsing, you’ll have no voice left! Off you go.”

  Thankful for a new adventure, I do a little jog down the hallway. The wallpaper reflects a Victorian edge like most things in Rosewood. The deep red makes the hallway appear small and narrow. The theater creaks. The unmistakable sound of wings is coming from the shadowy corners of the ceiling. Probably bats. The corridor ends up ahead with a door.

  I ease it open and then pat the wall before I finally find the small bump. Light makes the room burst into life.

  It reflects similarities to the Goblin King’s room. However, it smells like.… I stare at a painting on the wall. The man in the portrait looks like Jerald, but stranger. His black and orange hair, along with swirling crimson-violet eyes stirs only one word in my thoughts.

  Demented.

  It is not a pleasant portrait. He acts as if he will pounce out of the frame and attack the observer. I hate those teeth. “Freaky.”

  A bulky book on a podium stands on the other side of the room. I wander over and pick it up. The book smells of mold and decay. No denying it dates back at least 100 years. I carefully flip through the discolored pages. It is a weird record of some kind. I stop and stroke one of the crisp pages. Most of the dates are marked on Halloween. Skimming through the book, I realize it goes back to at least a century ago. “Wow, those two are ancient. Why doesn’t the townspeople notice the twins never age?”

  All the way to the end of the book, I find last year’s date. My parents’ faces swim into my mind. The log indicates five new members to Rosewood and two new recruits. It also documents twenty-five deaths. I frown. Written in wispy cursive next to this year’s date, are the words, “Soon we will be free.” Long strands of white hair outline my face and define my bone structure. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means we won’t b
e isolated in Rosewood any longer.”

  I swivel, almost knocking over the podium along with the journal. Herald leans against the scratched door in his demon form. His muscular arms crossed over his chest. I ask, “You mean...you can’t leave Rosewood?”

  Herald unhitches himself from the doorway and stalks me in a predatory manner. “No. I can’t. Only humans, who I allow to leave Rosewood to recruit more people, can travel outside of Rosewood. It’s the one thing the Goblin King did that I didn’t foresee. I made the forest his prison and he made Rosewood, my prison.” He runs a pale finger across my jaw.

  I attempt to walk past Herald, but he shoves me back on the bed. “Wait–”

  Herald pins me down. His glowing red eyes never blink. Not once. “I told you, Temptation, you couldn’t say ‘no’ forever.” He strokes my metal necklace and chuckles. “You’re trembling.”

  “I’m dating Jerald, not you.” This vital piece of information does not seem to bother him. Maybe I can use the situation to my advantage. “Why are you in your demon form?” Reaching up, I caress his fiery hair.

  “It’s Halloween. I can be myself. But you need to get changed.” He trails his hand down my thigh.

  I grab his pale hand. “I don’t need help dressing or undressing, thank you.” I slink out from underneath him and hop off the bed. “And you never finished answering my question. How are you going to leave Rosewood?”

  Herald reclines against his arms on the bed. “There’s a specific date when other worlds will…open. Unfortunately, this means the Goblin King will be released, too. Imagine the kind of horrors he would present to the rest of the world after imprisonment for a hundred and fifty years. I want him dead, but I can’t get close enough to do it.”

  “How can you capture him, but not kill him?”

  “Easy. I put a spell on the rock wall in the woods and when he, along with those nasty goblins, chased me, they ran right into my trap. All I had to do was hop over the wall and I was safe. The spell drained the Goblin King of his power. I keep his magic guarded. No one can get to it except me. But I can’t get close enough to kill the king. I would use Victoria, but she doesn’t have the gift for it. I need someone who can.” He stares me dead in the eye.

  “Wha–” Taking a few steps back, I stumble and almost fall to the floor. “Oh, no. No, I can’t kill – I won’t kill him!”

  Herald’s brow ripples into a furious arch. Before I can fully register his actions, he grabs my throat. “You will kill him or your family will die, and not by me! If he’s free, he’ll take vengeance out on anyone who didn’t help him. I can only protect you. Either way, I’ll not lose you!” My heart burns. “When were you planning on telling me this?”

  “Tonight. But it seems like you couldn’t wait to see my bedroom.” His personality changes in a flash.

  I wonder if he is bipolar or has multiple personality disorder. Either way, mixing it with his psychopathic tendencies and he is still a nightmare. “I didn’t know you lived here and what exactly do you think will kill him?”

  He unveils a glowing crystal. “This is identical to what the king is searching for, but it’s filled with my blood. If he ingests this, he’ll die. Without his magic, his body won’t be able to tolerate it. It’ll slowly poison him to death.” He presses it into my sweaty palm. “After you sing at the Ball tonight…kill him. Make him believe you’re there to save him.”

  I study my crimson reflection in the crystal. “I’m not making any promises. I need to get home.”

  Herald kisses my fingers.

  The cliché act softens me to my despair. I loathe my weakness for the corny romantic move.

  “I’ll take you home.”

  We vacate the room, but my heart – once again – feels hard.

  Chapter Nine

  Halloween Masquerade Ball

  “Mom, do you have to go?” Nathaniel asks. “How am I going to pay for all the rides without you?”

  “I’ll give you some money–”

  “Hey! What about me?”

  “I’ll give you some money too, Daniel. I don’t get to go to many parties anymore, and this Masquerade Ball is a wonderful opportunity for your father and I to spend some alone time.”

  “Ew! You’re going to be kissing.” Nathaniel makes the face of a pug.

  “Uh-huh. Where’s Temptation? I don’t want her to be late for her performance.”

  “I think she’s upstairs putting on her costume. At least she’ll look like everyone else tonight,” says Daniel, while popping candy in his mouth.

  “You put those down, they’re for the trick-or-treaters.”

  “Mom. Seriously. Who do you think is going to walk down this street?” Daniel tosses a few more orange candy-corns in his mouth. His stained yellow teeth add to his pirate costume. “It’s going to go to waste out here.”

  I am watching the conversation between Aunt Sally and my cousins from the staircase railing. I am still working up the guts to face my family in the clothing they have been dying to see me in for the past year. The glass slippers Jerald bought makes me feel a little silly. Nevertheless, I promised to wear them. I want to talk to Karma, but for the past few days, none of the phones have worked. Uncle Jack claims the weather as the culprit, while Aunt Sally believes a damaged tower is to blame. Either way, I lost touch with my only source to the outside world.

  I rise up and descend the groaning staircase crawling with fake spiders. The wood on these stairs are going to break someday! Too bad it is not today. A broken leg will be a perfect excuse not to go.

  “Why, Temptation, you look absolutely stunning. I haven’t seen you wear something like that since your last recital at the opera.” Uncle Jack beams at me in my wine-colored ball gown.

  The top of my dress dips low, exposing part of my cleavage. I toss my white hair across my chest, when I notice the disapproving glare from Aunt Sally. Though Aunt Sally likes my return to normalcy, she dislikes anything too sexy.

  The dress compliments the choker-like necklace that Herald previously locked around my neck. It does not bother me anymore. Jerald encourages me to think of it as a talisman against evil. Despite the sophisticated appearance of the dress, it appears barbaric on me. My tattoos and jewelry make me look like a savage princess.

  “Figures.” Daniel leans against the railing while Aunt Sally and Nathaniel applaud. “You picked the one day out of the year when it’s okay to dress like a freak, and attempt to dress like a girl, instead. Why can’t you make up your mind?”

  “Daniel, we’ve already settled this argument, and we need to get moving if we’re going to make it into town before the sun sets.”

  “Dang, Mom, it’s only a joke. Temptation looks good.”

  I smile at Daniel. It is rare when I get a compliment. Aunt Sally gaffs at the two.

  Everyone shuffles about to gather last-minute possessions before meeting on the newly painted porch. I inhale the scent of the new paint. The sunset illuminates the sky with mixtures cotton candy colors. Aunt Sally’s eyes sparkle.

  “Let’s head out.” Uncle Jack extends his arm to his wife. She loops her bony arm through her husband’s, while he leads the way to the road.

  “Wait. We’re not driving?” Daniel gawks at his parents.

  “I forgot to tell you. They’re having a – well I guess you could call it a hay ride. It’ll pick people up and bring them into town. We’ll start walking and when they come down the street, they’ll stop and let us on. What a treat this will be!” Aunt Sally gushes.

  I gulp deep breaths like I do when performing yoga exercises. My nervousness about singing on stage creeps back. I fear another breakdown, only this time visible to the whole town. The wind carries cackling across the evening air, forcing the tiny hairs on my body to prickle. Leaves, the color of fall reds and gold’s, plummet from the tall maple trees. Listening to the leaves crackling under Uncle Jack’s shoes, I stroke the silver designs on my necklace. I have not worn my locket in ages. My parents can be with me
that way.

  “Temptation you’re shivering. You need a jacket. This weather isn’t good for your voice.” Aunt Sally tugs her gold shawl more tightly over her shoulders.

  “I’ll grab one from my bedroom. Go ahead without me,” I say, waving them toward the street. “I’ll catch the next hay ride.”

  “Well...if you’re sure. But make sure you find your cousins when you get into town. They’ll be in the town square or at least they’d better be.” Uncle Jack’s threat does not go unnoticed by the boys, who groan, and kick a couple of rocks.

  I dash back into the house, smiling. In my room, the chandelier captures the twilight from my half-circle of windows. Diamond-shaped rainbows cascade across the walls and furniture. Snatching my golden locket off the vanity, I chain it on. The floorboards creak underfoot and a hair-raising chuckling emerges in the direction of the wardrobe carved with naked angels and demons. A grim figure steps out of the wardrobe. I release a girlish shriek.

  “Please, m’dear, there be no one ta hear ya screamin’, and no one ta save ya, so ya better stop before ya make me mad.”

  I do stop. Eye’s wide, they travel over the form of the ugly dwarf man blocking my windows. His black eyes seem void of a soul. His face, horribly wrinkled, sags, and defines his pointed chin, nose, and sharp fangs. His clothing resembles a nobleman from the eighteenth century. He carries on him a bone mask. My hand touches my necklace covering my throat – happy, for the first time – that Herald forced me to wear it.

  “What be the matter, Girlie? Not afraid of ah little old goblin like me, are ye?” If possible, he grins even wider. Hundreds of lines sprout out all over his beastly face. “Ya shouldn’t be. Ya’ve already met me ah few times.”

  “You’re – You’re Remorse. I met you the day the Jenkins twins took me behind the wall. And the day I got lost in the woods, but you’re supposed to be trapped behind the wall! How can you be here? The Goblin King said you could only travel outside of Rosewood on Halloween.” My hand grasps the ends of my hair. I begin twirling the strands in my fingers.

  “Ya know ya have ah bad habit ta twirlin’ yer hair when yer nervous?”