by Sarah Erber
“I think it would be wise for you two to head home and stay there. I’ll go and follow the Cyclops rats. I think the only way to end this is to free the goblins.”
“But, Temptation,” Nathaniel says. “What if the goblins are badder than the demons?”
“We can’t go home until we save our parents,” Daniel states. He balls his hands into fists.
Mr. Peters lays a comforting hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “I think Temptation has the right idea, but we do need to try and get your parents out of there. Go ahead and head back home. I can get to your parents better than you can. I’ll try to lure them away without getting caught.”
Daniel and I glance at each other. Daniel’s body registers defeat. He nods at me and takes Nathaniel’s shaky palm.
“Right then,” Mr. Peters says. “My wife will walk you boys home and I’ll retrieve your parents. Good luck, Temptation.” Mr. Peters kisses his wife on the cheek and exits into the living room. A few seconds later the front door shuts behind him.
“Right, Dearies, let’s head off. We can’t waste any more time.” Mrs. Peters sweeps up her hair into a messy gray bun and takes hold of Daniel and Nathaniel’s hands, before whispering a quick word of encouragement to me. She marches the boys out of the kitchen. The door shuts a few seconds later.
Alone in the deserted kitchen, I hear the scurrying feet of the rats. Lifting the mask off my face, I grimace at the pitch-black hallway. Cyclops rats swarm the entrance. Gods, I feel like Alice going down the rabbit hole, except my hole is more demented. Alice has a fluffy white bunny to follow and what do I have – hundreds of deformed rats.
The rats tumble off the ceiling and bounce on the floor. I crinkle my nose in disgust. Taking a deep breath, I descend into the dark doorway to seek out the Jenkins twins’ most guarded possession.
Chapter Ten
Jenkins’ Secret
A light perfume, like the kind my grandmother once used, wafts through my nostrils. Disgusting smell. How people think it smelt good back in the day, I will never understand. The bottoms of my naked feet feel slick. I do not even want to know what I stepped in. I wore glass slippers earlier, but I do not feel like Cinderella tonight.
An outline of a doorway forms at the end of the tunnel. My skin prickles at the sight of the Cyclops rats scurrying on the grimy floors, walls, and ceiling. Their beady eyes are a hellish red in the blackness. Creepy. I grip the doorknob, twist the cool brass, and ease it open. Light stings my dilated eyes. It takes a few moments for glittering sparks to leave. A grand corridor mesmerizes me for a brief moment.
I inch toward the nearest light on the wall. Golden hands cradle crystals orbs, which illuminates the corridor. Examining an orb, I move to touch the smooth surface. The gold arm retracts the crystal. I shriek and clutch my chest.
“I wouldn’t touch them if I were–”
“–you idiot! Be quiet. Do you want to give Jenkins a reason to break us?”
I spin on the spot. The corridor is vacant of living beings, besides the rodents. The walls display decorative moons and suns with individually crafted faces. They appear to be made of gold like the lamp arms.
Picking one of the golden suns, I trail a finger down its’ nose.
The nose twitches.
“Oh my god!” Stumbling backward, I bend my arms behind me to brace my back against the wall.
“Hey! Watch out for – get your hair out of my face!” A voice squeals at the back of my head.
I pivot before I can hit the wall. A weary moon with a mustache blinks back at me. “W-What are you?”
“Statues o’ course. What did you think we are – paintin’s?”
“Don’t mind the old fool, Darling.” A sun with curly beams and puffy lips glares over to the old moon. “He’s been hanging around too long.”
The other statues break out in a chorus of laughter.
“Fine, Adora. You lot keep talkin’ with her, but I’m not givin’ Jenkins a reason to smash me.”
I tilt my gaze to the lady sun. “Why would the Jenkins twins break you? Aren’t you part of his world?”
“Goodness! No, Darling. This theater was originally the Goblin King’s home. He made us. You see, there are so many corridors and hallways in this old mansion he needed guides. Therefore, he created us. We also confuse people he’s trying to trap here in the theater. We helped him rescue children all the time. It’s been almost a hundred and fifty years.” Adora brightens with pride. “But, Jenkins controls everything nowadays. He keeps us because he needs us to guide him, but we’re a constant reminder Rosewood doesn’t belong to him.”
“I’m sorry.” I peer at all the faces on the walls. “You must not see very many people anymore.”
“Not in many years and we refuse to help Jenkins trap his victims,” another moon says down the hallway.
An idea pops into my head. I speak to all the golden faces in the corridor. “I need your help. I’m trying to free the Goblin King.”
Murmurs erupt throughout the hallway. They are passing my declaration down all of the passageways and hallways in the theater house. A male sun speaks up nearest the door leading to the Peterses’ home. “What do you need of us?”
“I’m searching for the crimson crystal. It’s supposed to be buried deep in the theater somewhere. The Cyclops rats should lead me too it, but I’ll need help finding my way out.”
Voices of encouragement echo throughout the hallway.
“We’ll do it! For King and freedom.”
“Glad to be of service again.”
“You have our word, Darling.”
I beam at the faces and attempt to express my gratitude, but clicking high-heels and angry voices echo from around the corner of the corridor. A few of the Cyclops rats scurry away from my kicking feet. Abandoning my happiness, I furiously begin yanking on the nearest door handles. Not even one budges.
“Try the door at the very end. It’s always unlocked,” whispers the male moon on my right side.
The laughter increases as I rush to the last door. It opens. I scoot inside and wrench the silk train of the dress through the door. I hide inside the unlit room, but deliberately leave the wooden door cracked to spy on the intruders. The mask is still on my head. I yank it down and wait in utter silence.
Victoria Blare and one of her followers materialize into view. Victoria’s face looks corpse blue. Her fangs are like tarnished silver. Both girls are wearing lacy white masks, which attempt to give the wearers a feminine quality. It fails miserably. Even with Victoria’s hideousness, she is pretty compared to the girl next to her, who resembles a half-decayed zombie. I wonder if the older they get, the more decayed they will become. The two girls enter the room across from my hiding place. Dazzling hues burst into the corridor. The room they occupy has a multitude of different costumes, but most take the form of ballroom gowns.
Victoria’s back is to me. She says, “I can’t believe he’s going to do this to me. After everything I’d sacrificed for him! I even forgave him for getting my parents killed.”
A burning sensation forms in my gut.
“Curse him!” Victoria tosses a few costumes on the floor. “Jenkins will be sorry he ever messed with me.”
“I wouldn’t go trying to pick a fight with him. If he has no more use for you, he might kill you. If you get in his way.” The blonde haired girl fidgets with a new bejeweled mask in her bluish hands. The mask descends back into a trunk resembling a treasure box, and the girl shuffles the contents in search for a new mask. “I’ve lived for almost fifty years in Rosewood, and I’ve seen him do grotesque things to people he supposedly cared about. He killed the last girl he was involved with before you came along.”
Victoria grunts and bends over the trunk. “Well, with any luck, maybe Temptation escaped from Rosewood. Then Jenkins will have to forget about her. I mean they haven’t even found her yet. Have they?”
“No, but Jenkins has eyes and ears everywhere. She can’t escape. You should know. Besides
, when the winter solstice comes around, he’ll be free to leave Rosewood. He would hunt her down no matter where she ran.”
Victoria pivots on her heel and exits the room. “Come on. I might still be able to sing tonight if they don’t find her in time.”
The two girls pass. New masks made of raven feathers shield their eyes. I wait until the girls are out of earshot, before emerging from my hiding spot. I need to hurry. A fat rat scuttles past my feet. I follow the ugly rodents. Traveling down so many halls, and taking so many turns, I am thankful for my newfound allies.
A few times, I swear someone watches me from the shadows.
A sharp chill enters my lungs. The lights dim and flicker. The sound of cheering and applause pulses up ahead. I study the old floor and cringe at the sight of Cyclops rats covering the dusty wood. Mrs. Peters obviously does not clean up here. Yuck. At the end of the corridor, three rickety steps lead to a deep balcony overlooking the grand ballroom. I make sure to stay in the shadows. The bone mask, repositions a little higher, hiding my face as I peer over the edge of the balcony. Corpse blue faces with razor-like teeth gleam everywhere. The townspeople cheer and watch the stage. I merge with their line of sight.
Aunt Sally and Uncle Jack are cowering together with a crowd of other humans on the stage.
No!
Mr. Peters did not make it in time.
New screams capture my attention and, to my horror, my two cousins are dragged up on the stage. Aunt Sally snatches up her children, holding them protectively between herself and Uncle Jack. The Jenkins twins enter the stage. All the townspeople applaud, while the captives shake with fright.
“Welcome to this year’s Masquerade Ball!” Jerald and Herald announce. “As the King of the demons, I ask you all to join me in our annual feasting of the humans, and admission of a few new members. This year is special, because it’s our last year of imprisonment. We’ll rejoice in our freedom, when the gates between our world and the human world, open. The year is also special, because I’ve decided to choose a queen.”
In the crowd, Victoria’s face sharpens.
The clock strikes nine.
My attention reverts back to the Jenkins twins as the captives on stage emit screams of terror. My heartbeats quiver for a fraction of a second. The Jenkins twins toss a black cloak over themselves, covering their bodies from head to foot. Horrible roars echo out from underneath the cloak.
I lean out of the shadows, trying to see what is going on beneath the thick folds of fabric.
Movement underneath the cloak ripples.
It seems like every human and creature in the theater is holding their breath. Not a second later, the Jenkins twins’ stand, and allow the cloak to fall from their bodies. The crowd roars, but I am confronted with confusion. The twins are gone. Instead, there stands the figure of a beautiful, but frightening man. His unruly black and orange hair sticks out like a crown of thorns. His eyes swirl an electric violet and crimson. Black veins cover his exposed skin and razor teeth glisten in the chandelier light, while he grins down at the adoring crowd.
Enlightenment hits me. The reason why the Goblin King and the biker gang call them Jenkins sinks in and it horrifies me.
The Jenkins twins are one person.
He does not look like a teenager anymore. There is something timeless about his face.
Jenkins extends his claws to silence the cheering devotion from the crowd. “I’d like to announce my queen. Temptation Falls!” He pivots to his left, but frowns at the unaccompanied guards. “Where is she?”
“My king, we’ve searched everywhere. We still can’t find her.”
“Craven,” Jenkins yells out to the crowd.
I spot the biker gang in the back of the theater. They are standing with Mr. and Mrs. Peters. Craven says, “Back here.”
Jenkins glares in their direction. “Have you seen Temptation tonight?”
Craven’s expressionless countenance twitches. He answers, “No.”
“I saw her with her cousins earlier,” someone shouts out from the crowd.
Jenkins reacts in lightning speed. He snatches up Daniel around his freckled neck. Daniel thrashes about and screams, while the guards are holding his parents back. Nathaniel rushes forward and punches Jenkins, who snatches Nathaniel in his other hand, and digs his claws into Nathaniel’s arm until he draws blood.
Nathaniel cries.
In the midst of deciding to expose my position, one of the idol moons calls for me to retreat.
“You mustn’t reveal your whereabouts. All will be lost if you do. Please do not condemn our king to death.”
“But he might kill my cousins!”
The moon’s mournful voice offers little comfort. “They’ll be dead if you’re captured. Their only chance of survival rests in the hands of the Goblin King. It’s your choice.” The moon stares forward. It is blank and motionless again.
I return to my place on the balcony as Jenkins starts talking again.
“Boys, you’re going to tell me where Temptation is or I’m going to start dismembering you until you talk.”
The crowd erupts in cheers, while Mr. and Mrs. Falls try in vain to reach their children. Sally Falls shouts, “Temptation was at the house last time we saw her. She went back to her room to grab something. Please, leave my children alone!”
“But she was seen tonight, Mrs. Falls, which means she did leave the house and she did at least speak to your sons. Boys, what did she say to you?”
Daniel glares at Jenkins. “I’m not telling you anything...unless you promise to let my family and I leave Rosewood.”
Jenkins grips Daniel’s neck harder, until he chokes. “I don’t have to bargain with you, but as it is your cousin I want and not your family, I’ll let you go.”
Daniel visibly relaxes. “Temptation followed those ugly rats. She’s going to try and help the goblins.”
“WHAT!” Jenkins face contorts with rage. “Guards! Search the theater and find her.” Jenkins releases Nathaniel and shoves him back to Aunt Sally, who embraces her youngest son. He then thrusts Daniel to the exit.
“Wait, what about my family? You said you would let them go.”
“I said I’d let you go. I never said anything about them.” Jenkins bares his gruesome teeth. “Either you leave or you join your family and share their fate.”
Guards stomp up the corridor. I tear myself away from the balcony and rush through hallway where the rats are scurrying. Jenkins will definitely go to the rats’ lair to make sure the crimson crystal remains safe. The air becomes colder. My breath rises in a cloud of mist. The hallway connects to the top of a staircase. The Cyclops rats slink along the walls and nip at my feet. Courage drives me onward as I descend the stairs and disappear into the darkness. The minutes drag by and still, I descend further beneath the theater house.
I try to catch my breath and lean against the wall, but quickly withdraw my hand in disgust. The wall is slimy to the touch.
A creaking sound echoes from behind. It must be Jenkins! A rush of adrenaline causes all the small hairs on my body to bristle. Down the stairs, I stumble as I reach the bottom steps. A rat squeaks beneath my bare foot. A red glow emits out of a room up ahead. My torn ball gown swishes over the floor. Staring at the walls and ceiling, I understand why the wall is so slimy.
A cave.
The theater house must have been built over it. The room glows and I hone in on the crystal in the center of the cave. The Cyclops rats cover every inch of the cavern. Their yellow teeth chew on bones in the corners of the room. I hope they are not human bones. The rats halt and stare up at me. Their eyes are fire in the slight darkness. They bend forward in a bow.
“You know...if anyone other than you or I entered here, they’d be eaten alive by the Rodents of Hell.”
Skin shivering, I pivot. Jenkins stands in front of me, with a deadly grin which frightens my mortal heart. “Why do you want me to be your queen? I thought you loved Victoria before you, or at least part of
you, dated me. How could you decide so quickly?”
Jenkins barks out a laugh. “Victoria is gifted, but nothing compared to you, Temptation. If she were to enter this room, the rats would still attack her.” A thoughtful look crosses his face and he adds, “They may not kill her, but they would seriously injure her. Even if she wanted to free the Goblin King, which she never did, I would have caught her before she ever left this room. Thanks to your cousin, I discovered you here before you could make a mistake.”
Before I can move, Jenkins advances and restrains me. “You almost got away with freeing the goblins and their sorry excuse for a king. If the Goblin King would’ve left me alone all those years ago, instead of interfering, he and his goblins would still have their freedom. There just weren’t enough humans to go around for both the goblins and demons. Believe me Temptation, things are better the way I have them.”
“You’re going to kill the only remaining family I have. How do you expect me to agree with you?” I push against his chest to force a little more distance between my neck and his chrome teeth. The necklace, still tight around my neck, can be taken off by Jenkins.
“I don’t expect you to do anything other than fight me. It doesn’t matter if you want to be my queen or not Temptation. The thing is, even though you are powerful, I’m still more powerful than you are, and I can force you to do whatever I want you to do when I change you. I’ll tell you what...as a wedding gift to you; I’ll leave your family human and let them be recruiters. But understand if you ever try to release the goblins again, I’ll force you to murder your own family members. I made Victoria murder her mother. She doesn’t remember though.” His words drip like acid on a wound.
A tear escapes my eye. “Is this what you told Victoria when you trapped her?”
Jenkins laughs again. “Victoria wanted me and I wanted a new toy.”
“But Victoria loves you. Wouldn’t you rather have someone who loves you as opposed to someone who hates you?”
“Oh, but the fun part of it, Temptation, is you’ll always be a challenge to me. Victoria will do whatever I ask of her. She’s too afraid to disobey me. Hold still. This will only hurt for a minute.” Jenkins pulls my neck closer to him and exposes his pointy teeth, which drip an acidy liquid the color of antifreeze.