by Tara Brown
I drink from my near empty glass and take the opportunity to lean over to Richard and smile, "I know your secret Dick. I know what you makes you tick. I know what you are." His dark blue eyes flare. He attempts a sneer but I suck him from the one-foot distance. It's just enough of a suck to weaken his spirit.
Mona walks in to the room with a new bottle of wine and a frustrated face, hidden behind the plastic smile that matches her mother's. Richard gets his own plastic smile and we play pretend for the evening. Richard seems to be a daze for the rest of the night.
I sleep like the dead with Mona by my side. In case Richard gets any funny ideas.
Before we leave Mona steals bags of shit from the house. Extras of soap and conditioner and shampoo. We each pack an ass ton of clothes and coats. Unfortunately the car doesn’t have a large trunk. But what it has, we stuff with warm clothes, kitchen knives, food, water, Gatorade, toiletries and boots and runners.
Her mother walks us to the car. She looks different in the light of the day. "Cold up there is it?"
Mona nods, "More expensive too. Everything costs more. It's cheaper for me to steal it from here."
Her mom rubs her arms. It's the first motherly act I've seen yet. "You take care of yourself okay. You're looking thinner and more tired than I've seen in a while."
Mona kisses her cheek and hugs her. "I will."
Richard watches us from the front window. I wave to him. He just watches.
"Thank you Dr. Watts."
She blushes, "Felicia. I told you. Take care of my girl for me Rayne." She says my name like it tastes bad.
"I will. Thanks for dinner and the bed."
"No thank you for bringing her for a visit. It was nice. See you in a few weeks for Christmas darling. Hopefully not sooner."
Mona just smiles. She has no intention of coming back for Christmas. We have devils to kill.
We get into the car.
She gives me the death stare, "What did you do to Richard? He seemed weird last night."
I frown, "Who, Dick? We got on famously."
She rolls her eyes, "He didn’t perve on you did he?"
I laugh, "He didn’t get the chance." The car leaps forward when I press the gas.
"You know if we had been smart we would have taken the SUV and left him this stupid car."
I smile, "I know right. This damn thing is ridiculous. I don’t understand the need for something so impractical. It guzzles gas and holds nothing. Not practical for questing."
She glances at me, "So let's just say you succeeded and killed them all and can live a normal life, what do you think you'll do?"
I shake my head, "I don’t know." When I look at her I see the panic and worry. Her mom got to her.
"You want to go back to school?"
She swallows hard, "Can we do classes and do the demon killing part time?"
I am relieved. "I want that too, but I'm terrified of the way things have turned out. I have Constantine and Wyatt trying to kill me or abduct me and my father to contend with. Every minute on campus I will be looking behind my back. I'll be a sitting target."
She shakes her head, "We can do this. I know we can. I just don’t want you to succeed and then we have to start college all over again."
I agree, "I know. I want my life still. Maybe not linguistics but I want something more than working at Target and stressing over what I will be. I can't keep stealing cars and money and food."
"Our future is school."
I agree. I bite my lip, "We need to go get Michelle."
Mona laughs, "I tried calling her and some bitchy nun said Sister Rosaline wasn’t allowed to take calls. Then like an hour later Michelle sent me a text. Listen I'll read it to you. She is nuts."
She pulls out her cell and reads, "Miss you tons kick Rayne in the arse for me. Make sure she doesn’t wear rubber boots all winter for the love of god. Oops I mean God. So I'm staying. I think this is my shit. This God business is making me feel whole. I rock the nun outfit. I'm a sexy nun. I'll have my own rich Viscount in no time and we'll be running in the hills and singing with his four little rug rats. Peace bitches, Sister Rosaline."
I furrow my brow, "God has no idea what has hit him. His followers will be running for the hills alright."
She snorts.
I shrug, "She's safe."
"No one would predict that’s where she would hide. I bet Wyatt walked right past her and never had a clue."
"Sister Rosaline. She probably picked it because of the Da Vinci Code. What a weirdo."
We drive the coast back. I put the top down a few times but it's freezing.
We get close to home and I find myself taking a detour.
She is asleep. I drive up close to the mansion. The air sparkles and the dead try to convince me it's a bad idea but I need to. I need to see him. I don’t know why. I know he'll sense me, but my car can out run his car. Hopefully.
From the highway I can see the slightest glimpse of the house through the trees. The white mansion is lit up. They're having a party. I slow the car down and unroll Mona's window. I can hear the party.
She wakes and looks at me, "Where are we." She stretches and rubs her eyes.
I point, "Wyatt's parents house. The epicenter of sin, as far as the Van Helsing's are concerned."
She looks at me confusedly, "You have a death wish?"
"Yup. Think we should go see what that party is all about?"
"No. No I absolutely do not."
I look at her, my mind is made up. "I do. I think it's about me. Let's go peek. Just a peek."
She sighs, "No. No this is a bad idea. We need to go back to school."
I turn onto the gravel road just before the house and drive down it. I turn the headlights off but the running lights still shine. I turn the car off and hope no one saw me.
I climb out and flip the trunk. In the dark I can see perfectly. Everyone at the house is coming in the front door, dressed to the nines and shaking his mother's hand. There is a man beside her. He must be Wyatt's father. He looks like the man from the boat the day I met the Nixie.
I pull a black coat and some runners out of the trunk. I pull them on and zip up the jacket.
"I'll wait here. If there is trouble I'll honk and drive to get you okay?"
I nod.
I'm faster without her anyway. My body isn’t fit like it was my memories but, I know I have some push inside of me.
I run through the woods silently. Not as silently as Ellie could, but silent enough. I run past the house, down near the beach. The lights are lit in every room. The mansion shines brightly against the gray seas and cloudy night.
I can watch them and see everything in the windows.
I see the little girl. She walks around looking bored. She seems to stand out amongst the rest. She is in a dress, but she looks like she would kill for her skinny jeans and hoodie. She might kill just because. She has a dangerous look on her face. I remember it well.
I sneak along the grass and trees, closer to the house. When I get close enough to look up into the whole back of the house I slide my body against a tree. It's amazing what I instantly know how to do, thanks to Ellie. Looking in the windows is painful for Ellie. Her hatred is thick and her memories are vivid. It's like she, we remember things but can't see them. Not completely. One thing I remember without doubt is Wyatt's mother.
In one of the windows I see the girl who was with Wyatt at the church and the parking lot of Subway. She is dressed in a hunter green dress that I can't help but hate. It's too formal and eighties prom. She has long white gloves on and a martini in her hand. Her pretty blonde hair is in tendrils around her face and tucked up in a bun. Her face is content.
She smiles at a man next to her and removes her glove to show him her ring. It’s an engagement ring. Wyatt walks up and kisses her on the cheek. My stomach hurts when I see him. The man shakes his hand and I realize the fool I have been.
My heart feels like it's fallen out of my chest. My chest is
hollow. It feels like it's open and bleeding. I can't get my breath. I remember his arms around me and his lips on mine. The dangerous look he got in his eye when we made out, like he was about to lose control. I have a montage moment and everything hurts.
I spend too long thinking about the things he said and the way he acted and how I was convinced, somewhere deep down, that he loved me. Even if he swore he didn’t.
I let myself love him.
I let him make a fool out of me, again.
When I look up again, I see him looking out the window. He senses me. I know he does. I slide up against the tree tightly.
The tree hides me, but that doesn’t stop his eyes from seeking me out. He feels me, just as I feel him. I see the people next to him try to talk to him. It looks like he brushes them off. He points to the huge balcony out back. He walks out under the guise of getting some night air, no doubt. But really he is looking for me.
The back door opens just as I assume it will. He walks out onto the terrace alone. He places his drink down and scans the forest. My heart is beating out of my chest.
He turns and walks to the wide staircase. I take it as my chance to run. I bolt into the forest. I run hard for the car. These are the same trees as the last time I ran from him.
I can hear his feet in the trees. I hear something breaking branches. I beeline for the car. My feet dig in and push.
"Rayne!" He's close.
I run hard.
"MONA! START THE CAR!" I feel like the Ikea commercial.
I hear Mona start the car. She is sitting waiting for me with her head out the window. As long as she doesn’t put the car in gear the stupid running lights stay off. I pray she doesn’t put it into drive and give her location away.
I feel his hand grab for me. I push harder. He tackles me to the ground and pins me.
"What are you doing?" He holds me on the ground.
I kick at him and push him off me.
He looks stunned. I laugh. He wasn’t prepared for me to fight back with any skill.
His face is fierce. "What are you doing here? You want me to take you in?"
I laugh.
He shoves me with his hands and I fly back. Apparently he's also been holding back. This might get interesting. Ellie has memories of other Van Helsing's and their mad skills.
He pushes me again, "You want me to take you in? You want to be chained to the wall again? That’s what they’ll do to you."
I watch the anger in his eyes. I back hand him before he expects it, "Fuck you."
He wipes the blood away from his lip. He looks at it and raises his eyebrows, "You want this?"
"I owed you that one and you fucking know it."
He laughs bitterly, "I told you I was sorry."
I meet his grin with my own but mine is full of pain, "And I told you it will always be one more sorry Wyatt. I can't forgive the things you’ve done to me."
He glares at me, "And what? I should forgive what you are? I have to forgive what you are?"
I have a flaw. It's annoying.
I cry when I'm angry.
Tears flood my eyes and I'm bawling like a baby instantly. "You want to know why I'm here? I wanted to see you. Asshole. I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you once, before I put us on opposite teams for good. I know you plan on betraying me and killing me for the light of the world."
He grips his hair, "Rayne I'm on your side. I don’t know how else to tell you this. I've rescued you, paid for you, saved you numerous times. What more do you need?" He points to the house and whispers harshly, "I told them that’s what I would do. That wasn’t my plan." He looks exasperated.
I see red, "That woman in there is wearing your engagement ring. You're engaged. You're not on my side. You never were." Tears are pouring from my face. I see it softens him. He straightens his dinner jacket and tries to hide the shame on his face.
"She is like me. You are…you. It won't ever work between us. That doesn’t change the fact I want to help you."
I laugh and cry, "The funny thing is I actually have a husband. I completely forgot about him. So don’t you worry about me. I don’t need someone like you on my side anyway."
His eyes burn, "Husband?" He looks hurt. I savor the look. If I could wrap up that look and snack on it later, I would.
"Constantine Basarab. Maybe you've heard of him." I know he has.
His eyes flare, "What?" His look becomes more delicious and pained. I want to roll around and kick my feet when I see it.
I nod and wipe away my tears, "We married a longtime ago. Ask your mom about it. She was there. I know what she is and I know what you want. I remember everything." I probably should have held that back, but I've always sucked at poker. "I know you were tricking me and planning on killing me for the light of the world."
I hear voices in the woods behind him.
He takes a step toward me, I take one back. He smiles his cocky grin, "You didn’t think that me and you had a future did you? Something like you, with someone like me. Yeah, I have a fiancé. Yeah, I used you. We're at war Rayne. It isn’t ever going to be fair between us. Why do you think I handfasted with you? I knew I'd be able to feel you. Track you. That’s my job."
"Does she know your job involved making out with me? Does she know you can track me? I don’t think she does. I think you never told her that. Because she never noticed you looking out the windows when you felt me just now? She never came with you to hunt me down?"
"Come with me." He puts a hand out, "Come gently and I won't hurt you."
I laugh, "You can't hurt me. You don’t matter to me."
The voices get closer. I can hear them calling him.
He pounces for me, but I leap out of the way and somersault. I jump up and run for the car before he's even off the ground. My legs are done but I force them to work. I run for the road, past the car. Mona sees me and drives to where I'm running. I run along the road. When she drives up and holds the car door open. I jump in. I kneel on the seat and look back at him with the door still open and wave.
He's standing on the road huffing and puffing. Looking sexy in his suit. I climb in and close the door.
I wipe my face. I want to smile and laugh but I can't. It's all hitting me like an avalanche of emotions.
"You okay? Did he hurt you?"
I try to shake my head but it betrays me. I ugly cry. I lose all control and become a sobbing monster.
"He's engaged."
She looks confused, "What?"
"Engaged. Called me a thing. A thing. Not worthy of him."
She swings the car around and punches it. I'm thrown against the window. The car skids and straightens out. He leaps out of the way as she swerves for him. She swings the car around again and punches it again. I hear and feel a thump. The car jerks from the hit. She stops the car and jumps out.
"A THING. FUCK YOU WYATT. YOU'RE THE THING. YOU'RE A SMARMY BASTARD. YOU'RE ENGAGED?" He's on the ground on his back. She is kicking and hitting.
He winces and moans but she lays the boots to him without pause. I jump out of the car and drag her in. The people coming for him are almost to us. I throw her in the driver's seat again and run around to my side. I'm barely in when she punches the gas again. She drives forward and slams on the brakes. She puts it in reverse. She looks insane. She backs up and hits him with the car again.
"STOP YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HIM!"
She grins, "He can't die. He already told me that. Besides you shouldn’t care." She throws it into drive and skids away.
He's lying on the ground looking unconscious and we leave him there. I feel sick with guilt. I feel sick leaving him. I feel sick because I'm a pathetic loser where boys are concerned.
Chapter Twenty
Mona was right. Classes feel like the dullest thing I've ever done in my life. I find them to easy now. I speak the languages I'm studying. Ellie spoke German, Russian, French, Latin, Romanian, and Spanish. Her memories and mine are merging more everyday. I remember how to speak t
he languages.
I have a hard time sometimes differentiating with her life and mine. She loves and hates Constantine, the same way I love and hate Wyatt. It's like having my heart broken twice.
I leave Spanish and walk down the outdoor corridor. I feel something and glance up. My skin crawls. I know something isn’t right. My stomach twinges.
He's here.
I hug my coat and try to walk with the other students. Stay with my herd. Mona and I have rules on how to survive everyday and Willow's guard holds. I am in my full power and it still holds. Once I enter the building, nothing intent on harming me can see me or feel me. It's my only saving grace.
I hurry to the building but I can sense him. I turn. He's leaning against a tree. He isn’t smiling. He's always angry when he sees me. I flip him off and turn away. He smiles at that.
"Rayne." He calls me. I pick up my pace.
"Rayne wait up."
His hand is on me, spinning me to face him. I give a threatening suck. I know he knows what it is. Sucking him tastes like dandelions but it's worth it.
He puts his hand sup, "Not here to cause a problem. I just want a truce. For now."
My eyes can't help but notice the lack of a ring on his wedding hand. No wedding yet.
He sees my eyes and looks further annoyed, "How's the husband?"
I smile, "Awesome. Best husband ever."
He winces.
I cross my arms. I'm ready for him. "He stays at his house, pays my tuition and bills and gives me money and lets me keep his Mercedes convertible. It's a good gig."
His bitter look lifts. He looks almost hopeful. "You aren’t together?"
I shake my head, "No. I barely know him."
He is in pain. He can't hide it.
I like his pain. "It's funny, I am different. I know I am. But I'm still the same person I always was. I'm the one that never lied about who they were or acted like they were someone else. I never tricked you into liking me. You just liked me on your own, for who I was. Am. Ironic huh?"
He looks upset. "You have a pretty important job Rayne. You have to die to save the world. I'd say you're not exactly the same as you were when we met."