Her dreams shifted and she was outside in the golden hallway. A replay of the scene between her and Patrick took over. Another shift caused the memory of her and Jenda’s argument to replay. Soborgne was afraid. Did he mean that her only real friend in this world was going to betray her?
Soborgne knew the prophecy, but she believed that Jenda would not turn against her. She thought that together they would stop the hands of time and the wheels of fate. Now her dream lover was telling her that Jenda would destroy her. Soborgne spent the rest of the day in a fitful sleep. She was dreaming of dreams, and of reality steeped in sadness, pain, fear, and betrayal.
At seven o’clock, Soborgne awoke. The sun had just set and the sky still held a tinge of light. The constant darkness she lived in seemed overwhelming. She was beginning to miss the sun. She knew now how lucky Jenda was to never have to live without it. Soborgne was contemplating the idea of letting Matteo and Jenda attempt to change her into a day walker when her recent dreams flooded her mind.
Everything she’d dreamt held the same warning that her dream lover gave her. It all told her that her dearest friend would betray her. She was no longer sure of what she believed. She thought she would turn the man away. She was determined that if he came to her dreams again, she would send him away forever. Instead, she fell even more in love with him.
Even now, her body ached for his touch and she could almost taste his lips on hers. She was finding it difficult to remember that he was only a dream, he felt so real to her. So now, she must decide whether to tell Jenda or not. After some contemplation, she chose not to tell her. Instead, Soborgne decided to agree to train with her and Patrick, if only to be able to spend more time with her friend. She missed her, and she wanted to take every opportunity to have her friend while she could.
Thinking about Jenda brought to mind the wonderful shopping trip the girls had just gone on the previous night. Soborgne hopped from the bed and grabbed up the dozens of bags from the stores. She started dumping them onto the bed with a zealousness that surprised even her. The excitement was building inside her. She was going to test what Matteo had told them while Jenda was busy with Celeste. If her hair was going to grow back and keep its color no matter what she did, she was going to have some fun. She walked into the bathroom and found a pair of lethally sharp scissors. Smiling wickedly into the mirror, her transformation began.
An hour later, Soborgne emerged from her room feeling quite scandalous. She had hacked off and dyed her once long and shimmering black hair into a shabby blue pixie cut. She used hair gel to spike it up in messy disarray. Extremely thick black liner circled her eyes, her lashes sparkled with gold glitter, and a deep red lipstick coated her pouty lips. Her skin needed no other enhancement. Since the change, it was flawless and smooth. The paleness lent an extra highlight to the little makeup she did wear.
She dressed in a skintight black tank top that allowed a few inches of midriff to show, low riding Star jeans, and black motorcycle boots. She considered it a modest outfit when compared to her hair and makeup. She had purchased quite a lot of jewelry on their trip through the department stores. Tonight she wore a silver bracelet high on her bicep that twisted in the form of a python, a necklace adorned with a dagger pendant, a magnetic nose ring (since she had decided Matteo was correct about the piercings), and a simple silver belly chain that held a single crescent moon charm.
Soborgne couldn’t wait to show Jenda her new look. She pounded on the door to Jenda and Matteo’s suite but there was no answer. She then struck out on her own to search the entire castle if she must. When she came to the black staircase, she decided that she would go to Celeste’s suite and free Jenda if she were still tutoring with her. Soborgne found it unfair that she had her freedom while they forced poor Jenda to go to some sort of vamp school in the private quarters of The Lady.
She almost ran up the stairs until the sound of voices stopped her. She walked quietly for a moment while she listened to their conversation. Soborgne was extremely wary of strangers in the castle now after what had happened with Patrick. Even though Celeste and Matteo insisted they were safe here, the fear of the Dracul never stopped inside her. As she crept closer, she could see three women chatting on the landing.
Staying in the shadows, she managed to remain unseen. Soborgne was almost sure they were neither human nor vampire. Her senses told her that they were something else altogether. The knowledge that these women were unfamiliar beings made her more alert. Her body trembled with tension and her fangs ached. A warning filled the air around her and it smelled like the word enemy.
The conversation floated down the stairs to where Soborgne could overhear. A female with platinum blonde hair spoke first. “Well, it’s absolutely trashy if you ask me. He is totally in love with her and the whole story is just bizarre. I heard that he changed the one, and then all three of them killed the redhead’s creator.”
“No, Fanta, you are making that up!” a chubbier blonde exclaimed.
“Really, she isn’t. I heard they are only here because the Dracul are chasing them. They are fugitives. I think someone should turn them in and let them be treated like the criminals they are.” The tallest of the three flipped her brown hair in haughty boredom with the conversation.
“You know how all the vamps are. Always falling in love with humans and changing them if they don’t drink them up first. I swear, you would think that they would be a little more choosey with the company they keep. These two are probably no better than trailer trash.” The small girl with platinum blonde hair stuck her upturned nose in the air as if she could smell the trash.
Soborgne couldn’t hold back any longer. She began the ascent up the stairs again, allowing the heavy boots to announce her to the three females on the stairs. Three sets of eyes turned to stare at her. None of them showed an inkling of concern that she may have overheard their conversation. Instead, they shined with disgust. Soborgne was sure her new appearance was adding to their snobby assessment, but she didn’t care. They would be taking back those words very soon if she had anything to do with it.
She approached them with her head held high, and in her best spoiled little rich girl tone (which was impressive by anyone’s standards) Soborgne asked, “Excuse me, when you three are done here I would like the sheets changed in my room. Only use Egyptian cotton. I just can’t sleep on anything less.” Then she made as if she would simply walk on by.
“Just who do you think you are? I’m not your maid, you blood hound.” As Soborgne expected, it was the smaller one—the one they called Fanta—who spoke up first.
“Oh. I am sorry. I assumed you were, since the servants are usually the only ones who have so little class that they stand in hallways gossiping about their superiors.” Soborgne’s tone never wavered. She looked around as if she were bored with the entire tedious conversation.
Fanta’s cheeks grew red and the girl looked as if she were going to spin out of control. Before she could blow her top, the tallest of her lackeys stepped up to assist her. “Forget her, Fanta, obviously she has no breeding. I mean look at her. She looks like a circus freak or a carnie.”
The slightly chubby girl chimed in as well. “Yeah, Fanta. Arianna is right. She’s a freak.”
Fanta apparently didn’t care what her friends thought of Soborgne. She cast a look at them and ordered them to shut up. Getting their orders, both girls stepped back into formation behind their leader. “God,” Soborgne thought. “This is just so like high school.”
“You are nothing, a fledgling to an idiot. How dare you come here and insult me? Don’t you know who I am, little girl?” Fanta’s eyes were the catch. The truth in them glared at Soborgne, and an instinct of the blood caught it and told her what Fanta was, even if she didn’t know whom.
“You are a bitch, oops, I mean a witch. You are a little hot head who plays with candles, sprinkles powder, and speaks too highly of herself, that is who you are. Any more than that, I don’t care to know, because obviously if
you were important I would already know.” Soborgne did turn to walk away then. She didn’t dare stay any longer for fear her temper would burst through her careful façade.
Fanta called out behind her. “Be careful little fledgling. This is not Sweet Valley High and you are not the prom queen. Bad things happen to people who step on the wrong toes.” The spitefulness in her voice promised Soborgne that she intended to be the cause of those bad things.
Soborgne couldn’t help but make one final jab before she departed. With a sweet smile plastered on her perfect red lips, she said, “Well, if you weren’t sticking those size tens out from every house that falls out of the sky, then maybe people wouldn’t step on them. You should be careful, Fanta, or I might just steal your ruby slippers.” Laughing as she walked away, Soborgne was glad that old movies translated easily in any culture. The look of indignation on Fanta’s face would be worth any trouble the girl gave her later.
9
Musing about how much fun it was to mess with the witches, Soborgne almost ran right smack into Matteo and Jenda. “Soborgne, your hair is incredible. You must do mine as well.” Jenda instantly started touching the spiky pieces of hair on top of Soborgne’s head.
Matteo looked horrified, but said nothing. Jenda’s hair would grow back by the next sunset so he might as well not ruin the fun. Jenda wouldn’t look right in that get up. Though he had to admit, on Soborgne it was seductive. He was not interested in Soborgne in the slightest, but he was very curious to see how Patrick would react. Eccentric women had always been Patrick’s weakness, and Sobo’s new look was right up his alley.
“If Matteo won’t have me hanged in the town square, I will be glad to give you a little makeover.” Soborgne smiled playfully in Matteo’s direction.
“What does he have to do with it? Last I checked, I was pretty much a free woman in all areas except my love life.” Jenda looked from Soborgne to Matteo and added, “If my hair means that much to him, that may be up for debate as well. I just couldn’t love a shallow man.” She was laughing as she said it and he knew she was only kidding him, but Matteo still felt a tinge of guilt for actually caring about her hair.
“Okay, Ducky, let’s go do this.” Soborgne grabbed her arm and they headed back towards the staircase. “Oh, the funniest thing happened earlier.”
“What’s that?” Jenda asked, half hoping it wasn’t nearly as intriguing as Soborgne made it sound. With Soborgne, funny or interesting usually spelled out trouble.
Soborgne related the entire drama with the witches to them. Jenda didn’t understand the depth of the situation, but she knew it couldn’t be good. Soborgne laughed hysterically when she told Jenda about the Wizard of Oz reference. Jenda, despite trying to keep herself neutral, laughed too. Only Soborgne, with her sharp tongue and quick wit, could come up with something that offensive and funny.
Matteo’s frown grew deeper with every word that Soborgne spoke. “Oh Matteo, really, how much trouble could I have caused? I mean, they were insulting you, Jenda, and me. Would you rather that I just allowed them to stand there acting as if we were the plague? Are we not only leaches, are we cowards too?”
Matteo was angry with Soborgne again and Jenda hated the feelings stirring around them. “You have no idea what you have done! Those three witches that you so carelessly insulted and provoked aren’t some little coven of Wiccan wannabes.”
Soborgne would not back down. “Seriously Matteo, just how important could they be? I don’t see what the big deal is. Jenda and I use to take girls like that down a notch all the time back in Indiana. They need it every now and then.”
Making his own play on the movie, Matteo tried to calm down and explain to Soborgne just why he was so angry. “I hate to tell you, Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore! Fanta is the daughter of the witch that created every protection spell in this castle and on the grounds. She is important in this world, even if she isn’t in yours.”
“Are you talking about the gold symbols?” Jenda’s voice was quiet but Matteo heard her.
He made sure to check his temper before answering her. Memories of the last time he had treated her poorly still made him uneasy. “Yes, the symbols, the spells, and every grain of magical protection we have against the Dracul have come from that girl’s mother and their coven. Soborgne has brought us all to shame with her behavior. I know Fanta. She tends to hold a grudge. We must tell Celeste immediately that there has been a problem.”
“Really, you think that one little squabble requires the immediate attention of the woman everyone in this damn castle calls The Lady. Matteo get a backbone.” Soborgne couldn’t understand what the problem was. She did what she always did. She defended Jenda and herself. It was the way it always was with her. She wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt her best friend, even through words.
“Sobo, Matteo is right. We should go to Celeste. She told me about the wards and protection spells on the castle today. I can see them, you know. Not everyone can. They are really pretty, but they are very important to the people like us who come here for protection.” Jenda was trying to get through to her but it didn’t seem to be working.
“Why don’t you just go running back to Celeste? Celeste this and Celeste that. I am so sick of hearing her name and you two gushing over her, it is as if she’s a freaking Goddess. I’m hungry, so if you don’t mind, I would like to borrow your keeper so I can get some freaking food. Don’t you know that crazy Soborgne can’t be trusted to even eat alone?” Soborgne was going to cry if she didn’t get out of there right away.
“That’s fine, Soborgne. I actually arranged it so we could all go together today.” Matteo had regained his cool now and he was feeling a little bad for the girl. She did not yet understand the ways of her new life, and she seemed to be stumbling every other step she took.
“Sobo, I really wish you would…” Jenda tried to talk to her about it, but Soborgne was not in the mood to listen.
“Stop, I don’t want to talk about it anymore, Jenda. I know I screwed up again. Can we just drop it and go now?” Soborgne’s stubbornness was going to be the end of her.
“Will you freaking listen to me? I was going to say I really wish you would still give me that makeover before I go see Patrick!” Jenda was really getting annoyed with her friend’s behavior. “But since you obviously don’t give a damn right now, just forget it.”
Soborgne felt like crap. It seemed she was always hurting Jenda since the change. She threw her arm over her friend’s shoulders and squeezed her close. “Don’t be mad, Jenda. I’m sorry. I really am. Those girls just reminded me of Bridgette, and I couldn’t let them talk about us that way. By the way, it will be before we go to train with Patrick. Remember, it’s always been you and me against the world, kiddo.”
Soborgne triggered the memory from the day Jenda found the bloody car in the parking lot. She remembered how Bridgette had blocked her way from the locker room and made fun of her. Bridgette hated them so much that she would do anything to make their lives miserable. The only reason she escaped was because she threatened the other girl with retaliation from Soborgne. Soborgne always fought with Bridgette and always stood up for Jenda. The incident with Fanta was more proof of Soborgne’s loyal friendship.
“You are going to come with me to see Patrick! Oh, Sobo, I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Ok. Let’s go get dinner and then we will do that makeover before we go kick some butt.”
The trio headed for the lower floors talking about what Jenda had learned with Celeste. Apparently, the reason Jenda could see the swirling golden markings that the witches called ruins was because Jenda had some magic in her blood. The difference between real witches and the people who dabbled in voodoo or Wicca was that they were born witches. The gift came down to them from the earliest civilizations. No one really knew how it began, but some families simply carried the blood.
A witch rarely discovered her powers if she were born outside a coven. A person could live an entire life and never know what power
s hid inside them. Coincidence was given credit for the strange and unlikely. They could wish extremely hard for something that seemed impossible and it would come true, or they would sing a song in the car and then it would come on the radio. Some were more powerful than others. Some could change the weather and others could heal.
Jenda rambled on about magical powers and beings as they walked on. Stopping mid-step and causing both Soborgne and Matteo to stumble into her, Jenda remembered the exciting news. “Oh my goodness, I almost forgot to tell you. Celeste has something she would like to tell all of us. She said it wouldn’t be a formal thing, just the three of us in her suite. We are supposed to be there at 3:00 am, sharp.”
“What is it about?” Soborgne was really feigning interest. She really didn’t care. She was tired of hearing about the all-knowing Celeste. Of course, she couldn’t tell Jenda that. Jenda thought Celeste hung the moon.
“Well, you know that strange statue in her suite, the one of the man and the woman? I sort of had a vision about it the other day when I passed out.” She ducked her head a little bit, embarrassed to be talking about having visions. “I asked her about the statue and she said that was a story for all of us.”
“What! You are having visions! When did this start? Why didn’t you tell me? Jenda, how could you not tell me?” Soborgne didn’t have to feign interest now. With all the weird stuff happening to her, it was good to know that she wasn’t the only one.
Matteo remained mostly quiet until Jenda mentioned having visions. He was visibly concerned. “Jenda, you should have told us. Visions can be dangerous, or they could be hallucinations from being underfed.”
“Don’t you two start acting like mommy and daddy dearest or I swear I will freak out. I am fine, I promise. Celeste knew, and I think if I were in any danger she would have me wrapped up in bubble paper.” Jenda tried to laugh off Matteo’s worry and Soborgne’s excitement, but for the rest of the walk to the lower floor it was all either could talk about.
Requiem of Humanity Page 30