“Is it dead?” Cheyenne asked, her voice shaking. She knelt down on her bed and stared at it, but she didn't dare move any closer from fear of a spontaneous resurrection.
“Thank you. I hate those things,” she whispered to both Halyn and the plants.
“Tarantula, but I've never seen one this big before. I...” Halyn stopped as the spider's corpse began to smoke and hiss before melting into a strange, green gelatinous goo. Slowly, it shrank in size and took on the shape of a tiny, dark green stone, dull in color and lifeless. “I was about to say, I don't think it's natural.”
“What is it?” Cheyenne asked. She couldn't take her eyes off it.
Halyn picked up the stone and examined it. “I guess you could say it's for summoning. Some witches have the power to take certain objects and turn them into different spells. Each stone has a specific set of magical properties. Some pretty nifty things can happen. This one was used to summon the spider. Once it's killed, the stone loses its magical power and returns to normal. It's not a common practice. Only certain witches are born with the ability. I guess you could say it's a specific classification. I've only seen a few students here who can, and they all kind of knit together in a group.”
“So someone was trying to kill me?” She swallowed.
“Or scare you bad.” Her roommate glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow. “I can probably give you three guesses as to who.”
“The Jewel of Love. She came in to curse you. She is wicked like her mother. We will not let her get away with this,” the plants said.
“I don't understand what you're saying,” Cheyenne mumbled to the plants. She had no clue who the Jewel of Love was, but she gathered it was another child of the Divine just like her.
“Oh, come on.” Halyn rolled her eyes. “How can you not have any idea?”
“No, I know who you're thinking. I am too. Blond hair and curls?” She got off the bed. Her body still shook as she watched Halyn with the stone. She wouldn't ever be convinced the power was gone from it though.
“Yes, the ugly witch,” the plants said.
Halyn nodded. “I've seen her with these things in the hallway. She trades them with her friends between class times. We should tell someone about this. She shouldn't be harassing you just because she's jealous she might actually have some serious competition for her man.”
“She doesn't though. I'm not after him,” Cheyenne said. Because I would never win. “I'm not after anyone,” she added quickly. “Dating is the last thing on my mind.” Which was a lie.
Her teenage hormones were urging her to find romance. The thought was nice, but she wasn't sure how good of an idea rushing into a relationship would be. She wanted Denver, but he’d never give her what she needed. Anj could give her those things, but he wasn't interested in her, and Zes could be a lot of great things for her, if he ever got the guts to act on their obvious chemistry. He dropped enough hints, but he also confused her because she didn't always know what he was trying to say.
“I'll take care of this. Right now, I gotta sleep and think about everything,” she said.
Halyn let out a deep sigh and shook her head, but she left anyway.
Once she was gone, Cheyenne reached for the telephone to call her mother, but then she remembered she couldn't rely on her. The thought to call Jewl to chew her out also entered her mind. She was ready to march over to the girl's room and smack her. There was a temptation to call up Anj and tell him about what happened as well, but that didn't seem like a good idea either. The last thing she needed was for him to worry. If Anj worried, Zes would be even worse. With much hesitation, she dialed the school directory and connected with Mrs. Orinda.
“I'm sorry to bother you,” Cheyenne said. “But I needed to talk about something, and you were the only person I'm comfortable with. I hope it's not too late. I mean, it can wait if you're busy.”
“No, it's fine,” Mrs. Orinda said. “What can I help you with?”
“I was–” Cheyenne thought about how to word everything. She didn't necessarily want to tattle on Jewl. Not until after she'd confronted her about the issue and got some solid proof. “I've just found out a lot about what's going on, and I'm getting a little freaked out. I'm also kind of having some friend trouble. I don't think I'm fitting in here as well as everyone thinks I am.”
“It's probably going to take a lot of time to get comfortable with this place. We're like a subculture within a subculture. Just continue to be yourself and make everyone adapt to you instead of the other way around.”
“I don't know who I am anymore though. I mean, ever since I got here I've been doing things I've never done before.”
“It's all part of teenage discovery. I wouldn't let it scare you. You're in those years of your life where you're just establishing your own personal identity. Just keep doing what feels right to you.”
“Have you heard anything more from my parents?”
Mrs. Orinda was quiet for a little while. “They're still coming as far as I know. I think they're going to come in earlier. The school board is excited because they're a part of the Divine and so well respected. They have a lot of pull. Your parents have told me and A—, I mean, Mr. Thantos they don't want to deal with the celebrity mob mentality that can overcome some of the parents here.”
Zes had mentioned his mother being pleased at the idea of spending time with Cheyenne's family. He seemed sad when he had been talking about it. It had never dawned on her this was why.
“I'm excited to meet them,” Cheyenne said. It was the only thing she cared about. Even if they had to lie low to do it.
“I think it will help you feel better about everything too. I heard about what happened with the demons. I'm glad you're okay. If something happens again, don't ever hesitate to call for help. Demons are tricky and can take on so many different forms. Mr. Thantos is around twenty-four/six to protect you. He doesn't look it, but he's strong and powerful.”
“All right. Wait, twenty-four/six?”
Mrs. Orinda laughed. “Every day, all the time, unless it's Saturday. He's completely out of commission then. Angels are always awake and working except for on their chosen rest day. Then, I swear, you could march elephants through his room or blow the place up, and he wouldn't stir until midnight on Sunday morning. It's hard to get used to at first.”
She couldn't imagine being awake constantly for days in a row with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Knowing Mr. Thantos, though, she was sure he could find a lot of things to keep himself occupied. It certainly explained a lot. But what do I do when it's Saturday?
“Thanks for letting me ramble at you. I just don't know who else to talk to and...”
“Try not to worry about everything too much. Focus on one day at a time, and trust us enough to take care of you. The last thing you need is to be looking over your shoulder constantly for demons.”
“Or witches trying to hex me.”
“What? Who's trying to hex you?”
“Nobody, never mind.”
“Okay.”
“I should get to bed. It's been a long day.” To emphasize the point, Cheyenne yawned. “Before I go to bed, Halyn wants to go do our dress shopping tomorrow. I was told we needed an adult with us, if I’m going to leave the campus now.”
“I can go with you.”
“Thanks, for everything.”
“Get some rest, sweetheart.”
“You too.”
Cheyenne hung up the phone and sighed. She looked across the room at her windowsill. On it sat a small variety of potted flowers. There were pink tulips and a purple-and-yellow flower she had never learned the name of. It smelled beautiful though, and it was pretty all the same. She'd have to take more time to learn about the different types of flowers. It didn't seem fair to have them know so much about her if she couldn't offer them the same kindness back.
Carefully, she moved the pot of tulips from the sill and set it on her nightstand. “So you saw Jewl come in here and try to hurt
me?”
“The blond. We don't know her name. She's a dark one. She must work for The Dark just like the other strange visitor,” the tulips said.
“Who else has been coming into my room?”
“We're not sure. We cannot see it. It is an entity that infects the entire dorm and makes it black to us. We would have spoken sooner, but it has been ever-present until the last sunrise. We feared it might lash out if we told and it heard.”
“Great,” Cheyenne mumbled. “You mean it left yesterday?”
“Yes, our lady. It left.”
It had to have been Lucien. “You called Jewl a daughter of the love jewel. Is she like me?”
“The only thing you have in common with her is you are both descendents of the gods. She’s horrible.”
“I know, you don't like her,” she said. She wondered if there was a connection between Jewl and the wards of the school failing. “No,” she whispered to herself. “That's stupid.” And paranoid, and silly. She sighed, yawned once more, and closed her eyes. But if she spent enough time on the idea, she could easily justify anyone to be working alongside the demons.
Chapter Fourteen
Retail therapy always hit the spot. Cheyenne may not have been a girlie girl, but spending money on whatever she wanted was fun. She didn't hesitate to splurge on new makeup and hair things, as well as books and CDs. For the first time in her life, she didn't have to worry about a price tag. Her real parents were wealthy, and she was under instructions to buy whatever she liked for the dance. Despite this freedom, she didn't go too overboard.
The afternoon was a success overall. The entire time she felt as if she was out with her sisters. Mrs. Orinda didn't seem like an adult chaperone, but one of the group. The only real disappointment of the day was that she wasn’t satisfied with her dress. Simple and black, it was elegant with an empire waist and a skirt that flowed just past her knees and with what Halyn called “sassy straps.” Cute, sure, but she’d been hoping for something more distinguished and unique. She wanted to prove herself worthy of being a Divine. More important, she wanted Denver and the twins to notice.
Upon returning to their dorm, exhaustion caught up with her. Feeling tired was a nice change from the constant eagerness, which put her on edge and left her restless. In two weeks she’d be seeing her parents for the first time, and she couldn't wait. Halyn marked every day that passed on the calendar with a thick black X. The days passed quickly and yet nowhere near fast enough. There were still too many white boxes to go until they reached the last box filled with pink hearts.
She hung the dress up in her closet. Her feet were throbbing, as were her arms. They had walked everywhere in town hauling their bags. Nothing sounded better than a nap. Cheyenne curled up on her bed and reached over for one of her school books to help pass the time until she fell asleep.
A quiet knock on the window interrupted her. Actually, it was more of a constant tapping, gentle but persistent. At first she thought it was only the wind blowing leaves around roughly against the walls of the dorm. It wouldn't stop though. She got up from her bed to see what was causing such a disturbance and gasped at the sight of Lucien tapping delicately with his index finger on the glass. Once he finally had her attention, he smiled and waved for her to come closer.
Why am I doing this? she wondered as she found herself moving toward the window for a closer look.
She stood in front of the window and stared at him. Something seemed different. He had more life. His gray eyes were sparkling with a silver shine and his skin was more tan and healthy in appearance. If he was handsome before, he was even more so now. She had to stop such thoughts in case he was listening in on her mind. The last thing she wanted was to boost his ego or make him think she wanted to go with him. Being attractive didn't stop him from being dangerous.
“Can I come in?” he asked, his voice muffled by the glass. He made sure to use hand gestures to illustrate this desire. The smile on his face was warm, inviting even, and he had an innocence about him. He was being so cute it was hard to remember he was evil. At least, she was pretty sure he was. Everything she knew about demons suggested they were nothing but bad. Unless he was more like Mr. Thantos. Maybe he still had some good left in him too. Or maybe he was only trying to manipulate her.
Cheyenne shook her head and folded her arms in front of her. Whatever he had to say, he could say through the glass.
“Please?”
She moved and opened the window a crack. “You can talk to me through there.”
“Well enough, though I mostly wanted to see you.”
“You can see me fine right now.”
“I wish they hadn't made you so afraid of me. I'm here alone. I won't be trying to take you away. I would rather show you my true self before forcing you to leave for a new home. It was silly of me to think you would accept me so freely.”
“Considering this is the twenty-first century and America, yeah, I was raised to believe I was going to marry someone I love. I definitely don't love you, and I'm not old enough to be married anyway. There are laws against that.”
The demon didn’t respond beyond giving her a small smirk. Something was different about her bedroom. The air went from flowing and breezy to stale. Her vision distorted, or maybe the room did, because nothing appeared as the right size or shape.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“I haven't done anything out of the ordinary. I'm seeing you in the only way I can at the moment, and that’s in your sleep.”
So she wasn't awake? She felt too conscious to be asleep though. This was the first dream where she was aware of the fact that she was in one. Never before had any of her dreams been so vivid. She hadn't been able to remember any of them, but she woke up in a good mood all the same. This was one she knew she wouldn't forget.
“I'm tired of being polite,” Lucien said and walked through the walls. “You'll see I'm not all bad, Cheyenne. People have come to believe demons have no heart at all. The truth is, we're simply tainted by our dark work. You could save me.”
“You hurt people,” she said and backed away from him slowly, right into her bed. Scowling as she fell onto it, she rolled off before he got any ideas. Her knees hit the floor hard and she made a mad dash for the door. Upon flinging it open, she found not her living room or safety but a mirror reflection of her bedroom instead.
Lucien sat down at her desk and watched her. “I do what needs to be done. Do you think there'd be a world if there was no death? There would be too many problems to even begin listing them all.”
“Please leave me alone. I don't know what your beef is with my family, but don't take it out on me.”
“It's too late, Cheyenne. I won't be taking anything out on you though. I'll be taking good care of you. Forget about this being a promise made long ago. This is far deeper. Dare I say this is true love? This is meant to be. Please, let's take this time to get acquainted, shall we?” He moved toward her and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. They trailed up her neck and caressed it tenderly. “It can only be you.”
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I can feel it in you,” he whispered.
“What can you feel?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“I'll show you.”
Cheyenne wasn't sure she wanted to be shown, but it wound up not mattering. As suddenly as she’d entered the dream, she was released from it. She awoke to find Denver sitting over her with blood dripping from his mouth. The wound hurt too much to be imagined.
“What are you?” she asked, confused and startled.
Denver bolted out of the room so fast she wasn't sure if he had even been there to begin with. He moved at supernatural speed, tearing through everything getting in his way, including Halyn, who fell to the ground with wide, surprised eyes.
“What was—Cheyenne, you're bleeding,” Halyn cried out through the doorway. “Are you okay?”
She ignored her roommate, feeling fine enough to chase Denver down. The
adrenaline pumping through her made the pain disappear and filled her with new determination. After running after him into the hallway, however, she wasn't quite sure which direction he’d gone. He was too fast to keep up with, but he couldn't be impossible to find.
Jewl was sitting on the floor nearby doing homework and listening to music through a pair of headphones. She glanced up at Cheyenne and smirked.
“If you don't stop picking at it, it's never going to heal,” Jewl teased.
Cheyenne frowned a little, her hand going to her neck protectively. “Did you see Denver pass through here?”
“I haven't seen anyone come by for a long time. Especially not a boy. It's past visitation hours. And Anj thinks you're smart,” Jewl said with a shake of her head as she returned her attention to her textbook. In her left hand was a small blood-red stone that she tossed, fingered, caressed, and cared for as she studied. Cheyenne's eyes were fixed on it. Jewl glanced up again at her. “What?”
“I've never seen anything like it before. Your rock, I mean. It's pretty,” Cheyenne said quickly before walking down the hallway toward the lobby door.
She didn't want to hear Jewl's response to the compliment. It'd be easier for her to play dumb if she didn't have to interact with the girl. The longer Jewl thought she was ignorant, the better. When she peeked her head out the door, she found the student lounge practically empty. A handful of students were working and socializing, but none of them was Denver. He was gone. She thought about asking if anyone else had seen him, but she didn't want the attention on her neck. It wouldn't be worth it.
Another of the stones lay by the doorway. This one was dark and dull. The rock Jewl had been playing with was still bright and full of life, a huge contrast. She picked up the dead stone before going back to her room. She didn't once look at Jewl as she went.
“Sit down,” Halyn ordered the moment she walked back through the door. “Are you crazy? You could be dying, and you're running out? Let me look at this thing. I'm calling an adviser. We should get you to an infirmary. We should—”
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