by Abra Ebner
Emily smiled slightly. “I’d love to.” She blushed. “But you have your sister there now. Not to mention the fact that my mother would never allow it.”
I shrugged. “You’ve done it before. Your mother didn’t seem to mind it then.”
Emily began to look frustrated. “Yeah, but she will eventually. That’s the way she is. She gives you a little room and then she…” Emily’s voice trailed, her eyes fixed over my shoulder.
“What?” I turned as I said it, no longer needing an answer.
“Jane?” Emily whispered. “Is that really her?”
I was thinking the same thing. Jane, or rather this being that held Jane somewhere deep under a layer of makeup and preppy clothes, walked across the lawn toward us. There was a blonde you’d think came right out of a Victoria’s Secret catalogue linking arms with Jane, who was smiling widely. I found myself at a loss for words. I may not love Jane the way I used to, yet I couldn’t help but notice how good she looked, even if all that makeup wasn’t really my thing.
“Who the Hell is that with her?” Emily snorted.
I glanced back at Emily in shock. “I don’t know. Doesn’t look like anyone from around here, though, if you know what I mean.” I nearly choked on a hunk of gooey white bread.
Emily gave me a reproachful glare. “Do you really think she could be from Winter Wood?”
I nodded slowly, mouth agape. “Either that or she’s from some model cult in California.”
I could practically feel Emily’s glare burning holes into the back of my head. “Real nice, Wes.”
I shook my head. “I’m serious. It’s unnatural to be that…” I tried to choose my words carefully. “Well formed.”
The tart smell of jealousy seeped from Emily’s pores and wafted across the table.
I glanced back at her once more. “Trust me. I’m not at all interested. Looks like that come with an inherit bitchiness, not to mention a mess of makeup stains.”
Emily’s jealous scent faded as she laughed and agreed. “That is so true.”
“Hey, guys.” Jane stopped as she reached us, striking a pose.
Emily and I just gaped in return, not willing to encourage this behavior, nor understanding it.
“This is Navia.” Jane’s grin grew. “She’s from Winter Wood,” she added in a sing-song voice.
I gave Emily a told-you-so look. Emily rolled her eyes at my need to flaunt the fact that I was right.
The girl stepped forward, releasing Jane’s arm. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.” She reached out for my hand. I gave it to her with a shake as she bowed lightly.
Emily’s heart rate surged in my head. Navia must have noticed as her eyes fluttered to look behind me. She dropped my hand and backed away, tilting her head and giving Emily an innocent smile.
“You must be Emily, Jane’s sister. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She paused, likely waiting to see how Emily would react.
Emily said nothing.
“You’re very brave!” Navia went on. “Being abducted by a Black Angel is an experience many don’t live to talk about.”
Emily:
Navia stepped forward and extended her hand to me over the table. At first I stared at it, my gut wrenching in the worst possible way. I had tried to crack into her thoughts since the moment she’d gotten close enough, but it was like Fort Knox on Independence Day.
Navia held her hand in the air, patiently waiting. “I admire your strength,” she added, layering on the charm.
My stomach settled and I finally took her hand and shook it. “Thanks for the… er… compliment?” It wasn’t exactly a compliment but rather a ‘lucky you’, but still. Being abducted by a Black Angel was an experience I was still dealing with, especially considering what had been coming to my room the last couple of nights.
Navia smiled, a smile that appeared genuine, but there was something more to it. I couldn’t figure out what it was, and my stomach wrenched again. Holding her hand allowed me to dig deep under the walls of her mind, but there was still no way in. Her mind was well trained. She shared nothing.
“Do you guys want to join us?” Wes asked nervously, shell shocked by her beauty. I couldn’t really be mad at him, though. Being around such unnatural splendor would make any man’s resistance crumble—it even made me nervous.
“Of course!” Jane sang, plopping down beside me as Navia took the bench beside Wes, opposite Jane.
Navia watched Jane closely, in a manner that reminded me of a girl and her pet. I laughed to myself, figuring the only way Jane would ever allow anyone to make her over as Navia had meant she practically had to be their pet. Liz had tried many times, but she had little finesse when it came to convincing Jane of anything. What scared me was how easily it seemed Navia had succeeded at the task.
Navia glanced at me on the diagonal. “What was the Black Angel like?”
I frowned. This was hardly a subject I wanted to discuss with Wes and Jane, let alone her. “A jerk.” I answered simply, hoping she’d take the hint.
Navia jutted out her bottom lip in thought, but didn’t press further. Wes sat up straight, demanding attention as he eyed me. He cleared his throat.
“So, uh… Jane. Where’s Max?”
Jane snorted. “Since when do you care where Max is?”
Jane’s reaction was hard to read. There was bitterness, but also concern in the way she said his name.
Wes shrugged. “Just wondering. He just seems a little here-today-gone-tomorrow.”
Jane’s eyebrows pressed together. “What do you mean by that?” She’d sensed Wes’s sarcasm.
“Nothing.” Wes was torturing her. He was making it obvious he knew something.
Jane sighed dramatically. Navia watched him intently—curious. “Okay, Wes. Spill.”
A smile snaked across Wes’s lips. I was surprised by how much he was enjoying this, and was seeing old emotions flair in him. His eagerness to destroy Jane’s love life because of all she’d put him through would forever, as I’d thought, be a factor. “I heard something interesting about Max when we were in Winter Wood, that’s all. Just makes me a little nervous about his absence, and I wonder how it is you can trust him.”
My gaze shot from Wes to Jane, wanting to see her reaction. Jane’s eyes narrowed. “Heard from whom?”
I looked back to Wes.
“From Jake Santé. It was something about Max’s past, in terms of relationships. Saw it as a red flag.” Wes took a huge bite of his sandwich, acting cocky.
Jane’s lips pursed ever so slightly, her eyes narrowed. Navia’s attention to the subject only grew more intense, her eyes darting between Wes and Jane, as mine were.
“And exactly what did you hear?” Jane pressed impatiently, though her voice was controlled.
The tension was thick. So thick, that I was certain I could reach out and grasp the mass of it and crumple it up in my hand.
“I heard Max was engaged once, to some pixie chick.” Wes glanced at Navia. “No offense.”
Navia shook her head slowly. “None taken.”
“Guess Max was a real heart breaker,” Wes added.
Jane didn’t flinch, suggesting this was something she already knew about, possibly explaining why she was sans Max.
Navia took a sharp breath and leaned toward Wes. “Did Jake tell you who?” Her head tilted with interest, an interest I assumed was due to her belonging to the pixie community and in being Jane’s new bestie, but there was also something else.
I tilted my own head, the whispers in her mind trying to break through. They sounded anxious, but were quickly squabbled. Again finding myself at a dead end, my considerations turned back to Jane. I could practically hear her swallowing down dread beside me. Wes’s reply would now be the only thing that could shed light on the situation.
Wes relented. “The Crown’s daughter, apparently. Avery was her name.”
Jane stopped breathing all together. By the looks of it, it seemed that Max hadn’t provided Jane
with a name.
Wes twisted his head to face Navia. “Do you know who that is?”
Navia shook her head slowly, her lips a narrow line. “No, never heard of her.” Everything about her suddenly ceased to move, as though she’d been frozen.
Wes shrugged. “So, anyway. I thought you should know, Jane. That’s all.”
Jane was just as frozen as Navia. I was scared by the whole thing, never before seeing Jane so affected by one simple word or name. After a moment passed, however, I was relieved to hear her draw in a long breath of air.
“I knew about it,” she murmured, dropping her head. “I just… didn’t know her name.”
I bit my lip, seeing the sting in Jane’s eyes and regretting the idea of bringing this whole thing up. This morning it had seemed like a good idea because I thought she didn’t know, but apparently our news was a bit late. Broaching the subject was nothing but pouring salt on a freshly opened wound.
“Is that why Max hasn’t been around?” I put my hand on Jane’s back, trying to comfort her.
Navia remained distant.
Jane nodded, looking like she was about to cry.
I looked at Wes, feeling increasingly bad for Jane. What was happening? Max and Jane had been so in love, but now it was falling apart. I guess anything could. “I’m sorry.” I rubbed my hand in circles on her back.
Jane shrugged me away. “I’m fine.” She sat tall, sucking down her sadness, her face like stone.
Navia was peering off into the distance. Was she really telling the truth, or did she know who Avery was?
Jane stood. “Come on, Navia. Let’s go.”
Navia’s attention came back to us. She grinned and stood, taking Jane’s arm. My gaze remained on Navia, her eyes flashing darkly just as they broke from mine. I drew in a discreet, tiny breath when I saw it, sensing the danger in it. Though I wanted to grab Navia and ask her why, they had already turned and walked away just as quickly as they had come.
“That didn’t exactly go how I’d imagined,” Wes admitted once they were out of earshot.
I shook my head distractedly, still trying to figure if the darkness was my own apprehension toward new people, or if it had really been there. “No, not at all.”
Wes stopped eating for a moment. “Are you sure you’re alright, Em?”
I swallowed, hiding the concern for now. “Yeah, babe. I’m fine.” I smiled as best I could, but something deep in my stomach lurched again.
Avery:
“Well, that wasn’t very nice.” I squeezed Jane’s arm with the force of my nervousness. She shied away from me slightly. Jane’s friends already knew about Max and me, a factor I hadn’t considered. Luckily, they didn’t know what I looked like, but considering my rather prestigious place in society, it wouldn’t take long before they found out. I needed to execute my plans, and soon.
Jane snorted. “So much for friends, right? I’m so sick of their mockery, teasing… judging.”
I smiled through my unease. “Well, you have me now.” At least for a little while, I thought.
Jane nodded in agreement as we passed through the school doors and into the hall. She gently shrugged out of my grasp. “I better get to bio lab.”
My pet was sad, something I secretly enjoyed, but was required to convey otherwise. Still though, I had grown fond of having a pet, and I had to give Max a little credit—it was fun. I nodded sympathetically and gave Jane a hug. She smiled bleakly before shuffling pathetically down the hall.
As she turned the corner, I felt him beside me.
“You called?”
The hall was empty except for us. “I did.” My shoulders drooped with the pending pressure. “We need to accelerate the plan.”
Greg snorted. “I don’t even know what the plan is. Are you ready to share?”
I turned to him, giving him a sassy smile as I traced one nail down the length of his nose, then kissed it. “We’re going to kill her.”
Greg chuckled as though my words were impossible. “Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I think Max will notice.”
I laughed to myself. “Oh, Greg. He won’t.”
Greg shook his head. “If Jane turns up murdered, he’s going to dedicate an eternity to finding whoever did it. He’ll find you. If there’s one thing Max can do, its hunt his prey.”
I wrapped my arms around Greg’s neck, leaning against him. I clicked my tongue. “That’s why I’m not just going to kill her, my darling. I’m going to convince her to kill herself. If Max believes she did it, then the story ends.” The words alone excited me. “And best of all, he’ll blame himself.”
I could tell I was rousing Greg’s desires as his hand grasped my hip. “You’re going to make her kill herself? How will you manage that?” He leaned close.
My gaze rose to meet his, allowing the darkness in my eyes to show. “Just watch, dear Greg. You’ll see.” I pulled out of his grasp, smoothing my dress over and down my body. “Have you been doing as I ask?”
Greg’s look conveyed his distaste for being left in the dark, and left empty handed. “I have.”
“And?” I elevated my brows, thus lifting my chin.
“He’s gone to your father, just today.”
“He did, did he?” Max had more gumption than I’d thought. “Well, then I will assume he will be looking out for Jane a little more closely.” There was a ping of betrayal in my heart. My father would have surely told him about my darkness. “If he sees me with her, the whole thing will be ruined.” I sighed. “Please, keep me informed of his whereabouts at all times, won’t you, darling?”
“He’s here right now,” Greg challenged with a smile, getting back at me for my coy behavior.
My smile sunk to a frown and my stomach fluttered with the statement, a reaction I hadn’t expected. I was over Max, wasn’t I? I bit my lip and sloughed off the feeling as fast as it had come, finding an excuse for it. Max held my light, my soul. I craved it and that was all. This was the only reason that made sense to me. Max was a mere memory of my past life.
“Doing alright there, Avery?” Greg’s voice brought me back to reality, the smug grin on his face all I needed to ignite my anger.
I changed the subject and challenged him in return. “Been visiting your pathetic little girlfriend, have you?”
Greg looked confused. “What? Who do you mean?” He snorted. “I don’t keep girlfriends.
I laughed lightly. “I know you’ve been continuing to visit that Emily girl. Her mind may be protected, but not from me. She was wildly thinking about it just a moment ago: you sneaking into her room in the dark, watching her… It’s all really quite romantic. You must have left a lasting impression on her.” I shook my head mockingly. “Can’t you just let it go, Greg? That’s what’s truly pathetic.” I turned away from him, quickly ending this meeting. “I should go.”
I disappeared before he got a chance to reply, leaving him instead with a shocked expression, something I never got tired of seeing.
Jane:
I felt increasingly ill as I placed one foot in front of the other. I didn’t expect that knowing her name would do this to me.
Avery.
It washed across my thoughts like waves on a beach—constant, unchanging, and worst of all, unstoppable. What did she look like? Was she like me? Was I like her? I felt increasingly self conscious just thinking of Navia and how beautiful she was. Avery had to be at least as attractive. They all were. I was, in comparison, quite literally plain Jane.
But the questions didn’t stop there.
How long were they together? What did they do for fun? Did Max break up with her, or did Avery break up with Max? A part of me felt Max had left her, but I hadn’t bothered to ask details, too devastated by the simple existence of a former woman in Max’s life, and not just any woman, but a fiancé.
A chill fell over me then, a sweet, soft chill. I stopped in my tracks and turned on my heel.
“Max?” I whispered, frantic and drunk with the feeling.
Holding my breath, nothing happened. No one was there. I bit my lip, placing my hand on my chest as the breath I was holding began to sting. I released it and shut my eyes, wanting to cry, but nothing came. Opening my eyes, I turned back and continued on down the hall. When I reached the bio lab, I was relived to see it was empty. Normal students were still enjoying lunch, only geeks like me liked to arrive early—and, well, geeks like Jake, normally.
I stared through the small window into the dark room, knowing I should go in, but not sure if I was prepared to be that alone. A moment ago it had seemed like a good idea, but I knew I really just wanted to get away from Navia for a moment. She was suffocating me.
I didn’t like being weepy, and worst of all, I didn’t like being predictable. Running away from my problems to sulk by myself in a dark room was definitely ‘predictable Jane’. I dreamed of running someplace new for a moment, like the ice cream shoppe or the park. These were places that could actually comfort me for a change, but then I remembered I had no car. Finding this the only choice, I placed my hand on the handle of the door and pressed down against all my body’s screams not to.
My footfalls echoed as I made my way to my regular spot and sat down, stool squeaking. I sighed, looking up at the board where equations were scribbled. Everything about this room felt like an old friend. There was a smell of alcohol from the beakers that sat filled along the far wall. The scent seeped toward me, burning my nostrils and making me forget about the scent Max had given me—the scent of me.