Arianna Rose: The Gathering (Part 3)

by Martucci, Christopher

  “I know, and I’m so sorry.”

  “You didn’t see them the other night. You didn’t see the sick joy in their faces as they manipulated those poor people at the party like they were toys for their amusement. It was twisted,” she said and he could feel the turbulent rise of her energy, feel the shift in its flow. “Scott made a girl bludgeon the others to death then slit her own wrists,” she said and wrapped both arms around her waist.

  The actions of Scott and the others made her shudder with disgust, genuine disgust. She was telling the truth, not that he’d ever doubted her. If she’d wanted to join in with them as the prophecy suggested she could have, she would have done it then at the party. But she had not. She had been repulsed by their abuse of power, by the atrocities her fellow brethren had committed against human beings. That much was plain.

  “I will be with you today, watching you always. I won’t let anything happen to you. If you need me, I will be there, a heartbeat away,” he promised her.

  “What if they know that I killed Josh and Jess? What if they just know?”

  “I doubt they do. But if by some slim chance they do know, I will take them out myself.”

  She eyed him for a long while as if weighing the risk.

  “Well then, I guess it’s settled. I’m going to school,” she gave him a quick peck on his lips. “I’d better get ready. We need to keep dear old dad in the dark about his son being alive,” she said and stood.

  The comforter fell away from her and he watched with his mouth partially agape as she passed him, naked, on her way to the bathroom, a smirk playing across her lips.

  “Whoa, hold on a second, maybe school is a bad idea after all,” he reached for her, but she sidestepped him. “We have time. Come back!”

  “Nope, gotta do what I gotta do,” she quipped as she closed the bathroom door. “The Sola’s work is never done.”

  He flopped back onto the bed and heaved a sigh. The day ahead promised to be a challenging one, yet all he could think about were the soft curves of Arianna’s body, and how in love with her he truly was.

  Chapter 17

  Leaden clouds raced like a fleet of warships and quickly invaded a picture-perfect morning. Snow was coming. Arianna could smell it in the air, heavy and unmistakable. Though the advancing clouds had not yet overrun the sky completely, there was a distinct frostiness to the air unique to snow. She supposed she should be excited like the rest of the student body undoubtedly was. Snow early in the school day typically meant an early dismissal. But Arianna couldn’t care less about early dismissals today. She was worried about making it in the front door, as well as getting out that very same door in one piece.

  Thoughts of survival swirled in her head, a dizzying churn of deadly faces, as she pulled into the parking lot of her school. She circled the front lot several times, determined to steer clear of the rear lot, searching for a parking space. After her second tour, she found one in the row closest to the building and directed her car into it. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief at her good fortune, but her breath caught in her throat before she could complete the act.

  The first car she spotted was a Jeep Cherokee, Scott’s Jeep Cherokee. She swore under her breath as a rush of nervous energy seized her. She trembled and her hands felt cold despite the heat being placed on the warmest setting in her car. The fact that one of the few available spots left in the front lot was two cars from his felt less like an unfortunate coincidence and more like cosmic punishment. Staying where she was would mean that seeing him at some point would be unavoidable. She had not deluded herself into thinking she would be able to dodge all of them all day, but she’d hoped to limit her time with them to the actual school day inside the actual school. More witnesses meant less possibility for supernatural power use. Out in the open, in the parking lot, she was vulnerable. Desmond was vulnerable.

  She closed her eyes for the briefest of seconds and thought about Desmond. Desmond was the reason she was here. Desmond was the reason she worried as she did. Hers was not the only life at stake. His was as well. And she valued his life more than hers. She had lost him once already or at least she’d spent a day truly believing she’d lost him. She did not intend to lose him again. Still, she did not want to be there and worried what awaited her. She knew that George, for one thing, awaited her and loomed like dread incarnate. She could see him, practically attached to Scott’s hip, making his way to the main entrance. She contemplated shifting the car into reverse and hauling ass out of there, but for the sake of upholding Desmond’s supposed death, she did not. Now, as she sat and stubbed out the third cigarette she’d smoked on the way, she began to regret her decision.

  A coven, recently diminished by two and at her hand no less, was not likely to accept the lie she intended to tell them. Lying was not her strong suit. She knew Scott and the others would suspect her. How could they not? She was the only one among them at the party who had not approved of what they’d been doing. She’d screamed and cursed and tried to invoke her powers to stop them. If George hadn’t been there, she would have used any means necessary to stop them, and they knew that.

  Her stomach quivered nervously despite Desmond’s presence. She could not see him, but felt the steady hum of his energy nearby, and even that did not calm her.

  “I am here,” she heard Desmond’s voice whisper through her mind as frothy and light as wisps wafting on a lazy summer breeze. The sound of his velvety voice in her heard raised goose bumps over her skin. The fact that he was there and willing to sacrifice his life for her only made matters worse. If George were capable of suppressing their powers simultaneously, neither of them stood a chance at protecting one another. She did not know whether George was capable of such a feat, but the possibility chilled her to her core.

  She combed her hand through her hair and waited. She watched as Scott and George went inside before gathering her books and sliding out of her car. She walked on unsteady legs, looking over her shoulder every so often, until she made it to the front entrance. After taking a deep breath, she opened the front door and stepped inside.

  To her relief, the hallways were almost empty. Few people stood by their lockers, none of whom were Scott, George, Paul, Chris, Meg or Kit. She did see Beth, however. The petite girl with the black hair, black lipstick and heavy black eyeliner, eyed her. But for the first time, Beth did not watch her with annoyance or disgust. Arianna nodded to her, a kind of half-assed greeting, and Beth actually smiled, sort of. It was more of a smirk, but it was something.

  Inspired, Arianna said a quick, “Hey,” to test the waters. After all, she had nothing to lose. Today could very well be her last day on Earth. When Beth replied to her, she became convinced it was her last day on Earth, or at least that hell had frozen over. Either way, she was floored.

  “Hey, Arianna,” Beth said and smiled.

  Had Arianna not been so consumed by worry for Desmond’s life as well as her own, she would have felt as if she’d made definite progress with Beth. Sure, another lesbian comment was likely to come, but she did not care.

  “Holy shit, no lesbian comment today?” Arianna could not help but comment and figured now was as good a time as any to push the envelope.

  “Ha! No, not today,” Beth laughed and Arianna swore she felt the faintest pulse of energy radiate from Beth. “I know you’re not into me. I mean, if you liked girls, I wouldn’t blame you for being into me. I am hot.”

  Beth smirked, her face a mask of self-satisfaction and confidence, and Arianna realized she actually did like her. She wished things had been different, that Beth had been open and easygoing three days earlier. Befriending Beth would have been a far better choice than the group she’d become entangled with.

  “Yes, and modesty doesn’t seem to be an issue for you either. You’re the whole package,” Arianna teased.

  “I am, aren’t I,” Beth laughed. “How about you, what’s your deal? I mean, clearly this is not your first new school experience. You seem to ha
ve all the bullshit down pat.”

  “Yeah, you could say that. I’ve done this once or twice, or six times before,” Arianna nodded.

  “Shit, that sucks for you, huh?”

  “Yeah, well, it is what it is, right?”

  “No really,” Beth said sincerely and reached out a hand. Her fingertips grazed Arianna’s forearm and she felt as if electricity crackled through her skin. “I know how awful it can be.”

  Arianna was about to open her mouth and ask Beth a question she already knew the answer to but Beth’s eyes left her and looked to her left, over her shoulder. Her face had gone blank, as if every bit of emotion had been drained from it. Arianna glanced over her shoulder and saw what Beth had seen. Her stomach plummeted to her feet as she saw Scott and George just a few steps from her. She looked to Beth again and the dour look had returned.

  “Beat it freak,” Scott ordered her in a casual tone.

  “Fuck you, douchebag,” Beth replied in the same casual tone. She then turned on her heels and walked away, but not before erecting her middle finger at him.

  Arianna wanted to laugh out loud, but figured it would not be in her best interest, especially not with George burrowing a hole in her head with his creepy eyes.

  “Where are they?” Scott did not waste time asking as soon as Beth was out of earshot.

  “Where are who?” Arianna asked and pretended she did not know he was talking about Jess and Josh.

  “You know goddamn well who I’m talking about,” Scott growled through his teeth.

  “No, I don’t having a fucking clue who you’re talking about actually,” she fired back indignantly.

  Scott glowered at her with such focused intensity he looked as if he were trying to peer into her brain. All the while, George stared at her, his expression unreadable, his eyes dead.

  “Well?” she asked impatiently. “Are you going to tell me what the hell you’re talking about or do I have to guess?”

  Arianna’s false annoyance and ignorance was convincing. She was proud of her newfound acting abilities and would have believed her if she were they. Still, her heart pounded in her ears and she felt her breakfast rush to the back of her throat.

  Scott leveled his brown eyes at her again as if trying to read her mind. She swore she saw the same flash of amber she’d seen the night of the party. She’d dismissed it then as a reflection of the trashcan bonfire. But now she knew it was something else entirely. The light in his eyes was as good as a poker tell. He was using his powers, perhaps trying to influence her and coax a confession from her. She did not feel the slightest tug within her which meant whatever he was trying to do, he was failing miserably at.

  “Well?” she said with an arrogant smirk. “I don’t have all day.”

  He hesitated a moment then checked the time on his phone.

  “Why were you talking to that little freak?” he asked her and changed the subject, clearly trying to throw her off kilter. She had not had an answer ready so she went with the stock I’m-going-to-deflect-your-stupid-question-with-another-stupid-question answer.

  “Why wouldn’t I talk to her?”

  He screwed his features up at her, crinkling his nose in a way she supposed other girls found charming. She felt her stomach churn.

  “She’s not one of us,” he spat as if he believed that to be a bad thing. “She’s just a strange little girl.”

  “So I can’t talk to strange little girls?” she asked defiantly.

  “Talk to whoever you want, but don’t waste your time with Beth. I know what you’re thinking,” he said and smiled condescendingly.

  “Oh you do, do you?” she challenged. “Okay, what am I thinking?”

  She could hardly wait to hear the nonsense he was going to spew. He held about as much psychic power as a call-in charlatan peddling bullshit abilities in a late-night commercial.

  “You think she’s one of us. She gives off that odd vibe, like a little electric current,” he said and for once, was spot-on. “But she is nothing. Trust me, we checked. We thought the same thing when we first met her.”

  “I never thought she was,” Arianna said and doubted she sounded at all persuasive. “So what were you accusing me of before,” she said and hoped to switch gears. Unfortunately, that was the only subject she’d been capable of blurting out, the very subject she’d wanted to avoid.

  “Jess and Josh never came home last night,” Scott said and attempted his weighty gaze again.

  “So?” she said. “What does that have to do with me?”

  “They’re missing,” he enunciated each syllable as if her were speaking to a child.

  “Maybe they’re off torturing children,” she said in the same tone he’d used, pronouncing each word and exaggerating each syllable. “You guys seem to like doing shit like that.” She smiled and wrinkled her nose as he had moments earlier.

  “You think you’re so clever, Arianna Rose, but if I find out you had anything to do with this, you’re dead. You understand me?”

  She knew she had to act as if his words were hollow, his threat without merit, but a dark, sinister forced brushed against her skin, licking at her with its serpentine tongue. Her insides crawled, revolted by the sensation.

  Scott took a step toward her and the feeling grew stronger. “You see, Agnon may think you’re something special. I still don’t know why. But here’s the thing: I don’t give a damn what Agnon thinks. No one fucks with one of my people,” he hissed inches from her ear.

  Arianna turned her head and looked directly in his eyes. “Okay. Thanks for the warning,” she eyed him as though he were crazy to maintain her casual appearance. Meanwhile, her insides were screaming for her to get as far away from him as fast as she possibly could. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, but I have to get to class right now. Unless you want to accuse me of global warming or John F. Kennedy’s assassination, I’ll see you later. Try not to kill anyone until then, okay, pumpkin,” she winked and patted his cheek patronizingly.

  Scott narrowed his eyes at her and his mouth formed a hard line. She could practically feel his insides teeming with fury; feel the heat of his boiling blood. She’d mocked him openly and she knew he wanted to punish her within an inch of her life because of it.

  As she walked away, Arianna had to make a conscious effort to keep her legs from collapsing beneath her. Both felt as if they were made of gelatin. He knew she was involved in Jess and Josh’s disappearance and he was pissed. He wanted to kill her. That much was plain. Even now, she could feel his eyes trained on her, drilling into the back of her skull hatefully.

  Any hope for surviving the day began to falter. She’d be lucky if she survived the next hour. But her life was not what she concerned herself with. She was worried for Desmond.

  Chapter 18

  Agnon gazed out the bay window in the living room of Scott’s house and watched as snow continued to fall. A layer of white already blanketed the picturesque neighborhood, draping on boughs and lampposts as perfectly as it would have if it had been painted by an artist’s hand. The entire landscape before him begged to be put on a canvas, in fact. Puffs of white smoke plumed from the chimneys of several houses and warm golden light glowed in the windows. Dusk had not befallen the area yet, but it was coming soon. The world beyond the windowpane was swathed in the preternatural glow of newly fallen snow and impending twilight. The view was breathtaking.

  He would have thought himself bored with snow. After all, he did live in one of the coldest, snowiest locations on the planet. But where he called home was less hospitable than Hallowed Hills, and far less inhabited.

  People filled this part of the world and made use of every little act of nature, found a way to make it pleasurable for themselves, a fact that fascinated him almost as much as it amused him.

  He watched as a school bus pulled to the far end of the street and several children climbed off. They immediately dropped their backpacks and began playing in the snow, scooping up mounds and forming them into b
alls, lying in it and making snow angels. As he watched, he could not help but think about how human beings certainly knew how to take advantage of the world around them. And they knew how to exploit every resource and bleed it dry.

  Enjoy yourselves, fools. This will likely be the last winter you ever see, Agnon thought as he stroked his silky beard.

  He lingered by the window for several moments, watching the children play, until Scott’s Jeep Cherokee made its way down Merryville Road then turned in to the driveway. The sound of the garage door opening was followed by the rumble of the SUV’s engine beneath his feet. Seconds later, heavy footsteps could be heard stomping up the steps.

  “Hello Scott,” Agnon greeted Scott before he stepped into the room. “Lovely day, isn’t it?”

  “No,” Scott snapped huffily. “I hate driving in this crap! It’s so annoying!”

  Scott was not Agnon’s favorite among the younger warlocks he’d met, but he was fearless and arrogant, traits Agnon respected and admired, traits that mirrored his own.

  “Now, now, it isn’t that bad,” Agnon said calmly. “Besides, doesn’t that monstrous contraption you drive have four-wheel drive?”

  “Yeah it does, but it doesn’t matter. You can’t get traction in this sloppy shit!” Scott blustered and dropped his backpack to the floor dramatically. “And why the hell are we talking about the weather and shooting the breeze all nonchalantly when two of our own are missing.”

  “I am a bit concerned, I’ll admit, but you have to ask yourself: are they really missing?” Agnon asked and did not acknowledge Scott’s haughty tone. “They are teenagers. Perhaps they’ve gone off on their own on a road trip or done something impetuous like that.”

  “Impetu-what? Speak English! Or at least speak like a normal person! Damn, you and your fancy talk,” Scott ranted.

  Agnon felt the slow roll of his insides as they began to simmer at Scott’s increasingly disrespectful tone. How dare he address an elder in such a voice, and with such vulgar language? And he was not just any elder. He was Agnon, the most powerful living warlock. Perhaps Scott needed to be reminded of his place in the order of their kind.