Poison

by Dejana Vuletic

  “I do,” I promised. “All right, well, I’m gonna go upstairs and get ready.”

  “How much time do you have?” Pa asked.

  “It’s what . . . 4:00 now? I’ve got about an hour or so,” I replied as I headed for the stairs.

  “Well, Pa and I are gonna hang out in my room for a little while, all right?” Ricky asked.

  “Fine by me,” I said nonchalantly. “Just promise me that if anything happens, I get to be the Godmother.” I smirked back at them as I walked up the stairs, and chuckled when I heard their carefree laughter chasing after me all the way to my room.

  Rescuer

  The walk to the coffee shop was pretty fast, but that was only because I had to run halfway there. Ricky and Pa had caught me before I left and given me this whole big speech on what-not-to-do with your boyfriend when in public (a rubric I was quite sure they didn’t follow at all).

  I made it to the shop around 5:15, only a quarter of an hour ahead of when I should've met Chris. I was one of those girls who had to be early for everything, so even if I was early leaving, I still felt rushed, hence why I ran freaking 5 miles to the coffee shop.

  I felt slightly unattractive with all the sweat beads gathering on my forehead, but ignored them, letting Pa’s cool breeze calm me instead. I could feel her tiny hands touching my face with the breeze, cooling the sweat on my brows.

  It was usually very busy, particularly on Wednesdays—they sold their famous Strawberry Frappuccino. But for some reason, today there were barely any customers.

  Naturally, I took advantage of that and darted in, smiling as I saw the counter girl peer out from behind the counter.

  “Dessa!” she exclaimed happily when she saw me. “The usual?”

  “Nah,” I replied with a wave of my hand, “Get me one of those Mocha Latte things.”

  “Okay, sure!” she said enthusiastically. She made my blazing hot coffee while I continued watching the street for Chris. I still had ten minutes to wait, so I took my coffee from her and gave her all my change in her “Tips” jar. She smiled in appreciation as I walked away.

  The wind was still balmy and comfortable, but the inevitable autumn chill was spreading through the air, and the sun was slowly descending below the horizon. I looked about anxiously, surprised that Chris wasn’t coming.

  I decided to text him:

  where r u? u said u’d meet me. im waiting at the coffee house.

  I clicked my phone shut and turned it on vibrate, shoving it into my pocket. I took a sip of the scalding hot coffee and began my casual stroll to the end of the block when a movement caught my eye.

  I looked in front of me, and a little to the left. There was an alleyway just ahead, and I saw black spikes playing in the shadows there. I could’ve sworn I saw sapphire blue gleaming in the darkness . . .

  “Chris,” I scolded, walking toward him without hesitation. I reached him and touched his shoulder, but only realized too late that the shoulder I had just touched wasn’t Chris at all.

  My blood froze in my veins and I felt the coffee I had been holding slip from my fingers and collide with the sidewalk, splattering my bare legs with uncomfortable heat.

  “I’m sorry,” I said suddenly, stepping away. But I wasn’t fast enough. The man’s body whirled around and he caught my wrist in his huge, calloused hand.

  “Don’t be,” he said in a rough voice. His eyes were a beautiful blue, but not like Chris’ eyes. These eyes were . . . well . . . bad. “Boys, I caught our little mouse,” he said, and I felt my knees go weak as three other figures materialized out of the shadows of the alley.

  The leader—the guy holding my wrist—threw me into the alley and cocked his head. One of the other shadows disappeared, only to appear at the entrance of the alley seconds later, which was now blocked by a huge delivery truck.

  I looked from one of them to another, my eyes looking for an escape more than anything.

  “Come out and play, little mouse,” one of them said seductively. “We’ll treat you right.”

  I refused to speak. So instead, I let my actions speak for me. I looked behind me and then darted the other direction, toward the other end of the alley, but I wasn’t quick enough. I felt a hand grab my wrist, and my body fell to the ground. I felt a throbbing pain in my left ankle and realized with a stabbing horror that I wasn’t going to be fast enough.

  What would they do to me? Kill me? Rape me? Which was worse?

  I felt my breathing begin to speed up, and the shadows continued to shift over the men’s figures, causing me to become dizzy.

  “You didn’t really think we’d let you get away, did you? Not for this much money, anyway. I intend to take full advantage of this opportunity,” the leader said. I gulped as he pulled my body up against him. Tears were streaming down my eyes now, and fear was rushing through me with every beat of my heart, tearing my body apart from the inside out.

  I probably wasn’t going to make it out of here.

  The leader snapped his fingers, and suddenly another pair of hands grabbed my wrists, leaving his hands free . . .

  His fingers touched my waist, lifted my shirt . . .

  I twisted and writhed in fear. I tried to scream, but another of them stuffed some cloth in my mouth, and I gagged, unable to speak. My stomach twisted when his hands found my breasts, and I wrenched away from him. I choked as I staggered backward, my vision blurred by all the tears.

  His next movement was so fast I barely even realized it had happened—at least not until the pain came. His fist flew toward my stomach and collided with me, sending spasms of pain through my body. I gagged again as the pain radiated and spread, threatening to pull me under.

  I fought to hold on, suddenly more aware of what was happening to me. I could feel the blood pumping through the leader’s veins as he groped me, his hands feeling everything. His fingers touched me and I fought the urge to scream, fighting the pain that was similar to the same sensation I had felt with Chris.

  I felt the cool wind embracing my bare stomach and legs, and I was aware that I was only wearing a bra and my underwear. I felt his fingers again and I bit the gag to keep from screaming. Maybe if I just did enough to please him . . . maybe then he wouldn’t kill me . . .

  “Come on, little mouse,” he said in a deep voice. “Come on and play with me.”

  I realized the double meaning in his words, and terror ripped through me as I realized what I needed to do.

  Again his fingers touched me, penetrated me, and I screamed. His rough hand cut off my cry for help, and I fell against his body when my knees were kicked out from under me by another of his men.

  The others were touching me, their hands feeling the soft texture of my skin, and their leader was taking off his shirt now.

  I swallowed hard, and closed my eyes again as the pain intensified. I felt him inside me, and the thought of anyone but Chris doing this to me made me want to cry. The tears began to pour from my eyes again, and I thought of his name.

  “Chris . . . Please . . .”

  “What’s that, babe?” the leader asked as he grabbed my hips. I tried to resist him, but my will to resist was suddenly fading as the pain in my stomach and my thighs got even stronger.

  “Please . . .” I murmured through the gag again.

  “Get the hell off her!”

  The voice caused me to regain my senses, and I suddenly recognized the voice. He was here. He had come for me . . .

  I smiled to myself, but felt myself slipping away. As my body fell onto the gravel, I fought and fought to hold on to the light, but my body was protesting, dragging me deeper and deeper into the darkness.

  “Whoa, buddy, this doesn’t concern you,” one of them said.

  “The hell it doesn’t!” Chris shouted against them, and I could see his dimly lit figure emerge from the lit street. “Do not touch her. Or you will die. Right here, right now.”

  “I said this doesn’t concern you,” the leader repeated, reaching his greedy han
ds out for me.

  I suddenly heard a scream, loud at first, but it died off.

  “What the hell?” the others all started saying in synchronization. “What did you just do?”

  “I froze him,” Chris retorted. “Do you know how long a human body can last in extreme cold?” He paused, but none of them replied. “Not very long. He’s gonna die within an hour. Do you want the same? ‘Cause I guarantee you’ll get what you deserve!”

  I felt myself smiling as I heard running footsteps, and I grimaced in what might have been pain or pleasure when I felt a pair of hands touch my body, caressing my bruised and bloody skin from my head to my toes.

  “What the hell did they do to you?” he asked, his voice exploding in pain. “What in the world were you doing out here?”

  I lay there motionless, my eyes starting to glow with his in the blackness. “You told me to,” I answered after he removed the gag from my mouth.

  “I what?” he repeated. “When? What are you talking about?”

  I furrowed my eyebrows. “You sent me a text last night. You told me to meet you here . . .”

  His face became a hard mask. “Someone set you up,” he replied caustically, and for the first time, I saw anger in his eyes.

  “I didn’t know . . . I’m sorry. . . .” I spluttered.

  “Shh . . .” he murmured. “Rest; I’ll take you to my house. We’ll get you all fixed up, okay? Just try to relax.”

  He picked me up so lightly, but even his gentleness sent stabbing pains through my spine and stomach. I couldn’t suppress a gasp of pain fast enough, and I saw the pain in his eyes almost as clearly as they were shining.

  “I’m so sorry, Dessa,” he said in a soft whisper. “I should have realized you were in danger . . . I can’t believe—”

  This time I was the one to interrupt. “No,” I said resolutely. “You came for me. That’s enough. You saved me. God knows what those creepers would've done to me if you hadn’t come.”

  “But I didn’t come soon enough,” he argued. “Look at what they did to you . . .” He gritted his teeth in anger as he stepped onto his board. Within seconds—at least that’s what it felt like—he stepped back off the board and we were in his front yard.

  Suddenly, I remembered the leader and how he was still frozen in that alley.

  “Will that guy really die in an hour?” I asked, and gasped at how weak my voice sounded.

  He gave a sharp nod, not looking at me and biting his lip. “Yeah, he will. I froze him with all my rage and anger, which makes the ice colder than what most of you are used to. His body will stop functioning and he’ll die.”

  I swallowed, not sure how I felt about leaving him to die.

  Yeah, I know he had practically just raped me along with his three friends, but did he really deserve to die? Did I possess enough authority to even make that decision?

  “Oh,” I said quietly, swallowing again. Chris tightened his hold on me as we walked across the grass to his front door, when suddenly I felt an undying need to see something. “Chris,” I said sharply.

  He looked at me in surprise, his eyes full of concern.

  “Are you hurting?” he asked, his voice cracking. “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry . . .”

  “No, no,” I argued softly, touching his cheek. “Take me to the fountain. Now, please.”

  He didn’t argue with me; he simply shrugged his shoulders and complied, his face a hard mask. Something was pulling me toward that fountain . . . something was telling me that being near Athanasia could possibly solve everything.

  We reached the fountain within seconds, and Chris shifted my weight slowly until he had me in a vertical position, my feet inches from the ground. He still supported my body with his hands underneath my arms, holding me as though I was lighter than a feather.

  He put me down, and I staggered forward a step to steady myself.

  “You all right?” he asked, reaching out to help me. I held him back with my hand.

  “I’m fine,” I promised, gasping when the pain shot through me again. I took another painful step forward, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth to keep from screaming. I yearned to touch the cool marble base of the fountain underneath my hands, and I needed to kneel at its base, and look up at the statues.

  The golden one, with her hands cupped at her breasts like she was holding a small child, seemed to be shining in the darkness of the night. Her stone-sculpted eyes were an impossible shade of sunshine-like gold and the symbol of the hexagram upon her forehead was glowing brighter still.

  I felt myself shiver in anger and fear as I remembered what those men had done to me, but I tried with everything I had to keep walking forward, to put that all behind me. Yeah, fat chance.

  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t suppress these feelings of violation and anger. Honestly, I don’t think any words could describe how I was feeling. If I had to explain what I was feeling, I would have to say hatred. I wanted that man to die for what he had done to me. I wanted those other men to be committed to insane asylums for claiming that a man had frozen their posse leader with his mind. I wanted them to be in pain, as justification for what had happened to me.

  I took another angry step forward, yearning to make the anger go away. I stumbled as my leg muscles gave out from under me, sending me back down to the ground, where they could grab me all at once. I was defenseless, and they could attack me without my fighting back.

  “Dessa?” I heard Chris ask from behind me, and seconds later his strong hands were upon my shoulders, saving me at the last second from falling on my face.

  “I’m fine,” I told him with a smile, but when I turned to look into his eyes, I saw the expression on his face. It wasn’t an expression of fear, or anger, or even malice and rage. It was an expression of wonder and awe. “What’re you staring at?” I inquired as his eyes moved from my face to my body and then back to my face again.

  “Your wounds. . . .” he said, his voice full of inspiration, “They’ve . . . they’re healing.”

  “What?” I asked, but suddenly the feeling of peace and comfort began to fill me, and I knew what was happening. I was being awakened . . .

  I smiled as I felt the bruises melt away, felt the dried blood disintegrate and the lacerations stitch themselves. I felt a sudden jolt of energy, despite it being night with the sun nowhere in sight, and my body lurched itself upright until I was standing on my feet.

  Beautiful warmth began to fill me to my very core, like a radiating light that projected into every niche and crevice in my soul. I felt energy gathering at my fingertips, lightning bolts materializing around me and filling me with an energy that was incomparable to any other sensation I had ever felt.

  “Dessa . . . .” I heard Chris murmur in admiration. I turned my head to the place where his voice had come from, and I could see him through the plethora of lights that were playing in front of my eyes. He was kneeling before me, his hand in a fist over his heart. His sapphire eyes were shining so brightly in the darkness, and my eyes were reflecting their golden glow into his.

  I stood with my hands cupped at my breasts, and I could finally see what it was the stone maiden held in her bosom. It was Light. An orb of energy and reassurance that never faded away, a source of strength for all who felt weak and insecure . . .

  I was becoming the Keeper of Light, the protector of the courageous, the protector and keeper of peace and comfort.

  I smiled again and looked up at the statue of myself upon Athanasia. My eyes became like stone, showing nothing but pure gold—my eyes had no pupils, only solid gold irises—and the statue smiled back at me.

  Now you see who you are. Embrace me. Embrace yourself. And your future will show itself before you on a path of light that can never be shaken. Trust in me—in yourself—and you shall never fail.

  I blinked, surprised that the statue had just spoken to me, but the smile didn’t leave my face. Instead, I felt myself chanting the words I had just heard in a foreign tongue
. I had never spoken anything but first-year Spanish in my life, so the fact that I could fluently speak in an ancient language was news to me.

  When I had finished chanting, I closed my eyes and opened them again. A blast of lightning resonated from out of nowhere and lit up the night sky, bringing back energy and light to the darkness. The sun began to shine, banishing the moon and stars in a plethora of beautiful rays of light. Chris was staring at me, his eyes shining and his smile so warm and welcoming.

  “Dessa,” Chris murmured as I glided over to him, my feet so light that they seemed to bounce off the earth when they touched. I touched my fingers to his face and saw that my fingertips were glowing from the inside, almost like there was an eternal flashlight shining and giving my skin a healthy, warm glow. He closed his eyes upon my touch, and a sigh of pleasure left his mouth while his hands reached out for me.

  I pulled him slowly to his feet, and his cool, sensual touch seemed like a drug to me when I realized I couldn’t let go of him. I was so warm, and his cool touch was the perfect antidote to my warmth.

  “My Keeper,” he whispered with his lips at my ear. I shivered in pleasure and touched my lips to his cheek. He smiled and let out a chuckle. “You missed, love,” he said.

  I smiled back as his lips met mine. I gasped in surprise, as did he, at what we felt in that particular moment. I let my light and energy rush into him while our tongues twisted and became one. The taste of him was like nothing I had ever experienced. He tasted like fresh rain, a calming wave of security . . .

  The feeling of his arms around me made me forget about what had happened in that alley just an hour before and I felt completely safe and secure at the base of the fountain with him.

  Everywhere I touched him his skin would shine, and the light from within me made me look like an angel. His sapphire eyes were shining, too, and his smile made me want to never leave his arms.

  The security of his gaze, the warmth of his hold, all of it.

  He pushed me slowly away until his arms were upon my shoulders, and then he released me gently. I watched as the internal light in my palm continued to glow inside his body for a few seconds after he let go, and I felt myself smiling.