Dark Humanity

by Gwynn White

  “The witches that created the curse were very upset about their own loss at the time,” Reggie explained. “They wanted the Black Eyed People to suffer just as much as they had.”

  “I’ve heard stories that said it wasn’t even them who killed the girl in question,” Miss Perry interjected. “And that the witches jumped to conclusions and blamed them without even questioning who did it. Have you heard such things?”

  Reggie started nodding slowly. “I’ve heard many versions. But they all end the same way. After all this time, it barely matters who was to blame in the first place. Right now, all we know is that if we break the curse, we will stop any more innocents dying at the hands of the Black Eyed People. And your little friend will get to live happily ever after.” He directed the last comment directly at Ariel. He had a way of looking right at you, like there was nothing else distracting him. It was unnerving.

  “Will you help to break it?” Ariel asked, getting impatient for an answer. She wondered if her sense of urgency would ever go away again.

  “I haven’t used magic in a number of years.”

  “But your power hasn’t dissipated,” Miss Perry pointed out. “There would be nothing to stop you from helping us.”

  Reggie chuckled to himself. “Nothing but my good sense. If I had a proper mind about me I wouldn’t have even agreed to speak with you. Good thing I’m a sandwich short of a picnic.” He winked again and Ariel had no idea what he was talking about.

  She took a sip from her tea, it tasted as awful as it smelt. She cradled it in her hands, hoping nobody would notice if she didn’t drink it.

  He continued on, more seriously this time. “Ariel, tell me, are your feelings for the boy really the reason why you want to break the curse? You don’t have any other reason?”

  Confusion wrinkled her brow. “Yes, it’s the only reason. I love Gabe and I want him to be free of the curse. That’s all there is to it.”

  Reggie sipped his tea noisily while he seemed to be thinking it over. One of his hands kept tapping on the side of the cup, over and over again. Ariel wished he would just agree already but there was no way she could get into his mind and work out what he was thinking. She wondered whether his thoughts were as jumbled as his house was. Probably.

  She didn’t have long to think before noticing something move in the dark corners of the room. She tried to ignore the Shadows, hoping they would go away if she didn’t pay them any attention. But it seemed the more determined she was, the more persistent they grew. They jumped from place to place, occupying any dark area they could find.

  Ariel tried to focus on the others, she couldn’t let them know the Shadows were following her or they might call the whole thing off as too dangerous. She couldn’t let that happen, she would have to handle the Shadows herself. She would just have to.

  Miss Perry filled the silence. “The whole coven has agreed to assist with this. We are all on board to support you through the process. If you agree, of course. We would be there to ground you.”

  “Power is a seductive mistress,” Reggie mused. “It’s not going to be easy. Not after the last time.”

  “I understand it was difficult,” Miss Perry continued. “But you have Lilia and the rest of us. Plus, it’s a different situation this time, you’re breaking an evil curse. We can do real good with your power.”

  “Please?” Ariel added feebly, wishing it only took manners to get what she really wanted. In her mind, she sounded like a little girl, begging her parents for a new doll. She hoped she didn’t sound like that to Reggie’s ears. She needed him to believe her love for Gabe was as powerful as his magic. She knew it, but convincing him was a whole different ballgame.

  Reggie took the last gulp of his tea and clattered it back onto the silver tray. It wobbled on the books but refused to tip over.

  “If we were to do this, it would be dangerous,” he pointed out.

  “We are prepared for the consequences,” Miss Perry nodded in acknowledgement. “Everyone understands what is at stake.”

  “Including you?” Reggie asked, looking pointedly at Ariel. She squirmed under his intense gaze but tried not to let it show. Even as she noticed the Shadow just mere inches away from her feet, she didn’t move.

  “I know it’s dangerous but keeping them cursed is putting everyone in danger. It’s time it was stopped,” she replied, refusing to blink.

  Silence lingered in the air for an interminable amount of time. Ariel thought for sure he was going to refuse to help. He shouldn’t have to think about it for so long, the decision should have been easy. Either he wanted to help or not. Clearly he was just stalling until he could politely refuse their request.

  Ariel glanced at Miss Perry, her own concern was reflected in her face. They were going to have to accept defeat. Maybe there was another warlock out there who would help them? It probably wasn’t impossible. Difficult, yes, but surely not impossible. It would just mean more time for Gabe to wait. More time for others to be injured. More waiting for Ariel.

  “Gather the coven on the next full moon,” Reggie suddenly muttered. He wasn’t looking at either of them, just staring off into the distance.

  They stole another glance at each other, this time one of incredulity. “You’ll do it?” Miss Perry asked tentatively.

  His head shot around to look at her. “Yes. You will have to prepare the girl and follow every one of my instructions carefully. One wrong move and it could all go terribly wrong.”

  “We will do exactly what you say.”

  “Then get her ready for our meeting.” Reggie got up without another word being said. He quickly left the room and his soft footsteps padded on the stairs until they disappeared altogether.

  The Shadows seemed to follow him. Ariel watched as they jumped through the darkness to leave the room like a faithful pet. She remembered Kourtney saying they fed off negative energy, but there didn’t seem to be any negative energy in the room. So why were they so strong? She couldn’t work it out. Either she didn’t fully understand the creatures or something wasn’t right. All Ariel did know was that it was good to not have them around for a while – even if it was only temporary.

  Ariel looked at Miss Perry, wondering if Reggie was going to return or not. “Is he coming back?”

  “Probably not, we should go,” she answered, standing with her handbag clutched to her side like it might run away on its own.

  She followed her teacher out and made her way back through the overgrown front yard. It was great news that the warlock was going to help them find the Morbose people which would then mean they could lift the curse, but something was still niggling at Ariel. Whether it was just her gut feeling or fear, she didn’t know what to think about Reggie. To everyone else he would just look like a sprightly old man, but she could sense there was a lot more to him. She just hoped they were doing the right thing.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Ariel considered it was a special kind of torture shopping with her mother. She wanted to be a gracious daughter and try on every dress in the store, but after the first ten it really started to get boring.

  Any of the dresses would have done the job. They were long and she guessed they were pretty, some were more fairy tale than others, but her heart just wasn’t in it. Gabe wouldn’t be there to see her or twirl her around the dance floor, there was no point in gushing about what a good time she was going to have.

  Her mother, however, had other ideas. She was going to be enthusiastic enough for the both of them. “I think this is the one, look at the way it sparkles.” She held up a purple dress with more sequins than actual material. It was a good thing the prom was at night because if the sun hit it you would be blinded instantly.

  “I think it’s a bit flashy, Mom,” Ariel said diplomatically. She wanted to say it was something a stripper would wear but held her tongue. Instead, she picked up a more subdued dress. It was a light blue color, with no sequins but a small bow. “How about this one? I like the color.”
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  “It’s a bit plain, don’t you think?”

  “I like plain.”

  Her mother made a disapproving face. “Go try it on then, get it over and done with.”

  Ariel took the dress and disappeared behind the curtain. She hoped it would fit so she could be done with the great dress search of the year.

  Sliding it over her head, she shimmied it down the length of her body. It was a bit long, but otherwise it hugged her curves in all the right places. The bow was just under the bust line and topped the skirt as it cascaded down. Ariel liked it, it was simple but cute. It was also Cinderella blue. It would definitely do for the prom.

  Opening the curtain, she stepped out and hoped her mom would like it too. If she hated it, chances were she wouldn’t buy it and the hunt would continue on.

  “Well?” She asked when there was only silence as her mother studied the outfit.

  Finally, she started nodding. “You look beautiful. So… grown up.”

  “Mom, I’m sixteen, I am growing up.”

  “I know, it’s just hard. You’re still my little baby girl, I don’t know what happened to all those years. It happened so fast.”

  Ariel wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug. She didn’t want to admit how much growing up scared her too. If staying young and naïve was an option, it would probably be quite an enticing one.

  “I love you, Mom, I’m always going to be your baby girl,” she muttered, suddenly feeling very nostalgic.

  “I love you too, Honey,” she said, patting her daughter’s back. “Now go change so we can grab a coffee.” The words were music to her ears. Ariel changed quickly and hurried to the cash register before her mother could change her mind – or be distracted by the shinier dresses.

  Mrs. Cole led the way to her favourite café, a little Paris themed corner of the mall. She found her favorite table at the back and ordered cake for both of them.

  Her mother’s mind was still firmly and stubbornly on the prom. “Has anyone asked you to go to the dance with them yet?”

  “No, I’m just going with Cassidy.”

  “There isn’t a special boy that you would like to be asked by?” She persisted, fishing for information. For the first time, Ariel wished she could tell her everything about Gabe. It would have been nice to be able to gush about how much she loved him and how badly she wanted to go to the prom with him. But mentioning him would be impossible without explaining the whole thing. If her mother knew about the curse, she would lock her up and throw away the key. It would only be out of a need to keep her daughter safe, but Ariel couldn’t allow that to happen. All her plans would completely go out the window.

  To give her mother something, Ariel knew exactly who she could mention. “There is this guy named Spencer, he hangs around a lot. Cassidy says he has a crush on me.”

  Her mother’s face lit up. “What’s he like? Is he cute?”

  “He’s alright,” Ariel laughed. “I guess you could call him cute. He drops a lot of hints about asking me out. He keeps asking me whether I have a date yet.”

  “And do you flirt back? Tell him he needs to snap you up quick before someone else does?”

  “No, I couldn’t do that.” Ariel could feel herself blushing involuntarily. She hoped her mother wouldn’t notice.

  “Sometimes boys need a bit of a push,” Mom grinned. “They can be terrified to come right out and say something. He’s probably waiting for you to give him some kind of signal that you want him to ask you.”

  “Right, and you’re such an expert.”

  “I got your father didn’t I? He was such a dreamboat, all the girls wanted him.”

  “And you told him to ask you out?” Ariel asked, believing she had never heard that particular story before. Her parents had been married for just under twenty years, perhaps there was a moral to the story.

  “No, actually, I played hard to get.” She smiled cheekily. “But I knew when to reveal my cards and let him know that I was interested in him. By then, I had him hooked and all I had to do was reel him in. But it’s important to throw them some hints now and then, it keeps them on their toes. Maybe you should tell Spencer you still don’t have a date.”

  “I don’t know if I want to go with him,” Ariel replied honestly. A part of her leapt at the idea of actually having a date to take her to the prom. Then she remembered he wasn’t Gabe and recalled why she couldn’t take Spencer. Still, the idea was tempting.

  “Well, you’re still young, you shouldn’t feel pressured to start hanging out with boys. If it were up to your father, you wouldn’t date for another ten years.” She patted Ariel’s arm before taking a sip of her coffee. “When it comes to matters of the heart, there is no need to hurry. When it’s time, it will happen.”

  Ariel hoped that was true. She prayed Gabe and her would have their time to be together. If she concentrated hard enough, she could remember how wonderful it felt to kiss him, to be in his arms. Unfortunately, every time she remembered it she had to think about what had happened afterwards too. The way his hands felt around her neck, the way his dark eyes were seemingly staring into nothing, the way he had to control himself not to kill her. She hoped next time, if there was one, would be their time.

  They returned home again after grabbing some groceries. Ariel wouldn’t admit it to her mother but she enjoyed spending the day with her. It felt normal, like it used to when they hung out all the time. She hated the way she had been lying to her and living a whole different life that her parents had no idea about. The guilt was overwhelming when she stopped to think about it. The only way she could function was to remind herself that it was for the greater good. She would be saving lives by working with the coven. Even if it wasn’t just for Gabe, then surely it was still a good thing to do anyway? Ariel hoped so.

  Retreating to her bedroom, Ariel checked online to see if Gabe was around. His avatar was ringed in red, he was offline. She sent him a text, asking him if he wanted to chat sometime. She didn’t get an immediate response so she flicked on her television to pass the time. She surfed the channels, trying to find something to hold her interest. A funny sitcom where she didn’t have to think too hard would have been ideal.

  However, instead of a comedy, she landed on the news. There was a breaking story about someone being murdered in their own home. A shiver ran down her spine without even thinking about the story. She didn’t have to know the details, she knew they would have been strangled even before the news presenter said it. Strangled in their own home, it sounded familiar.

  Shadows crept out from behind the television, leering and staring at her. The blood ran cold in her veins as she willed them to go away.

  Ariel immediately picked up her phone and dialed Gabe. She was done with text messages, she needed to speak to him now.

  It went to voicemail. “Gabe, it’s me. I need to talk to you, can you please call me as soon as you get this message. I’ve seen something on the news… I just… really need to hear from you. So call, please.”

  She hung up and started pacing, trying to ignore the Shadows. She had done so at Reggie’s, she could do it again. She refused to give them any of her time or worry, she had bigger things to be concerned about.

  Surely the news report just had to be a coincidence. Sometimes people were murdered by ordinary people. Bad people with no conscience strangled people all the time, right? It didn’t necessarily mean it was one of the Black Eyed People that did it. In fact, it was probably more likely that it wasn’t one of them. If she were looking at it purely from a statistical point of view, it was crazy to jump to conclusions.

  Ariel froze in place in the middle of the room. Something under her bed had moved this time. In the darkness, the Shadows were still lurking. She backed up, fearing they might come after her. So far, they hadn’t touched her, even when they had got close to her legs at Reggie’s house.

  But it was only a matter of time. She couldn’t ignore them forever, regardless o
f her resolve. Gabe had warned her they were dangerous, he said they could follow her and she didn’t want that to happen. Was it beyond possibilities that they could also attack her? She didn’t want to find out, not when her nerves were shot to pieces anyway.

  She bumped into her dressing table, not realizing how far she had walked backwards away from the bed. It made everything rattle with the impact, making her jump even more. The Shadows moved too, scurrying from the bed to underneath her desk.

  “Go away, I know you’re there. I don’t want you here, you can’t hurt me,” she said out loud, trying to keep the shaking from her voice and failing miserably.

  She remembered they fed on negative energy and tried to think happy thoughts. She thought of her new blue dress and how pretty she looked it in. She remembered her parents and how much of a good time she had with her mother earlier. She pictured Cassidy and how much fun they had together, just hanging out. Anything to stop feeding the soul of the Shadows.

  But it wasn’t working. While keeping her eyes glued to the Shadows under her desk, she sensed movement coming from her closet. She quickly flicked her eyes to the door, there was definitely something inside her wardrobe.

  And it wasn’t just the two of them. It felt like a million eyes were staring at her from every angle. Shadows lingered in every dark place, all watching her. All she could do was wait for them to attack her, jump out from their hiding places and converge all at once. She wouldn’t stand a chance with the amount that were in her room. It was overwhelming – and terrifying.

  All of a sudden the Shadows that loomed under her desk jumped on top of it. Ariel saw it in the light for the first time. It was barely more than a dark haze but she could still discern features such as glowing blue eyes, and razor sharp teeth. Its face was twisted with an evil sneer, by far the scariest thing Ariel had ever seen.

  She wanted to run out of the room and never come back. But they were by the door too, she wouldn’t be able to get past them to escape. She was trapped, a fact she was all too aware of.