The Marked Girl

by Lindsey Klingele

  Liv’s whole body felt fizzy, soft around the edges. And then Cedric’s hands were running gently along her neck, the rough skin of his fingers drawing little invisible lines that made the small hairs there rise up, up, up.

  She leaned into him, deepening the kiss and letting out a small sigh when it went from gentle to something more. Cedric gripped her harder. She ran her hand down the length of his chest, her fingers playing at the hem of his shirt. She carefully lifted it, hand shaking just a little, and let her hands run over the flat edge of his stomach there.

  Cedric made a low noise and leaned forward more still, and then they were both falling until Liv landed with her back against the hard stone of the bench, with Cedric on top of her. His lips stopped moving for a moment and he pulled away just a few inches, and Liv knew without opening her eyes that he was checking to see if she was okay. But there was no need to respond, they were beyond words now, and she reached up hungrily and pulled his head back down toward hers.

  Their bodies pressed against each other while their legs draped lazily down to the concrete ground. Liv was completely lost in him, in his mouth and his ragged breathing and his hands that ran from her shoulders, down her arms, and to her hips. She didn’t know what would come next, but she didn’t want to stop. She couldn’t believe that this was happening, that this was Cedric and it was her and this was real. . . .

  Cedric moved down to kiss her neck, and as he did so she felt something tiny, cold, and hard fall against the skin just above her collarbone.

  For a moment, Liv closed her eyes even tighter, willfully ignoring the small, circular thing that pressed deeper into her skin. But she knew what it was; she had known the second it fell against her, and ignoring it wouldn’t work for long.

  The warmth in Liv’s insides faded away, and for the first time she really felt the hard stone bench beneath her, pressing into her shoulder blades. She put her hands against Cedric’s shoulders and lightly pushed him away.

  It took him longer to realize what had happened. He pulled back a few inches, his eyes confused, and then he saw it. His betrothal ring, dangling on a chain between them.

  “It fell,” Liv said. Her voice came out sounding smaller than she had intended.

  Cedric’s eyes were fixed on the ring. Then, with one swift, sure movement, he pulled himself up and off Liv, all the way into a standing position at the side of the bench. Farther away than she could reach. She could still feel the warmth of his skin on hers.

  “I—I am sorry,” Cedric said. She couldn’t meet his eyes. “I did not mean—”

  But that was too much; that was the worst possible thing for him to say. Liv held up one hand and shook her head, trying and failing to smile. She stood up from the bench and straightened her shirt. The space between them felt enormous; an entire parade could have marched through it, with her on one side and him on the other.

  “I should get back inside,” she finally said.

  Cedric nodded, but stayed rooted to his spot. Looking at him hurt her eyes.

  Liv turned around and walked back inside while making as little sound as possible. Once the door was closed, she stood in the middle of the kitchen and tried to catch her breath.

  It wasn’t so hard to do now.

  “What the hell happened to you out there?”

  Shannon had taken one step into the kitchen, seen the look on Liv’s face, and without a word, dragged her by the elbow into the nearest bathroom. Her hand was still tight on Liv’s arm, her eyes worried.

  “Wh-what do you mean?” Liv stammered, trying to act casual.

  “I mean, you’re all flushed and weird-looking,” Shannon said. “Are you okay? Did you see something out there, or—” Shannon stopped talking as Liv pursed her lips together and shook her head. Shannon’s mouth curled into a smirk, and she raised one eyebrow. “Or maybe it was something else entirely?” she finished.

  Liv thought about denying it, but she suddenly didn’t have the energy to lie. She looked down at the pristine bathroom tiles, then back to Shannon. “Cedric kissed me,” she said.

  Shannon’s eyes widened, and she started to grin.

  “And then I kissed him,” Liv continued. “And then there was . . . more kissing.”

  Shannon’s fingernails tapped lightly on Liv’s arm. “For how long?”

  “For a while.”

  “And?”

  “And . . .”

  “Oh please, you are not holding out on me. What was it like to kiss an alien?”

  Liv smiled despite herself and rolled her eyes. “He’s not an alien.”

  Shannon shrugged. “Whatever. What was it like?”

  Liv flashed back to an image of herself and Cedric on the bench. She wasn’t sure how to put it in words . . .

  “That good, huh?” Shannon smirked.

  “It really was. And then . . .” Liv trailed off, the smile dropping from her face.

  “Ugh.” Shannon rolled her eyes and grabbed Liv by the shoulders. “Why do you make me drag things out of you? Just tell me what happened.”

  Haltingly, Liv explained to Shannon about Cedric’s ring and what it meant, and how once it became a real and visible thing between them, it was impossible to ignore.

  Shannon crossed her arms over her chest. “So? So what if he’s getting married at some far-off, future date? He’s clearly into you now.”

  “I don’t know. I think he was about to say that he didn’t mean for it to happen—the kiss. I think he regretted it . . . and I can’t just forget about Kat,” Liv replied, her eyes on the bathroom tiles. “I mean, she’s going to be his wife someday. And also, have you seen her?”

  “Kat? I mean, she’s okay-looking,” Shannon said with an unconvincing shrug.

  Liv smiled. “You don’t have to do that best friend thing where you lie and tell me a girl’s not pretty when she clearly is. I mean, have you seen her skin? I bet it would even look good in HD. Plus, she and Cedric have this whole past, not to mention a future, and she’s also a literal ninja, and I’m just . . .”

  Shannon put one hand flat in the air. “All right, stop right there. Number one, you’re obviously awesome, or else I wouldn’t be your friend. So that’s not your problem. And number two, I don’t think Kat’s your problem, either.”

  “Really.” Liv remembered how the betrothal ring had felt on her skin. How cold the metal was, like it knew it didn’t belong anywhere near her.

  “Really. The problem is you.” Shannon leaned back on her heels, head tilted, as if daring Liv to make her continue. Liv took the bait.

  “Me? What happened to me being awesome? You just said it, like, four seconds ago.”

  “You are awesome, except about this one thing, where you can kind of suck.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Did you tell Cedric how you felt? About kissing him, about the betrothal ring? Did you talk about it at all?”

  “Um . . .”

  “It was a hypothetical question. I already know the answer.”

  Liv could feel her cheeks flame. “I’m pretty sure he knows how I feel.”

  Shannon shrugged. “Maybe. It’s possible reading minds is one of his superpowers. But on the off chance it isn’t, you’re going to have to do the hard work of saying it out loud. Which I know you hate.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Please. Getting you to open up about anything other than camera angles and box office figures is a miracle most days. I mean, it’s obvious to me that you’re into him, but that’s only because I’ve known you for years. He might need you to spell it out. Open up.”

  “I’ve opened up to plenty of people, including Cedric,” Liv said, without thinking.

  “So I’m wrong? You’ve told him how you feel? About him?”

  Liv crossed her arms tightly over her chest and tried to go back over what had happened with Cedric over the past few days. She was sure he knew how she felt—it was obvious, wasn’t it? Except she couldn’t remember a
ctually saying the words to him. Not on the stone bench, not in the motel room, not in the car. Not ever.

  “I don’t know why, but I think I’m . . . afraid. To say it out loud,” she finally said.

  Shannon nodded, as if that was obvious. “Yeah, I know.” She leaned in close, and very gently, she pulled Liv’s arms apart and away from her chest. “The thing is, though . . . so is everyone else.”

  Liv couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Shannon reached over and opened the bathroom door.

  “So why not go tell him now? The words will come. Just try to get it all out there before the making-out part starts up again, okay? It confuses the brain.”

  Liv grinned. “Thanks, Shan. I know you’ll probably be grounded till graduation, but I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “Me too.”

  Liv stepped out into the kitchen. She could talk to Cedric about her feelings. How hard could it be?

  But when Liv looked through the glass kitchen door, she could no longer see Cedric on the porch. She turned to rejoin the others, but the monitors on the wall caught her eye.

  On the screens, Liv could see various parts of Daisy’s yard, now lit up with greenish lights. One screen showed the tennis courts, another highlighted the front of a four-car garage. But it was the middle screen that drew Liv’s attention. She moved closer to it, her eyes scanning it over. With each step, she hoped that what she was seeing was a mistake. A trick of the light.

  On the middle screen was the guard hut. And at the entrance to the hut was a small, indistinct mass. A grayish, unmoving blob. Liv moved to stand right in front of the screen, her nose inches from it. The blob had arms, and legs in dark pants. It was one of the security guards, knocked out—or maybe, Liv thought, stomach dropping, maybe worse—on the ground.

  “Shannon!” Liv called, her voice tight. After a moment, Shannon’s head popped back into the kitchen, her face falling when she saw Liv.

  “Someone’s here.”

  THE ENEMY AT THE GATE

  Cedric sat at the top of a large staircase inside Daisy’s home, lightly spinning the ring around the chain on his neck. He knew he should go and check on the others, make sure Merek was staying put, see if Liv—

  Liv.

  He couldn’t afford to think about her right now, because once he started, he wouldn’t stop. And that was really the whole problem. He didn’t want to think about facing her again, and he had no idea what he might say if he did. His fingers pulled tighter and tighter on the chain, until the hard metal ate into the skin on the back of his neck.

  Cedric heard a yell coming from behind him. Torn from his thoughts, he jumped up and immediately moved through the confusing hallways of the house toward the sound of the noise.

  He found Liv and Shannon in the kitchen, looking at the wall. Or no, they weren’t looking at the wall, but at a series of rectangles placed there—teevees, he remembered they were called.

  “What is it?”

  Liv looked to him, and her eyes were huge. “Someone took out the guards.”

  “Took out?”

  Liv shook her head, flustered, and just pointed to the screen. On one, Cedric could see the small image of a man lying on the ground.

  Merek and Daisy burst into the kitchen at that moment.

  “What’s going on?” Daisy asked.

  “We have to lock all the doors. And call . . .” Liv looked to Cedric. “Who should we call?”

  Cedric immediately went to the giant glass door in the kitchen and looked out into the night. He could see nothing but shadows and trees.

  “Wait. What’s happening?” Daisy asked again, her voice pitched higher. Then she looked at the screen, and her hand flew to her mouth. “Is that . . . Andre?”

  “We need to secure the yard,” Cedric said, his hand on the door handle.

  Liv stepped toward him. “Wait! We don’t even know if we’re facing wraths or Knights! And what if they’re just waiting for us to come outside, so they can attack?”

  “Or,” Shannon said, voice shaky, “what if they’re already inside?”

  Everyone fell silent. Unconsciously, their heads moved up, down, and all around, as if they could see through the walls and ceiling. Merek moved to the doorway opposite and peered into the hallway. A creaking noise sounded out from the room to the right, and everyone jumped.

  Cedric went quickly to where his sword was still resting by a chair. He ripped off the plastic covering and held the hilt close.

  “Daisy, were any doors unlocked?” Liv asked. “Daisy?”

  But Daisy’s eyes were glued to the screen, to the image of the unmoving guard. Suddenly, she whirled on Liv.

  “What did you do?”

  Liv took a step back, surprised by Daisy’s ferocity. “Wh-what?”

  “What do you want with me? Why are you doing this?”

  Liv shook her head, at a loss for words. Cedric moved cautiously toward Daisy, who jumped back from him as though he were brandishing fire. “We do not want to harm you,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “But we are all in danger—”

  Daisy’s eyes drifted down toward his sword.

  “Oh God,” she murmured. “Oh God, oh God.” She backed up until her shoulders hit the wall.

  “Daisy,” Liv said, shaking herself into action. “We weren’t the ones who hurt the guard. We’ve been here the whole time.”

  “No, you weren’t!” Daisy yelled. She looked between Liv and Cedric. “You left, you went outside and . . .” She looked to the screen again.

  “I promise we didn’t do this,” Liv said. “Remember, I explained everything earlier? Remember what I said, about the wraths and the Knights—”

  “But none of that is real!” Daisy screamed. “I didn’t actually believe you!”

  “But . . . Joe, he told you I was telling the truth, didn’t he? Don’t you believe him?”

  For a moment, Daisy wavered. Then her eyes landed again on Cedric’s sword. “You lied. You said that was a camera stand and . . . oh. Oh God.”

  “Wait . . .” Liv reached for Daisy then, but Daisy dodged her outstretched hand, pushed off against the wall, and sailed past Merek, down the hallway. In seconds, she was streaming out the front door of the house.

  “No!” Liv yelled. She turned to Cedric. “We don’t know what’s out there!”

  Cedric nodded once, briefly, before setting off after Daisy. Liv followed, though he outpaced her easily. When he reached the front door, he saw Daisy’s small frame move across the lawn, arms pumping, running toward the body of the guard near the gate.

  “Daisy, wait!” he yelled, then immediately cursed himself for giving away his position to whoever had “taken out” the guards.

  But it didn’t matter anyway. They were already waiting.

  Just as Daisy bent down to the motionless guard, a hulking figure stepped out of the dense bushes near the guard hut. A wrath, with a shock of gray-white hair and thick shoulders that looked like someone had just attached slabs of rock to each side of his neck. Cedric recognized him from the alley—Chath. The white-haired wrath lifted Daisy off the ground in a single swift movement.

  Daisy gave a small scream—more a yelp of surprise—before the wrath turned and ran with her toward the edge of the yard, into a thicket of bushes and trees.

  Cedric shot off toward the pair. He could barely feel the ground and could only make out the blurred edges of trees as he passed. Ahead of him, he saw the wrath pull Daisy up and over a fence. Cedric followed and pitched himself over the fence, landing in the center of still more trees. They seemed to be part of a private garden that wove in and around itself.

  “Daisy?” he yelled out. He was surrounded by trees and shadows and blackness.

  “If you want her, come and take her,” a low voice said from just to his right.

  Cedric turned toward the direction of the voice and spotted Chath and Daisy, the wrath with one hand over her mouth, underneath a tree with gnarled, twisting branches.

&
nbsp; A knot of uncertainty tightened in Cedric’s stomach. How had the wraths known to find them here? How could they have been following all this time? Cedric held his sword out in front of him, prepared to use it. The wrath didn’t even flinch, but instead let out a long, low whistle.

  “Let her go,” Cedric said.

  Chath threw his head back and laughed toward the night sky. “Threatening me? The little warrior prince with his pointy play toy. All alone in the woods, threatening me.”

  Cedric tightened his grip on the sword hilt and took a step toward the wrath.

  “Put her down, or I’ll show you what a toy can do.”

  It was then that Cedric noticed the shadows around the edges of the clearing start to move. Dark shapes morphed into arms and legs and heads as they came into the light of the clearing. The blacks of the wraths’ sunken eyes were lost in the shadows but low growls escaped from their throats. Three extra wraths emerged from the trees, two at Cedric’s sides and one more cutting off the exit at his back. He was surrounded.

  “Why don’t you show them first?” Chath said.

  “How did you find us?” Cedric asked, trying to buy himself time to think. He hoped that Merek had stayed in the house with Shannon and Liv. He hoped they’d found a way to hide.

  Chath cocked his head. “Does Your Highness not like his first taste of betrayal?”

  Cedric narrowed his eyes. “You lie. No one has betrayed me.”

  Chath’s grin split wider—impossibly wide. He looked less human with every second. “If you say so, Highness.”

  He’s trying to confuse you, Cedric thought, gritting his teeth. But something in the back of his mind caught on that word—betrayal—and didn’t let go. His thoughts kept snagging there, like cloth on a tree branch.

  The wrath on his right shifted forward, and Cedric lashed out, turning on the ball of his foot and swinging his sword. It connected with the creature, who let out a howl of pain and gripped his shoulder, falling to the ground.

  The other two wraths advanced on Cedric at once. He whirled around and struck out at the female wrath approaching from behind. She dodged at the last second, twirling away from the edge of the sword as it sliced down.