by M. H. Soars
She came back holding a picture in her hand. She showed the picture to Lucas, whose eyes widened in recognition.
“What’s in that picture?” I asked.
“Not 'what,' but 'who.'” Lucas handed the picture to me, and I saw Mrs. Vilca next to a young kid. I glanced up at Lucas with a questioning stare.
“The kid in the picture is our drug dealer. He was the one dealing at the club,” Lucas answered.
I flipped the picture over and saw the date it was taken as well as the name of the kid, Arturo Vilca. So Mrs. Vilca and our drug dealer were related. That explained how he was getting the drug. But the next, and most important step, was to locate Arturo and find out who was he working for.
It wasn't too hard to discover where Arturo lived. We found a cell phone bill in his name among Mrs. Vilca’s paperwork and got his address from it. We left the store and headed straight to his place.
To my surprise, and contrary to all the drug-dealer stereotypes, Arturo lived in a relatively nice neighborhood. Two-story houses with manicured front lawns and two-car garages lined his street. There was a brand-new black Camaro convertible parked in front of his house, and I was pretty sure the car belonged to him.
Lucas was already in Nox Elite mode. Without saying anything to us he made his way to the back of the house. I looked at Melanie, who just twisted her face in an exaggerated frown, and purposefully walked to the front of the house, ready to ring the doorbell. I grabbed her hand before she did. “Shouldn’t we wait for Lucas?”
She pulled her hand from my grasp and gave me a droll look. “Uh, no.”
She rang the bell, and we waited. When no one came to the door, she rang it a couple more times before giving up. She walked to the side of the house and motioned for me to follow her.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Looking for some way to get in so we can look around,” she answered matter-of-factly, like breaking and entering was something she did every day.
I didn’t like that we were attempting this in broad daylight, but we had run out of options. Lucas soon found us again. “Come with me, there's an open door in the back.”
We followed him. The balcony door on the second floor was open. I looked around to make sure we didn’t have any nosy neighbors watching us. It wouldn’t do to get arrested now.
“It had to be on the second floor,” Melanie sighed.
Lucas turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you're afraid of heights?”
Melanie chose to ignore him this time, because Lucas had hit a nerve. She wasn’t afraid of heights; she was terrified. Lucas didn’t waste any time, though. With a powerful jump that would have been impossible for any Earthling, he reached the railing of the balcony. He pulled his body up onto the landing and quickly disappeared inside the house.
“Showoff,” Melanie said with disgust. She walked to the sliding glass door that opened onto the patio and tried to peer inside. Then she tried to slide it open. To our surprise, we discovered that it wasn’t locked. She grinned broadly at me. “So much for his training.”
We could hear Lucas’s footsteps upstairs, but other than that the house was eerily quiet. There were some papers on the coffee table in the living room but after a quick scan we discarded them as unimportant. In the kitchen, we found evidence that Arturo had been in the middle of preparing a snack before he got interrupted by something, or someone. The hair on the back my neck stood up as we searched the house further.
When Lucas joined us downstairs, I almost tackled him, thinking that he was someone else. “Easy, man. It’s me,” he said as he raised his hands. “How did you get in?”
“The sliding door was open, Austin Powers,” Melanie replied mockingly. Lucas grunted but didn’t offer any smart-ass comments.
“Did you find anything upstairs?” I asked.
“No signs of Arturo or the Big A. But I found this under his bathroom sink.” Lucas showed us a big stack of cash. If they were all one hundred dollars bills, there was around a hundred grand.
“What do you plan to do with it?” Melanie asked.
“This is evidence so I’m taking it with me. We might be able to find out where those bills came from.”
“But you have your hands all over them. You’re probably wiping off the previous fingerprints.”
Lucas looked at Melanie like he wanted to shove the cash in her mouth so she would shut up.
“There are other ways to find out the source of them.” He put the cash in his back pocket.
“What other ways?” Melanie asked suspiciously.
I’d had enough of their pointless back and forth interrogation, so I put a stop to it.
“Let it rest, Melanie. Drill Lucas later, we haven’t finished searching the house yet.”
I turned around and continued perusing the house, but I could feel Melanie glaring at my back.
We checked the entire first floor of the house and made our way back to the kitchen. Then we finally stopped in front of the closed door that led to the garage.
“That is the only place we haven’t checked yet,” Melanie said as she turned the doorknob.
The garage was pitch-black, but as soon as Melanie found the light switch, I wished she hadn’t. Arturo Vilcas was sprawled on the floor. His neck had been broken.
“Shit!” Lucas exclaimed.
Melanie stood paralyzed with her eyes fixed on Arturo’s body. I pulled her to me for comfort but she fought my hold. “It’s okay, Matt. I’m fine.” She looked irritated as she stepped aside, but I didn’t believe her.
Lucas’s eyes had turned ice-cold. “I don’t know about you, but the person responsible for this is really starting to piss me off.”
“What are we going to do? Call the cops?” I tried to ignore the fact that Lucas didn’t seem to mind the death of another person. He was more enraged by the fact that the killer had escaped him again.
“You two get out of here. I’ll handle it,” he replied.
CHAPTER 33
Samantha
It wasn’t the first time I attended the famous Leopold’s Anniversary Ball, but that didn’t keep me from feeling awestruck just the same. The school didn’t hold back on expenses, and the gymnasium looked like something out of a period movie. The Homecoming Dance décor didn’t hold a candle to it.
The theme this year was 'Murder Mystery in Victorian London,' meaning it was dark, gothic, and creepy. The theme was chosen by the students, like prom. But prom was always about fairy tales and happy endings. The choices for the Anniversary Ball were usually much wilder. I was pretty sure the school had hired a famous movie set designer, and he had done an excellent job. I expected Jack the Ripper to jump out of a dark corner at any moment.
Preparations for the ball had happened in a frenzy. Because of the events of the previous month with Alexia and all, we hadn’t really noticed that the ball was approaching. I didn’t even remember voting for a theme. So we had to spend the entire week chasing down proper attire, because one couldn’t wear just anything to this ball. Luckily, one of the Leopoldetes had connections with a designer in LA, so we all managed to find Victorian London-inspired dresses for the evening.
After stopping by the photo stand, we made our way to the round table assigned to us. Matthew held my hand firmly as we walked through the room, but the way his thumb kept caressing the back of my wrist made breathing difficult. It also made it almost impossible to remember that we weren’t on a real date.
I shouldn’t even be enjoying myself tonight considering the events of the past week. The fact that the person responsible for the Big A had killed again was disturbing, to say the least. It made us take our jobs as guardians to the Promised Ones more seriously than before. Durgin and Gary hadn’t even wanted us to attend the ball, but considering this would be Ethan and Alexia’s “last hurrah” as normal people, we convinced them to allow it. But it meant we had to be on high alert at all times.
At the table, I noticed that Mia, Sean, a
nd Melanie were drinking a bubble-gum colored drink with gusto. Everyone else had left theirs untouched.
“What is that?” I reached for the drink in front of me. I took a whiff of it and wrinkled my nose. “Yuck! It smells like cotton candy.”
“Cotton candy, you say? Yum.” Matthew grabbed his and drank it in one big gulp. “Mmm, delicious. Can I have yours too?” he asked me.
“Be my guest.” I handed him my drink.
“That stuff is disgusting. I don’t know how you can drink it,” Zach said with a shudder.
“In that case, bro, you won’t mind if I drink yours.” Sean said as he reached for Zach’s drink without waiting for his reply.
“Ethan and I don’t want ours, either.” Alexia pushed their drinks to the middle of the table, and they were snatched quickly by Melanie and Mia.
Soon the band started to play, and we all went to the dance floor. Things were going great until Matthew started to dance with me in a very provocative way. His hands dug into my hips as we swayed to the beat. We were being quite obvious, but the heat in his gaze had me ensnared. I couldn’t break away, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him to stop, until Sean bumped into us and told us to get a room. Sean was only joking, but if he had noticed the non-platonic way in which we were dancing, so would anyone else who paid us any attention.
Matthew hid his face against my neck and chuckled, “He’s right. Let’s get out of here.” His breath was hot against my skin and made me shudder.
“We can’t. We need to keep an eye on Alexia and Ethan,” I said without any conviction.
“That's what the rest of them are for.” Matthew pointed at Sean, Zach, Mia, and Melanie.
I followed his gaze and saw Mia flirting with a random guy, like she was completely drunk, and Zach pulling her away looking exasperated. Her camera was nowhere to be seen. That made me pause. Normally she would have her camera hanging from her neck, even if she had decided to take a break from photographer duty. She had turned her attention to Zach now, making him extremely uncomfortable. Sean was completely occupied, dancing with one of the Leopoldetes. But the weirdest thing I saw was Melanie acting friendly toward Lucas. Everyone seemed to be behaving completely out-of-character, and no one was paying attention to Alexia or Ethan whatsoever. The last thing I wanted was to play babysitter, but my sixth sense was screaming at me that something was off.
I untangled myself from Matthew’s hold and pulled him toward the others. Lucas, who was staring at Melanie’s face in bewilderment, glanced up when he heard us approach.
“How are you guys feeling?” he asked us.
“I’m fine. What’s up with them?”
“I don’t know. I just got here. Have they been drinking?”
Matthew chose that moment to embrace me from behind and nibble at my exposed shoulder. Lucas’s eyes registered surprise, and I had to pretend that Matthew’s advances were unwelcomed. I elbowed his stomach and pushed him away.
“Stop it, Matt! What’s wrong with you?”
He looked wounded. “I thought you liked my kisses, Sam.”
I exchanged a troubled glance with Lucas, trying to say that I didn’t know what Matthew was talking about.
“They must have taken something,” Lucas muttered.
Then it came to me: the cotton-candy-smelling beverage that I had refused to drink. I made my way back to our table. The empty glasses were still there. I handed one of them to Lucas, who sniffed and cursed.
“Damn it. Who drank this?”
“Matt, Mia, Melanie, and Sean. What is it?”
“Lotus Dust.” When I gave him a blank stare, he continued. “It’s an Arcadian substance known to lower inhibition.”
“That’s bad, isn’t it?” I turned to look back at the dance floor. Matthew was no longer where I had left him. “Where’s Matt?” I searched frantically for him.
“Find him and meet me back here. We need to leave this party as soon as possible.” Lucas' tone was urgent, and it propelled me into action.
It was really hard maneuvering around people in my long gown — especially when a lot of them wanted me to stop and chat. When I couldn’t avoid someone, I asked if they had seen Matthew, but without any luck. I stopped in my tracks when I saw Julian ahead of me, making a beeline in my direction. The last thing I wanted right now was to be distracted by him, so I veered to the right and hoped he would get the hint.
I was on the outer edge of the room, walking near one of the exits, when someone grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into the dark. I yelped, but then I heard Matthew’s throaty laugh.
“Matt! You scared me to death. I was looking for you.”
“Well, you found me. Come.” He pulled me out of the converted gymnasium, and I had no choice but to follow him through the semi-illuminated corridor.
“Where are we going?” He kept walking and trying locked doors along the hallway until he found one that was open. He pulled me inside the darkened room and locked the door behind us.
“Matt, what do you think you're doing? We gotta get ba…” My sentence was cut short by Matthew’s lips on mine. I tried to fight him, but when his tongue found its way inside my mouth, I melted and lost my train of thought. I could still taste the faint flavor of the cotton candy drink on his tongue as my barriers crumbled. Heat ignited as Matthew’s hands caressed every bit of bare skin he could find.
He pushed me hard against the wall and pressed against my body. The corset bodice of my dress pinched my skin but I didn’t care. Matthew made a disgruntled sound when he couldn’t reach my breasts easily because of it. Not wasting any time, his hands quickly descended toward my tights and somehow found their way under my long skirt, lifting my legs up against him. I grabbed his shoulders and held on while his kiss turned my brain into fluff.
“Matt, please…” I murmured against his lips, trying to make him stop, but my attempt was feeble. I squirmed against him instead. What was going on? We had to meet the others, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave Matthew’s arms.
“Sam, I want you so bad. I can’t help myself,” he managed to say before he kissed me again like the world was about to end.
I moaned and knew that the battle was lost. I wouldn’t be able to fight Matthew off; I wanted him as badly as he wanted me. But terrified screams cut through the fog of lust and brought me back to reality.
We ran back to the ballroom but found the doors locked, dark smoke billowing from the cracks. Those doors had been open before. I couldn’t understand how they could be locked now.
Without a second thought, we had the double doors off their hinges in one big pull, regardless of who might witness our display of super-human strength. I covered my nose and mouth against the toxic smoke that had surrounded us, but there was no helping the sting in my eyes.
We managed to get a few steps inside when desperate students started to push against us, seeking an escape from the nightmare. The ballroom looked like a war zone, with furniture scattered haphazardly and panicked people running around trying to find a way out. Some of the decoration props were engulfed in flames, and the fire was spreading at a rapid pace.
“We need to find the others,” Matthew screamed over the cacophony.
I nodded and tried to reach them telepathically, but all I got was noise. “I can’t reach them!” I exclaimed.
I had Matthew’s hand firm in my grasp as I tried to navigate the smoky room. Then his hand was yanked from my hold. I turned to see Matthew on the floor, a deranged student on top of him.
“Matt!” I screamed. I tried to get the kid off of him, but something hit me on the shoulder, forcing me back. Matthew disappeared in the smoke and I lost my sense of direction. It wasn’t until I saw the silhouette of a chair heading my way that I realized I was under attack. I ducked just in time and heard the chair crash behind me.
Someone grabbed me by my hair from behind, but I jammed my elbow back until it connected with the softness of a torso. The grip went loose, and I pivoted to face my atta
cker. Brianna.
“What the hell are you doing?” I yelled. I got no recognition whatsoever. Her eyes were devoid of humanity, and she snarled at me.
She didn’t hesitate before she pounced on me, ready to gouge my eyes, but my natural instincts took over and I grabbed her wrists. Better to say that the Fury took over. Electricity crackled through my fingers. When it left my body, Brianna convulsed for a second before she passed out in my arms. Oh, God. What had I done? I looked around. The chaos wasn’t caused only by people trying to escape the fire. There were at least twenty fights going on, as well.
Someone touched my shoulder, making me flinch. I turned and saw Lucas’s face. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. What's going on, Lucas? Where is everybody?”
“Our worst nightmare: Myserians.” I looked at him, terrified, trying to digest the news. He continued, “Ethan and Alexia are safe outside. So are Mia, Melanie and Sean. I couldn’t risk it, they were too out-of-control.”
A wash of relief went through my body. Lucas suddenly noticed Brianna unconscious in my arms. “Oh man, her too?”
“She attacked me. I had no choice. I hope I didn’t hurt her.”
Lucas took Brianna’s motionless form in his arms and felt her pulse. “She's fine. I'll take her to safety and come back to help you. Zach is trying to put out the fire.”
“I need to find Matt!” I shouted desperately. He was also under the effects of the Lotus Dust, and I didn’t know how that might impact the Phoenix.
“Be careful, Sam,” Lucas said before he vanished, carrying Brianna.
I went back to where I thought Matthew had been knocked down, but I couldn’t find him. My eyes were burning from the smoke, and I could barely breathe. I tore a piece of my skirt and used it to cover my nose and mouth. Black smoke was extremely poisonous, and even if I managed to escape this inferno alive, I could still suffer the side effects of inhaling too much of it. I walked aimlessly through the destroyed gymnasium, trying my best to avoid the debris and the fights. I knew I should be trying to break them up, but my only concern was Matthew’s safety.