Betrayal

by Mayandree Michel

  Architecturally, the house was quite stunning, but the lack of renovations and upkeep made the other neighboring mansions appear more prestigious. Besides all the structural beauty surrounding Bethany’s ghastly home, I never judged her nor her brother for how their mansion compared. It was unfortunate that they had inherited it that way, decayed and withered, as if it was staged for Halloween. It certainly didn't suit two teenagers. The house would be virtually impossible for an adult to maintain much less a pair of minors.

  Bethany said the house had been built by her great great great grandfather in the mid nineteenth century. Though the structural design was impressive inside and out, the house didn’t seem to have been updated since her ancestors resided here. Many believed the house was preoccupied with various apparitions. Bethany ignored the rumors. Now I was about to make the silly stories a fact.

  I turned to go into Bethany’s house, and noticed a couple that appeared to be gawking at me from across the street. Well, at least I believed they were watching me. There was something odd about them. They were dressed as if they were doing a play set in the Victorian era. I gasped when I saw them making their way towards me, practically gliding across the street. Once they sauntered through the gates as I had, I knew what they were.

  Ghosts!

  They had to be, and even worse, they wanted to make contact with me! I wasn’t ready to adjust to my new way of not existing. I turned and flew right through the front door. After a few moments of frenzied anxiety, I realized the couple hadn’t followed me into Bethany’s house. As I stood in the foyer, the enormity of it halted me where I stood.

  The house seemed way too vast and unfurnished to feel homey. It was large enough for a family of twelve. Suddenly it dawned on me that I had only been inside the house a couple of times. Each visit had been very short, less than ten minutes. It was weird how Bethany had always found an excuse to vacate it the moment I arrived. Being in the enormous manor had always felt strange – almost creepy.

  Quite a few rooms in the house were unfurnished, except for the two bedrooms Bethany and Nikolas used, the living room, and the spacious kitchen. They didn't seem to have any use for the other six bedrooms, library, dining room, study, sun room, the second kitchen, or what used to be the servants quarters below the house. Each and every one of those rooms remained completely unfurnished.

  I walked further down the dimmed foyer, and paused under the archway leading into the living room. I thought it odd that no one was in there when only a moment ago shadows could be seen from the porch. I was about to leave the living room, but stopped abruptly when I picked up on familiar voices. They seemed to trickle in from down the hall.

  Nikolas’ voice boomed first, deep as usual. “Victor’s senses have heightened considerably. He has tracked her to this point in time. Victor will send for his disciples, and they will attract the Apolluon.” What Nikolas spoke of made absolutely no sense to me. Either way, he sounded desperate.

  “We must go to her now. Please, or it’ll be too late. We have less than twenty four hours,” Bethany said, wailing. “She spoke of how vivid her visions had been, how the dreams lengthened each night, and how she had awakened with wounds from them.” Bethany was talking about me, and those horrifying dreams.

  “She remembers.” Nikolas said.

  “Well, she’s beginning to.” Bethany said, her normally calm voice quivering. “She shouldn’t be alone when her memory returns. Cordelia will be lost and confused if she doesn’t retain what she knows now of this era. The Gods will never forgive us.”

  Bethany wasn’t making a bit of sense to me, and the urgency in her voice worried me more than what she had uttered. She spoke of me as if I were still alive although, she had spoken to my mother less than an hour ago. Bethany knew I had died today.

  I had no idea of what I was supposed to be remembering, and her use of my full first name was unusual for her, and kind of threw me off. She had sounded as if she had read it off of an important document. No one ever called me Cordelia. Actually, the last person who had called me by my complete first name had been the boy in my dream, but that didn’t count.

  “We should have foreseen her death.” Nikolas said, remorsefully. “Obviously, Victor has discovered a way to mask his scent therefore, his presence went undetected by us, but we are not to blame for that. The Gods know our intentions and our loyalty to them, Bethany.”

  Ok, so they do know that I’m dead, but Nikolas sounded even more puzzling than his sister, with all this talk about gods. “There’s other ways to detect the son of Iptian.” Nikolas added.

  “That means we’ll have to wait until he’s within the vicinity to detect his aura, which he’s incapable of concealing. His aura will cause the temperature to rise,” Bethany said, sounding many years older than seventeen.

  “That’s correct.” Nikolas said.

  “But that only provides a brief moment of escape,” Bethany countered, impatiently.

  An icy chill slipped through me, and I stood frozen in its wake when I overheard the next voice – a familiar one. The voice of an angel – deep, rich, and mesmerizing. The voice I’ve never heard while awake, only as I slept... as I dreamt. It was the voice that held my heart captive every night for the last two weeks of my life. I could never mistaken it for another. It had to be him, the boy who made those hellish nights bearable. But he wasn’t real.

  He was just a figment of a love starved girl’s imagination. The voice drew me in now as it did in the dream.

  “I’m well aware of the eminent danger she is in. We will find her. We’ve already joined our forces to bring her to us. She’ll come to us. I’m certain of this. The damage Victor has done is not irreversible, and impunity is not an option for him. He has defied the Gods.” The voice – his voice was uniquely the same – intense and enthralling. But there was one discernable difference – the arctic edge.

  “The Gods haven’t intervened thus far. We are to do battle alone. They don’t hear our invocations,” Bethany said argumentatively. “Do they no longer feed off of our devotion?”

  “Keep faith Beth.” There was that enchanting voice again. “The Gods are always guarding over the family, and they will intervene when necessary.” My need to make certain, who in fact possessed the voice, as if it could belong to anyone other than my angel and protector, was crucial to any hopes of maintaining my sanity, at this precise moment. The alluring voice drew me into the unfurnished dining room.

  There the three of them stood in the far right corner of the dining room, facing the large floor to ceiling windows. It was my best friend, my former crush, and the boy of my dreams – in the flesh. I walked to the center of the room, and stood on the once opulent and now worn area rug which adorned the mahogany parquet floor where a dining room table should have stood.

  Neither of them appeared to see or hear me come in, as I had expected since I was a ghost, but they knew I was amongst them. They spun around in unison, and faced me. I wanted to see Bethany’s reaction to my sudden presence in her home, and I had to overcome the urge to hug Nikolas, who I thought of as a big brother, because I was dead, but instead, I instantaneously, like a moth to a flickering flame, locked eyes with Evan, and it happened at once.

  A rush of heat stirred then shook through my soul like a tornado spiraling out of control. The blinding white currents blasted out in long jagged rods from my fingertips the same way they exited my body on the night of the storm. And just like that, with one last loud crackle, the lightning recoiled and diminished to mini stars on the tips of my fingers. My head swayed as the room dimmed. Questions raced through my mindless soul as I began to fall.

  How could this boy, who I created in my mind, stand before me in flesh and bone? Thankfully to Evan's accelerated speed, I never hit the floor, which I believe I probably would have sunk through. In a fraction of a second, Evan dashed across the room, and I lay in his brawny arms. I found the entire scenario to be surreal. I wasn't sure if I had in fact fainted. Could it be
deemed fainting if you’re dead? Just another inconceivable question to add to the mounting list.

  Clearly I must be dreaming again, since he was rescuing me again it was the logical answer. It made sense, although not perfect. I gazed up at Evan. He was a vision of perfection, his flawless skin, no longer hidden by the shadows of the pines under the moonlight, made me want to reach up and touch his face. His eyes, turquoise in the slightly dimmed room, had the power to make me melt. He was far more beautiful in person than my memory of him in the dreams. His intense gaze sucked me in as I drowned in it.

  He smiled and stared at me adoringly. Then he turned away from me, and grinned at Bethany and Nikolas, knowingly. Nikolas and Bethany stood gaping at Evan in disbelief. Evan effortlessly carried me into the living room, and laid me down on the long chaise lounge as if I were a breakable and costly piece of sculpture. Then he stood back, and appraised me, automatically making me jumpy.

  “You are as beautiful as the day you left.” Evan said, in the most delicate tone. I couldn’t believe my eyes or my ears, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. Was I dreaming? I was speechless, numb, and terrified – a complex combination.

  “… as the day you left” Is what Evan had said, actually speaking to me, a dead person, he, the figment of my imagination. The fact that he had spoken to me made what he meant by the statement somewhat unimportant right now.

  I shut my eyes really tight, and told myself to wake up. When I reopened them a few seconds later, it was as it was before I had closed them.

  Three pair of eyes fixed on me. No, can’t be, I thought. I must be asleep, tucked snug in my warm bed. I had to be dreaming. I never died. But the notion was futile. I knew the certainty of my death.

  “She came to us just as you said she would, Evan.” Bethany said, jubilantly. She leaned closer to the chaise lounge where I lay, still staring up at Evan’s immaculately chiseled face. All the while they peered at me with the curiosity of little children who’ve made the sudden discovery of a brand new toy.

  Bethany turned to Nikolas with a radiant smile, and said, “It's time. We must prepare to make our return.”

  “Yes, of course, except what does she remember? Perhaps we should determine that first. She looks to be in shock.” Nikolas was the voice of reason at that particular moment. He stepped closer to where I lay, and towered over me.

  “I must be dreaming.” I said to myself.

  “No, you’re not dreaming.” Bethany said, responding to what I hadn’t realized I said out loud. I searched her flawless face for answers, for an explanation, for an escape from the hysteria gradually taking over what remained of my sanity.

  “Beth, what’s happened to me? How can you see… wait a minute… is he … real?” I said. I had finally found my voice, and blurted out the words in haste. They tumbled out in a staccato jumble like marbles out of a bag. All the while I eyed Evan suspiciously and tried to sit up.

  Their faces revealed the same sudden despondency. The dead silence in the room made me tremble. I waited for an answer but Bethany said nothing, Nikolas shifted his eyes from me, and found something quite interesting with the lamp on the nearby table. Finally Evan answered, well sort of.

  “Yes, Cordelia, of course I’m real, and we are all together now... once again.” Evan’s voice was gripping. Every word he spoke held me like a vice, which I couldn’t free myself of. I could only shake my head in bewilderment.

  “I’m real…we are all together now … once again.”

  “Once again?” I asked, and then swerved my gaze to Bethany in despair. “Beth…please. What’s going on?”

  Evan reached out his hand to help me sit up comfortably. How is it that he can feel me? “I know you are confused and drained from everything that has transpired.”

  “See, here’s the thing,” I said, in the weakest whimper, void of any genuine conviction. “I don’t understand what happened or is happening.”

  “Your memory, particularly the memory of who you are, has not returned but will – soon.” Evan said, with an unwavering gaze.

  “I know who I am.” I said, this time with enough conviction to spare. “I don't know who or what you are, and how it is that you can see me.

  I am dead aren’t I?” I sat up straight and swung my legs off the chaise, demanding an answer. My words reverberated around the room as if they swung at them with invisible bats. I had to know how they were aware of my presence.

  “Yes, you are… dead... but….” Bethany said, trailing off, and looking to Evan for guidance or to be rescued.

  “But?” I would be choking right now if I was still able to breathe.

  “I will do my best to answer all of your questions, in time. In the interim, I only ask for your patience since we are running out of time,” Evan said, as he was about to begin stroking my hair. I pulled away abruptly, and his hand was left hanging in midair.

  “You’ve got to answer one,” I demanded, staring him straight in the eyes – the allure of their depth hadn’t any hold on me for that moment.

  Evan sighed, but it seemed out of desperation, and not frustration. “Yes, of course, one.”

  “Am I dead?” I asked, already knowing the answer

  “Yes.” He said, eyeing me cautiously. I guess he was expecting me to be overcome with sobs or something.

  “Who are you?” I asked, as I watched the corners of Evans lips sag. I presumed that I had offended him by my inquiry. Maybe I was annoying him for going over the limit on the questions, but at this point, I didn’t allow whatever he may be feeling to deter me. “Please tell me.”

  Sadness flooded Evan’s face as he answered me. “My name is Evander, and I have come a long way to guarantee your secure return.” He looked me intently in the eyes, and this time I was swallowed up by the cobalt abyss, and felt the need to bolt out of the room, but my legs failed me.

  “Ok, great, nice to meet you, Evander. The crazy thing is… I can only remember you from a dream.”

  “Don’t fret, you will remember me.” Evan said, with a halfsmile that brightened the entire room.

  “The temperature is rising,” Nikolas said, anxiously to Evan. “Ares must be proud of his last descendant.” Nikolas added as he marched to the other end of the chaise and stood by the large windows as if it were cooler there.

  “Yes, well it doesn’t take much to perk Ares’ interest. A little violence keeps everything balanced, according to him. Victor has indeed pleased him.” Evan said with a light chuckle. His broad smile was infectious and Nikolas chortled along with him.

  “Gentlemen, Victor is producing more heat than usual, and at a faster rate.” Bethany’s voice quivered. “He and his disciples must be on the hill.

  We must leave now.”

  “I can feel the heat as well.” Evan said, calmly.

  “Who is Victor?” I directed my question to Bethany, and suddenly recalled the name from my dream. Could he be the same Victor, whose pack of beastly wolves chased Evan and I through the forest? Whoever he was, they seemed to fear him. Bethany completely ignored my question.

  “Bethany?” I said, pleading to her with my eyes to answer me. She looked away as Evan began to speak.

  “Nikolas, assure that our departure is successful before you transport.” Evan said. It sounded like an order.

  “No!” Bethany said, in a harsh wail. “Nikolas can't stay behind, no one should. Evan, we must all leave together.” Bethany was adamant about not leaving her brother behind. Her hands were unsteady, and her normally tanned face became chalky. The heat continued to build drastically, and could actually be seen in waves as if the room was engulfed in flames. Any human being would’ve been burnt ashes in the wind like leaves in a bonfire floating up into the sky.

  I wondered how they were able to sustain this turkey roast as I stood in the center of them, feeling trapped in a three point cell. They conversed amongst each other as if I wasn’t there. All of a sudden, I felt a wave of fear and panic wash over me like a bucket of fri
gid water being poured over my head. Where were they taking me? Before I could ask, Nikolas spoke up.

  “It's alright,” Nikolas said, smiling and winking at Bethany. “I can handle it.” Nikolas nodded in agreement with Evan then peeked through the window curtains as if he suspected a prowler lurking by.

  Shockingly, Bethany jolted across the room. She moved like static, quicker than the flap of a bee’s wings. She kept the same stance, and was now standing directly behind Nikolas. Sensing someone behind him, Nikolas spun around to face her. His expression was softened by her presence before him. Nikolas reached down, and brushed the subtle roundness of Bethany’s cheek with the back of his large hand. He traced her jaw line with his fingertip. Bethany wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He lowered his neck, and she whispered something into his ear that provoked smiles to emerge across their faces. I gasped when she kissed him. It was a kiss that lovers shared – long, passionate, and familiar, and I felt like I was intruding by watching them, in shock might I add.

  Evan picked up on the look of astonishment on my face. “Bethany is my sister, not Nikolas’,” he said, confirming my earlier suspicions regarding their contrasting looks. I had always wondered and thought it peculiar that Bethany and Nikolas didn’t share one physical characteristic. Nikolas and I favored each other more than he and Bethany did. Although Nikolas’ smooth coppery tone made Bethany’s tan complexion appear pale. His long wavy hair, which extended down his back, and always wore in a ponytail, reminded me of the color of chestnuts splashed with shocks of Indian gold, starkly contrasting her wavy blond hair.

  Evan didn’t lie. Bethany’s blue eyes mirrored his more than Nikolas’ piercing steel hued irises. Nikolas’ facial features were long, jagged, yet sculpted while Bethany’s features were small, soft, rounded, and similar to Evan’s.