by Diana Nixon
My friend was on my side, and I was grateful for that, though I knew it was me whose mistakes could be seen everywhere.
“So what about the dress?”
“Sorry, Dear. I’m not in a mood for shopping. And I have plenty of dresses to wear. I’ll find one for Evan’s party.”
“It can’t be just a dress, Eileen! It must be a super-killing, sexy dress!” She was sure that seducing her brother was the best way to bring him back to me. I didn’t share her opinion.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s Evan’s birthday, remember? And I’m sure he won’t be able to restrain himself from saying something like, “How nice of you, Eileen to come to my party naked.”
“Who cares about what Evan says when it comes to Christian?!”
“Huh! Thank you, Darling, for saying that.” Evan smiled, entering the room. By the way, I still couldn’t make myself move out of Christian’s room. “I remember there was a time when you thought otherwise.”
“This is not what she meant,” I said, trying to prevent the upcoming fight. It was the last thing I needed at the moment.
“Sorry,” Amanda muttered. “She’s right. I didn’t want to hurt your huge ego.”
“Don’t worry, Honey. My huge ego needs something more than just a few words of a toddler to be hurt.”
Amanda’s eyes widened. Bad sign. “Did you hear him?” She turned to me. “He just called me a toddler!”
“A very cute one,” Evan added.
“You….”
“Please, guys. Give me a break!” I sat on the couch and closed my eyes. “Evan, what do you want? I thought you and Darcy were going on another date.”
Amanda’s jaw tightened, and she turned to the window, crossing her arms. She still didn’t like the idea of Evan and Darcy dating.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about.” Evan hesitated, watching Amanda’s angry posture. “Okay, I know you don’t want me to date her. But can you at least stop sending me these colorful messages? Your aura is about to explode!”
“Just say what you want and get out of here,” Amanda snapped with her back to us.
“What is it about?” I asked, realizing that she already knew what Evan was going to tell me.
“The thing is that … well, Darcy and I were going to the movie, but Christian called me and asked if we would like to join him at the party that one of our students is throwing tonight.”
I froze, speechless. So that was how he had been suffering from breaking up with me? Great….
“Wait, you mean the party will take place here, in Dever?”
Amanda and Evan shared a glance. “But you said he was coming back in two days!”
“Actually, he never left Dever,” Evan said. “He stayed in Medellin’s hut, because it was the closest he could stay to you without being noticed.”
I frowned. “So he has been here the entire time, and I didn’t know anything about that? Why?”
This time it was Amanda who replied. “Because he wanted to keep an eye on you. But he also needed to stay away from you.”
“But he never thought that I could be at that party too, right?”
The anger was slowly building inside my chest. Another sharing of glances followed. “What the hell is going on here?”
“The party’s being organized by Vanessa,” Amanda said quietly.
“And you were not invited,” Evan added.
That was it, the final nail in the coffin of my patience. I stormed out of the room and ran as fast as I could. Where? I didn’t care. A minute later I got into the car, started the engine and hit the gas pedal.
Tears were running down my cheeks, blinding my vision, but I kept running away. From my pain, from my regrets, from everything….
The only thing I wanted now was to get as far as I could from Dever, the only place I had ever been truly happy in. I took the first turn to the right and almost kissed the tree, standing in my way. I stopped abruptly and took a deep breath. No, I didn’t want to die. At least not today.
When my breathing became normal again, I opened the door and welcomed the fresh breeze touching my face. I rested my chin on my knees and stared at the trees in front of me.
There were oaks. Thousands of old, massive oaks. They were strong and majestic. Even with their leaves gone.
Too bad I’m not a tree, I thought to myself. They don’t feel pain, they can’t cry, they can’t be betrayed….
The words of Evan and Amanda were still ringing in my ears. Christian was going to Vanessa’s party. And he didn’t need me there. Amanda was right. He was okay. But I wasn’t. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, and I didn’t want to go back. But then I thought that I was stronger than that. Christian said that I wanted everything to be done my way. Well, now I was ready to show just how much I liked to control the world around me.
I shut the door, looked in the mirror, smiled at my reflection and headed back to the main road.
I didn’t go to Dever. I went to Gloster. I spent a few hours walking around the shopping center. Then someone caught me by the hand.
“Hey, Pretty.” I turned around and saw Will’s smiling face.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised.
“Just needed this,” he said, showing a pack of cigarettes.
“So you keep poisoning your lungs.”
“Can’t help myself. What about you? And wait a second … why are you alone?”
“I ran away.”
“Breaking the rules. Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he said, watching me curiously. “I didn’t know you were such a naughty girl.”
“You don’t know a lot about me.”
“True.” He nodded thoughtfully. “How about having some fun tonight? There’s a party in Dever that I was invited to, but I don’t want to go there alone. And since you have already broken the rules by running away, why don’t you break the taboo of talking to me and be my date tonight?”
“I think it’s just about time to have some fun.” And you are going to help me with that, I added mentally.
“Great! Shall we go back and rock that party?”
“Absolutely.”
How far can you go, Eileen? Far enough to show that no one can bring me to my knees, I replied to my inner voice. Not even Christian.
I knew that my plan was going to make many people hate me. But I didn’t care. There was only one person I wanted to be hurt. And I was ready to do my best to hurt him. No consequences mattered.
“You are scary in your fury. And damn gorgeous,” Will said, meeting me a few hours later. “I wouldn’t dare to stand on your way.”
“Remember that when you dare to do something that could upset me.”
“I will for sure,” he muttered, offering me his hand. I took it willingly and followed him to the party that we were going to rock.
I’d been to Dever’s parties before, but what we saw, entering a small ballroom near the Academic building, was different from any of them. There were about thirty people inside the room. And all of them were wearing something black. Just like Will and I.
“I think I forgot to say that it’s a Black party,” he said. “But you did a great job, choosing this dress.” He looked at my outfit and smiled.
“I tried my best,” I replied. The dress I was wearing was black and floor-length, with long sleeves, boat neck and open back.
“Shall I bring us some drinks?” Will asked. I nodded absently. Because my attention was focused on Evan, who was staring at me from the other side of the room. And he obviously didn’t approve my date. But I winked at him and smiled leisurely.
Here we go, it’s time to get the party started.
Evan swallowed the rest of his drink in one gulp and headed for me.
“Here,” Will said, giving me a glass of champagne.
“Mister Fairey, how nice of you to bring my friend here tonight,” Evan said. “Apparently you had to sell your soul to the devil to make her accept your invitation.”
�
��Actually, it was my pleasure to join Will at this … party,” I replied, smiling sweetly.
“Of course.” Evan blessed my date with an angry look and turned to me. “Can I have a word with you?”
“Not now, Evan. William and I were going to dance. Have fun and don’t drink too much.” I left my champagne on the nearest table and followed Will to the dance floor. His only reaction to my unfriendly talk with Evan was a giggle.
“I’m afraid I’ll be dead by tomorrow morning.” I knew what he was talking about. All the gazes of the other guests were glued to us. Amanda tried to say something using the sign language, but I ignored her. Just as I ignored Evan’s and Christian’s stares, boring holes in my back.
Vanessa was the only person who was surprisingly glad to see me. She greeted me, nodding and smiling pleasantly. Go figure!
My behavior promised trouble. I knew it the moment I saw Christian, coming up to me.
He stopped behind me. “What do you think you are doing, Eileen?” he whispered into my ear.
“Following your advice: trying to stop myself from saving the world and have some fun,” I replied, sipping my champagne. Suddenly his palm caught my glass, half-way to my lips.
“Stop it. You had enough for tonight.”
“Why do you even care?” I turned around and looked into his eyes. “You broke up with me, remember?”
“I did not break up with you,” he said firmly. “But as far as I can see it doesn’t stop you from throwing yourself into another guy’s embrace.”
“Will and I are just friends.”
“It doesn’t look like that.”
“And you are here with Vanessa, right?” I crossed my arms, trying to stop myself from slapping him in the face.
“She invited me because I helped her to get a permission to have her party in this ballroom.”
“Of course. You are ready to do anything for her.” I tried to turn around, but Christian never let me do that. He put his arms around my waist and pressed my body to his; our gazes locked.
“You don’t know what you are talking about. This is not what you think.”
I wish I could say something in response. But the moment I felt his fingers on my back’s bare skin, I forgot about everything, including my revenge and anger. Christian closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. I knew he felt the same things I did. And when his palm slid up my back and to the place where my tattoo was, I stopped breathing. Christian’s embrace tightened.
“You look … gorgeous in this dress,” he said in a barely audible voice. And I did the stupidest thing ever.
I smirked, saying, “You are not the first person to say this tonight.”
His eyes immediately found mine. And even in the dim light of the room I could see how dark they were.
“I hope you will enjoy the rest of your night,” he said, releasing me. I felt so lost without the warmth of his touch. And I knew he would never forgive me for coming to the party with William. But there was one more reason why I intentionally made him angry. I needed some time to save the rest of the world that needed my help … and I knew that I would never be able to do that with Christian, following my every step.
I’m so sorry, I said mentally, watching him, walking away from me….
Chapter 20. Nelly
I felt dizzy. Everything in front of my eyes was swaying in a slow dance. The voices were too loud to bear, and the air was too hot to breathe. I tried my best not to fall right in the middle of the ballroom. I was obviously drunk. Though I was sure I didn’t drink much. But somehow the aftermath of everything I had done felt terribly wrong.
Miraculously I got to the exit, welcoming the sweet embrace of freedom and fresh air. Will was nowhere around, but I didn’t really care. I wanted to be alone.
Coming back to Christian’s room wasn’t an option, and I was sure that Amanda would be waiting for me in our bedroom, so I went to my father’s apartment. It was empty at the moment as Frederick had gone to see my mom, who was visiting my grandma in Norfield. He said I could use his apartment whenever I wanted. And now was just the right moment to do that.
I opened the door to the spacious living room, and went to the couch that looked so welcoming. I passed out the moment my head touched the small pillow. It felt unbelievably soft.
When I opened my eyes, the clock on the opposite wall showed three in the morning. And someone was knocking at the door. Loudly.
I rose and went to the door, trying to feel the energy of my unexpected guest. But I didn’t feel anything.
Weird, I thought.
“Evan? What are you doing here? Do you even know what time it is?”
“Nope. But I saw the lights in the windows, and realized that it might be you hiding here while Frederick’s gone.”
“What do you want?” I wasn’t ready for any of Evan’s usual lectures. I went back to the couch. Evan followed me.
“What is wrong with you, Eileen?” he asked softly, brushing away a strand of my hair. “You are not the same Eileen I know.”
I smirked. “Because that Eileen doesn’t exist anymore.”
“What have you done to her?”
“Nothing. She ran away. Like a coward.”
“I’m serious, Eileen. This is not you.”
“Maybe you are right.” I blinked, and a small tear ran down my cheek. “I’m just tired of pretending, Evan. But I don’t have a choice. I need to find the spell, I need to destroy the brotherhood, and I need to be free again. I want to be free from the problems we have. And I know that no matter how many people are ready to help me, it’s me whom the Dragons want to find. It’s me whom they want kill. And though you refuse to see the situation from my point of view, I know that I’m the only one who can save you all. This is my war, Evan. And none of you should risk your life for me. But I will risk my life for you, because while I’m still alive and powerful the Dragons will never let me enjoy this life. But I swear, I will do my best to destroy them. Because there’s no way I would ever let them take away what belongs to me. I’m not going to give up, Evan. Whether you like it, or not.”
“That’s what I have already figured out on my own.” I put my head on Evan’s shoulder, and he embraced me with one hand.
“Promise me, you won’t tell anyone,” I said, as I looked into his eyes. Evan was here because he knew that my show was performed especially for Christian whom I tried to protect by pushing him away from me. Yes, I risked his love for me, but it was the only way to use the carte blanch he gave me, leaving me a few days ago. I needed him to stay away from me and my plans. Because there was one thing I didn’t tell anyone. Not even Evan. And I made sure Amanda wouldn’t be able to read anything in my mind.
“I promise,” Evan said, kissing my forehead. “But you know that I’m always there for you if you need my help.”
“I know.” I nodded, smiling. “And I know that you will be able to feel if there’s any danger waiting for me around the corner.”
“Well, yes. I’m your personal guardian angel after all.” Yes, we were like guardian angels to each other. It was a specific feature of the bond we shared. “By the way, this dress is damn sexy. Keep it for another chance to drive Christian crazy.”
“And here I thought, I have already done that tonight.”
“Trust me, Baby, you have.” We both laughed, Evan wished me sweet dreams and left, saying he would come back to check on me in the morning.
And the morning came sooner than I expected. I had a horrible headache, and every inch of my body hurt. I never took off the dress I was wearing at the party and never got to the bed. I spent the rest of the night on the couch, thinking about what to do next. When I was about to fall asleep again, the first rays of the sun appeared from behind the curtains, but I was too exhausted to pay any attention to them. I closed my eyes and saw a very beautiful dream about me walking down the sea shore, and listening to the songs of the wind. I was sure that the dream was sent by Evan, because I could feel his magic in every second o
f that beautiful illusion.
Speaking of which, I had finally realized where the spell we needed was hidden. And all I needed to do was to find the last key to the door that opened to the reality, created many centuries ago by the founders of Dever.
I got rid of the beautiful dress, took a shower, put on a pair of jeans and a sweater that I managed to find in my father’s apartment, and went to the Great Hall, where the first part of my new plan started.
Only one symbol from the map that was supposed to lead us to the spell still remained secret. And according to Christian’s words, the same symbol he saw on the clock over the Administration entrance. When I started thinking about its meaning, the answer came immediately. There was something we needed to turn clockwise to make the fiery figure that we created in the Hall, show us the way to the spell. And I needed to find the damn thing.
When I came to the Great Hall, I closed the door behind me, and made sure that I was alone. Then I came to the portrait of the Fairey family and did everything Christian, Evan and I tried to do a few days ago, following the map’s instructions.
The fiery figure disappeared after barely forming, but I managed to see the place where the lines of the figure were paler. It meant that the force of the magic creating the figure was weaker there. I came closer to what looked like a hole in the wall. I touched the cold surface, but didn’t feel anything unusual. I took a few steps away from the wall and looked at the hole again. It looked like a broken circle that I had no idea what to do with.
I spent a few more minutes trying different spells to make the circle move, but nothing changed. I needed some time to think. I left the Great Hall and headed for the lake that used to scare the hell out of me. I wasn’t afraid of visiting it anymore. Besides, it was the best place to catch the wind that always inspired me, and gave answers to the questions I couldn’t answer myself.
When I was about the go through the gates that lead to the Lake, I saw a horse. A beautiful black horse, walking along the iron fence. It reminded me of the one I saw in my dream. And just like in the dream, I wanted to come closer and touch her.