Lunacy

by R. A. Sears

  He gave me a soft smile, his dark eyes looking down into mine like no one else in the whole world even existed. “You’re the most gorgeous woman on the planet, Kacea. There might be some alien chicks out there that are hotter than you. I don’t know.” I slapped his chest and we both laughed. “But seriously, kitten. I love you.”

  My heart stopped beating for a second. The dreaded L-word. I’d been thinking on it before, but did I love him? All I really wanted was to see Jynxx happy and safe, no matter the cost.

  Sounded close enough to me. I stood on my toes to press a soft kiss to his lips, echoing his declaration. “I love you, too.”

  Chapter 24

  The winter came and went, which is saying something if you’ve ever had the pleasure of living through a New York winter. It was cold and dark, but none of that mattered because I had everything I could have ever wanted. A car, a job, decent grades, and a gorgeous guy who genuinely cared about me. Sure, that guy was learning to cope with being the de facto leader of a troupe of supernatural creatures that shouldn’t exist, but we were both adjusting to it. We kept each other warm, and the snow was melted and nothing but a fading memory before we knew what had happened.

  Spring was starting to come to a close and the temperature was climbing. The time for everyone to start landscaping and cleaning their cars in earnest was upon us. That also meant two major things were about to happen at Oberon Public High: prom and graduation.

  Graduation was nothing to worry about. Those horrible robes were supplied for us by the school, black for the guys and a dark royal purple for the girls. But a prom dress… That meant shopping, especially since this was the first year I had a legitimate date. Mom wasn’t going to let me ditch the function, or just wear something I already had in my closet.

  After shopping occurred, a dreaded day-long affair with the assistance of Aya and Taylea, I kept looking at the dress. Every day I’d go into the walk-in closet and take it from the garment bag with care, observing it with both trepidation and joy mingled into this weird knot in my stomach. My main concern: was Jynxx going to like it? I’d had it registered, so no one else from our class would have the same dress, just to be sure I wasn’t accidentally matching one of the yuppies. All Jynxx knew was the color of it so he could get an accessory to make us look like the perfect pair. It was a gorgeous dark emerald satin number, and it had almost made me cry when I had it on in the boutique.

  My mother’s smile of approval had sealed the deal. “That’s definitely the one,” she’d said, her green eyes sparkling in a hue similar to the garment that fit me like a glove made for no one else. I could only nod my agreement, the price tag being lower than I would have expected. Mom forked over the nearly four hundred dollars without even batting an eyelash.

  This was the last week of final exams, and prom was to follow all the stress of excessive testing on Saturday. I had mostly short days all week, being able to leave once my tests for the day were finished. Friday morning hit me in the face with rays of sunshine that nearly blinded me, my alarm clock screeching its daily greeting. It made me want to crawl into a cave and just die peacefully. The only perk to the day ahead was that this last big test was for my English class. All I had to do was write a few papers in the allotted time frame, and I was in the clear. No more tests, just a few days of classes next week for closure and the chance to bid farewell to friends; old and new alike. Once grades came in, my diploma would be in the mail and I could move on up and out of this quiet little town. On to bigger and better things, I hoped.

  I sat at my desk for one of the last times, scribbling my essays down furiously when the last question stopped me dead in my tracks. “Based upon the following passage, interpret the symbolism present in the Norse legend of Baldr’s death brought on by Loki, half-brother of the god Thor.”

  Son of a bitch… There it was. The warning throb started at the base of my skull, gradually snaking its way through my brain and becoming an incessant pulsating agony in my temples as I forced myself to read the legend and begin my answer. I fought it, writing as quickly as I possibly could, accidentally tearing a small line through the test paper. I paused and looked away from it for a second, taking a very deep inhalation through my mouth before going back to it.

  Finally finished some twenty minutes later, I headed up to turn in the test. I got a horrified look from the teacher and I brushed the back of my hand under my nose, feeling moisture there. I had a trickling nose bleed going on. I gave her a shrug and a dismissive head shake, heading out the door without a backwards glance. Now that all thoughts of Vikings were far from my mind, I felt perfectly fine. I shook it off as I sank into the driver’s seat of my car, checking my face in the mirror and wiping all traces of blood from my skin. A soft, experimental sniff told me that things were good now, so I started the car and headed back home, just wanting to pass out on the couch and nap forever.

  It was somewhere around noon, so I grabbed a quick lunch and laid down, intending just to rest for a bit. When I came to, I checked the time on my phone and was appalled to see that it was now Saturday morning, somewhere around seven. I sat up and sighed, finger combing my mussed hair back from my face. I headed into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and wondering how the hell I’d slept so long. The stresses of after school extra-curriculars with the Clan, paired with studying my ass off and just wanting this year to be over had me more tapped out than I thought.

  I scanned through the texts on my phone, pausing with a smile at one from Jynxx yesterday afternoon. “Came by but you were dead to the world. Figured you’d need your beauty sleep. See you tomorrow night beautiful.”

  Prom night… I was so not looking forward to this. Two cups of coffee and a light breakfast later, my parents came into the kitchen. Both of them looked confused at me being up before noon. I shrugged it off. “I think me crashing yesterday and sleeping until just after dawn was more than sufficient.”

  Dad smiled and kissed my forehead as he went to grab his own coffee. “All that studying kicked your ass, I take it.”

  I nodded. “You have no idea.”

  Soon enough, they were on their way out the door and I was alone in the house again. I grabbed a shower and called Taylea and Mia, making plans to get our hair done in the afternoon, closer to the time of the big social event. I picked them both up and we were off, the whole thing not seeming real to me.

  “Are either of you freaking out about this, right now?” I asked, not taking my eyes from the road as we headed to the salon.

  “About prom?” Mia asked, stretching her arms before settling back in her seat. “Not really. A little freaked about graduation, though.”

  Taylea laughed. “With how much you both bitch and moan about wanting to get out of this school and this town, now you’re starting to get worried? What the hell?”

  I sighed. “I haven’t made any plans for a specific college, or what the hell I’m going to do with my life. I don’t want to work at The Palace forever, and I know I need to get away from Elm Valley. Those two things are all I know about my future.”

  “What about Mister Dark and Dangerous?” Taylea put in, turning partly to look at me. “Does he have any plans about college and life outside this asylum?”

  I frowned at her disdain, but she’d started being civil with my boyfriend a while back. It was really the best I could hope for from the stubborn blond. Jynxx and I had been dating for nearly nine months now, and it hadn’t seemed like that long at all. But even with all of that time together, we’d never discussed college, or what the end of high school meant for our relationship. I guess I’d assumed we’d try to go somewhere together, even if it didn’t mean more school. With all of this him leading the Clan thing, I wasn’t sure he could even leave Elm Valley for long. Aloud, I scoffed. “He’s smart, but I don’t know if college is something he wants any part of. Why go from one government sanctioned prison to another?”

  Mia laughed at that one. “Tarren and I a
re planning on taking off somewhere for the summer. Come back towards the fall and have everything figured out by then. I think everyone in our class needs a damn vacation from this place.”

  “You’re dead on there, girly.” Taylea put in.

  ***

  It took us about an hour sitting in the salon, and a quick glance at my phone’s clock told me it was nearly four, only two hours away from all of this nonsense kicking off. The girls had brought their dresses along so we could all go together from my place. We’d pooled money together to get photos taken at the dance. Less bothersome parents making us pose for an hour before we left, that way.

  Thanks to the giant mirror in my bathroom, we were all done with our makeup and last minute primping by five. We were going to meet up with the guys at the dance; Jynxx, Tarren, and Raul were carpooling. I envied them. They’d probably only need half an hour to get ready, not several hours of hair, makeup, and wardrobe like we were movie stars. I shoved my bitterness aside and we headed downstairs.

  My parents were waiting on the couch, an unexpected monkey wrench in our flawless plans. “Let’s get this over with…” I groaned, the three of us standing together so Mom could get some shots on her digital camera. While she was going on about how pretty we all looked, Dad grabbed a few pictures with his phone. Finally seeming satisfied, they both gave me a hug in parting, careful not to muss my hair or face.

  “We love you, honey. You kids all be careful, tonight. Crash at someone’s house if you have anything to drink, alright?” Mom added the last nonchalantly, like us being under-aged was no big thing. She shrugged, “If you’re going to do it anyway, might as well be smart about it.”

  I rolled my eyes and Mia cackled. “Man, I wish my parents were as easy going as yours, Kaysh.”

  “Whatever… Let’s get out of here so I can do something terribly embarrassing in public that’ll force me to hide under a rock for the rest of my days.”

  Chapter 25

  5:45 and kids were lining up outside of the building, everyone eager and holding their tickets like we were going to a huge concert. I found myself wishing it could be something that awesome. Picking up the edges of my bulky skirts in my hands, I made my way to the group of guys waiting for Mia, Taylea, and I. The looks on the boys’ faces said that we’d done a good job of blowing them away. Raul and Taylea held each other, foreheads pressed together as they murmured gushy things I wouldn’t ever want to hear, Mia and Tarren holding hands and smiling at each other.

  Jynxx and I… I found it terribly hard to resist the urge to strip him on the spot, and judging from the heat in his eyes that made heat coil low in my belly, he felt the same. My mother had fronted the bill for his suit; I say suit because it wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill tuxedo. It was a tailored suit, expensive and cut to fit him like a glove. His jacket, vest, and pants were all black, matching his leather shoes that looked like they would have done Armani proud. The shirt under his vest was a pristine white that somehow didn’t wash out his complexion, and the only bit of his whole ensemble that was the same dark green as my dress was his silk tie, standard rather than a bow tie. And it wasn’t a clip-on. He definitely earned bonus points for that one.

  “You look gorgeous, Kacea.” I blushed deeply and nodded my thanks, having trouble finding my voice. He smirked and just pressed a kiss to my forehead, holding my hand even when we forked over our tickets and headed into the gym with the rest of the over-dressed throng.

  Rather than a live band, Oberon Public had decided to hire a disc jockey for the event. “Great,” I sighed. “We’d better get to that request sheet before it gets filled with bump-n-grind music.”

  Jynxx gave me a crooked grin. “Well, maybe we shouldn’t fill the whole thing with metal. After all, I thought you couldn’t mosh in a skirt?”

  I slapped his arm and laughed. “Not in a ball gown and heels! I discovered I can manage in a skirt.” I gave him a pointed glare. “Gee, I wonder whose fault that one is?”

  He whistled innocently and looked away, letting me drag him to the DJ’s table, regardless. I wrote down some dance songs I could stomach, and a few things I was almost positive there was no way in hell they’d get played. I always liked to test the DJ’s library.

  We’d been out on the floor for a few minutes when Taylea and Mia came to fetch me, their boys in tow. “We’re up in five minutes for those pictures, Kaysh.” With an affected sigh, I nodded my assent and the six of us went to get in another line.

  After seeing the proof shots some ten minutes later, I had to admit that we all looked pretty sharp. And since this was the last event like this where we’d all be together, I suffered through it with a minimum amount of complaining. Who knew if we’d ever even see each other again after graduation and the summer were over?

  I tried not to dwell on the negatives, purposely focusing more on enjoying myself as much as I could. I was in the arms of a man who loved me, very nice arms, and we were one step closer to freedom after this night was over with. We could go anywhere once graduation passed, do anything, and still be together. The world was a big place, and the future was ours for the taking.

  The night wore on and things were starting to wind down. A round of slow songs had just ended and I excused myself to head to the bathroom, needing a breather and to cool down a bit. No one was in the ladies’ room but me, and I leaned heavily against the counter with a sigh. My frantic pulse started to slow and I could feel the perspiration beaded on my skin cooling. Everything was finally falling into place, and I was more at peace with where my life was headed than I ever had been before.

  I had the sudden feeling I was being watched and that serenity shattered into a million pieces as I looked into the mirror. There was a pair of disembodied eyes watching me from one of the mirrors, and I stared at them. I couldn’t decide if I should be afraid of them, or not. Best way to find out?

  “Who are you, and what do you want?” I asked.

  I felt like something in my mind was released, the sensation tingling and unpleasant like the pins and needles of a waking limb. Everything flooded back to me so quickly that it stole the breath from my lungs.

  What had happened with Alain’s pack, being taken away by the Enoch, being drained to the brink of death by the vampire and his sister… And Jamison, the owner of those very grey eyes patiently watching me, saving my life.

  My eyes were still open, staring blankly at nothing, my body lacking the strength or will to move or even close them. It was late into the night, the heavy evening wrapped around the vampire and I like a shroud. He’d brought me out here to dispose of my body, but I was still alive. Barely.

  He cradled my head in his hand, kneeling down with me laid across his lap. I heard a thick and wet tearing noise and felt something trickling into my mouth, the flesh of his wrist hot like a flame pressed against my pallid lips. I couldn’t even struggle to try stopping it from pouring into my throat, my body giving up every ounce of fight in it. He turned my head slightly so I was looking up at him, his hair looking almost like Jynxx’s in this light.

  “I know you want to give up, but hang in there, Kacea. This won’t be enough to turn you, but you should be healed by morning.” He looked back over his shoulder quickly, his eyes coming back to mine a few seconds later. He pressed his fingertips against the place in my throat where a pulse should be. “It’s getting a bit stronger. I’m going to close your eyes for you. Rest up.”

  “It was you,” I said softly. “You’re the one who blocked my memory.”

  “And anyone else who was involved in it. Alain and his pack, all your family and friends… Do you have any idea how much of a drain that was?”

  “So sorry to have burdened you. Why am I remembering now?” I crossed my arms, stepping closer to the mirror.

  “Because Thor is one of the chaperones at your little soiree, and you need to get the hell out before he sees you.”

  My jaw dropped and I was about to respond with disbelief when I just shook my head. “
You said to get out. What does that mean?”

  “If you don’t want to get sucked in by the Aesir and jumpstart Armageddon right in the middle of your senior prom, get to the parking lot. I’m waiting for you.”

  The eyes faded and I stood there before the glass for a few minutes, just staring. I was torn. And Thor? Really? Who in the name of fuck could possibly be housing the soul of the god of thunder? It didn’t matter. If Jamison was right, then I had to leave before anyone could get hurt. If a few vampires could almost kill me, then a god…

  “Fuck me,” I growled, storming out of the bathroom. The few people in the hall weren’t ones who would recognize me on sight, so I darted past them and headed to the parking lot. I looked back behind me once my shoes hit the blacktop, relieved to see no one was following me.

  My eyes skimmed the lot, seeing a silhouette just outside the edge of the safety lights. That had to be Jamison. I moved as quickly as I could in my heels, coming to a stop before him. “So… What happens now?”

  He took a step forward, the light from above bringing his features into focus. He was dressed all in riding leathers and I saw a motorcycle parked behind him. “That depends on your decision here and now, Kacea. Either you leave with me, or life as we know it ends. The Aesir need you to retake control of things. Without Skadhi, they can’t recapture and torture Loki. If you go back into that prom, Thor –who you should be able to sense, by now- will find you and convince you that doing what they want is the only way.”

  “And what’s your position in all of this? Why are you helping me?” I clutched my stupid purse that matched my dress, my voice thick with tears I didn’t want to let loose. I could feel his presence now, like an ominous and distant rumble that made the very core of me tremble.

  He gave me a humorless grin, long eyeteeth flashing in the dim light. “I’ve been around a while, Kaysh… I like this world the way it is. If humanity gets annihilated, where does that leave me?”