I tell him straight, “Danny, if our relationship was a normal one, you know without the whole black widow thing, that last speech would so have gotten you laid.”
How shocked he looks at my straight-forwardness is rather comical.
Then he shakes his head and laughs, “Circumstance is a bitch.”
I agree.
Then I remember the photo.
I turn it around to look at the message he wrote.
It consists of one simple word.
Forever.
I’ve never felt an emotion like this before.
Happiness just swells up in me.
It’s a feeling I’m not used to and it’s rather overwhelming.
“Daniel,” I say, as he eagerly awaits my reaction. “You would probably have gotten laid twice tonight.”
He groans in frustration, “You’re killing me here, Katy, you are killing me!”
I laugh.
I begin to think about what to write myself.
I don’t exactly have a way with words at the best of times. Now my mind just goes blank.
All I want is a way to describe to him what he means to me.
No words seem good enough.
There aren’t words for it.
In the end my message is one word, just like his.
Soulmate.
I think that word implies a lot, when you think about it.
He smiles when he sees it.
This is when the Aracnes begin leaving school for our meeting.
They seem to all come at once.
They just swing out of their bedroom windows, using webs shot from their shoulders. Then they use these webs to abseil their way down the wall.
It is an amazing sight.
Now I know why Angelica didn’t need to use the door.
She eventually wanders over to us.
She is glad that I am alive, she tells me.
Rejon will pay for the kidnapping, she assures me.
Then she begins talking to me about our room. She thinks we should paint it red.
Daniel and I exchange glances.
His sister likes showing emotion even less than he does.
I give her a hug.
I know that she has her own ‘personal space’ boundaries. Still, she does manage to reciprocate the hug.
We begin walking to the meeting. She asks me if Greg was the one who brought me to Rejon.
I admit to her that he was. There is no use in denying the truth after all.
You can see the devastation on her face. She has been utterly betrayed, just as much as I have.
She tells me that she’s fine.
I know that she isn’t, despite the smile she fakes now.
She has lost another person she loves to this evil creep. Another person she trusted has just completely let her down.
I promise myself that I won’t ever become one of those people.
Rejon shall never have my allegiance.
Nate convenes the meeting once we are all inside.
He tells us all that he has some ‘bad news’ and some ‘even worse than bad’ news.
The bad news is that we still have no idea who Rejon is.
The ‘even worse than bad news’ is that we have no idea how to kill him. Today Nate was talking to people ‘who are in the creature hunting business’. They all told him that Rejon is unkillable. They have used every conceivable weapon against him, including all types of guns, swords and knives.
Rejon has always walked away without a scratch.
Word on the street is that ‘Death himself’ is afraid of Rejon.
I sigh.
Some good news would be nice.
Nate looks at us cautiously before carrying on, “Due to the dire situation we have found ourselves in I have brought in some help. Now, I’m not sure about the credentials of these guys but I’ve heard . . . well. . . just see for yourself. Andrew, Wendy, get in here.”
Two teenagers walk into the room, they both look just a tiny bit nervous.
The one named ‘Andrew’ has white hair. He also has piercings on his lips and ears. I recognise him from school. His appearance is rather distinctive.
Wendy is skinny, with auburn hair and pale skin.
They don’t have our eyes. They are mimickers.
Nate introduces them further, “These two are kind of experts in the field of ‘bad-guys-in-general’. They’ve worked miracles before. I think we need one now.”
The two look at each other and smile.
Andrew speaks first, “Okay so, you guys, you are under attack. The bad guy in question is no easy customer. So we’ll start with the basics, things everyone knows. Step One, to catching any villain, is to attain knowledge.”
Wendy interrupts, “We don’t have a lot of this on Rejon. He is good at keeping his secrets from his enemies, right down to his identity. This means, obviously, that we look for little clues in his behaviour, and in the specifics of his very character, to identify him.”
Andrew surveys the room, stopping at me briefly, before carrying on, “He has given us some interesting clues, through his very behaviour, believe it or not. Now, admittedly, we have only been able to find out a few tiny things.”
He begins listing these ‘few tiny things’ that are ‘pretty obvious’.
Rejon doesn’t just feed on fear. He truly revels in it.
The way he treats his victims makes this obvious.
His letter to us was purely to incite our panic.
Chances are he won’t kill us off fast. He will enjoy our fear first.
Power is something that is important to him.
He could hunt humans on his own.
He doesn’t. Instead he has followers.
This tells us that he ‘needs’ recognition.
There is no doubt that he has an ego.
The likelihood is that he does not form attachments to his followers. They are only there so that he has someone to ‘perceive’ how brilliant he is.
He is charismatic and persuasive. This is how he has built up his fan-base.
This is why they are so loyal to him.
They aren’t afraid of him as we are. They are completely enchanted with him.
The letter to us, as well as the message to Daniel, tells us a few things.
He never cared about us before. Something has triggered this sudden interest in our group. This something would’ve taken place within the last few days.
We should all think hard on it.
In the end my head is left spinning.
It is a lot to take in.
Wendy asks whether any of us have any more relevant information.
Daniel speaks, “Yeah, the creep kind of kidnapped my girlfriend while y’all were hiding away in your spider form today . . .”
A few of them look guilty at this.
Andrew seems sad. He tells Daniel that he is sorry for his loss.
“I’m his girlfriend,” I say. “I’m alive.”
Now I get a whole load of questions.
Most are from Wendy. Every little thing I can tell them is of use, she urges.
Andrew seems thoughtful. He asks me, straight-out, why Rejon didn’t kill me.
I tell him that Rejon didn’t want to kill me. He wanted me as a follower.
Daniel looks at me now, shocked. I never told him about Rejon’s plans for me. It completely slipped my mind.
There are interested faces all around me now. Some of them are also suspicious.
I suppose they have reason. Most people who get taken by Rejon probably don’t live to tell the tale. For all they know I am a Cezer now.
I tell them that Daniel saved me before Rejon got to make his pitch.
A lot of them still look unsure about trusting me.
Luckily a distraction walks straight in the door at this point.
I can barely believe it when I see him.
Everyone goes silent.
Bold as brass he just walks right into the middle of us.
Greg Harshaw.
“Hi,” he says. “Now before you guys lynch mob me I wish to make an announcement. I’ve been kicked out of the Cezers, quite ironically, for ‘bad behaviour’. I am making a formal plea to join your group, mostly for protection reasons. I realise that some of you may have a problem with this proposal. I realise that some of you may not trust me, and with good reason too. To those of you who fall into this category I say ‘who among you have never made a mistake’. So, how about it? Will you guys pardon a prodigal son of sorts?”
There is complete uproar.
I try to argue that he helped save my life earlier. No one hears me among the mass of voices now baying for his blood.
Angelica is completely silent. She looks distant.
Greg tries again, “I would like to stress, again, that I come in peace. Now I noticed some of you suggesting that I should be tortured until I tell you who Rejon is. Your torture would be pointless. I don’t know who he is. He has only ever communicated with me by phone. Only his most trusted disciples have seen him in person. I haven’t worked for him long enough to earn that ‘honour.’ He never liked me, I don’t think. He had his disciples cut off my arms when he realised that I’d let a prisoner escape today.”
This confuses me.
“Greg, you still have you arms,” I say.
He says it like it’s the most obviously thing in the world, “They grew back.”
This seems to make sense to everyone else. I guess this is another thing Arachnes can do.
Greg’s stare fixes on me for a moment. I can tell he is glad that I’m safe.
Unfortunately, some people still want him dead.
Greg addresses them, “I wouldn’t kill me if I were you guys. I’d let me join your group.”
“Why?” Nate demands, “Why would we ever let an ex-Cezer join us?”
Greg smiles, just a little bit more confident now, “I have something you don’t have. I have Information. I will share this information with you upon being granted membership to your group.”
Andrew seems intrigued. I can tell he’s just dying to interview Greg about every moment he’s spent as a Cezer.
Greg has said the right thing. I know when I look around me. People seem to be warming to the idea of letting him in.
Everyone knows we need information. Everyone knows that Greg could be an invaluable source of it.
I think he may be our only hope.
Nate still seems unconvinced. He asks Greg to elaborate on this ‘information’ of his.
This is when Greg says the words that gain him membership to our group, “I am the only person, ladies and gentlemen, who knows how Rejon can be killed.”
Chapter Eight
I am sitting in Principal Sheeran’s office.
It is likely that I am in a lot of trouble.
I am not sure yet because he hasn’t said a word.
He is looking at a ‘file’ he has on me while swinging in his leather chair.
I am slightly dazzled by the brightness in here. Everything seems to be polished to the point of shining.
The clock says that it is four in the afternoon. I am still tired from getting no sleep last night.
Greg told us, last night, about a weapon. It’s called the ‘Necroslon’. It is the only thing that can kill Rejon.
The only trouble is that we don’t know where it is. Rejon has hidden it somewhere and ordered a host of fierce mythical creatures to guard it.
He is clever, our Rejon. I am beginning to fear that he is always two steps ahead of us.
The Principal speaks at last.
He lists out everything I’ve done wrong.
I have missed class.
I have fallen asleep during class.
I didn’t hand in any homework today.
Last night I was found sneaking around outside.
He is awfully disappointed in me.
It is very frustrating. I can’t exactly explain that I was kidnapped yesterday and therefore couldn’t complete my assignments.
He says he shall have to ring my mother.
It is a shame, he thinks. The Darkwoods always did so well here. He went to school with my father. One thing he can tell me, for sure, is that my Dad always handed in his assignments. A brilliant student if he remembers correctly.
My Uncle Riley too. Yes, that guy was on every extracurricular committee that was ever set up in the school. Heck, he started half of them up himself. An absolutely outstanding addition to the school, he was.
Sheeran goes quiet as he remembers my Uncle’s apparent ‘awesomeness’ in general.
I sit and wait. I don’t like the fact that Sheeran just brought up my Dad. It makes me feel really guilty that I haven’t been doing better here.
I suddenly feel like I’m letting my father down somehow.
The feeling is horrible.
I decide to distract myself by checking what Sheeran’s fears are.
He fears that his wife will find out about his obsession with cheerleaders.
He is afraid that the police will find the photos on his computer; the one’s of the girls in their cheerleading uniforms. Most of them are only sixteen.
I am rather shocked.
Sheeran talks to me again. This school has a reputation to uphold, he says. He can’t let my kind of behaviour go unpunished.
A suspension is called for at least, he thinks. He is going to call my Mom this very instant.
I begin to panic. She was always such a worrier.
This is the kind of news that would definitely bring on her ‘anxiety’.
That is the last thing I want.
Another thing I don’t want is for her to be disappointed in me.
“Please don’t call her,” I say. “I promise I’ll work harder.”
The Principal is ignoring me. He picks up the phone.
I realise that I will have to sink very low right now.
I am ashamed of myself before I even begin my charade.
Completely fake tears emerge from my eyes, “You can’t suspend me. I love it here!”
“Now, Katy, we’ll have none of that,” he says while dialling the number. “Compose yourself.”
I can’t believe it.
The tears didn’t work.
I am going to have to sink even lower.
“I’m sorry, I’m just so upset . . . You see I was so looking forward to trying out for the cheerleading team tomorrow,” I manage to sound duly upset. “If you suspend me I’ll never get the chance . . .”
He hesitates to dial the next number and studies me. There is a definite renewed interest in his eyes.
I am in disbelief.
It’s actually working.
I produce new tears, “I’ve always wanted to be a cheerleader. Now my chance is gone . . .”
I sigh heavily.
Amazingly he puts down the phone.
He clears his throat.
He has decided to give me a second chance on account of my interest in pursuing ‘extra-curricular’ activities.
I could end up being a real asset to the school, after all.
He will only give me this one chance. If I don’t take my schoolwork more seriously he will have no choice but to take drastic action.
He does not want to hear of me breaking another school rule.
I am extremely lucky to be getting this chance, he tells me.
I promise him, solemnly, that I will be on my best behaviour. Then I thank him before leaving his office.
I practically jump for joy after I close the door behind me. It is not every-day that you get a second chance after all.
There is one unfortunate thing to come out of this though. I shall have to join the cheerleading squad.
I tell Daniel this.
He is sitting outside the Principal’s office awaiting his turn. He was caught outside last night as well. We were the last two leaving the gym and it really worked against us.
He grins at my predicament, �
�I think you’ll fit right in as a cheerleader. You have the blonde hair and everything!”
I smile back, “Yes, but do I look ‘peppy’ to you?”
He laughs as I sit down beside him.
I think back on his complimenting of my human eyes last night.
I find myself really wishing that I looked like human-me again.
Daniel begins telling me a story about a mishap he just had in science class.
Mid-way he turns to look at me and stops dead.
He looks astounded suddenly.
“What?” I ask, paranoid.
“This isn’t possible,” he remarks, amazed. “Katy, don’t panic, but I think, eh . . . Katy, you look like you again!”
At first I think he is joking.
Then I glance at my hair.
It is chestnut brown.
“How did this happen?” I question Daniel.
He doesn’t know, he tells me.
It is not possible that I am a Mimicker. They never have our blue eyes. Rather they look human from the time of their change.
No one has ever changed their blue eyes once they have gotten them either.
Daniel looks somewhere between worried and fascinated.
I did just wish for this to happen.
What if I made it happen?
I wonder where these powers are coming from. They don’t seem to be normal.
I begin to wonder what’s wrong with me.
Daniel runs his hand through my hair. He seems calm now.
He takes out his camera. I smile as he takes the picture of the two of us.
On the back of the photo he writes a message. It tells me not to worry. I look beautiful, it says.
It is so sweet. Once again I am left wishing that I could think of something beautiful to say.
In the end I decide to kiss him instead. Unfortunately the Principal interrupts this.
Daniel’s turn to see him has come.
My boyfriend trudges into the office, glancing back at me once or twice.
He mouths at me to ‘wait there’.
The boy is taking this protecting me business very seriously.
The Principal asks me, confused, who I am.
He obviously doesn’t recognise me.
“Katy Darkwood,” I smile at him sweetly.
Now he looks even more puzzled, “Weren’t you just in with me a second ago?”
“Yes,” I answer, as if everything’s perfectly normal.
Elysium's Love Triangle Page 9