“I should get back to my date,” said Meikle. “I told him to stay put and not move. He took me too seriously. Hasn’t moved his arm from his eyebrow since I came over here.”
Following her gaze, I saw Bobby standing in a semi-saluting stance. “Meeks, are you and Bobby…dating?”
“Trying to. He gets a little frazzled, but I think he has potential.”
“He’s sweating,” said Troy, rejoining me.
“It’s only the beginning,” Meikle purred as she slowly returned to Bobby.
“He’ll never survive her,” I said when Polly suddenly yanked my arms back. “Ouch!”
“I’m sick of not having a date. No date means things like this happen.” Polly pulled her hair back to reveal two fang marks in her neck.
“Oh, God, Polls! You were bitten by a vampire!” I said, as Troy readied himself to avenge our friend.
“No, no, not the bite! That was quite enjoyable, actually. No, he left me! It was a bite and run! He bit me, said my part-demon blood was of poor quality, and ditched me! What respectable vampire bites, barely sucks, and just leaves without a proper ‘thank you’ for the blood? I’m tired of being dateless. I can’t stand in a corner like Maile, daydreaming about her on-the-lam boyfriend, though I would have preferred her red gown to my candy-blue nonsense. I feel like a theme park costume.” Polly glanced at Gully, happily dancing in circles. “And that I simply will not do. Then you have Ophelia with enemy-Irving! I refuse to date an enemy. And you all thought I was demon-ing out when I mentioned her curious love of purple. I’ve got my demon eye on that one, bank it. Ultimately, Valentine’s Day sucks. Tonight sucks. Everything sucks. Except vampires, apparently,” she said, storming off to join my mom by the pastries.
“Lord, give my mama strength,” I groaned.
“Should someone tell Polls her pink hair pretty much makes everything she wears look like a theme park costume?” Aww, Troy made a little joke! It was the first one since the demon drama during the second match.
“Be my guest,” I teased.
“Think I won’t,” he said, his smile shadowed by underlying gloom.
“Come on. Dance with me,” I said, taking him by the hand.
Though he held me close, he hardly seemed to notice; his arms were stiff, cold, and unsure, as though the object in his arms might shatter at any moment.
“Ophelia shouldn’t be with Irving,” he said flatly. “No innocent heart should ever be shared with a duplicitous fraud.”
Oh, God, he’s killing me. “Troy, please—”
Angry shouting from across the room caught everyone’s attention.
“He’s trash, Pheli!” bellowed Benji. “He’ll rip you in two!”
“My life is none of your business!” screamed Ophelia.
“How about we handle things outside?” offered Irving.
“With pleasure,” Benji growled.
“No! Don’t do this! Please!” Ophelia chased after Benji and Irving, tugging on their sleeves, desperate to stop them.
“Benji can’t take Irving,” said Troy, grasping my hand.
“Hurry,” I said, as Ophelia’s anxious pleas grew louder.
By the time we reached the corridor just outside the marble dance hall, Benji was a bloody mess, Ophelia was in tears, and Irving was going in for more.
“Enough,” said Troy, grabbing Irving’s hand, stopping it mid-swing. “If you’re looking to humiliate, aim at me. I guarantee humiliation…for you.”
Irving regarded Troy for a moment, before trepidation traveled across his face. “Come on, Ophelia. Think I made my point here.”
Benji, staggering a bit, stood up, wiping his bloody mouth on his sleeve. “Yeah, you made a point. You showed your real self. And that’s the kind of man you want, Pheli? Someone who could ignore your wishes and do this? Someone who would’ve kept going if Troy hadn’t stopped him?” Ophelia’s sad eyes hesitated, but she ultimately returned to the ball with Irving. “Know where you stand, then!” Benji thanked Troy with half a nod and left.
“Oh dear. Is team Normals losing one to the other side? What a crushing blow for you.” Katrina leaned against the wall, eyeing Troy. “Hey, Troy, feeling…conflicted these days? You know, I never cared which I got…it was a buy one, get one free deal, no complaints.”
“You are so asking for an aching, aren’t you Katrina?” I said, dangerously close to blasting her ass clear across the room. Unfortunately, I’m not in total control of this new boom-power, which means I might inadvertently blow her to smithereens. Hmm. On second thought…
“I’m just waiting for Act Two.”
“Act Two? You playing scenes out in your head again, Kat?”
Just then, a thundering clash sent chunks of marble, slices of mushroom, and tables and chairs flying across the room as innocent guests ducked and dropped, screaming. And there, in the center of the destroyed room, was a beast, half-crab, half-scorpion, its black eyes feasting on guests, its curled tail twitching threateningly; the monstrous brownish-red creature slammed its multiple claws into the floor—it was waiting…for me.
“Don’t think I’ll need binoculars for this smite performance, do you? What do you think? Over she falls?”
“What did you just say?” Could her family be behind The Dealer? I’m thinking hell yes.
“Silly me. I meant to wish you luck…bad luck,” she sneered.
“Let me,” said Troy, starting for the creature.
“No,” said. “It’s mine.”
Growing impatient, the sea scorpion pinned Trey to the floor and aimed its venomous tail at Airianna’s head. I threw not one, but three golden shields to protect Airianna, blocking every angle the beastie might attempt. Taking a chance on my boom-it-up power, I sent a blast just big enough to free Trey; he quickly gathered Airianna in his arms and took her to safety.
“Think it’s me you want,” I said, blocking the towering creature from the rest of the guests.
It unleashed a war cry so piercing, one of my eardrums burst; blood trickled down my earlobe. The monster swiped its huge pincers across my body, trying to knock me sideways. Ruffling my hair as they passed, I knew I had scarcely escaped being hit, but the creature swerved so quickly, that its pincers aimed for my head, yet again. Falling to the floor to avoid them, I looked up to find the poisonous tip of the tail speeding towards my face. I rolled back and forth, barely surviving each chaotic movement. WHAM! The great pincers had grabbed hold of my dress and tossed me across the room. My left shoulder slammed into the back wall, knocking the sabers loose, one of which sliced across my arm like it was peeling a grape.
Having succeeded in removing me, the beast descended upon Ophelia, Irving, Muriel, and two Ravenflames.
“MOVE!” I pushed Ophelia and the others to the side with a gel shield and threw one of the sabers with such precision that it sliced off the lethal part of the brute’s tail.
With another saber in-hand, I zoomed over to the flailing sea scorpion, climbed atop its head, and drove the blade straight through its brain. My opponent flopped to the ground, twitching.
Sliding down its head and crawling over its limp pincers, I met a horrorstruck Katrina, who had approached to survey the destruction of her latest smite attempt. She glared murderously at me, her face contorted and trembling with rage.
I wasn’t going to say anything. A simple smile was always so effective in these situations. However, in light of her trying to kill me—and, more disturbingly, having no qualms about putting her own kind in danger of death—I just couldn’t help myself. “I’m sure your mystery boyfriend would find your peculiar obsession with crabs a bit disconcerting.”
Suddenly, I had to work hard to make sense of an unexpected sound: a subtle, but mounting applause from the crowd. Though it warmed me to the core, something else left me short of breath: Troy, walking forcefully for me. When he reached me, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me off; the crowd literally erupted when he did.
He carried me straight to
his house. Covering my body with profoundly intense kisses, he gently pushed me against the wall just inside his front door. His eager mouth found mine; we kissed like we hadn’t seen each other in years. In a way, I supposed that was true. For the past few weeks, we haven’t been us…and, God, did I miss us. I ripped open his shirt and slid my hands down his sweaty chest. Running my tongue along his neck, a gentle sound of chiming bells echoed from somewhere in his house.
He groaned approvingly. “Well, well, maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe an inexperienced body, but imaginative mind can get me off after all.” Troy squeezed his eyes shut.
“Troy,” I whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. “That isn’t you. Fight it.” Once again, I heard the bells, only this time, they gave me chills—it was the same sound I heard inside his chamber during the second match.
“Fight it? Don’t you mean another ‘F’ word, there, Red? I’m game if you are. Just to be clear…the only feeling I’ll have is pleasure. The only feeling you’ll have…is pain. And that will make me high.”
He lunged for me, but I managed to super-slam him into the living room. Running through the dark house, I desperately searched for the source of the bells, convinced it was a trigger. I followed the sound to a back bedroom, but had to dive into Airianna’s room when I heard Troy gather himself and start after me.
“Here, little kitten,” he called in a frighteningly psychotic voice as he crept up the hall. “Hide and seek, huh? Should I count to ten?”
“Try three!” I shouted, using the doorway to swing my body full-force into his stomach.
This time, though, he was prepared. Despite staggering a bit, he stayed upright and chased after me, quickly catching me by my hair. “Gotcha, Red. Are you going to cry? Come on…cry. Do it.”
He was going to rip my hair out if he pulled any harder. “I have no intention of crying. You, however, might.” I sent two giant blasts into the back bedroom, destroying everything, including the source of the bells.
The explosion sent us flying backwards. I landed atop Troy; his arms wrapped around me instantly—these were the arms I knew. Turning to face him, my heart broke: his eyes were so ashamed, and his body shook, like he was trying to free himself of some powerful drug.
“I’m sorr—”
“Shh,” I said, stroking his hair. “It’s okay, now. Everything’s going to be okay.”
It wouldn’t be okay, of course. I knew that. Someone knew how to awaken Troy’s inner demon to the max. And until I can find a way to stop it, we would be the furthest thing from okay.
Chapter Nineteen
Stormy Weather Fair
March: For me, it’s a three-leaf clover month
Monthly Life Caption: Luck is a Lying Bitch
Mood: Total roller coaster
Eating: Stress relieving food (i.e. chips)
Music: Deep stuff
In life, you’re not lucky or unlucky; you’re just screwed. Sorry. The realization that my boyfriend has the potential to be a homicidal lunatic has gotten to me. Duh, right? I honestly believed his demon side could work in his favor. Now, after facing the fiend twice, I have my concerns. Yet, there was a feisty part of my soul screaming for me to trust my instincts—seeing the absolute demon side of Troy showed me how formidable he could be, if, somehow, he could control the dark part. I’m afraid not many people agree with me.
Mom wanted to ban me from seeing him (totally understandable); Trey insisted Airianna move in with me, and to hell with the rules of the Overfalls (again, reasonable, though she refused); Jex offered to suffocate him with his wings (predictable, and the offer got him called to a mandatory ‘bad angel’ conference); perhaps the most disturbing reaction was from Doctor Tenly, who simply said, “Keep your distance.”
Keeping my distance was not something I had to worry about—Troy was already obliging on his own accord. Since Valentine’s Day (blood-sucking-chest-wound of a day), Troy has barely spent any time around me. Oh, he puts it off to training, visits with his father, and meetings with the Sandtalians, but I knew he was avoiding me out of guilt. When we were together, his kisses were few and only on my forehead; words were hard to come by; he made sure at least one of our friends was present; and any mention of the prom caused his face to stiffen near the point of cracking. Prom night was really going to rock for me, huh? With just over a month until the prom, the Overfalls took a slight backseat to the dress and date drama extravaganza of the year.
Still reeling over a ridiculously difficult math test, hoping I didn’t fail the thing, I picked up some milk from Ethel in the lunch line and trundled into the cafeteria, plopping down at our table. Once again, Troy wasn’t there.
“Marina, I’ve almost finished your prom dress,” said Maile, repositioning her funky-cool glasses. “I’m just trying to get the color right for you.”
“Thanks, Maile.” Ugh. After Valentine’s Day, I went into prom overdrive with the rest of my friends. Like everything else, prom fever starts early in Saxet Shores. And, like everywhere else, the prom literally possessed otherwise rational people. God, the fact that I fantasized about us being named king and queen of the prom made me physically ill.
“I can’t wait to see the dress,” said Airianna gleefully. “You will knock Troy off his fin tips! He won’t be able to resist you in that dress.”
“Or he won’t be able to resist ripping it off of me in a fit of demon.” For once, I don’t find the unintentional innuendo at all sexy.
“He’s still moping, is he?” asked Polly.
“It’s bad, Polls.”
“Can’t blame him,” said Ophelia. “Someone figured out how to trip him. He never knows when it’s going to happen. I feel bad for him.”
“I feel bad for you…sort of, but then not really,” said Polly. “If Irving was an honest boyfriend, why isn’t he sitting with you? At least Troy tries to do the right thing, even though he’s being completely idiotic. Honestly, it’s just a demon. They are completely controllable. I’ve gotten a little better with mine since we started training.”
“You have, that’s true,” I said earnestly. “Troy is too afraid he’s going to hurt someone…me, especially.”
Polly, her head tilted in deep contemplation, tapped her fingers on the table. “If Troy’s demon was created by Zale, wouldn’t that mean the trigger was probably installed by him?”
“You’re right, Polls. If only I could reach inside him and disconnect the prompt.”
“Reach…” Polly muttered, scribbling a note and passing it to Meikle.
“Possibly,” said Meikle after reading the note. “We’d have to check with the doc.”
“That’s going to be risky,” said Bobby.
“The way we like it,” Meikle added.
When Meikle and Polly were working on a scheme, trouble usually followed. “What are you two—”
“May we join you?” Ula, along with five Fairhairs and two Ravenflames approached our table, trays in-hand.
Slightly stunned, I said, “Of course.”
One of the Ravenflames, a slight girl with short, spiked hair, sat next to Bobby. “What you did on Valentine’s Day…it was really cool.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’m Marina—”
“Valentine, yeah, we know. I’m Cella Narvin, and this is my brother Felix.”
Felix smiled. “Took us a while to get here.” He was your quintessential pretty boy…with dragon tattoos.
“You’re here. That’s what matters,” I said, wishing Troy would have been here to see his hope realized. The consolation prize was Katrina, who was repeatedly stabbing her pen into a fellow Ravenflame’s notebook.
“You don’t mind if I choose not to trust a one of you, right? Not the blonds or the ravens,” said Polly.
“After your Halloween spectacle, I wouldn’t expect anything less,” said Felix, winking at Polly.
“Well…good,” said Polly, fanning her face with a napkin.
“Marina,” said Ethel, my favorite lunch
lady. “I was asked to give you this.” She handed me an envelope with my name on the front.
“Let me,” said Trey.
“It’s not necessary,” I said. “This is Troy’s handwriting.”
“Yeah, and there’s still a chance he’s The De—”
“Trey. No there’s not. Listen to your instincts…you know the truth.” I ripped open the envelope, some of my friends wincing as I did, and read the note. Meet me in our cave before the Fair Weather Fair. I love you.
This was the most hope I’ve felt in weeks. I’m not a betting girl, but I’d be willing to put lunch money on the Sandtalians coming through, finally easing his mind. Tonight, Troy and I would go back to being us. Yes, I may be just a bit delusional and far too capricious when it comes to Troy. I suppose the heart blinds us to reality and deafens the ear to truth. And for now, I’m glad.
*****
Troy was pacing around our cave when I arrived, his head hanging low. There was an odd heaviness in the air tying my stomach in apprehensive knots.
“Hey,” I said.
He forced a smile. “Glad you came.”
“It’s the first time you’ve wanted to be alone with me in a while.”
“The Serenading Soldier is a calming place. Less risk here. Marina, I—”
“Uh, so guess what? We had eight new people sit at our lunch table today. Six Fairhairs and two Ravenflames. You were right to have hope.” Note to self: the best method for delaying the inevitable gloom-talk could always be found in random babble and well-timed interruptions.
Though his smile was genuine this time, it was marred with sadness. “I’m glad to hear it…”
“And, uh, Maile told me my dress for the prom is almost ready. I’ve been working with her for a while now. I want the quintessential ‘stun-him-stiff’ dress. Oh, I didn’t mean ‘stiff’ in a dirty way, there. I, uh, just meant…something different.” Freaking idiot.
“You always stun me stiff…in every possible way.” Double sigh. “Marina, I can’t go to the prom.”
OVERFALLS (The Merworld Water Wars, Book 2) Page 32