by Ash Night
He grinned wider, his voice back to the dark, sultry tone that seemed to make every word a caress, every syllable a dark shadowed step into forbidden territory. God, he must've been the apple that tempted Eve."I know. I just like hearing you correct me."
"Th-that's such a cheesy line," I stuttered, trying to keep my mind as well as my eyes off his lips. I failed miserably, but the Straight A part of my brain didn't seem to mind. He pulled my lips to his before I could even react. It felt like second-nature, kissing Eli. It felt safe and dangerous at the same time. He pulled me into his dangerous world yet promised to protect me with every cell in his body.
Unlike Jake's kisses, which were sweet and gentle, Eli's kisses were passionate as if he was letting all his love flow into me in the space of a single kiss as if he were the magic of AngelRose personified. Fire exploded inside me. Is this what true love was supposed to be?
Eli broke away abruptly, breaking the spell, as Jake came into view. I prayed he hadn't seen anything. His face gave nothing away as he easily smiled. "Hi Zoey, Eli,"
"Hello Jake, what a pleasant surprise," Eli looked ready to spit fire.
"H-hi," I stuttered, feeling like I deserved to be struck done for what I had just done. Jake hugged me tight, not suspecting a thing, which only made me feel worse.
"We better hurry up. Wouldn't wanna be late."
Eli
American school was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Loud, shrill bells sounded when the classes began and ended. Then it was mad rush to meet friends, grab stuff from lockers, steal a few minutes to make-out, only to rush back to class where time stood still until the almighty bell rang again, releasing the students from their prison.
Clocks seemed to command more attention than the teachers. Every student’s eyes were on that thing at least once during the period. Some paid almost rapt, religious attention to it, cursing it when it didn't go fast enough for their liking. I grinned at the display. It was very amusing, certainly better than listening to the teachers.
Oh God, the teachers were enough to drive anyone up a wall! Most were so boring it was a wonder they didn't put themselves to sleep. Others tried so hard to make the class interesting their energy was exhausting. Only one teacher really stood out to me. Her name was Ms. Melody. She was the English teacher. Her classroom was light, airy, and open. It absolutely projected creativity. The pencils screamed to be written with. The notebooks ached for words. The atmosphere was enchanting. It was like a place opposite of AngelRose, light, positive energy was brought out and played upon instead of the dark.
Here, in this class, the clock did not command the students' attention. That power rightly fell to Ms. Melody. She was a kind teacher, that fact evident in everything she did. She was like a kindergarten teacher, but at a high school level. She was my favorite teacher.
She didn't get annoyed when I occasionally called an object by what I would've called it back in London to keep up with my charade. She was nice enough not to say a word, just going on with her lesson. The almighty bell rang to signal the end of class. I made sure to say goodbye to Ms. Melody before I left. She smiled and said she hoped to see me tomorrow. That small comment made me grin like an idiot as I wandered out into the hallway.
Remember what I said when I mentioned the end of class was a mad rush to meet up with friends, grab stuff from lockers, and make out with that special someone? Looks like Zoey read my mind.
My smile fell away like water.
Zoey
It wasn't supposed to happen. Especially not in front of Eli. Something had come over Jake. It was like he was getting all possessive. I had other guy friends who I joked around with and he had never acted like this before. He was kissing me with a desperate need, pushing me against the lockers. I was half-expecting him to rip his clothes off when he saw Eli. I wasn't protesting against the kisses, but I just wish they were out of love and not to assert primal dominance. I felt like a prize to be won.
I saw the look on Eli's face and I winced. He loved me and here I was, acting like the slutty bitch I had promised never to be. A teacher was coming over to yell at Jake and I to cease and desist, but he never got the chance. A sudden rush of wind blew through the hall, blowing all the lockers around us open, then slamming them shut one right after the other as the wind made its way back through. Jake stared at me, love in his eyes once again, back to himself again. I looked over at Eli.
A smile tainted his face like the deadliest of all poisons.
Chapter 23
"He's no good for you, that creep! I want you to stay away from him!" I yelled as we walked home from school.
"He could just as easily say the same thing about you, Eli! What the fuck was that in the hallway with the lockers?" Zoey screamed back.
I snarled. "Me? What the fuck was that? His hands were all over you! That fuckin' creep better stay away from you! He doesn't love you! He just wants you for your body!"
Zoey slapped me. Solid and hard on my cheek. My head whipped back feeling as if it was going to be torn from my spine. She spun around on her heel. “It was because of you he suddenly got all possessive!”
I felt a cold fire drop in my stomach. It rose hotter and hotter until it reached my throat, cooking my words into fiery words of hate, words of the monster. I swallowed, keeping my mouth shut. I would not allow the monster to come out and attack her. It would never get near her. I would die first.
I ran away from her before the monster could yearn for her blood.
Zoey
He hadn’t come home all night. My eyes flitted to the front door all through dinner but still he didn’t show. My dad quietly excused himself early to go to bed. I knew he didn’t approve of Eli staying here while he was visiting. He didn’t even allow Jake to stay the night. And after the events of today, I wouldn’t want Jake here. At this point I had to admit Eli was the safer option.
“Well, honey, Eli’s a young man. He’s allowed to stay out as late as he wants. He’ll come home when he’s had enough.” My mom finished cleaning up, gave me a quick kiss on the forehead, and went to bed. I sat at the table for hours, not moving, hoping he’d walk through the door with a smile and let me apologize.
I was just about to call it a night when the clock struck two in the morning and the door opened. A bottle of liquor in his hand, Eli stumbled into the house. He grinned. “How ya doing Zoe?”
“Where have you been? You’re not old enough to drink!” I lunged for the bottle, Eli held it out of my reach for a moment, but let me take it. I poured the last of the contents down the sink and set the bottle gently into the glass recycling container. Eli looked sad to see it go.
“You can’t just do what you want here! This isn’t like AngelRose. Rules are different.” I said. “The drinking age is twenty-one. If you want to drink, don’t walk home with a bottle in your hand.”
“I’ll remember that, babe.” Eli smiled and kissed my cheek. His breath reeked of alcohol. I cringed and led him upstairs where he patted the spot next to him as he crawled into my bed. “Please?” I could tell the alcohol wasn’t talking now. He wanted to cuddle. I could hear it in his voice, that little boy I’d seen on the beach. He wanted to make up for our fight and let me know he was still here for me.
I let him coddle me, not asking anything about where he’d been all night. He smelled of smoke. I snuggled deeper into his jacket.
Eli
I dreamed of monsters and magic. Dreamed of things that didn’t even exist in this realm. I’d thought I’d be safe from the terrible beauty that was AngelRose, but the nightmares seemed to become even worse the deeper into sleep I went. The demons wanted me, wanted me to rule again so they would have a better chance of eating away what was left of my sanity. I wrestled with the idea of going home while I slept. I had been trapped in AngelRose for twelve years, but calling it home was beginning to feel right.
Careful not to wake Zoey, I slid to the floor and tip-toed to the bathroom to take a shower. I stripped off my clothes
, leaving my pentagram necklace on. It was a good luck charm of sorts, proof that I existed. I’d made it myself, metal work being the one good thing I’d ever learned from my father, to mark my tenth birthday. I never took it off. That was also the reason I’d given Zoey the key heart necklace, to prove to someone else I existed, mattered to someone. It also signified I’d always be there to protect her. She had a piece of me with her.
As scalding hot water beat my skin, I pondered this. Did she really want me anymore? Was I still her knight in dark armor? Zoey had let me hold her tonight, but had that been the last? Turning off the water after washing my hair and getting the smell of smoke out of my skin, I realized I’d dented the knob and quickly buffed it out best I could. Letting my anger out of control would be bad for everyone around me. Jake didn’t stand a chance against me, but fighting him probably wouldn’t put me on Zoey’s good side. I already had my toe on the line as it was.
Glancing at the clock, I saw it said five-thirty. One full hour before Zoey and I had to get ready for school. I sighed as I sat down on the couch in the living room and watched the sun rise.
Zoey came in, her bare feet noiseless on the carpet. She sat on my lap without a word, leaning into me. The early sunlight shone on her face as if they were meant for her.
I played with a strand of her hair. “So…”
“How’s the hang-over, Mr. Bad Boy?” She smiled at me. I was instantly forgiven.
“I don’t have one. Guess you can’t annoy me, huh?”
She pretended to pout. “And I was gonna sneak into the band room and bang on the drums as loud as I could,”
I chuckled. “And get in trouble,”
“For you, worth it.” She hugged me. “You never told me how you enrolled in my school anyway, Eli.”
“I went to the office and compelled the lady to think I’d enrolled early. I didn't want to bug you so I made sure we didn't have too many classes together.” I smirked.
Zoey’s eyes went wide. “You can compel people? You mean, like, make them do whatever you want?”
I nodded. “Leftover power from AngelRose must have clung onto my clothes. Only way I could explain it. Sorry if I scared you with the lockers yesterday, by the way. I didn’t mean to do that. It just happened.”
She sighed. “I acted like a bitch. I didn’t even try to push Jake away. I’m sorry.”
“I have no claim to you. You don’t have to apologize.” I kissed her forehead.
“Jake feels threatened by you. He felt the need to be all possessive, I guess. You know, he was afraid it would turn out like a Hollywood movie where the exotic foreigner comes in and sweeps me off my feet.”
I laughed. “Really? A Hollywood movie?”
“Yeah, he’s very protective of me.”
“That’s good. He should be.” I sighed. "A good boyfriend wouldn't hurt you."
"You wouldn't,"
I smiled at her sadly. "The monster knows no bounds, Zoe. I'll have to go back soon."
"What?" She exclaimed, jumping up. "You're leaving?"
"I'll try tonight,” I said, holding her hand and drawing her to me. “Remember when I said AngelRose wasn’t a safe place for you? I’m not good for you either,”
Ripping her hand out of mine, she shook her head. “You are, Eli! You’re perfect! You’re everything to me. I love you.”
“But not enough to leave Jake,” I stated flatly, sure to empty my voice of emotion.
“I’m going to break up with him tomorrow. I love you and only you. Nothing was ever really there with Jake to begin with. We were friends trying to make something out of nothing. It isn’t working the way it does with you. With you, I feel love, real love. I wouldn’t have jumped off a cliff for Jake! I would’ve been more careful! Real love is about doing stupid things at the risk of your own life if it will save the other. That’s exactly how I feel about you! I love you, Eli Cross!” Zoey cried, her breath coming fast from the force of her words. Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked as me, waiting for me to say something, anything.
It was in that moment I did the hardest thing I ever had to do. I walked away.
I lifted the blade from my wrist. A thin red line wept blood. I smiled when it didn’t heal right away. There was a rush of relief. The scar that would form as a result didn’t matter. Washing my pocket knife clean, I stuck it back in my pocket and headed to the one nightclub in town. Strobe lights of different colors assaulted the dance floor as I entered. Flashing the bouncer a self-assured smile, he saw no need to check for an I.D. It still kind of freaked me out how cool and collected I could be when I allowed a bit of the monster leak out, especially in a world I knew little about. I felt like a total badass.
“What’s your poison, sugar?” A cute redhead asked from behind the bar. She couldn’t have been much older than me, two years at most.
“Jack Daniels on the rocks,” I replied smoothly. The girl smiled and handed my drink to me. The glass sparkled when the light hit it.
“Complements of Kimber, sugar,” Kimber’s green eyes sparkled much like the glass. I downed my drink in one gulp.
“Would you like to dance, Kimber?” I asked, banging my glass down on the bar.
“Sure, Tammi, I’m cuttin’ early!” She called to an older blonde at the other end of the bar. Tammi nodded. Kimber came out from behind the bar. She was wearing black fish-net stockings, a short black skirt, and a black sleeveless shirt. Several silver bracelets jangled on her left wrist. She was just the opposite of Zoey.
Kimber reminded me very much of a cat in the way she moved. Every movement was slinky, assured, not an ounce of energy wasted. Zoey’s movements weren’t like that. I danced with Kimber until she was so exhausted she all but collapsed.
“Wow, kid, you sure can dance. How old are you?”
“Twenty-one,” I said.
She laughed. “Yeah, and so am I. I actually only have this job because my cousin Tammi works here. I’m nineteen.”
“Okay, eighteen,” I grinned. “No lie,”
She nodded, smiling. “You got an honest face, kid. What’s your name?”
“Eli, Eli Valentine,” I said truthfully. I was beginning to like that name. I decided I’d have to change my gravestone when I got back to AngelRose.
“Well, Eli, I have my own apartment two blocks from here,” she smiled, letting her smile say the rest.
“Why not? The day’s still young,” I grinned and we walked out into the sunlight to her apartment.
I sat there, shaking. The last thing I remember was Kimber and I making out. Now she lay on the bed with a small gash on her forehead and various bruises as if she'd been thrown around the room. She was alive though and for that, I was grateful. She moaned softly, jarring me back to reality before thoughts of the monster could drag me into insanity. I propped her head on a pillow and tucked her in, wishing I could take back whatever the monster had done.
"Thanks for the distraction," I delicately kissed her forehead and ran out the door, shutting my eyes against the pain as it hit me like shards of glass, cutting my insides and embedding deep within my heart. My father's words wouldn't leave my head. My vision spun out of control. I collapsed against the brick wall of a building, scraping my knuckles against the wall to feel something other than the pain inside me. It was all happening too fast. It had to stop.
The last thing I wanted to think about was the fact that Kimber could've easily been Zoey, but that thought wouldn't die. It was too close a call. I had to go away.
Zoey
Eli had been gone all day. It was six at night and he hadn't even called. His cell phone, which he recently acquired through means unknown to me, lay on my nightstand charging, but he knew the way back to my house. He was so good with directions it was like he had an internal GPS so I knew he wasn't lost. It just hurt to admit the truth.
He was avoiding me.
I sat in my room, letting self-pity engulf me. I'd been staring at a blank notebook page for over an hour. I thought
writing would help me feel closer to him, but the words wouldn't come. The pencil sketch of his eyes stared back at me, glaring at me, begging me, a thousand emotions encompassed in those beautiful eyes that haunted my memory.
"Honey, phone call," my mom stood in the doorway, a small smile playing on her lips. I took the phone and she left me to talk in private.
"Hello?" I asked, hoping against hope it was Eli on the other end.
"Zoey, I want to apologize for how I acted yesterday. I had the stomach flu which is why I wasn't at school today, but I feel much better now. Would you mind coming over?" Jake sounded desperate. It felt so good to hear his voice, a rock in the middle of the turbulent ocean that was my life. I nearly cried at the relief that washed over me.
"Sure, Jake, sure, I can be there in ten-fifteen minutes." I said, swallowing the giant lump in my throat.
"Thank you, Zoey. I really am sorry." Jake said and he hung up. I set the phone down and turned back to my bed. My eyes fell on my notebook. Laying across the sketch of Eli's eyes was a single long stemmed black rose
Jake wasn't lying when he said he couldn't come to school. He looked really worn down. I couldn't believe he said he was feeling better. He smiled as I walked in, his smile lighting up his whole face. “Zoey, thanks for coming. I was a giant jerk. I’m sorry.”
I hugged him tight. “It’s okay. Things have been crazy in my life lately. That was probably one of the more normal things to happen lately.” I laughed lightly.
“Are we really okay?” He asked, looking at me worriedly. His eyes searched my face for doubt.
I kissed his forehead. “Eli said he and I could never be together. I’d asked him a long time ago.” I felt like those words were choking me, but at least I got them out. Tears tried to squeeze their way out of my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. “He left this morning.”
“But he enrolled,”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s Eli. He’s a martyr. He sees it as easier for me if he left, seeing what him being here meant to you.”