Kingdom of Mirrors and Roses

by A. W. Cross

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, but my voice hitched and gave away my lack of confidence.

  Iron laughed. “Like I said, I like you. Now, sit down and keep playing games with the kid if you want, but you aren’t going anywhere.”

  When I didn’t move, his expression turned cold. I also noticed a slight movement in his hand, right before a tug on my t-shirt made me fall back down to the couch. Pete handed me the game controller again without saying anything.

  Iron smirked and turned his focus to one of his men. “Did any of you think to take her phone when she came in?”

  “It’s on the counter,” one of the men said. I assumed it was the one who’d removed it from my back pocket when I’d arrived.

  Iron sauntered over to the kitchen. I stared at the controller in my hands trying to think of what to do. I couldn’t stay here until dark, that much I knew for sure. I didn’t want to stay for another second, but I needed to form a plan.

  “Don’t push him like that again,” Pete said in a whisper I almost couldn’t hear.

  My blood ran cold. I nodded to let Pete know I’d heard.

  21

  Stella

  I had to think. Besides being in a state of panic over my predicament, there was also the fact that it was after lunch. I’d been sitting in that stinky trailer for hours already. From the looks of things, no one seemed in a hurry. Once it got dark, I was going to have more troubles. I couldn’t let anyone see me shift. Not only would that be disastrous inside the small space, but I thought it violated the rules the woman had set. I didn’t want to take the chance it might force me to stay in this situation forever.

  “Unlock this and call your dad.” Iron shoved my phone over my shoulder from where he stood behind the sofa.

  I glared in his direction and snatched my phone from him. I had two missed calls and forty-five text messages. Those were probably my friends wondering what happened to me. I huffed a laugh. I wondered how long they’d keep texting before they moved on and forgot about me.

  Even though I knew it didn’t matter, I hated that everyone watched me as I stared into the screen and used the retina scan to unlock my phone. I opened my favorites folder and hit “top dude.” Daddy had always insisted that I use code names for everyone. Given his current legal issues, it finally made a little sense.

  Iron held out his hand as he saw the phone connect. I heard Daddy’s voice answer before Iron held my phone to his ear.

  “Stella would love to talk to you, mon cher-ee,” Iron drawled the mispronounced French. The way he did it made me wonder if he knew the words and bumbled them on purpose. “But you’ll have to speak through me.”

  Iron waited in silence as my dad must have spoken.

  “She’s fine, and she’ll stay that way while you and I get caught up. It’s been a long time. How’re you doing, old pal? You’re having some legal troubles, I hear.”

  Iron snorted and sat on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. “You know what I want. Your little girl stays here until you deliver it.”

  I twisted to watch the conversation. How could he be so comfortable blackmailing my dad when he apparently knew that he might be connected. Who wasn’t afraid of the mafia?

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong, Jack. I do know what it is. You always underestimated me for your own importance. Now have it delivered, or better yet, bring it yourself. Stella stays where she is until that happens.”

  My breath hitched, and I could feel the panic skitter through me. I couldn’t stay here.

  “Well, then I guess you’d better hurry.” Iron clicked the phone off and handed it to the man who’d been in charge before he arrived. “Daddy wants you home before dark. Guess we’ll see how bad.” Iron laughed and turned his focus to his men.

  I straightened and faced the TV again. I had to find a way to escape this place.

  It was getting close to dinnertime, and my stomach rumbled. I’d tried to focus on playing games with Pete, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to know what would constitute dinner around here. The lunch of white bread, bologna, and cheese with mustard sandwich that everyone else seemed to devour like it was a delicacy made me queasy to think about.

  It was hard to tell what caused more concern, the meal or the late hour.

  I’d sipped my water slowly because I didn’t want to use the bathroom. There was only one from what I could tell, and it was down a narrow hallway. I didn’t want to risk getting trapped alone in the small space.

  “What’s taking so long?” a guy named Buster asked Iron. I’d been able to piece everyone’s name to their voice without having to turn around since I’d been there so long.

  “Jack’s still in DC. Even if he left right away, it’s going to take him about three hours to get this far with traffic. I doubt he has what I need from him, too, so he most likely won’t be here until late, maybe not even until tomorrow.”

  Goosebumps popped out on my arms. I couldn’t stay here until dark!

  “You’re all right to sleep on the couch, right Stella? I’ll make sure none of the boys bother you,” Iron chuckled and didn’t make it sound very convincing.

  Another reason to find a way out.

  “I need to go to the store if I’m going to feed everyone dinner, Iron,” Bonnie, Pete’s mom, said.

  “No one’s stopping you,” he answered.

  She grumbled and stomped down the hall to what I presumed to be her bedroom. The whole place rattled anytime someone moved around. Even Bonnie who was dangerously thin made the mobile home shake under her feet. She also had ratty hair and bad teeth. It wasn’t hard to believe she had a drug problem.

  My heart pinched as I glanced at Pete. What life was this for him? Why didn’t Ben get him out of here? He would be more comfortable and safer in that nice apartment of his. It made me angrier the more I thought about it.

  He had no right to tell me I was snobby when he left his own brother living like this while he made stir fry and owned an expensive espresso machine.

  Bonnie pushed herself past all the guys who’d started playing cards a while ago at the small dining table. Their chairs were pulled out enough to make getting by them difficult. She slammed the door when she left without a word.

  “She’ll probably make spaghetti. It’s better than a sandwich at least,” Pete said.

  I snickered quietly.

  “What do you mean? I’m not even hungry,” I lied.

  “I can hear your stomach,” he said.

  “Sorry about that.” I shrugged and stared at my lap. There were two bruises starting to turn purple on my legs. I rubbed at them.

  “How did you get all that?” Pete asked.

  It was odd to think I’d been sitting with him, basically all day, and we’d never acknowledged why I looked so bedraggled.

  “You shouldn’t ask about that, Pete,” Iron said in a tone that dripped with sarcasm. “She’s your brother’s back warmer, so he can do as he likes.”

  That was the second time I’d been referred to by that term. I understood the implication well enough and didn’t like it. “Ben is working on my car; nothing more.” I heard the derision in my voice and didn’t care. In fact, I was glad it came through. It could have been stronger as far as I was concerned.

  “He’s a motorcycle mechanic. Why else would he work on whatever fancy ride you probably have if he wasn’t getting a little something for it?” Buster said, and the others laughed along with him.

  Closing my eyes and trying to stay calm, I decided it was better to keep my mouth shut.

  “What kind of car is it?” Iron asked. “You drive one of those foreign jobs?”

  Why did he want to know? I ignored him.

  “Ben’s always trying to better himself. Thinks he’s too good to help out his old man. He must think he’s won the lottery with you.” Iron stood and moved to the back of the couch. He pulled my hair away from my face and curled it behind my ear. I jerked away as bile rose in my throat.
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br />   “I get that artifact and maybe I’ll finally let him leave the club. He can even take Pete like he wants.” Iron leaned down and whispered in my ear. “It’s all up to your pop now.”

  When he walked away, I couldn’t help the shivers that rolled through me.

  Just like Pete had expected, Bonnie made spaghetti. I tried to smile and eat it, but I only took a couple bites then pushed the rest around my plate. I kept sneaking glances out the window. It was dusk. My time was up, and I didn’t know what to do. The prickles against the inside of my skin had already begun.

  Suddenly, I wondered if the bathroom had a window. “I need to use the restroom,” I said with too much enthusiasm as I jumped to my feet.

  Pete snorted and started to choke on the bite he had in his mouth. Everyone else stopped their chatter and stared at me.

  “It’s down the hall.” Bonnie gestured with her arm. “I wondered how long you could make it before you had to lower your standards.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and made my way through the bodies and down the hall without a word.

  “First door on the left,” Bonnie called.

  I hesitated as I realized that the back door was on my right. Even if there was a window in the bathroom, it would face the front, and I’d land on the ground right in front of the guys hanging around outside.

  “You lost?” Iron called. “Be smart and ignore that other door.”

  I swallowed my indecision. It wasn’t hard for him to figure out what I was thinking. I hurried into the bathroom and locked the door behind me. As I guessed, there was a window and I could hear the voices of the guys in front talking right below it.

  Tears stung my eyes as I felt the first bit of pressure from the impending change on my body. I would soon shift, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

  A shriek of pain erupted from me and drew everyone’s attention outside. Seconds later, I could hear shouts calling my name over the pounding fists on the door inside.

  I tried to fight against the change. The small space felt like a trap. My beast would not hesitate to break through the flimsy barrier. That might work though, I could keep going through the back door—to outside and freedom.

  Everyone would be so startled they wouldn’t realize what they’d seen. I’d noticed a park about a block away when I drove up. If I hurried I could hide in the trees there. I’d wait until late and make my way home in the darkness. As the monster, I could cover a lot of ground quickly.

  I let out a big exhale, and a deep rumble from my throat came with it. A picture fell to the floor and shattered when I bumped into the wall. As I doubled over in pain, I grabbed the towel bar to steady myself. It ripped from the wall and clattered against the sink. The pounding from the hall stopped.

  “What the hell?” was the last thing I heard before my mind blurred. As before, the splitting of my skull for the horns was the final piece of my transformation. I roared and charged.

  As I expected, the first wall splintered with ease. The back door was metal, but I broke it off its hinges and twisted it out of my way in a heartbeat, taking someone with me. When I landed on the ground, I heard the air whoosh from Iron’s lungs as he hit the ground on his back.

  Not waiting an extra second, I sprinted hard for the park.

  22

  Ben

  Nausea made my vision swirl in and out, but I was determined not to hurl inside a car that cost more than a house. When we pulled up to a set of massive iron gates, I could only gape.

  Carson punched in a code, and the gates slowly opened and we idled through.

  “This is where you live?”

  “Where did you expect?” Carson almost sounded like he found my question funny.

  Why wouldn’t he? Doesn’t everyone live in some mansion in the countryside? I snorted and then winced. My fingers were stuck to my shirt as I pressed harder against the stab wound.

  Trees lined each side of the long driveway, and I didn’t even see the house for what would be considered several blocks. When we rounded the last curve and the brick colonial came into view, I let my jaw drop. The place looked as big as my high school.

  Six three-story white pillars lined the front of the red brick. We pulled around the circle and parked directly across from the ten-foot high double front doors. I shook my head in disbelief at the place.

  A petite blonde woman stepped outside and then hurried over when Carson helped me out of the car. It was so low to the ground I was practically dead weight because I was unable to use my core muscles.

  Together, they helped me inside. The small woman was surprisingly strong, and I kept sneaking peeks at her. Something about her didn’t seem right.

  No one I’d come in contact with since I’d first ran into Stella that night had seemed normal. I didn’t know what I’d gotten myself mixed up in, but at that moment, I didn’t care.

  They helped me to a bedroom down a long hallway off the front entrance. The two expertly had my shirt off and cleaned my wound in no time at all. The woman, Mrs. Potter she’d told me, left for a few minutes and came back with a compress filled with something that made my nose hairs melt, but it instantly took the sting out of the slice through my stomach. She placed another cloth over my swollen eye. The scent of lavender right next to my nose overpowered the other pungent smell.

  Carson helped me to a drink of water and a pain pill. Once I was settled, they carried away all the bloodied cloths and let me rest. I tried to give them phone numbers to contact Stella, but they ignored me.

  My head got really fuzzy, and I realized that whatever Carson had given me was more than an aspirin. The room spun and then went black.

  It was fully dark when I woke. My lower abs ached, but not as much as I’d expect after getting stabbed in the gut. I managed to use my hands to maneuver my legs over the side of the bed and push myself to a standing position. With small careful steps, I made it to the door and trekked down the hall.

  Marble floors and light yellow walls made the space feel open and airy. I’d nearly made it to the large entry with the double staircases curving around both sides of the walls when Mrs. Potter spotted me.

  “What are you doing up?” She hurried over and wrapped her arm gently around my waist. “You should still be resting.”

  “I’m feeling pretty good actually—considering. Did Carson get Stella away from my dad?”

  “Don’t worry about those two. They are very resourceful. Stella can tell you all about her adventure in the morning.”

  That was an odd way to put things. She acted as if the whole experience was one giant misunderstanding. The woman obviously didn’t understand the danger.

  “Here you are. You can sit in here, and I’ll get you something warm to drink.” We’d made it to a fancy sitting room. Light chocolate-colored leather sofas sat perpendicular to each other with a large coffee table in the center. Two other wide, plush-looking chairs in a tapestry fabric made up the u-shape arrangement.

  I settled into the seat facing a large fireplace. A TV sat on a shelf to the left in a way that proved it wasn’t used all that often.

  Mrs. Potter pulled a soft blanket out of a basket and laid it over my lap. “You rest here, and I’ll go get you that drink.”

  I shifted the cover higher, feeling somewhat exposed without a shirt. “Would you mind if I turned on the TV?”

  She stared at the dark screen for a few minutes and seemed to contemplate her answer. I wasn’t sure what caused her such a struggle. Finally, she gave me a thin smile and brought me the remote. Without another word, she left the room. I shook my head. These were definitely strange people.

  I clicked on the remote, more to distract myself than anything else. I didn’t expect to see anything on the news from our little town. All the news stations concentrated on the events happening in DC, so I was shocked to see a reporter talking to someone standing in Brown’s Park.

  “The thing was huge and obviously dangerous. They should warn people if an animal
escapes from the zoo,” the man said.

  I chuckled to myself at the way the guy acted like he’d seen some kind of alien. The picture broke away from the man and showed footage someone had captured on their cell phone. I tried to lean forward but could only manage a couple inches as I stared at the screen. Whatever the beast was, it ran on two legs like a man, had fur like a bear and a head like a wolf. There were horns and a heavy lion-like mane down it’s back, too. The thing was creepy, and I understood why that guy had seemed freaked out.

  Mrs. Potter took the remote out of my hand and clicked off the picture. “I don’t think we need that nonsense. It’s better for healing if you relax in the quiet.”

  We stared at each other for a couple extra seconds while I got the distinct impression she wasn’t someone to mess with.

  She handed me what my nose identified as a mug of cocoa, and I had to smile. It wasn’t a drink I’d normally have on a summer night, but it warmed my hands, and I thanked her. After she adjusted my blanket again and propped a pillow behind my back, she left me alone in the room.

  I’d been plucked out of normal life and dropped into some kind of fantasyland, but I had a feeling it wasn’t the good kind.

  23

  Stella

  It had taken three hours of clinging to the biggest branch I could find that was high enough in a tree to hide me. The park was swarmed by motorcycles soon after I’d escaped, and people with flashlights stayed long after darkness had settled. They’d given up and moved on when the reporters arrived.

  Apparently, I’d been spotted as I raced across the grass. I’d given it enough time for even the most patient person to have gone home before I raced the fifteen miles to the estate. I had no idea how long it took me to make it, but it didn’t seem that long. Scaling the wall, I made my way toward the house.