Scarlett had on a poker face. “I’m not going to even ask what this conversation is about. I mean you don't want people to know how happy you are, do you?" She smiled cunningly and squeezed his shoulder.
Jake swallowed hard, tilting his cap downwards. "Guess not," he mumbled.
“Good boy. Now let’s go.”
"Wait, what has she done?" Luxor halted him by clutching the crook of his elbow and held him back.
Jake shrugged her off, tremors invading his body. "Nothing, nothing. Forget I said anything. I'll see you around," he said nervously, bumping into people as he moved away as quickly as possible. It was near identical to the way he acted when he came to her house.
Scarlett snorted, and laughed at Jake’s retreated figure. "Such a strange, strange guy. I wonder what has him rattled?”
“What have you done?” Luxor demanded.
“I haven’t a clue what you’re on about? Then again I don’t speak freak,” Scarlett said, smoothing down her skirt and walking away.” She spotted Evie and her smile grew wider. Luxor quickly moved to protect her from whatever had in mind. “Well, well, well the freak brigade has decided to crash the party.”
“You don’t own the forest,” Luxor told her.
“Oh, but I own the school, in a metaphoric way, but still, it’s same. You want to stay, you’ve got to earn it.”
"You've got to be kidding me? I owe you nothing," Luxor said. "Since I've arrived you've made my life hell, and what for? Because I live in the house daddy wants?”
"Daddy issues," Evie remarked under her breathe.
"I wouldn't be smug if I were you Evie, does Luxor know your devious acts?"
Evie paled, wringing her hands at the front of her body. "Scarlett, shut up."
"I guess that's a no," Scarlett said maliciously with great satisfaction.
"Scarlett, please." Her voice was a mere whisper now.
She bared her teeth. "I warned you."
"No, I'm warning you, step back," Luxor threatened her. Her heart rate picked up and she anticipated her anger kicking in.
"Or else what Ellie, tell me what's with the name change?" Scarlett turned her attention back on Evie. "Have you told Ellie the truth of what happened to Adam? Your poor twin."
Luxor froze at her former name. "Scarlett, stop."
"Scarlett, stop," Scarlett mimicked. Luxor stepped in to protect Evie from her tirade, just as she had done the first time she'd met her. "Isn't that admirable?" She mocked, rocking back on the balls of her feet.
Luxor stepped away and headed towards the car but only made it a few steps before Evie let out a strangled scream and buckled forward to her knees against the dirty ground.
Scarlett juggled another sharp rock in her hand. "I wasn't finished talking." She aimed to strike again.
Before Scarlett could blink, Luxor’s hand slammed her against a tree, her hand around her neck. "I don't know what your problem is but this ends now."
Scarlett gasped, her eyes bulging at the sudden force. She clawed at Luxor's hand, her face turning a bright red, but she was overpowered. Luxor kneed her in the stomach, her mind leaving her, tuning her into another person.
Luxor grabbed Scarlett by the hair, smashing her face into the bark of a nearby tree.
“Stop it!” Scarlett struggled in her grasp, trying to break free.
“Kill her, extract the light from her eyes,” the man ordered, his dominant voice clear and concise. The logical part of her subconscious was nowhere, chased away by hate and the consumption of pain.
"Luxor, let go," Ayla’s voice chimed in from behind, her hand trying to placate her. "This isn't the way, it's not really you."
"No," the voice told her coldly, shrugging off her touch.
"Remember the little girl who wouldn't hurt anybody. Think back to the girl who would try to save a little dog that everybody thought should die. Remember the goodness in you."
Images of an eight-year-old Luxor came into her mind. A pit bull had bit her arm, and was sentenced to be put down. She cried for the dog even though it had hurt her, it deserved another chance. That girl no longer existed, the helpless image of the remorseful dog projected through Scarlett.
"Are you going to stop?" Luxor locked her hands around Scarlett’s neck, choking her as hard as she could. Scarlett’s face grew red, her sputtering lips darkening to an ashen blue. A thrum of pleasure shot through Luxor making Scarlett suffer. She deserved it.
She squeezed harder on Scarlett's pulse whose eyes rolled at the back of her head, until it wasn't possible. The pain Luxor inflicted magnified the satisfaction, her eyes brightened to witness Scarlett cower.
Heat assaulted Luxor's back and she melted in into a pair of warms arms releasing the stranglehold on Scarlett. She fluttered her eyes open, a shiver shooting through her body.
"What happened?" she whispered. Confusion marred her mind as she hugged Ayla tight as if she was a life support.
"Nothing that can't be fixed," Ayla stroked her hair, and rubbed her back in a circular motion before releasing her to give her some breathing space.
Scarlett slumped, heaving in gulps of air. "What are you?" she splattered out.
"Your perfect nightmare," she repeated the words the man once told her.
Castor joined them, and instead of Ayla being a support she disappeared again leading Luxor to think she was a mirage. He pinched Scarlett’s shoulder and she turned to face him. "You need to stop." Scarlett stilled, blinking three times as she absorbed his words.
Theo took Castors’ place, his face a mask of stone as he copied Castor's expression. "You will go back home, up to your room and lie down. This incident never happened. You ate a peanut and it went down the wrong hole. You rubbed it until you spat it out, that's why your neck is like that. Finally, you will never, ever, talk to Luxor again. You are to steer clear of her. Do you understand?" Scarlett nodded weakly. "Now go."
Scarlett shook her head and coughed her hand around her throat. She fixated on Luxor as if she wanted to say something, but staggered off in a daze.
"Great more mess we have to contain," Castor spoke to himself surveying the onlookers. They lingered around, their hands across their mouths at what they just witnessed.
"What did you do?" Luxor asked when Scarlett was out of sight.
"A favour, you should be grateful," he spat in disgust. "More to the point, what did you do?"
"Grateful? No matter how much I hate Scarlett you cannot go doing you voodoo on her. Or others for that matter."
"Do you hear that Theo? She thinks it's magic. Believe me you don't want to know the severity of what we can do, but I'm interested to find out yours." His voice was low and chilling.
"What are you talking about?" She looked between them hoping they'd answer her properly.
"Castor shut up," Theo growled, extending his arm and tapping him to move along.
Luxor's attention was averted to his forearm, the identical tattoo of Castor's. "I know what you are," she yelled out, using reverse psychology.
The twins and Melita stalked over intimidatingly, as they ganged up on her. She was surrounded, and she only had herself to blame.
Good going Luxor, taunting psychopaths, this will end well.
"Well, well, well hallelujah, about time." Castor slow clapped.
Melita's emerald eyes brightened, her voice uncharacteristic chirpy. "Does this mean the end of the miss—"
Castor bumped her shoulder, a deathly stare to silence her. "Please inform us. What are we?"
"Y-you're devil worshippers," Luxor stuttered, gauging their reaction.
Castor chuckled and let out a buzzer sound. "Dun, dun. Please feel free to try again."
Melita rolled her eyes, "She's so stupid, I don't know what Hunter sees in her," condescension dripping thickly from her voice.
"Envious much?" Luxor taunted.
Theo clenched his teeth. "Envy might be one of the deadly sins but you commit almost all the other ones. You’re a rare little birdie
which makes you dangerous, and might need to be contained in a cage."
Space. Luxor needed space. Being dragged there was a bad idea. So far, she had pushed Scarlett to the point which would result in greater repercussions, more trouble she didn’t need to contend with.
Luxor struggled to wade through the dense, knee-length grass, bypassing the fuzzy, moss covered cedar trees which loomed above, taller than the eye could see. The further in she travelled, the darker it became, trails merged into one and she lost all sense of direction. She was convinced she would be stuck, but still she didn't turn around. The path widened to reveal a murky lake, the colour of dishwater which crested the edge of the forest. The air hummed with the drones of mosquitoes and the flutter of the dragonflies’ wings, the only sounds in an otherwise silence. Despite the dreary atmosphere of the forest, being able to inhale crisp air was a vast change from the sulphur that continually burned her nose and throat earlier.
Luxor snuggled underneath a shady tree and fluttered her eyes closed and buried her fingers in the blades of grass, concentrating on anything but the outside world. Because everything else failed to help Luxor relax, there was no harm in trying meditation however idiotic she perceived it to be. She let her mind go free, tapping into Ellie Lockhart and returned to her self-serving and resilient individual, and released the incorporations of other people in her life who caused chaos. In other words. Everybody.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Sunny days. The beach. The humidity as the sun kissed her skin. Verity. Laughs. Cheerleading. Popular. Carefree.
Luxor smiled at the positives Ellie had. Whenever darkness would make an appearance, she would shoot them down.
Happy thoughts. Unicorns. Rainbows. Mermaids. Pretty colours. Shiny and bright. No darkness. It’s all so beautiful.
A lead weight had been lifted from Luxor’s chest and she expelled a heavy breath. Never in her wildest thoughts would she have imagined a non-verbal, non-medical alternative assisting her. Raising herself off the ground she dusted off the back of her jeans and peered at the exit, ready to join Evie, who she hoped had come to her senses and was ready to leave.
A hot poker struck at her birthmark, and she clutched onto the bark of the tree as she yelped. She glanced around through misty eyes until a pair of crimson lights struck out and drew her attention. An ear-bursting symphony followed as crows flew in from all directions, their cawing a siren of evil. They settled on the tree tops, their sleek feathers transforming the green to black silk.
Luxor raised her head and craned her head from side to side. At first no bodies produced themselves, but that didn’t mean a thing, it was only a matter of time. As soon as the thought disappeared, at the corner of her eye she noticed movement and bolted upright.
Luxor’s stomach hurled and she doubled over and grabbed her knees. She rubbed her eyes desperately wanted it to be a hallucination because the alternative would be unfathomable.
Breathe in. And out. Breathe in. And out.
The air threatened to choke Luxor as two young boys materialised, no older than thirteen, dirty and tattered clothing hanging off their bony frames. They hissed and flanked her from both sides. Cheering with glee, they imitated the crows and inched closer in an eerie synchronised fashion, dragging one leg as the other was not able to keep up to speed with the other.
“Whatcha’ doin’ here luscious, all alone, you know it ain’t safe. Especially for you.” One of them spoke, the cruel crimson gaze pinning her to the spot.
Luxor froze with terror, her muscles tight as bow strings.
“Aww, look at the poor, pathetic thing.”
Coming closer into the dim light, the rabid humans frothed at the mouth, crusty skin coating the upper and lower lids of their crimson eyes.
One of them stepped forward, his face scared from acne. His fingertip skimmed the side of Luxor’s jaw.
Luxor retracted, letting out a strangled yelp. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. She coughed and tried as hard as she could to speak but the pain overrode her brain and rendered her senseless. Her innards felt as if they were being fried up in a frypan and served as a delicacy.
“Girlie, are you okay?” the pock faced boy hissed.
“Nope, I don’t think she is,” the identical voiced chorused. His complexion was severely burnt as if he had fallen asleep on a day when the sun blazed.
Pock face cocked its head back and cackled. When he righted himself, Luxor noticed bits of fur stuck at the corner of its mouth. “But I must agree, she is luscious.”
“Your mouth. What’s on it?” she asked, wincing.
The boy cricked his neck to the side even so slightly it could have passed for slow motion in an animated movie. “Do I really?” His voice took on a chilling tone. He held up a squirrel by its tail, its matted brown fur spilt open in a ravage manner, the pink intestines exposed. “Ooh, look at the little sucker bleed, I hope its suffering,” he squealed. “Want a taste?’ With a pointy, rotted nail, he stabbed the squirrel through the heart, blood squirting in all directions. Lifting it up like a shish kebab he swirled his long tongue around its fur, savouring every inch. “Ahh, much tastier than apples, not bland at all. Nothing beats fresh meat. Granted it’s not as tasty as humans.” His gaze fixated on Luxor. Opening his mouth wide, he showcased a yellowed set of pointy teeth, smeared with blood and the insides of the poor squirrel. Swinging it lasso style she thrust the poor animal under Luxor’s nose. Glassy eyes begged for mercy, but it was too late. Its head lolled to the side on the verge of detaching.
Luxor balked and swallowed the wad of bile rising in her throat. Ice froze her veins and shock overtook her. “What are you on?”
Drugs. No other logical explanation.
Please say human. Please say human.
The other boy cackled. “Stupid, stupid girl. Don’t you see?” He crawled over, legs outwards and flat against the dirt.
“W-what are you?” Luxor paled and scattered back, rocks and twigs cutting into her flesh.
“Shouldn’t the question be, what are you? Why aren’t you home yet?” Boy number two hopped frog-style, but his legs stayed in the same position.
Luxor turned to her side and scamped forward, her legs unstable as jelly. The unknown of the woodlands was a welcome surprise, the perfect place to hide. She needed to flee, it had officially entered the realm of impossibility and was a case for the X-files.
“Where you going? Don’t go. Let’s party,” one of them cooed at her.
“Stay away freaks!”
Both boys mock cried which made it all the more chilling. “Such a party pooper, you’re nothing like daddy said you’d be. But that’ll change.”
Luxor quickened her pace to mirror her heart booming behind her ribs, heat emanating against her spine from the boys who gained speed. She had hardly made it a metre before she was pounced upon and tackled flat against the dirt. A pointy talon dug into the skin of her skull.
“Arghhh!” Luxor screamed and dropped to her knees just before a fistful of hair was yanked back. She clawed at the air, and thrashed, all the while being dragged her back to the lake.
A fierce wind bloomed and all at once the bodies holding her stiffened up. Far in the distance, a vision robbed the night of any light. Through flashes of violet thunderstorms, a silhouette emerged, sleek and fluid. Luxor has no idea where the silhouette was, only that he was close—close enough to set her insides ablaze. The heavy-set soles of his boots graced the water, creating not even a ripple. The apparition appeared on the water, its arms spread out wide like a Machiavellian Jesus, cloaked in black, its hood shielding its face. Gathering the feathers of gloom, he held out his arms and they dissipated.
Luxor crouched to the soil and waited for the vision to speak. She pinched the flesh of her wrist to convince herself this wasn’t a hallucination. She winced at the pain. Nope, not a hallucination.
Luxor rose onto her feet blinking numerous times, her pupils enlarged and fixated. She dropped her hands to the
side and began to walk against her will.
It was a game, a sure-fire way to gain power.
He rubbed his hands together, his grin spread from ear to ear. In a slow and swift movement, he removed the hood from his head and exposed himself.
Luxor sucked in sharp as her breathing faltered, she wasn’t prepared for the sight before her. Silken black locks framed a sun-kissed oval face. Piercing aqua eyes glinted, creating dimples on the lake. This evil vision was part of her, she could feel it in her bones, in her soul, the same hue she shared with this man, the intensity far greater from her dreams, even though both didn’t corporeally exist.
He was a mystery, a mystery she didn’t want to figure out.
“Come to me, my darling daughter,” a soothe honeyed voice emanated from his full lips. Luxor hesitated. “Don’t be scared, I’m not here to hurt you.”
“How can I be sure?” she responded blankly. She became detached, her emotions numb. His aqua eyes challenged her in an unspoken game. His relaxed posture was at odds with his aura which oozed royalty. “Is anything truly a surety?”
Luxor shoved down her fear.
“Come to me.” He crooked his fingers. “I need to see you clearer.”
“I need answers. What were they? Who are you?” she asked.
“Isn’t it clear by now?” he said calmly. Luxor needed him to say the words, not some authoritative bullshit. “I am your creator.”
“You’re God?” She pursed her lips together.
He frowned. “Don’t get smart girl. For that I won’t play nice. Get over here now.” An explosion of light transformed the moon to a sheen of crimson creating a halo about his head, eradicating everything but his outline.
Luxor froze and blinked at the light stuck in a devastating predicament. An ease settled within. Her feet refused to move to escape the clutches of this vision but she didn’t want to. His subliminal existence enthralled her. She forged ahead towards the lake unaware of the imposing danger, vaguely aware all was not right. The soles of her feet walked on the water as if it were frozen, and she swayed clumsily, her mind lightheaded as if drunk but not afraid. It had made her brazen as if she was given a dare.
Unveiled: The Chronicles of Luxor Everstone Page 35