Bound, An Arelia LaRue Novel #1 YA Paranormal Romance (6 page)

“
It depends what variety
you’re looking for, liquid or powder?”

“
You know what I’m talking
about, where is the Coke?” I sharply demanded.

“
Over there queen,” he
pointed to the counter where cans of soda were laid out. I grabbed
one without thanking him and hurried off to deliver it to Ben. I
sensed that someone had an agenda to make my time at Darkwood a
living nightmare.

Back in the ballroom, the party was in
full swing. The music had gotten louder, and the guests livelier. I
skimmed the room for Sabrina since I could see Mr. Dumpty arguing
with the cocktail waiter who Mrs. Dumpty had been flirting with.
When I finally spotted Sabrina, her head was thrown back like
someone had told her an infinitely hilarious joke and her right
hand was on the shoulder of the guy beside her. I bet she was
flirting with another guest.

I started to walk towards her, but
stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the profile of the guest. It
was him. It was the shirtless guy who had seen me in my towel only
he was wearing a shirt and a black, tuxedo jacket. I felt my face
getting hot, and my mouth parched thinking back to what had
happened. The black jacket outlined the broadness of his shoulders
and his toned waist. His dark, shaggy hair glistened as it fell
below his ears and flipped out slightly at the ends. What was wrong
with me? It was just a guy, and besides he was obviously interested
in Sabrina.

I stood there frozen like an absolute
idiot. Not because I thought he would recognize me, but because I
didn’t want to interrupt Sabrina. I knew she would pout if I got in
the middle of her flirt fest with formerly-shirtless guy. Besides,
I had to get back to Ben. Unfortunately, Mr. Dumpty interrupted my
thoughts. “Hey there pretty lady, do a fat guy from New York a
favor and dance with him?”

“
I really can’t,” I replied
quicker than I should have.

“
Please,” he was starting to
brazenly beg, “have some pity on me. My wife is flirting with a
cocktail waiter.”

“
I can’t dance,” I attempted
to get out of his offer. It wasn’t a complete fabrication. I was
the worst dancer ever. I had absolutely no rhythm and was prone to
tripping over my feet. Given the fact that I was in a massive ball
gown, it would only make matters worse.

“
It’s not so tough, I’m sure
you’ll catch on.” Mr. Dumpty’s drunken voice was so loud that the
entire room was starting to stare.

“
Fine,” I mumbled. I placed
the can of Coke on a nearby table. Mr. Dumpty put his arm around my
waist and practically dragged me onto the dance floor. I held my
breath praying that I wouldn’t have to smell the gumbo/Hurricane
fumes that were radiating from him.

“
See, it’s not so hard now
is it?” Mr. Dumpty was trying to encourage me as he dragged me from
one end of the dance floor to the other. I felt like a helpless rag
doll in his arms as he swung me from side to side. He started
humming along with the music and brought his hand dangerously close
to my butt. Repulsion filled me as he tried to peer seductively
into my eyes and puckered his lips. I heard some of the guests
starting to snicker as I struggled not to get bounced back and
forth by his enormous belly. I was mortified as he picked up the
pace and I almost tripped over my gown. My face started to flame
with embarrassment. I prayed that somehow I would become
invisible.

“
Would you allow me to cut
in?” Formerly-shirtless guy swiftly tapped Mr. Dumpty on the
shoulder.

“
I don’t know. I’m having a
great time.” Mr. Dumpty was determined to keep torturing me, as he
gave me another dramatic twirl. I felt the room spinning, as the
faces around me took delight in my humiliation.

“
I’m sure there are plenty
of other guests that would love to dance with a fine dancer such as
yourself.” Flattery obviously worked on Mr. Dumpty as he stopped
swooshing me around and let formerly-shirtless guy cut
in.

I immediately pulled away. “I don’t
feel like dancing anymore!” I snapped at formerly-shirtless guy and
hurried away. I know I was being childish and should have at least
thanked him for stepping in and rescuing me from Mr. Dumpty, but I
was mortified over what just happened. I took a few minutes to
compose myself before I searched for Sabrina.

“
That was so tragic!”
Sabrina shouted as she waved me over. Somehow, she had managed to
drag formerly-shirtless guy back to her side.

Formerly-shirtless guy looked me
straight in the eyes and smiled. He looked entertained as I ignored
him. “I have to go help out a guest!” I yelled at her from across
the room. “I have to go give him a Coke.”

“
Come back when you’re
done.” Sabrina had already turned her attention back to the
guy.

“
Sure.” I grabbed the Coke
from the table where I had left it. It was a lie because there was
no way I was going to talk to formerly-shirtless guy after he had
seen me in a bath towel and attempted to save me from Mr. Dumpty.
Walking towards the staircase where I had left Ben, I could feel
someone watching me. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I could just
sense formerly-shirtless guy’s probing eyes watching me as I walked
away. What was it about him? There was something different, but I
just couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I had to snap out of it
otherwise I was going to start sounding like Sabrina.

“
Ben, I got your Coke,” I
announced as I kneeled down and peered under the staircase. “Ben?”
There was silence. “Where are you?” When I saw that Ben wasn’t
under the staircase, I went into panic mode. He must have gone
upstairs. I ran up the stairs and went inside every open bedroom. I
searched under the beds, and behind the antique chests, but there
was no sign of Ben. “Ben, Ben!” I continued to shout.

It was useless. He obviously wasn’t
there. I needed to think. Where could he have gone to this time of
night? Fear gripped me, as I thought about Ben’s obsession to see
the alligators and ghosts. Could he have actually headed towards
the swamp alone? I ran into my bedroom and pulled out the Summer
Plan. I flipped through the pages until I found a map. Ben had been
right, the swamp wasn’t that far away from the house, but it was
dark and what lived out there was dangerous.

Map in hand, I flew down the stairs
almost tripping on my gown. When I reached the bottom, Ben was
still nowhere in sight. Sabrina was holding a champagne glass and
slow dancing with formerly-shirtless guy. I decided not to
interrupt her because explaining what had happened would waste
time. I headed out the front door and made my way to the
swamp.

Chapter 5

Where are you?

I was lucky enough to have a full,
bright moon on my side as I ran down the oak-lined path that was
supposed to lead me to Darkwood swamp. The night was humid and hot.
Wearing what felt like a fourteen pound gown with a corset and
layers of petticoats was not helping me any either. “Ben, Ben!” I
shouted hoping that he had gotten scared and had decided to head
back or at least sit under a tree until someone came to look for
him. When I signed up for this job, I hadn’t thought it would turn
out to be a babysitting gig. While Sabrina was having the time of
her life with formerly-shirtless guy, I was running around in the
woods. I told myself to suck it up and go on, no one was forcing me
to stay here.

After running around in circles, I
decided to stop and read the map. I wasn’t very good with
directions and something told me that I was on the wrong path since
I couldn’t see any cypress trees that were typical of swampy areas.
All I could see were more oak trees. The path had long disappeared
behind me, and now I was deep into a fully wooded area. The trees
covered the moonlight cloaking me in darkness. It seemed as if the
oaks were alive and vigilantly paying attention to my every move.
The chirps of exotic birds hummed in my ears as I reached under my
gown and took out my cell so that I could actually read the map. I
was fortunate to have squeezed it between my stomach and a
petticoat, so it hadn’t fallen out while I had been running. The
hoot of an owl interrupted my thoughts, and I knew that I had
company.

“
Hello Arelia,” whispered a
deep voice that I knew wasn’t human. “Are you lost?” It
asked.

“
Yes, I am,” I replied
knowing that it was a spirit. If Ms. Mae and Erzulie were right,
maybe it could help me find Ben.

“
Where are you going to at
this time of night?” It asked. I skimmed the area and realized that
the voice was coming from a large, grey owl. I know to most people,
a talking owl would sound crazy, but growing up where I did, it was
pretty much normal.

“
Brise?” I cautiously asked.
Brise was the spirit of the woods and hills. Grand-mere had told
stories of how his physical appearance was so terrifying that he
liked to take the shape of an owl instead. I also knew that he was
essentially a gentle spirit. I would have to take my chances and
ask him for help.

“
Yes, you know my name?”
Brise sounded extremely pleased.

“
Of course, I know your
name. I need your help.”

“
Why would I want to help
Arelia LaRue?”

“
You know my name too, that
means you’ve heard about me. It may also mean that you care and
want to help.” I knew that I was being too hopeful.

“
Erzulie says many great
things about you. She’s so beautiful,” Brise’s voice was wistful.
“Do you think she would ever be interested in an ugly spirit like
me?” He prodded as he tilted his head in anticipation. He was
obviously waiting for some kind of affirmation.

Go figure, even spirits had self-esteem
and dating issues. “Of course,” I replied carefully. The last thing
I wanted to do was offend a spirit. “Why wouldn’t she be interested
in you?”

“
Well, there are so many
other handsome spirits around; I don’t think that she would be
attracted to me.” He went on lamenting how difficult it was being
one of the ugliest spirits around.

I thought back to all the times Sabrina
had forced me to watch America’s Next Top Model and pulled out a
line that Tyra would have probably used if a model was having a
breakdown. “Well, I personally think you’re very handsome. You have
a unique look that no other spirit has, I’m sure Erzulie would love
to date someone so distinctive. It’s true. I’ve seen pictures of
you. I’ll tell you what, if you help me, I’ll put in a good word
for you. I’ll make sure that Erzulie gives you a chance,” I offered
humbly.

“
Really?” He let out a loud
hoot.

“
Yes, really,” I said. “So
can you help me?”

“
Yes,” he replied. “What is
it that you are searching for?”

“
I have to find the swamp.
I’m looking for a child, I think he’s there. I know that he’s
scared and lost,” I spat out before he could change his mind and
decide not to help me.

Brise laughed a deep, throaty laugh
that shook all the trees surrounding us. “That’s such an easy
request Arelia. Just look beneath you.”

“
Beneath me?” I asked
terrified that I would see Ben’s chubby, limp body there. I looked
down and was relieved to find his baseball cap. “He was
here?”

“
Yes,” replied Brise. He was
so nonchalant about the whole thing like he dealt with situations
such as these on a daily basis.

“
Where is he now?” I
demanded.

“
Pick up the hat. It will
show you the way,” he advised.

“
I don’t understand.” I was
puzzled as I picked up the hat. I felt silence fill the air.
“Brise!” I shouted, but he was gone. I was alone again. I forced
myself to calm down and think about what Brise had said. The hat
would show me the way. I ran my fingers over the cap and closed my
eyes and concentrated on Ben’s face. With my eyes still closed I
made my way through the woods, until I could smell Spanish
moss.

I opened my eyes and saw that the
moonlight was back only to reveal the eerie outline of Spanish
moss, as it dangled from rows of cypress trees. All around me the
trees breathed and silently spoke a secret language that I had no
hopes of ever understanding. This had to mean that the swamp was
near. I ran towards the trees and felt the ground turn to mush as I
crossed it. I can’t explain how but I felt that Ben was near.
“Ben!” I shouted.

“
Hello,” whispered a scared
little voice.

“
Ben, it’s Arelia. We met at
the party remember? I went to get you a Coke, but you disappeared.
Where are you?”

“
I wanted to see the
alligators and ghosts, but I got lost,” he pouted.

“
Well, you came awfully
close to finding the swamp, a few more feet and you would have been
right there. Where are you?” I repeated the question.

“
I’m right here,” he said.
“Look to your right.”

I rapidly turned to my right and saw
Ben’s chubby frame slumped against a cypress tree.

“
Oh, thank God!” I shouted
as I started to run towards him. As I got closer, I stopped dead in
my tracks. Dangling from the tree Ben sat under, lurking above his
head, there was a cottonmouth snake. In Louisiana everyone knows
that cottonmouths are deadly. Its ugly body must have been at least
sixty inches in length and was patterned in a yellow and khaki
design. I didn’t want to freak Ben out so I decided to remain
composed.