Catching Temptation (In Darkness She Fades (Book 1) (6 page)

I stop my working hands.

“Yes, the Jenkins family is very
powerful in this town. They insist the theater be reopened every Halloween,
because no more children disappeared since the king vanished, and, like I told
you before, they wanted to keep up with tradition.”

I take the opportunity to avert
the topic from the Jenkins family. “So did the king really steal children?”

“Oh, yes. If I’m remembering
correctly, there were a couple teen girls too.” Mrs. Peters sits down the box
on the stairs and rubs her arm’s muscles.

I try to imagine myself as one of
the children. The idea scares the curiousness out of me. “What does he do with
them anyway?”

“It is still a bit of a mystery.
Some of the parents of the missing children claimed to see their children
playing in the monster’s forest. They said their children’s faces had sharper
features closely resembling the creatures. But you mustn’t worry yourself,
Dearie,” Mrs. Peters says, noticing my tense gaze. “It’s only a folktale.”

Whirling over the night’s events
in my head, I conclude that the town possesses more secrets than answers.
“Thank you for the story Mrs. Peters, I guess I’d better be going. I’ll return
the novel to you tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you keep it for a
while, I need to clean my house anyways, and I’d feel much better if I knew my
book is in safe hands.”

Ascending the stairs two at a
time, I say, “No problem. Oh, I wanted to ask, what are the fireworks for?”

“The Halloween Mask Ball of
course! I always have to hide the box with the finale fireworks in the top
balcony, because of a few rascals in town.”

“Wow, it ties in with my holiday
too.”

“Oh? What holiday is that,
Dearie?”

“Diwali. It’s actually a five day
festival, but the second day lands on Halloween this year. We even get dressed
up and pass out sweets to family and friends. It was my Mom’s favorite holiday,
because of the fireworks and all the clay oil lamps we would light. The lamps
are supposed to signify the triumph of good over evil.”

“That does sound interesting. Why
was this festival started? What sparked its creation?”

I shrug. “My Mom told me it
commemorates the return of an exiled lord and the vanquishing of a demon king.”

“How marvelous! Maybe I can incorporate
some of those things in this year’s festival!”

“Really?”

“Of course! We need some change
in this town.” Mrs. Peters bends and retrieves a few fireworks.

I chuckle and go up the stairs.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at school, Mrs. Peters.”

“Good night, Temptation, and
don’t worry about the walk home. He always guards those he loves.”

I stop at the archway of the main
hall and glance back. The ballroom appears, once again, vacant. “Hmm…she
must’ve been talking about God.”

The serenity of the quiet walk home
calms my boiling worries to a soft simmer. Only the hums of bugs, whisper in my
ears like an annoying lullaby. Once or twice, I think I hear an owl.

Karma sends me a voicemail
laughing at my boldness in the classroom. It helps raise my spirit.

Aunt Sally’s Victorian house is a
grim scene at night. Paint can fix it. The porch light flickers from moths
soaring back and forth. Sighing, I push open the front door, and tiptoe into
the kitchen.

“Eek!” My body bangs into the
cabinets. “Aunt Sally – you scared me.”

Hunching over the dining table,
Aunt Sally clutches a cup of hot green tea in her thin hands. Heavy eyes
scrutinize my dirty feet and clothes. “Where did you go? I searched for almost
an hour and never found any trace of you.”

Not wanting to reveal my new
sanctuary, I shrug my shoulders, and stare at a spider scuttling across the
tiled floor. We need to fumigate this place.

“Sit down and have some tea.” The
defeated slump of Aunt Sally’s shoulders causes me to regret my inconsiderate
emotions. Aunt Sally pores me some of the golden-green liquid. I add sugar;
never elevating my weary eyes. The tension in the room increases as Daniel
emerges from the shadowy staircase.

“Finally came back, did you?
Didn’t have any friends to–”

“Daniel, cut it out and come sit
down. We’re going to discuss this like adults and you two are going to listen
to one another. You both need to start considering one another’s feelings.”

Daniel stomps over to the
farthest seat from me and drops on the chair. “Let’s get this over.”

“Daniel, since you seem so angry
toward your cousin lately, why don’t you start by telling me what the issue
is?”

“It’s her! We moved so we can
start over and she’s still wearing the same Goth crap, and freaking out
everyone in school.”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupt
Daniel. “I don’t tell you what to wear. And as far as freaking everyone at
school out, they can look the other way.”

“You see, Mom! She doesn’t care
how I get teased because of how she is–”

“Well you both–”

“Hold up.” I glare at Daniel.
“You talk of my weirdness, but what about those new friends of yours, the
Jenkins twins. One has neon-orange hair and they both dress like heavy-metal
Rock stars.”

“Who cares? They’re cool.”

“No, they’re assholes–”

“Temptation!”

“Everyone likes them,” Daniel
argues.

“Oh! This really is about
popularity. I’m not popular enough and it’s bringing your social status down,
keeping you from becoming the stereotypical jerk–”

“TEMPTATION!”

“–you always wanted to be. No,
Aunt Sally.” My plum eyes flash at Aunt Sally, who appears quite livid. “I’m
tired of everyone telling me how I should be–”

“Enough, Temptation. Your cousin
gives a valid point. I’ve already received one phone call from your science
teacher today and she said your clothing distracted other students. I will not let
this gothic-pagan get-up interfere with your studies. It’s already interfered
with your singing and–”

“Well, crap, I’m sorry I didn’t
die along with the rest of my family so things could be easier for you.”

Smack!

I release my teacup. The fragile
china shatters all over the dining room floor. Touching my tingling cheek, I
stare in disbelief, and horror at Aunt Sally who cradles the red palm of her
hand. Slowly, I rise to my feet and, with a calm patience, I did not know I
possessed, I push my chair in, and amble to the staircase.

“W-Where do you think you’re
going? You come back here and clean up–”

“Mrs. Falls, do it yourself,” I
state with my back still to Aunt Sally.

“You call me Aunt Sally or
ma’am!”

I curve to penetrate her with an
icy glare. “Don’t talk to me until you are ready to apologize.”

I am in my bedroom. Two tears
leak out and roll into my tangled hair. It is not in my nature act so
insensitive and I hate the emotions that came after the cruelness. I collapse
on my veiled four-poster bed.

“Ouch!”

Arching back up, I rub the back
of my neck. Wetness trickles to my fingertips. I pull my tattooed hand back and
cringe at the blood covering my fingers. On the bed, in the brilliant
chandelier light; lay a single blue rose and a beautiful bone mask covered in
small crystals and crimson feathers. My trembling fingers lift the mask. A
small note lay beneath it. As I lean over, my dark hair spills onto the fuchsia
bedspread.
Set me free and I’ll grant you, your darkest wish.

Chapter Five

The Laws of Rosewood

The aroma in the cafeteria reeks
of cheap burgers and burnt fries. I slouch in my seat with my elbows supporting
my upper body.

Earlier, Aunt Sally tried to
engage me in a conversation during breakfast with no luck. She tried once again
on the ride to school, but still I would not acknowledge my aunt without an
apology. Daniel keeps his eyes on the floor whenever we pass each other in the
hallway. His dodgy actions lead me to believe that he feels guilty about the
confrontation. At least I have some peace from his teasing.

I swirl a curly fry in my gooey
ketchup.

The bench underneath me shakes.

The twin with the lightning
orange hair plops down beside me. I remember Victoria calling him Herald.
“Hello, milady!” Herald drapes his arm over my shoulders. “So I’ve heard from–”

“–a very reliable source.”
Another boy hops on the bench, blocking me from the exit.

“Otherwise known as your cousin.”
Herald grins, forcing the corners of his eyes to mimic the shape of crescent
moons. “He says that you’re going clinically insane.” Pale fingertips stroke my
cheeks. “I’m guessing from the redness of your face you won’t be denying you’ve
actually been seeing,” he snakes his arm around my abdomen and leans forward
until his lips touch my ear, “goblins!”

The fluttering in my stomach
intensifies at his touch. Herald awakens a dormant emotion; long forgotten
until now. A sickening shudder spreads like poison. I do not want to desire
anything from Herald, except for the desire for him to vanish.

Shoving him off, I kick the other
boy’s feet, and snatch up my plastic lunch tray. “Get away from me. Think
whatever you like, but leave me alone.” I march over to the dumpster.
Depositing my leftover food into the overstuffed garbage can, I slam my tray on
top of a messy pile, and half-jog to the door.

All eyes follow me.

Out of the school, I flee toward
downtown.

“You know, skipping school won’t
help make your problem go away.”

“And how would you know?”
Swiveling around, my hair whips the air, exposing my bleached hair underneath.
I left the underneath of my hair white, to remind me of who I once was.

Herald halts a few feet away.

“What do you want from me? To
admit I’m insane and suicidal because of the accident? Because it was my
fault?” I shake my head, trying to fight back tears. “All I want is to start
over in Rosewood, but I can’t because no one will give me a chance. So, if what
you want is a confession, then fine. Yes, I could be insane or experiencing
hallucinations. I died for five minutes. Some people who’ve died for that long
and come back sometimes develop a little brain damage, which causes the things
I’m experiencing.” I do not know what possesses me to tell Herald of my darkest
secret. The words spilled out of my mouth before I thought of the consequences.

Herald’s face relaxes. He shrugs
one shoulder and places his pale hands in his pockets. “I want you to know
you’re not going crazy. Goblins, or monsters as you call them, do exist.”

For a moment, I thought I
misheard him. He grins at my dumbfound expression.

“Herald, don’t insult me more
than you already have. This is not a joke to me.” I walk away.

“I can prove it.”

I stop and eye his serious
demeanor. Shifting my body weight on one foot, I say, “I still think they’re
monsters, but whatever. How can you prove it?”

The school bell tolls. Doors
slam, voices rise, and bodies push their way across the school grounds.

Hands outstretch to me as Herald
speaks with an eerie calmness which holds no hint of uncertainty. “Come with me
and we’ll tell you Rosewood’s most guarded secret along the way.”

Is this a joke?

Sunlight sharpens the edges of
Herald’s face. The seriousness in his expression stresses otherwise. “Why
should I trust you after the way you and Victoria treated me the other day?”

“Awe, we didn’t mean anything by
it.” Herald flashes a winsome smirk.

“Victoria wanted to humiliate
you. She’s kind of a snob,” says the other boy strutting up to us. “I’m Chevy,
by the way”

“If she’s such a snob, why are
you dating her?” I ask Herald.

“Well see...she’s
really
talented at–”

“Whoa!” Cutting Herald off, I
raise my hands in a surrendering motion. “Okay, I get the idea. Where are we
going?”

“Follow us.” Chevy extends his
arm, motioning for me to follow Herald, while he brings up the rear. We hurry
into the parking lot, careful to avoid the teachers monitoring school property.
Identical motorcycles are at the end of the parking lot. Chevy hops on one of
the bikes.

Herald swings a leg over his
airbrushed-skull, motorcycle. “You’re going to have to hop on behind me.”

I stall. Hate is the word I
describe for my views of motorcycles. I carry a severe dislike for motorcycles
ever since I met the biker gang.

“What’s the matter? You’re not
scared are you?” Herald teases.

Scowling, I grip his waist, and
swing my leg over the sleek body. The metal on my boots create a clanking sound
as it hits the side of the bike. “Does it look like I’m scared? This better not
be a joke, because I’m
not
in the mood. Try anything messed up and I’ll
kick you in the –
ego
.”

Adjoining laughs tickle my ears.

“Lighten up, Temptation.” Herald
wraps my arms tighter around his chest, fingers lingering to trace the lines in
the palm of my hand. “Hold on tight.”

I feel rock hard muscles. How
strange. Most teenage guys do not have a body like his, except for some lucky
football players. The wind blows the stringy branches of a giant willow tree in
front of the school, blocking my view of the hawk-like teachers.

Chevy reeves up the engine and
spins out of the cracked parking lot. Herald mimics his friend’s actions, while
I clutch his torso.

So much for being subtle.

The bike lurches forward and we
speed down the main road leading out of town. Shops pass in a blur. I pray the
police will remain absent.

The locally owned stores soon
fade and the woods devour the landscape scenery on either side of the road. The
motorcycle slows down and Herald eases it over to the opposite side of the
highway. Chevy stops a few feet ahead.

“Here we are.”

“What are we doing here?” An ill
sensation in the bottom of my stomach reminds me of my carelessness. Like an
idiot, I forgot my cellphone. If they attack me, the hard abs beneath Herald’s
shirt makes me seriously doubt I can defend myself. “I thought you were going
to prove to me I’m not crazy, not drive me out in the middle of nowhere.”

“All in good time, milady!”
Herald lifts me off the bike and holds me close.

A little too close. I blush as
Herald’s teasing eyes drop below my chin.

“And Rosewood is out in the
middle of nowhere. Well, it’s hidden in the Manistee National Forest, but
that’s why we like it here.”

“Funny, I thought you would
better suit Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.”

“You told your cousin you saw a
goblin the first day you moved here,” Herald says.

“Yes, but I never said it was a
goblin. I’ve always thought of them as monsters. There was a rock wall in the
woods. Part of the wall had an archway. I saw it on the other side – wait…is
that where we are?”

“Yes,” says Chevy. “The wall is
like a prison for the goblins. Or as you like to call them, ‘monsters.’”

“But don’t start feeling sorry
for the little heathens.” Herald bumps in as he notices my expression of alarm.
He rests a hand on my lower back. “They’re a pain in the ass. It’s better for
them to stay in their own world.”

Both boys gaze into the swaying
forest. Herald’s eyes are freaky when he is serious. Bet he is on drugs. It
would explain how his pupils became so dilated. “Does everyone in town know
about the goblins?”

“Everyone knows it’s a legend.
Town folklore. Only ones who believe it are the ones who’ve seen them, which is
very few. We like to discourage the townspeople’s curiosity of that sinister
tale.”

“Why?”

They act as if they do not hear
my question.

“And you’ve both have seen the
goblins?” I cannot keep the skepticism out of my voice. I jut my chin forward.
“Prove it. Tell me what they look like.”

“Why don’t we show you?” Herald
grasps my wrist and leads me into the woods.

Chevy says, “You’re not going to
back out on us, are you?”

“I think I’ll survive.” My calm
voice does not match my fidgeting fingers.

Polka dots of sunlight beam in
through the giant treetops. Dry leaves crunch beneath black boots. Everyone
halts at the rock wall. It only comes up to my waist. “Hmm... It’s not as tall
as I thought it would be.” The archway, however, measures at least six and a
half feet tall.

“Most goblins are no more than
three feet tall, but over the past two centuries they’ve...interbred with
humans.”

The disgust in Herald’s voice
causes me to quirk my eyes up to study his face. “What human would want to have
sex with a goblin?”

“That’s the thing,” Herald leans
against the archway and gazes into the unpleasant world, “they didn’t have a
choice.”

“It’s why they are imprisoned
behind the wall. Too much of a nuisance for Rosewood. Couldn’t leave the
townspeople alone.”

The forest invokes a strange
silence.

Birds do not chirp. No bugs hum
in our ears or attack our exposed skin. There are no visible signs of wildlife.
The clatter of the world mutes.

“I don’t see any goblins.”

“Most of them sleep during the
day.” Herald’s body is erect. Everything about his body language screams he is
on full alert.

“Not where I come from.”

Herald grins. “Come on. We’re
going inside.”

“Hold on a minute!” I block the
stone archway with my extended arms. “I’m all for seeing the goblins from a
distance, but if what you’re saying is true about this being their – kingdom or
whatever – then I’d rather not go.”

“We’ll protect you. Besides,
they’ll be asleep.”

“Most of them.” Herald’s dark
chuckle does not help my nerves.

The woods appear calm and
pleasant beyond the archway. “I still don’t think–”

“Good idea! Don’t think about
it,” says Chevy. Bounding forward they grab my arms and pulled me under the
archway.

Crap. I feel as safe as a mouse
forced into a snake’s cage.

Past the stone arch, everything
changes. The woods become darker. The wind howls through the trees and blows my
long hair backward. I trip over a stick.

Herald grabs my arm and pulls me
closer to him. “Look down.”

A stone pathway starts under my
boots. It leads further into the foreboding forest. “What’s this?”

“It leads into the goblins’
cove.” Chevy winks and scoops up my limp arm. The more we travel down the stone
pathway, the thicker the bushes and trees become. We do not speak to each
other. Instead, we all strain our ears for the tiniest sound of dangerous
strangers.

“Slow down,” Herald says, holding
me back. “Chevy, go ahead and check things out.”

Chevy takes off and disappears over
the small hill. The thick shadows cast from the maple and oak trees darken the
forest.

I lean against Herald and shiver.
Squinting to get a better look at the treetops, I say, “Herald. The trees.
They’re bending inward.” I back up.

Herald positions himself behind
me and wraps his arms around my shoulders. “
Shh
... They’re here.”

A high cackling erupts through
the wind, making a shrieking sound that mimics nails scrapping against a
chalkboard. The bushes along the stone path shake. Gruff laughter echoes through
hollow logs and trees.

“Gods, let’s get out of here!” I
attempt to run back to the wall, but Herald holds me firmly against himself.

“Not until you’ve seen them up
close.”

“Are you insane?” I am struggling
to break free from Herald.

He jerks me hard. “Temptation,”
Herald lifts my chin, “you need to see how dangerous goblins are. I want you to
drop your interest in these creatures.”

My eyes lock onto his face. There
is something out of place about his smile. “Your teeth. They’re changing.”

Herald grins. “These are the laws
of Rosewood – Never enter the Goblin Kingdom. Don’t consort with the goblins.
Never disobey me. If you break these rules, you die.”

“What in the name of everything
unholy are you?”

Herald bends down. The breeze
spikes his neon hair and his eyes swirl crimson. “Demon.”