Dead by Morning (Rituals of the Night Book 1) (11 page)

                                                                      Chapter Eighteen

Violet took in a deep breath as she stood outside Luna’s house. She was preparing herself to confront Luna about what she had seen. She didn’t know what to expect, but she knew she needed to take responsibility for her involvement.

Luna was sitting at the kitchen table with her head down. She still felt nervous about Chance’s anger earlier. He had never done that before, and she had never felt that terrified. She had been cornered. How much worse could it have been if he had turned that violent when it was just the two of them alone?

The thought moved her to memories of her dream.

Get a grip on yourself,
she scolded herself.

Though she was wary and fearful of his outbursts, she was still irritated at him. Getting her in trouble was just uncalled- especially after what he had done.  She trembled a bit at the memory. Lucky for her David wasn’t home today since he had gone to help an old friend fix up his house.

She heard a knock at the door suddenly and groaned at the thought of company. Violet was waiting outside and the second that Luna opened the door she began talking. “Luna, we need to talk.”

Luna was surprised but stepped aside anyways to allow Violet to go inside.

“What’s wrong?”

“Chance,” Violet replied as she stepped into Luna’s kitchen.

Luna was deeply confused. “What about him?”

Violet thought for a minute, how could she tell Luna without having her overreacting? She swallowed her doubts, it needed to be done.

“I saw what he did to you today at school,” she finally admitted.

“Wh-What do you mean, Violet?” Luna stammered looking down at the table as she clumsily folded her arms across her chest.

“Come on, Luna! You know full well what I’m talking about,” Violet said. “He pinned you to the bathroom wall, he was going to hurt you!”

“That didn’t happen,” Luna said quickly. Denial.

“I was in one of the stalls, I saw the whole thing,” Violet admitted. “Come on, Luna, why are you hiding this? This is your perfect chance to say ‘I told you so’!”

“I’m scared, Violet, that’s why!” Luna said loudly, tears brimming in her eyes. “Okay? I was terrified. Of course I didn’t think that would happen. It was mental.”

“I think you do know,” Violet said. “What was he so angry about?”

Luna bit her lip and remained silent. That room she had seen was really serious to him.

“Luna, tell me,” Violet urged gently.

“He made me promise that I wouldn’t tell anyone about what I saw at his house,” she whispered.

“Oh,” Violet replied caught off guard.

“Yeah.”

“So, you weren’t lying about that room, were you?”

Luna shook her head and lifted her hand to her face to chew on her nails.

“So, what are you going to do about him? He’s clearly unstable.”

“Nothing.”

“Why nothing? What happened today looked serious.”

“Because no matter what I do he just won’t leave me alone. Telling someone will only make him much, much worse I’m sure.”

“You know, I’ve seen his anger too.”

That caught Luna’s interest.

“After you turned him down, he yelled at me in the school parking lot. He has a lot of anger issues.”

Luna frowned. “Why would he yell at you?”

Finally the guilt was too much. “Want to know why Chance won’t leave you alone?” Violet began.

“Yeah, why?”

“Because of me, Luna.”

Violet’s tiny friend was clearly shocked. “What? Why you?”

Violet sighed. “Because I told him you liked him so he’d take you to the dance…you needed to go out.”

“Why, Violet? Why would you do that to me?” Luna asked turning away.

“If it helps, I saw how unhappy it made you, and I’ve been meaning to apologize.”

“It doesn’t help,” Luna said leaning against the table and looking suddenly weak.

“Luna, please don’t hate me.”

“I don’t know what to say to you. I mean you know I hate him with a passion yet you set me up with him? How did you think this would make me feel, Violet?”

“I’m sorry, Luna.”

“Thanks,” Luna said bitterly.

“I didn’t know he’d start being violent with you!”

“It doesn’t matter, alright? I’ll handle it.”

“I think you should try to get some help.”

“You’ve done enough thinking for now, am I right?”

Violet opened her mouth to speak, but another knock on the door interrupted her. Luna frowned and went to answer it. On the porch smiling at her was Chance. Luna sighed in annoyance; it was like her thoughts had summoned him. She looked into his glittering blue eyes and felt another twinge of panic as she remembered the anger they had harbored that morning.

“What do you want?” she asked feeling annoyed.

“I want to talk to David,” he replied.

She rolled her eyes. “What about?”-She leaned towards him so that Violet couldn’t hear her- “I didn’t say anything about your secret!”

“I wanted to tell him about your behavior in class today,” he said with seriousness that Luna instantly could tell was fake.

She sighed. “Okay, Tattle-Tale, David’s not home today so you’ll have to come back later.”

“So, you’re home alone?” he asked curiously ignoring her comment.

“Yeah, I am pretty much,” Luna said looking at him and trying to seem defiant as idly she wondered why that had sparked his interest.

“Can I come in anyways?” he asked.

Luna groaned and raised her hand to her forehead to press against the pain that was growing there. She slid her hand down her face before she looked at him feeling un-amused. “Why? So you can break another tooth or scare me half to death again?”

“No, I promise I won’t pull any gags. I just want to hang out a little while,” he said with that ‘innocent’ voice.

“I don’t know, I’m kind of busy right now,” she said.

“You just said you were home alone,” he snorted.

“Violet’s visiting.”

“I’m coming in anyways.”

Luna sighed again and stepped aside to reveal space. If she didn’t let him come in then he’d just tell David later, and she knew he wouldn’t be happy. Chance immediately took the chance to pass her. Luna closed the door behind him as he went to sit on the couch.

“The TV’s not even on?” he asked in disbelief.

“I don’t watch TV,” Luna replied as she turned to look at him. “It’s the one thing that gives me headaches.”
Well, not the only thing,
she added silently to herself as she glared at him.

“You are not normal at all,” he said snorting as he picked up the remote and flicked the TV on.

She sighed. “That goes for you too.”

He didn’t answer her but turned to glare at her from where he sat.

Luna shrugged at him in response and went back to the kitchen. Violet’s eyes were as wide as saucers as she peeked around the corner to see Chance in the living room.

“You can’t let him in here after what he did to you!”

“It’s fine.”

“But I’m worried.”

“Don’t be.”

“But-“

“It’s fine,” Luna cut her off. “I think you should go now.”

“Luna!”

“I need time,” Luna admitted looking her friend full in the eyes.

Violet sighed and gave up. She had made a huge mistake, so she could understand Luna’s reaction.

“All right, I’ll go for now. But call me later?” Violet wanted to make sure that leaving her tiny friend alone with Chance wouldn’t turn out to be an even bigger mistake.

Luna shrugged. “Maybe, now go.”

Without another word Violet left wondering if this would be her biggest mistake yet.

                                                                      ~~~~~~

Chance had been surprised to see Violet, but he tried to not make that obvious to Luna. When Violet left slowly (giving him a long bitter glance) he had wondered what she wanted and then decided that he didn’t really care. He flicked through the channels on Luna’s television trying to think of what to say to her.

“So, what was Violet doing here?” he asked her.

“None of your business,” she called from the kitchen.

Harsh. He kept flicking through the channels and finally found the news.

“Kate Red, a local high school senior, was found brutally murdered today. Though police are unwilling to release details on the death, they have reported the throat was slit and the body covered in satanic marks after death,” the reporter said. “It’s a very strange case indeed.”

Luna stiffened at the words “satanic marks” while Chance watched the TV in interest. They had finally found her body, he wondered if the cops would be on him later since people had thought he had been such good friends with her.

Luna walked into the room and looked at the picture of Kate. She stared at the TV in disbelief as it showed the image of a body covered in a white tarp lying on the side of the road by the woods. Without taking her eyes off of the TV, she sat down on the couch next to Chance. He watched her and smiled a bit.

“Wasn’t she your friend?” Luna asked turning to look at him.

He looked back at her and sighed. “Yeah, good ol’ Kate.”

“Doesn’t that upset you?” she asked him.

“Oh, of course it does,” he said and his voice sounded different. Luna looked at him and noticed that his face remained blank; he didn’t mean it. Of course he wasn’t upset, he hadn’t cared about her.

Luna shook her head, why didn’t he care? Did he do something to her? The Satanic marks definitely pointed towards him. Suddenly the news story on Kate was over as quickly as it began and Luna stood up. Chance turned to look at her and noticed a dulled look in her eyes. She looked vaguely worried about something. He frowned, was she thinking about Kate?

“What, you’re not going to sit and watch TV with your boyfriend?” he asked laughter in his voice though worry filled his heart.

Luna whipped around to face him and her knee collided with the coffee table. Wincing in pain, she looked at him through narrowed eyes. “Never say that again. You are
not
my boyfriend.”

He shrugged and pretended to look hurt (though inside he had to admit that he
was
a little hurt). “I’m offended, Luna.”

“Who cares?” Luna asked as she turned away from him. “You should care that your friend’s just been murdered,” she muttered as she began to limp back into the kitchen.

Chance watched her go and felt a tiny twinge in his stomach. She suspected something, didn’t she? He frowned; he probably could’ve pulled off his act better. Of course she knew there was something off, he just couldn’t seem to feign any care for Kate.

Now he was worried about what Luna knew.

                                                                      Chapter Nineteen

In Elida, Max tossed and turned, a fitful night as his mind locked in a dream. It was the same dream he had had a few nights before. He was creeping cautiously through trees, the sky above blue and the air around him still. He wasn’t happy being in the parallel universe of dreams, he had learned how dangerous it could be if you let your guard down.

He kept walking, pushing the foliage out of the way. So far the place didn’t seem dangerous, but that didn’t offer him much comfort. He kept walking but all that seemed to be around him was more and more foliage. When he was getting ready to just shrug off the dream as nothing and wake himself up, he came to a clearing up ahead.

He crouched down behind a bush and peered through it into the scene in the clearing. Ahead of him stood three people. He was surprised to see Luna and Violet…and then the black cloaked figure pointing a gun at both of them. As he watched the figure approached Violet, gun raised and he shot her point blank in the forehead. She collapsed to the ground instantly dead. Then it was just Luna and the figure.

He turned to her and grasped her arm, the barrel of the gun an inch away from her head. Max watched in horror, not knowing if the figure planned on shooting her or not. Max knew though that if he did then Luna would be dead forever. He sprang from his hiding spot, desperate to save her and instantly felt a sharp hot pain radiate from his shoulder through his body.

He knew he had been shot and he felt himself sliding out of the dream and back to reality. Instantly, he was back in his own room, his shoulder surging with overwhelming pain. He got up and stumbled into the bathroom. He flicked on the light. He noticed his shoulder and white t-shirt were covered in fresh red. He pulled off his shirt to look at the source of the pain (a deep purple bullet wound that was oozing crimson blood) and stared at it horrified, he knew it was the beginning of something terrible.

Quickly without another thought he pulled the tweezers out of the bathroom cabinet and plunged the steel tips into his wound. He clenched his teeth as he sought out the bullet that was lodged in his bleeding flesh. Finally, the tweezers pinged against the metal and he yanked it out quickly causing more blood to well from the wound. He slammed the tweezers down onto the sink (bloody bullet and all) and turned back towards the cabinet.

He rummaged through it quickly, searching for whatever bandages might be available. He found long strings of gauze and wrapped some of them quickly over the wound to slow the bleeding. He turned on the faucet and washed the blood off of his neck and arm. Max picked up the bullet out of the tweezers and twirled it in his fingers. He was trapped in danger once again and it seemed like Luna was trapped with him this time.

Max spent that morning cleaning the bathroom of all traces of his blood and waiting for his mother to leave for work. He wasn’t planning on going to school today. The situation was far too serious.

                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~

              Max sat on the couch. He hadn’t bothered to put his shirt on so that he could keep changing the dressing every time the wound leaked more blood. He wouldn’t tell anyone about it because he knew that no one would believe him when he told them how he had gotten it.

He sighed and flipped through the channels. Finally, he came across the news and watched it dumfounded as he saw the story that Kate was now dead. The repeating dream and now that missing girl was dead? It was no coincidence. Something bad was brewing.

The black cloaked figure was behind it. That meant Luna was in serious danger. He wasn’t going to put it off anymore, he had to call her.

                                                        ~~~~~~~~~

Luna sat down in the nearest chair so that her back was to the living room. Chance hadn’t shown a trace of sorrow and his friend just died. The thought bothered her deeply. He had to be made of stone…or guilty. Suddenly, the phone rang out loudly and interrupted her thoughts. She jumped up, nearly falling over the kitchen table as the sudden noise spooked her. She sighed thinking it was Violet already.

“Who is it?” Chance called from in the living room.

Luna ignored him.

“Hello?” her voice cracked into the phone.

“Hi, Luna,” the other voice replied.

Luna gasped in surprise. On the other line was one of her closest friends, Max Cazmea. She was surprised to hear from him. It has been almost a year since he had last talked to her.

“I heard about Kate on the news,” he said unsure of how else he could begin his conversation.

“I know, it’s so hard to believe. I didn’t even like her and it’s incredible,” Luna replied. “You never think anything like that could happen until it actually does.”

“I know what you mean. How are you? We haven’t talked in a long time,” he said.

“I’m okay. There’s a headache in the other room but that’s about it,” she replied and her voice was weak as her mind continued to think about Kate’s murder. “What about you?”

Max ignored her question. “Are you okay? You sound ill.”

“I’m fine… just stressed out,” Luna said sighing. “Ever have a person piss you off and freak you out at the same time? It’s a weird combination of feelings, trust me.”

“Who’s bothering you?” Max asked. “Want me to beat him up for you?”

Luna sighed, sometimes Max and Violet were one in the same.

“Remember Chance from elementary school?” she asked him.

“That extremely popular one?” he asked.

“Yeah, that one,” she replied as she watched Chance walk towards the kitchen. He stood leaning on the wall staring at her and she guessed he thought she had been about to spill his secret. He had been right. “He’s a nightmare.”

“That’s a harsh way to talk about me, don’t you think so, love?” Chance said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Luna growled in her throat.

Max laughed. “I’m sorry, but I never liked that kid.”

“Trust me, neither have I,” she replied glaring at Chance.

“If you hate him then what is he doing over your house?” Max asked sounding suspicious.

“He wanted to talk to David, and he let himself in,” she said.

“Wow, that pushy attitude is exactly why I never liked him.” He snorted.

Luna smiled a little at the thought. Their mutual hatred for Chance was the reason they had become friends in the first place back in elementary school.

“Same here,” she said slowly.

“Well, besides your ‘pain’ is anything else new?” Max asked.

“Not really, I’ve just been thinking. A lot.”

“Oh, what about?” Max asked sounding suddenly interested.

“A dream I’ve been having a lot lately,” Luna said slowly as she watched Chance disappear back into the living room.

“How long have you been having it?” Max asked.

“It’s been the same exact one for two different nights,” she replied shrugging.

“Oh,” Max said sounding even more interested. “What happens in it?”

              Luna thought about telling him the dream. But she knew Max well and he wasn’t the type to take things like dreams seriously.

“I’m not going to tell you,” she decided. “You’ll laugh. That’s what Violet did.”

“I promise I won’t laugh at it, now please tell me,” Max begged.

“Why is it so important to know?” Luna asked him feeling a bit wary of his eagerness to listen.

“Just tell me,” he repeated.

“All right,” Luna sighed giving in. “Well, it starts off in this forest. I find Violet and we wander through it for hours, but we never seem to actually find anything. Then this guy cloaked in all black appears from out of nowhere with a gun and shoots Violet right in the head. She dies instantly and the guy makes me go with him but I wake up before I actually get taken anywhere.”

Max was quiet on the other line. “Is Violet okay?” he asked finally.

“Yeah, why?”

“No reason.”

“Anyways, it’s a pretty weird dream, huh?” she asked hoping to get his opinion on it.

“And how many times have you had it?” he asked again.

“Twice. I told you that already,” Luna replied wondering if he had forgotten that quickly.

“Yes, I know, but specifically when did you have them?” he asked.

“Well, one was during the week and the other was on Saturday…why?” she asked and then thought.
Why does it matter?

“Then no, it’s not ridiculous at all,” he said and his voice sounded strangely calm.

“You don’t think so?” Luna asked feeling confused. She had been so sure that he would’ve sided with Violet.

“No,” he replied simply.

“How come?” she quizzed.

“Because I had the exact same dream,” he replied with a sigh.

“What? Are you serious?” she asked him shocked.

“Well, mine’s not to the exact same detail. Some things are different from my perspective, but the ideas and events are the same,” Max said.

“Like what?”

Luna was dying to know anything that could help her figure out the dream’s meaning.

“Well, in mine I see Violet get murdered right away, and I see you get kidnapped. I try to help you, but I just get shot,” he said.

“That’s so weird,” Luna said slowly as she remembered the hooded figure in the dream shoot into the woods.

“It definitely is strange,” he replied.

“Do you know who that guy is?” she asked him hopefully.

“Nope,” he replied.

“Oh,” she said in disappointment. “Well, what do you think that dream means anyways?”

“I think I actually have an idea on that,” Max said. Though he had a hard time thinking Luna would believe a word of it.

“Really?” she asked perking up in interest again.

“Yes, but I think we’ll have to talk about it another time. I have to go,” Max said.

“Okay, ‘bye,” Luna said in disappointment.

Max was her only hope of figuring out the dream’s meaning. If she hadn’t been sure before, she was positive now that the dream meant something. Could it be that it was warning her of what Chance’s Satanism could do to people? Max had an idea about the dream, but he had no idea of Chance’s secret. The link couldn’t be Chance.

Max had an idea and that was something. Luna needed to hear what he knew. The dream was important to her and she was taking it more seriously than she probably should. She knew for sure that she had Chance’s Satanism to worry about and that was a real and definite threat.