Fiendish Play (17 page)

I gritted my teeth. “You’re fucking dead!” I hissed at Byron. “C’mon Fraylock. Right here, right now. Me and you. Let’s go!”

Byron began laughing at me. He let go of Anais’ hair so he could hold his gut as he rolled down and up again in twisted spurts of evil chuckling. “You know that’s what I like about you Riley. Your fearless confidence.” He stalked towards me now. “Because if you really knew me and knew what I was capable of doing...” He stopped his sniggering and stared, eye to eye. “Then you’d never say such things.”

He leaned forward and whispered into my ear. “But don’t worry my new friend. Our time will come.” He stepped away from me now. “But sadly, that time is not tonight.” He shifted his focus back to Anais who had begun to sob.

“What do you want?” I asked, still desperately trying to pull out of my man hold.

“Oh, we’ll get to that, but first I just want to make one thing very very clear. To the both of you. If you’re not part of us, then this dear sweet little flower here is ours. Not yours Riley...Ours. And there is nothing you can do to stop us.” His head flicked in Anais’ direction. “Isn’t that right Anais?” Byron stalked over to Anais and lifted her chin to get her to respond. Her eyes were still closed tight refusing to look at him. “Why don’t you tell your lover what will happen if you give it up to a non-member Anais. What will happen to you? What we will
all
do to you?”

Anais’ crying got louder, not answering Byron. But it wasn’t hard to figure out the answer in my head.

“After what she did in getting out of her betrothal with Deacon, we gave her a pass, given who her family is and what you did for us in the race James. It didn’t seem like she was going to be anything to worry about. You gave me a verbal agreement after all. And from what we all saw of you in that car, you had great potential. It was obvious you belonged.” Byron walked over to Anais and started to undo some buttons on her blouse. I began to frantically squirm and shift trying to get free but the two sets of hands on me only tightened harder.

Anais looked like she had already given up and had accepted the inevitable. She stood, not moving. Not preventing Byron from undressing her. I hated that I couldn’t do anything. I hated that I couldn’t save her right now. Many violent images danced in my head about what I was going to do to Byron and these guys once I had use of my fists. The red color of revenge was all I could see.

“And then you stupidly disrespect us James.” Another button came undone. “You used us. Laughed at us. Thought you were better.” Pop, pop, pop. Anais kept her head hung low. Her hair was all I could see, hiding her face. Not giving them any satisfaction to know they had won.

Her blouse was now open, exposing her bra. Deacon straightened her body, and then one of his hands reached round and cupped her breast. Anais’ whole body cringed and fell forward even more as she struggled to get his hand off her. It happened so quickly. Like a switch to becoming Byron’s slave. I had to give in. I had to make this horror end for her.

“STOP!” I yelled. “Okay...alright...I’ll do it. Whatever you
want
me to do, I’ll do it. Just get that piece of shit to stop touching her. Get him away from her right now.”

“And there it is,” Byron said, holding up his palm to get Deacon to stop his sexual assault. “Submission.”

Deacon eyed Byron with clear frustration before removing his hand slowly from her chest, putting it behind her back. Byron grinned with evil satisfaction knowing how easily he had won. How simple it was to apply the right kind of pressure to get me to comply. And it was that simple. I knew then how deeply I cared for Anais. It wasn’t just ‘like’ anymore. It was more than that. I knew I would do anything to keep her safe. Join whatever stupid club to be with her. Bow down to Byron’s demands. Adhere to these rules. And what’s more, I knew the frightening reality of this whole situation was that Byron had barely shown his teeth yet. I didn’t know how hard he could really bite.

Byron ran his fingers through his hair and smoothed down his shirt, like he was some kind of businessman about to make a presentation. “So this is what’s going to happen now,” he said, standing tall. “You two,” his finger pointing back and forth between me and Anais, “are going to come to the memorial event next week for the Lappell and show us the respect we deserve. The investment and the sweet little virgin. Then...we’re going to finish your initiation Riley, and
I’ll
decide if you’re good enough to become one of us. That clear?”

“Yes,” I whispered. It wasn’t a lie. I wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. I couldn’t just think about myself. It wasn’t just my safety and innocence that was at stake now.

“I can’t hear you,” Byron sang.

“Yes,” I said again raising my voice.

“Good.” He walked over to me again and pat my cheek. “Very good. Because I’m sure you know what will happen if you lie to my face again. Right Riley?”

I nodded. Words were not needed. Byron’s message was loud and clear.

“Gee, I’m so glad we had this little chat. It was fun.” He slapped my face playfully, but it was hard, conveying his message once more.

He turned Deacon’s way. “Let’s go.”

The other two foot soldiers, who were holding onto me, let me go and I shook out of their grasp running over to Anais and putting my arms around her tight. She rested her head on my shoulder still crying. I pushed my chest up against hers, hiding her exposed skin and watched as Byron and the rest of them disappeared into the darkness. I kept watching until the lights from the car they came in were long gone, and we were left standing alone in that field once more.

“I’m so sorry James,” Anais cried into my chest. I felt my heart constrict in pain hearing those words. I pulled her off me gently.

“Why would you say such things Anais? I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m sorry I let that happen to you...I can’t believe I couldn’t stop Byron and Deacon from doing that...I’ll never forgive myself for...”

Anais lips were on mine to get me to stop talking. When she pulled away she cupped my cheek. “No James. I’m sorry. I had the chance to walk away. To stay away from you. To keep you out of all this. But I didn’t. I got out of my betrothal and went to you the first chance I got. And I knew...I knew this would happen. I knew they would come after you. I was selfish. I’m too selfish for someone as wonderful as you. I wasn’t strong enough to run away from my feelings and keep you safe. And instead I listened to the little girl inside me that once imagined a better life, a better future, and when I met you, I saw that. I started to believe I could break free. But I can’t be free...and now...neither can you. And it’s all my fault. I’m sorry James. I’m so sorry.”

I kissed her forehead. “Anais don’t apologize. The important thing is that we’re together, no matter what. Even if I have to join, it’s worth it.” I kissed her softly and then whispered from my heart. “You’re worth it.”

She was definitely worth it.

{15}

I must have spaced out for a moment. I was too pre-occupied in watching the rollercoaster. The whooshing sound as it whizzed by accompanied by the screams. I turned around to see my Mom planting a big kiss on my Dad as he handed her a stuffed teddy bear he just won at the shoot’em down stall.

“James? James? Are you listening to me?” I could barely hear her tiny voice through the carnival noise. A loud ‘ding’ went off on the Strong Man stall as some guy managed to get the puck to hit the bell.

I looked down to my little sister who was tugging at my shirt trying to get my attention. “Sorry Margot...what did you say?”

“I said...do you want to go through the Haunted House or the Mirror Maze?”

I looked over to my parents walking toward us. My Mom’s head was leaning on my step-dad’s shoulder. I kneeled down to Margot. “Well since you’re the birthday girl, you can choose.”

“Choose what?” My Mom asked stopping next to where I was knelt, coming into the conversation halfway.

“Oh a teddy bear!” Margot squealed, taking the oversized bear out of my Mom’s arms and hugging it tight.

“Between the Haunted House and the Mirror Maze. I told Margot it was her pick since it’s her birthday,” I told my Mom.

My Mom glanced over at the big black building where a robotic witch was cackling through one of the windows and a bloody skeleton was dangling on the doors. “You don’t think the Haunted House will be too scary for a six year old?”

“Ohhh a skeleton!” Margot’s eyes lit up when she saw the Haunted House. Her decision clearly made.

“No Mom, I don’t think she’ll be scared at all,” I confirmed, seeing no fear in my sister’s eyes.

“She’ll be fine,” my step-dad said backing me up. “James will go with her.”

“That’s right!” I said pounding on my chest like a gorilla. “I’ll protect her from all those evil spirits Mom.”

My Mom punched me playfully, knowing I was making fun of her normal over-protective nature. She was the same with me too, yet I had learned to reel her in when she babied me too much.

“Yeah Mom. James will protect me,” Margot said holding my hand. I saw my Mom caving to her request. There wasn’t much she didn’t cave to for me and my sister, especially with my step-dad being the voice of reason. He had such a good ability to keep her calm and help her see sense too. I think if my Mom had her way, she’d wrap us up in cotton wool and never let us leave the house.

“Oh alright,” my mother said rolling her eyes and giving in. “You two go in and we’ll wait for you out here.”

Margot handed the giant oversized teddy back to my mother and took my hand, leading me towards the Haunted House.

After I paid for the two of us, I lead Margot to the entrance and got to my knees making sure she could hear me clearly. “Now Margot, it’s important you stay close to me. I don’t want you running off in there and getting...”

But before I could finish she had taken off into the darkness of the house, leaving me to say “lost” to the air in front of me. “Damn it,” I said, under my breath, annoyed. “Margot!” I yelled into the dark. “Margot!”

“Come find me James!” she yelled back, giggling as she did. Great, she picks now to play hide- and-seek.

I walked in quickly, going from dark room to dark room. Flashing lights blurring my vision to see straight. “James...oh...James!” I heard her yell again. I felt my feet picking up pace. A goblin jumped out from a hatch door. A vampire from one of the ceilings. A werewolf hiding around a corner — but no Margot. I heard her giggling again in the darkness. There was so much darkness I could barely see two feet in front of me.

“Margot, this isn’t funny anymore. Walk towards my voice now. Please.”

“James...” I heard her say again. “Oh James.”

“Margot?”

I stumbled into a room that looked like a cemetery. Fake headstones were littered everywhere in the room. The lights in the room started flashing faster. “James,” a man’s voice spoke into the dark. My head swung side to side. Did I hear correctly? Did I hear a man call out my name? Perhaps I was imagining things again. My mind was always playing tricks on me. It moved so fast...too fast that sometimes voices changed as well as what they really said. This had to be one of those moments when my imagination was projecting again. The lights started flickering, and I shook my head, trying to clear out everything that was happening all at once. The whole room lit up for a minute and I looked down to see a headstone with my name on it. “What the...” I muttered. Then there was black and I couldn’t see anything at all. So many mind tricks. I shook my head in disbelief at myself and how crazy I felt. Now I was seeing things that weren’t even real.

“James I’m over here.” I could hear Margot again. I charged out of the room until I came to another room full of cobwebs with pink down lights all along the floor. There was Margot sitting in the corner of the room petting a fake spider.

“Margot, you shouldn’t have run off like that. You could have gotten lost. Or worse,” I said marching over to where she was crouched.

“Look at this spider James. It’s so fuzzy.”

I took her hand and lead her out of the house. My parents were waiting outside near the exit. I could see my Mom’s nervous look as she looked back and forth from me to Margot.

“How’d she go?” my Mom asked as we got closer to them.

“Fine. Just fine,” I said. I couldn’t admit to her that the Haunted House was scarier for me than it was for Margot.

My step-dad suddenly picked up my Mom and spun her around, diverting her attention elsewhere. “James, can you watch your sister a little longer? I want to take your Mom on the Ferris wheel.” God — they were so embarrassing sometimes. They acted like lovesick teenagers more often than I preferred. Parents weren’t supposed to behave this way. They were always so happy and in love. Yuck!

“Are you two going to kiss again?” Margot said sounding disgusted. “You two always kiss. That’s so gross. Isn’t it James?”

I smirked at Margot. “It sure is.” I looked at my parents. “I’ll take Margot over to the bumper cars. We’ll meet you there when you’re done.”

My parents took off towards the Ferris wheel while me and Margot walked towards the bumper cars. I noticed a small purple tent with a palm in purple light glowing right next to where the bumper cars were situated. A tall man on stilts with long striped pants and a silver sequined vest was at the tent’s entrance.

“Would you like to know your future young man? See if you’ll be the next master of the universe,” he said in a deep voice staring right down at me. “The Madame is in...And she reveals all,” he said with a wave of his hands like it was something mystical to discover.

I rolled my eyes. “Uh, no thanks,” I mumbled as I tried to move past, still holding Margot’s hand.