Plagued: Book 1 (20 page)

He stayed where he was. “My mother and I...well, neither of us have had an easy life. There's not much time left and I want,” he hesitated. “I want to spend some time with her. Before...you know. Away from Quill, away from all of them. I'm not asking you to break the law. Just get me on Base.”

“And if I help you get your mother, you'll help my sister?”

“No, I'm not saying that. God no. I will help your sister no matter what. This is not blackmail. I'm just...” He threw his hands in the air, his voice anguished. “I don't know what I am. I don't know who I am anymore.”

And he grabbed her, pulling her close in a grip she couldn't fight.

He was so much stronger than her. He kissed her. Hard. Crushing her to him until she couldn't breath. And then he was gone, running out of the room, leaving Sky standing there alone, her heart in pieces.

Chapter 20

Blood Donors

The Halloween Ball was the highlight of the autumn season. An inter-service masquerade party that anyone in the Home Guard or on active duty in Tactical could attend. The base operated with a skeleton crew on masquerade night since everyone who could get out of duty, would. Traditionally, Juniors and Seniors had the night off.

The whole squad had been planning their costumes for months. Dates were allowed as long as you registered their I.D. and got a pass for the front gate and a ticket for inside.

She picked up Hugo at his house, refusing to make eye contact. He tried to speak with her once. She shook her head and he stopped. After that, they drove in silence.

Following her mother's orders, Sky had her duffel bag of gear including her uniform, just in case. They were easy to explain away when the metal detector at the gate picked up a reading as Sky being a bit over zealous in her interpretation of always having to carry her equipment. Hugo insisted on slinging the heavy bag over his shoulder and walking to the locker room with her.

Sky was hoping she wouldn't need it. Hoping other, stronger, smarter,
older
people had a plan for tonight that would rescue Kara.

Slamming the locker door, Hugo excused himself. Saying he would meet her inside later.

She felt only relief. Hugo was not someone she wanted to be with right now. There were too many secrets between them. Life and death, his and hers and everyone she loved, were realities that were reaching out to choke her.

The party was held in the ballroom next to the commissary. She walked towards the entrance trying to keep her balance, not only because her heels kept catching in the rough and pitted tarmac. Her head and heart were a whirling dust devil of conflicting emotions. Excited and horrified all at the same time. Sky had been dreaming of going to the Ball since she was twelve and started training. It was a turning point for Redneck girls and boys. An unofficial coming-out party, the transition from kids to young men and women. For the first time, Juniors were expected to mix socially with officers and soldiers, not just a bunch of other teenagers trying to be grown-up at a school get-together.

Now, the evening was promising to be just one stomach-wrenching exercise in terror. She'd spent the afternoon in the bathroom and swallowed at least a handful of pink stomach tablets over the course of the day. She still felt nauseous.

Sky hadn't spoken to her mother except for a moment over the phone in the morning. Eloise said there was a plan to free Helena, but the less Sky knew, the better. Sky took a deep breath. She wasn't sure what the evening held. Once it started, she would be better. Anticipation was always the worst thing. It was the same when going out on night patrol.

The four wide doors to the ballroom were propped open and warm light spilled out onto the sidewalk and the shining, happy faces of the party goers. Everyone was talking excitedly and voices ebbed and flowed as people went inside and others joined the queue behind.

This year's theme was
A Haunted Forest
. The unofficial ban on ghosts, zombies, and etc., was in effect, so it was more 'enchanted' than ghostly. Their entire Home Guard District including Tactical Juniors and Seniors put in a number of weekends on the decorations. Tonight was the first time Sky would see everything in place with the ballroom lights dimmed low and fairy lights sparkling.

“
You
were supposed to help us over the weekend!” Andrea planted herself squarely in front of Sky as she walked towards the reception desk.

Andrea, predictably, was head of the Tactical trainees contributions to the decoration committee. She was dressed in an Elizabethan court gown, sparkling jewels, and a crown. Her natural red hair in a high up-do. Knowing Andrea, she
would
come as a queen.

“I was at the hospital. Rickey got shot along with several other people.
Remember?
”

The tall girl gave an impatient roll of her head. “Your whole squad used that excuse. I expect you to stay and help with clean up.” And off she went in a swirl of crimson and gold brocade.

It must be kind of nice, Sky thought, watching Andrea sashay up to a group of young men in devil's masks, to be so self-absorbed. No wasted time or energy worrying about other people's feelings. No need to constantly self-edit so you wouldn't say the wrong thing.

She handed over her ticket and realized she had forgotten to give Hugo his.

“My date will be here in a few minutes, could I leave his ticket with you?”

Sky wrote the name Hugo St. James on the ticket and handed it to the young soldier who put it in the 'Will Call” box under 'S'. He then attached her wristband so she could join the party. Everyone had bar-coded wristbands to show who could drink and who could not. The bands also would mark how many alcoholic drinks they'd had. Soldiers were limited to two. Though of course, people found all sorts of ingenious ways to smuggle in their own supply.

Someone managed to borrow the feed store's life-size horse model – hopefully with the owner's permission, more likely without. The Seniors painted it white, covered it with silver glitter and stuck a sparkly horn on its forehead to transform the horse into a unicorn. The decorations committee spray painted some tall bushes white and draped them with silver icicle tinsel and clear lights. Lots of white sheets pulled into little heaps, lots of glitter, and more tinsel gave the look of snow on the ground. Together it created a beautiful diorama that was centered right at the entrance to the ballroom. A photographer had set up there to take photos of all the guests as they entered. 

The squad arranged to meet at the same time so they could have their picture taken together – a tradition with both Juniors and Seniors – before individual portraits with their dates. They'd all arrived a little before her.

Seeing them gathered together, Sky burst into spontaneous applause. “You guys look awesome!”

They crowded around as Sky admired their costumes. Each of them then took turns showing off their finery. Requirements for the party were no bare midriffs on men or women, and everyone must wear a costume even if only a mask with their evening clothes. The masquerade had been a fixture for a decade and there was a costume bank on base of recycled clothing that everyone could sign-out if they didn't have something from home.

Raj's outfit was hands down the most outstanding. He was dressed as a Pirate Captain from the East China Seas. He was a handsome – if skinny – guy even in regular clothes. Now he looked like Indian royalty. Sky went up and hugged him.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

He wanted her approval, she could tell. They had played pirates so often in the playground growing up. It was their favorite game. He was always Captain Rajipur of the Black Sea Dragon; she was Captain Trueblood of the Scarlet Witch; Rickey was Captain Masters of the Golden Hart, and Sara Anne, Captain Esmeralda of the Sea Horse.

“You look fantastic.
Like a character out of a movie
.”

Raj's mom was handy with a needle and thread and had done her son proud. He was dressed in glorious scarlet, blue, and copper silk trousers, shirt and vest with two gold sashes and a blue and gold turban. He had tassels and beads on his boots

Chase, luckily off crutches for the party but still in an arm cast, was fascinated by the ornately wound turban.

“It's great, right?” Raj enthused. “My dad got on the local Indian grapevine and found a practicing Sikh family. We took the material to him and he made the turban for us.”

“Are those you mom's earrings hooked into it?” Sky flicked a row of gold bangles dangling on the side.

“Yeah. And look,” he held out his arms. “We took grandfather's old morning coat and Mom stitched this sari material on.”

His date Michelle, pretty and dark with shiny black hair hanging all the way to her waist, was a swashbuckling girl pirate. She twirled to show off her layered skirts, pantaloons, puffy shirt and vest mixed in the same colors as Raj's outfit. Her tricorn, decorated with beads and feathers, made the perfect finishing touch.

The squad all agreed they would win the top prize in one of the costume categories for sure.

Sara Anne and her girlfriend Chloe were both fairies in full iridescent ball gowns. They'd found the dresses at the costume bank and the slip-on wings at the Farmer's Market and even made a couple of wands.

Inseparable as always, Mary and Melissa were their own dates, dressed as the Phantom of the Opera and his captive muse, Christine. Mary had the mask, tuxedo, and cape. Melissa ripped apart several of her grandmother's dresses from their attic and made a Regency-style gown with a fitted bodice and empire waist. A red rose in Mary's lapel and a long-stemmed bloom in Melissa's hand completed the outfits.

Daphne and Chase came together. He was hooking up with a bunch of his soccer teammates and Daphne would just be hooking up – inevitably stealing someone else's date. Probably several. The way she looked tonight, that shouldn't be too difficult. Neither was much for costumes. Chase had a standard tux paired with a gold Venetian-style lion's mask. Daphne wore an emerald green, floor-length sleeveless dress that showed off her cleavage to eye-popping advantage, plus a feathery mask of silver and white. Sky felt none of the boys' eyes would make it as far as the mask.

Sky wanted to wear cat ears, and built her costume accordingly. She loved cat ears. She wished she
had
cat ears. So, she decided to be a cat witch. She paired a simple long-sleeved black leotard with yards of black and white chiffon that swept all the way to the floor. An inexpensive cat ear headband, clip-on tail and eye mask completed the costume.

Everyone said she looked cute.

When it was their turn, they all posed in front of the unicorn for the group picture. Chase brought out an oversized picture of Rickey he'd printed out and pasted on poster board attached to a wooden handle. “So he can be in the photo with us, right guys!”

They gave three somewhat tearful cheers for Rickey. Sara Anne made a video call to Rickey's parents so they could see everyone. Kyle, Rickey's boyfriend, was at the hospital tonight looking very gray and shaky. Sara Anne handed the phone to the photographer so he could take a video and some pictures for when Rickey woke up.

If he woke up.

The squad took their places. Arms around each other's waists, smiling. Bright eyed and happy.

After everything that had happened, Sky couldn't help holding everyone a little tighter.

Individual photos followed the group shot and they lined up again.

'Where's your date, Sky?” Mary and Melissa stepped off the little platform by the centerpiece, still holding hands, and stood by her.

Someone stepped in from behind Sky.

'Finally,
' she thought. Hugo at last.

“I'm sorry if I kept you waiting.”

Quill took her arm.

The scene was a
mentos-meets-cola
moment, as Rickey would say. Her brain fizzed in panic and Sky's stomach slid straight into her little heels. Fight or flight? She couldn't decide and just sort of vibrated for a panicked few seconds. 

“Everything all right, darling?” Quill straightened the cat ears and brushed at her bangs in true boyfriend fashion. Temporarily blocking her from the squad's view, he mouthed, “
Behave.
” His hand flicked into his jacket pocket and he pulled out his cell phone. On the screen was a picture of her mother, bound and gagged.

He smiled more broadly, slipping the phone back. “Everything is fine, you look lovely.”

The girls all stared at this resplendent stranger.

He was dressed in a black and red harlequin-style coat cut long in black and shorter in front over a black vest and black trousers tucked into high leather riding boots. Slim fitting, the costume skimmed over his lean muscles and long legs. His black hair was slicked back and shining. The mask, a black and red diamond pattern tied on with a scarlet ribbon. His green eyes sparkled through the openings.

“Introduce me to your friends, Skylar.” Linking arms, his grip tightened ever so slightly.

Her voice came out as little more than a hoarse squeak.“Qu...Qu...Quill.”

“Quentin St. James, actually. Hugo's elder brother. Rightful heir to the title of Viscount and, I hope, a place at Sky's side.”

“No
effing
way,” Sara Anne exclaimed. “The prince has a
brother?
”

“A better looking brother.” Mary eyed Quill approvingly.

“Sky, you are a sly kitty cat. Dating both brothers. Hit me.” Melissa held up a hand to high-five.

Sky hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Giving everyone a ravishing smile, Quill returned it instead. “You and indeed everyone are quite magnificent. Sky told me the Guard took the Ball very seriously. I never expected to such grand effect.”

Chase waved at her. “Come on, it's your guy's turn. Get the photo so we can go in and eat!”

“And dance,” chorused Sara Anne and Chloe, executing little pirouettes beneath their fairy wands.