Whisper (6 page)

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Authors: Alyson Noël

Tags: #Paranormal, #YA, #Alyson Noel, #Riley Bloom

BOOK: Whisper
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Messalina shot me an anxious look—unsure what to call me. Though it’s not like it mattered. At that moment, it was like time was suspended.
As though the entire party was set on pause.
As though nothing else existed but his dark tousled hair, smooth olive skin, and deeply brown, almost black eyes that made my head swirl.
“My name is Aurelia,” I said, my voice surprisingly sure, extending my hand with a strange rush of calm.
I had no idea where it came from. No idea how I’d found myself slipping so easily into the role of a young and sophisticated Roman aristocrat. And yet, there I was—my gaze lowered shyly, my lips curving flirtatiously, a puff of air rounding my cheeks, as I waited to feel the brush of his palm, the brief sweep of his lips on my hand—the standard greeting of the time. It was as though I really was Aurelia, and at that moment, I preferred her to me.
“Aurelia, this is Dacian,” Messalina informed me, her eyes flashing knowingly. “As you well know, Dacian is the son of a senator,” she added, carefully stating her words, clearly wanting me to get the significance. Dacian was important, someone I should at least pretend to know.
“Strange we have not met before,” Dacian said, his voice as perplexed as his face, as though he truly was struggling to make sense of it.
I shrugged, my shoulders rising and falling as I cast my gaze to the side, amazed by the amount of cool I displayed,
though it wasn’t long before it began ebbing away and I was cast out of the role Messalina insisted I play.
I wasn’t used to being around boys that cute—and Dacian definitely fell into the category of Seriously Cute. I mean, I’d known him for less than a minute and he’d already claimed the top spot on my “Top 5 Cutest Boys Ever” list—the one that included living people, ghosts, and celebrities (and this despite the fact that his outfit pretty much resembled a dress).
Aurelia shined at that sort of thing, Riley didn’t. But as much as I wanted to be Aurelia again, she was drowned out by the warning that blared in my head, an annoyingly cautious voice shouting:
Do not get distracted! Your name is not Aurelia, and Dacian is not on your agenda, no matter how cute he may be. You are here to find Theocoles and cross him over—that’s it!
The voice was loud—a lot louder than I wanted it to be. And yet, it didn’t stand a chance against Messalina’s when she clasped my hand in hers, instantly silencing my thoughts when she said, “Forgive me Aurelia, but I must attend to my aunt for a moment. I trust you’ll be fine in Dacian’s care? I think I’m quite fit to vouch for his good and noble character.” Then turning to Dacian, her voice light and flirtatious, she added, “And I trust
you
will not make
me regret the praise I just heaped upon you? I trust you will be on your best behavior and act like the perfect gentleman I know you to be—at least while you’re in the company of Aurelia?”
I turned toward her, my eyes begging her to stay. My suddenly coy, calm demeanor giving way to a full-blown panic at the thought of being alone with him. I may have looked older than my years, but that was just surface. Inside I was still me. I was still skinny, scrawny, quaking in my shoes, little Riley Bloom. There was no getting around it—I was in over my head.
But if Messalina saw my pleading look, she chose to ignore it. And all I could do was watch in horror as she spun on her heel and made for the other side of the room, heading toward the space where, just a moment before, Theocoles stood.
I mumbled some flimsy excuse—moved to follow her—but I was too slow, and she was too fast, and in the end it was all I could do to keep an eye on her whereabouts.
My gaze anxiously trailing the swishy red hem of her dress, her stream of dark hair—keeping close tabs, carefully retracing each and every step, until Dacian caught up, grasped my arm lightly, and said, “Please don’t leave—not when we’ve only just met, and I have so much still to learn about you! Where is it you come from? Why is it I’ve never seen or heard of you?”
My gaze only shifted for a second—less than a second, I swear—but that’s all it took for me to lose sight of her. In what little time it took for me to switch my gaze from Dacian’s smiling face to the space Messalina had just occupied, she was gone. And there was no doubt in my mind that she’d ditched me on purpose.
D
acian stared at me, waiting for a reply, but instead of answering, I ran. Leaving him to stand there, gazing after my shiny, blue dress as I sped across the room, retracing the steps Messalina had taken until I reached the spot where she’d vanished from sight.
I surveyed the area, hands on my hips, head swiveling from side to side. Seeking out all the possible routes she could’ve taken, while replaying her words in my mind.
She’d said she’d gone to check in with her aunt, but I immediately disregarded that, it just didn’t ring true. This had something to do with Theocoles, of that I was sure.
Though I had no idea where to find him, no idea which way to go when the options were endless. Every opening of every room seemed to feed off into another, and another, and yet another, until Messalina’s world began to resemble a complex labyrinth. A complex labyrinth intended to trick
me, confuse me, as I’m sure it did all the other Soul Catchers before me.
Dacian called out my name, my new name, his voice cutting through the peals of laughter and party noise, as he worked his way through the crowd in hot pursuit of me. Face stricken, gaze anxious, worried he’d somehow offended me.
With only seconds to spare before he caught up, I shut my eyes tightly and forced everything into silence except my own inner voice, aware of it prodding:
The stairs—find the stairs that lead down!
Words no louder than a whisper, yet powerful all the same.
But before I could make a move, Dacian was standing before me. His voice as relieved as his face when he said, “There you are, Aurelia!” He bowed low, allowing a glimpse of his tousled brown hair, before he faced me again and his dark eyes landed on mine. “I hope I have not offended you in some way?” His face breaking into a hopeful grin made even more irresistible by the dimples that sprang up at either side of his cheeks.
And at that moment, he was so unbelievably cute I couldn’t come up with one good reason to leave. Suddenly, for the first time in a long time, everything I’d ever wanted was well within reach.
I was a teen.
A beautiful teen just like my sister.
And also like my sister, cute boys were now making their way across rooms—willing to look like fools just to be near me.
I was the star of my very own fairy tale.
It was too good to resist.
So I didn’t.
“Please, not to worry—it is nothing like that,” I assured him, my gaze shyly meeting his. “It is only that I …” I knotted my brow, unsure of what followed. My voice sounded odd, containing a strange sort of lilt I didn’t normally posses, never mind the words I’d just used.
Dacian crinkled his brow, took another step forward until he was standing so close I could easily make out each individual golden fleck in his dreamy brown eyes. The sight of his nearness causing me to chew my lower lip, my fingers grasping the folds of my skirt, twisting and turning the fabric until it became crumpled-up bunches I held in my fists. Vaguely aware of the voice in my head that continued to prod me toward …
something,
I was no longer sure what it could be.
The only thing I knew for certain was that Dacian stood before me, his grin sweet and open—his gaze charmingly hopeful—the rest was a blur.
He blinked, smiled, waited for me to finish the thought, so I cleared my throat and dove in, trusting the right words
would find their way out. My voice lighter, girlier, miles away from my usual rasp, sounding just like Aurelia’s when I said, “It is only that I …” Dacian nodded, urging me to finish. “Well …” I pressed my jeweled fingers to my lips, holding back a giggle that didn’t quite feel like mine. “Even though I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, I must confess that I’m not really accustomed to …”
boys looking at me, flirting with me, talking to me …
my mind spun with the long list of possibilities. “Well, the truth is, I’m not really accustomed to these sorts of
parties,
” I stammered, feeling a rush of heat rise to my cheeks, knowing that while it barely covered my long list of things I’d yet to experience, that didn’t make it any less true.
Dacian leaned toward me, brow rising in surprise. “You mean to say this is your first time at the games, then?”
I nodded, trying not to squirm under his scrutiny while I twisted the rings on my fingers, hoping he would find my confession to be far more charming than pathetic.
“You did see the gladiators, though? Before they headed back down the stairs to the
ludus
?”
The stairs.
The words nudged at me, prodded me. As simple as they seemed on the surface, I couldn’t help but feel that they somehow went deeper, held significant meaning.
“I hope that at the very least you were able to view the
champion, Theocoles, the one they call the Pillar of Doom? Although he’s considered to be favored by the gods, one must never forget that they all fall eventually. Who knows, this may have been your last chance to view him. Though I suppose tomorrow, we’ll know for sure.”
Theocoles.
The Pillar of Doom.
The words set off alarms in my head. Like the sound of hands clapping, fingers snapping, it was as though I’d been awakened from a very deep sleep.
Or, more like a trance.
Suddenly the magnitude of what had just happened became all too clear.
Suddenly I was all too aware of what’d happened to all of those poor Soul Catchers before me.
Messalina’s world was tempting, alluring, offering the immediate promise of everything one could ever long for that seemed just out of reach. She’d enchanted me, just like she had them. She’d given me the life I’d always dreamed of—and in turn distracted me from my own plans.
Despite Bodhi’s warning, despite knowing the risks, as it turns out, I was no different from the rest of my fellow Soul Catchers. I’d barely arrived, and I’d already caved.
If I had any hope of saving Theocoles—not to mention saving myself—then I had to be more careful, more vigilant.
I had to be on my guard where Messalina’s concerned. I could not afford to let her enchant me again.
I had to do whatever it took to get the job done, and get the heck out. Otherwise, I’d remain stuck forever as Aurelia—a girl so different from me, I’d never be found.
Dacian may hold the number one spot on my “Cute” list, but I was there to do a job—and I was determined to see it through.
I flicked a hand through my curls, not wanting him to catch on to my sudden change in mood, not wanting him to guess I’d just sprung free of the spell. “Oh, well, I guess I must’ve missed him—what a shame!” I said, rearranging my expression to appear a tiny bit flustered. “Though I think I’ll just make my way down real quick so I can have a look. Do you mind pointing me in the right direction?”
Dacian gaped, looked at me like I was stark-raving crazy. “The
ludus
?” He gasped. “Why, you can’t go down there—it’s dangerous!” He looked from me to the space just behind me, the space just to the right of me. Without even realizing it, he’d just answered my question, told me exactly which way to head.
“Oh, I suppose you’re right.” I giggled into my hand, and waved the thought away as though I’d already dismissed it. “Though I do need to find Messalina, so just give me a moment, and I’ll find my way back—” I looked at him, looked
right into his eyes, adding, “Promise you’ll wait for me here?” Spinning on my heel before he had a chance to reply and heading in the direction he’d unknowingly sent me.
Aware of his voice calling out from behind me, letting me know he wasn’t the least bit fooled by my story. “You really shouldn’t go there, Aurelia,” he said. “And believe me, you will
not
find Messalina there either. She is forbidden to go anywhere near the
ludus
—her uncle has made sure of that!”
A warning I was quick to ignore, already making my way down the stairs as I thought:
That’s what you think, Dacian
.
That’s what you think.
I
tore down the stairs, moving swiftly, quietly, hoping to gather as much information as I possibly could, knowing full well that Messalina couldn’t be trusted—whatever she chose to reveal was carefully calculated and doled out in bits. She had an agenda—of that I was sure. And though I had no idea what that agenda might be, I did know that she didn’t just control her world—she also controlled everyone in it—including, for a while anyway, me.
Pausing for a moment when my feet hit the landing, I stared down a long corridor crowded with big, hulking gladiator ghosts caught up in the same, lame routine as the last time I saw them. Their fists swinging wildly, their bodies slamming into each other—I swerved my way around them, clapped a hand over my nose to block out the stench, and kept going.
My eyes darting wildly, searching for signs of Messalina
or Theocoles—either would do—convinced that whichever one I found first, would lead me right to the other. I moved among the row of cells, rising up on my toes in an effort to peer into the small square openings marking the top, though it wasn’t until I reached the second to last one that I saw them. Messalina looking so pristine, so perfectly put together and groomed, she reminded me of a small, delicate, porcelain doll that somehow wound up in a landfill—as a handsome, tunic-clad Theocoles stood just before her—their bodies a mere razor’s width apart as they gazed longingly at each other.
I snapped my mouth shut before I could gasp, or squeal, or do anything that might alert them to my presence, gaping in wonder at the vision before me—the sight of it giving this Soul Catch a whole new meaning.
Despite their vast and varied differences in stature and class—despite their belonging to two different worlds—Theocoles and Messalina had been in love. And from what I could see, they still were.
But just when I thought I had it all figured out, Theocoles shifted and revealed something new.
I leaned closer, my cheek pressed hard against the rough, splintered wood, as I watched Theocoles shift to the side and position himself, before springing into the air, his
legs kicking, sword slashing, piercing the air just beside where she stood.
And that’s when I realized the rest of it—that’s when I knew that while Messalina may have been gazing at him, Theocoles had not returned the look. He’d been staring right past her, still lost in his world.
But Messalina was not one to give up—she remained as stubborn as I knew her to be. And from the small square opening at the top of the door, I followed her progress as she eased her way around his thrusts and kicks, veering around him in a carefully choreographed dance.
Shouting as loud as she could, she fought to get the champion gladiator to take notice of her. Her voice fading, face growing increasingly frustrated, when he continued to ignore her in favor of his own tireless routine.
The scene so hopeless, dragging on for so long, I was just about to cut my losses and find my way back, when Messalina heaved a great sigh, found her way to the edge of his cot, where she sat, legs crossed daintily, hands folded primly, as she said, “Theocoles, I wish you would heed my words and please reconsider. You don’t have to do this, you know. You don’t have to go through with this. I will gladly give you the money, so that all of this madness can end.”
Barely getting the words out before Theocoles stopped
and turned, his gaze focused on hers, looking as though the light had come on, the fog had been cleared. He dropped his hands to his sides, leaned toward her, and said, “Your offer insults me—demeans me!” He shook his head, raked his fingers through his bangs, fixing his deep topaz eyes on hers. “Do you think me not worthy? Do you think I’ve come this far, slaughtered so many worthy opponents, only to make a spectacle of my own defeat?”
She looked at him, her face bearing so little expression, the words coming so quickly, so automatically I suddenly understood what was happening.
It was a performance.
They were both running lines from a scene they’d reenacted countless times.
Theocoles so immersed in the role it was clear that for him, it was no different than the fist time it happened. But for Messalina, the words were halfhearted, weary, spoken with no trace of emotion, like reading aloud from a textbook.
She’d tried to insert a new scene, tried to wake him up to a more modern day, but Theocoles remained stuck in a past he chose to live over and over again. Forcing Messalina to slip into the role she’d lived long ago in order to enjoy his attentions.
I pressed closer, strained to hear their words, knowing
that if it was a scene he chose to relive then it was definitely a scene of great significance. It was not to be missed.
“You know I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just anxious to begin our lives together,” Messalina said, her voice soft and tired.
“As am I.” He moved toward her, his gaze intense as he knelt down before her. “Everything I do is in anticipation of that day. Are you not aware of that?”
She cocked her head to the side and shot him a dubious look. “Everything you do is for me?” She pursed her lips, wrapped a loose curl around her index finger. “Are you quite sure of that? None of it is for Lucius?”
Theocoles paused, looked away, his face saddened, reflective, as he said, “There cannot be one without the other.” He returned his gaze to hers. “I’m afraid our fates are all bound together.” He reached toward her, brushed his finger across her brow, along the curve of her cheek, pressing the soft underside of her chin. He lifted her face until her gaze locked on his. “Now come, it is time we bid our good-byes in favor of rest.” He rose to his feet as she did the same. “My hope is that you will carry the sweet promise of our future straight into your dreams—and tomorrow, less than twenty-four hours from now, the world will be ours.”
Messalina smiled bravely, swiped a quick hand across
her cheek, halting the renegade tear that sped down her face before Theocoles could see it. Her expression stoic, resigned, she took a step toward him and grasped his hand in hers, as I pushed away from the door and raced back down the corridor as fast as I could.

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