Page 10

T errified shrieks cut through the music of the party, causing it to halt almost instantly.

Flashing lights no longer match the eerily silent estate.

Loud and heavy crying comes from the direction of the stairwell.

Making my way quickly to the sound of distress, I see Talia on her knees, wailing and shaking a body.

Inching closer, my stomach almost falls out of my body.

Tim.

Tim’s body.

She’s shaking Tim’s body.

This can’t really be happening; it’s just a prank he’s playing like every Halloween. Right? Rushing to Talia’s side, she jumps into my arms, crying more than I’ve ever seen from her. Her makeup is normally more precious to her than showing any emotions.

“Talia, what happened?” I ask carefully.

“He… he…” She stutters, trying to catch her breath.

Trying to help calm her down, I rub my hand in circles between her shoulder blades.

I read once that this was a calming technique.

More people start to notice, and gasps of horror escape their mouths.

Some screams came from the more intoxicated women present.

Bentley and Callie make their way over. I shake my head to Bentley subtly to let him know that he’s gone.

I spot him taking out his phone and assume he’s calling for assistance.

Trying once more to get Talia to open up when I feel like she has calmed down enough.

“He was fine after you left. We chatted and he told me that it was cruel what we did to you and that he wanted to apologise. I told him that he was being ridiculous…” Talia says in a low voice that only I could hear.

Ridiculous. How was he being ridiculous for actually caring about my feelings? If she hadn’t just witnessed her boyfriend die, I’d rip into her. Realising I’m missing all the information, I snap back to her rambling.

“I tried to catch up and apologise, but the next thing I knew, he was clutching his chest, making strange noises, and fell down the stairs.” Telling me this part set her off all over again.

There’s a pull on my shoulder, turning, I see the mystic.

She’s mouthing something to me, but amidst all the chaos, I find myself unable to move.

Or perhaps, a refusal to move. Callie peels Talia from me and takes her away from Tim’s body and the gawking faces; I wish I were no longer being stared at.

Again, the mystic pulls my shoulder, and this time, doesn’t stay still.

Her grip is now tight on my bicep, as she drags me back to where we came from.

“Loosen up. You’re hurting me,” I say, wincing from the nails digging into my skin.

“Hush, boy! Not here,” she admonishes me.

Something about her tone told me not to argue back.

I kept quiet until we made it back to the room she was holed up in for the party.

She pushes me through the door, slamming it behind us.

I didn’t get a chance to react before she slapped me hard on my right cheek.

A throbbing pulse builds into my surely reddening cheek.

“What the hell was that for?”

“You killed that boy!” She snaps.

“No, I fucking didn’t!” I spit back with venom.

“Your unnatural aura was all over him. You slept with him. Linked him to you…”

“How does that lead to his death?” I cut her off.

“The moment you crossed my barrier, boy, when you felt like you were dying. You pulled on his life force to keep this facade you wear.”

This revelation hits me like a ton of bricks.

I can recall the moment when I pulled on my desire to sustain me.

Feeling the terrible ringing in my head, the blurry vision, all for it to ebb as I pulled on the allure of desire.

It was like pulling on smoke, not physically able to grasp it, but could be guided.

Remembering all this, I begin to stagger about.

“No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. He wasn’t always nice, but he didn’t deserve this,” I mutter to myself as the swelling sensation of tears builds behind my eyes.

Another set of memories from today unveils itself to me. Lexie. The girl in my apartment.

“I slept with two others today. That I know of. What about them?” I ask, knowing the answer.

“Dead too, most likely. You haven’t grasped how not to pull all the energy,” she responds mournfully.

Running my hands through my long locks, I pull on them with frustration.

Catherine warned of dire consequences, but she failed to adhere to the call; she didn’t mention anything about this.

There was no mention of pulling on people’s life force!

Fuck. I’m a murderer. All because I needed to be desired.

To be wanted. Pacing about, I realize that I need to fix this, to do something. I can’t have this happen again.

“Stop spiraling, Kassius. All curses can be broken. Now, you need to leave and find Clay. Tell him Jacinta sent you, and he’ll help,” the woman I know now to be called Jacinta tells me.

“Tim’s funeral. I have to be here for it,” I argue.

“And you can be. He died under strange circumstances. There will be an autopsy before any funeral can take place,” she continues.

Jacinta might be old in appearance, but her command of the room is unlike anything I’ve seen before.

Once again, she’s pulling me by the arm, through the building, and away from the mass gathering near Tim.

She keeps reminding me to find Clay, whoever that is, as we navigate the hallways and out through the back door.

Pushing me toward a car that’s almost as old as she is, she says, “Get in.”