Black 21: (Golden Hills Legacy of Black 21 Book 1) (3 page)

“I used to have
a pretty serious relationship back in high school, but things change." His
voice trailed off.

Confusion came
over her face before responding. “Yes, sorry. I heard something about that but
didn’t want to pry. A bad breakup?”

“She died,” he
answered in a quiet tone.

“Oh, my God.
Aunt Betty had said tragically, but I just didn’t think...I’m so sorry,
Christian,” she said, grabbing his arm.

“I’m fine now, was
a long time ago. I just put all my energy into school and now ready to take on
my new role,” he said, giving her a small smile.

“What did you
major in?”

“Psychology. I
wanted to understand the human mind,” he said, grinning.

“So you can
understand the minds of your town people?”

He gave a
hearty laugh. “Yeah, something like that.”

She shook her
head in amazement and stared into the blackness. The streetlights disappeared
behind them, as they treaded into more gravely side roads.

Trees
multiplied as they drove deeper into the woods. The smell of the bonfire worked
its way to the truck, so they must be getting closer.

Christian broke
the silence. “Can I ask why did you come to visit out here, when you should be
whooping it up with your friends for the summer?”

She squinted
her eyes, feeling as if he already knew that answer. “Let’s just say I needed
to get away for a while, plus my dad basically ordered me to come out here.”

“You always do
what your father wants?" He steered the truck into a parking lot, cheers
escalating from the lake.

“He thinks it’s
what’s best for me,” she replied. She smiled at his concern. No one ever really
showed her concern except for family. A wave of warmth flowed through her,
easing any anxiety she had felt. A wall began to crumble inside her.

They got out
and walked to the sanded area...and to the tribe.

***

“Christian,
there you are! This is supposed to be for you, and you’re the last one
here!" A pretty girl with a blonde bob and big brown eyes pouted, Daisy
presumed to be another old girlfriend.

“Sorry, I had
to pick up my new friend. Lydia Cartwright, I want you to meet Daisy Lock,” he
said, smiling at both women.

She decided
that he must have had a thousand different smiles, all for different occasions.

“Nice to meet
you, Daisy! We’ve been waiting. Come – meet the rest of the gang!”

Daisy laughed
and allowed Lydia to tug her hand. “There’s more than the tribe?”

“Tribe? Oh,
that’s Dane’s word. And he’s right. You are hot! Come.”

The music
pounded through her core. She watched as Christian talked to a few other
college kids, all turning toward her as they got closer. He smiled at her as
she approached with Lydia.

Lydia turned to
her right. “This is my best friend, Charlotte. She’s one of us.”

“Nice to meet
you." She regarded Charlotte’s passive attitude, wondering what caught her
eye behind her shoulder. Charlotte had long dark hair to her waist and big
round eyes. She turned to see it was Christian who was oblivious to this heated
attention. He caught Daisy’s eye and winked.

Christian
returned to them with a cute guy wearing black-framed glasses. “Daisy, I’d like
you to meet a good friend of mine, Eric.”

Eric pushed his
glasses up on his nose. He brought her hand to his lips and bowed. “Ah, the
famous Daisy. Is that really your name? It seems so...”

“Country?”
Daisy answered, embarrassed. She pulled her hand back, convinced they were
groomed to do that.

He laughed.
“No, I was going to say – delicate." Eric grinned.

She smiled in
return. “My mom’s name was Rose, so...”

“Oh, I get it,”
Lydia jumped in. “So then you’ll name your daughter a flower too?”

Daisy laughed
in response and put her hands up. “Nope, stops at me.”

“What can I get
you to drink, Daisy?” Christian asked.

“Water’s fine.”

He drew his
brows up and smiled. “Good choice. Be right back.”

She watched him
walk to the multiple coolers and drag two bottles of Evian out of a blue one. A
few girls flirted with him, a few guys pounded fists with him. They all bowed
when he walked away.

He returned
with a cold bottle and screwed off the top. “Here you go, one fresh water for
the pretty lady.”

“Thank you,
kind sir,” she laughed. She bowed to him.

“Don’t ever do
that again,” he said in a serious tone.

She glared at
him a moment, feeling hot. “Sorry. I didn’t mean anything…you drink water too?”

He stared off
into the lake with a somber face. “Yes. Quit drinking in high school.”

She couldn’t
help but wonder what caused him to stop drinking. Maybe it was when his
girlfriend had died. Regret filled her and she looked off into the water in
silence.

A rainbow of
fireworks exploded in the dark sky, causing the crowd to cheer and clap. Some
couples kissed and hugged.

“Beautiful!”
Daisy said to the sky.

Christian
turned and snapped a picture of her with his phone. “I agree.”

She gave a shy
smile. Their eyes locked until the sound of chanting infiltrated the musical
bash. She listened more closely. The words they chanted were “Christian's next,
Christian's next,” over and over. That was fine until she heard words that
nearly stopped her heart. “Hail Christian.”

Daisy glanced
between the frenzied crowd and Christian, confusion wrinkling her face. The
group of what looked to be the town’s most elite children, the next men to have
their painted portrait on Jack’s Den’s wall, swarmed around the bonfire.

Before she
could question Christian what that meant, her mouth fell open as she walked
closer. Her hand flew to her mouth as she took in the strange scene. They were
throwing in what looked to be little white flowers with yellow centers. Daisies.

“What the…”

Christian
strode fast and hard to the fire and put his hands over the buckets. “No more!”

Dane turned
toward him. “No more? We’re supposed–”

“You
challenging me?" Christian’s jaw hardened against his words.

Eric stepped
forward and gave everyone a stern look.

Dane tried
again. “You know we do this for the birthday. Your father won’t be happy.”

“Dane, why? I
don’t get it,” Daisy asked. She tried to control her shaking voice and show
courage.

Dane gave her a
cold look. “Because that’s the way it is around here, Daisy. No need to cry. We
do it every time a man turns twenty-one. Maybe your boyfriend can explain it
better to you,” he said, throwing his head in Christian’s direction in disgust.

Lydia walked
over to Daisy and rubbed her arm. She took one of the dainty flowers and gave
it to her. “There, where it should be given. It’s really only a symbolism of
some childish tradition these men concocted long ago. Something that has to do
with the girl that is going to be his date for the ball. That’s all, honey,”
Lydia said, still rubbing her arm. She looked back to everyone. “Christian’s
right. This is enough already.”

“Then it’s
fine. I don’t want to stop some tradition because I can’t take seeing daisies
thrown in a fire. That’s just silly of me,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Daisy, you
don’t have to,” Christian said, walking up to her and looking down into her
eyes, wiping away her tears. “We can end this now.”

“He’s right,
Daisy,” Eric walked over. He cupped his hands over his mouth and whispered to
her. “They’re sheep. You don’t have to impress them,” he said, smiling and
giving a wink.

“No, I’m fine.
Please, go on with your tradition. Hell, I’ll even throw a few in there,” she
said, and grabbed some from one of the buckets. She flung one and then another,
and everyone began to applaud and cheer. A cascade of howling sang from unseen
wolves.

Eric gave her a
sad smile and shrugged, raising his bottle of beer to his lips while keeping
his eyes on her.

Christian trotted
to the recycle bin to throw their bottles away, it seemed as if trying to get
away from the craziness. He also picked up a few scattered bottles in the sand
and threw them in.

A crackle of
thunder clapped in the far distance off to her right. The heavy air cocooned
her. Fog floated over the water. Chilled air seeped in from the lake even
though it was still about seventy-seven degrees. She rubbed her arms and looked
through the crowd of college kids, catching her cousin’s hooded stare drenched
in desire. A look he had given her since childhood, but still could never get
used to it.

She watched as
Christian stopped to talk to Lydia and laugh at something she said. She rubbed
his arm and smiled up into his eyes. It didn’t matter. They were just friends.
She didn’t care if he had a thing with Lydia or not. She clenched her jaw and
turned toward the water, crossing her arms over her chest.

Eric handed her
another bottle of water. “You okay, Daisy? They can be pretty rough in this
town.”

“Thanks. And
I’m not the delicate little flower you think I am,” she said, grinning.

He gave a deep
laugh, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His sandy brown hair
messy from the lake winds.

“So are you
with Lydia?”

“Me – and
Lydia?" He shook his head. “She’s like my little sister.”

“Oh. Is
Christian?”

“Jealous?” he
asked.

Before she
could answer, an arm swooped around her shoulder, causing her to jump. “It’s
just me,” Christian murmured. “Interrupting anything?” he asked, staring at
Eric.

“Nope, just
talking. See you later, Daisy?” Eric asked.

“I hope so. And
thank you again for the water,” she yelled out as he saluted while walking
backwards. She giggled before looking back at Christian.

He arched his
brow at her. “Ready to go?”

She nodded and
allowed him to grab her hand and steer her through the crowd. They walked
through the dancing kids and blaring rock music. Daisy looked back to see
Charlotte standing by the fire, plucking each petal off the dainty flowers and
throwing them in the flames, head cocked to the side with a hateful glare.

Daisy chewed on
her already bitten nails as they drove home in the darkness. The luminescent
July moon guided them. Forests stretched out on both sides, gliding past in a green
blur. With the windows rolled down, the sounds of the night whispered to her,
almost hissing.

“Everything
okay?” Christian asked, glancing over to her and then back to the road. “You
haven’t said a word since we left.”

She sucked in
her lower lip. “Does Charlotte have a thing for you?" She decided not to
mention Lydia.

He squinted his
eyes in confusion.

“She
seems...interested. I just get this bad feeling with her. I could be wrong,
but…”

His jaw
clenched before he responded. “We had a thing once, it was nothing. She tried
to replace Tara, but I didn’t feel the same. You know, the same old song.
Charlotte might be a little bitter over that,” he admitted. “Sorry if you
experienced something from her, but you represent what she wants.”

She chewed off
the last nail and stuck it in her pocket. That was the last thing she wanted,
to represent anything to anyone. “I just want to teach little ones their ABCs
and 123s…”

“I know, and
you will, Daisy.”

“—don’t want to
make anyone jealous. I have enough to deal with.”

Christian
turned into the driveway. He parked and turned toward her, throwing his arm
over her seat behind her, his hand dangling behind her head rest, almost
touching her.

Her body
tensed, knowing if she sat back his fingers would be in her hair. She froze and
involuntarily clenched her legs together. She let a breath out and prepared to
get out of the truck. “Well, that was a little different, but I don’t have a
problem with it if it’s all in good fun,” she added, glancing up at him.

“It’s meant to
be fun, but some of these rituals get taken a little too seriously around here
for my taste,” he answered, looking off through the windshield in deep thought.

“What if my
name were Barbara?” she asked.

“Barbara?”

“Yeah...what
would be thrown in the fire?”

The glow of the
porch light illuminated the dark front yard, signaling for her to come in.
Shadows moved behind the sheer curtains of the bay window. She didn’t realize
she had a curfew, not at the age of twenty-two. But she would respect it.

Her hand clutched
the handle to get out when Christian's voice stopped her. It was so low, meant
for her ears only. She could barely hear him.

“They would
throw in some personal article of the girl. The fire needs to taste it.”

***

After answering
a thousand questions from her aunt and uncle and finishing her bowl of homemade
chicken soup, she slipped into her room and exhaled.

Christian's
last words disturbed her still. What did that mean? The fire needs to taste it?
What did any of these crazy things mean and why did they involve her? She
almost missed her father’s controlling ways.

The sheer
curtains danced to the wind blowing through the window, bringing a cold draft
in the room. She walked over to close it when she noticed it already was
closed. How were the curtains moving? Maybe a vent was nearby, but she found
none.

She spun around
to take in her surroundings, looking for the cause. The ceiling fan was off. A
fear gripped her body.

Daisy slipped in
bed after a fast shower and let the day’s events flow through her mind, pushing
other thoughts away. Thoughts of dark eyes looking inside her soul and knowing
more than she cared to share. No memory of a boy wearing a cape and stopping
when she entered the room. Did he remember?

Her cross lay
forgotten on the bathroom sink without realizing it. She thought she had put it
on earlier after her shower. After clasping it around her neck, she slid back
into bed. She seemed to forget it more while here in this crazy town.

She closed her
eyes and drifted off to what seemed like a dream. A terrified girl with short
blonde hair ran through the woods. She wore a long, white gown. The girl
stopped for a moment and peered into Daisy's face. With pleading eyes, she asked
if Daisy saw her Leon. She then screamed, “He’s coming! Get out!" She took
off while looking back and then disappeared.

Her eyes popped
open. Was that real? Who was that girl? And who’s coming? She forced her eyes
closed and tried to sleep again. Right before falling asleep, the last memory
was of Charlotte staring at her with that dead look. But this time, her face
turned into a snarl, spitting out white petals of daisies sprinkled in blood,
her tongue growing as long as her body down to her bare feet.

The black
tongue hunted down Christian and wrapped itself around his body, finally
probing his mouth. At first he smiled, but then he fought it, grabbing and
yanking it as it grew longer and thicker. Charlotte’s black eyes turned red,
angry that he denied her. The tongue slid down his throat and filled his body,
choking him, his eyes pleading to Daisy for help.

Daisy ran to
him and tried to free him. She propped her feet on his chest and pulled with
all her strength, but it wouldn’t budge. Eric appeared just then, tugging on
her waist to give more power, struggling along with her.

Behind her she
could hear a man’s laughter. Dane stood there, his smile turning into a sneer
while his tongue flicked in his mouth, darting out in her direction. Daisy knew
she needed to get away but couldn’t leave Christian. She began to shake and
sweat.

“Please help me
God,” she screamed, and in an instant she woke back up in her bed. Her heart
pounded hard and fast, finally slowing to the tempo of her shallow breathing.

She clicked the
lamp on next to her bed and scanned the room. “It was only a dream...only a
dream,” she whispered. She was safe here with her aunt and uncle. Just do the
dance and then on to teach like she was meant to do.

After trusting
it was safe, she lay back down and allowed her heavy eyes to close. A sound
clicked in the darkness. She thought she could hear breathing. Her eyes
fluttered open to find a man at the foot of her bed. A blurry image of a
shadow, but a man. He smiled and held a bouquet of daisies out to her. Blue
eyes blaze, turning black.

Rubbing her
tired eyes, the man disappeared. She glanced at the window. The curtains
stopped blowing. She sat up and scanned the room, heart pounding. Her head
snapped to her left toward her door to a soft knock. “Who is it?” she
stuttered, still shaken.

No answer.

More knocking.

“Dane, if
that’s you, I'm trying to sleep. Please stop.”

A low murmur
and laughter permeated the wooden door, disappearing to the other side of the
house, leaving a cold silence.

“Dane? Aunt
Betty? Uncle Joe?” she asked in a shaky whisper. Her heart beat harder as if it
knew something was wrong, warning her.

She stared at
the door, waiting. Silence. She finally lay back down and felt something soft
by her hand. She sat back up and found the bouquet of daisies.

***

Sunlight
flooded the room. After last night, she welcomed the beam of light. She stood
and grabbed her robe, cracking the door open to hear anything. Deep voices
flowed down to her room from the kitchen. They belonged to her uncle and Dane.

“Ugh." She
decided to close the door when hushed words caught her attention. Her name came
up a couple of times.

“…I told you to
let it go already. She belongs to Christian now,” Uncle Joe insisted.

“She already
belongs to me. Not him. Me.”

Daisy felt her
blood run cold. Since when did Dane own her? And belonged to Christian? She was
only his date for one day. A chill coursed through her body. She strained to
hear more.

“Why does
Christian always get what he wants? And the kicker is he doesn’t even want
Daisy according to Charlotte.”

“Bullshit."
The kitchen chair scratched the floor.

Dane ended the
conversation. “I already have some of the power, Father. I practice it every day.
I’ll use it if I have to,” Dane threatened and stormed out of the house,
slamming the front door.

She shuddered.
What power was Dane talking about? The same she had? But she only did silly
little things with hers. What did he do with his?

Her memories of
visiting her family never bordered on the strange. If she knew before coming
this summer that Dane had true incestuous feelings toward her, there would have
been a change of plans.

She got dressed
in a hurry and snuck out the front door before her uncle could see her. The
dark, gray sky loomed above her, and she ran to her car, a Lexus RC. Her father
had given it to her with conditions of where to drive it before she graduated.
Now that she graduated, she didn’t care.

When she pulled
out of the driveway, she could see her uncle in the doorway with a blank
expression. She waved and backed all the way out to the road before screeching
her tires. The speed of her driving kept up with her adrenaline, and she found
the forest preserves at last. She screeched into the parking lot and exhaled,
leaning her head on the steering wheel. She closed her eyes for a moment when a
tapping sound on her window startled her.

“What did the
wildlife ever do to you?" Christian stood there with concern hidden
beneath a smirk.

Daisy rolled
down the window but kept her guard up. “You following me now?”

“I was headed
to meet my father at the diner, and you blew past me. Seem really pissed. You
were driving crazy down King Road, and deer run out there all the time. Not a
good place to speed, you know?”

"Why do
you care?"

“Hey, what’s
wrong? Is it that comment I left you with last night? About the ceremony?”

“Well, that did
kind of freak me out, but no. Not everything involves you, Christian,” she
said, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.

“Can I get in?”

She studied his
face in search for something. A patch of dark clouds formed over them. He
pulled his hood up to the oncoming rain. “Get in,” she motioned to the other
side.

He slammed the
door after getting in and faced her. Those eyes. She could smell his wood and
spice cologne. His face was freshly shaven.

“Daisy...you
gonna talk or do I have to bug you to tell me what’s going on?”

She relented
and shared a little of what was said, but not all. “So what is this power he’s
talking about?”

Christian sat
there as if trying to figure it out also. “I'm really not sure. Dane has some
power that no one knows about, at least I don’t,” he said with a shrug.

She didn’t like
how he averted his eyes. Was he telling the truth? Did he really not know
anything? What could she believe? All these questions drove her crazy. Home was
looking wonderful now, even with Gloria there.

He reached his
hand out and caressed her face, pushing her hair to the back, making her jump
in her seat. “Such pretty hair, Daisy. You’re really beautiful. And I don’t
mean hot beautiful, but the whole package...smart, witty,” he whispered. “I
didn’t mean to scare you.”

She stiffened.
“Look, Christian...I know you’re the wanted guy around here, but I really can’t
give anymore. There’s things you don’t know about me." She pulled his hand
out of her hair.

“Why are you
shaking? Why are you scared of me?” he asked, withdrawing his hand and pulling
back.

She saw the
pain in his eyes, pain she’d put there. They barely knew each other, and she
was already hurting him. “I just don’t know what to think anymore. I feel like
I’m losing my mind here – in this town.”

He shook his
dark head. “There’s something else going on here.”

“I’m not the
right girl for your birthday ball.”

“What do you
mean? Of course you are.”

“There’s things
you don’t know…”

“You don’t
trust me?”

The rain let up
and allowed the sun to peek through. She rolled the window down to let some air
in. “It’s not that. I’ll keep my word and still go with you, but I can’t give
anymore." Her head sunk low to her lap.

He sat still,
looking down at his hands before returning to her gaze. “Fine,” he said in a
low tone, tightening his lips, and slamming the door hard. He walked around to her
side. “Can you make it to another event tonight or do you have plans?”

“What’s
tonight?”

“Jack’s
Hayride. Pick you up at eight." Christian jumped in his truck and
screeched his tires to mimic hers earlier.

Stunned, she
watched as smoke billowed out of the back end of his truck. Now she was
concerned for his driving. What about the deer? She pounded the steering wheel
and started the engine.

When she
returned to the house, Dane sat on the porch, smoking a cigarette, apparently
waiting for her. She tried to hurry past him, but he stuck his long leg out to
stop her going up the steps.

“Dane, let me
go.”

“Get your
invite to the hayride event, Daisy?”

“Yes. Now move,
please.”

“I could make
you mine in a second, Daze. Like that,” he said, snapping his fingers.

“You repulse
me.”

He pulled her
on his lap and laughed. She struggled to get free. He murmured in her ear.
“You’ll forget we’re related." He pressed his tobacco-soaked lips hard
against hers.

She found his
cigarette and rubbed it out on his arm, which made him laugh, to her confusion.
Looking down at his arm, there was no burn mark. She stood and backed away,
wiping her mouth of his kiss. He took a drag and lit up the cigarette again, to
her horror.

Thunder rumbled
in the darkening sky. Raindrops sprinkled and then turned into a harder force,
pelting down on her. Dane continued to sit and smoke his cigarette, the rain
soaking him, the cigarette never going out.