Catching Temptation (In Darkness She Fades (Book 1) (12 page)

I open my mouth to gasp, but
before I can utter a sound, the king bends down, and crushes his lips against
mine. Surprised by the tenderness in his kiss, I lean into it. It is gentle,
yet powerful enough to stir dormant emotions. It sends a bud of affection
blossoming in the crater of my heart. It creates a pain I never thought I would
feel again. The king pulls me closer to his misshapen body. His body repulses
me, but I love his attentiveness to my emotions. The butterflies escape from my
stomach and travel to every inch of my body.

Rough hands roam over my lower
back.

I pull away. I have been here too
long.

Far too long.

If word reaches Herald about my
running away, my family might pay the price. “I-I have to go before Herald
realizes I’m here.” The blood drips from my fingertips. It is real. All of it
is real. I’m not crazy. I shake the dizzy spell away. “He’ll start hurting my family
if he finds out I came here.” I do not know if the king will allow me to depart
again. I try edging around him, but his warm hand clamps over my arm. “I’m
sorry, I shouldn’t have come here. I-I just needed to be sure.”

The king tilts his head and scans
my eyes. “And now, what do you think? Am I really such a monster?”

I feel another pain in my heart.
Sorrow. I hate it.

“There’s also something you need
to know about me, Temptation.” His eyes abandon my own and examine my hand. His
arched nail traces the lines of the henna tattoo. “I sent those goblins to save
your life the day you died.”

I blink. “What?”

The king stands behind me and
runs his hands along my arms. “Do you remember the day when the accident
happened?”

“Halloween.” I stare out of the
cavern.
Do not cry. Do not cry.

“Yes. Halloween. It’s the only
time my goblins can leave Rosewood.”

“But I’ve seen goblins long after
Halloween.”

“True, but those are a different
kind of species and are not under my control. Haven’t you noticed the goblins
of Rosewood have more of a conscience than ordinary goblins?”

I nod. The Rosewood goblins
possess more human qualities in them than regular goblins.

“I sent them to find an older
teenage girl near death. You see, goblins can sense when someone is going to
die. My goblins were in the woods near the highway where you crashed. They
pulled you out of the car and gave you a, well I guess you humans call it a
potion, to help heal you, but also make it so you can see us permanently. I
even sent Mr. Peters to talk the Blares into persuading your uncle and aunt
into moving here.”

I swivel to face the king, but he
does not slacken his grip. “Your goblins saved me?”

He smiles. I do not.

“I wish they would’ve left me for
dead! I don’t want to live!”

“Temptation–”

“No! I want everyone to leave me
alone.” I twist, forcing the king to release me. Sprinting out of the cave, I
hear the king cursing his own actions. I dash to the wall. The king calls out
for the goblins. The wind picks up and the trees bend inward. The goblins close
in from behind. My hands clutch the top of the wall and I climb over. The
goblins stop and pant for breath. I return to the main road, ignoring the
hellish shouts from behind.

****

The sun vanishes by the time I
step onto my street. The night comforts me. Bugs buzz around in the
streetlights. Eerie laughter of children fills the air. Motorcycle engines rev
off in the distance. “Oh no,” I mutter as I start to run and hide in the
forest.

The motorcycles circle me and
Craven, the leader, snatches my arm and yanks me onto the bike as if I weigh
the same as a ragdoll. The bike lurches forward and I grasp his waist so not to
roll off. Terror motivates me to bury my face against the back of his jacket.
The wind chills my skin.

“Be very careful, Temptation. Your
time is running out. Jenkins will never allow you leave.”

Lifting my face, I speak to the
back of his head. “You told me to leave Rosewood the first time I met you.”

“Yes, but you’ve captured Jenkins’
attention, so you can’t escape. Beware their girlfriend, Victoria. She’s a
nasty piece of work and is desperately trying to get rid of you before the
Halloween Mask Ball.”

“Gods, what is it with this town
and that Ball?”

Craven does not answer. He slows
down at my house.

Before the motorcycle stops, I
slide off, and run into my yard. Craven and the gang give me the weird
assurance of, “We’ll be watching over you.” The motorcycle engines echo into
the distance.

I slump and lean against the
porch beam, inhaling the aroma of dinner coming from the house. “Demons for
guardian angels.” I shake my hair out. “Karma’s going to love this.”

Another motorcycle pulls up to
the curb. Jerald kills the engine. Before I can ponder his intentions for
coming to my house or how he even knew where I live, his arms crush me, and I
sink into his embrace.

“I thought I’d lost you the other
night. The Goblin King didn’t hurt you, did he?” Jerald releases me and strokes
my neck. He stops when his fingers touch metal. “Where did this come from?”

I remember Herald’s instructions
and threats. “I’m not sure. It was on my neck when I woke up this morning. I
can’t take it off. Can you?”

Jerald inspects the necklace. “I
don’t see any latches. Maybe we should ask Herald. He’s better at working with
metal than I am.”

“No!” My cheeks warm. “I mean, I
don’t want to bother your brother about it. It’s not that important, besides,
it’s kinda pretty.”

Jerald grins and leans in. “You
enhance it.”

Feeling my face burn more, I move
past Jerald. “So what are you doing today?”

“Hunting you.”

“You found me, so now what?”

Jerald positions himself behind
me, as I gaze out over the yard. “Now I have to figure out what I’m going to do
with you.”

“Do we have to dance at the
Halloween Masked Ball? Like the waltz?”

“Of course. Is there something
worrying you?”

“Yes.” I stare over my shoulder
to capture Jerald’s eye. “I don’t have a clue on how to do any of those dances.
I can belly dance, but that’s not going to do me any good at a ball.”

Jerald loops my arm in his.
“Dance lessons it is.”

Chapter Eight

Auditions & Accusations

           
Thanks to Jerald, my weekend ends up giving me a little relaxation. Sunlight
beams in through my bedroom window on Monday morning; stirring me from my
imaginary nightmares. A real nightmare will happen in two hours. The audition.
I would rather be lost in the woods again. Even kissing Herald, as repulsive as
he is, would be more of an enjoyable task than singing on stage again.

Standing before the wardrobe
mirror, I scrutinize my long hair outlining my body like a black veil. Flicking
my black hair out of the way, I gather my white hair. The goblins know I can
see them, so why hide anymore? The medicine I need to move on from my traumatic
past, seems so simple. I need Beautiful Temptation. The idea gives me a bud of
hope. Hope to attain true happiness.

I march over to one of my packed
boxes and stoop down. My hands are trembling as I open the bent box. Pictures
of old friends and my parents, smile in the photographs. The picture of my
deceased parents causes a tear to escape. I heave the box away and bust another
box open. This holds my barely used perfumes I adored before the accident. I
shuffle through trinkets, lotions, and then squint at the bottom of the box.
“Wicked luck.”  Picking up the hair-color remover kit, I abandon the
disorganized box. As I amble into the bathroom, I pray that Herald’s lust for
me will vanish once I become Beautiful Temptation.

I take my time to bleach out the
silky blackness. After internal arguing, I decide to take out my plum contacts.
Beautiful lime-green eyes blink out of the mirror. I return to the bath and
rinse out the chemical scent. Once all the black dye trickles down the drain so
only my white hair remains, I wrap my hair up in a towel, and exit the
bathroom. Grasping the wardrobe knob with my newly polished French-tipped
nails, I yank the doors open. The wine-colored opera dress from the tragic
night last Halloween glitters. Brushing my fingertips across the fabrics
hanging up, I halt at a bubblegum pink skirt with a distinct India print
bordering the hem. With my help, it slides off the hanger, and into my awaiting
hands. The towel slides from my body and I toss it in a corner. Pulling on a
pair of panties, bra, and the skirt, I select a golden shirt to compliment the
skirt. Satisfied with my reflection, I return to the bathroom to finish putting
on my make-up and drying my new hair.

There are certain things I
realize I do not want to change. I really love the henna tattoos and the bindi
tattoo on my forehead. With my white hair and green eyes from my father’s side,
and tan skin from my mother’s side, I retain a strange beauty. I understand it
is okay to have an edge – to become a mixture of Dark and Beautiful Temptation.

Thirty minutes later, I skip down
the stairs and enter the kitchen.

“It’s about time Tempta–” Aunt
Sally’s mouth drops in shock. “–tion.”

“You look wonderful, Sweetheart!”
Uncle Jack says from the breakfast table. “You’re the old Temptation I’ve been
missing. O’course you didn’t used to wear the tattoos, but at least there’s
some color back in your life.”

“Oh!” Aunt Sally nearly pounces
on me, breaking down into sobs on my shoulder. “We can finally start being a
normal family.”

“Thank God,” Daniel says from the
table. “It’s about time you did something with your skunk-colored hair–”

“Daniel.” Uncle Jack frowns at
his son.

I am happy I made the change, but
now reality hits. It hits hard. Normal. They want me to forget my parents.
Pretend everything is fine.

“Sit down and eat. You need to be
ready for your audition.” Aunt Sally scurries around the kitchen.

The welcoming scent of coffee
fills my nostrils. “But how did you know about the auditions?”

“Everyone in town can’t shut up
about it, with you being an award-winning singer; you shouldn’t have a hard
time.”

“Now, Dear. The Blares’ daughter
is pretty good from what I’ve heard–”

“What are you going to sing?”
Nathaniel asks. A glob of purplish jelly outlines his mouth.

“I-I haven’t decided yet. I might
go with one I wrote.” I prod my eggs around my Greek-printed plate. I do not
feel like eating.

Aunt Sally sets a mug of hot
coffee down in front of me.

I smile and take a sip of the
warm liquid. It used to be a routine of mine to have coffee every morning
before rehearsals. For a moment, I allow myself the fantasy of my parents’
encouraging me for my tryouts.

****

Thirty minutes later, I arrive at
school. No students roam the grounds of the high school because they are
assembling to watch the tryouts for the Mask Ball’s lead singer. A deep breath
and I exit the car. Every breath I create expels more and more of my courage. My
emotions are becoming more hollow, the closer I march to the school auditorium.
Out of the building echoes a beautiful voice singing a choir song.

I descend through the doors and
enter the packed auditorium. A girl vacates the stage with a light flush on her
pimpled cheeks. Victoria sashays to the lighted podium. The band behind her
strikes a pop-style song and she starts to sing.

Crap, she is good.

Really good.

Across the crowd, Whelan cheers
Victoria on from the first row, while the Jenkins twins look mildly interested
from the side of the room.

“Temptation! There you are. I
barely recognize you with white hair.” Mrs. Peters snatches my elbow. “Follow
me to the side of the stage; everyone’s been waiting for you!”

Part of my arm goes numb from
Mrs. Peters' grasp. The old woman kills the stereotype of frailty and weakness.
“I haven’t figured out what I’m going to sing yet–”

“Sing the song you were singing
at the opera house.” Mrs. Peters stops at the stairs leading to the stage.

I pause. “You mean,
Alice
Demented
? I don’t know if it’s a good id–”

“Nonsense, Dearie. The house band
already knows the basic tune. They’ll follow along with you when you play the
piano.”

“How could they? No one knows my
song, but you.”

Mrs. Peters barks out a few
orders to the stage help, ignoring my inquisitive stare. Victoria ends and the
crowd cheers. My joints stiffen.

Mrs. Peters grabs my schoolbag
from me. “You’re up, Dearie. Knock ‘em dead!”

I try to force a smile, but the
muscles in my face freeze. The faces of my parents flash before my eyes, making
my throat constrict. I climb the stairs and enter the brightly lit stage.
Shocked whispers break out across the auditorium as soon as the spotlight
illuminates my face. One nice thing about those bright lights is I cannot see
the crowd.
The piano’s ivory keys shine a variety of colors from the
stage lights. I take a seat on the polished bench. Fingers bent on the
colorless keys, I exhale, and begin the mournful tune to
Alice Demented
.
The band picks up the tune and, for the first time, my song comes to life.

“Alice
is so sweet and true;

Dressed
up in both white and blue.

She
takes some pills to make her dream,

While
still awake or so it seems.”

Memories begin to swirl…downing
the pills until sweet sleep comforts me. Then red lights are mesmerizing me. So
many red lights are flashing and screaming into my soul and mixing with the
cries of the medics.

The music pauses for three
seconds and then the drums and electric guitar create a loud dooming rock
melody which intensifies my opera vocal style.

“Save
her if you can,

In
darkness, she fades.

Alice
in wonderland,

She
dreams away.

She’s
shackled in these chains,

She
can’t escape.

Short
life at hand,

The
pills are laced.”

           
The past voice of Uncle Jack still haunts my memory. “How could you,
Temptation? It’s a miracle you survived death the first time, but a second
time! I’ve lost my brother and sister-in-law, why would you make me go through
losing you, again?”

The music calms again, morphing
into a depressing lullaby.

“Creatures
around her begin to move,

Gazing
ravenously at her, too.

They
make such gruesome, gibberish talk,

As
they move near her to stalk.”

           
Terrifying creatures latch onto my ankles and drag me from the car as it bursts
into flames. I am dead for five minutes.

           
The pounding drums match my heartbeats.

“Save
her if you can,

In
darkness, she fades.”

           
I continue with the chorus, oblivious to the deathly silence in the auditorium.
A past memory emerges in the shape of my parents, when the doctors cannot
revive them.

“Alice
shrieks into the night,

Fleeing
from that fearful sight.

With
raging eyes and gleaming fangs,

The
white rabbit times their fun and games.”

“Time of death,
eight-forty-five,”
the doctor in the pristine white coat says, and the
little goblin gripping his scrub-pants grins. I cannot take it.

           
My voice and the music intensify as I hit the climax of the song.

“Follow
me,

Until
you see,

This
twisted life of reality.

All
that’s real,

Is
now gone.

Nightmares
roam for the deed is done.”

           
The music slows from a climatic tone into a depressing one. Tears burn my eyes.
My parents are gone. Forever.

“The
Queen is coming for the dead.

Hurry
now or lose your head.

Lost
in darkness,

She
who dwells–

Longs
for death; no more to tell.”

           
Hot tears roll down my cheeks. For the first time, since the death of my
parents, I mourn. My sorrow bleeds through my music.

“Save
her if you can,

In
darkness, she fades…”

           
Ending the song, I flinch as the crowd erupts in encoring cheers. My arms fall
from the piano and I try to stop the tears. The piano bench shakes as I abandon
my seat and rush to the stage exit.

Mrs. Peters calls my name over
and over, but I keep running.

Pain never registers in my brain
as I slam my body against the metal door, forsaking Rosewood High. I think I
hear Daniel’s shouts not to do it again, but I do not care anymore. I thought I
could handle the audition. How wrong I had been. Grief consumes my every
thought. I desire an ending.

Gray clouds paint the sky, while
the wind picks up. My white hair fans out behind me like angel wings.

The theater house is four
stories.

It should be tall enough.

I can see the mansion’s towers
down the street. No cars block the roads. During the auditions, Rosewood became
a ghost town. I cross the street. A roar of motorcycle engines fast approaches
me from behind.

The Jenkins twins skid their
bikes to a halt in front of the theater house; blocking me from running, any
further. Jerald launches himself off his bike and snatches me up into a
battling embrace.

“Let me go–” My tears fall on
Jerald’s shoulders. “I want to die!”

Jerald does not stop me from
beating his chest. Instead, he holds me close, listening to my heartbroken
sobs.

I finally given up trying to
fight him off and instead, wrap my arms around his shoulders. Aware of his
fingers stroking my long hair, I do not mind. My cries soften. My heart does
not feel so heavy anymore. My mind no longer suffers to fight back reality.

Herald breaks the silence when a crowd
of voices near the theater house. “I’ll go tell them to leave. Mrs. Peters
needs to know Temptation will be singing this year.” He swings a leg back over
the motorcycle and rides off in the direction of school.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be
able to do it again.” I pull my face away from Jerald’s chest. Common sense
replaces my jumble of emotions. Mortified at how I just acted in front of the
entire school and in front of Jerald, I keep my gaze on the ground. After my
show of weakness, I do not know how I am going to stand up to Herald.

Jerald caresses my cheek with one
hand and lifts my chin. “You need to let it go, Temptation. Your music is
intoxicating. Not even Victoria could make me feel like that.”

I search his glowing violet eyes.
My heart flutters. Seeing his beaming face in the daylight with those gorgeous
violet eyes amazes me more than the Seven Wonders of the World ever could.
“Make you feel like what?”

Jerald grins. “Human. Alive in a
way I’ve never been.” He tugs me closer, stroking the white strands of my hair.
“In love.”