Dead by Morning (Rituals of the Night Book 1) (3 page)

                                                        Chapter Four

“What are you doing here?” she growled at him forgetting David was there.

“Luna, he says you’ve been giving him a hard time at school?” David said sounding a bit unsure.

“Wh...What?” she asked in disbelief. “He’s the one giving me a hard time at school! I don’t do anything to him! Every day he harasses me. He has his friends pick on me too! I’m a total outcast because of him. If you don’t believe me you can even ask Violet! She’s seen him do it.”

“That’s not what he says,” David said. “He said you always start things with him, and he tries to stand up for himself is all.”

“What? No way. He starts things with me!” Luna growled. “That’s why he’s here right now. So that I get in trouble.”

              “No, he’s here because he says that he asked to take you to dinner or a dance this weekend and that you tried to hit him,” David said.

“That’s not what happened at all. He’s
lying
to you,” she said glaring at Chance with all of her hatred. She couldn’t believe he had really come to her house and lied to her dad’s face!

“Then, tell me what really happened, Luna,” David said and she could tell he didn’t believe her.

“He chased me with water balloons, and I fell and knocked my tooth out. See?” Luna said opening her mouth to reveal the hole that the missing tooth had left.

“He said you did that because you tripped and fell when you tried to hit him,” David said.

Luna frowned, how had Chance known she had lost a tooth?

“And you believe him?” she asked David finally.

He looked at Chance and then back at her as if he were deciding who he believed more by the look on their faces. Chance still wore his ‘innocent’ look, and she knew that her face was flushing various shades of red. If that was how he was deciding who was being truthful then it wouldn’t work to her advantage.

“Well, yeah. Why would he come over to explain the situation to me if he was lying? That doesn’t make sense, Luna.”

“Yes, it does make sense when you’re dealing with a sociopath who will do anything to get what he wants because he’s twisted in the head. You ask why he did it; maybe it’s to make me look bad?” Luna asked wondering why he couldn’t see that. “How is this difficult to see? I mean you know I’m not a troublemaker, Dad.”

David ignored her. “Luna, you’re on thin ice. I never knew you could be such a liar.”

“Aw, Dad, come on. You don’t know a lie from the truth,” she said looking down at the ground. She felt so much betrayal in her it was breathtaking.

How could he take Chance’s side over his own daughter? It wasn’t right.

“And I called Rose too,” he tacked on as if he just remembered.

All her feelings of anger, betrayal, and hurt dissolved away and were replaced with fear as her attention snapped to him instantly. “You called Mom? Why?”

“Fighting is a serious problem and just because she’s not here right now doesn’t mean she should be shut out of what’s happening in your life. And I think this situation needs to be straightened out as soon as possible,” David said. “Rose always seems to know just what to do.”

“I wasn’t trying to fight anybody!” she said exasperated. “I was trying to mind my own business but he just won’t leave me alone! Like right now!”

“I don’t know why she keeps lying about this, Sir,” Chance said. “What I told you is the truth. I only wanted to be her friend.”

“Just shut up!” Luna yelled at him. She was so tired of his face, his voice, his lies….everything! Every day he managed to make her life a little bit worse and nobody believed her.

“Luna!” David said to her.

She winced as she realized she probably hadn’t helped her case any by yelling at him in front of David.

“That’s a rude way to talk to guests and you know it. I think you owe him for putting him through all this trouble and not even trying to apologize. I mean you didn’t even tell me anything about this!” he said.

“That’s because it never happened!” she said to him. “I don’t owe him anything. Except maybe a broken tooth like he gave me.”

“Enough,” David said shaking his head. “This is just getting ridiculous.”

“You’re telling me,” she scoffed.

              “I’ve been talking with Chance about it, and I think it’d be fair if you went with him to get dinner tomorrow and then accompanied him to the dance this weekend,” David said.

“I think that’d be fair too, Mr. Ketz,” Chance said softly.

Luna’s eyes flicked to him for a minute, but she ignored him as she looked back at David. “Come on, Dad,” she said again as she felt the last bit of strength slip away. What a nightmare. “Just kill me now. Don’t do this.”

“This is an order, Luna,” he said to her. “You are to do it no matter what.”

“Fine, whatever,” she said rolling her eyes. She could tell he was on Chance’s side and there would be no changing that.

“Good. Now, Luna, you need to call your mother back and then straighten things out with Chance,” David said walking out of the kitchen.

Luna watched him go with a handful of emotions coursing through her.

Chance leaned against his chair and looked smug as his innocent look disappeared.

              “Looks like we have a date tomorrow,” he said. “And this weekend. What fun.”

“What is your problem? You know none of that happened!” she growled.

“Didn’t it?” he asked innocently.

Luna ground her teeth; his acting was really good, she’d admit. She turned away from him. She looked at the phone that hung on the wall.

She would worry about him later. At the moment, she had more important things to worry about. She walked over to it and picked it up, staring at the phone in her hand as the dial tone buzzed loudly. She knew Rose wouldn’t be happy.

“Well, are you going to call her or aren’t you?” Chance asked sarcastically. “Or are you too scared to call Mommy?”

She ignored him as she thought of the number of her mother’s cell phone and dialed it into the phone slowly. She’d rather listen to Rose’s lecture than Chance’s sarcasm. The phone rang a few times and finally Rose answered.

“Hi, Mom,” she said.

“Luna, I am very upset with you,” Rose said without even a greeting. “I’ve only been away a few months and you start fighting other kids?” Rose asked continuing in her rant. Her tone was full of disapproval. Luna frowned, she felt ashamed and she hadn’t even done anything wrong! Her mother had a knack for that.

“Mom, I didn’t fight anybody! Why won’t you listen to that? He chased me with water balloons, and I fell! That’s the honest truth,” she said.

“Well, your father didn’t think you were very truthful. He said that boy was telling the truth. What was his name, Chance?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Luna said in defeat as she realized that Rose would probably take Chance’s side as well.

“Well, he sounds like a very nice boy in my opinion,” she said. “He sounds like he could be a good friend for you.”

“I don’t want to be nice to him,” Luna said. “He doesn’t deserve it.”

“Luna! You were raised better than that,” Rose said shocked at her words. “Did your father decide a punishment for you yet?”

“Yeah, he said I have to go to dinner with Chance tomorrow. That’s a fate worse than death,” she said turning to glare at him as she spoke.

He sneered back at her, but for once didn’t speak.

“Now, don’t say things like that. I’m sure he’s a real nice boy,” she said again. “And that sounds as if it’s a fair enough punishment.”

“You haven’t met him.”

              “You better be on your best behavior. I don’t want another call like this, okay?” Rose said. “I have an important meeting this week, and I don’t want distractions on my mind.”

Luna sighed. There was no point arguing with her. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good,” she said. “Now, that’s a much more pleasant attitude. I have to go. I love you.”

“Yeah, I love you too, Mom,” Luna said, and her voice was monotone. “’Bye.”

She hung up without listening for the reply and turned to look at Chance. He was smiling at her and once again she felt her anger rise as she looked at him. What was he so happy about?

“What?” she asked him bitterly as she stood staring at him.

“Your mom didn’t disagree with David’s idea, did she?” he asked, still smiling.

Luna ignored him and turned her back away as she walked to her room. Behind her she could hear a set of footsteps and knew he was following her.

“So, I’ll have one of my friends take you dress shopping before the weekend. And where are we going to go tomorrow?” he asked sweetly.

“Why don’t you just go by yourself tomorrow? And for now why don’t you just go home?” she asked him bitterly. “You already got me in trouble. You’re done.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” he pointed out.

“Because I don’t care where you take me. I hate you either way,” she replied. “Hanging out with you for an entire night will only make that much, much worse.”

“Hmm, I think you’re just shy,” he said smiling. “That’s okay; I know you don’t have many friends and stuff. Besides I have a place in mind.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Are you nervous about being around me? You don’t have to be.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she snorted.

She had taken a few steps into her room while Chance stayed outside. She clutched the handle of the door and slammed it in his face.

David would probably be mad about her being rude again, but she couldn’t care less. She was already stuck going out with Chance for an entire evening…there was nothing David could do that could possibly make things any worse than he already had.

                                                                                    Chapter Five

              Chance stared at the door that Luna had slammed in his face. She wasn’t happy with him. He hadn’t expected her to be. But that didn’t matter at the moment because his plan had worked to perfection. He had won those dates with her anyways, even though she had turned him down. He was Chance Welfrey; he always got what he wanted.

              He turned away from her door; he’d leave her alone. In the meantime, he had something else that he needed to do. He knew Luna wouldn’t dress up for the dates and that was fine for dinner but not for the dance. Not when he’d be with her in front of the entire school.

She’d need to be flawless. He’d have to find some girls willing to make her over, but who would do it? He frowned racking his brains for the perfect people to ask and his mind finally selected someone.

              He smiled to himself knowing she wouldn’t refuse as he left the Ketz’ home to get in the black Honda Ridgeline waiting silently for him outside.

                                                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What, you’re taking
her
to the dance?” Susan asked bitterly. “Why of all people would you take her?”

Chance looked at her un-amused- not the reaction that he had been hoping for. Susan was a rather popular girl, a cheerleader on the same squad as Kate Red. She was a pretty girl with a heart shaped face and waist length brown hair. A beautiful lacy white ribbon was usually tied into it. She didn’t look so pretty as her emerald eyes glittered with jealousy, and her face twisted in disgust.

“This is utterly ridiculous,” Kate said from across the room obviously siding with Susan.

“Yes, I’m taking her to the dance. Does it really matter why?” He scoffed at Susan, ignoring Kate.

Maddie, a girl with dusty blonde hair and dark eyes spoke up from her spot on the bean bag chair on the floor. “I think it matters a lot Chance, I mean, she’s a loser. Do you want to put yourself through that? You know everyone there will be judging you for it.”

A quiet girl with bright eyes (Susan’s sister, Sarah) who was sitting beside Maddie on the floor nodded in agreement.

“I’m taking her because I am,” Chance snapped rubbing his temples and trying oh so hard to not let himself slip into That mind. There were too many people around for that. He needed to keep himself calm. “Now, will you help me with her or not?”

None of the four girls in the room spoke up though they all cast disbelieving glances at each other.

“So what? You’re all gonna join up against me because you don’t like what I have to say? C’mon, Susan, didn’t you say that you wanted to be a makeup artist when you get out of high school? Think of this as your greatest challenge yet, don’t shy away from it.”

His words cut through Susan’s position, and instantly she changed her mind. With girls like her it didn’t really take much. “Hey, Chance, you’re right! I can do this! Oh, now that I think about it, it’ll be so great! We can find her a stunning dress and give her some blush; oh, she’ll look so pretty!”

“Now, that’s the attitude that I was looking for,” Chance said proud that at least he was beginning to change their minds. He changed his attention to the other three girls in the room. “What do you three think? Pitch in? I’m sure Susan will want some help.”

She nodded. “As a matter of fact, I might need a tiny bit of help.”

Maddie sighed looking suddenly defeated. “Yeah, I guess I can help out,” she said reluctantly, “for Susan.”

“Me too,” Sarah piped up and looked down at her hands honestly not caring much either way.

Chance looked at the three girls, pleased they had agreed. He knew they would’ve eventually. He was charming and persuasive; girls were putty in his hands. Then, he remembered that Kate hadn’t spoken up yet, and he guessed it was time to put the charm on her.

He turned to look at her. “Well, what about you? Are you going to help?”

She stood up from the plastic pink chair she had been seated on. “I’m not helping with any part of this plan. It’s absolutely mental.” With that she turned to leave the room. Chance stared after her in disbelief.

Susan seemed to sense the tension between Chance and Kate. She didn’t know what to say. “Hey, I’ve got the taste for a smoothie. C’mon, girls, let go get one.”

Maddie and the Sarah agreed quickly (sensing the tension as well) and together they hurried out of the room leaving Chance alone. He hardly noticed the disappearance of the three girls.

He was focused on Kate.

He walked from the room and out the front door. Susan’s pink car was already disappearing into the distance. Down the road he could see a small figure walking alone. It wasn’t quite dusk so it was harder to see, but the way the shadows spilt across the sidewalk he knew it was her. She didn’t have a car; he knew that because she was always depending on guys and her friends to drive her places.

He ran up to her and trotted beside her. She took no notice of him as she kept storming along.

“You aren’t really this mad over me taking Luna to Homecoming, are you?” Chance asked her chuckling. “This is a little ridiculous, don’t you think?”

She stopped dead in her tracks and whirled on him. “It isn’t ridiculous. You’re Chance and I’m Kate. The two most popular people in the school! We’re supposed to go together and be the Homecoming King and Queen! Now we can’t! We’d have to end up competing against each other and only one of us could win! Oh, it’s all so wrong!”

There it was: the center of the maze, the shining light of his problems. She lusted after his popularity…just like the rest of them.

“A little competition never hurt anyone,” Chance said shrugging, hoping that she hadn’t seen him tense. “Now, will you help me out with Luna?”

Kate growled angrily in her throat, the sound as fierce as a wild bear, and stormed away down the road. “Men never understand,” she called back.

He stared after her feeling himself losing control. She couldn’t turn him down….and he couldn’t control himself because he knew that she had. Like it or not he was slipping into That mind. There was no stopping it. Anger fueled him instantly, and he charged over to her. He grasped her wrist in one hand and wrapped his arm around her waist with the other.

“What the hell are you doing?” she screeched panicked instantly, but he wouldn’t stop. He couldn’t. He ripped off the end of one of her sleeves and crammed it into her mouth to keep her quiet.

He dragged her towards his black Honda Ridgeline (which he had parked a few doors down from Susan’s). When he reached it, he thrust her inside and climbed in himself before he locked all the doors. He began to drive, and Kate sobbed in the seat beside him. She ripped the cloth from her mouth and turned to him to screech.

“What the fuck are you doing!?”

“Shut up, bitch,” he said to her, no remorse.

He wouldn’t stop now, he couldn’t. Kate sensed it, and she gave up trying to reason with him through words. She clawed at the car door desperately hoping that it would open. He didn’t care though because he knew she couldn’t get out. He kept driving (ignoring Kate’s hysteric sobs, he had heard many like them in the past) and pretty soon he was well on his way out of the city.

Outside, trees flashed by and he was getting closer and closer to being away from the town.

“Chance, please don’t do this!” Kate’s sob rose up.

He ignored it and noticed the trees that surrounded him. He was at his destination (Kate’s final). Kate screamed a loud piercing sob of desperation, and he realized she wouldn’t stop. She was deep into her hysterics. He stopped the car and felt Kate grasp his arm, her bright pink nails digging through his shirt and into his skin.

He slapped her hand away and knew she wouldn’t give him the chance to make a proper ritual of her death. And of course he couldn’t let her go…not when she had been exposed to That mind. No, he had to get rid of her, and he would do it quickly before she got away.

He grasped for his trusty knife and pulled it from his pocket. Her eyes widened at the sight. She threw her back against the door but because of the locks, it didn’t budge. She knew what was coming, he had seen that look in a lot of people’s eyes, but he didn’t give her the chance to speak. He hated when they asked him “why”. He grasped her hair to pull her head back and slid the blade across her throat.

She gurgled instantly as blood poured from the wound cascading like a broken dam of crimson. Chance clicked off the locks in the car and kicked open the door beside her so that she could fall to the ground. She lie there in the dirt, bleeding but not moving. Her shock had taken her over. He stared at her for a moment to make sure she wouldn’t run. He knew that even if she did, she wouldn’t get very far. She was reaching up to her throat, the crimson smearing onto her hand as she desperately tried to slow the bleeding.

Chance climbed out of the Honda Ridgeline on his own side. He went over to the dirt beside Kate and with his fingers he etched a quick pentagram into it making careful sure to dig it as deep as possible. It wasn’t his best work, but it would have to do. Then, he grabbed Kate and pulled her towards the mark he had just made.

She left a bloody trail from the truck to the pentagram turning the dirt a mud color that didn’t quite look maroon in the rapidly fading light. She still had enough strength in her to kick at him when he tried to move her, but her attacks were weak and feeble.

He dropped the body onto the pentagram, and her blood quickly filled the wells in the dirt. He watched her for a minute to make sure she wouldn’t run. He noted how the wounds in the dirt seemed to be weeping with her blood before he went to the back of his truck. He pulled up the tarp which revealed a few white garments of clothing, a tank of gasoline, and a toolbox that he knew contained nothing but a small box of matches. He pulled out a pure white dress and went back to where he had left Kate. She was dead, lying stiff with her own blood staining her in a thick river from her throat all down her torso. Her eyes were wide and staring at nothing. He set the garment down and dropped to his knees beside the pentagram cautious of landing in any of Kate’s blood.

“Forgive the improper ritual, my lord,” he whispered. “But regardless, I give you her soul to take.”

When he was finished chanting, he turned his attention back to Kate and pulled out his blood soaked knife. He knew some of it had wiped off onto the inside of his pocket. He’d have to be sure to burn his clothes later. He turned the knife towards Kate, ready to finish his work so he could dump her body and go back into his phony mind frame again before anyone noticed he was gone.