Girl Possessed (Book 1 of The Girl Trilogy) (7 page)

Then an odd thing happened. I got
dizzy and light headed and the next thing I remember, I tumbled
right over the singer. It was Shaul. He laughed and caught me as I
fell. I was utterly embarrassed, but he was good humored about
it.

After he stopped laughing, he released
me from his strong arms and asked me to sit beside him on the
boulder by the stream.

“
No,” I said. “I don’t want
to.” I brushed my hair out of my eyes with my fingers.

He chuckled wryly at my denial of him.
“Please?” he looked up at me through his dark lashes.

My mind fluttered in frustrated
arousal. “You’ve been avoiding me for weeks and now suddenly, you
want me to sit next to you?”

His lips turned up part way in that
evil crooked grin that sent unexpected fireworks through my body.
“I’m tired of avoiding you,” he said wickedly.

That angered me.
“Why
do
you avoid
me?”

It was the strangest thing—he looked
at me tenderly, like he felt some sort of affection for me. It
wasn’t possible and I knew it was just my mind playing tricks on
me. A boy as good looking and charismatic as he was wouldn’t like a
humpback like me.

“
Cordellia.” His expression
was amused as he pointed at my face. “You have something on your
nose.”

I blushed, now feeling even angrier in
my humiliation. I brushed the tip of my nose with my finger. “Any
better?” I asked in an indignant tone.

“
Yeah.” He
smirked.

I stood there awkwardly wondering if I
should leave, but unable to get myself to walk away from this
gorgeous boy who consumed my thoughts even when I hated
him.

“
What do you want from
me?”

“
I don’t know.” His stare
was more intense now. “That’s the problem.”

I felt like his eyes were boring into
me. I wanted to touch his perfect face and this infuriated me even
more.

“
I can’t stay away from you
anymore, Cordellia. I just can’t.”

“
Then why do you?” I
responded in a frustrated tone.

“
You should stay away from
me though.” He squeezed his eyelids shut.

“
I don’t understand you.” I
shook my head. “Why did you bring me here if you want me to avoid
you? Am I so repulsive to you that you can’t have me as a
friend?”

“
Friend?” He laughed.
“You’re not my friend, Cordellia.”

“
Thanks a lot.” I turned to
the tree beside me and leaned against it. My emotions were such a
jumble that I wanted to cry, but I was way too proud to do that in
front of him. I was too embarrassed to ask him about what Jezebel
told me.

“
I’m not a good friend for
you,” he mumbled as if he was trying to convince the both of
us.

It took everything within me to gather
my strength, but with that, I walked away.

“
Wait.” He climbed off the
boulder and chased after me. When he caught up to me, he placed his
hand on my shoulder.

Electricity shot up though my body. I
turned to him and looked at his face. Our bodies were close enough
that I could feel his breath on me.

“
I shouldn’t have brought
you here,” he whispered. His musical voice was genuine.

“
I don’t understand you. I
really don’t. Nothing you do or say makes any sense to
me.”

“
I wasn’t expecting to feel
the way I feel.” He grasped his head in his hands and turned away
brooding. “Run away from this place, Cordellia.” He faced me now,
terror in his eyes. “Run as fast as you can.” He turned and ran
through the woods toward the boundary line.

“
Wait, Shaul,” I screamed.
“Wait.” I ran after him, pleading with him, but I was too late. He
had already crossed the boundary.

9

I stood there at the edge of the woods
as Shaul climbed over the side of the cliff and down the mountain.
My heart beat so fast that I thought it was going to explode out of
my chest.

How could I stop him? If I yelled out
to him anymore, someone else might hear me and discover that Shaul
had crossed the boundary line. But, I had to stop him. If he got
caught, he would be imprisoned for life. Or even worse the serpent
people might spot him with their military air scouts that flew over
the lake below.

I couldn’t let that happen to him; I
just couldn’t. Even if it was true what Jezebel said, I couldn’t
let him destroy his life. I paced back and forth for a few minutes
trying to figure out what to do.

The music got louder and louder in my
mind. It was calling me. The force was greater than it had ever
been.

And Shaul was in danger. He had saved
my life once before. And he had saved my mother’s life. I owed him;
I had to stop him.

No—he had betrayed me. He said ugly
things about me to girls I hardly knew. It would be foolish to risk
my life for someone so horrible despite my intensely desirous
feelings for him.

I turned away from the cliff and
started running back toward the community. It took all of the
self-control I could draw up in my mind to turn my back on Shaul
and go the other way. It was his fault, I reasoned, and I had to
let him go.

But, then the music turned soulful and
endearing in my mind. It filled my essence, warmed my heart, and
seduced me entirely out of my wits.

I HAD TO BE WITH SHAUL.

I HAD TO GO TO THE LAKE.

Completely out of control now, I
turned around in pursuit of the lake, in pursuit of
Shaul.

I was running now through the woods
back toward the lake, panting in the hot summer wind that rushed
across my face. And then something changed within me that surprised
me. Now that I had given in to the music’s callings, the thought of
this adventure excited me to my very core! I was
charged!

The music massaged my mind and it
became louder, even more beautiful and varied. I stepped across the
boundary past the safety of the trees and slowed at the edge of the
cliff. Nobody had seen me—at least, that was my hope.

At the sublime sight before my eyes,
the words just rushed out of my mouth like a waterfall, “Oh, God.”
I gasped. “How beautiful is Your lake.” The water glistened in
radiant sparkle from afar. I wanted to dive off the cliff right
into it, but it was too far of a drop. Only a crazy person would do
such a thing.

Never before had I seen such a vision
so glorious indeed. I began to edge my way down the steep mountain,
the music caressing my mind, lifting me to the euphoric realm of
the sheer magical bliss that awaited me.

But, Shaul was nowhere in sight. He
must already be in the lake swimming beneath the waters. Or maybe
he was hiding behind a boulder or behind a cluster of
trees.

The deer below grazing in the lush
green field beside the lake raised their heads at my descent and
galloped away. My intensity of thoughts must have scared
them.

I stopped, still barely beneath the
upper edge of the cliff. My foot caught on a rock along the side of
the mountain. At that, I gazed again down below. What a shock! I
saw a delicate woman with the longest wet hair draped over her
naked body stepping out of the lake. Who was it? Certainly, she
wasn’t anyone from our village hidden in the woods. I was
frightened, but I couldn’t help but stare.

She was so elegant and graceful with
the air of sensual charms that nobody I knew possessed. Her body
exuded the most dazzling fragrance that wafted up the mountain. I
felt I was in a daze, the music playing in my mind, the odors of
transcendence surrounding me like a sheer cloud of
pleasure.

She reached to the branch of a golden
tree in surreal blossom, which hardly seemed possible in the blaze
of summer. How could a tree bloom in this heat? From one of its
branches she picked one of its odd diaphanous flowers and stepped
into it. On her body now, I realized it wasn’t a blossom, but a
gown of the sheerest silk gauze. In walking she seemed to float,
her light steps invisible beneath the airy fabric.

Then, at once, she was in
flight—grand, magnificent, jeweled wings sprouted from her back and
she fluttered like a faerie with a shimmer of sparkles trailing
behind her above the silver lake.

What a sight! I was in awe of her
majesty. How could this be possible? Fairies aren’t real. Or are
they? But, at the same time as I was intrigued with this being, I
was disappointed. How could I swim in the waters that called for me
after what I had just seen? She would see me. And where was Shaul?
Was it safe down there?

My emotions were so intense and
unbalanced. It must have been an effect of the ethereal symphony
playing in my mind. I just needed to calm down, I told myself. My
foot still caught in the side of the mountain, I began to drift off
in thought.

But, then, suddenly I was ripped from
the mountainside.

“
Oh, no!” I
yelped.

At once, I felt extreme pain at the
top of my scalp as someone violently yanked me back toward the edge
of the cliff by my hair. I had been found past the boundary! I bit
my lip to keep myself from screaming. Blood gushed from my face. I
must have bitten down too hard.

10

The pain was excruciating. I felt like
my scalp was being ripped right off my head. My legs dangled in the
air, knocking against the rocky mountainside which also hurt, but
not as much as the hair being ripped from my head.

Who would pull a girl up from the side
of a mountain by her hair? My neck could break. Whoever it was was
evil.

At that thought, I was
thrown to the ground atop the cliff. When I glimpsed the face of my
attacker, I saw she
was
evil. It was Jezebel Bradeere.

She kicked me hard in the stomach with
her long, muscular legs. I crouched into a ball. My head ached. My
belly ached. Dust from the dry earth below me was in my eyes. I
wanted to kill her.

“
You’re not allowed to
cross the boundary,” she grunted and then kicked me again, this
time in the back.

I flinched and then moaned in
agony.

She was breathing heavy as she
continued her stream of fire, “Are you crazy?” she kicked dirt at
me. “The serpent people might spot you from their air scouts past
the boundary. There’re not enough trees to hide you from their line
of vision.”

I looked up at her, covered in dirt,
trying my damnedest to keep the tears from welling out of my
eyes.

She had an excited look on her face, a
glint of fire in each amber iris. The scar across her cheek burned
red.

I stood up and side swiped her legs
with my foot. She fell to the ground. With my small victory, I
started to run across the boundary line and into the
forest.

She chased after me and threw me to
the ground in the leaves. Her body was so muscular and strong, but
I struggled to get away anyhow. To my defeat, she pinned me down
with her knees over my arms. The weight of her muscular body was so
heavy upon me. I was afraid the force of her weight might crush my
delicate bones. The hump on my back hurt something
awful.

I spit in her face. She slapped me
across the cheek. My skin burned and I tried to wrestle out of her
grip. She was too strong for me and this infuriated me further. She
laughed and then tore open my shirt. I tried to knee her in the
stomach, but she had me pinned so tightly I could hardly
move.

Reaching into her pocket, she took out
a knife. My eyes widened in terror. I couldn’t even move to get
away. She quickly carved a word into my upper chest. “Slut,” she
grinned.

Blood gushed from the wounds. The pain
was torturous, but the fear was worse. I could hardly believe what
was happening. My thin body was too weak to get away. She coughed
up nasal mucus from her throat and spit it into my gasping mouth. I
vomited in my throat. The bile from my stomach leaked from the
corners of my lips and mixed with the dirt and dried blood on my
face from before.

“
I’m not going to tell on
you, Cordellia Dressemme,” she whispered. “But, you better watch
your step around me or you’ll be sorry.”

The musty aroma of her body and the
slice of her words sickened me further. I gagged and threw up
again.

She laughed. And then stood up,
kicking me hard in the side. “Clean yourself up. She winked at me,
wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “I won’t tell anyone if
you don’t.” And then she walked away.

In horror, I hurried over to the
waterbed beneath the shade of the trees. My upper chest burned and
bled down my body. The wounds weren’t too deep, so they would heal
on their own. Even my stomach and the side of my body ached from
Jezebel’s brutality. I hated her and felt utterly humiliated that
she had violated me the way she had.

She was the slut and certainly not
me—I was a virgin. Somehow, I would make her pay for that. But, at
least, she had discovered me instead of the community leaders. I
didn’t think she would tell on me.