The Third Key (The Alaesha Legacy Book 1) (3 page)

Chapter 3

After her last class, Edith headed out to the quad. Unlike the day before, she did not dread running into Dana, at least not in the same way. Instead of fearing for her safety, she feared for her mental and social well being, but the time apart had allowed her to see that being a fake best friend was slightly better than being a real enemy. And there was still something about Dana's odd reaction to the key Edith wanted to figure out. She always loved a good mystery.

Her hand went instinctively to the cool metal in her pocket. She fingered the three flat prongs at the end and the loop at the other. She pulled the key out as she walked to examine it once more. It was shiny, oddly so considering it had been shoved in the dirt and potentially stepped on. Not a scratch was on it and it looked like it had been newly forged. It was silver in color and light as a feather but heavy as a stone at the same time. Edith scrunched her face up at the thought. That was impossible. Nothing could be heavy and light at the same time. She shoved the key back into her pocket and sat on the same bench they'd used at lunch.

Moments later, Dana came trouncing up, a big smile on her face. She plopped down beside Edith, crossing her legs in a fluid motion as she put her arm around Edith's shoulders.

"Hey, bestie. How did the rest of your day go?"

Edith shrugged a little too
dramatically
dramamtically
, trying unsuccessfully to knock Dana's arm off. "Oh, it was all right. Science and math. I hate science and math."

"Ugh, me too." Dana's face wrinkled into an unpleasant expression. "All those stupid symbols and equations. Who is ever going to need them, aside from nerds of course?"

"Those nerds are the reason you have that fancy phone you love so dearly, my darling." The voice came from over Edith's shoulder. Alex was propped against the bench, mere inches from Edith. Her heart sped up and she took several deep breaths.

"Oh! Speaking of... Do you have a cell phone, Edith? I'm sure you do. Everyone has a cell. I need your number."

Dana pulled out her phone and tapped the screen a few times before taking Edith's number. Then she held it up, pointing the ominous black circle Edith's way. "Smile," she said with excessive cheerfulness.

The pained expression in the photo showed Edith's dislike for picture taking, but Dana was none the wiser. Or if she was, she just didn't care. With much cajoling, Edith pulled out her crappy phone and punched in Dana's number. She could see the thinly veiled distaste on Dana's face, and she stuffed the phone back in her bag as quick as she could.

"Well, then," Dana said, standing up. "Are we ready?"

Edith's stomach sank again. She had been dreading this moment, but now there was no escaping it. She nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

Dana was full of stories so Edith didn't have to say much on the way to her home. She fell into her typical response mode when someone was talking to much and she felt overwhelmed: smile and nod. Just smile and nod. She was still smiling and nodding when they reached the gate. Alex held it open for her and she stepped through. The old woman was back on the step. She had a huge purple mark stretching across the left side of her face and her wrinkled knuckles were bloody and bruised.

The woman raised her head, but instead of staring at Edith, her blind gaze locked on Alex. Her old face betrayed an intense hatred mingled with fear. Edith glanced at Alex questioningly but he just rolled his eyes and shook his head as they moved past. "Old hag," he mumbled so quietly Edith wasn't sure she was supposed to hear.

At her apartment, Edith fumbled with the lock. Her hands shook and she scolded herself for being so ridiculous. She couldn't avoid having friends forever. Or could she? She could tell Dana and Alex to go away and leave her alone, that she wasn't interested in whatever they wanted, that she didn't like people, that she had some contagious disease. The key clicked in the lock and the handle turned. Frowning, Edith swung the door open and stepped inside.

Nothing had changed. Boxes still littered the small apartment. Her mother had done no unpacking whatsoever and Edith wasn't even sure the woman had been home since last night.

"It's... charming." Dana's forced smile made Edith feel even worse, but the cheerleader quickly changed the subject. "So Alex, what was with that old woman downstairs? She really doesn't like you, does she?"

Alex laughed and waved a hand as he headed to the couch. "Ah, that's just the old witch. She doesn't like anyone."

"What old witch?" Dana asked as she set herself precariously on the edge of the couch next to Alex.

"Old witch Warfall. You must have heard the stories about her. You've lived here longer than I have."

Dana shook her golden locks. "No, darling. I've never heard anything about any witches in this town, and I stay up with all the gossip." Dana's tone caused Edith to perk up. It was not quite accusatory, but it sure wasn't simple curiosity either.

Alex's expression told Edith that he heard the tone, too, but he didn't waver. "Sure you have. The guys tell stories about her all the time. How pets go missing around her, how her basement apartment is filled with rats and skulls and nasty stuff like that." He leaned over conspiratorially. "Rumor has it, she even kidnapped a few children, but their bodies were never found so the police couldn't pin anything on her." He sat back and examined his fingernails. "I think she ate them, but that's just one man's opinion."

Edith snorted and glanced at Dana. "Do you believe any of that?"

Dana raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "That sounds like a stupid tale boys would tell. How do you think she got that nasty bruise on her face?"

Alex shrugged. "Who knows? Probably trying to steal more children. Do you have anything to drink, Edith? I'm parched."

Edith wandered into the kitchen to look for something a little less disgusting than tap water to serve to her guests. As luck would have it, there was half a bottle of cola sitting in the fridge. She took three glasses down from the cupboard and filled them with ice, all the while keeping an ear out for any harsh critiques her guest might make in her absence. To her distress, the living room was eerily silent.

She filled the glasses and put the bottle away before carefully picking them up. When she had made her way back to the living room, she found her new friends in exactly the same position she left them: Alex lounging comfortably while Dana sat perched on the edge of the sofa, back stiff and legs crossed. Both were trying very hard to avoid eye contact with the other.

"Everything all right?" Edith asked as she handed out the glasses.

Alex grinned as he took his soda. "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

She shrugged. "You two seem tense, that's all."

Dana laughed. "Nonsense." She took a tentative sip of her drink, seeming disgusted to touch her perfectly painted lips to the unfamiliar glass. "Anyway, Edith, do you still have that key?"

Alex straightened, moving to match Dana's posture. His eyes locked on Edith.

"Uh, yeah, I think so." Edith reached into her pocket and pulled her new possession out. It gleamed in the sun shining through the window, sparkling as if it were layered in diamonds.

Dana's gaze fixed on the object. She reached a hand out to touch it, but caught herself at the last moment and withdrew quickly. She tossed Edith a weak smile and averted her gaze to the window.

Alex's reaction was less obvious, but Edith noticed it nonetheless. He stiffened, his stare not quite directed at the key, but more on Edith's hands. It made her uncomfortable as did the intense look on his face. She was just about to ask them both what was going on when a resounding thud echoed throughout the room. All three teenagers jumped, and Dana squeaked like a mouse.

The noise repeated twice more before Edith realized what it was. She stood quickly and stuffed the key into her pocket. Once it was out of sight, the other two relaxed noticeably. Shaking her head, she headed to the door and opened it. A young man, maybe two years her senior, stood on the other side. His features were unremarkable, almost bland, but she found herself drawn to him, lost in his green eyes. They were not a green she normally saw, but the color of freshly peeled avocado, the part of the fruit right next to the skin. They even had the same smooth appearance to them.

He blinked and she shuddered, breaking free from the trance. "Edith." His voice was deep and very British.  "It is impolite to make a guest wait on the doorstep." His thin lips pressed into a slight scowl. He had several days worth of growth on his chin and upper lip.

He was taller than she was and he looked down his nose at her, a bushy eyebrow raised in annoyance as he crossed his arms. She stepped back, so shocked at the stranger's forward attitude that she never thought to reject his request to enter. He brushed past her, tossing her a small smile before heading into the living room.

She stared after him momentarily, watching his scraggly, chin-length hair bob out of sight before shaking her head and trailing after him.

Dana jumped to her feet when they entered, moving faster than Edith had ever seen her move.

"Charles," she said in a breathless gasp. "What are you doing here?"

Alex rose to his feet as well, stepping forward to place himself partially between Dana and the newcomer. Edith stood to the side, watching the strange exchange with a befuddled look on her face. A flash of concern crossed Charles's face when his eyes settled on Alex, but it disappeared just as quickly as it arrived.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Alex, Dana's boyfriend. And who are you?"

Charles slid his intense stare to Dana. "Your boyfriend?"

She nodded meekly, suddenly finding her strappy shoes more interesting than anything else.

Alex stepped forward until he was a mere foot from Charles. "I said, who are you?"

An amused expression danced across Charles's lips as he stepped back, hands up. "Relax, lover boy. I am Dana's boss. Have no fear. I'm not trying to steal your girl, mate." The green eyes flicked to Edith momentarily before darting back to Alex.

The younger man was unimpressed. "Dana doesn't have a job. You can't be her boss."

A hearty laughter filled the small room. "Sure she does, lad. There's more to this girl than meets the eye." Charles leaned forward slightly, his eyes piercing into Alex's. "But I think you already knew that."

Dana recovered from her unexpected lapse of bossiness and straightened, pulling Alex back beside her. She put on her best fake smile and wrapped her arm through Alex's. "I'm sorry, honey, I should've told you. It's kind of a family business. Charles here is my, uh, cousin, I guess you could say."

She turned her smile on Charles, but it held an edge, daring him to contradict her. He laughed again. "Yeah, right, cousin." He shook his head and snorted to himself before turning to Edith.

"Darling, where's the key?"

Edith took a step back, her right hand going instinctively to her pocket as her eyes narrowed. "What key? And don't call me darling."

Charles sighed and cocked his head at her, his expression both amused and annoyed. "Let's not play games, shall we? Show me the key."

Dana crossed the short distance to Edith and put an arm around her new friend's shoulders. "It's okay. He knows about the key. He always has. It's, uh, kind of his key, really."

Charles shook his head slightly. "No, not really mine. I'm just, let's say, a guardian."

Edith hesitated a bit longer until her skin flushed under the triple stares. With a snarl, she pulled the key and thrust it at Charles. "Fine, whatever. Here. It's just a stupid key. I don't understand what all the fuss is about."

Much to her surprise, Charles took a step back, quickly putting his hands up in a defensive position. "Oh, no, I didn't say I wanted it. I just wanted to see it, to make sure it was all right. You keep it since you seem to be better at protecting it than someone else I know." His eyes darkened as they shot briefly to Dana, who blushed and lowered her gaze.

Edith stuffed the key back into her pocket and slapped her hands onto her hips. "What the hell is going on here?"

She looked to Alex who had been unnaturally silent throughout the entire exchange. He just shrugged noncommittally and plopped onto the couch. "The girl has a good question. What's going on?"

The daggers that nearly shot from Charles's eyes told Edith that he was not fond of Alex. That was another mystery she'd need to solve, but first she wanted to know about the piece of metal that seemed to have everyone on edge.

"So? Dana? Want to clue me in here?"

Dana shifted uncomfortably, looking to Charles for assistance. "All right then, story time it is." He settled onto the arm of the couch, as far away from Alex as he could get and patted the seat next to him. Edith ignored his offer and sank to the floor, crossing her legs and arms in front of her as she stared at the newcomer expectantly.

"So what's so special about this stupid key then?"

"Dana, get us a drink, would you?"

As the cheerleader left the room, Charles leaned forward. "Well, before I tell either of you anything, you must swear to me that what I share here does not leave this room. Understood?"