ASHTONThe later it gets in the day the busier it gets. By the time we make it back to the main square there’s at least three times more people than when I snuck off. This is a safety hazard.Why can’t people see that? Damn you Winston, I curse under my breath.I would be foolish to think that I could be here without an incident. Winston is foolish to think that I could be here without an incident. Is she hoping that it happens so she can get rid of me or punish me even more? Aren’t I punished enough already? My pity doesn’t last long because it’s not like I don’t deserve it.Stranger after stranger bump into the baskets I carry. I mumble a sorry, give them a small mediocre smile when underneath the facade I’m panting with panic and relief at the same time. Only if Addison knew her own dealt out punishment is my life saver.We reach the bakery stand not soon enough. Of course the one Addison had been eyeballing has a huge line. “Here.” I set down one basket to dig the money out of my p
CARDENMy door swings open bright and early, Oliver comes strutting in. “Today’s the day.” He waits out my silence as long as he can tolerate it. “Greggory will be there, no doubt terrifying the girl if he gets close enough. So get dressed, we have a girl to find.”It took several weeks for us to figure out where this Mysteria manor was located. It was surveillance from a city bus that caught a glimpse of a few girls that seemed out of place. Young and alone. Old lady baskets and hand me down clothes. None of them looked like her, but Oliver got his hands on previous videos and sure enough, a glimpse of her was caught. A girl that looks very similar to the photos we have of her.That was months ago. And we’ll stalk that bus stop until she shows her face again. If only the angle of the camera gave us a hint at what direction they came from we wouldn’t have to chase after her.It doesn’t take long to get ready. Unlike Oliver, I dress to blend in. She’s hid from demons and us for years.
ASHTONChore day. The day that my ability to look past all the dirt and grime that’s built up to a point of having to face it. My pile of muddy, now extremely stiff clothes from my midnight stroll through the woods is still crumpled up on the floor. My sheets are smudged with mud. The surfaces and ledges within the small room have a thick layer of dust coating them. And I’m in desperate need of a shower.It takes several minutes to get my body to work. There’s times I wish this place was a legit asylum. I wouldn’t be responsible for my own laundry or being trusted to be alone in a bathroom with a razorblade…well, I’ve just recently gained that trust back.I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The bruise is deep purple and matches the size of the demon’s fist. My modest wardrobe keeps it hidden from view, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel it everytime I move my arm.If I think chores stop at my door, I’m greatly mistaken. Winston stalks me within the house. I hear her pass by my
ASHTONThe following days blend into each other. No single thing distinguishes one day from the next. They run together into one long, boring day, sleepless night. Not a single person brings up Phoebe killing Seraphina or me inadvertently killing strangers.But that all changes when I’m jolted awake by Winston’s loud, harsh voice demanding something from someone, which is pretty typical behavior for her and I can’t help but to be thankful that she’s not screaming at me. I leap off my bed and make a dash for the door, surprisingly finding it unlocked. The hall is lined with girls all peering over the railing enjoying the show. A murmur of their gossiping fills the hall. Addison is further down, she chews on her bottom lip, Gina beside her.“What’s going on?” I whisper to her as I linger behind the two. “Did another girl die? Did Phoebe do it?”Gina gives a quiet ‘no’ as Addison’s wide eyes go back to staring through the balcony railing trying to get a glimpse of what's happening downs
ASHTONI march up the stairs. Several other girls whisper as I pass them, but I ignore their school girl gossip. Do they realize I’m putting my life in danger, yet again, for them? Ungrateful bitches. Gina on the other hand looks ashamed while Addison follows me to my room hellbent on finding out what’s happening, but I slam the door in her face with mutters of ‘I have to change’ on my lips.In a rush, I shimmy out of my pajamas and slip on the nicest dress I own. I came here with a small duffle bag and I’m leaving with the same bag. Not a single item more but several less.I open the door to have a rush of cold air blow past me, Addison waiting. Apparently, Seraphina told her to give me space. In my head, I thank the dead girl.“What’s happening?” She notices my change of clothes, my packed bag. “Where are you going? How long will you be gone?”I shrug my shoulders with no answer to her question. “No idea, but it’ll be fine.” I stand in front of her, silent for a few seconds letting
ASHTONAn apartment complex. That’s where The Order is holding up. The second we come to an abrupt stop at the brick building’s front doors, Oliver exits the car and is quickly joined by three others that file out from inside. I hop out before Greggory has to order me to. Two of the three Order members that greeted us as we arrived lead the way followed by Oliver, I’m then signaled to proceed, Greggory and the final soldier follow behind me.So many uniformed soldiers. How many do they need to escort one girl? Am I that menacing to them? I know I shouldn’t boost my ego with these theatrics, but it helps calm my nerves.The car door slamming shut causes me to flinch. I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but I shake the humiliation off and put on a stoney expression.Another soldier opens the complex’s door playing the role of bellhop. It might be harder to sneak out of here than I thought. However well security is, I’m not impressed. The apartment complex isn’t gorgeous or grand. It’s ave
CARDENIt’s been three days since finding her and Zayne’s been unavailable. Business to attend to. Privileged and much more important than anything Order related. But is it more important than the nightmare girl?When he’s finally ready to speak he calls for Oliver and I. My mission is his mission and I’m fine sharing the responsibility of the nightmare girl with him. He’s more laid back and playful in stressful times. The opposite to my hard strung, strictness. Rules are meant to be followed. To Oliver, rules are meant to be broken.“She didn’t seem that harmful. If anything, she seemed terrified.” Oliver nudges me with his elbow as we make our way to Zayne’s office, “and your charm didn’t work as well as we thought.” His cocky smile breaks into laughter.I roll my eyes in frustration. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe charming the monster isn’t the way to go. Maybe a more aggressive approach, a way she has to be familiar with, is the way to go. All I know is that once Zayne gives the okay the
ASHTONThe sun slowly starts to set and I instantly get restless. The doctor’s words rattle around my brain. Another ‘thing’ that I can’t see. What? Of course, everyone here is cryptic and not forthcoming with information. But they’re not the only ones.Winston is hiding something too and I’m not sure I’ll ever find out what. The pain of possibly never going back to Mysteria eats at me from the inside out. Addison, my only one true friend in life, is now so far out of reach. She’s in a house with a murderer and whatever the hell Winston is and I’m locked in a complex full of...who even knows what.Against better judgment, I explore. It seems that I’m going to be spending a lot of time here in my little mini house, so I should get acquainted with it. I find a bathroom, simple but has everything one needs for being locked in their room, and a bedroom with a large plush looking bed and a dresser.Then there’s the fact that there’s only one tiny window in the entire suite, in the bedroom,
ASHTONThe walk out of the demon house is a blur. It isn’t until we’re on the sidewalk that I realize how bad things were. The dark red blood shines like a tragic beacon in the sunlight. Cuts, scrapes, gashes batter Carden’s, Oliver’s, Rafe’s and Theo’s bodies along with those guarding the outside.“Where’s Jen?” I question on a shaky breath. I vaguely remember a scream, a blood curdling scream. “No.” The single word tumbles through my lips.“We didn’t see it coming. It was so dark, it came out of nowhere.” Rafe and Theo are more covered in blood than Carden or Oliver. They took the brunt of the fight and Jen didn’t make it out alive.“Jordan didn’t make either.” One of the outside soldiers adds. The three remaining soldiers are beaten and dirty. Did the earth itself attack them?A flash of number six’s dead body flickers before my eyes. Did the dead attack them?A tear slowly trickles down my cheek for Jordan, for Jen. I didn’t know either of them well, but they didn’t deserve to be
ASHTONTheir words of a chaos filled West River and overrun Parker St. don’t hold up as we arrive there. We park the car on the edge of the cursed street. All is calm. Too calm. Something doesn’t feel right.Carden speaks my fear into the car as if I’m not here. “They know she’s here.” I guess the whole sitting in the front seat argument was pointless. They caught a glimpse of me the moment we crossed the town border. All activity ceased and here we are with no idea where to go. Cautiously, we all exit. The other occupants of the car quickly join us. Oliver sticks so close to my side that I can feel the heat radiate off his body.My eyes land on his chest before raising to his eyes. “Anxious much?” I guess I brought this on myself, but still. “A little space, maybe.”“Very funny.” He replies before placing his arm behind my back to shuffle me forward. He wedges me between him and Carden. Of course. “Where would Draven be?” He quickly asks.“Are you asking me or in general? Because I
ASHTONUgh, my head. My body twitches insteads of moving how I want it to. The sudden jerk of my arms stops me in my tracks. With my eyes still closed, I give a louder groan. I really thought I would feel better in death. I give my body another jerk, another groan.He didn’t. A creak to my left stiffens my joints. I don’t need to open my eyes to know who it is. “You selfish as-” My throat is dry and rough and those few words come out as a squawk. The rest of the sentence falls away.I feel like crap. It feels as if I was hit by a truck. But the throbbing mostly resides in my chest rather than my arms. I’m sore, but it’s not as painful as it should be. The lump in my chest however, weighs heavily on me. It nearly suffocates me.I push through the ache and swing my legs out of bed. Carden is right there, hands ready to catch me, but I swat him away. It isn’t until the blanket falls away that I realize I’m in nothing but my undergarments. “Where are my clothes? Again. Please tell me you
ASHTONI’m a creature of habit. And I’m always bound to revert back to old habits. Stomping across the room, I drag out my shitty duffle bag and rummage for the demon blade. I knew right away that someone rummaged through my things, but only I know that in one of these corners is a small slit.It takes a minute for me to find it with shaky fingers, but I snag some torn material and I know I finally found it. Not being nice about it and keeping the bag intact, I tear it open. The demon blade is hidden perfectly inside. Thank you Addison. If she wasn’t in the shop with Rossi, I'd have returned this to her.As I mold my fingers around the handle and stare into the slick metal, fear and anticipation etches into my bones. I’ve done this before, so I don’t know why I’m nervous. Maybe I wasn’t as desperate as I am now.I have an unwavering determination unlike all those other times. It doesn’t mean that I didn’t wish for it each and every time, but this time failure is not an option. Time is
CARDENConversation is nonexistent on the way back to the complex. We both know what we’re facing. But he’s not going to win and he’s definitely not getting his hands on her.Zayne’s face lightens up when we barge into his office. “What the hell is going on out there?” Did he hear of the chaos that has been unleashed?“West River is under siege. Seven soldiers are supposedly captive.”His concern is warranted. “Seven soldiers? Captive by who? We’ll send out more to retrieve them.”I’m left to be the one to reply to him, because Oliver stands next to me with his eyes on the ground. “Draven. He’s made his move and a threat is made. It’s us or her.”“What are you saying?” Zayne finally speaks into the room, a repulsed curl to his lips.Oliver finally finds his words, replying as I can’t say it. “They want to trade.” The words being said out into the room have a sharp ache stab through my chest.“That’s a reasonable conclusion.” Zayne admits. His eyes remain on his desk refusing to look a
CARDENOliver still clutches the scrap of cloth. Who the hell was that girl and how did she get her hands on that? She obviously knew Ashton, but am I surprised when we run into people that know her, hate her. Conversation is quiet between the three of us. Oliver and I have plenty of say, but we don’t want to alert Ashton. She, on the other hand, stares out the window tormented by whatever she saw from Father Dominic’s touch or our encounter in the alley. Of course Greyson is back.As soon as we reach the complex Oliver and I set out to speak with Zayne…without her. The moment his office door closes, I intended to speak freely into the room, the words nearly rushing from my mouth, but Zayne puts a halt to them.“What of Father Dominic?” Zayne asks.I’m slightly annoyed at having to talk about the father when there are more pressing matters. I didn’t want to leave Ashton with Greggory, but this is serious. This is war and even though this is exactly what we were waiting for, I don’t w
ASHTONWhen we get back to the complex the whispering doesn’t stop. If anything it gets worse. What am I missing? What are they not telling me? They’re so desperate to get to Zayne that they pawn me off to Greggory. I’ve gone how long without seeing his smug face? I’m reminded that it hasn’t been long enough and it never will be. He marches me to my room like the prisoner he believes me to be.Carden and Oliver slip behind Zayne’s door without a word or glance back. I try to tell him that maybe I should be present too. That I have information, but Greggory doesn’t budge. He has the audacity to whip his baton out when I linger too long. He slaps it against his palm in a silent threat for me to start walking or else.I bite my tongue as I proceed down the hall. My mind races with ideas on how to drown him. There are several, but not a single one to put into action before we reach my room. He jabs the nub of the bat into my back, pushing me inside. The snap of the lock is just as absolut
ASHTONChurch?My feet follow them out the door while my mouth is cemented shut. What in the world are we going to a church for? Can demons even enter a church? Can I enter a church?I block out most of the ride...all of the ride. I block out getting into the car, driving through town, the conversation between Carden and Oliver, even the biscuit I still hold. I hear my name a couple of times, but it’s not enough to snap me out of my fog.Why am I so nervous? My palms are sweaty. Get ahold of yourself, Ashton.The rush of air as the car door swings open has me involuntarily jumping in my seat. Oliver pops his head into view, “coming?” He chimes.No. But I scoot to the edge of the seat and swing my feet out anyways. The shining sun only blinds me for a moment before the massive building shadows us. Dazed and horrified, I stare at the historical gothic style church with tall bell towers with pointed roofs, balconies made of stone, and creepy gargoyles perched on eaves.I become stuck in
CARDENMy trust and patience only go so far with her and even less with others. Brit is dead, but Draven is still out there. Pissed and vengeful. Then there’s others that are out looking for her, ready to collect whatever bounty is on her head. Who’s the one that set it?There’s only one other person I trust with her. She doesn’t want to see me right now, but she can’t be left alone. Oliver opens his door on the second knock. “Look at you. I was gonna go look for you if you didn’t show up soon. Doc patched you up, I see.”“You heard.” I groan.He steps aside letting me in, “I think everyone in the building has by now. Brit that two timing bitch. I’m not sure I’m surprised though. She hated you and we already knew she wasn’t Ashton’s biggest fan. Last time you two are allowed to go on any missions without me.”“Speaking of you being Ashton’s second babysitter, I need your help.”“I never said-”“She left.” The words get stuck in my throat. “She’s heading back to Mysteria to speak to Wi