Chapter 44: Epilogue
Kell
“Ready, beauty queen?” I ask Amara as I heft her heavy luggage cart towards our rental SUV. Amara, Haley, Carrick, Juliet, and I decided to take a road trip after graduation. Traeger and Jelena invited us to a cabin her parents purchased in one of the state parks located in upstate California. I could tell that Amara wanted to get away from home. Her parents are still trying to convince her to quit school and become a model. I can tell that she’s ready to snap. Unfortunately, it will be months before we start school at Cal State, so I suggested a road trip. Everyone jumped on the chance.
Carrick told me the other day that he finally revealed what he was to Haley. She freaked out at first, but Amara spoke to her, and she seems fine now. Azazel made sure that Juliet’s memory of that night with Taylor was erased. According to Azazel, all she remembers is her car stalling on prom night and her falling after stumbling
Amara“Girl, this year is going to be sick! We’re seniors!” I roll my eyes as I watch my friend Juliet dance wildly around the girl’s bathroom floor. I’ve never seen her so excited. Snorting at her enthusiastic dance, I lean over the bathroom mirror, roll some lip gloss on my lips and smack my lips together. That’s when it happens. The vision.I’m in some kind of church. I know it is a church because I look at my surroundings and see the cavernous interior, with rows of wooden benches. I lie in the center of the church’s pulpit, feelING dazed and confused as I pan to the right and catch a glimpse of a beautiful stained glass window depicting Judas hung from an olive tree with thirty pieces of gold gleaming at his swaying feet. The colors are breathtaking shades of amber, gold, and greens. I look back up with a gasp, seeing a woman standing over me with a knife in her hand. I raise my hands defensively, b
Kell“Why do you tease her so much?” My brother mutters amusedly.I don’t look at Carrick as he watches the girls rush down the hallway. I refuse to admit that my eyes are glued on the perfect curve of Amara’s firm backside.Shaking my thoughts off, I turn to Carrick with a devilish smile. “It’s fun. She’s so freaking sweet. It makes me want to mess with her.”Carrick doesn’t smile, though. Instead, he quirks a brow and says. “Don’t mess with her, man. I think her dad owns the school.”Chuckling, I caress my fingers over my lips and make my way to class. “Seriously, man, her dad doesn’t own the school.”He chuckles and punches my shoulder playfully. “Yeah, but she might as well. Her family is loaded. She is so high maintenance that all of the guys in school can’t afford her.”My mind wanders back to how good she fe
AmaraI unlock my camera and adjust my lens. I love taking pictures. Someone once said that pictures steal a person’s soul. But the reality is that pictures capture a person’s soul. You can capture moments that reflect a person’s passion, sadness, or anger forever.My mother thinks that photographs are for capturing designer clothing and beautiful women with fake tans and tight bodies, but there’s so much more. I find beauty through a lens everywhere. Beauty is an older woman with the wisdom of her years gleaming in her eyes. Or an innocent child who has never seen the horrific side of the world. It’s the only time that I’ve ever felt alive, and I can’t let anyone take that away from me. Especially my greedy and shallow family.The day is chilly, but it no way compares to the chill permeating my bones. I tighten my jacket around my chest to ward off the rising coldness in my body as I make my way to the sch
KellI sigh in relief when the last bell rings. I’ve never been the type to stay still, and it drives me nuts to have to sit for so damn long. I look around as everyone rises up from their chairs and eagerly rush out the door. At that moment, Carrick meets me near the door and walks beside me until we reach our lockers. Carrick’s locker is next to mine. As he pulls the locker door open, he mutters gleefully. “Alex texted me earlier. Mikhail, Rowan, and Neveah are coming home for dinner.”I grimace at the news then turn the dial of my lock. It’s not that I don’t want to see my brothers; it’s just that I have tutoring today.“I’ll probably be late,” I answer with a blank look. “Mr. Moody wants me to take after-school tutoring.”Carrick frowns as he places his books inside the locker. “You should have told me you needed help. I would have tuto
AmaraI watch through the rearview mirror as Kell slips into his car with hope and trepidation. My heart is still running a mile a minute. I had never felt so shaken by a guy. I don’t know what it is about Kell Cross, but he drives me crazy, and for someone like me, that’s a dangerous situation.Kell Cross does not seem like the type of guy to stick around, which is why it’s better if I forget about him and focus on something else. After all, Kell just wants to rattle me. He doesn’t really have any romantic intentions toward me, other than the obvious, of course. Taking a deep breath, I turn on the radio in hopes of distracting myself from the sweet honey desire engulfing me. Regrettably, the news comes on, and my desire turns to dread.In other news, the mutilated body of Leslie Johnson was found this morning by a jogger in Solis National Park. Police believe that Ms. Johnson’s body is one of three rit
KellMikhail jumps on me as soon as I walk through the door. “Hey little bro, it’s about time you show up.”I push him away with a lighthearted smile as he tried to continue his assault. “Hey man, it’s good to see you.”Mikhail chuckles in amusement and ushers me into the living room. “Come on, bro, everyone is here.”Alex, Carrick, and Azazel lift their heads up in unison as soon as we step into the room. Azazel smirks. “About time, mate. We’ve been waiting for you. Where the bloody hell have you been?”I shake my head and lay my bag down on a nearby chair. “Didn’t Carrick tell you?”They all gaze at Carrick, who shrugs his shoulders. “I just told them you had something to do.”Slumping down on the couch, I slide next to Carrick and rest my feet on the table. Alex is sitting in a nearby leather recliner and Azazel in another.
AmaraI love it when he wraps his arms around me. I look into his gorgeous brown eyes and bald head as he leans close to whisper. “I love you, baby.” As I lay a kiss on his luscious lips, he gives me a wicked smile and deepens the kiss. “I love you too, Sophie.” He whispers back. I feel confused, but I continue to kiss him. It’s as if I’m me, but not me. It’s happening again; another girl and I are occupying the same space. It’s obvious, considering that I know my name is not Sophie, but I continue to kiss him because I’m just a part of her conscience. As the boy kisses me harder and pulls me tight into his arms, I think about how I don’t feel anything. It’s an odd experience. After a moment, I pull back and gaze lovingly into his eyes. A strand of hair falls across my eyes, obscuring my view. Giving me a gentle smile, he gives me an expectant look and pulls back a strand from my face. My─her, hair is
KellI can’t keep my eyes off, Amara. She is so incredibly beautiful. I knew today was picture day, but I never expected to be greeted by the sight of her perfection. My breath hitches as my eyes roam down her body. The dress she’s wearing looks soft as it drapes across her tall, slim figure. It’s the color of her gorgeous green eyes. Her skin looks even more golden in contrast with the emerald dress. I can’t help but wonder if her whole body is as golden all over. Her legs are an endless temptation, and her luscious lips look completely kissable. I gaze into her doe-like eyes and feel the world fade away.Wanting close contact, I move nearer and inhale her sweet scent of lavender. My eyes glaze, and my body instantly hardens with need. Amara turns around, surprised to find me so close, and gazes into my eyes. Trying not to let her see how she affects me, I gather my defenses, lick my lips, and whisper. “You look beautiful, beau
Chapter 44: EpilogueKell“Ready, beauty queen?” I ask Amara as I heft her heavy luggage cart towards our rental SUV. Amara, Haley, Carrick, Juliet, and I decided to take a road trip after graduation. Traeger and Jelena invited us to a cabin her parents purchased in one of the state parks located in upstate California. I could tell that Amara wanted to get away from home. Her parents are still trying to convince her to quit school and become a model. I can tell that she’s ready to snap. Unfortunately, it will be months before we start school at Cal State, so I suggested a road trip. Everyone jumped on the chance.Carrick told me the other day that he finally revealed what he was to Haley. She freaked out at first, but Amara spoke to her, and she seems fine now. Azazel made sure that Juliet’s memory of that night with Taylor was erased. According to Azazel, all she remembers is her car stalling on prom night and her falling after stumbling
AmaraThink about Juliet…Think about Juliet… I keep repeating in my head as I gaze into the mirror. At first, my vision swirls, and everything is hazy. I blink my eyes, trying to focus, but everything is too blurry. After a moment, I think I’m going to get stuck like this, but then as if someone turned a television on, my vision sharpens.I’m surprised to find myself in the school greenhouse. This time I’m not in someone’s mind. I’m definitely me. I look down for reassurance and see my beautiful prom dress and sigh in relief. Hopefully, this will stop the dreadful cold that debilitates me when I snap out of my vision.I can see all the beautiful flowers and the stars gleaming from beyond the glass ceiling and the ivy vines wrapped around the greenhouse walls. I walk around for a moment, confused. It feels so real. I can smell the scent of roses and other plants. I move closer and run my fingers over a soft ros
KellPROM NIGHTI move my head to the music as I make my way to Amara’s house. My fingers pull at the bow-tie that hangs snuggly around my neck. I’m wearing a traditional black and white tux with a black bowtie─James Bond style. Or so Amara told me. I smile at the memory of the really bad things we did after I got the tux.It doesn’t take me long to get to Amara’s house. We decided to forego the traditional limo. Especially since my Barracuda is so badass. Amara loves this car. We’ve had some really hot make-out sessions in the front and back seat.Stepping out of the car, I adjust my jacket, grab Amara’s corsage, and make my way to the front steps. Mimi answers the door with a delighted grin. Mimi has warmed up a lot to me over the past few months. At first, she was very formal, but I wore her down with a few flirtatious comments and compliments on her outstanding cooking.  
Chapter 41: Thank goodness that’s overAmara “…And the winner of the 2015 Ms. Arcata High Pageant, and recipient of the Fallen Scholarship is…Ms. Amara Vega!”I roll my eyes as my boyfriend cups his hands over his mouth and pretends to be a cheering crowd. Juliet, Carrick, and Haley join in and hoot and holler along with Kell. Removing the crown from my head, I lay it over my lap and blow out a strand of hair from my face. “Okay, guys, enough.”Kell takes my hand and chuckles exuberantly. “Aww, come on, beauty queen, we’re just excited that you won.”I smile shyly and rest my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being there,” I lay a kiss on his cheek, then turn to my friends. “Thank you all. It was really fun.”Carrick whoops from the driver’s seat of the car and winks at me from the rearview mirror
KellShe looks so small lying in my bed. Caressing my hand down her smooth jaw, I move a stray strand of hair behind her cheek. Amara fell asleep as soon as we got into Mathias’ car. I had to carry her exhausted body into my house. Thankfully, her candidacy for the Ms. Arcata High pageant didn’t suffer. I called Carrick on the way to the house, and he told me that people were intrigued by her mysterious exit from the ball. I will admit that Jordana intimidates me. So, I texted her and told her that Amara was not coming home because she was attending an after-party for her pageant celebration. She seemed fine with it.Amara didn’t make a sound when I took her into my shower and washed all traces of that world from our bodies. Once I was done, I placed her on the bed, undressed her, and slipped one of my t-shirts over her bare body. I know she’ll become very upset when she wakes up with makeup residue on her face, but I just don’t have the h
AmaraI feel like a statue made of bone and mass. All I can do is stand there and watch as the man I love and his friends fight the evil that Marael and Taylor have wrought upon us. I try to fight the spell that keeps me from moving, but it’s impossible. So, I simply gaze into my boyfriend’s eyes and try to broadcast all the love I feel for him. He looks so desperate to save me. It’s almost heartbreaking to see the hope in his eyes.If only I could break loose from this spell, but all I can do is scream inside. I feel like a soul trapped inside a dead shell. My body jostles painfully when Taylor pulls me over his shoulder and carries me away. I can hear Kell’s footsteps following close behind us. Suddenly, a loud crack resounds in the room, and Taylor and I are weightless. My stomach flips as our bodies descend rapidly through a black abyss. I close my eyes as my body plummets to its death. The breeze stirs my hair, and my body is
Kell“It’s over here,” I say, pointing to an old church hidden by a cove of trees. After I tracked Amara’s phone, Azazel and I drove until we were in the deeply wooded area a few miles from Arcata. The area is deathly dark and unnervingly quiet. You can’t even hear the song of crickets. Which is odd in this part of California. It seems that every animal has left the area. In the center of the wooded area, there’s an ominous-looking church that has seen better days.The church is old and unkempt with crumbling cement and brick walls painted in garish mud colors. There’s a bell tower centered on the top, and most of the stained glass windows are cracked or boarded up. The wooden front door looks like it is falling off its hinges. As we near the church, I remove my jacket and tie. The air is almost oppressive the closer we get. An ominous feeling seizes me as I step out of the car and take a few heavy steps.Azazel follows
AmaraI can’t believe this is happening right now. It never occurred to me that Taylor might have been involved in all these deaths. But here I am, waking up to find myself tied to a column in the middle of some church. I look around in hopes of figuring out where I am. There are stained glass windows depicting an army of angels coming down from the heavens and wooden pews, just like the other ones in my visions. Used candles create a sinister décor as they lie strewn around the room. My eyes land on the large stone altar with dried blood in the center of the floor. Hysteria rises in my throat at the thought of what might happen to me. Taylor is going to kill me the same way he killed those other girls.My arms ache as I strain to release them from their bonds. All I need to do is get to the private pocket in my thigh to reach for my cell phone. Hopelessness overwhelms me at the realization that my hands are tied too tightly to reach the pocket. I can&rsqu
KellI make my way to the table and almost faint in shock when I see who’s there. Rowan is sitting at the table with Carrick and Haley. He’s wearing the black suit jacket I told him to wear, which is not exactly appropriate for the occasion.As I stroll casually toward the table, I search around for some answers. “Hey, bro. So you decided to come after all.”He nods his head and smiles cynically. “I was bored. And since you invited me, I figured I’d come around and see what all the flash was about.”He looks around the room, then back at me. “Where’s Amara?”I point to the balcony. “She’s in the ladies’ room.”Rowan moves his head to the music but quickly stiffens when Juliet walks up to the table and stops as if pulled by an invisible rope. Her smile fades instantly. You can almost feel the tension in the air. However, they don’t acknowledge each other