It was Muriel.
“Muriel! Help me!” I reached out to her.
She stood motionless and watched Jake inch closer to the hole. Her eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted. She stood with a blank stare and watched. We were almost to the pit. The heat became unbearable. Sweat covered me. It dripped from my hair into my eyes, and I could taste the salty droplets when they landed on my lips. The smell emanating from the pit was revolting, and the sulfur fumes stung my eyes and the back of my throat.
This is it. I have to do something now or I’m done. I took a deep breath and channeled a motto from one of my many self-defense classes. I control my actions. I control my pain. It doesn’t control me. I am strength.
I gritted my teeth against the pain I knew was coming, swung my arms, and jumped to my feet. The movement took Jake by surprise and his grip loosened on my hair long enough for me to duck and jump to the side. My head throbbed from bouncing across the ground, the hits, and from the chunk of hair Jake yanked out that still hung in his hand like a souvenir.
“Not tonight, Jake. Sorry.” I took a fighting stance and watched, gauging his next move.
Jake smiled and let his body relax. “Milayna—”
I bolted. I wasn’t sure I could take Jake in a hand-to-hand fight. I turned the corner of house, but he’d already caught up to me. He grabbed my arm and jerked me against him. I threw an elbow to his gut. He grunted, tightened his grip, and started dragging me toward the pit a second time.
I twisted to the side, trying to punch his face and land an elbow to the ear. But my position was too awkward to connect with any force. I pulled my head back and landed a hard head-butt against his nose. Blood gushed, thick and dark, from Jake’s flaring nostrils.
“Damn it, Milayna! Why are you making this so hard?” He jerked me hard, and I stumbled and fell.
I saw feet round the corner of the house. I pushed up on my elbows and watched through a haze of sweat-soaked hair as Chay ran across the yard toward us and plowed into Jake. He hit Jake repeatedly in the face and gut.
“That’s enough. Son, he’s done. You need to stop.” My dad pulled Chay off Jake. His voice was soothing and calm.
Sirens blared in the distance. Jake rolled to his hands and knees, pushing himself off the ground. Smirking at me, he flicked the blood off his lower lip with his thumb and chuckled. His teeth were tinged red from bloody saliva. “This isn’t over,” he said.
It took Jake three tries to jump the fence, and each time, he doubled over in pain. When he finally was able to climb over, I heard him hit the ground hard on the other side, grunting with the impact.
The ground began to move beneath my feet. I backed away from the pit, and kept backing up until I reached the back deck of my house. Collapsing halfway up the stairs, I laid my head on the step. My breathing was ragged, and my heart raced painfully against my ribs.
Chay sat next to me and whispered in my ear. I wasn’t sure what. I only knew it was over. They were gone, and I was safe.
Until the next time.
One week, four days until my birthday.
I skipped school Friday. Well, actually, my parents let me skip. My face was a beautiful shade of black and deep purple that no amount of makeup was going to cover. Since the bruises would be hard to explain, I was given a free pass to stay home and watch cheesy soap operas all day. I loved those things.
The bad thing about staying home was that it gave me too much time to think. I thought about the pit, the sneer on Jake’s face when he dragged me toward it, the sounds of the suffering and smell of rot and decay.
But mostly, I thought of Muriel. Why didn’t she help me? Why did she stand there, watching? Why didn’t she scream or run and get someone? When I confronted her later that night, she said she was too afraid. That she was immobilized by her fear of Jake and what lay waiting in the glowing pit. I wasn’t sure if I believed her, and I hated that. And while the rest of the group bandaged and iced their wounds, Muriel only had one little bruise. That made me question her actions even more.
She should’ve had my back. There shouldn’t have been any thought involved. If she’d needed help, I’d have been there for her. Period. The two of us could have taken Jake. I can’t trust her to help me in a dangerous situation. I always thought I could trust her with my life. Now I know that’s definitely not true. Talk about a slap in the face.
The best thing about staying home was that Chay stayed home, too. Of course, with both my parents working, I needed a babysitter. What better person than him? Too bad he had to watch me from his house. My parents weren’t stupid enough to leave two horny teenagers alone for the day. Oh, the trouble we could cause. And would.
So Chay sat at his house covered in cuts and bruises, and I sat in my house covered in the same. We texted to keep each other company.
Chay: I hate this.
Me: What?
Chay: Texting.
Me: You don’t want to text me?
Chay: No.
My phone rang, making me jump.
“Hello.”
“That’s better,” he murmured, his voice washing over me like a balm, easing my pain.
“What’s better?”
“I can hear your voice. I couldn’t hear your voice through text messages.”
I smiled. “And why do you need to hear my voice?” I snuggled deep into the quilt I was wrapped in.
“Because it’s beautiful, like you.”
I felt a blush heat my cheeks, which was silly since I was the only person in the room.
“Your voice isn’t so bad either,” I said, grinning like an idiot. “The guy it’s attached to will have to do, I guess,” I teased, closing my eyes and picturing him.
“Oh really?” he said with a chuckle. “Gee, don’t stroke my ego or anything.”
I sighed. “I can’t stop thinking.”
“About?” I could hear him rustling through the phone.
“It’s almost here.”
“What?”
“November first. My birthday.” I picked at my quilt.
He let out a breath. “I know. All Saints’ Day.”
“Ironic, isn’t it?”
***
Monday, I was forced to go to school. I spent the weekend holed up at home. It wasn’t all bad, though. Chay spent most of the weekend with me. He came over Saturday morning for our traditional family breakfast. I was sure he charmed my parents more every time they saw him. Of course, it helped that he saved my life Thursday night.
When Chay wasn’t at my house, I was at his, usually looking to see what goodies he had stocked in his personal refrigerator. He was so spoiled. But so was I. He made sure it was stocked with all my favorites. Peanut butter M&Ms could ease a world of hurt, and it just happened that Chay seemed to have an unending supply of them—and they were my favorite candy. Coincidence? I didn’t care. I just wanted the candy.
But Monday dawned a beautiful fall day, and makeup covered most of the horrendous bruises on my face, so off to school I tromped under extreme protest. My parents were unmoved. But it turned out to be an okay day. Chay picked me up in his bright yellow Camaro. We sat together in AP chemistry and texted each other during calculus. We held hands while we ate lunch with the group, and sat together in English class. Yeah, my days were becoming gauged on how often I saw, touched, and kissed Chay Roberts. All three of which I seemed to be doing more and more.
The only down side to school was Muriel. It was the first time we’d spoken since Thursday night.
“Hey,” Muriel said when I sat down in calculus.
“Hey back.” I didn’t look at her. My emotions were still bouncing back and forth. I wasn’t sure how I felt about her excuse for standing around during the fight with Jake. It just didn’t ring true, and I couldn’t shake it off.
“How was your long weekend?”
“Pretty good. Yours?”
“Horrid,” she said, her voice catching.
“Why? What happ
ened?” I turned to her then. Her eyes had dark rings around them, and her normally silky black hair looked like she hadn’t washed it in days. She looked terrible.
Muriel put her hand on her chest, and she shook her head while she spoke, “I feel horrible about Thursday night. I don’t know what happened. I just froze.”
Waving her words away with my hand, I instantly felt horrible that I doubted her.
She wasn’t the person in my dream. She wouldn’t betray the group, betray me. She just got scared. I was scared. I mean, we’re all scared, right? She’s always been there for me. And I’m doubting her for one mistake. That’s not fair… although it was a pretty big mistake. Something just isn’t right.
I didn’t want Muriel to know I doubted her. I didn’t want anyone in the group to know I suspected anyone of being a traitor, so I blew it off. “Don’t worry about it. It can happen to any of us.”
I looked to the front of the class where the instructor had started his lecture. Chay watched us, his full bottom lip turned down in a frown.
“You don’t trust Muriel, do you?” I asked Chay on the drive home from school that afternoon.
“I’ve told you, we don’t know who—”
“Yeah, I heard you the first fifty-eight times you’ve told me. We don’t know who we can trust. But we have to trust someone, Chay. Otherwise, how can we function as a group?”
He drummed his thumb on the steering wheel. I didn’t think he was going to answer, but he finally said, “No, I don’t trust Muriel.”
I shifted toward him in my seat. “Then who do you trust?”
“I trust you.” He looked at me for a few beats before returning his gaze to the road. “I trust you with my life. With… ” He cleared his throat and looked out of the side window for a second. “Um, Jen seems fine. I guess I trust her. Jeff was quick to help you Thursday night, but he and Shayla used to date. So, I don’t know how that figures into things.” Chay shrugged.
What I want to know is what was supposed to come after ‘with’ before you changed the subject. And Jeff and Shayla? Huh, I need to get on the gossip hotline more often.
“But not Drew or Muriel?”
“No. Muriel stood watching Jake pull you toward that hole. I don’t buy the story that she was so scared she froze. We’ve been doing this a long time, since before you came into the group. She’s never frozen before. As for Drew, he has a thing for Muriel. If she flipped sides, I can’t be sure he wouldn’t follow. That makes him a wild card.” Chay looked at me and abruptly changed the subject. “Hey, you wanna get a milkshake?”
“Where?”
“My uncle’s.”
“But I thought his shop was closed.” Because of me, I thought. Flashes of Chay’s face at the hospital ran in front of my eyes, and I flinched. The pain echoed through my body.
But he doesn’t really blame me. Neither will Uncle. And I really want to see Uncle Stewart.
“Yeah, but he makes them at home, too.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I could go for a milkshake with extra whipped cream and three cherries.”
***
One week until my birthday.
Chay picked me up for school Tuesday morning. I ran down the stairs, grabbing a piece of toast and kissing my mom on the cheek before running to the door. He was there waiting for me, as usual.
“Good morning,” he said lazily, bending for a quick kiss.
When he lifted his head, I licked my lips, touching them lightly with my fingers. “Yes, it is.” He smiled and threaded his fingers with mine.
When we reached the car, he held the door open for me to get in. I was beginning to like that. He walked around front of the car to the driver’s side, swinging his keys around his fingers. Sliding in the car, he leaned over and kissed me again. This time longer… deeper… and, yes, toe curling. I loved that.
“Have the dream again?” he asked, pulling out of my driveway.
“Yeah.”
“Were you able to see any more of the person?”
I shook my head, frustrated with myself. “No. If my subconscious knows someone is going to betray us, then it should know who. Or I should at least feel it when I’m around them like I did with Steven.”
“Maybe. It won’t be too much longer until we find out.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” My birthday was inching closer each day and with it, the fight of my life. For my life. I wish I could rewind time. Like the movie Groundhog Day. Just keep living the same day over and over and not have to worry about my birthday. Maybe I’d replay the day at the zoo. That was a good day for the most part.
***
School went by in a blur. I thought I made all the right comments, turned in my homework to the correct classes, and went to swim practice, but my mind was preoccupied. I couldn’t stop thinking of the dream. I tried to put the pieces together, but I just came up with one jumbled mess of a picture—I had no idea who the traitor was.
I was spread across my bed doing calculus homework when I smelled it. The unmistakable odor of sulfur. My stomach dropped and my heart yo-yoed in my chest. The smell of sulfur never brought good things.
I pushed aside my books and hopped off the bed, jogging down the stairs and out of the door to the backyard.
Empty.
I didn’t have the same sense of when another group member was in danger that Chay had. None of us did. But the sulfur smell was stronger. There was definitely something going on somewhere.
I fished my cell phone out of my pocket and called Muriel. I started talking as soon as she picked up. I didn’t even give her a chance to say hello. “Start the phone chain. Something’s happening. Get everyone together.”
“I don’t see anything,” Muriel said.
“It’s not here. I’m not sure where it is yet, but the sulfur smell is burning the back of my throat it’s so strong. Something is going on somewhere.”
“Got it.” Muriel hung up. She’d call and text the next person on the phone chain and they’d do the same and so on until everyone was notified.
Except… Chay usually started the phone chain because he usually sensed the danger. Chay!
I ran to the back fence. The closer I got, the stronger the sulfur smell.
“Shit.”
I ran back to the house, dialing Muriel at the same time. As soon as Muriel picked up, I yelled, “They’re at Chay’s!”
“Got it.” Muriel’s voice was all business. She clicked off the line.
“Dad! Dad!” I screamed.
He ran out of the back door and grabbed my arms. “Milayna, what?”
“They’re at Chay’s. Can’t you smell the sulfur? They’re at Chay’s. I have to go…”
And then I was running, my dad keeping in step with me. We jumped the fence and zigzagged through yards, around swing sets and kiddie pools, until we reached Chay’s.
I walked to Chay and stood silently next to him. He reached for my hand. Our fingers intertwined in silent reassurance. I kept my expression neutral, showing no emotion in front of the other group. What I really wanted to do was grab Chay, hug him, kiss him, and make sure he was all right. But I forced myself to stand stoically by his side.
It wasn’t long before the rest of the group showed up. Jeff from behind, Jen and Drew from the sides, and Muriel hopping the fence with my Uncle Rory.
The two groups stared at each other. I wasn’t sure how long we stood silently staring at each other. It could have been seconds—it could have been minutes. It seemed like hours. The longer we stood there, the bigger the lump in my gut grew. Something was going to happen. I could feel it. It swirled in the air. A whispered threat. A promise. And the most worrisome, it showed on Chay’s face. He knew. He could feel it. His arm and neck muscles were corded, and tension rolled off him in waves.
My heart was skipping every other beat. It was almost like it had forgotten how to beat. I felt hollow. The beats of my heart echoed against the empty walls of my chest.
I saw it. A pretty blonde shifted her weight. Her tell.
They ran all at once. We braced ourselves and readied for the attack. They came at us in a “V” formation or what looked like an arrow. It wasn’t a random free-for-all like usual, but a planned attack—with a specific goal.
“What the hell are they doing?” Chay yelled.
Jeff watched them and shook his head. “Dunno.”
They got closer and closer, still in formation, running at us in eerie silence. They ran across the sidewalk and on to the yard.
“Get in front of Milayna!” Drew yelled.
Chay didn’t question Drew’s order. He reached out and pulled me behind him just as the lead demi-demon, Edward, plowed into him. They both landed hard on the ground, fists flying.
The second line of demi-demons attacked, and then the third… I paced back and forth, feeling useless as I watched my friends fight while I did nothing.
“Dad! Let me help them!”
He shook his head and blocked me from leaving his and Chay’s dad’s protection. “They were aiming right at you tonight, Milayna. You aren’t going out there. In fact, I should take you home.”
“No! That’d put Mom and Benjamin in danger if one of them went to the house after me. Not to mention, I’d have no protection there. This is my fight. This is where I belong.” I flung my arm toward the vicious fight between my friends and the wicked-assed demi-demons.
My dad turned toward the fight just as the demi-demons broke through our line of defense. The demi-demon tackled my dad. I ran to help when someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.
Turning, I looked at the guy that held me. I didn’t know him, had never seen him before that night. I was distracted when he backhanded me across the face the first time. The second time he raised his hand, I was ready. I blocked his blow, jabbing the hand on my other arm into his side. He roared in pain and swung at me.
Holy freaky angel powers, Batman!
His swing came at me in slow motion, like time had slowed. I took advantage of the warning and kicked his arm away, getting in a palm-heel strike to his face, slicing open his lower lip. Blood dripped down his chin; his lips stretched into a slow smile when he wiped it away with the back of his hand. His teeth were stained pink, and he spat out a wad of blood and saliva. I watched it leave his mouth, and move, little by little, through the air and land next to my foot.