Chapter Six
“Are you serious Autumn? “Miss All American. You want her to help us.”
Yuri’s words bounced around in my head as I stood outside Kerry’s room door. I knew I was taking a risk, but my gut told me I was doing the right thing. Raising my fist, I knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer. It didn’t take long as the door opened to reveal the girl I assumed was Kerry’s roommate.
“Hi is Kerry here?”
The girl gave me a look of confusion and suspicion. She no doubt was more than just roommates with Kerry. She was probably her best friend and the sight of me, someone who’ve never talked to Kerry asking for her, raised suspicion.
“Where are my manners, I’m Autumn.”
“I’m Anna.” She said reaching out to shake my hand. “Kerry’s not here. She’s gone to the morning services and then running.”
I nodded. I should have gone to the chapel first like I started to instead of coming to this girl’s door looking like a fool. Today was Sunday which meant everyone would be at the school’s chapel for morning services. “Well, I’ll probably bump into her in the courtyard then. It was nice to meet you.”
Turning on my heels I heard the girl mumble a faint “you too”, but I was already gone. If she was anything like Yuri and I, she would be texting Kerry to let her know that I had come by looking for her. Kerry would be on the lookout for me.
I left out of the dorms and headed through the courtyard enjoying the cool breeze that was graciously given to us today. I reached the chapel hoping that Kerry would still be in there. Unfortunately it was empty. Her roommate had also said she was going running today. But would she still go running if she knew I was looking for her. I headed for the trails the students usually jogged on. Arriving, I plopped down a bench and watched joggers come and go. I began to lose hope thinking she went somewhere else when I saw her fire red hair come bouncing around the corner. Standing I brushed off my shorts and made my way towards her. Kerry wore the same look of worry on her face that increased when she spotted me. Slowing down, she removed her ear buds, deciding to confront the situation. I instantly liked her.
I decided to do the same. “You don’t look so surprise to see me. I take it your roommate told you I was looking for you.”
“She’s about as confused as I am.”
“Is there somewhere private we can go to talk?”
Kerry stared at me before pointing the way she had been running. “We can go on the trails. That’s about as private as we’re going to get.”
I was a bit cautious about talking on the trails. I’ve never been a big fan of wooded areas. However, this is where she felt most comfortable at. If I was going to gain her trust, this would have to be the place.
“Okay.”
We walked off down the trails both of us in deep silence waiting for the other to speak. Every now and then, a jogger would run past us into the trails disappearing.
“It feels good out here.”
Kerry nodded. “Yeah it does. It’s been tiresome running in this heat the past couple of days.”
“I can believe you.”
It was quiet again.
“What is it that you want?” Kerry asked quietly. “You haven’t spoken to me once since I’ve been here. Why now?” She wasn’t rude at all. She was just curious. I would be too if I was in her position.
“I need your help on a certain project. I’m asking you because we’re alike. We both have done some things and we both have gotten away with it.”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?”
“You know those heists that have been happening recently, the clothing stores and jewelry ones.” I asked. When Kerry nodded, I continued. “I was behind them.” I decided to leave out Yuri for right now. But she was a smart girl. Surely she would realize the heist was always done with two or more people. Yuri and I were best friends. Why wouldn’t she be in on this? It still didn’t make me feel any better confessing my secret like this.
Kerry laughed her eyes crinkling up the dimples in her cheeks showing. I waited patiently for her to get over the laughter phase to the “are you serious” phase.
She didn’t disappoint. “Are you serious?”
“Very.”
Kerry stopped and so did I. Another jogger came running by bringing a slight breeze that gave me a slight shiver. Being under these trees made the temperature feel lower than it actually was. We both waited before he was out of sight to talk.
“Okay, so why are you telling me this?” Kerry said folding her arms.
“I knew if anyone would understand me, it would be you. I know about England. I know you’re the one that stole the necklace.”
Kerry froze. “How do you know that?”
“You just answered it for me. Plus I read the news articles. No one seemed to question you about the Prince’s stolen necklace since you were supposedly bedridden with the flu. But yet as I looked at some of the pictures from the party that night, I spotted something strange. There was a figure in the crowd staring at the glass case. It was a familiar figure.” Kerry eyes darted around nervously as she licked her lips. “You weren’t in your room were you Kerry. You were at the party.”
Somewhere ahead thunder sounded as Kerry continued to stare at me.
“Look, I’m not going to tell anyone. I promised. I know why you did it. I know the necklace belonged to your family and that you parent’s lost the lawsuit against the Prince. It meant a lot to your family. That’s why you took it and that’s why I need your help. The same thing has happened to me.”
I explained to her about my father and his obsession with the painting. Throughout it all, Kerry just listened. She felt sorry for me, but just like any sane person she knew what I was asking her to do wasn’t right. She proved it by what she said next.
“I can’t help you Autumn. I’m…I’m sorry.” With that Kerry turned and ran back to the dorms.
I sighed more convinced than ever that this heist was not going to happen. A slight rustle to my left made me turn my head and peer into the trees. No one was there. It could have been a squirrel, I told myself. More thunder sounded as I noticed how dark it had gotten on the path. We’d gone so far down the trail that I couldn’t see the school anymore. A branch snapped making a chill go through me.
“Hello.”
Only silence answered back. Even the sounds of birds were scarce. I had a feeling that someone was watching me and the more I stood there, the more the feeling increased. I needed to get out of here.
I raced back towards the dorms, peering back over my shoulders occasionally. By the time I reached the dorms, Kerry was nowhere in sight. She’d probably made it to her room by now and was telling her friend what kind of nutcase I was. Together they would tell Headmistress Blake who would point her gnarly finger at me in her “I knew it” stance. I would be shipped away to some prison with a cellmate named Deb who would force me to do inhumane acts while my mother wonder where exactly did she go wrong.
I ran upstairs to my room and slammed the door closed, ignoring the surprise look from Yuri.
“Everything okay?”
I gave her a fake smile. “Yeah.”
Yuri turned back to her book as I fell down on my bed. My body still shook with a chill about the fact that somebody had been watching me.
The storm cleared up just in time for us go hang out with friends tonight. Opening the door, Yuri and I walked into the student center as the smell of fried grease attacked our nostrils. I let out a sigh of yearning as Yuri shot me a look of disgust. God she was such a health geek. Mark spotted us as soon as we entered and headed straight for us. Just great.
“Where have you been?” He demanded loudly.
Yuri not one for being embarrassed, placed a hand on her hip as she pointed a finger at Mark. “Excuse me, but who exactly do you think you’re speaking to?”
No
t wanting to have a front row seat to their live soap opera, I walked off into the throng of students. It saddened me to think that no matter how much Yuri tried to exert her strength against Mark, he always had a way of knocking her back down. But what could I do when she allowed it to happen over and over again.
I stopped to talk to Heather. I hadn’t seen her since the party so I decided to speak. We talked about the latest global warming incident and protest. Well Heather talked— I mostly leaned up against the wall and kept a watchful eye on Yuri. The fierce look she had on her face dropped to one of sorrow. Mark said a couple of words and then caressed her face as the look of happiness reappeared. It didn’t take the two long to try to mesh their faces together.
I blew out a big gust of air.
“I’m sorry if I’m boring you with my talk about the protests. We can talk about something else if you want?” Heather said with a hopeful look on her face.
I stared at her. Heather was what people would call a hippie. She wore clothes that looked as if they’d come straight out of the school’s theater trunk. She cared about the animals, trees, the air, things teenagers today didn’t care about. While her conversation wasn’t the least bit interesting to me, she still did not deserve to be ignored. She was a sweet girl, which people sometime overlooked.
Once I realized she was still staring at me with a bit of uncertainty, I gave her what I hope was a bright smile but instead it seemed to creep her out even more. “I’m sorry for zoning out. My mind has been haywire these last couple of days. It’s not your fault.”
Heather smiled, glad I was still talking to her. “It’s okay. So do you want to get a slice of pizza or something?”
I stared over through the glass doors of the diner that was built in the school center. Even from here I could see that the room was over crowded with students, as it is every weekend we have here.
“Actually I want to go to the theater. I heard the school got in the new Nightshade movie, what’s it called?”
“Princess of Darkness”
“Yeah that. Do you want to go see that?” I asked. I had to get away from Yuri and Mark.
“Sure”
Heather and I made our way over to the movie theater purchasing some snacks with our student I.D. cards. Since I was a bit upset with Yuri at the moment, I made sure to drown my popcorn in butter. There was a stand selling the hot angel Gabriel T-shirts that was over flooding with girls. After assuring Heather I didn’t want one, she squeezed in between them to get herself a shirt.
As I waited in line to buy my drink, I pulled out my cellphone to text Ryan. Maybe he was having more fun at his school than I was currently having. The drink lined shortened as Heather waved at me from across the room. She had pulled her Gabriel shirt over her long sleeved one, and was wearing a black hat that were also engraved with his name. I wiggled my fingers back as she waited for me to pay for my green tea, and then we made our way into the room playing the movie. It was pretty crowded in here with girls which wasn’t the least unusual. I spotted a couple of guys, no doubt being forced here by their girlfriends for a date. Well minus Andrew Kirk. I’m pretty sure he was here for the man candy in this movie.
Heather and I grabbed some seats towards the back and plopped down to watch the movie. Once again, Heater was actually good company. I was beginning to like her more and more. I tossed a couple of popcorn in my mouth as I frowned at the character of Eris. This was my first time seeing this series and already I had joined the ranks of the I HATE ERIS CLUB! This chick was completely ruthless. However, I found myself admiring how dedicated she was to her plan. The man she was in love with had been banished to the dark limbo of the world and she was doing everything to set him free again. But I would NOT want to take away another person’s life just to be with some guy who never paid me any mind in the first place. Eris however was blind to this. Marius was her one true love and she would be with him no matter how the main character Summer tried to stop her.
The angel Gabriel took off his shirt and all the girls including Heather sighed in pleasure. I myself had to admit the boy was smoking hot! I reached over for my drink but stopped once my eyes connected with a familiar head. Paige Harper sat two rows in front of us, but that what wasn’t that drew my attention. It was the person sitting next to her. I watched Paige turn to say something to the person as their head turned to get a better hearing from her. The guy she was with was none other than Micah Martin. Paige gave an annoying laugh as she laid her head on Micah’s shoulder. He didn’t bother to move it as his head turned back to the screen.
Feeling sick beyond belief, I sat back in my seat as I tried to focus back on the movie. But it was a lost cause. I couldn’t stop my eyes from drifting back over to them. Her head was still on his shoulder. They were on a date. They had to be. For once I envied Paige. I was supposed to be the one with my head on his shoulder, not her.
I found myself drifting through the rest of the movie until it was over. We followed the rest of the students out the theater into the hallway.
“So do you want to get something else from the concession stand or we could see another movie?” Heather asked.
“Actually Heather I think I’m going to head back to my dorm now.”
Heather’s smile dropped a little but she quickly hid it. “That’s okay. I had a great time tonight.”
I smiled. “Me too Heather. We have to do it again.” I actually meant it too.
Giving a sad glance over at Micah and Paige who were now leaning against the wall talking, I made my way out the student center.
Walking through the courtyard, I ignored the guard shadowing me and headed straight for my dorm. Climbing the marble stairs, I noted how quiet it was in the dorms. Everyone was out, that is except for Kerry. Pausing on the steps, I stared at her in the common room on one of the sofas, a book pressed to her face. I started to approach her but decided not to. I climbed up the stairs to my floor and headed to my room.
Unlocking the door, I entered the room shutting the door behind me. Kicking off my shoes, I made my way over to my bed and laid down clutching the bear my father had bought me. I felt sick. The sickness I felt was not due to the buttery popcorn. No, this sickness came from the sight of Micah and Paige together. I hardly knew anything about this guy but yet I found myself being drawn to him. This went way deeper than physical attraction. Snuggling deeper into my comforter, I closed my eyes as the picture of me and Micah transformed into the characters Summer and Gabriel from the movie.
I stood on the balcony of my room peering down into the courtyard. I had just learned of the army Eris was building and that they were headed for us. I stared up at the stars as I asked for guidance during what was sure to be troubling times. Granted I was a creature of the undead, so I was pretty sure God was skipping over my prayers all together.
Micah entered the room but yet he was Gabriel. He came towards me and stood by my side. Placing a hand on my hand, he stared into my eyes with a love so powerful it took my breath away. Our argument earlier a thing of the past, now that he was sure there was a way to keep me protected. It didn’t matter that I was more than capable of protecting myself. It just made him feel better that he could be there.
His face neared mine, his perfect lips connecting against mine. Pulling back he stared at me smiling. I could feel the love he had for me in his smile. Reaching out to caress my face, he mouthed something to me. I couldn’t hear him so I asked that he repeat himself. Coming closer, his face contorted in a disgusted expression as he said, “Autumn, you’re drooling.”
My eyes snapped open as I stared at Yuri standing above me. Her once cute curls were a mess on her head and her lips looked as if someone had tried to suck them off her face. Not mention her top was unbuttoned. Oh if the parentals could see her now.
“What time is it?” I asked sitting up.
“Ten. I snuck in right when the doors were about to
lock. I’m going to shower you should do the same.”
Yuri disappeared into the bathroom as I fell back on my pillows. My thoughts were still filled with Micah. Maybe this was why Eris was ready to destroy the world for Marius. Maybe the same sickness filled her at the thought of Marius being trapped in a dark place alone. God help me if I decide to become a shepherd for the devil.
Yuri came back out the bathroom freshly showered and dressed as she plopped down on my bed. “So who were you dreaming about? It couldn’t have been Ryan since we slept in the room all summer and not once did you drool while in la la land.”
I grabbed the book I had been reading off the nightstand as I shrugged my shoulders. “It was nothing. Just scenes from that movie Princess of Darkness that’s all.”
“Oh My God, isn’t Gary just the cutest thing.”
“His name is Gabriel.”
Yuri gave a wave of her hand as she lay down beside me. “Same difference. I wasn’t watching much. Mark and I were distracted.” She said with a blush.
“You guys went to see it tonight?”
“Yup, we went to see some action movie first though since Mark basically begged me to go.”
I rolled my eyes at that. More like Mark told her they were going. “How are things going with him?”
“Like you care, you hate him.”
Well she wasn’t wrong there.
“I might not like him, but you’re still my friend. If you care about him, I have no choice but to care as well.”
“I don’t know about Mark anymore, Autumn. “ She said softly. “He’s changed. I know you find that hard to believe but he really use to be a sweetheart to me.”
She was right. I did find that hard to believe. Since day one Mark had always been a jerk, and Yuri usually weren’t the type to fall for those kinds of men. I guess there was something that blinded her to his true identity. Or maybe the way he acted with Yuri in secret was his true identity and the jerk display was just an act. I should know all about that since I put on one daily to hide the fact that I’m scared to be alone.
Yuri turned over in her bed as I stared at the ceiling. My phone beeped as I checked it to see an unknown number. I clicked the message.
It’s Kerry. We need to talk.