chapter 14
Inverted
“Sorry about the food I didn’t eat back at your place, I can pay you back for that stuff.”
“Absolutely not necessary.” Joel smiled at me graciously.
“These eggs are great.” I washed the last bite down with orange juice, ready to head in to work. Carol generously forgave my absence, thanks to the supposed flu bug, and gave me permission to work a night shift to make up for it. I was shocked she’d kept me around this long, but her “punishment” fit my new lifestyle perfectly.
I smiled at Joel. “Breakfast for dinner is my favorite.”
“Glad you like that. I don’t get to do this very often.” He laughed, scooted back into the kitchen to adjust my radio’s volume. An old cassette of Johnny Cash’s greatest hits played as he started washing the dishes. I eyed my vintage floral apron that he wore, slung low on his waist, swaying as he moved. I started chuckling again, caused him to swing around and glare at me.
“Don’t start that again. It’s not my fault you don’t have any masculine aprons.”
“That’s because aprons aren’t masculine, genius.”
“Don’t make me have you for dinner, princess.”
“Whatever, Betty Crocker. Knock yourself out.” Winking, I slipped out of my chair to toss my plates into the sink next to him, smiled as I admired the apron one last time. His broad shoulders and tattoos enhanced the ensemble, added to my amusement.
“If you can’t handle a vampire confident in an apron, then get out of the kitchen.” He jabbed me with a wet spatula and I shoved him back, then grabbed my bag from the table. “Let me know if you hear from them?”
“I can’t hear him when he’s there, remember? I promise I’ll let you know as soon as I know something. It’s going to be a while—”
“I know, I know. Wishful thinking.” Grabbing my coffee, I made my way to the door.
“Have a great day at school, honey,” Joel called after me, a goofy smile on his face. Well, at least the babysitter doubled as entertainment. Giggling like the child I didn’t think I’d ever been, I slammed the door.
By the time I made it to the bookstore, my mind was on overdrive, trying to figure out how Gavin was suppose to tackle his whole plan and make it back to Louisiana. On the way home from London, Joel broke down the specifics and explained them in human terms for me. Still it sounded impossible. And just plain reckless. Apparently, he intended to get everyone to rise up against Samira, break free from Amaranth with them, and then come back to the real world. Quite the hefty feat, and much more than he originally let on. Still, there was a lot I didn’t know, and that gave me some peace. I kept looking at my watch, remembered sunset was imminent.
I walked in the door to find good old Carol rushing to hug me, her multicolored floral dress an eyesore. “So good to see you, dear. We’re so happy to have you back again.” She latched onto me.
“Thanks, it’s good to be back.” I immediately felt guilty for what I was about to do, but I knew I had to stick to the game plan. I wouldn’t have come into work at all, knowing I was about to give up my favorite job for good, but it was an excuse to get away from Joel, and I had to make it look convincing in case he checked on me.
“Well now, I know coming in for a night shift to help out with inventory isn’t at all appealing, but we really need the help.” She winked and straightened her dress. “Feel free and start right here, and let me know if you have any trouble.”
“Actually Carol,” I peered around, taking in the last glimpse of my beloved bookstore, “I was wondering if it would be all right if I took my break early tonight.”
“I don’t see a problem with that. No, not a problem at all,” she shook her head as she spoke. Her fire-engine-red curls bounced around as her head moved. “Just get a few of these shelves taken care of, and then you can leave when you’d like.”
“Great.”
“How is everything with that fellow of yours? Haven’t seen him around here lately.”
“He’s fine.”
“No trouble on the romance front, then?”
“Everything’s peachy.” I waited for her to get the hint.
She stared at me for a second with those curious old-hen eyes, waiting for me to elaborate, no doubt. I waited, glanced around. “Good to know dear, good to know,” she finally said, “Well, I best stop dilly-dallying,” she adjusted her glasses and left me alone. Without wasting a second more, I hurried off.
After rummaging through a few shelves, I dashed out the door as soon as Carol was out of sight and jumped into my Jeep, making sure Joel was nowhere in sight. I’d told him to meet me at nine when my shift ended to follow me home, so as far as he knew, I wasn’t getting off for at least a few more hours. But vampires were stubborn. And sly. For all I knew, he was hanging out around the bookstore to make sure Andrew didn’t show up. Or to make sure I didn’t do something stupid.
I struggled to find my way to the bayou and watched the sun sink down to the earth, the loyal crescent moon becoming more and more visible as the sky went black. Joel knew the cycle, knew tonight was the last crescent we’d have until next month, so I was really pressing my luck. Still, I figured he’d never assume I’d do something this senseless. My tires jumped as I made my way off road, down a path I vaguely remembered from the night Gavin drove me there. I took advantage of the last few seconds of daylight, hoped that seeing my surroundings in the light would help jog my memory and lead the way.
Getting frustrated, I slowed down, leaned over the steering wheel to look out into the dead clearing in front of me. The sky now a dark void; my headlights only illuminated the ground and the trees directly in front of the car. I grabbed my flashlight and jumped out into the darkness, shined it on the trees in front of me, searched for any sign of the bizarre oak tree. I staggered forward, squinted as I approached a slope in the ground that led to a part of the bayou’s shoreline. I spun around and frantically searched the trees again, sure that the clearing looked familiar, but uncertain I’d driven far enough along the bank to reach the right spot.
My back to the water, I turned my head to the right, remembered the location of the tree in relation to the water. Moving the flashlight in front of me, I breathed a sigh when I saw the rebellious branch I was looking for, staring me in the face, daring me. Thrilled that my directional instincts had been right, I glared up at the taunting moon and adrenaline rushed through me. The sounds of the night coalesced with my heartbeat. It was time.
I dashed back to the Jeep and dumped my work shirt and shoes into the backseat, replaced them with an old t-shirt and durable riding boots that would hopefully be useful in my surroundings. I pulled the boots on over my jeans and slammed the car door shut, took a deep breath as I patted my pockets for anything I didn’t need. Vampire repellant would be helpful to take with me. A shame it wasn’t on the market just yet. I tossed my hair into a loose ponytail and stalked toward the tree, then ruthlessly grabbed hold of the branch to accept the challenge. Wrapping both arms around it, I pushed down forcefully, felt it crack as it gave way. I could already the feel the elements change, as they had the night my friends left me.
Immediately, I began shivering and watched the water roar to life, wondered when I should enter. Creeping toward the bayou’s edge, I couldn’t help but think of drowning. The anxious, uncomfortable feeling of holding your breath for too long, lungs signaling it was time to get air, and fast. What would happen once I surrendered to the water’s pull? Once my feet were in the swirling water—or worse, once my head went under the water—would something terrible happen to me?
I stared down into the magnetic water, amazed at the violet color it emanated, then shut my eyes and stepped forward. The swishing current’s powerful tug thrashed around my knees, and I opened my eyes and waded in farther, kept my hands up near my waist.
“Oh, this is too good.”
The words were followed by menacing laughter. I swung my head around and peered up toward the magic tree, shrieked when I saw Andrew’s loathsome face.
“You just made my night, sweetheart.”
Before I had time to think, he lunged from the tree, grabbed my ponytail and dragged me farther into the water. His cursed eyes were present, no sign of humanness in them. I didn’t bother fighting his hold on me. There was no hope for me now.
“You really think you can just stroll into the city of the undead and rescue your precious boyfriend?” He gave my head another hard yank as he stood behind me, his other arm clamped around my neck. We stood waist deep now, inches from the center of the swirling vortex.
“Please, don’t do this, Andrew, please—” I squirmed away from his fangs, felt his breath on the back of my neck.
“I’d love nothing more than to have you for dinner right now, but you’re good for more than just a meal at the moment, so you’re going to do me one last favor.”
“I can’t give you anything you want. I’m nothing to you.”
“No, you’re going to give me something I need.”
Trembling, I shut my eyes as he cupped his hand tightly over my mouth.
Jerking me forward, his body moved with mine as he plunged us into the fathomless abyss. Under water, I opened my eyes and to my surprise could see clearly; no muck or fog clouded my vision. Heavenly spirals of lucent magenta whirled around me, peaceful trails of bubbles floated toward the surface as spurts of air escaped my lips. The streams of vivid light brightened and the moon faded off into the distance, the surface of the water transforming into a bright, blinding white canvas as the earth shook beneath us. My feet were dragged toward the muddy, evolving floor, and the force pulled me farther and farther down, my body swept away like a rag doll. Wrapped in my attacker’s cocoon, I yielded to his perilous direction.