Voodoo Kiss

Chapter 21



Seven months earlier



It was the beginning of January. Only a few days ago, we had celebrated Christmas together. Sitting on the plush couch between my father and his new wife, Marie had been an awkward affair, considering that the woman had split up my family when I was just a child, and taken my father away from my mother. I felt the usual guilt nagging at the back of mind, but more than ever I was determined to ignore it. As much as I blamed my father and his new wife for giving up the life he had shared with us, he was trying hard to make me forget his betrayal by helping me with my music career.

Since the day I mentioned I wanted to be a musician, he paid for months of intensive voice training. Marie even organized a gig for me. It wasn't a big one, just some minor two-song performance in a well-known club in Manhattan. But apparently a scout would attend, which turned what should've been a nice experience into a huge opportunity that made my heart race.

I wiped my damp hands on my short skirt as I slipped into my boots and leather jacket, then hugged my half-sister, Theo, tight. Even though we didn't grow up together, we had always been close. Surprisingly, I had never blamed her for my father's choice to leave my mother and me behind to start a new life with Marie and their daughter, Theo. Maybe because she had always looked up to me like a real sister.

"Good luck, Soph. You know you won't need it 'cause you'll blow them away." Her thin voice betrayed her nervousness. She knew how much this meant to me and she tried her best to boost my confidence.

"Thanks." I kissed her cheek and grabbed my guitar case. "Don't wait up."

"Are you kidding me? I'll wait up and I'll want to know everything," Theo said. Smiling, I gave her a last squeeze, then hurried out the door.

Darkness had descended half an hour ago. The winter wind whipped my hair into my face. I pulled my hood over my head and marched down the busy street in search of a taxi. I knew I should've called one to wait outside the building, but I figured it would take less than five minutes to find one. After all, this was New York with a taxi around every corner. Or so I thought.

Ten minutes later, I was still squeezing my way through busy post-Christmas sale shoppers, who had gathered in front of the fashion outlets littering this part of the city. Several taxis had swooshed past, all occupied or unwilling to stop. My fingers were frozen in my mittens, the cold in my toes felt like icicles. I reached into my almost empty bag and realized I forgot my cell phone, meaning calling a taxi was out of the question.

Having spent a few months in Manhattan I knew my way around, so I wrapped my jacket tighter around my shivering body to fight the cold and battled forward against the wind. In the darkness, all streets looked the same. It took me a while to realize I was lost.

"Crap." I stomped my foot impatiently as I tried to read the street sign in the distance. I had left the house early because I wanted to avoid making a beginner mistake like arriving late and blowing my chance. But my watch told me time was running out. If I didn't hurry, I would indeed make the biggest mistake of my life. Just as I didn't expect it, a taxi drove around the corner. I waved and yelled, even though I doubted the driver could hear me. My heart started to beat like a drum in my ears as the vehicle drove past—and pulled over. I ran the short distance and jumped onto the backseat, telling the driver I was in a hurry. The driver sped off before I even closed the door.

The streets were unusually busy. Leaning against the cold leather, I could already tell I wouldn't make it on time. My spirits dropped as my future rolled like a black and white movie before my eyes. Would I ever get such a chance again? I didn't think so.

I arrived at the bar an hour late, paid the driver and got out. For a short moment, I still hoped I might get a chance to play after all—until I saw the blue lights flashing in the parking space and people gathered around an ambulance. Two police officers were trying to disperse the crowd.

"What happened?" I asked a girl standing nearby.

"Someone was killed right outside the club," she said.

"That's horrible." A cold shiver ran down my spine and my hands turned clammy at the thought of a murderer running berserk. "I hope they got the killer." I craned my head to get a better view at the victim, catching a glimpse of her blonde hair. Before the doors of the ambulance car slammed shut, I recognized the familiar face. A chilling scream pierced my eardrums—a scream I realized was mine.

"Theo!" I screamed, pushing through the crowd.

A police officer pushed me back. "Please step back, Ma'am."

"That's my sister," I screamed, my tears blurring my sight. He shook his head, signaling he wouldn't let me through, and the ambulance drove away. I broke down, crying. Someone helped me to my feet and said something. I pushed the person away from me, devastated. I would never mistake that white blonde curtain of hair, and yet denial kicked in. Maybe it wasn't Theo. It couldn't be.

A thick haze descended upon my mind as I wandered through the streets for hours. I don't know how I made it back home, only that my father and Marie were already there with a female police officer. Marie was crying against my father's chest as he tried to comfort her. I had never seen so much rage on his face, but the incident still didn't quite register with me. I felt as though I was watching a tragic show on television.

"You must be Sofia," the officer said. I nodded and sat down on the couch. The police officer's face remained dead serious as she continued, "I'll need to ask you a few questions, please."

"It's all your fault," Marie screamed, her face contorted in agony, palms pressed against her chest as she sobbed. "If it weren't for you, she'd still be alive."

"Shush." My father drew Marie to his chest, but I could see the reproach in his eyes. They thought me responsible for Theo's death, and somehow I felt as though they were right. She must've followed me to that club and if it were not for my performance, she would still be here.



***



Still sitting on Cass's couch cradling my baby sister Theo in my arms, I wiped the tears from my eyes as I listened to Theo's story.

She said I had barely left her parents' house when the phone rang. The club manager called to inform me the scout would arrive half an hour early and I would have to hurry to make it. Theo immediately called my cell number only to hear it ring where I had left it on the breakfast table in the hall. Unsure how else to reach me, she called a taxi from my cell phone, told her parents she'd be going to bed early and sneaked out of the house.

She arrived at the club before me and since she was underage and they wouldn't let her wait inside, she thought it best to wait near the car park until I arrived. She had been freezing in the cold for a few minutes when movement caught her attention. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Derrick, Gael's brother, behind her. She wasn't scared because we had spent many days in Central Park together, and she trusted him. Before she could turn around, his palm clamped around her mouth, muffling her startled yelp.

Theo recounted how she kicked and tried to break free from his iron lock when he dragged her behind a car and thrust a knife into her chest several times. The excruciating pain cut off her air support. Blood poured out of her, gathering in a puddle on the ground and making her dizzy. She raised her gaze to meet his dark eyes.

"Theo?" He kneeled beside her and gathered her in his arms. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I thought—"

In the dim light of a streetlamp she could hear the gurgling sound in her throat. She opened her mouth to speak and spit out a warm, thick liquid. A dark figure grabbed Derrick's arm and tried to pull him away from her, muttering something she didn't understand. Derrick dropped her limp body to the ground together with the knife. She knew she was dying, but it wasn't right. Her time shouldn't have come yet. Anger rose inside her. Pushing up on her elbows, Theo's gaze focused on Derrick. She picked up the knife and, with her last might, she plunged it into his neck before darkness descended upon her. Derrick's scream for help pierced her eardrum a moment before he was dragged away. The image before her eyes became blurry, then dissipated into nothing. As a sense of peace washed over her, Theo dropped back onto the asphalt. Pitch black gathered around her, enveloping her a spilt second later, and she let go of life willingly, happy to have avenged her death.