Brighde Reborn, page 24
“Who are you supposed to be again?” I asked.
“Lestat? Interview with the Vampire?”
“Oh yeah! Such a good book.”
Trip shrugged. “I liked the movie.” He adjusted his vest as I glanced around.
We sat in the bleachers, barely acknowledging our fellow classmates. I recognized almost no one, given the amount of face masks this year. Even Cole was hard to identify with his Captain America mask. If he hadn’t been at my house before, I wouldn’t have even known it was him. He and Deidra were already dancing, swaying closely together.
“Let’s dance!” I stood, taking his hand in mine. He nodded and followed me to the dance floor.
Excitement hung in the air amid the flurry of chiffon, polyester, glitter, wings, superheroes, bumblebees, and gods. Kids in store-bought costumes bumped into each other as they gyrated and twisted their bodies to the music. Trip’s body curved against mine as we danced to the pounding bass line. I spun to face him, and we locked eyes as we swung our bodies back and forth. The dance committee had gone all-out this year. Hanging above us were black and orange streamers. In the corners of the gym were decently scary vampires, a Grim Reaper, a raging werewolf, and a zombie that jumped and twitched to chomp your brain when you walked past it. Fake fog settled around our feet as kids grabbed handfuls of candy and pretzels from a vinyl cafeteria table. My flapper costume was going over great; I was getting lots of compliments on my dress and, especially, my jewelry.
“Great earrings,” Kyle Perkins said as she walked past. She and Cay were dressed as Ariel and Eric. Cay’s hair was slicked back, and her seashell bra was sewn onto a tan mesh top. Kyle was taking dainty steps, thanks to her constricting tail skirt.
“Thanks! Great costumes,” I replied.
“If she was keeping true to the story,” Trip whispered into my ear, “She would’ve come as sea foam.”
I looked up at him, a tad shocked he knew that.
“I read the original story to Liz and Roden when they were younger.”
I grinned. He wrapped his hands around my waist as the music switched from fast to slow.
“Ashley! Ashley!” Someone called from behind me. I was jostled forward, stepping on Trip’s foot in the process. My body slammed into his, and the long strand of pearls caught on his hand. As he moved to steady himself, the necklace snapped, scattering pearls all over the floor.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” a girl dressed as a cop apologized. She bent over to recover some lost beads. “I totally didn’t even see you there! I was looking for my friend and didn’t mean to bump into you—”
“Whoa! It’s okay. It was an accident,” I told her as I knelt. “I’ll live. My necklace, though…”
She collected a few beads and handed them to me. “I’m so sorry! I’ll buy you another one. Where did you get it? Dollar Express?”
I gave her a dirty look. “No, but lucky for you they were fake anyway.” I gave up collecting pearls. They were hard to find in the fog and under people’s feet. This scene already drew enough attention as it was.
“Well, at least you still have the other necklace. It’s really cool,” she said, pointing to my chest. My eyes widened, and I slapped my hand over the Amulet before anyone could see it.
“Are you okay?” Trip asked me. Based on my bug-eyed expression, he thought I was pissed.
“You should watch where you’re walking,” he said at the cop.
“I really am sorry.” She shot me a sympathetic smile and shrugged her shoulders slightly.
“No worries. Go find your friend.” I smiled gently at her, but I was distracted, attempting to tuck in the Amulet. She returned my smile and walked off.
“What happened?” Bri rushed over with Cole and Deidra behind her. I turned my back on Trip and faced my friends.
“Nothing, some girl just ran into me, and my necklace broke. It’s okay.” The string from the pearls tangled in the Amulet’s chain. It kept tying to my spaghetti strap, making it hard to slip under my dress.
“Bridget, you’re bleeding!” Cole pointed to the hand clasping the Amulet. I looked down and saw a scrape on my knuckle.
“I’ll live.”
“Come on, let’s get you a bandage,” Deidra said pulling on my nonbleeding hand. I flinched back, but she was too quick for me. My fingers slipped off the necklace, and instantly her eyes flew to what hung around my neck. Deidra’s expression was all the confirmation I needed; she looked like Golem drooling over the One Ring. Time slowed, and I couldn’t hear the music over the sound of my own breath. Neither of us moved.
I was five again and caught with my hand in the cookie jar right before dinner. I swear I heard one drop of blood well up in my cut and drip onto the rubber floor.
“Bridget? Dee? Are you two okay?” Trip’s voice swam above me, out of reach.
In this moment, no one else mattered.
I should have stayed home.
Someone bumped my arm, jolting me back into the present. Time sped up, and the music blared from the large speakers.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Trip put his hands on my shoulders. The Amulet lay on my chest, hanging out in the open. If I wasn’t screwed before, then I was now. I ripped my hand from Deidra’s grasp and covered the necklace again.
“Everything’s fine. I need to wash my hands and get a bandage. I’ll be back!” I rushed out the gym before anyone asked any more questions.
Hiding in the same stall that had prevented me from breakup humiliation earlier this week, I panted like hunted prey. What the hell was I going to do? Ugh, why was I so stupid! I should’ve taken this thing off before I left the house. Oh my god, my mother was going to kill me! She’d trusted me to keep the Amulet, the powers, and my heritage a secret; and I went and flaunted it in front of the entire school, which included my boyfriend and his family—the sworn enemies of my family. The toilet next to me made a strangled noise. I stared at the cool, reflective water.
I could flush it.
I shook my head hard enough to cast off that foolish idea. Dumbest thing I could do. The whole point of my newly revealed destiny is to find this stupid thing! I shook my head. It’d make no sense for me to flush it and then hunt it down again. I rested my head against the blue tile and closed my eyes. I wished I could talk to someone about this. My friends were still in the dark, and I couldn’t tell Cay because he’d try to convince me to use it to destroy the Findlays. What was I going to do? I had to get out of here!
I heard the bathroom door creak open, and a pair of heels clicked on the tiles.
I froze.
The owner of black the heels went into the stall next to me. The roll rattled in the dispenser as she blew her nose loudly, flushed the paper, and walked out. I cringed, realizing she’d never washed her hands.
My pulse slowed to a normal pace as my adrenaline dipped back down.
The door swung open again, and I saw another pair of black heels, a pair I recognized.
“Bridget, I know you’re in here,” Deidra said. Her voice was slippery like black ice, and the hair on my body that wasn’t plastered down stood up.
Oh, crap.
Her heels stopped in front of the stall, and she pushed the door open.
“Hi,” she smiled.
Oh, double crap.
“Hi.” I remained glued to the wall, as if it needed me to hold it up.
“So, I guess you know what you have there,” she nodded toward my chest.
“I wasn’t sure until tonight.”
“What’re you going to do with it?”
“I was just deciding when you walked in,” I gulped. Heat crept up my neck into my cheeks.
“I’m more than willing to take it off your hands.” She was mesmerized yet again, her eyes staring at the half of the Amulet sitting around my neck. She reminded me of a snake in the basket, and my necklace was the snake charmer.
“No, thanks, I think I’ll keep it. It matches my costume better.” I’d never been happier Deidra was heavily lacking telekinesis. She took a step into the stall.
“I don’t mind, really. It wouldn’t be any trouble.” Her zombie makeup and intense stare were really freaking me out. If this was a contest, she’d win for freakiest costume.
“Deidra,” I said, my tone even, “back off. I don’t want to hurt you.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Like you could?”
Fury flashed through me, leaving deep gashes in a wake of smoldering fire. Tension built around us, leaving the air charged with energy. I moved my fingers slightly, the static shock throbbing.
“Hello? Raise your hand if you’re the more powerful goddess descendant in the room.” I raised my hand. Deidra raised her eyes to meet mine.
“I could take you.”
“Ha! Not in those heels.”
Her gaze dropped down to her feet, and I took my chance. I darted forward, knocking her from the stall and into the trash can. Deidra tumbled, limbs flopping all over as she tried to grab hold of the sink. I didn’t wait to see if she would get up. I ran for the door and grabbed the handle. Deidra came up behind me, yanking my hand off the handle. The static electricity pulsated under my skin. I grabbed her arm and released some if it into her. She jolted back. I grabbed the handle again and bolted out. Kicking off and grabbing my own heels, I sprinted down the hall toward the parking lot.
“Bridget!” Deidra called. I heard her shoes hit the ground as she kicked them off and then the thumping of her feet hitting the ground. Oh god, if she got close enough, she’d kill me for this necklace. Ignoring the blast of cold air sizzling against my skin, I pushed through the main door and crossed the front walkway. I stopped. What the hell was I running for? I was more powerful than her, even with my waning powers. I could destroy her.
I turned as she ran to the door. “I’m right here, Deidra,” I called, dropping my shoes. “You want this necklace? You’re going to have to fight me.”
She burst through, skidded to a stop about three yards away from me, and dropped her shoes in a bush. “Let’s do this.”
Deidra leaped at me without a pause. I dodged her, but she was able to punch me in the arm as I moved. Think of something, any feeling, right now! My internal voice screamed. Instantly, lightning cracked overhead
“Ooh, scary,” she taunted. “Did Trip teach you that?” Another flash. I grinned.
“Let me show you what else I’ve learned.” Thunder rumbled above, growing louder as it drew closer. Rain dripped slowly, leaving our clothes soaked.
“If this is all you ever learned, I’d get a new teacher.” Deidra lunged at me again, this time knocking me to the pavement. I wrestled her hands away from my neck, struggling all the while. The attack shook my attention, and the rain let up. My adrenaline was at an all-time high. I felt a change in temperature as the air grew hot and humid. Black clouds rolled in, and heavy winds whipped around us.
With her hands otherwise occupied, Deidra leaned in, her mouth getting close to the necklace. My fist flew up, and I punched her in the throat. She coughed and loosened her grip. Taking the chance, I shoved with all my strength and pushed her off me. Still coughing, she got up as buckets of rain poured down on us. I stood, pushing wet hair off my face. Deidra looked at me. Her mouth curled into a snarl as her eyes got big and black; the pupils devoured her irises. I felt hard pinches as big welts appeared on my body. I panicked. No one had told me about this! She wasn’t supposed to have this power! But the welts weren’t from Deidra; they were from the ice that had fallen from the sky. She’d turned my thunderstorm into an ice storm!
I gritted my teeth and started thinking of the fire the night before. The blue and green flames dancing into the night sky as if in a ritual ceremony. The hazy aura of heat surrounding the fire. I panted and fought the pain of ice slicing into my skin, but the ice slowly turned into water droplets. Unfortunately, Deidra still had a hold on the weather. I could feel her power as it flexed against mine, keeping the water a mix of ice and rain.
“What the hell is going on out here?” a male’s voice said. We both snapped our heads toward the door where Trip, Roden, Tomas, Cay, and Logan all stood. We were caught off guard, and the inclement weather let up.
“She has the Amulet,” Deidra explained.
The looks ranged from Trip’s shock to Tomas and Roden’s surprised looks to the relief on Logan’s face to Cay’s excitement.
“I didn’t know!” I only spoke to my boyfriend. “I suspected, but I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t know until Deidra tried to kill me to get to it!” I faced her again, a flash of anger pulsed through my body. Lightning cracked above us.
“Did you hear me? She has the Amulet!” Deidra hollered.
“Well, I’m glad no one else saw this, but we should be going. Come on, Bridget,” Cay said smoothly, waving me foward. I didn’t move. Trip took a step toward me but stopped. He breathed heavy and switched his gaze from me to his sister. With his brow furrowed and his fists clenched, he remained frozen between us.
“I didn’t know,” I said softly. “I didn’t know. I didn’t … know.” My mind was stuck. “Please, you have to believe me.”
“We need to talk,” he said to me with an eerily level voice.
“Talk? Talk! We need to get the Amulet!” Deidra screeched.
“Okay,” I replied to Trip. “When?”
“Not today, but soon.” He still didn’t move toward me. The fear in me was unleashed, and I lit the sky. I didn’t want to lose my boyfriend, but I couldn’t stop the feeling that I just had.
I took a breath and counted to ten. The light in the sky slowed until it was completely gone.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Grab it! Just rip it off her neck!” Deidra was practically bursting a blood vessel. Her makeup was smeared from the rain, and she was shaking. I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or the lure of the Amulet.
“Enough!” Trip growled at her. “I will handle it.”
Deidra snapped her mouth shut, but the rest of her was still quivering. Trip looked back at his brothers.
“We’re leaving.”
Tomas and Roden went to stand by Deidra without question. Trip turned to me again.
“I’ll call you.” I nodded, unsure of what else to say. He joined his siblings, and the four of them walked to their cars. Cay, Logan, and I remained still, watching them drive away.
“Bridget—” Cay said.
“Don’t. Just… don’t.” The main door opened again and out popped Annabelle and Cole.
“Bridget? What happened? Are you okay?” Annabelle rushed over to me, her dress swirling around her. I looked at my dress. It was torn from the physical fight and sodden from the weather. Bruises bloomed, and I had scrapes on my legs. My shoulder hurt from impact, and exhaustion hit me like a Mack truck. I wanted to go home, crawl under my covers, and never leave my room again.
“Can you take me home?”
“Sure. We can leave right now. Cole, go grab our stuff. Don’t forget my jacket.” I shivered. My jacket sat in the backseat of Trip’s car.
“You poor thing.” Annabelle wrapped her bare arms around mine. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”
We left, and I never once looked back at Cay or Logan.
Chapter 25
“Bridget, are you okay? Oh my—what happened?” Mom jumped off the couch when Annabelle walked me into the house.
“She didn’t talk on the way home, Mrs. MacNamara,” Annabelle said. “I came out of the dance and found her standing outside like this.”
“Thank you for driving her home. I think she could use some rest.” Mom put her arm on my shoulder. “Come on, sweetheart.”
“If you need anything, please let me know.”
“Thank you,” I said to Annabelle. She gave me a worried smile and left. Mom waited a heartbeat before turning to me.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Besides some light physical damage, I’ll be alright.”
She nodded and gave me her own worried smile.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, and then we can talk about what happened.” Mom gently guided me to the bathroom as I limped slightly from a cut on the ball of my foot. The bright light of the bathroom was jarring after the dim glow of the living room.
“We need the first aid kit. I don’t know if we have enough bandages,” she said. “You’ll have to take a shower, too. To get the mud out of your hair.”
“Okay. Can I have some tea?”
Mom smiled. “Sure. I’ll make you some cinnamon toast, as well.” She hugged me with restraint to avoid more pain.
Looking at my beat-up appearance, I saw the dark circles my mascara left under my eyes. Hot mess over here. I pulled off the dress and rolled down the stockings. The necklace hung against my bare skin. It was the last thing I removed. Holding it in my hands, I couldn’t imagine the magnitude of this family heirloom. I got into my first fistfight over this thing. Undoubtedly, it wouldn’t be my last. I took a hot shower first, savoring the warmth on my sore body. When I dried off, my skin was rosy. I had a few scattered bruises and scrapes on my upper thigh and torso, but overall, I wasn’t as badly hurt as I had initially thought.
“Bridget, your tea is ready,” Mom said from outside the door. In my fuzzy Hello Kitty flannel pajamas, I grabbed the Amulet and ambled into the kitchen.
“I put it in the living room. I thought you’d feel more comfortable with it there than on the hard kitchen chairs,” Mom offered.
“Thanks.” I slowly moved into the next room as I breathed in the minty tea and took a nibble of the toast. Mom poured herself a mug and joined me on the couch.
“So, tell me what happened,” she said gently.
I handed her the Amulet. Mom took the necklace in her hand and drank it in; her eyes traced the lines of the black outline. “This is it, isn’t it?”
