 
 Catching Temptation 

Catching Temptation

In Darkness She Fades Series

Book One

By

Sarah Erber

Copyright © 2014 by Sarah Erber

All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States.

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

North Charleston, North Carolina

First paperback edition April 2014.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014903430

ISBN 978-1-4959-3338-7 (pbk)

ISBN 978-0-615-96533-8 (e-book)

Visit my facebook page at www.facebook.com/saraherberbooks.

Book cover partial image © Yuganov Konstantin/shutterstock.com
For my mother, Louann,

Who encouraged me to keep writing,

And

To my sister, Ruthann,

For helping me write the song, Alice Demented

Acknowledgments

I've been fortunate to have a very supportive family who has cheered me on from the first day I began writing. To the blueboarders on Verla Kay's Message Board, the overwhelming encouragement and dedication to each other is priceless. To author Talia Vance on the blueboards, who believed in Temptation, and encouraged me to keep seeking publication. My sister, who helped me create Temptation's song, Alice Demented, from a short poem I wrote as a teenager. To my two darling girls, Karma and Isis, for reminding me of the wonder and curiosity of a child's imagination, as well as the beauty of unconditional love.

Most importantly, to my favorite author Clare B. Dunkle, who took the time to give me advice over the years, and inspired me to be the author that I am today. Her dedication to her fans is truly inspiring and is something I hope to achieve for my fans. Thank you 
Table of Contents



Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................4

Prologue.......................................................................................................................................6

1 Rosewood.................................................................................................................................8

2 Rosewood High.....................................................................................................................26

3 Tormented..............................................................................................................................42

4 In Darkness She Fades........................................................................................................58

5 The Laws of Rosewood.......................................................................................................74

6 Friends & Enemies...............................................................................................................92

7 Five Minutes........................................................................................................................124

8 Auditions & Accusations..................................................................................................148

9 Halloween Masquerade Ball............................................................................................167

10 Jenkins' Secret..................................................................................................................187

11 Stricken..............................................................................................................................202

12 Reviving Memories..........................................................................................................232

About the Author..................................................................................................................244

Works in Progress................................................................................................................245

Prologue

Airbags explode. My body is in agony as the car rolls down the hill. Sheets of music sail throughout the car. For a brief moment, everything remains airborne. A travel mug crunches against my nose. Glass shatters everywhere and falls like hail. It stings my body. My opera dress disappears out of a broken window. Mom's body keeps jerking without the protection of her seat belt. The roof slams against the ground and teeters back and forth, creating a moan.

Gasoline fumes overpower the air.

Heat scorches my skin as my long white hair dangles to the roof. Mom's sprawled out form lays motionless beneath Dad who is still buckled to the passenger seat.

"M-Mom!" I untangle myself from the seat belt and land at an awkward angle. It hurts to move...to breathe. I stretch my fingers toward Mom's henna tattooed hand. It's my fault. Hot tears stream down my cheeks.

Cackles and a strong scent of pine surround me. A rough voice whispers my name, "Temptation..."

Panic rises into my chest. I grip my parent's lifeless hands. Scoping out all of the exits, I cannot subdue the tremors shooting through my body, nor can I suppress a nameless fear I have developed over the past month. An invisible pain keeps haunting me and returns stronger every day, like the moon that keeps coming back bigger and bigger, until it reaches its peak, and brings out the madness in broken humans.

My peak contains monsters.

Flames lick at the exits. Gnarled hands, the texture of rough tree bark, grip my ankles, hauling me out of the car, and into the darkness of the forest.

Collapsing lungs voids me of speech. I dig my nails into the cool earth, in attempt to stop the monsters from taking me from my family. I long to fight back, but my broken body refuses to move. Dry pine needles pierce my skin as the monsters drag me across the ground. The cold October air replaces the heat from the fire. Ashes dust the sky, stealing the beauty of the starry night.

The hands release me on a bed of dried leaves.

Gasping.

Inhaling.

My lungs are struggling to work properly. Sucking in one giant breath for a final attempt at life, my world swirls, but before the darkness can claim me, an ugly monster wearing a strange mask constructed of bones, leans over my broken body. My breath escapes my bloody lips in a gurgled scream. Heart wavering in its rhythmic beating, I feel my eyes bulge.

The monster grins.

I die.
Chapter One

Rosewood

I hate cars. Cars lead to accidents, accidents lead to hallucinations, hallucinations lead to doctors, and doctors prescribe visits to psychiatric hospitals. The car jolts as it hits a dry pothole on West Ironwood Drive. Closing my eyes, I try meditating to block my panic attack.

I touch the keychain photo clipped to my purse of my best friend, Karma Linn. My skin will never retain a milky white glow which Karma possesses. Instead, the Indian blood I inherited from my late mother gives my skin a tanned glow. Mom would always mention how lucky I am to have eyes, the color of jade. I would have been a goddess in India, especially because of my natural white hair; a genetic trait from dad.

Eyes flickering to my reflection in the window, I wonder – if mom were still alive – would she recognize me now that I have purple contacts and the top half of my hair dyed black. Another jolt from the car causes me to dig my nails into the seat.

"Why do we have to move to Michigan? I liked Virginia."

"For the last time, Nathaniel, stop your silly whining. Your father wanted to move here and we agreed."

"Pft! You mean you agreed."

"Daniel, don't you start either." Aunt Sally adjusts her rear-view mirror and spots her teenage son mumbling insults. He shakes his hair that resembles a haystack drenched in rainwater.

I tug my plastic earphones out. They tap against my earrings. The light beat of a song from my favorite belly dancing music, pulses against my neck. "Can you tell us what city–?"

"No. I'm not telling you what city we're moving too, because you'll all complain about how boring it'll be."

I attempted to get this information out of Aunt Sally before we left Urbanna, but Aunt Sally insisted on not saying a word. Karma helped me buy a pre-paid cell phone, so at least we could keep in touch. The mystery of what town I am going to live in sucks, similar to going on a blind date. Not knowing what to expect, entices endless possibilities.

"Whatever." Daniel crosses his arms over his football jersey and relaxes in his seat. The leather beneath him makes the sound of tape ripping off skin. "Are we there yet?"

"We should be coming up to the town anytime." Aunt Sally sighs and adjusts her stylish bangs to one side of her wide forehead.

"Good," Daniel says, "driving for two days in the car sucks ass."

"Watch your language. I don't want Nathaniel learning that kind of slang."

I flip my black hair over my shoulders and smirk at Aunt Sally's scolding. It never fails. Whenever we take a trip, whether to the grocery store or out of town, it always ends up in a fight along the way. Though Nathaniel is only nine, he knows more curse words than Aunt Sally. Dipping my hand into my Indy bag, I pop out a piece of gum.

A freckled hand snatches it away. Daniel stuffs the gum in his mouth and sneers at me.

"I hope it gets stuck in your braces." I punch out another tiny piece. Chewing on the bubblemint gum, my mind drifts. Occupying the same space as my cousins has major disadvantages. Yesterday, Daniel reenacted the car crash with his younger brother's Hot Wheel cars, complete with dead Lego people. If only dad had another brother or sister, then I would not be stuck with these brats. Once upon a time, I used to think people showed sympathy for an orphan, not repulsion.

"Mom, Daniel won't stop touching me!"

Daniel kicks the back of Nathaniel's seat, causing him to jolt forward. "Snitch!"

"Daniel, will you please leave your brother alone. You're fifteen-years-old and you still act like a two-year-old – there's the sign for the town. Finally."

Out of the tinted glass, I spot a sign resembling an aged tombstone. Spidery vines devour most of the crumbly stone. I squint to make out the words beneath the twisted vegetation.

Welcome to Rosewood.

I freeze. The first time I heard the word, Rosewood, came from a dream I had while the doctors tried to save me from a suicide attempt.

In the dream, my world is immersed in darkness with chrome outlining objects. A mass of chrome fire glows from the upturned car. Beautiful embers float through the October night air. Creatures in bone masks gather around a body on the ground.

My body.

Their lips whisper a curse in my ear as they pour a shining liquid down my throat.

My body on the ground twitches, before my eyes open. I watch myself scream. The memory of the old monster's body bent over me still makes my breath stop. His words are something I will never forget.

"Silus will be pleased. She be da one ta free us." A flash of his pearly teeth when he speaks catches the sliver of moonlight through the old trees.

I am like a ghost watching a past memory. It terrorizes me even while I try to die.

A figure of a tall masked creature emerges from the blazing fire. Double the size of ordinary monsters, with a more distinguishable human body, he carries an unsettling power around him. He is a God among the monsters.

I remember closing my eyes to seal out the devilish vision.

His rough hands move in gentle circles against the skin on my back. The monster's embrace is warm and comforting. I could rest forever in these arms.

As I wrap my arms around his wide chest, I breathe in the scent of pine trees. A familiar scent, but I cannot recall where I last inhaled the intoxicating aroma.

The image of my body and the impish creatures fades, so nothing but a sea of darkness exists.

His voice, rich and deep, rumbles against my forehead. "I've waited a long time for someone like you, Temptation."

My eyes flutter open.

His grip tightens. "Why did you try to kill yourself?"

Something is not right. I am waking up.

"I need you alive. Rosewood needs you."

I try to pull away. I want to stay asleep, but he is making me wake up.

He grips my waist with one stout arm and removes his mask with his other. Silvery outlining defines the sharp features of his high cheekbones and strong jaw. Pointed ears poke out of his hair. He drops the mask and it disappears into the swirling blackness, but I do not notice. No monster could ever be so beautiful and frightening. His fingernail follows the curve of my jaw. Invisible electricity flows from the tip. He tilts my chin up. "I'll not lose you, Temptation. I'll keep bringing you back. You cannot die. Free me." As his lips touch mine, the death spell over me breaks. Sounds rush around me and the clean scent of a hospital replaces the smell of pine against the monster's skin. I do not want to go; I long to stay with the strange man. He is different from the others.

He cares.

My eyes flutter away the memory. I found it and "it" is not another monster after all, but a simple town. My fingers ache to dial Karma's number. Of course, impossibility presents itself, because calling my best friend and saying, "I figured out the monster's riddle," will kill any chance of proving my sanity to Aunt Sally.

Zooming past the sign, trees on both sides of the curved road loom over the car like cloaked reapers. The wild tops of the maple trees rock back and forth as if bidding travelers a mournful farewell. A stone wall and an archway line the base of the forest. It looks ancient. Thick moss covers large areas of the wall. Movement beyond the archway demands my attention to the forest floor.

Shrieking and jolting sideways, I cause Daniel to slam against the car door.

Aunt Sally screams and swerves the car into the opposite lane. Her French-tipped nails dig into the steering wheel as she attempts to straighten out the car. After a few zigzags, her foot slams on the brake. "Good grief, Temptation! What's wrong? Are you having flashbacks again?"

Daniel shoves me off his shoulders, bumping my head against the window.

"B-Back there in the woods. A creature wearing a strange mask – a bone mask."

Silence stretches for a few seconds before Daniel scoffs. "Hold up a minute," he says, "you mean you almost caused us to have a car accident because you're seeing things? Are you popping pills again? I don't care if you still want to kill yourself, but I have better things to do than play chicken with death."

"Enough, you two. Temptation, it's probably a trick of the light. A mirage." Aunt Sally's chest drops with a sigh. "Let's forget about it. Besides, there's the town up ahead."

"I swear to God, if she starts acting weird like she did at our last school, I'm telling the school counselor."

I punch the leather seat. It leaves a light imprint of my zodiac ring. "I'm not crazy!"

"Right." Daniel snorts. "Seeing monsters isn't crazy."

"I said enough you two!"

Daniel crosses his arms. I lean my forehead against the warm window. Reaching for the gold locket dangling around my neck, I twirl the thin chain between my fingers. I salvaged it from the accident. To me, the locket signifies a last gift from my parents.

I thought by moving, I would stop seeing the creatures. Stop hearing their dark whispers. Over the last ten months, I trained myself to ignore their stares.

The creature in the archway looked stranger than the others did. It possessed a human edge to its features. It wore a bone mask. I have not seen one like that since the accident. The decision to ignore the creature came easy. Dark Temptation rules my life. Sweet Temptation died months ago.

Shops flash past in a colorful blur, snapping me from my trance. Strange. Nobody is roaming the town.

Aunt Sally turns left to Weeping Willow Road. An abandoned gas station decorated with poor graffiti stands on the left corner, while a Victorian house in the shape of a Gothic castle, complete with gargoyles, stands on the right corner. Despite the lack of mortal bodies, I secretly enjoy the idea of living in a secluded area. From the signs mounted on the highway, all the major cities start at least fifty miles from Rosewood, Michigan. No psychologists here; only my freedom.

I smile and crane my neck for a better view of the manor. My fascination with the old house twists into dread. I swear I just saw one of the gargoyles move. Squinting at the stone wings darkened from the angle of the sun, I think that whoever created these beasts possessed a good eye for detail. The gargoyle's granite skin glistens in the sunlight.

Passing a few rusted mailboxes with missing numbers, we drive down the quiet street. Forest brush, giant oaks, and maple trees cover most of the scenery. Even though the windows are up, I can hear the leaves of the trees rustling together. Victorian houses, in desperate need of repainting, pop in and out of sight. Many of them display "for sale" signs. I squint into the trees near the vacant homes and notice huts carved out of logs the size of large doghouses. Carvings of faces cover every inch of the huts.

Weird.

Hippies must live in town. I remember going to a carnival as a child and meeting an old hippie artist. He carved the most amazing designs on old logs, willow branches, and even a whale's tooth.

Aunt Sally slows the car and swerves onto a cracked driveway. An old Victorian-styled home looms in front of the car. Broken windows and chipped wooden siding accentuates the poor condition of the home. The overgrown vegetation in the yard bends with every gust of wind.

"Here we are – home sweet home!"

My cousins and I gawk at Aunt Sally as if she suddenly sprouted horns and a tail, while announcing her undying love for anarchists.

"Aunt Sally, please tell me you're joking."

"Yeah, Mom. What's up with the dump?" Daniel leans over the passenger's seat to get a proper view. "You said we'd be moving into a mansion. Even Dracula wouldn't live in this house."

"Good grief, stop complaining. I know the outside needs some work, but the inside is beautiful, and I'm surprised at you, Temptation. I thought you liked these kinds of houses."

A figure lurks past the upstairs window.

No.

Not there. Not there. I blink the image away. "I do, but this house doesn't feel–" An indescribable chill tickles my shoulders. Somehow, someway, I know someone is watching me through the sunroof. Past the dirt and grime collected on the second story window stands a dark outline of a man. "Lock the doors!"

"Temptation!"

"Someone's in the house. In the upstairs window."

"See, Mom. This house sucks." Daniel launches into the conversation, ignoring the fact that I just hallucinated again. "Let's–"

"Shut up," shouts Aunt Sally. She tugs the keys out of the ignition. "I've had enough! Everyone out of my car and start carrying things into the house. I don't want to hear another word from any of you."

"But–"

"Temptation, those windows are covered in moss, dirt, and God knows what else; there's no way you could see anything through them. If you keep this up, I'll have you tested for drugs again. If this is a desperate attempt for attention, you need to get over it. Everyone out of my car!"

Daniel and Nathaniel curse under their breath while trudging out of the car. Daniel shoves my shoulder. "Way to go, Temptation, you pissed Mom off."

"She's your mother, not mine." Thank the Gods, I'm not related her by blood. I grab my over-the-shoulder backpack and hop out of the car. Silky hair spills down to my waist like a broken bottle of ink flowing over sand. Raking my fingers through my hair, I follow behind my cousins. The scent of pine carries on the light wind. As I cross under the porch, Aunt Sally sticks an old-fashioned key into the rusted keyhole. The dark metal around the keyhole depicts a screaming demon.

I hug myself. A few strands of black hair sliced through my view of the door.

Aunt Sally jiggles the brass handle. The door does not budge. With a slight bump of her thigh against the wooden door, it squeaks open. The horrible sound mimics nails scraping against a chalkboard. She disappears into the stale-scented house. A singular cloud crosses over the sun, shadowing the porch and yard.

I swipe the scent from my nose and follow behind my cousins into the hot living room. I almost forget the dark creatures. Almost. Textured wallpaper designs in brilliant red and gold cover the adjoining walls. Over the fireplace, in the corners, and around the built-in bookcases, pieces of torn wallpaper stick out. Aged furniture pokes out from underneath white sheets layered in dust. Odd paintings of women in elegant gowns hang on the walls. I stare hard at their faces. Their eyes look so wild; so dangerous. I flip on the light switch. A decorative mask lays on the fireplace mantel.

Aunt Sally hauls her thick luggage into the kitchen, while the boys run upstairs to find the largest bedrooms. The floorboards moan overhead. Particles of dust twinkle when falling through the rays of sunlight penetrating the windows. Aunt Sally sneezes in the other room. "We'll have to clean the ceilings, too."

I halt at the mantel. Mesmerized by the pearl-white mask, I run my fingertips along the silky feathers. Tiny diamonds outline the cutout eyes. "Gorgeous."

My black fingernails grip the mantel. Lint-like dust and a tiny spider twitch in an attempt to escape my fingers. Lifting my filthy hand to my face, I grimace, and wipe it on my torn jeans.

I reach for the mask, but then halt. As I observe the mask's unique artistry, a disturbing fact troubles me. Not a speck of dust lies on the mask. Gently raising the mask to my eye-level, I wonder if someone broke into the house and left it. My nervous laughter echoes off the walls. No. Shaking my head of the stupidity of the idea, I decide the Real Estate agent might have left it here or possibly the last owners. The images of my stalkers resurface. Shaking my head, I growl. "Get a grip, Temptation. Nothing's in here. I'm starting over."

I abandon the mask back on the mantel and stroll into the kitchen. My coined hip scarf pings across my hips. Mahogany cabinets, tile countertops, and modern stainless steel appliances instantly crush my negative attitude toward the old home. An antique red stove with gold trimming stands in the corner and adds character to the kitchen, along with the multi-toned stone flooring.

"How do you like it?" Aunt Sally asks, holding her hands together in a prayer-like motion against her red lips. "I am, of course, going to have granite counter-tops installed, but the rest of it only needs cleaning. Outside needs a little work. The broken windows will be replaced this week. Your uncle said someone should be out this afternoon to cut the grass."

"That's fast." I amble around the room in awe of the beauty of the ancient house. "How can you and Uncle Jack afford this place? The outside needs some work, but most of the appliances are worth a lot of money."

"Actually, we were lucky." Aunt Sally bustles around the kitchen, opening cabinets and searching for abandoned treasures. Her high-heels click every time she takes a step. "After your uncle received his new position in the company, they awarded him with a small bonus, and well...we entertained the idea of living in a small town. Not as much crime and you've more of a supportive community. This house had been empty and on the market for years and the seller wanted to get rid of it for almost any price."

My eyebrows arch, causing the tiny crystals, and bindi tattoo on my lower forehead to rise. "It didn't strike you as a little odd?"

Aunt Sally picks up an old figurine and begins rubbing the dirt off with her thumb. "The agent assured us it wasn't selling because of the real estate market. I suppose they don't get many new townspeople often and when they do, the newcomers aren't seeking a huge house to settle into. A colleague at your uncle's work said it's a wonderful place to raise a family."

"Who was the colleague?"

"Alfred Blare, I believe."

Footsteps stomp down the staircase, causing the cameo-style paintings on the wall to shake. Daniel and Nathaniel jump down the last few stairs and sprint into the kitchen.

"We found our rooms and they're awesome!"

"Wonderful!" Aunt Sally claps her hands together. The motion reminds me of valley-girls on Hollywood reality shows. "Why don't you go find your room, Temptation?"

"We already found it and you're gonna love it." Daniel yanks me toward the staircase.

"Joyness." While ascending the stairs, the railing feels sleek and wavy under my palm like the spirals on a unicorn's horn. At the top of the stairs, the two boys lead me into a cobweb hallway. I cringe at the sight of twitching spiders. They dip up and down from the ceiling, using their threads like bungee cords.

"Why'd you stop?" Nathaniel crosses his arms over his printed T-shirt. He rolls his head backward and stares up at the ceiling. Hundreds of tiny eyes gleam across the ceiling and walls. They sparkle like stars in the darkness – beautiful from far away, but dangerous up close.

"Temptation's afraid of spiders! Temptation's afraid of spiders!"

"Shut up." I maneuver my body around the cobwebs. The fat spiders twiddle their barbed legs an inch over the top of my hair.

Daniel thrusts out his arms to try and trap me in the hall. I shove his freckled arms out of the way and hurry to the door at the end of the hall. I wait for the boys to catch up.

Daniel opens the door and steps inside with Nathaniel glued to his side.

I follow through the doorway and brace myself. A click comes from behind. Light illuminates the bedroom.

"Ta-da! You get the smallest room in the house." Daniel retreats into hallway. Nathaniel snickers and follows behind him. Their echoes dull.

The narrow shape of the room makes it appear small to the eye. All the furniture is hidden beneath white tarps. A few paintings lean against the Victorian wallpaper which is a deep shade of red wine. Dust-bunnies collect on the floor, in the corners of the room, and on the tarps. I sigh at the amount of work to be done. Allowing my head to drop backward against the doorframe, I gasp. A magnificent chandelier hangs overhead, sparkling from the rays of the artificial sunlight.

"Temptation!"

I jump at Aunt Sally's scream. "What?"

"Start bringing your boxes up to your room."

"In a minute." A covered object, about six feet tall, catches my eye. Arm outstretched, I tug at the cloth. "Creepy."

The painting portrays a grand ballroom with hundreds of people dressed up in elaborate shades of violet, crimson, and gold. The people wear skeletal masks.

It must be a coincidence.

In the middle of the dancers, a man in a white mask gazes out of the painting. His skin shines like bronze and his pool of black hair flows to his shoulders. "Hmm," I stoop down to study his arched smile and handsome features. "He's kinda hot in a freaky sort of way," I mumble, taking note of his eyes, black as coal, shining through the mask. Maybe it's part of the mask.

I absorb the whole painting one last time. It looks so Gothic. Like a morbid masquerade. Reaching for the edge of the painting, I uproot the heavy canvas.

"Weird." Behind the canvas is a closed door. Wonder if this is the closet? Grasping the cool doorknob, I push, and then grope the wall until the light switch pokes my hand.

For a moment, I forget to breathe. A bathroom with marble floors ends at a claw-foot bathtub. Lavish curtains shimmer in the light, even with dust and cobwebs. A decorative oval mirror hangs above a golden sink.

I stare at my mirror image. I do not like viewing my reflection for very long. It is too painful. Though my skin is not as dark as moms, my features favor mom.

"Miss you, Mom."

The lights black out.

Crap. Why is the electricity going out?

The bedroom door squeaks. I take a step. It slams shut, abandoning me to complete darkness. "Dammit Daniel, can't you leave me alone for two freakin' minutes?" At the bathroom doorway, I blindly ambled into my bedroom. I fumble to find the light switch. The small bump flips up.

Nothing happens.

"Crap."

Using the wall as my guide, I find my bedroom door. I turn the cool knob. It will not open. "What kind of house has the locks on the outside of the door? Those drapes must be as thick as denim to keep the room so dark during the day." I attempt to maneuver my way across the room, but stub my toes against the bedpost in the process. I curse and limp closer to the draped windows.

A pair of eyes shines in the darkness.

A cold hand captures my scream, while an arm seizes my waist. I never met a monster who takes on the physical body of a man. The creatures stalk, mock, and threaten me, but they never touch me like this except for the monster in my dreams.

The monster removes his hand from my mouth.

"Get away from me!"

He does not heed my command. The arm gripping my waist remains strong, but gentle.

Shivers travel over my body. "Are you with the masked monster I saw in the forest today?"

"Monster?" His voice hikes, creating a rich, deep tone full of amusement.

I heard his voice before in the past. The smell of pine wafts from his skin.

"Is that what you think we are?" He strokes a stray hair away from my face, proving his spectrum of sight in the darkness. I despise the loss of my vision. The urge to run generates a prickling sensation over my entire body.

"What do you want?" My coined hip scarf clangs when he tugs me harder against his chest. The aroma of wet earth fills my nostrils when the strong creature bends his head to whisper into my ear.

"Do not fear me, Temptation. I've been watching you. Only you can help me. Save me."

"Temptation!"

The arm uncoils from my waist. His fingertips linger on my neck. The next second the chandelier lights illuminate my bedroom once again. I blink at the place where the monster's eyes had appeared. He is gone. The drapes billow as if a breeze swept through the room. Chest shuddering, I back up until I hit the bedpost. He had been watching me. At my vanity, I gaze at my shaken reflection. Save him. Save him from what?

"Temptation Belladonna Falls, quit being lazy, march your butt down here, and grab your boxes!"

Aunt Sally's voice jogs me back into reality. Irritation allows my muscles to work. "I'm coming!" I growl and then mutter, "Hold your stampede of horses." Abandoning my thoughts, I escape with one fearful glance at the empty room. Karma is so going to freak out!
Chapter Two

Rosewood High

"I can't believe it either," I declare into my cell phone. "To think Rosewood is a place and not a person. I feel stupid."

Karma laughs on the other end. "At least you found it, right? Wish I could be there with you."

"Least we can still talk. What do you think I should do?" Karma and I discussed on numerous occasions what questions we would ask Rosewood, but that plan is dead.

"I guess you'll have to try and find your dream monster. Ask him what he needs saving from. You'd better be careful. These creatures sound different from the ones we're used to."

"They are different. I thought he was going to laugh at me when I called him a monster."

"So you have another question; what is he? Make a list. I'll think up a few more questions. You sound like you're out of breath. What are you doing?"

"Crunches."

"Seriously? I thought you stopped doing them before bed."

"It's the only thing that helps me sleep. If I wear myself out, I won't have nightmares of the accident."

Our flow of words pauses.

"It wasn't your fault."

"That's what I hear."

"Mom's calling me for dinner. Call me when you start school. Hope it goes well for you."

"Me too." I do not want Karma to leave, but I say, "Bye."

Karma hangs up.

I collapse on my four-poster bed and toss my cell phone on the comforter; exhausted from carrying box after box into the 3000-square-foot house. "Maybe Aunt Sally buying such a huge house wasn't a good idea after all." A thick baseball bat rests against the bedpost. I keep sweeping over the area where the monster man vanished. Shivers, similar to the feeling of carbonated liquid on my tongue, roll down my back and sizzle. The thought of demonic creatures attacking me whenever they pleased deeply disturbs me.

As I lounge on the newly made bed, the scent of the fresh linens wafts through the air. White tarps still cover the furniture. I have been so busy helping Aunt Sally with cleaning I did not have time to finish my room. A framed photograph of my parents lies on top of the veiled dresser. I stare at dad. His facial features mirror his twin brother. This fact makes it difficult for me to look at Uncle Jack. Mom, on the other hand, looks like a princess from an Indian fairytale. Away from the photo, a tower of boxes blocks my bedroom door. No way are those fat, freaky spiders going to invade my room while I'm sleeping.

Disgusting things.

Speaking of freaky. I stare at the drapes capturing the darkness so well. Those needed to be open.

Naked legs off the comforter, I amble over to the bulky drapes and tug on their drawstrings. The drapes part and give me a grand view of the front lawn. The shadows of the night devour most of the yard, except where it touches the gravel road. The streetlights flicker when hypnotized bugs ram into their intoxicating glow. Closer to the window, I stumble – almost falling. "What the heck?"

A dusty tarp covers an object in front of the half-circle of windows. I lift it. Dust clouds the air like baby powder, sparkling with flecks of silver when the streetlight from below hits the particles. Swiping the dust away, my other hand rests on a window seat decorated with a couple of lavish pillows in different hues of purple. "Wicked! My room freakin' rocks." The drapes billow, reminding me of my uninvited visitor. "Well, kind of." His feral eyes enter my thoughts. Those eyes, shining in the darkness, possess a frightening promise of abduction.

Still enraptured with the unexpected treasure and foreboding memories, a sharp howl of the wind derails my attention. My head snaps up at the faint cackles of children's laughter. The frost from my breath spreads out across the glass. Forehead pressing against the cool glass, I stare down at the road and expel an uncontrolled shriek. Out in the middle of the street are five teenage boys on motorcycles. Their blank stares shine in the streetlight like an animal's eyes. They are not human, nor are they monsters.

The pale boy at the front of the line grins like a devil with a contract. He inclines his head to me in a mock bow. His bleached hair glows as if it were a spiked halo.

He never blinks.

None of the boys do.

Revving up his engine, he speeds off in the direction of town. The other boys follow and the unsettling laughter dissipates along with them, abandoning me to the music of crickets.

The bedroom door flies open. The empty boxes guarding the door sail across the room, hitting me like dodge balls. I jerk around, knocking my head against the window, and emitting another horrifying shriek. Dammit, is everyone trying to put me back in the mental institution.

"What's the matter, Crazy? Did the big bad spider – whoa!" Daniel spots the luxurious window seat. "I didn't know this room had one of those."

A trickle of pleasure rolls down my spine at Daniel's covetous gaze. "Guess what else I have, genius?" Away from the fogging window, I stroll over to the bathroom door. "Ta-Da," I say, mimicking Daniel's earlier choice of words.

"I don't have my own bathroom. This is my room."

"Nope. Too bad. You had first choice and you graciously gave it to me." Fluttering my eyelashes, I ruffle his hair as I would a puppy dog. "You're such a sweet guy."

His freckled lips part to protest further, but Aunt Sally strides into the bathroom.

"Wha–?" Aunt Sally touches her mouth. "This is beautiful! I had no idea this room came with a bathroom."

"I found it when I moved a few things around. I also have a window sea–"

"Mom, it's not fair. Me and Nathaniel should have this room!" Daniel stomps his foot.

My hands ache to slap him. Sometimes I wonder how he ever made it into high school.

"It's Nathaniel and I – and why are you complaining? You boys have the largest room in the house and there's a perfectly fine bathroom across from your room."

"But–"

"Leave your cousin alone. It's time to go to bed anyway. It's almost midnight and Nathaniel is passed out on the couch."

Daniel's glare weaves an invisible tale of murder. Aunt Sally places a hand on his shoulder and steers him out of the room.

Contentment swells in my chest. Though I dislike Aunt Sally, she does not act like a wicked stepmother from a fairytale. The covered furniture teases my curiosity. I grasp the cloth nearest to me and slide it off.

"Wow!" A wooden dresser, hand-carved with angels and demons, has luminous mirrors on each drawer. They glitter in the chandelier light. A mirror lay across the top of the red-mahogany dresser. Though the carvings are beautiful, the carved demons kill the mood of the whole room. Beneath a separate cotton cloth, reveals a vanity with the same carvings and mirrors as the dresser. It is awesome compared to pressed wood bookcases and cheap dressers that I am used too. I stare at my reflection. My hair stops at my waist and matches my bohemian tank top and jeans airbrushed with tribal designs similar to henna tattoos.

A smile forms on my blood-red lips. The jeans, a gift from Karma, warded off many impish creatures in Urbanna. Hopefully it will keep working in Rosewood.

A burly object in the shadow-laden corner catches my attention. I move away from the vanity. The object draws me nearer like a magnetic pull. I yank on the cloth. A wardrobe, matching the rest of the bedroom furniture, almost touches the ceiling. Its doors creak. I grip the sleek knob and peer inside.

Shining eyes leap out.

Too startled to invoke any sound, I shut my eyes and lift my arms to ward off my predator.

Nothing.

No roaming hands or even breath caress my tingling skin. A tiny sound, similar to the beat of a ceiling fan, stops at the window. The small creature spread its' wings, desperate to escape the bedroom.

I relax. "Crap, I'm going to have high blood pressure before I even turn twenty." I march over to the creature cowering next to the window. As I open the window, it flies off into the night. "Stupid bats." I kneel on the window seat and lean against the frame. "Guess they're better than spiders, though."

The wind whistles through the cracked window, reminding me of my strange moment with the motorcycle gang. "Probably the town's wannabe bad-asses," I speak my thoughts aloud. Tomorrow ends my last day of freedom before school. Friends are fine, but minimal attachments mean an easier life. I do not want to get hurt again. Everyone dies. Nothing is timeless.

The following day Daniel and Nathaniel run off after lunch, leaving the majority of the unpacking to Aunt Sally and I. Uncle Jack calls mid-afternoon and, to Aunt Sally's dissatisfaction, says he will be arriving in a couple of weeks. By suppertime, we finish hauling the white tarps off the furniture.

After a filling supper of fried chicken and biscuits, I stumble up to my bedroom. Following a long bath, I slip beneath the crisp sheets of my bed. The house hums lullabies and whistles tunes to lull its sleeping occupants into a dreamy wonderland. I love the idea of having the most individual room in the old-fashioned house, but the noise makes me uneasy. I toss and turn most of the night. Waking up several times to the sound of creaking, I swear I heard footsteps. Once or twice, I thought someone breathed across the side of my neck. I only manage to sleep with the light on and a baseball bat tucked underneath one arm. When the morning sun bursts through my window, I realize the source of the strange breathing came from a cracked window I forgot to close.

I fumble to dress myself for the first day of school. My nerves kick in. "Stop it," I say to my stomach. "You'll only make it worse for me."

In front of the mirrors on the wardrobe, I inspect my black outfit. D-rings and chains hang from my pants, complimenting my corset-style shirt with long bell sleeves. I decide to leave my hair down and use natural toned make-up, except for my eyelids, which I dust with a shimmering silver powder and black eyeliner. If my unapproachable clothing does not scare people, I know the bindi tattoo across my forehead will. It practically screams pagan. "Wonder if I'm setting myself up to be crucified."

"More like you're ready burn at the stake," Daniel drones from the doorway. "Are you trying to terrify everyone at school? I hope you realize I'm going to school too and I don't want your freak reputation." He stomps down the hallway, forcing the wiggling spiders to flee for their lives.

The ceilings tower so high above Aunt Sally's head, she had to spare a few spiders and their webs when she cleaned the hallway the other day. If Daniel keeps up his temper-tantrums, I will not have to worry about slaying those rogue spiders.

A little fly buzzes in graceful movements in the air, oblivious to its surroundings. With another twirl, it rams into a spider's web; caught forever in the tangled simplicity of a net. It will never escape the death trap. The tragedy may have been avoided, if only the little insect paid attention to the danger all around his world. I marvel at the irony of how the flies' life equals my own.

I swing my Indy bag over my shoulder and dash downstairs. As I enter the kitchen, I notice Daniel's expression.

Crap, here it comes.

"Mom, make her change! I don't want people to give me crap–"

"Daniel–!"

"–because she can't be normal."

"Your normal and my normal are two completely different things. If you don't like the way I look, make up a last name, and say we're not related," I say. "Our skin color is entirely different anyway. I doubt people would even be able to tell I had a white father."

"Absolutely not!" Aunt Sally cuts into our argument. "You shouldn't be ashamed of your father, Temptation, and you do look white. What's wrong with–?"

"She has a point," Daniel says, to everyone's amazement. "But I have a better idea. I'll tell everyone you're adopted."

"Daniel!"

"Works for me."

Aunt Sally blinks at me, apparently lost for words. Nathaniel breaks the tension when he points out the time. Ten minutes until school starts. Within one minute, everyone loads up in the car and we speed into town.

"Great. We still have to register." Daniel checks his hair in the passenger mirror. He attempted to tame his haystack hair with gel, but managed to make it look like thousands of tiny needles poking out of his head. He plays the part of a celebrity pop star well.

My muscles tense and ache with a burning desire to yank Daniel's head back. The idea of him not having everything the way he wanted scores as an unobtainable pleasure.

Daniel gives himself a satisfied smirk in the mirror.

The car arrives at Rosewood High School. Daniel and I hurry out. We shut the car doors and Aunt Sally drives off to Nathaniel's school, leaving the two of us in a cloud of suffocating dirt and crushed gravel. I swat the dirt from my clothes while Daniel rushes to the school with a harsh warning to, "Stay away from me!" He struts to the school doors and disappears behind them.

With a doubtful frown, I amble up to the front doors and step into the dully-lit hallway. Pleased to see multiple lines at the registration booths, I wait at the nearest one to the exit. The damning eyes of the female students cause my fears to rise. No friends will come from this crowd. Daniel slouches in the back of a line talking to a couple of guys dressed like heavy metal rock stars.

"What a little hypocrite," I mutter.

Only the side profiles of the two guys are visible, but I immediately know they are twins. Shoulder-length hair feathers out around their faces. The singular distinct difference between them is one has lightning orange hair and the other, onyx hair.

Daniel and the twins roar with laughter.

I cannot contain a budding twinge of jealousy toward my cousin. A few girls behind me whisper and cackle to each other. It appears they think I cannot hear their mock whispers. They are dead wrong.

"Look at the way she's dressed."

"–Probably worships the devil or some Hindu God–"

"–Jenkins is going to have his hands full with this one."

Their whispers confirm my fears of prejudges toward new students. In the crowd, I cannot see a difference between any of the girls. No Goth chicks. This sucked.

"Next!"

I step forward, inspecting the older woman sitting behind the cheap foldout table. Her gray hair frames her oval face, while a pair of tiny spectacles rests on the tip of her pinched nose.

"Mercy – look at you!" The old woman removes her reading glasses to get a better look at me. Her nails, the color of dirt and mustard, distract me from the taunts of the crowd. "I declare, this is the first time in years since we've had someone who has shown a spark of individuality. Love the nose ring. Unfortunately, it's not allowed to be worn in school, but I'll not make you remove it. It's not my job." She winks. "By the way, I'm Mrs. Peters. I work as the librarian and after-school choir teacher. What's your full name, Dearie?"

"My – Oh." Slightly taken aback by the speed at which the old woman spoke, I shook my temporary confusion away. "Temptation Belladonna Falls. It's nice to meet you Mrs. Peters–"

"What a poisonous name. Delicious. It delivers a ring of death to it." The black haired twin speaks softly over my shoulder. The noise from the other students mutes as if someone turns the volume down so the surrounding voices are almost inaudible.

I crane my neck to observe his face, but he departs as swiftly as he arrived. The noise spikes back to normality. "Weird."

"What, Dearie?"

I jab a thumb behind me and say, "That guy is weird."

"What guy?" Mrs. Peters' eyebrows scrunch together, while observing the awaiting students in line.

"The heavy metal guy who spoke in my ear a second ago."

"I didn't see anyone. You glanced over your shoulder, but no one was there. Oh! You must have heard one of the students nearby and thought they were talking to you. Happens to me all the time." Mrs. Peters smiles and extends her withered hand for my transcript papers. "Getting down to business, we'll have you registered in no time. What electives would you like to take?"

"Art. I love to draw and paint. Guess I wouldn't mind taking a dance class as long as I don't have to do anything in front of the school."

"What about choir? Do you sing at all?" Mrs. Peters pierces me with her hypnotic gray eyes.

A chilling wave of memories prickles the hairs on my skin. Flashes of the car crash speed through my mind. My sheet music for that night's performance flying all over the car, dotted with flecks of blood. "No. I'm sorry Mrs. Peters, but I'm horrible at singing."

"Shame, we needed another singer." Mrs. Peters finishes her scribbles on the paperwork. "Here's your class schedule. You will need to get your photo taken for your school ID. Please take advantage of the library; we have an excellent young adult section." She winks.

"Thank you." I abandon the foldout table and stroll over to the line for photo ID cards. Ten minutes later, I clip the ID tag on my black widow pendant. A group of skaters chill out on one of the lunch tables. Marching up to the group, I say, "What's up?"

An awkward moment of silence causes me to feel like an idiot. The skaters' blank stares do not help the numbness pumping through my veins. "Could one of you tell me where Mr. Hollenbeck's Biology class is? I'm sort of new."

"Sort of new." The girl with brown dreadlocks speaks up. A nasty smell wafts off her hair. "No. You're either new or you're not. There's no sort of about it. Dang, I'm not even that stupid when I'm stoned. Pathetic." The girl's sinister eyes square me off before disregarding me altogether.

The boys do not interfere, but their anticipation for a catfight reflects from the eagerness in their eyes.

I am not amused. "Look, miss-reeks-a-lot, I didn't come over here to get a stupid answer of what you think of me. I asked where Mr. Hollenbeck's class is. But I guess a pothead like you already smoked yourself stupid if you can't even recollect one question."

Skater girl jumps up. "I'll drain you for dinner–"

One of boys, scrawny and tall, snatches the skater girl's raised fist.

"Whelan let me go!"

Whelan ignores the fidgeting girl and points down the jammed hallway. "Go out into the courtyard in the middle of the school and you'll see the sign on one of the doors."

"Thanks." I desert the harassed skater girl to the encouragement of her friends. Abandoning the cafeteria, I stride toward the courtyard. "So much for starting over." Pulling out my phone, I insert my earphones, and tune out the material world suffocating every happy emotion left within. I do not understand why the drumming rock music calms me down, but I embraced it. Arm and hip shove the metal door, and I enter the sunlit courtyard. The chains on my pants ping together while I stride down the sidewalk. A giant maple tree shades the middle of the courtyard. A group of students congregates beneath the bushy branches. Surveying the crowd more closely, I notice Daniel in the group. A snooty-looking girl sneers in my direction. The orange-haired twin wraps his arms around the girl's waist. His eyes find mine. He smirks.

I returned my attention to seeking out the Biology classroom, ignoring the couple. Arriving at the door, I reach for the smudged handle.

"New girl!"

I freeze. Twisting my rigid body back to the gathering students, I remove the earphones.

Slightly above the crowd, the other twin lounges on the stiff bark up in the tree. He slouches forward on a curvy branch. His muscular arms bulge against the branch. No wonder he's so popular. Probably has a big...ego, too.

"If you're depressed, I know a way to make your troubles disappear." His bewitching grin seems as sweet as frosting and as deadly as poison. I know I cannot trust him.

It must be mess-with-Temptation-week. The gleam in his eyes causes a burst of blush to redden my cheeks. Daniel laughs with the rest of the crowd.

The girl with the fire-haired twin yells, "I'll give you something to make you hallucinate, then you can pretend you have friends."

The crowd snickers. Daniel shouts, "She doesn't need any help with hallucinations. Two days ago she swore she saw monsters in skeleton masks." Daniel and most of the crowd laughs; the twins, however, stare at me as if frightened and fascinated by what they heard. The brunette girl shifts and wraps the orange-haired twin's arms tighter around her pale shoulders.

The restraint in me snaps. "Go to Hell, Daniel! The rest of you can join him." I thrust the classroom door open and inwardly curse the creatures who resurrected me from the dead, as well as the monster who scolded my suicide attempts. It's not fair.
Chapter Three

Tormented

The bell rings, excusing me from the teacher's monotonous lecture. I sigh. Murmurs and tantalizing stares never cease. Several of the girls snickered behind me in class and I vowed I would start sitting in the back row to avoid their repetitive taunts.

My phone rings.

Crap. I forgot to change the ring tone to vibrate. Rushing into the nearest bathroom, I hide in one of the stalls, and check my messages.

Karma sent me the text, What's wrong? Call me.

It still amazes me that Karma knows when I am upset, even at a thousand miles away. A few months after I befriended Karma, I hit another wave of depression, and seriously debated jumping from my third-story window. Karma arrived in ten minutes with pizza and soda to drown my sorrows. Once she brought over an Ouija board when I thought about using one to talk to my parents. It ended in disaster. Turns out it is the creature's favorite tool for pranks.

I punch in Karma's number.

"Hey, is everyone really that mean to you today? I swear my heart is bleeding and turning to stone at the same time. I know it's you."

"Karma, I hate it here. These people are weird. Weirder than us in some ways."

"Who on earth could be weirder than us?"

"These twin guys. They freak me out. Everyone idolizes them."

"Typical high school jocks."

I lean against the metal stall, trying not to inhale too much. "No. They're not full Goth, but they have a Rock star edge."

"Maybe it's what's cool in Michigan. Remember you're in another state."

Voice shaking, I say, "They know something about the creatures."

Silence.

"Daniel kinda blurted out my hallucination problem in front of half of the students–"

"The little punk! Oh, I wish – no. No. Sorry. I'm not evil."

Karma carries a deep fear of wishing harm on people. I suspect the things she wishes will actually come true, but I never press the subject.

"Sorry. Had a moment. Tell me the rest."

"Everybody in the crowd laughed, but not the twins. Karma they looked scared. Like I'd discovered some huge secret."

"Maybe you did. Didn't the monster from your dream say Rosewood needed you? It might be a good idea to snoop a bit. See if you can find any info out about Rosewood's history. Never know. Might find something about witchcraft or even paranormal sightings."

"Good point."

"Are the creatures at least staying away."

I stop fiddling with my hair. "You know, I haven't seen any except for the one in the woods and the one in my bedroom. But I haven't seen them anywhere in school. I didn't even realize it."

"Guess it's a small blessing. Since I've calmed you down, I gotta go. Late for class."

"Didn't mean to get you in trouble."

"Anything for you, Temptation. Miss ya."

"Miss you, too." I stash the phone back in my bag and exit the bathroom. I stroll into the school library prior to my last class before lunch. Thousands of adventures locked away in crisp yellow and white pages greet my aching eyes. The scent of the aging books drains my problems away. My books at home are still stashed away in a box. At least one way to escape from reality without getting stoned encircles me with endless options.

Picking out a couple of books, I make my way to the checkout where Mrs. Peters greets me. "Wow! Seven books. Sure you'll be able to read these in a week?"

"Be done before the end of the week," I state, cheeks flaming with embarrassment at being a bookworm. "Fast reader."

Mrs. Peters holds up one of my books. "Paranormal Creatures: Are They Real?" She studies me over her thick reading glasses. "Interesting subject."

I began twisting the ends of my hair. Mrs. Peters' stare intimidates me, but the biker gang still holds first place in the freak-out department.

"Tell you what." Mrs. Peters hands me the books. "I own an old but one-of-a-kind novel about a very strange tale of paranormal accounts. I'll let you borrow it if you're careful with it. I have the only copy that I'm aware of."

"Are you sure? I mean – I'd love to read it, but why would you trust me with it?"

"You are very different, Temptation. And different is what this town needs; now...here's my address." Mrs. Peters hands over a business card. "I'm leaving to go home and I'll be there until six tonight. You can come by after school to pick it up."

"Cool sh– I mean, cool."

The bell rings, signaling my next torture session. I give a rushed, "good-bye," to Mrs. Peters. I deposit my books in my bent locker. Slamming it shut, I merged with the crowd. Students budge one another in an attempt to make it to their last class before lunch. The revolting aroma of perfume and musty bodies floats in the air.

Disgusting.

As I tiptoe along the side of the hall to avoid trampling feet, a backpack knocks me off balance, forcing me to grab the nearest person.

"God! Learn how to walk, Freak!"

"Sorry. Didn't see you–" Recognizing whom I collided against, I stop my apology at once.

The girl from the courtyard with the vicious attitude sneers. "Maybe you ought to get some glasses, and then we can call you a freak and a nerd."

A couple of girls giggle behind the brunette-haired girl. "Come on Victoria, you don't need to waste your voice on trash."

I open my mouth to apologize, but at the word "trash," I do not feel quite so remorseful. Victoria and her clique walk away, abandoning me in the hectic corridor. Knocking Victoria out before the end of the week now tops my list of things to do in Rosewood. Groaning, I push myself away from the wall, and resume my attempt to make it to class.

A few minutes later, I enter the speech classroom while still inwardly fuming about my uncomfortable run-in with Victoria. Gossiping voices seal my trained ears. Victoria points and laughs in my direction. I roll my eyes at the group and sink into a hard plastic seat on the opposite side of the classroom, in the darkest corner I can find.

A couple minutes later, whoops and howls erupt from the doorway. Two boys, identical except one has neon-orange hair and the other black, enter the room. They sit on either side of Victoria.

Great. My day keeps getting better and better.

Victoria smiles flirtatiously at the orange haired twin and snakes her arms around his neck. She calls me a freak, but those two look like they escaped a Las Vegas circus!

"Good morning. I'm Mrs. Kindal. Today we'll take turns introducing ourselves to the class. I want everyone to take out a piece of paper and brainstorm a speech introducing your name, how old you are, your hobbies, and most importantly, if you're new to Rosewood. Then, I'll call you to the podium to give your introductory speech. Afterward, you'll take questions from the rest of the class. Okay, any questions about the assignment?" Mrs. Kindal asks.

No one moves.

"Very well, you can begin. I'll be calling you in alphabetical order in ten minutes, starting with Miss Blare."

Dreading this might happen; I mentally began inventing wild excuses to leave the classroom. Pencils scratch against paper. The clock in the corner ticks like a countdown to doomsday. As I survey the students, my gaze lands on the black haired twin. His violet eyes narrow in on me. My stomach weighs heavy. Breathlessness brings the spidery chills across my skin.

The twin grins.

"Victoria Blare. You're the first one up."

I gasp, but quickly put a hand to my mouth. Ignoring the twin, I watch Victoria detach herself from the twins and sashay to the podium. Her stylish brunette hair accents her green eyes. She straightens her tight shirt over her short-shorts and displays a dazzling smile at the applauding class.

"Hey, everybody!" She laughs. "Thank you, thank you. I turned seventeen a week ago-"

The class applauds, while the twins whoop.

"Thank you. I moved to Rosewood a year ago and I am the top student in choir. My parents are both recruiters–"

The class erupts in cheers again.

I remain silent in the back of the class. I did not know there are any military bases near Rosewood.

"–and I've best boyfriend, Herald Jenkins. His brother, Jerald, is a great friend too." Victoria adds when Jerald pouts.

Both of the twins stand and take a bow at the applauding class.

"I'm also in charge of organizing the Halloween Mask Ball, which I promise will be entertaining, but not as much as last year because of the new people this term." Victoria briefly glances in my direction. "Any questions?"

"Oh, please." I secretly wish I had paid more attention to Karma who tried to teach me a hex last month. Even if it did not work, I would have felt better knowing I tried.

A couple of girls raise their hands. Victoria points to one of the trembling girls.

"Are you singing at the Ball again this year?"

Victoria glances at the Jenkins twins, who nod. "Of course! Who else could do better than I could? Come on people, give me some serious questions."

Another girl's hand stretches toward the ceiling.

The smile on Victoria's face falters for a split second. "What, Christine?"

"I thought Mrs. Peters is supposed to make those decisions, not you. From what I understand, she hasn't even held auditions for that honor yet."

"Victoria is singing. Period." Herald folds his hands behind his head, making the muscles along his arms bulge out. His dark glare causes the surrounding students to shift in their seats.

I stare. His eyes look different. It maybe the lighting, but they are a crimson color. Herald glances my way. I bend my head down, pretending to be engrossed with my phone.

"You can try out if you like, but everyone wants to hear a beautiful voice, not an amateur. Even with professional training, you don't compare to me. It's sad and embarrassing. Take my advice and forget about auditioning."

Victoria's mocking smile and Herald's smug expression tests my self-control. How I wish I could try out for the audition to show Victoria some humility.

But I cannot. I will not.

Those actions will attract predators and I do not want to present myself as easy prey. The teacher appears oblivious to the insulting comment directed at a flushed Christine. No more hands raise and the class applauds Victoria off the waxed stage.

When the noise calms, Mrs. Kindal calls out, "Temptation Falls."

I lock my plum eyes on the floor. I receive a small applause, followed by low murmurs as I advance to the head of the classroom. An angry hive of bees cannot compare to the buzzing going through my head when I reach the podium. To further my discomfort, I realize I left my notes on the desk. As I gaze out over the classroom, my mind goes blank.

Victoria snickers loudly.

My eyes dart to the teacher, whose best encouragement transpires as, "Hurry up, Miss Falls, we've other students waiting to do their speeches."

Blood rushes to my cheeks and the fury I felt earlier returns. "My name is Temptation Belladonna Falls–"

"Duh!" someone yells from Victoria's table. The pitiless students explode into echoing laughter. A few bugs on the ceiling, scuttle about in panic. Again, Mrs. Kindal seems too preoccupied painting her hot pink nails to notice the rude behavior of her students.

"I'm sixteen and moved to Rosewood with my family two days ago," I finish in one breath.

"Come on Miss Falls, you haven't given me five seconds, let alone five minutes of speech."

I stare at the watch on Victoria's wrist. "Five minutes." The watch resembles the one I lost in the accident. I died for five minutes in that accident. Part of me wonders if I still might be dead and I am lost in limbo.

"What are your hobbies?" Mrs. Kindal asks, using a nail file to scratch her head.

Still spellbound by the watch, I say, "I like to read."

"Nerd!" Herald coughs in his hand.

I depart from the podium. My metal D-rings clank together when I shift my way past the crowded desks. No way will I take any more of their verbal taunts.

Victoria's voice calls out from the crowd. "I heard you moved here because you went all crazy after your parents died and your last school requested you have psychiatric help."

Muttering spread out across the classroom. "How did your parents die?" someone asks.

I return to my desk. "Car crash. I survived and since then everyone seems to think I'm a walking tragedy." I bite the tip of my tongue and shake my head. "They think I'm still depressed."

"Aren't you?" Jerald asks while flipping aside his shoulder-length black hair. The corner of his mouth twists in amusement. "I mean from what your cousin told me, you suffer from hideous hallucinations."

I grit my teeth at the teasing smile stretching across his handsome face.

"You should've killed yourself. It would've made it easier on your cousin's family," Victoria says, while cuddling against Herald's chest.

Jerald frowns in Victoria's direction.

Mrs. Kindal now writes away in her journal, still oblivious to the cruel comments directed at me.

"I mean listen to you, I like to read," Victoria says. "You must bore your cousins to tears." The rest of the class snickers.

"Hey, do you only choke during a speech or is it during all extracurricular activities?" Herald sneers.

More laughter breaks out.

I do not like being taunted. I am not going to take it.

"If I choked during my speech, it's only because I was standing too close to vermin," I stare meaningful at Victoria, "and the maggots who feed off the vermin." Straightening up, I sneer with obvious disgust at the twins. "In case you haven't figured it out yet tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum, you're the maggots who only have a taste for trash."

Every student in the classroom sucks in their breath and silently watches the twins' reactions.

"Trash!" Victoria jumps to her feet. The twins remain motionless with shock. Guess they are not used to a girl putting them in check.

"Enough, Miss Falls!" Mrs. Kindal's wild eyes mirror the fury in my heart.

I whirl around, "It's interesting how they can mock the death of my parents, try to persuade me to commit suicide, say cruel sexual jokes, and you don't seem to have a problem with them," I say to Mrs. Kindal.

"I think you need to leave my classroom and visit the guidance counselor Miss Falls. You obviously have a problem with authority and with lying. Out of my classroom!"

I toss my backpack over my shoulder and say, "Happily," before ramming into the exit door. When the heavy wooden door closes behind me with a loud bang, two tears fall on my cheeks. At least I did not let them see me cry. The counselor's door, located in the middle of the hallway, arouses a pit of anger in me. The counselors at the mental institution Uncle Jack forced me to go to, acted so eager to help, but I understood the games they played. Karma's mother is a counselor at my old school in Urbanna, Virginia. Karma warned me never to reveal any information about the creatures. Never trust a counselor, is what Karma said.

Not wasting a minute, I march to the entrance of the school. The old librarian came to mind. Mrs. Peters told me to come by after school, but I do not want to wait. Checking my black-widow pendant around my neck, I note the time in the spider's red spot. Twenty minutes until lunch starts. It should be enough time.

Down the cracked street, the September wind caresses my tan skin. I flip open my cell phone and send a text message to Karma. In my mind, I can already see Karma's horrified expression and her laughing. I wish I had done the same thing at Urbanna High.

After hiking four blocks, I halt on Main Street. To my left, I catch sight of the run-down gas station next to my street, Weeping Willow Road. Directly across from the gas station towers an old Victorian mansion, which resembles a castle. I glimpse the house number and smile. The monstrous mansion is indeed Mrs. Peters' home. Dense vines slither up the brick wall, obscuring the gaping windows, and pointy towers. The end of the mansion mutates into an old theater house. A rusted sign, with unrecognizable words, hangs over the entrance.

I cross over to the other side.

Despite the homes unfortunate location, two beautiful oak trees flourish in the landscaped yard. Two pallid tree benches wrap around the trees. I perform a skip on the concrete sidewalk. Numerous stone gargoyles guard the top of the mansion. A couple of stones fall from the roof. My head tilts backward as I gaze around for signs of life. "Could've sworn there were four gargoyles, not three."

The wind picks up and the trees shake with such force a few branches fall. I jump aside. My polished fingernails dig into my chest.

"I declare, Dearie! I didn't expect you until after school."

Mrs. Peters' bushy hair pops out of the mansion's door. Heartbeat returning to a normal rhythm, I grin at the old woman. Stumbling forward, I say, "Sorry. Couldn't help staring–"

"Quite all right, I understand completely. Actually, this house is the oldest in town. It's been passed down from generation to generation to generation." Mrs. Peters eyes, glaze with rusted memories, and she reminds me of the gothic stone angels in my parents' cemetery.

"What about the building next to you?"

"Awe...the old theater. Built in the middle to late eighteen hundreds, I believe. Did rather well until a few tragic events occurred."

I follow Mrs. Peters into her dusty living room. "What happened?"

"Few children went missing. Police investigated, but the old theater was the last place any of the children were seen. Nothing was ever found until after we closed the theater down as a memorial to the missing children. People started to talk of monsters dressed in bone masks. Claimed these creatures would come out at night and drag unguarded children into the underworld of the theater. Nevertheless, it's all a piece of bologna. I've lived in this house my whole life, the theater is even connected to this house, and I've never seen any monsters."

The hair on the back of my neck prickles. It is like a snake slithered under my skin. A little voice in my head whispers, but I have...

"Why are you out of class so soon?" Mrs. Peters asks. Tipping her reading glasses to the bridge of her nose, she peers over their thick rims, and gives me a stern glare. "You aren't skipping school are you?"

Nervous, I twirl my fingers through my black and white hair. "No, my speech teacher excused me from class. It seems she ignores Victoria Blare and those Jenkins twins when they insult anyone, but if you try to defend yourself–"

"–you get scolded." Mrs. Peters frowns and continues walking through the living room. "Yes, unfortunately they're treated like spoiled brats because of their parents' authority over the school. It's not fair, but it would be wise to avoid them as much as possible, Dearie. The Jenkins twins are the descendants of the founder of Rosewood." Mrs. Peters stops in the kitchen.

Even with the counters laden with dust and silvery cobwebs, the room feels magical. I turn away from the scratched white cabinets and peer over to Mrs. Peters, who rummages through a rickety bookcase also covered in dust and cobwebs. The place looks like it has not been used in decades. Behind her, a gaping hallway exhibited pure darkness. A sharp fear and coldness takes hold of my body.

Something is not right.

Someone is watching me.

A pair of icy eyes ravages my every movement.

"Oomph – Found it. Buried in the back of course–" Mrs. Peters touches my hand. "My goodness, Temptation. Are you feeling well? You look as pale as my cat, Snowball."

"Huh...I'm fine. Sorry, I'm curious about the hallway. Where does it lead?"

Mrs. Peters' idle expression changes. "Oh – It leads to the theater, but we hardly ever go down there. It's the reason we leave the lights off. No point in lighting an area where no one travels. Except on Halloween, of course. We keep up with the Rosewood tradition of the Masked Ball. It's always held in the theater, something the Jenkins family insists we keep doing every year." Mrs. Peters grabs my arm and forces me into the unlit living room. For such a short and feeble woman, she wields a firm grip. "Here's the book I told you about. It's very old, so be cautious with it and make sure to tell me how you like it."

I glance up at Mrs. Peters' last statement. Something in her voice sounds eager.

"I have to run back to school. I forgot a few things, so I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Temptation."

"Thanks, Mrs. Peters. I'm sure I'll love it."

Outside, I can still feel eyes boring into me from the windows of the old mansion. Despite my fears, I dust off a shudder, stuff the book into my bag, and hurry back to school.

I wonder if all small towns contain such strange people.

I thought I saw someone peeking out of an old shop when I passed. People must be bored out of their minds to be interested in me walking down the street. When I arrive in the school parking lot, I realize the "someone's" eyes glowed in the darkness.
Chapter Four

In Darkness She Fades

The whiny grandfather clock downstairs chimes eight times. The tolls force me to vanish from my fantasy world and reenter the living world. I never read anything like Mrs. Peters' book. It entails a magical land where a beast king – also part human – rules over creatures created from his imagination. He steals children and young women without a trace. No one knows the king actually saves his prisoners from a bloodthirsty demon, which ends up capturing and caging the beast king. The demon kidnaps children when the gateway between the human world and the magical world thin. Once the children pass into the demon's world, they belong to him, and forget their human lives.

The book hints to one way a person can find the demon's world. "Follow the Cyclops rats into the dark descent." The only way to defeat the demon is to find and return the gift taken from the beast king. The Cyclops rats guard the gift.

I shudder. "Creepy." I wonder what happened to the king.

"Temptation, your dinner's cold!"

Sighing, I close the delicate book. With my hair up in a ponytail, I straighten my jean shorts and Hindu print tank top. My naked feet guide me down the bright staircase and into the kitchen. Daniel and Nathaniel munch on cherry cobbler in the dining room. The scent of the warm cobbler makes my stomach grumble.

The mask from the living room sparkles in the corner of my eye.

Aunt Sally must have mounted it to the wall. It stands out against the countless porcelain faces Aunt Sally likes to collect. Those things are hideous. A person who mounts china doll faces to their walls equals serial killer disturbing to me.

"You'll have to warm up your dinner in the microwave. What kept you?" Aunt Sally's bug-eyed look of disapproval always makes me cringe.

"I was reading a book–"

"No. Really?" Daniel drops his fork with a clatter into his empty bowl and laces his fingers together behind his head. He leans backward. "I thought you were talking on the phone with all the friends you made today."

"Daniel, shut your metal-mouth!"

"I said I don't want any cursing around Nathaniel!" Aunt Sally pounds her perfectly manicured hand against the table. "For goodness sake, you haven't even been in the room for one minute and you both are already fighting. I think Jack needs to have a talk with all of you." Aunt Sally purses her lips in my direction. "You especially Temptation, you're supposed to set an example for your cousins, not–"

"Is this why you agreed to adopt me? To teach your children how to act? Because, obviously you wouldn't raise a pagan child willingly. You hated my mother for being pagan," I yell, kicking the chair.

Aunt Sally's eyes widen with shock, while Nathaniel drops his fork.

My nails dig into the palms of my hands. "Tell you what, Aunt Sally; I'll leave since I'm obviously ruining your perfect family."

"Temptation–"

"Good!"

"Daniel, be quiet and let me handle this–"

"Whatever!" I shake the surrounding voices from my head. Swiveling, I dash out of the kitchen, through the living room, and out of the front door.

"Wait, Temptation – come back!"

My bare feet slam against the rough pavement, separating me from Aunt Sally's pleas, which fade into an eerie echo. Tiny rocks nick my feet as I sprint down the blackened road. My silky tresses reflect hues of brilliant white, as I pass under the lit street lamps and dip back into the inky blackness. The old gravel feels cool beneath my naked feet. Houses blur past. Everything is always my fault.

Faint laughter floats through the night air.

I halt and steady my breathing. The laughter of children is increasing in volume. I catch a twinkle of silver down the end of the abandoned street. Dark figures on motorcycles charge in my direction. Panic courses through me, starting at my heart, which causes an adrenaline rush. Movement in the woods captures my attention. A pair of beastly eyes peers out from the little carved huts in the yard of a vacant home.

I cough as the bike engines roar and skid around me, kicking up the settled dirt on the street.

"What do we have here?"

I swipe at the dusty air. "Leave me alone!"

"Awe, how come?" The leader of the group leans on his handlebars and grins. Chrome teeth gleam in the streetlight. I study his barbaric features, observing his colorless spiked hair, and blacked-out eyes.

Fear sends an electric shock through me.

His eyes!

The pupils glitter white instead of human black. Revolving my timid gaze over the other bikers, they all possess the same eyes and hair coloring.

Their freaky teeth are like clumps of needles.

I hope Daniel spiked my food with some drugs earlier. This cannot be real.

"Something wrong, Temptation?" the leader teases.

Dashing to an opening in their circle, I attempt to escape.

The gang moves in, baring their horrible teeth. The leader reaches out and tugs me over to him.

The urge to scream boils up into my throat. His fingernail, the size of a tiger's claw, trails over my jawline. "W-Who are you? How do you know my name?"

He grins, displaying his bizarre teeth once again. "I'm Craven. We always know your names."

"What do you mean 'your names'?"

"People new to Rosewood."

My fingers twist through the ends of my hair. "Why didn't I see you at school today?"

The bikers laugh.

"We're more a nocturnal clan and we're way too old for school."

"What are you?"

"I'll answer that at another time." Craven graces me with a devilish smile. Bending until his lips touch my ear, he whispers, "Be warned, Temptation, leave Rosewood while you can."

Craven releases me and the gang spins out. Kicking up the dust, they desert me in the middle of Weeping Willow Road.

Their departure leaves me with a tacit of dread. "This is insane."

A ticking sound came from the log huts in the forest. A small man, the size of a dwarf, ascends from the carved hut. The bronze creature stares at me through the eye sockets of a devilish bone mask. My breath catches in my chest, causing temporary paralysis. It mirrors the same creature I saw after the car accident.

The creature grins, an animalistic smile. He performs a mock bow in his elegant clothing and says, "'member me?" Straightening his distorted features, he disappears into the shadowy hut.

Blood rushes to my legs. I jolt down the street, and perform a mad surge for town. At the rundown gas station, I aim for Mrs. Peters' front porch. Banging my fist on the mahogany door, I wait in silence for someone to answer.

Nothing.

No lights glow in the Victorian manor, but they do at the old theater house. Movement flashes across the roof. The dark outlines of creatures jump off the roof and dive. Fingers gripping the railing, I haul myself over the porch and slam into the moist grass. Grunting from the impact, I stumble up to the theater.

Sinister history or not, my choices are limited at the moment.

A hearty glow seeps through the partly open door of the theater. I slink through the crack like a cat and bolt the door shut. To my surprise, the marble hallway is clean and cobweb-free.

I do not understand. The theater should not be occupied.

The mahogany doors, newly polished, still hold the faint aroma of lemon. Light music drifts throughout the corridors. The crystals in the multiple chandeliers overhead twinkle and ping as a gentle breeze invades an open window. I follow the intoxicating music through the carved archway and out on to a balcony, where I draw in a breath. A grand stage and auditorium stretch out below me. Jogging over to the majestic staircase, I descend into the audience seats, and leap up on stage. Large golden angels hold up the balconies, including the one I just vacated. The auditorium is almost identical to the painting in my bedroom, except in the picture there are no seats, only the ballroom floor.

The theater's halls assure no echoes of roaming creatures. A baby grand piano catches my eye. The rare opportunity and sit down at the piano empowers me. It has been almost a year since I last touched a piano, but now my fingers are stroking the ivory bars. I press on the keys. The slow haunting tune I know so well lifts my spirits. A voice sings. My voice.

"Save her if you can,

In darkness, she fades.

Alice in Wonderland,

She dreams away.

She's shackled in these chains,

She can't escape.

Deep in Hell's core,

She opens the door."

The room magnifies my trained vocals. The music extinguishes my fears, worries, and memories of the past hour. Only the music matters. Over the course of the past year, it felt like I wore a corset and every day it would become tighter and tighter. Every day I thought, I might die of suffocation; crushed to death by sorrow. As I sing, the corset loosens, and frees me for one brief blissful moment.

"I thought you told me you couldn't sing!"

The piano extinguishes the beautiful tune by creating a dooming pulse as I hit the wrong key. Ungluing my tattooed hand from the smooth keys, I spy Mrs. Peters standing on the staircase with a box of fireworks in her bony arms. Mrs. Peters lowers the fireworks to the waxed floor and strides up to the stage.

"Sorry! I tried knocking next door. Nobody answered, so I saw the light on, and–"

"It's all right, Dearie. I'm not angry with you, just surprised. You've the loveliest voice I've ever heard and you told me you couldn't sing if your life depended on it."

Ashamed of the true reason for not singing in public, I can feel my cheeks burning a shade of burgundy. The idea of not having my parents in the audience to cheer me on makes me want to cry. I cannot survive it. It is my fault they are gone. "Thank you, Mrs. Peters. I didn't mean to lie, but I don't really want to draw attention to myself that way. At my other school the girls were a little...cruel."

"You mean, jealous?" Mrs. Peters smiles at the awkward grin on my face. "I understand, but if you ever change your mind, I'll always have a spot open for you in the choir. You could sure give Victoria Blare a run for her money! But I don't believe I've ever heard that song."

"I wrote it, Alice Demented, after my parents died."

"Well, I think it's lovely dear. A mournful, but beautiful tune. Here," Mrs. Peters extends a withering hand out to me, "what did you need to see me about at–" the clock tolls at the top of the staircase, "–ten in the evening?"

"Oh." I forgot to invent a reason for my presence and the truth is totally out of the question. "I wanted to tell you I loved the book you let me borrow. It's one of the most unique fairytales I've ever read."

"You mean you finished it already! My goodness you weren't joking when you said you're a fast reader. Yes, it's a one-of-a-kind fairytale, because it's based on a true story."

"What do you mean?"

Mrs. Peters retrieves another box of fireworks out of an audience seat and cradles it. "The story is based off an old folktale right here in Rosewood. Supposedly, all these eccentric events happened when this very theater house was built over a century and a half ago. The theater is what attracted people to move to Rosewood in the first place. But after a few years, the townspeople started to notice something wasn't right with some of the folks in Rosewood. People started turning up dead with animal bite marks on their body. After the children started disappearing, the townspeople decided to take action. Do you remember me telling you earlier today about the theater house?"

"Yeah." I cross my arms and try to rub the Goosebumps away.

"Well, the townspeople hired two exorcists to get rid of the strange king and his dark creatures. It worked, but since then the theater house has never been reopened – except for the annual Halloween Masked Ball."

"If the theater contains such a horrible history, why do they reopen it? I mean Halloween makes it even more..." I struggle to think of a better word than "stupid."

"Unwise," Mrs. Peters says. "What you have to understand first, Temptation, is not many people in Rosewood know the true folktale, so I don't think they realize how dangerous it is until it's too late."

I am twisting the ends of my hair. "But you own the theater, couldn't you tell them no or have it knocked down?"

"I would if I owned it, but the fact of the matter is it belongs to the Jenkins family."

I stop my working hands.

"Yes, the Jenkins family is very powerful in this town. They insist the theater be reopened every Halloween, because no more children disappeared since the king vanished, and, like I told you before, they wanted to keep up with tradition."

I take the opportunity to avert the topic from the Jenkins family. "So did the king really steal children?"

"Oh, yes. If I'm remembering correctly, there were a couple teen girls too." Mrs. Peters sits down the box on the stairs and rubs her arm's muscles.

I try to imagine myself as one of the children. The idea scares the curiousness out of me. "What does he do with them anyway?"

"It is still a bit of a mystery. Some of the parents of the missing children claimed to see their children playing in the monster's forest. They said their children's faces had sharper features closely resembling the creatures. But you mustn't worry yourself, Dearie," Mrs. Peters says, noticing my tense gaze. "It's only a folktale."

Whirling over the night's events in my head, I conclude that the town possesses more secrets than answers. "Thank you for the story Mrs. Peters, I guess I'd better be going. I'll return the novel to you tomorrow."

"Why don't you keep it for a while, I need to clean my house anyways, and I'd feel much better if I knew my book was in safe hands."

Ascending the stairs two at a time, I say, "No problem. Oh, I wanted to ask, what are the fireworks for?"

"The Halloween Mask Ball of course! I always have to hide the box with the finale fireworks in the top balcony, because of a few rascals in town."

"Wow, it ties in with my holiday too."

"Oh? What holiday is that, Dearie?"

"Diwali. It's actually a five day festival, but the second day lands on Halloween this year. We even get dressed up and pass out sweets to family and friends. It was my Mom's favorite holiday, because of the fireworks and all the clay oil lamps we would light. The lamps are supposed to signify the triumph of good over evil."

"That does sound interesting. Why was this festival started? What sparked its creation?"

I shrug. "My Mom told me it commemorates the return of an exiled lord and the vanquishing of a demon king."

"How marvelous! Maybe I can incorporate some of those things in this year's festival!"

"Really?"

"Of course! We need some change in this town." Mrs. Peters bends and retrieves a few fireworks.

I chuckle and go up the stairs. "I'll see you tomorrow at school, Mrs. Peters."

"Good night, Temptation, and don't worry about the walk home. He always guards those he loves."

I stop at the archway of the main hall and glance back. The ballroom appears, once again, vacant. "Hmm...she must've been talking about God."

The serenity of the quiet walk home calms my boiling worries to a soft simmer. Only the hums of bugs, whisper in my ears like an annoying lullaby. Once or twice, I think I hear an owl.

Karma sends me a voicemail laughing at my boldness in the classroom. It helps raise my spirit.

Aunt Sally's Victorian house is a grim scene at night. Paint can fix it. The porch light flickers from moths soaring back and forth. Sighing, I push open the front door, and tiptoe into the kitchen.

"Eek!" My body bangs into the cabinets. "Aunt Sally – you scared me."

Hunching over the dining table, Aunt Sally clutches a cup of hot green tea in her thin hands. Heavy eyes scrutinize my dirty feet and clothes. "Where did you go? I searched for almost an hour and never found any trace of you."

Not wanting to reveal my new sanctuary, I shrug my shoulders, and stare at a spider scuttling across the tiled floor. We need to fumigate this place.

"Sit down and have some tea." The defeated slump of Aunt Sally's shoulders causes me to regret my inconsiderate emotions. Aunt Sally pores me some of the golden-green liquid. I add sugar; never elevating my weary eyes. The tension in the room increases as Daniel emerges from the shadowy staircase.

"Finally came back, did you? Didn't have any friends to–"

"Daniel, cut it out and come sit down. We're going to discuss this like adults and you two are going to listen to one another. You both need to start considering one another's feelings."

Daniel stomps over to the farthest seat from me and drops on the chair. "Let's get this over."

"Daniel, since you seem so angry toward your cousin lately, why don't you start by telling me what the issue is?"

"It's her! We moved so we can start over and she's still wearing the same Goth crap, and freaking out everyone in school."

"Wait a minute," I interrupt Daniel. "I don't tell you what to wear. And as far as freaking everyone at school out, they can look the other way."

"You see, Mom! She doesn't care how I get teased because of how she is–"

"Well you both–"

"Hold up." I glare at Daniel. "You talk of my weirdness, but what about those new friends of yours, the Jenkins twins. One has neon-orange hair and they both dress like heavy-metal Rock stars."

"Who cares? They're cool."

"No, they're assholes–"

"Temptation!"

"Everyone likes them," Daniel argues.

"Oh! This really is about popularity. I'm not popular enough and it's bringing your social status down, keeping you from becoming the stereotypical jerk–"

"TEMPTATION!"

"–you always wanted to be. No, Aunt Sally." My plum eyes flash at Aunt Sally, who appears quite livid. "I'm tired of everyone telling me how I should be–"

"Enough, Temptation. Your cousin gives a valid point. I've already received one phone call from your science teacher today and she said your clothing distracted other students. I will not let this gothic-pagan get-up interfere with your studies. It's already interfered with your singing and–"

"Well, crap, I'm sorry I didn't die along with the rest of my family so things could be easier for you."

Smack!

I release my teacup. The fragile china shatters all over the dining room floor. Touching my tingling cheek, I stare in disbelief, and horror at Aunt Sally who cradles the red palm of her hand. Slowly, I rise to my feet and, with a calm patience, I did not know I possessed, I push my chair in, and amble to the staircase.

"W-Where do you think you're going? You come back here and clean up–"

"Mrs. Falls, do it yourself," I state with my back still to Aunt Sally.

"You call me Aunt Sally or ma'am!"

I curve to penetrate her with an icy glare. "Don't talk to me until you are ready to apologize."

I am in my bedroom. Two tears leak out and roll into my tangled hair. It is not in my nature act so insensitive and I hate the emotions that came after the cruelness. I collapse on my veiled four-poster bed.

"Ouch!"

Arching back up, I rub the back of my neck. Wetness trickles to my fingertips. I pull my tattooed hand back and cringe at the blood covering my fingers. On the bed, in the brilliant chandelier light; lay a single blue rose and a beautiful bone mask covered in small crystals and crimson feathers. My trembling fingers lift the mask. A small note lay beneath it. As I lean over, my dark hair spills onto the fuchsia bedspread. Set me free and I'll grant you, your darkest wish.
Chapter Five

The Laws of Rosewood

The aroma in the cafeteria reeks of cheap burgers and burnt fries. I slouch in my seat with my elbows supporting my upper body.

Earlier, Aunt Sally tried to engage me in a conversation during breakfast with no luck. She tried once again on the ride to school, but still I would not acknowledge my Aunt without an apology. Daniel keeps his eyes on the floor whenever we pass each other in the hallway. His dodgy actions lead me to believe that he feels guilty about the confrontation. At least I have some peace from his teasing.

I swirl a curly fry in my gooey ketchup.

The bench underneath me shakes.

The twin with the lightning orange hair plops down beside me. I remember Victoria calling him Herald. "Hello, milady!" Herald drapes his arm over my shoulders. "So I've heard from–"

"–a very reliable source." Another boy hops on the bench, blocking me from the exit.

"Otherwise known as your cousin." Herald grins, forcing the corners of his eyes to mimic the shape of crescent moons. "He says that you're going clinically insane." Pale fingertips stroke my cheeks. "I'm guessing from the redness of your face you won't be denying you've actually been seeing," he snakes his arm around my abdomen and leans forward until his lips touch my ear, "goblins!"

The fluttering in my stomach intensifies at his touch. Herald awakens a dormant emotion; long forgotten until now. A sickening shudder spreads like poison. I do not want to desire anything from Herald, except for the desire for him to vanish.

Shoving him off, I kick the other boy's feet, and snatch up my plastic lunch tray. "Get away from me. Think whatever you like, but leave me alone." I march over to the dumpster. Depositing my leftover food into the overstuffed garbage can, I slam my tray on top of a messy pile, and half-jog to the door.

All eyes follow me.

Out of the school, I flee toward downtown.

"You know, skipping school won't help make your problem go away."

"And how would you know?" Swiveling around, my hair whips the air, exposing my bleached hair underneath. I left the underneath of my hair white, to remind me of who I once was.

Herald halts a few feet away.

"What do you want from me? To admit I'm insane and suicidal because of the accident? Because it was my fault?" I shake my head, trying to fight back tears. "All I want is to start over in Rosewood, but I can't because no one will give me a chance. So, if what you want is a confession, then fine. Yes, I could be insane or experiencing hallucinations. I died for five minutes. Some people who've died for that long and come back sometimes develop a little brain damage, which causes the things I'm experiencing." I do not know what possesses me to tell Herald of my darkest secret. The words spilled out of my mouth before I thought of the consequences.

Herald's face relaxes. He shrugs one shoulder and places his pale hands in his pockets. "I want you to know you're not going crazy. Goblins, or monsters as you call them, do exist."

For a moment, I thought I misheard him. He grins at my dumbfound expression.

"Herald, don't insult me more than you already have. This is not a joke to me." I walk away.

"I can prove it."

I stop and eye his serious demeanor. Shifting my body weight on one foot, I say, "I still think they're monsters, but whatever. How can you prove it?"

The school bell tolls. Doors slam, voices rise, and bodies push their way across the school grounds.

Hands outstretch to me as Herald speaks with an eerie calmness which holds no hint of uncertainty. "Come with me and I'll tell you Rosewood's most guarded secret along the way."

Is this a joke?

Sunlight sharpens the edges of Herald's face. The seriousness in his expression stresses otherwise. "Why should I trust you after the way you and Victoria treated me the other day?"

"Awe, we didn't mean anything by it." Herald flashes a winsome smirk.

"Victoria wanted to humiliate you. She's kind of a snob," says the other boy strutting up to us. "I'm Chevy, by the way"

"If she's such a snob, why are you dating her?" I ask Herald.

"Well see...she's really talented at–"

"Whoa!" Cutting Herald off, I raise my hands in a surrendering motion. "Okay, I get the idea. Where are we going?"

"Follow us." Chevy extends his arm, motioning for me to follow Herald, while he brings up the rear. We hurry into the parking lot, careful to avoid the teachers monitoring school property. Identical motorcycles are at the end of the parking lot. Chevy hops on one of the bikes.

Herald swings a leg over his airbrushed-skull, motorcycle. "You're going to have to hop on behind me."

I stall. Hate is the word I describe for my views of motorcycles. I carry a severe dislike for motorcycles ever since I met the biker gang.

"What's the matter? You're not scared are you?" Herald teases.

Scowling, I grip his waist, and swing my leg over the sleek body. The metal on my boots create a clanking sound as it hits the side of the bike. "Does it look like I'm scared? This better not be a joke, because I'm not in the mood. Try anything messed up and I'll kick you in the – ego."

Adjoining laughs tickle my ears.

"Lighten up, Temptation." Herald wraps my arms tighter around his chest, fingers lingering to trace the lines in the palm of my hand. "Hold on tight."

I feel rock hard muscles. How strange. Most teenage guys do not have a body like his, except for some lucky football players. The wind blows the stringy branches of a giant willow tree in front of the school, blocking my view of the hawk-like teachers.

Chevy revs up the engine and spins out of the cracked parking lot. Herald mimics his friend's actions, while I clutch his torso.

So much for being subtle.

The bike lurches forward and we speed down the main road leading out of town. Shops pass in a blur. I pray the police will remain absent.

The locally owned stores soon fade and the woods devour the landscape scenery on either side of the road. The motorcycle slows down and Herald eases it over to the opposite side of the highway. Chevy stops a few feet ahead.

"Here we are."

"What are we doing here?" An ill sensation in the bottom of my stomach reminds me of my carelessness. Like an idiot, I forgot my cellphone. If they attack me, the hard abs beneath Herald's shirt makes me seriously doubt I can defend myself. "I thought you were going to prove to me I'm not crazy, not drive me out in the middle of nowhere."

"All in good time, milady!" Herald lifts me off the bike and holds me close.

A little too close. I blush as Herald's teasing eyes drop below my chin.

"And Rosewood is out in the middle of nowhere. Well, it's hidden in the Manistee National Forest, but that's why we like it here."

"Funny, I thought you would better suit a circus in Las Vegas."

"You told your cousin you saw a goblin the first day you moved here," Herald says.

"Yes, but I never said it was a goblin. I've always thought of them as monsters. There was a rock wall in the woods. Part of the wall had an archway. I saw it on the other side – wait...is that where we are?"

"Yes," says Chevy. "The wall is like a prison for the goblins. Or as you like to call them, 'monsters.'"

"But don't start feeling sorry for the little heathens." Herald bumps in as he notices my expression of alarm. He rests a hand on my lower back. "They're a pain in the ass. It's better for them to stay in their own world."

Both boys gaze into the swaying forest. Herald's eyes are freaky when he is serious. Bet he is on drugs. It would explain how his pupils became so dilated. "Does everyone in town know about the goblins?"

"Everyone knows it's a legend. Town folklore. Only ones who believe it are the ones who've seen them, which is very few. We like to discourage the townspeople's curiosity of that sinister tale."

"Why?"

They act as if they do not hear my question.

"And you've both have seen the goblins?" I cannot keep the skepticism out of my voice. I jut my chin forward. "Prove it. Tell me what they look like."

"Why don't we show you?" Herald grasps my wrist and leads me into the woods.

Chevy says, "You're not going to back out on us, are you?"

"I think I'll survive." My calm voice does not match my fidgeting fingers.

Polka dots of sunlight beam in through the giant treetops. Dry leaves crunch beneath black boots. Everyone halts at the rock wall. It only comes up to my waist. "Hmm... It's not as tall as I thought it would be." The archway, however, measures at least six and a half feet tall.

"Most goblins are no more than three feet tall, but over the past two centuries they've...interbred with humans."

The disgust in Herald's voice causes me to quirk my eyes up to study his face. "What human would want to have sex with a goblin?"

"That's the thing," Herald leans against the archway and gazes into the unpleasant world, "they didn't have a choice."

"It's why they are imprisoned behind the wall. Too much of a nuisance for Rosewood. Couldn't leave the townspeople alone."

The forest invokes a strange silence.

Birds do not chirp. No bugs hum in our ears or attack our exposed skin. There are no visible signs of wildlife. The clatter of the world mutes.

"I don't see any goblins."

"Most of them sleep during the day." Herald's body is erect. Everything about his body language screams he is on full alert.

"Not where I come from."

Herald grins. "Come on. We're going inside."

"Hold on a minute!" I block the stone archway with my extended arms. "I'm all for seeing the goblins from a distance, but if what you're saying is true about this being their – kingdom or whatever – then I'd rather not go."

"We'll protect you. Besides, they'll be asleep."

"Most of them." Herald's dark chuckle does not help my nerves.

The woods appear calm and pleasant beyond the archway. "I still don't think–"

"Good idea! Don't think about it," says Chevy. Bounding forward they grab my arms and pulled me under the archway.

Crap. I feel as safe as a mouse forced into a snake's cage.

Past the stone arch, everything changes. The woods become darker. The wind howls through the trees and blows my long hair backward. I trip over a stick.

Herald grabs my arm and pulls me closer to him. "Look down."

A stone pathway starts under my boots. It leads further into the foreboding forest. "What's this?"

"It leads into the goblins' cove." Chevy winks and scoops up my limp arm. The more we travel down the stone pathway, the thicker the bushes and trees become. We do not speak to each other. Instead, we all strain our ears for the tiniest sound of dangerous strangers.

"Slow down," Herald says, holding me back. "Chevy, go ahead and check things out."

Chevy takes off and disappears over the small hill. The thick shadows cast from the maple and oak trees darken the forest.

I lean against Herald and shiver. Squinting to get a better look at the treetops, I say, "Herald. The trees. They're bending inward." I back up.

Herald positions himself behind me and wraps his arms around my shoulders. "Shh... They're here."

A high cackling erupts through the wind, making a shrieking sound that mimics nails scrapping against a chalkboard. The bushes along the stone path shake. Gruff laughter echoes through hollow logs and trees.

"Gods, let's get out of here!" I attempt to run back to the wall, but Herald holds me firmly against himself.

"Not until you've seen them up close."

"Are you insane?" I am struggling to break free from Herald.

He jerks me hard. "Temptation," Herald lifts my chin, "you need to see how dangerous goblins are. I want you to drop your interest in these creatures."

My eyes lock onto his face. There is something out of place about his smile. "Your teeth. They're changing."

Herald grins. "These are the laws of Rosewood – Never enter the Goblin Kingdom. Don't consort with the goblins. Never disobey me. If you break these rules, you die."

"What in the name of everything unholy are you?"

Herald bends down. The breeze spikes his neon hair and his eyes swirl crimson. "Demon."

My blood surges. I will myself to breathe.

Goblins pop their massive heads out from behind thorny bushes and trees. Curvy sneers and bat-like ears poke out from around the edges of their skeleton masks. The goblins surround us, blocking our only exit. Chevy bounds over the hill and then skids to a halt on my other side. He grabs my arm and wraps his other arm around my waist. His features are still normal. "The Goblin King is coming. If you think the goblins are frightening, they're nothing compared to their king. Listen to us, Temptation." He leans forward until our noses stop an inch of each other. "If you tell anyone what you've seen here, we'll be forced to hand you over to the goblins along with the people you told."

"You don't want to be the cause of someone else's death." Herald stokes my arm like a child stroking a pet's hair. "Especially after your parents' deaths are already your fault."

Herald's words sting my heart. I put some space between us. Smothering the urge to lash out at him, I say, "Let me go."

"You heard the young lady, Jenkins."

The looming figure of the Goblin King stands twenty feet away. A tremor of fright courses through my veins and I release a terrified scream. The king's face looks like a hyena's face stretched over a humans' bone structure. His horribly disfigured body leaves me wondering how he even manages to keep himself upright. The exposed skin of his face and hands mimic the color of mottled bronze.

"Ah...if it isn't the conquered king." Herald sneers at the deformed creature twenty feet in front of him. "Tell me, do you even scare yourself when you look in the mirror?"

The Goblin King cocks a crooked smile. "Looks aren't everything, Jenkins."

"So the reason you're without a queen has nothing to do with your handicapped physique?" Herald's cocky laugh causes the surrounding goblins to react like bloodhounds when they catch the scent of their prey. "I don't think Victoria would agree with you."

Chevy snickers and squints at the king's crooked body.

"I haven't found a woman worthy enough for the honor. Yet."

As Herald exposes his jagged teeth, I expect to see fangs like in the movies, but instead I see a mouthful of serrated teeth in the shade of chrome.

The grip of their hands loosens on my numb arms.

The Goblin King's pitch-black eyes meet my own. He motions for me to glance back. Herald and Chevy, still laughing hysterically, never spot the exchange. Peering over my shoulder, I notice the goblins left a gap in the road leading out of their kingdom. If I can free myself from the two, I might be able to run for it.

The king smiles.

"Don't even think about it." Herald tightens his hold on my arm. "She belongs to me."

He speaks of me as if I am a toy. Regardless of my fears, I refuse to let anyone treat me like a possession. "No, I don't–"

"Quiet! You obey me." Herald shakes me and the surrounding goblins shriek in anger.

I want to believe Herald is a better choice to ally with, but I am starting to doubt my own judgments. Though the goblins and their king act as if they have my best interests in mind, I still know never to trust a monster.

"I thought you were involved with Victoria, Jenkins. She won't be very happy with your decision." The king frowns in father-like disapproval.

"She's not a threat anymore, so it doesn't matter if she's happy or not. She can't change her mind now."

What's that supposed to mean?

"Why did you come here, Jenkins?"

Shuddering at the coldness creeping out of the king's voice, I know the conversation is becoming more dangerous the longer I remain.

"To show Temptation why she should abandon her curiosity in goblins. I don't think she likes the idea of becoming a goblin's wife." Herald says down at my drained face.

I do not return his gaze. The mention of becoming a goblin's wife terrifies me. The king's face holds no hint of truth or lies.

"You see, Temptation," Herald tilts my chin, "if you step one foot into this world without us, you'll be a slave to these goblins–"

"We do not mistreat our women!" The Goblin King flexes his clawed hands. "If Temptation understood what you are really going to do to her, I don't think she would find us so repulsive. You would be wise to watch your back, Jenkins. I'll be freed one day and when I am...you will die."

The boys throw back their heads in laughter; slackening their grip on my arms, once again.

I react.

Jerking my arms out of their grasp, I jab my elbows in their sides, and then sprint back down the road leading out of the goblins' kingdom. The little sky I can see turns dark and the wind picks up. A roar of anger erupts from Herald, while an insane laugh from the Goblin King fills the forest. My legs move faster, while my boots pound against the cool ground, sending the aroma of dirt up my nostrils. I can see the wall.

Cackles encircle me and before I can blink, goblins in skeleton masks block the exit.

"Get away from me!" In a dark part of the forest, I notice a section vacant of life.

"Get back here or we'll give your cousins to the goblins!"

I vaguely register Herald's threat. I am unable to process anything else.

Chevy lunges in my direction.

I scream.

Clawing a handful of dirt and dried pine needles from the ground, I throw it in Chevy's eyes, and dash into the strange part of the woods. The wind howls above me, bending the huge trees inward. Animalistic eyes pop out of the bushes and stalk my every move. The wall materializes into view again, but the trees and shrubs close in on me. Stomps and snapping twigs echo from behind. An army of goblins is pursuing me a few yards away. These ones are wearing actual metal body armor. The ground falls away from my feet and I shriek as I descend a steep hill. The small twigs poke me while the pointed leaves crunch underneath the weight of my bruised body. I slam into a cedar log at the base of the hill. With a light groan, I stagger to my feet and sway. The world spins around. I reach out for a tree limb to steady my spinning head.

"Girlie, yer not ta make it outta here."

A goblin pokes his ugly head out from behind the old maple. I push my body away from the maple tree and stumble. The grim creature acts like a dog on full alert.

"What do you want from me?"

The old goblin ambles forward. His heart shaped head appears massive compared to his body. Leathery brown skin glistens in the dying light. A long bony finger points at my face. "Ya've got somethin' we want. Somethin' the demons will try ta stop ya from usin'. If ya don't come with us goblins, ye'll end up like that brat Victoria. She was special like ya once, but even with 'er havin' the Gift, my king wouldn't pick ah spoiled brat like 'er."

I know my eyebrows are scrunching together. "You don't make any sense. None of this makes any sense. Why won't you tell me what it is the Goblin King wants? Why do you talk in riddles?" Gripping my hair, I expel a scream of frustration.

"It be our way, Girlie. What fun would it be ter tell ya everythin'? Why – ya'd never learn nothin'!"

A screeching howl snaps through the trees overhead. Before I can comprehend my next move, a pair of arms seizes my waist.

"Stay away from her, Goblin." Herald's voice echoes in my ear. In a heart-dropping lurch, he pulls me into the trees, and then bolts through the forest. I grasp his arms for dear life, spotting the archway up ahead. Black veins underneath his pale skin, spread out across his body; mimicking a tribal tattoo. Thick wings, black as the devil's eyes, have grown from Herald's back, and beat against the air. With the angry growl from the Goblin King, we pass over the wall and burst through the trees – returning to the human world. Landing next to the motorcycles, glistening in the rays of the dying sun, Chevy stands waiting for us.

Chevy snatches my waist, while Herald steps in front of me. His powder-white hand whips across my left cheek. The deafening slap causes a few birds from the nearby trees to fly off in alarm.

Pain shoots out across my face and neck. I raise a tattooed hand to my sore cheek.

"Don't you ever try to disobey me again!" Herald's skin and teeth slowly return to its human form. His red eyes, however, still retain a feral threat.

A tear rolls down my cheek. "Why did you bring me here? To scare me or use me to tease that king? I don't belong to you! You can't treat me like–"

Herald shakes my arms. "Yes, you do and yes, I can! Everyone in Rosewood obeys me. Everyone. And you'll learn to obey me, too." The calm assurance in his voice disturbs me worse than his inhuman features.

"Fine, I'll leave Rosewood–"

"You can't leave Rosewood," Herald says. "When my brother and I imprisoned the goblins behind the wall, we also made it so whoever enters Rosewood could never leave without our permission. The only people allowed to leave are our recruiters. They draw people here, because you see...Rosewood doesn't exist on maps. Even if you were to escape, you could never find us again. You have to be invited in. So, in a way, you and your family don't exist anymore to the outside world. But if you don't believe me, try to leave Rosewood. I'll not stop you."

His black wings shrink and become transparent.

"What kind of twisted demon are you?"

Herald tilts his head as if regarding my emotional strength. He smirks. "I guess you could consider me a demon angel." He hops on his motorcycle. "Get on. I'll take you home."

"Thanks, but I'll walk."

Chevy releases my arms. He mounts the other motorcycle, and, in a flurry of dust, they abandon me with only my shattered hopes to keep me company on the long walk back into Rosewood. My prison.



I make it home by eight. Ignoring my aunt and cousins eating dinner, I immediately go up to my room. Back against the door, I press my palms against my forehead, where a headache pounds. Ambling over to the vanity, I slump down in the cushion seat, and drop my hands, knocking over my locket from the car crash. As I stare at my exhausted reflection, I ask, "What's wrong with this town?" The platinum part of my hair trails across my shoulders and down the front of my shirt. With all my efforts to try to hide from the monsters – to escape – it has all been in vain. They found me anyway.

Suppressing a sob, I caress my beautiful white hair. Herald is cruel and nothing frightens him, except for the Goblin King.

Serious trouble found a way to suck me in.
Chapter Six

Friends & Enemies

"Maybe you should invest in some mace laced with garlic," Karma says.

I laugh. "Believe me, I've thought about it."

"Did you see the monster from your dream in the forest, too?"

"No, but then again, I didn't look for him."

Karma allows silence for a moment. "Will you go back into the forest?"

I tap a polished nail against the cell phone. I asked myself the same question all night long. It is driving me even more insane. "I haven't decided yet."

"Be careful if you do and you better bring a list of questions with you. Otherwise I doubt you'll remember them."

Aunt Sally pulls up in front of the high school. I exit the car in a hurry. "Sorry, Karma. I have to go."

"You better not forget to call the next time you decide to go sneaking off. Later."

A circle of students play with a hacky-sack, while a group of skaters and outcasts send text messages to each other, despite the fact they are right next to one another. I keep my gaze on the pavement. Today, I crave invisibility. I never expected to confront my nightmares from the past year in Rosewood. The memory of the previous day injects a high dose of fear into my very bones. Despite the warm morning, my teeth chatter. Using my hair as a black veil, I drape it around my shoulders.

"Freak.... Orphan girl!"

On top of the concrete headstone with the engraving Rosewood High sits Victoria. A few of her unpleasant friends imitate fashion models as they pose against the slick stone.

"Heard you're having more hallucinations. Maybe the accident screwed your brain up. You should get out of Rosewood and seek mental help." The crowds of onlookers are snickering. "By the way...if I hear of you flirting with my boyfriend again," she leans forward as if to whisper a frightening secret, "I'll rip your throat out."

The anger in Victoria's eyes confirms the reality of her threat. I saw it last night in Herald's eyes, which makes me question Victoria's humanity.

"Hey, Babe." Herald rubs his hands down Victoria's thighs, but his gaze locks on mine. His fingernails grow into arched claws.

"What's going on?" Jerald struts to the front of the crowd.

"Your brother's play toy is jealous. Maybe you ought to help him learn how to put her in check." The priceless shock on the twins' faces and the outrage on Victoria's face sends a ripple of pleasure through me. "Oh, and don't worry, Victoria. Like I said, I don't date vermin-loving-maggots." Abandoning the speechless students, I sashay up the steps leading into the school, filled with a new emotion.

Bravery.

Unfortunately, acts of bravery usually sprout from stupidity, and I fear the rebuttal that will arise from my actions.

The bell tolls overhead. Students wade through the crowds, but the deadly glares of the twins follow me.

In English class, I flop down in the back seat. The other students ignore my presence, making me feel invisible. A welcome feeling I have craved since the start of school. The bell tolls again. Demon or not, I refuse to take abuse from anyone. I am not afraid to die...again.

"–I'm Mr. Dredfield. First thing we'll do today is have the new stud–"

The door reopens and a scraggly boy with puffy hair which best resembles a dead Pomeranian enters the classroom. I recognize him as the skater boy who helped me on the first day of school.

"Whelan, class started two minutes ago, and I believe you missed the second day of school–"

"Dude, was that yesterday? I totally didn't know." His bloodshot eyes scan the room.

A stoner. At least not everyone in school is so uptight.

"You're telling me you didn't notice the lack of children in town yesterday or the day before?" Mr. Dredfield's brushy mustache twitches. "Let me guess, you think there's a conspiracy going on to keep you out of school?"

"Nah, didn't get up till like...five o'clock. But little people were running around my bedroom last night. Totally kept me up."

The students erupt into a fit of giggles.

"Settle down!" Mr. Dredfield rakes his stubby fingers though his thinning hair. He points to the vacant seat next to me. "Sit down in the back row, Whelan. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can go 'hit the peace pipe' or whatever you new age hippies call it."

Whelan acts oblivious to the fact that the entire class is mocking him. I cannot help but giggle a little as I realize he is walking like Shaggy from my favorite cartoon show.

"What's up?"

Displaying a genuine smile, I say, "Nothing much. I'm Temptation."

"Oh yeah, you're that rebel chick who told the Jenkins twins off, huh? I thought I recognized you; you're the same chick who almost got into it with Kayla on the first day of school. She was pissed. Totally crazy, but do you really think Herald is breaking up with Victoria?"

"Umm...I'm not sure. Why would you care though?"

"Cus, that Victoria chick is sexy," Whelan says a little too loud, causing Mr. Dredfield to stop his lecture, and drop his marker. "Have you seen her ass?"

"Mr. Coldwell and Miss Falls, I would appreciate it if you could both pay attention to me, and discuss the hotness of your fellow student's body parts, later."

Snickers fill the classroom again.

"Sorry, Mr. Dredfield." Whelan reclines back with his scrawny arms cradling his fuzzy head.

"Thank you. I want you newer students to sign up for our Halloween Masquerade Ball. You have to participate in some way, whether you want to bring snacks, or try out for the lead singer. This is a town-wide event, and you're all required to attend. This means no sleeping in Mr. Coldwell!"

Peering over at Whelan, I notice his zoned out expression. A tiny drop of drool escapes his mouth. I kick his foot.

"What – Oh yeah, that Ball thing. Got it." He drops his head again and dozes off.

The teacher sighs, rolls his eyes, and then continues with our daily assignments.

I end up zoning out after the first ten minutes of Mr. Dredfield's lecture. A knock at the door startles half of the class. A timid girl sticks her head through the door. "I have a note for you Mr. Dredfield." She takes a few steps into the room, passes a yellow piece of paper to the teacher, and leaves.

He frowns. "Miss Falls, you're needed at the principal's office."

Whispers break out. "She's gonna get it!"

"Did you hear what she did this morning?"

Snatching up my Indy bag, I exit the classroom. The principal's interest in my personal life calculates as just weird. Bet Victoria is partly behind it. Mrs. Peters' words reverberate in my head, "The Jenkins twins are the descendants of the founder of Rosewood." I wonder how many people know their dark secret.

Down the main hallway, I cease walking as the lights flicker and then extinguish. Vacant of windows, a small amount of light seeps in through the cracks of the classroom doors, and highlights the pitch-black hallway.

The lockers creak.

A low breathing tickles my sensitive ears. The image of a hand shoots out of the darkness and encloses my neck, slamming me against the metal lockers.

"I thought I made it clear, yesterday, you're not to disobey me?" The faint light outlines Herald's transformed face. "I guess you need a little taste of what I could do to you."

Yanking on my arm, he extends it out, and strokes his claws against my bare flesh. The ugly points trace my thumping veins. "Did you know if I bite deep into your arm, you would die?" Razor teeth exposed, he rests them on my wrist.

I gasp. The points of his teeth, like scalpels touching my skin, cut through it like tissue paper. Tiny beads of blood trickled down my wrist and burn like flecks of hot bacon grease. "Wait – all right! I'm listening. What do you want from me?"

Herald retracts his teeth and licks the crimson blood from my wrist. He smiles as if he won a child's game. "You'll do what I tell you without question. And if you try and degrade me or Jerald again, I'll make an example out of you." He caresses a lock of my hair. "I don't think you understood my intentions yesterday. You see, goblins are attracted to broken humans...and you're a walking tragedy. If Jerald and I were to leave you alone, they'd find a way to lure you into the woods and kill you."

"And why would you care if I died or not?" I tilt my eyes to capture his. "You obviously wouldn't have a problem with killing me."

"I like you, Temptation; you're...special to me. Believe me, my desire is not to kill you. I care about everyone in Rosewood. This is my town."

"But don't you kill people, too? I mean isn't it how demons stay alive–"

Herald snorts. "Demons are immortal. We won't die if we don't feed, but we'll be as weak as a normal human. We do treat ourselves to the occasional human, but we only kill those who have broken the laws of Rosewood."

"You mean people like me?" I ask. My internal alarm shrieks for me to abandon Rosewood. I want to escape from the dark hallway; to walk in the sunlight. "You know there's something that's really been bothering me, how can you and Jerald walk in the daylight? Isn't it supposed to hurt you?"

"Temptation, you really shouldn't believe all the rubbish written by humans." Herald releases my neck; I bet it started bruising already. "Don't forget I was once part-human. But if I did transform in the sunlight, it would injure me." He stares down into my plum contact lenses. "Are you going to give me anymore trouble?"

I twist the tips of my hair between my fingers. "I'm not promising to obey you, but if you keep Victoria away from me, I'll mind my own business."

"Don't worry about Victoria." Herald narrows his scarlet eyes. "She's already been taken care of." The cruelness in Herald's voice almost makes me feel sorry for Victoria.

Almost.

"I don't know what you two are doing to this town, but I want no part in it. I'll leave the goblins alone. They're not an interest for me. But don't you ever threaten to hurt my family again. I'll make you regret it."

I expect him to get angry again or maybe bite me and finish it. Part of me still hopes for death. What I do not expect, are his arms pulling me to his chest. I can feel him fondling my hair and his lips dip down to meet mine.

"Hold on." Using all the strength I can muster, I ram Herald away from me. "I'll do what you ask, but I'm not signing up as your play thing."

Releasing me, he retreats into the darkened hallway. "You can't resist me forever, Temptation."

A second later, the lights flicker back to life. I blink, but as my eyes adjust to the brightness, the bell rings.

The narrow hallway crowds with warm bodies. I wonder what he did to Victoria.

I do not have to wait long before I find out. Victoria sits in silence with her friends at lunch and keeps part of her chocolate hair covering her face. I am willing to bet my soul Victoria has a black eye.



Herald kept his promise. Victoria did indeed avoid me. A few times, Victoria ambled in the opposite direction of her classroom to evade brushing past me in the hallway. A week passes with no verbal or physical confrontations.

Not looking forward to Speech class, I meet up with Whelan in-between our classes. For the past week, we have hung out every day. A few people suspect a relationship brewing between the two of us. "So what's on your agenda today?"

"Ditchin' class and smokin' myself stupid."

I playfully flutter my eyelashes at Whelan. "But you're already stupid."

"I see how it is." He locks my head in his arm. A childish move, but I enjoyed it.

"Seriously though, are you for real, ditching?"

"Wanna come with? We could totally get lit together." Slackening his chokehold on me, he drapes his arm over my shoulders.

"Where?"

"I know a quiet place in the cemetery. Come on." He leads me out of the school.

Normally Karma knows when things are wrong before I ever have time to notice, but this time awareness grasps me. A tugging sensation in my gut indicates a spy surveys me from a distance.

Whelan pulls me under a weeping willow.

"Mr. Coldwell. Miss Falls. What are you two doing in the parking lot?" Mr. Dredfield emerges from behind the tree.

I cling to Whelan's hand. He gives me a slight squeeze of reassurance.

"I said what are you two doing?" Mr. Dredfield's eyes remind me of some insane patients I saw in the hospital months ago.

"Chasing the white rabbits of course! What do you think we were doing? Totally wicked fluff balls. Stole my homework too, so...the assignment you gave me. Don't think I can do it."

Mr. Dredfield rolls his eyes. "Back to class. Both of you! Don't let me catch you trying to cut school again. There'll be consequences next time."

I allow Whelan to lead me back to the school, but someone still keeps us under observation. The knot in my gut constricts. I know. To my left, I spot the Jenkins twins leaning over the metal rails on the stairs. Their eyes are inhuman.

Crap, they are pissed.

Though the twins are inhuman, I accept it. After almost a year of monsters haunting me, this pair of new stalkers adds to my ever-growing list.



The envious gazes of the twins never leave me for the remaining week, but I learn to block them out. Victoria's desperate efforts to tempt Herald's gaze back never works. Jerald tries to stop me in the hall a few times, but I blow right past him every time. One twin is enough for me to deal with, without the other also jumping my ass.

I hang out with Whelan at lunch most of the time. When I ask him why he wants my friendship, he brushes it off. Everyone in school is his friend. I suspect he is hiding the real reason.

"I'm glad it's Friday," I say to Whelan as we exit our class.

"Totally. I've gotta jet, though. Mr. Dredfield gave me detention for tardiness all this week. Peace."

Shaking my head, I giggle. I like chilling with Whelan. His friendship helps tune out the tension from the other students. At least he never bothers me about my past.

The bell echoes across the hallways. Thank the Gods the school week is finally at an end. Out of the hectic school, I walk down the street, with my tribal belly dancer skirt swishing around my ankles. Sunlight beats down on me. I remove the mesh shirt covering my black tank top. The new henna-tattoos on my arms, along with my outfit, make me look barbaric; pagan.

Catcalls and whistling rouses me from my thoughts. One of the boys from the crowd shouts, "Keep taking it off!"

In the parking lot, I spot the twins on their motorcycles with their usual crowd. Victoria wraps her arms around Herald's neck and sits down behind him on the skull bike.

Jerald's grin stretches out across his handsome face. His human eyes roll over my figure.

My stomach lurches with unease at the catcalls, but wrestle with the telltale heat of flattery coloring my cheeks. Choosing to ignore the catcalls, I keep strolling in the direction of home.

Predatory eyes still follow.

A roar of motorcycles deafens my hearing and in a split second, Jerald stops his bike at my side. "Hop on Temptation, you're coming with me today." He scoots so I can slide on.

I twirl my black and white hair between my gold fingernails. "I have things to do. Maybe another day." I continue walking, a bit faster this time. Honestly, I thought the guy would take the hint.

Jerald's bike lurches forward. He reaches out and grasps my hand; tugging me closer. "I've been trying to talk to you since the first day of school and you keep avoiding me. I don't know the whole story of what happened between you and my brother, but I can assure you I hold opposing characteristics from him. Besides...you'll like where we're going." He pulls me over to the bike, trapping me with his arm.

Inwardly cursing my hormones, I say, "I made an agreement with your brother to leave the goblins alone, not to do anything either of you asked of me. But if you promise not to threaten me like Herald did a couple weeks ago, I might reconsider."

Jerald's facial features soften. "I'm not my brother, Temptation. We may look identical, but are complete opposites. Herald possesses more of...an animalistic edge."

"You mean a jerk edge? I picked up on that one when he tried to bite me."

Jerald winces proving either the shame of his brother's actions or of his own inaction. A few strands of his black hair blow across his forehead.

I find myself staring for too long and say in a stronger voice, "I'm not taking any more of my clothes off."

Jerald's depressed demeanor vanishes. I swing my leg over the hot metal. He revs up the engine once more. The motorcycle lurches forward. Herald and the rest of the crowd follow. They whoop and holler at the passing school buses.

The scent of gasoline surrounds me for a brief moment. Flashes of the burning car, screams, and monsters, cause me to shudder.

Jerald must have felt my arms tremble, because he uses one hand to reach behind him to press me closer against his back; an oddly comforting gesture.

A bus passes.

I smile at the startled face of my cousin.

At the theater house, we turn right, and travel out of town. Picking up speed, I wrap my arms tighter around Jerald's waist. After traveling a few miles, the bike swerves down a dirt road leading into the woods. Tree branches swish and sting my skin. The motorcycles skid to a halt at the top of a small hill. A car stops behind the motorcycles. A group of girls emerge from the car.

I worry about another encounter. Jerald strokes my hand in a calming sort of way. I like it.

A glistening lake stretches out below us with picnic benches and a few grills on the shore. Oak and pine trees encircle the lake.

"I've got the beers!" Someone shouts in back.

"Woo! Last one to the tables takes all their clothes off," Herald shouts.

All the boys rush past me, while the girls take their time sashaying to the shoreline. Victoria ignores Jerald and me. She and the other girls start pulling their shirts off while the boys camp out on the picnic tables, egging them on.

I slide off the bike and narrow my eyes at Jerald. "I'm not stripping for anyone."

Jerald's amused laugh does not help my nervousness. "It's okay, Temptation. The only person you have to strip for," he rises off the motorcycle and grabs my waist, "is me."

I plant a hand on his chest and push. "I told you I'm not taking any more of my clothes off."

"You're going to have to if you want to get in the water." Jerald pulls me down to the rest of the crowd. "Come on, Temptation. Relax. Have a little fun for a change." Jerald grabs two beers and hands me one.

Maybe he is right. I take the cool beer from Jerald and sit at the vacant part of the picnic table. The girls strip down to their bras and panties, while the boys strip to their boxers. My jaw drops slightly when Jerald and Herald remove their shirts. Greek Gods would envy their bodies! I study the other girls and know the same thought surfaces in their minds. The boys rush at the girls and carry them to the water, while they giggle and scream. Jerald stays behind with me. I look away and take a swig of beer.

Yuck – it tastes disgusting!

How people enjoy drinking beer stretches beyond my comprehensive abilities. As I sit the bottle down, I wish for the taste to subside.

Jerald slides off the table. "Don't you want to go swimming?"

"Not really."

His fingers comb my hair off my cheeks while his other fingers trail up my jawbone. Little tingles of desire follow beneath the surface of my skin. "Come on, I promise the other guys won't touch you."

"Why's that?" I ask. "I never agreed to be your girlfriend. I don't need a guy."

"Hmm, it's a good thing I'm a demon and not a guy."

Sighing, I shift my gaze away from him. "You know what I mean."

"Well, if you'd rather sit up here and play a drinking game with me..."

Ready to gag at the idea of drinking more beer, I grumble. "I'll get in the water."

"Good choice. Learning you can't win against me, huh?"

"No." I slide off the table and walk in a circle until the table divides us. "I'm learning the next time you ask me to go anywhere, I'll run like the hounds of Hell are chasing me." I remove my shirt and skirt.

Jerald's eyes roam over my figure and then stop on my abdomen. "Whoa. No one works out to have a stomach that hot without wanting someone to see it." Jerald leans against the table and crosses his arms. A string of black hair slices across his face. "I think you enjoy surprising me."

I swing my hair forward so it covers up my chest and part of my stomach.

"Jerald – Temptation! Come on," Herald yells, while Victoria pouts into his shoulder.

"Coming!" Jerald snatches me up. He carries me down into the water.

"Unbelievable as it might seem, I can walk!"

"Yes, but then I don't get to touch you." He grins when I glower at his response.

Descending into the water brings shivers to my skin as the cold lake encompasses my abdomen. He releases me, twirls me, and then presses my bare back to his chest. I do not resist this time. His warmth in the cold water stops me from shivering. Strange. I always thought demons are supposed to be cold.

"Are you in love with Whelan?" His claws grow against my skin.

"What makes you ask?"

"You keep sneaking off with him. Makes me wonder what you two are trying to do. All alone."

Making Jerald mad is not an option. I remember quite vividly how Herald reacted and I wonder if Jerald will react the same way. Will he hurt me in front of witnesses?

As if sensing my thoughts, Jerald rests his chin on the curve of my neck, and pulls me closer to his abdomen. "I'm not going to hurt you even if I don't like the answer, Temptation. I need to know."

My heart simmers down. "Fine. No. Whelan and I are friends. Period."

His claws retract. A warm kiss heats the side of my neck.

"Hey, who's up for a race?" Herald asks.

The crowd cheers in response.

"Whoever swims to the island first, gets to choose who they want to make out with."

"What island?" I whisper to Jerald.

"In the middle of the lake. Do you see it?" He points out in the distance.

I spot the wooded island. Thank the gods I know how to swim.

"Ready?"

Jerald releases me with a feral look of determination. He is aiming to get to the island first. An equal determination stirs in me.

"Set."

A silence sweeps across the lake.

"GO!"

The group lurches forward and starts swimming. I duck under the water. I never quite got the hang of regular swimming, but I can swim fast underwater. After a couple of minutes, I emerge to the surface for air. Jerald and Herald are neck and neck in the lead. At least I am holding second place. Frustration causes Victoria to dig harder into the water.

I immerse myself back in the water and keep swimming. A few more stops to the surface for air, and a short while later, I make it to the shore of the island. The Jenkins twins gaze down at me with satisfied smirks. They haul me out of the cold water. I ring my hair out and check out the lake, where the rest of the crowd is wading to shore. Wet ringlets twist down to my waist. The Jenkins twins watch me with identical lust.

"What?"

"Herald's trying to decide who to make out with. I choose you."

I cross my arms. "Who won?"

"We both made it to shore at the same time," Herald says.

"You're with Victoria. Aren't you?" I eye Herald's uncaring reaction. "Shouldn't you be making out with her?"

"We're not dating," Herald says with a casual wave of his hand. "We're more like friends with benefits." He exposes his perfectly human teeth.

"Does she know that?" I raise my sleek eyebrows and twist a ringlet of hair in her violet-tipped fingers.

Victoria stumbles onto the pebbled shore along with the rest of the crowd.

"You know this is starting to get old," one of the boys says. "You two always win."

I shift to one leg. It had been a set up.

"So." Victoria passes me, bumping my shoulder. "Do you want to make out here or somewhere more private later on tonight?" She wraps her arms around Herald's neck.

Herald removes her arms from his neck. His face holds a look of revulsion. "We've both chosen Temptation this time." Herald gives her a slight shove.

"What?" Jerald and I voice in unison.

"But I'm your girlfriend!"

Guess she didn't know she is just his play toy.

A loud siren echoes out over the lake from the direction of Rosewood. Frenzy and a loud splash startle me. For a moment, I think someone may have been drowning. In the lake, the Jenkins twins are racing to shore. "What's going on?"

One of the boys says, "The recruiters are back."

"What recruiters? You mean like military recruiters?"

The crowd laughs, except for Victoria. She stares out after the twins, who make it to shore and rev up their engines. They disappear into the forest.

"Chevy, go to shore. Get Temptation's clothes and bring them back to the island," Victoria says.

"Awe, come on–"

"DO IT!"

"All right, all right. Dang, don't go all psycho on me." Chevy jumps back into the chilly water and heads for shore.

"What are you doing?"

"You're not coming with us. You'll have to walk home."

"So why are you bringing my clothes to the island? I can easily go back to shore and get them myself."

"I don't need the twins getting pissed off at me. If you walk back the way we came, you won't get home until one in the morning. Swim over to the other side of the lake and walk straight through the woods. You'll cut your walking time in half."

"What's your problem? It's not my fault you allowed Herald to treat you like a slut–"

"Everything was perfect until you showed up! They only like you because you can see those nasty goblins," Victoria kicks a rock. "I was the only one who could see them and I never tried to find them like you. You broke the law! They should've killed you for it!"

"I never sought those goblins out; Herald and Chevy took me to see them."

Victoria blanches. "What?"

Taken aback by Victoria's shock, I ask, "You mean Herald never took you into the forest to see the Goblin King?"

Victoria's shock dissipates and anguish replaces it. "I didn't need to see the king to know he is a monster." She turns around and lifts her hair. Four long scars, similar to claw marks, streak across the back of her neck.

No. My mind cannot process the evidence before me. "What happened to you?"

Victoria drops her hair. "Last year, on Halloween, he cornered me in the old theater house. Jenkins still doesn't know how he managed to do it, but the king said I had to leave the twins and come with him. Ha! As if I'd be stupid enough to fall for his false concern. I spat in his face and tried to run, but he grabbed my neck. Cut me. I escaped but he didn't follow. I don't think he could leave that room in the theater. Jenkins was happy with me. He loved me."

Chevy returns to the island with my surprisingly dry clothes in his hands. He tosses them to me. "Let's get back to town."

Victoria pushes me out of the way and dives back into the water with the rest of the crowd. The sun begins to sink behind the tall pine trees.

"Lovely," I mutter as the others reach the shore and drive off. Raising the clothes up over my head, I wade into the water. The water reaches my neck. I doggy paddled to the opposite shore. "I swear I'm knocking her out when I get to school, Monday."

Stumbling up onto shore, I stop at a dead log. Putting my clothes back on, I rejoice at my decision to wear slip-on shoes today, instead of athletic shoes or boots. At least my clothes are not soaking wet. Tightening the tribal belly-dancer skirt around my waist, I decide against putting my shirt back on, since my bra will only soak it. The curvy shoreline leads me to the far edge of the woods. Sunlight disappears before my eyes and darkness embraces the forest. I bet I still have a couple miles to walk. In the shadowy woods, I count my footsteps. I lose track when the splashes of the lake water disappear and the swishes of the trees replace the water's melody. The creaking of brittle tree branches mixes with the animal noises in the forest. It makes for a creepy path to walk alone. I mentally conjure up lyrics for a new song to subdue my rising panic.

I don't want to, be seen by you...

Because I've fallen,

Broken down in this crippled life.

Forsaken,

From all the others, I'm not their kind.

I've fallen from your light.

An hour passes and still there is no sign of the town. I cannot even see evidence of artificial light in the clear night sky. Only the annoying fireflies buzzing around the forest presents me with a shred of light. My toe still hurts from stumbling over a large pile of loose rocks a short distance from the lake.

This does not seem right. I should have reached the town by now.

A soft light and the rumble of voices reverberate from the other side of the hill. Perhaps the campers can give me a ride back into town.

At the top of the hill, I face my worst nightmare. Goblins, of all shapes and sizes, roam around the base of the hill. They hobble in and out of cliffs with hollow openings. A little stream runs through the middle of the goblins' cove. Decorative stones on the ground mimic pathways from cave to cave. Little lanterns line the stream, illuminating the bright water.

I bow behind an old tree and suck in a breath.

A screeching sound erupts past the goblins' cove. Stretching, I peer through the branches. I cannot see very well, so I grasp the lowest tree branch. I climb until I get a good view of the roaming bodies. Masked goblins run over the hill screaming, "Recruiters in the forest! Recruiters in the forest!"

A bulky figure emerges from the largest cave entrance. The disfigured face of the Goblin King shines in the lamplight. "What's going on?"

"Me lord!" A crooked goblin steps forward and bows. "Recruiters be in the forest and Jenkins be leadin' 'em."

The king's eyes reflect the flames of the lanterns. "I want every goblin out here and ready to fight. Jenkins does not leave alive!"

"Wait, me lord. There be one more thin'." The goblin grins. "Temptation be lost somewhere in the woods. That's why they be here. I heard 'em talkin' 'bout her travelin' from de lake."

The king's gleeful expression roots a rush of panic into my heart.

"Remorse!" An older, noble-looking goblin steps forward. Remorse's face mirrors the goblin I met on my way to the theater house. "Seek Temptation out and don't allow her to escape."

"Yes, me lord–"

"Silus!"

On the hill where the goblins previously emerged, stand the Jenkins twins in their demon forms, along with a group of humans.

"Do you have her?" Jerald asks. "If you laid one disgusting claw on her, I'll–!"

"You know, Jenkins, I find it astonishing you can't control this one. Is she a bit too headstrong for you? Or could she possibly see through your caring disguise?" The Goblin King's claws grow. Those same claws created the markings on Victoria's neck. I cannot help but wonder if the king would do the same to me if I refuse him.

"I assure you, Temptation headed into the goblin forest blindly. She's loyal to me and isn't the least bit interested in you, Silus." Jerald's nails arch into sharp points. He flexes his fingers. "Temptation's mine."

"Oh?" The king taps a claw against his misshapen mouth. "Did you already mark her? I don't recall seeing anything on her neck or shoulders."

Without thinking about my actions, my hands clutch the tree until blood drips from my fingers. I try to breathe out the stress and panic, and loosen my grip.

"You know neither of us can mark her until Halloween. I'd kill her if I tried before–" Jerald stops.

The goblins are acting the way hounds do when they catch a scent of their prey. Their ears bend and rotate, probably trying to catch a sound of my beating heart. Their noses twitch, smelling for the source of my blood. I quickly wrap my hand in my shirt I still carry.

"She's somewhere close by." The king says, while never taking his eyes off the Jenkins twins. "Remorse, take a regiment of goblins and find Temptation. The rest of you remain here with me."

"Stay out of our way, hybrid beast, or I'll start murdering your goblins." Herald's chrome teeth mirror a ray of moonlight.

The king lunges, charging into Herald.

Herald howls an earsplitting screech and sinks his fangs into the king. Goblins flood out from the caves and move into battle with the humans accompanying the Jenkins twins.

I spy a small window of opportunity to escape. Leaping down from the tree, I hit the ground and then sprint back the way I came. As I circle around the hill, I can see the battling bodies of humans, and creatures in the distance. Blood spatters the leaves and colors the water. One of the humans slams a thick branch on an older goblin's leg. The crack from the breaking bone sounds like a gunshot through the forest. The goblin's otherworldly cry cripples my hard emotions toward the creatures. The human stands over the goblin, ready to bash the creature's head into the forest floor. The goblin's massive head lunges forward. He sinks his prickly teeth into the recruiter's leg. The man screams and bends forward. Before my heart can create another beat, the creature slashes the recruiter's throat. Blood pools out from the man's neck. He drops to the ground with a gurgling gasp.

I force my limbs to shift. Legs moving in the direction of town once again, the screams fade when I reach the third hill. I can see a faint light ahead and the wall. The welcome sight jumpstarts my adrenaline. Sprinting to the wall, I almost fall over when a small body jumps in my path.

"Hold on there, Girlie!" The goblin, Remorse, says. "Me master be wantin' ya. He'd be very mad at me if I let ya escape again."

I sprint past Remorse. The wall is a few feet away.

"Aw!" I fall into a mud pit. "What is this stuff?" I cannot move forward. It reminds me of trying to remove gum from a sidewalk; it keeps sucking me back in.

"Stop strugglin', Girlie. That be mud with ah spell on it. The one who can get ya outta there be me master. Not even Jenkins could free ya." Remorse swivels and runs back in the direction of the goblins' cove. "Me master should be pleased. Sit tight, Girlie."

Planting my feet into the base of the mud pit, I try to push forward, but the sticky mud sucks me back down. Up above my head, I spot a low tree branch. Twiddling my fingers on the branch, I am able to grip it. The branch in both hands, I begin to pull myself upward. The mud tugs at me; stretching my body out. Gritting my teeth, I heave myself up. My thighs rise out of the sticky muck. The mud sucks me in even harder. A sick sensation of my skin ripping apart makes me scream out in pain, but I do not surrender.

A thick arm encircles my waist, while an inhuman hand uncurls my sore fingers from the branch. "Shh," the Goblin King whispers. "It's all right. You can get out of it."

The mud slackens and falls off my body. It rolls off my clothes the way water rolls off metal. I am clutching the king's arm while he elevates me out of the cursed mud. Hot tears start to form behind my eyelids. I bite my tongue to stop myself from experiencing a breakdown.

A rough hand strokes my hair.

I finally look into the eyes of the monster I have heard so many horror stories about.

"I'll not keep you here, Temptation. This is my prison. Not yours. I'll give you your freedom."

"But then – why did you order your goblins to capture me if you're just going to let me go?"

"You were watching us in the goblin cove, weren't you?"

I trail my scratched fingertips against the king's dark fabric. It is coarse and brutal to my abused skin.

He studies my movements. "I wanted you captured, because you have a right to know the truth about us. About me. I can't waltz up to your doorway and simply tell you."

"But you have," I say. "Or at least your goblins have. I've seen them in different parts of town, even in my bedroom." I do not release any more information to him. I do not want anyone to know about the monster man who stops my suicide attempts or his visits to my bedroom the first day I came to Rosewood. Plus I am unsure of how the king would take it or what he would do to him.

The Goblin King rubs my back in small circles. His claws brush my wild hair from my forehead.

"Why can't you show up in my room?"

He chuckles and then says, "Well I'm glad to know you're eager to have me in your bedroom."

I lower my gaze so my hair shields my face.

"I'm afraid I don't have the strength for using magic anymore. My goblins can still travel to specific areas in Rosewood, but I wanted to speak with you, face to face."

"W-What truth did you want me to know?"

"I'm sure Jenkins–"

"Why do you call them Jenkins? They're two different people."

The king smirks. "Are they?"

My eyebrows pucker at his puzzling answer.

"Like I was saying, I'm sure Jenkins already told you of a fantastic story of how I murder children and rape women."

I shake my head. "No, but I did read a story; a folktale of Rosewood which said something to the same effect."

"You mean you found a copy of the folktale of Rosewood? Amazing. I thought Jenkins destroyed all those books."

"Why would they want the books destroyed? The story condemns you not them." I try not to look away from those piercing eyes and hyena-like face.

"The story hints on how to free me. I'm not a rapist or murderer, Temptation. True, the townspeople wanted help because of all the murders in Rosewood. Dead bodies kept turning up with monstrous bite marks on the neck and shoulders. Remind you of anything?"

"Vampires. But they're demons."

"The stories of vampires originated from the demons."

"So in a way, they are the original vampire?"

The king nods. "The townspeople blamed my goblins and me for the murders. So, they hired the twin sons of a priest to exorcise us out of Rosewood. They did not realize until it was too late, Jenkins was responsible, and the goblins were protecting the victims. So yes, I stole children and women. But not for the reasons the twins told you of."

"You hurt Victoria."

"Accident."

I shift in his arms. "If that's true, then let me go over the wall."

The Goblin King's shoulders slacken. Hands, the deep color of tarnished bronze, fall away from my body.

I hurry around the mud pit and hop over the wall. My heartbeat pounds in my ears. He actually let me go! Peering back at the king, the sadness in his eyes stirs in me a drop of sympathy. "Tell me one more thing. If what you say is true, don't you think the townspeople would've realized people started disappearing and dying when the twins moved to town?"

The king's depression dissipates and a malevolent grin replaces his frown. "Jenkins was born in Rosewood. He was not a stranger."

Confused by this new information, I ask, "Then how did they become demons? Did they get possessed by something?"

The king throws back his head and laughs. "In a manner of speaking. You see they were always rascals in their youth and one of their pranks went horribly wrong. They died." He stalks closer to the wall. "They went to what you humans call Hell and saw monstrous things too horrible to describe. They escaped and their souls returned to their bodies. The townspeople rejoiced, calling it a miracle from God, not realizing the creature borne into the twins that day. They'll never be able to experience peacefulness again. The only thing to calm their demons is song. It's why Victoria is their...doll. Her voice is what makes them feel human; strips them of their immortality for a brief moment in eternity. It would be wise to not allow them hear you sing, Temptation. I heard you in the theater house."

Color rises into my cheeks. "I didn't want anyone to know. It's not a part of my life anymore."

The king tilts his head. "A shame."

"So – how did they get their wings? I didn't think demons had angel wings, I thought they would be more bat-like."

"I'll answer with a question. Have you ever heard of the Nephilim?"

I shake my head.

"They're the offspring of human women and fallen angels. Jenkins is a Nephilim and a demon. The only one I know of in existence. Young as he is, he's still extremely dangerous. He needs to be stopped before he can escape from Rosewood. Free me, Temptation."

Thunder claps overhead. I jump. As I stare into the night, a single raindrop falls on my cheek. Weird, I thought, the sky was clear a moment ago. Back over the wall, the goblins, and their king disappear. I hug my torso and dash back in the direction of town. Aunt Sally is going to murder me!
Chapter Seven

Five Minutes

The carved oak door opens and I tiptoe into the warmth of the Victorian-styled living room. Glad to escape the pounding rain, I shut the door, and lean against it for support. Crap, I feel like I ran a marathon. My wet hair lay sleek against my oval face.

"TEMPTATION!"

I jolt backward, slamming the back of my head in the process. As I rub the sore spot, I inwardly curse Aunt Sally. "I know I'm–"

"Alive! Thank goodness you're alive!" Aunt Sally dashes out of the kitchen, into the dimly lit living room, and asphyxiates me with an affectionate hug.

Uncle Jack comes stomping down the stairs. "Temptation, where have you been? Thank God you're not hurt!" He rips me from Aunt Sally's arms and embraces me with such strength, I feel my back popping.

"Uncle Jack? When did you get back and what are you two talking about? I know I'm late, but why wouldn't I be alive?"

"Two people were killed tonight. The Blares. They were the couple who told your father about Rosewood." Aunt Sally sniffles into a tissue.

A sick sensation bubbles in the pit of my stomach. "Did they have a daughter in high school?"

"Poor girl." Uncle Jack shakes his head. "Victoria. Alfred told me how wonderful his daughter is at singing. She has many things in common with you, Temptation."

What a compliment. I dread the answer to the question that springs from my lips. "Uncle Jack, how did the Blares die?"

"Their throats – completely ripped out. The police think a wild pit-bull is to blame. Rabies maybe." He shakes his head again before ushering me to the staircase. "Let's not get into details tonight. You're alive and that's what's most important. Someone found your backpack by the lake. We thought the worst." His eyes water which causes guilt to flood throughout my body. "You need to get out of those wet things before you catch a cold."

"Yes, and I need to call the police to tell them we found you." Aunt Sally bustles back into the kitchen.

I allow Uncle Jack to lead me up the moaning stairs. He leaves me at my bedroom door with a kiss on the cheek and a promise to talk in the morning.

I shut my door behind me and exhale. "The Goblin King and the twins both have good points, but who can I trust?" I shiver. "Crap, I'm freezing."

In the bathroom, I amble to the side of the tub, and turn on the tap. Steam fills the air, along with the light sent of chamomile, and sandalwood from the bath beads. I strip and sink into the hot water, closing my eyes. My worries melt, while the warmth of the water massages my muscles.

A creaking sound, coming from my bedroom, bolts me out of my daydreaming. Heavy footsteps stop at the bathroom door. The lights flicker.

"Temptation. You in there?" Uncle Jack's voice echoes through the door.

I sink back into the tub, while my heartbeat returns to its normal pace. "Yeah, Uncle Jack. What's up?"

"There's someone here to see you."

"I'll be downstairs in a minute, I need to get changed." Wet feet touch the cool floor as I step out of the tub. Wrapping a royal purple towel around my body, I check my reflection, and then open the door. "What are you doing in my room? Who let you in?"

Herald yanks my hair back to investigate the curve of my neck.

"Get off!" I shove him. "Uncle Jack? Why aren't you doing anything?" His brown eyes possess a vacancy in their cores. I cannot even see my reflection. His eyes are empty. Dead.

Herald stands next to Uncle Jack.

"You son of a –! What did you do to him?"

"He's fine. Think of it as sleepwalking. He won't remember a thing." Herald reaches out and strokes my wet hair with his clawed hand. "How did you get away from the goblins? More importantly, how did you escape the king?"

I retreat when his hand forms a fist, before dropping to his side. "Why did you allow Victoria's parents to be murdered?"

"An accident; we've never seen the goblins this strong. One clawed Mr. Blare's throat out," I remember the recruiter who attacked the goblin. It must have been Mr. Blare. "And the other ripped Mrs. Blare's neck apart. Answer my question."

Herald advances on me and I react by stomping on his foot. He releases me with a noisy grunt. Darting into the room, the four-poster bed separates me and Herald. His nails dig into the bedpost, proving how easy it will be to slice into my skin.

"The Goblin King let me go. How can he be as bad as you say if he didn't hurt me? If he did help kill the Blares, why didn't he kill me?"

"He's playing you, Temptation. He wants you to free him!" Herald sneers and points an arched nail at my face. "And the day you try, is the day you'll die. I won't let you ruin everything I've accomplished in this town; no matter how much Jerald likes you. Here I can live peacefully, without the outside world knowing about me and hunting me down." Herald edges around the bed.

"You stay away from me or I will release those goblins! Do you understand me? I want you to leave me alone. I'll keep your stupid secret, but I'm not going to have anything to do with you or your brother."

Herald mutates into his demon form. "Jack Falls, I want you to jump out of the window."

Before I can blink, Uncle Jack dashes past me. The windows blow open. I scream and lung forward to stop him. Hands seize my wrists. Uncle Jack jumps and disappears out of the window.

"Damn you!"

Herald takes a fistful of my hair and wrenches my head back. "Look." He jabs a long finger at the window.

I see the motionless form of Uncle Jack, hovering in mid-air.

"I can let him drop, but I'm getting tired of this tug-of-war between us. You obey me or you'll start losing more family members. Your defiance is disrupting the order of things in Rosewood. Should I let him fall or will you save him?"

Painful memories of my parents' death haunt me now. Flashes of the car aflame and the first time I heard the cruel chuckle of the creatures cause me to slump in Herald's arms. "Fine. Leave my family alone."

Herald frees his hand from my hair and motions for Uncle Jack to return to the room. His voice changes to worry-free and intoxicating like waking to the sound of rhythmic ocean waves. "Jack Falls, you'll not remember answering your front door. You and your wife and children went to bed. You never heard Temptation scream. If she tries to tell you about demons, you'll be deaf to her words." He stops to grin at my outraged expression. "Return to your wife and don't leave your bedroom until morning."

Uncle Jack's eyes register nothing. His movements imitate the wobbling of a zombie as he staggers out of the room. When the door shuts behind him, Herald yanks me back against his chest, while he fumbles with something in his pockets.

The towel begins to loosen its grip on my body. "What are you doing?" I ask, eyeing his pocket.

"Hold still." Herald unveils a gaudy necklace from his pocket. He binds the long metal necklace around my throat and mumbles a few words. I hear a loud click. "There. The goblins cannot harm you. Only a powerful demon could remove this from your neck. Next time Victoria suggests for you to do something stupid again, don't listen to her. Seriously, I thought you were smarter." Herald shoves me on the squishy bedspread. "You're not to miss school on Monday. Tryouts for the lead singer at the Halloween Ball are going to be held then, and you're going to audition–"

"I don't sing anymore. My parents died because I tried to make it to a concert on time. I don't want to sing. Victoria–"

"–is not who I want to hear this year." His firm voice shows no remorse for my feelings. "You'll sing or one of your family members will pay for it. Your younger cousin maybe. What was his name? Nathan?"

"Why does this Mask Ball mean so much to everyone? To you?"

"Because," Herald says. "It's the one thing in this world that gives me pleasure. It's almost better than sex." He is eyeing my loose towel. "Almost."

Securing the towel more tightly around my bodice, I say, "I'd rather sing for you than give you that kind of pleasure."

The devilish smile on Herald's lips does not match my own frown.

"Look, it's been a long night and I'd really like to go to bed."

He runs a hand over the towel along my hips.

"Alone."

"How about a goodnight kiss? I believe you still owe me one for winning the race." Herald snatches my wet hair and jerks me into a crushing embrace.

The kiss is bruising. I have never kissed a person who I disliked and I hope by no means to do so again. His hand slips under the towel and caresses my lower back. I bite his lip and knee him below the belt. He growls like an animal and tosses me on the bed. I try not to scream, but fail. His chrome teeth drip antifreeze green liquid over the metal necklace. He cannot bite me unless he removes it.

The wardrobe next to the window begins to shake violently.

Herald blanches and releases my wrists. He straddles my waist, but his full attention narrows in on the wardrobe.

I stop screaming.

The wardrobe goes still.

Herald regards me like a puzzle in need of solving. He frees me and backs up to the window, panting a little. "Don't tell Jerald about what happened tonight between us. As far as he knows, I never checked up on you. I would hate to have to kill my own brother."

"You're insane! You'd kill your own brother over me? Why?"

Herald's chrome teeth grind together. "Jerald's ability to show regret, sympathy, and love," he motions at me, "really pisses me off."

"But why? Can't you feel those emotions?"

"No." Herald climbs to the window ledge. "I feel only the dark sins of human emotions. I don't love you, Temptation, but I lust for you." He tilts his face around so I can see his crimson eyes glowing. The night sky intensifies the vivid color. "One day, I'll have you." He steps off the ledge and disappears from my sight.

My world becomes silent. No bones crack from Herald's drop from my windowsill. Careful not make a sound, I tiptoe over to the ledge. Wind and beads of raindrops attack my hair and skin. Next to the moonlit window frame, I look down into the yard that is sparkling like diamonds from the recent rainfall. Herald is gone. Everything becomes blurry and a moment later, hot tears blind my view of the world.



I awake to a cool breeze invading my bedroom through the window. Hair stuck to my face and eyes crusted with dry tears, I pull back my black hair and shiver. The towel fell off sometime during the night. I rewrap the towel, but screech when something sharp pokes my ribs. A blue rose drops to the floor. I bend forward and pick it up.

"Temptation! Are you all right?" Uncle Jack bursts in through the door. "What happened? Oh...sorry." He backs out of the room. His usual pasty cheeks turn a shade of pink. Uncle Jack's thumps from his boots retreat down the staircase.

The giggle coming from my own mouth surprises me after the previous day's adventures. Laughter is not something I expect to have this particular morning. I step over to the disengaged wardrobe. Careful not to make a sound, I open both of the wardrobe doors. Nothing but clothes. Thank the Gods I did not find some new monster awaiting discovery. Tossing the rose on my bed, I pick out a graphic shirt, and faded jeans.

My cell phone battery died, so I hook it up to the charger. Karma is probably suffering an anxiety attack by now. If she can pick up on my depression for the first day of school, she definitely will have felt my fear.

After I finish dressing, I do my make-up in a more natural tone, and then hurry out of the room. Rose forgotten, I skip down the stairs, through the kitchen, and into the dining room where the family is eating eggs and bacon.

"Are you all right, Temptation?"

"Yeah, Uncle Jack. I thought I saw one of those wolf spiders. I didn't mean to scare you after everything that happened last night with the Blares."

"Yes, it was a tragic accident, but I received a call this morning. Apparently, they found the dog responsible for killing the Blares."

Aunt Sally ushers me to the table. We pass the china doll masks mounted to the wall. The feathery mask I found the first day at the house outshines the rest. "Eat before the boys make it all disappear."

"How do they know if the dog is the one that attacked them?" I ask.

"A truck hit the dog, so it's kind of a mess. The 'strangest dog they had ever seen' is what the sheriff told me. Anyway, they found some skin tissue stuck in the dog's teeth and had it tested. It ended up as a positive match to both of the Blares."

I shake some salt on my scrambled eggs and beef sausage. "Wasn't it a little fast for them to do DNA testing? Who works in the middle of the night?"

"They keep improving things nowadays and this is a very family oriented town, so the staff was willing to work overnight. Besides, it would be a shame if they didn't find the dog. You kids wouldn't be able to do anything. With Halloween right around the corner, it would've meant no candy or carnival."

"I think Temptation's pissed off it wasn't a monster–"

Aunt Sally slams the saltshaker on the table. "Daniel, let's not start again!"

"Wait, Sally, that's something I wanted to ask. Temptation, have you been experiencing hallucinations again? The doctors said this might happen after moving."

I drop my fork and it clatters onto my plate. "What? You're going to have me drugged up. Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

"Oh, I don't know," says Daniel. "Maybe it's because you believe magical creatures are terrorizing the town and only you can see them. What's next? A vampire sneaking into your bedroom at night?"

My cheeks are burning. Pushing back my chair, I storm out of the dining room, ditching my breakfast on the kitchen counter.

"Calm down, Temptation. Daniel's only teasing. You need to stop taking everything so seriously." Uncle Jack follows me into the living room. "You have a doctor's appointment at one this afternoon, so make sure you're home in time."

I exit the house. The door closes with a bang. I cannot believe it. He is crazy if he thinks I am going to let those doctors stick me with needles. The morning breeze caresses my skin. I reach up to scratch my neck. Metal meets my fingers. Stupid necklace. I tug at it, trying to pull it off. After ten minutes, I give up. "Why me?"

"Temptation!" The shaggy figure of Whelan waves to me from the end of the road.

I wave back and jog toward Whelan. "What in the name of the living dead, are you doing up this early in the morning?"

Whelan crushes me with a hug. "Those murders last night. I heard you were missing. What's the deal?"

"Uh...you're not going sweet on me are you?"

"Heck no! I mean you'd be hot if you dyed your hair a different color–"

I laugh and punch him playfully on the arm. "Screw you. You disappointed I'm not still missing?"

"Heck, yeah! How am I supposed to get those twins away from Victoria long enough so I can get my groove on?"

A giggle bursts out of me. "Get your groove on? Whelan, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I don't think she knows any other guy exists except for Jerald and Herald."

"Totally not cool. This is why you're supposed to seduce those twins–"

"Whelan!"

"–and get jiggy with them, so I can get jiggy with Victoria."

"Whelan!"

"What? It's a great plan! I get some, you get some, and the twins get some–"

Holding up my henna-tattooed hand to stop his disturbing logic, I say, "I get the picture." I twist my hair in my fingers.

"Everyone goes home happy." Whelan pulls out a piece of gum. Tossing it in the air, he catches the gums in his mouth.

"Herald's a jerk on a power-trip. He thinks the sun shines out of his ass. Jerald," I kick a pinecone out of the street, "I can't decide what I think about him." The trees sway in the morning breeze. I inhale the scent of fresh dewdrops.

"Everyone else thinks the sun shines out of their asses too." Whelan shrugs a shoulder. "But I've seen the way they watch us. They're jealous. They like you, Temptation. You're probably the only girl in school who's told them to stick it where the sun don't shine."

"I know, but Herald deserved it." Releasing my hair, I cross my arms and settle my dark star on the beclouded sky. A flock of birds are flying south for the winter.

"Totally, but they might not know how to react to someone acting so indifferent to their...charms."

My eyebrows arch. "Deep talk coming from you, Whelan. Taking up philosophy?"

Whelan aims a playful punch. I duck. "Come on Temptation. Give them a chance on Monday, please."

I laugh at Whelan's impression of puppy eyes. "Gods, what am I about to commit to. Yes! Okay, but I'm only agreeing to do this with Jerald. Herald gives me the creeps."

"Awesome!" Whelan passes me a couple pieces of gum. I take them and chew. It relaxes me a bit. Whelan drapes his arm around my shoulders.

"Whelan, what goes on at the Masked Ball? I mean, what's so great about it?"

"Don't know. I moved here after it was all over. I guess this will be a first time for both of us." He wiggles his eyebrows.

I snort out another laugh. "So, where are we going?"

He shrugs his scrawny shoulders. "Nowhere. Chillax and walk your worries away."

I smile. "Sounds awesome."



I return home in time for Uncle Jack to rush us to my appointment. At the rundown gas station, we turn right, and travel a short way down the road, before swerving into a small shopping center. I thought there would be more than three cars, since Rosewood does not offer any other form of entertainment. The doctor's office pops into view at the end of the building. I drag my feet when we enter the sanitized office. The receptionist with the horn-rimmed glasses and fuzzy hair takes our names. Before our body heat can warm the plastic chairs, the doctor calls us into a private room. I sit in a squishy chair with Uncle Jack at my side.

"Hello, Mr. Falls. I take it you are his niece, Temptation?" The doctor extends his calloused hand. I shake it and then withdraw quickly. Nothing good ever comes from doctors. Always bad news or some new drug they want me to try. "Well, your records tell me you were in an accident not too long ago."

"Yeah." I press my lips together. I can feel my throat tightening up.

"I'm very sorry for your loss. It's difficult to deal with these kinds of things. But what concerns me is the fact you were dead for approximately...five minutes." The doctor pulls his chair in front of me and sits down. "Your uncle tells me you've been experiencing hallucinations. I need you to be honest with me. Have you been seeing hallucinations?"

I close my eyes and keep my arms crossed.

"My sons both told me she's experienced them regularly." Uncle Jack places a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I jerk his hand off. Uncle Jack just fed me to the wolves. Dad would be so pissed at him if he were here. I can feel my emotional barriers crumbling. The pressure of my life in Rosewood is not helping.

The goblins, the Jenkins twins, and even the deaths of the Blares, may have been tricks of my mind.

Five minutes.

Those five minutes of death caused me these problems. I stroke the necklace. No. The doctors are wrong. Everyone else is insane.

"Temptation, it's very important you tell me when you started having these hallucinations." The doctor pierces me with a strict gaze.

"WHY!" I launch out of my seat. "Why do you need to know? So you can call me crazy and pump me full of drugs?"

"Temptation!" Uncle Jack rises to his feet.

"Young lady," the doctor stands in front of me, "People who've died for five minutes or more can suffer from brain damage. Some come out of it fine. We need to know how severe your symptoms are, so–"

"So, what?" I glare at Uncle Jack. "So you can stick me in another mental hospital and then Daniel and Aunt Sally won't have to deal with me anymore."

He snatches my shoulders and shakes me. "Temptation, that's not fair–"

"No. What's not fair is I know I'm not wanted. Aunt Sally might try to be fair to me, but I know she doesn't want me around! And you're deliberately slumming for a reason to get rid of me without looking bad."

The doctor puts a hand on Uncle Jack's shoulder. "I think we all need to calm down a–"

"Screw both of you!" I slap my Uncle's hands off my shoulders. "You both stay here and decide how insane you think I am, because you obviously don't need my input." I dodge them and run out of the office, past the shouting receptionist, and into the parking lot. I hear everyone shouting for me to stop, but I keep running. Instead of going in the direction of home, I run straight into the woods. Twigs, leaves, and pinecones crunch underneath my shoes. "I'm not crazy. I'm not imagining these things. I'll prove it to myself."

I jog deeper into the forest until the stone wall comes into view. Curious fingertips brush the mossy stones. A thrill of adventure pumps through me like a shot of espresso. I follow the wall for a mile, until I spot an archway twenty feet away. My muscles ache. Leaves fall from the towering maple and oak trees.

At the crescent doorway, I peak through. No goblins are in sight. I cannot wait for them to come to the wall. If Herald finds out I came here it will be a darker nightmare. I suck in a breath and follow the stone pathway, which leads to the goblins' cove. The further I travel, the more the sounds of the forest deafen. The trees bend inward, but make no swishing noises. Near the end of the path, I go over the steep hill, and enter the clearing where the little stream travels through the center of a cove. No bronze bodies wander through the clearing. The dark cave entrances blend in with the hills.

I would have never noticed the openings if I had not seen them the other night.

The shadowy holes beckon me forward. I spot the largest one where the king emerged from last night. I clench my sweating palms into a fist, and wobble into the cave. I draw my hands away from the moist walls.

Yuck.

Little balls of light illuminate the pathway. A small glow comes from the end of the cavern. I halt at the end of the hallway and stare at a large room. My mouth unhinges. The Goblin King's room reminds me of bedrooms in the castles in Europe.

Wandering further into the room, I walk across a rug which reminds me of my mother's Indian rugs. The canopy bed, draped in luscious reds and deep violet, remains empty. A large Victorian portrait hangs on the rock wall. My fingers press on the bumpy texture of the old canvas. Oil paint. The possibility that I actually just stroked the rock wall and not the canvas causes me to doubt my sanity.

I jerk back at the sound of heavy footsteps. They echo out from a different cave opening. Crap, I cannot move. Not because of a spell, but because of my own fear.

The Goblin King enters the dim bedroom. He is wearing his usual black cloak. Face unveiled, the exhaustion of his life shines in his weary eyes. With his back to me, he tosses a skeleton mask down on the vanity and glances into the cracked mirror. His eyes widen when he spots my motionless figure. Pivoting, his mouth parts in shock.

I do not move. I cannot. My joints are glued together.

The king steps forward; a small grin forms on his animalistic face. "I didn't expect to see you so soon, Temptation." He halts a foot from of me and stares down into my plum eyes. His grin changes into a frown when he spots the metal necklace. "Where did that come from?" The warmth in his eyes vanishes.

"H-Herald put it on me last night. He said only a powerful demon could remove it."

The king exposes his chrome canines at the necklace.

I withdrawal against the portrait; afraid he might try to bite the necklace off. "I-I need you to do something for me."

The king retracts his teeth and retreats a few steps. "I take it from your expression this isn't something pleasant you want of me?"

"I need you to cut me."

The king raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

I blink back the tears trying to push their way out. I do not want to lose my contact lenses. It will feel like taking a mask off in front of the king. No one in the world has seen my true eye color since the accident. "There's something about me you don't know. I died almost a year ago. Somehow – I came back – but I started seeing things. Monsters or maybe they're goblins. They – the doctors – think I have brain damage. I'm afraid they're going to cage me at some mental hospital. It'll be no different than a prison. You understand how that feels." I stir up enough bravery to move away from the wall and amble up to the king. "But I need to know I'm right. Hallucinations can't hurt me. If you cut me it means you're real and I'm not going crazy."

The king smiles and closes the gap between the two of us. His fingers part my black hair back so my white hair drapes over my shoulders. "Temptation, you're not crazy. Far from it. You have a gift that scares people. They can never understand you like I can."

My heart hammers against the king's wide chest. I lay one hand on his torso. "Still, I want you to cut me."

The king's fingers enclose my hand that is resting on his chest. Placing his thumbnail in the palm of my hand, he pushes.

I open my mouth to gasp, but before I can utter a sound, the king bends down, and crushes his lips against mine. Surprised by the tenderness in his kiss, I lean into it. It is gentle, yet powerful enough to stir dormant emotions. It sends a bud of affection blossoming in the crater of my heart. It creates a pain I never thought I would feel again. The king pulls me closer to his misshapen body. His body repulses me, but I love his attentiveness to my emotions. The butterflies escape from my stomach and travel to every inch of my body.

Rough hands roam over my lower back.

I pull away. I have been here too long.

Far too long.

If word reaches Herald about my running away, my family might pay the price. "I-I have to go before Herald realizes I'm here." The blood drips from my fingertips. It is real. All of it is real. I'm not crazy. I shake the dizzy spell away. "He'll start hurting my family if he finds out I came here." I do not know if the king will allow me to depart again. I try edging around him, but his warm hand clamps over my arm. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here. I-I just needed to be sure."

The king tilts his head and scans my eyes. "And now, what do you think? Am I really such a monster?"

I feel another pain in my heart. Sorrow. I hate it.

"There's also something you need to know about me, Temptation." His eyes abandon my own and examine my hand. His arched nail traces the lines of the henna tattoo. "I sent those goblins to save your life the day you died."

I blink. "What?"

The king stands behind me and runs his hands along my arms. "Do you remember the day when the accident happened?"

"Halloween." I stare out of the cavern. Do not cry. Do not cry.

"Yes. Halloween. It's the only time my goblins can leave Rosewood."

"But I've seen goblins long after Halloween."

"True, but those are a different kind of species and are not under my control. Haven't you noticed the goblins of Rosewood have more of a conscience than ordinary goblins?"

I nod. The Rosewood goblins possess more human qualities in them than regular goblins.

"I sent them to find an older teenage girl near death. You see, goblins can sense when someone is going to die. My goblins were in the woods near the highway where you crashed. They pulled you out of the car and gave you a, well I guess you humans call it a potion, to help heal you, but also make it so you can see us permanently. I even sent Mr. Peters to talk the Blares into persuading your uncle and aunt into moving here."

I swivel to face the king, but he does not slacken his grip. "Your goblins saved me?"

He smiles. I do not.

"I wish they would've left me for dead! I don't want to live!"

"Temptation–"

"No! I want everyone to leave me alone." I twist, forcing the king to release me. Sprinting out of the cave, I hear the king cursing his own actions. I dash to the wall. The king calls out for the goblins. The wind picks up and the trees bend inward. The goblins close in from behind. My hands clutch the top of the wall and I climb over. The goblins stop and pant for breath. I return to the main road, ignoring the hellish shouts from behind.



The sun vanishes by the time I step onto my street. The night comforts me. Bugs buzz around in the streetlights. Eerie laughter of children fills the air. Motorcycle engines rev off in the distance. "Oh no," I mutter as I start to run and hide in the forest.

The motorcycles circle me and Craven, the leader, snatches my arm and yanks me onto the bike as if I weigh the same as a ragdoll. The bike lurches forward and I grasp his waist so not to roll off. Terror motivates me to bury my face against the back of his jacket. The wind chills my skin.

"Be very careful, Temptation. Your time is running out. Jenkins will never allow you leave."

Lifting my face, I speak to the back of his head. "You told me to leave Rosewood the first time I met you."

"Yes, but you've captured Jenkins' attention, so you can't escape. Beware their girlfriend, Victoria. She's a nasty piece of work and is desperately trying to get rid of you before the Halloween Mask Ball."

"Gods, what is it with this town and that Ball?"

Craven does not answer. He slows down at my house.

Before the motorcycle stops, I slide off, and run into my yard. Craven and the gang give me the weird assurance of, "We'll be watching over you." The motorcycle engines echo into the distance.

I slump and lean against the porch beam, inhaling the aroma of dinner coming from the house. "Demons for guardian angels." I shake my hair out. "Karma's going to love this."

Another motorcycle pulls up to the curb. Jerald kills the engine. Before I can ponder his intentions for coming to my house or how he even knew where I live, his arms crush me, and I sink into his embrace.

"I thought I'd lost you the other night. The Goblin King didn't hurt you, did he?" Jerald releases me and strokes my neck. He stops when his fingers touch metal. "Where did this come from?"

I remember Herald's instructions and threats. "I'm not sure. It was on my neck when I woke up this morning. I can't take it off. Can you?"

Jerald inspects the necklace. "I don't see any latches. Maybe we should ask Herald. He's better at working with metal than I am."

"No!" My cheeks warm. "I mean, I don't want to bother your brother about it. It's not that important, besides, it's kinda pretty."

Jerald grins and leans in. "You enhance it."

Feeling my face burn more, I move past Jerald. "So what are you doing today?"

"Hunting you."

"You found me, so now what?"

Jerald positions himself behind me, as I gaze out over the yard. "Now I have to figure out what I'm going to do with you."

"Do we have to dance at the Halloween Masked Ball? Like the waltz?"

"Of course. Is there something worrying you?"

"Yes." I stare over my shoulder to capture Jerald's eye. "I don't have a clue on how to do any of those dances. I can belly dance, but that's not going to do me any good at a ball."

Jerald loops my arm in his. "Dance lessons it is."
Chapter Eight

Auditions & Accusations

Thanks to Jerald, my weekend ends up giving me a little relaxation. Sunlight beams in through my bedroom window on Monday morning; stirring me from my imaginary nightmares. A real nightmare will happen in two hours. The audition. I would rather be lost in the woods again. Even kissing Herald, as repulsive as he is, would be more of an enjoyable task than singing on stage again.

Standing before the wardrobe mirror, I scrutinize my long hair outlining my body like a black veil. Flicking my black hair out of the way, I gather my white hair. The goblins know I can see them, so why hide anymore? The medicine I need to move on from my traumatic past, seems so simple. I need Beautiful Temptation. The idea gives me a bud of hope. Hope to attain true happiness.

I march over to one of my packed boxes and stoop down. My hands are trembling as I open the bent box. Pictures of old friends and my parents, smile in the photographs. The picture of my deceased parents causes a tear to escape. I heave the box away and bust another box open. This holds my barely used perfumes I adored before the accident. I shuffle through trinkets, lotions, and then squint at the bottom of the box. "Wicked luck." Picking up the hair-color remover kit, I abandon the disorganized box. As I amble into the bathroom, I pray that Herald's lust for me will vanish once I become Beautiful Temptation.

I take my time to bleach out the silky blackness. After internal arguing, I decide to take out my plum contacts. Beautiful lime-green eyes blink out of the mirror. I return to the bath and rinse out the chemical scent. Once all the black dye trickles down the drain so only my white hair remains, I wrap my hair up in a towel, and exit the bathroom. Grasping the wardrobe knob with my newly polished French-tipped nails, I yank the doors open. The wine-colored opera dress from the tragic night last Halloween glitters. Brushing my fingertips across the fabrics hanging up, I halt at a bubblegum pink skirt with a distinct India print bordering the hem. With my help, it slides off the hanger, and into my awaiting hands. The towel slides from my body and I toss it in a corner. Pulling on a pair of panties, bra, and the skirt, I select a golden shirt to compliment the skirt. Satisfied with my reflection, I return to the bathroom to finish putting on my make-up and drying my new hair.

There are certain things I realize I do not want to change. I really love the henna tattoos and the bindi tattoo on my forehead. With my white hair and green eyes from my father's side, and tan skin from my mother's side, I retain a strange beauty. I understand it is okay to have an edge – to become a mixture of Dark and Beautiful Temptation.

Thirty minutes later, I skip down the stairs and enter the kitchen.

"It's about time Tempta–" Aunt Sally's mouth drops in shock. "–tion."

"You look wonderful, Sweetheart!" Uncle Jack says from the breakfast table. "You're the old Temptation I've been missing. O'course you didn't used to wear the tattoos, but at least there's some color back in your life."

"Oh!" Aunt Sally nearly pounces on me, breaking down into sobs on my shoulder. "We can finally start being a normal family."

"Thank God," Daniel says from the table. "It's about time you did something with your skunk-colored hair–"

"Daniel." Uncle Jack frowns at his son.

I am happy I made the change, but now reality hits. It hits hard. Normal. They want me to forget my parents. Pretend everything is fine.

"Sit down and eat. You need to be ready for your audition." Aunt Sally scurries around the kitchen.

The welcoming scent of coffee fills my nostrils. "But how did you know about the auditions?"

"Everyone in town can't shut up about it, with you being an award-winning singer; you shouldn't have a hard time."

"Now, Dear. The Blares' daughter is pretty good from what I've heard–"

"What are you going to sing?" Nathaniel asks. A glob of purplish jelly outlines his mouth.

"I-I haven't decided yet. I might go with one I wrote." I prod my eggs around my Greek-printed plate. I do not feel like eating.

Aunt Sally sets a mug of hot coffee down in front of me.

I smile and take a sip of the warm liquid. It used to be a routine of mine to have coffee every morning before rehearsals. For a moment, I allow myself the fantasy of my parents' encouraging me for my tryouts.



Thirty minutes later, I arrive at school. No students roam the grounds of the high school because they are assembling to watch the tryouts for the Mask Ball's lead singer. A deep breath and I exit the car. Every breath I create expels more and more of my courage. My emotions are becoming more hollow, the closer I march to the school auditorium. Out of the building echoes a beautiful voice singing a choir song.

I descend through the doors and enter the packed auditorium. A girl vacates the stage with a light flush on her pimpled cheeks. Victoria sashays to the lighted podium. The band behind her strikes a pop-style song and she starts to sing.

Crap, she is good.

Really good.

Across the crowd, Whelan cheers Victoria on from the first row, while the Jenkins twins look mildly interested from the side of the room.

"Temptation! There you are. I barely recognize you with white hair." Mrs. Peters snatches my elbow. "Follow me to the side of the stage; everyone's been waiting for you!"

Part of my arm goes numb from Mrs. Peters' grasp. The old woman kills the stereotype of frailty and weakness. "I haven't figured out what I'm going to sing yet–"

"Sing the song you were singing at the opera house." Mrs. Peters stops at the stairs leading to the stage.

I pause. "You mean, Alice Demented? I don't know if it's a good id–"

"Nonsense, Dearie. The house band already knows the basic tune. They'll follow along with you when you play the piano."

"How could they? No one knows my song, but you."

Mrs. Peters barks out a few orders to the stage help, ignoring my inquisitive stare. Victoria ends and the crowd cheers. My joints stiffen.

Mrs. Peters grabs my schoolbag from me. "You're up, Dearie. Knock 'em dead!"

I try to force a smile, but the muscles in my face freeze. The faces of my parents flash before my eyes, making my throat constrict. I climb the stairs and enter the brightly lit stage. Shocked whispers break out across the auditorium as soon as the spotlight illuminates my face. One nice thing about those bright lights is I cannot see the crowd. The piano's ivory keys shine a variety of colors from the stage lights. I take a seat on the polished bench. Fingers bent on the colorless keys, I exhale, and begin the mournful tune to Alice Demented. The band picks up the tune and, for the first time, my song comes to life.

"Alice is so sweet and true;

Dressed up in both white and blue.

She takes some pills to make her dream,

While still awake or so it seems."

Memories begin to swirl...downing the pills until sweet sleep comforts me. Then red lights are mesmerizing me. So many red lights are flashing and screaming into my soul and mixing with the cries of the medics.

The music pauses for three seconds and then the drums and electric guitar create a loud dooming rock melody which intensifies my opera vocal style.

"Save her if you can,

In darkness, she fades.

Alice in wonderland,

She dreams away.

She's shackled in these chains,

She can't escape.

Short life at hand,

The pills are laced."

The past voice of Uncle Jack still haunts my memory. "How could you, Temptation? It's a miracle you survived death the first time, but a second time! I've lost my brother and sister-in-law, why would you make me go through losing you, again?"

The music calms again, morphing into a depressing lullaby.

"Creatures around her begin to move,

Gazing ravenously at her, too.

They make such gruesome, gibberish talk,

As they move near her to stalk."

Terrifying creatures latch onto my ankles and drag me from the car as it bursts into flames. I am dead for five minutes.

The pounding drums match my heartbeats.

"Save her if you can,

In darkness, she fades."

I continue with the chorus, oblivious to the deathly silence in the auditorium. A past memory emerges in the shape of my parents, when the doctors cannot revive them.

"Alice shrieks into the night,

Fleeing from that fearful sight.

With raging eyes and gleaming fangs,

The white rabbit times their fun and games."

"Time of death, eight-forty-five," the doctor in the pristine white coat says, and the little goblin gripping his scrub-pants grins. I cannot take it.

My voice and the music intensify as I hit the climax of the song.

"Follow me,

Until you see,

This twisted life of reality.

All that's real,

Is now gone.

Nightmares roam for the deed is done."

The music slows from a climatic tone into a depressing one. Tears burn my eyes. My parents are gone. Forever.

"The Queen is coming for the dead.

Hurry now or lose your head.

Lost in darkness,

She who dwells–

Longs for death; no more to tell."

Hot tears roll down my cheeks. For the first time, since the death of my parents, I mourn. My sorrow bleeds through my music.

"Save her if you can,

In darkness, she fades..."

Ending the song, I flinch as the crowd erupts in encoring cheers. My arms fall from the piano and I try to stop the tears. The piano bench shakes as I abandon my seat and rush to the stage exit.

Mrs. Peters calls my name over and over, but I keep running.

Pain never registers in my brain as I slam my body against the metal door, forsaking Rosewood High. I think I hear Daniel's shouts not to do it again, but I do not care anymore. I thought I could handle the audition. How wrong I had been. Grief consumes my every thought. I desire an ending.

Gray clouds paint the sky, while the wind picks up. My white hair fans out behind me like angel wings.

The theater house is four stories.

It should be tall enough.

I can see the mansion's towers down the street. No cars block the roads. During the auditions, Rosewood became a ghost town. I cross the street. A roar of motorcycle engines fast approaches me from behind.

The Jenkins twins skid their bikes to a halt in front of the theater house; blocking me from running, any further. Jerald launches himself off his bike and snatches me up into a battling embrace.

"Let me go–" My tears fall on Jerald's shoulders. "I want to die!"

Jerald does not stop me from beating his chest. Instead, he holds me close, listening to my heartbroken sobs.

I finally given up trying to fight him off and instead, wrap my arms around his shoulders. Aware of his fingers stroking my long hair, I do not mind. My cries soften. My heart does not feel so heavy anymore. My mind no longer suffers to fight back reality.

Herald breaks the silence when a crowd of voices near the theater house. "I'll go tell them to leave. Mrs. Peters needs to know Temptation will be singing this year." He swings a leg back over the motorcycle and rides off in the direction of school.

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it again." I pull my face away from Jerald's chest. Common sense replaces my jumble of emotions. Mortified at how I just acted in front of the entire school and in front of Jerald, I keep my gaze on the ground. After my show of weakness, I do not know how I am going to stand up to Herald.

Jerald caresses my cheek with one hand and lifts my chin. "You need to let it go, Temptation. Your music is intoxicating. Not even Victoria could make me feel like that."

I search his glowing violet eyes. My heart flutters. Seeing his beaming face in the daylight with those gorgeous violet eyes amazes me more than the Seven Wonders of the World ever could. "Make you feel like what?"

Jerald grins. "Human. Alive in a way I've never been." He tugs me closer, stroking the white strands of my hair. "In love."

I do not stop him. I cannot if I tried anyway. His lips crush into mine and a new feeling blooms in my soul, replacing my pain. Hope.



The days go by in peaceful bliss. The jumbled puzzle pieces of my life finally fall into place. Aunt Sally bought me new clothes to replace most of the India-print clothing I wear. I do not mind, but a part of me misses Dark Temptation.

Class is strange on Thursday. Victoria picks a fight with Herald. It does not end well. Victoria now disappears from school periodically. The twins do not show any concern and they instruct me not worry either. I listen to their suggestion. I had forgotten how nice it is to be accepted. Popular.

Whelan almost kisses me when he finds out Victoria is single. He does not stand a chance with Victoria, but I cannot convince him otherwise, so I drop the subject.

The goblins vanish from my reality. Literally. I investigate the log huts and try to discover a secret tunnel. Nothing. Even when I traveled to the rock wall one weekend, no bronze bodies are visible. I am beginning to wonder if I have been imagining them to deal with my parents' passing. It saddens me a little.

Karma is happy for me, though she still insists the monster are real, but does not know how to explain their sudden disappearance either. She is worried about Jerald. She does not trust him. I try to question him about the goblins, but lose every time his hands touch me. I love the electrical shock under my skin as he breathes across the arch on my shoulder.



On October 31st, the bell signals the end of the last class period. The intercom comes on and the principal's voice echoes throughout the halls of Rosewood High. "Happy Halloween, everyone! Don't forget our annual Halloween Mask Ball is tonight at nine, at the old theater house. For you newer students, who don't know where it is; get with the counselor before going home today. Temptation Falls will be our lead singer this evening," My cheeks burn as I hide my face behind a folder, while ambling through the cheering crowd in the hallway. "And the carnival will start at seven. This is a community event and everyone will be attending the Ball, so be there. Have a wonderful holiday!" The intercom turns off.

Whelan drapes his freckled arm around me. "Hey, I really owe you one for getting Victoria away from those twins."

"You mean...you've seen her recently? She's been missing from school for two days." I bump the school doors open. Whelan and I descend the stairs, and saunter toward the buses.

"Yeah, like–" Whelan starts counting his fingers with his free hand. "–four hours ago. She said she has no hard feelings toward you and she'll be coming to the ball with me tonight! Totally lucked out, huh?"

Ever since Victoria's vanishing, I have suspected foul play. "I guess."

"Hippie!"

Whelan and I swivel to face the school. The Jenkins twins sprint down the stairs.

"I think your boyfriends–"

I punch him playfully on his side.

"Okay, boyfriend is getting jealous." Whelan removes his arm from my shoulders. "Catch ya later on tonight!" He disappears into a bus crowd with gossiping cheerleaders.

"How he can run around in shorts in at the end of October, I will never understand," I mumble.

Jerald captures my waist and swings me about. Herald stands next to us, staring at the bus.

"What was he doing with his arm around you?"

"Jerald, he's my friend and has been before we started dating."

"I don't like him," Herald says.

Herald's eyes possess a red gleam. "Really guys, he's into Vic – uh – someone else. You don't have anything to worry about."

Despite Jerald's anger, he does not press the matter. "You prepared for the Ball?"

"I'd feel sorry for myself if I wasn't."

The buses are almost full.

Jerald tightens his arms on my waist. "You'll be going to the theater for an hour to practice before the Ball tonight. I'll take you over there." He leads me in the direction of the parking lot before I can utter an answer.

I walk, obediently, to the skull motorcycle gleaming in the sunlight. Legs straddling the bike, I slide my palms down Jerald's chiseled arms and stop at his waist.

A smirk forms in the corner of his mouth. "You don't have to stop, you can keep going."

In a playful manner, I slap his thigh. "You can keep dreaming, but it's not happening yet."

He laughs. Revving up the engine, we take off in the direction of the theater. We remain silent as we pass the yellow buses and travel down the street. Cool air stings my skin. Stopping the motorcycle next to the theater, he helps me off, kisses me, and says, "Stay inside until you're ready to go and don't leave for home alone." The twins aim their bikes back to town, abandoning me with the echo of their exhaust.

"What's their problem?" I voice to the empty street.

The strangest feeling comes over me, as I enter the theater. At the top of the balcony, I stare at the closed doors along the corridors. I never investigated the rooms in the theater. The door closest to me is ajar. Taking the opportunity, I peer inside. An elegant bedroom reflects out of my eyes.

A hand clamps down on me.

"Mrs. Peters, you nearly scared me to death!"

"Sorry, Dearie, but what're you doing?" Mrs. Peters removes her withered hand.

"I wanted to know what's in these other areas of the theater. Didn't know they were bedrooms." A little ashamed of my curiosity, I twist the ends of my white hair.

"Not all are bedrooms and it's perfectly fine if you want to explore the theater. I think you'll find a particular room interesting. Try going all the way down this hallway. Turn right and keep following that hallway, until you come to the last door. In that room holds some of the most extraordinary artifacts collected in Rosewood."

"Are you sure it's okay? I won't be breaking any rules, will I?"

Mrs. Peters smiles. "Nonsense, it's our history. You have a duty to be curious. Go on."

"But I still have to rehearse–"

"Temptation, if you do anymore rehearsing, you'll have no voice left! Off you go."

Thankful for a new adventure, I do a little jog down the hallway. The wallpaper reflects a Victorian edge like most things in Rosewood. The deep red makes the hallway appear small and narrow. The theater creaks. The unmistakable sound of wings is coming from the shadowy corners of the ceiling. Probably bats. The corridor ends up ahead with a door.

I ease it open and then pat the wall before I finally find the small bump. Light makes the room burst into life.

It reflects similarities to the Goblin King's room. However, it smells like.... I stare at a painting on the wall. The man in the portrait looks like Jerald, but stranger. His black and orange hair, along with swirling crimson-violet eyes stirs only one word in my thoughts.

Demented.

It is not a pleasant portrait. He acts as if he will pounce out of the frame and attack the observer. I hate those teeth. "Freaky."

A bulky book on a podium stands on the other side of the room. I wander over and pick it up. The book smells of mold and decay. No denying it dates back at least 100 years. I carefully flip through the discolored pages. It is a weird record of some kind. I stop and stroke one of the crisp pages. Most of the dates are marked on Halloween. Skimming through the book, I realize it goes back to at least a century ago. "Wow, those two are ancient. Why doesn't the townspeople notice the twins never age?"

All the way to the end of the book, I find last year's date. My parents' faces swim into my mind. The log indicates five new members to Rosewood and two new recruits. It also documents twenty-five deaths. I frown. Written in wispy cursive next to this year's date, are the words, "Soon we will be free." Long strands of white hair outline my face and define my bone structure. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means we won't be isolated in Rosewood any longer."

I swivel, almost knocking over the podium along with the journal. Herald leans against the scratched door in his demon form. His muscular arms crossed over his chest. I ask, "You mean...you can't leave Rosewood?"

Herald unhitches himself from the doorway and stalks me in a predatory manner. "No. I can't. Only humans, who I allow to leave Rosewood to recruit more people, can travel outside of Rosewood. It's the one thing the Goblin King did that I didn't foresee. I made the forest his prison and he made Rosewood, my prison." He runs a pale finger across my jaw.

I attempt to walk past Herald, but he shoves me back on the bed. "Wait–"

Herald pins me down. His glowing red eyes never blink. Not once. "I told you, Temptation, you couldn't say 'no' forever." He strokes my metal necklace and chuckles. "You're trembling."

"I'm dating Jerald, not you." This vital piece of information does not seem to bother him. Maybe I can use the situation to my advantage. "Why are you in your demon form?" Reaching up, I caress his fiery hair.

"It's Halloween. I can be myself. But you need to get changed." He trails his hand down my thigh.

I grab his pale hand. "I don't need help dressing or undressing, thank you." I slink out from underneath him and hop off the bed. "And you never finished answering my question. How are you going to leave Rosewood?"

Herald reclines against his arms on the bed. "There's a specific date when other worlds will...open. Unfortunately, this means the Goblin King will be released, too. Imagine the kind of horrors he would present to the rest of the world after imprisonment for a hundred and fifty years. I want him dead, but I can't get close enough to do it."

"How can you capture him, but not kill him?"

"Easy. I put a spell on the rock wall in the woods and when he, along with those nasty goblins, chased me, they ran right into my trap. All I had to do was hop over the wall and I was safe. The spell drained the Goblin King of his power. I keep his magic guarded. No one can get to it except me. But I can't get close enough to kill the king. I would use Victoria, but she doesn't have the gift for it. I need someone who can." He stares me dead in the eye.

"Wha–" Taking a few steps back, I stumble and almost fall to the floor. "Oh, no. No, I can't kill – I won't kill him!"

Herald's brow ripples into a furious arch. Before I can fully register his actions, he grabs my throat. "You will kill him or your family will die, and not by me! If he's free, he'll take vengeance out on anyone who didn't help him. I can only protect you. Either way, I'll not lose you!" My heart burns. "When were you planning on telling me this?"

"Tonight. But it seems like you couldn't wait to see my bedroom." His personality changes in a flash.

I wonder if he is bipolar or has multiple personality disorder. Either way, mixing it with his psychopathic tendencies and he is still a nightmare. "I didn't know you lived here and what exactly do you think will kill him?"

He unveils a glowing crystal. "This is identical to what the king is searching for, but it's filled with my blood. If he ingests this, he'll die. Without his magic, his body won't be able to tolerate it. It'll slowly poison him to death." He presses it into my sweaty palm. "After you sing at the Ball tonight...kill him. Make him believe you're there to save him."

I study my crimson reflection in the crystal. "I'm not making any promises. I need to get home."

Herald kisses my fingers.

The cliché act softens me to my despair. I loathe my weakness for the corny romantic move.

"I'll take you home."

We vacate the room, but my heart – once again – feels hard.
Chapter Nine

Halloween Masquerade Ball

"Mom, do you have to go?" Nathaniel asks. "How am I going to pay for all the rides without you?"

"I'll give you some money–"

"Hey! What about me?"

"I'll give you some money too, Daniel. I don't get to go to many parties anymore, and this Masquerade Ball is a wonderful opportunity for your father and I to spend some alone time."

"Ew! You're going to be kissing." Nathaniel makes the face of a pug.

"Uh-huh. Where's Temptation? I don't want her to be late for her performance."

"I think she's upstairs putting on her costume. At least she'll look like everyone else tonight," says Daniel, while popping candy in his mouth.

"You put those down, they're for the trick-or-treaters."

"Mom. Seriously. Who do you think is going to walk down this street?" Daniel tosses a few more orange candy-corns in his mouth. His stained yellow teeth add to his pirate costume. "It's going to go to waste out here."

I am watching the conversation between Aunt Sally and my cousins from the staircase railing. I am still working up the guts to face my family in the clothing they have been dying to see me in for the past year. The glass slippers Jerald bought makes me feel a little silly. Nevertheless, I promised to wear them. I want to talk to Karma, but for the past few days, none of the phones have worked. Uncle Jack claims the weather as the culprit, while Aunt Sally believes a damaged tower is to blame. Either way, I lost touch with my only source to the outside world.

I rise up and descend the groaning staircase crawling with fake spiders. The wood on these stairs are going to break someday! Too bad it is not today. A broken leg will be a perfect excuse not to go.

"Why, Temptation, you look absolutely stunning. I haven't seen you wear something like that since your last recital at the opera." Uncle Jack beams at me in my wine-colored ball gown.

The top of my dress dips low, exposing part of my cleavage. I toss my white hair across my chest, when I notice the disapproving glare from Aunt Sally. Though Aunt Sally likes my return to normalcy, she dislikes anything too sexy.

The dress compliments the choker-like necklace that Herald previously locked around my neck. It does not bother me anymore. Jerald encourages me to think of it as a talisman against evil. Despite the sophisticated appearance of the dress, it appears barbaric on me. My tattoos and jewelry make me look like a savage princess.

"Figures." Daniel leans against the railing while Aunt Sally and Nathaniel applaud. "You picked the one day out of the year when it's okay to dress like a freak, and attempt to dress like a girl, instead. Why can't you make up your mind?"

"Daniel, we've already settled this argument, and we need to get moving if we're going to make it into town before the sun sets."

"Dang, Mom, it's only a joke. Temptation looks good."

I smile at Daniel. It is rare when I get a compliment. Aunt Sally gaffs at the two.

Everyone shuffles about to gather last-minute possessions before meeting on the newly painted porch. I inhale the scent of the new paint. The sunset illuminates the sky with mixtures cotton candy colors. Aunt Sally's eyes sparkle.

"Let's head out." Uncle Jack extends his arm to his wife. She loops her bony arm through her husband's, while he leads the way to the road.

"Wait. We're not driving?" Daniel gawks at his parents.

"I forgot to tell you. They're having a – well I guess you could call it a hay ride. It'll pick people up and bring them into town. We'll start walking and when they come down the street, they'll stop and let us on. What a treat this will be!" Aunt Sally gushes.

I gulp deep breaths like I do when performing yoga exercises. My nervousness about singing on stage creeps back. I fear another breakdown, only this time visible to the whole town. The wind carries cackling across the evening air, forcing the tiny hairs on my body to prickle. Leaves, the color of fall reds and gold's, plummet from the tall maple trees. Listening to the leaves crackling under Uncle Jack's shoes, I stroke the silver designs on my necklace. I have not worn my locket in ages. My parents can be with me that way.

"Temptation you're shivering. You need a jacket. This weather isn't good for your voice." Aunt Sally tugs her gold shawl more tightly over her shoulders.

"I'll grab one from my bedroom. Go ahead without me," I say, waving them toward the street. "I'll catch the next hay ride."

"Well...if you're sure. But make sure you find your cousins when you get into town. They'll be in the town square or at least they'd better be." Uncle Jack's threat does not go unnoticed by the boys, who groan, and kick a couple of rocks.

I dash back into the house, smiling. In my room, the chandelier captures the twilight from my half-circle of windows. Diamond-shaped rainbows cascade across the walls and furniture. Snatching my golden locket off the vanity, I chain it on. The floorboards creak underfoot and a hair-raising chuckling emerges in the direction of the wardrobe carved with naked angels and demons. A grim figure steps out of the wardrobe. I release a girlish shriek.

"Please, m'dear, there be no one ta hear ya screamin', and no one ta save ya, so ya better stop before ya make me mad."

I do stop. Eye's wide, they travel over the form of the ugly dwarf man blocking my windows. His black eyes seem void of a soul. His face, horribly wrinkled, sags, and defines his pointed chin, nose, and sharp fangs. His clothing resembles a nobleman from the eighteenth century. He carries on him a bone mask. My hand touches my necklace covering my throat – happy, for the first time – that Herald forced me to wear it.

"What be the matter, Girlie? Not afraid of ah little old goblin like me, are ye?" If possible, he grins even wider. Hundreds of lines sprout out all over his beastly face. "Ya shouldn't be. Ya've already met me ah few times."

"You're – You're Remorse. I met you the day the Jenkins twins took me behind the wall. And the day I got lost in the woods, but you're supposed to be trapped behind the wall! How can you be here? The Goblin King said you could only travel outside of Rosewood on Halloween." My hand grasps the ends of my hair. I begin twirling the strands in my fingers.

"Ya know ya have ah bad habit ta twirlin' yer hair when yer nervous?"

My eyes twitch to my working fingers. Immediately I withdrawal them and clench my fists at my side.

Remorse delivers a throaty chuckle. "The same way I was spyin' on ya from those woods the night yer aunt slapped ya 'round." He raises a finger, closely resembling a spider's leg, at the wardrobe. "There be very old thin's in Rosewood made from the wood in the goblin's forest. We can use these thin's as portals, but can't stray more than ah few feet from 'em. Jenkins don't know, but we be prisoners still."

"Why did you come here?"

The impish creature grins like a devil playing poker. "I'm here ta warn ya Temptation Belladonna Falls. Warn ya of the game yer about ta be playin'."

"A-A game?" I shift my weight and wrinkle my brow. "No, thank you. I don't like games."

Remorse barks out another laugh and flexes his pointy ears. He tosses a bone mask to me and, to my surprise, I catch it. "Those Jenkins twins have been lyin' ta ya since the day they discovered ya could see us goblins. Every person in Rosewood be ah slave demon, except those new ta town o' course. Every year they be drawin' more people ta Rosewood fer food. The only ones they spare be the ones who could've stopped 'em. Think of these special people as human trophies. Like Victoria. Tonight they be gatherin' all the new people fer their annual feast. Which be includin' yer family. The Jenkins twins are goin' ta trap ya into becomin' their slave Temptation, because ya have ah gift they be fearin'...and desirin'."

"But I have nothing! No gift." Unable to control my emotions, I slam my fist against the wall and release a frustrated scream. "Why even bother telling me I'm going to lose my family again! I started moving on. Fitting in. There's nothing I can do to escape–"

"That's where ya be wrong, Girlie." Remorse tilts his head. His bat-like ears perk up. "There be ah way ya can escape."

"How?" I shift closer to the exit, making the four-poster bed separate the creature and myself.

"By usin' yer gift. Ya have the gift of seein' goblins. No other human in Rosewood can see us. Jenkins fears ya 'cause ya have the power to release us goblins from behind the wall, before he can turn ya. But once he has ya, we can't do nothin' for ya."

I scowl. "How does that help me and my family escape? Besides, the twins imprisoned your kind because you were stealing children and women."

Remorse's expression becomes sinister. His teeth glint red in the fading sunlight. "They imprisoned us 'cause we stopped 'em from killin' those children and women. If ya release us, we be in yer debt. Ye can ask our king ta help yer family escape."

I study the bone mask in my hands.

"One other thin' ta think about...when me king kills Jenkins, every human he's turned into ah demon or enslaved, will return ta normal. Use the mask ta see who be human and who be demon. In order ta save us, ya must find the Cyclops rats. Ya remember 'em from the story?" Remorse points at the little ragged book on my vanity.

I nod.

"Follow 'em and steal the red crystal they be guardin'. Bring the crystal ta the Goblin King, at the stone archway, and we'll help ya save yer family. The townspeople be gatherin' together at the theater house. They'll start feastin' at nine o'clock."

I peer at the clock on my nightstand. Crap, eight o'clock already! "How do I know who's telling the truth?"

"I can't tell ya what ta think, Girlie. But did Jenkins trust ya enough ta tell ya everyone in Rosewood be ah demon?"

"No, but I never asked, either."

"Has me master ever threatened or laid ah hand on ya?" Remorse paces the floor, never taking his soulless eyes off my own.

"No. He's been kind to me, but–"

"Has Jenkins ever threatened or laid ah hand on ya?"

I rub the sides of my forehead. "Multiple times, but I can understand it if he's trying to keep killers from escaping."

"Temptation, me master or us goblins coulda killed ya long ago. I didn't have ta save ya from that car crash."

My mouth falls and I almost drop the skeleton mask. Staring at Remorse, I do not know what to say.

"Yeah, it be right, Girlie. I chose ya, cause I thought ya were strong enough ta help me king. He be dyin', Temptation. Jenkins don't know, but I reckon me master has little more than ah few months left ta live."

I lay a hand over my chest. The memory of the king's tender kiss and his attention to my emotions causes me to regret not investigating him further. "Herald gave me something to give your king." I reach into my pocket and pull out the red crystal. Remorse's eyes squint at the crystal. "It's filled with the twin's blood. He said it would...kill your king."

Remorse licks his lips in a nervous jester. "We're at yer mercy, Temptation. So what do ya choose?"

A pair of birds flutters past the windows. A thought enters my mind. "It's not my only option. The first day I'd met you, the twins said I could escape from Rosewood. It's because I have this gift isn't it? None of their spells work on me, including your king's spell, which keeps everyone, trapped in Rosewood." I study Remorse's reaction.

He frowns. "That may be true, but ya'd have ta get yer family and leave Rosewood before the clock strikes nine, and if the twins knew ya were tryin' ta run for it...ya'd never get past the town square."

"But I still have time." I watch the dark horizon. "Oh, Gods. My aunt and uncle were going straight to the theater house!" Dashing out of my room, Remorse's cackles echo throughout the Victorian house. I yank open the door and jog to the street. My glass slippers meet the pavement. Halting, I remove the fragile shoes, and then proceed to sprint down the street. The streetlights black out and Weeping Willow Road envelopes into an eerie darkness. My white hair billows behind me.

A few Halloween lights hanging from nearby houses flicker on and off like a strobe light in the darkness.

The goblin's heavy cackling still lingers in the air.

In one hand, the bone mask glitters in the light of the moon. In the other hand, the blood-filled crystal glows on its own.

The twinkling town lights flicker ahead of me and despite the cramps forming on my sides, I pump out an extra burst of speed. I pass the run-down gas station and peer over at Mrs. Peters' house as I go by. It looks dark. Vacant. Shadows across from the Peters' mansion begin to flood upon the road leading to the school. Mutated shadows draw nearer with every passing second.

I cross the street. My silk dress bellows in the breeze, creating a romantic wave as I pop in and out of the light. At the building, I hide, and peak around the corner. A group of adults, dressed in multiple hues of red-violet, stride toward the entrance to the old theater. The strange costumes remind me of the painting in my room. I grip the bone mask and pull it over my head. Body quivering, I capture my mouth to keep myself from screaming. Their faces are terrifying and hideous. They remind me of zombies in B-rated movies. A few of the women are wearing masks decorated with raven feathers to hide their faces. It is time to find my cousins. Whelan is also new to Rosewood. I will not abandon him to the zombie demons.

I sprint down the jack-a-lantern lit road, stuffing the crystal in my pocket as I run.

The carnival lights from the town square light up the night sky.

"Breathe," I chant. "Act normal."

At the side of the square, the carnival rides shake. No doubt, Daniel and Nathaniel are probably on the scariest ride. Sure enough, the boys both climb out of the Spider-Leg Twirl.

"Aw, hey, Temptation! What took ya so long?" Nathaniel asks, while dashing in my direction. "And what happened to your shoes?"

"Let me guess," Daniel saunters over in his pirate costume, "you're hoping a handsome prince would–"

"There's no time for jokes, come on!" I yank the boys away from the carnival.

"Hey! What gives?" Daniel asks.

"Let go, Temptation. I want to go play the games before–"

"Quiet!" To my surprise, my cousins obey, and stare at me as if I suddenly sprouted an extra eye. "Listen to me you two; we've got to get out of here. There are demons capturing everyone who's new in town and they're searching for us."

Daniel, unimpressed, curls his nose in distain at my declaration of danger. "Duh, there are demons around, it's Halloween! They're probably playing a prank. They can't really kidnap people–"

"No, it's not." I glance at the courthouse clock. Crap, only thirty minutes left. Yanking my cousins by their wrists, I drag them down the street, and into the flickering darkness.

"Let go of my hand, you're hurting me!" Nathaniel tries to wrench back his arm and scream.

"QUIET!"

"Dammit, Temptation, why do you have to ruin everything? School sucked for the first month because of you and now I can't even enjoy Halloween. Can't you get over yourself?" Daniel asks.

Shouts of protests and screams that can awaken the ghosts of a graveyard come from the end of the street. I stop. Daniel and Nathaniel bump into me. Rounding on my cousins to silence them becomes unnecessary when I note the astonishment on their faces. We creep over to the edge of the brick building and peer around the corner.

"Wait, it's Jerald and Her–"

"Shh!" I spy on them as they drag one of the new freshmen students toward Mrs. Peters' house. It seems Remorse knows Jerald better than me. "Shut up and look at the twins' faces!"

"It'll be fun." Herald leers at the kid.

"Yeah, you'll be one of us." Jerald turns his head so the light from the lamppost catches his face.

Daniel jerks back and yells. Lucky for us, the captured boy screams at the same time, leaving the twins oblivious to our presence. The Jenkins twins drag the struggling boy through the theater's brilliant door and slam it shut.

"Screw this; I'm getting out of here." Daniel grabs Nathaniel and I by our sleeves, sprints across Main Street, and onto Weeping Willow Road. Before I can protest, the biker gang materializes in a cloud of silvery dust, cutting off our chance of escape. We jog to the rundown gas station. Boarded windows and doors offer little help. The bricks exhibit graffiti writing in multiple colors, displaying different words and phrases. The gang surrounds us. I grasp my cousins' wrists and jerk them back. I square my posture in defiance at Craven. "What do you want? Are you trying to take us to the Jenkins twins?"

The bikers' steady their motorcycles and Craven leans in over the handlebars, staring directly into my lime-green eyes. "We don't work for anyone. So, Temptation...thinking of trying to escape?"

My pose slackens. I cross my arms, draw my eyebrows together, and roll my eyes as dramatically as I can. "Oh, no – I enjoy running around in the dark."

White hair bristling; he displays a mouthful of canines. His eyes never blink while he tilts his head in contemplation. "Temptation...we," he motions to the other bikers, "are here to help the Goblin King."

I do not understand. "But you're demons. I thought you're feuding with the goblins?"

"Crap! Those things are real?" Daniel punches me on the arm. "This is all your fault–"

"Don't hit her," the other bikers say in unison. Their eyes glint with murderous intentions toward Daniel, who cowers behind me.

"We are not made by Jenkins. The people turned by a demon end up becoming more like demon zombies. They'll never be true demons. We are true demons. We died human and escaped Hell. When we came back, we returned as demons. There's a small group of us who don't like Jenkins and his ways. We would rather the Goblin King be in charge of Rosewood."

"If you don't like the way Jenkins runs Rosewood, why didn't you leave?"

Craven runs a claw over the handle of his bike. "The goblins warned us about Jenkins when we were still human, but when we tried to escape, we had a small accident. We died. We became demons here in Rosewood. This is our home. It is where we were born demon, but we also feel a responsibility to save Rosewood from Jenkins, as well as to the king and his goblins for trying to help us."

"Then why haven't you helped the Goblin King? You're real demons. Why not force the Jenkins twins to leave or release the goblins yourselves?"

The bikers shift on their motorcycles. Their eyes convey shame. Craven sits up straight on his bike. "Because Jenkins is a Nephilim demon. The only one of his kind. You've never seen his true form."

"Yes, I have."

"Are you serious? Crap, crap, cr–"

"Daniel, shut it!" I elbow him in the ribs.

"You haven't, Temptation. He can only be in his true form on a night when other worlds are thin. Halloween. Tonight."

"What makes you so certain the Goblin King can stop him?" I snatch my dress and lift up the hem. I have been standing on part of it and almost tripped a couple times when I ran from the bikers.

"You can help. If you find the real crimson crystal and give it to the king, he'll have his old power back. Remorse told me Jenkins gave you a crystal filled with his blood."

I nod and reveal the glowing crystal. Daniel crinkles his nose and backs away from it.

"A century and a half later and Jenkins really isn't much smarter." Craven's eyes fill with greed.

"Apparently he was smart enough to trap a powerful king." I stash the crystal back in my dress pocket.

"If you give the false crystal to the king, along with the real one, he'll be able to absorb Jenkins' blood. This will make him become something more than what he is. Trust us, Temptation. We've been waiting a long time for someone like you."

I frown. Fingers seek out the edges of my hair, but I resist when I think of Remorse's teasing. "But I thought demons believed goblins to be beneath them."

"Partially true, but you see, the King is not only goblin. But be warned, Temptation, no one has ever escaped from Jenkins. If you try to run and are caught, you won't have the chance to release the goblins. You'll end up like Victoria and everyone else in Rosewood. A slave."

The laughter of children fills the air, but this time it comes from the remaining townspeople entering the old theater house. The bikers speed out in a cloud of dust and retreat down into the unlit street. They are ridiculously dramatic.

"Daniel. Nathaniel. I want you to head toward the highway. You might be able to find some bicycles to ride–"

"Hey! What about my parents?" Daniel clenches his fists and furrows his eyebrows in determination.

"I am going to try and get Aunt Sally and Uncle Jack–"

"If you're going, then so are we!"

"No–"

"They're our parents, not yours."

I notice my cousins shaking. I think of my own parents. "All right, all right, but you have to listen to me. Promise?"

"Promise. Let's hurry up before we're too late."

Mrs. Peters' shrieks of terror arise from within her mansion. We surge across the street and hurry to the entrance of the Gothic manor.

I place the mask over my eyes and race into the house with my frightened cousins tailing behind me. "Mrs. Peters?" I shout, entering the pitch-black living room.

"Marie!"

A tiny flash illuminates the kitchen with dim lighting. I spy the figure of Mr. Peters crouching low to the ground in the shadowy kitchen. My cousins remain silent at my side. As we enter the wrecked kitchen, I gasp as I locate Mrs. Peters on the floor with a large cut on the side of her pale face. Her gray hair fans out like a classic depiction of a witch with frayed hair. Fat spiders flee from the cobweb cabinets and scurry out of sight.

"I'm all right, Dearies. Charles...can you help me up, please?" Mrs. Peters extends a frail arm. It resembles a corpse at the beginning stage of decay. The Peters are zombie demons too.

Mr. Peters cradles his wife's head and helps lift her into a standing position. Mrs. Peters reaches over to the counter and tugs a washrag out of one of the drawers. Soaking it in the sink, she begins dabbing at her bloody face. "Oh, Temptation! I'd hoped you would've figured everything out before it was too late!"

My posture drops and my arms hang at my side. I gape at Mrs. Peters. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Mrs. Peters chuckles. She winces and touches her wounded cheek. "Would you have believed me if I'd told you? I don't think so."

"Marie's right," Mr. Peters says. "But you still have a chance to escape and you must get out of town or stay hidden until after the stroke of midnight."

"Why midnight?" Daniel looks to everyone for an answer.

"Because," I say, "it won't be Halloween anymore. It'll be November the first, and they won't be able to do their ritual on us until next year. Unless they decide they don't want to wait, then they could kill us."

"True," Mr. Peters says. "But it's too late to make it out of town. You should hide."

"Oh, sick," Nathaniel says. "There's a huge rat in your kitchen!"

Everyone stares at the stone-tiled floor where Nathaniel is pointing. Sure enough, a rat the size of a small house cat scuttles about my feet. Suddenly, the rat bolts at Mr. Peters. Within a matter of seconds, the rat claws and bites at his body. Mr. Peters' painful screams echo throughout the kitchen. I rip the rat off his chest. I rotate the writhing hairball. My stomach lurches and twists into a tight knot. The rat has one eye! Just like...I think back to Remorse's instructions. I give the rat its' freedom. It scurries over to the opening of the darkened hallway leading into the theater house. I gaze into the depths of the gaping mouth and cannot help a sense of curiosity for seeing the strange world.

"Rats attacked us because we're helping you. Jenkins will soon know we betrayed him. Hide at your home! The rats will inform Jenkins you're here and you'll be dragged into the theater." Mr. Peters scratches a hand through his hair. The decay of his body from living far past his time only enhances the guilt and shame in his eyes. He survived too many tragedies.

"I think it would be wise for you two to head home and stay there. I'll go and follow the Cyclops rats. I think the only way to end this is to free the goblins."

"But, Temptation," Nathaniel says. "What if the goblins are badder than the demons?"

"We can't go home until we save our parents," Daniel states. He balls his hands into fists.

Mr. Peters lays a comforting hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I think Temptation has the right idea, but we do need to try and get your parents out of there. Go ahead and head back home. I can get to your parents better than you can. I'll try to lure them away without getting caught."

Daniel and I glance at each other. Daniel's body registers defeat. He nods at me and takes Nathaniel's shaky palm.

"Right then," Mr. Peters says. "My wife will walk you boys home and I'll retrieve your parents. Good luck, Temptation." Mr. Peters kisses his wife on the cheek and exits into the living room. A few seconds later the front door shuts behind him.

"Right, Dearies, let's head off. We can't waste any more time." Mrs. Peters sweeps up her hair into a messy gray bun and takes hold of Daniel and Nathaniel's hands, before whispering a quick word of encouragement to me. She marches the boys out of the kitchen. The door shuts a few seconds later.

Alone in the deserted kitchen, I hear the scurrying feet of the rats. Lifting the mask off my face, I grimace at the pitch-black hallway. Cyclops rats swarm the entrance. Gods, I feel like Alice going down the rabbit hole, except my hole is more demented. Alice has a fluffy white bunny to follow and what do I have – hundreds of deformed rats.

The rats tumble off the ceiling and bounce on the floor. I crinkle my nose in disgust. Taking a deep breath, I descend into the dark doorway to seek out the Jenkins twins' most guarded possession.
Chapter Ten

Jenkins' Secret

A light perfume, like the kind my grandmother once used, wafts through my nostrils. Disgusting smell. How people think it smelt good back in the day, I will never understand. The bottoms of my naked feet feel slick. I do not even want to know what I stepped in. I wore glass slippers earlier, but I do not feel like Cinderella tonight.

An outline of a doorway forms at the end of the tunnel. My skin prickles at the sight of the Cyclops rats scurrying on the grimy floors, walls, and ceiling. Their beady eyes are a hellish red in the blackness. Creepy. I grip the doorknob, twist the cool brass, and ease it open. Light stings my dilated eyes. It takes a few moments for glittering sparks to leave. A grand corridor mesmerizes me for a brief moment.

I inch toward the nearest light on the wall. Golden hands cradle crystals orbs, which illuminates the corridor. Examining an orb, I move to touch the smooth surface. The gold arm retracts the crystal. I shriek and clutch my chest.

"I wouldn't touch them if I were–"

"–you idiot! Be quiet. Do you want to give Jenkins a reason to break us?"

I spin on the spot. The corridor is vacant of living beings, besides the rodents. The walls display decorative moons and suns with individually crafted faces. They appear to be made of gold like the lamp arms.

Picking one of the golden suns, I trail a finger down its' nose.

The nose twitches.

"Oh my god!" Stumbling backward, I bend my arms behind me to brace my back against the wall.

"Hey! Watch out for – get your hair out of my face!" A voice squeals at the back of my head.

I pivot before I can hit the wall. A weary moon with a mustache blinks back at me. "W-What are you?"

"Statues o' course. What did you think we are – paintin's?"

"Don't mind the old fool, Darling." A sun with curly beams and puffy lips glares over to the old moon. "He's been hanging around too long."

The other statues break out in a chorus of laughter.

"Fine, Adora. You lot keep talkin' with her, but I'm not givin' Jenkins a reason to smash me."

I tilt my gaze to the lady sun. "Why would the Jenkins twins break you? Aren't you part of his world?"

"Goodness! No, Darling. This theater was originally the Goblin King's home. He made us. You see, there are so many corridors and hallways in this old mansion he needed guides. Therefore, he created us. We also confuse people he's trying to trap here in the theater. We helped him rescue children all the time. It's been almost a hundred and fifty years." Adora brightens with pride. "But, Jenkins controls everything nowadays. He keeps us because he needs us to guide him, but we're a constant reminder Rosewood doesn't belong to him."

"I'm sorry." I peer at all the faces on the walls. "You must not see very many people anymore."

"Not in many years and we refuse to help Jenkins trap his victims," another moon says down the hallway.

An idea pops into my head. I speak to all the golden faces in the corridor. "I need your help. I'm trying to free the Goblin King."

Murmurs erupt throughout the hallway. They are passing my declaration down all of the passageways and hallways in the theater house. A male sun speaks up nearest the door leading to the Peters' home. "What do you need of us?"

"I'm searching for the crimson crystal. It's supposed to be buried deep in the theater somewhere. The Cyclops rats should lead me too it, but I'll need help finding my way out."

Voices of encouragement echo throughout the hallway.

"We'll do it! For King and freedom."

"Glad to be of service again."

"You have our word, Darling."

I beam at the faces and attempt to express my gratitude, but clicking high-heels and angry voices echo from around the corner of the corridor. A few of the Cyclops rats scurry away from my kicking feet. Abandoning my happiness, I furiously begin yanking on the nearest door handles. Not even one budges.

"Try the door at the very end. It's always unlocked," whispers the male moon on my right side.

The laughter increases as I rush to the last door. It opens. I scoot inside and wrench the silk train of the dress through the door. I hide inside the unlit room, but deliberately leave the wooden door cracked to spy on the intruders. The mask is still on my head. I yank it down and wait in utter silence.

Victoria Blare and one of her followers materialize into view. Victoria's face looks corpse blue. Her fangs are like tarnished silver. Both girls are wearing lacy white masks, which attempt to give the wearers a feminine quality. It fails miserably. Even with Victoria's hideousness, she is pretty compared to the girl next to her, who resembles a half-decayed zombie. I wonder if the older they get, the more decayed they will become. The two girls enter the room across from my hiding place. Dazzling hues burst into the corridor. The room they occupy has a multitude of different costumes, but most take the form of ballroom gowns.

Victoria's back is to me. She says, "I can't believe he's going to do this to me. After everything I'd sacrificed for him! I even forgave him for getting my parents killed."

A burning sensation forms in my gut.

"Curse him!" Victoria tosses a few costumes on the floor. "Jenkins will be sorry he ever messed with me."

"I wouldn't go trying to pick a fight with him. If he has no more use for you, he might kill you. If you get in his way." The blonde haired girl fidgets with a new bejeweled mask in her bluish hands. The mask descends back into a trunk resembling a treasure box, and the girl shuffles the contents in search for a new mask. "I've lived for almost fifty years in Rosewood, and I've seen him do grotesque things to people he supposedly cared about. He killed the last girl he was involved with before you came along."

Victoria grunts and bends over the trunk. "Well, with any luck, maybe Temptation escaped from Rosewood. Then Jenkins will have to forget about her. I mean they haven't even found her yet. Have they?"

"No, but Jenkins has eyes and ears everywhere. She can't escape. You should know. Besides, when the winter solstice comes around, he'll be free to leave Rosewood. He will hunt her down no matter where she runs."

Victoria pivots on her heel and exits the room. "Come on. I might still be able to sing tonight if they don't find her in time."

The two girls pass. New masks made of raven feathers shield their eyes. I wait until the girls are out of earshot, before emerging from my hiding spot. I need to hurry. A fat rat scuttles past my feet. I follow the ugly rodents. Traveling down so many halls, and taking so many turns, I am thankful for my newfound allies.

A few times, I swear someone watches me from the shadows.

A sharp chill enters my lungs. The lights dim and flicker. The sound of cheering and applause pulses up ahead. I study the old floor and cringe at the sight of Cyclops rats covering the dusty wood. Mrs. Peters obviously does not clean up here. Yuck. At the end of the corridor, three rickety steps lead to a deep balcony overlooking the grand ballroom. I make sure to stay in the shadows. The bone mask, repositions a little higher, hiding my face as I peer over the edge of the balcony. Corpse blue faces with razor-like teeth gleam everywhere. The townspeople cheer and watch the stage. I merge with their line of sight.

Aunt Sally and Uncle Jack are cowering together with a crowd of other humans on the stage.

No!

Mr. Peters did not make it in time.

New screams capture my attention and, to my horror, my two cousins are dragged up on the stage. Aunt Sally snatches up her children, holding them protectively between herself and Uncle Jack. The Jenkins twins enter the stage. All the townspeople applaud, while the captives shake with fright.

"Welcome to this year's Masquerade Ball!" Jerald and Herald announce. "As the King of the demons, I ask you all to join me in our annual feasting of the humans, and admission of a few new members. This year is special, because it's our last year of imprisonment. We'll rejoice in our freedom, when the gates between our world and the human world, open. The year is also special, because I've decided to choose a queen."

In the crowd, Victoria's face sharpens.

The clock strikes nine.

My attention reverts back to the Jenkins twins as the captives on stage emit screams of terror. My heartbeats quiver for a fraction of a second. The Jenkins twins toss a black cloak over themselves, covering their bodies from head to foot. Horrible roars echo out from underneath the cloak.

I lean out of the shadows, trying to see what is going on beneath the thick folds of fabric.

Movement underneath the cloak ripples.

It seems like every human and creature in the theater is holding their breath. Not a second later, the Jenkins twins' stand, and allow the cloak to fall from their bodies. The crowd roars, but I am confronted with confusion. The twins are gone. Instead, there stands the figure of a beautiful, but frightening man. His unruly black and orange hair sticks out like a crown of thorns. His eyes swirl an electric violet and crimson. Black veins cover his exposed skin and razor teeth glisten in the chandelier light, while he grins down at the adoring crowd.

Enlightenment hits me. The reason why the Goblin King and the biker gang call them Jenkins sinks in and it horrifies me.

The Jenkins twins are one person.

He does not look like a teenager anymore. There is something timeless about his face.

Jenkins extends his claws to silence the cheering devotion from the crowd. "I'd like to announce my queen. Temptation Falls!" He pivots to his left, but frowns at the unaccompanied guards. "Where is she?"

"My king, we've searched everywhere. We still can't find her."

"Craven," Jenkins yells out to the crowd.

I spot the biker gang in the back of the theater. They are standing with Mr. and Mrs. Peters. Craven says, "Back here."

Jenkins glares in their direction. "Have you seen Temptation tonight?"

Craven's expressionless countenance twitches. He answers, "No."

"I saw her with her cousins earlier," someone shouts out from the crowd.

Jenkins reacts in lightning speed. He snatches up Daniel around his freckled neck. Daniel thrashes about and screams, while the guards are holding his parents back. Nathaniel rushes forward and punches Jenkins, who snatches Nathaniel in his other hand, and digs his claws into Nathaniel's arm until he draws blood.

Nathaniel cries.

In the midst of deciding to expose my position, one of the idol moons calls for me to retreat.

"You mustn't reveal your whereabouts. All will be lost if you do. Please do not condemn our king to death."

"But he might kill my cousins!"

The moon's mournful voice offers little comfort. "They'll be dead if you're captured. Their only chance of survival rests in the hands of the Goblin King. It's your choice." The moon stares forward. It is blank and motionless again.

I return to my place on the balcony as Jenkins starts talking again.

"Boys, you're going to tell me where Temptation is or I'm going to start dismembering you until you talk."

The crowd erupts in cheers, while Mr. and Mrs. Falls try in vain to reach their children. Sally Falls shouts, "Temptation was at the house last time we saw her. She went back to her room to grab something. Please, leave my children alone!"

"But she was seen tonight, Mrs. Falls, which means she did leave the house and she did at least speak to your sons. Boys, what did she say to you?"

Daniel glares at Jenkins. "I'm not telling you anything...unless you promise to let my family and I leave Rosewood."

Jenkins grips Daniel's neck harder, until he chokes. "I don't have to bargain with you, but as it is your cousin I want and not your family, I'll let you go."

Daniel visibly relaxes. "Temptation followed those ugly rats. She's going to try and help the goblins."

"WHAT!" Jenkins face contorts with rage. "Guards! Search the theater and find her." Jenkins releases Nathaniel and shoves him back to Aunt Sally, who embraces her youngest son. He then thrusts Daniel to the exit.

"Wait, what about my family? You said you would let them go."

"I said I'd let you go. I never said anything about them." Jenkins bares his gruesome teeth. "Either you leave or you join your family and share their fate."

Guards stomp up the corridor. I tear myself away from the balcony and rush through hallway where the rats are scurrying. Jenkins will definitely go to the rats' lair to make sure the crimson crystal remains safe. The air becomes colder. My breath rises in a cloud of mist. The hallway connects to the top of a staircase. The Cyclops rats slink along the walls and nip at my feet. Courage drives me onward as I descend the stairs and disappear into the darkness. The minutes drag by and still, I descend further beneath the theater house.

I try to catch my breath and lean against the wall, but quickly withdraw my hand in disgust. The wall is slimy to the touch.

A creaking sound echoes from behind. It must be Jenkins! A rush of adrenaline causes all the small hairs on my body to bristle. Down the stairs, I stumble as I reach the bottom steps. A rat squeaks beneath my bare foot. A red glow emits out of a room up ahead. My torn ball gown swishes over the floor. Staring at the walls and ceiling, I understand why the wall is so slimy.

A cave.

The theater house must have been built over it. The room glows and I hone in on the crystal in the center of the cave. The Cyclops rats cover every inch of the cavern. Their yellow teeth chew on bones in the corners of the room. I hope they are not human bones. The rats halt and stare up at me. Their eyes are fire in the slight darkness. They bend forward in a bow.

"You know...if anyone other than you or I entered here, they'd be eaten alive by the Rodents of Hell."

Skin shivering, I pivot. Jenkins stands in front of me, with a deadly grin which frightens my mortal heart. "Why do you want me to be your queen? I thought you loved Victoria before you, or at least part of you, dated me. How could you decide so quickly?"

Jenkins barks out a laugh. "Victoria is gifted, but nothing compared to you, Temptation. If she were to enter this room, the rats would still attack her." A thoughtful look crosses his face and he adds, "They may not kill her, but they would seriously injure her. Even if she wanted to free the Goblin King, which she never did, I would have caught her before she ever left this room. Thanks to your cousin, I discovered you here before you could make a mistake."

Before I can move, Jenkins advances and restrains me. "You almost got away with freeing the goblins and their sorry excuse for a king. If the Goblin King would've left me alone all those years ago, instead of interfering, he and his goblins would still have their freedom. There just weren't enough humans to go around for both the goblins and demons. Believe me Temptation, things are better the way I have them."

"You're going to kill the only remaining family I have. How do you expect me to agree with you?" I push against his chest to force a little more distance between my neck and his chrome teeth. The necklace, still tight around my neck, can be taken off by Jenkins.

"I don't expect you to do anything other than fight me. It doesn't matter if you want to be my queen or not Temptation. The thing is, even though you are powerful, I'm still more powerful than you are, and I can force you to do whatever I want you to do when I change you. I'll tell you what...as a wedding gift to you; I'll leave your family human and let them be recruiters. But understand if you ever try to release the goblins again, I'll force you to murder your own family members. I made Victoria murder her mother. She doesn't remember though." His words drip like acid on a wound.

A tear escapes my eye. "Is this what you told Victoria when you trapped her?"

Jenkins laughs again. "Victoria wanted me and I wanted a new toy."

"But Victoria loves you. Wouldn't you rather have someone who loves you as opposed to someone who hates you?"

"Oh, but the fun part of it, Temptation, is you'll always be a challenge to me. Victoria will do whatever I ask of her. She's too afraid to disobey me. Hold still. This will only hurt for a minute." Jenkins pulls my neck closer to him and exposes his pointy teeth, which drip an acidy liquid the color of antifreeze.

I swish my white hair so that it drapes over the necklace. Jenkins encages me better, and using his free hand, he yanks my hair away.

All I can do is scream as he tugs on the necklace.

Then a force tackles me on my side, knocking Jenkins and me to the slimy cavern floor. Jenkins trundles over the rats.

"Think I'm too afraid to disobey you! Let's see how you like this play toy," Victoria says. Her mascara smears down her cheeks.

Withdrawing from Jenkins, I give Victoria free reign. She sprints forward and rams a knife into Jenkins shoulder. Thanking whatever luck follows me tonight; I run and seize the crimson crystal.

"NO!" Jenkins shouts, but before he can get up, Victoria strikes. She sinks her teeth into Jenkins arm and rips off a chunk of flesh.

The Cyclops rats attack Victoria.

"Dammit, Temptation, get moving," Victoria, commands. She sinks her teeth back into Jenkins shoulder.

I cringe. Victoria is making such an effort to help me; it seems dishonorable to leave her behind. However, I am not a demon and my aiding Victoria will not help either one, so I say, "thank you," and disappear up the stairs. Jenkins animalistic roars, and Victoria's painful cries, fade from my sensitive ears. As I pocket the crystal, I reach the top of the staircase, and retrace my footsteps with the help of the idols. At the corner of the balcony, I slam into a cool body. "Whelan! Thank the Gods you're–" I pause. "You're a demon."

Whelan's face mirrors the biker gangs own faces. Black eyes with white in their centers and beautiful pearl white skin transforms his shaggy appearance to a regal visage. Jenkins did not make Whelan.

"Where's Victoria?" Whelan shakes me. Hard.

"She's fighting Jenkins in the cave – but I think it's too late!" I shout after Whelan. He ignores me and dashes out of sight. My gut clenches. I cannot help Whelan. I do not have time. Glancing at a sun idol, I say, "Don't let him find the entrance to the cave. He'll die if he goes down there."

Loud shrieks fill my ears. Over the balcony, the townspeople surround the captured humans. Craven and the rest of the biker gang guard my cousins and bare their needlepoint fangs at the imposing townspeople. Mr. and Mrs. Peters also guard the human prisoners.

They will not be able to fight everyone! I jog to the end of the balcony. I thought I saw a box of fireworks. Rounding another corner of the balcony, my heart skips a beat. I pray this will work. In the box, I discover a few large fireworks. Unsure what each one did, I grab the lighter in the box. Choosing a long firework resembling a dynamite stick, I light the string, and toss it high. The firework hits the grand chandelier. It bursts, raining droplets of glittering crystal on the demented townspeople. Lamplights flicker furiously, imitating the effect of a strobe light. The panicking townspeople below, twist their deformed faces up in search of their tormentor. I select a large square, which holds a few rows of fireworks. I light it.

"Hey! Here's a gift from your queen." Every eye turns in my direction. I toss the box over the balcony and yell, "Craven, get them out of here!" He grins before a parade of smoke and sparks cover the ballroom. A couple drapes catch fire. It is the best I can do. Panic rising, I gather my lengthy dress and sprint back down the labyrinth of corridors. Sweat drips off my face, hidden beneath the mask. Part of my dress falls from my hand as I yank the mask off. I clutch it tightly in my henna-tattooed hand. I maneuver my way through the hallways with the idols' help and finally find the corridor leading into Mrs. Peters' house. The lady sun, Adora, shrieks in delight as the idols cheer.

Even the old moon breaks into praise. "Knew ya had it in ya!"

I exit the mansion, jump off the porch, and stop at the biker gangs' motorcycles parked in front of the theater. Hoping the keys are still in the ignition, I straddle the nearest bike. Thank the Gods! The motorcycle roars to life.

The theater doors bang open.

The guards spy me. Before they can say anything, I speed out, and head toward the forbidden woods at the edge of Rosewood.
Chapter Eleven

Stricken

The coldness of the night caresses my skin, while the noise of the forest deafens my pounding heartbeats. I kill the engine on the side of the highway. I am close to the stone archway. I can sense the goblins' anticipation. The bike falls to the ground, as I head into the blinding thicket. Leaves, painted a decayed shade of death, fall from the tops of the maples and oaks. The faint roar of impending motorcycles teases my eardrums. The Demon King's guards hunt me at this very moment. I wonder if Jenkins escaped from Victoria or if Victoria even made it out alive. Whelan never trusted me enough with his secret. It hurts that he kept it from me for all this time.

The questions torment me, but I cannot turn back. I curse those stupid doctors.

The crimson crystal in my tattooed hand glows in the dark forest. I caress the slick surface. The shedding trees part overhead. A sliver of the moon highlights the stone wall. I spy goblin eyes peering through the archway and over the wall.

A cloaked figure stands in the center of the archway, waiting for my gift.

My movements cease at the cursed entrance into the goblins' world. I examine the disfigured face of the Goblin King. He is two heads higher than me. Our last encounter a few weeks ago causes me to blush and turn my face away. I regret not listening to his warnings. I feel like a traitor.

He smiles at my shyness. "If you wish to free me, you must step through the archway, and hand me the crystal."

"H-How do I know you and your goblins won't attack me after I help you?"

The motorcycles halt in the short distance to the road. The screechy roars of the demon guards cause the goblins to bare their sharpened claws and chrome teeth. Their bronze bodies glisten in the moonlight.

"Temptation, I give you my word, as a king, my goblins will not harm you." The Goblin King's patient voice comforts me, but his eyes express the urgency of our situation. "I'll also need the crystal filled with Jenkins' blood."

I reveal the other crystal from my dress pocket. Crap. I am gambling with my life. As I cradle the two spheres, the king's eyes become bleak. I wonder what it must be like to live for the last one hundred and fifty years, desiring and wishing for the two objects I have in my possession. To have freedom an arm's length away and not be able to grab it must be the worst kind of torture.

"Temptation, stop, they'll destroy everyone!" The guards jog through the woods. They are only a few yards away.

I lock my eyes onto the Goblin King. The hope disappears from his demeanor and he bows before me. The surrounding goblins stare bug-eyed at their proud king on his knees. I share in their shock.

"Please, Temptation." He tilts his lump of a deformed head up. "Set me free."

Unable to refuse the pitiful sight, I take the last step forward, and enter the goblins' kingdom. The king rises. The shouts from the demon guards increase. I place the two crimson crystals in the Goblin King's awaiting hands. The crystals crack and the king places them to his parting lips.

The crimson glow disappears into his crooked mouth.

The only light in the woods comes from the moon, which shines through the skeletal branches of a dead maple tree. In a split second, the ground begins to shake. The goblins snarl at the demons. Fear etches on the demon guards' faces. The stone wall cracks. The sound echoes throughout the forest like thunder.

Remorse yanks me out of danger from the archway as it crumbles to the ground. The rocks clack together, reminding me of the sound of balls smashing together in a game of pool. "We be in yer debt Girlie, so ya can't go dyin' on us, can ye?"

I open my mouth to reply, but it is too late. The goblins race over the mounds of rock left from the destroyed wall. The guards flee to their motorcycles, while the goblins chase them like bloodthirsty pit bulls. As more goblins rush past, I sense the king creeping up. Twirling to face him, my mouth drops open. The king's face no longer resembles a mutated hyena. Instead, he looks human. Except for a very sharp bone structure, which he inherited from his goblin ancestors. The black cloak falls at his feet. With his humpback form gone, he has no need to cover up his body. His bronze skin displays black tattoo veins covering his muscular arms and naked torso. His chrome teeth appear a great deal sharper than Jenkins' teeth. I nervously rub the metal necklace protecting my skin. The sharp angle of his thick eyebrows makes him look fierce and powerful.

Realization dawns on me. "You're the one who was in my bedroom the day I first came to Rosewood. The one who's been stopping my suicide attempts." I shake my head. "What happened to you? You look so barbaric. Yet you look human too."

Pointy ears poke out of his sleek hair. The Goblin King chuckles and cocks his head sideways. Never blinking, he says, "When Jenkins took my magic, he really took most of my soul. He wanted to imprison me because I kept taking his victims. He feared women who could see goblins, like you, because he believed they would help me based on my appearance. So, he took my very identity and bestowed upon me a gruesome body." The amusement in his voice holds no anger. I would be angry if someone made me look as hideous as a harpy. "But since I have his blood in me, I look slightly different than I did a hundred and fifty years ago. As for my human features, my ancestors had a thing for Native American women. And it would seem I also like dark skinned women."

I blush until his previous words sink in. "Do you mean Jenkins is over a hundred and fifty years old and he still acts like a teenager?"

The king grins. "Jenkins became a demon when he was a teenager, so his mentality will always be that of a teenager. But he never understood humans, anyway. He believes they only care for beautiful things. He underestimates them, just like he underestimated you." He circles me. A bizarre kind of pulsing vibe flows off him.

Perhaps it is magic.

"He believed you to be broken from the tragic accident with your parents, and therefore never took you as a serious threat. Yes. You would be a challenge for him to control, but I believe he thought threatening to kill your only remaining family members would drive you to be submissive to him."

At the mention of my family, I snap out of my trance. "Goblin King–"

"My name is Silus, Temptation. It's about time you used it."

"Right. Silus. Remorse told me you're in my debt for freeing you and your goblins."

Silus presents a teasing smile and folds his strong arms across his chest. "Is that a question or do you have a request of me?" The muscles along his torso bulge. The last goblins run past and a terrifying scream echoes in the distance.

My hair whips past my face, causing it to reflect the moonlight. "I want you to save my family. I know I can leave Rosewood, but I want my family to leave, too. I'm afraid Jenkins has already killed them because of what I've done. Craven and the rest of the bikers are trying to protect them, along with the Peters. I helped them before I came here. I don't know if it gave them the time they needed. I also saw my friend, Whelan. Did you know he is a demon?"

"Yes."

"Is he working for you too?"

"He agreed to protect you where I could not. In exchange, I agreed to help him to save his Victoria."

Eyebrows rising, I ask, "His Victoria?"

"Whelan was already...involved with Victoria before she came to Rosewood. Her family was lured here by recruiters. It took him a while to enter Rosewood, because–"

"Only those who are invited to Rosewood can find it," I finish.

"Exactly. Victoria had already been bitten by the time he arrived."

"This is horrible!"

Silus frowns. "Are you in love with Whelan?"

"What? No! It's Victoria."

"You like women?"

"No! She was fighting Jenkins in the cave. I'm not sure she survived. Whelan ran after her, but I told the golden statues not to let him find the cave."

"Whelan will be fine. He is a rare kind of demon."

A silence stretches between us.

"Will you save my family?"

"Consider it done."

Relief sweeps through me, but the predatory glare Silus is giving me, makes me retreat a few steps.

"And since this evens us up, I'm unbound to you." Silus unfolds his arms. His nails grow an inch. The antifreeze colored liquid, drips from the points of his chrome teeth.

"No! We're not even yet, because you haven't saved my family. They're still at the theater house and the more time we waste here, the more likely it is Jenkins has already done something to them."

Silus rumbles out a throaty chuckle. "Don't worry, Temptation, I've already instructed your family's safety is our first priority. However, I do need to get into town. I've waited a long time to kill Jenkins, so let's be quick about this."

I stumble backward over the fallen stones. "You told me you wouldn't hurt me after I freed you. You lied to me!"

"No. I told you my goblins wouldn't hurt you. I never said I wouldn't hurt you." Silus lurches forward.

I spin on the spot and dash toward the road highlighted by the moonlight. The wind swirls my hair in the air. The breeze swishes over my necklace. I sense Silus' ascension and sprint harder toward the road. I snap my head to my right. Silus is running next to me, replicating my strides. He does not even break a sweat. He is teasing me. I spy the motorcycle ahead.

"Gotcha," he whispers.

Warm arms encircle my waist and reject me from taking the last few yards to the motorcycle. Voice shrill, I aim a kick and make contact with his stiff legs.

He grunts and then chuckles. He spins me and we stand so close the tips of our noses touch.

I intend to kick him in a better place this time, but he twists my arms. I cry out in pain. Silus pushes me backward and I stagger. The bark of an oak tree grazes the naked flesh on my back. As his body pushes against mine, he pins me to the dry tree. A few leaves glide to the forest floor.

A couple of tears escape my eyes. "Y-You're going to kill me?"

Silus cocks his head sideways. His black eyes penetrate my own. "I thought it's what you've wanted most in the world since the death of your parents. The one thing I've barred you from over the past year. Are you telling me, when you're about to have your deepest wish come true, you don't want to die?"

I consider Silus' words. I have longed for death over the past year. "I wanted to escape my memories. Death seemed like the easiest choice at the time, but I have a new family. I'll find a way to deal with my past. Besides..." I shift my head to rest more comfortably on Silus' large arms. "My aunt and uncle love me–"

Silus snorts and relaxes his grip on my wrists. "You know your aunt only tolerates you. I used the white mask in your home to watch the way your family treated you. I saw what she did to you the first night you came to the theater."

The anger in Silus' voice causes me to falter in my thinking. "Why would you care? You want to kill me?"

Silus displays another sinister smile. "Do I?" The lime-green liquid leaks out of the points of his teeth once again. "I will never be dishonest to you, Temptation. This is going to be sharp and unpleasant." He seizes a fistful of my hair and yanks my head sideways. His clawed hands grasp the necklace. It shatters like glass.

I scream. It is all I can do. Powerful jaws lock on my neck and bite down, causing the points of his teeth to dig deeper into skin and muscle. I stop screaming and gasp for air. He is not sucking my blood. The veins all over my body are on fire. Using my free hand to grab a handful of Silus' hair, I try to yank him away from my throbbing neck.

He compresses harder, releases my hair, and captures my hand. Untangling it from his own hair, he pulls me into a tighter embrace.

A spiking fever makes my eyes water. My legs go limp and Silus gently lowers me to the cold ground. No longer able to lift my arms, he arches back, and gaze upon me; apparently pleased with my frailness. "Y-You going to watch me die?"

Silus leans forward and places a light kiss on my lips. My eyelids flutter in alarm. "Whether you live or die is your choice, Temptation. I'm grateful to you for freeing me. Even if I did have to bow to you." He chuckles and strokes my cheek. "You are an amazing woman. I hope you decide to stay alive. Goodbye."

In an instant, he vanishes. As my vision blurs and I close my eyes. I listen to the tree branches knocking together like battle drums overhead. The combating demons and goblins growl in the distance. I try to embrace the final sounds I will ever hear.

Reopening my burning eyes, I am at the theater house, staring up at the roof. I fly in the air and land on the balcony rooftop. Turning, I stare down into the crowded street. Goblins and demons battle below; their black blood splatters the buildings and street signs. A few lampposts on the Peters' front lawn are destroyed. Shards of glistening glass cuts into a few of the goblins' feet. Their cries of pain cause my anger to grow toward the zombie demons.

Over the edge, I spot my family huddled together in front of the Peters' front door. The Peters, the biker gang, and to my surprise, Victoria and Whelan battle the other demons in front of the theater.

Whelan saved Victoria.

He constantly glances at Victoria, while fending off the other demons. Victoria belongs to him.

Craven stands closest to my family. I turn to my right and realize I stand next to one of the stone gargoyles. I stretch out my hand and rest it on the gargoyle's ugly head. My fingers are unnaturally long. They look like a giant bronze spider on the stone statue. Then, Silus' voice fills the air.

"Awaken!"

I watch in horrified fascination. The statue cracks and stone, thin as glass, falls from the gargoyle's leathery skin.

The thing speaks in a hoarse tone. "Master, what do you wish of us?"

Us? I glance at the other statues. Those little gargoyles were throwing stones at me on the first day of school. I knew it!

Again, Silus' voice echoes through the air. "Kill the slave demons."

The sound of cracking stone erupts from every edge of the theater roof as all of the gargoyles awaken. With a screech, they soar down to the street to assist the goblins with their prey. A gargoyle swoops and attacks Mr. Dredfield; a twinge of anger grows in me. I thought they were going to try to save everyone. They said if Jenkins is killed, everyone will return to their human selves.

A cackling laugh comes from the direction of the old-fashioned doorway leading back into the theater house. I scream while Silus' voice, full of mockery, echoes into the night air. "Jenkins...you're looking well."

Jenkins' face glows in an unholy sort of way. He snarls. "I can see Temptation betrayed me, but not to worry. I'll take a piece of her when I am done killing you. Although, if you promise to behave, you could be my pet again."

"You're the only one who'll die tonight Jenkins and don't worry about Temptation. I've already claimed her. She belongs to me."

Outrage swells up inside me.

Jenkins laughs. "No, she doesn't. You forget, goblin."

I can feel Silus' anger increase.

"You drank my blood from the crystal and when you pumped your venom into Temptation, part of me went into her, too. I know she's watching us – through your eyes." Jenkins leers at Silus. "I can feel her. She'll never be submissive to you. Either way, it won't matter because you'll be dead before dawn, and she'll be under my control." Jenkins lunges forward and slashes at Silus with his clawed hands.

Silus jumps, twists in the air, and aims his fist at Jenkins' skull. A cracking sound echoes, while a sharp pain travels up my hand and on top of my own skull. I gasp. "I see you're still slow, demon."

Jenkins sneers at Silus. Black blood drips from his nose. "You barely touched me."

I snort. Bull crap, my head feels like it was hit by a ton of bricks.

"I might not be as fast as you, crossbreed, but I can still hurt you in other ways. Let's see how loyal Temptation is to you when you cannot even save her family." Jenkins sprints and leaps off the balcony roof.

Silus does not hesitate.

I can feel his heart spike with fear.

He hurdles over the ledge, snatches Jenkins in mid-air, and then slams him through one of the theater windows.

Jenkins' claws grow longer and his fangs drip a sickly white liquid.

Silus mimics his actions. They circle each other like predators. Silus lurches forward and slashes at Jenkins.

Jenkins blocks Silus' attacks.

The darkness of the room would have been blinding to me, however, Silus' sight is perfect in the blackness. Through his eyes, everything illuminates in shades of gray and platinum. The objects touched by the moonlight, like Jenkins' swirling violet-red eyes, sparkle with an otherworldly beauty.

Jenkins' unnatural grin stretches out even wider. "Why don't we leave Temptation out of this one?" Before Silus can respond, Jenkins dives, and sinks his teeth into Silus' skin. Blistering pain runs through my veins as I hear Silus' painful growl before losing all sight.

Minutes pass. The night breeze caresses me, beckoning me back to reality. My eyes flutter open. The skeletal tree branches wave overhead. I shift my sore skull off the tree root and realize I can transfer my body more freely. Hoisting myself up off the ground, I snatch a nearby tree limb for support. My head throbs, but my mind soon focuses on the one thing I need to do. Help my family escape. I locate the opening of the woods leading to the road. As I rub my neck, I cringe, and withdraw my palm. Wetness covers it. Even though I cannot see it in the dark of the night, I know it is blood. I untie the black lace sash from my waist and bind it around my neck, careful not to cut off circulation. At the road, I hurry over to my vacant motorcycle, and haul it to a standing position. Swinging my legs over, I kick start the bike into life.

Once I get a view of Rosewood, the roars of the battling immortals bid my heartbeat to quicken its' pace. The flickering lights of the town are like an old battlefield of the past. Unlit shops remain undisturbed as I pass. The run-down gas station comes into view on my left. Dark figures fly overhead. I speed up; glad not to be the one hunted by gargoyles. Dead bodies are everywhere. The goblins are winning. Applying the brakes, I stop at Mrs. Peters' home. The biker gang is blocking the entrance.

Craven extends his pale hand toward me. He helps me up the broken stairs. "You shouldn't have come, Temptation. The Goblin King wanted you to stay where you would be safe. You need to go back. Hide in the goblins' cove."

I do not agree. "I'm not going anywhere without my family. I gave Silus and his goblins their freedom. I want mine. I'm taking my family and leaving Rosewood."

The biker gang bares their fangs. "You're not to leave Rosewood. Your family can once the battle is over. When the king kills Jenkins, the spell will be broken over Rosewood, and everyone will be free to leave."

"Every tormented soul except me, right?"

The leader tips my chin up with one long pointy finger. "Do you think after causing this kind of change we've been dreaming of for well over a century, we would allow you to leave? Don't you realize what you have done for us? You have given us the chance to unite the goblins and demons under one leader! Silus is both goblin and demon, thanks to you."

"But why do I have to stay? If I've done something so great for your kind and the goblins, then why would you imprison me?" Tears form behind my eyes at the unfairness of it all.

Craven slants his spiked head. He stares at the bite mark on my neck and answers, "He chose you for our queen. With you, we'll have a link to the human world and a better knowledge of it."

I try to argue more, but no words emerge. The thought of marrying Silus, is both exciting and horrifying. Everything is happening too fast. I cannot think straight.

A thunderous crash echoes out from the town square and shakes the ground like an earthquake. Somehow, I know Silus is there in the town square. A moment later, a large Ferris wheel rolls down the street parallel to Main Street. Hanging lamps smash to the ground. Without thought, I jump off the stairs and sprint toward the street leading to the carnival.

Craven blocks me from continuing. "My orders are to keep you safe. Get back to the theater house!"

A sharp pain enters my chest. "Silus is in trouble." I move past Craven with inhuman speed.

Silus has a lot of explaining to do.

The square is the epicenter of the battlefield. I dodge flying metal. It was a part of the Spider-leg Twirl. The carnival rides are torn down and being used as weapons. I hear a grunt along the side of the buildings. A collapsing ticket booth pins Remorse to the ground. The drama teacher, Mrs. Kindal, picks up a metal bar from a broken ride. She raises it, clearly aiming for Remorse's head.

He sneers up at her. "I'll not fear ya in death!"

I bound forward. Mrs. Kindal swings the bar down. I shield Remorse with my body and snatch the bar in my bare hands. Pain shoots down through my palms.

Mrs. Kindal's eyes reflect the decades of insanity built up in her mind. "I never liked you Temptation. Always in the way. Always disrespecting our master. You're no better than those filthy goblins you freed."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I say and yank the bar from her hands. I shove Mrs. Kindal back with my feet. The bar extends out in front of me like a sword. It shakes while I say, "I suggest you leave before you're killed. I don't want to kill you, even though you're no better than Jenkins."

"Stupid brat!" Mrs. Kindal lurches forward and rams herself into the metal bar. The metal sinks into her stomach, but she drives it further into her own flesh. Mrs. Kindal claws at me. I try to duck her blows. Mrs. Kindal strikes out and slashes my shoulder.

"How dare ya hurt our queen?" Remorse drags himself out of the rubble and pounces on Mrs. Kindal. "Get outta the way, yer majesty!"

I project the bar away and retreat. Remorse exposes his needlepoint chrome teeth. They drip a white liquid. He sinks them deep into Mrs. Kindal's neck as she makes a final attempt to attack. Her hellish scream causes me to clutch the spot on my neck where Silus bit me. Remorse remains latched to Mrs. Kindal's neck like a wildcat attacking prey. Her eyes roll in the back of her head and she drops dead to the ground.

He shuffles away from her to stand next to me. "Ya should be at the theater house. Whatcha doin' 'ere?"

"Silus' is in trouble." I study the warring creatures. "I don't know where he is, but he's been hurt."

"There be nothin' ya can do. Me master be powerful enough to defeat Jenkins. But he'd be pleased ta know ya care–"

"You're mistaking my intentions, Remorse. I want to leave Rosewood, but Craven said I can't." I frown at Remorse when he gaffs my response.

"Yer not ta leave. And that be the end of it." Remorse forces me toward the theater house.

"No." I slip out of his gnarled fingers. Dashing back into the carnival battlefield, I ignore Remorse's pleas. Through the crowd, I dodge debris, and avoid the dead carcasses. I can feel panic arise in Silus for fear of my safety.

Strong arms cage my body and lift me into the air. As I hold the bronze arms on my abdomen, the town square passes under us. We are fast approaching the theater house. A large window breaks open and we land in a Victorian room, which resembles a stylish living room. The room holds only dim lighting. Voices applaud us from the walls.

"Glad to see you made it out!"

"We were worried for awhile."

"We'll keep you safe here, your majesty." A sun on the wall beams at me.

"I'm not your queen," I say to the idols, "and I'm not staying here." I pivot in Silus' arms, glaring up into his eyes with open defiance.

Amusement replaces his concern for my safety.

"There's nothing funny about our situation, Silus."

He throws his head back and laughs. "Temptation, you're the most fun I've had in over two hundred years. I do think I've fallen in love with you."

"A hundred and fifty of those years don't count because you've been locked away."

Silus laughs even harder.

"I want to escape from Rosewood. I'm not a thing, I'm a person. You can't keep me as a prisoner!"

His facial muscles flex into seriousness. "What will you do if I release you? Go to college? Start a family?" His loving emotions change to jealousy, burning like dry ice against my heart. "Forget about me?"

I decline to meet his line of questions.

"Do you really think your aunt will allow you to stay with her family, after all this?"

"Families don't abandon each other. They're not perfect, but they're also not cruel."

Silus stares in thoughtful contemplation at my unyielding determination. "You might be safer outside of Rosewood."

Hope swells in me. "So, you'll let me go?"

Silus grins and leans closer. "Yes. But don't think it will last forever. On the winter solstice, an eclipse will happen. During that eclipse, all barriers between worlds will be broken. I'll come to retrieve you then – with or without your consent."

I shove his arms off my waist. "You're nothing but a beast!"

Silus laughs. "And you're a beauty. We make the perfect fairytale couple."

I do not resist a snort. "This isn't a fairytale, it's a nightmare. Besides, last time I checked, fairytales are happy and joyful with handsome princes and princesses." My disapproving eyes square him off. "You're no handsome prince and I'm no princess. We're both far from ever becoming those stereotypes."

The Goblin King's delight grows. "But if I remember correctly, you did lose your glass slippers tonight."

I ignore his teasing remark and saunter to the shattered window. The chaos outside is calming to a low rumble. The goblins must be winning.

Silus positions himself behind me once again and leans forward to speak in my ear. His breath sends a chill of adventure running down my spine. "You know, true fairytales are of the most unlikely couples, and the battles they fight together. These characters have tragic empty lives, until they finally find one another."

His message is in his voice; in his tender tone. A tone someone uses to speak to a lover.

"I think we need to split up. Your goblins seem to have overtaken the demons, but Jenkins is still in town, isn't he?"

"He's somewhere, hiding no doubt. I want you to stay here until this is over. Your family members are in the ballroom with the Peters. You can wait for me there. Jenkins cannot stay hidden forever." Silus strokes my shoulders with his spidery fingers. It is a comforting gesture, a warming relief for my loneliness.

I start to leave.

Large fingers circle my hands.

Silus twirls me into his arms and steals my kiss, my mortality, my soul – everything. Nothing in the world matters. Nothing will dare hurt me. The rapid beats of his heart pound against my chest. Adrenalin courses through my veins as arms explore my lower back. Silus is literally the man of my dreams.

Breaking for air, Silus gazes into my swirling jade-violet eyes. "I love you, Temptation Belladonna Falls. I will come back for you, no matter where you go."

Nodding, I slide out of his embrace. Without a backward glance, I leave the Goblin King. Once the door closes behind me, I suffer a twinge of loss.

The sun and moon medallions on the walls guide me to the cluttered ballroom. Their constant praise annoys me. At the top of the balcony, I see my family with a harassed Mr. and Mrs. Peters.

"I don't have a bloody interest in what your king wants! We're leaving–"

"Mr. Falls, if you exit the theater, you're in danger of being killed. Can't you understand we're trying to save your lives! Temptation is still out there somewhere–"

"I'm here, Mrs. Peters."

Everyone gasps.

I rush down the stairs and descend into the now depressed ballroom.

"Thank goodness!" Mrs. Peters dashes forward and embraces me. Mr. Peters follows behind his wife.

Although I appreciate the Peters, I am studying the reactions of my family. Aunt Sally and Uncle Jack control no emotions on their faces. Even my two cousins do not convey any feelings.

"We were afraid Jenkins captured you." Mrs. Peters motions at my family. "I'm trying to explain to them how dangerous it is to leave."

"I can take them." I untangle myself from the Peters' hugs.

"But the king objected to–"

"I spoke with Silus a moment ago. He said we're free to depart from Rosewood." I catch my Uncle Jack's eye. "Do you have the keys to your car?"

Uncle Jack blinks as if startled to hear me speak directly to him. "Yes. It won't do us much good, since the car is sitting at home."

"Come on. We need to return to the front of the theater." The Peters begins protesting, but my family follows without hesitation. "I'll need to borrow your keys, Uncle Jack."

"You'll get caught if you try to run home and get it!" Uncle Jack's disapproving tone lifts my spirit. At least he still worries about me.

"Trust me." I say at the entrance of the theater and hold out my tattooed hand.

He twitches his mustache. Sally nudges him. "Fine." He shoves his hand into his pocket and withdraws his shining keys.

In a flash, I grab them and dash home. It takes less than thirty seconds to arrive home and two minutes to pack some bags. I think I am getting the hang of this. In the car, I scoot forward and place the keys in the ignition. I reverse the car out of the driveway and then head back to the theater. Goblins stalk the roads. Bone masks cover their faces. At the corner of Main and Weeping Willow Lane, I wave my family over. Grabbing my bag, I step out of the car, and move aside for Uncle Jack to take the driver's seat. Aunt Sally rushes to the other side, while ushering her boys to climb in back. I remain where I am on the corner of Mrs. Peters' lawn.

"Temptation, get in the car." Uncle Jack's brow drops beads of sweat onto his shirt while his eyes dart to every dark corner in sight. He cringes as a goblin limps by laughing and carrying a bloody knife.

"I'm not going with you, Uncle Jack."

Uncle Jack narrows in on me. "What?"

"I need to stay a little longer. I know I've caused you a lot of problems over the past year, and I'm grateful that you've all put up with me, but now you can see I'm not crazy."

Uncle Jack steps out of the car, the protests of his wife and sons forgotten. Fear of the demons and goblins seem to extinguish in this moment. "Temptation, you are my niece. I've watched you grow up right along with my own children. You're the closest thing I have to a daughter. I–" His eyes are watering. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you from the start. You were never one to make up stories. I should have never allowed that doctor to send you to that psychiatric hospital for all those months."

Tears drip from my eyes. I wished to hear those words so badly from Uncle Jack, but thought the day would never come. The remaining weight on my heart lifts, tearing away the lingering depression of the past. I truly embrace the freedom of my past. "Are you going back to Urbanna?"

"We are going back to Urbanna."

A sharp pain enters my chest. Jenkins is hurting Silus. The battle is shifting.

"Uncle Jack, you said you regretted not trusting me, so trust me now. I need to stay here a little longer. I'll follow you to Urbanna. I'll find you, but I have to help someone."

Uncle Jack paces the pavement mumbling.

"Dad! We have to go!"

Carting me into a hug, he says, "You better follow or I'll come back. I swear I will!"

"Thanks, Uncle Jack."

Releasing me, he hops back into the car and drives out of Rosewood. I inhale a deep breath before facing the theater.

My bare feet beat against the grass. The goblins keep the townspeople at bay as I sprint into the theater house. The hallway does not smell of lemon or cleaning supplies anymore. The odor of death wafts through the historic house. Depositing my bag in the hallway, I return to the balcony. The Peters talk in rapid conversation with Whelan and Victoria below. I jog down the stairs, careful to tiptoe around the sharp crystals from the fallen chandelier.

"Temptation! We thought you were leaving?" Mrs. Peters says.

Whelan grips Victoria's waist. Victoria's face looks bruised and scratched from the Cyclopes rats.

"I have an idea how to help Silus," I say.

"Silus?" Victoria asks.

"The Goblin King."

"Oh."

"I remember Silus telling me that the only thing that calms Jenkins' demons is song. That's why he held Victoria and me in such high regard. So I thought why not have Victoria and I sing, and see what happens to Jenkins."

Victoria's eyebrows rise and the first genuine smile I have ever seen forms on her lips. "I've always wanted to try a duet."

"That's brilliant," Whelan says. "The speakers extend out of the theater and all around the town square. I'll repair a few of the damaged cables." He jumps on stage and off to the side to tinker with the sound equipment.

"Well, Dearies, what are you going to sing? We don't have a band and I'm not sure I have any modern music–"

"I have something." Victoria follows Whelan and whispers to him.

On the stage, I pull out two microphones. Another painful pressure to my throat causes me to choke. I drop the microphones. Mr. and Mrs. Peters rush to my side. Their worrying voices are surrounding me. I can only succeed to choke out the word, "Silus." I feel his heart leap and wonder if he heard me speak his name. The pressure on my throat disappears. Inhaling a few times, I manage to say, "We do this now. We're out of time."

Victoria snatches up the microphones from the waxed floor and hands me one. "Ready?"

The Peters move aside so I can stand next to Victoria. "What are we singing?"

"A classic with a modern twist. I actually got the idea from your obsession with opera rock."

A drumming beat echoes out of the theater and courses through Rosewood. I recognize the revised beat pulsing with electric guitars. "The Phantom of the Opera!"

Victoria smiles. "Fitting, isn't it? You lead first."

The tone of the music slows a little and I burst into the song. Closing my eyes, I will myself to see through Silus' eyes. He is standing on top of a building overlooking the carnival and listening to my singing. All of the demon townspeople below stop and listen. They do not flinch or fight back as the goblins tackle them to the ground and tie them up against the broken debris from the carnival rides.

Victoria joins me. Pulsing into a strong, beautiful beat, the music makes me feel empowered.

Honing in on my ability, I try to see through Jenkins' eyes. He is crouching on top of the clock tower in the town square. Unable to move or even see his demons falling at the hands of the goblins, his only focus is on the theater house. The buzzing of his heart imitates the hum of an angry wasps' nest, but as Victoria and I sing, the buzzing ceases and gives him a moment of pure bliss. He feels human.

I pause. Victoria continues.

Silus' yell and a burst of pain in the back of my head, sends me swirling back to myself in the theater. I sway.

"Come on, Girlie! Me master be gettin' the better of Jenkins. Keep yerself awake!"

Remorse's grin at the balcony snaps me back into reality. I join Victoria as we hit the climax of the song. Desperate to see the battle raging between Silus and Jenkins, I attempt to shut my eyes again.

Victoria snatches my wrist, to get my attention, and then shakes her head.

Victoria's right. Focus. Sing.

The song ends and a huge uproar of praise courses from the outside of the theater.

"Yah did it, Temptation! We captured the townspeople." Remorse waddles down the stairs.

"Did Silus kill Jenkins?"

Remorse stops. "You tell me, girlie."

A knot forms in my stomach. What if he did not win? What if he... Shaking away the gut-wrenching thoughts, I focus in on Silus once again.

Treetops zoom below. He whips his eyes over every dark inch of the forest. Panic seeps in with every beat of his wings. "Temptation get out of my head. I need you to abandon Rosewood. I've lost Jenkins. It isn't safe!" I want to protest, but Silus touches his thumbnail into the palm of his hand. "I'll miss you, Temptation." Pushing down, his nail pierces his own skin, and blood rolls off his palm. The pain travels to my hand and I regrettably leave Silus' mind.

"Be our master winnin'?"

Fluttering my eyes to get adjusted to my reality, I spot eyes peering at me from all angles of the room, waiting for my answer. "He needs your help finding Jenkins. He's scanning the forest."

"Jenkins be afraid of us goblins. We'll not disappoint his expectations of us, will we?" Remorse forms an impish smile at the sound of the cheering goblins as they march toward the exit.

Caressing the scar on the palm of my hand, I think, I'll miss you too.

Victoria, Whelan, and the Peters join the goblins in search for Jenkins. I follow behind, picking up my bag when I make it to the hallway. Beyond the front door, townspeople clash their teeth together at the mocking goblins. Since the music died, their old personalities resurface again. The biker gang's motorcycles no longer inhabit the street, but Jerald's did. Swinging a leg over the motorcycle, I start the bike, and take off down West Ironwood Drive. Checking my mirror, I spot Remorse's scowl as I depart Rosewood. Trees devour the scenery and I focus on the road. Passing an aging tombstone, I check my rearview mirror to see the words, Welcome to Rosewood. A tall man stands in the road behind me. Wings expand in the moonlight. Slamming on my brakes, I skid to a halt. "Silus? What are you doing?"

"Don't insult me by mistaking me for him." Jenkins arches his head up so the moonlight sketches out his sharp features and horrible teeth; his feral eyes lock only on me. "My blood is in you too. You can run Temptation, but I will find you." He stands parallel with the sign, unable to cross the threshold into the human world.

I carefully situate myself on the motorcycle. "I'm sorry things didn't work out between us, Jerald."

A side of his face twitches.

"I fell in love with Silus a long time before you and I. He never did anything to threaten or hurt me. Your brother did. You did. Silus will find me. You won't because you'll be dead."

Jenkins expels a roar, creating earthquake like vibrations on the ground. Another dark figure with wings lands behind Jenkins.

It is Silus.

Jenkins' face lights up. I realize Jenkins used my own ability against me to lure Silus to our location. Whipping a fist around, Jenkins slams it against Silus' chest, knocking him to the ground.

Instinctively, I move to aid Silus, but he shouts, "Temptation run!"

Jenkins advances on Silus and bares his fangs.

Silus rolls to his feet and jolts forward. Jenkins attacks, but Silus jumps upon Jenkins shoulders. Pushing off, he shoots up into the night sky. Jenkins roars again. Extending his black wings, he ascends into the blackness of the night sky to hunt Silus, abandoning me to the waving trees masked with shadows.

I take off on Jerald's bike. The tiny back road Aunt Sally took when we came to Rosewood appears on the left. Leaning the bike, I swerve down South Branch Road. The further I travel from Rosewood, the more I die inside.
Chapter Twelve

Reviving Memories

"Don't let Mom bully you."

"I've got nothing to hide." I love Karma for putting up with my depression for the past month and a half. "I don't know if I'll be out of the office before it happens, but if I don't see you again, I wanted you to know, you're the best friend I've ever had."

Karma wipes tears from her cheeks. "See what you made me do. It's going to suck without you around, again. It sucked when you weren't around this semester." Over the past month and a half, Karma helped me hide from my family. If Jenkins survives, I refuse to put my family back in danger. The back roads around Urbanna, Virginia shelter many abandoned houses. I took up residence in one of the houses in the woods. Ever since my last encounter with Silus, I crave the safety of the forest, and the beauty that comes with it.

A question I have been dying to ask since my return from Rosewood, escapes my mouth before I can stop it. "Karma, what are you?"

The rhythmic rise and fall of Karma's chest stops. "What?"

"I can see you. Your hair is like gold." I touch Karma's dull hair. "Your skin glows like a light is shining underneath it."

Karma's tears decrease.

"And your eyes." I observe my best friend's frightened face. "They're such a brilliant blue it almost scared me the first time I saw you when I came back. I've never seen anyone else who looks like you."

"I didn't know I look different."

I grin. "Seems like our next mystery, is you."



I sit in the guidance counselor's office, listening to the news, and waiting for the eclipse to happen. While the school surrounding me erupts into chaos, my only thoughts are on him. Eyes shining like candles in the dark and needlepoint teeth, the shade of chrome, accent his horrifying face. Despite his beastly features, I love him. Like Beauty loves the Beast.

The office door hurls open behind me with an annoying squeak. It bounces on its hinges and then shuts with a bang.

"–ridiculous nonsense! We're not even close enough for the hurricane to affect us! Oh, Hun, I have to go. I have an appointment with a young woman." She pauses. "Yes, Karma's in her last class. She'll come to my office when she's done. Herb, just because every other parent is taking their child out of school doesn't mean we're going too. I've gotta go. Uh-huh – bye."

I shift in my seat.

"Hello Temptation, I'm sorry I kept you waiting." The counselor stuffs her cherry-tinted cell phone into her tote bag. It bulges. "It seems like my intelligent husband is terrified along with everyone else. Ridiculous." She drops, or rather throws, her bag on top of the file cabinet. "I'm Mrs. Linn." Her gaudy necklaces clank together as she sits down behind her desk. She places a pair of jeweled reading glasses on the bridge of her pointy nose. It strangely resembles a stereotypical witch's nose. "Do you know why I've called you into my office today, Temptation?" Mrs. Linn's eyes flicker over area where my shoulder curves to my neck.

I tug the collar of my crochet shirt up and twist my fingers around the ends of my lengthy hair. "No. I've only been in school a month and a half. I haven't misbehaved in any of my classes."

Mrs. Linn rises to her feet and paces around the office. The thump of her stilettos matches my own heartbeats. "I've received a few complaints from other students about–"

"I don't talk to anyone," I interrupt, keeping my eyes on the desk with carvings of angels. "Anyone who tries to talk to me, I ignore." I cross my beige arms. "Is it my hair? I like it black and white." Ever since my departure from Rosewood, I re-dyed my hair black. Only highlights of white remain.

Mrs. Linn halts and regards my hair for a brief moment before smiling.

I notice her perfectly human teeth. The tension between us is suffocating. Gods, I want to get out of the office. I wish Mrs. Linn would crack a window; I need a breeze in here.

"A few students spied you washing your clothes in the locker room showers. People have also seen you stealing food from cafeteria and hiding it in your bag." She glances down at my backpack, which reeks of soy burgers.

My body sags. "I get hungry easily."

"What about your clothes?"

"What about them? I don't like stains."

"Yes, but you're always wearing scarves or turtle neck shirts."

"It's winter."

"One of your teachers approached me today. She swore she saw blood underneath your shirt collar. We both believe you're being or have been abused."

"Well, I'm not. So you both can keep those crazy assumptions to yourselves." I fold my arms over my chest. My unnatural eyes kill the calmness of the flowery room.

Mrs. Linn strides around her desk. Bending down to my eye level, she says, "It's absolutely imperative you describe to me the circumstances you find yourself in. It's unnecessary for you to be afraid. I can help." Her fingernails, the shade of ripe pomegranates, reach out and peel back the crochet collar from my neck.

My eyes, swirling electric lime-violet, twitch to my reflection in a mirror behind Mrs. Linn. The jagged bite mark on my neck still looks fresh. As fresh as the day he gave it to me. Halloween. He was right. It was sharp and unpleasant. I fight to keep the emotions swirling within from reaching my voice. "I-I want to go home like everyone else."

Mrs. Linn drops her perfumed hand and ascends to her feet. She strides over to the file cabinet, ignoring my statement. "I called your uncle earlier."

I press my ruby lips together. Tilting my view away from my foreign reflection, I stare out of the window, and watch panicky parents arrive early to pick up their teenagers. They embrace their near-adult children like toddlers. Everyone rushes to their vehicles, fearful of the minuscule amount of time they possess. But not me. Time is all I have and, because of Silus, death is not an option.

"The people I called said they didn't have a niece. I checked your transcript papers." Mrs. Linn tosses a file down. It lands with a loud thud, despite the shouts from the students outside. Mrs. Linn twists her stiff hair up and clips it. Platinum blonde spikes outline her head like a demented halo. "I tried to contact your old school, Rosewood High. It does not exist. In fact, every single document we have on you proves you don't exist. Our records show Temptation Falls died earlier this year. Child Protective Services have been called. They'll be her shortly, so if you want to change your story, now would be the time to do it."

I continue to ignore Mrs. Linn's penetrating line of questions. I am not surprised Mrs. Linn does not remember me. Whatever Silus injected into me through the bite mark, is changing my entire body. I often wonder if I am becoming part goblin myself. As for my cousins, I found out Uncle Jack went through the court system to prove they were not dead. I can only guess magic affected everything when we entered Rosewood. After all, we should not be alive. I urged my cousins to keep away from me until I discover the outcome of the battle of Rosewood. Though he was reluctant, Uncle Jack agreed to move to a different area in Virginia.

"Temptation, I know my daughter hangs around you sometimes. You need to tell me what happened to you." Mrs. Linn lays a soft hand on top of my henna-tattooed palm. "I promise, whoever did this to you won't hurt you ever a–"

"You can't help me," I snap and withdraw my barbaric hand. "No one can. I went to Rosewood High. It's where all this crap started. Where he lied to me. Tricked me." I glare at Mrs. Linn. "He's not human."

Mrs. Linn's confusion transforms into pity. She stares at me as if I am a lost three-year-old. "Temptation, there's no such thing as nonhuman beings. The town of Rosewood doesn't exist–"

Emotions overtake my actions. I slam my fist down on the desk, startling Mrs. Linn. "Rosewood can't be found on maps! The only way to get into Rosewood is if someone who's been there before shows you. I would've died there if I wasn't saved by–!" Halting, I grip the sides of my head and shake my thoughts away. I cannot speak his name – not without having a breakdown. A cold tear escapes my inhuman eye and rolls down my cheeks. I hate being alone. It is still possible Jenkins survived and not Silus?

Mrs. Linn plucks a few delicate tissues off her desk and offers them to me. "You need to stay calm, Temptation. Let's say, for the sake of argument, I believe you."

Liar. I grit my sharp teeth.

"But I need you to explain to me the how you received those cuts on your neck." She scoots her chair back and reclaims her seat. Fingers lacing together, she waits patiently for me to speak.

I rub my nose with the tissue and sniff. "They're not cuts. I was bitten," I mumble.

The guidance counselor gaffs. "It's hardly a bite mark, Temptation. More like someone took a set of razor blades to your neck. I'm surprised you survived. You're going to have to see the school nurse later, unless she's an idiot like everyone else. In which case, I'll take you to the hospital myself." She studies the wound from across the desk. "You'll probably need stitches since it hasn't healed."

Viewing the unclear sky through the office window, I say, "The eclipse should be starting soon."

Mrs. Linn leans forward. In a low voice, almost a whisper, she asks, "What happened?"

A shaky laugh escapes my lungs. "It would require a huge leap of faith for you to believe me." Dreadful memories flood my vision, cranking out buried emotions rusting with decay. "It started the day I moved to Rosewood with my cousins. I knew something was wrong as soon as we passed the sign." I pick up the golden locket dangling against my chest. "You know the weird feeling you get when you walk through a graveyard at night?"

Mrs. Linn adjusts her glasses on her powdery nose, apparently insulted by the mere idea of having a nighttime stroll in a cemetery. "I've never walked through a graveyard at night, but I can imagine how frightening it must feel."

I shrug and unsnap the twinkling locket. I gaze longingly at the two photos within its tiny metal heart. "I used to walk through the graveyard where my parents are buried. You get this feeling, as if you're not welcome because you are part of the living world. Only the dead are welcome." My attention returns to the foggy window. Dark clouds pass over the sun, causing a few people to scream outside in the courtyard. I wish my worst fear is the hurricane. Not my life. Not what I am becoming alone.

"How does this feeling pertain to Rosewood?"

I see flashes of chrome teeth that are jagged like a cluster of scalpel blades. Their soulless eyes would even haunt a ghost. "It's what Rosewood is. A graveyard. And the living, are not welcome."

I recount what happened in Rosewood. Mrs. Linn listens intently the entire time. By the time I finish, the color in Mrs. Linn's cheeks drains away.

"My goodness that's quite a tale. I don't suppose you have any physical proof?"

"Don't you see my teeth – my eyes?"

Mrs. Linn grimaces, but swats an imaginary fly away. "You can buy those online or at special stores."

"Fine." I dig into the pocket of my bag and pull out a tattered book. "This is the book Mrs. Peters gave me."

Mrs. Linn plucks the book from me and flips through it.

I glance around the office, while Mrs. Linn reads the ancient book. My eyes land on a photograph of the counselor's daughter. Even in the photo, I can see the real Karma hidden so well from the goblins.

"Do you know if Jenkins is dead?"

The new fear in Mrs. Linn's voice startles me. "I can't feel him or Silus. I don't know what happened after I left. If they're alive, I should see one of them today–"

"Did Jenkins ever mention any other Nephilims?"

My brow creases. "No. Why?"

"Did he ever say what other world would appear today?"

I stare at the counselor's bug-eyed expression. "What kind of being is your daughter?"

Mrs. Linn blinks. "What?"

I point to the photo on the desk. "I can tell Karma's not all human. What is she? A Nephilim?"

Mrs. Linn removes her glasses with a shaking hand. "No. Something a bit more special."

The television blinks a few times before blacking out. Darkness creeps into the room.

"The eclipse is starting."

The earth shakes beneath our feet and a sharp wind howls. Mrs. Linn screams and grasps the desk. The room is covered in darkness. The window makes a cracking noise. It breaks. Shards of glass whip into the office and graze our skin. The window on the office door pops like a bubble. Before Mrs. Linn or I can move, the contents of the office swirl like a tornado. Cackling enters the room and glowing eyes narrow in on me.

Mrs. Linn shrieks.

I beam. Warm arms encircle my waist. Unlike humans, I can see perfectly in the dark.

Silus' handsome face registers my own. "I told you I'd come back for you."

My eyes turn an electric green and the black part of my hair fades away, leaving a beautiful white shine. My figure morphs into sharper features. I can feel the mark on my neck heal instantly. "I didn't know if you were alive."

Silus chuckles. "Did you really think Jenkins could defeat me?" Conjuring a single blue rose from his pocket, he hands it to me. Raking a claw through my hair, he massages his fingers down to my shoulders. "Will you come back with me?"

I smile and snake my arms around his neck. "Tempt me."

Pulling me into a tighter embrace, he kisses me. I deepen the kiss, loving every second of our connection. The way he smells of pine and a single strand of his black hair slashes across his eye. I finally have a family. I can finally go home.

The surrounding goblins cheer, except for Remorse. He is staring at the photo on Mrs. Linn's desk. Picking up the photo, he strokes the picture of the plain girl. His eyes flicker to Mrs. Linn when she makes a gurgling noise. A lamp lay on the floor with light still emitting from its' flashing core. "Be this yer daughter?"

Mrs. Linn's body freezes, but she manages to nod.

"Yer a witch, but human, so her father be the immortal." Remorse frowns and points a spidery finger at Mrs. Linn. "Be warned, yer daughter's life be in danger. He be huntin' her at de moment. He can feel her and yer disguise ain't gonna fool him. Teach yer daughter how to do the spell or she'll be found before the week is out. Yer not alone in this world anymore and yer daughter be not the only one of her kind. Jenkins woulda taken her if he'd lived. But he be not as powerful as the creature seeking yer daughter."

The goblins cackle loudly. The eclipse is about to end. After all, they only last about five minutes.

Silus holds me – his new queen – as the wind picks up. "Return to Rosewood!"

The goblins pop out of the room and into the blackness of the world. I smile – happy for the first time – to fade into the darkness.

Thank you for reading book one of the In Darkness She Fades Series. I would love to read your thoughts on Catching Temptation. Please leave a review on Amazon or any other site that allows a review for Catching Temptation.

Incurable Karma, book 2 of the In Darkness She Fades Series, is Available Now!

About the Author

Sarah Erber spent her childhood growing up around the lush forests and beautiful lakes around Interlochen, Michigan. Since childhood, she moved to Central Texas where she is rearing her two beautiful little girls, Karma and Isis. Between raising children, working, going to College, and writing novels, she still finds time to dip into a good book.

Please visit her on her facebook page at www.facebook.com/saraherberbooks

Works in Progress

Incurable Karma, book 2 of the In Darkness She Fades Series is Available!

Embracing Tragedy, book 3 of the In Darkness She Fades Series is in production.

My New Adult fiction novel A Martyr for Freedom is in production.

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