Rise of the Fallen 1 - My Soul to Keep Read online

  She looked up at me and scrunched her eyes like she was having trouble seeing. When I pinned her wrists above her head she didn’t struggle.

  “If I let you go, is this over?”

  She nodded and I let her hands loose. Immediately they wrapped around my throat and she flipped me off of her and onto my back. I should have known. I didn’t struggle. I just lie there as she pinned me in the exact position I had her in moments before.

  “Don’t you ever kick me in the face again,” she snarled. Then she bent low and locked her lips onto mine.

  I'd always pictured my first kiss being a little…different.

  * * *

  We drove in silence to the entrance of the Cedar Hills Mall. After the kiss, she’d let me go, stood up, and waved her hands, cleaning all remnants of battle from our clothes and skin. She did the same to her Volkswagen Beetle while I held the door in place. The silence in the tiny car seemed deafening and the awkward feeling in the pit of my stomach threatened to curb my appetite. Thoughts of salty soft pretzels drifted away with a curl of my lip.

  “Why are we going to the mall?” I didn’t even look at her as I asked. Every time I did, I blushed. I stared out the window instead.

  “Training,” came her predictable response.

  “Training for what?”

  “You are one of the Fallen now. You have duties you need to know how to do. I’m going to show you.”

  We pulled into a spot right in front. I'd been to the mall a hundred times in my short life, and I could have sworn the spot she pulled into was a handicapped space yesterday. For all I knew, it could have been.

  We made our way into the warmer interior of the mall. Auntie Annie’s whispered my name sweetly, but I ignored her twisted, salty temptations and followed Clarisse to the center courtyard where she turned left and headed toward the food court. I caught myself staring at the designer logo on the back pocket of her jeans and quickly focused on her hair instead. If she turned around and caught me looking at her butt, there wouldn’t be any trees to soften the ass whipping that would be sure to follow.

  I, for some reason, thought that Clarisse wanted to eat and that's why we were at the food court.

  Apparently I was wrong.

  Instead of ordering pizza, Chinese, or even a hamburger, she sat at a table near the entrance to the movie theater. I sat down across from her and stared at her while she looked around the mall. Her eyes settled off to the right and I turned to look at what she saw. A geekier looking guy than me sat alone, reading a book with a large cup of some sort of coffee beverage. My eyes slid over the paper cup with black lid. There were tiny boxes with checkmarks in sharpie on one side. I looked closer and saw a bunch of words that looked like gibberish. Somehow, I knew, without a doubt, he had a caramel macchiato, extra-shot, with low fat milk, and extra caramel. I shook my head to clear it and focused on him instead. He had shoulder length curly black hair, a bad complexion, and wore a black hoodie with jeans. He was reading a book by an author I'd never heard of, but made out the title Origins on the front cover.

  “We have a vampire lover,” Clarisse said and kicked me lightly under the table.

  “How do you know?” I sat there, beyond confused.

  “From the book. It’s all about vampires. Look into his head. See how he’s hanging on every word? What do you feel?”

  I ignored her and focused on the mop of unruly hair around his head. It took a second, but I could hear his thoughts. He wanted to be like the characters in the book. His name was Brett, and Brett wanted to be a vampire. “I can feel it.”

  “Yup, he’s perfect. Now do what I tell you. Focus in on his thoughts again, but whisper the words to the ritual, the ritual with the candle. Don’t leave anything out, whisper it exactly as you remember it. The words burned themselves into your soul.”

  I started whispering under my breath. The mall fell silent and the words beat with the thrum of their own power. I could feel them travelling across the mall and settling on his skin like Mr. James’ strange words had on mine earlier.

  “Now picture the candle being black and lit while you say the words. Add that to your spell," Clarisse hissed across the table.

  The whole thing felt very, very wrong, but I found myself doing exactly as she said. I even pictured one of the few places in town where he could buy a black candle. “Now with the last line of the ritual, promise him he can be a vampire.”

  I finished the last line and promised him he could be a vampire and with a final thrum of power. All the sound and movement around us continued.

  “Whoa,” I said exhausted.

  “Good job, worm.”

  “What now?”

  “We wait for the call.”

  “What call?”

  “You’ll know it when you hear it. Trust me.”

  Chapter 10

  “I hope you brought your walking shoes.”

  “What?” I looked down at Jessie walking next to me on our way out of American History.

  “Don’t tell me you forgot? Here I thought for the past few days, I won’t need to remind Connor about our date…”

  “Date…How could I forget about that?” I smiled, remembering I had the honor of walking Jessie home. She lived on the outskirts of town, but in Cedar Hills that wasn’t saying a whole lot. I just prayed to whoever would listen her dad wouldn’t be home when we got there. I doubted it, but it would be nice. I'd be surprised if he wasn’t sitting in his Escalade with binoculars the whole walk back to her house.

  “Good boy, you get a cookie.” She giggled at her own joke.

  We left the noisy hallways of the school and walked down the front concrete steps without any mishaps. The stone stairs always worry me. If I let Jessie fall, I would kill myself. The wind had picked up even more over the last few days and I tried not to grin like an idiot when Jessie walked a little closer than usual to stay warm.

  “What are you doing this weekend?”

  “Stephanie is coming over tomorrow night and sleeping over, but I’m not doing anything Sunday…”

  “That’s cool. I planned on immersing myself in some serious laziness this weekend. At least after the bajillion things I have to do around the house to earn my paltry allowance.”

  “So, do you want some company on Sunday?”

  “Who?” I realized she meant her as soon as my question left my mouth. I also realized she was asking me if I wanted to spend time with her when she said she wasn't doing anything on Sunday. I hadn't heard the invitation in her voice. I really could be an idiot sometimes.

  “Well I figured I could ask my dad if he wanted to hang out with you,” she said and tried to slap me in the back of the head. She missed horribly. “Me, Connor. Do you want to do something Sunday with me?” She spelled the last word slowly so I could understand her.

  “Another date?”

  “Maybe. Let’s see how this one goes first,” she said but even I could hear the teasing in her voice.

  “I’d like that.” I smiled, meaning it completely.

  We walked and didn’t talk for the first few blocks or so. When we got to the third corner, a pink Bug slowly passed by. I saw a pair of glowing red eyes in the window, but couldn’t make out Clarisse’s face through the tinted glass. Her windows weren’t tinted when she drove me to school this morning. Crap, I forgot to tell her I didn’t need a ride home today. I’ll hear about that later.

  I ignored the Bug and the hand sporting a middle finger as it rounded the corner and sped away.

  “Friend of yours?”

  “Who?”

  “The person in the car that just passed, they slowed down and then sped off.”

  “That was Claire. She gives me a ride to and from school. I think she’s mad I forgot to tell her I didn’t need a ride home today.”

  “Claire? As in Claire Awl, the senior girl everyone seems to be afraid of?”

  “Yes, that would be the Claire I know.”

  “I haven’t met her, but I’ve heard
from the other girls in the school to try to avoid it. How come she gives you a ride?”

  “We’re friends of sorts, I guess. She teases me, I tease back. Under that crusty exterior, she’s actually an okay human being.”

  “You’re not…” I could hear the question in her voice and my laughter put her at ease.

  “Not even remotely. Ha! I wish.” As soon as I said it I could detect a definite foot flavor lingering in my mouth. Jessie stiffened and stopped walking. “Jessie, I…”

  “You wish?” I could hear the trombone going waa waa waa waaaaaa in the background. I really needed to clean my brain to mouth filter.

  “Not with Claire!” I pleaded and saw her eyebrows meet just over the tiny rim of her sunglasses.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I just meant I wish she would stop being so mean to me all the time,” I said and watched her become more confused, but relax a little at the same time.

  “Why do you hang around with her? If she treats you like crap, I don’t get it.”

  I sighed and thought very carefully of what I could and couldn’t say. I couldn’t tell her the truth. Well gee, Jessie, see I’m sort of a soul stealing demon…yeah, probably not a good idea, Connor. “Her mom and my mom are best friends,” came pouring out of my mouth for some unknown reason.

  “Ah, gotcha. I had the same situation with my older step-sister.”

  “You did?” I tried not to jump up and down because I'd pulled it off.

  “Yeah, my dad divorcing her mom and us moving away was a big sigh of relief. I had to live with her, ride to school with her, spend time with her, and I hated her. She hated me, too, probably worse. Don’t worry, Connor. I get it.”

  I smiled and reached out and touched her hand. She smiled and let me take it and we resumed walking. We finally reached the last of the houses and continued down a roughly paved street. Trees lined both sides of the road and streetlights flickered to life as we walked.

  “Have we passed all the houses yet?”

  “Yeah,” I said and nodded needlessly.

  “My house is the next one on the right, or at least that’s what my dad tells me.”

  “The old Wilkins' Mansion?” Realization dawned on me. Everyone in town talked about the spooky old Wilkins' Mansion. I knew somebody had just moved in. Word spread through town like wildfire. Jessie had told me she moved into their old family home. I'd just never put the two together.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “The old couple that used to live there, they were supposed to have been murdered. That was years ago.”

  “Yes, they were. Ten years before I was born. At least it didn’t happen inside the house. I don’t think I could handle that.”

  "I don't think I could either. How did they die?”

  “Nobody knows. My mom was away at college and the mailman found her parents on the front lawn with stab wounds in their chests.”

  “I’m sorry,” I started but Jessie shook her head.

  “Did you stab them? No, so don’t be sorry. It’s okay anyway, I never met them. I felt horrible for my mom, but it’s more like history. Know what I mean?”

  "Kind of like your blindness thing?"

  "Exactly," she said and nodded. Maybe I wasn't all that dumb. Sometimes.

  "Where's your mom?" I knew about her step-mother, but this was the first time she'd brought her actual mother up.

  "She died, right before I lost my sight. She was a doctor and flipped her car one night after work."

  I could hear the sadness in her voice and I caught myself starting to apologize. Instead I tightened my grip on her hand just a little bit more.

  "You learn quickly," she said and smiled.

  “Yes, I do.” I steered us onto the winding, lamp lit driveway leading up to the palatial home. The driveway was made entirely out of paver stones. Somebody must have paid a fortune on maintenance because not one weed grew in between them. Before we even made it to the stairs, the front door opened and Mr. James stepped out onto the raised porch and waited for us. “I don’t think your dad likes me very much.”

  “Don’t feel honored. My dad doesn’t like anybody very much. Let me guess, he’s standing on the front porch waiting for us?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Figures, I was going to give you a kiss for walking me home,” she said and sighed. “I guess it will have to wait until Sunday. Call me this weekend and give me your address.”

  “I don’t have your phone number…”

  I nearly fainted when she leaned in close and whispered it into my ear. When she finished, she kissed me in the same spot. “Think you can remember that?”

  “I don’t think I could forget that if I tried.”

  “Then my plan worked,” she said and giggled. “Thanks for walking me home. I had a great time.”

  I shifted my focus on the house. The porch extended the entire width of the palatial home. Mr. James decorated for fall, but not for Halloween, which was only a week away. The school was having a dance, but I hadn’t planned on going. With the kiss Jessie had just given me I might be changing my mind.

  “Hello, Mr. James.”

  “Conrad. Thank you for walking Jessica home.”

  “It’s Connor, Daddy. You know that.”

  “Sorry, Connor. Dinners ready, Jess. Go get cleaned up.

  “It was my pleasure, sir. I’ll see you Sunday, Jessica,” I said and turned to leave.

  “It’s getting dark. Do you need a ride home?” I stopped and looked at Mr. James. I didn’t want to see through his illusion, so I let my eyes relax as I looked him in the eye. He looked like he wanted to turn me into a Halloween decoration.

  “Thank you, sir. I’ll be fine,” I said before making my way down the circular driveway. Before I hit the street, I shot one last glance at Jessie’s house. I expected everyone to be inside, but Mr. James still stood on the porch watching me leave. The man made morticians seem warm and fuzzy. I fought the urge to run around the corner to get out of his sight.

  Chapter 11

  I set the cordless phone down on my nightstand for the sixteenth time. I'd actually dialed six of Jessie’s seven numbers at least nine of my sixteen attempts. I don’t know what I was afraid of. I know she wanted to talk to me, but I just couldn’t do it. I wasn’t just stupid, I was a stupid chicken.

  I flicked off the light and rolled over in my bed. Closing my eyes seemed pointless. I didn’t feel like sleeping, but I didn’t feel like playing video games either. I sighed and finally closed them.

  It hit me right then, in the stomach.

  Brett, the boy from the mall, sat behind the garage of his parent’s house, not too far from my own. He'd just lit the black candle with gold flecks in it and unfurled the paper with the words written in his own blood.

  I smiled. I could feel the pull. I knew I had to go. I had planted the seed in Brett's mind, and only I could grant his wish. I could see the whole scene unfurling in my mind as I dressed and opened my bedroom window.

  He spoke the first line and I stepped through the window onto the roof of the garage.

  He spoke the second line and my wings snapped out behind me.

  He spoke the third line and I leapt into the air, letting my wings unfurl.

  He spoke the final line and the universe exploded in colors I'd never seen before.

  I beat downward with my wings and turned toward the source of the call. I glanced over the dimly lit houses below as they passed by with frightening speed. Below me, a single headlight illuminated the road, and the rumble of the Harley Davidson picked up tempo matching my speed and direction. Clarisse must have heard it, too.

  The motorcycle screeched to a halt below me just in front of Brett’s house. I closed my wings and dropped like a stone to the pavement next to her. I did the classic “land on one knee with my fist on the pavement” just like every superhero in every comic book I'd ever read.

  “Nice entrance, worm. I told you, you would hear the call. Come on, we’ve go
t work to do.”

  “Good evening to you too, Clarisse.”

  “Shut up. Do you still have your orb?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “You don’t need it anymore. I doubt it would even work anymore. Your own magic is growing too strong for the orb to mask. Take it off. We’ll give it to the newbie.”

  Nodding, I pulled my wallet out of my back pocket. Lately, I’d made a habit of sticking it in there disguised as a library card. I pulled it out and it morphed back into the crystal sphere I'd first seen when Clarisse had given it to me.

  “Here it is.”

  “Hang on to it. You’re running the show tonight. From now on you’re on your own.”

  I nodded and we walked around the side of the house along the driveway. The garage sat offset from the house in the back. Almost tripping on the garbage cans caused Clarisse to roll her eyes and Brett to peek around the back of the garage at the two strangers in his yard. “W…w…who are you?”

  “Brett Johnson?” I made his name a question. He nodded. “We haven’t got all night, what’s your wish?”

  He looked confused. I probably looked the same way when Clarisse asked me what my wish was. “Excuse me?” He stepped fully around the corner and glanced at the house to make sure we were alone.

  “One wish, one soul, that’s the deal. What is it you want?” I sounded just like Clarisse. I glanced over at her and she seemed impressed by how I was handling the situation.

  “Anything?”

  “Anything, Brett. Let me guess, you want to be a vampire?” I already knew the answer. I could feel it in his head.

  “Really? I can be a vampire? Won’t I like get caught or burned at school?” Bret was a smart cookie.

  “We have things to protect you. Is that your wish? Do you want to be a vampire? We can even make you the sparkly kind…”

  “No! Real vampires don’t sparkle. I want to be a real vampire. I want to drink blood, be pale, and live forever. Can you make me handsome?”