Chapter Thirty-Three
W alking up the steps to one of the many frats off campus was something I’d never thought I would do, especially after this week’s events, but there I was, dressed and ready to kick someone’s teeth in if they so much as looked at me the wrong way. All I really wanted to do was go back to my dorm and sleep. The Ceremony had already given me a headache, and any more social interaction would send me over the edge.
Josh texted me the details like he said he would, advising me to dress casually and be prepared for a knock at my door.
Of course, he failed to mention the person who did the knocking was Chloe. She barreled in, assessing my clothing only to make a disgusted sound, then raided my closet and shouted at me to change.
Now, I stood in a line outside a two-story house, where music thumped and rattled the windows along with flashing strobe lights from the bottom floor. Screams of students chanting some weird pledge inside were like nails on a chalkboard, and if I weren’t so deep in this line or Chloe wasn’t my unassigned bodyguard, I would’ve bounced.
“I thought this was an Order party? Why are there so many people here?” I asked Chloe.
She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “Because Baron, Josh, Kal, and Asher own this house. They are known to be the party kings of this school. Plus, I like the drama.”
Approaching the front doors, I plastered on a tight smile as I was greeted by Asher, one of the Saints from the Order, at the front door. He ushered the hostess at the door away so he could reach us. His hair was disheveled, much like his attire, and he already reeked of some type of vodka. Asher blundered down the front steps, barely making it safely on two feet toward us.
“Remi, my girl! Come on in!” Asher threw his arm over my shoulder and guided me out of the line and inside the crowded house. Chloe snorted and passed us quickly, leaving me attached to the drunken idiot.
An hour ago, Asher stood among the other Saints, poised and mute, watching the scarlet cape drape my shoulders; now he was long gone and stumbling over his feet, wholly sloshed.
I slipped under his hold and escaped, only to look behind and see him lean against the banister, trying to flirt with a group of girls, completely forgetting about little old me.
Chloe returned to my side with two red solo cups. “Josh already yelled at me earlier when I was trying to sober up. It’s soda.”
Taking a sip and enjoying an ice-cold Coke, I looked around the kitchen. Bodies were stuffed in every corner, with a couple of girls on the countertop, either making out with someone or throwing empty beer cans into the sea of people.
“Some party,” I commented dryly.
“Yeah, well, they needed an excuse to throw one.”
Following her through the crowd, we shouldered past a group of guys at a keg stand, hollering like animals.
Music thumped, rattling the chandelier in the hallway; even the photos of the frat boys on the wall shook. Whatever trap beat they played reminded me of my club days with Nickie and Jeremy.
We hadn’t spoken since the night they both trashed my outfit, and I was debating on texting her later when a familiar laugh was heard over the music change. A laugh I knew anywhere, no matter how many people occupied the house.
Nickie.
Her laugh grew louder as I left Chloe behind, following the sound to the center of the living room, where she was perched comfortably on Josh’s lap. Hands intertwined, he nuzzled against her neck like a cat in heat.
Accompanying them were Anna and Baron, sharing a couch on the opposite side. A few other students were scattered in little groups, smoking pot or throwing back shots.
“Remi!” squealed Nickie. She rushed off her spot from Josh and collided with me, my drink hitting the floor before I could register what happened and soaking my shoes.
“Oops!” She giggled, clinging to my neck.
I tried to untangle myself from her, only to step in a giant puddle of beer, almost slipping on my ass.
“Nickie, give her some air,” said Josh, coming up from behind her. She giggled again before stepping back into his arms, curling against his chest. She began to play with the collar of his white shirt, swirling her finger along his collarbone. It was hard seeing them this way, cozied up and oblivious to the crowd. He bit her ear, enticing a moan from her lips, and I hadn’t realized I bent the cup, soda flowing through the slit in the red plastic.
Chloe came up beside me. “Girl, you just hulk-smashed your cup.”
Josh glanced at me as I fought an internal battle with my emotions. I should not be feeling this way. Why am I feeling this way?
His voice filtered through my head. Feeling what way?
Panicked, I turned to Chloe, desperation in my eyes. “How do I block him out?”
Catching on, Chloe leaned in so only I could hear. “ Block him out.”
“I don’t know how, that’s why I’m asking you.”
She shook her head, taking the damaged cup from my hand. “No, I mean, block him out. Build a wall inside your mind.”
Was it that easy? Keeping my eyes averted from where they embraced, I imagined bricks stacking on top of one another, shutting out his voice and face entirely. Relief flooded my body, tension easing from my shoulders.
“Nickie, what are you doing here?” I finally asked, ignoring the intense way Josh was studying me. If he was trying to gain access, I couldn’t tell.
“Well, that’s a stupid question,” laughed Nickie.
Snickers from Anna on the couch had me grinding my teeth in frustration. “You know what I mean.” Nickie hated frat parties just as much as I hated attending the college that threw them.
“My boyfriend is hosting it, silly. Of course I’m going to be here,” she slurred. I wondered how much she had already drunk. Judging by the empty solo cups on the table where she sat, I assumed more than her typical amount at a club.
Josh had a firm grip on her waist, ensuring she didn’t topple over.
“Woah, someone’s half in the bag,” Chloe said behind me.
Clenching my fist, I stepped forward, ready to take her out of his hands and bring her home, when the words out of Anna’s mouth had me seething. “She told us some fascinating stories about you, Remi.”
“Oh, yeah, how she peed herself in the fourth grade because—” Nickie slipped on her heels, dragging Josh halfway down with her.
“I think it’s time you sober up, hun,” suggested Josh. Nickie ended up on the couch courtesy of him and Baron. She was sprawled out, laughing hysterically over something, and it only boiled my blood more.
“You think?” I scoffed.
Josh pivoted, glaring at me. “What the hell is your problem?”
“My problem? My problem is you!”
Anna laughed hysterically on the couch. “Oh, this is great. The Scarlet fighting with her Saint.”
“Shut up, Anna,” warned Baron.
“Why? Remi is nothing but a loose cannon. She’s going to get us all killed,” Anna stated.
“That’s rich coming from the girl who almost got half the squad killed,” sniped Chloe.
“Will you all keep your voices down? We’re not alone,” Baron advised through gritted teeth. I’d never seen him so furious.
“Give us a minute.” Josh unexpectedly grasped my arm and led the way out of the living room. He turned a sharp right up a set of stairs and opened the first door on the left, showcasing a room with a big queen-sized bed in the middle. Posters of heavy metal bands covered the walls, with an acoustic guitar displayed in the corner by a desk to the far left. Stacks of notebooks were piled on the floor, and a laptop lay open, playing a slide show of family photos and soft music.
Nothing could have prepared me for the words out of his mouth. “Now that we don’t have an audience for you to get attention—”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I snapped.
“All during the ceremony, you were fine. Now, you have a problem with me. Why?”
“Why is she here?” I questioned angrily.
A puzzled expression tainted his face. “I’m not allowed to invite my girlfriend?”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Then how did you mean it?” Josh crossed his arms over his chest, muscles flexing, every vein pulsating. His brown hair fanned his forehead, and those dark lashes fluttered every time he blinked. The jeans he wore hugged him perfectly, never leaving anything to the imagination.
I swallowed hard, trying to refocus on the conversation. “It’s not safe.”
He cocked an eyebrow and snorted back a laugh. “But with you, she is? We’re on the same mission here, Remi. What’s the difference between you and me?”
“She doesn’t know—”
“She won’t. I would never put her in danger like that. You honestly think that little of me?” His words sounded like a wounded puppy, and that left me embarrassed.
Did I? He knew more about this life than me, and that wasn’t by choice, but was I judging too quickly? He was my guardian, after all…
“Not answering makes it worse, you know.”
“You didn’t give me a chance.”
Tension increased in my shoulders as I tried my best not to lose my goddamn cool with him.
“Then please.” He gestured for me to continue, clearly amused by the conversation or lack thereof.
“This isn’t funny, so stop being an ass about this,” I retorted.
“Would you like me to repeat?” he asked condescendingly.
I clenched my fist, digging my nails into my palms, trying not to hit the smug look off his face. “No, Josh, but she’s my best friend. If anything happened to her, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.” The mere thought of something happening to Nickie, even Jeremy. A shudder went through my whole body. I didn’t care if our friendship was on the rocks. If she ever got hurt…
Josh’s eyes reflected an emotion I couldn’t detect as he pushed himself off the doorframe until we were inches apart. “Remi, I promise nothing will happen.” Unexpectedly, he brushed a loose strand from my face, tucking it neatly behind my ear.
“Don’t do that,” I whispered. One second, he was brutally cold, the next, his words and eyes lit me on fire from the inside out.
Realization crossed his face as he snapped his hand back. “I give you my word.”
“What if your word isn’t good enough?”
The room became too hot.
The sound of the doorknob turning had us jumping back from one another. Nickie’s head poked around, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. “There you both are!”
Suddenly, the door was kicked fully open by Chloe. “Come on, we’re playing beer pong, and you’re my partner, Watson.”
Josh gave me a curt nod, clearly not done with this conversation but done enough to drop it. Without a second thought, I pushed past him, feeling the brush of his fingers against my clenched fist, an electric tingle sparking a fire.
Only when I saw them together did my heart hammer, my pulse quicken, and the feeling of envy clouded my better judgment. I went feral with jealousy; I almost didn’t recognize myself. The more time spent with Josh, the more those emotions heightened, and I started to not like this version of myself. What led me to have these feelings? I honestly couldn’t understand myself. When distance separated us, it was easier to feel normal, but every time Josh entered a room or simply glanced at me, it was as if every rational thought I had went out the window. From the moment we bumped into each other at the club, all my logical thinking had crumpled. I tried my hardest to push it six feet under, but I would gladly suffocate myself to death only to feel the high of what he gave me.
At that moment, I knew I’d become the worst possible friend to Nickie; regardless of her safety, she had no idea I’d already created our path of destruction by letting my feelings for Josh get in the way, and I needed to stop it now. I couldn’t let years of friendship go down the drain over some guy who didn’t feel the same way.
Touching the last step, I felt an eerie sense of someone watching me. The hairs on my arms stood up with an unsettling chill creeping along my back as I scanned my surroundings. Everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves; nobody paid attention to the girl who monitored the crowd, trying to find something or someone who most likely wasn’t there. Chloe had already headed toward the kitchen when I eventually found the nerve to move again, but the uneasiness following me never left.
Entering the kitchen, Chloe somehow had a new partner, Baron, on one side of the table, and then there was Kal on the opposite end, using his pointer finger to signal to me to come over.
Great.
“What happened to Chloe being my partner?” I asked, taking the spot next to him.
“I convinced Chloe to trade,” he said with a smile.
“He paid me a hundred bucks,” she deadpanned.
Baron began to laugh just as Kal’s face turned a striking shade of red. “In my defense—”
“Oh, please,” interrupted Chloe. “Your defense is as weak as your ability to stay away from her. Now, shut up and play.”
Ignoring her remarks, he handed me an orange ping pong ball. “Would you like to take some practice shots? It’ll help you warm up.”
Snorting a laugh, I lined up my shot and extended my arm with just enough force, flicking my wrist in a downward motion, landing it directly in the center cup. A low whistle came from Baron and a loud curse from Chloe.
Kal stood awestruck, rubbing his neck, and said, “I take back what I said.”
“Underestimating me was your first mistake.”
I stepped aside, watching Kal line up his shot, sinking it perfectly in the cup in front.
“We’re so screwed,” commented Baron, looking at the ceiling.
Baron carried his team, while Kal and I took turns sinking every shot, winning three solid games in a row. Chloe shouted at us for a rematch, determined to win at least one or get close.
We were at the very end of game four, and each team had one cup left, we kept missing our shot since Baron decided to add in tricks to show off. It was funny to watch Kal try and fail, throwing it behind his back, and hitting Chloe dead center in the forehead.
“Nice going, Kal,” she sneered, rubbing the spot.
Stifling my laugh with my hand, I tried my left, watching it sink effortlessly into the final cup. High fives were exchanged and jokes told, making us laugh. Kal slung his arm around my shoulder, a goofy smile on his face. “Anyone else want to try and take our throne?”
Baron gave him the middle finger. “Nobody wants to play with you anymore.”
Kal released his arm around my shoulder and strolled over to Baron. “You’re a sore loser.” They both began to bicker playfully, giving me a chance to make the slip and find a bathroom.
Ascending to the second floor, I found a line of females to the bathroom, extending just before the top of the staircase, most of the girls hanging over the banister, talking to a few others below. I stood behind a short girl with long black hair, swaying her hips to the music playing throughout the house, a red solo cup clenched in a perfect set of nails.
I tapped her lightly on the shoulder. “How long of a wait?”
She half turned in my direction and said, “I don’t know, girl. Whoever is in there is leaving a nasty smell.”
One of the girls up front protested for the wait and left, muttering curses to herself. A few more started to leave, trying to find another bathroom someplace else. Only me and the short girl I spoke to stood in line, the smell wafting from underneath the crack. I had no desire to find another bathroom, not when my bladder was about to explode.
Eventually, the girl before me left, not wanting to stick around and wait any longer. The smell intensified by the minute, and an uneasy sense of something bad crept under my skin. Nausea snuck up, twisting my stomach as the smell of rotting flesh invaded my space. I twisted the golden doorknob, the smell making my eyes water. When I entered, blood and black sludge coated the white tiles on the floor. My heart thumped erratically against my ribcage when my eyes landed on the distorted body of a female in the tub. A scream got caught in my throat, the wind completely knocked from my lungs. I wanted to fall on my knees, but my hand remained glued to the doorknob.
“Remi?” Oh, no. Why was he here? I knew that voice.
Petrified to move an inch in case the corpse came to life, Josh’s presence appeared over my shoulder, and he saw the same grotesque image.
“Fuck!” he hissed. Before I had time to process, he ushered us inside with the rotting body. I clung to the porcelain sink, slipping on sludge and blood.
“Try to keep yourself still. we can’t disrupt the evidence.”
“But you’re allowed to?” I remarked.
He ignored my comment as he knelt just before the tub, assessing the situation, a shaking hand running through his tousled, curly brown hair. “At a fucking party too.”
The walls were coated with the same bodily fluids and substance, staining the shower curtain and matching rug. Her eyes hung outside the sockets, her shirt ripped open, a giant hole protruding from her chest. Someone or something must’ve turned on the water, because the tub was half filled, with her organs floating to the top. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to this type of carnage, especially if it was once a living, breathing human.
“I don’t understand how this slipped past us,” Josh muttered.
I kept my mouth shut so I didn’t vomit, taking quick breaths through my nose.
The victim’s lower jaw was snapped down, teeth were missing, and her tongue hung loose. But what frightened me the most was the weird symbol drawn on her forehead, possibly with her own blood.
Josh must’ve noticed it too, because he risked almost falling in the sludge and walked closer, taking a picture with his phone.
“What does it mean?” I whispered. I never signed up for this. I never wanted any of this. I only went to the stupid induction to save Heather, but instead, she’s lying in an underground infirmary asleep, while I try to navigate being a Scarlet, fighting off demonic forces and trying my best not to get myself killed.
Josh hesitated to stand, and I watched his shoulders tense from where he knelt.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally rose from his position, a look of concern fixing his features when he finally looked at me. “It’s an omen of death.”