Talia
My lungs inhale dirt as a masked figure looms over me, and I come to my senses.
I slowly open my eyes as a pile of dirt hits my face, and I breathe more of it into my lungs, coughing it out.
My arms are buried beneath a thin layer of dirt as I watch the masked man peer down at me, then gathers more dirt in his shovel and throws it on me. This time it lands on my chest.
I panic as realize I am no longer in my bed, but a dark hole, and the man who carried me here after knocking me out is throwing dirt on me.
A shallow grave.
The last real memory was crying myself to sleep as the news of my affair with Father Malcom spread around town.
I told my father I was in love with him and showed him the mark on my thigh.
He recoiled when he saw it and turned his back on me, disrespecting me in front of his friends, calling me a whore.
Saying no daughter of his would let herself become a sacrifice.
I didn’t know what he meant. Father Malcolm, of course, said that I threw myself at him and denied the very real affair we’d had for months.
He claimed I couldn’t control my lustful thoughts about him, and the devil has taken hold of me.
He prayed for me in front of the entire parish, then blessed me.
I woke up to the devil in my room. Cold and unforgiving hands gripped my neck and sucked the air out of my lungs, and everything went dark. I woke up here in what I can only presume is a shallow grave.
The masked man throws another shovelful of dirt over my body. “Please,” I beg. “Don’t do this. I’m sorry for what I did. I will repent for my sins. Please don’t do this.” The masked man doesn’t respond, he just throws shovel after shovel of dirt on me, ignoring my pleas.
Eventually, I stop crying and listen to the metal scraping the earth in a rhythmic beat before one pile hits my chest and neck. He does this repeatedly. I twist and turn, but the hole I’m in is too small, and my limbs are tethered. Slowly I become immersed in the earth.
“Please,” I sob again, the dirt now covering my arms and legs, but he doesn’t relent. I now, however, hear hushed whispers above and suddenly realize there are more than one of them. Two more figures, less imposing than the first, now appear above me.
Females—by the way they move.
Three masked faces peer down at me. “Do you know how dark it is in hell?” one of them asks—a voice so familiar. I don’t answer because I can’t breathe, not with how the dirt on my chest is crushing me. “Because you’re about to find out.”
Whoever they are, they orchestrated this. Another shovel of dirt piles over my midsection. My eyes move to the young girl hiding behind her mask, and the little cross hanging from her neck. The one identifiable marker on her.
She throws a pile of dirt over my face.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
I focus my attention on the stars and sky above them. On the moon that hides just behind a cloud illuminating the night sky. As long as I can see the moon, I’m going to be okay. It means I’m still alive. The moon has never seemed so bright.
Despair begins to well up inside me. The demon in my mind takes hold, and my thoughts spiral down into darkness. The last glimmer of hope seems to fade away.
“My name is Talia Vital.”
“Talia Vital.”
“Talia Vital.”
I repeat my name until my mind goes blank and memories of my life flood back. My name is Talia Vital. I’m sixteen, and I’m about to be buried alive.
I sit holding my cup of tea and lose myself in that memory, as I often do.
It wasn’t long after that moment that the earth crumbled and I got sucked up from death by the arms of my brother.
When I arose, I was shut off. The core of who I was died that day.
I still have to remind myself that I am Tala Vital and not the devil himself.
Tommy walks upstairs from the basement. It’s adorable how much Tommy sweats when he’s nervous. He thinks I care that he wants to fuck both me and his little sacrifice, but I simply can’t be bothered with such trivial things as matters of the heart.
Not when I have everything the way I want it. I had to remind myself of that this week as I’ve noticed Tommy drift further away from me. The pain in my heart was excruciating at first, reminding me of who I used to be, and more than once, I considered unleashing the hell fury inside my soul.
Then I’d be in prison or thrown into an asylum. And honestly, I’m too smart and successful to end up in a room with white walls—and Diana’s too precious to slaughter.
I acknowledged the feeling for what it was, shoved it out of my psyche, along with a piece of my sanity. But poof…the jealousy was gone. My heart was empty again, a black hole, exactly how I want it.
Tommy takes a seat next to me at the head of the table in my formal dining room. The chandelier lights are dimmed, with two candles burning in the center. This room is stunning; it’s such a shame we don’t gather here anymore.
My hand runs over his thigh. “Did you and Didi have a nice time?”
His knee shakes and a bead of sweat forms on his brow as if on cue, and he runs his hand along the back of his neck. “Talia.”
I wave him off before he can finish and squeeze his knee. “Give her whatever she needs, Tommy. I won’t be angry if you want to fuck her again. I want her to be comfortable here.”
He swallows a bob in his throat.
He really is stupid. He’s spent the last few days trying to prove his love for me, only to fall under her spell the minute she looked up at him with those innocent eyes. If either of them thinks this girl is theirs, they are sadly mistaken.
Because Didi is all mine.
I might not be able to unleash hell on this town the way I want to, but she can.
I will get revenge on the people I suspect were behind my death.
They had to hide it, of course, when I showed up at church the next day like nothing had happened.
The look on Cindy’s face was priceless. The blood rushed from her face, as it always does whenever she has to look me in the eye.
I showed up every Sunday after that…I made a point of it.
Tommy’s hand finds mine, and I squeeze it. “As long as my needs are met, I simply don’t care,” I add.
I might have cared yesterday, and I might care tomorrow, but today, my mind is occupied by the Sigma party and the plans I have for Didi today. I shift to sitting on his lap, and he curls his arms around my waist, and I inhale Didi’s sweet scent lingering all over him.
Today’s the day Cindy will get her reckoning. After tonight, she will know I am coming for her.
“Talia, I’m sorry,” he whispers.
“It’s fine, Tommy.”
Bax strolls in, looking mighty pleased with himself, and takes a seat across from us. His eyes are hidden by his faded circle sunglasses.
He and I were just together, preparing for later. He sits down, his long hair parted in the middle and gives me a peace sign. Tommy looks at him, then back to me, looking utterly bewildered.
Bax is growing on me. He’s the only one who isn’t head-over-heels for our new roommate, and he’s become the most useful to me.
Remy walks in just as Didi appears from the basement. He watches her for a moment, then takes a seat. She bites her lip, unsure of herself, shifting her gaze between Tommy and Remy, but ultimately goes to sit on Remy’s lap.
I wonder if she smells like sex, because Tommy sure does.
Remy’s arm opens, and she sits, resting her head on his chest, but not before tilting his head down to kiss her.
“Hi,” she whispers.
He darts his attention to Tommy, who looks guilty as sin. “Hi, little lamb,” he says back, and Tommy bristles.
The room is silent. We all just stare, a silent standoff in a space echoing with unspoken thoughts, surrounded by rich wood and mahogany.
Lucy, bless her, enters with our food. Following instructions, she serves the guest of honor first. Her head remains bowed, a picture of subservience to the darkness.
Remy ignores her and continues kissing Didi like no one else is in the room, clearly making a point to Tommy.
“Remington?” I say from across the table, and he pulls away from her, arching his brow.
“What is it?”
“Will you please bless the food?”
Remy scoffs and Bax chuckles. “Since when do we bless the food?”
I shoot him a look. “Diana is our guest, and she’s religious; therefore, it would be rude of us not to offer her a prayer.”
Her hands absentmindedly touch her chest, pinching that little cross she wears.
“I can do it,” she offers, bowing her head. “Mama taught me many prayers.”
I press my fingertips together and bow my head, glaring at the boys until they get the message and lower their gazes as well. Bless Bax, who claps his hands, and Didi begins.
“Thank you, God, for the food we eat,
Thank you, God, for friends so sweet.
Thank you, God, for the birds that sing,
Thank you, God, for everything.
Amen.”
Tommy is shaking with laughter beside me, and Remy is chuckling, the two of them grinning like idiots. I toss a piece of food at my brother to shut him up, and Tommy follows suit. Luckily, Didi seems lost in her thoughts and doesn’t seem to notice how rude they are being.
She opens her eyes, and I take a sip of my wine. “Wonderful. Let us eat.”
Didi, to my surprise, has impeccable manners. She uses each fork appropriately, lays her napkin on her lap, and sits with very appealing posture.
She catches me watching. “You have nice manners,” I tell her, taking a small bite.
“Mama taught me the way around the table. Said you could take the girl out of the church, but you can’t take the church out of the girl. Manners are very important in church.”
“Indeed, they are.”
Lucy and Maribel have outdone themselves with this meal. I eat slowly, and no one says a peep during supper.
Only once I’m done do I wipe my mouth and say, “Do you understand what you are a part of now, Didi?”
“You are a cult,” she says.
I tilt my head back and laugh. “No. We are most certainly not a cult.”
She presses her lips together, the whites of her eyes dancing. “Then what would you call it?”
“Cults isolate people. They center on a leader, usually someone charismatic, and their members are stripped of their personal identity. Everyone at this table has a life outside these four walls. Each of us will eventually have a profession, a life, and families of our own. Does that sound like a cult to you?”
She swallows a bite of food and pins me with a stare. “Well, you certainly are charismatic.”
I give her a hint of a smile. “Good point. I would not consider us a cult, but that doesn’t mean we don’t follow a specific set of rules. We are the Order of Shadows, and our society has existed since this town’s founding.”
“I suspected,” she says, keeping her voice level. “The mask, the cutting, the blood… You kill people.” She pauses. “And everyone in this room is going to have to sacrifice someone.”
Her eyes flash as she considers me. Tension builds, everyone avoiding eye contact, pushing their food around their plates.
“That’s true, and an unfortunate part of our beliefs. Sacrifices are necessary because the potential gains are immense. We also believe in disrupting the natural order of things, bringing people close to death to show them the true beauty of life. Order from disorder. That’s our doctrine.”
I stare at her delicate fingers gripping her cross. “Does our doctrine scare you?”
She skims her eyes downward. “No.”
I smile sweetly. “Good.”
“None of us has ever actually seen this book,” Remy mutters.
I glare at him, and Didi frowns. “What does that mean?”
I sigh. “That’s not true. I’ve seen it multiple times. It’s a Codex, currently in the psychology department at Kinsmen. My father gave it to them like an idiot, and now it’s in the hands of people who shouldn’t know anything about it. I intend to get it back.”
Didi watches me, tucking her hair behind her ears. “So, what happens now?”
I take a slow sip of wine. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask. We’ve all taken a blood oath of silence. Now that you know our secrets, you have to prove your loyalty.”
“Leave her out of this, Talia,” Tommy growls.
“No. She’s right,” Remy says. “Didi needs to show us that she wants this. She needs to become one of us.”
I haven’t decided what to do with Didi exactly. Both Remy and Tommy are in love with her, that much is clear. Do I force them to kill her as they both vowed, or is she needed for something else entirely?
“This is like some deep psychedelic shit,” Bax muses.
Tommy shakes his head. “I thought that was impossible. Membership is only through our bloodline. She can’t ever be one of us. Our parents won’t allow it.”
“She’s an anomaly,” I explain. “She isn’t supposed to be alive right now. You were supposed to kill her. So now she must prove herself, or she has to die.”
Didi’s eyes ignite, and Tommy runs a hand through his hair, shaking his head, meeting her heavy stare. “You don’t have to do this, firefly.”
Ignoring Tommy entirely, she meets my gaze, like we are the only two people in the room. “What do I have to do?”