Didi
Everyone seems darker than usual—our moods are off, like we all understand something bad will happen as we huddle together in the back of the Shaggin’ Waggin’ on the way to the party.
No one is talking or looking at each other, just staring at the dark trees in the backwoods of Kinsmen, the tension between us is sharper than a knife.
It’s cold outside and ominous but since there is a curfew in town, this is the only place where everyone can gather without drawing any unwanted attention. War is brewing.
Tommy and Talia are on the bench directly across from us, a bead of sweat forming on Tommy’s forehead. Remy places his arm around me, pulling me into him.
Tommy and I exchange glances, and I give him a small smile as the dark trees whip by us and the road turns from paved to dust. I also notice the pretty rosary Talia is wearing around her neck that matches her soft headband.
Everything about her is so peaceful.
Remy’s fingers curl around me so hard he might break me. This morning when he came back from the phone call from his father, we made love twice. And now, he is holding me so tight he may break me.
The van bounces, and Talia crawls over, breaking the tense stillness between us, and kneels in front of me, fussing with my wig, making sure not a single strand of white hair is visible. She smiles at me and presses a kiss on my forehead. “Such a pretty girl. Such a shame we have to hide you.”
“How do we know it’s Cindy planning something?” Tommy asks.
Talia cuts him a look and sits back down next to him and lights a smoke. “Cindy wants revenge and what she believes is owed to her. What I don’t know is who else is involved. We need to draw them out using Diana as bait.”
I lean my head on Remy. “Cindy knows it’s me, she’s not said anything to anyone about it, otherwise someone would have come for me by now. But I saw the way she looked at me. She recognizes me.”
“I don’t like this,” Tommy says. “It’s too risky. What the hell do you think they are planning?” Remy, I notice, has gone quiet on the matter. He draws circles along my arm as if deep in thought.
“Talia?” Tommy urges.
She flicks her cigarette as smoke fills the air. “We have no choice. It’s us or them.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Tommy asks.
She blinks at him. Motionlessness, ruthless, and devoid of emotion.
“History is written by those on the right side of it. When I say it’s us or them, I mean it’s our generation or theirs. We not only need to kill Cindy, but everyone else who knows about us. We aren’t only killing them; we are erasing their entire existence. We are eradicating their bloodlines.”
Tommy crosses his arms and shakes his head. “That’s not what the Codex says, Talia.”
“It’s exactly what the Codex says, Tommy. I am the future. I am Shadowface. I will not let her take away three hundred years of legacy.”
Tommy reaches over and grabs my hand. “Didi, you don’t have to do this.” He glares at Talia as she sits with her legs crossed on the cracked seat. “You’re losing your fucking mind. Didi’s the one who’s going to get hurt through all of this.”
Talia watches with her catlike eyes blinking with her false lashes. A soft and questioning silence hangs between us.
She shrugs. “It’s up to her. Either way, I won’t stop until I leave a mark on this town so deep, they will feel it for the next thousand years.”
“Talia, I’m fucking serious…” Tommy barks. “This is getting out of hand.” He turns to face Remy. “How are you okay with this?”
Talia turns to Remy. “Remy understands how much this means to me and what we have to lose. We all have to do our part, and she does, too. My father doesn’t see the complete picture like I do. But I know the truth now. Matteo saw her coming. She’s meant to do this for us. That’s why she’s here.”
Remy’s fingers tighten on my waist, and the van goes ghostly quiet, save for Bax humming along to the radio in the front. Everyone is waiting for Remy to say something, including me. “They all need to die, Tommy. Every single one of them, including Stephen Garcia.”
Tommy bristles, and Talia squeezes his knee to calm him. He’s been a sore spot between the two since Talia’s been using him to gain information.
Talia glares at her brother, a silent war brewing beneath the surface. A test of loyalty. “Stephen is one of us, not one of them. We need to keep him alive. Without him, I won’t have access to the trust.”
Tommy shakes his head and stares out into the night.
A few seconds go by, followed by a few more, and finally I say, “I’ll do it.”
All three of them stare at me, and Talia curls her lips into a smile. “There’s my sexy little sacrifice.”
“On one condition,” I add.
Her head tilts, and her eyes narrow at my defiance. “And what is that?”
I run my hand over Remy’s muscled leg, and he grabs my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine. “It’s over for this generation. No more death. And we can be together without issue.”
She pauses, considering my words.
“Done.”
“Swear it,” I say, matching her serious tone. “You believe in your blood oaths so strongly. Swear to me with your blood, Talia.”
“Dammit,” Tommy barks, but I ignore him. He glances at Remy, who sighs deeply.
“Let the girls work this out, man. You know we must do this. What choice do we have?”
A shadow passes over Talia’s eyes. The emotion hits her with such force that it seems to burn her very soul. She turns to me, her soft dark hair falling in front of her face, the dark emotion now contained. “Do you have your knife, Didi?”
“Yeah,” I breathe, my heart rate accelerating at the way she is looking at me. I’ve already told her I’d do anything for her, but I need this.
She extends her hand. “Give it to me.”
I shift away from Remy and pull out the knife hidden under my clothes.
Talia grabs it from me and, without hesitation, slices her palm open. She reaches with her other hand and grabs mine.
“Your turn,” she says softly. “Then it’ll be done. You’ll be one of us, Diana.”
I squeeze my eyes shut as the cold steel of the blade slides against my palm. I flinch, anticipating the cut, the release of blood. It feels like I’ve lived my entire life for this, for this moment of selling my soul. Like I’ve endured everything to make this promise.
Tears sting my eyes, and I look at her as the van continues to drive into the darkest part of the night. “After tonight, no more darkness.”
She nods and cups my cheek. “No more darkness.”
Before anyone can stop me, I slice my hand open, hissing from the pain. Talia nearly purrs with excitement, and she grabs my hand, mingling our blood together. “You made the right choice.”
She reaches over and grabs a handkerchief out of her bag, wiping the blood off me and, for reasons I can’t explain, I feel lighter.
Tommy’s thigh is shaking frantically, so I crawl over to him, climbing on his lap, but his body bristles and he keeps his head down.
“Tommy, look at me.”
I squeeze my thighs around him, ignoring the pain and blood on my hands, knowing that will not be the last of it tonight. This is only the beginning.
“Tommy,” I whisper, and he lifts his head a little. His sad eyes meet mine, and his hands slide down my sides.
“Firefly,” he says, swallowing down a bubble of emotion. “What did you do?”
I cradle his face and kiss him with more passion than I ever have, and when he pulls away, I see a new, unfamiliar look in his eyes. He no longer sees me the same way he did.
His innocent firefly.
“Don’t look at me like that, Tommy. These people deserve this for what they did to Talia and what they did to me. Let me do this for her, and for you.”
I hadn’t noticed when the van stopped, but Bax suddenly slides the door open, his tall, lanky frame filling the doorway as he lets out the warm air. “Hey guys, time to party,” he announces, waving his hands in the silly way he does, lighting a joint.
He stops short, his eyes widening as he takes in the scene of me on top of Tommy, surrounded by blood. “Oh, damn.” He coughs, the stench of weed filling the van. “What the hell did I miss?”
Talia, seemingly unfazed, pulls out a mirror from her small bohemian bag and begins adjusting her dark bangs, feigning boredom. “We were just making plans for the evening. Are you in or out, Tommy?” she asks, her voice tight, and she snatches the joint from Bax. “It’s getting late.”
He pulls one arm off me, grabs the joint, and takes a long drag, but keeps his other arm around me. “I’m in. But this is it. I’m done after this. I’m done with all of it after tonight. Every damn part of it. No more lives being ruined.”
Talia gives him a soft nod, and we all stare at Remy, who is sitting back in his leathers, with a broody look on his face.
Talia’s brows arch at her brother. “Remy?”
Remy takes a hit from the joint. “I’m in.” I finally dare to make eye contact with him, and he just shakes his head and hands me back my knife. “Let’s get this over with,” he says. “What exactly is the plan?”
“All Didi needs to do is draw them out and away from the group, then we kill anyone that follows her.” She flicks pieces of dust off her jacket. “Easy.”
Simple like scripture.
We all pile out of the van, and Talia passes out burlap masks to each of us. “We’ll go in with our faces visible,” she says. “These are just in case you need to hide.” Her dark gaze is fixed on the bonfire’s glow among the trees and toward the echoing voices drifting from the flames.
Talia glances at everyone and clicks her tongue. “Now try to relax. It will all work out. Let’s try to have a little fun tonight. Everyone is far too serious.”