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 s
ays, “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 corne
r 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!