Catching Temptation (In Darkness She Fades book 1)

  Chapter Five

  The Laws of Rosewood

  The aroma in the cafeteria reeks of cheap burgers and burnt fries. I slouch in my seat with my elbows supporting my upper body.

  Earlier, Aunt Sally tried to engage me in a conversation during breakfast with no luck. She tried once again on the ride to school, but still I would not acknowledge my Aunt without an apology. Daniel keeps his eyes on the floor whenever we pass each other in the hallway. His dodgy actions lead me to believe that he feels guilty about the confrontation. At least I have some peace from his teasing.

  I swirl a curly fry in my gooey ketchup.

  The bench underneath me shakes.

  The twin with the lightning orange hair plops down beside me. I remember Victoria calling him Herald. “Hello, milady!” Herald drapes his arm over my shoulders. “So I’ve heard from–”

  “–a very reliable source.” Another boy hops on the bench, blocking me from the exit.

  “Otherwise known as your cousin.” Herald grins, forcing the corners of his eyes to mimic the shape of crescent moons. “He says that you’re going clinically insane.” Pale fingertips stroke my cheeks. “I’m guessing from the redness of your face you won’t be denying you’ve actually been seeing,” he snakes his arm around my abdomen and leans forward until his lips touch my ear, “goblins!”

  The fluttering in my stomach intensifies at his touch. Herald awakens a dormant emotion; long forgotten until now. A sickening shudder spreads like poison. I do not want to desire anything from Herald, except for the desire for him to vanish.

  Shoving him off, I kick the other boy’s feet, and snatch up my plastic lunch tray. “Get away from me. Think whatever you like, but leave me alone.” I march over to the dumpster. Depositing my leftover food into the overstuffed garbage can, I slam my tray on top of a messy pile, and half-jog to the door.

  All eyes follow me.

  Out of the school, I flee toward downtown.

  “You know, skipping school won’t help make your problem go away.”

  “And how would you know?” Swiveling around, my hair whips the air, exposing my bleached hair underneath. I left the underneath of my hair white, to remind me of who I once was.

  Herald halts a few feet away.

  “What do you want from me? To admit I’m insane and suicidal because of the accident? Because it was my fault?” I shake my head, trying to fight back tears. “All I want is to start over in Rosewood, but I can’t because no one will give me a chance. So, if what you want is a confession, then fine. Yes, I could be insane or experiencing hallucinations. I died for five minutes. Some people who’ve died for that long and come back sometimes develop a little brain damage, which causes the things I’m experiencing.” I do not know what possesses me to tell Herald of my darkest secret. The words spilled out of my mouth before I thought of the consequences.

  Herald’s face relaxes. He shrugs one shoulder and places his pale hands in his pockets. “I want you to know you’re not going crazy. Goblins, or monsters as you call them, do exist.”

  For a moment, I thought I misheard him. He grins at my dumbfound expression.

  “Herald, don’t insult me more than you already have. This is not a joke to me.” I walk away.

  “I can prove it.”

  I stop and eye his serious demeanor. Shifting my body weight on one foot, I say, “I still think they’re monsters, but whatever. How can you prove it?”

  The school bell tolls. Doors slam, voices rise, and bodies push their way across the school grounds.

  Hands outstretch to me as Herald speaks with an eerie calmness which holds no hint of uncertainty. “Come with me and I’ll tell you Rosewood’s most guarded secret along the way.”

  Is this a joke?

  Sunlight sharpens the edges of Herald’s face. The seriousness in his expression stresses otherwise. “Why should I trust you after the way you and Victoria treated me the other day?”

  “Awe, we didn’t mean anything by it.” Herald flashes a winsome smirk.

  “Victoria wanted to humiliate you. She’s kind of a snob,” says the other boy strutting up to us. “I’m Chevy, by the way”

  “If she’s such a snob, why are you dating her?” I ask Herald.

  “Well see...she’s really talented at–”

  “Whoa!” Cutting Herald off, I raise my hands in a surrendering motion. “Okay, I get the idea. Where are we going?”

  “Follow us.” Chevy extends his arm, motioning for me to follow Herald, while he brings up the rear. We hurry into the parking lot, careful to avoid the teachers monitoring school property. Identical motorcycles are at the end of the parking lot. Chevy hops on one of the bikes.

  Herald swings a leg over his airbrushed-skull, motorcycle. “You’re going to have to hop on behind me.”

  I stall. Hate is the word I describe for my views of motorcycles. I carry a severe dislike for motorcycles ever since I met the biker gang.

  “What’s the matter? You’re not scared are you?” Herald teases.

  Scowling, I grip his waist, and swing my leg over the sleek body. The metal on my boots create a clanking sound as it hits the side of the bike. “Does it look like I’m scared? This better not be a joke, because I’m not in the mood. Try anything messed up and I’ll kick you in the – ego.”

  Adjoining laughs tickle my ears.

  “Lighten up, Temptation.” Herald wraps my arms tighter around his chest, fingers lingering to trace the lines in the palm of my hand. “Hold on tight.”

  I feel rock hard muscles. How strange. Most teenage guys do not have a body like his, except for some lucky football players. The wind blows the stringy branches of a giant willow tree in front of the school, blocking my view of the hawk-like teachers.

  Chevy revs up the engine and spins out of the cracked parking lot. Herald mimics his friend’s actions, while I clutch his torso.

  So much for being subtle.

  The bike lurches forward and we speed down the main road leading out of town. Shops pass in a blur. I pray the police will remain absent.

  The locally owned stores soon fade and the woods devour the landscape scenery on either side of the road. The motorcycle slows down and Herald eases it over to the opposite side of the highway. Chevy stops a few feet ahead.

  “Here we are.”

  “What are we doing here?” An ill sensation in the bottom of my stomach reminds me of my carelessness. Like an idiot, I forgot my cellphone. If they attack me, the hard abs beneath Herald’s shirt makes me seriously doubt I can defend myself. “I thought you were going to prove to me I’m not crazy, not drive me out in the middle of nowhere.”

  “All in good time, milady!” Herald lifts me off the bike and holds me close.

  A little too close. I blush as Herald’s teasing eyes drop below my chin.

  “And Rosewood is out in the middle of nowhere. Well, it’s hidden in the Manistee National Forest, but that’s why we like it here.”

  “Funny, I thought you would better suit a circus in Las Vegas.”

  “You told your cousin you saw a goblin the first day you moved here,” Herald says.

  “Yes, but I never said it was a goblin. I’ve always thought of them as monsters. There was a rock wall in the woods. Part of the wall had an archway. I saw it on the other side – wait…is that where we are?”

  “Yes,” says Chevy. “The wall is like a prison for the goblins. Or as you like to call them, ‘monsters.’”

  “But don’t start feeling sorry for the little heathens.” Herald bumps in as he notices my expression of alarm. He rests a hand on my lower back. “They’re a pain in the ass. It’s better for them to stay in their own world.”

  Both boys gaze into the swaying forest. Herald’s eyes are freaky when he is serious. Bet he is on drugs. It would explain how his pupils became so dilated. “Does everyone in town know about the goblins?”

  “Everyone knows it’s a legend. Town folklo
re. Only ones who believe it are the ones who’ve seen them, which is very few. We like to discourage the townspeople’s curiosity of that sinister tale.”

  “Why?”

  They act as if they do not hear my question.

  “And you’ve both have seen the goblins?” I cannot keep the skepticism out of my voice. I jut my chin forward. “Prove it. Tell me what they look like.”

  “Why don’t we show you?” Herald grasps my wrist and leads me into the woods.

  Chevy says, “You’re not going to back out on us, are you?”

  “I think I’ll survive.” My calm voice does not match my fidgeting fingers.

  Polka dots of sunlight beam in through the giant treetops. Dry leaves crunch beneath black boots. Everyone halts at the rock wall. It only comes up to my waist. “Hmm... It’s not as tall as I thought it would be.” The archway, however, measures at least six and a half feet tall.

  “Most goblins are no more than three feet tall, but over the past two centuries they’ve...interbred with humans.”

  The disgust in Herald’s voice causes me to quirk my eyes up to study his face. “What human would want to have sex with a goblin?”

  “That’s the thing,” Herald leans against the archway and gazes into the unpleasant world, “they didn’t have a choice.”

  “It’s why they are imprisoned behind the wall. Too much of a nuisance for Rosewood. Couldn’t leave the townspeople alone.”

  The forest invokes a strange silence.

  Birds do not chirp. No bugs hum in our ears or attack our exposed skin. There are no visible signs of wildlife. The clatter of the world mutes.

  “I don’t see any goblins.”

  “Most of them sleep during the day.” Herald’s body is erect. Everything about his body language screams he is on full alert.

  “Not where I come from.”

  Herald grins. “Come on. We’re going inside.”

  “Hold on a minute!” I block the stone archway with my extended arms. “I’m all for seeing the goblins from a distance, but if what you’re saying is true about this being their – kingdom or whatever – then I’d rather not go.”

  “We’ll protect you. Besides, they’ll be asleep.”

  “Most of them.” Herald’s dark chuckle does not help my nerves.

  The woods appear calm and pleasant beyond the archway. “I still don’t think–”

  “Good idea! Don’t think about it,” says Chevy. Bounding forward they grab my arms and pulled me under the archway.

  Crap. I feel as safe as a mouse forced into a snake’s cage.

  Past the stone arch, everything changes. The woods become darker. The wind howls through the trees and blows my long hair backward. I trip over a stick.

  Herald grabs my arm and pulls me closer to him. “Look down.”

  A stone pathway starts under my boots. It leads further into the foreboding forest. “What’s this?”

  “It leads into the goblins’ cove.” Chevy winks and scoops up my limp arm. The more we travel down the stone pathway, the thicker the bushes and trees become. We do not speak to each other. Instead, we all strain our ears for the tiniest sound of dangerous strangers.

  “Slow down,” Herald says, holding me back. “Chevy, go ahead and check things out.”

  Chevy takes off and disappears over the small hill. The thick shadows cast from the maple and oak trees darken the forest.

  I lean against Herald and shiver. Squinting to get a better look at the treetops, I say, “Herald. The trees. They’re bending inward.” I back up.

  Herald positions himself behind me and wraps his arms around my shoulders. “Shh... They’re here.”

  A high cackling erupts through the wind, making a shrieking sound that mimics nails scrapping against a chalkboard. The bushes along the stone path shake. Gruff laughter echoes through hollow logs and trees.

  “Gods, let’s get out of here!” I attempt to run back to the wall, but Herald holds me firmly against himself.

  “Not until you’ve seen them up close.”

  “Are you insane?” I am struggling to break free from Herald.

  He jerks me hard. “Temptation,” Herald lifts my chin, “you need to see how dangerous goblins are. I want you to drop your interest in these creatures.”

  My eyes lock onto his face. There is something out of place about his smile. “Your teeth. They’re changing.”

  Herald grins. “These are the laws of Rosewood – Never enter the Goblin Kingdom. Don’t consort with the goblins. Never disobey me. If you break these rules, you die.”

  “What in the name of everything unholy are you?”

  Herald bends down. The breeze spikes his neon hair and his eyes swirl crimson. “Demon.”

  My blood surges. I will myself to breathe.

  Goblins pop their massive heads out from behind thorny bushes and trees. Curvy sneers and bat-like ears poke out from around the edges of their skeleton masks. The goblins surround us, blocking our only exit. Chevy bounds over the hill and then skids to a halt on my other side. He grabs my arm and wraps his other arm around my waist. His features are still normal. “The Goblin King is coming. If you think the goblins are frightening, they’re nothing compared to their king. Listen to us, Temptation.” He leans forward until our noses stop an inch of each other. “If you tell anyone what you’ve seen here, we’ll be forced to hand you over to the goblins along with the people you told.”

  “You don’t want to be the cause of someone else’s death.” Herald stokes my arm like a child stroking a pet’s hair. “Especially after your parents’ deaths are already your fault.”

  Herald’s words sting my heart. I put some space between us. Smothering the urge to lash out at him, I say, “Let me go.”

  “You heard the young lady, Jenkins.”

  The looming figure of the Goblin King stands twenty feet away. A tremor of fright courses through my veins and I release a terrified scream. The king’s face looks like a hyena’s face stretched over a humans’ bone structure. His horribly disfigured body leaves me wondering how he even manages to keep himself upright. The exposed skin of his face and hands mimic the color of mottled bronze.

  “Ah…if it isn’t the conquered king.” Herald sneers at the deformed creature twenty feet in front of him. “Tell me, do you even scare yourself when you look in the mirror?”

  The Goblin King cocks a crooked smile. “Looks aren’t everything, Jenkins.”

  “So the reason you’re without a queen has nothing to do with your handicapped physique?” Herald’s cocky laugh causes the surrounding goblins to react like bloodhounds when they catch the scent of their prey. “I don’t think Victoria would agree with you.”

  Chevy snickers and squints at the king’s crooked body.

  “I haven’t found a woman worthy enough for the honor. Yet.”

  As Herald exposes his jagged teeth, I expect to see fangs like in the movies, but instead I see a mouthful of serrated teeth in the shade of chrome.

  The grip of their hands loosens on my numb arms.

  The Goblin King’s pitch-black eyes meet my own. He motions for me to glance back. Herald and Chevy, still laughing hysterically, never spot the exchange. Peering over my shoulder, I notice the goblins left a gap in the road leading out of their kingdom. If I can free myself from the two, I might be able to run for it.

  The king smiles.

  “Don’t even think about it.” Herald tightens his hold on my arm. “She belongs to me.”

  He speaks of me as if I am a toy. Regardless of my fears, I refuse to let anyone treat me like a possession. “No, I don’t–”

  “Quiet! You obey me.” Herald shakes me and the surrounding goblins shriek in anger.

  I want to believe Herald is a better choice to ally with, but I am starting to doubt my own judgments. Though the goblins and their king act as if they have my best interests in mind, I still know never to trust a monster.

&nbsp
; “I thought you were involved with Victoria, Jenkins. She won’t be very happy with your decision.” The king frowns in father-like disapproval.

  “She’s not a threat anymore, so it doesn’t matter if she’s happy or not. She can’t change her mind now.”

  What’s that supposed to mean?

  “Why did you come here, Jenkins?”

  Shuddering at the coldness creeping out of the king’s voice, I know the conversation is becoming more dangerous the longer I remain.

  “To show Temptation why she should abandon her curiosity in goblins. I don’t think she likes the idea of becoming a goblin’s wife.” Herald says down at my drained face.

  I do not return his gaze. The mention of becoming a goblin’s wife terrifies me. The king’s face holds no hint of truth or lies.

  “You see, Temptation,” Herald tilts my chin, “if you step one foot into this world without us, you’ll be a slave to these goblins–”

  “We do not mistreat our women!” The Goblin King flexes his clawed hands. “If Temptation understood what you are really going to do to her, I don’t think she would find us so repulsive. You would be wise to watch your back, Jenkins. I’ll be freed one day and when I am...you will die.”

  The boys throw back their heads in laughter; slackening their grip on my arms, once again.

  I react.

  Jerking my arms out of their grasp, I jab my elbows in their sides, and then sprint back down the road leading out of the goblins’ kingdom. The little sky I can see turns dark and the wind picks up. A roar of anger erupts from Herald, while an insane laugh from the Goblin King fills the forest. My legs move faster, while my boots pound against the cool ground, sending the aroma of dirt up my nostrils. I can see the wall.

  Cackles encircle me and before I can blink, goblins in skeleton masks block the exit.

  “Get away from me!” In a dark part of the forest, I notice a section vacant of life.

  “Get back here or we’ll give your cousins to the goblins!”

  I vaguely register Herald’s threat. I am unable to process anything else.

  Chevy lunges in my direction.

  I scream.

  Clawing a handful of dirt and dried pine needles from the ground, I throw it in Chevy’s eyes, and dash into the strange part of the woods. The wind howls above me, bending the huge trees inward. Animalistic eyes pop out of the bushes and stalk my every move. The wall materializes into view again, but the trees and shrubs close in on me. Stomps and snapping twigs echo from behind. An army of goblins is pursuing me a few yards away. These ones are wearing actual metal body armor. The ground falls away from my feet and I shriek as I descend a steep hill. The small twigs poke me while the pointed leaves crunch underneath the weight of my bruised body. I slam into a cedar log at the base of the hill. With a light groan, I stagger to my feet and sway. The world spins around. I reach out for a tree limb to steady my spinning head.

  “Girlie, yer not ta make it outta here.”

  A goblin pokes his ugly head out from behind the old maple. I push my body away from the maple tree and stumble. The grim creature acts like a dog on full alert.

  “What do you want from me?”

  The old goblin ambles forward. His heart shaped head appears massive compared to his body. Leathery brown skin glistens in the dying light. A long bony finger points at my face. “Ya’ve got somethin’ we want. Somethin’ the demons will try ta stop ya from usin’. If ya don’t come with us goblins, ye’ll end up like that brat Victoria. She was special like ya once, but even with ‘er havin’ the Gift, my king wouldn’t pick ah spoiled brat like ‘er.”

  I know my eyebrows are scrunching together. “You don’t make any sense. None of this makes any sense. Why won’t you tell me what it is the Goblin King wants? Why do you talk in riddles?” Gripping my hair, I expel a scream of frustration.

  “It be our way, Girlie. What fun would it be ter tell ya everythin’? Why – ya’d never learn nothin’!”

  A screeching howl snaps through the trees overhead. Before I can comprehend my next move, a pair of arms seizes my waist.

  “Stay away from her, Goblin.” Herald’s voice echoes in my ear. In a heart-dropping lurch, he pulls me into the trees, and then bolts through the forest. I grasp his arms for dear life, spotting the archway up ahead. Black veins underneath his pale skin, spread out across his body; mimicking a tribal tattoo. Thick wings, black as the devil’s eyes, have grown from Herald’s back, and beat against the air. With the angry growl from the Goblin King, we pass over the wall and burst through the trees – returning to the human world. Landing next to the motorcycles, glistening in the rays of the dying sun, Chevy stands waiting for us.

  Chevy snatches my waist, while Herald steps in front of me. His powder-white hand whips across my left cheek. The deafening slap causes a few birds from the nearby trees to fly off in alarm.

  Pain shoots out across my face and neck. I raise a tattooed hand to my sore cheek.

  “Don’t you ever try to disobey me again!” Herald’s skin and teeth slowly return to its human form. His red eyes, however, still retain a feral threat.

  A tear rolls down my cheek. “Why did you bring me here? To scare me or use me to tease that king? I don’t belong to you! You can’t treat me like–”

  Herald shakes my arms. “Yes, you do and yes, I can! Everyone in Rosewood obeys me. Everyone. And you’ll learn to obey me, too.” The calm assurance in his voice disturbs me worse than his inhuman features.

  “Fine, I’ll leave Rosewood–”

  “You can’t leave Rosewood,” Herald says. “When my brother and I imprisoned the goblins behind the wall, we also made it so whoever enters Rosewood could never leave without our permission. The only people allowed to leave are our recruiters. They draw people here, because you see...Rosewood doesn’t exist on maps. Even if you were to escape, you could never find us again. You have to be invited in. So, in a way, you and your family don’t exist anymore to the outside world. But if you don’t believe me, try to leave Rosewood. I’ll not stop you.”

  His black wings shrink and become transparent.

  “What kind of twisted demon are you?”

  Herald tilts his head as if regarding my emotional strength. He smirks. “I guess you could consider me a demon angel.” He hops on his motorcycle. “Get on. I’ll take you home.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll walk.”

  Chevy releases my arms. He mounts the other motorcycle, and, in a flurry of dust, they abandon me with only my shattered hopes to keep me company on the long walk back into Rosewood. My prison.

  

  I make it home by eight. Ignoring my aunt and cousins eating dinner, I immediately go up to my room. Back against the door, I press my palms against my forehead, where a headache pounds. Ambling over to the vanity, I slump down in the cushion seat, and drop my hands, knocking over my locket from the car crash. As I stare at my exhausted reflection, I ask, “What’s wrong with this town?” The platinum part of my hair trails across my shoulders and down the front of my shirt. With all my efforts to try to hide from the monsters – to escape – it has all been in vain. They found me anyway.

  Suppressing a sob, I caress my beautiful white hair. Herald is cruel and nothing frightens him, except for the Goblin King.

  Serious trouble found a way to suck me in.