Page 54 of Deck of Scarlets
Josh’s confidence in me gave me the push I needed, and as I pulled my gaze from Grams’ signature, I understood now why she had written her will as she had. And why my mother had been so strongly against me coming here. There was so much I wanted to ask her now… though I also didn’t. And in defiance of her, of both of them for keeping me in the dark, resulting in this mess, confusion, and fear, I picked up the quill to sign the scroll.
With a shaky hand, a half-decent signature appeared on the line following the year.
I took a good hard look at the company around the table. All eyes hyper-focused on me, then I got up and turned to Josh. “I would like to go back to my room now.” I’d had enough of their intense stares, their proclamations, their expectations and orders, and my brain shifted into overdrive. Sleep was all I wanted.
Father Benedict cleared his throat and said, “I agree. Some rest and space are a good idea.” He eyed the others, waiting to see if they would protest, but silence indicated they wouldn’t object to my request. Relieved and exhausted, I followed Josh as he led the way out of the dining room, my feet dragging.
The amount of information they’d presented began to swirl in a never-ending loop in my mind, and a headache began to form in the center. We kept to ourselves, Josh guiding us through the maze of the cathedral’s basement. The Scarlets and Tutelary Saints had been MIA since I’d awoken from the Blessing, except for Josh, who refused to leave my side.
Mindlessly following him, I became unaware of how far we traveled until the summer heat blasted us in the face. The sun beating down began to create sweat above my brows and then at the nape of my neck, and it seemed as though I stepped into a new, unfamiliar world as students walked in small groups, preoccupied with their own simple lives. My clothes, the ones Anna gave me for the Blessing, stuck to my skin like Velcro, and my inner thighs began to chafe. A cold shower called to me like a lover lost at sea, and I desperately needed to sort out my thoughts before my mind exploded, or, better yet, contact the authorities.
Picking up some speed, I took the lead, avoiding Josh’s confused look as he tried to keep up with my steps.
“Why are you in such a hurry?” he asked, matching my pace.
“Just need a shower, that’s all,” I mumbled.
“A shower? You look ridiculous. Slow down,” Josh said.
“No,” I snapped.
“You’re acting crazy right now.”
“Crazy?” I started, getting right in his face. “This whole goddamn school is crazy! Who in their right mind has a secret society for killing demons?”
“Keep your voice down!” Josh hissed.
His command pissed me the hell off, and my obstinate nature took over. “Look at me, everyone; I’m part of a weird cult that kills—”
Josh put a hand over my mouth and pressed my back against one of the buildings’ brick walls. “Stop. You can’t go shouting this information around like a crazy person. Do you want to be sent away to get a psych evaluation?”
My voice was muffled by his hand, so I kicked him in the shin.
He stepped back, releasing his hold on me. “Ouch! Seriously?”
“Do you honestly expect me to go along with this? You all need to check yourselves into some mental hospital if you truly believe demons are walking among us.” I said the words, though I shivered at the memory of dreams with clawed hands and alleys with moving shadows… demon-like in form.
“I was under the impression you understood everything before we left. Did you not see the water turn black? Your Blessing?”
I shuddered. The images that returned were unpleasant and gave me more reason to report them to the authorities. “I was drugged.”
Josh ran a hand through his hair in a frustrated manner. “Remi, what happened from being inside the cathedral to now?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said nonchalantly. But it was the fight in me that had come alive. I’d woken up, stepped outside, took a giant sniff of the fresh air, and realized they were all off their rocker. They had to be. For a while beneath the holy building, in the dim rooms, with robes and candles and quills that set the tone, they had me swaying to their will. But here in the sun? With frisbees being tossed across campus and tests to study for? Yeah, no. Crazy. It was all just too crazy.
Josh took a step closer. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
Josh moved until he was mere inches from my face, my back again up against the wall. The proximity of his body, his breath fanning my face… something stirred, something forbidden.
“Tell me. Did you see your grandmother’s name on the scroll?”
I swallowed, my throat dry from the sudden intensity of our conversation. “Yes.” I saw her name as it burned a permanent reminder inside my brain. Grams’ life had also been mysterious in ways I never thought of until last night. She never opened up about her younger years, only that she met my grandfather at some club, and they wed right after graduation, before his untimely death. I was starting to think that ‘club’ was the Order of the Scarlet Quill.
“Then you and I both know you were not drugged.” Josh then held up a familiar cell phone. My phone. “I took the liberty of adding my name and number to your contacts. Go back to your room and rest. I’ll text you soon.” He then took my limp hand and shoved the phone into my palm before walking away from our heated bubble.
After several minutes of trying to regain control of my labored breathing, I raced back to my room, shut the door, and prayed for the first time in my life that it would shut out the monsters too.