Beautiful Creatures (61 page)

Ridley was standing next to the open balcony doors, her blond hair twisting in the wind. The doors were thrown open, and the
dusty, billowy drapes were blowing into the room, like they had been forced inside by a rush of air. Like he had already jumped.

“I found him,” Link called to Ridley, catching his breath again.

“I can see that. How’s it goin’, Short Straw?” Ridley smiled her sickly sweet smile. It made me want to simultaneously smile
back and throw up.

I walked over to the doors slowly, afraid he might not be out there. But he was. Standing on the narrow ledge, on the wrong
side of railing, in his flannel pajamas and bare feet. “Dad! Don’t move.”

Ducks. There were mallard ducks on his pajamas, which seemed out of place, considering he might be about to jump off of a
building.

“Don’t come any closer, Ethan. Or I’ll jump.” He sounded lucid, determined, and clearer than he had in months. He almost sounded
like my dad again. That’s how I knew it wasn’t really him talking, at least, not on his own. This was all Ridley, the Power
of Persuasion in overdrive.

“Dad, you don’t want to do that. Let me help you.” I took a few steps toward him.

“Stop right there!” he shouted, holding his hand out in front of him to make his point.

“You don’t want his help, do you, Mitchell? You just want some peace. You just want to see Lila again.” Ridley was leaning
against the wall, her lollipop poised and ready.

“Don’t you say my mother’s name, witch!”

“Rid, what are you doin’?” Link was standing in the doorway.

“Stay out of this, Shrinky Dink. You’re way out of your league here.”

I stepped in front of Ridley, putting myself between her and my dad as if my body could somehow deflect her power. “Ridley,
why are you doing this? He has nothing to do with Lena or me. If you want to hurt me, hurt me. Just leave my dad out of it.”

She threw her head back and laughed, a sultry and wicked sound. “I could care less about hurting you, Short Straw. I’m just
doing my job. It’s nothing personal.”

My blood ran cold.

Her job.

“You’re doing this for Sarafine.”

“Come on, Short Straw, what did you expect? You saw how my uncle treats me. The whole family thing, not really an option for
me right now.”

“Rid, what are you talkin’ about? Who’s Sarafine?” Link walked toward her. She looked at him. For a second, I thought I saw
something pass across Ridley’s face, just a flicker, but something real. Something that looked almost like genuine emotion.

But Ridley shook it off, and as quickly as it came, it was gone. “I think you want to go back to the party, don’t you, Shrinky
Dink? The band is warming up for the second set. Remember, we’re recording this show for your new demo. I’m going to take
it around to some of the labels in New York myself,” she purred, staring intently at him. Link looked uncertain, like maybe
he did want to go back to the party, but he wasn’t sure.

“Dad, listen to me. You don’t want to do this. She’s controlling you. She can influence people, it’s what she does. Mom would
never want you to do this.” I watched for some sign that my words were registering, that he was listening. But there was nothing.
He just stared into the darkness. You could hear the sound of bayonets clashing and the battle cries of middle-aged men in
the distance.

“Mitchell, you have nothing to live for anymore. You’ve lost your wife, you can’t write anymore, and Ethan will be going to
college in a few years. Why don’t you ask him about the shoebox full of college brochures under his bed? You’ll be all alone.”

“Shut up!”

Ridley turned to face me, unwrapping a cherry lollipop. “I’m sorry about this, Short Straw. I really am. But everyone has
a part to play, and this is mine. Your dad is going to have a little
accident
tonight. Just like your mom did.”

“What did you say?” I knew Link was talking, but I couldn’t hear his voice. I couldn’t hear anything but what she had just
said, replaying over and over in my head.

Just like your mom did.

“Did you kill my mother?” I started advancing. I didn’t care what kind of powers she had. If she killed my mother…

“Settle down, big boy. It wasn’t me. That was a little before my time.”

“Ethan, what the hell’s goin’ on?” Link was beside me.

“She’s not what she seems, man. She’s…” I didn’t know how to explain it so Link would understand. “She’s a Siren. It’s like
a witch. And she’s been controlling you just like she’s controlling my dad right now.”

Link started to laugh. “A witch. You’re losin’ it, man.”

I didn’t take my eyes off Ridley. She smiled and ran her fingers through Link’s hair. “Come on baby, you know you love a bad
girl.”

I had no idea what she was capable of, but after her little demonstration at Ravenwood, I knew she could kill any one of us.
I should never have treated her like she was just some harmless party girl. I was in over my head. I was only just beginning
to realize how far.

Link looked from her to me. He didn’t know what to believe.

“I’m not kidding, Link. I should have told you sooner, but I swear I’m telling the truth. Why else would she be trying to
kill my father?”

Link started to pace. He didn’t believe me. He probably thought I was going crazy. It sounded crazy to me, even as I was saying
it. “Ridley, is that true? Have you been usin’ some kinda power on me this whole time?”

“If you want to split hairs.”

My dad let go of the railing with one hand. He extended his arm like he was trying to balance on a tightrope.

“Dad, don’t do it!”

“Rid, don’t do this.” Link was walking toward her, slowly. I could hear the chain from his wallet jingling.

“Didn’t you hear what your friend said? I’m a witch. A bad one.” She took off her shades, revealing those golden feline eyes.
I could hear Link’s breath catch in his throat, as if he was really seeing her for the first time. But only for a second.

“Maybe you are, but you aren’t all bad. I know that. We’ve spent time together. We’ve
shared
things.”

“That was part of the plan, Hot Rod. I needed an in, so I could stay close to Lena.”

Link’s face dropped. Whatever Ridley had done to him, whatever she had Cast, his feelings for her were bigger than that. “So
it was all crap? I don’t believe you.”

“Believe what you want, it’s the truth. As close to the truth as I’m capable of, anyway.”

I watched my dad shift his weight, his free arm still stretched outward, swaying up and down. It seemed like he was trying
to test his wings, to see if he could fly. A few feet away, an artillery shell hit the ground outside and a spray of dirt
burst into the air.

“What about everything you told me about you and Lena growin’ up together? How you two were like sisters? Why would you want
to hurt her?” Something passed across her face. I wasn’t sure, but it almost looked like regret. Was that possible?

“It’s not up to me. I’m not the one calling the shots. Like I said, this is my job. Get Ethan away from Lena. I’ve got nothing
against this old guy, but his mind is weak. You know, one biscuit short of a picnic.” She licked her lollipop. “He was just
an easy target.”

Get Ethan away from Lena.

This whole thing was a diversion to separate us. I could hear Arelia’s voice as clearly as if she was still kneeling over
me.

It’s not the house that protects her. No Caster can come between them.

How could I have been so stupid? It wasn’t a question of whether or not I had some kind of power. It was never about me. It
was about us.

The power was what was between us, what had always been between us. Finding each other on Route 9 in the rain. Turning the
same way at the fork in the road. It didn’t take a Binding Cast to keep us together. Now that they had managed to separate
us, I was powerless. And Lena was alone, on the night she needed me with her the most.

I couldn’t think clearly. I was out of time, and I wasn’t going to lose one more person I loved. I ran toward my dad, and
even though it was just a few feet, it felt like I was running through quicksand. I saw Ridley step forward, her hair twisting
in the wind like Medusa’s whole head of snakes.

I saw Link step forward and grab her shoulder. “Rid, don’t do it.”

For a split second, I had no idea what was going to happen. I saw everything in slow motion.

My dad turned to look back at me.

I saw him start to let go of the railing.

I saw Ridley’s pink and blond strands twisting.

And I saw Link standing in front of her, staring into those golden eyes, whispering something I couldn’t hear. She looked
at Link, and without another word, her lollipop went sailing over the railing. I watched it arc down to the ground below,
exploding like shrapnel. It was over.

As quickly as my father had turned away from the railing, he turned back toward it, toward me. I grabbed his shoulders and
pulled him forward, over the railing and onto the balcony floor. He fell in a crumpled heap, and lay there looking up at me
like a frightened child.

“Thank you, Ridley. I mean, whatever that was. Thanks.”

“I don’t want your thanks,” she sneered, pulling away from Link and adjusting the strap of her top. “I didn’t do either of
you a favor. I just didn’t feel like killing him.
Today
.”

She tried to sound menacing, but she ended up just sounding childish. She twirled a pink strand of hair. “Though that’s not
gonna make some people too happy.” She didn’t have to say who, but I could see the fear in her eyes. For a second, I could
see how much of her persona was just an act. Smoke and mirrors.

Despite everything, even now, as I tried to pull my father to his feet, I felt sort of sorry for her. Ridley could have any
guy on the planet, and yet all I could see was how alone she was. She wasn’t nearly as strong as Lena was, not inside.

Lena.

Lena, are you okay?

I’m fine. What’s wrong?

I looked at my father. He couldn’t keep his eyes open, and he was having trouble standing.

Nothing. Are you with Larkin?

Yes, we’re headed back to Ravenwood. Is your dad okay?

He’s fine. I’ll explain when I get there.

I slid my arm under my dad’s shoulder, while Link grabbed his other side.

Stay with Larkin, and get back inside with your family. You’re not safe alone.

Before we could even take a step, Ridley sauntered by us, back through the open balcony doors, those ten-mile legs stepping
across the threshold. “Sorry, boys. I gotta jet, maybe head back to New York for a while, lay low. It’s cool.” She shrugged.

Even though she was a monster, Link couldn’t help but watch her go. “Hey, Rid?”

She stopped and turned to look at him, almost ruefully. Like she couldn’t help what she was any more than a shark could help
being a shark, but if she could…

“Yeah, Shrinky Dink?”

“You’re not all bad.”

She looked right at him and almost smiled. “You know what they say. Maybe I’m just drawn that way.”

2.11

O
nce my dad was safely in the hands of the reenactment medics, I couldn’t get back to the party fast enough. I pushed past
the girls from Jackson, who had ditched jackets, and were looking skanky in their tank tops and baby tees, gyrating to the
music of the Holy Rollers. Minus Link who, to his credit, was right on my heels. It was loud. Live band loud. Live ammo loud.
So loud that I almost didn’t hear Larkin’s voice calling me.

“Ethan, over here!” Larkin was standing in the trees just past the reflective yellow rope that separated the Safe Zone from
the You-Could-Get-Your-Butt-Shot-Off-If-You-Cross-This-Line Zone. What was he doing in the woods, past the Safe Zone? Why
wasn’t he back at the house? I waved to him and he motioned me over, disappearing behind the rise. Usually jumping that rope
would’ve been a tough choice, but not today. I had no choice but to follow him. Link was right behind me, stumbling, but still
somehow keeping up with me, just the way it used to be.