Elysium's Love Triangle (23 page)

It doesn’t take me long to realise
that all these humans are
running from some ‘monster’ that isn’t even there.  Riley is messing with their minds, making them see things.  Orange fears drips from the screen
s onto the trays of the Arachne
s here.

“Can we go home?”  I ask Greg.

He agrees, noticing the upset in my tone.

Outside I ask him how he came to be here.

He tells me the true story.  His Mom was always very depressed when he was young.  Every now and aga
in she would hurt herself
.

He stops after he says this.  He has never told this story before.

I never knew that things were that bad in his home.  No wonder he liked to spend so much time out playing with me.

I wait.

He trusts me enough to continue telling his story.

He would always know
when
she was go
ing to try to end her life again
.  He would know because she would cut his hair.  This was so he’d look
‘
nice
’ for her
funeral.

It all made sense in her mind.

He’d scream at her not to hurt herself again.  She wouldn’t listen.

She didn’t care that he needed her.

The only thing she cared about
was having a boyfriend
.  She’d have a new on
e
every few weeks.  When they
’d leave
she’d go through her cycle of depression again.

He was always so afraid that
he’d wake up
, some morning,
and she’d be gone.

One day it happened.

“I’m so sorry, Greg,” I say, shocked.

He explains that a woman
came to him one day
, soon after his Mom’s death.  This
woman offered him a new family and super-powers as well.

Greg decided to go with the woman.  In truth he probably would’ve went with anybody, he reflects.

The woman brought him here.  He would be safe and never abandoned, they promised.  All he had to
do
was swear allegiance to some guy named ‘Rejon’ and drink a funny blue liquid.

We arrive back at our house.

Greg’s story has helped me understand why he won’t abandon me.

He doesn’t want me to feel like he did.  He doesn’t want anyone, ever, to feel like he did.

“I’m glad I found you again, Greg,” I say
,
honestly.

I hadn’t even realised just how much I missed him.

I can see in his face that he is dealing with some deep emotions right now.  He tries not to show it.

Instead he changes the subject, “You ended our tour early . . . We’ve still got a few hours until our family dinner.  What do you want to do?”

I let him away with changing the tone of our conversation.  I think he’s had enough of the heavy stuff
for
today.

I look around and spot his guitar, “You could play some more songs.  The one earlier was pretty good.”

He is suddenly very
animated again. 

I sit down on the sofa as he grabs the guitar.

“Do you want to hear one I wrote myself?”  He asks.

“Sure!”  I am enthusiastic.  “I never knew you wrote songs.”

“Yeah,” he looks rather bashful suddenly.  “They aren’t very good . . .”

With a bit of encouragement he begins playing one.

He tells me that it’s called ‘Two Girls I Know’.

I smile at this.  I should’ve known that his songs would be about girls.

The words go like this

So I met this girl Angelica, just a few days ago

She asked if I liked frogs.  I said ‘heck no’.

She looks
away
.  Her opinion is
clear.

She doesn’t trust me.
I’m not gonna get near
,

that thing she calls a heart.  I thought that I’d stay
,

and give it a good ole shot anyway.

Have you ever been aiming for a target

that you couldn’t quite hit?

Ever felt like you’re living in a storm

of
your own deficit
?

It’s like I have an arrow, but no frickin bow

Do you like frogs?  I should not have said ‘no’.

So I met this other girl.  Further back than that.

She asked if I liked surfing.  I said ‘what’s that?’

She looks away.  Off  far into the sea

Then she says that she would like to hang around with me

She gives me a flash of a still innocent smile

I know instantly
,
I’ll remember it for a while

Have you ever been aiming for a target

that you couldn’t quite hit?

You really want to

But you just can’t quit.

It
’s
like I set myself up, I just can’t let go.

I’d run from this feeling, but there’s no place to go.

He finishes.

I am aware that the second girl is me.

This is why I focus on the first girl, “What happened between you and Angelica?”

He sighs and puts down his guitar, “She told me that I
betrayed
her by working for Rejon.  Now she won’t talk to me. ”

I wonder what she is doing now.  No doubt she is trying to find that weapon.

What if she comes here to kill Riley?

My allegiances are all over the place.

I want to stay here and change the way Riley runs the place.  These people deserve better.  They need a leader who cares about
them
.

I also desperately want to go back to Daniel.

I know I can’t do both.  I am utterly confused.

Greg continues, “Rejon sent me to that school so that I could keep an eye on the group of ‘weaklings’ there.  I was practically a spy.  Angelica was right . . . I did betray her.”

He looks desolate.

“You’ll find a way to make it right,” I say. 

I truly hope he gets that chance.  He deserves it.

*

Rejon has his own personal team of Chefs.  They cook everything he eats.  I know because they are currently in my house.  They won’t let me cook.  Rejon can only be served the very best after all! 

In a way it’s a relief.  I would’ve been way too nervous to cook for Greg’s foster family. 

They just happen to be the Vale family.  The very same people that sent their son to kill me last night.

Cairo himself is going to be here.   He is Greg’s foster brother after all.

This is going to be so awkward.

I did meet Cairo earlier.  His mind said that he was still terrified of me.

This hurt so much.  I didn’t say so.

I asked him not to tell anyone about what he saw last night.

Greg and I have worked it out.  We can’t let anyone know about my dark side.  Once people know about it they can use it against me.

Greg told me that it could be worse than that.  He has no doubt that there are people here, on the plantation, who would only love to meet the ‘real’ Ethereal if they knew she existed.  They would try to change me into her permanently.

He is right.  One such person would be my uncle.  He cannot find out about this.

I think over all of this as I watch the cooks now.  They are sprinkling dashes of purple fear on all the meat they prepare.  We are having ‘spicy meatballs’ tonight apparently.  The spice being used is ‘terror’.  They have it in little jars.

I think back to the Gluttony hall.  Suddenly I don’t want to eat anymore.

Greg arrives in the kitchen now.  I am glad of the distraction.

He holds out his hand and I take it.  We are fake married after all.

He tells me that our first guest has arrived.

We go to answer the front door together.

It’s Riley.  He smiles broadly when we answer the door.

In a few seconds he speaks, “So nice to see you both . . . Alive.”

It doesn’t sound like he means it.

Greg welcomes him in.

Riley explains his first comment, “I thought the Black Widow curse would have struck you down by now Greg.  Death must be on your side.”

Greg looks at me.  We both can’t help smiling now.

“Yeah,” Greg replies.  “I’m lucky I suppose.  Death decided not to come for me.”

Concerned people have been asking Greg whether he ‘feels well’ all day.  They all assume that we slept together last night, being married and all.  They think the curse is going to take him at any minute.

A few of the Chefs notice Riley’s arrival.  They give us all a glass of ‘Pure Fright’ to sip on, while we wait for the meal.  This is their version of champagne I suppose.

I drink it reluctantly.

Riley begins talking about ‘loyalty’.  He thinks it is a good trait.

Greg tenses up at this.  He knows that he hasn’t been loyal to Riley after all.  He told Nate’s group all about the weapon.

Riley changes the subject to weapons.

Then Greg really looks uncomfortable.  He knows that Riley has figured it out.

I take Greg’s hand.

This is to show Riley whose side I am on.  It is also to remind him that he can’t hurt Greg.  He’s my ‘husband’ after all.

Greg glances at our entwined hands.  Then he gives me a smile.

Cairo’s family don’t ring the doorbell.  They just arrive into the dining room.  All fourteen of them. 

I wonder at how the parents only had one boy in the middle of all those girls.

This might have been why they took Greg in.  Cairo would have a brother.

Mr. Vale, the father,
could easily be mista
ken for a professional wrestler.  H
e’s a big man with muscles t
hat are slightly scary.  Mrs.
Vale is much smaller; Cairo
got his silver eyes from her.  She would be much prettier if her lips weren’t permanently pursed together. 
Right now she is regarding
m
e with an exceedingly suspicious glare.
Mr. Vale is also studying me very carefully.

They both thought I’d be dead by now
,
I realise. 
The words Cairo said last night, about me being a beast, were taught to him by them.

I put on my best smile and welcome them.  The woman shak
es my hand when I offer it.  The man is still too bewildered
at my being alive to do so.  Cairo ar
rives into the room last
.
  He looks extremely guilty.

I look at his fears.  ‘Ethereal’ is one of them.  He is terrified that someone will make me feel threatened, or otherwise heighten my emotions. 

I hope that Riley will not check what his fears are.  I pray that he doesn’t.

We are all introduced to each other.  After this Mr. Vale announces that he would like to perform a fortune telling.  He would just
love
to gaze into the future of the newlyweds, he says.

I know exactly why he wants to look into my future.  He doesn’t trust me.

Cairo rebukes his father, “Let them find out their future as it happens.  There’s no use in taking the surprise out of it.”

I want Greg’s family to trust me.  Letting Mr Vale perform this psychic reading on me may be the only way to gain this trust.

“I’d like to know my future,” I say cheerily.

Mr. Vale’s grin goes from ear to ear. 

I
sit down at the table.  I offer
Mr
.
Vale my hand to study
. Then
I realise why Cairo was
so
against the idea.  His family are
actually
psychic.

T
hey will find out my secret. 

I pull my hand away just as Mr. Vale
is abo
ut to trace the lines in it.  I
give the excuse that I am not feeling ‘readable’ today.  I instantly curse myself for not thinking of something
smarter
to say. 

These people think
that I’m evil.  I need to convince them that this is not the case
.

Mr
.
Vale is slowly, and quite discreetly, reaching for a knife that has been set in his place at the table.