Precious Anathema (14 page)

‘
Holy shit Ella, can you
hear me?’ I tried to hold it in but I laughed a little and she
smiled.

‘
Yes Eris, I can hear you
and I need your help without anyone knowing about it.’ She nodded
again. ‘Selene is being really nice to me and wants to help me
learn about my Father, but I am worried and I need someone to know
what’s up.’ She started to shake her head at me and then like a
sonic boom she screamed inside my head.

‘
Are you fucking mad woman?
You and I both know that she doesn’t do anything without personal
gain!’ Eris was right and deep inside I knew it, but eighteen years
of not knowing made me question every rational thought I had at the
moment.

‘
She said that she knew
where pictures of him are and that she would put them in the
basement so I could look at them in private tonight.’ Eris stood up
and walked to my side of the table, she stood over me and her look
was one of a disappointed mother.

‘
Ella, no one goes into the
basement, especially Selene. That’s where they said the men were
tortured and held, no one goes in there, and I have seen her shiver
as we walk by the door so I know she is just fucking with you but I
don’t know why.’ She sat beside me and took my hand. ‘I know you
want to see your Dad but I bet Freya would have pictures of him and
you wouldn’t have to go into the basement to see the either.’ I
knew she was right and squeezed her hand.

‘
You are right Eris, thank
you.’ I hugged her and we both pinky swore never to tell anyone we
could talk this way before I walked back to the kitchen to help
with dinner. As soon as I knew the connection was broken I started
planning my sneaky midnight walk to the basement, Eris was right
and I knew it but I had to look, just once I had to
know.

ELEVEN

Lying in my bed careful with my
thoughts in case anyone noticed my jumpiness at dinner, I thought
of Xander and the river. My body became warm all over and a grin
washed over my face too big to conceal. I reached to turn the radio
on beside my bed and the most amazing song was playing, I could
never remember the singers name though. Purple? Or was it Red? I
couldn’t remember but closed my eyes and listened to her song as if
she was singing right to me. I hummed along with the tune and let
my memory take me away to that magical place only he could take me,
I was knee deep in happy thoughts when a noise outside jumped me
off the bed. My heart raced and I clutched my chest, maybe I had
been wrong about Cora, maybe she had just been waiting for the
right moment to take me out, and under the cover of night she was
going to strike. I stood at the edge of the bed, holding the
mattress feeling my heart trying to escape my chest when I heard
the noise again. This time I almost fell over, not from fear but
complete embarrassment as a medium sized pebble hit my window.
Shaking off the hysteria and replacing it with humility as I walked
to the window I was almost shaking as I opened it knowing that the
man of my dreams would be standing below.

“
Good evening beautiful,
can I come up?” Could he come up, I looked at the wall and laughed,
the only way up was to climb a hedge and make a spider like leap to
the sill and hope like hell he didn’t fall.

“
If you think you can make
it you can certainly come up.” I laughed to watch him find his
footing in the hedge, swearing and laughing as the small limbs
seemed to stab him with every step. He somehow reached the top of
the narrow but tall bush without falling and winked at me as I
stepped back unable to watch him jump. I closed my eyes and heard
the thud against the sill; I opened my eyes and grabbed his hands
as he threw a leg into my room. Pulling him inside I couldn’t stop
laughing, I fell back and we both landed on the floor, he had a
proud grin smeared all over his face and I just kept laughing as he
leaned in for a kiss.

“
I was thinking that I
could come up and kiss you goodnight, but now I am here and
thinking that may have been a bad idea.” I almost pushed him off me
as I sat straight up, did I look bad at night? Was he sorry about
what happened earlier? I may be a witch but above all else I was
just an eighteen year old girl who was terrified he was going to
walk away.

“
Ella, relax honey.” He put
his arms around me and squeezed me so tight. “I meant because now I
am in here and I don’t want to leave after our kiss.” I let out a
sigh and wrapped my arms around him, feeling safe and loved as we
fell back on the floor kissing with a passion so hot my fire place
came on and we both let out a yell, jumping back a bit. I just
started laughing and he smiled at me. “I don’t know if I will ever
get used to that Ella, we need to remember all of this so we don’t
get hurt when you get turned on.” I laughed and grabbed his shirt
to pull him closer to my face.

“
I think what you meant to
say was, let’s see how hot we can get that fire to blaze tonight.”
He put a finger to my lip and began to trace my body with his
tongue, lingering in all the right places until the only two things
that covered my sweet spots were my underwear and his body.
Everything he did turned me on, his smile made me tingle, his kiss
made me warm and the touch of his skin on mine made me want nothing
more than all of him on me, with me, inside me forever.

“
No two people have ever
fit so perfectly you know, I am never leaving you alone Ella, not
ever.” His words took me to places no O ever could, and as I
pressed my face against his chest and clutched his legs with my own
I knew I was addicted to everything he made me feel, and never
wanted to recover.

*

“
Delilah, will you tell me
something about you I don’t know.” I lay back on his arm, naked and
glowing as bright as the fire beside us as I thought hard about the
past eighteen years of my life, so many things he didn’t know, so
many things that seemed so boring no one would want to
know.

“
Let me see, I grew up in
Nebraska with my Mom. I had a quiet life with her and I was as
quiet, very shy and never stuck out in a crowd.” He raised his head
and gave me a sideways smile.

“
You certainly stick out
here, and as far as shy goes.” He ran his eyes all over my naked
body and then winked at me; I felt my cheeks get hot as I
remembered that he liked to look. I thought about the time, and
what I still had to do tonight, I knew I wanted to talk to him
about it but my brain was preoccupied with what had just happened
and his amazing body, naked beside me. I ran my fingers over his
chest and listened to his heartbeat.

“
You are my amazing Xander;
you bring out all the best of me.” He laughed and lifted my
chin.

“
You mean thunder clouds,
lightning and fire balls?” We both laughed and I sat up without
reaching for my shirt so I knew I had his full
attention.

“
Xander, I have a chance to
see my Dad tonight for the first time and I am a little scared. I
never thought about the fact that he was probably around Freya and
the Aunts, they have pictures of him and I am going to sneak a few
of them tonight, well Selene is actually going to get them for me.”
Xander shot up and shook his head, taking my hand.

“
Ella, honey listen to me
this is a bad idea. Ask the Aunts to show you the pictures don’t
involve Selene in any of it.” A part of me, a big part knew he was
right but I had no other choice right now, if they were going to
volunteer the information I felt like they would have already and
since Selene was the only one offering I had to at least try to
find out.

“
I know in my head that
your right, but my heart wants to give her a chance. It will be ok,
and if she really is just messing with me I will go to the Aunts to
get answers.” He didn’t seem very comfortable with my answer.
“Xander, I promise you I will be ok.” That was the last thing I
said as we got dresses, kissed and he climbed out the window to his
house. I watched as he made his way through the garden till the
darkness stole him from me, I turned from my window and my feet
felt like they were wearing concrete boots. I had so much fear
growing inside me. For a split second I thought about undressing
and getting into my bed, but then my legs began to move closer to
the door and I opened it up, I just had to know.

TWELVE

Making my way through the kitchen I
saw a knife on the counter and picked it up, putting it into my
belt loops, since no one had been in the basement for decades and
who knew what was living in there. Rounding the corner I was
nervous and as I walked into Eris I almost pulled the knife out. I
yelled and jumped back as she grabbed me and put her hand over my
mouth.

“
Shut up would you; you’re
going to give me away.” I nodded and she released her hand. “I am
here to make sure you don’ do anything stupid like go into that
basement.” I began to think again, maybe I shouldn’t go down, and
then I heard another voice come around the corner.

“
I knew you would chicken
out, you don’t care about your father at all do you?” I turned
around and made a fist, this was not the time to bring up my Daddy
issues and she knew the right buttons to push. I needed to give her
the benefit of the doubt though.

“
Selene, did you really
take the pictures down there?” She laughed and walked to the door,
opening it without hesitation.

“
Not only did I take them
down there, but it’s really not spooky at all, I spent more than an
hour just looking at all the stuff the old bats hid down there.” I
looked at Eris who was clenching her jaw and glaring at Selene. I
took a step forward and Eris put her arm out to stop me.

“
Ella, you and I both know
she is full of shit right now. Freya said that is where Cora and
Emma took the men to be tortured and they say the men never came
out. Do not go down there please.” I took a deep breath and stepped
forward; looking down the stairway I saw nothing out of the
ordinary just an everyday looking basement to me.

“
Eris I will be fine. I
will look at the pictures and come back up just give me two
minutes; I need to see his face.” She let go and I started down the
stairs, I could hear her talking to me with every step, I reached
the bottom and walked onto the floor. Looking around I saw what
appeared to be rock walls, a chill came over me and I looked
everywhere I could see for the photos, she said she left them by
the stairs but they were not here. I turned to yell at the Bitch
for tricking me, but as I turned around instead of angry words, a
shrill scream escaped my body as I stood face to face with a rock
wall where a stairway once was. I looked up and the high walls
showed no light, but for one little space near the ceiling of this
trap letting the light from the moon come through. I screamed at
the top of my lungs and threw my body against the wall trying to
find the secret spot to bring the stairs back, no matter how loud I
screamed I never heard Eris yell back, and as I dug at the walls my
hands burned and stung from scrapes and then cuts that left blood
on the rocks as I cried and continued to try clawing my way out. I
put my back against the wall and fell to the ground, bloody and
tear stained I screamed again. I had no way of knowing what was
down here, and since the magic opened up when I entered who knew
what was about to come out. I remembered my knife and felt better.
I had no intention of moving for a while though, I sat under the
small light of the moon hoping that by morning I could see someone
walk by and they would hear my screams. I ran my hands through my
hair and closed my eyes; I had to stay calm if I were going to get
out of here. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes again, I could
see two halls at the end of the room I was in, the room was built
up with rock and the halls looked like they had been dug out, it
was hard to see any detail with the small amount of light I had and
I was suddenly distracted by this intense itchy feeling on my arms
and legs. I started to itch, that’s when I felt it, tiny hairs on
legs brushing my fingertips. I jumped, screamed and started to
brush my body off, I felt the hairs everywhere, the legs slowly
creeping up my arms and legs, I couldn’t see them but I felt them
moving and it made me itch and scream with disgust. I tried
grabbing one as I felt it move up my neck, slowly, dragging a hairy
leg past my windpipe causing a shiver run through my body, but
nothing was there. I stood up, slapping myself as I felt a hairy
leg brush my right ear, then my knee and another on my left breast,
they were everywhere but I couldn’t get them. I was jumping and
crying, I felt every move they made all over my body, making me
itch making me scream out with fear. I had been hitting myself and
running in circle for minutes, seemed like hours and everywhere I
hit came up empty. They were moving faster towards my face, and I
let the panic take over, making me feel dizzy and my chest get
heavy. I couldn’t take in any air; I was going to die in this dirty
basement at the mercy of the curse. The curse, it was the curse
fucking with my brain. The stories had to be true, the chamber was
an entry to the labyrinth of mind fucks to torture, and I was just
getting a taste of what was to come. I took a slow, deep breath and
told myself I didn’t have any tarantulas crawling up my chin,
inside my thigh or tangled in my hair. I closed my eyes and stopped
hitting myself, as they moved I could see them in my head, they
were huge and as the one in my hair moved I felt a leg curl around
my ear, he was bigger than my whole outstretched hand and I felt my
knees give out from under my own weight. I had to tell myself that
it wasn’t real, none of them were real. I focused on my own
thoughts, blocking out what I was feeling all over my body, slowly
I stopped feeling them one by one beginning at my legs and working
its way to my head. I opened my eyes and stood up, I couldn’t feel
them anymore but I was still freaked out, a hair fell from my own
head and landed on my shoulder. I punched myself and ran to the
other side of the room screaming. I stood, looking at two openings
in the wall before me, they looked like someone had made them by
hand, and each one had a pile of rocks on the floor beside it. Why
were there two though? Wouldn’t they both lead to the same place,
being side by side? I began to move when my brain told me to stop,
why would someone make another opening in the wall unless one of
the openings is so bad that they had to run to the beginning and
start over again?