Punished (22 page)

“But, if you let me drain you dry, you’ll die.”

He laughed as he gently grazed my neck with his lips. “But then I’ll be a spirit too, and we’ll live happily ever after. I’d live anywhere with you even if it meant suffering in that great big old swamp.”

“I don’t believe in happily ever after,” I said, as I suddenly realized that it was absurd that I was actually enjoying this moment. He would never remember it.

His eyes met mine, and for a second, his expression was serious. I saw a flash of the present day Lucus, the Lucus who had unwavering belief in things that could never be fully explained by logic. “I’ll believe enough for the both of us, so you won’t ever have to worry about running out of faith. If things get troubling and you feel like screaming, you can scream at me if you need to.”

I usually openly snickered at girls that turned to mush over corny lines, but to my horror, at that moment, I was one of those girls. As much as I tried to fight back the smile that threatened to give me away, I couldn’t help it. “You’d live in a big old swamp with me and let me scream at you? That doesn’t sound like such a fun life. How would we pass the time aside from listening to my screams?”

His eyes brightened as he took my hand and pulled me away from the tree. “Do you hear that music?” he asked, referring to the piano music coming from the main house. “We’d dance,” he swirled me around. “We’d sing, and we’d love each other without rhyme, reason or condition. We could also hold the occasional rat race or two.”

“I’m not great at any of those things,” I admitted, as I tried not to trip over my feet in an attempt to keep up with his superior dance moves.

“I can teach you,” he said easily.

“Arelia,” warned Bade.

“I have to go now,” I said quickly. I knew that I had already spent too much time lost in Lucus’ world “You have to show me the way to the swamp now.”

“No, you don’t. You have to go back to that insufferable party with me.”

“I’m not really in any shape to go to party.” I drew his attention to my distorted state.

“Of course you are.”
 
Lucus insisted. “We can laugh at Mr. Doran together. He’s vastly wealthy, but he has a peculiar habit of stealing pralines.”

“He steals pralines?”

“Yes. It’s the most hilarious thing. He waits until he thinks everyone is out of sight and starts to stuff them in his jacket pocket. More than often, he runs out of room. Then, he starts stuffing them down his pants. I have to show you. It’ll be fun.”

Watching this Mr. Doran guy did seem kind of tempting. “I can’t…”

“Of course, you can, there’s a hidden back entrance, if you’re shy. We can watch everyone and no one will be able to see us. The guards are probably drunk by now, so they’re pretty much inoperable.”

“Arelia, you can’t go.” Insisted Bade.

After a twisted day of unspeakable brutality, strangely all I wanted to do was watch Mr. Doran stuff pralines down his pants.

“I want to see Mr. Doran stuff pralines down his pants,” I said, as I grabbed the whiskey bottle out of his hand and took a large swig. “But we have to take the back entrance.”

Lucus gave me a huge smile and grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”

We ran until we reached the side of Darkwood house. Soft snores greeted us. “Shh.” Lucus alerted me to the fat guard who sloppily lazed against a wall. “Albert is the most unreliable guard in New Orleans. I swear my father keeps him around out of pity. That’s the hidden back entrance to the ballroom,” he said, as he pointed to a vine covered door. “Everytime my mother insists that I act presentable around guests, I sneak out and go to the city.”

“Why don’t want to act presentable around guests?” I asked, as we approached the door.

He gave me a wide grin. “I’m polite enough, I suppose, but she expects me to smile, nod and blindly agree with everything they say. It gets infinitely tiresome,” he said, as he quietly opened the door.

Inside, the ballroom was exactly like it was in present day. Crystal chandeliers blazed, and guests enjoyed fine alcohol and food, as they merrily chatted amongst themselves. Soft candlelight from long rows of tables bathed their faces in an almost ghostly and completely serene light. They were completely oblivious to the ferocious pain and hunger that lurked around the corner. For the first time, I could see why Lucus felt so guilty. If I were in his shoes, I would have been overcome with crippling shame as well.

Lucus placed his arm around my waist, as we watched the guests. “What’s your name beautiful spirit?” he asked.

“Spirits don’t have names,” I lied.

“Yes they do. Come on, I promise I’ll keep it a secret.”

Our eyes met. “It’s Arelia.”

“Beautiful name. Not as beautiful as your face.”

I rolled my eyes.

He pulled me closer. “My spirit doesn’t see how beautiful she is, does she?”

I turned my head away and focused my attention back on the ballroom.

“There he is Mr. Doran.” He pointed out a fat man that looked exactly like an 1852 version of Mr. Dumpty except with black hair. He loitered by a corner table full of pralines.

“Oh my god, he’s actually doing it!” Mr. Doran casted a quick glance around the ballroom to make sure he wasn’t being watched. Afterwards, he shoved a handful of pralines in his jacket, and then a fist full down his pants.

My stomach let out a powerful growl, as I watched him demolish a praline or two.

 
Lucus’ attention immediately focused on me. “Let’s go get some pralines?”

“No, I can’t go inside.”

“Of course, you can,” he insisted, as he grabbed my hand and opened the door a bit wider.

“Arelia, you silly girl! Do you know how much time you’ve wasted?” Bade was furious. “What’s the point of us helping you, if you don’t listen? How many times have we told you that you need to go now!”

“I have to go back to the swamp now. Please, help me,” I pleaded.
 

Lucus picked up on the desperation in my voice. “Alright then I will lead my beautiful spirit to her home, if that is what she asks of me.” The smile from his face vanished, but he extended his arm for me to take.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, as we fought our way through the thick, damp air and the endless oaks claws that tugged on our clothes. Soon, the shattered cries of birds greeted us, and I knew the swamp was near. I felt the ground turn to mush under my bare feet, as the peculiar outline of Spanish moss dangling from cypress trees became visible. An eerie fog hung over the muddy water, and I was a more than a little disappointed that we had gotten there so fast.

Lucus looked up at the stars and took another gulp of whiskey. Spontaneously, he placed the bottle on the ground and pulled me towards him. “I would do anything to make you stay,” he said.

“You would?” I asked. In real life, I would never be brave enough to ask that, but this wasn’t really reality, why couldn’t I have a little fun? It’s not like the present day Lucus would remember any of this.

The back of his hand stroked my sticky cheek, and I felt my knees weaken.

“You don’t have time for games Arelia,” hissed Bade. “You need to go find Gran-Ibo and reunite your soul.”

Bade was right.

 
“I’m a spirit, and I have to go back to where I came from now. There’s no way I could stay here with you.” I told him.

“You smell so good, you have to stay,” he said, as he ran his fingers through my slimy hair. He tilted his head slightly, as his dark eyes pleaded with mine. His lips twisted in a slight boy-like frown. This Lucus was adorable, a little insecure and obviously crazy if he liked the smell of my sweat. It was comforting to know that he hadn’t been always so rational and composed.

I observed the murky swamp water and knew I had to go before Louis kept me trapped forever. “I have to go,” I whispered. “I don’t belong here, and you have to go back to the party. She may be waiting there for you.” As much as I hated saying those words, I knew I had to send him away. He was a dangerous distraction.

“Actually, I’ve already forgotten all about her,” he said, as he cupped my cheeks between his warm hands.

“You have?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he wrapped me in his arms. I could feel the heat radiating from his chest, as his full lips covered mine in a deep and consuming kiss. I was hopelessly paralyzed in his safe embrace. For a moment I forgot where I was. The kiss lingered on while swamp animals cryptically crooned and serenaded us in the background. I could have stood in his arms forever, as pathetic as that sounded.

“Arelia, you have to go now! Louis knows you remember. He’s going to make the curse stronger, and you’ll be trapped forever.” Bade’s annoying voice snapped me out of the totally romantic moment. Although I would be eternally grateful to Brise and Bade for helping me out, I wanted them to shut-up for a few more minutes, so I could go on kissing Lucus.

“Arelia, go,” Brise commanded.

I reluctantly tore myself away from Lucus’ lips. Who would have thought my first kiss with him would have been under such surreal circumstances. Not that I had thought about kissing him or anything. Well maybe only a couple of times. Okay, a couple thousand. It was way better than I thought it would be. Damn him.

“I have to go,” I said, as I turned my back on him and started to walk into the swamp water. If I didn’t leave now, I might be tempted to stay, and that disturbed me.

“Will I ever see you again beautiful spirit?” he asked.

I turned around and drank in the sight of him standing in front of the glorious cypress tree. Jealousy slapped me across the face, as I realized that he wouldn’t remember this drunken moment and that he would go back to pining over that mystery girl probably for the next hundred years or so.

“Of course, you will,” I said, as I turned my attention back to the water.

“We’re meant to be together beautiful spirit!” he shouted after me. “You’ll see. I know you’ll come back to me one day. Your heart belongs to me; you just don’t know it yet because you’re a stubborn spirit. I love you! Je t’aime!”

I tried to stop the goofy smile that invaded my face, but I couldn’t help it. “You can’t love me, you don’t even know me,” I shouted over my shoulder. “We’ve spent five minutes together.”

“It was an hour actually, and it was more than enough time. Love isn’t rational.”

So, he had always been a hopeless romantic. I guess some things could never be eroded by time or circumstance.

“Go back to the party you drunk. She’s probably waiting for you.” Whoever that girl was, I despised her already, and I didn’t even know her.

“There’s no one else but you!” he shouted.

I was tempted to run back to him, but I knew I couldn’t. Or could I? Maybe I could warn about the curse and what was going to eventually happen to him.

“Don’t even think about it Arelia. Keep walking,” Bade warned.

“But…” I started to protest.

“Keep walking naive one, keep walking. You can’t change the past.”

 
“Be safe Lucus LaPlante,” I whispered. “You’re a beautiful spirit too. I’m sorry I can’t stay and save you from your miserable fate. I can’t wait to see you again.”

Chapter 24

Gran-Ibo

Monstrous mosquitoes and pesky bees buzzed around me as I waded further into the murky swamp. I could feel Lucus’ eyes on me, but I refused to look back at him. I needed to find a yellow canary and fast. Only Gran-Ibo could help me piece back my soul, so I could return to my body and kick Louis’ ass, even though I had no idea where to find him.