The Seven Wicked: First Page 4

  Shadows of trees passed over Caleb's face, temporarily blocking out the bright, summer sun which had unexpectedly replaced yesterday's freak shower. I studied the soft curve of his lips, pink and bright and oh so soft ... I smacked myself in the head, literally, and elicited a stare from the boy I'd just been admiring.

  "You're not going to believe this but ... " I shook my head before he could even continue.

  "A mutant scarecrow just chased me out of my own apartment. Don't worry so much, I'll believe you." And as the words left my mouth, a wave of confidence washed over me. Despite the fact that I was running away from home, that I might miss prom, that we'd just met, I knew it was the right decision.

  "We're going to look for Aphariel's Hall," he began and then paused as if expecting me to question or protest. I waited silently. "Supposedly, it's where he stored the sword designed to slay the Seven Wicked, but all I know is that it's north of Avondale. I wish I could give you a time frame, Eevee, but I can't." I nodded and slumped lower in my seat. I was going to have to come up with a ruse for my parents. Hopefully, with the two of them still not speaking to each other, it would be easy to fool one into thinking I was with the other.

  "So if we get this sword, we can, you know, kill them?" I had to swallow past the massive lump that was forming in my throat. I didn't know how to use a sword, and I was betting that Caleb, who didn't look much older than my sixteen years, did either. Which brought up another good point. "How old are you?" I interjected before he could answer my previous question. He smiled at me though he didn't take his eyes off of the road.

  "Seventeen, and you?"

  "Sixteen," I answered before hurriedly adding, "But I'm turning seventeen next week. Where do you go to school? I don't think I've ever seen you at Avondale High." Caleb shook his head and reached out a hand for the nearly empty water bottle. The stress level in the car was dropping drastically as the two of us tried to focus less on the horrid creature in the lobby and more on normal teen stuff.

  "You wouldn't have ... I'm ... I'm home schooled." Caleb sounded ashamed when he said it, like it was his dirty, little secret. I didn't understand why, but I let it go. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about it.

  "Well, you're not missing much," I said, picking at the ribbing on my tank top. "Avondale High sucks." We looked at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing. It wasn't that what I'd said was particularly funny, we were both just laughing out of nervousness. Until I noticed my grubby, dirt stained feet with my big toes painted Peacock Blue and the rest decked out in horribly chipped Pixie Pink. I had forgotten to put on shoes. I covered my mouth with a cupped hand before another bout of snorting laughter burst from my throat. I tried to stop myself. My laugh, my real, bellyaching, having-the-best-time-of-my-life one, sounded like a marriage between a pig and a donkey. It was really, really unattractive. "I'm not wearing shoes!" I chortled at Caleb, who continued to laugh that same airy, friendly laugh that had endeared me to him on my father's couch.

  Once I got started laughing though, I couldn't stop. Not until sticky tears began to trail down my face. I wiped an arm across my nose and positioned myself so that I was facing squarely towards the passenger side window. He didn't need to see me like this.

  "Are you okay, Eevee?" he asked gently, placing a warm hand on my bare shoulder. I shivered and not because I was sensing one of those things. This was a good kind of shiver. "Do you need me to pull over?" I whirled around, bits of black hair sticking to my dry lips. I reached up and brushed them away.

  "We can't stop, you said so yourself! What if that Scarecrow guy catches us?" Caleb's lips were twisted to one side, like he was having trouble finding words again.

  "I mean, we can stop. We shouldn't do it very often, but like I said, we can drive faster than it can travel, so once we've been driving for awhile, we can take a break to get gas, or eat, or trade places." Another shiver traveled up my spine, a bad one this time but still not a creepy Wicked thing one.

  "Um, Caleb," I said, still sniffling slightly from my mild breakdown. "I can't drive." This time, he did take his eyes off of the road when he looked at me. He didn't look irritated, like I'd expected, just surprised. I tried to smile, but a drip of snot threatened to leave the safety of my nostrils, so I turned away again. "I mean, I have my permit but only because I passed the written test. I've never actually gotten behind the wheel. Well, sometimes my mom makes me start the car and back out of the driveway, but that's about it." I waited in silence as green signs indicating the mileage to various northern cities in both California and Oregon whizzed past my window.

  "Eevee," Caleb began, voice soft but with a flirtatious undertone that surprised me and brought a light pink flush to my cheeks. Despite the situation, a rush of giddy excitement shot through me. Even the whole running for my life thing didn't diminish my immature thoughts from reminding me that I still didn't have a date to prom. Maybe if we got the sword and made it home in time ... "Did you ever have one of those little motorized cars? You know, with the plastic steering wheel and the battery in the trunk? The ones where you just push the pedal and go?" I surreptitiously wiped my arm across my nose again.

  "Yeah," I said, perusing my childhood memories for the details. "A red jeep, actually. I cried the day I got it because my parents didn't get me the little sister I always wanted to go with it." Caleb chuckled as I turned back to face him again, snot free. "What?" I queried back, pretending to be serious. "It was lonely riding that stupid toy around the yard by myself. My mom was too tall to fit in it and my dad's always been a little bit ... big." I pointed to my nearly flat belly (of which I was extremely proud though I never exercised, just a had good metabolism). "In the midsection. You know, fat." Caleb's chuckle had transformed into a real laugh and I grinned, pleased with myself.

  "Well," he said, laughter still clinging to his lips. "Then you do know how to drive." I raised my eyebrows and pursed my lips skeptically, the Seven Wicked briefly forgotten.

  "But what about passing people or ... or ..." I couldn't think of a good excuse. He was right. At least on an open highway like the one we were on: two lanes, few cars, big grassy shoulders in case of emergencies. It probably was as easy as driving one of those kiddie cars.

  "Don't pass anyone, just stay in the right lane. The van's automatic so, no shifting required. You seem pretty smart; I bet you could do it." I smiled at him, he smiled at me, and then my tummy rumbled like an angry bear finding a tourist in her den, petting her cubs. Caleb kept smiling while I blushed and tried to fake a yawn, just in case he was susceptible to ruses. "Don't worry, as soon as I feel it's safe, we'll stop and get something to eat. I know I kinda interrupted your breakfast." I wasn't having breakfast, I thought, unless you count the pudding cup, but I wish I had; I'm starving! "How do you feel?" he asked me, minty eyes glimmering with genuine concern. "Any cold spells?" I rubbed my hands up and down my arms for a moment, trying to catch even the tiniest hint of cold in my limbs. There was nothing. I shook my head. "Good, good, that's good. Um, I guess we should get back to the serious stuff, much as I don't want to." Me neither, I thought. Let's keep flirting like normal teens. I could tell from the steely glint in Caleb's eyes however that we weren't going to.

  "You'll feel cold," Caleb began slowly, obviously choosing his words with care. He didn't need to be so careful, though. I wasn't some stupid heroine in a horror movie. I'd already seen the bad guy. I wasn't going to deny it and get myself killed; I was convinced. "Whenever any of the Seven Wicked are around and it'll only get worse, the closer they get." He paused again, chewed his bubblegum lips for a moment. "But I can make it stop, I mean if we already know they're coming, there's no sense in you being frozen to death." He smiled, but it was tight lipped; we were back to being stressed again. I sighed. "At least, once I learn to control my ... uh, powers ..." He looked at me like he expected to make fun of him. I didn't. "And once we get the sword, I can also kill them. It's the only way they can be killed and only in order."

  "Order?" I asked, tucking one leg underneath me in an attempt to find a more comfortable position. It didn't work. Caleb ran a hand through his hair.

  "Can I tell you a story, Eevee?" he asked me. I nodded.

  "I guess I have to start this off with once upon a time?" I smiled to reassure him. "Anyway, once upon a time, there were two gods, Aphariel, God of Magic, and Laranelle, Goddess of Love." Caleb paused, looked over at me as if to make sure that I was still listening and continued. "Aphariel, like many of the other gods," Other gods? I wondered, scooting as close to the edge of my seat as the belt would allow. "Was in love with Laranelle and went to her ..." Caleb choked, covering his mouth as his cheeks went red. I waited, slack jawed, too green to get the hidden message lined around the edges. "To her, um ... and they, uh, became lovers." My turn to blush.

  "O-oh." Silence. I cleared my throat and beckoned for him to continue. This is silly. I'm nearly seventeen for God's - or Goddess's - sake. "Please, go on," I said, sounding ridiculous. Caleb smiled.

  "As the goddess of love, Laranelle was more interested in ... um ... being with many rather than being with one." I blushed again. Sorry, but really, he had just called the goddess promiscuous. What was I supposed to do? I nervous laughed. "After she left, Aphariel, believing that the two of them were soul mates, was hurt and vowed to get her back, whatever the cost. His anger was unnecessary, however. Laranelle, realizing she was in love with him, too, went to tell him so, and swear off her other ... um ... pursuits. When Aphariel found out that she'd ... um ... been with others, he went into a rage and she saw that he had wickedness inside of him and fled." Caleb stopped, turned to me, squinted.. "This sounds so lame, Eevee, but ... it's true ... at least, I think it is. Or I'm going crazy." I put out my hand and rested it o
n his shoulder. This time, it was his turn to shiver. I wanted to squeal with joy. I think he likes me! But I kept it to myself. We'd only known each other a day and besides, I was always reading about how one shouldn't appear too eager in matters of love. Guess that had been true for gods, too.

  "It's okay, Caleb, just keep talking. Trust me, I'll interrupt you if I think you're going off the deep end." He nodded, ran his hand through his yellow hair yet again.

  "Thanks Eevee, I appreciate that." He sounded genuinely grateful though I'd been joking around. It made me feel guilty. "This is all kind of hard for me to accept. I was raised Christian and though I wouldn't consider myself to be a very religious person, this whole thing just screwed up my view of the universe." I nodded, grateful I hadn't been raised with any preconceived notions about God or heaven. My parents were both agnostic and I loved the fact that they believed there was something out there but hadn't put unnecessary restrictions on me because of it. It had made for a pretty happy, carefree childhood.

  "So he threw a temper tantrum?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood, Caleb smiled and shook his head as if to clear it of bad thoughts. "What's new? The Greek gods were always pulling stuff like that anyway, join the club." He chuckled.

  "Yeah, yeah, I guess he did." Caleb gave me a lopsided grin that made me choke on my own breath. I turned away so he wouldn't see me cough. I'd embarrassed myself enough with my pig laugh. "Anyway, Aphariel decided to create ..." Caleb stuttered as if he were about to say something but decided against it. "Seven beings to chase after her, each from an item that Laranelle had held dear. The first, he made from the hoe she'd used to tend her garden; the second, from her favorite dress; the third, from a web that clung to her rose bushes; the fourth, from her pet raven's feather; the fifth and sixth he made from her favorite pair of shoes; and the seventh, from a strand of her golden hair. In each of these items, he placed some of his wickedness until he was emptied of it and there was nothing left inside of him but love.

  "It was at that moment that he realized the mistake he had made. The beings he had created were warped. They were evil. They were ..." He gave me a look that I was sure only touched the tip of the iceberg of fear that was inside of him. "They were the Seven Wicked. In order to protect his love from these beings, who he found he no longer had control over, he created a sword from his blood. This sword was called The Blade of Forgotten Truths."

  "Why that?" I asked, enraptured by his story. It was beautiful, a tale of true love and danger, just like something I'd learned in my Mythology 101 class.

  "Because," Caleb said, voice low and serious. "He had forgotten his one truth, his love for Laranelle and put her in danger. He'd made a mistake and he knew it. Laranelle on the other hand, had seen the Seven Wicked and feared for her life. So she put her body into a dreamless sleep and sent her soul to be reborn in the body of a human." My limbs went numb. Literally, I couldn't feel my fingers or my badly painted toes. Later, I would realize that it was just the magic inside of me responding to his story. At that moment, I thought I was dying, but still, I didn't speak. I couldn't; my mouth was dry, my jaw slack as I waited for his next sentence. The next sentence that would confirm to my brain what my body already seemed to know.

  "And you're," Caleb said, biting his lip again, this time until the tiniest trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. "And you're that goddess, Eevee. You're Laranelle." I swallowed several times, trying to find my voice. When I finally did speak, I was surprised Caleb could even hear me, I was so quiet.

  "And who are you?" I asked, voice trembling. He ran his hand through his hair for the millionth time that day and focused his eyes on the road.

  "I'm the Eighth."

  Chapter Four

  It took me a moment to respond, but only because I was confused, not alarmed. If Caleb was out to get me, he would've gotten me. That and I'd just learned that I was the avatar of a pretty friendly goddess. Considering I'd just had my first kiss an hour before, it was fairly shocking.

  "But you said there were only seven?" He was blushing now and it covered every square inch of his face, including his straight, smooth nose, the tips of his rounded ears, barely visible through his razored rocker do, and even his throat. "What's the matter?" I prodded, still trying to shake off the feeling of numbness by attempting to wiggle my fingers.

  "Originally, Aphariel chose eight objects, one of which was a strand of his hair. But by the time he got to it, he realized that he had run out of wickedness so he ... so he filled the eighth with everything that was good inside of him, including his love for Laranelle. He gave this being the sword and imbued him with special powers so that he could protect his beloved from the Seven Wicked and then he ... disappeared. Aphariel had used up everything inside of him until there was nothing left." Caleb's blush deepened, turned crimson instead of pink. It was adorable.

  Finally, miraculously, I was able to move my index finger, and then my thumb. I shook my hands out and cracked my knuckles. Much better. Now, if my toes and feet would come back to life ...

  "And why did these beings just ... I don't know ... wake up all of a sudden?" I asked, my eyes focused on the large beads of sweat trailing down Caleb's temple. He squeezed the steering wheel so tightly that the bones of his knuckles looked like they were about to burst out of his skin. "The necklace?" I ventured, trying to remember everything he had told me thus far. "When we were at my house, you said something about the necklace." Feeling exploded back into my limbs with such force that I yelped. Maybe I had finally said something right? Caleb turned frightened eyes to me, but I ignored him. I ripped off my seat belt and nearly flung my body into the back of the van, digging at the side pouch on my duffel bag until I found the little paper package. I pulled the heart shaped necklace out and crawled back into the front seat before holding it out towards Caleb.

  He stared at it out of the corner of his eye for a moment before speaking again.

  "That necklace is actually a key, Eevee. A key to unlock the magic inside of both you and me but one that also, unfortunately, woke up the Seven Wicked." I squeezed the cool glass in my palm and pulled my fist back against my chest. The disappointment he'd shown at the thrift store when I'd presented him with my find suddenly made a whole lot more sense.

  "I released them?" I choked out. "Because I touched a stupid necklace? Because I tried it on?" Caleb was already shaking his head.

  "It's not your fault. You were drawn to it like it was drawn to you, Eevee. Laranelle made that necklace from her tears right before she put herself into a state of sleep. Despite her fear, she really did love Aphariel and she had hoped that one day, despite the dangers, they might find each other again. That's the real purpose of the necklace. It's not an evil thing." I unclenched my fist again and stared at it, really stared at it. And then I tried to throw it out the window.

  I slammed my fist against the button on my door and pulled my arm back, ready to toss the useless bauble right out of the van and into the redwood curtain that surrounded us. A shout from Caleb stopped me.

  "Eevee, please, hear me out!" I paused, arm still poised to throw but listening. The necklace was calling to me again, promising to warm that empty place on my chest. Like a sirens call, it had lured me to the rocks. I frowned. "It's too late. The Seven Wicked are already awake; they're already looking for you and they won't stop until you're dead. Once you are, they can take your power for themselves and they'll be free. To do whatever they want. Anything. And they're evil, Eevee. They really are. You saw for yourself what the First was like. And they only get worse. The necklace can only help us now. Please, put it around your neck." I slumped back into my seat, the picture perfect sulking teen, and rolled my window back up. But I didn't put the necklace back on, not yet.

  "You and I are reincarnations of ancient gods who are destined ... to ..." to love each other. I left that part out and continued. We were both embarrassed enough without having to say anything aloud. "Who have magic powers and magic swords and we have to slay some evil monsters to save humanity. This sounds just like a video game, or a comic, or a romance novel." The last part just kind of slipped out of my mouth, and after it did, we both went silent. I was blushing yet again and I was pretty sure Caleb was, too, but we pretended not to notice. He even turned the radio on, leaving it at the first station he found, and we listened to classic oldies music for the next two hours. I didn't care, I liked old music a lot better than I liked anything new. My iPod was full of Elvis and the Beatles. Besides, it gave me time to think.