Chapter Thirty-Six
"When you said there'd be a lot of people..."
Cecil, Andrzej, and I were standing against a wall in what I would consider to be the main room. The party was in a house again but this time it was a really big one. There were tons of people, barely any walking room, and depending on who passed me I felt like my skin was about to crawl off in the corner and die. Not to mention I was getting a major headache from all the possible futures I wasn't seeing.
"They all want to meet the Future Time Particular." Andrzej took a swig of his drink. How he'd managed to make his way to the drink table was beyond me. I couldn't even see where they had the drinks set up. "And someone spiked the punch."
I glanced up at him and tried not to laugh. His face was screwed up as he glared down at his plastic red solo cup. Both boys were fixed on either side of me, keeping a look out for any indicator that Chris was here.
We weren't the only ones lounging on the fringe. On Cecil's other side, a guy was facing away from us as he chatted up a short blond chick. I had the urge to reach over, tap him on the shoulder, and tell him to give up. There was no way she was giving up the goods before she was married but I didn't want to cause a scene. So I kept all those random urges to myself.
And there were quite a few of them. There was one girl I wanted to tell to put her hair up because she'd be praying to the porcelain god and warn a boy who was going to get his nose broken.
"I'm hoping for the orgy but that's just me."
I elbowed Andrzej in the stomach and he almost spit punch all over the place. Why he was drinking it after saying it was spiked was beyond me. Maybe he wanted to get drunk. Could he get drunk?
"Any sign of him?"
"No," Cecil said coldly. He was keeping to his word, not letting me out of his sight for anything. He even had one of his arms wrapped around my waist, his fingers splayed out on my hip. I had my own hand tucked in the back left pocket of his jeans. Having him this close was the only reason I wasn't bolting and changing my mind. "And you should stop drinking."
"Believe it or not, Cyrus, but the low quality crap someone poured into the horrendously made fruit punch wouldn't get anyone drunk. It's just the kicker and you know it. The heavy shit doesn't come out until later."
"Don't start," I whispered. "He's here."
That got both of their attentions. Andrzej handed his cup off to some random person that passed by and turned his body a little to face mine.
Cecil gripped my hip a little tighter, pulling me closer in the process. It wasn't because of what Andrzej did, he was just really worried about what I said. They both were. "How do you know?" he whispered.
"I can feel it. It's like a tick or a void. I can feel the future for everyone in this house but him. His future is a big vat of nothing." I looked over at Andrzej. "Are you the reason my head feels like it's about to explode?"
He raised an eyebrow. "If you're asking if I'm neutralizing your Particular the answer is no. They have something else doing that. Quite well, actually. This is the most human I've felt in a long time. They must've hired someone really powerful because of the larger crowd."
"Really?"
"The house is neutral territory," Cecil whispered. "No one can use their Particular on the premises. That's why it always breaks out in a fight or a love fest. The tensions get so high that they have to release them somehow. It's best we leave before then whether Chris has shown his hand or not."
"I agree with wonder boy. Last thing I want is to break someone's nose."
"And what about Chris?" I whispered back. "He doesn't seem to be working within the same parameters that we are." I winced and rubbed my forehead. "Whatever vision is trying to come through is killing me."
"Can you..." Cecil gestured at Andrzej. "Smell him or something?"
"Why, yes, Cyrus. I still have my enhanced senses, thank you for asking." He rolled his eyes at Cecil and peered out amongst the crowd again. "Between the sound of the person vomiting in the third floor bathroom, the smell of sex in a bedroom on the second, and the loud music they have playing through those speakers...I'm having a hard time focusing on anything."
The headache spiked to feeling like someone was stabbing my brain with a hot poker.
"Cecil..."
"Take her outside," Andrzej said. "If you go..."
"I know," Cecil snapped. "Try to focus and find the bastard."
"Oh I'm focusing. You're getting the lust bug and so are multiple couples on the dance floor. That one in particular." He pointed at a pair deep in the throng in front of us. "Only problem is the guy over there caught the brawl bug and he's about to deck the guy on the dance floor because the girl he's dancing with is his girl."
"Focus on Chris, Andrzej. Not the freaking inclinations of lust or hate..."
And that was the end of it. The music was drowned out by the beating of my own heart. The weight of the vision had me sinking down so I was crouched on the floor with my head in my hands. My skull felt like it was literally split in half as images and scenes started flashing before my eyes. The vision went through every scenario possible of how this night would end and depending on the outcome of this evening, how the world would end. I saw the threads that were formed in order to make it happen, I found out who she was and who Chris thought I was in result of it. Some of it was still shrouded in mystery and darkness and I knew that was because Persephone had found a way to hide it all. She'd even replaced some images from my earlier visions so I wouldn't suspect that she was at fault. Too bad she didn't think to alter my instincts. I knew she was poison, something deep inside told me that.
Every line, every avenue, every choice that led up to this moment and the one coming—I saw it.
All of it. And I felt like screaming. I was screaming.
None of it was pretty.
It wasn't touching.
It wasn't love story worthy.
It was bleak and ugly and dark.
But it all connected and ended with a pretty pink bow.
A bow that was for me.
Like the bow my mother wrapped around the old oak tree in front of our house when I was born so everyone would know they'd had a baby girl...
And then it ended and I was standing, facing the wall I'd been leaning against with Cecil and Andrzej. My hand was pressed against the tan paint and a little dribble of blood rolled down my lip. My jaw was aching something fierce from how hard I'd been clenching it closed.
I blinked a couple of times and pulled my hand away from the wall. The whole house was quiet, someone had turned down the music and now they were staring at the wall as parts of my life lines roamed across the surface to form words.
When it was over, my prophecy laid bare on the wall, I felt angry. And there just wasn't one thing to be angry about. It was a bunch of things. The prophecy didn't mean anything; the words were hollow like bird's bones. None of this had anything to do with me—but at the same time, everything.
To locate your Queen, Lord of the Underworld, you must first understand
The beginning and where she comes from
She is drowning, suffocating, from misery and despair
Torn between a duty, an enslavement, that she never wanted and a freedom she's always craved.
A young goddess was lured from her post
By the promise of freedom and love
Neither knew exactly what they would start once the seed was sown and eaten
The wheel of time turns and returns, dragging reality on for eternity
To end her everlasting punishment
A deal was struck, a long planned sacrifice promised
Three Queens will disappear in the dead of night
No trace to be found of culprit or destination
One by one lines of crimson are drawn
A sacrifice of blood, future, and scorpion is required
To rid her of the ties that forever bind
It starts where it began, it will end where it began
The Queens await in the Burrow
"It's all connected," I whispered.
Cecil was standing on my left, staring at the words on the wall, but when I looked over at him, remembering and seeing...
He turned to look at me, not scared or upset, just worried. For me. And he should be. He really should.
"There's one thing I need to do first." It was the only chance I would get and I had to take it. Even if no one knew exactly what I would be doing after.
I turned on my heel, ignoring all the stares around me and headed for the stairs that curved up to the second floor landing. When I first got here, I hadn't noticed him. Picking his future out of the lot that surrounded me was basically impossible. It took me having that vision in order to focus. I'd always wondered what I would do if I ever found myself face to face with him again. I guess now I would find out.
The house was still, everyone inside were holding their breath. It was the first true vision told in at least half a century so I guess this was a typical reaction. Maybe they were in shock.
But at the top of the stairs, bracing himself against the railing, was the one person I never wanted to see again. And this time, his buddy wasn't with him. He didn't see me. To him, I was just another unrecognizable face in the crowd. But I could guarantee by the end of the night, my face would forever be etched in his teeny tiny brain.
I was halfway up when someone started the music again and he turned back to the girl he was talking to before.
She was cute. You could tell she'd taken time to plan out her outfit, do her makeup, style her hair.
Her long blonde hair.
"Tally..." Cecil warned.
He knew me well enough to know what I was about to do but he wasn't going to stop me, we both knew that. This was something I needed to do for me and he was going to let me so I could put this behind me. I got to the landing and walked over to subject of my nightmares, tapping him on the shoulder in order to get his attention.
Touching him, even for those brief seconds, made me feel dirty.
He turned to face me and I wasn't shocked when he didn't recognize me. But before I even started in on him, I turned to the girl he was talking to.
"Walk away. You won't like what happens if you stick around.
"You're..." She stared at me in disbelief. "You're the Future Time Particular." I nodded and like she was in a trance, she nodded right along with me. "Ok."
The girl scampered away and I turned my attention back to the asshole in front of me. Funny how I couldn't remember his name but he sure remembered me now thanks to my voice. For a few moments, the two of us stared at each other and I couldn't help but ask myself why I'd believed him that night. There was nothing trustworthy about him at all.
I felt Cecil step up behind me along with Andrzej, they'd finally joined the party.
"I..."
"You shouldn't talk," I whispered. "Or I'll have my friend carve up your face so that no one will ever think about following you into dark places again."
His mouth snapped closed and his eyes darted to the two boys behind me. Since he was Assarion, he had to know who Andrzej was. Everyone did. Same with Cecil, really. Our rare Particulars made sure everyone knew who we were before we'd even met them.
"Here's the deal," my voice chilly. "I'm giving you a fair warning. You touch another hair on any girl's head and I'll know about it. I may not have an active Particular like yours but trust me when I say I'll fuck up your future so fast you won't know what happened until those sponsors and agents stop calling you back. Understand?"
"Yes," he whispered.
"Good." I was going to leave it at that but something inside of me was still broken. This nameless person had caused me so much pain over the last couple of years, his face haunting my nightmares. So, acting on the instinct everyone kept telling me to trust, I hauled off and punched him square in the face. It was my first official punch and man, did it hurt. They never tell you how much it hurts until you've actually clocked someone else.
"Celibacy," I spat. "Learn to love it."
The guy clapped a hand to his nose as he stumbled back, nodding. He even had to grab the banister to keep balance so he wouldn't collapse to the floor. I winced, all my surprise centered on how much it hurt, and shook my hand out in an attempt to get the pain to stop. Even though there was pain, it actually felt pretty good to do it, to let what happened that night go.
The guy looked like he was about to say something until Andrzej stepped up next to me and growled. The sound was completely freaky coming from his human side but if it would make the bastard run away in fear then I didn't see a problem with it.
Cecil stopped my flailing by gently taking my hand in both of his. There was no expression on his face as he looked over my quickly reddening knuckles but when his eyes rose to meet mine, there was a twinkle in them that only I would understand. He was proud of me, not completely happy I'd hurt myself on purpose, and just mildly turned on by my violent act. Interesting combination but I'd take it.
"Well, I knew there would be bloodshed. I was just hoping I'd be the one to do it," Andrzej said from beside me. I glanced over at him and he was studying my knuckles. "Next time make sure your thumb is tucked over top your middle and ring finger." I glared at him. "We'll work on that later."