Ruby Rising (19 page)

The room was silent as I absorbed the shock. How could we not have known that we were living with the
Devil
? How was it possible that he never showed his true self to us?

“March twentieth, we need to find out what was significant of that date, but, every year without fail he was gone on that date and the twenty seventh as well, mostly for the entire week. Ruby, you’re birthday, it was actually December twenty-fifth, Christmas day. Exactly forty weeks from March twentieth.”

“Why? Why did you change it?” I asked in a small voice.

“I needed to hide from the people that hurt me, I changed your birthday to the start of December, so that they couldn’t track me through you. But he already knew, so now I’ve changed it for no reason.”

I nodded, accepting her decision to hide me, knowing now so much more than I did a month ago, I chose not to be affected by it. I knew I was being immature getting upset by my birthday being out a couple of months when I had just found out that the man I considered to be my father for my entire life was the Devil. 

“Does that mean he was one of the ones that raped you?” I asked her. “Could he actually
be
my biological father?”

“It’s a possibility I guess, but I don’t know for sure.” My mother said softly. “I don’t remember their faces, only Allison’s.”

“So where do we go from here?” I asked as Julie came back in the room her eyes red from crying. “How are we going to take on the Devil himself and win?”

“Easy,” she said pulling out a chair. “We get God involved.”

CHAPTER 24

By lunchtime we still hadn’t come up with anything that resembled a plan of attack. When my phone rang, I stepped out the back to answer it, expecting news on Phoenix.

“I’m sorry Ruby, I couldn’t do any more for him, I had to…I did what you asked, he’s gone.” I hung without answering him and went back inside. He had endured so much in his short life, I hoped he was now at peace. I couldn’t let myself think about him yet, I would fall apart and I wasn’t sure when the pieces would be put back together, I could grieve later. I had to wonder why my
father
had bought me the dog in the first place, unless he had already planned to use him against me.

When I returned to the kitchen I noticed Scott was missing, “where’s Scott?”

“I’m not sure honey, he might be in the shower?” My mother said.

Instantly I knew he was gone, I couldn’t feel him in the house anymore I hadn’t known that I could feel him until he wasn’t there. I knew he planned on taking on Mikayla on his own, despite the fact we needed him for our plan to work.

“He’s gone,” I grabbed my shoes and put them on in a few seconds.

“Ruby, you can’t save him. He’s already been marked.” Julie tried to reason with me, but my mind was set. “He’s trying to repent for what he’s done, even if his memory is foggy.”

“He doesn’t remember so much of his life with Mikayla, how does he even know how to kill her? She won’t hesitate to kill him. She doesn’t need him anymore.”

“Ruby?” I turned to Julie’s quiet voice. “Please take this with you?”

I looked at what she held in her hand, it was a silver crucifix, a beautiful filigree pattern filled in the middle. It was obviously old and by the way she held it to her heart, to Julie, it must be important.

“It was Krystal’s, but the day she died, she hadn’t put it on.” I let her place it around my neck and tucked it into my t-shirt. “If you believe in God, He will be with you when you need Him and when you don’t. I had Father Michael bless this a few years ago, it will help.”

After she had put it on I wrapped my fingers around it, sensing it. It felt peaceful, it felt
right
sitting around my neck. I guess if I could believe in the Devil and in the abilities I possessed there was no reason I couldn’t believe more in God. I closed my eyes and prayed silently, ‘please help me.’ A simple prayer but the only one I truly needed. When I opened my eyes, I knew who had been sending me the messages and emails. That tiny moment of prayer had given me the clarity I needed. Father Michael was most definitely not what he seemed. But I kept this information to myself, not understanding what a priest would be doing stalking teenagers having sex.

My mother came over to me and enveloped me in a huge hug, I felt like I was ten years old again, safe in her arms. Nobody could touch me here, it was perfect.

“I’m coming with you.” My mother was tying up her own shoes as she spoke.

“No! I can’t lose you, Mum, I don’t have anyone else.” I put my hand on her shoulder and felt a calmness wash over her. I wondered if I was doing something to her without even realising it. It was very similar to how I had felt when I had asked the vet to show me out the back door. “You’ve been through too much pain, too much hate. You need to be here to protect Julie, to make sure Mikayla can’t get in. Sprinkle holy water in the garden, bury crosses, anything.” I turned to Julie and continued. “Get Father Michael over here and tell him to bless the house, every room, the front gate…all of it!”

“Please Ruby…please be careful. Call for us when you need and we’ll be there.” She held me by my shoulders, letting a single tear fall down her face.

“I will try. I can’t promise you I’ll be okay Mum, but I need to kill her, not just for me, but for Krystal and everyone else she’s hurt,” I paused, swallowing the lump that was stopping me from speaking further. “For Phoenix.”

She said nothing as more tears streamed down her face. She simply kissed me on my forehead and went out the back door, unable to watch me leave, but knowing that I needed to.

I took in a deep breath, readied myself and made for the front door.

“Wait, here.” Julie quickly left the room, when she returned she pressed her car keys into my hand. “It’s an auto, you know how to drive?”

“I’ve had a few lessons, Mum used to let me drive a lot in the city, not so much since we’ve been here. Not really anywhere to go.” I confessed.

“It’s faster and she won’t be expecting it. I don’t expect it to come back in one piece, but it would be nice.” The small smile she gave me made me smile back. I couldn’t believe this woman who had lost her whole life was treating me like family, like her own daughter.

“Thank you Julie,” I kissed her cheek, “for taking us in, for trusting in us and for making me feel stronger than I ever have before. Thank you.”

I turned and ran to her car, unlocked it and jumped in. Quickly reversing out of the driveway and pulling away without looking back at her.

When I pulled up at the youth group hall, there were no cars. It looked quiet and empty - except that the door was open. I took the time to ready myself, I closed my eyes and concentrated on bringing all my power, all the heat to the surface. My fingertips burned and the power inside me called for release. I managed to keep it under control. I needed to be instantly ready, I wouldn’t have time to work up to it like I normally did.

The hall was dark when I entered, my eyes were having trouble adjusting from the brightness of the midday sun to its darkness. A few steps into the hall, the door slammed behind me and the lock was clicked into place.

“Shit,” I ran my hand along the wall and flicked the switches for the lights. Nothing happened.
That would have been too easy
’ I thought to myself.

“Ruby,” I heard a voice whisper my name. “Ruby.”

Again and again my name was whispered into the darkness, until it sounded like there were a hundred people all whispering my name at once.

I concentrated on where I thought the stage should be and send a powerful ball of fire towards it. Smiling at myself, I knew I could do more than I expected. That was all four elements, water, earth, air and finally fire. I hoped I knew my body well enough to get through this.

The room lit up, I managed to see three people, all in black scurrying around in different directions. My fire ball was extinguished quickly and I knew there was someone here with water ability.

“You can’t fight us,” the voices whispered making my head swim. “You have been chosen, you do not get to decide.”

I moved to my left and turned sharply as I felt something or someone brush past my arm. I sent out a small ball of fire trying to control it to hover in the centre of the room, but in seconds it was again reduced to steam.

I had managed to make out a side door, an emergency exit that didn’t get used. I needed to get out of here, I hadn’t thought of anything past finding Mikayla and it had made me rush into making the decision to enter the hall.

My head swam with the whispering voices that seemed to be everywhere, swirling around me, making my hair move like wind. I turned when I felt gentle touches. I cried out when I felt someone grab at my shirt. I took off at a run, hoping that I was still heading towards the emergency door. I slammed into something hard and fell harshly to the floor, blood spurting from my nose. I sent another fire ball up and saw someone standing over me wearing a black hooded robe. I saw green eyes before the fire ball again turned to steam, I took the opportunity to roll to the left, finding my feet again. Crouching low I headed again towards the wall, desperate to find the door.

“Remember we can’t kill her, but we can hurt her.” The voices chanted, their tone not just terrifying but the calmness of the whisper worse than if they had screamed it.

I screamed when a hand grabbed me around the waist lifting me off the floor. I fought hard, bringing my elbow back with such force I heard a grunt and a sickening snap. Immediately I was let go and as I landed I fell to the floor and rolled, reaching in front of me I found a leg and reefed it out from its owner’s body, sending them flying onto their back. Kicking into the darkness, I felt my foot connect and hoped it was hard enough to keep them down. Searching the floor, I found what I was looking for, a tiny sliver of light under a door frame. I got up, and ran for it, just as I reached it another hooded figure stood in front of me I slammed into them at full speed hoping to knock them off their feet. Instead I was grabbed around the throat, my speed worked against me, forcing my feet into the air as my neck throat was crushed. I couldn’t breathe, not even the smallest amount, I closed my eyes and grabbed the crucifix out of my shirt and pushed it into the hand that held me.

A blood curdling scream bounced around the room and a bright white light shone from the cross like a beacon. The hand that encased my throat let go and I thudded onto the floor. Still holding the cross I managed to get to the door and push it open, falling into the bright sunshine outside. Slamming the door shut I stared at it, concentrating on it. I focused on the metal and the lock. Raising my fingers I gently held them out towards the door and felt the fire leave my fingertips. The heat from the flames melting the lock and sealing the door. I smiled at myself, grateful for my gift and ran towards the car.

Mikayla hadn’t been there, and I was slightly annoyed that she had thought that I would fall victim to her underlings so easily. I was even more annoyed at myself that I had nearly been caught.

My throat burned and I quickly looked in the mirror. Black bruises were already forming in the shape of a large hand around my throat. I was having trouble swallowing and I was still catching my breath but I needed to keep moving.

I kissed the cross around my neck quietly thanking God for being with me and drove away from the hall. As I looked back in the rear vision mirror a massive explosion rocked the car. I slammed on the brakes and the car slide sideways to a stop. Getting out of the car there were pieces of blazing wood, tin and metal raining down around me. Next to me a small piece of black robe landed singed around the edges and still smouldering. I stomped on it, looking back at the fiery remains of the hall. Mikayla had killed them for not being able to stop me, she couldn’t be that far away after all.

I decided to head out of town, keeping my head down when the fire trucks whizzed past with their sirens blazing. Two fires in one day, I wonder if that had ever happened before in Primfield. I was sure there was going to be one hell of a bonfire later that night.

CHAPTER 25

As I drove I thought about Scott. Not hating him, but also not feeling that pull to him, for him that I experienced ever since I had seen him standing at the school assembly. I regretted giving myself to him, I should have waited until the unease I felt around Mikayla had passed. It was just another thing to cross off my regret list.

I thought of Claire. I was missing her friendship now more than ever; missing having someone to confide in. Missing
us
. Despite what she had done with Jake, I wanted her back in my life, I wanted my best friend back. I made a mental note to try to call her again, if I managed to survive that is. If that failed I’d write her a letter and if I didn’t get a response from that I would just drive myself back to the city and find her.

An hour and a half later I pulled up at the camp site where Scott had taken me for the youth group camp. Before getting out I checked the clock and sighed when I realised it was already five o’clock. I had managed to get lost twice and had had to double back. When Scott had driven I hadn’t paid much attention, I was too busy enjoying being with him and anticipating our first night together.

I got out and stretched, instinctively reaching for the cross around my neck. I felt calm when I touched it. Knowing it was there was one thing, but touching it, that was something else. I knew it was special after the beacon of light had come from it when I had jammed it into the face of one of Mikayla’s minions at the youth group hall. I looked towards the main camping area and saw Scott’s car. The driver’s door was open and the engine was still running. I walked over slowly, looking in the windows to make sure there wasn’t anyone there to surprise me before I went around and turned the car off and quietly shutting the door.

I looked at the mountain I had climbed with Scott the week before, and knew that I needed to go up there again. It was the one place that Mikayla knew had scared me, partly because I couldn’t remember everything that had happened and partly because of the fear I felt when I thought about it.

Mikayla was more powerful than I was. I had little control over the new powers that were so connected to my emotions. I would need to keep my emotions in check and learn to harness the energy that they grew. There was no question of who was stronger, but I hoped I was smarter. I walked to the path that would begin my ascent to Mikayla, knowing I would be physically worn out by the time I got there.

I hoped that my father still had some humanity left in him. Surely he loved me, somewhere deep inside? I stood at the beginning of the path and dropped to my knees, bowing my head I started to pray.

I prayed that I would live through this nightmare. I prayed that my mother would be safe with Julie and that if something happened to me Julie would help her through her grief. I prayed that Krystal was happy and safe in heaven. I prayed that God would give me the strength to fight Mikayla. I prayed for the soul of my father…if he had one to save.

I prayed that I had enough belief in Him to make it through the night, alive would definitely be a bonus.

I wasn’t sure how long I knelt for, but eventually I opened my eyes and with a rush of renewed energy and focus, I stood. I pulled the dagger from my pocket rolling it in my hands to feel its strength before I took a deep breath and held it. I dragged across the palm of my hand opening up the skin and leaving a long cut. I held the crystal to the line of blood that had started to seep from the wound and watched as the dagger drew my blood into itself. The pulsing once again astounding me with its beauty and power. It was much stronger this time, taking all the blood it needed instead of the small amount that I had given it last time. I felt its heat, its life, its need, and placed it back into my pocket. The wound on my hand healed once again.

I set off at a jog, needing to make my body burn, needing to burn off the adrenalin that was coursing through my veins. My lungs burned as I climbed, my thighs starting to waver as I continued.

I could hear nothing in the forest; no birds, no animals scurrying in the undergrowth. Evil was here and nature knew it. I continued on until I felt the ground start to level out. I slowed down and caught my breath, deeply taking in lungful’s of air until I my breathing evened out.

I entered the clearing, the view of town still as beautiful as last time, especially in the dulling colours of sunset. Except for one thing, in the middle of the clearing was a cross, tied to that cross was Scott, naked and unmoving.

I wanted to run to him but I looked around instead, on the ground around the handmade cross was a circle, again with a star in it. I knew now it was a pentagram. Julie had explained it to me when we had been trying to devise some sort of plan to defeat Mikayla. Scott’s head was lolled to the side, his eyes were closed and he had blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

“Scott?” I whispered, “Can you hear me?”

When he didn’t move I took a step towards him, alert and waiting for Mikayla to show. She was here somewhere; I could feel her anger hanging in the air like a storm cloud.

“Scott?” I whispered again. This time I heard a slight groan but he still didn’t move. At least he was alive. I circled around him, looking for injuries, blood had run down his face and dried into dark lines as fresh blood still oozed from his mouth and the cuts on his head. His stomach was bruised one of his ribs was on an odd angle and was pushed so tightly against the skin it looked like it was going to burst through his chest.

There was no way to reach him without entering the circle, I took a deep breath and stepped in. It almost surprised me when Mikayla didn’t jump out from behind a tree straight away, or have my father show up suddenly. Maybe she wasn’t as predictable as I thought.

I reached for Scott’s face and had to stand on the tip of my toes to reach. I reached for his ropes around his wrists and then stopped suddenly. The ropes were loose around his wrists, not binding him or holding him in place.
What the hell?
He was hanging on the cross.no nails, no visible binds of any sort holding him in place.

“Scott?” I took a step back as he lifted his head to mine, smiling a smarmy grin that wasn’t his own. His eyes were that beautiful emerald green that haunted me and turned my stomach to knots. “Scott? No! Not again!”

“Hello Ruby,” he said. But the voice that came out of his mouth wasn’t his own; it was Mikayla’s. As I took another step back and he grabbing my wrists in strong hands to stop me from retreating any further. I watched in shock as his face began to change, morph grotesquely into a blurred mess of mottled skin. In less than five seconds it was no longer Scott holding me, but Mikayla.

“I said hello, Ruby. Have you forgotten all those well taught manners of yours?” Her smile tortured me. “After all, I was inside you, remember?”

My mind whirled, I couldn’t think straight. My breathing increased and I felt my body heat up in response. I wasn’t in control of my powers and my fingers were burning. Just when I thought I was going to lose it, Mikayla let go of me and I took even deeper breaths as my body shook with the anticipation of release.

“You have more control than I gave you credit for. No wonder
He
wants you so badly.” The slap to my face came from nowhere, it was hard and fast. My face stinging, my blood boiling with rage. I closed my eyes and reached for the cross around my neck, gaining strength and clarity in the few seconds I touched it.

“Are you Scott?” I asked. “Or are you Mikayla?”

“We are the same now, he is in me. He did manage to return for a while, after you blew up my house, because I needed to heal. I did underestimate you, but rest assured, I won’t do it again.”

“So when we had sex, it was him and not you?” I needed to know.

“It was all in your head, Ruby. The sex.” She smiled at me, “I mean I
was
there, but the sex was an illusion. It never happened." She leered at me and I thought she was going to hit me again, but something changed her mind as she continued to speak. "When you stopped for your little shower show I forced Scott into me. You’re still a virgin, Ruby, pure as Snow White. When I worked out that he wasn’t going to do what I asked, what had been ordered, I didn’t give him the satisfaction of being with you. I knew he had fallen for you and I that it would punish him much more to have to watch it, to see what he wasn’t ever going to have. He did love you, in some weird way that I just don’t get. I could have let him fuck you I suppose, but I knew it would kill him more having to watch it in my, sorry
our
, head.”

“But I felt it…it was real!” A tear fell free down my face, I roughly brushed it aside, knowing that I was giving her the reaction that she wanted.

Mikayla laughed and leaned into my face and her lips crashed onto mine, kissing me with such brutality I knew my lips would bruise. I didn’t move, I didn’t even flinch when she ran her tongue over my bottom lip before biting down on it.

“You make me sick.” I said as she pulled away and I wiped the blood she had drawn from my lip away.

“Oh, but Ruby, I know what you like, remember, I’ve been in your head.” She walked slowly around me, and for the first time I noticed a small group of people had formed a circle around us. They all wore black robes, their hoods low on their faces obscuring their identities.

“You’re all cowards!” I shouted at them. “Show me who you are so I know which one of you to kill first!”

“Oh Ruby,” Mikayla laughed from behind me. When she kicked the back of my knees I fell to the ground without a sound. “You think you can take on the Devil himself and actually win? How do you think you’re going to do that? With your pitiful magic? You haven’t learnt enough to kill me, or even put a dent in me.”

“I put a dent in you at your house didn’t I?” I heard her fist coming and rolled before she made contact, flipping myself onto my back I kicked her with both my feet with every bit of strength I had. Before she could recover I drew the dagger from my pocket and landed on her, pinning her legs with my weight and my own legs as I sat across her hips. I held her around the throat and lifted the dagger above her heart.

Surprise filled her black eyes, but she still had a small smile on her face, just the corners of her mouth twisting up. “I dare you.”

I started to bring the dagger down and for a split second I saw fear in her eyes, she didn’t think I had it in me. I was forced backward, no one held me, and nobody had pushed me. I was forced backwards by something unseen. I landed at the foot of one of the hooded people. Looking up, I couldn’t make out their features, just the glint of green in their eyes. I scooted backwards needing to put some space between everyone else and me. In that moment I knew what it felt like to be truly alone.

I took a deep breath and faced Mikayla again, my body pulsed with energy and this time I didn’t hold back. I let the anger and fear and every ounce of hate I had build up inside me and I aimed it all at Mikayla. When I felt it go out from me it sounded like I had released a nuclear bomb, deafening and silent at the same time. As it radiated towards her, I watched her smile again and she lifted her hands, as the wave hit in front of her and went around her. The only acknowledgment that I had hit her was her hair gently swayed, like I had simply blown air at her. She’d blocked it, although someone behind her hadn’t been so lucky. One of the hooded people had been blown into the trees with such force they’d been impaled on a thick branch halfway up a large tree. When the hood slipped off blonde hair cascaded down her face as blood pooled below her feet. I recognised her from my psychology class and from the camp. I watched as blood rose from her mouth as she gargled indecipherable words. She implored Mikayla for help with her eyes. Mikayla stood watching never moving to help her dying friend. In less than a minute, her body went limp. As her blood stopped flowing and I knew she was dead.

“How can you be both of you?” I yelled at Mikayla. “How can you be two people at once, two people in the same place at the same time? Camping? The lake? My house? How can you be you and him at the same time?”

Her mouth curled up at the edges again. I wanted to rip her face off, I wanted to wipe the smug little grin right off her face, forever. “I wasn’t at first, when he did what he was told. Scott was very helpful, he did everything he was told. Everything Ruby. Until you, then he started to question me and what I was asking him to do. What I wanted from you. I knew then that I was losing my hold on him. Once he went to you at Julie’s” she spat the name. “I knew that he was gone. The only way to keep him was to kill him. His body is over the side if you wanted to know. But I was always in his head, always part of him, you were never alone.” She pointed over her shoulder at the rocks that defined the edge. It was a long drop, littered with rocks and trees. I shuddered as I thought of what he went through before he died. “I’m surprised at you being so stupid; after all, I can’t conceive on my own Ruby, even I’m not that talented.”

“You’re sick, you know that don’t you? You don’t deserve a child.” I braced myself as she ran at me, knowing what was coming, I saw her ball her fist and raise it back. I flinched and looked down, waiting for it to come but it never did. After a few seconds I looked at her, he arm was still in the flowing motion of a punch, but between me and her was what I could only describe as a shield. I could feel it radiating off me, I could feel her pushing against it. When she knew she couldn’t get through it she lowered her arm and took a step backwards.