Page 138 of Devils' Day Party
Then I remember that today, I didn't make nice with a single one of the Knight Crew boys.
Fuck.
“Grab her,” Calix says casually, and Barron rises to his feet, several of the diaphanous-gowned, demon-mask girls swarming to do their master's bidding.
“Not tonight,” Pearl says, stepping in front of me. The girls titter in confusion as Barron stares at me over her shoulder.
I better come up with something and fast or else I may very well end up locked in the Devils’ Den—I can see the rusted key hanging around Barron's neck—or in the cabin where Calix and I first had sex.
“Barron, your notebook is filled with drawings of me,” I say, and even over the screams of the band on the makeshift stage, I know he can hear me. His dual-colored eyes narrow in suspicion. “Please don't hurt me tonight.” My voice is even, almost deadpan. That little hiccup at the end really gets me though. “I will kick you in the nuts if I have to, but I'd rather not.”
The sound of a gun going off draws my attention, and my stomach roils with nausea.
“What is that?” Pearl asks, cocking her head to one side as Calix stands up, dressed in what looks almost like a butler's uniform, but with snazzy cufflinks in the shape of crescent moons, his jacket open and his chest bare. A new outfit every single night. I can't figure what I'm supposed to make of that, especially since so much of this day runs on a script without my interference.
“Raz brought some guns to do some target practice with,” Barron says absently, and I can't decide if he's saying that to freak me out or because something about my mask or what I said about his sketchbook is throwing him off.
“Where?” I ask, fear filling me as I lift my lacy skirts and prepare to run. I have to find Raz before something bad happens.
“Near the cabins,” Barron suggests as Calix steps forward, dark eyes shining with righteous anger.
“Something you said this morning pissed him off. If I were you, I wouldn't go over there,” Calix purrs. “And don't think I've forgotten what you did to my fucking car.”
I ignore him, taking off in the direction of the cabins, past the mouth of Devils’ Den, past the train car, and into the woods. Candles flicker randomly in the darkness, naked bodies shining as revelers fuck or drink or laugh, the sounds echoing like the cries of the devilish spirits that live in the land.
When I stumble out of the trees and into the clearing, still clutching my lacy skirts and panting like crazy, I see Sonja, Raz, Luke, April, and a handful of other Knight Crew members clustered on the far side. Between the trunks of two huge trees, there's a red and white bullseye set up.
As I watch, Raz moves into the center of the clearing and lifts a handgun, firing off a single shot. The sound echoes through the woods, making my ears ring.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I demand, coming up behind him as he lowers the gun, and everyone turns to look at me.
“Hey Karma,” Luke says, looking a bit nervous in her sequin dress shirt and goblin mask as she jogs over to us. April is sitting on a stump on the left side of the clearing, still wearing her Crescent Prep uniform and the same pixie mask that Luke gave her on that very first day. She’s talking to a girl whose name I don’t know, laughing and nursing sips off a water bottle. “Where have you been all day? I've been texting you.”
Sonja saunters over to join us, smirking at me behind her red leather mask and wrapping an arm around Luke's waist as my bestie pales and her eyes widen in fear.
I don't have time for her and Sonja's secrets though, not today.
Raz turns to look at me, wearing a different mask than usual. This time, his mask looks like death—a skeleton face with a black shroud molded above the forehead.
“Hey Karma,” he says, dropping the magazine to the forest floor and loading another one. He hands the gun out to me. “Do you want a turn?”
“What is wrong with you?” I ask, wishing I could tell him about the day we spent at the cottage, how he ate chocolate ice cream with me and cuddled me naked. But we can't talk about that, now can we? “Put the gun down, Raz, and let's talk.”
“Talk?” he scoffs, dropping the gun to his side and stepping close to me. His voice gets dark and quiet, almost menacing. “About what? About your baby with Calix? I haven't told him yet, but maybe I should?” Raz lifts his head up and gestures with his chin in the direction of Calix and Barron as they step out of the trees.
