Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

DD Chapter 9 - The Fair

Chapter 9

VIVIENNE CAUGHT SIGHT of Zissa and her crew out of the corner of her eyes. There were about six or seven pretty girls with shiny hair and miniskirts in the group. Nicole was with them, and so was Sam. They were giggling and showing each other pictures on their cell phones. In the blink of an eye, they all headed into the tent that was marked the Fortune Teller.

Vivienne felt a pang of jealousy. What she wouldn't give to have a pack of friends again, or even one good friend?

Vivienne ran away from them before they could stop her. She ducked into the nearest tent, which was the Wolf Den. Inside, there was a sizeable hay-filled cage with five sleepy, bored wolves. As Vivienne studied them, she felt largely underwhelmed.

"You like wolves, eh?" a husky male voice asked from the darkness.

Vivienne struggled to see his face, but he was wearing a hood. His body was massive. His hand, which was clenched around a bar of the wolf cage, was meaty.

"Do I know you?" Vivienne asked.

The man chuckled and turned his face toward her. He had a scar over one side of his face, and his eyes shone yellow. Vivienne took a step back. She had a distinct feeling of danger emanating from him.

Vivienne backed away and ran. She didn't even see where she was going because, as soon as she reached the tent's entrance, she fell straight into a mass of pink fabric and blonde hair. Vivienne backed up and collected herself. It was Zissa and her crew. Sam had been knocked down into the mud.

"Watch where you're going!" Sam yelled. "She is really trying to kill us all."

"I'm so sorry," Vivienne apologized. She tried to pick up Sam's purse from the floor, but Zissa yanked it out of her grasp. The purse had been white leather but was now a shade of brown from being thrown into the mud. Sam looked like she was ready to murder someone.

"What's the matter, new girl? The dogs here spooked you?" Zissa asked.

"No!" Vivienne said. "There's a strange man here." She spun around to point him out, but there wasn't anyone else in the tent. Other than the wolves, she was alone here with the mean girls. Was she dreaming again?

"Maybe she asked one of the animals to the Fall Dance, and they turned her down," Sam said with a smirk on her face.

"She probably smells like a used tampon," another girl chipped in, referencing the locker room fight.

"He was standing right here!" Vivienne said as she walked back into the corner where she had met the strange man. She even placed her hand over the bar he had been holding.

"Beeotch be crazy," Sam said to a chorus of laughter.

"Let's go," Nicole said as she made her way to the front of the party. "Vivienne is new; she'll learn the ropes here."

"Not before we are all dead," Sam said, brushing the mud off her skirt. The girls turned around and left, giving Vivienne every dirty look in the universe.

Vivienne sighed, and she looked back at the spot where the strange man had been standing. As she stared into the distance, lost in her own thoughts, the hay directly in front of her started to rustle. A pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared in the darkness, and then a long, hairy snout. Vivienne barely had a chance to scream as the giant wolf, the largest one she had ever seen, leaped over the fence and into the tent beside her. It arched its back and growled at her, revealing rows of sharp, hungry teeth.

Vivienne turned and ran. She tried to run back, in the direction of the crowd, but the wolf cut her off. He snapped his jaws at her and nipped the edge of her jeans. She backed away and headed in the direction of the forest. Vivienne had a sinking feeling that a wild animal would be much more adept at tracking her through the woods than a crowd of humans. Her only option would be to climb up a tree and wait until he lost interest.

It was so dark. Vivienne could barely see anything at all. Her hands were covered with moss. Vivienne tripped over the roots of a huge oak; she fell into a pile of leaves. She heard a rustling of the leaves above her, and then a heavy beast leaped on top of her. She screamed and shoved it off.

Then, a dagger appeared in the beast's chest. Vivienne nearly choked on her own shock as the beast fell over and bled black blood all over the forest floor. Vivienne rolled over and realized in complete surprise that Zissa had been holding the dagger.

"Watch it," Zissa yelled. "You don't taunt the animals like that."

"Animal?" Vivienne muttered as she watched the beast slowly disintegrate into dust. That was no animal. Not anymore. It was a creature of the night.

Zissa walked away, weaving in and out of the trees as though she was purposely trying to lose Vivienne in the forest. Vivienne wandered for what seemed to be hours. She wished she hadn't left her cellphone at home that day.

Enough time had passed that the carnival was now largely deserted. Night had fallen. There wasn't even a single carny restocking the ball toss stand or bringing hay to the ponies in the petting tent.

It was as Vivienne made her way past the Wolf Den that she heard voices. Vivienne recognized that voice; it was Zissa's voice. Vivienne crouched behind the tent to avoid a confrontation.

Then a pair of stubby legs with sky-high black heels appeared by the entrance to the tent. Vivienne couldn't see who she was talking to.

"They are getting closer. They have found a way out of the holes nearby," Zissa spoke the grim words carefully as though she had been waiting for this outcome for a long time. "Satan's Hollow connects to the sinkhole here."

Zissa crossed her arms and stared into the distance, into the forested mountains from the direction where Vivienne had come.

Was that what they called the Black Waters collection here in Renin?

Satan's Hollow?

Vivienne didn't have any time to digest her thoughts. Backing away, she stepped on a crinkly pile of leaves. It was a sound that was loud enough to wake the dead.

Zissa whipped her head around to attention.

Vivienne didn't know what else to do. She slowly emerged from behind the tent to approach Zissa. Zissa continued to frown, not the least bit happy to see her.

"Were you spying on me, you little freak?" Zissa asked.

"No, of course not," Vivienne said with a forced laugh. "I'm just working hard on trying to find a date to the Fall Dance. Can you point me to the exit so I can get out of here?′

"Let me tell you something, little freak," Zissa said as she studied her manicure with a bored look on her face. "You don't wander around this town after dark, especially not after the sun goes down. You might get dragged off somewhere and never be heard from again. We all know what a tragedy that would be, don't we, Yomi?"

A shadow appeared from the tent. It was in the shape of a horned animal. Vivienne couldn't explain it, but she felt the malice emanating from him.

Vivienne took a step back.

Vivienne couldn't explain what happened next. Her palms felt ice-cold, probably because she was so scared. She ran over and shoved Yomi hard against his rough, muscular flank. The bull-like creatures turned its horns on her. It tried to advance on her, but Vivienne held her hands up to protect herself.

As the demon ran towards her, it suddenly backed away as though it had been burned. Vivienne saw a tiny blue flame erupt in the hay around her. Yomi didn't like it at all. Fire. The only way to kill them was fire.

Yomi turned and ran for the hills. As Vivienne looked back, she only saw Zissa's perplexed expression. The small blue flame went out. Maybe it was just her imagination.

"Are you crazy?" Zissa yelled. "Get out of here. Go away and don't come back!"