Darkly Devoted (Book 1, 2, 3)

LOMD Chapter 16 - The Outcast's Revenge

Chapter 16

ON THE evening of the trials, Vivienne sneaked out of the house without telling her parents where she was going. It wasn't hard. They were preoccupied that Janun had gone to the shore with some of her friends that weekend and their father was absolutely paranoid that she was out with that boy again.

Vivienne was pretty sure that Janun was indeed with Julian again. Her sister had packed her laciest underwear the night before, along with a pair of three-inch stiletto heels. Vivienne couldn't help but envy Janun. Her own preparations had been a little different. She put on a pair of waterproof boots, worn and stretchy jeans, and finally her father's old leather jacket. She had tied her hair back in a plain ponytail and packed herself a small linen crossbody bag of water, some crackers, and as many Segais stakes as she could fit. The last thing she did was to put Calbert's chain away in her desk drawer.

She took out the cameo necklace from her school bag and looking into her bedroom mirror, placed it around her neck. Its chain shimmered beautifully against her pale skin. The cameo was pearly white like it was newly plucked from the ocean. Looking at herself, Vivienne thought she momentarily looked like a heroine from a gothic romance novel. Once Vivienne slipped the cameo under her shirt, she looked more like a kid who had thrown together some things for a beginner hiking expedition.

Vivienne made her way to the stones leading up to Satan's Hollow alone. She kept expecting Blake to show up any minute and give her last-minute directions but all she heard was the chirping of crickets and the fluttering of the birds. Vivienne was annoyed by Blake's absence but she was soon distracted by all her friends who had all gathered to bid their families farewell, most of them just for a little while. It was Ashlar's family that was making the biggest scene. Vivienne could have guessed that he was the only one with a family left to make a fuss.

Watching Ashlar's father spewing curses at the Grand Master and stumping his feet was enough for Vivienne to see where Ashlar Raine got his hot-headed behavior from. Ashlar was completely oblivious to his father's screaming. He took off his letterman jacket and placed it around his scrawny little brother's shoulders. That was enough to trigger the poor, crying kid to take out his asthma inhaler.

"I'll be back, you know I will, sport," Ashlar promised his brother and hugged his mother. Ashlar went to hug his father but despite being red in the face from screaming, the mayor opted for a firm handshake instead. Mr. Raine caught Ashlar's arm as he turned and slipped him a pack of cigarettes. Ashlar tried to shake his head but his father shoved it in his jean pocket. "For good luck," his father said.

Zissa was standing with her own father but their farewell was cool and collected. There was only cold determination on the man's face, much like his daughter.

Jonathan was there wearing a silk bomber jacket and shiny ski sunglasses. He was doling out water bottles to rest of the jocks which had the words "Satan's Ass-bangers" printed on the label. Vivienne wondered if the sunglasses were for the purpose of concealing his hungover eyes.

Vivienne found Nicole standing at the entrance of the cave with a young boy. The kid had a fishbowl haircut and a pair of miniature crutches. His right leg was in a cast. Vivienne smiled at him and patted his head while he continued clinging onto Nicole's tartan skirt. Vivienne had guessed this must be Michael.

"I'll be out soon," Nicole promised her brother. "Vivienne will watch my back. I trained her. She's the best there is."

Vivienne had to smile at that. As the sun slipped beneath the horizon and the forest grew dark, the participants clustered around the entrance. The Grand Master was wheeled to a stairway leading down to the cave where she said some final words to the gathered teenagers.