Chapter 2: All Hallow’s Eve on Bentley Hill

Butterflies were not the right word for what was in his stomach. How he had let her convince him to wear this, he wasn’t quiet sure. One moment they had been going through the aisles at iParty, the next she was adamant he had to wear his kilt.

Looking in the mirror, he looked like he belongs in Braveheart. The kilt fit well and looked right. It should, it was made for him. The heavy wool was sewn and colored with excellent craftsmanship and fell below his knees. It was the traditionally red, green and blue of his clan. The heavy woolen stockings were a little itchy and shoes a bit tight from lack of use. To add the dramatic flare for Ambrielle, he put on his brat, instead of the vest he preferred. The last thing he did was grab his show sword and shield.

Ambrielle had impressed how much she wanted to win, but she refused to show him her costume.

He walked down stairs. “What time will you be back,” his father asked from the dining room. Jay peaked his head in.

“Late.” He was hoping this would be one of those nights without curfew that his parents had started recently.

His father looked up from the papers he had laid out on the table. His eye brow raised. “I thought you didn’t like going out in public like that?”

Jay’s face felt hot. “Ambrielle insisted.”

Understanding flooded his father face. With a smirk, he said, “Well, as long as you have a good reason. That is your show sword, right?”

Jay nodded. He wouldn’t take a sharpened weapon out like that. The show sword could be made easily into a real weapon, but all its edges were intentionally blunted and rounded, to prevent injury.

“Ok, your sister and mother are at your grandmother’s for the night. Don’t be out too late.”

“Sure, thanks dad.”

He started to walk away, over his shoulder he heard, “Oh, and Jay, your mother wanted you to invite Elle over for supper next weekend. It’s been too long since she was over.”

His face felt like it was on fire. He turned to look at his father, his voice dripping in sarcasm, “And the fact that I went out on a date with her last night has nothing to with it?”

His father smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “None at all.” The voice was too innocent.

“Yeah, sure.”

It was a short ride, only a street down, to get to Elle’s house. He struggled with the idea of whether he should take the sword with him or not. Ambrielle probably wanted to take pictures. He knew her mother would. Mrs. Lietner had always been trigger happy with a camera. She took more than a dozen last night before they could leave.

As he stepped out of the car, he grabbed his strap and belted it over his shoulder. Though untraditional, he found he preferred an older Scottish broadsword with a large cross arm, compared to the traditional hilt claymore of later Scotland. He strapped his shield onto its strap and threw that over his shoulder too.

The house was decorated for Halloween. Candy wrappers and half chewed candy littered the walk from the tricker-or-treaters the night before. Tonight was Halloween.

Jay took a deep breath before knocking. It was more to steady himself for the coming assault he was expecting from Mrs. Leitner. What he received was a larger shock.

“I got it,” someone yelled from inside. There was a scuffling behind the door and a muffled “Ow.” Ambrielle opened the door. Her hair was in braided loops, and she was wearing a long blue pea coat that came almost to her knees. He could only see white stockings below the coat. The stockings highlighted her well shaped legs. She looked him up and down and mouthed a small, “Wow.”

It was not the reaction he had expected. She was looking at him in a way that made him feel dazed. “Yeah?”

“I want to see,” a girl was saying from behind her. Ambrielle didn’t move, so her sister forcibly pushed her aside. She was laughing a little until she saw him and then she seemed to change. Her sister took on the same starry eyed look as Ambrielle. “Wow,” was all she said too.

Ambrielle recovered enough to push her sister, “Get back in Jeni.”

Jeni didn’t move. “No. You can’t boss me around.”

Ambrielle gave her a look. “You wanna bet. Go play your game.”

Jeni gave her a reproachful look. At 12, Jeni was independent and tried to force her will as much as possible. She also looked like her older sister. The same colored eyes, hair and skin. Jeni was striking, just five years too young. “I don’t wanna stay with Bryce all night. Can I come with you?” She looked at Jay again and got the same look of incredibility her sister wore.

Jay couldn’t understand their looks.

“No,” Ambrielle said in an angry tone only sibling would know. “Go tell Bryce I’m leaving.”

“You tell him, I’ll stay with Jay for a few minutes.”

Ambrielle rolled her eyes. “Good night Jeni,” she said in an annoyed tone.

“But...”

Ambrielle pushed her inside, grabbed something off a table next to the door and closed the door behind her. “Let’s go before she comes out,” she said to Jay.

“You look wonderful,” he said to her in a slightly starry voice. For the first time Jay can remember, she blushed. It was cute.

Ambrielle leaned into him and kissed him. It was their first kiss. He was too stunned to react. His lips were hot where they met hers. “Thanks, but you haven’t seen my costume yet.”

It was Jay’s turn to blush now. “Oh, well, you do.”

“You’re rather dashing yourself.” She gave him a small smile. “I am a little impressed though.”

“Why?”

“You pull that kilt off very well.” He turned an even darker shade of red. “Here, hold this.” She put the thing in his hands. She looked over his shoulder and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.” She stuck her tongue out. He could see Jeni doing the same thing as he was led off the porch.

He walked her over to his car and held the door open for her. When looked down at his hands after closing the door, he realized he was holding a large set of feathery wings.  He made sure that her wings were placed on top of his heavy shield and sword, so they wouldn’t get damaged.

They were almost the last ones there. Matt’s driveway was full of a dozen cars and around twenty people were in the large sun room. It was their whole gang, plus a few extra.

Jane was dressed as an elf, with a short skirt and fake bow over her shoulder. She came over and then disappeared with Elle. Jay entered into the crowed. George was a wizard, Madeline a sexy looking priestess. Ben looked like an evil troll. Two people he didn’t know were dressed as zombies. There was a knight, a queen, a tramp, a fearie. Dan and Matt looked like orcs from Lord of the Rings. Hank looked dead, with white face paint and fake blood on his neck.

Everyone was commenting on Jay’s costume and more than a few asked to see the shield and sword. They were being passed around between Matt, Hank and Dan when Elle and Jane came back in.

“Whoa, how did you get so lucky,” Dan said as he looked pass the sword in his hand. It drooped down.

Jay turned to look in the same direction and immediately understood what Dan was talking about.

Ambrielle was coming towards him. A lot of the other heads in the room were watching her come. She was dressed in a white blouse that was a little too tight and opened just above her chest, a white pleat skirt that came half way up her thigh, white stockings and large feathery wings. Jay stopped breathing. She had glitter over her eyes and cheeks that highlighted the sparkling silver barrettes in her braided hair. Her eyes sparkled more than the glitter around them.

Elle had a huge smile on her face as she came next to him and took his hand. “You like?”

“Yeah.”

“Elle, why are going out with this louse, when you could be going out with me,” Dan said to her. For the first time, Jay felt like taking his sword and ramming it through Dan. He had never really liked Dan because he thought he was a rat and womanizer, but that was too much.

Ambrielle looked at him with a not to pleasant smile. “Unlike you, Dan,” her voice was icy and dangerous, “he knows how to treat a lady the right way.” She reached over and took the sword out of his hands and placed it in Jay’s.

Dan didn’t seem too concerned. “Oh, come on, just once, I can be nice.” He puckered his lips.

Jay gripped the sword. It was only his practice sword, but he could break bones with it. Matt spoke up this time. “Dan, you really are an a*****e. Leave her alone.” Dan looked at his best friend with a look of incredibility. He went to say more, but Matt said over him, “Drop it, or leave.”

Dan’s demeanor changed to one of anger. He didn’t say anything else, but he looked daggers at Matt, then Jay, then Ambrielle. Dan stormed out of the door.

“Sorry, about that,” Matt said to them. Jay was still gripping his sword. Ambrielle gently pushed his sward hand down.

“It’s not your fault he’s a dick,” she said to Matt.

“You ok, man?” Hank said looking at Jay.

He shook his head. “Yeah, fine.”

Hank handed the shield back to him. Jokingly he said, “You better put this away. Wouldn’t want you to go after anyone.”

The rest of the evening was fun. Dan didn’t come back. Ambrielle barely left Jay’s side and they were unanimously voted best costumes.

At around ten, the first group of people left. By eleven, a little over half a dozen remained.

“Matt,” Jane said as they sat around watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“Yeah,” he said as he watched a scantily clad Janet run up the stairs, being chased by a cross-dressed mad man.

“Did I hear you tell someone there is an old witch house in your woods?”

Ambrielle had her head on Jay’s lap and turned towards Jane. “Witch house?” her interest was peaked.

“Oh, yeah, the old Bently place. Its just a pile of rocks now.”

Jane looked really excited. “Can we walk there?”

“Sure, its only a ten minute walk or so.”

Elle spoke this time, “Let’s go.”

“Anyone have a Ouiji board?” Ben asked.

“I do. In my backpack by the door,” Madeline said to him.

George chimed in this time. “Oh, cool. I’m first.” He was a slightly heavy set African-American boy with short black hair, brown eyes and a broad smile.

Jay didn’t like the idea. Something made him uneasy. “Why don’t we finish the movie?”

Elle looked at him, “Oh, come on, it’ll be fun.” His face must have shown he didn’t really want to.

“Come on, Jay, you can go first,” Madeline said to him.

“Hey, I was gonna go first,” George said.

Elle leaned over and gently nibbled on his ear. He felt blood rush through his veins. “Come on, it’ll be dark,” she whispered into his ear.

“Ok,” he squeaked. Everyone laughed and teased him as they got some flashlights and blankets together. Elle insisted on them using a blanket, she didn’t want to take her wings off.

The seven of them tramped off into the woods to find the old Bentley place. It wasn’t hard to find. An old access road lay a few hundred feet in the woods from Matt’s yard. Once they found it, they followed it. The moon was out and shining brightly through the woods. It filtered down through the mostly bare trees and gave everything an eerie blue glow where the flashlights didn’t touch.

It took them a short time to come to a large clearing. There was a small hill in it. The road ran up to the top of the hill were there was a small grove of oaks and in the middle an old stone house that was more rubble than anything else. They set up in a small dell on the back of the house, next to the only wall that was still whole.

“Now, everyone must concentrate,” Mady was saying in a mystical voice. “The spirits only come to those who are receptive to them.”

Jay was sitting on a small pile of rubble a little out of the circle of the others. Ambrielle was sitting with him, his arms wrapped around her, eager to join the others. “Come on Jay,” she said in a slightly whiny voice.

“Go ahead. I’m staying here,” he said. He didn’t want to let her go, but something deep inside him was telling him to stay away. She cuddled into him more.

“Fine,” she said in a slightly huffy voice, but she didn’t leave him.

“Is anyone out there?” Mady was asking the board.

The little pointer jerked to YES. Everyone let go. Mady gave out a small scream. Jane fell backwards. George almost jumped out of his seat. Matt just stared at the board. Ben was the only one with his hands almost on the pointer.

“Did you move it?”

“No.”

“Don’t look at me.”

Everyone was talking at once and they became more excited as they did so.

“That was cool.”

“Let’s do it again.”

It took several minutes for everyone to calm down. The pit in Jay’s stomach was growing harder. Elle grabbed his arms and pressed his arms into her.

“What is your name,” Mady asked the board.

The pointer jerked to N. It wasn’t a slow movement, but it was precise. Each time it took off like a rocket and stopped exactly dead center of each letter. I �" K �" O �" R �" I. Then it stopped.

“Nikori?”

The pointer again jerked to YES.

A few people looked toward Matt. “I don’t know a Nikori. My mother used to tell me about a Mr. Bentley that died when she was a girl.”

The ruins looked like they were much older than thirty or forty years old.

“Who are you Nikori,” Mady asked.

Again, the pointer took off like a rocket. S-L-A-V-E.

 “A slave.”

YES

“Oh, cool. I wonder how she died?” George said out loud. The pointer began to move again.

N-O-T-SPACE-D-E-A-D.

“What do you mean, Not Dead?” Ben said.

N-O-T-SPACE-D-E-A-D-PERIOD-B-U-R-I-E-D-PERIOD

The hairs on the back of Jay’s neck stood on end and Matt said, “Buried? What? Who’s doing this?” He looked at the startled faces of the other four around the ouiji board.

“Jacobus,” Ambrielle said. “I think we should walk back,” she said to him. In all the long years he had known her, he could never remember her using his full name.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”

NO. The pointer moved on its own.

J-O-I-N-SPACE-M-E

Everyone was looking a little scared. Matt said, “Yeah, Jay, I’m coming too.”

The board pointer started to move so fast, Jay couldn’t follow what it was saying. Everyone backed away. There was a crash from the other side of the wall. Jane screamed and took off into the night. “JANE, WAIT,” Ben called, chasing after her.

“What the hell is going on,” George said in a frightened voice.

The light of the moon seemed to be bending around the clearing. Jay stood up and tried to shield Ambrielle from the board. She screamed as a light flashed around the edge of the clearing. There was no noise from it.

There was a sickening crunch and sucking sound. Matt started screaming and grabbed his face. There was a roar more like a lion from the direction Ben and Jane had run into the night, followed by a shriek. Ambrielle began writhing in his arms and cried in pain.

A wind was picking up and it seemed to swish the light around like fog.

“STOP IT,” George screamed.

“Ambrielle!” She fell to the ground, grabbing at her back.

A guttural, unmanly growl came from behind him.

The light was so bright, he could barely see. Ambrielle seemed almost translucent.

Screams and howls of pain rent the night.

The light grew to a new intensity, there was a sudden crack, like thunder, and then the light went out and all sound went with it.

Author's Note

As the chapter goes on and climaxes, I want it to be eerie and spooky. I like it, but am not sure if that is caught in the tone.

version 2

Reviews

[MuSe Ampoule]

Good...was thinking how slow the first 4/5 of this was going...but the last 1/5 is great. Keep it going.