Gifts and Curses
Chapter Five: City Noise
Another crowded dance floor
Another empty glass
Another failed hello
It's your alibi
Another splendid lie
It's the bruises that you can't show
It's another lonely sunset
Another starless sky
The nervousness inside
It's the final kiss from a lover's fist
It's the reason that you can't cry
It's a violent reaction
The mixtape in your heart
The answer you should know
How we complicate, a simple mistake
It's the face you make when I go
And we tried to change
The city noise made us strange
So we plugged our ears and learned to fight
We set the stage but we could not engage so we cut all ties by candlelight
Another deep depression
The calm before the storm
The shaking in your head
How you sacrificed – how you paid the price
All the words you wish you had said
It's the rawest of emotions
Drinking to forget – names written in the snow
It's the anxious feel – purging your last meal
It's the secret that you can't know
And we tried to change
The city noise made us strange
So we plugged our ears and learned to fight
We set the stage but we could not engage so we cut all ties by candlelight
-Scarling
She knew that Reid would go meet up with his brothers. That he would tell them everything. Almost everything.
More people would show up through the night, and there was a decent number of students gathered around the table the DJs set up, and there were metal tins and cans full of flame already.
Marny sent a text to Madelyn, telling her to meet her at the tree painted with an 'X' - a popular spot for people who lost their rides, or were meeting someone else.
"Feeling better?" Madelyn asked when she walked up to the tree five minuets later. Her head was tilted to one side, a half smile played on her lips. Her long straight hair was different, no longer was it bleached blonde sporting black underneath, but was a warm shade of blonde with deep dark red highlights, still different in an almost natural way. Her hair was half up in a supposed to look mused sort of way, the halter-top she had been speaking of almost matched the new highlights in her hair; she had matched it with black skinny jeans and silver accessories- a thick silver belt, metallic silver converse, silver earrings and bracelets. Her makeup was all almost natural, her nose ring a small silver hoop. Marny mentally admitted the outfit was quite awesome, apart from probably being incredibly cold.
"Feeling different." Marny aloud, narrowing her eyes at her friend. "Decided to send Garwin to my place to check on me?"
"Did it make you feel better?" Her friend joked, pleased. They made their way closer to the warmth of fires and crowded dancing bodies. Madelyn didn't even look cold. "Is he here then?"
"Ran off." Marny mused. "Can I stay with you tonight?" Madelyn looked at her for a moment, worried, before nodding, "of course."
"I thought you were bringing a sweater?" Marny pointed out, only half joking.
"Opps." Madelyn chuckled, snapped her fingers, "Forgot, mom."
It was hard to tell if the music they were playing had lyrics, even at the closer distance. She was always slightly shocked at the turn out the parties got, as they were always busted. She supposed it was the adrenaline that came from fleeing from the police.
"Here come the school royalty." Madelyn joked pointing up at the approaching Sons of Ipswich. They always came from the same direction at this hangout, always made an entrance. Marny looked in the direction they were walking, Kate and Sarah stood at another fire speaking to a girl Marny had seen around but had never really talked to, they said their goodbyes once the boys reached them. Reid looked up and held Marny's gaze, she turned away first, the sick feeling in her stomach returning. "What a passionate look there, Miranda." Madelyn watched her friend with a grin on her face. "I think everyone at the party felt the heat out of that one. So are you guys still not-even-friends?"
"Haha." Marny answered dryly.
"Come on. You can go chat up your new friends and introduce me to Tyler. He's cute." Madelyn weaved her fingers with Marny's and pulled her forward towards the group of six.
"Lets not." Marny put up some resistance. "I think I see Kira, let's go talk to her instead." Madelyn sent her a narrowed eyed stare over her shoulder, her pace not pausing. When they reached the group there was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to affect everyone but Madelyn, who was either extremely good at ignoring such things or was extremely bad at noticing them. Marny carefully avoided eye contact; Madelyn stepped on her toe as subtly as it's possible to step on ones toe in a reasonably large group of people.
"This is my friend, Madelyn." Marny lifted her chin defiantly; getting the silent message her friend had sent her, 'suck it up'. "Reid Garwin, Tyler Simms, Pouge Parry, Caleb Danvers, Sarah Wenham, and Kate Tunney." Marny pointed to each person respectively.
"Good to meet you." Madelyn said pleasantly. "Do you ever notice the way that whenever you throw up, you can always see diced carrots? Now, I have never eaten diced carrots in my life. There must be some organization of perverts going around, following drunk people." Marny closed her eyes at the icebreaker, and attempted to stifle her laughter. The group in front of her laughed all for Caleb. Reid turned his face away to hide it, Sarah stifled it much like Marny, Kate giggled, Pouge's laughter would have been infectious in another circumstance. "Wanna dance?" Madelyn broke the series of silence with the cheery question directed at Tyler. He looked torn and confused for a moment before answering, 'sure', and walking away with her.
Marny was slightly shocked, not that Madelyn had left her in a pack of wolves to dance with a boy- Madelyn didn't know what was going on- but that she had asked the youngest and shyest of the four sons to dance and he had accepted. Though, perhaps because no one was worried about Madelyn taking over and killing the Covenant, he wouldn't have felt like he was betraying anyone.
Sarah looked more apprehensive of Marny than ever, not quite glaring but not her usual welcoming self as she starred. Kate looked confused as to why the group seemed to dislike Marny, but she didn't question it. Caleb's hand squeezed around Sarah's softly and she sent him a quite but heartfelt smile in return before turning to Kate, who Pouge had wrapped a protective arm around.
"I'm going to go get a drink." Sarah started off, grabbing Kate's hand as she went and pulling her along. Marny watched with narrowed eyes, she was trapped. Damn.
"Go Tyler." Reid said with a smirk once Kate and Sarah were out of earshot. "Thought she was a lesbian?" He directed at Marny with an arched brow and his half-smile. Marny rolled her eyes.
"I assume this is going to be an interrogation?" Marny turned her attention to Caleb; he was standing slightly in front of Reid and Pouge- his classic subtle leadership move.
"You didn't tell us you were in communication with your grandfather." Caleb stated, going straight to the point. Marny resisted rolling her eyes.
"I wasn't aware I had to inform you of my family meetings." Marny said easily, her hands fisted in her pockets.
"To expel that much power-" Caleb's husky voice cut off at Marny's interruption.
"Is my business, and his, Caleb." Marny's chin lifted. Reid laughed, ignoring the glare that Caleb sent him he just grinned and leaned back on his heels.
"You can't accuse her of being evil just because she and her grandfather like to make waves, Caleb." Pouge spoke up, reasonably.
"What about that act she put on at Halloween," Caleb turned back to Marny, the grin disappeared off Reid's face. "When she apparently knew who we were before then? How long?" He asked her.
"Since my freshman year." She admitted, but then she had a logical excuse for that as well, "I can see into minds, remember?" She spoke coolly. "I didn't tell any of you about me because I knew you wouldn't accept it."
"I'd say she just verbally kicked your ass, Caleb." Reid added. Marny noticed he had added a beanie to his wardrobe; it was pulled down to just below his brows.
"All the shy people are doomed! Natural selection favours the loud and aggressive." Marny recognized Madelyn's voice and turned to watch her approach. Madelyn was speaking to Tyler, who didn't look uncomfortable any longer, they both looked quite happy- and if either of them looked shy, it was Madelyn- who after speaking tilted her head down to hide a soft smile. Marny looked down at their hands, fingers entwined.
"Damn." Reid said aloud.
"I'd second that." Pouge added.
Kate and Sarah were also making their way back, a plastic cup in each hand. Upon reaching the group they passed a cup to Pouge and Caleb respectively- Sarah wrapped her free hand around Caleb's.
"Weren't you the fortune teller at the Halloween party?" Kate spoke to Marny, stepping forward out of the arm Pouge had wrapped around her waist.
"That she was." Madelyn answered pleasantly, pleased to see the possibly ensuing awkward silence dissipate. "She did an awesome job while she was there didn't she?"
"My fortune didn't come true." Kate admitted, smiling at Madelyn's enthusiasm.
"Didn't it?" Marny asked her, looking towards Pouge with a smile.
"What fortune?" Pouge asked stepping forward, his eyes were on Marny. She wasn't offended, she knew what Chase had done to Kate, how he had used her to get to the Covenant. Kate looked to Pouge annoyed.
"It was just a fortune. I got lost finding the restroom and ran into the 'gypsy.' She said I was going to go through some changes- that someone I loved was going to tell me something important."
"I never put a time length on when it would happen." Marny pointed out helpfully. Madelyn laughed.
"She's always very vague like that, don't take it personally. You'd almost think she was hiding something, wouldn't you?" Madelyn bumped her shoulder into her friend's playfully. Reid laughed.
Pouge crushed his cup in his hand and took Kate's in his free one, pulling gently. Kate resisted at first, teasing, but moved with him when she looked at his face. Pouge looked to his brothers, a secret language that only friends that know each other so well understand, and spoke in her ear.
"I can't believe he's going to tell her at a rave." Sarah said aloud.
"Who? What?" Madelyn looked around the remaining group, feeling as if she were suddenly the odd one out.
"I can." Caleb turned his eyes to Marny, her lips twitched up on one side proving her innocent look a mask.
"Maybe we should be there for her?" Sarah asked, looking in the direction the couple had gone. "You know, since I know too?" Caleb nodded his head and walked with Sarah.
"You can stay here baby brother." Caleb spoke to Tyler over his shoulder. Tyler shrugged and turned to Madelyn.
"Wanna go get a drink?" She questioned half-heartedly watching the dispersing group, and the look Reid was giving her best friend. Tyler, being quite bright, had also caught the look his best friend was giving Marny and didn't mind being far away with Madelyn at the moment.
Marny waited until her friends were a good distance away, pleased when Tyler leaned over to whisper in her friend's ear, happy for her friend when Madelyn tilted her head back and laughed. Then she looked to Reid.
"You lied." His arms were crossed over his chest, the shadow of his hat hiding his eyes.
"About what?" Marny answered coolly. He stood a good three feet away from her and she was resolved to keep him that distance, but she wouldn't run away either.
"Your voice goes quiet when you're hiding something." Reid pointed out. He didn't move closer, she averted her eyes. "Didn't know that you have a tell?" He gave a half smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"No one's ever noticed it before." Marny admitted her eyes still not focused on his face. Part of her soared knowing that he had noticed, the other part of her was cursing. The music was so loud.
"How long have you known about us?" Reid questioned, his tone no longer relaxed- he stepped forward now, it seemed in just one movement he had covered the space that separated them, and his fingers were wrapped around her wrist.
"My whole life." She admitted. "The library at the Golden Dawn is quite stocked."
"I thought you told us your father was banned from the Golden Dawn."
"He was. He was very into the history of the power. He researched it; in the library and out of it- he traveled quite a bit trying to find more Covenants. He knew about all of you, about your forefathers.
"They know everything about you in the Golden Dawn," Marny warned halfheartedly.
"They know that in 1773 Peleg Parry caused a British war fleet to run aground in Boston Harbor. How your stupid ancestor Orville Garwin felled an entire herd of Buffalo with a single revolver, or Bernard Garwin winning $12 million in Las Vegas in 1960.
"How in 1942 your Covenant joined Aleister Croley's Order of the Golden Dawn, to form a secret regiment to combat various supernatural Nazi threats. They've been watching your Covenant and all the others, keeping records. My father didn't agree." Marny used, her eyes turning white, to pull her arm away. "And now they're watching me."
The music has stopped; sometime during her rant the music had stopped and now there was screaming. Marny's eyebrows furrowed as she focused behind Reid at the party and bonfires.
The first thing she noticed were the cars, the one that stood out was speeding towards Madelyn who stood but six feet away from Reid's back and was facing Marny with an incredulous look on her face.
Then everything was moving to fast.
She pushed past Reid, using her powers to enter the car-driver's mind at the same moment that she saw Tyler step in front of Madelyn and shield her- his eyes flamed and became pitch black one arm in front of him as Madelyn turned in his arms to see the oncoming horror.
Marny had the driver slam on his breaks, she turned the wheel as far as it would go hoping that the car would spin out and stop before rolling over her friend, hoping that Tyler was strong enough to stop it if she couldn't.
The car turned sharply spitting up dirt and rocks but continued to spin towards her best friend and a boy she had come to care about. Within four feet of the couple the car hit an invisible wall- the driver's eyes wide and fearful as the car came close to hitting the two teenagers, then the car rebounded off the source of power and rammed into a tree.
Marny's eyes cleared as she rushed towards Madelyn and Tyler, Reid close behind her.
Madelyn's eyes were wide, she was leaning on Tyler- her hand clutched tightly to his arm he had wrapped around her to shield her.
"I didn't know I was that powerful." Tyler said thoughtfully as Reid entered his vision.
"Jesus, Tyler." Reid rolled his eyes, "After all we've done you didn't think you could stop a car?"
"He was going fast enough that the pressure would still have affected Tyler, rebounded." Marny glared at Reid. "Didn't you take Physics?" Reid just looked at her.
"Why would I choose to take Physics?" He questioned.
"Nevermind. What the hell is going on? Why was he going so fast?" Marny put her hand on Madelyn's forehead.
"Ohmygod." Madelyn finally spoke. "That was…weird in a fucking awesome way." She looked at Marny, her head tilted and eyes narrowed- mouth opened to say something before she seemed to remember something important, her eyes going wide again. "The spiders! We've got to get out of here; I've never seen so many of them."
"Black spiders swarmed out of the fire, a couple of people got bitten." Tyler spoke up. "We've got to find Caleb, there were a lot of them."
Marny saw now.
A swarm of black that was coming from inside the largest of the bonfires. As if the spiders were smoke falling to the earth, they were fanning out, turning the ground black in their numbers. She saw students screaming, helping the bitten to cars. She shivered and stepped back when she noticed at least two people lying in the grass, at least one person attempting to brush at the spiders pulsing around them, surrounded.
She had brought this.
A growl distracted her, Cian stood now ten feet in front of them facing the swarms of spiders, back slightly arched and hair standing on end, his jowls pulled back in a snarl.
"What the hell is that? Is that a wolf for god's sake?" Madelyn's eyes popped wide again as she also caught sight of Cian.
"That's Taylor's dog." Reid replied. "How convenient," He remarked to Marny.
"You've some explaining to do." Madelyn warned Marny, her voice mocking Ricardo's from I Love Lucy. The four of them ran down the path the other two couples had gone, away from the spiders and towards the cars, Cian following the group, before almost stopping when they heard the yelling.
"You didn't tell me? Even after that freak put me in the hospital?" Kate was yelling at Pouge.
"By freak I hope you mean murderer." Sarah pointed out calmly, her hand on her friends elbow. Kate pushed it away.
"You didn't tell me either!" Kate accused, she looked over and saw Marny. "Does everyone know but me?" She questioned loudly turning to Pouge.
"Which of the crazy things happening here are you screaming about?" Madelyn called out, leaning away from Tyler. She looked around at the group as if they were all mad- "Come on- all the awkward silences despite the massive sexual tension, fucking millions of spiders come out of the fucking fires, Marny has a wolf (which shows up out of nowhere right along with the fucking spiders), something seriously weird is going on with Marny and Tyler's eyes, and I almost get hit by a car but miraculously it hits an invisible wall and runs into a tree instead." She counted off these occurrences on her fingers before addressing Kate, "and you want to argue on how everyone knew but you, which since I'm still a bit lost, isn't one of the many things on the list to worry about."
"Spiders?" Caleb asked Reid.
"Yes, spiders, they came out of the huge bomb fires and in great numbers too. Okaynowbye." And Madelyn grabbed a hold of Marny's hand before pulling her away down the path that lead to her parked car.
TBC
References::
1) "Do you ever notice the way that whenever you throw up, you can always see diced carrots? Now, I have never eaten diced carrots in my life. There must be some organization of perverts going around, following drunk men." –Billy Connolly
2) "All the shy people are doomed! Natural selection favours the loud and aggressive." –Blackadder
3) "Hey, which of the crazy things happening here are you guys screaming about?" -Futurama