Authors: Lucy Swing
―I can almost see her underwear from here,‖ Maggie rolled her eyes and turned onto her locker, stealing a quick glance at the picture of Zac Efron that she kept taped onto the inside of her locker door. I did not understand her obsession with the boy; in my opinion he was just another cookie cutter cutie with no depth or mystery. And obviously I seemed to be into guys that could single-handedly lift up a two-hundredpound football player.
―I really don‘t understand it,‖ I kept staring at Carly as she giggled and twisted her hair around her fingers. ―She‘s practically drooling over him.‖
―I feel like I am in a twilight zone,‖ Maggie said as she cocked her head to the side and looked at them again. ―Since when is Miss Carly Tucker going ga-ga over weird freak Jude?‖
I stared at them, narrowing my eyes at the way Carly playfully touched him and the way he smiled at her when she talked. Jealousy coursed through my veins, and my hands balled into fists. Every fiber in me wished he had allowed me to get that close to him.
As I stared at them, I realized this was the first time I had ever really seen him smile. I had never thought it possible, but he was even more beautiful when he did. His eyes found mine, and his whole demeanor changed; his shoulders tensed, and stood still, frozen.
I broke the trance and faced my locker, upset at how different and cold he treated me. What had I ever done to him? Was I being punished by him for actually being nice? I couldn‘t stand him!
I took another glance back, wanting to see if he would be still watching me, but they were too trapped in their own conversation to notice me. Something was wrong. Apart from the obvious, he seemed different. His whole demeanor seemed lighter and even his wardrobe had changed. Although still donning an all-black attire, he had traded his oversized clothes for some dark blue jeans and a biker leather jacket that opened to give view to a tight fitting black tee that accentuated his chest.
Something had happened to Jude when he was gone, and whatever it was, it made me nauseous. There was something odd and very wrong, especially when he locked his eyes on mine again and this time shot me a mischievous smile. The look in his eyes and the way his mouth had curled were inviting, but I knew there was an underlying threat in them.
Carly spun around and glared at me, scoffing as she rolled her eyes and pulled him away.
I walked towards my seat in homeroom, allowing my mind back into the present. The bell rang and everyone got into their seats.
All but one.
I turned around and found Carly‘s seat empty against the back wall, where she and her cheerleader friends gossiped their time away. The scene was grim in the back row as her friends sulked in their seats, unaware of how to act without the ‗boss‘ around.
She probably came down with something
, I told myself. Then the images of the nightmare came flooding into my head again. Outside the door a shadow moved. The set of red eyes on the window lingered, haunting me. I was frozen in my seat, petrified. I looked away and concentrated on the book in front of me.
Happy thoughts
, I told myself once again.
Afraid of looking up again I looked around the room. Did anyone else see the shadow in the hall? No one was paying the door any attention, so I figured it must‘ve been gone. Wrong. The foggy shadow was still hovering behind the door. My heart caught in my throat as I began to hyperventilate.
I laid my arms on the table in front of me and lowered my head to rest on top of them.
It’s not happening, it’s not happening,
I kept chanting to myself.
When the bell rang I gathered my things and waited for most of the class to walk outside, only then did I start moving. I searched the hallway but I couldn‘t spot the shadow. A sigh of relief escaped my lungs as I made my way to first period.
I was glad that I had absolutely no classes in common with Jude. I weaved in and out through the crowd, casting glances around making sure I stayed away from him or the shadow if I saw them.
―Hey! Watch it!‖ The warning didn‘t come fast enough, and I ran smack into Felicity, Carly‘s best friend.
―I-I am sorry.‖ I looked around and then back to Felicity as I studied the dark circles under her eyes. ―Have you seen Carly?‖ The question escaped my mouth. I wasn‘t friends with them, so it seemed odd, even to me, that I was asking.
She rolled her eyes. ―What do you care?‖ She stared at me, her gaze slowly dropping to her feet. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, she added, ―She never made it home yesterday after school. They are classifying her as officially missing, along with the other girls.‖
At that moment, for the very first time in four years, I felt sad for her. Her eyes became watery, and I wondered if I should comfort her. It was terrible what was happening. I lifted my hand but, unsure of what to do with it, I let it drop to my side. The compassionate feeling lasted but a moment.
She rolled her eyes at me once again, as if my sole existence bothered her.She scoffed as she bumped into my shoulder when she walked past me. As usual, she was being flanked by a sophomore, most likely one that had just made it into the squad and was subjected to their demands. I began to turn away when something caught my eye. Resting in Felicity‘s arms, on top of the Literature book she carried, sat a crimson heart-shaped box exactly like the one in my house.
I shook the ill feeling that brought to me and rushed away, barely making it into Theology class. Mrs. Valerian closed the door behind me and began her lecture on The Sons of God and the debate if they were Angels that took the daughters of men or men themselves
The door opened slowly.
―May I help you, Mr…?‖ Mrs. Valerian‘s frail voice asked.
―Bargle. Actually, yes. I have been switched to this class. It seems that AP Science was too much for me to handle.‖ He smiled at her and then his eyes found mine.
On the first semester of our senior year I had volunteered at the Front Office and had had a first row seat glance at all of the student records. I remember looking well into his file and his transfer transcript. He was a straight-A kind of guy. It was obvious his whole AP class being too hard for him was a lie. But, why?!
He handed a slip to the teacher and made his way to a seat, stopping at the one that was to my right and very much occupied. Fred stood up and without saying a word moved to the back of the classroom where all the empty seats were. Jude sat down and winked at me with a devilish smile.
I could feel my skin crawling. The terror was flowing through my veins, causing my head to throb and my ears to burn. I shot him a weak smile that caused my bottom lip to quiver. I looked away quickly, hoping he hadn‘t seen that. Hadn‘t seen how terrified he made me. Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I held my breath; was I really afraid or just nervous at his nearness?
A small voice inside of me urged for me to open up to him, let him in, but how could I? Especially when I believed he may be the mastermind behind the disappearances.And why was he sitting so close to me? The thought that I may be making this all up in my head or simply blowing things out of proportion crossed my mind. I felt my skin flush.
From the corner of my eye I saw him pull out his notebook and on the front, scribbled with a black marker, was the same symbol I had seen carved into Carly‘s neck. I choked a gasp and closed my eyes. I needed to get the hell away from him.
I was definitely not imagining things. This was real.
Everything that had occurred last night in my nightmare must had been real. But, how? My head began to throb rapidly, as did my heart. All the blood in my body ran cold and was now replaced by light-headedness.
I felt Jude‘s gaze on me all throughout class. I counted the seconds until we were dismissed so I could get away from him, away from the creepy smile he had in his face every time he looked at me, away from the threat I felt from his sitting so close to me.
I noticed Felicity and her minion waiting by the door of our classroom, bursting into fits of giggles and screams the moment Jude walked outside. Both girls threw themselves at him. I shook my head and began to walk away, but not before he grabbed my arm and pulled me into him. The electricity ran through our bodies, somehow connecting us. From the brief look in his eyes, I knew he had felt it, too. He closed his eyes and pushed me away slightly, allowing a couple of inches to come between us, lessening the electricity.
―You better watch your back.‖
I tried pulling my arm free from him. ―Let me go!‖
―Things are not what they seem, especially some of the people you keep close.‖ His breath tickled my nose as he spoke.
After a few tries, I successfully pulled away and rubbed my arm where I was sure he had left his handprint marked. Felicity, oblivious to what had just happened, looped her arm through his and pulled him into the crowd.
I couldn‘t move. I couldn‘t breathe.
―Hey there,‖ A deep voice came from behind me, kissing the spot under my earlobe. I forced my lips to tug at the corner and into a crooked smile. I turned to face him as he slid his arms around my waist and picked me up to his level. His six-foot-five height tended to tower over my five-feettwo. ―How are you, gorgeous?‖
I wrapped my shaking arms around his neck and nuzzled into him, Jude‘s threatening bright eyes vivid in my mind. ―Hmmm.‖ The scent of him was almost overwhelming, as if taking over my senses. ―I am better now.‖
He kissed my cheek, my jaw, then his lips lingered an inch away from mine. There was something about Chance I could not wrap my head around, but whenever he was around he just took over me. He kissed me and, as the kiss deepened, he slowly lowered me to the ground, his fingers tangling themselves with mine. ―You are going to get us in trouble,‖ he scanned the hallway and then kissed my forehead as he tugged me forward. We fell into a comfortable silence.
―Thank you.‖ I nudged his arm playfully.
―You‘re… welcome? What am I being thanked for exactly?‖ The puzzled look in his eyes caught me off guard.
―The chocolate box, of course.‖
―Sorry Bai, I have no idea what you are talking about.‖ He shook his head and then turned to face me. ―Is someone trying to court my girlfriend now?‖ he joked. His look turned on to me expectantly. ―Were they any good?‖ When I didn‘t respond he stopped in front of me. ―Bai, are you all right?‖
―Yeah, sorry.‖ I shook my head as if it were that easy to chase the thoughts that came crashing in. Chance chuckled under his breath. ―I actually didn‘t try them yet.‖
―Well, let me know how they taste when you do. I may need to step up my game if they are good.‖
―What do you think of this one?‖ Maggie said as she came out of her fitting room. She was wearing a silky red long dress that hugged her curves. She looked absolutely stunning. Then again, everything seemed to fit well on someone as pretty as her.
I looked down at my own dress, feeling a little overshadowed. She must have noticed because she began to babble on and on about how I could get any boy I wanted wearing this dress. She had made it known, since Chance and I started hanging out, that she did not like him one bit. Why? I never understood. She was very set on me moving onto someone ―more fitting,‖ as she would say.
Mrs. Simmons, Maggie‘s mom, came into the fitting rooms, holding shawls and a two shoe boxes. She walked over to us, dropping everything onto a small leather couch and could barely hold the excitement as she caught sight of Maggie. It was nice having Mrs. S around; she tended to act like the mother I never had.
When she was done adoring her daughter, she approached me. ―Bailey, sweetheart,‖ her arms outstretched towards me. After a brief hug, she grabbed my hand and made me spin so she could see the dress in its entirety. ―Ah, you look marvelous! Are you taking this one?‖
I nodded and went into the fitting room to change, leaving them to have some mother-daughter time. After sliding the dress back on its hanger, I stared at the black skintight halter dress edged with silver sequins. It was simple enough, but I loved the way it accentuated my curves without revealing too much. I couldn‘t wait for the dance, to finally be able to forget all the weird things that have been happening and just let go. Making out in the dark with Chance would be the icing on the cake.
I threw my book bag over the couch and headed to the kitchen for a snack that would ease my insatiable sweet tooth. I opened the cupboard, but there was nothing unhealthy in sight. That‘s when I remembered the chocolate box from the morning. I went over to the table I had left it on, but it wasn‘t there anymore. I looked in the kitchen and the living room, to no avail.
―How weird,‖ I said out loud. Then again, would I really want to eat those chocolates? What if they were connected with Jude? I shivered, not from the cold but the eerie thoughts crossing my mind.
I found a cupcake Dad must have brought home from his late dinner last night and made my way to my room. As soon as I opened the door, I saw it. Lying in my bed, as if it belonged there, was the heart-shaped box. I picked it up and examined it again, a little more closely this time, feeling its texture under my fingertips. Velvet. It had a small gold inscription on the back that I had missed earlier. ―Devils Treat Factory.‖
―Well, that is an odd name.‖ I put the box on my desk and turned on the laptop. I was still unsure who had left it for me and was more than intrigued after seeing Felicity with the same box. It is not one of those cheap metal ones you would find in every grocery store. It had a unique quality to it. The best way to describe it would be, vintage.
I opened the browser and searched the name of the factory and was surprised to find so many hits on it. I picked on the cupcake, dipping a finger into the red frosting and licking it off. Buttercream, delicious. I took a bite; it was a smooth and very tasty dark chocolate cake. I closed my eyes as I enjoyed its texture.
I clicked on one of the links and was prompted with an article.
―‘Devils Treat‘ was founded by Benjamin Moore and his wife Cassandra in January 1935. The factory became an instant success, and their chocolates were a novelty all on their own. However, shortly after its grand opening, Cassandra Moore was charged with witchcraft.‖
Oh, great,
I thought to myself.
It then went on to explain how many of their customers experienced physical changes after eating some of her delicacies; changes in eye color, almost always turning a deep shade of red, changes in skin complexion and some even dying strange deaths. After she was found guilty and hung for the heinous acts, Benjamin disappeared, leaving the factory behind.
A man with a stern expression on his face looked up from the black and white picture of the married couple. The wife was small and beautiful; a wicked smile spread through her lips; and her eyes exuded power. I kept scrolling down, looking for anything else that would catch my eye, and then something did.
The cupcake rolled out of my hand and onto the floor, making a red frosting of a mess that contrasted with the white carpet. I had finally found a common denominator. A very important one, at that. The symbol, the one on Carly‘s neck and on Jude‘s notebook, was now displayed in the screen in front of me.
Mr. Moore‘s home had been searched after he skipped town. They had found scribbles on the walls and floors, furniture had been carved. The symbol was there, over and over again.
Mr. Moore was never seen again, and the town fell back into their lay back kind of living. Soon after, however, women in town and in the vicinity began to go missing. Many of them had been found tied to trees in the forest with the symbol carved onto their flesh. No one would ever find Benjamin or the reason for the missing women and their deaths.
There were a few websites of paranormal and mysterious things occurring in the empty factory. Some believed that the ghost of Cassandra Moore haunted it, baking her later delicacies known as ―Death by Chocolate.‖ Of course, a small picture showed the chocolates in its heart-shaped box.
It can’t be real, there is no way!
It couldn‘t be.
I read on and it said that her ghost was still around the factory, making those who convicted her pay for what they had done. People also suggested that Mr. Moore had been the Devil himself and the factory needed to be burned to the ground, which the town finally did in 1951. I was unable to find anything dated after that, mostly because everyone that lived in that part of town had moved away, afraid of the lingering spirit. I jotted the address for the factory on my hand and ran down the stairs, grabbing the car keys that hung on the wall as I made my way out the door.
My phone rang the moment I backed out of my driveway.
―Where are you going?‖ Maggie‘s intrigued voice asked. I looked through the windshield and found her on the porch of her house, which was two houses down from mine across the street. She was rocking herself on the white chair with a book propped open on her lap, her cell phone to her ear.
―I just need to go into town. Do you need me to grab you some binoculars while I‘m out? Maybe you can check on the people down the road, too,‖ I joked as I drove by, a little faster than I should have, making it known that hitching a ride was out of the question.
―Whatever. As your best friend it is my job to know where youare and keep you safe.‖ I could hear her eyes rolling as she said that and then hit the end button.
Safe.
The word lingered in my head for no known reason. As I looked in the rear view mirror, I saw her walk back into her house. I was sure that by the time I got back, she would be waiting for me on the steps to my house with a million questions. I needed to find out if I was correct in thinking the chocolates and the disappearances where connected. Had my dream been more than a dream? A vision of some sort?
The drive to the western part of Gottsenden Hollow went by without my noticing it. I enjoyed the cool air that penetrated through the open windows and caressed my face while my favorite band blasted through the speakers. All worries vanished, if only for those twenty minutes it took me to get there.
Once I got closer to town, I entered the address for the factory into my GPS and waited for Manuel, ―the voice,‖ to direct me. Luckily, I was only about three miles away. West Hollow was not the place to be at, especially alone. It had been cast away by the rest of Gottsenden years ago for the same reasons I found on the internet today. Witchery. Although I had never heard the story about the Moore family, all the other stories about this part of town seemed ludicrous, old wives tale to keep us from coming here, no doubt.
I thought of how adamant Dad always was about keeping me away from West Hollow; he would have a heart attack if he knew I was here. Especially with what has been going on lately, girls from my school disappearing and all. I looked at the time displayed on the dashboard. It was 6:45. It would be dark soon; I would need to be quick.
What are you doing? Turn back now.
The voice inside yelled at me, but I simply pushed it aside and pressed forth. After a few lefts and rights, a U-turn here and there, I reached my destination or what was left of it at least.
The building was mostly crumbled to the ground. For the most part the storefront was still intact, although decaying after the blaze sixty years ago. Through the large opening that once must have been a window, there was debris all over the ground. I searched my surroundings, making sure there were no thugs or creeps around, and got out of the car. The beeping of the alarm echoed through the gray and empty street.
Once I reached the store, I looked through the opening and toward the back. Everything has been charred to the ground. Glass pieces were scattered in the floor, as well as some other pieces of furniture that had barely survived the blaze. In the distance, there was a steel door with a small gap on it. I could try to squeeze through to get onto factory in the back. I climbed up the big concrete blocks and steered clear of the glass under my feet.
Halfway there, I stiffened. Frozen in place, I sniffed the cool air around me.
―No way-‖ I sniffed again. There it was the sweet smell of chocolate. It felt warm and enticing as I breathed it in.
I shook my head, knowing all too well there was no way in hell this place was still functioning. I moved forward, braving the fear that was caught in my throat and made my limbs stiff. I needed to know what was going on, and if my suspicion was right, who was behind it all. I reached the gap and poked my head in.
Nothing.
There was absolutely nothing but darkness and nowhere to go. After ten minutes trying to push my way through the steel door, I gave up. The scent of warm chocolate was making me dizzy and arousing a wicked craving for it. I ran towards the car and gave the store a once over, this time noticing the smoke coming out from what was left of an oldfashioned brick chimney.
I drove around the block, looking for another way in. Someone is there. Someone or something was cooking those chocolates.
Cassandra
, I thought. I smiled at how crazy I sounded; I would not buy into all that witch stuff. Not me.
On the other side of the street I met a dead end. There was what seemed to be an occupied two-story house that was in poor condition as well. A couple stray or extremely malnourished dogs raced towards my car, foam coming out of their mouths and all, as they barked, their long nails scratched the side of my car. At that very same moment, a cloaked person fell onto the hood of my car, and I let out a piercing scream. Crouching in front of me, he lifted his head and I was faced with large red eyes staring back at me.
The air in my lungs escaped and I was knew what this would mean…
My end.