Betrayed: The Chronicles of Luxor Everstone Book Two Read online

  “I’ll shut my mouth.”

  Pandora snorted. “Good luck with that.”

  Evie nodded. “And how do you know it’s only the kitchen?” she said, and stepped onto the first stair, the decision final. “We should have done a full sweep.”

  Family portraits lined up the stairs against the cream coloured walls, as Luxor followed Evie. History was captured framed in different sizes, and all stages of their life, a snapshot of moments, preserved in an indefinite period of time. Photos of Evie in her infancy, birthdays, holidays, and school photos. In all the photos, a boy similar in age was constantly side by side with her. Their smiles were genuine, showcasing as they met each other's eyes, the love exposed through the images.

  What I would give to have a proper family and be happy.

  Evie's room was a vast difference from the personality she had come to known. The room was plain; a double bed positioned alongside the wall, with cream bedding, and ruffled pillows. Three green bean bags were at the foot of the bed, the only splash of colour. A desk was erected across the room facing the window. No posters adorned the walls or any indication that gave away that it was even her room. It was devoid of personality and completely demure.

  A room ideally suited for Ayla.

  "I'm fine." She rubbed her full stomach in a circular motion and patted it.

  Dinner was a vast change and acted as a distraction, calming her down, but only slightly.

  "Earth to Luxor, can you hear me?" Evie waved a hand in front of her face.

  "Huh?"

  "La la land again?" she giggled. "I'm getting you water just in case you do blahhh."

  “I’m fine, I just feel like hell,” she said, and raked her fingernails against her neck.

  "Shh, you can't say that in this house, haven't you noticed this has is a shrine to the goodness of God." Evie rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She jumped off the bed and closed her bedroom door behind her.

  Pandora clasped her hands behind her back and shifted from foot to foot. “I don’t like how her father looked at you. He knows, doesn’t he?”

  “I’m ninety-eight percent sure he does. Staying here is a bad idea.”

  “Evie is a stubborn mule, she won’t let you leave. So, I’ll make sure I’m more on guard,” she said. “I’ll protect you; nobody can come close.” She cracked opened the window.

  Luxor nodded but didn’t ask for details on how she would pull it off. Pandora converted into her adorable Kitty and leapt from the window, landing with ease. She closed the window and paced around the room and absorbed the details. On the wall, a thirty-six-inch plasma screen was hung from a hanging wall mount. Tucked away on the side of the desk a tower of DVDs lined up sporadically in no particular order. Trailing her finger down the spine of the collection, in typical Evie fashion most of them were either horror movies or where guys were shirtless.

  No scary movies for me, I have enough of that.

  A small statue of the Virgin Mary with blue and white rosary beads around the neck was on the bedside table. A multi-coloured painted picture frame, with shells stuck on the border, was beside it.

  Luxor lifted a picture frame, inside was a photo of two teens, and it took a while for her to recognise her friend. Peering in close, Evie was devoid of make-up, her chocolate brown hair cascaded down to her hips, dressed in a strappy spring dress and sandals. Beside her, the same boy constant in all the photos on the wall; a male replica of Evie, with shaggy hair swept to the side, his arms around her waist.

  Evie silently brought in a tray with plates of celery and carrot sticks on the side, and a couple of plastic bowl, placing them on the side of the bed.

  “Where’s Pandora?”

  “She had to leave and told me to say thank you for dinner.”

  Evie frowned. “I didn’t see her leave.”

  “She must have been agile as a cat and snuck out.” Luxor gave a half-laugh.

  “You have the weirdest sense of humour.”

  "Is this Adam?" Luxor realised she still held the picture frame.

  Evie plucked the picture frame and cradled it in her hands. She gently caressed the image of the boy with her index finger and replaced the frame on the cabinet. Her eyes were glassed over. "That's my twin, Adam. Remember the story I told you? He was taken away from me almost a year ago. Hit and run accident. We made those picture frames and instead of giving it to our mother, we gave it to each other."

  "I'm so sorry." Luxor reached out to hug Evie.

  "That's why I didn't want you to sit in that seat at dinner, it'll always be his," she whispered, swallowing the lump in her throat.

  “Did they ever catch the person?”

  “No, it was an unregistered car. I wish I had closure.” Evie squinted and kept the tears at bay, her pain was a rare occurrence from her usual cheery demeanour. She turned her face, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and composed a happy face to hide the anguish.

  “Adam was the calm one, my rock who balanced out my eccentric side.” Evie cleared her throat as if to shake off her sadness. She opened her wardrobe and removed a sheet covering a padlocked box. Rolling it out she positioned it in the middle of the room and unlocked it with the key on her necklace. She emptied the contents of the chips; salt & vinegar, and plain into the bowls.

  "Do I look like a carrot and dip girl? If my parents found this, they'd burn it and make me watch." Evie reverted to her normal personality as if nothing had happened. "That's why eating junk is a big no-no, especially at The Hive," she said. “Are we going to purge about tonight?”

  Luxor wriggled into the beanbag until she found the perfect spot. “You mean about the fact your father hoards weapons of mass destruction?”

  “That’s a gross overreaction but yes.”

  It seemed as if Evie’s family wasn’t as clean-cut as she assumed, but pressing the issue would only lead to complications. She couldn’t help but wonder how many lives the Cooper family had taken, and if they were innocent Nephilims. Another danger loomed, and this time the lines were blurred in the fight between good versus evil.

  Luxor woke up with a crick in her neck and a stiff thigh. The lack of sleep didn’t help her rationale, and it wasn't only because Evie slept diagonally hogging up all the queen-sized bed. The night was spent conjuring ways for revenge against Scarlett, the ideas would have to border between subtle but extreme if that was possible.

  Pandora spent the night trawling the surrounding area alongside Cherry Lane, and before the sun rose, they headed back to The Chalet.

  “Morning sweet Luxor, did you have a nice sleepover?” Meredith said chirpily, serving up scrambled eggs and bacon.

  Luxor furrowed her brow. “Ummm…yes,” she mouthed to Ayla, “What’s going on?”

  Ayla shrugged. “I don’t know?” she mouthed back.

  “I made you a ham sandwich, and apple and cinnamon muffins, fresh out of the oven for lunch.”

  “Are you feeling okay?” she said hesitantly.

  “Better than I have in a very long time,” Meredith said in a high lilt, rinsing her hands under the tap. “Finish your breakfast and get ready for school.”

  She scarfed down the food without chewing, not able to figure out Meredith’s mood, although she had a sneaking suspicion. She started to head upstairs.

  "I know you love sweets, but don't you think playing with them on your bed is taking it too far?" Meredith asked, starting the dishes.

  Luxor dashed upstairs and stopped short at the door. Skittles was spread across the bed, and the multitude of colours brightened up her otherwise white bedding. Propped in the middle, Elphie had a lone red apple between his legs.

  "What the fudge?" she growled, and kicked her backpack resisted the urge to scream. She gritted her teeth and scattered them across the room.

  He is back, and this is how he tells me?

  "He wants to taste the rainbow, I'll show him how it's done," she swore.

  Luxor left early enough to go to the Village Bowl, all
pepped up at the thought of teaching Hunter a lesson. She would have to thank him for taking away the worry of his disappearance. She had a skip in her step when perusing the shelves at the small convenience store, trailing her fingers alongside a host of bottles she settled on a green bottle with an apple label and a packet of Skittles. The perfect accompaniment to what she was about to do. Hunter overstepped the boundaries, again, and she wouldn't put up with it. His grand gesture wasn't appreciated, what would have been better was a simple text so she didn't think it was something she'd done, or he was lying in a ditch somewhere.

  Although he'll wish he was after I'm done with him.

  Decked out in her sports shorts and T-shirt, she slipped her arms through the loops of her backpack, the arsenal on her back.

  Luxor walked further down Main Street towards The Hive for a coffee fix, her headphones swinging from side to side as music blared from her iPhone. Her head was down as she texted Evie to tell her not to pick her up, a cherry flavoured lollipop rolling around in her mouth when she smashed into a solid wall.

  “Damnit,” she groaned, leaning down to grab her phone.

  “Hey Angel, did you miss me?” a husky voice said, swiping the phone.

  God, no.

  The lollipop tumbled around, cracking on the pavement, and she dared not to move a muscle. She prayed it was her imagination playing tricks on her, but she knew her body wouldn't lie. The sparks of electricity tingled even before she heard him.

  Twenty-two days.

  The Earth was created in a shorter amount of time, but it took Hunter that long to come back crashing back into Luxor's life. Figuratively and Literally.

  "You really should pay attention to where you are going." Amusement laced his voice.

  From his scuffed army boots, her eyes travelled upwards to faded dark denim jeans, to his green V-neck T-shirt, and heavily bandaged hand. She peered up through her lashes, meeting with those dangerous toffee eyes she was addicted to. He still had the rough edge, yet something had changed she just couldn't put her finger on it.

  "Oh, were you gone, I didn't notice." Luxor played it off lightly, staring at the shattered remains of the lollipop resembling her heart. She held out her hand not daring to look up.

  Can't show how much he affected me.

  He waved her phone in front of her holding it for ransom. "My dear Angel, how I've missed your wittiness." He ran his tongue the length of his split lip.

  Luxor didn't realise the magnitude of Hunter's presence, and the havoc he wreaked until he came storming back in like a hurricane threatening to throw her life into disarray.

  Again.

  "What do you want Hunter?" she asked bluntly with an impassive face.

  "No kiss hello?" He smirked, but there was no joy behind the words.

  God help me.

  Luxor dropped her tired hand and raised her head, and wish she didn't. The effect was otherworldly, and sometimes it took all of her courage to breathe. She huffed, vowing not to break. "Are you deaf, I can use sign language?"

  Hunter rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to speak to you." His tone was serious.

  “Your needs aren’t my concern. Now move.”

  “One minute.”

  “You aren’t worth my time,” she spat, and moved around him.

  He gently clasped the crook of her elbow, keeping her in place. "Can you hang on for a sec?"

  "I need to go be somewhere else," Luxor whispered, flicking his arm off to stave off his touch. Even the slightest of contact had her body and mind short-circuiting.

  Anywhere else but near you.

  "Please, I need to explain," he urged, ruffling his hair, creating a perfect mess. She noticed a new tattoo on his outer arm, but despite the intrigue, she needed to flee.

  Luxor swiped her phone out of his hands and turned around. "Not interested."

  "So, you're just going to walk away without hearing me out?" he called out defeatedly.

  "Why not, you did?"

  Luxor stepped back and straightened her shoulders, and willed her legs to move. One step after another to save her dignity. She resisted the urge to turn around and launch into his arms and to feel safe, and wanted, and completely at ease with the only person who lit a spark within to warm her cold heart. Too easy to forget he had walked away with no consideration on how it would affect her.

  Luxor turned up late for her first period. Usually P.E. would have her wanting to pull her nails out with rusty pliers, but today was different. She fidgeted about, biting the skin at the end of her thumb, bursting to tell Evie about Hunter.

  "What has your knickers in a knot?" Evie eventually asked putting her out of her misery.

  Luxor sighed. "The devil is back."

  "Who exactly are we talking about?"

  "Hunter, he's back."

  Evie squealed and clapped her hands. Her hair flailed in her eyes and she quickly fastened it back with a skull hair clip. "I'm sorry I shouldn't be happy, he's a douche but my ship can sail again. What did he say? Did he give a reason?" She barrelled out question after question.

  "Can you relax? I walked away just like he did." She had to, otherwise she would have caved and kissed him, and that would have been bad.

  Evie snorted. "That would have gone down a treat."

  "He was surprisingly calm and didn't push it…Much," Luxor said. “He has a knack for inciting my anger.”

  "Your anger is on an epic scale, like poof bam Mount Etna has erupted." She opened up her palms, imitating an explosion. "Where does it leave you two?”

  “Nowhere. Exactly where they should be.” She remembered her purchases from the convenience store and started laughing.

  "Do you have Tourette’s? Why are you so happy?" Evie asked suspiciously, scrolling through Facebook and her numerous notifications. When Luxor leaned over, she tilted her phone away.

  "The sun is out and the birds are singing,” she sung.

  "What drugs are you on, I want some?"

  "The multicoloured kind." Luxor held in a smile.

  A crowd gathered at the front of the school, a drama unfolding as Scarlett screeched, causing a scene. When her eyes set upon Luxor she came staggering over, her hair flying all over the place.

  "This should be interesting," Evie said.

  "One guess what it's about."

  Evie tapped her chin. "Hmm, I wonder?" She chuckled deviously. “How will my little demoness handle this?”

  Luxor was relieved she hadn’t gone into a full rampage after the bug was found, but nevertheless Evie taken to give her another new nickname because she resembled a girl possessed.

  "You." Scarlett waggled her finger and pointed at them. "What have I done to deserve you spreading rumours?"

  “You’re ridiculous and stupid if you need to ask,” Luxor said.

  Theo ventured over. “Do we have a problem here?”

  “Nope, no public disturbances…today,” she said. Hunter’s re-emergence had taken priority and any hostility would be sent his way. “Can you explain why Meredith is acting like a Stepford wife?”

  “You wanted our help, and who are we to deny the almighty Demi-Goddess?” He smirked. “You can thank us later.”

  Coach Davis blew his whistle. "It has been brought to the attention of Principal Wright my methods have been...a bit extreme," he said. "For today's class, we will be doing circuit solo exercises." He assigned long jump, shot put, and skipping. "Fifteen minutes, I'll blow the whistle, onto the next in a clockwork fashion." He allocated names to activities who would proceed to go in a clockwork fashion.

  "This ain't so bad," Evie remarked, heading over to the skipping ropes.

  Luxor held up her hand realising her name hadn't been called, she'd hoped he would exclude her from any activities. “Coach.”

  "You can go run laps." He pointed at the track, circling his finger as is she was a dunce.

  "How many?" Surely he didn't expect her to run for the entire class.

  "Until class is over," he said
dismissively and challenged her, his yellow eyes taunting her to obey and to return later.

  But Luxor Lily Everstone, sick of this godforsaken day, didn't back down. She stood her ground, and raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "I don't care."

  "Very impressed, you're growing a backbone." Coach Davis’ lips tilted to the side, resembling a grotesque Mona Lisa. It was a mysterious message, either a quiet appreciation or one that said “you are trouble, I'll be keeping an eye on you.”

  Are you serious?

  "Can I at least listen to music?" she called out to his retreating figure.

  "Perfect. You block me out and I'll do the same," he replied aggressively. “Got it?”

  Luxor attached the armband around her bicep and fastened the Velcro. She put on her Ellie playlist, the mood calling for it. Her speed accelerated, moving in a swift rhythm along to pop-infused upbeat tunes. She didn't stop, and apart from the tightness in her legs, she was hardly puffed out.

  The only way Luxor could tell how much time has passed was when Evie moved to the next activity. Coach Davis only seemed to be paying attention to the rest of the class when he blew the whistle, otherwise, he stared obsessively at his stopwatch, his expression hardening after each lap.

  Coach Davis bellowed through the megaphone, “Times up!”

  The class dragged themselves and dropped to the grass. Luxor leaned forward and stretched out to prevent cramps.

  "Damn you're fit." Evie puffed on her inhaler, passing her a water bottle. "I'm on death's bed.”

  "I bet you'll only get faster." Ayla skipped along next to them. She had arrived just as class had ended.

  “Why aren’t you ever in school?” Evie asked.

  “I am, you must miss me.”

  “Doubt it,” she said, turning her head. “Dear God, I see the devil.”

  “Evie!” Ayla said.

  “Look straight ahead.”

  Luxor cocked her head, her eyes falling upon his hunched form staring impassively from the bleachers. Hunter’s arms rested across his thighs and his finger locked within each other.

  Luxor ignored his presence, and by the time Coach Davis announced for the class to “get your asses into gear, class is over,” nobody hesitated.