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  ‘C’mon, show me around your house. I haven’t seen it all before.’ Ryder’s voice lulled me with caressing syllables. He stepped closer, and his eyes locked onto me with a magnetic pull.

  ‘It’s true. You haven’t seen the rest of the house before.’ I motioned for him to enter. Ryder walked down the hall toward the stairs. I willingly followed him. He climbed the staircase and arrived on the landing at the top of the stairs next to my room. He opened my bedroom door and peeked inside. Hesitantly, he walked inside, and I followed. Ryder closed the door and pushed Shadow out of the way. The cat was left on the other side of the door, meowing and clawing at it.

  As soon as the door closed, Ryder moved without warning. He grabbed me and pulled me towards him. His mysterious eyes bore into me, one a single black coal fire raging, and the other eye, green and penetrating. The muscles in his upper arm were taut and rippled as he encircled me in his grip. My breath caught in my throat, and I felt trapped, unable to move. He gripped me so tightly I could hardly breathe. I felt like a delicate butterfly waiting to be crushed between his nimble fingers.

  There were no romance or gentle caresses. Instead, Ryder’s lips pressed down on mine, crushing me with his bruising strength. I felt sick. His mouth tasted like ash, like burned, decaying rubbish. Worse, Ryder reeked of death. Nothing made sense, and I pushed against his chest, but he was too strong. I remained ensnared, wrapped in Ryder’s cruel embrace.

  My panicked breaths encouraged him to pull me even closer. His body moulded against the length of me. Locked within his arms, I felt his skin become leathery. Black-inked tattoos appeared on his bare skin. He saw my inclination to stare and released me a fraction. Mesmerised, I watched those symbols undulating on his arms. The tattoos slithered from his body onto mine, carving their way into my skin. The pain was unbearable. I cried out as the sensation of needles continued to pierce my skin. The pain withdrew, then pierced again, black shadows invading, forcing their way inside, tattooing black patterns under my flesh. My mind crawled towards the precipice and bleakness overwhelmed me.

  My energy drained, like a battery stripped of its charge, and my skin became cold, my lips icy. My body collapsed, and I felt as if I was a dead weight flooded with blackness. In my stupor, I was drowning, and Ryder pushed my head deeper into icy water covered with a slick of black ink. The black water filled my lungs, tattooing my heart and turning it black. The water pulled me deeper, and I realised I was sinking. I struggled and kicked to break the surface of the water. I would break through and gasp for air, but Ryder would push me down again. I plunged deeper into the depths.

  When my limbs couldn’t struggle anymore, I hung suspended within this strange liquid. It was almost poetic and tranquil. Black velvet waves caressed my skin, and I drifted in the abyss. From out of my watery grave, a firm hand disturbed my tranquillity. Something lifted me up, wrenching me, kicking and screaming, from death’s grasp. I pushed my way back to consciousness through a cruel, unforgiving vapour that threatened to consume my body, feasting on my flesh like a hungry demon. A burning sensation scorched behind my eyes, almost as if a lit ember inflamed my thoughts.

  I struggled to break through, to breathe, and to survive. With one final gasp, I coughed and released the intrusive miasma, which vanished into thin air. Semi-conscious, I sensed I was lying on my side. I turned my head and glanced up. I found myself on Ryder’s lap, and he was caressing my forehead.

  ‘Are you okay, Amelina?’

  His words barely registered. I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened, but I knew I had to get away. Ryder was charming when he wanted to be, but underneath, he exuded something else—something ugly. I felt trapped. Trapped and terrified. I could barely focus, let alone string two coherent words together. My brain took several minutes to disentangle my thoughts and reply to his last question. ‘I don’t know if I’m all right or not.’

  ‘Hmmm. One minute we were enjoying each other’s company, and the next moment, you threw up. You fainted on me.’ Ryder stopped caressing my forehead and gazed into my eyes.

  ‘I, I can’t have.’ Something was wrong here, and I knew it. For the first time, I glimpsed Ryder in a new light. I saw two of him—a double dose of Ryder, one good, the other bad.

  ‘I’m afraid you did, Amelina.’

  I rubbed my eyes with two clenched fists. ‘I can’t seem to remember. My mind’s all muddled.’ I pushed off Ryder’s lap and tried to stand up, but my legs struggled to support me.

  ‘I’ll get you a glass of water.’ Ryder stood up and lifted me into his arms. He gently placed me on my bed. I recoiled from his touch and rolled to the other side. Ryder opened the door, and Shadow launched into the room. The cat lunged and landed in Ryder’s arms. He held Shadow’s raging, taut body at arm’s length. The cat hissed and spit, and a blood-curdling howl escaped his lips.

  Ryder scowled at him. ‘Hey, what’s got into you, Shadow? You… wretched animal, you scratched my arm.’ Shadow hissed, and Ryder released the cat. Shadow jumped on the bed and licked his paw while keeping a steady eye on his every move.

  I glanced around my room and noticed it seemed different. A pallor clung to the atmosphere, and it seemed darker and colder than usual. My head throbbed, and my body ached. I moaned in the darkness.

  My thoughts raced. What had Ryder been doing while I was out cold? Had he touched me, undressed me, or worse? Or had he rummaged through my stuff searching for something? What was he up to?

  Ryder hurried back into my room with the glass of water. I noticed how attentive and caring he looked, but I wasn’t buying his act. Not anymore. Something had happened, and I wasn’t sure what had transpired. Alone with him, in my bedroom, I felt vulnerable and afraid. I gulped as another wave of nausea hit me.

  ‘You seem a bit queasy again. Shall I call an ambulance?’ Ryder’s question had a sharp edge to it.

  I just wanted him out of here, and I chose my words carefully. ‘No, I’m better; the water’s helping. Maybe I need to get some rest.’

  ‘Oh, right, I’ll leave you in peace.’

  Ryder stood up to leave, and I tried my legs. They were still wobbly. He put out a hand to steady me. I managed to walk with help towards the door. I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. How had that happened? What had Ryder done? I pressed my fingers to my bruised lips. They were black. Tattoo black.

  ‘Sorry, Amelina, I seem to have left quite a lasting impression on your lips.’ Ryder smirked. He made no effort to hide the triumph on his face. He appeared to be proud of what he had done.

  I glared at him. ‘You’ve bruised them so badly it looks like my lips have been tattooed with black bruises, Ryder.’

  ‘Shit, sorry… It was just a friendly kiss, Amelina.’ Ryder shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘If that’s a friendly kiss, I hate to think what a passionate one is like! I look like I’ve been attacked. What’d you do?’ I rubbed my lips with a finger, trying to change the colour.

  ‘Nothing. All I did was kiss you. I could give you a demonstration if you’d like,’ said Ryder, leaning in towards me, puckering his lips.

  The aroma of a cesspit hit me. I drew back and stiffened. ‘Don’t go there, Ryder. I don’t remember our kiss, and I certainly don’t want to repeat it.’

  Ryder blew out a breath. He leaned against the doorjamb. ‘I remember enough for both of us. It was nice, but perhaps I was a little rough.’

  ‘Ugh,’ I said, gulping down his words like a bitter pill. ‘I have no intention of repeating it, ever. I’d be insane to do so—have you forgotten something? Your obsession with Jade?’

  ‘Y’know, I’m just friends with her.’

  ‘Come on, stop lying! I’ve seen the two of you together, you’re always staring at her, and she’s just the same, making eyes at you.’ Anger rang in my voice. My eyes blazed with a dark fury.

  ‘Right, yeah, I have that effect on the opposite sex.’ Ryder shrugged.

  By now, I couldn’t tell what it was about him tha
t had ever appealed. What was that disgusting smell? Had he started smoking and abandoning his deodorant too? I fought the urge to throw up again.

  ‘Stop it. I don’t want to hear any more about your effect on the opposite sex. Jade’s my friend. Stay away from her.’ I covered my mouth with my hand and swayed from the exertion of sharing my thoughts out loud.

  ‘I think our little kiss was a big mistake, and I don’t do bossy girlfriends,’ said Ryder, pointing a finger in my face.

  ‘Yeah, and I don’t do creepy boyfriends. In fact, the thought of our little kiss makes me puke!’ I pulled a face.

  Ryder grabbed my arm. ‘That’s harsh; you didn’t complain.’

  ‘I couldn’t complain. I was being invaded by… blackness. Fricking heck, I can’t even remember what happened. If you expect me to keep silent about what a creep you are, then you’re mistaken.’ I faced him with blazing eyes.

  Ryder’s face darkened. ‘You’re mistaken if you think you can cross me. Just forget our friendly little kiss. It never happened.’ His eyes gripped mine in a devilish embrace, and his hypnotic words swam through my mind.

  Ryder stomped down the stairs and slammed the door as he ran out of my house. Hopefully, forever.

  Puzzle Piece 31:

  The Sleepover Begins

  Take a photograph,

  At a sleepover party,

  It may disappear,

  If you shoot a time monster,

  Gobbling time—then watch out!

  At last, the party weekend had arrived. We’d finished our exams. I should have been excited, but ever since Ryder’s visit, doubts had plagued me. I couldn’t remember anything apart from a peculiar, frightening sensation of drowning and falling. In my heart, I sensed he had done something wrong, or he’d been up to something, but there was no way for me to prove it. Perhaps he’d rifled through my things. I spent time wondering whether he posed a serious threat to the safety of my crystals. However, it seemed unlikely. Nothing had gone missing, and my crystal collection appeared untouched.

  Although that didn’t apply to my lips. My bruised lips suggested that Ryder had kissed me and been rough, just like the time before. What bothered me most was that I didn’t remember the kiss. Warning bells clanged loud and clear in my head. I didn’t want to draw attention to the bruising, so I covered it up with heavy makeup. I hoped that no one would notice. I had some pretty nosy friends.

  I didn’t feel like going to the sleepover because the experience with Ryder had left me drained, but I had no choice. I’d upset Joselyn if I didn’t come, so out of a sense of friendship, I packed my stuff for the night ahead. I had all the necessities, my makeup bag, pyjamas, and a change of clothes. I squeezed in a few DVDs, some sweets, and my dream catcher. I put my crystals into a zipped bag and tucked them inside my overnight bag, too. They were precious. I had to safeguard them.

  I wrapped up Joselyn’s surprise, a camera. I had saved for months to buy her this gift. I was sure Joselyn would be excited when she found out what I had chosen for her.

  We met at Mitcham’s Corner, a popular area of Cambridge, just north of the River Cam, home to numerous shops and pubs. Ilaria and I were the first to arrive. We chatted and waited for Jade and Joselyn to join us. A few minutes later, I spotted the girls and waved. Jade waved back, walking towards us in her usual hurried fashion. Joselyn followed Jade, dragging her heels, looking sheepish. She wore a loud floral top, and her body language shouted embarrassment, spelled with a capital E.

  ‘New top, Joselyn?’ I clicked my tongue sympathetically.

  ‘Yeah. My mum got it for my birthday and wearing it makes me want to scream. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it’s just not me.’ Joselyn smoothed the shirt with nervous hands.

  ‘Hmmm… It looks more like Ilaria!’ Jade grinned and hugged her friend.

  ‘Yep. It’s just my style. Can I borrow it?’ replied Ilaria, her eyes lighting up.

  Joselyn managed a slight smile. ‘Anytime Ilaria! Please.’ That got a chuckle out of the foursome.

  We linked arms and walked down the river path, which led past the punts to the centre of town. It was a dazzling sunny day to walk along the slatted wooden quayside walkway by Magdalene Bridge. As we approached the sidewalk, a few young men carrying placards tried to interest us in a day of punting. Not in the mood for boating, we politely said no. We didn’t have the cash for that; we needed our pennies for cakes, sweets, and shopping.

  It was a typical day in the city, and there were plenty of shoppers out and about, and the restaurants were full. Intrigued by history, I stopped and stared at the mediaeval Round Church, built by the Knights Templar. I knew many of the mysterious legends associated with the Templars. The Relics and the Holy Grail were attributed to them. Today, I imagined the knights wearing their white surcoat, with the Red Cross stretched across their tunic. I pondered their fates, wondering if martyrdom had assured them a place in heaven. For a moment, I was transported back in time, away from my troubles. I lagged behind the rest of the girls and forgot where I was and who I was with.

  Ilaria cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted back at me. ‘C’mon, hurry up, Amelina. Stop daydreaming. We’ve got more important things to do than to stare at old churches. We’ve got some serious shopping to do!’

  I shook myself out of my reverie and realised I lagged several paces behind. I rushed to catch up. A crowd of hungry people stood outside Patisserie Valerie. I watched them staring at the window display of delicious cakes. I smiled and remembered the last time we had been together in the city. We girls had ordered one huge slice of Gateaux between us to share. The waitress had given us a disapproving look. Today, the four of us went straight in and ordered large slices of Black Forest Gateaux, Strawberry Gateaux, Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate éclairs. The desserts were divine and smelled heavenly.

  After eating every crumb, we packed up our belongings and left. It was only a short walk past the Round Church to the Grand Arcade Centre, where the actual shopping would begin. Out of necessity, we chose the long way around by taking the tourist vantage point past Hardy’s sweet shop. We passed by St. John’s and King’s Colleges. I had a certain destination in mind, and I steered the girls toward my goal.

  It wasn’t a popular decision, but I wanted to take a photo of the Corpus Chronophage Clock with the enormous grasshopper perched on top. The popular tourist attraction was created by the inventor, Dr John C Taylor, OBE. Sightseers bunched in a tight circle around the clock. I squeezed through the throng of people and greedily snapped the photo.

  Ilaria stopped and stared at the clock. ‘Whoa. Check out those spiky pincer teeth. Look! Geez, they’re filed into needle-points. Oh, I wouldn’t want to mess with that monster.’

  ‘Me neither,’ replied Jade. She stepped back after inspecting the insect close-up.

  ‘It scares the heck out of me,’ said Joselyn, pulling a typical freaked out pose. When her face rearranged itself back to semi-normality, she continued, ‘Why are you taking so many fricking photos?’

  ‘I don’t know why. It’s the weirdest thing ever. Every time I pass by, I always hear this weird sound, a moaning coming from far away and yet the sensations seem to travel right through my skin.’

  ‘I can’t feel or hear anything, Amelina, but that gruesome bug gives me the creeps,’ said Joselyn.

  ‘Me too. I can’t help but stop and stare. I’m taking my inquiry to a new level. I wanted to capture the clock in a photograph. Y’know, like kids who keep specimen bugs in a jar.’ I smiled and shrugged.

  ‘Well, hurry up then, and snap your photos before that creature buzzes away or does a disappearing act!’ replied Ilaria, laughing.

  ‘Yeah, speed up; stop being so bug obsessed,’ said Jade.

  I gazed at the clock one last time and added, ‘Time to buzz off ourselves, we’ve got some shopping to do.’ I smiled as we walked away but couldn’t help turning back for one last glance. The grasshopper didn’t appear impressed. No doubt shopping held
no interest for a time-keeping bug.

  It was a short walk to the bustling Grand Arcade, which jostled with a multitude of shoppers, going this way and that. We had agreed beforehand that this would be the perfect opportunity to shop for prom. We stopped in a few shops and tried on some fabulous gowns. What fun we had prancing about in dresses we wouldn’t have had the courage to try on by ourselves. Some of the ball gowns looked downright ridiculous and had us in fits of laughter. Each of us managed to find accessories, make-up, and jewellery, but none of us bought a prom dress. Not yet—there was still oodles of time.

  As our shopping trip wound down, we made our way to Ilaria’s house. She lived in a large old house with a rambling garden. I loved visiting because her home always had a friendly, lived-in aspect to it. There were always masses of books, magazines, bags, and clothes everywhere. It made me feel comfortable.

  Ilaria’s mother, Pam, greeted us in her typical garden attire, sweatshirt, jeans, welly boots, and muddy trousers. ‘Hello, girls, lovely to see you. I haven’t seen you all in ages. Happy birthday, Joselyn!’

  ‘Happy birthday, Joselyn,’ we all chorused. Joselyn smiled and blushed at all the attention.

  ‘Wipe your feet before you go in, girls, or you’ll bring muddy footprints into the house,’ said Pam. Ilaria made a show of cleaning her shoes by scraping them on the doormat. We all followed her example and checked our soles to make sure our shoes were clean.

  For tea, we had home-made pizza and Pam’s fabulous home-made ice-cream. Later, we ate a tonne of sweets from Hardy’s Sweet Shop that we had smuggled in and some popcorn too! After feeding our bellies, we camped in the lounge. Things had settled down enough that I thought I’d take a look at the photos I’d taken of the Corpus Chronophage Clock. I switched on my digital camera and started to search.

  ‘Hey, what the heck… my clock grasshopper photos are gone.’

  ‘No!’ said Ilaria.