I got the sense that she’d wanted me to shine—just not this much.
But I was the Moon. Shining was what I did.
Then Brian, her secret crush, had paid all this attention to me. Who could blame him? I was wearing a black slinky number I’d ordered from a posh catalog. But I was more interested in having a friend. I could get a date once I’d locked Candy down.
I’d tried to get Brian to partner with her in this game, but he’d insisted on me.
I studied her expression. Was I about to lose my first line on a friend? I elbowed Brian. “Candy looks hot tonight, doesn’t she?” She must’ve heard me; she tilted her head, a hopeful look on her face. “She’s a total babe.”
He frowned. “Who? You’re the only babe I’m interested in,” he slurred.
Shit! “I have a boyfriend,” I hastily said. “But I bet I could get Candy’s digits for you.”
“Your guy’s not here, is he?” Brian said. “When the cat’s away, the mice will play, right?” He leaned in to kiss me, but I turned my face.
Candy flounced off just as the pong ball plopped into one of our cups. Brian handed the drink to me. “I’ll give you the honors since you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
“Yeah. Sure thing.” I put the cup to my lips.
“Chug, chug!”
_______________
An hour or so ago
“I don’t feel s’good,” I told Brian. My legs didn’t want to work right. I hadn’t drunk more than three cups of beer, so why was I this weakened?
Was this part of my Arcana transformation? Were more powers coming online?
The room blurred. Faces were fuzzy.
I wanted to find Candy, but Brian had his fist clamped around my left arm and was steering me away from the crowd.
My tongue didn’t seem to fit in my mouth as I asked, “Where’re we heading?”
“Don’t you want to see my room?”
Was it just me or did he sound way less drunk than he had before? “Nooo. Wanna find Candy.”
“Your friend’s hooking up with somebody else.” His grip tightened. “Come on, we want to show you something upstairs.”
We? I managed to crane my head around. Three of his teammates had joined us, one of them taking my other arm.
I was the Huntress, but the way these guys looked at me gave me chills. . . . All of a sudden, I felt like the prey. “Not going upstairs!” I flung away, using all my strength, but they just laughed.
One of them said, “We caught a wildcat tonight.”
I’d tracked wildcats through dense forests. Right now, I was nothing like them. I had as much bite as a newborn kitten.
Realization dawned. These guys . . . they’d drugged me.
I’d expected treachery from other Arcana. Not from humans.
We passed wasted partiers. I tried to signal for help, but no one paid any attention to me. The four players steered me to another hallway. My stomach dropped when I saw a stairway ahead. I couldn’t let them force me up those steps—
Candy! My eyes went wide. She was in the hall making out with some guy! “Candy!” I screamed, but it came out like a slurred murmur.
I tried to reach for her, but those guys had my arms. “Help me!” I had never in all my life said those words.
She drew back from the guy. She would see what was wrong with me! She would know what these assholes had done.
She looked me up and down. With a smirk, she muttered, “What a total slut”—then went back to kissing that guy.
Tears pricked my eyes. I wanted to sob. My first friend.
At the foot of the stairs, I attempted a last show of resistance, but only managed to collapse.
Brian caught me, laughing. “Oops-a-daisy!” He wrapped an arm around me, hauling me up against his side. “There she goes.” With another laugh, he told the others, “Have you ever noticed they never make it to the stairs?”
They’d drugged other girls too.
My vision grew blurrier as they forced me up the steps. My shoes were gone, my limp feet dragging behind me. I couldn’t move my legs, couldn’t fight.
Soon I’d black out. Would I remember any of this?
The last thing I saw was the door to Brian’s room.
_______________
Now
The four had just decided on dibs—Brian would “go” first—when some other guy barged into the room. He demanded a spot in line, or at least to “film the action” on his phone.
I’d never felt frustration like this! Not in waking life. After my parents had burned to death, I used to dream that I was screaming and not making a sound.
Now I was living that nightmare.
I thought of moonlight streaming through the forest. I pictured my bow, and imagined how I would put an arrow into each of these guys—if I could remember this night. I replayed how it’d felt to run the forest with my growing speed and strength. My aunts had been right about one thing.
I am a goddess.
One foot moved slightly. Then the other.
Brian climbed into the bed. “Such a sweet piece of ass,” he told me. “I’m going to pound you so hard you’ll feel it for a week.”
One of the other players said, “Ah, yeah! Nail that bitch.”
Another yelled, “Tap that ass!”
My heart thundered. My eyes darted behind my lids. My right hand clenched.
Brian started hiking up my skirt.
My aunts’ words resonated within me like a prayer: Moonlight is doubt. It is the light of darkness. It is the color of nightmares. You were born to shine in dark times. Be the doom of others.
But I was the Moon. Shining was what I did.
Then Brian, her secret crush, had paid all this attention to me. Who could blame him? I was wearing a black slinky number I’d ordered from a posh catalog. But I was more interested in having a friend. I could get a date once I’d locked Candy down.
I’d tried to get Brian to partner with her in this game, but he’d insisted on me.
I studied her expression. Was I about to lose my first line on a friend? I elbowed Brian. “Candy looks hot tonight, doesn’t she?” She must’ve heard me; she tilted her head, a hopeful look on her face. “She’s a total babe.”
He frowned. “Who? You’re the only babe I’m interested in,” he slurred.
Shit! “I have a boyfriend,” I hastily said. “But I bet I could get Candy’s digits for you.”
“Your guy’s not here, is he?” Brian said. “When the cat’s away, the mice will play, right?” He leaned in to kiss me, but I turned my face.
Candy flounced off just as the pong ball plopped into one of our cups. Brian handed the drink to me. “I’ll give you the honors since you’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
“Yeah. Sure thing.” I put the cup to my lips.
“Chug, chug!”
_______________
An hour or so ago
“I don’t feel s’good,” I told Brian. My legs didn’t want to work right. I hadn’t drunk more than three cups of beer, so why was I this weakened?
Was this part of my Arcana transformation? Were more powers coming online?
The room blurred. Faces were fuzzy.
I wanted to find Candy, but Brian had his fist clamped around my left arm and was steering me away from the crowd.
My tongue didn’t seem to fit in my mouth as I asked, “Where’re we heading?”
“Don’t you want to see my room?”
Was it just me or did he sound way less drunk than he had before? “Nooo. Wanna find Candy.”
“Your friend’s hooking up with somebody else.” His grip tightened. “Come on, we want to show you something upstairs.”
We? I managed to crane my head around. Three of his teammates had joined us, one of them taking my other arm.
I was the Huntress, but the way these guys looked at me gave me chills. . . . All of a sudden, I felt like the prey. “Not going upstairs!” I flung away, using all my strength, but they just laughed.
One of them said, “We caught a wildcat tonight.”
I’d tracked wildcats through dense forests. Right now, I was nothing like them. I had as much bite as a newborn kitten.
Realization dawned. These guys . . . they’d drugged me.
I’d expected treachery from other Arcana. Not from humans.
We passed wasted partiers. I tried to signal for help, but no one paid any attention to me. The four players steered me to another hallway. My stomach dropped when I saw a stairway ahead. I couldn’t let them force me up those steps—
Candy! My eyes went wide. She was in the hall making out with some guy! “Candy!” I screamed, but it came out like a slurred murmur.
I tried to reach for her, but those guys had my arms. “Help me!” I had never in all my life said those words.
She drew back from the guy. She would see what was wrong with me! She would know what these assholes had done.
She looked me up and down. With a smirk, she muttered, “What a total slut”—then went back to kissing that guy.
Tears pricked my eyes. I wanted to sob. My first friend.
At the foot of the stairs, I attempted a last show of resistance, but only managed to collapse.
Brian caught me, laughing. “Oops-a-daisy!” He wrapped an arm around me, hauling me up against his side. “There she goes.” With another laugh, he told the others, “Have you ever noticed they never make it to the stairs?”
They’d drugged other girls too.
My vision grew blurrier as they forced me up the steps. My shoes were gone, my limp feet dragging behind me. I couldn’t move my legs, couldn’t fight.
Soon I’d black out. Would I remember any of this?
The last thing I saw was the door to Brian’s room.
_______________
Now
The four had just decided on dibs—Brian would “go” first—when some other guy barged into the room. He demanded a spot in line, or at least to “film the action” on his phone.
I’d never felt frustration like this! Not in waking life. After my parents had burned to death, I used to dream that I was screaming and not making a sound.
Now I was living that nightmare.
I thought of moonlight streaming through the forest. I pictured my bow, and imagined how I would put an arrow into each of these guys—if I could remember this night. I replayed how it’d felt to run the forest with my growing speed and strength. My aunts had been right about one thing.
I am a goddess.
One foot moved slightly. Then the other.
Brian climbed into the bed. “Such a sweet piece of ass,” he told me. “I’m going to pound you so hard you’ll feel it for a week.”
One of the other players said, “Ah, yeah! Nail that bitch.”
Another yelled, “Tap that ass!”
My heart thundered. My eyes darted behind my lids. My right hand clenched.
Brian started hiking up my skirt.
My aunts’ words resonated within me like a prayer: Moonlight is doubt. It is the light of darkness. It is the color of nightmares. You were born to shine in dark times. Be the doom of others.
