Velvet Door Society

Velvet Door Society

By

Shanaya Fastje

Copyright by Shanaya Fastje 2016

Published by TWB Press at Smashwords

All rights reserved. No part of this story (e-book) may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or book reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidences are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual person, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Edited by Terry Wright

© Cover Art by Terry Wright

ISBN: 978-1-9944045-16-6

Prologue

Soul Thief

Standing under the canopy of a closed business entrance, he watched derelicts drink alcohol outside a grubby nightclub, one of only two in Rosaphene, Virginia. They hollered and scuffled among themselves. The smell of cigarette smoke disturbed his nostrils and stirred a sense of impatience. Electronic dance music rumbled across the usually quiet street, and his annoyance grew stronger with the intense vibration of the heavy bass. Observing humanity’s fragility and idiocy always entertained him. He felt nobler than the fools who considered wolf whistles and yelling crude comments at passing women a form of flattery.

Near closing time, as inebriated and exhausted patrons poured out of the nightclub, he scanned the crowd carefully, waiting to see her, waiting to feel her energy. A flickering streetlight annoyed him further, so he strode across the street in anticipation of seeing her, unable to wait for her at a distance any longer.

Dodging trash thrown carelessly on the ground, he reached the sidewalk in time to see her amble out of the club with her head held high. His heart skipped a beat. Her silky blonde hair bounced with every step she took, but he wasn’t here to admire her.

He was here to take her life.

He slinked into the dark alleyway beside the club, pressed his back against the cold brick wall, and heard the squeaks of rodents foraging for food in an overflowing dumpster. The smell of garbage and urine almost made him rethink his point of attack. Almost.

While humming an obscure melody, she walked in his direction, probably toward her apartment.

He scowled. Little did she know she would never make it home.

As she passed the dark alley’s maw, he lunged forward, covered her mouth with his gloved hand, and wrestled her deeper into the shadows.

Her screams muffled, inaudible behind the continuous thumping music, she managed only guttural cries, kicked and squirmed. Oh how he delighted in her desperation. He shoved her thin frame against the wall and pressed his body against hers as her eyes darted back and forth rapidly, her eyelashes fluttering with fear.

Don’t be afraid, he rasped into her ear, his excited breath heavy against her skin. This will be quick, but I can’t promise painless.

She stopped fighting. Her eyes bore into his face with terrified recognition.

That’s better. He removed his hand from her mouth and stepped back.

She gritted her teeth. "It’s you."

With a smirk, he wrapped his fingers around the garnet stone hanging from a chain around her neck. You should have known it would come to this. He yanked her necklace hard enough to break the chain.

The force caused her head to snap back. "Why me?"

He clutched the stone in his fist. My plans for humanity have just begun, but first, I must rid this world of your kind.

Please. Her body shuddered. We only want to exist in peace.

He clamped the oddly shaped stone between his teeth, freeing his hands.

Are you going to kill me...like the others?

He reached into the left pocket of his black trench coat and pulled out a syringe.

What’s that for?

From his other pocket, he retrieved a gold lighter, clicked open the lid, and flicked the wick into flame.

Her eyes widened. No. Please no.

He tossed the lighter at her. The small flame instantly ignited her body into a blazing inferno, bright and excruciatingly hot.

Engulfed in fire, she screamed, but the infernal music drowned out the last sound she made on earth.

Basking in the warmth, he watched the young woman’s body dissolve into a pile of ash where she once stood. Then a cloud of purple light rose up from the ashes and illuminated the alleyway with its vividness.

The brilliant display never ceased to amaze him, the energy of the spirit’s soul profound and unseen by human eyes. He stepped forward with the syringe and sucked in all the purple light, which made the cylinder glow. Wasting no time, he slid the left coat sleeve up his arm and stabbed the needle into a throbbing, expectant vein in his wrist. Excitement caused his right hand to tremble as he pressed the plunger full in, not slowly, but with one smooth stroke.

Darkness reclaimed the alleyway.

Throwing his head back in bliss, he bit down on the stone and savored the heat and energy glowing within his chest. He freed his mind and felt nothing but exuberance and jubilation. Even the annoying music faded from his consciousness. He felt no guilt, no regret, no sorrow for the soul he’d just stolen. He’d need that energy and more to see his plans for this world come to fruition.

With the syringe safely back in his pocket, he released the garnet stone from his teeth and dropped it into the pile of ash. The authorities would find it: evidence of his success, a means to identify the ashes, and a sure way to instill fear throughout the spirit community.

He stooped to retrieve his special gold lighter from the ground and spoke his final words to the ashes. Your friends are next.

Chapter 1

STRANGERS AND CROWS

When we look up at the stars, we are not watching the sky... the sky is watching us.

Willow remembered her father warning her to be careful when talking to the stars, to never tell them something she wouldn’t tell her best friend. Stars were gossipers. Loud mouths. As soon as the sun rose and they were seen no more, they would laugh and share stories with each other about the poor saps with their materialistic, unattainable, selfish little wishes.

As she grew older, she would often question her father. But stars can’t talk.

Her father would smirk and lean in close to her. That’s what they want you to think, he would whisper.

The idea of stars having very human-like qualities sparked Willow to become wildly interested in all things astrological. Of course, only she considered herself to be wildly interested; everyone else considered her wildly obsessed. She grew out of her obsessive interest, but it still lingered, and she still had an appreciation for the stars.

Willow was in a reverie and didn’t remember drawing the constellation Leo on the top of her left hand with a blue ballpoint pen she had found on the table in her mother’s psychiatrist’s dimly lit and slightly cold waiting room, which looked more like a vampire’s living room with its black velvet chairs and dark red walls. It wasn’t the most calming or pleasant place. In her head, the office was haunted with ghosts occupying the space around her: floating, staring, or even smelling. She shivered at the thought of a rude and invasive ghost sniffing her. Willow often thought weird things to keep from going crazy with boredom.

The old grandfather clock in one corner struck two o’clock. She wondered why her mother took so long talking to Dr. Everly. Probably gossiping. Like the stars.

The entrance door creaked open and in walked a tall, pale dark-haired young man who looked overly confident, with a smirk on his face and a sway in his step. He plopped on the seat next to Willow, and naturally, she avoided any conversation with him. Fighting nervousness, she started to draw another constellation on her right hand. Whenever she engaged in human interaction, the result was almost always embarrassment. She didn’t like to start trouble, but she couldn’t help but find joy in getting a rise out of people she didn’t particularly like.

Pisces, he said as he curiously examined her hand. Are you a Pisces?

Willow just nodded, playing the shy card. Please stop talking, she repeated over and over in her head. She toyed with the ruby ring on her right ring finger and tried her best to tune him out.

Twelfth sign. Represented by a pair of fish. Am I wrong? he asked.

She could tell that he loved the sound of his own voice and wondered if bothering girls was a hobby of his, but it would be rude of her to ignore him. Dead on, she mumbled.

Ruled by Jupiter and Neptune. Let me guess...you were born in February. He was no longer looking at her hand but at the side of her face.

February 20th, she answered in her head. As much as she hated to think about it, she was a little bit impressed—but just a little bit. Mostly because she didn’t know other people who were interested or even mildly educated on zodiac signs. How’d you guess February? she asked and finally turned to look at him. Since her plan to avoid conversation failed, she came up with a new plan. No eye contact. Looking at his jaw line, she saw that he had flawless skin.

Was I right?

He seemed like a person who was often unsatisfied with rejection. Before she answered, she had to take a moment to squirm in her seat due to physical and mental discomfort. February 20th. Immediately, she regretted her decision to respond. She shifted her attention to the floor.

As if on cue, the door to Dr. Eira Everly’s office finally opened. Out walked the skinny, darkly dressed doctor with Willow’s mother, Elizabeth Ferring. Willow took a deep breath and thanked the gods up above for the interruption.

Evander, I wasn’t expecting you until three, Dr. Everly exclaimed in the young man’s direction, completely ignoring Willow.

He stood and hugged Dr. Everly gently and spoke inaudibly into her shoulder.

Willow couldn’t help but watch the doctor and that strange young man hugging. It was like watching the scene of a car crash on the side of the road; she simply couldn’t look away. Dr. Everly seemed cold to him, which sent chills down Willow’s spine. The image of the doctor having any interaction with another person besides a simple handshake felt odd. However, she and Evander parted soon enough, and the world was once again balanced—as balanced as this world could possibly get.

I’ll see you next time, Dr. Everly said to Elizabeth. The doctor seldom let silence come between anyone; words always had to be spoken, stories always had to be told, so she continued to make small talk with Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Evander gave Willow strange vibes, but she didn’t know if they were more good than bad. She didn’t want to find out and decided to skitter out of that tiny room as fast as possible.

Where are your manners, Willow? Her mother spoke in a threatening tone. Aren’t you going to say goodbye to your friend?

She must’ve thought everyone Willow talked to was her friend.

Willow slumped to Evander and held out her left hand for him to take, which was a pretty big move for her, considering her qualms for making physical contact with guys she didn’t know. Very nice meeting you. She accidentally made eye contact. A jolt of trepidation shot through her chest. She gulped as he slowly took her hand and leaned in to kiss it as if they were characters in an old Shakespearian play.

It was very nice meeting you too, Willow. The way he said her name almost made her topple backwards. He had the perfect look and personality to be a serial killer. She scolded herself for completely stereotyping someone she didn’t know.

Evander stared at the top of the hand he’d kissed, and then looked up and squinted at her. Fifth sign. Ruled by the sun and represented by a lion.

Willow nodded quickly.

Evander let out a tiny laugh.

What’s funny? she demanded.

I’m a Leo. He showed her a smirk. I hope our paths will cross again one day.

***

Willow remained quiet during the ride back to her house. It started to rain. She leaned her head against the cold glass window. In Rosaphene, Virginia, it rained on occasion, snowed heavily during the winter, and became annoyingly hot during the summer. It was fall, and the October weather was every kind of perfect. Thunder and rain were lullabies for Willow. She also loved lightning way more than fireworks.

The sound of the rain hitting the top of the car and the thunder rumbling the earth kept her awake. She thought about Evander’s eyes. Though she couldn’t have looked at them for more than a few seconds, the image was crystal clear in the back of her head. She wasn’t the type of person to notice every little feature of a person. Eyes were eyes, hair was hair, and lips were lips. People were people. But there was something about his eyes that stoked her curiosity.

A sudden feeling of discomfort overwhelmed her.

She couldn’t find the words to describe Evander’s eyes.

Home now, Willow sleepily walked behind her mother into their house and headed straight to the kitchen. She wasn’t happy to be home and wished there were errands to run or business to attend to just so that she could spend more time away from that house.

The soles of their shoes, wet from the rain, squeaked on the hardwood floor. Willow pulled out a box of waffles from the freezer and popped a waffle into the toaster while she ate one frozen. Her mother leaned over their marble kitchen island and eyed her while she chewed and swallowed.

How are you feeling?

A little hungry. How are you feeling? Willow took another bite. Chewed. Swallowed.

I told Dr. Everly that you seemed distant lately, and she agreed.

She thinks I’m distant even when I’m not. Another bite. Chewed. Swallowed.

You should consider talking to her.

I don’t trust her.

You need to trust her.

That’s the thing, another bite, I don’t need to do anything, chewed, and I won’t trust her, swallowed. She acts like she’s a thousand years old and knows everything.

Elizabeth stomped over to Willow, grabbed the waffle out of her hand, and threw it in the trash at the exact moment the waffle in the toaster popped out.

Willow grabbed it and took a bite, burning her tongue.

Her mother clenched her jaw. "You should talk to her about your little...dreams."

Can I please eat my carbs in peace?

Why do you have to be so stubborn?

I won’t tell her about my dreams. I wouldn’t have told you about them if I knew you were going to keep pushing me to talk about them...as if they’re terrible burdens on the family. Willow channeled her inner anger and walked past her mother to the spiral staircase leading upstairs to her bedroom.

She kicked out of her worn leather boots and lounged on her window seat. Outside her window stood a big mulberry tree. Birds nested in it, and she had a perfect view of them. She was pretty sure they were Robins, judging by their color. Just the word color made her think about Evander’s eyes again. She created a list in her head of all the things she knew were blue, and then drifted off into another daze.

Willow was naturally shy and reserved, but after what happened during her last year of school, she became quieter than usual, mostly because she was thinking, and when she thought, she got quiet. When she, or anyone for that matter, became quiet, people tended to worry. She thought about fate and destiny, but also about fictional characters from television shows she had binge-watched. Her mother often worried that Willow was damaged, scared or even angry, and sometimes Willow was all or some of those things. Most of the time though, she wasn’t. She was just thinking.

She attended one of only three high schools in the city. When her school made the front page of the local newspaper, it wasn’t because the students had done great community service or won a contest. It was because one of the students had been beaten to death, and two others were hospitalized with serious injuries. Sparing the details of the argument, in the end, ten kids were involved in the same scuffle. When her mother heard about what had happened that day, her paranoia escalated, and Willow had to spend most of her after-school time in the quiet of her own bedroom, and that continued after she graduated.

Willow couldn’t decide whether she missed school or not. Though she definitely knew that she did not miss the plastic-tasting cafeteria food, the different colored bubble gum placed purposely all over walls and desks, the crude writing on bathroom stalls, or the weird smell that came from the Janitor’s closet near her English class. At first, she thought the odor must have been a skunk. She convinced herself, for two years, that the janitor had a pet skunk, and he was hiding it in the closet. But as time passed, she figured a forest animal making itself comfortable among brooms and cleaning chemicals wasn’t the source of the smell; it was marijuana.

Her window rattled. A crow had accidentally flown into it, pulling Willow out of her musing. She jumped up and watched the black bird flap its wings and fly away. Poor thing.

Suddenly there was a knock at her door. Her mother’s voice creaked through the thick wooden walls, notifying Willow that there was pizza waiting for her downstairs, a snack to hold them over until dinner.

***

Why did Dr. Everly take forever talking to you today? Willow asked then stuffed the pointy end of the pepperoni pizza slice into her mouth.

Elizabeth sat cross-legged with Willow on their oversized sofa in the living room and wiped her mouth with a napkin. I was telling her that you were incredibly bright about the stars and the sky.

The sound of a car’s engine roared up in front of their house. Willow and her