Testing Vickie

Chapter Fifteen

I follow them through the events of that very day. The beachside picnic, the hotel. I watch him leave me, her with that bag. I smile and remember that beautiful dress. That gold, strappy dress. The mask, the jewels. I watch as she takes them out. I see him looking up, the window. He saw her take it out. He better not watch her get undressed. He walks away and I feel the impulse to stay with me. Watch her. Be a bad stalker. Except, I follow him.

He walks to the shops, the restaurant. Then to the tall building. I see a man there that he talks to. Asian, lean. Kenji.

Some innate instinct roars into place. I run. Then something stops me. Nick never mentioned Kenji. He would’ve mentioned something to me. I stop.

Someone from across the road stares at me. I look back at Kenji and Nick, he’s walking away. I begin to approach Kenji. One step in front of the other. I unbuckle the staff and it extends. Damn, feeling like a power woman right now. The broad daylight, wind sweeping in my hair. The black mask of mystery, staff whipped out. I lightly tap Kenji with the end of the staff.

“Hello you son of a bitch.”

Like a flash of lightning, he turns around and his leg goes up for a kick. A rush of adrenaline surges through, I lift the staff up. He kicks it down and it scatters across the pavement. I bend down to get the knives in my calves and I hear the sweet ringing of them coming out of their sheath. He comes at me with a cloth. A cloth? I come close for a jab and manage to knick his leather jacket before he uses the cloth to grip the knife. I drop it and with the other one I swing down to cut across the calf.

He screams and I take that as my opportunity to run back to my staff. Then someone stands on my hand.

“Going somewhere?”

“No? No no no. I was just picking this stick up.”

“The stick huh?”

I get the staff and whallop him in the stomach. He backs down and then I ram it into his foot. He yells again and again, I ram it into his foot. I take another knife and s***h his chest three times. Once down on his right. “That was for me.” Another time diagonally from the top of the right to the left, ripping through his heart. “That is for Nick.” Finally I tear down his left. “And that is for all the other people who you killed and hurt.”

And with that I run away from it all. Kenji bleeding, seeing Nick, that burn in my arm. Where is Michael? After a while I stop by the river and have no idea where I am. Where is Michael?!

My arm sears in pain and I feel myself getting lightheaded. When did I last eat? Or drink? I wouldn’t know. Instead of a cold, blinding white light, there’s a darkness washing over me.

“-ckie. VICKIE! VICKIE BONES” Huh? It sounds like a guy. Not Michael, not dad or Oli. Definitely not Nick. I groan inside, the only other male person that has been a part of my TEST is-“Vickie wake up! It’s Hank!”

Hank…

“What time is it?” I open my eyes, I’m sidewards to the world and Hank comes into focus. There’s a dark reflection of water, dotted with little lights. “Hank what time is it?”

“Ah 8:30. PM. Yes.”

“And where am I?” I haul myself up, despite Hanks outreached arm.

“By the Prour River, near the ice-cream shop.”

I think. What happens now? Ice cream shop? I like ice-cream. Mint choc-chip. So does Nick. Nick. How did I grow so attached to someone in a day? They’re about to go to the ball. Where Nick would’ve died by Kenji’s hands and he’s dead now.

What if it wasn’t Kenji who killed him? I run back to the ball. I’m totally dressed appropriately. I have the mask and everything.

I see us arriving, then me getting cold. Then Hank.

I thought Hank was back at the river? He stares at me with a smile that sends a chill down my spine. He waves. It was short. As if he was going to say goodbye. Something is wrong here.

I fumble around for my weapons. Daggers and guns. I flash the gun out and there’s two bangs. I duck down from where I am behind thin air. I see blood. No. It can’t be Nicks. It cannot be Nick. That feeling comes back. The cold white. The flash.

Somehow Michael is sitting on a couch and Ana’s head is in his lap. Nick isn’t there.

“Ah, you’re back.”

“He isn’t. I was told he would.”

“He will, he will. In due time.”

“YOU LIED TO ME!” I feel pure range. Anger surges through me and I leap for Michael.

“Hey, sleeping beauty here.” He puts his arms in defence.

“Well which do I pick now?”

“I mean, it’s your TEST’s. Look back on the riddles.”

‘With bliss comes horror,

With horror comes bliss.

One left behind,

One left in front.

The opaque leather flask… or:

‘To see or to hear

To be seen or to be heard.

To hear only one, to see all;

Or to hear all and only see one.

One will be gained

One will be lost.’

The bubbly, emerald green vial.

Save the one I won’t know last. Who knows, maybe the green will taste like lime lemonade. Fizzy green apple juice.

It slips down my throat and burns a little, fizzing slowly down. Mmmm, lime lemonade. I close my eyes and wait. Nothing happens. I open them again.

“Is something supposed to happen?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.” He stares at Ana. “Just don’t wake her.”

He really seems to like her. Really seems to like her.

Then a high pitched whine pierces my brain. Ana wakes up and stares at me panicked. She starts shaking me, mouthing words at me. I can’t hear them. I can’t hear her. I think of myself screaming, my brain hurts. I’m in pain. I crouch down, my head low, arms around it. The left side of my body feels cold, like it’s against something hard. There’s a sick feeling in my stomach. Suddenly there’s quiet. Like silence, but not really silent. Then I hear it.

‘Welcome, to the place where the sense has all.’