The Beautiful Ones Read online

Sometimes at night I swore I heard screams coming from beyond that fence. Chilling screams that entered my dreams and woke me in a cold sweat. Startled and terrified, I’d stay awake for hours wondering what could make such a terrible noise. A trapped deer? I’d read about bears although never seen one. Perhaps a wild cat? Or was it something much less animalistic and much more human?

  Tom said they were merely nightmares. After all, no one else had ever heard the cries.

  But I wasn’t so sure.

  As I stood there chilled under Thanatos’s hard stare, I had a feeling I was about to finally find out the truth.

  “Anything interesting, Thanatos?” One of the other men approached.

  It was no longer just me and him. The rest of the world came harshly back into focus. I couldn’t help myself, and although we’d been taught to keep still, I shifted, feeling nervous and alone when I’d never been alone in my life. Why had he focused on me? Why?

  “No, Bacchus,” he replied quietly.

  His response surprised me, but it was his voice that shook me. It was the first time I’d heard him speak and the velvety smoothness sent a rush of heat through my body. Who was this man?

  I dropped my gaze to the ground, as if once I broke eye contact, he’d no longer have any power. He was rejecting me. I should have felt relieved; instead I felt strangely horrified, even embarrassed. When only moments before I hadn’t been sure if I’d want to be chosen, now I had the intense desire to demand he pick me.

  The man named Bacchus stared hard, those green eyes so cold it seemed as if the very blood in my veins froze under his gaze. Perhaps he wasn’t touching me, but it felt as if he did as he loomed like one of the few trees on the outskirts of our courtyard. But instead of finding welcoming relief in his shade, I felt only unease under the man’s attention.

  “You’re sure?” he asked, hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his brilliant red vest. When I dared to peek up at him, I realized he stared at me with the same sort of bored detachment with which our cook stared at our chickens when getting ready to cut off their heads for dinner.

  “Yes.” Thanatos turned and started down the row, dismissing me altogether.

  “A moment.” Bacchus stepped closer, only a breath away.

  I had to resist the urge to step back. His narrow face reminded me of one of the hawks that oftentimes hovered over our compound, hoping for an unsuspecting rabbit. I flushed, uncomfortable under his attention, and wishing Thanatos would return. Even he was preferable to this man. Closing his eyes, Bacchus breathed deeply, stirring the loose tendrils around my face. What was he doing? Helplessly, I glanced at Tom, but he merely stared wide-eyed back at me, unable to offer any assistance.

  A slow smile spread across Bacchus’s lips, an oddly terrifying grin. “The boy is lying.”

  Thanatos spun around so fast, he was a mere blur. We didn’t have time to be startled as he collided with Bacchus and shoved him back…back into the iron bars of the fence, his hand at the man’s throat.

  “She isn’t ready,” he growled.

  Surprised gasps rang out amongst our group, the younger children latching onto the older ones in fear. Our lives were built around the same tediousness day after day, and most found comfort in knowing what would take place. In fact, the beautiful ones enforced repetitiveness. But this had never happened before, and their strange behavior terrified us.

  “Thanatos, Bacchus, enough!” Ares started down the path, his steps quick and thundering as his cloak swirled around him in a storm of black material.

  Stunned, none of us moved. Doctor Sam merely huddled within his cloak off to the side, mumbling to himself, of absolutely no help. The beautiful ones were always calm, always polite and reserved; we’d never seen them fight. I dared to slide Tom another glance. His face had gone pale, but I probably looked just as surprised. The entire group of our simple people formed a sea of colorless features. Something strange had happened. Something wrong. Something I knew without doubt was my fault.

  “Release him, Thanatos.” Ares rested his hand on the young man’s shoulder.

  But he remained tense and I had an unsettling feeling he would refuse. The desire to beg him to stop pressed against my lips, but I managed to keep my mouth shut. Surprisingly, he stepped back and turned his fierce gaze toward us.

  “Her.” Thanatos pointed at Sally. Just as quickly, his attention focused on the male line. “Him.”

  I jerked my gaze toward Tom, my heart denying what my rational mind knew for truth. They couldn’t take my best friend. How would I live here without him? I almost cried out in denial, had to curl my fingernails into my palms to keep from rushing forward and throwing my arms around Tom’s neck.

  “One more.” Bacchus was suddenly back between our two lines, his cold, angry gaze pinned to Thanatos. It was not a question, but a demand. He was out for revenge.

  “No,” Thanatos snapped back.

  They stood face-to-face, and I worried they would fight again. Ares held up his hand, but in his cold eyes was an amusement that made me nervous, almost as if he enjoyed the games they played.

  “Who, Bacchus?”

  Bacchus lifted his arm and pointed directly at me, a gleam of triumph on his face. “Her.”

  The entire world seemed to grow silent, or perhaps for that brief second I’d lost all sense of hearing. Ares looked thoughtful for a moment as he studied me, but I could say nothing. A mere flower, I waited to see if I would be picked or crushed under unconcerned feet.

  Finally, he breathed deeply, smiled and nodded. “Very well.”

  With his final words left hanging in the air, he spun around and started toward the gates, Bacchus following. Sally rushed after them, eager to leave behind this world and start anew. Thanatos merely stood there glaring at me as if I’d somehow done something wrong. How had this happened? From the corner of my eye I could see Tom hesitate, then start toward the gates without me.

  “Children,” Doctor Sam called out, finally coming to life. “Line up. Time for shots.”

  But I continued to stand there.

  “Go now,” Thanatos whispered furiously. ‘It’s too late.”

  Too late for what? My legs felt like boulders as I stumbled after them, following Tom’s broad shoulders, incredibly aware of Thanatos behind me. I dared to glance one last time at my brothers, who had already started toward Doctor Sam, at my sister who watched with wide, envious eyes and a dirt-smudged face. I’d been chosen. I was leaving this dull world behind. I was getting exactly what I’d always wanted…escape. So why did I not race after them in excitement as Sally did?

  The closer I got to the gates of freedom the louder my heart thundered. Although we didn’t touch, I could feel Thanatos behind me, a wall between my future and my past. At the fence I didn’t pause, knowing if I hesitated I wouldn’t make it. Closing my eyes briefly, I stepped outside the compound and into a new world, a new life.

  I’d imagined this moment for years, day after day. I’d imagined racing through the gates and up those hills, into the flowers. I’d imagined exploring the nooks of the forest until I found the answers to my many questions, the reasons why I was here. But I had never imagined this procession of silence.

  I didn’t realize until I stepped outside that there was a wagon already filled with more people like us. A wagon that held ten men and women, all with the same slightly bemused expressions we wore, the same plain clothing and wary eyes.

  But the normal people in the wagon ahead weren’t what I found interesting. It was the guards I found fascinating. Men much like Thanatos with scars across their beautiful faces. Men who would have been stunning, if it wasn’t for their injuries.

  “To the wagon,” one guard growled, shoving me toward an empty bed.

  I stumbled, had to quickly regain my balance, and resisted the urge to shoot the man a glare over my shoulder. One day, after having had enough of listening to Sally extoll the benefits of being chosen by the beautiful
ones, I’d cynically said that they probably took us back to their estates and forced us to become their servants. My negative comment had not been appreciated.

  “Up in the back of the bed,” another guard growled as he stood waiting impatiently.

  As we were ushered onto the bed of the second wagon while the beautiful ones headed toward their elegant carriage that led the procession, I wondered if Sally thought about my comment.

  Swallowing hard, I settled on the cold seat near the front, a mere plank of wood that rested along the side of the bed. I was more than surprised when Thanatos jumped onto the bench seat in front, sitting next to the driver. So close to me I could smell his intoxicating scent. There was no elegant carriage for him. I slid my gaze to the driver, feeling confused. He appeared much more normal, more like us, with his tanned skin and plain brown clothing. He didn’t bother to glance our way, but stared straight ahead as if he hadn’t even noticed our arrival.

  Yes, he was similar, but for one thing… he was older. Much older. Older even than Doctor Sam. The creases at the corners of his mouth and gray at his temples showed him to be startlingly ancient. I’d never seen anyone that old and found myself fascinated more by this man than my situation. Had I been right all along? Were we being taken back to their city to become servants like this driver?

  “Can’t believe we were both chosen,” Tom whispered as he settled next to me, his excited voice drawing my attention to him.

  I parted my lips, intending to ask his opinion of the situation when the guard shoving Sally toward the wagon interrupted. “Over there,” he demanded, glaring at Tom.

  Even here they intended to keep us separate. Tom gave me an apologetic smile and moved to the bench across from me. As the wagon jerked forward I was acutely aware of the fact that I had left everything behind: my clothing, my books, my friends. I lifted my hand to my chest feeling the wooden rose. But Tom’s necklace was still there…a small piece of comfort. I glanced at him but he wasn’t looking my way. No, he was too busy studying the passing scenery, obviously excited about our unknown future.

  The gates shut with a thud.

  Sally and Tom might be interested in the future, but I was more interested in the past. Just beyond those metal bars I could see the others standing there watching us. Only a few were in line for shots. I knew from experience they would stay there for a good ten minutes, wishing they had been chosen, wondering why they hadn’t, before they shuffled off to do their chores.

  Familiarity. Comfort. Home. I sat stiff and still, unable to look away from everything I had known, unable to look away from those dirt-smudged faces of my friends and family. As a few of them moved forward, peering at me through the bars, still locked away while I experienced the outside world for the first time in my life, I felt utterly guilty.

  I watched them until we moved up and over a hill, and they disappeared from view. Just like that it was over. Within a blink they were gone. With almost everything familiar out of reach, I felt lost, alone. I swallowed hard and slumped back onto my seat. I wasn’t the only one who realized the importance of the moment.

  Around me everyone grew quiet.

  Extremely quiet.

  The only sound was the rumble of wheels over dirt.

  They were nervous, yet I could sense their excitement. That was the difference between me and Tom and Sally. They were thrilled to have been chosen. They did not seem to question where we were going, or what would happen once we arrived. I, on the other hand, had a million questions racing through my mind.

  We started down a hill. No fence was in view. My home was gone, as if it had never existed. With nothing left to do, I studied my surroundings, trying to make sense of the odd situation. I’d been born for this moment. We all had. So why did leaving the compound feel anything but thrilling?

  “This is amazing,” Sally, whispered, clutching my knee.

  Seeing her so happy made me uneasy. Why, I wondered, couldn’t I just accept my fate as well as she and Tom? Why couldn’t I believe in the best, as they both apparently did? I fell quiet, lost in thought and worry. Maybe it was merely nerves making me uneasy, the thought of the unknown.

  “Don’t worry, Jane,” Tom whispered, leaning forward.

  I forced myself to smile. He knew me well, too well.

  He nodded toward the scenery behind me. “Look.”

  Reluctantly, I turned on my bench. We’d rounded a corner and the hills smoothed into gentle fields of green, dotted with yellow flowers that seemed to go on forever. A sight so beautiful that my nervousness fell to the wayside.

  Indeed, Tom knew me well.

  He knew what I needed, what I desired. I realized in that perfect moment that I was free. Free. Suddenly, the air felt cooler, cleaner. The world brighter. Reluctantly, I let my excitement grow and I found myself grinning as widely as the rest of them.

  “Amazing, right?” Tom whispered.

  I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. This was why I’d been so eager to leave, because I’d known there was more. So much more. A silvery lake crawled across the lowland, brilliant and sparkling under the sun. A beautiful, clean lake, unlike the brown murky water where our animals drank and bathed. My fingers tightened around the edge of the wagon, the desire to touch that cool water, to dip my toes into its clean surface, overwhelming. So many amazing things I’d never seen before; I could barely take it all in.

  “Look!” Tom cried out a little too loudly, forgetting himself.

  Although Sally turned her glare toward him, he barely noticed. I glanced up, following his line of vision. A brilliant rainbow arched across the sky. I sucked in a sharp breath. Was it a sign? Some sort of signal from a god I didn’t fully understand?

  “Beautiful,” I whispered.

  “You’ve never seen a rainbow?” Thanatos muttered harshly, without looking back.

  We all froze, our smiles falling.

  He sat with his legs stretched out and his arms crossed over his chest. He still wore that hood and I could only see the tip of his nose. There was no doubt he was a beautiful one, yet there was something different about him, something other than the scar marking his handsome face. I glanced at Tom, who was watching me nervously. Sally looked ready to vomit.

  I had to answer him, didn’t I? “Y…yes. Of course. But a rainbow is such a thing that no matter how many times you see it, it’s still just as beautiful as the first.”

  I wasn’t positive, but I was pretty sure he snorted in derision.

  I waited, nervously, but after five minutes without a vocal response, I realized he was perfectly content to go on ignoring us as he had most of the trip.

  “What were you thinking?” Sally whispered furiously.

  I pressed my lips tightly together, refusing to reply, and turned my gaze once again to the hills, finding comfort in the landscape. Maybe I hadn’t been thinking. No, when you saw something as beautiful as a rainbow you could only react naturally, from a place deep within. A place that was there, always nagging at me, making me want more, making me want this. And I could feel it…everything I dreamt about was out there, so close, within reach now.

  I wasn’t sure how much time passed, as I greedily soaked up the natural wonder around us, and my own nervousness gave way to the warmth of happiness. This was so much better than my books. Perhaps Sally had been right, maybe we were being rewarded.

  “We’re going to be so happy, Jane,” Sally whispered.

  I smiled, unable to help myself. The sun was setting, sending brilliant rays of red and orange across the sky. When we entered a thick forest, the light was all but gone. I tried to concentrate, not ready to let the excitement of the day go, but as the minutes went by my eyes grew heavy and my body exhausted. We’d be headed to bed already back at the compound. Up with the dawn, to bed with dusk.

  It was as I had just decided to give into my exhaustion that I first noticed the shadows moving through the woods. Instantly alert, I leaned forward, narrowing my
eyes. Was it my imagination… No. There were people following. Or…animals…something within those woods running so fast they were a blur beside us.

  Startled, I glanced at Tom, trying to catch his attention, but he’d fallen asleep and was leaning heavily against the back of his seat. Sally, too, slept next to me. I studied the woods once more. They were still there, a fog of shadows swirling, practically blending within the darkness. My heart hammered wildly. What were they? I glanced at Thanatos. He was so close I could reach out and tap him on the back, if I so dared. As if sensing my attention, he glanced over his shoulder.

  Those icy eyes caught me off guard. “What is it?”

  Under his intense gaze, I could barely speak. “It’s…I just…”

  Surprised by the sound of our voices, Sally and Tom jerked awake. I knew what they were thinking…how stupid of me to talk to a beautiful one. Didn’t I know when to keep my mouth shut? Apparently not.

  I cleared my throat, forcing myself to keep his gaze. “It seems as if we are being followed.”

  He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. I had thought, for a brief moment, that perhaps he might be angry at me for speaking up. But he merely turned back around and slumped once more against the seat. “They are guards.”

  He didn’t say another word.

  I parted my lips to question him further when Sally pinched my arm hard. I gritted my teeth, glaring at her. She glared back.

  “Shut your mouth,” she whispered.

  Frustrated, I glanced at Tom, but he had the same look as Sally, a look that warned I’d get no support. I leaned back against the hard bench, and refused to hold Tom’s gaze. His lack of support bothered me, but then he’d always taken my side.

  Why? Why would we need guards? I turned my attention back to the forest, following the shadows. Beasts or humans? I couldn’t tell and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Perhaps they were dogs of some sort, for no human could run that quickly. I felt suddenly chilled, and it had nothing to do with the fact that the sun was disappearing below the horizon. The carriage burst from the woods and I glanced back, expecting to see the guards move from the trees, but I saw no one.

  “Fence,” Sally whispered.

  Sure enough, a tall iron fence rose from the hills, a fence that looked so familiar that for a moment I thought it had all been a terrible ruse and they were returning us to the compound. But no, this was a new place. A new compound.

  Startled, the three of us looked at each other. Where were we? The wagon slowed to a stop. Thanatos jumped from the seat, but he wasn’t paying attention to us, and I didn’t dare call out to him. The fancy carriage had stopped, and the beautiful ones were already outside, waiting. The wagon ahead filled with other plain people like us paused as well.

  “Out,” Thanatos demanded, turning toward us.

  I started to stand instinctively, thinking at first that he was talking to all of us and perhaps we were merely being transported to another compound. But no, he was staring at Tom. Tom, who stood slowly, his face pale, his expression bewildered.

  “Out,” Thanatos demanded, as two guards suddenly appeared, flanking his sides. “You’re staying here.”

  “But…”

  Thanatos sighed, apparently in no mood for our questions. “You’re needed here. You will stay at this compound until we come for you again.”

  Tom glanced toward the gates, then at me. His hesitation hurt, made me cold inside. He didn’t want to leave me, and he didn’t want to return to that fenced compound any more than I did. Yet, Tom wouldn’t complain. Tom never complained. A split second later I saw the determination in his eyes. He would do what they asked, assuming it was for the greater good. Even if that greater good meant I might not ever see him again. He jumped from the wagon.

  “No!” I yelled out.

  Without thought I raced to the edge and leaped off the bed after him.

  Thanatos froze. The guards paused, frowning. Even Tom stilled in surprise.

  Seeing the commotion, Ares started toward us, his steps even and unhurried. “My dear, dear child.” He smiled, a thin and brittle smile that didn’t quite reach his cold eyes. “Do not worry. ‘Tis merely for a short while. You shall be reunited with your friend very soon indeed.”

  I glanced at Thanatos, trying to read the truth, but he’d turned, his face hidden within the hood of his cloak once more. Dare I believe them? Not even Tom was looking at me. No, he stared at the ground, his cheeks aflame with a brilliant blush almost as if I’d shamed him. My despair grew heavy, stifling. If Tom wasn’t going to argue, what right did I have to fight?

  Ares rested his hand on my shoulder, startling me. “Now, say your good-byes.”

  “Jane,” Tom said softly, stepping closer. “You’re different. You’ve always been special. But me…I’m nothing. I don’t stand out. This is my opportunity to be special.”

  “Tom, don’t.” My voice cracked.

  “It’s all right.” He grinned. “You’ll see. This is going to be the best for both of us.”

  He dared to reach out and squeeze my hand. But he released his hold before I was ready to let him go, and all too quickly he was walking away, leaving me alone. The guards opened the gates, the hinges squeaking, revealing another compound, and more haunted, hopeful faces. Thanatos stepped behind Bacchus and Ares, and with Tom, they moved into the compound.

  “Back into the wagon,” a guard growled.

  Another guard with the scar that Thanatos wore. “What does it all mean?”

  His lips lifted into a snarl. “Get aboard now.”

  “Jane,” Sally whispered, urging me to listen.

  Swallowing down my demand for answers, I turned and hauled myself back up into the wagon, ignoring Sally’s anger as I settled next to her. Desperate, I spun around, gripping the side of the wagon and searching the compound. I found Tom easily, his red hair standing out amongst a sea of brown. He stepped across the fence line, into another world. And as he stepped over that invisible line, I felt as if he was gone for good...some ghostly being I was no longer sure was real or a dream.

  Tom thought we’d see each other again. He was sure of it. Even Ares had promised we’d be reunited. But when Tom moved into the throng of other beige people, disappearing from sight, I had an awful, terrible feeling I would never see him again.

  Chapter 3