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The political duo ascended the podium as if it were a throne. They made an attractive pair, both regal and majestic, screaming old money and upper class. Men and women alike either hated them or wanted to be them, the potency of their writhing jealousy carving daggers into my skin.
The smell of pungent perfume alerted me to Katsy’s presence before she leant into my side.
“I can’t believe it. Tell me you’re going to get his number,” she said in a scandalised voice, pretending to whisper, when in reality everyone in the immediate vicinity overheard her.
The quartet ceased their playing and the room hushed in awe, prepared for his speech.
He spoke of the usual nonsense, the furthering of our great city and what he was doing to contribute to the masses. His words didn’t register for me, more so the way he held himself. Arthur spoke clearly, assertively and had nil qualms talking publicly, each person hanging off his every word.
“It was five generations ago when our ancestors donated this family castle to the people,” Arthur proclaimed, swishing a hand in the air. “I am pleased to see this historical site thriving and being utilised in a way that is beneficial to all citizens of Junction City.”
Katsy giggled, the alcohol giving the sound a vicious edge. “Nothisancestors.”
“What do you mean?”
Her eyes lit up with the knowledge of knowing information that I didn’t. “He married into that name and lineage. He was nobody when he met his wife. He isn’t even an Oakview. Alison is.”
Arthur continued on. “I guarantee that greater measures will be put in place to catalogue and ensure safety from Variant violence and immorality.” His gaze travelled over the crowd, always returning back to hold my own.
Katsy gasped. “Oh my god, he is eye fucking you right now. In front ofeveryone.”
I huffed in return when a flippant shadow caught my eye. One of the Mayor’s guards, hidden behind the thick white drape bordering the podium.
As if a phantom wind heard my call, the fabric brushed open and my body was overtaken by a blistering chill. Trembles racked my frame and my chest tightened, lungs spasming from the lack of air that I couldn’t choke down my closing throat.
Oscar Masatino.
A man made of full flesh and bone, when he was supposed to be ash and dust in the fucking wind. How did my father’s enforcer and close friend end up a security guard for the Mayor of Junction City?
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
My legs were pushing me forward before I could even register moving. My crystal flute crushed within my grip, champagne and glass flowing to the floor. The fractured stem remained between my fingers, staining red from the cuts on my flesh, the pain a welcome reminder to stay in reality and not get lost in my Variant.
Instead of heads swerving my way, they were redirected to a commotion at the main entrance. High-pitched cackling and fearful screams splintered off the walls.
Despite the commotion, my focus never wavered, attention only spared for the one-eyed, patch-wearing mammoth of a man I once called Uncle.
My progression was hindered by the rising panic that sifted through the crowd. I shoved people out of my way in the fight to get to Oscar. My hopes shattered when he threw himself over the Oakviews and dragged them out a hidden door sidelining the podium.
I was too late. I’d never catch them.
My eyes closed and I heaved in mouthfuls of air to quench the rushing beats that drummed in my ears.
“They’re insane, they’re fucking insane!” Katsy yelled before she clasped onto my arm, her touch alone releasing my demon from within. Darkness immediately took hold to come forth and consume both of us whole.
I pulled her into a tight embrace, stabbing the fractured glass into her gut. With a rattle from her chest, I shoved hard on the upstroke, the stem slipping upward beneath her ribcage.
“I am insane,”I whispered over her flushed face.
Katsy’s eyes flickered before me, a beautiful symmetry of disbelief and pain passing in their depths.
My Variant soaked in her despair like a drug, feeding on her deterioration to satiate my triggered bloodlust.
She flopped to the ground with a final sigh, my entire front saturated in her blood. It was a welcome addition to my outfit, mostly camouflaged by the dark material of my dress.
Surroundings suddenly bled into recognition. Crazy inmates ran rampant through the room, harassing and chasing guests. I didn’t know how they were released from their cells, and I didn’t care. I revelled in the havoc that permeated the space.
A thin, wiry patient stood at the refreshments table, one hand chucking food at terrified guests, the other shovelling the rest into his mouth. Food particles plastered to his naked body as he toothlessly cackled.
