The Pentagram Child: Part 2 (Afterlife Saga Book 5) (24 page)

I laughed out loud when I saw one wear a metal mankini.

“Oh yeah, this is Pip’s party alright.” I commented when I saw a bunch of waiters walk past struggling on roller skates and wearing those inflatable sumo suits. Talk about trying to make it mission impossible whilst serving canapés.

“I am starting to worry about meeting this Pip.” Jared said and I snorted unable to help myself.

“You should be but whatever you do don’t insult her and don’t mention anything about what she’s wearing unless it’s a compliment…actually I wouldn’t do that either if her husband is anywhere near her.” I looked to Jared and saw the disbelief there in one raised eyebrow but I only had to say one name and his face changed very quickly to one of shock.

“Abaddon.”

“Oh shit.”

“Yep, oh shit is right.” I said in agreement as if there was one Demon I ever needed on my side then Adam’s would be the one I wanted fighting in my corner every time.

“But wait until you meet her, she is fabu…” I stopped speaking as soon as the central fountain came into view and I saw the figure stood there waiting. I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe and I took a step back bumping into Jared.

“You…you planned this?” I asked feeling my throat clogging up with emotion.

“I did.” He said leaning closer to my ear and without another thought I took off running. I didn’t think about the danger. I didn’t think about who could see me.

I just didn’t think.

I just ran.

Because stood there at the fountain was the only person I needed to see back on his feet. The only arms I needed to feel. The only lips I needed to kiss and the only person right at this moment that I needed to tell I loved them…

Draven.                         

Chapter 67

Pip’s World

I was running one second and then my brain kicked into gear and I stopped as soon as I saw who had approached him.

“Aurora.”
I cursed her name as I spoke it through gritted teeth and knew that I had a very important choice to make. Which was why I backed up slowly into a shadowed corner of the house to watch what happened next.

“What are you doing?” Jared must have seen me backtracking but not yet seen why.

“Look.” I pointed to where Draven stood and the world’s biggest bitch was walking up behind him.

“Then what are you waiting for, we all know she and Seth are the traitors.” I shook my head and without taking my eyes off the two of them I said,

“Something doesn’t feel right. I can’t put my finger on it but you have to admit, why go to all this trouble…? Why wait till now when there were so many other occasions she could have double crossed me? No, something doesn’t feel right and the only way I can find out is if she still thinks I am in Hell…this is my only chance.” And it was true. I hated it but it was true. I couldn’t let my selfish need to be with Draven ruin what might have been our only chance to catch Aurora in the act so we could understand what she and Seth had planned.

I had to wait. And worse still I had to make Draven wait.

“She’s just told him he needs to let you go.”

“You heard that?” I asked shocked from such a distance away.

“Must be the animal in me.” He said and winked at me making me roll my eyes. I saw her put her hand on Draven’s shoulder from behind and he shrugged it off without looking at her. Draven had his back to everything and was just looking out at the fountain as I had done this morning. It was almost as if he was waiting for me to come walking back through the way I had entered.

“What she’s saying?” I asked Jared with the K9 hearing.

“I am sorry for your loss my lord…”

“Oh please.” I muttered before he carried on translating,

“…if only I could have done more to save her life but she was so stubborn and refused to hide whilst I fought off the Harpies, then of course she…”
Aurora was cut off before she could take her next breath as she found half her body suspended over the water being bent backwards with Draven’s hand around her throat.

“Do not speak her name EVER!”
This was one comment I didn’t need Jared to tell me as I heard it being roared from all the way over here. Oh yeah, he was angry alright.

“I’m thinking your boyfriend is pissed.” Jared said as we watched Draven fling her back around and release her in a way she only just managed to stay on her feet. Aurora said no more but slunk away after straightening herself up and smoothing down her long evening dress.

“This is my cue.” I said knowing I had to follow her.

“Did you leave the rational part of your brain in your helmet?” I just gave him an unimpressed look to which he added,

“Good point, you never had one.” I gave him a frown and shook my head.

“Look the point I am making is if she sees you and knows there is a chance of you ruining her plans, whatever they might be, she will kill you this time.” He said and I guess he had a good point, so I said the only thing that came to mind,

“Grab me that clown.”

“What?” I nodded behind him where one of the guests dressed as a demonic clown was walking this way.

“You’re not serious?”

“As a hellhound peeing on your sofa.” I responded making him growl.

“Funny.”

“Look just grab me the damn clown!” I said never expecting this sentence would have ever crossed my lips…clowns creeped the willies outta me!

“Fine one clown coming right up, my lady.” Jared said reaching out at the right moment to drag the clown closer to us.

“Sorry about this but do you think I could borrow your wig?” I asked politely and Jared groaned. Then he just snatched the poor guy’s neon green curly clown wig off him to which we both received a shock.

“Really?”

“You’re shitting me?!” I and Jared both said at the sight of the poor manhandled guy that was left with the exact same curly afro wig only in a different colour.

“What, I like wigs.” The guy said in his defence and Jared let him go and muttered,

“I’m thinking it’s safer I don’t meet this friend of yours.”

“I wonder how many he had on.” I asked as I let my hair down to twist it up and put the wig on, secretly offering thanks that it wasn’t sweaty. I looked round the corner as I stuffed up the loose bits back into the wig, only to see Aurora was making her way back into the house.

“Oh that’s just perfect, nope would never guess it was you…wow in fact who are you and what have you done with the daft blonde I was with?” I smacked him on his arm and said,

“You could be helpful you know.”

“I got you the wig didn’t I?”

“Yeah and now I need your jacket.” I almost laughed at his horrified face.

“Oh hell no! That is not happening Kitten!”

“Don’t be a wuss, I will get it back to you, now hurry up as she will be out of sight any minute.” If I hadn’t been in a rush I might have doubled over with laughter at the sight of Jared looking torn…man, he must have really loved this jacket.

“Alright but I swear if anything happens…” He said as he shrugged out of it and handed it over…
reluctantly.

“Yeah, yeah I’m puppy chow, got ya! Ooh perfect.” I said slipping it on and finding a pair of sunglasses in the inside pocket.

“What’d you want next, my wallet!?”

“Sissy.” I called him. 

“Thief.”

“You will get over it, now how do I look?” I said putting on the sunglasses that reminded me of the terminator.

“Like Keira only in a fucking stupid wig, shades and my most prized possession.” I just groaned at him and his helpful ways.

“Well it’s all I’ve got so I will just have to roll with it.” I said and was about to walk away when he shouted for me to wait. He then jogged over to one of the female guests and said a few things to her. Next thing I knew he was jogging back to me after she had dug something out of her handbag.

“Time of the month…did you need a tampon?”

“Haha, funny little shit ain’t ya?” Jared said with fake laughter.

“It must be the wig.” Jared tried not to smile at my comment but I could see him fighting a smile.

“Come here and hold still.” He pulled me closer to him and repositioned me so I had light on my face. Then he produced the item he’d borrowed from the woman waiting and I felt him draw a circle on my nose.

“There! Every clown needs a red nose.”

“You’re enjoying this aren’t you?” I said sarcastically up at him and he nodded winking at me.

“There she is, walking through the crowd.” Jared said looking over me and I turned to face the window I had my back to, to see he was right.

“You go and I will assemble my men to take the exits in case she runs. Shout my name and I will hear you.”

“Ok, got it.” I said seeing the side entrance and deciding this was my best bet.

“Oh and Keira…” I stopped to look back at him and saw he was both worried about letting me go but obviously the sight of what I was wearing was making him smile.

“Take care of my baby.” I rolled my eyes and said sarcastically,

“I will guard her with my life.” Then I patted the jacket and was off out of sight.

I wasn’t going to lie, I felt like a grade A idiot but on the plus side I actually felt a bit underdressed next to all these crazy characters. The room was filled with a mass of colour and this was what I could imagine was Pip’s dream wonderland looked like. Or at least the people she would allow into it.

From what I could see of the room it was incredible and like stepping back in time. Of course you had to cancel out all the added extras that were obviously chosen by Pip. For example the ball pit in one corner that was filled with different coloured neon paints and lit up with a black light so everything was glowing. At the moment there were three people wrestling and one woman who looked like she was having a jolly good time playing with herself…if you know what I mean.

Then there were the giant ice sculptures dotted about the place for the sole purpose of drinking absinth though ice. One was carved into the shape of a massive rollercoaster and someone had their mouth on one end and a waiter (this time dressed as one of the characters from the goonies) was pouring green liquid from the top. In fact the only reason I could tell some of the staff were there to do a job was by the frilly spotted aprons they were made to wear.

One who walked past me offering people turkey twisters on sticks was dressed as one of the Thundercats and in a pink frilly apron this was quite a sight to be seen. The inside of the building that could be seen was back to its former glory and the plaster work alone was breath taking. I only wished I had enough time to look around but all of the little glimpses of the house I was seeing were only from scanning the room looking for Aurora’s blue dress.

I just turned in time to see her as my eye was caught by one of the entertainers blowing fireworks from their mouth instead of the usual fire breathers. The dancing coloured sparks had just finished when I saw the bottom of her dress disappearing from sight as she walked up the staircase on the opposite side of the room.

I think I was in the entrance hall but it was so filled with people I couldn’t tell for sure. All I knew was that it was a long room and had an open balcony running all the way around above us showing us the first floor. Right ahead of me was an open doorway showing the staircase beyond it and was framed by two roman pillars either side of it.

I pushed and ducked my way through the best I could and I was thankful nobody was taking any notice of me. I saw the stairs branch off both left and right but missed which side she had taken. I finally managed to get myself to the other side when I had to slip past a man dressed as a bear in a rockabilly style dress…he was even wearing a head scarf tied into a big red bow on the top of his animal head.

I ran through the opening thanking my lucky stars that not many people wanted to linger out here and ran up the staircase picking the left side. By this time Aurora was out of sight but thankfully when I reached the top there weren’t many doors to choose from. One door was to my right and facing me there was an open doorway that led onto the balcony which then had one at its centre. I was just about to try the first door when I was met by a familiar face.

“Pip?!”

“Toots?!” Pip threw herself into me after having a moment of shock at seeing me not just in the flesh but no doubt with what I was wearing…although knowing Pip this might have been an everyday wardrobe choice.

“Oh by the power of Grayskull! Thank my lucky star knickers! I knew it! I just knew it! I would have bet my paper plate collection that you were still alive and kicking and I told Adam as much!” She said getting so excited about seeing me I had tears welling up.

“Hey, don’t you start crying now or you will ruin all your birthday makeup!” I said referring to her eyes which were painted with a comic book scene over each eyelid. Although I had to admit, it looked like quite a pornographic one. I dreaded to think about the poor girl that had to paint the 69’er through her eyebrow. I had to laugh because one part of her eyebrow’s hair was left unpainted and acted as the pubic hair for one guy. They even had little speech bubbles, one saying, ‘Are all you guys on the same team?”

Of course now one of the bums was dripping down her cheek because of her tears and I couldn’t stop myself from saying,

“You have ass on your face.” To which we both burst out laughing as I tried to wipe it away.

“Yeah well you look like Rudolph at some 70’s disco!” She said as her come back and we were both off laughing again. So much so for a moment I had completely forgot what I was here for.

“Pip, I saw Aurora come up here, do you know where she went?”

“That bitch! You know she told the king you were dead! I mean none of us wanted to believe it but then she handed him your hair and…”

“Pip, I know, I know! Now focus, I need to find her and discover what she’s up to before she finds out I got out.” At this Pip’s face got very serious and even with the porn painted on her face, it was a very scary sight to witness.

“What did she do to you?”

“Now Pip, just wait a…”

“TOOTS TELL ME!” She screamed in a rage and then a door opened and I was quickly shoved into a doorway recess and Pip shouted dramatically,

“TELL ME YOU’RE STILL ALIVE SOMEWHERE, OH MY DEAR SWEET CARROTCAKE…YOU WERE TOO YOUNG TO DIE!” And then she threw up her arms and started crying.

“Do you need a pill or something?” I heard Aurora ask her in a shitty way and Pip just jumped up off the floor she had slumped to and said,

“Nope, I should be fine, I just miss my friend so much…are you sure she’s like dead and shit?” To which Aurora just replied in a curt manner,