Page 10 of Rot

“Uh,” my mother leaned forward, hands on her knees. “I don’t think—”

Realizing she was going to say no, I spoke up, “I’ve never been to a party before.” Well, no parties that weren’t birthday parties my grandmother had thrown while trying to get me friends. Eventually, she’d given up. It was too hard to get people to like me, especially with who my father was.

But here… no one knew who I was or where I’d come from. They didn’t know about the rot.

Aunt Maggie glanced back at the hall, where Elias stood, his arms folded over his chest. “Then it’s settled. It’ll be fun.” She strolled over to her son, telling him, “You will bring Sloane with you tonight.”

I was expecting my mother to argue more, but all she did was turn her head and glance between her sister and her nephew in what must’ve been shock. My mother didn’t have the balls to tell me I wasn’t going, and that was that. She wouldn’t stop me. She couldn’t.

My mother couldn’t stop anyone.

Aunt Maggie grabbed her keys near the door and slipped on her shoes. With a wave to us, she was gone.

I guess I was going to a party.

My mother, not one for confrontation, was slow to get up. Elias still stood in the hall, his glare turned my way, as if he blamed me for what just happened. “I’ll, uh, go see what there is for dinner.” She kept her head ducked low and practically ran from the room.

I got up, abandoning the TV program, and sauntered over to Elias. I’d learned his glowers were legendary, but they didn’t bother me. He could look at me like he wanted to murder me all he liked; it wouldn’t change the fact that I was here and I wasn’t going anywhere.

I stopped when I stood a foot in front of him, beaming up at him. Having my head the level of his chest was definitely something to get used to. Not many guys were as tall as him. “I guess you and I are going to a party together. What do you think I should wear?”

With one glance to my mother in the kitchen, he stopped himself from saying anything. He turned around and headed up the stairs, leaving me to gloat.

Oh, Elias. You’re making it too easy. Come on, be a challenge. Show me what you got.

My mother made pasta for dinner. Elias refused to eat any of it. I had a few bites, just to please her. I could tell just by sitting across from her that she wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of me going to a high school party, but she said nothing about it. No questions. Didn’t even ask where it was or tell me to text her when I got there. Did ask me when I’d be home, nor did she give me a curfew.

She cared a little, but mostly for herself, I think. Perhaps she hoped that I’d go to this party and never come home, then all of her problems would be solved, and she’d never have to look at my face again.

Could I blame my mother for hating my guts simply because my father was who he was? No. I wasn’t stupid. Trauma lasted forever, but so did the rot. If you spoke to my grandmother, you’d know that the rot was the worst thing in this world, the thing that made empires crumble and men and women alike turn to sin and depravity.

My grandmother had always put so much emphasis on the rot and what it did, the decay of your morality and your eternal soul. It wasn’t a wonder why my mother had gone insane afterward. My grandmother probably wished her daughter would’ve died that night, too. Then it could’ve been all sorrow for what she’d lost instead of what she’d gained: a mentally unstable daughter and a granddaughter conceived through rape.

After dinner, I went to get changed. The nights were a little chilly around here, but all in all, pretty temperate considering what month it was. I chose black leggings and a plain golden shirt. Not too fancy, but I could never look like a slob, either. No jewelry. The leggings had a little pocket sewn in on the right, so I could slip my phone into it without having to hold it at the party.

I didn’t know when Elias was leaving, but I wasn’t going to wait in my room. No way would he let me know when he was going; I had to be near the door, ready for him. So, I waited in the living room, the hall in my sight, so I’d see Elias when he came downstairs. My mother had hidden herself away in her basement room, not wanting to see us go.

Not wanting to seemego, rather.

It was a little after nine when Elias came down, wearing jeans that hugged his strong legs nicely and a dark gray shirt. He saw me get to my feet and rolled his dark eyes. He said not a word as he went to grab his keys and started for the door. I hurried after him.

His car was parked outside of the garage, an older black SUV with a little bit of rust near the back tires. Not at all the kind of car you’d see back home. People there didn’t let their cars get old enough to rust before they either traded them in for the newest model or parked them in their mansion-sized garages forever.

I got in the front seat, buckling my seatbelt, practically humming with nothing other than excitement as Elias started her up and backed us out onto the road. He said nothing all the while. He didn’t even glance at me. He pretended like I didn’t exist.

Minutes passed, time ticking by slowly. I was content with staring out of the window at the darkened scenery we drove by, letting Elias have his silence, when he finally spoke, his deep voice no more than a growled-out warning, “I’m not introducing you to anyone. When we’re there, we don’t even know each other. Same goes for school. Got it?”

I turned my head in his direction, asking quietly, “Are you ashamed of me, Elias?”

He let out a dark chuckle, his hands tight on the steering wheel. Maybe it was just me, but it sort of looked like he wanted to take those hands off the wheel and bring them to me. Hurt me. Push me out of the car. Make it so that I didn’t exist anymore.

But maybe that was the rot in me talking. Not everyone imagined murder and pain so easily.

“I just don’t want people associating me with you,” he hissed out, frowning. “You think you’re winning, coming to this party tonight? You think you’ve won now that you’re enrolled at Blackrain? Come on. That just means you and I will have more time together, away from our parents.”

“That is what it means,” I agreed. I knew he only said it as a threat, trying to let me know that, without our mothers nearby to overhear whatever he said and did, he’d really show his true colors. “You’re saying I should be, what, nervous to be alone with you?”

“I’m saying your mom won’t be there to make sure you’re safe, and my mom won’t be there to stop me.” He made a hard left turn, turning right in front of a car. That car honked its horn, its driver having to press on the brakes to avoid T-boning us.

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