Daughters of Delirium (Tainted Queens Book 1) Read online

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  Daughters of Delirium

  Tainted Queens Book One

  By: A. M. Miller

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Copyright © 2017 by A. M. Miller

  All rights reserved

  Dedicated to

  the lost black girls searching for magic.

  Table of Contents

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

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  1

  Raven rubbed at the jagged scars on her neck. Her eyes were locked on the blue flyer in front of her. They actually used the clip art image of a schoolhouse, she thought. The administration still saw them as a bunch of children. She frowned and pulled her hand away.

  Rufus high school was having yet another parent-teacher conference.

  Once again, Raven had to make up an excuse as to why her father wouldn’t be able to attend. Michael was sure to be busy with work. There was always a case to solve or a criminal to catch. Why bother telling him when he just forgets?

  No one would question her mother’s absence. They would all give Raven that knowing sympathetic look she hated and move on.

  “Raven.”

  Raven turned to see Tiffany walking toward her. Tiffany had a tall lean figure with a confident stride. The overhead light caught on the tips of her blonde ombre hair giving her a golden halo. She smiled at Raven, a picture perfect smile.

  Raven smiled back. “Hey, Tif.”

  “Whatcha staring at?” Tiffany's eyes followed Raven’s gaze to the bulletin board.

  Raven turned her back to the board hoping to block the flyer. “Nothing.”

  Tiffany, who was at least three inches taller, had no problem looking past Raven to see the flyer. She glanced back at Raven and smiled. “My parents aren’t coming either. Ma’s working and dad’s-“ Tiffany paused, her smile shrinking for only a second, “Dad’s just not feeling too hot.”

  Raven sighed, shoulders sinking. She turned back to the board. “I’m not worried. This won’t be the first parent teacher conference I miss the extra credit points for.”

  In all her years at Rufus High, her father had only ever attended one parent-teacher conference. During her sophomore year, her father had taken off work to meet with her teachers after learning she’d nearly failed all of her classes. Since then she’d maintained her grade point average, doing everything to avoid unwanted attention. The last thing she needed was to have another sit down with the principal. If she was told one more time how understandable her situation was she’d lose it.

  “I mean it’s stupid. We’re high school seniors. What’s the point of having a conference anyway?” Raven asked.

  Tiffany shrugged. “They probably just want to make sure we all make it to graduation so they can kick us out.”

  “They don’t have to kick. I’ll run if I have to.”

  “Girl, I’ll be an Olympic gold medalist,” Tiffany laughed.

  “You guys ready?” Dion asked coming up behind them. He stood with his backpack and coat. His skin was coco brown and eyes hazel. There was a splattering of acne across his forehead that had started to clear in recent years. The atom tattoo that peeked beneath the sleeve of his blue polo, reminded her of jimmy neutron. Of the three, Dion was always the last to be dismissed. Spanish club had a tendency to run late.

  “Yup, let's blow this popsicle stand.” Tiffany looped her arm through Raven’s.

  Together they made their way out of the building, passing rows of pea green lockers and empty classrooms.

  A gust of cold wind greeted them as they stepped outside. The late autumn leaves swirled around them. Normally the leaves were a beautiful sight but the rain left them sullen and covered in muck. Raven looked up. The trees were almost bare, their dark brown limbs crueler in their slumber.

  Tiffany shivered against Raven’s arm.

  Dion rubbed his hands together and blew into them. “They said this is supposed to be one of our coldest winters yet,”

  Raven looked back up at the sky. The gray clouds were like angry cotton balls blotting out the sunlight. She pulled the zipper of her pale yellow jacket higher. Later she would have to remember to stop by the mall and pick up some more winter clothes, which would put another strain on her budget, but it was a necessity.

  “I can believe that,” Tiffany said rubbing her arms for warmth. “It’s not even winter and it’s already colder than a witch’s tit.”

  Tiffany wore a pleated black skirt and ankle boots. Goosebumps ran all along her legs.

  Raven looked down at her worn down black dickeys. They were a size too big and needed to be belted in order to stay on her hips but they kept her warm. In the winter, when it got really cold, she’d be able to add an extra layer under them.

  Dion pulled out the keys to his truck. “Why do people say that?” He looked back at Tiffany. “Are we all just supposed to assume that witches have cold tits?”

  “Don’t know and, more importantly, don’t care. I just want to get inside before my own tits freeze off.”

  Tiffany moved to the passenger side of Dion’s black 2013 F-150. Dion went over to the driver’s side and flashed Tiffany a dimpled smile.

  “Doubt it. Fat keeps the body warm and judging by the size of those things you should be good.” Dion joked as he unlocked the doors.

  Tiffany flipped him the middle finger before opening her door and getting in.

  Raven took the back seat. She stared out the window as Dion drove, watching as graffiti covered buildings passed by. Growing up in Detroit, MI she’d become accustomed to seeing them. She liked the look of them. Some were well-crafted pieces of art while other lo
oked like crude renditions straight from a child’s sketchbook. The buildings were old. Some abandoned with broken windows and missing parts, but as a whole to stubborn to fall down. There was beauty in their combination, a sight that was often bitter sweet.

  “Earth to Raven,” Tiffany called from the front seat.

  Raven turned from her window. Tiffany eyed her from the visor mirror, her dark brown eyes focused on Raven’s.

  “Sorry, what were you saying?” Raven asked.

  Tiffany turned around in the leather seat. “We should go out. It’s your eighteenth birthday. Staying at home is no way to celebrate adulthood.”

  “It’s just another year, not really that big of a deal.”

  “Of course it’s a big deal. As of today, you are an adult. Do you know what that means?”

  “I can buy a lottery ticket?”

  “Or a pack of cancer sticks,” Dion added, thumbs drumming against the steering wheel.

  Tiffany rolled her eyes. “It means that for the first time in your life you are in complete control. No one can tell you what to do. You're free to make your own decisions.”

  Raven’s birthday meant more to Tiffany than it did to her. For Raven, birthdays could never be quite what they use to be, but she tried to enjoy Tiffany’s excitement.

  “Then let my first official adult decision be to go home and spend the rest of the day with my friends,” Raven said.

  Tiffany let out a frustrated sigh. She dropped back in her seat refraining from making any further arguments.

  Raven’s eyes lingered on Tiffany. She knew Tiffany missed her more outgoing days. Back then she’d been an exuberant ball of energy with an imagination worth wild. Sometimes when Raven looked back on her past self it felt like she was staring at another person.

  “You know, I think she’s got a point,” Dion said looking at Raven threw his rearview mirror. “Who needs a big party when you’ve got two of the world’s most awesome people around you.”

  Dion winked and Raven smiled. He always had her back. Sometimes Raven thought they got along better because he didn’t know her before the incident. This version of her was the only one he’d ever known and he never expected more.

  It only took fifteen minutes for them to make it back to Raven’s house. She lived on a decent street. The only abandoned house had been vacated seven years ago. The older woman who’d lived there passed. Raven watched as the once beautiful home fell to ruin, noting the changes each day. Overgrown weeds in the gutters flooded the foundation. Bricks slowly shifting sideways, the chimney bent like an old man’s back. Not everything had to be alive to die.

  The lights in Raven’s house were off. Her father’s car was missing from the driveway. He was still at work.

  Dion pulled into the driveway and they got out of the car. Raven waved to her neighbors Mr. and Mr. Rinly as they carried groceries towards their house. They were an old black couple that’d lived in the same house for years. The couple smiled and nodded as they entered their home. The oldest Mr. Rinly had a granddaughter Raven used to play with but she’d stopped visiting after the move. Some relationships weren’t meant to last.

  Raven pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. The door creaked on hinges that were older than she. Raven stepped in and her friends followed. Tiffany walked into the kitchen and Dion went straight for the living room. Raven locked the door and kicked off her gym shoes. She followed Dion to the living room. When she made it there Dion was already flipping through the channels.

  Raven plopped down on the couch, sitting with her legs folded on the lumpy cushion. The couch was given to them after her grandmother passed. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get rid of the cat smell. Grandma Loran was the definition of a crazy cat lady. After the kids moved out, she started collecting strays like a bad habit. Raven’s mother had always used her allergies as an excuse not to visit, but Raven had a feeling it was the smell more than the fur that agitated her sinuses. An unkempt house was her mother’s worst nightmare.

  Tiffany rustled around in the kitchen, looking through their cabinets.

  “Your dad left a note. It says he’ll be back late,” Tiffany yelled.

  “Big surprise,” Raven said. Her father was rarely home. They were water and oil, every conversation ending with a bitter taste. He would rather spend his time with someone else and that was fine by Raven.

  Tiffany walked into the room carrying a bottle of champagne and three glasses. She held them up in the air. “Let the celebrating began.”

  “Oh god, Tif, no,” Raven said.

  “Come on, Rae. You’re like two years past legal in France and we have to celebrate at least a little.”

  Raven shook her head smiling. “We’re French now?”

  “Oui.” Tiffany filled the glasses and passed them around. When everyone had their glass filled, Tiffany held hers up. “To my girl, the strong-willed independent badass.”

  Raven smiled, not the exact words she would use to describe herself, but she appreciated the sentiment. Their glasses clinked and they sat back on the couch drinking and joking. At some point in the night, her fake smile had turned genuine. Tiffany made fun of Mr. Anberg’s nasally voice giving such a perfect impression that Raven laughed until her side hurt.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” Tiffany said in her normal voice. She pulled a small card out of her pink purse and handed it to Raven. “I know you said you didn’t want anything but I’ve been meaning to give you this for a while.”

  After a slight hesitation, Raven opened up the card. Inside she found a twenty-five dollar gift card to their favorite ice cream shop. Raven’s grin stretched across her face. Tiffany had an unhealthy obsession with the place. It amazed Raven that her friend could eat so much ice cream and still have such a slender waist. If Raven so much as thought of sweets, she was liable to gain a pound.

  “Don’t overthink it. This is really just another way for me to get you to treat me to ice cream.”

  “Thanks, Tif.”

  Raven leaned over and hugged Tiffany, breathing in the scent of her lavender and honey soap. Raven had given her a bottle of soap along with some hello kitty nail polish on her eleventh birthday. The nail polish ran out but Tiffany fell in love with the scent of the soap. She always had a bottle of it at home. In their time apart Raven had missed that smell. Tiffany’s arms wrapped around Raven, holding her tight.

  “Hey, I thought you said you didn’t want anything.” Dion hung a lazy arm over Raven’s shoulder.

  Tiffany shot him a death glare. “Idiot, girls always want presents. Even when we say we don’t, we do.”

  “Chill cranky, I was just joking.” Dion reached into his backpack and pulled out a small black box. “I saw it and thought of you. The stones are probably fake but I thought you might like it.” He handed the box to Raven.

  Raven knew she would love his gift. She hadn’t planned on receiving anything but she should have known better with her friends. They were too good for her.

  Raven leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Dion.”

  “Hey, why does he get a kiss? You don’t even know what’s in there. It could be a bunch of toenail clippings,” Tiffany said.

  “What, are you jealous? Because if you are I can give you a big ol’ kiss right now.” Raven teased, leaning over to Tiffany with puckered lips.

  Tiffany quickly pushed her away. “Eww, gross, no!” Tiffany tilted her head as far away from Raven as possible.

  Raven laughed again before pulling back.

  Tiffany’s face scrunched up with a look of disgust. “Remind me again why I’m friends with you two.”

  “Because without us your life would have no meaning,” Raven said.

  “Whatever, just open up the damn box already.”

  Raven did as her friend told her. Inside the box, she found a golden ring. She pulled the ring out and examined it. A diamond sat in the middle with smaller ones encircling it. Two rubies sat on both sides of the diamonds. Gold and black heart
s linked together to create the band of the ring. The metal was slightly tarnished but overall it looked rather expensive.

  “Whoa Dion, I thought you’d at least wait till after graduation to propose,” Tiffany said.

  “It’s not like that,” Dion said. “I saw it and thought she might like it. I-I didn’t mean…”

  “No, it’s okay. You were right Dion. I don’t own a lot of jewelry but this ring is beautiful. Where did you find it?” Raven asked as she put on the ring.

  Dion relaxed. He smirked at Tiffany, to which she rolled her eyes. When he looked back at Raven his smile was warmer. “Me and my aunt went to the flea market last week. One of the ladies there was selling a bunch of rings and old pendants. Something about that one just stuck out.”

  “Well, I love it. It looks unique.” Raven held up her hand. The gems sparkled in the light. She smiled. The ring looked perfect on her. The gold of the band complemented her brown skin. She’d been worried about the fit but the ring was sized to perfection.

  “I thought you might like that. The lady that I bought it from told me that older jewelry is better because it has a soul. It sounded weird but I thought it be your kind of weird.”

  Raven thanked him again. They spent the rest of their time watching movies. There was only one argument that night, which for them was a good thing. They sat on the cream rug flipping through Netflix’s movie selection. Tiffany wanted to watch Love and Basketball again but Dion refused.

  Raven leaned back against the sofa munching on salty popcorn and enjoying the sounds of their voices. Her house was quiet when they were gone; it creaked and moaned saddened by the silence. She did her best to ignore it, but some nights it kept her awake. Even as she sat with her friends, she knew what awaited her in the dark of her room.

  2

  They were halfway through their third movie when Dion got a text from his mother. She reminded him to pick up his little sister from practice. Dion told Raven that he would have to leave and Tiffany decided to catch a ride home.

  Saddened to see them go, Raven stood to walk her two friends to the door. Crumbs of popcorn that had fallen into her lap tumbled to the carpet. She dusted off her pants and followed behind them.

  When they reached the door, Tiffany wrapped her arms around Raven pulling her into another hug. “I could spend the night if you want. You don’t have to be alone.”