A Demon Made Me Do It (7 page)

Kieron nods. “Sounds good,” he says. I
want to punch him. And her. Drusilla spins on an inappropriately
high heel and stalks away, but not before flashing me a death-ray
glare.

Walking down a hallway with Kieron is
an entirely new experience for me. Even when it’s filled with
bustling bodies scurrying between classrooms and lockers, I’m
usually given a pretty wide berth. But Kieron seems to have the
exact opposite effect on people. They’re all moving closer, trying
to be as near him as possible, hoping to meet his gaze, or, if
really lucky, ‘accidentally’ touch him on their way past. It’s sort
of like being with a celebrity. I’m thinking how the only thing
missing is the flashing light bulbs of paparazzi when I catch
Carrie Stevens snapping a picture of him with her cell phone. And
now I’m embarrassed for my entire gender.

“
So, I don’t want to impose
myself on you, but I was serious when I asked if you wouldn’t mind
helping me catch up to speed on the reading. Mr. Sodenberg excused
me from the paper due next week, but I’m not a dumb guy, and I’d
really like to pull my own weight. Get started off on the right
foot, if you know what I mean.”

“
If you want to get started
off on the right foot I don’t really recommend hanging around me,”
I say quietly. Right now the only thing outnumbering the desirous
looks sent Kieron’s way are the hateful ones being sent toward
me.

He stops and places his hand lightly
on my arm. My stomach threatens to leap into my chest and I avert
my eyes from his intense stare. “Why would you say that? I asked
several people who the smartest person in our class was and they
all said you.”

“
I’m sure that’s not all
they said,” I mumble, very aware of his hand still resting on my
arm.

“
That’s the only part I
listened to,” he says with a small smile. Our eyes lock.

I take a deep breath. “Okay, if you’re
really desperate, I guess I can help you out. But if you change
your mind, I’ll understand.”

“
I won’t,” he says, his
eyes sparkling again. “When’s a good time for you? My afternoons
and evenings are free for you—”

“
Afternoons only,” I say
hurriedly. “”Evenings are out. Totally.” He gives a quizzical
glance but just nods.

“
I understand. Hey, thanks
a lot. I really appreciate it.”

“
No problem…today’s no
good, though,” I say as I remember a special errand I have to do
later.

“
Tomorrow,
then?”

I nod.

The warning bell rings, and we enter
class together. This time, I’m not surprised when he takes the
empty seat beside me.

“
So, we meet again,” he
raises an eyebrow and winks.

For the first time in a long time, I
laugh.

******

Tatiana is sitting in the
lotus-position levitating dried rose petals when I get home. I know
better than to bother her when she’s ‘feeling the flowers’—her
version of reading tea leaves—so I retreat to my room to start my
homework and do some laundry.

I plop on my bed and set up my laptop.
First up: A ten page paper on the causes and effects of the French
Revolution. Thrill me now. I deliberate for about thirty seconds
before my fingers fly across the keyboard, and less than twenty
minutes later I’m done, footnotes and all. I spend five more
minutes on Trig, an assignment that’ll take even the brightest of
my classmates over an hour to complete.

Sigh.
I can’t even count on schoolwork to distract me for very long.
Again, my thoughts return to Kieron, not that they’re ever really
far away from him. He’s always there…lurking in the back of my
mind, patiently waiting for me to indulge in the fantasy. The one
where I
don’t
turn
into a monster at dusk. The one where someday I’ll be able to find
happiness with him, or maybe even someone else. The one where I can
fall in love and live happily ever after.

Yeah, that fantasy. The
completely insane, ridiculous, and
impossible
one.

I decide to surf the web for a bit and
click on the page for local news. When I see the headline I
gasp…sickened:

LOCAL MURDERS HAVE CITIZENS ON
EDGE

Beneath the headline are
three pictures: an adorable little girl who looks to be around five
or six, a teenage boy with pimples and a huge smile, and a
middle-aged black man. All of them look so
happy
.

I scan the article. Few clues and no
apparent connection between the victims. All were brutally
murdered, either at home, or in the case of the little girl, right
outside. It says she was killed playing on her front porch as her
mom ran inside to answer the phone. She’d been gone less than three
minutes and returned to find her daughter’s head twisted clean
off.

“
What kind of monsters
could be capable of doing something so horrific?” the mother is
quoted as saying. I close my computer and taste the bile in my
throat.

I know
exactly
what kind of monsters are
capable of such horrors.

I was twelve years old when my two
best friends were viciously murdered right in front of me. The
memory of watching them die is the last thing that Lucky and I
experienced as a singular being. After that, she went her way and I
went mine. It still makes me nauseous to think that technically I’m
part of a breed of monsters that are capable of committing such
atrocities.

Tatiana has told me I shouldn’t hate
myself for the actions of a few “bad elements”. Humans kill one
another quite regularly, and they don’t despise themselves for the
crimes of others. That’s fine. She can say what she wants. She
didn’t see what I saw. She doesn’t know what I know. It’s
impossible to forget…or forgive…the hideous cruelty that I know
flows through my veins.

Stop it, stop it, stop
it!
I have to force myself to push away the
awful memory and to think of something else. Tall. Black hair.
Electric blue eyes. Sexy smile…

Augh!!

I flip on the radio and
start gathering up some clothes to run a wash. I accidentally pick
up some slutty red leather ensemble that Lucky wore last night and
angrily throw it back in the closet. Even if I wanted to do her
laundry—which I most definitely
do
not
—I wouldn’t even know
how to wash something like that. I swear she shops at
Strippers-R-Us.

The tantalizing aroma wafting in from
the kitchen tells me Tatiana has begun making dinner. I throw the
last of my clothes in the washer and join her.

“
Mmm, fried chicken. My
favorite,” I say, peeking over her shoulder. A leather satchel
rests on the table, and I open it up; it’s filled with money and
jewels. I pull out a diamond necklace and admire it. “Can I keep
this?” It’s a ridiculous question. Tatiana would never allow it,
and besides, when would I ever wear something like this?

She gives me a look as she sets a
plate of fresh chicken beside me, and I reluctantly return the
necklace to the bag. “Remove the jewels; I’ll put them in my safe.
Lucky already has her instructions how to divide the
cash.”

Even though it’s me who is going to
the bank, I can’t do it all by myself. My job is to be there
waiting so Lucky can take over and handle the tellers. Otherwise,
they might grow suspicious of a teenage girl coming in with large
sacks of cash requesting cashier’s checks for various charities.
But under her hypnotizing gaze they do as they’re told, ask no
questions, and soon forget they ever saw us. We have to time it
perfectly because the bank usually closes right around the time it
gets dark.

“
Are you planning on
walking or driving into town?” Tatiana asks.

“
It looks like it might
rain soon…?” I look at her for confirmation. She presses her lips
together and nods.

“
Just a light sprinkling,
but not for several hours…you will miss it.”

Usually, I much prefer to walk. But
it’s late afternoon already, and that would be cutting it too
close. And I don’t want to put it off until tomorrow; I already
have plans to see Kieron. The thought stirs up the butterflies in
my stomach.

“
Guess I’ll drive. I wish I
could run like She can,” I mumble through a mouthful of food.
“Course I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway, seeing as how I
have to go through the middle of town and people would
see.”

Tatiana makes a clucking noise and
scoops up some mashed potatoes. “She has her talents and you have
yours. So tell me, how was your day? Better than yesterday?” She
has an odd smile on her face.

Sometimes I wonder just how much
Tatiana knows that she doesn’t let on. I know she has the freaky
ability to sense anything that moves, human or not, and can read
the energies of clothes, even down to knowing what color and
material they are. I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me if she knows
I’m obsessing on something.

“
Today was…okay,” I say.
“No hostile takeovers.”

“
How are classes
going?”

“
Fine. Same. Boring.” As
much as I want to not think about the horrifying news article, I
can’t shake it from my mind. Sighing, I put down my drumstick.
“Tat, what do you know about the murders in Pine Canyon? I read
about them online and it’s just awful. Is it anything…
supernatural?”

She lets out a long breath and stands
up. Walking over to the window she wrings her hands nervously. Now
I wish I hadn’t asked.

“
I, too, have seen the
death. I wish I could say it was a random act of human on human
violence, but I fear it’s not. There is a blackness surrounding the
poor souls, and I am unable to decipher the meaning or motivations
behind the actions. I do not know what caused it, nor why. I only
see an impenetrable darkness.”

My heart starts racing. Tatiana
usually tries to keep me in the dark about demonic activity, or at
least use gentle euphemisms—like referring to Michael and Kayla’s
murders as “the unfortunate incident”.

“
Am I in danger?” I ask,
not sure I want to hear her answer. But, really, when am I
not
in danger? Lucky
risks our lives with alarming regularity.

“
I do not see this as a
threat to you at this time. Perhaps it will be an isolated
unfortunate event. Of course, if anything changes you will be the
first to know and I will implement safeguards.”

“
Okay, sure, whatever you
say.” I can’t eat anything more so I clear away the plates and give
her a kiss on the cheek. “I better get going. See you tomorrow.” I
grab the bag of money and the keys to my Mustang.

The afternoon sun is beginning its
final descent on the horizon. I jump in my car, crank up the
stereo, and speed off down the dirt road.

******

This main stretch winding through the
heart of Dove Creek is the only source of commerce for miles.
Besides the bank, there’s a movie rental place, a pizza parlor and
ice cream shop, and a few novelty stores that specialize in hunting
and fishing.

Several people are milling
along the sidewalk, so I lean back in the driver’s seat and make
myself comfortable. I still have a few more minutes, but I really
hope the dinner crowd disperses before it’s time for me to change.
I can’t do it in the car…
She
won’t bother to lock it up or leave the keys in a
safe place. Usually I go to the alley behind the bank to transform,
but right now there are too many people. Damn
Pizza Pete’s and their Tuesday night
special
.

After a few minutes the crowd thins.
My plan is to sit on the bench until I feel Her approach, then move
into the alley way. No problem.

I lock the car and make my way across
the street. Then, I spot Kieron walking down the
sidewalk.

Oh, no.
No no no!

He hasn’t seen me yet…at least I don’t
think so. But I have to get away; I can’t let him see me this close
to a transformation. Who knows what Lucky will say or do?
Especially if Kieron tries to talk to her like she’s me. At best,
she’ll laugh in his face. At worst…ugh, I don’t even want to
imagine...

He stops and looks inside
the window of The Stinky Fish Bait & Tackle. I dodge into the
alleyway, press my back against the side wall and hold my breath.
Then I start thinking—the bait shop is closed; he’s not going in
there. So unless he turns to go into the bank, he’s most likely
heading to either the movie rental or pizza place. That means he’ll
have to walk right past me.
Crap!
All it will take is one little glance in this
direction and he’ll see me cowering like a cornered rat…

I need to hide.

But there’s nowhere to go.
The alley is a dead end. If I go back on the street he’ll surely
see me.
She
’s only
seconds away from coming, and so is he. And I will do anything in
my power to prevent the two of them from meeting.