Inner Demons (12 page)

Mrs. Ashworth knocked on the door to the study.

“Harper? Is everything okay in there?”

Crap
.

I zipped the bag and stood. “Just finishing up,” I said. I made sure everything looked exactly the same as when I'd come in, then opened the door. My heart was racing. “Thanks again for the clothes. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, it's no problem at all,” she said. “Anything for Drake's girl.”

I almost gagged. Could this night possibly get any worse?

“Here, let me take that dress. I'll have it dry-cleaned for you,” she said. She tried to take the plastic bag from my hand, but I pulled it away.

“No thanks,” I said. “I've got it.”

She pressed her lips together and folded her arms across her chest. “Alright, dear. Let me know if you need anything downstairs. Are you hungry at all?”

The thought of food made me nauseated. “Why are we here?”

She raised her eyebrows. “We just want to make sure all of you are safe, that's all.”

“You don't think Jackson killed that girl, do you?”

“I hardly think now is the time to discuss this,” she said. “Miss Carr, will you escort Harper back to the basement, please?”

“Wait,” I said. Obviously my ultra-direct questions weren't going to work. “I'm just really scared. You have to understand that. Why would you bring us here unless you thought we were in some kind of danger? Please, can you at least tell me what's going on out there.”

Mrs. Ashworth sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Everything is going to be okay. In time, I promise I'll explain everything to you, but not tonight. Miss Carr?”

I made my way back down the basement, my mind full of new questions. The dagger from the black bag was an exact match to the one that killed Morgyn. I'd been so certain the dark figure in the gym was an Other, but now I couldn't be sure. How would the Others have gotten hold of one of the Order's sacred ritual daggers?

The actual dagger that killed Morgyn had been taken into evidence by Officer Grey at the school. I saw him put it into a large plastic bag. That meant there were at least two daggers that looked exactly the same. Possibly more. If I could figure out the significance of the dagger, maybe I could also figure out who killed Morgyn Baker.

I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing Jackson hovering over Morgyn's dead body, blood everywhere. Jackson kept looking up at me and asking me to help him. But I was so helpless. No one believed me when I said he was innocent. Once Mrs. Ashworth finally released us from her basement, I had gone to the police station and tried to file a report about the figure I'd seen fleeing the scene, but Sheriff Hollingsworth dismissed my story. She tried to convince me I was merely stressed out and suggested I see a doctor about my hallucinations.

According to the news, Jackson still hadn't been charged with murder, but to most, that didn't mean he was innocent. Most people had already convicted him in their minds and now were just waiting to put the final nail in his coffin. The dagger was the primary piece of evidence, and Jackson's fingerprints were all over it. Plus, dozens of students were on hand to testify that they had seen Jackson kneeling over Morgyn's body.

I followed the story throughout the week. Every day when I got home from cheer practice, I turned on the five o'clock news and waited to hear the latest. The closest local news station was in Macon, which was a good forty miles away. They covered Morgyn's murder pretty heavily the first couple of days, but by now, nearing a week since she died, the news had grown pretty scattered.

Scattered like my brain. I couldn't concentrate in class. I wasn't doing a very good job learning the new spells. It was like everyone at school had simply accepted Morgyn's death and Jackson's guilt, and moved on. Mrs. King kept a close eye on me, but the immediate danger seemed to have passed.

All anyone wanted to talk about these days was the chance the Demons would be going to the playoffs. No one seemed to care that three different girls had been killed since school started in August. Of course, as far as the general community was concerned, Morgyn was pretty low on the totem pole. After all, she wasn't a precious cheerleader.

But what about the Order? Mrs. Ashworth had to be concerned about the possible repercussions of Morgyn's death. Somewhere out there was a demon gate who had just lost their Prima. It was possible Morgyn wasn't the only Prima still alive from whatever town she belonged to, but if she was, I knew that more than one person had died on Saturday night. Of course, if some kind of mass murder had occurred, no matter where in the country, that probably would have made national headlines.

As I lay in bed, I also wondered about Morgyn's grandmother. What was her story? There was something strange about the way she'd shown up out of the blue to take Morgyn off the cheerleading team. And why wasn't Morgyn immediately taken back to her home demon gate once they found out she was a Prima? She'd said she still had to perform a service for the Order, but she'd never told me what it was.

I sat up and paced the room. It was obvious my mind wasn't going to just let this whole thing go. I couldn't do what the rest of the town was doing and just let Jackson take the fall for this. I also couldn't let Morgyn die without justice. Her killer was still loose out there, and I intended to figure out just who that was.

I figured my best bet at getting answers was to go straight to Jackson Hunt. Unfortunately, he was still locked up at the local jail. It wasn't exactly the kind of place that allowed regular visitors.

Still, the next day after school I stopped by the Sheriff's department to see if anyone would let me talk to him. Of course, first I spent some time behind the station working up a glamour that made me look about fifteen years older with brown hair and glasses. I told the bearded officer at the front desk I had an appointment to see Jackson Hunt.

“What was your name again?” The man eyed me with suspicion.

“Lacy Cranwell,” I lied. “I'm an attorney who works for the family.”

The officer wasn't buying it. “Well, Miss Cranwell, unless you have a signed statement from his mother, I can't let you in to talk to Jackson Hunt.”

Then, I had an idea. “I'd like to talk to your supervisor,” I demanded. “Ella Mae Hunt will not be happy about this. I have a good mind to call the State Police and let them know you're refusing council to a minor.”

The man's face went red with anger. “You wait just a minute-”

“No, you wait,” I said. I gave him my best voice of authority and straightened my shoulders. “I asked to speak to the supervising officer, and if you don't go and get him or her, I will write down your badge number and make sure Sheriff Hollingsworth hears about this.”

The officer's nostrils flared and he took in several huffing breaths. I stood my ground and finally he waddled off to the back room. Quickly, I moved around to the other side of the desk and checked the work schedule for the next week. Luckily, it wasn't hard to find. They had it tacked up on the bulletin board just behind the desk.

Officer James Ellis was scheduled to work Friday evening during the football game. Alone.

By the time the bearded officer came back with his supervisor, Lacy Cranwell was long gone.

“What is with you lately?” Brooke set her lunch on the table and sat next to me.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you're moody. Ever since Homecoming. You aren't acting like yourself,” she said.

She was one to talk. “I'm fine.”

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and tried to smile. Drake put his arm around me and I wanted to scream. With everything that had been going on, I hadn't found the right time to officially break things off between us.

“Well, this Friday is the last regular game of the season, so we really need you to be one hundred percent,” Brooke said.

“This won't be the last game, though,” Foster said. He looked at Brooke, but she'd been completely ignoring him for the past several days. I could tell he was both hurt and confused by her sudden change in behavior.

“Not a chance,” Drake chimed in. “Win or lose Friday night, we're probably still going to the finals. If we win, we're definitely in. If we lose, then it all depends on what the Red Devils do over in Hawkinsville. If they win, we're out, but if they lose, it's us against Northridge in two weeks.”

“Either way,” Brooke said. “We still need to make sure all our girls are feeling good and ready to perform. You haven't been feeling sick have you?”

“She's fine,” Lark said, coming to my defense. “Jeez, give the girl some space. Last weekend was rough on everyone.”

Under the table, I squeezed her hand in thanks and she winked at me.

Friday's game against the Hornets was pretty much attended by the entire town. I did my best to stay in the moment, but my head wasn't really in it. I knew I couldn't afford to make Brooke too suspicious. I tried to concentrate, but what I was really thinking about was Officer Ellis all alone at the police station watching Jackson.

After the game, some of the other officers would probably join him, but during the game, he was alone. Making myself invisible again, even for a few minutes, would be tough. I needed to keep my head together.

The police department was a good two miles from the stadium, and I had hidden my bike in the trees across the road before school that morning. As we neared half-time, my stomach tightened into knots. If anyone on the squad found out what I was doing, I would be in some major trouble. I had to play this out perfectly.

When the buzzer went off announcing half-time, the football team retreated into the field house and the cheerleading squad followed close behind. Usually at half-time, the boosters had refreshments set up in the front room of the field house. I got Lark's attention and hung back from the crowd.

“Thanks for standing up for me yesterday,” I said. “The truth is, I'm really just exhausted. It's been crazy at home since Jackson was arrested. Ella Mae's been so busy, we're all having to do extra chores and stuff to make up for it. I think I might be coming down with something.”

“Aww, I totally understand,” she said.

“Could you do me a huge favor?”

“You know I'd do anything for you.”

“Cover for me during half-time. I want to go into the locker room and lay down for a few.”

“Sure,” she said. “You sure you don't want me to tell Mrs. King you aren't feeling well? She'd probably let you go home early. Or maybe she could even help heal you if you've got a fever or something.”

“No,” I said. “Please don't tell anyone. I'll be fine, I just need some peace and quiet for a few minutes.”

Lark gave me a big hug and promised to watch my back. As soon as she had disappeared inside the field house with the rest of the squad, I made a break for my bicycle.

**

Officer James Ellis was watching TV when I reached the doors of the police station. I went around back and sat down in the darkness, palms up. It took a few tries to get centered. The movement across my lower back was particularly distracting tonight, but eventually, I began to fade away.

Unfortunately, being invisible didn't mean I could walk through walls. I needed to get inside somehow, so I improvised. I picked up a rock from the parking lot and tossed it at the glass window in the front door. It wasn't hard enough to break anything, but I definitely got Ellis' attention. At first, he just sat up and stared at the door.

I threw a second rock, and this time he got up and came to investigate. He opened the door wide.

“Who's out here? Run along now before you get into some serious trouble,” he yelled.

Carefully, I slipped past him. I held my breath and pressed tight against the wall so he wouldn't feel me beside him. He turned in my direction and inhaled deeply. My heart skipped a beat, realizing he must have been able to smell me.

I moved quickly. While he was still at the door, I grabbed a set of keys off the wall and let myself into the back of the station house.

Jackson was alone. He sat on his bed with his back propped against the gray cinder-block wall. He was reading a book. He looked up as the door opened, then smiled.

“Hi Harper.”

I dropped my glamour and cocked my head. “How did you know it was me?”

“I could see you,” he said.

“That's not possible. I was invisible.”

“And how exactly did you pull that off?” he said. “That's some pretty high level magic for a witch your age.”

I stepped toward the cell. I had been worried about how I was going to explain the whole invisibility thing, but apparently he was way ahead of me. “So you know about the witches?”

“I know a lot of things,” he said. “I've been in this town for a long time.”

My stomach tightened. I thought of the yearbook picture.

“How long?”

He narrowed his eyes at me.

“I found a picture in an old yearbook from 1993,” I said. “Jackson, it was you, wasn't it?”

He set his book on the mattress and walked over to the bars. “There's so much I want to tell you, but it would be useless.”

“Why?”

“Because of this.” He reached through the bars and took my hand. With his index finger, he traced the scar along my palm. “As long as they control you, they can wipe your memory any time they please. And as soon as anyone finds out we've talked, you can bet this conversation would be the first thing they erased from your mind.”

I suddenly felt heavy and helpless. “So how do I get out from under their control.”

Jackson let go of my hand and I immediately missed the warmth of his skin against mine. “There's a book,” he said. “On the third floor of Shadowford. Do you know the room I'm talking about.”

I nodded. “The library room.”

“In that room, there's a spell book called Memoria. It's full of different ways to manipulate memory and the way people remember certain events.”

“How do you know about that room?”

“I've been there before,” he said. “There's a potion in that book. It's called the Elixir of Kendria. You can find the ingredients for it inside the blue cabinet in my bedroom. Make the potion and drink it. It'll help you remember.”

I leaned my head against the cold steel bars. “I'm so tired of fighting for answers, Jackson.”

“The potion will make you see everything with new eyes, I promise you that. You just have to be patient. The answers will come.”

“If I do this, you'll tell me who you are? How you can live for so long without changing?”

He nodded. “But Harper, whatever you do, you cannot let Ella Mae or anyone else know that you were in my room or that you had access to that spell book. Don't take the book from the room either. You'll have to memorize the potion, or write it down.”

“Ella Mae isn't really your mother, is she?” It was something I'd been thinking about ever since I saw his picture in the yearbook.

Jackson shook his head. “No, she's a member of the Order. My keeper, in a way. She can be very dangerous. Promise me you'll be careful.”

“I promise,” I said. “But what about you? What's going to happen to you?”

He looked around his sparse cell and lifted his hands into the air. “I have everything I need right here,” he said. “The Order has me in here to protect me Harper, not to blame me. They know just as well as you do that I wasn't responsible for Morgyn's death.”

“Why would you need protection? Are you in danger?”

Jackson looked toward the door to the front of the station. A flash of panic crossed his features, then disappeared. “There's no time, Harper. Officer Ellis will be coming through those doors in a few minutes. There's a back door at the end of the hallway. You should go.”

I slipped my hand through the steel bars and touched his face. “I'm sorry about Morgyn,”I said. “I know you cared about her.”

Jackson took my hand and closed his eyes. “Thanks,” he said.

I pulled away, my heart aching to tell him how much I'd come to care for him, too. I opened my mouth to speak, then moved quickly toward the back door of the station.