Milayna (22 page)

“Yeah, she didn’t mention it to me either.” I chewed on my lower lip. “I guess I’ll find out at swim practice.”

I looked around the lunchroom for Lily. I held my breath, hoping she’d be wearing black. My eyes traveled over the long, rectangular tables filled with rowdy students until I found her. She sat at a table on the other side of the room, laughing with her new group of friends. She wore yellow.

Damn
.

Muriel didn’t show for swim practice.

***

Chay surprised me and stayed for my practice, which was good since Muriel, who was my ride, didn’t show. I was self-conscious with him watching me, but we were racing other teammates. The competitive nature in me took over, and I almost forgot Chay was there. Almost. He wasn’t someone a person could forget for long.

“You’re good,” he told me as we walked to his car after practice.

“Thanks.”

“You looked good too.” He grinned.

“Yeah, I looked awesome in my swim cap and no makeup,” I said with a laugh.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me around to look at him. “You looked awesome.”

I looked down, embarrassed. “Thanks.”

He held the passenger’s door open for me. I had one foot inside the car, my hand holding the door for support, when the second vision hit without warning.

Hot. Sulfur. Glowing hole.

I sucked in a breath. It felt like Friday night at the football game all over again. The demon, the glowing hole, the unbearable heat, and the disgusting smell.

Black hoodie. A creamy, white hand enclosed in a gray one.

My head started to pound. I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the relentless waves of pain crashing into me.

Painted fingernails.

“Oh, no,” I whispered.

“What’s wrong, Milayna?” I jumped at the sound of Chay’s voice. I was so engrossed in the vision I’d forgotten I wasn’t alone. He wrapped his arm around me and helped me into the car.

“I had the vision again. Someone’s definitely turned.” I put the heels of my hands to my eyes and rubbed.

“You’re sure it isn’t Lily you’re seeing?”

“Yes… no… I mean, I don’t think it’s her. The person in the vision is wearing a black hoodie. The hood is up, hiding their face. I saw them shaking hands. It’s a girl.”

“How do you know if their face is covered?” He smoothed a curl behind my ear that had come loose of the messy bun at the nape of my neck.

“Her nails are painted.” Closing my eyes, I remembered Muriel telling me that she and her mother had their nails done over the weekend.

A lot of people have painted nails. And not just girls. But what about my nightmare… she’s been in them. She held me for the demon. No! Those are just silly dreams.

“If it’s a girl, then maybe it just has to do with Lily,” Chay said.

“No.” I shook my head and rubbed my temples. “I can’t explain it, but I have a feeling it’s someone else.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know,” I lied.

My best friend and cousin, for one. And I’m a horrible person for suspecting her.

Three weeks, five days until my birthday.

Listening to music, I hummed along while I put dishes in the dishwasher. I glanced out of the window over the kitchen sink. It was sitting on a swing in my backyard. I dropped my head on my arm leaning on the counter and cursed.

Great. Another night with the demon imp patrol.

I watched it swing, kicking its fat little legs in the air and cackling in its irritating, high-pitched squeal. A second hobgoblin marched across the yard. It glared at me through the window. I put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and reached for my cell phone. It rang and I jumped, dropping it on the floor. I snatched it up, hitting the answer button.

“You see them,” I said.

“Hi to you, too.” I could hear the smile in his voice, and I laughed. “Yes, I see them. What are you doing?”

“I’m watching one stare at me through the window.”

“Hmm. Whatcha wearing?” His voice was low and lazy.

“Huh?” He’d never asked me anything like that before. He didn’t seem like that kind of guy… whatever that meant. I wasn’t sure. “Geez, stop playing around, Chay.” But something about the question, the thought that maybe he’d really want to know, heated my blood.

“I like you in purple,” he murmured. It was almost a quiet growl.

“How do you know I’m wearing purple?”

“Because I’m watching you,” he said behind me.

I jumped and turned, letting out a small scream. “Crap, you scared me! How’d you get in here?”

“Your dad.” He laughed.

“I didn’t hear you ring the bell.”

“How could you over your music?”

“Ugh. How long have you been here?”

“Long enough.” He grinned. I rolled my eyes. “The question is—how long have they been here?” He nodded toward the window.

“I just noticed them.”

“Well, why don’t you go out and see what they want?” He shooed me with his fingers.

“Alone? You’re going to let me outside without a security guard?” I teased, pulling my hoodie on. I froze.

A black hoodie. Just like my vision.

Chay watched me look at my hoodie. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Sure.” I smiled at him, trying to hide my panic. But I wasn’t sure. I’d like to think I wouldn’t turn, but I was sure Lily didn’t think she’d turn either. But I was wearing a black hoodie like the traitor in my vision and my fingernails were painted. Pretty damning evidence.

I went outside and walked around back. “Hi, guys,” I said, looking at the little red goblins. The smell of sulfur swirled around me.

“Milayna,” they squealed. “Swing with us.”

Sighing, I sat on the swing next to the more sociable of the two goblins. “Why are you here?”

“We want to play.”

I sighed and dropped my head in my hands. “I’m not playing tonight. Tell me what you want so I can go inside and go to bed. I’m tired.”

“No. First, you have to play.” It jumped off the swing and ran in front of me.

“I’m not playing.” I stood up and turned to leave.

“I wouldn’t do that,” they growled, and I knew the mischievous, happy little goblins had just turned into their demonic counterparts.

I stopped with my back to them. “Then tell me why you’re here. Otherwise, I’m leaving.”

“We’re supposed to tell you that she’s changed sides.”

My body started trembling and blood rushed behind my ears. First, I had one thought. If she’d already changed, it wasn’t me. Dodged a bullet there. But that still left Muriel. “Who?” I asked the goblins.

“That’s no fun. You have to guess,” one said in a singsong voice.

“I already know Lily changed sides.”

“You know nothing,” Scarface growled.

“Whatever.” I walked toward the gate when Scarface ran between my legs, tripping me. I fell with a grunt. Turning over, I sat cross-legged on the grass. He walked up to me, sticking his face near mine.

“He’s coming for you.”

“He’s coming for you. He’s coming, he’s coming,” the other goblin sang, jumping up and down.

“Tell him to come on, then. I’m getting tired of waiting.” I leaned closer to its face and lowered my voice. “He doesn’t scare me.”

“He should.”

“He’s a coward.” I waved my hand in the air. “I’m not afraid of cowards, no matter what their name is.”

“Azazel won’t like this.”

“Tell him to get over it.” I got up and brushed the dirt from my jeans. “Go back to Hell where you belong.”

With one final glare, there were two small
pops
and they were gone, leaving just the slightest smell of rot and burning flesh.

I opened the gate and rolled my eyes. “I should have known you wouldn’t stay in the house.”

“I came out when it tripped you,” Chay said.

“I’m surprised you didn’t come bursting through the gate like a lunatic.” I smiled up at him.

“I would have, but you sounded like you had it under control. You know, I don’t think antagonizing him is the best way to handle this.” He reached out and wrapped a piece of my hair around his finger.

“You and I both know this isn’t going to end without a confrontation. I’d like to have it sooner rather than later.”

And I want to see how I fare… what side I end up fighting for.

“What are you thinking?” Chay studied my face.

“Hmm?”

“Your brows are furrowed, and the corners of your mouth are turned down.” He rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip. The motion sent a tingling sensation through my body, and my lips parted.

Lifting my chin, he gazed into my eyes. He dipped his head and tentatively touched his lips to mine. When I fisted my hand in his T-shirt and pulled him closer, his mouth moved over mine with more intensity. His tongue slid across the seam of my lips, and I opened for him. The tips of our tongues touched, and I sighed in pure bliss at the feel of him. He dropped one hand to my hip and cupped the other around my neck.

“Look at the lovebirds,” Shayla said, walking up the driveway.

“Damn it,” Chay said, pulling away. He ran his hand through his hair. “Will I ever get to kiss you without someone interrupting?”

I smiled, but it died cold when I looked at Shayla. Wearing a black hoodie and standing next to Lily, she wore an arrogant smile. I looked at her hands—painted nails. I immediately felt guilty for suspecting Muriel.

“Ladies,” Chay said.

“Chay.” Lily walked to him and tried to wedge herself between us.

“Shayla, I thought you were stronger than this. Although, I should have known. You might be stronger than Lily, but you definitely aren’t smarter.” Chay wrapped his arm around my waist, cutting off Lily’s attempts to separate us. I gave her a smug smile.

“I’m smart enough to know when to cut my losses.” Shayla glanced at me before appraising Chay. “You should listen to his side of things.”

“Shayla? What are you thinking?” I looked at her, dumbfounded.

Someone barreled through the gate from my backyard, knocking into my shoulder. I turned, expecting to see a grotesque gray face.

“Jake. How’d you get back there?” I rubbed the welt forming on my arm.

“Jumped the fence. Steven and Jeff are on their way,” he said, looking at Shayla and Lily.

“How’d you—?”

“I called him,” Muriel interrupted. She and Drew walked up behind Shayla and Lily.

I looked toward Muriel and saw Steven walk toward Shayla and Lily through my front yard. Jeff came from the opposite side, creating a circle around them.

“Just go. You two make me sick.” I waved Shayla and Lily away with a flick of my hand, turning from them.

“We have a message for you,” Shayla called.

“What?” I stopped with my back to them.

“Azazel is growing tired. This isn’t going to end well for you, Milayna. You might as well switch now before it’s too late. Or too late for the ones you love.”

I looked over my shoulder at Shayla. “I’m not changing sides. I’m not a traitor. Tell Azazel that his warnings don’t scare me, especially coming from the two of you.”

“What about us?” A group of people pushed through and gathered around Lily and Shayla. All dressed in black hoodies—demi-demons. They looked like the same bunch from the football game. I started counting. Twelve of them and eight of us. Not the greatest odds.

“What about you?” Chay asked.

“Milayna, change. Make things easier on yourself and just end this now,” one said.

“No. Thanks for askin’, though.”

Then it happened. I wasn’t sure who threw the first punch, or maybe it was a kick, it didn’t matter. Fists were flying, legs were kicking, and blood was dripping. There wasn’t time to think, only react.

A girl who stood about a head taller than me, and looked like she should be on the cover of a bodybuilding magazine, rushed me. I panicked.

“Oh shit,” I muttered, just before she barreled into me. My back hit the garage door—hard. The breath whooshed out of me, and it took a second for me to recover. That was all she needed. She kneed me in the gut, and I had the stupid thought that at least it wasn’t my face.

Pain radiated out from my center to all parts of my body. Burning, breath-stealing, mind-numbing, pissing-me-off pain.

I had to get her off me. She was pinning me against the garage, giving me very little room to maneuver. My foot came down hard on her instep and her grip on me loosened. I took advantage of the distraction and elbowed her in the jaw. She stumbled backward from the force, and I moved away from the garage. Now I was in my element. I could get the leverage I needed to defend myself.

My martial arts training was extensive. My first instinct was to go all out and kick some ass, but I held back. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to defend myself and the rest of the group.

I saw Jen trying to ward off two of the demi-demons. I ran to help her, kicking one guy in the side, before moving to his front and kneeing him in the crotch.

“Don’t. Hit. Girls,” I bit out as he fell to the ground.

As quick as the fight began, it ended. The demi-demons took off down the street and the group filed into my house.

I stood in the driveway, watching the other group run down the road. Drew grabbed me under the arm and dragged me into the house with the rest of our group.

“What happened?” I panted. “Why’d they leave?”

“What, you want to keep fighting?” Jake asked with a laugh.

“No, but they took off so fast… we’re done?”

“Someone called the police. That’s how these fights generally end. Someone sees a bunch of teenagers throwing punches and they call the cops.” Jake shrugged.

“Don’t worry, they’ll be back,” Chay said. I looked across the room where he sat.

“You’re hurt,” I said more to myself than him.

“Nah.” He wiped the blood from a cut over his eye with the back of his hand. “It’ll be fine.”

“I’ll get the first aid kit. Muriel, will you get some ice?” She didn’t answer. I looked around the room. “Where’d she go?”

“I dunno. I was kinda busy. I didn’t take attendance.” Jeff threw a Coke across the room to Jake.

“Huh.” I shook my head and tried to remember if she was there when the fight started.

Jen interrupted my thoughts. “I’ll get the ice, Milayna. And stop Jeff from using the Coke as missiles.”

“Thanks. I’ll be right back.” Running upstairs to the bathroom, I grabbed the little first aid kit my mom kept there. I replayed the night in my head.

Was Muriel there? Yes, she called Jake. But I don’t remember seeing her after the fight started. Maybe she left and called the police. But why isn’t she here now? Why do I feel this way? It’s Muriel. We’re like sisters. I know her. It’s fine. She’s fine.

I jogged down the stairs and lay the kit on the table. Jake took a peroxide pad and wiped it over a gash on his leg. I took some gauze pads, a cleansing wipe that wouldn’t sting his eyes, and some butterfly bandages to Chay.

“Let me clean your cut.” I expected him to tell me he could do it himself. I was surprised when he moved closer to me in the chair, lifting his head so I could clean the blood from his face.