When the Devil Takes Hold

by Jenna Lehne

  The guys are already in the kitchen whipping up a bath of margaritas. Henry and Oliver went with the traditional dude toga. Teddy is rocking a sheet skirt and his chest is bare.

  “Looking good, boys.” Peyton helps herself to a margarita..

  Teddy passes me a drink and touches the small diamond of stomach skin my toga reveals. “I like this.”

  “Thanks.” I take the drink and gesture at his torso. “That isn’t bad either.”

  Teddy rubs the back of his neck and laughs. It’s an adorably shy little gesture. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s get this party started!” Hayley plugs her iPod into the sound bar and cranks it up.

  The bass pounds so hard the windowpanes shudder. We dance with slushy drinks in our hands, our togas sliding up and slipping down. Sweat prickles the back of my neck. Tequila heats my stomach. I smile so hard my cheeks ache. Something, most likely a tree branch, thumps the roof. I don’t think anything of it. Teddy pulls me back into his chest. He bunches my toga in his fists. His knuckles brush against my thighs. The thumping grows louder. Henry tears his annoyed gaze away from Teddy’s hands and his mouth away from Peyton’s.

  “What’s that?” Henry points at the roof.

  “Who cares?” Oliver passes him a bottle of amber liquid.

  I gulp back my margarita and dance my way into the kitchen. Teddy follows, his hands still on my hips. He lifts me onto the counter.

  “Body shots?” He holds a lime wedge up.

  “Sure,” I laugh. I pull my hair to the side and let Teddy sprinkle salt onto my neck. I put the lime wedge in my mouth.

  “I thought you said you put out less when you were drunk?” Teddy winks at me.

  “Shut up and take your shot.”

  Teddy leans down and slowly licks the salt off my neck. He doesn’t stop there though. He licks and bites his way up my neck and along my jaw, pausing to swallow a mouthful of tequila. Teddy bites the lime, his lips barely grazing mine. He reaches up and pulls the fruit away, but his mouth stays close to mine.

  I wait for him to kiss me.

  “You know this isn’t how this works,” he murmurs.

  I lick the salt off the corner of his mouth. “I already kissed you once. I don’t strike twice in the same day.”

  Something drops onto the roof so hard the lights flicker.

  “What the hell is that?” I jump and slosh margarita all over my arm. I look up. There can’t be anyone on the roof. It’s impossible to get up there without a ladder, and Dad brought his home last summer. I scan the living room. Everyone is here. My alcohol-thinned blood freezes. “Hayls, turn that off for a second.”

  The music cuts out just as another bang comes from the roof. I look outside. The wind isn’t blowing at all. The trees are still.

  Bang.

  The lights flicker again. Everyone stops talking.

  Bang.

  I grab Teddy’s hand. Hayley ducks under Oliver’s arm. Peyton wraps herself around Henry.

  Bang.

  It’s so quiet. My heart hammers in my ears. My brain churns out horrific images of the scaly demons crawling along the roof, leaving smudges of the Ouija board behind. I hold my breath, waiting for the next bang. It doesn’t come.

  “What was that?” Teddy whispers.

  “I have no idea.” I let go of him. Four perfect crescent-shaped nail marks mar the back of his hand.

  Henry nods at the sliding door. “Guys, lets go check things out.”

  “Don’t go,” Peyton says. “Whatever it was is gone. Just stay inside.”

  Henry unravels Peyton’s vine-like limbs. “It’ll be fine, Pey. How about you girls make a fresh batch of margaritas?”

  “You want us girls to stay in the kitchen while you men go check for danger?” Hayley drains her glass and wipes her mouth. “Good one.”

  “I’m staying in here,” Peyton says quickly.

  “I’ll stay too,” I say.

  Hayley and the guys slowly walk through the sliding door. The darkness swallows them whole, leaving nothing but flashes of Hayley’s fire red hair. We stand in the kitchen, staring out the door, waiting for them to come back.

  Peyton dumps half a bottle of tequila into the blender. I pour in the margarita mix, a few shakes of salt, and a tray of ice into the blender. She flicks it on, shattering the silence. “Where are they?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s only been a couple minutes.” I walk to the door and tug. It slides open easily, unlike last time. I stick my head into the night. The lake laps against the dock and rocks and crickets chirp, but there are no voices. I slide the door shut and lock it. I rub the goose bumps off my arms and wish I had remembered to pack a sweater.

  “Here, you look like you need this.” Peyton passes me a frosty drink.

  “Thanks.” I take a sip. I don’t want to party any more, I just need the heat in my stomach. My whole body is so cold. Actually, the whole cabin is freezing. I let out a sigh and it comes out in a puff of fog.

  “Why is it so cold in here?” Peyton reaches for me. Her teeth are chattering. A black smudge forms on the wall behind her.

  My glass falls from my hand. Green slush sprays everywhere, but I don’t care. All I can focus on is the black shadow stretching up the stone wall. It slithers, covering the tiny light fixtures, until there’s only one light left.

  A loud crash comes from the basement. What if whatever was on the roof is now inside? I grab Peyton and yank her toward me. “We need to hide somewhere.”

  Peyton cowers in my shoulder. I lead her toward my bedroom. The closet is big enough for both of us to disappear.

  Another crash followed by thundering footsteps come from the basement. It’s too late. It’s coming up the stairs. We don’t have time to run. Suddenly, a blond head comes barreling up the stairs.

  I let out a huge, breathy sigh of relief and pull Peyton out of the room.

  “Murphy?” Teddy throws himself up the last stair. He runs over to Peyton and me.

  Henry, Oliver, and Hayley come up the stairs. They’re all out of breath but in one piece.

  I sag against the bedroom door. “Where were you guys?”

  “We took the outdoor stairs down to the basement so we could get a look at the roof.” Teddy rubs warmth back into my arms. “We came in through the basement. We knocked over a couple kayaks, that’s what all the noise was.”

  “Are you guys okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Henry puts his arm around Peyton.

  “What happened up here?” Hayley asks. “It’s freezing up here.”

  “There was this…shadow. I think. It moved up the wall like it was alive, and it swallowed the lights.” I shake my hands to get the blood pumping. I feel like I just ran a marathon.

  “A shadow?” Oliver arches an eyebrow at me.

  “Yeah, a huge one.” Peyton tightens her grip on Henry. Her face is chalk white.

  Teddy looks around the room. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Seriously?” I turn around and search the living room. “It was right here.”

  “Maybe we should try this party thing again tomorrow night,” Henry says. “Are you guys up for a movie?”

  “Yes,” I say, thankful that I didn’t have to be the one to suggest it. Maybe a movie can get my mind off whatever was, or is, on top of the roof.

  “It’s funny how fast things can change,” Oliver says. “Ten minutes ago I thought we were on the fast-track to a topless group make-out session.”

  Hayley flicks Oliver’s head. “Dream on.”

  Once we’re all changed into our pajamas, we pop some popcorn and snuggle up under the quilts. We spend the next two hours watching a decade old thriller. It’s cheesy, and the effects are lame, but we need the mindlessness. At least I do. Half an hour before the end, I stand up and stretch.

  “I’m going to bed,” I say. “Night, guys.”

  A mix of sleepy ‘goodnights’ fill the air.

  I shuffle to my room and collapse on the bed, not even bo
thering to rinse the tequila taste out of my mouth. I fish out one of Mom’s sleeping pills, because there’s no way I’m passing out without it. Not after the sounds, and especially not after the shadow. I’m just entering that delicious pre-sleep, total relaxation zone, when a floorboard creaks. If Teddy turns the light on, I’m going to lose it. I burrow deeper into my pillow and squeeze my eyes shut.

  A cold, smooth hand slides over my hip and onto my warm side. I twitch, but keep my eyes closed. “Stop it, Teddy. I’m just about asleep.”

  The hand disappears. The mattress shifts. Cool air spills over my neck, making my entire body break out in goose bumps. The hands return. Palms press into my shoulders. Icy fingers trail down my collarbone.

  “Give it up, Ted.” I shake his hands off. “Your hands are freezing.”

  A hollow, tinny voice sighs my name, “Murphy.”

  I freeze. The back of my body tingles like there’s an entire auditorium of people staring at me. My scalp crawls. I want to turn around, but I can’t; my body is locked solid. The hands return, gliding over my arms and face.

  Thankfully, the door busts open and the phantom hands disappear.

  “Murphy?” Teddy climbs onto the bed and wraps his warm, solid arms around me. “You’re freezing. What’s wrong?”

  “T-there was someone in the bed.” My teeth chatter so hard my jaw aches.

  Teddy rolls me over so my face is buried in his chest. He presses his lips into my hair and draws circles on my back. “It was just a dream, Murphy, it’s okay.”

  “It wasn’t,” I insist. “I felt someone.”

  “Do you want me to check under the bed?” Teddy asks.

  I peek up at him. “You don’t believe me, do you.?”

  “I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Teddy lets go of me and climbs off the bed. He checks that the windows are locked, the closet is empty, and there’s nothing under the bed. “It’s all clear, Murph.”

  The hands must have been a dream. Now I know why it says not to mix pills and booze. I push back the blankets on his side. “Thanks.”

  Teddy climbs into bed and lies down beside me. He props his head up with his hand and stares down at me. “Want to go to sleep?”

  I shrug and smile a little. “Well, since we’re both already up…”

  Teddy’s mouth is on mine before I have the chance to finish the sentence. I tangle my fingers in his hair and pull him closer. His tongue pushes and swirls around my own. His teeth catch my lower lip and tug. Warm, rough hands race up my t-shirt, but this time I don’t stop them.

  I wake up before the sun and wrap a discarded quilt around my bare chest. Teddy is fast asleep. The sheets are tangled around his chest, his hair twisted into knots from my incessant fingers. I tiptoe into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. My lips are raw from kissing. My skin is red from Teddy’s scruffy chin. The most noticeable thing of all is the stupid grin I have on my face. Who knew skirting between second and third base could cause this much of a glow? I pour a glass of icy water and tiptoe back into bed and climb back underneath the covers. The last thing I hear before I fall back asleep is the kitchen door sliding open.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Teddy and I wake up before anyone else. We make ourselves a gourmet breakfast of cheerios and flirt over coffee. Oliver pads up the stairs just as we’re finishing up. His hair is in messy spikes that expose a black-purple bruise that covers the majority of his scalp.

  “Holy shit, Olly.” I pull him down next to me. “Is this from the accident?”

  “What are you talking about?” Oliver asks.

  I grab Teddy’s reception-less phone and snap a picture of Oliver’s head. I show him the picture.

  “That explains why I’ve had this never-ending headache.” Oliver rubs the top of his head. “Have you guys seen Hayley?”

  “Nope,” Teddy says. “We thought we were the only ones up. Good thing I never got Daisy Grace to act out my topless cooking fantasy.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “Weird,” Oliver says. “She wasn’t in bed when I woke up.”

  “Maybe she went for a hike or something?” I finish my coffee. “Are her runners gone?

  “I didn’t look,” Oliver says.

  I link my arm through his. “Let’s go check your room.”

  I tug Oliver down the stairs, trying to ignore the way he winces with each step. Now wouldn’t be a terrible time for my parents to show up.

  Hayley and Oliver’s room is a total love den. An open box of condoms is on the nightstand and a pair of Hayley’s underwear hangs from the ceiling fan.

  “Sorry, it’s kind of a mess.” Oliver bends down and scoops up Hayley’s duffle bag. He digs around for a minute and surfaces with Hayley’s bright purple sneakers. “Guess she’s not hiking.”

  “She could have went for a walk. You only need sandals for a few of the trails,” I say. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll show up.”

  “I wish she would’ve told me,” Oliver sighs. “I love walking.”

  I open the door and a sliver of paper floats down to the ground. I grab the slip and unfold it. Hayley’s loopy handwriting covers the page.

  Gone hiking. Be back soon.

  xox – Hayley

  “She must have borrowed some of the shoes we have here.” I show Olly the note. “She’ll be back in no time.”

  Peyton and Henry are at the table when we get back upstairs.

  “Morning,” Peyton mumbles over the rim of a coffee cup.

  “Morning, sunshine.” I plop down next to her. “What’s the plan for the day?”

  “Anything that doesn’t involve drinking.” Henry runs a hand over his face. “I know we didn’t stay up that late, but I feel like I got ran over by a bus.”

  I stretch my neck and grin. “I feel great.”

  Teddy smiles. “Me too.”

  “Teddy got it in, we get it.” Peyton rolls her eyes. “Where’s Hayley?”

  “Hayley went hiking,” Olly says. “Alone.”

  “I doubt that. Hayley hates hiking,” Peyton says. “I tried making her go with me last summer. I bought her sneakers and everything. She lasted twenty minutes before she turned back.”

  “Maybe the mountain air inspired her,” I say. “We’ll give her an hour and then we’ll go look for her.”

  Oliver sighs in relief. “Okay, I can wait an hour.”

  We split up, the boys heading to the couch to watch the snowboarding movie for the third time while Peyton and I lie out on the deck.

  “So what happened with you and Teddy last night?” Peyton unties her bikini top and lies on her stomach.

  “Nothing really,” I say. “We made out a bit.”

  “Did you see it?”

  “What do you mean, it?”

  Peyton scoffs. “What do you think I mean?”

  “Oh my God, Peyton. No.”

  Yes.

  “Lame,” she says. “I bet it’s big.”

  It is.

  My cheeks burn. “Shut up and tan.”

  I wake up at least two hours later, slightly sunburned and insanely parched. I nudge Peyton with my foot and stumble inside. Teddy and Henry are stretched out on the couches, completely passed out. Peyton comes inside and beelines for the fridge. She chugs a half a bottle of water in one breath.

  “Where’s Oliver?” she asks. “I thought he’d be all over us to go look for Hayley.”

  “Maybe she came back already,” I say. “I’ll go check their room.”

  I jog down the stairs and knock on their door. Nothing. I push the door open and step inside. The room is just as we left it, except the note is tucked into the dresser mirror instead of on the ground where I left it. I run up the stairs and flop onto Teddy’s couch.

  “Hey,” he says sleepily. “What’s up?”

  “We can’t find Oliver.” Peyton perches near Teddy’s head. She picks a piece of fuzz off his head. “Have you guys seen him?”

  “He left a few minutes after the movie
started. He said he was going to look around the property for Hayley.” Henry sits up and rubs his eyes. “Isn’t he back yet?”

  “Obviously not,” Peyton says. “We wouldn’t be asking if he was.”

  “Do you guys want to go look for him?” Henry asks.

  “Sure.” I pull a pair of my discarded shorts and pull on one of Teddy’s tank tops. “Where should we look?”

  “Let’s split up.” Peyton pulls a floral romper over her bikini. “Teddy and I will check the house and the lake road. You guys check outside and down by the dock?”

  “Sounds good,” Henry says. “Let’s go.”

  “We’ll meet you guys back here in half an hour if we don’t find anything,” I say.

  Teddy reaches for me but only catches air. “I’ll miss you.”

  “Let’s go.” Peyton grabs Teddy’s arm and yanks him toward the front door. “See ya.”

  Henry watches Peyton and Teddy leave. “She could try and be a little less obvious.”

  “Teddy wouldn’t do anything,” I say. “Don’t worry.”

  “That doesn’t mean she won’t try.” Henry picks up a different t-shirt and smells it.

  I wrinkle my nose. “Is that how boys tell if something is clean?”

  Henry shrugs and pulls his wife beater off. “It is when we’re on vacation.”

  “Where do you want to look first?”

  Henry pulls on a cleanish t-shirt. “The dock?”

  “Lead the way.” I follow Henry out the sliding door. The deck is empty, aside from Peyton’s towels and mine. I walk over to the railing and lean over. From here, I can see the stairs and the dock. Oliver is nowhere to be found.

  A handful of leaves rain down on our heads. Henry looks up just as another wave of leaves fall.

  “Oliver?” Henry climbs onto the hot tub and looks up at the roof. “Dude, are you up there?”

  “I can’t find Hayley!” Oliver’s voice floats down.

  “Shit,” I say. “How did he get up there?”