“It’s not a real sleepover,” I explained. “That’s just what we’re going to tell Mom and Dad so they don’t wonder why we’re gone all night. They’ll be fine with it, I promise, especially if we tell them there’ll be adults there.”
“But isn’t that lying?” Olivia frowned. “That’s a sin.”
“Is she for real?” Melissa murmured to me.
“She’s led a sheltered life,” I murmured back. “It’s okay, Olivia,” I said, louder. “It’s just a little white lie for their own protection.”
“Lilith says that little lies become big lies before you know it,” Susie pronounced.
“I’m really not interested in anything Lilith has to say, Susie,” I gritted.
“You should listen to her,” she argued. “She makes a lot of sense.”
“If I listened to her, I’d be dead,” I pointed out. Susie shrugged and sat back in her seat, flicking her wand at the mailboxes we passed. Fuge, fuge, fuge. “Dara, is everything okay back there? You’re awfully quiet.”
Daraxandriel looked up and considered the question. “Certes, Peter Simon Collins,” she nodded. “All is unfolding as it should.”
“What did you do?” I asked suspiciously. She seemed awfully smug.
“What is most needful.” Her glowing eyes cast a sidelong glance at Melissa. “Without bargaining for souls,” she sniffed.
Oh, great, I thought. Her feelings got hurt so now she’s up to something. “What did you do?” I asked again.
“Patience. All shall be revealed in time.” She turned away to the window again.
“I don’t like surprises,” I reminded her.
“Fear not, Peter Simon Collins,” she assured me. “Thy composure is not at risk this day.”
“But someone else’s is?” Her unbroken fang flashed as she smiled to herself but she didn’t deign to answer. “Dara, stop fooling around. We’re fighting for our lives here.”
“Dost thou not find me worthy of thy trust?” she countered with sudden heat, her eyes flaring brighter. “Have I not proven time and again I have thy interests at heart? Did I not grieve at thy untimely death and seek to avenge thee against Bellaxragor?” She crossed her arms and glared out the window. “I would not harm thee or thine, Peter Simon Collins. I wish the same as thee, to be free of Lilixandriel and her predations.”
“I do trust you,” I told her earnestly, “and I don’t mean to doubt you. Just ... be careful, okay? It’s more than just you and me now.”
Daraxandriel looked at me and then around at the other girls. “All will be well, Peter Simon Collins,” she said soberly. “I swear this on my Dread Lord’s –” She stopped and blinked. “On –” She stalled again. “I have forsworn my Dread Lord,” she said glumly. “I have naught else upon which to pledge my honor.”
“It’s all right, we get the idea.” I can hardly wait to find out what she did, I thought resignedly. Not. I really hope whatever she did solves more problems than it causes. “Okay, we’ll be home in a few minutes. Everyone know what to do?” I got an atonal chorus of Yes from the girls and Aye from Daraxandriel. “Good. Whatever you do, don’t do anything to make Mom and Dad suspicious or we’ll never get out of there.” I gave Susie the evil eye but she ignored me, as always.
7
There’s a moment in everyone’s life when they leave childhood behind. That moment isn’t a date on the calendar. It’s when they make a decision that changes their life forever.
That moment is different for everyone. It might be when they first had sex, or had a baby, or dropped out of college, or turned left instead of right that one time. That moment may be a positive, uplifting experience that inspires others, or it may be a tragic mistake that destroys people’s lives. My moment was when I killed Dr. Bellowes.
I don’t regret doing it, although I wish there’d been some other way to stop him, but I can’t undo it and I can’t forget it. Before that moment, I was just a stupid high school kid. I’m still a stupid high school kid, but now I’m responsible for protecting my friends and family from dangers I’m not allowed tell them about. My decisions will affect their lives in ways I can’t even imagine right now. If I make a mistake, they’ll suffer because of it. I didn’t ask for this but I have to see it through no matter what, because I’m an adult now.
Being an adult sucks, frankly.
I eased the van along the alleyway towards our house, scanning left and right for any sign of trouble. “Does anyone see any imps?” I said quietly, as if anything I said could be heard outside.
“All clear,” Melissa reported from her side.
“Nothing,” Susie said, sounding disappointed.
“Naught,” Daraxandriel confirmed.
“Do all imps look like black cats?” Olivia asked worriedly. “There’s a chihuahua following us.”
“That’s Morris, Mrs. Hannity’s little rat-dog,” I assured her. “Just ignore him. Okay, here we are.” I pulled into the garage beside Dad’s Jeep and waited anxiously until the overhead door closed behind us before letting out my breath in relief. “All, right, let’s make this quick.”
We piled out of the van and made our way into the kitchen. Mom was there mixing cookie dough by hand and she looked up in surprise.
“You’re back already?” she asked. “That didn’t take you very long. Did something happen?”
“Everything’s fine, Mom,” I assured her. “There’s just not that much to see in Hellburn.” We’d told her we were taking Olivia sightseeing.
“There’s plenty to see,” she argued, counting off the possibilities on her dough-covered fingers. “There’s the Henry Milton Museum, the Veteran’s Memorial, the downtown historic district, City Hall, of course, the Lacey estate –”
“Fine, there’s nothing for teenagers to see. We’re heading out again in a few minutes anyway. We just dropped by to grab a few things.”
“You’re going out again?” she echoed in dismay. “I was making snickerdoodles to welcome Olivia to Texas.”
“Oh, I love snickerdoodles!” Olivia exclaimed. “Do you do the kind with sprinkles?”
“Not usually, but I’ll check to see if we have some.”
“We don’t really have time for cookies,” I protested.
“It’ll only take fifteen or twenty minutes, Peter,” Mom told me. “There’s always time for cookies.”
“Fine,” I sighed, “but we need to leave right after. Come on, everyone.” I herded my troops towards the hallway just as Dad stepped out of his office. He was still wearing his uniform and he looked worried and distracted. “Hey, Dad,” I said in what I hoped was a polite but too-busy-to-engage-in-casual-conversation sort of tone.
“Peter,” he nodded. His eyes immediately fastened on Olivia and his frown deepened. “Are you going to introduce me to our guest?”
I tried not to display any nervousness as I did the honors. “Olivia, this is my father, Jack Collins. Dad, this is Olivia.”
“Pleased to meet you, Olivia,” Dad said somberly, holding out his hand. Olivia shook it gingerly and ducked her head in embarrassment. “Peter’s mother tells me you’re from New Orleans.”
“Yes, that’s right,” she said faintly.
“Are you here visiting family?”
“Oh, ah, no, just, um, visiting.”
“How did you and Peter meet?”
Olivia shot me a desperate look. She was an even worse liar than I was, which was a pretty impressive feat. “Dara and Susie and I met her downtown this afternoon,” I said hurriedly. “We all got caught in that freak,” I almost said tornado, “rainstorm so we invited her back here to dry out.” Olivia nodded her concurrence with my story.
“You were downtown during that storm?” Dad scowled. “The crews are still cleaning that mess up. Everyone’s all right? I noticed your hands are cold, Olivia.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted, tucking her hands under her armpits. “I get cold easily.”
“Everyone’s fine, Dad,” I said firmly.
“We’re going to head out in a little bit after we have some of Mom’s cookies.”
“Where are you going?”
“It’s a sleepover.” I was thankful we came up with that cover story before we got home. “Just a few friends,” I added casually, “no big deal.”
“Where?”
“Where?”
“Where’s the sleepover? Whose house?”
I supposed we should have worked out a few more details beforehand. “At, um –” I glanced around for help but everyone else had disappeared. I couldn’t say Stacy’s since we already used that excuse a few days ago. Justin’s? His parents already have enough kids underfoot, they’d never agree to a sleepover. Does Dad know that? I wondered. His frown was growing deeper. I needed to come up with an answer. “Melissa’s,” I blurted. “We’re going over to Melissa’s.” I hoped I could catch her before Dad asked her about the particulars.
“I see.” He didn’t sound entirely convinced. “Are you going too, Olivia?”
“Oh, ah, yes?” She looked at me for confirmation.
“Of course she is!” I exclaimed heartily. “She doesn’t know anyone else here so we thought we’d invite her along.”
“Ah.” Dad gazed at her for a long moment. “If you don’t know anyone in town, what brings you here? Hellburn’s a long way from New Orleans.” Olivia got that deer-in-the-headlights look and I doubted my own expression conveyed a sense of calm composure. “Come to think of it, how did you get here?”
Olivia swallowed nervously. “A car?” She sounded like she wasn’t entirely sure what one of those was.
“I didn’t notice it out front.”
“It’s still downtown,” I lied, “where we picked her up. We’ll get it on the way.”
“I see.” He looked at us both and then finally nodded to Olivia. “Well, welcome, Olivia. I hope you enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said faintly. “I hope so too.”
“Come on, let’s get packed up,” I said, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that the ordeal was finally over. I nudged her towards my bedroom. “The cookies will be ready soon.”
“Peter,” Dad said. I froze in my tracks. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Uh, sure, Dad. Go on,” I told Olivia. “I’ll be right there.” She glanced back at us with a fearful expression and then hurried on down the hall. “Yes, Dad?”
“In here.” He waved me into his office and followed me in, closing the door behind us. That was never a good sign. “How well do you know Olivia?”
She’s a ghost with a curse that lets her turn human again, as long as nobody surprises her. “I just met her, Dad. Why?”
“I’m ... concerned.”
“About Olivia?” I was genuinely surprised. Olivia was probably the most harmless person on the planet.
Dad didn’t respond right away. He walked over to his desk – all of three steps away – and rested his hand on top of his computer monitor. It was facing away from me so I couldn’t see what was on it. “I spoke with Agent Prescott again this morning,” he said finally. “We discussed how the department could help him find Lily Cantrell.”
“Okay,” I said carefully. There was no way the Hellburn Police Department could track down Lilixandriel now that she was a succubus again.
“He told me a bit more about his case back in New Orleans. Apparently the victim was a terminally-ill patient, a young girl named Olivia Benard.”
Oh, crap. I tried to think of something to say but my mind was a complete blank.
“When I got home, your mother told me about this new friend of yours named Olivia.” He turned to look at me. “From New Orleans.”
“That’s just a weird coincidence, Dad.”
“She also told me that Lilith left unexpectedly.”
“Yes, something to do with her work.” I wanted to swallow but my mouth was too dry.
“Do you know where she went?”
I didn’t know enough about Lilixandriel’s life here on Earth to come up with a plausible answer. “No.”
“Did she seem nervous or frightened?”
“Lilith?” I asked, surprised. Those words didn’t apply to her at all. “No.”
“Hmm.” Dad drummed his fingers on his monitor as he considered that.
“What’s going on, Dad?”
He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. “I think Agent Prescott is lying to me.”
“What makes you say that?” Prescott was lying, or at least not telling the whole truth. How can you tell someone you’re hunting a succubus without sounding like a complete lunatic?
“He came here looking for Lily Cantrell. Lilith happens to match her description so he insists they’re the same person. Then they meet here last night and he suddenly decides they’re not. He talked to me this morning looking for help to find Lily and then, according to your mother, he and Lilith joined up at the animal shelter and went off somewhere together. There’s been no sign of either of them since and now a girl named Olivia shows up the very same day, literally on our doorstep.”
“Olivia doesn’t have anything to do with –” My protest died in my throat as Dad turned his monitor around to face me. It showed two portraits side by side. The girl on the left was a very pretty teenager, maybe thirteen years old, with wavy brown hair and blue-gray eyes. The girl on the right was bald, with sunken eyes and dry, sallow skin. They were both Olivia Benard, before and after, and there was no denying that the Olivia sitting in my bedroom less than fifty feet away was the same girl.
“According to the New Orleans police,” Dad said somberly, “Olivia Benard died of cancer earlier this month. She was buried in the local parish cemetery, leaving behind her parents and a younger brother. And yet here she is about to eat cookies in our kitchen. Can you explain that, Peter?”
I tried to come up with some plausible explanation for how a supposedly dead girl was not only still alive but perfectly healthy as well. Telling Dad that she was actually dead wasn’t going to make this problem go away. I just shook my head as my heart sank into my stomach.
“The FBI office in Philadelphia confirmed that Prescott is one of their agents and that he’s working a case in New Orleans,” Dad went on, “although they wouldn’t share the details with me. I think he’s involved with something far more serious than solving a supposed murder case.”
“Like what?”
Dad looked positively grim. “I don’t think Lilith is the murderer. I think she’s the victim.”
“What?”
“Nothing about Prescott’s story adds up. Olivia isn’t dead, she isn’t even sick, but somebody’s gone to a lot of trouble to make us think she was killed.”
“Why would anyone do that?” I asked incredulously.
“Because it gives Prescott official sanction to look for her supposed murderer, Lily Cantrell a.k.a. Lilith Alexander, who has now disappeared without a trace. She was last seen with Prescott,” he added pointedly.
“Wait a minute, you think Prescott killed Lilith?” I could hardly wrap my mind around Dad’s wild theory. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know but I intend to find out.” His eyes slid over to the door. “Olivia’s the key to all this. I need to bring her down to the station and find out what she knows. If nothing else, she’s involved in a cruel hoax.”
“Oh my God,” I breathed. I couldn’t let that happen. As soon as Olivia popped out of existence – and I had no doubt that she would at the first sign of trouble – Dad would start asking questions that we couldn’t answer. “Olivia has nothing to do with any of this, Dad, I swear!”
“Peter, you can’t assume she’s innocent just because she’s young and pretty,” he said sternly. “As a cop, you’re going to learn very quickly that appearances really are deceiving.” He picked up his gun belt from his desk and buckled it snugly around his waist. The snap of him releasing the safety strap sounded just like a gun shot. “I’ll talk to her. Keep everyone else out of the
way, just in case.”
Oh my God. I had to stop him but words and force weren’t going to do it. I needed a solution that would make him forget everything he just told me, at least long enough for us to escape and disappear ourselves. Thanks to Amy, I had that solution. I just wish I didn’t need to use it on my own father. I tilted my right hand up until a white glow enveloped him and then I reached out with my left forefinger.
“I’m so sorry, Dad,” I whispered and then I tapped Bewilder.
In Lorecraft, Bewilder confuses the target for a few minutes, making him unable to distinguish friend from foe. It also prevents him from attacking anyone or casting spells. There was no way to know what it would do in real life, but I hoped it would just throw Dad off for a little while and give me a chance to straighten things out before he arrested Olivia and Prescott and probably me as well.
Dad swayed on his feet, blinking and shaking his head groggily. He rubbed his eyes and looked around his office as if he didn’t recognize it. He didn’t seem to notice me standing there at all.
I took advantage of his distraction and edged around him to his computer, keeping half an eye on him as I turned the monitor back around and closed the photos of Olivia. He had a whole folder filled with files related to the case and I seriously considered deleting everything, but he’d remember it after Bewilder wore off and the last thing I needed was a charge of tampering with evidence added to my rap sheet. Instead, I closed everything and shut down his computer.
“Peter?” I looked up in alarm but Dad had his eyes shaded with his hand.
“Dad? Are you okay?” I asked worriedly. He wasn’t reacting at all like the characters in Lorecraft.
“I – I’m feeling a bit dizzy.” He lowered his hand and squeezed his eyes shut a couple of times. “Sorry, I guess the day just caught up with me. What were you saying?”
I had no idea what to tell him. I just used magic against a fellow human being who also happened to be my father and the Chief of Police. I wanted to apologize and beg his forgiveness but he wouldn’t understand what I was talking about. “I was wondering whether I’m really cut out to be a policeman,” I said glumly.
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