Aura

by Rebecca Lynn Talley

  Though I still didn't completely trust him, I was willing to see if he'd lead me to my parents. "Let's go."

  "I have a car over there." He pointed to an old, beat-up station wagon. "Sorry, it's all I could find."

  I figured Sam would see my parents weren't in the mill. He'd be mad when came back to the truck and found out that I'd left, but I was sure he'd end up finding the others from The Covenant. I'd smooth things over with him—and with Alec—later.

  We drove through several streets. I watched Nate from the corner of my eye. He seemed pretty much like himself, but there was still something off. Maybe there were residual traces of demon left. Since I'd never been around someone who'd been uninhabited, I wasn't sure how the person would act, but I needed to stay on guard.

  "Vincent, the head demon out here, thinks he's Mr. Awesome and indestructible and likes to brag about himself all the time. He's holding your parents in the old high school."

  "I thought no one was allowed in there."

  "Yeah. The superintendent gave them some cover story so they could use the building."

  We turned onto a tree-lined street with small houses on either side. A few streetlights showered the asphalt in a yellow haze. The people living in the houses had no idea what was going on in their neighborhood—I used to be oblivious just like them.

  We drove past the houses and down a long road. The headlights flashed across an old sign on the brick building that read, "Spruce County High School, 1930." We circled behind the building. The closer we got to the nest of demons, the more my heart hammered against my lungs. I took a few deep breaths, trying to settle the tornado of emotions raging inside me.

  I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.

  Nate parked the car. "We have to be very careful." He reached over the seat to the back and pulled out two hard hats and an orange vest. "We'll wear these to fit in."

  "It's the middle of the night," I said. "No one's going to see us."

  "I know, but the other demons will be watching us and we don't want to make them suspicious."

  With shaking hands, I tried to adjust the large hard hat and vest. The moonlight shed some light on the decaying building. My parents were somewhere inside. I had to find them and save them.

  "I have a plan to free your parents," Nate said, breaking into my thoughts.

  "You do?"

  "I've been thinking about it ever since I got rid of the demon. I want to make up for what I did to you, and to your parents. Besides, I've had enough of Vincent." Nate called him some names I agreed with, but would never repeat.

  Clearing my mind of the words Nate had just used, I said, "What's the plan?"

  "We go in quietly so they don't know we're there. When the time is right, I'll distract them while you do your paralyzing thing."

  My face flushed. "You remember that?"

  "Oh yeah. Totally weird feeling. Couldn't move a muscle." He touched my shoulder. "But I don't blame you for doing it. If you can paralyze all of them, we can get your parents and run."

  "I don't know if I can paralyze more than one demon at a time."

  "Oh." An unreadable expression flashed across Nate's face. "If you can do it to only one, then aim for Vincent. If he's paralyzed, and they think you can kill him, they won't do anything. The other demons are all weak. They're miserable little worker bees with Vincent as their queen. Take him out, and the others will be easy." His voice took on an icy edge. I figured he'd earned the right to be angry.

  "Okay."

  "Ready?"

  My head was ready, but my body stayed glued to the seat. I nodded anyway. Heaving in as much air and courage as possible, I forced my body to move and to follow Nate toward the school building.

  Nate and I snuck over to some tall evergreen bushes and ducked behind them.

  "Stay here for a minute so I can see who's outside the doors," he said.

  "No. I'm not staying behind." Everyone kept telling me to wait at a house or in the car or now, in a bush. No more waiting. I wanted to take action and get this over with.

  "Crystal, I know what I'm doing. I'll be back in a second." He stood and disappeared around the corner of the school.

  I pulled out my phone and texted Alec. "At old Spruce County High School. Parents are here." I shoved the phone back in my pocket.

  The scent of the evergreen bush crawled up my nose, and I resisted the urge to sneeze. I shifted my weight, trying to get a clearer view of the area. We'd be able to stay behind the bushes for most of this side of the building. I wasn't sure what was around the corner but assumed there was a door, since that's where Nate went.

  A few minutes later, Nate and someone else rushed over to me and crouched behind the overgrown bush.

  "Erin?" I hadn't expected to see her.

  "Hey, Crystal."

  "Don't worry, she got rid of her demon too," Nate said.

  I watched Erin with caution. Maybe Nate was demon-free, but both of them? Seemed like too much of a coincidence.

  Obviously sensing my uncertainty Erin said, "Nate came to me and told me how to get rid of the demon. No modeling contract in New York was worth having that thing inside me."

  "So you just told it to get out?" I didn't know much about demons or how it all worked, but it seemed a little suspicious that it'd be that easy. At the moment, I didn't have much choice but to believe them—or at least act that way until Alec got there.

  "It wasn't quite that simple," Erin said, "But yeah, I sent it packing. A demon can't stay if the host is strong enough to throw it out. I feel so much better. Sorry for trying to get you to, you know, get back with Nate. All part of the demon plan. I hope you can forgive me." She looked at the ground.

  "I want to find my parents and go home. That's all."

  Erin gestured toward the building. "He moved them to the stage. And he has some other woman there too."

  "Does she have long red hair?" I asked.

  Erin nodded and my stomach tightened. Thoughts of Alec rushed into my head. His suspicions were right—the demons had his mom. If they knew she was part of The Covenant . . . I couldn't think about that, or I'd paralyze myself with fear, and I wouldn't be able to help anyone.

  "Erin and I both know the people in there," Nate said. "So follow our lead. We'll get into the theater, and then you do your thing."

  "Her thing?" Erin said with a scrunched up nose.

  "Yeah, the freezing thing. But she might be able to only do one demon at a time. I told her to aim for Vincent."

  "That guy is bad. Maybe you can do something to get rid of his demon for good." Erin waited for me to answer.

  "I don't know, and I don't know how long the freezing thing lasts."

  "Not too long." Nate flashed a quick smile.

  Erin glanced at Nate then at me. "Prom night?"

  We nodded.

  "So are we ready?" Nate asked, looking between Erin and me.

  Stupid question. Who was ever ready to face demons? "Yeah."

  "Act normal, like we belong here," Nate said. He stood, and I followed his lead, my legs feeling heavy and awkward.

  We rounded the corner and saw two guys at the door. My chest tightened around my heart, and my mouth went dry. I cast my gaze downward.

  When we approached the door, Nate said, "Still in there?"

  A guy with black shoes said, "Yeah."

  "We're supposed to check in with Vincent," Nate said calmly. "We have information."

  He pushed me through the door and into the building before the guy could ask any more questions. "You gotta know how to deal with these guys. They work on orders." He stepped in front of me and hurried down the hall. Erin followed close behind.

  "The doors to the theater are down here." He pointed ahead. "We'll need to sneak in behind the seats."

  Around another corner, Nate stopped near some brown double doors that stood ajar. We squeezed through them into the theater and hid behind the last row of seats. I was thankful we hadn't run into any more demons patrolling
the halls. After a minute or so, I removed my hat, my damp hair sticking to my forehead. Nate motioned for me to look over the chair. I raised up just enough to see my mom, dad and Melinda all sitting on chairs with their hands behind their backs.

  I wanted to run to the stage and grab them, but I couldn't, so I slid back down to the floor and whispered, "What do we do?"

  "We have to take him by surprise," Nate said.

  "How?"

  Before Nate could answer, I heard a male voice. "Time is running out. Any word on the girl?"

  "That's Vincent," Nate whispered.

  I looked over the top of a seat and saw him under the stage lights. He was average height with dark hair and wore a suit. He didn't look like a scary demon—he looked like an average businessman. Or maybe a politician.

  Vincent stepped over to my mom. The acoustics in the theater enhanced their conversation. "I'm going to enjoy this. An eye for an eye and all that."

  What does he mean?

  "You are—" Before my mom could finish, he slapped her. I smothered a gasp with my hands.

  "Shut up." He made his way over to Melinda who was sitting in a chair next to my mom. "Give me what I want, and we can all go home," he said.

  Melinda cleared her voice. "My offer still stands."

  Vincent bent down and looked like he untied her. He put his hand out for her and she took it. She stood and caressed his face with her hands.

  "Tell me. Now," he said.

  She whispered something and then kissed him. I wanted to vomit.

  He walked around behind her and put his arm across her neck, grabbing her shoulder. He placed his other hand on her chin and quickly jerked her head to the side. A cracking sound echoed in the theater, and Melinda slumped to the floor.

  Mom screamed.

  My entire body started shaking, and fiery, hot tears burned behind my eyes. He'd killed Melinda. Snapped her neck. Just like that.

  "I'll find what I want without her." His angry words ricocheted around the room.

  "You didn't need to kill her!" Mom yelled at him.

  "That's what happens to those who betray me." He clapped my dad on the shoulder and left.

  I crumpled to the floor, trying to keep my sobs quiet. Alec. He'd be devastated when he found out.

  "See, I told you he was bad," Erin said. "Really bad. I hope you can take care of him."

  I tried to push the overwhelming fear out of my head so it wouldn't get in my way. Focus on saving your parents. Focus on the Light.

  Vincent returned to the stage with a couple of big guys. "Get rid of her."

  "Yes, sir," one of them said. They carried Melinda's body off the stage.

  "We have to do something before he kills my parents," I whispered, looking between Nate and Erin.

  Nate stood and then reached down to grab my arm. He yanked me up. "Lord Vincent."

  What is he doing?

  Vincent turned toward us, shielding his eyes from the bright stage lights. "Who's there?"

  Nate pulled me out to the aisle and dragged me toward the stage. "It's me, sir. Damian."

  All the air evaporated from my lungs at once. I stared at him. He had a smirk across his face. "You are so easy to manipulate." It had happened so fast. I was stunned—too stunned to say or do anything.

  Erin laughed behind me.

  "Who do you have there?" Vincent said.

  "The girl," he said proudly. "The one you want."

  "Crystal?" my dad said.

  "Keep weapons on these two," Vincent said to an Asian man.

  As we neared the stage, I saw fear on my mom's face. Nate pushed me to the stairs leading to the stage. I gazed up at Vincent, who wore a sickly smile. "I've been waiting for you."

  Nate said, "Beware of the power she has to—"

  "Yes, yes, you told me. Good work, Damian. You did exactly as you said. You will be rewarded."

  "Thank you, sir. She can't paralyze more than one of us at a time, and she can't do anything else."

  "Guard the doors. I have work to do in here."

  Nate, or Damian, whoever he was, turned and left with Erin. I stood on the stage, my legs trembling.

  "At last we meet." He tipped his head toward me.

  I said nothing.

  "If she attempts to do anything at all, shoot her father," Vincent said without taking his gaze from me. He moved closer and ran his disgusting fingers through my hair. Though I wanted to burst into tears, I stood straight, refusing to let him intimidate me. "You've caused quite a stir, young lady." He walked around me. "Fascinating."

  "Leave her alone," Mom said.

  "Oh, Pammy." He licked his lips. "Now you'll experience what I did so many years ago."

  I glanced between him and my mom, trying to figure out what he meant. Do they know each other? No. I shook my head. Not possible.

  "I bet they never told you about me," Vincent said to me as if reading my thoughts. "Your dad and I are old friends. College roommates, actually. Isn't that right, Matt?"

  Dad kept his gaze on the floor.

  "Years ago, I offered him a position in the organization, but he declined. Truth is, he ran out in the middle of the night. That wasn't very nice of him, was it?" He stepped over to my dad. "Ah well, let bygones be bygones. Right, Matt?"

  "Dad, what's he talking about?" I stared at my father, hoping he'd say it was a lie.

  "He's telling the truth." Dad finally made eye contact. "We used to be friends. When I realized what he was doing, your mom and I ran. She was pregnant with you, and we didn't want you anywhere near him."

  "We've been running ever since," Mom said.

  "We had to protect you," Dad said.

  "From me," Vincent interrupted. "They've been protecting you from me." His smile widened. "And yet, here you are. After all they did to protect you and hide you from me, you're here. The very thing they dreaded." He laughed. "I couldn't have planned this any better."

  I could barely take it all in. My parents knew Vincent. They'd been hiding from him all these years and never told me. I felt like a pawn in their demented chess game. A chess game with a demon.

  Vincent broke into my thoughts. "Enough of this. Time for me to have what I deserve. And no tricks. One false move and your father gets his head blown off."

  My mind worked feverishly trying to come up with something, anything, to stop Vincent, or even stall him. "Let them go."

  Vincent pointed to himself. "I make the demands. Not you." He paused. "Maybe I will kill them right now," he said with a smug attitude.

  "No!"

  He looked over at my parents. "Which one should die first?" He reached his hand out toward my mother. "Let me demonstrate a bit of my power." He started waving his fingers. A black mist shot from his hand and wrapped itself around her neck. She gasped for air.

  "Stop! Let her go!" I tried to run to her, but someone strong grabbed me from behind.

  My mother continued to choke and sputter as the black mist tightened.

  "Stop it!" I shrieked, tears streaming down my cheeks.

  "You'll agree to my terms?"

  Thrashing around, trying to free myself from the demon-guard's grip, I yelled, "Yes. Just let her go."

  "You must give me your Light willingly."

  "I will."

  "You're sure?"

  "Yes!"

  He dropped his hand, and the black mist evaporated. My mom coughed and strained for breath.

  "Now calm down and we'll get on with this." He removed his suit coat and unbuttoned his blue dress shirt. "You see, I am in charge here. You can make no demands."

  "Fine," I said through gritted teeth.

  He stepped so close to me I could smell his cologne. He leaned toward me and the same creepy tattoo I'd seen on Ms. Neal and Erin peeked out from under his dress shirt. He ran his finger down my neck, leaving no doubt as to what he expected. "You give me what I want, and you can all go home free."

  "How do I know you aren't lying?"

  "You don't." He smooth
ed his black hair and adjusted his shirt.

  "Crystal, don't do it. Our lives aren't worth it," my dad said.

  I twisted and turned against the grasp of the demon holding me. I used the back of my head to hit him in the jaw. He let me go and I fell to the ground.

  Vincent laughed. "She's a feisty one."

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. I couldn't access it, but hoped it was a text from Alec, and that he was somewhere close. If Alec could distract Vincent, I'd have a shot at paralyzing him.

  Vincent yanked me up by my arm. "Let's go." He turned to my mom, who was still recovering from the stranglehold of the black mist. "Pammy, it was so nice seeing you again. I'll be thinking of you while your daughter and I—"

  "I hope you rot in—"

  "Is that any way to speak in front of your daughter?"

  "Crystal, don't give yourself to him. Please!"

  I looked at him and said in a monotone voice, "Let's get this over with."

  "Ah, so romantic," Vincent said.

  "Whatever."

  Vincent spoke to a tall guy with a shaved head and the same sketchy tattoo on his neck. "Keep your gun on them." Pointing to my parents he added, "And ignore whatever they say. When the girl has complied, I will return, and you can set them free."

  As we turned to leave, a couple of gun shots rang out. The demon with the shaved head dropped to the ground as did the others on stage.

  "Who's there?" Vincent wrapped his arm across my neck. "I will kill her."

  Luke stepped out from the shadows.

  "Who are you?" Vincent said.

  "You don't remember me?" Luke moved toward us.

  "Can't say that I do. Now, get out of here. I have business to conduct."

  "My wife. My daughter." Luke's voice cracked. "You killed them both."

  "I do a lot of that." Vincent yanked at me, and we took a few steps.

  "Now it's your turn." Luke positioned his gun. "I've been waiting a long time to watch you die nice and slow."

  Suddenly, a whack echoed, and Luke fell to the ground.

  Someone had hit him—but who? Nate? Some other demon?

  "Show yourself," Vincent yelled out.

  Slowly, Alec emerged and stepped over Luke's motionless body.

  Alec?

  Why had he stopped Luke? My confusion was immediately replaced by terror. What if Vincent killed Alec?