by Cassandra
With that, the door flew open. The green eyeball revealed itself to be one in a mismatched pair. The other eye was brown, and they belonged to an elderly woman with long, stringy gray hair. She pulled the door wide and waved them hurriedly inside.
Jessica crossed the threshold of the house, and the two men rushed past her with their patient.
The elderly woman slammed the door shut behind them. She then held her head to the high ceiling and yelled, “We have an injury that needs immediate attention. Andy Lagone! Demon attack!”
The seemingly vacant house immediately sprang to life. Two young men appeared as if from nowhere and took Andy from the other two men. In the background, four women—two young and two middle-aged—cleared a table and covered it with a white cloth. Andy was laid gently on the makeshift bed.
Three others about Jessica’s age appeared from around a corner and carried baskets full of ointments, bandages, and what she could only presume were magical medical utensils.
“How long ago did this happen?” the old woman with mismatched eyes asked Pastor Norman. She pinned her long hair deftly on top of her head.
“Just now,” the man answered. “We were fighting a group of demons who got the better of him.”
The woman’s gaze flickered at Jessica. “And who is she?”
“Jessica Palmers. Ethel’s granddaughter.”
She looked approvingly at Jessica before she hurried with surprising agility to Andy.
It all happened so quickly and Jessica couldn’t keep the shock and unease from her face.
“He’ll be all right,” Pastor Norman whispered and moved to stand beside her. He squeezed her shoulder. “This is Seventh Coven, the best there is.”
Chad nodded beside him. “If anybody can save him, they can.”
“We don’t have time to wait around.” The pastor’s expression turned from concern to anger. “I’m tired of these demons. We need to get to the bottom of this. I need to know where they’re coming from.”
“I think it’s time to pay Debbie McCrow and her crew another visit,” Chad suggested.
Jessica’s eyes bulged. “Debbie? Do you think she and her friends are behind this?”
“The demon smell was awfully strong on them, Jess.”
“B-but… We… After what we did…” Her voice trailed off. Despite the serious circumstances around her, it still felt weird to admit to the pastor that she’d sought revenge on someone. She tried again. “Do you think they’re still sending demons out to attack people? Would they even have the power to do this?”
“Don’t underestimate the power of teenage witches.” Chad studied her meaningfully. “Look at yourself. You have no formal training, yet look at what you can do, even if you think it’s all simply luck and coincidence. As for Debbie, Patricia, and Marie—you have to remember, they have an advantage over you. They all grew up knowing precisely what they are.”
Jessica heard every word he said, but it still seemed impossible to believe. Or perhaps she was merely in denial. “These girls…” Her voice trailed off because she was no longer sure what she wanted to say.
“These girls need to be questioned,” Pastor Norman finished for her. “Where are they?”
Chad nodded resolutely. “That’s something I can definitely help with. Come on.”
He turned toward the door.
Pastor Norman turned to the crowd that had gathered around Andy and now conducted what looked like magical surgery. “I’ll be back. I have to do some investigating to get to the bottom of this demon business.”
“We’ll be in touch, Norman,” the woman with mismatched eyes called from her position crouched over the vicious wound in Andy’s abdomen.
The man nodded and turned to Jessica. “We’ll leave him in their capable hands.” They followed Chad out the door.
He stood on the front porch and a hairband with a lock of brown hair lay in the palm of his hand. “Debbie’s,” he explained.
“How did you get that?” Jessica asked.
“I conjured it from her home when we were there.”
“I didn’t see you do that.”
“That’s not surprising. There was a lot of commotion going on. Anyway, I can use this for a tracking spell so we don’t have to waste time looking for her.”
“Excellent. Get to it then,” Pastor Norman commanded. His tone took Jessica by surprise. She had never heard him sound so impatient.
The younger man closed his fist around the lock of hair and raised it skyward. He squeezed his eyes shut and chanted something in what sounded like another language to Jessica. The pastor stood and stared idly at the road ahead of them.
Chad’s hand began to glow purple. The glow grew brighter and brighter until it eventually faded. He reopened his eyes, recited an address, and turned to his companion. “Does that sound familiar?” he asked.
“That’s her grandmother’s house,” Pastor Norman answered. He immediately hurried toward his truck.
Jessica peered out the back window of the vehicle and looked at the cozy little house tucked away on a normal suburban street. It stood in such stark contrast to the coven’s looming mansion, yet it gave Jessica a strong sense of foreboding for reasons that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“Something feels weird,” she muttered, still staring at the house.
“You probably feel the magic inside its walls. This house has certainly been the site of some not-so-pleasant spells,” Chad warned and frowned. “Let’s get this over with.” He opened his door and Jessica followed suit.
“I’ll come with you,” Pastor Norman announced. “These girls might need a little incentive to tell the truth.”
Jessica looked at Father Norman and noticed for the first time that there was definitely something intimidating about him. He didn’t look like the kind of man who should be lied to.
The trio hurried toward the house. Once they were on the porch, Chad thumped the doorbell repeatedly.
She folded her arms across her chest as the sense of apprehension swept over her again.
Debbie, Patricia, and Marie—did they really send demons after people? Were they really that cruel, that evil? If so, what on earth had made them so angry and bitter? What did they gain from putting so many people in harm’s way?
She simply couldn’t make sense of it.
When they were left standing on the porch, Chad pounded on the door with his fists. “Open up!” he yelled. “We know you’re in there.”
He banged on the door so hard that Jessica was afraid he would knock it clean off its hinges.
Pastor Norman cleared his throat and gestured to the front window beside the door. The curtain shifted as though a person had brushed against it. Someone was clearly home.
He stepped to the side of the porch and in plain view of the window. Calmly, he fixed a pointed gaze on where the curtain had moved.
Jessica shuddered. She certainly never wanted to be on the receiving end of that look. It practically made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She had never noticed how imposing he could be when he wanted to.
With her arms folded even more tightly against her body, Jessica gazed around. What had started out as a fairly decent day weather-wise now rapidly changed. A biting cold blew on the wind, and the sky had clouded over. It looked like a storm was coming.
Finally, the front door creaked open slightly. Jessica turned in time to see that the curtain had moved again.
There was more than one person home. Intuitively, she knew that Patricia and Marie were inside with Debbie.
She had a feeling the grandmother wasn’t home and vaguely remembered the woman as a feisty, stuck-up old lady who was very active. Jessica was pretty certain that if she had been home, the door would have been answered a long time ago. Grandma McCrow had too much pride to peek through curtains and play games like this.
“Miss Debbie McCrow, let us in,” Pastor Norman bellowed, his voice deep and commanding.
“W-why? Wha
t do you want? My grandmother isn’t here,” Debbie’s voice responded with a noticeable quiver.
From somewhere behind her, quick voices muttered in harsh tones. Clearly, Patricia and Marie weren’t pleased that the girl had revealed that they were home alone.
“We want to talk, that’s all,” the pastor lied and softened his voice a little.
Without waiting for a response, Chad placed his hand on the door and pushed. Debbie fought unsuccessfully against him for a moment but then relented and stepped aside.
Pastor Norman, Chad, and Jessica entered the house.
Debbie stood before them and gathered her courage. A few feet behind her, Patricia and Marie were huddled together and regarded the three visitors with wide eyes.
It wasn’t until then that Jessica realized that she was splattered with red. In fact, all three of them were splashed and stained with Andy’s blood. Debbie and the girls must think they were butchers.
Thank goodness we didn’t run into any cops, she thought.
“What do you want?” Debbie repeated and attempted to make her voice sound strong but was unable to hide the tremor. Her gaze roamed over Chad noticeably longer than they did the other two members of their group.
Jessica sensed that deep down, the girl still nursed a heavy crush on Chad. She obviously felt conflicted about it, though, in light of recent events.
“We won’t beat around the bush,” Pastor Norman prefaced and took a step forward. “So please, answer my questions honestly, young lady. Have you been up to any black magic lately?”
Debbie’s eyes bulged. Her mouth opened and closed but no words came out.
Caught red-handed, Jessica thought, still in disbelief.
“We played around, that’s all,” Patricia whined, her eyes wide. She turned her gaze to Jessica. “You weren’t in any real danger. We thought you knew that.” She looked at Chad, her expression clearly disapproving. “How were we to know that you would get so butt-hurt about it all and come after us like that?”
“Excuse me?” Chad gasped, incredulous. “Playing around? Jessica could have been killed the other day, and you got one of our friends seriously injured.”
Patricia and Marie exchanged glances.
Debbie’s face contorted in confusion. “Who was seriously injured?”
“Andy Lagone. Does that ring any bells?” Pastor Norman asked.
“But…I only meant for Jessica…” Debbie’s voice trailed off.
For a miniscule moment, Jessica had felt the slightest twinge of sympathy for the frightened girls. When she saw how terrified they looked, she couldn’t help it. Yet, now that Debbie had outright admitted that she meant to hurt her, any sympathy she had felt quickly vanished.
“Unbelievable,” she marveled. “So you were perfectly fine with me being almost killed, but now, you’re sorry that your so-not-funny pranks hurt someone else?” She balled her fists at her sides and seriously considered knocking Debbie out. She didn’t even care if she was in front of a pastor.
Debbie held her hands before her in a gesture of surrender. “Look, I didn’t try to kill anyone. None of us did. We were only messing with you a little, that’s all. Imps are harmless. There’s no way that imp could have killed you or anyone else.” She shook her head and bit her bottom lip in real worry. “It was our first time conjuring an imp. If it nearly killed someone”—she glanced at her friends—“it would have been an accident. We didn’t entirely know what we were doing.”
“Cut the crap. Nobody cares about the stupid imp,” Chad interjected. “This is about the demons you’ve unleashed all around town.”
“Demons?” the three girls all exclaimed at the same time.
“Nobody sent any demons out,” Marie whimpered.
“Stop lying, already!” Jessica screamed. “First, you sent an imp after me. Then you each sent demons to attack me in an alley on Thursday night. And now, your demons have nearly killed a friend of theirs. The thing almost ate him alive, for crying out loud.”
“We did not conjure any demons!” Debbie shouted and her frightened expression quickly turned to anger. “I will not let you stand here and accuse us of something we didn’t do.” She turned a piercing gaze at Chad. “Is that why you attacked us the other day? Because you thought I sent demons after her?”
He blinked for a moment. “I smelled demons all over you in school the other day.”
“Well get your nose checked. And get your facts straight before you harass people. I’ve stayed at my grandma’s ever since you two showed up at my house.” Debbie clenched her jaw and balled her fists at her sides. She shook her head. “I can’t believe this.”
Jessica looked at Chad, stunned to see that his expression had faltered. Pastor Norman looked thoughtful.
“You’re lying,” Jessica snapped at Debbie. She spun back to the older man. “They’re lying. They have to be.”
Chad shook his head slowly. “I don’t know,” he began quietly.
Pastor Norman raised his eyebrows. “You don’t know what?” he asked.
“I think she’s telling the truth.”
“Why?” his friends asked at the same time.
“Because I am!” Debbie shouted. “And my grandma will be home any second now. So I suggest you leave us the hell alone, or you’ll have her to answer to.”
“Chad?” Jessica demanded. She was unnerved to see the uncertainty now sketched onto his features.
He looked from Jessica to the pastor and shook his head once more. “I might have been mistaken.”
“You think?” Marie snapped.
“Are you certain?” Pastor Norman asked.
Chad paused. “Yes. Because I’ve just realized something.”
“What?” Jessica blurted out.
Chad looked at each girl in turn. “They no longer smell like demons. The scent isn’t anywhere around them. If they were behind the most recent demon attacks, the scent would be all over them. You were right, Jess. They aren’t strong enough to be behind this kind of thing.”
The pastor studied the girls one last time. “You’re off the hook this time. But you young ladies be aware that we’re watching you.” With that, he beckoned to Chad and Jessica and they saw themselves out.
As they made it down the porch steps, none other than Gloria McCrow parked directly before the house. She struggled from her vehicle and her eyes narrowed when she saw them.
Jessica stared, astounded by how much Debbie looked like a miniature version of her grandmother, minus the age and bad dye job.
The haughty old lady stopped in front of them with her hands on her hips. “And what is this?”
Pastor Norman tipped his head in a slight bow. “Good evening, Ms. McCrow. We paid your granddaughter a visit. There’s nothing to be alarmed about. All is well.”
“All most certainly is not well,” the old woman snapped. “What business do you have coming to my house to see my granddaughter?” Her gaze zeroed in on Chad and Jessica.
The older man kept his composure. “Some of her friends from school and I had a few questions for Debbie. We’re in quite a hurry, though. We have to leave now.”
Before Gloria McCrow could get another word out, the three of them hurried to their vehicle.
The old lady watched them for a few moments before she entered her home. She found her granddaughter and her friends in the living room and all of them looked shell-shocked.
“What was that all about?” Gloria demanded.
“GiGi—they…they…” Debbie stammered. She swallowed and shook her head. “They think we’ve sent demons after people.”
Gloria froze for a moment. Slowly, she set her purse down on the couch. “They think you—as in you girls—have conjured demons to do your bidding?”
The girls nodded.
She laughed humorlessly. “Then they are fools. Who would possibly believe three teenage girls would have that kind of power?”
“They said something about smelling demons on us,” Patricia said an
d fidgeted nervously.
“Of course! Because you’ve spent too much time over here!” She cursed herself for her carelessness. It was pure bad luck that the one time she forgot to shield the girls from the stench, they would run into someone who recognized the smell.
“That’s because they attacked us at my house!” Debbie cried.
Gloria blinked. “They did what?”
She watched as her granddaughter nodded. “That was…Chad.”
The old lady’s mouth stretched into a tight line. “I figured that much. Yes, such a handsome young man he is.”
“He and Jessica showed up to my house in retaliation for—”
“For something we didn’t do!” Marie chimed in.
“For something I did,” Gloria corrected.
The girls gasped.
“GiGi?” Debbie ventured.
“Well, what did you expect? I refuse to let my granddaughter and her friends be screwed over by the kin of Ethel Libbons!” She sighed. “I suppose you girls didn’t need to know that, though.”
Debbie opened her mouth to respond, but Gloria held her hands up before her and effectively silenced her. She began to chant something under her breath and looked at all three girls in turn. Slowly, their faces grew slack. They looked as though they were asleep on their feet.
Gloria pointed at each one with her index finger. White beams of light shot from her fingertip to strike each girl squarely in the middle of her forehead.
She wiggled her fingers and lowered her hand. A moment later, the girls blinked themselves awake.
“Are you girls hungry? Would you like to go out for pizza? My treat,” Gloria offered.
“Yeah!” the girls exclaimed with easygoing expressions on their faces.
The old woman nodded. The memory of her confession had been successfully wiped from their minds. She would have to remind herself to make sure the scent of dark magic was nowhere around them the next time they left her presence. While she knew how to shield herself and did that as a matter of course, she needed to adjust her thinking to consciously include the others. One small moment of forgetfulness could have had disastrous consequences.
