Demons

by Heather Frost

  I watched Grandpa's face closely, as his muscles relaxed into a warm smile—his handshake became more firm, more friendly once he realized there was nothing immortal about the school teacher. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Keegan. I'm Henry Bennett.”

  “Kate's grandfather.” Peter nodded with a warm smile. He glanced down at Jenna. “You have three beautiful granddaughters.”

  Grandpa released his hand, but before Peter could pull back, Grandma was stretching out her hand. “I'm Charlotte Bennett. I've heard some good things about you from Jenna and Josie, Mr. Keegan.”

  He laughed vaguely, the sound bordering on nervous. “Guess the blackmail I use is working, at least,” he joked feebly. “They're good girls. Both of them.”

  He dropped Grandma's hand and straightened, and Grandpa Bennett cleared his throat, his aura clearly displaying his conclusions about this new teacher—skittish, and certainly not dangerous. “You here for the game, then?”

  He nodded and threw a glance to Lee. “I had a free morning, and I thought it would be a good chance to spend a little time with Lee.”

  Grandma smiled knowingly. “That's right. How is Jeanette doing?”

  Lee handled the potentially embarrassing question with fast reflexes. “She had to work.”

  Grandma grunted. “That woman does a bit too much of that.”

  Grandpa squinted at Lee's hair. “She's got to in order to pay for all that dye. Must've been black market—that stuff's bright enough to be some kind of military-grade weapon, Lee.”

  My best friend grinned. “Thanks, Mr. Bennett. That's the nicest compliment I've had all week.”

  While we talked, we easily scooted around so Mr. Keegan was soon sitting between Grandpa and Jenna—who kept sending him quick looks, as if she didn't believe it was really her teacher. Lee and I sat on her other side, with me still at the end.

  After the initial greeting banter was over—my grandma asking a couple pointed questions about Lee's mom—Peter Keegan visited with my grandparents almost exclusively, leaving Jenna free to return to her book, and Lee and I were somewhat able to talk alone.

  The first topic was, of course, her mom's new boyfriend.

  “He picked me up this morning, and we went out to breakfast,” Lee told me quietly. “Now that the secret's out, he doesn't seem quite as weird to me. He doesn't act as awkward around me, anyway. I still think he might be psychic like you, though.”

  I nodded my agreement. “I think you're right,” I whispered.

  “Do you think I should call him on it?”

  I shrugged. “That's up to you, Lee.”

  She sighed. “Gee, thanks.”

  “You seem a lot more at ease with him.”

  “Yeah, I guess. He's pretty cool. It's just still a little weird.”

  I knew she wanted a subject change, so I easily asked about Wednesday night. “You never told me how your date with Toni went.”

  A small blush climbed her cheeks. “He kissed me.”

  I tried to keep my face straight. Inwardly, I wanted to scream. What in the world would have possessed Toni to do such a thing! I was fine with them being friends, but I didn't want my best friend getting all confused over an immortal boyfriend. I knew from experience how complicated that could get.

  “Really?” I finally managed.

  Lee clasped her hands together and twisted to face me full on. “Kate, I don't know what happened. I mean, he's a college guy. Why's he even interested? He's funny, and I like to think that we've got a good friendship going, but… kissing him was kind of weird.”

  “Then why did you let him?”

  She shrugged. “It was fun?” She overrode my reply, lifting a single hand, palm out, to ward off my warnings. “I know. I was weak, blah blah blah. But can you blame me? He's so cute. There's only one problem.”

  “Which is?”

  Her lips curled tightly, but the wall finally broke and the words poured out. “I think I might also like someone else. Maybe more than Toni. I didn't tell you, because I didn't want you to make fun of me.”

  Taken aback, I quickly shook my head. “Lee, I'd never make fun of you. Of your feelings,” I amended, when she sent me a wry look.

  She nodded once, satisfied with my revised sentiment.

  “So who's this other lucky guy?” I asked, intrigued.

  “Well, um… I've sort of had a crush on him forever.”

  I blinked. “Really? Him? I thought you were over him!”

  “Shoosh!” she grabbed my arm, panicked, but no one had heard us. “Want the whole world to know? Yes, him.”

  “Rodney Sommers.” I smiled languidly. “You little liar. That's why you've been so focused on organizing the music library this semester!”

  She frowned. “Kate, I'm facing a few dilemmas here—can we cut the jokes?”

  “No, no, he's a good-looking kid. A little nerdy, but he's a band geek—it's to be expected.”

  “Thanks a lot, pal,” she muttered sarcastically, dropping my arm.

  The soccer game had started by now, but I couldn't focus on that, not after discovering my friend was still infatuated with her first crush. “It's really sweet, Lee. You two would make a cute couple.”

  Lee shook her head. “We've just been distant friends forever. I mean, we have band in common, but that's it. He makes fun of the clarinet to boot.”

  “Everyone makes fun of the clarinet. It's an easy target.” I ignored her dark look. “Lee, I think you need to just ask him out already. If I'd known you still had it this bad, I would have forced you a long time ago.”

  “Exactly why I didn't say a word.”

  I shook my head at her. “You need to ask him out. Spending a couple hours in the music library doesn't count.”

  “But what about Toni? What if he's really interested?” She sighed. “Then I've got my mom to deal with. Her and her dating problems…”

  “From what I can see, things seem to be going well on that front.”

  “For the moment.” Lee's phone vibrated, and she pulled it out promptly. I knew it was Rodney just by the added color that washed over her face. Suddenly I wondered how many times I'd assumed it was Toni she was talking with, when really it had been Rodney all along.

  She started tapping out a reply to his text, and I prompted her with an elbow jab and a unbroken chorus of, “Ask him out, ask him out…”

  Once the message was sent, she closed her phone and sent me a look. “Where's your boyfriend, anyway? Wasn't he coming?”

  Internally, I was instantly sobered. But I fought to keep my expression playful. “Yeah, he said he was planning on it.”

  “He missed the toss-up. Or the kickoff. Or whatever the heck this sport does at the beginning of a round.”

  “It's soccer,” Jenna said, and we both twisted to look at her—the little eavesdropper. She was innocently turning one of the pages of her book, her eyes focused on the black words. “I think the orange has dulled your mind.”

  Lee looked ruffled. “What sort of brainiac are you, using words like dulled. Loser.” She paused, then added evenly. “Speak of any of this to anyone, and you die.”

  “Ten dollars?”

  “No way, you little snoop!”

  Jenna's head bowed once, then she turned to look at her teacher, who was talking to Grandpa, laughing lightly. She opened her mouth to speak, but Lee was strangling her wrist in an instant.

  “You little creep,” she hissed. “Remind me not to get you a Christmas present!”

  “Ten dollars,” Jenna reminded smugly.

  “Five,” Lee bargained between her teeth.

  The eleven-year-old thought about this, then agreed with a nod. “Fine. Five.”

  Lee growled something under her breath—it didn't sound like her usual “Oreos”—as she dug in her small purse, dragging out her wallet at last. The older people on the bench didn't seem to notice as the crinkled five-dollar bill switched hands.

  Jenna looked extremely satisfied.

  For a
few minutes we all focused on the game—cheering loudly when Josie's team made the first goal.

  The game was intense, for being peewee. Josie wasn't the most competitive player out there, I was able to see that, but even the less-committed girls began to play more seriously as the time ticked on. In the end, Josie's team won, but only barely.

  Patrick was still conspicuously absent.

  There was about a fifteen-minute break between the first and second game, so Peter Keegan stood, declaring he was ready for some nachos. Lee wanted a snow cone, and—once Jenna was sure she wouldn't be alone with her teacher—she hopped up too. I didn't really want anything, but Grandma asked if I could get her a water, and Grandpa wanted a Coke. And so I followed the group to the concessions stand, somewhat grateful for the distraction.

  This was the second time in a week that Patrick had been late, and it made me nervous. It wasn't like him—especially without some kind of warning or phone call. He wasn't an early riser, and if he still had a headache, then there was a chance he was still asleep. I shouldn't leap to any conclusions. But what if something had happened? Maybe Jack had called, and Toni and Patrick had left on a mission without me. I know they didn't report to me, but I was the Seer. That meant something, didn't it? If nothing else, I was Patrick's girlfriend. He shouldn't keep me hanging like this.

  But I wasn't going to call. I wasn't. I'd already made that commitment. I just hoped I heard something soon. My resolve was fading as quickly as my worry was escalating.

  While we walked, Peter suddenly spoke to Jenna. “So, you like to read?”

  She looked surprised by the question. She was used to answering questions in a classroom, but out on a soccer field, on a Saturday, was a different story. “Um, yeah… It's my favorite thing to do. That and play the piano.”

  “You play the piano? My mother made me take lessons when I was a kid.” He smiled at some distant, amusing memory. “She made me quit after I broke a vase.”

  Jenna's forehead creased. “You broke a vase while playing the piano?”

  “I was trying to avoid the piano, actually. I threw my theory book across the room and it knocked the vase over.”

  Jenna giggled despite herself. “I've done that. But I didn't break anything. How old were you?”

  “Ten or so.” He shrugged a single shoulder. “A long time ago.”

  “Do you still play?” Lee asked.

  He nodded, grinning. “On my CD player, most every day.”

  “That doesn't count,” Jenna scoffed.

  “I wish I did. But I haven't touched a piano for so long… I'd probably murder ‘Chopsticks.’ No, I'll stick to reading books. That's a fairly safe way to spend some time.”

  We reached the wooden snack shack and had to wait in a short line. Lee ordered first, getting her snow cone, and Jenna went next. She got a Popsicle, but while she was reaching into her pocket for the money, she ended up dropping the frozen stick to the dirty ground. Without a word Peter stepped forward and ordered another, and by the time Jenna had picked up the dirt covered Popsicle, her teacher was handing her a replacement.

  I gave Lee a pointed look, and she sort of rolled her eyes and took a small bite of flavored ice. Yes, I'd made my point—he was a nice guy. Seer or not. I'd already guessed that he wasn't an active Seer, if he was a Seer at all. Still, Terence might know something about him. I made a mental note to ask him when we finally met.

  I bought the drinks for my grandparents, and I got my snow cone. Peter got his nachos, and then we walked back to the bleachers. By the time we were settled, the second game had started.

  Josie's team played hard, but the other team was good. Josie was mad when they lost, but she looked only more resolved to win the next game. If they didn't, this would be the end. If they won, they'd get to play the fourth game.

  Peter got a phone call just after the third game started. He spoke laconically and seriously, his expression hard to read. His aura was easier but still confusing. Green uneasiness—a lot of it—was billowing out around him, overtaking the yellow. The red flared up too, as if he were angry. He didn't look it, though. Just serious. I could see Grandpa watching him from the corner of his eye, probably just from habit. I wondered what he made of the severe color change.

  Peter ended the call after a concise minute, before he sighed and handed Jenna the rest of his nachos, which they'd been sharing for the past few minutes. “I've got to run,” he apologized to the row in general. “My landlord didn't get my last payment, and he's threatening to call the cops on me if I don't get over there now.” He looked to Lee. “Do you want me to take you home?”

  She shook her head. “Nah, I'm fine here. That is, if I can get a ride home after?” She glanced at Grandma, who was nodding and already turning back to watch the game.

  Peter excused himself again, sounding apologetic. Lee and I watched him until he was out of the bleachers and out of sight, disappearing toward the parking lot.

  “I don't know why he's so worried,” Jenna said, following our gaze. “His landlord sounded like a wimpy girl over the phone. Mr. K could take him.”

  I didn't reply, because my phone was finally vibrating. I reached for it a bit too eagerly, earning a snort from Lee, but that didn't matter to me—it was Patrick.

  “Hey,” I answered quickly, reminding myself that I'd need to speak carefully. “Where are you? Is everything okay?”

  There was a sound in the background—a car running. His apologetic voice punctured the sound. “I'm sorry, Kate. I slept in—Toni didn't wake me up, and I didn't hear the alarm. Are you still at the school?”

  “Yeah, the third game just started.”

  The tired edge that I'd come to expect in his voice was now extremely heavy. “I'm so sorry. I would have left sooner, but then Terence called, trying to set up a meeting time for tomorrow. I just barely left.”

  “Um…” I was aware of Lee's eyes on my face. “When will that be?” I finally asked.

  Patrick didn't seem to find my slight hesitation odd. Maybe he realized someone was listening. “He'll be at the warehouse around five. I wouldn't ask you to leave your family during Sunday dinner, but Terence would like to meet you. If you can make it.”

  “Of course. I'll see you soon, then?”

  “Just a few more minutes.”

  “Okay. But if you aren't feeling well…”

  “I'm fine. Besides, we have a party to attend tonight, don't we?”

  Jaxon's party. I'd nearly forgotten. “Not if you don't want to,” I said.

  “Really, Kate, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm feeling a lot better today.”

  I wonder why I didn't believe him.

  We said our good-byes and I hung up the phone, glancing at Lee, who looked concerned. “Is he still feeling sick?”

  “A little,” I admitted. “I told him he didn't have to come, but he was already in the car.”

  “The flu?” she asked sympathetically.

  “Um… yeah.”

  “That stinks. Are you guys still coming to Jaxon's party?”

  I shrugged. “Probably.”

  She sighed and scrolled through a long message on her phone. “I was thinking about inviting Toni, but… Rodney just dropped the hint that he's not doing anything tonight. What should I do?”

  “Are you serious? You even have to ask? Invite him!”

  “What about Toni?”

  “Did you already ask him?”

  “No, but…”

  “Ask Rodney. Now.”

  She sighed loudly, but obediently started to text. “If I do this, there's no turning back. Things with Rodney will be weird. He'll know I like him.”

  “Lee, the guy's been helping you sort old band music for weeks. I don't think a party is going to scare him off.”

  I made sure she actually sent the text, and then I focused back on the game.

  Patrick arrived during halftime, coming up so fast that I didn't really see him until he was already stepping up the bleachers a few
rows away from us. He gave me a smile and nodded a quick hello to my grandparents and Jenna. I pushed closer to Lee, and Patrick took the seat on the end.

  Before we could really greet each other, Lee was leaning over me. “Patrick, Kate says you're still not feeling good. Ever heard of a doctor?”

  He smiled calmly. “Actually, yes. Thanks for your concern, Lee, but I'm feeling much better.”

  “No problem. Just thought I'd say something. You're driving Kate crazy, by the way. Her nails are completely gone.”

  “Thanks a lot,” I shot at her through thin lips.

  She positively beamed. “No problem.”

  When she focused back on the game, I turned to Patrick, keeping my voice low even though I knew Lee was listening to every word. “She's blowing it out of proportion. I was a little worried—that's all.”

  He forced a smile, and I noticed that his right hand was rubbing his left arm—as if trying to return circulation to the limb. “You worry too much.”

  “You're not taking this seriously,” I whispered. “You've been worn out since Tuesday night.”

  He let out a mild laugh. “I guess I'm getting too old for running on no sleep.”

  I wasn't going to let this slide. “What about your head?”

  “It doesn't feel great,” he admitted at last, though I could tell he didn't want to be having this conversation. “But it feels a lot better.” His right hand was still moving in unconscious smoothing motions against his arm, and I didn't know what to say. I couldn't argue with him, not if he wasn't even admitting something was wrong. Especially with Lee sitting right next to me.

  Patrick's eyes revealed a sympathy with my plight, and I knew he didn't want me to agonize over this. He scooped up my hand and squeezed it tightly. “What have I missed?” he asked.

  The crowd suddenly exploded with a cheer, and Grandpa jumped to his feet, yelling, “Go Josie! Go, go, go!”

  We all watched as Josie ran with the ball, kicking it expertly across the field. She'd stolen it, or so I gathered, and was now booking it with her round prisoner toward the goal. Other teammates clamored for the ball, and for a pointed second I worried she wasn't going to pass it. But at the last moment she did, and another girl took the ball the rest of the way. She kicked it, and it sailed into the net.