by L. A. Banks
“Gee, thanks,” Sarah said quietly, feeling hurt and anger collide within her chest. She couldn’t believe Tami was saying this stuff or that she’d been discussed by the others in the compound. Now she really felt like a freak. Yeah, maybe it was time to leave her so-called home to be around new people who didn’t know her so well. People who wouldn’t judge her.
“Look,” Tami said, still half-jogging, half-walking to keep up with Sarah’s angry pace, “forget I said anything. It doesn’t matter. What’s important is we’re best friends. When our moms were pregnant and all our parents were battling the—”
“Don’t say the name of the unspoken out here on the far side of the light barriers,” Sarah said, and stopped walking to quickly clamp her hand over her friend’s mouth.
“Okay, okay, I forgot,” Tami said the moment Sarah removed her hand, slinging an arm over Sarah’s shoulder and giving her a quick hug. “BFFs?”
Sarah nodded and started walking. It was impossible to stay angry at Tami. What she’d said was probably true. She was different. Had known that within her soul all her life—no matter what her mom or nana said. It just sucked hearing it said out loud, and by her best friend. Tami’s words reconfirmed every fear she’d ever had, and she so didn’t need that on the night before she was presumably headed to the Academy.
But the undeniable fact remained; the dark side had attacked her mother more viciously than it had gone after the other warriors of Light. The entire Vampire Council had a bounty on her parents’ heads at one point. Probably still did. The devil and his wife, Lilith, had hunted for her mom and dad in particular. If they destroyed her parents, then the dark side would have broken the back of the Light rebel forces. So maybe Nana Marlene was wrong. Maybe there was something instinctive that was locked away inside her and Al’s DNA. Maybe the fear that haunted her wasn’t a phase, and maybe she was really, truly different.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” Sarah said flatly.
“You don’t sound okay.”
“I’m fine,” Sarah said, and kept walking. But when she suddenly stopped walking, Tami came to an abrupt halt as well.
“What?” Tami whispered.
“Something doesn’t feel right.” Sarah turned in a slow circle and then grabbed her girlfriend’s hand. “Run!”
She could sense it before she saw it, complete blackness coming for her like a yawning, gaping mouth ready to swallow her whole—exactly the way it had been in her dreams as a kid. As she and Tami ran away from the edge of the cliff back toward the compound, she heard it breaking brambles and scattering dried grass. Felt the sting of its icy winds against her skin, sucking her into it as it entered her pores.
And this time it wasn’t a dream.
Suddenly Tami’s hand slipped out of hers as if she’d been snatched away. Sarah came to a skidding halt as she turned, frantically searching the darkness for her friend while shouting her name. In the distance she heard Tami’s scream, heard her own as an out-of-body cry. From out of nowhere a pair of green glowing eyes and saliva-slicked fangs lunged at her. The demon moved so quickly that she couldn’t get a good look at it. She stumbled back, screaming as her foot caught on a root, and then she was going down with a smelly, slime-rotted demon on top of her. Green scaly skin, jagged yellowed teeth and hooked talons were coming at her. A spade-shaped tail bullwhipped behind the agile creature, which was now airborne, lunging like a pouncing tiger.
Eyes shut tightly, she realized she was going to die as demon bait. There were so many things she’d never done, and now her life was over! Then, like a vacuum sump pump, all sound and sensation was gone…but she was falling.
Her arms and legs flailed, awkward and useless. Slow-motion vertigo stabbed into her mind as she opened her eyes, the nausea of judging the distance she was falling and waiting for the horrendous impact blurring her vision with tears. The world of nothingness suddenly exploded as she hit a thick carpet of dark grass with an oomph. The scent of rich earth and plants stung her nose, and when she tentatively moved, she was surprised to find that no bones were broken. Then she looked around her and froze. God help her, she’d been here before.
She got up, gingerly testing her sore limbs, and started walking while trying to remember where she’d seen all this before. Sarah bit her lip to keep in a sob of relief that she wasn’t dead. Then instinct and all her former training at the compound immediately kicked in. A demon had been on her tail, and she had to find a hiding place, had to find a weapon. Soon she found herself running with her hands out in front of her as though she were blind, trying to feel her environment. Trying to remember what had saved her before in her sleep.
A glowing copse of trees revealed itself over the edge of the dark horizon, and Sarah skidded to a halt, not ready to fall again.
However, light was light, and she’d been taught that that was the one illusion demons couldn’t cast. Testing the ground quickly, she dashed for the lit tree line. As she neared it, she saw a being standing in front of a large Baobab tree and shining with so much brilliance that for a few seconds she couldn’t tell if it was male or female. She hesitated for a moment. Maybe it was the same one that always managed to save her in her nightmares. Please, God, let it be the same one.
Instant recognition made tears stream down Sarah’s face as she drew closer, running without looking back. The entity showed herself as a female holding a long golden staff. Colors moved beneath her skin like a kaleidoscope of shimmering lights, changing in hue from milky almond brown to copper to deep ebony with every subtle shade in between. She wore a luminescent white robe that moved in shimmering pastel hues as she opened her arms, and her eyes were wide and beautiful, reminding Sarah of the Kemetian Queens she’d learned of as a child.
The unfathomable being’s presence calmed her, and Sarah simply hugged herself as she came to a stop only a few feet away, bathed in the entity’s light.
She didn’t move as the entity walked up to her and gently reached out to hold her chin. There were so many questions bubbling inside her, but as she stared at the strangely beautiful being, Sarah found herself unable to form words. The being examined her for a moment, then gave a nod, her exotic eyes containing what seemed like approval. Before Sarah could utter a word, the entity leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, and then placed a finger between her brows and said, “Nexse,” with a calm smile. Then she pushed, and Sarah felt herself falling again.
Instantly, she was sprawled back on the plateau by the cliff where she’d been before. She scrabbled quickly away from the edge. The demon that had been chasing her lay at her feet, burning, parts of it already turned to ash. The stench of sulfur choked her, and she covered her nose with her hand as she stumbled to her feet and began to run back to the compound. Her only goal was to make it to the safe zone behind the light barriers. She pitched forward as she willed herself there. Blinded by tears and terror, she tripped over a stone but caught her balance, still running headlong back toward safety. But in her peripheral vision she saw movement. Her heart was pounding as she whipped her head around to see how far away the threat was.
Two small dark shadows that moved like stretchy amoebas were heading toward her, coming quickly, as though they were playing leap frog with each other. They weren’t demons; she knew that because they looked exactly like the hallway shadows that always teased her in the compound. Her parents had assured her that no demons could get past Nana Mar’s spiritual barriers, so the shadows had to be…something else. But tonight that knowledge brought no comfort. The fact that they were out here right after a demon attack was totally unnerving.
“In the name of the Light, get thee behind me!” she shouted, hoping that would be enough to send the shadows away.
Strangely, her mention of the Light just seemed to make them bolder, and they leaped over each other faster to get closer. When she screamed, they simply blinked out with a soft puff sound, only to reappear in front of her, closer than they’d ever been before. Sarah skid
ded to a stop, made a zigzag move and skirted around them to begin running toward the compound again. But she knew she wasn’t going to get away before they were on her.
“No, stop!” she cried out as she glanced over her shoulder, still running with all her might.
Relief tore through her when she heard Tami, Al and Val calling for her. She threw another quick glance behind her and saw nothing. Still, she kept pressing steadily forward until friendly hands drew her past the lights that meant safety and strong arms surrounded her.
“Oh, my God, what happened?” Tami said, hugging her tightly.
“It was a demon,” Sarah gasped, wondering how Tami got back before her when Tami was actually snatched away first. A stitch stabbed her side from running so fast, so hard, as she tried to catch her breath. “Just came out of nowhere. It’s dead, but we’ve gotta keep moving.”
“It grabbed me then dropped me, just flung me aside like it was…I don’t know. Looking for someone else,” Tami said, glancing around nervously.
Sarah squeezed her eyes shut tightly for a moment and kept her voice low. “It wanted me.”
“A demon?” Val said, touching Sarah’s back and breathing hard from the recent exertion of running to get back to her and Tami. “Did it draw blood?”
“Yeah, did it cut or scratch you? Did you get bitten? Tell me you didn’t get nicked,” Al said, his gaze filled with rare concern.
Sarah shook her head, ashamed that tears brimmed and fell against Tami’s shoulder as she continued to cling to her friend. “No, but can we get out of here and figure all that out later?”
“Damn, sis…you sure you’re okay?” Al’s voice came in bursts between deep breaths. Like Val, he’d also obviously been running.
For some reason, Al’s question only made more tears fall. If he was worried, then even he thought she really could have died.
Her brother pulled her away from Tami’s hug and held her at arms’ length to inspect her. “It’s gonna be all right…we were looking all over for you.” He gripped her hand for a moment. “You’re safe, Sarah. Now chill and tell me what happened.”
It helped that Tami and Val were right beside her when her brother let go of her hand, but her stomach was still doing hard flip-flops. The actual compound was close, and all she wanted to do was get inside. She hated standing in the courtyard—stuff could still happen.
“I fell into a demon hole or something,” Sarah finally said, when it was clear that nobody around her was going to move. She wiped at her tears quickly with dirty hands. She didn’t care if any of the adults overheard them or saw them out here, where they weren’t supposed to be after dark. Getting grounded was better than getting eaten.
She also didn’t care that she was probably leaving mud streaks on her face. She didn’t care if they got busted by their parents. Right now none of that mattered. She just wanted to be inside where it was safe. “Can we just get out of here?”
“We’re inside the barrier, honey. It’s gonna be all right,” Tami said, slinging an arm over Sarah’s shoulder.
Al and Val shared a look.
“You actually went down a demon hole?” Val said in awe. “Righteous.”
“We only got as far as the outskirt of the battle,” Al said, still breathing hard, sweat pouring down him. “But T sent us a hard mental telepathy shot to the head with a screaming SOS message.”
“That wasn’t me,” Tami said, looking at Sarah as they began a slow jog toward the compound. “I’m not that strong. Had to be you. I told the guys that one minute you were beside me, the next I got flung away and you were gone—and I saw a demon go down a black hole with you, and then get regurgitated up as flaming ash!”
“What? Are you sure?” Sarah said, picking up the pace, driving the others harder until they reached a flat-out run.
“We got back as soon as we could,” Val said, sucking in a huge gulp of air. Sweat still poured down his chest and dripped from his chin. “We got the SOS, but by then the team was already down a demon portal, which is why we were the only ones to head back.”
As soon as they made it into what had once been the hotel lobby, the foursome collapsed on the overstuffed chairs and sofas. Sarah plopped down next to Tami, who hugged her again. That only made Sarah start crying all over again. It was purely a relief reflex. The fact that she’d been so scared and now was letting the guys see her cry really kicked her butt. But there was no way to hide it. Her entire body was shaking.
“Seriously… You okay, sis?” Al asked again, as though he hadn’t believed her the first time. He got up and came over to inspect her for demon wounds and contagion.
Sarah nodded but didn’t let go of Tami. “Yeah. I told you I’m okay,” she said with a sniff, wiping her dirty face with the backs of her hands. “It never had a chance to cut me.”
With the overhead light as an added help, her brother checked her neck and her exposed arms again, making her realize how stupid it had been to go out in just a tank top and sweats. She didn’t even have a weapon!
“Did you really off a demon?”
For the first time in her life, she heard what sounded like awe in Alejandro’s voice.
“I don’t know,” she told him honestly, not sure what had smoked the demon and really not caring, as long as it was dead.
“Figures,” Al said, without disguising his disappointment. “We do the flight and get out on the actual battlefield, and then the girls get all the action on the hillside, just sitting in the dark.” Al flung down his t-shirt and stormed up the stairs, not waiting for the elevator.
Sarah and Tami just stared after him.
Val shrugged. “Don’t mind him…you know how Al is. The Guardians went down a demon hole and we couldn’t follow. He just wanted to get his first demon kill claim, you know?” He smiled, showing a little hint of fang that made his wild afro look even wilder. “Me, I’m good with just knowing we all got back in one piece. Besides, if we’d lost you ladies, your dads and mine would have had a cow.”
But his expression became more serious as he stooped down in front of Sarah and took her hands. “For real…if anything had happened to you, none of us would have been right after that…especially me.” After a moment he released her hands and stood slowly. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Then he loped away.
“My suggestion is that we don’t discuss any of this till we get to school,” Tami said, staring at her nervously. “Like, if your parents and mine are already spooked, they might tell us we can’t go until next semester, which would really suck.”
Too weary to comment, Sarah just let Tami babble on as she leaned her head back on the sofa and closed her eyes.
“But you’ve gotta tell me what happened when you went down that hole,” Tami said, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial murmur. “More important, how the hell did you get out?”
Sarah cringed at the word hell, and Tami gave her hand a squeeze.
“My bad…wrong choice of words. Look, why don’t you stay in my room tonight? You shouldn’t be alone, and I know you aren’t a fan of the dark. I’ll keep the lights on, too, I promise. Because after what just happened, I’m not really feeling all that brave myself. ‘Kay?”
Sarah just nodded, too numb to do anything else but so glad that Tami shared her fear for once. There was no doubt that she was going to sit up all night in Tami’s room, giving her the blow-by-blow details, but there was so much she really didn’t understand. Maybe there had been some light-powered trip wire out there, a booby trap set by seasoned Neteru Guardians that the demon had rolled onto and exterminated itself as it dragged her into the demon hole. Or maybe it was something else? Who knew, and who cared? There was only one thing for sure: She didn’t care if she never saw another demon or dark forest again in her life.
Chapter 3
Sleep had, as predicted, been impossible once they’d gone to Tami’s room. Sarah was too wired from her near miss with the demon, and with the whole night left to sit up and talk about it, she’d
taken advantage. Plus, her girlfriend apparently had more vamp in her than she did, but even so, staying up all night was a ritual that they’d definitely have to break once they got to school. Now they were paying the price of not sleeping. Dawn had come with a vengeance.
The only saving grace was that Tami was as snake-bite mean in the morning as she was, so she didn’t have to make nice like she would have had to if she’d been hanging out in Hyacinth’s or Allie’s room. Those two took Miss Merry Sunshine to a whole different level.
The smell of pancakes drew Sarah and Tami out of bed, but it was still a painful process.
“Meetcha downstairs,” Tami muttered, staking her territorial claim on the bathroom.
“Yeah. Thanks for staying up with me,” Sarah said, dragging herself to the door with a yawn.
“De nada,” Tami replied with a wave of her hand, and then stopped, squinted and stared at Sarah full on.
“What?” Sarah quickly looked down at her body and then felt her neck. Had she been nicked by the demon after all?
“You are gonna be so pissed. There’s a huge zit at twelve-o’clock right between the ole eyebrows. Kinda Cyclopean, if you ask me.”
Horrified, Sarah gasped, and her hand flew up to her forehead. Sure enough, a very tender, volcanolike mound had formed right where the glowing being had touched her. What was her savior doing handing out zits? Weren’t goddesses or angels or whatever she was supposed to do good things for the people they saved?
Sarah groaned aloud. Why was it that other girls walked away from their fairy godmothers with dresses, cool shoes, a fly ride—even a handsome boyfriend—and all she got was acne?
“That thing is about to erupt,” Tami said, making a face. “Put a hot compress on it and squeeze it before you come down to breakfast. It’s disgusting.”
“Sure,” Sara muttered, and then slipped into the hall. What else were best friends for, other than to tell you the brutal truth?
