by CJ Ellisson
“Like I said. A demon left your body. It found an opening from the darkness you carry from your childhood. It probably left Britt and lodged in you, intrigued by the darkness you carry. She’s covered with ‘em.”
“What the fuck?” A chill rippled across Cam’s face. “How the hell do you know?”
“I saw her in the dreamspace. She’s covered with globules of darkness. They’re some kind of demon. I’m not yet skilled enough to know what kind they are.”
Cam brushed off his arms. Felt the stab from the slice in his palm. “Shit.” He studied his palm.
“I’ve got one, too, bro. We’re blood brothers.” Mano held up his hand.
“Is that what we are?”
“We’re all that and then some. We’ve got history, bro, Here….” He leaned forward, tapping his lips. “Lay one on me and seal the deal.”
Cam recoiled. “Hell, no!”
Mano laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You are. You always seem to chatter like a monkey when we do these things.”
“We’ve only done two - this one and the last one.” Cam glared at Mano.
“Yeah, and both times you went into full tilt chatter. Yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, like a little dog.”
“This isn’t my thing. You know I don’t believe.”
“And yet powerful things happen when I do this with you. I’m telling you, you’re a powerful man.”
“Yeah, right.”
“You are. You don’t know it yet.”
“Well, let’s be sure to have another little ritual when I graduate.” He looked around the room. “It’s different in here.”
“Yeah, there’s a demon missing.”
“You and your hocus pocus.”
“I’m telling you, man, you can believe it or not but Britt lodged one of her demon’s inside of you. She got to you whether you believe it or not. And, it’s not like she knows what she’s doing. She’s probably messed with the dark arts a little. But I’ll bet you never see her again.”
“What a relief.”
“You still might want to do the restraining order thing to seal the deal in mundane terms.”
“Yeah, I’ll head to the courthouse in the morning.”
“So what did you see when you were out? Talk to me. It might be important.”
“Uh, let’s see. A red and black nightmare. I got consumed with anger, couldn’t tell why.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “Shit. Some kinda crazy darkness….” He shook his head as a shudder shimmied up his spine.
“Good. That’s the last of it.”
“Of what?”
“The demon.”
Cam pressed his lips together and stared at his friend. “Then I saw the same two lynx when we started the ritual. They glowed like they were sci-fi lynx. Then, a lot of dreamy mumbo jumbo. Nothing specific. I saw a brilliant white light and thought I’d died or something. Then I came to with your mug staring at me.”
Mano’s eyebrows creased. “You saw a white light?”
“Yeah, so?”
“I did, too. And I couldn’t stop what we were doing but I think your girl stopped by.”
“What?” Cam sprang to his feet and raced for the door. “And you didn’t think I might have wanted to let her in?”
“We were busy. This was more important.”
“Easy for you to say.” He looked up and down the hallway. “Fuck. What makes you think she stopped by?”
“I heard super soft footsteps. They paused outside the door. She might have tapped the door but I could barely hear it, not with the racket you were making. Too soft.”
“What kind of racket? Oh, shit, she’s never going to believe me. As far as she’s concerned, I might have been in here screwing.”
“I doubt it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“When you were out cold, you kept saying her name. ‘Chérie, oh, Chérie’,” Mano said in a girlish voice.
“Stop kidding around, Mano.”
“I’m serious. It almost made me laugh but I had to keep my attention on the demon. I had to boss him around a bit.”
“You’re full of shit.”
“How do you think I got these burn marks on my forearms?”
Cam stared at Mano’s forearms. Sure enough, they were scorched and blistered by strange markings. “How do I know you don’t have a branding iron in your bag?”
Mano laughed. “And what? I quickly heated it with the itty bitty candle flame and branded myself? You’re a hoot, Cam. I’m telling you, a demon lived inside of you. I’m going to have to meet with the elders and purify to make sure it doesn’t stick inside of me. If these marks are still on my forearms the next time you see me, don’t talk to me.”
Cam shook his head in disbelief. “Right.”
“Dead serious. If the marks are there, the demon is still with me. You’re not the only one who has darkness inside.”
“Shit, Mano. If you weren’t my best friend I’d think you fell off the slide and landed in the sand with the crazies.” He stepped out the front door in search of Chérie.
“I still think there’s more to the girl than we know, and I’ve never even seen her,” Mano called.
“Why do you say that?” Cam wasn’t paying a ton of attention to Mano. He furtively searched for signs of Chérie. He paced in front of his door peering into the dimly lit hallway. Finally, he gave up and headed back toward his apartment. His eyes landed on a small flower. He picked up one of those Hawaiian flowers - plume-something? Plumeria, yeah, that’s it. A tiny card dangled from the stem, affixed with white string. Hope everything’s okay. A small handwritten heart followed, along with her signature. Cheerio.
“Did you hear me?” Mano said.
“Wasn’t listening.”
“Well, pay attention. I said, I think there’s more to your girl than we know.”
“Okay. Got it. Why do you say that?”
“And I answered you before. It’s the light, man, the light. I saw it, too, only I wasn’t knocked out. And right when the light appeared, the demon vanished. Poof! I thought it might be the spirit of my elders but now I’m thinking your girl did the deed.”
Still captivated by the fragrant flower, Cam lent him half an ear.
“Tyson, focus.”
“Look what she left me.” Cam extended the Plumeria.
“That nails it.”
“What does?” He sniffed the blossom, enchanted by the simple gesture.
“There’s a myth the Plumeria signifies a love long in absence. She’s been looking for you, man. You’re the one.”
Chapter Twenty-one
Chérie smiled as she placed the flower at Cam’s doorstep. She’d thought to stop by and see if he needed any help. Only a dim glow showed through the curtained window. Nobody home. She tapped softly on the door, but nobody answered. And, it sounded like he’d left the TV on. Some weird, freaky music played, along with the voices of something sinister. It gave her chills. She’d have to ask him about it when she saw him again. It sounded horrifying, whatever it was.
She’d been both disappointed and relieved when he’d cancelled. Vandalism! Yuck. She’d had stuff stolen before. She’d felt completely violated. She hoped Cam hadn’t lost anything valuable. In any case, cancelling the date gave her time to sort out her feelings. She’d been swamped with them all afternoon. Those kisses…. Her eyes fell closed as she remembered them. Something in her stirred. Some part of her grew restless, wanting. It frightened her as much as it captivated her. Take this slow. Take your time.
After Cam cancelled, she’d agreed to sub a class from a co-instructor who’d taken ill. An easy class - something called Restore and Refresh, for older adults - she looked forward to the experience. She liked hanging with her elders.
“Hi, everyone,” she called when she entered the small room. About fifteen sweat pant and sweatshirt clad seniors stood around the room.
“Where’s Sylvia?” a gray haired man asked
.
“She’s sick. I hope you don’t mind if I fill in for her.”
“I don’t mind if you don’t mind. We’re old but we still like to move.” He smiled warmly at her.
A few others smiled as well.
Chérie dropped her bag on the floor, put the iPod in the dock and turned to ask, “What kind of music do you like? Sinatra? Bach?”
“We’re old but we’re not ancient,” the same man answered.
The class laughed. All except a woman in the back. Some sort of snake-like twisty, held her hair away from her ancient face. She wore an orange plaid skirt and stared at Chérie as if Chérie were road kill and the woman a vulture. Chérie shivered at the steely regard. “Classic rock?” she said, eyes still trained on the woman in the back.
“Play whatever you like. We won’t break and we won’t stomp away if we don’t like the music. Stomping’s hard on our joints.”
“All right, then.” Chérie took the group through a series of easy movements, designed to stretch and strengthen older bodies. When class ended, the group clapped.
“Nice class!”
“We enjoyed it.”
Chérie murmured thanks as the students left. The vulture woman lingered.
“You’re a powerhouse,” the woman said to her.
Chérie took a step back. “Thank you. I guess. I’m nothing special.”
“Uh huh. We’ll see about that.”
Chérie pondered the woman’s response. “Do I know you?”
“I doubt it. You always forget what you come here for. He told me you remember nothing.” She sighed.
“What?” A shivery jolt of fear launched up her spine.
“Nothing. Just the ramblings of an old woman. Don’t mind me.” A brittle smile cracked her face. “Decent class, dearie. You take care.” She shuffled slowly from the room.
“Uh, thanks, you, too.” Chérie grabbed her iPod and her bag and zipped from the room. Funny. There’s no-one in the hallway. It’s like she disappeared. As she headed to the locker room, her boss, Debra strode in her direction.
“Can I have a moment of your time, Ms. Manhattan?”
“Uh, sure, I guess. Can I shower first?’
“This won’t take long.” Debra pasted the appearance of a smile on her sour face. “In my office, please.”
Chérie followed her into her office.
Her Bitchness picked up a paper from her desk and scanned it. “I’m sorry, but we’ve been alerted from the corporate office budget cuts have been made.”
“I see,” said Chérie, her stomach in a sudden knot.
“We’ll have to drop your classes.”
“What? My classes are really popular!”
“Did I say drop? I meant hand them to someone who’s been here longer.” She placed the paper on the desk and slapped it decisively with her hand.
“But…but…where will I get another job?”
“That’s not my concern.”
“How long do I get to keep working?”
Debra glanced at her wrist as if a watch were there. “Oh, I’d say about five minutes, tops.”
Chérie experienced a tongue tied pool of shame. She’d never been fired - ever! “What…where…when will I be paid?” she stammered.
“Oh, right.” Debra slid open her desk drawer, removed a big checkbook, scribbled out an amount and handed it to her. “Bye now.”
“Can I have a…a…a reference?”
Her Bitchness stared imperiously at Chérie. “I’m sorry. I’d have to find something to recommend you for.”
Is she for real? My students love me! Chérie’s face grew hot and clammy. She stumbled from the office, gathered her stuff from the gym and made it into the cool, Seattle evening, heading for her car. What am I going to do? I need that job. She thought of calling Zuri. Probably not a good idea. She thought of calling her mother, but what a stupid idea. Her mom would probably answer drunk and she never listened anyway. She stared at the phone and scrolled to find Cam’s number. Right. Like I’m going to share my day with him? She rested against her red and black VW biting her lip. Finally, she took a big breathe and pressed the number keys.
“Hello?” he answered breathlessly.
“Hi. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Not at all. I just took a shower. I raced to get the phone.”
“Did you? I hope you dried off.”
“I wrapped a towel around me so I’m good.”
Chérie blushed at the thought of Cam wearing nothing but a towel. Her mind reeled with possibilities and her body….well, her body surged with desire.
“Oh, man, I’m so glad you called.”
“Are you?” She smiled.
“Yeah. It’s been a hell of a night.”
“Sounds like it. Can’t say I’ve had the best night either.” She looked up as the vulture woman slowly drifted past, taking slow, tedious steps. “But the thought of you wearing nothing but a towel is…”
“Is a good image I hope,” Cam said in a husky and deep voice.
Chérie swallowed, feeling her core clench with need. The old woman didn’t look up but somehow Chérie believed the woman watched her every move. Chérie turned, seeking privacy from the elder’s intrusive awareness.
“There’s a job opening at the community center.”
“Hold on,” she whispered. She put her hand over the phone. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
“No, I didn’t. I’m on the phone.”
The woman put up a hand dismissively, rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.
Bewilderment replaced Chérie’s desire. “Okay. A weird old woman came to my class tonight. She’s shuffling away from me. She gave me the heebie-jeebies.”
“I thought you didn’t have to work tonight?”
“I didn’t. I picked up a class when you cancelled.”
“Oh. Makes sense.”
“But now I don’t have a job.”
“What happened?”
“I…I got fired.” Her face grew hot again. “I don’t want you to think I’m a loser. I’ve never been fired in my life.”
“Well, my apartment got vandalized by the same chick who tried to kiss me so I think we’re squared up.”
“I’m so sorry. Did she take anything?”
“Don’t think so. She shredded a lot of my textbooks, though. Some were pretty pricy. I’m going to have to find another job to replace them.”
“Maybe we can start a hot dog stand together.”
“A hot dog stand?” He chuckled.
“Well, since I’m out of a job and you need money, I started thinking outside the box.”
“Great idea. Or maybe we can go door to door with brooms and brushes.”
“Or magazine subscriptions.”
They shared a laugh. She already felt an easy rapport with Cam.
“So,” Cam said. “Want to meet for a beer somewhere?”
Chérie flushed with pleasure at the thought. She fiddled with her bag strap. “I…no, I don’t think so, sorry. I told you I need to take this thing slow. I’m pretty stirred up by you already. You…you’ve really touched me, Cam. You seem to have discovered a place inside me I never knew existed.”
Thank the holy mothers.
Chérie frowned. “Do you ever…never mind.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You can tell me.”
“I, um. I…I’m hearing someone talk to me only no-one’s there. I don’t want you to think I’m crazy,” she rushed to say. “I’m not schizo, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Not at all. Some traditions call it the whisper of spirit. Some call it the beckoning of angels. Other cultures say it’s your inner wisdom.” Pause. “Shit, I’m sorry to sound like a know it all. I told you, I’m taking all these psych classes.”
“It’s fine. I like thinking it’s my angel.” A distinctive groan filled her mind. She frowned. Do angels groan? “Do you want
to be a psychologist?”
“Oh, hell, no. I…I’m not really sure what I want to be when I grow up.”
Chérie could hear the smile in his voice.
“I want to understand the way the mind works. I want to make a difference in others’ lives. You know, if they experienced the same shit I went through.”
“You sound like a good person.”
“I don’t know about that, but thanks for the vote.”
“You do.” Pause. Chérie twirled a strand of hair. It made her happy knowing he existed.
“Okay, so it’s a no go for a beer. That’s probably for the best. I’ve had a crazy day, you’ve had a crazy day. How about this?”
“What?” Chérie smiled.
“I’d like to take you somewhere special.”
“Where is it?”
“It’s a…it’s a surprise. Are you okay with surprises? I’m…I sure haven’t been big on them but with you, well…”
“I love to be surprised. As long as it’s a good surprise. I told you, I’m letting myself trust you.”
“That means a lot to me.”
“So when do you want to do your surprise?”
“I have classes all day tomorrow. How about Saturday? I’ll pick you up at, say, ten o’clock? Cool by you?”
“Yeah, that’s cool by me. Way, cool.” Pause. She twirled her hair, grinning, breathing into the phone. “Still wearing a towel?”
“Nope. It’s on the floor.”
Chérie’s core pulsed with pleasure. “Oh, my!”
“You could come see for yourself.”
She grinned even wider. “I could. And I hope to. Just not tonight.” Pause. A long sigh met her ears.
“I’m glad you want to see. Feeling is even better.”
“Stop or I’ll lose my resolve.” Chérie thought her face would split from the grinning.
“That’s my plan, Ms. Manhattan.”
They grew silent again. “Cam?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really glad I met you.”
“Me, too. I can’t wait to see you again. Even hearing your voice soothes me. And excites me,” Cam said in a husky voice.
“I’m picturing you with an evil grin.”
“How can you tell?’
“Oh, maybe, because I’m thinking similar thoughts about you.”
