by Wood, Rick
That bed had made it feel like prison, as did the small space and the confined walls.
“Hey!” came a chirpy voice from behind Kelly. She spun around quickly and smiled.
“Hi.”
“I’m Mindy,” introduced the person in front of Kelly, a little too eagerly. She had a flower stuck in her brown hair and wore a strappy top with a little too much cleavage and a long, flowing, flowery skirt with crinkles. She struck Kelly as ‘hippie-ish,’ and her overly enthusiastic nature only added to such an image.
“I’m Kelly,” she answered, taking Mindy’s outstretched hand and shaking it.
“It’s so lovely to meet you,” Mindy declared, patting her hands on her knees and bending slightly as she did. “I can’t wait for us to go out together.”
“I’m sure it’s going to be great. I could do with a drink now, to be honest.”
“Me too!” Mindy gasped, as if this was the most delightfully shocking news she had ever heard. “Let’s go to the student union bar.”
Kelly followed Mindy out of her room, leaving behind the bed, an undetected stink of damp, and enclosed walls that reminded her of the familiar feelings of being strapped to a bed so she could not harm herself from things that were never there.
4
14 October 1999
Two months, fifteen days before millennium night
Eddie and Derek carried themselves in complete silence to the wooden bench at the edge of the garden. Inside the house, doting parents and three tireless sisters lovingly embraced their younger brother. They cried tears of joy; the stress and disaster of the past few months releasing into uncontrollable grief, with no clear idea as to how to direct their emotions. But it didn’t matter. Their adoring son and faithful brother had returned from the ownership of a demon, thanks to the two strangers who had fought for three nights straight to free him.
It was another success for Eddie and Derek, the fifteenth that year. They were getting used to the accolade and triumph of defeating an entity of hell, but there were no two ways about it – it took its toll.
They slumped down and panted, both taking a few minutes of silence to let their heavy breathing subside and for them to collect their thoughts. It was gone four in the morning and the smell of rain was in the air, particles of water beginning to subtly land on their heads, but they didn’t care. They were sweating buckets, so the cold breeze was a luxury that cooled them down, and the rain washed away their perspiration.
Eddie had never seen Derek so scruffy. Usually he had his tie done up to the top, his waistcoat smartly affixed and his shirt tucked tightly in. Right now, his tie was hanging down, his waist-coat laid scruffily over his shoulder and his shirt half hung out. This entity had been a bastard and they both looked – and felt – like they had taken on hell itself.
And, of course, in a way, they had.
“Fuck. Me.” Eddie finally broke the silence after a good ten minutes of allowing their bodies to calm. His shaking was finally receding, his breathing returning to normal, and he could once again feel the coolness of the air.
“I don’t normally verbalise such brash statements,” Derek observed. “But in this case, I would concur – fuck me indeed.”
Eddie chuckled to himself. That was the first time he had heard the man swear and, honestly, it sounded a little funny coming from such an intelligent voice as his.
Inside the garden window they could see the family still embracing in tears, clutching onto their youngest for dear life.
“Think they are ever going to thank us?” Eddie pondered.
“In time, dear boy, in time. Let them just be happy for a moment. And let us relax, that one was…”
There was no good way to finish that sentence; there were no words Derek could think of to describe an exorcism that had lasted three nights. He had heard of such a thing lasting weeks, but he had so rarely taken more than a night; especially since Eddie had gotten involved. In fact, since Eddie had come on the scene, the exorcisms had lasted barely a few hours. Eddie had a knack for being able to know when it was a real haunting and not someone’s deteriorating mental health, which was a huge time saver and allowed them to intervene far earlier than he otherwise had. What’s more, demons seemed to be instantly obedient to Eddie’s every instruction, so much so Derek couldn’t quite comprehend it.
“I’ve got a question,” Eddie spoke into the gentle night breeze.
“Yes?”
“What is it exactly about me that means I can command demons so well?”
It was a good question, and one that Derek had often wondered about.
“Sometimes people just have such gifts, I guess.”
“It can’t be that simple, surely. I mean, I know sometimes some people may just have a talent for something, but it’s the things these demons say.”
“Such as?”
Eddie sighed and racked his mind for an example. It happened so consistently it was hard to think of a specific thing said to him by a possessed victim now he was put on the spot.
“Well… ‘it’s you.’ How often is it a demon has said to me, ‘it’s you’?”
“Maybe they have an in-built inclination, something that helps them recognize when they are faced with a person who has such abilities.”
“No, because it isn’t, like, ‘oh, you have so much power.’ They are saying ‘you.’ Like I am someone they know. Or something they know.”
Derek started an answer then stopped. Eddie had a point. How was it that the demons always addressed him as if they knew him? How was it they always did what he said so easily?
“Maybe this is something we ought to consider, Eddie. Something we can research and hypothesize at the university. I’m sure Levi will have his two cents.”
“Yeah, sure…” Eddie answered in deep thought. He supposed it was the best he could get, really, Derek promising he would consider it, explore some theories. He just felt like such a question should be more than an experiment or a paper he was writing.
These things seemed to know who he was, to the point they were addressing him on almost personal terms. He was getting more than frustrated with it, but Derek wasn’t to blame. If anything, Derek was the one who had found him and put him on the right path, who had led him to discover what he could do. Derek wasn’t the one to get annoyed with.
“I just…” he tried to make Derek understand how he felt, but the words didn’t flow easily. He didn’t know how to put it, how to word it any better than he already had. “I’m worried.”
“What about?”
“That maybe these powers aren’t good. Why is it I can command forces of evil, but not forces of good?”
Derek nodded to show he was contemplating Eddie’s dilemma, raising his head upwards and gazing at the stars. Despite the occasional rain droplets, it was a clear night sky and stars were dotted all around like a painting. There was so much out there, so much to explore, so much that they didn’t even have the ability to understand yet. If they were so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, how were they to know the extent of Eddie’s power, or the reason for it being there? But there was one thing Derek was sure of, one thing he could offer to reassure Eddie.
“It is not up to us to make sense of the world we are placed in, nor is it up to us to understand the gifts we have been given. It is only up to us to understand how we should use them.” He turned to Eddie and looked him in the eye, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “One thing I do know, Eddie, is that there is not a bad bone in your body. You are a good person, and these powers are a part of you, so they must be good, too. Maybe you won’t ever figure out what they are for, where they came from, or if you can even do what it is we all predict. But the one thing I can be sure of, is that whilst these powers are in your possession, they will be used for the forces of good. Because that’s what you are. A grand, powerful, force of good.”
Eddie was forced to smile, even blush. He looked to the ground and took in the words Derek had bestowe
d. He was wrong to think that Derek couldn’t point him in th/e right direction or understand the path he needed to take.
“Thank you,” he spoke sincerely.
Glancing up to see the family still in joyous tears, they leant back on the bench and enjoyed another moment of triumphant silence.
5
14 October 2001
One year, ten months after millennium night
Kelly couldn’t hide the smile from her face as she jaunted across the kitchen, lost in a daze. She barely even noticed Mindy sitting at the table as she dreamily opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of fresh juice.
“Hey,” came Mindy’s voice, making Kelly jump. “So what you so happy about?”
“Well, you know…” Kelly smiled and sauntered over to the table, pouring herself some juice into a tumbler. Her grin was stuck to her face like glue.
“Ah, I see. Would the fact that you’re wearing nothing but a man’s shirt have anything to do with this?”
Kelly giggled, then suddenly felt self-conscious. She attempted to hide her legs, then realized she was too happy to care.
“Maybe…”
“And that it was your fifth date with Doug today and he came over to watch movies…”
She couldn’t deny it. She had been taken with Doug since the day they’d met. Mindy had automatically become the best of friends, heading down to the student union bar for a drink and a gossip every lunch-time, then evening after lectures, without fail. It was on the Friday night after the second week that she’d bumped into Doug at the bar and had recognized him instantly.
“Hi; Kelly, right?” he had smiled at her, and she abruptly became aware of every part of her body. Her arms instantly became too big, her knees gave way, and her hands just seemed to fidget around the label on her bottle of whatever it was she was drinking.
“Yeah…” She had blushed. He’d remembered her name! “And you’re… Steven? Michael?” In her ridiculous stupor she somehow managed to make a joke. “Oh right, it’s Nug.”
Nug? she had thought, reprimanding herself. She had gone to say “not Steven” and ended up going to say his name, Doug; and in doing so, had ended up saying both words together. She couldn’t have felt more ridiculous.
“No, it’s not ‘nug.’ Close, though.”
Urgh! she had exclaimed in her mind. Somehow she had attempted to be cool, make a joke, (which she was sure would have been hilarious) and ended up making a complete tit of herself.
“No, I know it’s nu – Doug,” she replied, her voice cracking.
“Hey, how’s about a dance?” he asked.
Oh God, a dance?
She loved dancing. Hell, she used to do dancing twice a week until she was eighteen and had to be sectioned. She did modern and hip hop. She had performed on stage many, many times, and had even gained awards for her dancing. Yet, somehow, she knew that if she attempted to walk out on that dance floor with this guy, who had a wonderful physique, fluffy spiked hair and a perfectly chiselled goatee, she knew that her knees would give way and she would look less like a dancing prodigy and more like an elephant with broken legs.
“Er, yeah, sure,” she answered.
What the hell are you doing? her inner monologue continued. You are going to make a complete tit of yourself! He is way too cute to make a tit of yourself in front of.
Nevertheless, with the aid of a substantial amount of liquid courage, she paraded onto that dance floor and showed him how to move. He had been obviously impressed, pointing out how his dancing knowledge had been limited to “the dance of one foot to the other in time with the beat.”
She got smugger and smugger with how much she was impressing him, so smug that she stupidly attempted a turn – which would have been showing off way too much anyway – and landed slam onto her ankle. Her legs had given way. She had fallen backwards into an incredibly smooth-dancing black guy, who had ended up spilling his beer, which landed all over Kelly’s hair.
She could have died. Then and there, she didn’t care. Someone could have come and taken her away to heaven; it would have been a lot better than the humiliation she felt. She was red-faced, drenched in beer that had soaked into her hair and made her stink, and nursing an ankle that was in a lot of pain.
She knew people were laughing at her. There was a circle growing around her of people sniggering and pointing. She hated herself. She wanted to cry.
That was, until Doug calmly knelt in front of her. He smiled that award-winning perfect smile of his and put his hand on her shoulder. At no point did he laugh, nor did he smirk or snigger or prod fun in anyway.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Kelly just dropped her head to the floor. She didn’t want to say no, as that would be such a blatant lie, but she didn’t want to feign happiness when she was clearly distraught.
“Hey, let’s get you a towel, dry you off, then I’ll help you limp home. How’s that?”
And he was as good as his word. He went to the bar and pestered them for a towel; after being told they didn’t have one, he somehow convinced them to walk down to the cleaner’s closet and withdraw a large cloth, the closest thing they had.
He took her outside; not in the back to the smoking area where everyone was gathered, but out front, further away from the building, beside a tree, away from where anyone could stare or point. He held her bag for her as she dried her hair, even helping as her arms got tired.
He helped her hobble home, his arm tucked securely around her waist, making sure there was no pressure on her ankle. He was a true gentleman, and his arm felt warm and secure around her, despite the dropping temperatures of the night air.
When he reached the door to her dorm, he did not try anything. He didn’t make any jokes, nor did he make any persistence in trying to get in.
“Hey, once you’re feeling better, it would be good to hang out. Maybe we should go for a drink or something,” he had said. Then as she replied “Yov course” – something between “yes” and “of course,” he left, letting her limp to her shower and shampoo the smell out of her hair again and again and again.
The first date that followed had been amazing. It was the best conversation she had ever had. She spoke about her parents, her family, how much she missed her cat, about why she chose to study psychology, how she wanted to work in mental health; the only thing she didn’t tell him was where she’d spent her year off, which she didn’t even consider for a moment. He was nice, but she didn’t want to tell him she was strapped to a bed hearing voices for the better part of ten months.
He told her about how he was studying English Literature as he hoped to go on to do his teacher training and work in a deprived area where he could help the kids who needed it.
He walked her back to her dorm again and kissed her. It was perfect; a full moon and a leisurely stroll, hand in hand with the perfect guy. He kissed her – the kind of kiss she could melt into – then he wished her good night and left.
After four weeks of dates, messages, and relaying every bit of information to her new best friend, Mindy, she plucked up the courage to ask him over to her room to watch a few movies. They were halfway through Jumanji when she turned and looked at him. He felt her gaze and returned the look; and when his eyes met hers, she could tell that was the moment.
Completely blanking out the movie, their kissing became more and more passionate, and before she knew it, she was unbuttoning his shirt and running her hands down his chest.
Then she lifted her head up and inadvertently ruined the moment.
“This is only my second time, by the way,” she blurted out. She hadn’t considered what she hoped to achieve by shouting out such information, but for some reason, she just kept going. “I mean, I’ve done it more than once. Like, a few times. But with the same guy. And that was two years ago. And it wasn’t very…”
He was simply laying there, smirking up at her. That’s when she realized she had mounted him. He was shirtless and she was sitting atop him in h
er bra. The moment felt completely killed.
“Hey, no worries,” he spoke in that tone of voice that always instantly calmed her. “Look, if you think it’s too fast, we don’t have to. But I’m not expecting anything. I just really like you and I like where this is going.”
His understanding in itself was such a turn-on. With a sneaky smile, she had resumed foreplay and they had made love far beyond the end credits of the film that still played on her television.
After they had laid there for an hour and he had begun to fall asleep, she had dressed herself in his shirt and left him snoring quietly to get some juice. And to tell Mindy, of course.
“Oh my God!” Mindy squealed. “I’m so happy for you. He is so delicious.”
“He is,” Kelly replied, her mind going back off to the clouds.
“So how was it?” Mindy sat forward, her face growing stern. “Tell me everything.”
She just smiled and fiddled her finger around the rim of her juice, staring at it absentmindedly.
“It was…” she shook her head and attempted to think of a word to describe it. “Perfect. Just how I thought it would be. He was so understanding, and he made sure I was happy with everything, and that it felt good and… it was good.”
Her and Mindy shared a smile that conveyed everything it needed to convey. Mindy, ecstatic for her friend, and Kelly having her head-in-the-clouds Titanic moment.
After a brief discussion with Mindy about some guy she was seeing who had turned out to be a dick, Kelly returned to bed. Being halls of residence, they were forced to share a single bed, but this didn’t bother her. She slotted herself under the covers beside him and his arm tucked itself around her. She laid there, just enjoying the closeness of his embrace until she eventually found herself drifting off.
She fell into a dreamless sleep at first. Then she started seeing images of her parents. They were taking her to the mental health clinic for the first time. She was seventeen. Her ex-boyfriend was there, as were a few of her teachers from school. She was sat in the middle of her room, surrounded by perfectly white walls, and they were all laughing at her.
