The Gift of the Demons

by Mette Ivie Harrison

  So in one swift, angry motion, I yanked the knife out of the demon’s hand and thrust it at her face. It landed directly in her right eyeball.

  She screamed, this terrible sound, like an instrument that was played the wrong way, and was protesting the abuse.

  “Go Fallin!” shouted Georgia.

  She distracted me a moment and I saw her holding a fist up in the air and shouting. Probably not the best thing, in the circumstances. I didn’t want an audience here, in case they got the wrong idea about what I was doing—and to whom.

  But she seemed to realize the problem and stopped shouting.

  “Stab her again!” said Nick. “Quick!”

  I focused again and stabbed furiously, until there were bits of her skin flying through the air, landing on me, and then there was a puddle on the ground, glinting like oil in the rain, though it was a clear day. My heart was still pounding and I felt sick. I felt my stomach start to heave, and turned away from the demon, then ended up puking all over Nick.

  “Sorry, sorry,” I said, and tried to wipe him off with my hands.

  “It’s fine,” he said. “I understand completely.” He wore a faint grin.

  I looked back at the demon. Or the remains of her, anyway. “Is she dead?” I asked. That couldn’t come back to life, could it?

  “Very dead,” he said.

  I nodded, relieved. “So, how did I do? For my first time really demon hunting.” The knife felt even warmer in my hand, and somehow happy. Like it was pleased with me, too.

  “You were incredible,” he said. “And also, very stupid.” He considered for a moment, looking me up and down. “Which is pretty much the way everyone is their first time.”

  Georgia came up then. “That was awesome!” she said. She put her hand up to high-five me, but somehow I didn’t feel much like celebrating that way. And besides, my hands were sort of sticky with—well, vomit.

  “You really shouldn’t be here at all,” said Nick disapprovingly.

  “Spoilsport,” said Georgia, and stuck her tongue out at him. She bent down a bit and put out a hand to touch the remains of the demon. Yuck! But she seemed fascinated.

  I turned a little to the side of Nick. “Are you sure you wouldn’t want to reverse the bargain?” I asked him softly.

  He shook his head. “I don’t trust them. And it would only turn out wrong. Anything a demon touches does. You’ll see what I mean, in time. Besides, I’m glad I know. It changed me for the better.”

  “Well, I’m glad, too, then. If you hadn’t made the bargain, you’d never have met me.”

  He stopped still, almost like a demon, but I could see his eyes still staring at me. “That matters to you so much?”

  “It does,” I said. “If you hadn’t met me, I’m not sure I would know who me is, not really.”

  Chapter 18

  “Hmm,” said Georgia, standing up and turning back to us. “You know, I’m wondering if all this demon fighting will be done in time for the dance this weekend. I keep trying to get you to double with me, Fallin.”

  “I can’t think about that right now,” I said. This was really not a good time for Georgia to start bothering me about my social life, or lack of same.

  “But the demon’s dead, right?” said Georgia.

  “Yes, but there are going to be others.” From what Nick had said, there could be lots of them. All over the place.

  “Fine. Where do they show up? Public places, it seems to me. Am I right?”

  “Well, yes,” said Nick. “These demons who are looking for bargains and not waiting to be summoned by individuals.”

  “You see?” said Georgia. “And—who do they go after? Clearly, teenagers.”

  “That’s not true, is it?” I asked Nick.

  “Well, they go after whoever seems most likely to put short-term rewards over long-term consequences.”

  “Teenagers in a nutshell,” said Georgia, crossing her arms over her chest in a satisfied way.

  “There are lots of people who fit that description, and plenty of them are not teenagers.” Why did teenagers always get a bad rap?

  “But a lot of them are. I know I am all about short-term rewards, and how did you put it—long-term boringness?” said Georgia. She was putting on her stupid act, which always annoyed me. It was one of the ways she had of attracting attention from guys, and I knew it worked, but I hated that it worked. She had tried to coach me into doing it with her, but I had always told her I wasn’t interested in guys who fell for that.

  That was part of the reason it was so annoying that Nick grinned at her. A very boyish grin, too. “You’re not thinking of making a demon bargain yourself, are you?”

  Georgia’s hands slipped to her hips. “You going to try to stop me?” she asked.

  Was she flirting with Nick? The old guy she thought it was creepy for me to like? In the middle of the mall parking lot? With me standing right in front of them?

  “Actually, I would try to stop you. It’s not worth it. Trust me.”

  “Maybe you just didn’t make the right bargain,” said Georgia.

  “No one makes the right bargain,” said Nick. “There is no right bargain. The demon always wins.”

  “With stupid people, yes. But if you’re really, really smart,” said Georgia.

  Nick shook his head. “Promise me you won’t try it. No one is smart enough for that.”

  “You could coach me through it. Give me all the tips. You know the pitfalls now, after all these years of watching people make mistakes. I bet you know all the ways to do it wrong, and have a pretty good idea how to do it right.”

  Nick didn’t answer. He just stared at her.

  “Fine. I’m just joking, OK? And you, Fallin—if you could see your face right now.” She shook her head. “Ouch. I was just joking around. Although, now that I’m thinking about the dance again, maybe I know who you should ask.” She looked meaningfully toward Nick.

  “No,” I said. That would not be the way to make Mom and Dad happy with me right now.

  “Not a good idea,” said Nick. “Not at all. Not even in fun.”

  Why would it have to be in fun? I stared at him, faintly hurt. Maybe more than faintly.

  “Right. You’re too told for her,” said Georgia. “But you can help me twist Fallin’s arm into going. Do you know that she hasn’t been to a school dance in two years?”

  “Really?” said Nick, looking at me.

  “I don’t like school dances,” I said. Why would he care about that?

  “A high school dance might attract demons at this stage,” said Nick.

  “Come on. You’re just saying that,” I said.

  He tilted his head. “You think I’d lie to you? Waste your time when we have important demon fighting things to do?”

  “Uh,” I said.

  “If there might be demons there, we should be there,” said Nick. “And we can’t show up together, obviously. People will have the wrong idea about us, as we’ve already seen happen.”

  “Right,” I said.

  “So we both take dates and we will fit right in,” said Nick.

  “The demons will never know what’s going to hit them,” said Georgia happily.

  “I could just volunteer to run the refreshments table,” I said. “Or help with lights or decorations or something.”

  “You have to be on the dance floor,” said Georgia. “Doesn’t she, Nick?”

  I didn’t know if Georgia was trying to get Nick to make me go to a dance because she thought it was the best thing for me, or if she was trying to do something even weirder, but whatever it was, it was confusing.

  “Fine, I’ll go,” I said, holding up my hands in surrender.

  “Great!” said Georgia. “Now all I have to do is figure out who to set Fallin up with?”

  “Hey, don’t I get a say here?” I asked.

  “Not really, no,” said Georgia, with a smile. Then she relented. “Well, I’ll give you a couple of names. You can have veto
power, if you really insist.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I said. I was already worrying about what I would look like in a formal dress. I was afraid of showing too much. I was also afraid of looking like a mummy, wrapped up from head to toe. What I really wanted was to look perfect. And that had nothing to do with Nick being there.

  Of course, Georgia always knew how to dress perfectly for everything. I could ask her advice and I’m sure she would tell me what she thought. The only problem was, I didn’t want to look like her. I wanted to look like me. I just wasn’t sure what that look was yet. I guess I hadn’t spent much time thinking about it. Did I want to wear something plain black and classy? Something bright and unique? Something soft and feminine with frills and layers?

  What was the right look for a demon fighter, anyway? I was thinking something that could conceal a knife in a pocket or down my bra. Or possibly down my boot? Practicality, that was my name.

  “I bet you have great stories to tell about your high school days, Nick,” said Georgia. “I bet you went on lots of dates.”

  Nick shook his head slowly. “Not as many as you might think.”

  “But since then. You probably had loads of advice to give us. I mean, you must have dated lots of stinkers. And seen girls dating lots of guys they shouldn’t have.” She raised her eyebrows at me.

  What was she doing?

  “Some, yes,” said Nick.

  “Maybe you could suggest some names of guys from high school who would be suitable for Fallin. Maybe another demon fighter, even. Then he and Fallin would have loads to talk about.”

  She smiled sweetly and I groaned softly. This was clearly becoming one of Georgia’s projects. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head

  “No,” I said. “Not going to happen, Georgia.”

  “Why not?” she said innocently. “Nick would love to do it, wouldn’t he?”

  “I—uh—if Fallin wants me to,” Nick got out.

  “I don’t want to date a demon fighter,” I told Georgia. “I’ll find someone from school.”

  Georgia shrugged. “Fine. But Nick could bring his own lady friend along, right? We could make it a group of six. Then they could show us things together. Opening doors. Dance moves from years ago. Stuff like that. It would be totally retro,” said Georgia.

  “Um,” said Nick. “I don’t have many lady friends.”

  “What? Isn’t there equality in demon hunting? Don’t tell me that you are still holding on to those old-fashioned rules about what women can do and what men can do? You’re training Fallin here, so that can’t be true. Unless you’re unhappy about it.”

  “I’m not—I just don’t know that many other demon fighters,” said Nick.

  “Is that because most demon fighters die young?” asked Georgia. “Because if that’s true, then you must be the best demon fighter in the world, considering your age.”

  “Georgia,” I broke in.

  “What? Let him brag about how good he is, Fallin. It might be his only chance. After all, he probably doesn’t have many opportunities to talk to people about what he really does for a living. He has to keep it all hush-hush, right?”

  “I’m not the best demon fighter in the world,” said Nick. His face seemed to have turned to stone. His jaw didn’t move at all when he spoke.

  “So demon fighters just aren’t very social? Is it like computer programmers? They don’t have good social skills, because you must be the exception there. You seem to be very social, doesn’t he, Fallin?” asked Georgia.

  “I’m no more or less social than other demon fighters,” said Nick.

  “Then you do know other demon fighters? Are there women as well as men?”

  “Of course,” said Nick.

  “Then couldn’t you find one your age to come join us? It would be so much fun. And Fallin would be so grateful, wouldn’t you, Fallin?” said Georgia.

  Nick looked at me. “Is that what you want, Fallin?” he asked.

  I didn’t know what to say. It seemed awkward to me. But on the other hand, I thought maybe Georgia’s idea was a good one. If Nick started dating again, maybe he would see that he could have fun with someone else. Maybe true love wasn’t the only thing in the world that could make you happy. I mean, no one could take the place of the woman he loved, but he could still date, couldn’t he? He could still have a little fun “I think it sounds like a great idea,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

  “I see,” said Nick.

  “Then you’ll come?” said Georgia.

  “I will find someone appropriate to come with,” said Nick. “But not a demon fighter. Perhaps one of the other teachers from the school. We could come as chaperones.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure a handsome, older gentleman like yourself will find loads of older women to date. You’re in good shape, after all. All your teeth and everything,” said Georgia, laughing.

  It seemed a little rude to me.

  “I have to be going now,” said Nick. He bowed at me.

  “Uh, OK. Thanks for everything. I’ll see you later,” I said. He walked away and when he was gone, I turned on Georgia. “What was that about? You had to keep bugging him like that?”

  “Well, I thought you wanted him to start dating again,” she said.

  “But you didn’t have to do it like that. Making him feel like he was old and—well, gross.”

  “I wanted him to fight back. To stand up for himself. Think about it. He might not have that much time, Fallin. He is in good shape for someone his age, but how long do you think he can keep fighting demons like that? He’s going to lose eventually.”

  I opened my mouth to argue with her, then closed it. Maybe she was right.

  “So who do you want to go with?” asked Georgia.

  “Carter, maybe,” I said. At least he knew about demons. “Or Will.”

  Georgia rolled her eyes. “The safe choices. You know they won’t fall in love with you or you with them. They think of you as one of the guys.”

  I shrugged. “There’s a guy named Jayden , then,” I said.

  “Who’s Jayden ?” asked Georgia.

  “A freshman. He’s cute. I met him at the gym.”

  “Another guy from the gym who just thinks of you as someone to pump weights with.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “But he was really nice. He seemed a little shy.”

  “Shy? Is that code for sexy?” asked Georgia.

  “No. It’s code for shy.”

  “Well, at least he isn’t someone who’s already had years of seeing you in workout clothes. If you have just the right dress, I bet we can get him to forget he ever saw you in workout clothes,” said Georgia.

  And it was decided as easily as that. Jayden , it seemed, was going to have no choice in the matter.

  Chapter 19

  There was a tapping on my window early the next morning, at about three a.m. I wiped the slobber off my face—rolled over, and reached for the curtain. I wasn’t absolutely certain since it was pretty dark, but the shape looked like Nick. And who else could it be knocking on my window at this hour?

  “What is it?” I asked irritably, after I opened the window a few inches. If I didn’t get my beauty sleep, how was I supposed to convince Jyaden to go with me to the dance? Not that I had a great chance of that anyway.

  “I need you. There’s a girl who’s about to make a bargain and we have to stop her.”

  “You can’t do it without me?” I asked. “My parents are going to have a fit if they wake up and find that I’m gone. They’ll call the police and the first thing they’ll do is give them a description of you.”

  “If you stop arguing with me and come, we might be back before they notice,” said Nick. “The girl is about five years old and she has no idea what she is doing.”

  “Demons can make bargains with little kids?” I said, throwing on a jacket and pulling on jeans underneath my nightshirt. I glanced up at him and saw that he had looked away automatically.

  “As
soon as a child can say the words for a bargain, it can be held to the terms of one,” said Nick seriously, his head still turned away.

  “That’s so—unfair.” I opened the window the rest of the way and climbed out. Then I closed it very gently, despite the fact that Nick was waiting anxiously for me. Cold air might make my parents wake up and come in to check on me, and I didn’t want that.

  “It’s not unfair at all, not in terms of the fairness that demons work by. They make their bargain, and the child gets what it wants. That is fair to them.”

  “So what does a child offer the demon in return?” I asked. “A Teddy Bear?”

  Nick’s face turned grim. “You’ll see,” he said.

  We ran down the street and we were in sync, step by step. I looked at him to see if he was doing it on purpose, but it seemed natural and unconscious. “It would be nice if you had some kind of magic power to blink us in and out of places without any effort,” I said, between huffing and puffing.

  “Don’t even say something like that out loud,” said Nick, looking at me sharply. “At this stage, they could take it as an invitation to make an offer. And you never know what they will see as acceptance. You could put your head down accidentally and it would be done.”

  “Right,” I said. This was no time to be enjoying myself. This was business.

  “It’s over this way,” said Nick, taking a shortcut down a hill behind a couple of houses and into the backyard of a large home. There was a gate, but the lock on it was broken, so he just had to push through it to get in.

  “How did you know this was happening?”

  “I saw the demon watching the girl last night in the park. It followed her home and then hung around. I came to get you as soon as I realized it was going inside,” said Nick.

  “You just happened to be in the right place at the right time?” I said. “Do you have Spidey senses for demons or something?” It made me wonder if I had them, too.