by Jamie Loeak
Aaron, however, turned to Kate. “Are you sure that this is a good idea, honey? You hardly know the girl. How do you know that you can trust her?”
“I can trust this girl, Daddy. I promise. She’s not like the other girls I’ve known. She’s different.”
“Okay,” Aaron said skeptically.
“Let her go, Aaron. She’s a big girl,” Blaire responded airily. Kate could sense that her thoughts had already drifted somewhere else.
Kate looked into her father’s eyes and nodded. He trusted her judgment, and she was telling him that she would be okay this time.
“Go ahead,” he said at last.
Aaron turned to Blaire and took her into his arms once more, spinning her around the kitchen tiles. Kate watched her parents continue their dance before heading upstairs to pack her things.
As Kate packed, her mind was pulled back to her only other sleepover. Kate’s middle school friend, Ally, had been a small girl that was more concerned with popularity than friendships. Kate wasn’t as concerned with the concept yet; she was more concerned with making friends in general. When Ally invited Kate to a sleepover that she was having with the popular girls, Kate was ecstatic. She rushed home after school that Friday and packed her sleeping bag and stuffed dog. She packed her nail polish and makeup, along with her hair things, knowing that, according to the movies, makeovers were a tradition at sleepovers.
When Kate arrived, the girls stole her clothes and tossed them in the front yard. They shoved her underwear and bra into the most popular boy’s mailbox with a love note from Kate. Ally had even ripped apart Kate’s stuffed dog in an effort to fit in with the girls that were being mean to Kate. The worst part was the picture that circulated around school the Monday afterwards. The boy had taken photos of the supposed gift that Kate left in the mailbox, and sent it to all of his friends. Life after that had been difficult, and Kate had been eager to move to another city; she thought that each new city would bring new, kinder people into her life, people that wouldn’t hurt others on purpose. She crossed her fingers, hoping that she wasn’t about to make the same mistake now.
Kate pushed the memory from her mind and finished packing. That kind of stuff would not happen at this sleepover. First, the girls were older now. Second, there was only one girl at this sleepover. She would not allow herself to think negatively of Adriana, especially since she knew so little about her. Kate hurried to finish packing her belongings and emerged from the house moments later, semi-excited for her second sleepover.
Adriana lived in a beautiful three story Tuscan. Vines crept up the taupe walls and clung to the upstairs windows, seemingly blocking out any light. An onyx Audi A5 was parked in the garage next to a cherry Ferrari 458 Italia, and Kate stared at them as she walked by.
The interior was even more ostentatious. The chandelier above the foyer was an upside down birdcage; antique hanging lamps clung to the walls. The furniture scattered about the house was mix and match, with pastel wooden chairs sitting next to unpainted ones, all pushed underneath a table that looked like an old door. Kate followed Adriana up a winding staircase and into her bedroom.
Adriana’s bedroom looked like something out of Princess Jasmine’s catalogue. The bed was painted a dull gold color, dark wood peeking through the peeled back edges. Teal accessories, including an antique oval mirror and jeweled pillows, were placed in the perfect locations, offering splashes of color among the gold and chocolate of the bigger pieces. As Kate walked around the room, mesmerized by its beauty and maturity, she gawked at a magic lamp. Adriana even had a magic lamp.
“Do you like my room?” Adriana asked, obviously pleased with Kate’s reaction.
“Like it? I love it, Adriana. It’s beautiful,” Kate said honestly.
Adriana smiled and pushed her dark hair behind her shoulders. She walked to a door that opened to reveal a large closet.
“You can put your things in here,” Adriana said, pointing to a plush ottoman sitting in the center of the expansive room. Kate looked around at the ivory and black room. Adriana almost certainly had a hundred pairs of shoes, mostly high heels, and Kate didn’t miss that most of her wardrobe was black.
As if in answer to Kate’s question, Adriana responded. “Black is my favorite color. It’s very slimming and always makes you look older than you really are.”
Kate nodded like she understood. Inside, however, she was puzzled by Adriana’s sense of style and maturity. She was shocked at the amount of beautiful, handcrafted antiques in Adriana’s bedroom, but reminded herself that it was modeled after a Disney princess; it was proof enough that Adriana remembered her innocence.
“Come on, Kate. Let’s watch a movie downstairs. I’m in the mood for some popcorn. What about you?” Adriana asked.
“I think that sounds great,” Kate said. It would offer a great distraction from the questions that circled around Kate’s mind. Plus, it would be a great way to bond with a girl that she didn’t know very well.
Kate followed Adriana back downstairs. Adriana plopped down on a cushy couch covered with pillows and picked up the remote for a very large television. Expertly flicking through the channels that Kate still had to learn, Adriana showed a list of movies, asking Kate which one she wanted to see. Kate chose a sappy love story and the two of them snuggled into the cushions with bowls of popcorn, ready to bawl their eyes out.
“I just love being in love,” Adriana sighed as the girls walked upstairs after watching two movies in a row. They had managed to spend their entire evening bonding over their favorite movies while simultaneously eating four bags of buttery popcorn.
“I bet it’s beautiful, Adriana,” Kate commented, suddenly unsure of herself.
“Oh, I forgot, Kate. I’m sorry,” Adriana said. “I didn’t mean to bring that up. I wasn’t thinking.”
Kate smiled in understanding. She was glad that Adriana wasn’t going to bring up the fact that she couldn’t really join the conversation. It showed Adriana’s true character; Kate suspected that when Adriana fell in love, she did it fearlessly, and Kate hoped that she could be like that when her time came.
“Your time will come,” Adriana added knowingly. “Don’t rush it, though. It won’t be beautiful if you rush it.”
“I know,” Kate agreed.
The girls reached Adriana’s room then, and got ready for bed. Surprisingly, Kate was exhausted from the car ride back home and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the soft, feather pillow.
A noise downstairs awoke Kate much later, and she reached under her pillow for her phone to check the time. It was four in the morning. Kate shoved her phone under her pillow and tried to make herself fall back into the dream she had been having. If Adriana didn’t wake up then there must not be any danger.
However, moments later Kate heard footsteps below, on the second landing. She sat up, instantly alert, afraid that the demon had found her. Kate slipped out of bed, relieved that Adriana had a memory foam mattress. She might be able to get a good look at the demon and describe him to Rico when she next saw him. It might be able to help Rico on his quest to protect Kate and Adriana.
The hall was dimly lit, the antique light fixtures still burning. Kate pressed herself against the wall and walked slowly until she reached the top of the stairs. Someone was in one of the bedrooms on the second floor.
For a second Kate was torn, forced to choose between waking Adriana and continuing alone. She took a step toward the stairs before she even finished her thought, knowing that she would face the demon on her own. This was her battle; she knew that it would be smarter to wake Adriana, but she couldn’t risk Adriana’s safety. Plus, she had to find out who her stalker was.
Chapter 7
There was a large vase filled with long, decorative metal rods somewhere, and Kate wracked her brain in an attempt to remember where. She stopped at the second landing, aware that her heart beat furiously. She almost decided to walk in empty handed but saw the vase off to her left, on the bottom lev
el. Kate quickly slipped down the stairs, keeping to the shadows and grabbed one of the metal poles, gripping it tightly, her knuckles white.
The second landing was covered with shaggy carpet, and Kate was thankful, because in her nervousness she failed to walk on her tiptoes. She held her breath as she got closer and rearranged her grip on her weapon so that she could disarm her attacker easily. Kate could see where the demon had taken refuge; a door at the end of the hall that sat slightly ajar. Light spilled out onto the carpet through the crack, and Kate was careful not to step into it, afraid of giving her position away.
Now that Kate was there, standing in front of the door, she was stuck. She didn’t know what to do. Was she supposed to yell and kick the door open? Was she supposed to peek in and watch his plan unfold before barging in and announcing that she knew all of his secrets? Or was she supposed to wait there, staff in hand until he actually came out?
Kate never had the opportunity to make a decision because the door opened at that moment. Kate reacted, swinging the rod down hard, connecting with flesh and bone. She saw her attacker fall at her feet, unaware of who or what had attacked him. She lifted her weapon up again, prepared to strike her assailant, to frighten him like he had frightened her, when she heard a soft moan of protest.
“Kate, it’s just me,” said the familiar voice, drowned out because of the carpet.
“Rico?” Kate asked, extremely confused.
“Yes, Rico,” said the voice again.
Kate leaned the weapon against the wall quickly and crouched down next to Rico. Her heart pounded, a mix of embarrassment and worry. She reached out, touching the naked skin of his back. He flinched under her touch, and she pulled away.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I thought you were the demon. I thought you were trying to attack me. You told Adriana about the demons, so I thought he was coming here for both of us. I’m so, so sorry,” she said.
She watched as Rico stirred. He lifted himself up and leaned against the wall and rubbed his shoulder. He looked up at the ceiling, ignoring her presence as he regained control. Kate watched as a bruise started forming and winced. She began muttering apologies until Rico put his hand up, stopping her.
“Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled finally. “I’m fine, although I must admit that you aren’t bad. I almost think you could take care of yourself if you had to,” he said. A small smile broke across his face.
“I really am sorry,” was all Kate could say.
“Hey,” Rico said, catching Kate’s eyes and holding them. “You had no idea that I would be here. I know that you wouldn’t hit me like that on purpose. Believe me, I’m fine. I just need to grab some water and ice now. I’ll feel much better after that.”
With that, he stood up and held out his hand, waiting for Kate to take it. He hoisted her up, grabbed the staff, and started walking toward the stairs. Kate followed him and watched as he put the weapon back in the vase.
Rico led Kate into the kitchen next, where he grabbed some ice. He rested a bag filled with it on his shoulder and started to relax. Kate watched as he did this, his lean muscles flexing with every motion. Kate took note of his low slung jeans, his bare feet. She could see each muscle stretch and relax individually, noting that he was well-built. She stared at him a little longer than she wanted to, never truly realizing until this moment his attractiveness; he was beautiful.
Kate was pulled out of her reverie by the sound of Rico clearing his throat. Her cheeks burned and she looked at the stone tiles to cover her shame.
“I think I’ve been caught looking at your half naked body before,” she heard him say. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he added, a smile evident in his voice.
Kate looked up at Rico through her lashes and traced the edge of a tile with her toe. She couldn’t bring herself to look into his eyes just yet, afraid that she would begin to fall into their eternal blue. She shook her head, erasing the image of her discovery. Rico was Adriana’s boy; Kate couldn’t possibly find him attractive, because it was against all forms of friendships among girls.
“What’s going on down here?” Adriana asked, stepping into the kitchen. Kate couldn’t help but notice that her hair was perfectly straight, her silk nightgown tight and short. She didn’t look like she had just rolled out of bed. Kate imagined that she looked much different than Adriana, with wild curls and cotton shorts. She watched as Adriana pushed her hair over her shoulders and walked to the refrigerator where she grabbed a bottle of water. She tossed one to Kate, who opened it and drank nearly half of the bottle.
“What happened to you?” Adriana asked Rico, understanding that her first question wasn’t going to get answered.
“Kate hit me with one of your stupid steel staffs.”
“Ouch,” Adriana said. She walked over to Rico and lifted up the bag of ice. “You’ve got a nasty bruise there, honey. You must have given Kate a fright.”
“She thought I was the elder demon.”
Adriana laughed and turned to face Kate. “Oh honey, you would be dead right now if it had been the elder demon. Then again, I’m half- surprised you aren’t dead already.”
Kate gawked at Adriana.
“Adriana,” Rico said warningly.
Adriana scowled at Rico and stuck her tongue out. They knew each other better than Kate thought. Rico was even allowed to break in to Adriana’s house for a sleepover of their own. Kate began to back away, ready to give them the time they needed alone, wondering why she needed to sleep over at Adriana’s house when Adriana could have just asked Rico.
“Where are you going?” Rico asked. “You must have a hundred questions. Don’t you want to ask them?”
“That’s okay,” Kate said. “I’m just going to head back upstairs so that you can be alone. Really, I don’t want to inconvenience either of you.”
Adriana and Rico broke out in simultaneous laughter.
“Kate,” Adriana managed to say between gasps, “We don’t need any alone time, believe me. We’ve had loads of alone time, trust me.”
“What she means to say,” Rico added, tossing Adriana a dirty look, “is that we aren’t together. We’re friends, and we’ve been friends for a while.”
Kate wrinkled her brow, confused. Adriana arched an eyebrow, looking at Rico. Rico sighed and leaned back against the counter. Once again, Kate couldn’t just take what was offered; she needed to hear the whole dang truth.
“Get comfortable, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ve got another story for you.”
Kate stood still for a moment, hesitant; she did as she was told, however, and walked further into the kitchen. She leaned on the granite counter near Adriana, afraid that Rico only made his last comment because he caught her staring at him. She felt Adriana’s gaze focus on her and tried to hide her blush. She could tell that Adriana knew what she did and why she did it, but she wasn’t going to admit anything to her new friend; she didn’t want to start any unnecessary competition between them, especially since they had just connected.
“Adriana and I have known each other for a while.” Rico started. “We lied to you, letting you think that we just met so that we could split up. It was easier to do it that way, so that you wouldn’t suspect that we were both looking out for your safety.”
“Why are you both looking out for my safety? I don’t understand. And why are you now saying that this man is an elder demon?”
Adriana stepped in. “An elder demon is someone who has successfully possessed humans before. In particular, this elder demon has possessed hundreds so far. We think that he is now going after you.”
“Why would he go after me? Who am I, compared to the billions of humans on this planet? Why me?” Kate asked, panic evident in her voice, etched on her features.
“Hey, please calm down,” Rico said, his voice soothing. “You have nothing to worry about. Adriana and I are good at our jobs. I promise that he won’t possess your body.”
Kate looked at him, eyeing his cool confiden
ce.
Adriana continued her explanation. “We haven’t solved the mystery of why he’s chosen you next, Kate. We’re working on it, and we think we’re pretty close to figuring it out, but we need to make sure that we’re right before moving on.”
“Why do you think he chose me?” Kate asked, looking back and forth between Adriana and Rico, trying to convince them that she could handle it.
“We can’t tell you until we know for sure,” Adriana claimed. Kate didn’t believe that she couldn’t mention anything, but she knew that arguing or whining wouldn’t get her the answers she sought.
“Fine,” Kate said finally. She turned toward Rico. “You said you were good at your job. What is it? I know it’s not just to protect me. I can see that now.”
“Adriana and I hunt demons that possess humans. We believe that they shouldn’t possess humans, that it’s not right.”
“And we’re here to kill him, the elder demon. We want to see him dead,” Adriana added seriously.
“I thought you didn’t know who the demon was. And now you’re saying that he’s an elder demon,” Kate mentioned, turning to Rico.
“We’re talking about another demon, Kate. The one that we know is here for you. The other demon is someone that we don’t know, and we’re working to figure out who he is and what he wants.”
“Okay. Well, how do you plan on killing the demon that you’re after?” Kate asked. She knew that she would get no further on the subject of the demon that had already attacked her; she could sense that they were just as confused as she was. Instead, Kate focused on this new demon, her heartbeat already quickening.
Adriana started to explain but Rico interrupted her. “I think that’s all we need to talk about tonight, Kate.” He moved over to her and pushed her gently from the kitchen, taking her toward the stairs. He paused when he reached the bottom and took her face in his hands, making her face him. Kate’s heart fluttered in her throat.
“Promise me that you won’t go snooping around about this. I know you’re curious but we’re doing what we need to do in order to make sure that you’re okay. Do you promise me that?”
