Dealing with the Devil (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 1)

by Siddoway, Jennifer

  “You don’t know that!” I sobbed angrily into his suit jacket. “I could have tried harder, or called to give her some kind of warning, or not gone at all because I was the freaking bait.”

  He sat us down on the bench with his arm around me and said, “You’ll drive yourself crazy if you think like that. Don’t start blaming yourself for what was out of your control; you’re not omnipotent.”

  “No, but Aidan killed her because of me.”

  Ryan’s brow furrowed as he looked around, head leaning towards Lacey and Nate. “Do you want to talk about this here?” he whispered.

  “Lacey knows,” I told him hopelessly. “She saw me … transform. Sorry again about that, Lace. And Nate found out too. Actually, he can even See.”

  Ryan grit his teeth, “You can’t give in to him! He doesn’t deserve you.”

  “Thanks, Ryan, but that isn’t your choice to make. In fact, shouldn’t you guys be going home? This isn’t even your family, your parents will probably freak.”

  “They know where I am,” he told me sternly. “This is more important.”

  “You don't have to do this.”

  “Yes, I do. That's what friends are for.”

  I reached in my bag I had left behind at the dance to get a tissue and suddenly, my heart stopped. My hand closed around a small vial, the same vial Mammon had given me with the power to save a life. I pulled it out and stared at it in silence.

  I would never, ever forgive myself.

  Later, as they wheeled our sister to the morgue, Dad stepped out and sat down on the bench beside us.

  “What happens now?” Nate asked him quietly.

  Our father sighed and put his arms around the two of us. “I guess … we go home.”

  ~ * ~

  Exactly two months, one week, and three days before Elyse and Kevin were supposed to get married, we held her funeral in the same church they had picked out together. It wasn't the joyous ceremony we'd been planning, but everyone came. Everyone.

  It was the worst day of my life.

  The preacher had asked me to say a few words about my sister and about her life, but I just couldn’t. Instead, I sat between Kevin and my brother on the pew, wearing the little black dress I'd been intending for a happier occasion. The rainbow scarf Elyse made me draped around my neck. She always thought it looked good on me, so it seemed appropriate while I said “goodbye” to the most amazing woman I had ever known.

  Elyse was laid out in front of us in a sky blue casket that our father had picked out for her, a bouquet of her favorite Calla Lilies resting on her chest. Seeing her like that ripped open the emotional stitches that I'd sewn myself back together with for the past two days since her cruel and untimely departure from this world.

  Poor Kevin. His eyes were dark and I smelled a faint hint of alcohol. Devastated and alone, he’d clearly tried to pull himself together for the occasion, but I knew he was a wreck. I wrapped my arms around him in a hug as silent tears streamed down his face. No words could comfort him right now — he'd lost his one true love — but he patted my shoulder affectionately and I handed him a tissue.

  When my cousin made his way up to the podium I pulled out a tissue for my brother. He spoke eloquently about our sister’s life and how it came to a tragic end. I wished I had the skill to be that articulate, but when there is so much raw emotion tied to it, I get tongue tied and turn into a stuttering dullard. When it comes to my family or anything else I feel passionately about, it’s like words can't do the emotions justice. Every now and then I will come to an understanding that is so clear and perfect it almost begins to take the form of words, but once those words are spoken no one else seems to understand them.

  I choked back tears of my own and prayed I would be able to make it through the service before the floodgates came crashing down. My nails dug into the seat as the other hand squeezed a tissue.

  We sang the final hymn and Kevin buried his face in his hands. As the organist began playing Nearer My God to Thee, five of my cousins and Nate walked to the front of the chapel and carried her casket through the double doors.

  Down the aisle, we walked past the faces of all the people who had come to grieve with us. Some were there out of obligation, some were there because we asked them to be, and some were going to be there whether I asked them to be or not. Ryan and his family were sitting in the back of the chapel, and beside them were Lacey and Phillip. I cried at the sight of them and the outpouring of unexpected love and support.

  Outside the chapel, we watched as the men before us carefully walked her over to the gravesite. Nathan came up beside me after he and the other pallbearers had finished getting her set up. My heart went out to him and I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Nate just sighed and looked at me with teary eyes, giving my scarf a playful tug.

  “That’s a nice touch,” he whispered softly. “Elyse would have liked it.”

  I looked at him weakly as he referred to our sister in past tense and laid my head down on his shoulder. The plot we’d chose was simple and shaded by the branches of a magnolia tree. I knew she loved their flowers and this way she’d be adorned with them all the time.

  For her gravestone, my father picked out a white marble slab, with the carving of a rose placed between the dates of her birth and death. The words we chose were simple:

  In Loving Memory of

  Elyse Abigail Hendricks

  February 10th 1992 — May 16th 2016

  Beloved

  Most of the congregation had come out to watch as they lowered her into the ground. Across the sea of faces I recognized one person that I didn’t expect to be here; Nadia stood in the back of the crowd, a fishnet veil across her face.

  The preacher said some last words and then a prayer. One by one, the guests threw a handful of dirt in the open grave. Some of them came over to us and tried to express their deepest sympathies, but I just couldn’t handle any more.

  Apparently Kevin couldn’t either because his agony turned to anger as he fumed, “Why isn’t the DA ready to prosecute? Elyse deserves justice!”

  Our father sighed. “Son, it was an accident, you've got to let this go. He couldn’t see out his window and plowed into a pole himself. He probably hasn’t even been released from the hospital yet, his injuries were pretty extensive. The police are doing everything they can.”

  I felt a pang of guilt, knowing that only a few of his injuries were actually caused by the accident.

  “It’s not enough!”

  “Give it time.”

  It was easy to understand why he had so much anger over our loss and was having such a hard time letting it go — neither of us could. But it wasn't the drivers fault, not really. He was just a fly in Aidan's web, like the rest of us.

  As the crowd began to disperse I made my way over to where our adopted aunt was standing. She smiled warmly at my approach and wrapped her arms around me in a comforting hug. “I can't believe you came,” I whispered into her shoulder.

  “Of course I came. I was there when that beautiful creature first came into this world, and I am sad to see her leave it.”

  I nodded softly, watching as my aunts and uncles all threw a white rose on the pale, blue casket before it was lowered in the ground. “Were you sad when you lost Raffe?”

  She swallowed hard and looked at me curiously. “I was devastated.”

  “You never told me what happened to him.”

  “Do you really want to know?” she asked me skeptically.

  I nodded.

  “I killed him.”

  It felt like the ground had just opened up beneath me as I tried to comprehend what she was saying, “What do you mean you killed him? He was a demon, how…?”

  “I mean, destroyed completely. He no longer exists in this world or the next.”

  My brow furrowed with confusion. “But demons are on the other plane, they can’t die. Banished maybe, or trapped, but none of them are gone for good.”

  “Oh they can be,” she i
nformed me. “But not without great sacrifice. One day Aidan will regret he and I ever crossed paths.” Her eyes were wild with ferocity and I had no doubt to what she intended. I found our mutual hatred gratifying and my heart beat faster.

  “Do you know what it’s like to watch history repeat itself?” She asked me bitterly. “Watching the same demon prey on your family, pulling the same tricks he did last time … it’s maddening. I won’t let him get away with it this time.”

  Nadia gave a gentle nod and started walking back towards the parking lot. “Can I visit you at Quarter Moon?” I called out after her. “I still have so many questions.”

  She turned around and smiled, still walking backwards across the cemetery. “You better. I’ll be expecting regular updates.”

  I gave a stiff nod of acknowledgment and waved as she disappeared into the parking lot. For the first time in a week, I felt a glimmer of light at the end of a tunnel. If demons could be killed, then maybe Elyse could get justice after all.

  Nate walked up beside me with his hands stuffed into his pockets. In the past week both of us had grown up far more quickly than a brother and sister should have to. He didn’t seem like a carefree teenager anymore — he was a man.

  “I know that look,” he told me. “Whatever you’re planning, I want in.”

  “Me too,” Ryan added. I hadn’t noticed he had joined us until that minute as the crowd was beginning to clear. His face was somber and his eyes cold as stone. “I used to tease Elyse all the time, calling her Barbie and making fun of her clothes … I never got to tell her she was like a sister to me too.”

  “Ryan, it’s not your fight,” I told him. “You don’t have to be a part of this. I didn’t want you to be involved, neither of you should be involved.”

  Lacey left her new boyfriend Phillip on the sidewalk and came to join our conversation. “Whether or not you wanted us to be is irrelevant. We’re part of this,” she told me. “I’ve seen a lot of crazy things, but nothing like what happened the night Elyse died. If there’s something coming after you—” She put her hand up to cut off my protestation. “Yes, if something or someone is attacking you, its attacking all of us, and I’m gonna fight back. I didn’t know Elyse, but I know you, and I know she was a good person. That … thing you were fighting … it deserves to pay. I want in on this too. Each and every one of us loves you and isn’t going to let you go through this alone. You’ll never have to fight this by yourself. We’ve all got your back.”

  I looked at each of them in turn as they nodded in agreement. My heart was overwhelmed by the show of support and under the warm glow in my chest, a cold plan settled in my mind. There was only one thing left for me to do.

  My path was clear.

  “Well, if you really plan on helping me, then you should know, I’m going to hunt down Aidan. And I am going to kill him.”

  Epilogue

  Wynn gasped in horror when she saw the pearly white wisp of Elyse's life essence slip between her fingers, like a breath of air. The flawless reflection of her sister’s physical body coalesced beside me, staring at her own blood on the pavement.

  In my experience when someone realizes they have died they will feel either peace or despair, and in a few cases, anger. Situations such as prolonged pain, disease or old age are easier for them to cope with — they expect it, even welcome it. Most people feel joy and peace at being reunited with their loved ones and knowing they don't have to hurt anymore.

  But in cases like the one Elyse was about to find herself in, they find themselves woefully unprepared at such a sudden departure. We watched as Wynn cried over her body, staining her dress with blood. Elyse stared at her body on the asphalt and cried, soft, gasping breaths — though breathing was superfluous at this point.

  Her pale face looked like polished marble when the reality set in. All of Wynn's screaming and tears just faded into the background like white noise as we reappeared in the white abyss of purgatory. She sobbed quietly looking back and forth between me and the gate, trying to decide what she should do. “What is this?” she asked.

  “This, is death.”

  It was completely white and silent. Nothing like most people picture when they imagine what death would be like. There is nothing to fear, because the pain is finally gone. It's really quite beautiful in a way and very, very simple.

  “Where are we?” she asked wiping her eyes.

  “Purgatory,” I responded. “Until you make the decision to cross over.”

  She looked around again in fear and said, “Where is everyone? It's … so quiet.”

  “Death is very, personal. It’s not meant to be a spectacle.”

  “I have to go back! I have to be with Kevin and my family! We’re getting married…” she trailed off into panting sobs as she realized that would never happen. The magnitude of her death came crumbling down around her.

  My heart ached to see her like that and I tried my best to comfort her. “Elyse, I’m so sorry this happened to you, it wasn’t your time. But you can’t go back. Even if you could, you wouldn't want to return to that body. It’s broken beyond repair. You're safe here.”

  “I don't care!! I want to go back!” she screamed.

  “It’s impossible.”

  She began to cry again and whispered, “I'm scared.”

  You couldn't really blame the poor girl, everyone is scared when faced with the unknown — if only they knew how sweet and simple it really is.

  “Why?” I asked her gently.

  “It's so cold!” she blubbered softly.

  “Don't be afraid,” I said, my voice cracking as I said the words. “I'll be with you every step of the way. There's nothing that can harm you now. ”

  “Promise?”

  I nodded, “Yes.”

  “What’s beyond the gate?” she asked me nervously.

  “Actually, someone I would like you to meet.”

  The mist parted just enough for a woman to pass through and come join us on our side. She had the same heart shaped face and gentle feminine features as her daughter, with tears of joy glistening in her eyes.

  “Elyse, this is Anna. Your mother.” Her golden blonde hair fell down by her shoulders in familiar flowing curls. A sense of familiarity passed between them and Elyse stood up, amazed.

  “Are you still afraid?”

  “No.”

  She took her mother’s hand and smiled through her tears as they walked away from me and into Paradise.

  About Jennifer Siddoway

  Jennifer is an author from Tallahassee, Florida who writes paranormal romance and fantasy novels for young adults. She is a member of both Gulf Coast Authors and the Florida Writers Association.

  After receiving a degree in theatre from BYU and working as a scenic artist for twelve years, she changed careers to do what she really loves — writing. Jennifer believes that part of her job as an artist and story teller is to create a narrative that explores a fresh perspective and leaves the audience thinking.

  Even as a child, she has always been intrigued by Grimm’s Fairy Tales and particularly enjoys a twist on an established plotline. When she’s not busy writing or burying her nose in a book, Jennifer enjoys doing medieval reenactment with her husband and two children.

  Her debut novel, Dealing with the Devil, is a contemporary Young Adult Fantasy and the first book in the Earthwalker Trilogy.

  You can find out more about Jennifer Siddoway and her books at: http://www.jensiddoway.com/

  If you enjoyed Dealing with the Devil, you might also enjoy the second novel in the Earthwalker Trilogy, The Devil’s Due. Coming Summer of 2017!

  Reviews are always appreciated.

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