by Jamie Loeak
arguing.” Adriana looked up at the ceiling, daydreaming.
“It does sound beautiful,” Kate mused.
“You’ll find it, Kate. I know you will,” Adriana responded.
“I hope so,” Kate whispered to herself when she rolled over. Although she closed her eyes, her thoughts swirled around their discussion. She craved love, and felt a twinge of regret for demons, creatures plagued by hate that craved the same feelings that she could one day reach. She wondered, briefly, what it would be like knowing that you could never truly fall in love with someone.
Kate and Adriana lounged on the beach the next day, spending as much time as they could on the hot sand in order to preserve their makeovers. After lunch they found themselves craving the ocean waves and jumped in, Kate’s curls delighted at the chance to spring back where they belonged, Adriana’s curls falling back around her waist.
“I can’t believe you get to spend every day out here just lying around and reading,” Adriana commented as they walked back up to their beach chairs. “You’re lucky that you can spend your summer like that. Your life is so easy.”
“I guess,” Kate said. “It’s easy as long as you don’t count the multitude of demons that are coming after me, trying to possess my soul and whatnot.”
“Sorry, Kate. I guess I forgot for a minute.”
“That’s okay. At least one of us can forget about it, although I must admit that I wish it was me and not you.”
The two girls sat quietly for a moment, thinking about the demons.
“I know that you and Rico have been going around trying to kill this elder demon,” Kate started to say.
“His name is Kern,” Adriana mentioned.
“Well, what else do you do, besides hunt Kern?”
“Rico and I protect the people that he attempts to possess. We do this so that he may die in the process.”
“He hasn’t died, though. What happened to the people that you were trying to save? Did he give up on them because you thwarted his plan? Are they alright now?”
“Kate,” Adriana began.
“What are you two talking about,” interrupted Rico. Kate was surprised by his appearance. Rico seemed to have come from the wind that blew from the ocean. He stood there panting, drenched in saltwater. He was wearing a pair of black swim trunks that hugged his legs. His chest moved in and out with his breathing and his hair clung to his cheekbones, the ends drying already. He looked at Kate through his dark lashes.
“You have something on your cheek,” he said, leaning over to pull it off. His fingers were gentle, and Kate thought that they stayed on her skin a moment too long. Her heart fluttered with a feeling of hope.
“Thank you,” she breathed.
Adriana stood up suddenly and stretched like a cat, her thin arms reaching toward the sky. “I think I’m going to take another dip. It’s hot out here,” she said. “Why don’t you go ahead and take my chair, Rico.” Kate watched as Adriana skipped down to the water.
“That was nice of her,” Rico said, taking a seat in Adriana’s chair.
Kate nodded in agreement and took a sip of water to clear her mind.
“So what did you two do last night?” Rico prompted. “Anything I should hear about?”
“Adriana straightened my hair and I curled hers.”
“So you two switched places?”
Kate laughed. “Something like that,” she said.
“I’d like to see that.”
“Adriana took pictures. I bet if you asked she would show them to you.”
“Okay,” Rico said. He stood up then, shouting out to Adriana, asking where her camera was. Kate grew anxious, wondering what Rico would think about her hair.
“You could have just told me the camera was in her bag,” he said teasingly. “She doesn’t mind if I go through her things.” He lifted the camera out of the bag and turned it on, bending over to shield the screen from the sun. He looked through each picture slowly, sometimes zooming in to see it more closely. Kate watched him, growing increasingly more nervous. When Rico was finished with the camera, he put it back in Adriana’s bag. He turned to face Kate, his cobalt eyes roaming her face. He watched her a moment, and then, finally, he spoke.
“You both looked fantastic. It was nice to see Adriana without so much makeup on,” he said. “However, I prefer your hair curly. It suits your personality.”
“I had never seen myself with straight hair before.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Kate. You looked great with straight hair, but you look better when it’s curled.”
“Really?” Kate asked seriously. She knew she was fishing for compliments but none of Rico’s answers so far had clarified the questions she had regarding his feelings for her. “I guess I never thought that I was attractive until I saw myself last night.”
“You mean that you never thought you were attractive because you’ve been comparing yourself to Adriana. That’s the look she likes. Not all people prefer that look.”
“I guess,” Kate said in frustration.
“Kate, I know I’m not going to give you the answer you’re searching for. I’m sorry for that, but it’s my opinion. Can’t you just take something I offer just this once?”
Kate turned to Rico, a flash of anger stirring in her stomach. “What do you mean when you say you aren’t going to give me what I’m searching for? I’m not searching for anything other than the stupid elder demon that’s trying to kill me. And I do take the things you offer. I’m grateful for your help, for the fact that you’ve saved me more than once now. I was just attempting to have a normal conversation with you, but apparently we have the inability to hold one unless we’re arguing or you’re grilling me about clues.”
Kate paused, catching her breath and thoughts. She guessed that her relationship with Rico hadn’t moved forward. They were stuck in an endless tug-of-war match; one where Kate kept pulling Rico closer to her but pushed him away when he got too close. On the other side, it was almost as if Rico was pushing her to push him away with his back-and-forth responses.
“Hey,” Rico said, stopping Kate before she could go on. “I’m not responsible for this mess. I’m just trying to fix it. You don’t have to yell at me for no reason. I’m here to help you. And I’m glad that you’re grateful that I’ve saved your life, but you don’t have to take your fear, anxiety, or insecurities out on me.”
Kate seethed. “My insecurities? I just found out today that this elder demon is named Kern. I was about to find out what you two did to help the other people like me but you interrupted. I could tell from Adriana’s tone that it wasn’t good. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to feel insecure right now, especially when it comes to your claim about being good at your jobs. What happened to those people, Rico? What was she afraid to tell me when you walked up here all self-righteous and confident? What was it?”
Rico looked down at the sand, seemingly counting the grains. Kate’s temper dissolved as quickly as it came. She felt guilty for having yelled at Rico; he didn’t deserve it. However, Kate’s pride took priority in this situation, and she felt defensive about Rico’s comment about not being able to give her what she was searching for. Was her crush that obvious? She couldn’t help but stare at his gorgeous body, but she could bet safely that she hadn’t been the first to do so. What was with her? Rico could make her feel safe, nervous, and angry all at once. She didn’t think it was healthy for a person to feel so many emotions.
“The other people didn’t make it, Kate. We tried but Kern was successful in possessing their bodies. You, however, have escaped twice from other demons. I don’t know if Kern sent them here, or if they’ve come of their own accord, but I do know that you’ve managed to slip from their clutches more than once. I think that luck is on our side this time.”
“The other people died? You think I’m lucky?” Kate sputtered these questions, losing all rational thought.
“They didn’t die, Kate. They were possessed and lived with Kern in their
bodies until he was ready to find another host. I didn’t want you to find this out now because I didn’t want to scare you. I’m sorry that you’ve found out.”
“I would live with Kern inside me? Trying to take control of my body?” Kate’s voice was barely a whisper, her words coming out in gasps as she took all of this new information and processed it. She couldn’t live with another being inside of her body. She couldn’t live the remainder of her short, yet seemingly long life, sharing it with an evil and crazy demon. Kate wasn’t strong enough.
Rico stood up and moved so that he was squatting in front of her. “Look at me, Kate. Look at me,” he said.
Kate looked up at him and fresh tears fell from her eyes. She couldn’t help it this time. She couldn’t pretend to be strong, knowing that they had failed each time before. She should have known, though. Rico had told her that a demon died if he failed to possess a human. The knowledge that Kern was still alive should have clued her in on his past.
“You need him to possess me,” she said as she looked into Rico’s eyes. “You want him to possess me because you need to expel him.” She knew she was right; she didn’t need Rico’s confirmation but she wanted it.
“Yes,” he said, unable to hold back the truth from her any longer.
Fresh tears tumbled down her cheeks, racing to touch the warm sand. Kate’s breathing came in gasps now, and she feared she would hyperventilate. Her hands gripped the armrests, her knuckles
