by T. G. Ayer
"Hey strangers," said Claudia as she breezed into the kitchen, a huge grin hiding the tired lines tracking deep into the soft skin beneath her eyes. She dropped her bags and came around to give Maya a tight squeeze. Sabala rose and trotted around Claudia, stopping only when she gingerly patted him on the top of his head, her eye wide as she stared at Maya, fascinated at the hell-hounds welcome.
Maya grinned. "Where have you been?" she asked, dead curious.
"One Churel, one Vitala, two simple ghost haunting and one case of bad indigestion incorrectly diagnosed as witchcraft." Claudia counted each one off on her fingers then collapsed into the nearest stool.
"Wow. I didn't realize you guys did international demon hunting." Things were certainly getting interesting. She glanced at her mom who poured a tall glass of ice cold juice then set it in front of Claudia.
"We go where we're called. But these last few month have felt like there are more incidents that are legitimate than not." Claudia rubbed her forehead and wrapped her hands around the cool glass.
More curious than ever, Maya asked, "Does that happen often? I mean, with the situation being not legit."
Claudia shrugged, the shadows under her eyes more prominent in the kitchen's bright fluorescent light. "Sometimes it really is something as simple as indigestion. But there has been the odd case where the cause is a little murderous even when it's not demon related. I once had a wife try to kill her husband with arsenic. And a mother making her kid sick feeding him extra salt all the time." Claudia sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"You look like you need a rest," said Maya's mom. "Drink that and go get some sleep. The guest room is ready for you. Dev or I will take the next run."
Claudia looked up, relief smoothing the frown on her forehead. "Are you sure?" When Leela nodded, she sighed. "Thanks, I do need a rest. I'm so jet-lagged my body has no idea what's up or down." She drained her glass and stood up, kneading the muscles at her neck. Maya felt sorry for her. Claudia's fatigue was obvious to anyone who looked at her. She winked at Maya, then bent to her laptop bag to withdraw three files. "These are all the details on those cases." She dropped the files on the kitchen table and bent to pick up her bags.
Maya watched as Claudia left the kitchen giving Sabala a fairly wide berth, and headed upstairs. "Why didn't you tell me you guys worked internationally?" she asked her mom.
Leela shrugged as she stirred the contents of the pot on the stove. "It never came up." Then she looked over her shoulder at Maya. "But I do think it's time you got a little more active. If you want to, that is."
Maya didn't have to think twice. "Of course I want to." She grinned. "I think it's pretty cool jetting all over the world killing demons and saving people."
"Mmh. I thought you didn't like the idea of being a Kali follower," said Leela as she raised an eyebrow and smiled at Maya.
Maya made a face. "Yeah, how long are you going to hold that against me?"
Her mom laughed. "As long as I'm able."
As their laughter died Dev, walked into the kitchen, his forehead crumpled by a dark frown, looking like he'd lost something. He didn't even want to know what they were laughing about and usually he would let them rest until they spilled.
His daughter and wife both spoke together, "What's wrong?"
Leela moved the pot off the stove and switched the burner off, before turning to her husband. She and Maya both stared at him, waiting.
Dev sighed, rubbing his fingers through is hair. "The call just came through. We have another case. A father in Tucson is looking for help with what he thinks is a possession."
"It will have to be one of us. I'm backing Claudia up, she just got home and is sleeping off her jet lag."
Dev nodded. "That's fine, I'll do it." Then he looked at Maya. "I'll take Maya with me. Time she got to see more of what we do."
Maya's mom nodded although she frowned. "What's wrong, Mom?"
"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "Just be careful. With those demons after you, you just never know which one of our call-outs is actually a trap."
Maya nodded and turned to her father who waved her off. "You'd better get packing. And essentials only. We need to get out of here fast. And we'll be driving all night."
Maya frowned, instantly disliking the thought of being cramped in a car for eight hours when a plane would do just fine. "Aren't we flying?"
"No. We have a bag full of goodies that airport security would find a little too strange." Dev grinned.
"Oh. But how did Claudia travel to Europe with her stuff?"
"She didn't. We have a base in London and one in Greece, where we keep stocks of everything we might need. Most of the hunters stop there first, then drive on."
"That sounds a heck of a lot cooler than I'd ever thought," said Maya quite unimpressed, if not totally disappointed at her own lack of air travel.
Her father grinned and shooed her off. "Get going. I'm leaving in thirty minutes."
Maya nodded and hurried up the stairs, with Sabala close on her heels. She smiled as her Mom yelled for to take a shower because she wouldn't have any idea how long it would be before she had the next one.
Maya shuddered at the thought.
Half an hour later they were packed and already heading onto the Interstate. Maya glanced at her dad. "You okay with him coming?" she asked giving the hell hound in the back seat a vicious glare. Sabala remained unperturbed, giving her a bland glance with his liquid eyes.
He'd made endless circles around her feet, and almost tripped her up when she'd tried to stop him from getting into the car. There was no controlling the giant-sized dog so in the end the bothersome creature won and now took pride of place in the back seat of the rental.
Her dad shrugged. "He's meant to help protect you right?" Maya nodded, feeling a slight flush of shame at her dad's implication. "Then he's just doing his job, you know."
A peek in the rear view mirror told her that Sabala was still sitting on the seat, his head perked up behind her as he looked out the window. She could see the slight shimmer of his glamor and was satisfied that he'd listened. Without his glamor she'd refused to take him anywhere, preferring to steer clear of creating mass mayhem on the streets when people get an eyeful of a the four-eyed five-foot canine. Even genetic modification would be stretching it as a valid explanation.
Maya titled her head in her dad's direction, eager to move on to a more palatable subject. "So tell me more about this case. How much do you have to go on?"
Dev cleared his throat as his flashed his indicator and changed lanes. "Not all that much. It's one of the problems we experience too often. It's unavoidable really, especially since most people don't know what they're dealing with. Too often the case is just a normal illness like food poisoning. Or a psychological one. That on stymies far too many priests and shamans."
Maya frowned. "So who pays for the wasted trips?" Dev flicked a glance at Maya. "No. Wait. Who pays for all the travel and expenses involved. I know we aren't rolling in money." Maya raised her eyebrow and stared at her dad, waiting for an answer.
"We don't pay from our pockets. It's quite organized really."
As Maya stared at her father so many things clicked into place and she gasped softly. "KALIMA Technologies. You don't work for a software company do you?"
Dev chuckled. "I sometimes do. It pays to actually create software every now and then so the company doesn't scream 'dummy corporation'." He laughed.
"So what is Mom's role in KALIMA?"
"Housewife, of course. Not everyone can physically work for the company. And there are employees who have no idea what we really stand for."
"So those employees do real work and keep the company going while you guys work off-site."
"Exactly."
"I have to admit you have it very well organized. So where does the money come from?"
"Various contributors. Wealthy people we have helped in the past. People who have contributed long before we ever came in
to the picture. Government organizations who are aware but would rather we dealt with the weird and unexplainable on our own. And of course, temples and religious organizations that believe in our cause."
"Wow. I didn't know it was so far-reaching." Then she fell silent.
"What's wrong?" When she didn't reply he said, "Thinking about all those times you dissed the 'Kali followers'?"
Maya folded her arms and looked out of the window. Her cheeks were red and she didn't want her Dad to see the livid proof of her embarrassment. "Something like that," she said.
"Don't worry about it. There are a lot of people who start out in total denial and they eventually come around."
Maya grunted. Desperate to change the topic she said, "So you haven't told me what you know about this case."
Dev looked at her again and nodded before turning his gaze back to the road ahead. "The girl in this case is very ill. She seems to be wasting away even though her diet hasn't changed. And she isn't bulimic."
"How do they know she isn't. Bulimics generally don't advertise when they are about to stick their finger down their throats," Maya asked, her tone dry. She knew all too well about bulimia, having seen Joss go through the very same thing the previous year.
"Well, let's just say these parents are very hands on. They don't leave the girl alone at all. Not since they noticed her illness. They've ruled out anorexia, bulimia and any possible health related issue. She isn't on any drugs that would have a weight loss side effect either."
"So, of course they assume the cause is paranormal."
"Yes. But what we need to figure out is what or who is causing her illness."
"Any ideas?"
"None that I want to put my money on right now. I need to examine her first."
"Could it be a type of Churel? One that preys on girls?" asked Maya.
Dev nodded. "Maybe. Or it could be a Vitala or even a ghost."
The rest of the journey was spent discussing the different demons that Dev had encountered and who were likely to cause the wasting away of one poor suffering girl. Maya was glad too that Sabala didn’t reek the way most dogs did. The car would have been filled with doggie odor by now had her hell hound been a regular pooch. She supposed there were some advantages to Sabala after all.
They arrived in Tucson in the early hours of the morning, just as the sun was peeking over the distant horizon. Dev pulled into a motel and booked a room for them while Maya texted Joss as she waited in the car. She got a text back from Joss almost immediately.
Why didn't you take me with you?
Maya hadn't realized Joss would want to come, nor did she think her dad would have allowed it, so that's what she texted back to her annoyed friend.
Still. You could have told me. Maybe if I asked your dad nicely he would have agreed. I need the practice too you know.
Maya grinned at Joss's petulant response but she did have a point. She replied, Okay, I'll talk to my dad about bringing you in on the next mission.
She pocketed her phone as Dev opened his door and started the engine. He drove around the building and found a spot in front of the room he'd booked. Maya and Dev grabbed their bags and headed inside the motel room, leaving it open and extra few seconds for Sabala to click his way inside. He found a place beside the door and below the window where he took up guard. Maya ignored him although she couldn't help but admit she felt a tad bit safer with him watching the two possible entrances.
Maya glanced around their room and was glad she didn't need to shudder. The place was pristine, bright blue carpet, white walls and two double beds covered with blue and white striped bedspreads. The pictures on the walls were prints of white buildings on a hillside looking down at the deep blue oceans of Greece. Santorini or Mykonos, Maya guessed.
She loved the colors they'd chosen and was glad the motel was not dark and dingy. She flung her bag on the bed and rifled through it for fresh clothes. As she headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth and shower, she glanced over at her dad. He was already powering up his laptop, the dark frown on his face indicating the flavor of his mood.
Chapter 17
Refreshed after a quick shower, Maya and her dad got drive-through breakfasts and headed to the address of the ailing child. Sabala sat in the back, oddly disinterested in food. Maya made a mental note to check with Nik if she was meant to feed the dog anything in particular.
They drew up in front of a small Santa Fe style home complete with flat roof and sloping salmon pink walls. Maya followed her dad to the front door, swallowing nervously as she went. What would these people think to see a teenage girl accompanying the man who came to save their child?
"Can he come inside?"
Dev nodded. "As long as he walks on air."
Maya glanced at the dog who lifted a padded foot. She watched as he retracted his iron sharp claws. "Fine," she said to Sabala. "One sound out of you and your ass is back in the car."
The dog bowed his head to Maya and took his place at her side.
Dev knocked at the door and when it opened it revealed a very short, very bald man in wiry glasses. He squinted as Dev reached out to shake his hand. "I'm Dev Rao. I'm here about your daughter." The man tilted his head up and surveyed Dev suspiciously, then took his hand, giving it a quick shake, letting go of it so fast it was a wonder he didn't go rushing off to disinfect his hand.
"Thank you for coming so soon," the man said as he ushered them inside, but Maya could tell her was merely being polite. Sabala slipped inside soundlessly, keeping close to Maya.
Dev hadn't introduced Maya and it seemed the man wasn't interested in her identity as he didn't even bother to look at her. Fine, Maya thought. Children are meant to be seen and not heard. I get it.
They were shown into a sunken lounge, and thought they took the step into the living space but Dev didn't sit. Maya schooled her features at her dad's rudeness but neither Dev nor the man seemed to care.
"I'm Sam Nath. My daughter Gita is the one you've come about." He gave Dev another cursory glance then nodded and began to walk off. "If you'll wait a moment I'll go call her."
Maya said nothing as she sat and waited, her eyes on Mr. Nath's back as he disappeared down the long stone passage. Sabala sat back on his haunches not two feet away from her. Too close as far as she was concerned . The hell-hound really needed a lesson on personal space.
Despite her dad's presence, the silence of the room lay upon her like a scratchy blanket and she wasn't sure how to ease her discomfort. The heat of the day filtered into the room, doing battle against the struggling air conditioning, and mostly winning.
She glanced at her father. What was he thinking? How was he prepared to tackle this situation? She didn't have to wonder too long as only moments later the sound of footsteps echoed back up the passage.
Mr. Nath came towards them, his shoulders slightly hunched thought his eyes remained round and sharp. He reminded Maya of a vulture. His body hid his daughter from view until the very last moment. When he stood aside to introduce her, Maya swallowed hard. The girl was emaciated. Her collarbones jutted out at the neckline of her T-shirt, the short sleeves of which did nothing to hide arms that were just skin and bone. Her skin was a dull pale, marked by jagged trails of blue veins.
Maya was glad that she didn't have to speak because she was sure that she wouldn't have been able to say a word. The girl gave Dev and her father a cursory glance, her pale brown eyes far too large for her face.
"This is my daughter. Gita, they will be asking you some questions. Make sure you answer. All of them." Mr. Nath's tone was far too impersonal for Maya's liking, and from the slight stiffening of her dad's spine she saw he wasn't too impressed either. Considering the condition the girl was in, surely she deserved to be treated with a little kindness. It was almost as if Mr. Nath blamed his daughter for her illness. At that moment Maya wasn't sure that she liked him too much. But her like or dislike for her dad's client was irrelevant.
Dev rose and held out his a
rm. "Hello, Gita. My dear, please come and sit next to me so that we can talk."
She gave a slight nod, the movement sharp and jerky. She hesitated for a moment, glanced quickly at her father, then walked the few feet to the couch and sat down slowly. She seemed so fragile, as if the slightest breeze would break her into pieces.
"So, can you please tell me exactly how you feel?" said Dev, his brows furrowed as he took in the state of the girl's body. "I know this is difficult for you, so please take your time."
She cleared her throat. "I'm very weak, sometimes dizzy. I eat as much as I've usually eaten but it seems I can't eat enough to stop getting thinner." The girl's eyes were glassy. She stared at Maya's dad, her expression almost blank.
"Can you tell me how long this has been happening? Go back as far as you can remember."
Gita nodded. "About two months now. It's that long since I started losing weight. I even tried eating more. Even those meal replacement shakes. But they don't help."
"And you really haven't changed anything about your eating habits, besides possible eating more than normal?" Dev leaned forward and Maya got the feeling that he was hoping the girl would admit something. But Gita didn't. She just shook her head in agreement. "Okay, so the next thing I want to ask is if there's been any significant changes in your daily life. Have you changed schools, changed friends, just anything that would signify a difference in what you used to do before this began to happen to you?"
The girl shook her head. The silence was punctuation by the ragged hiss of the conditioner and the scratchy inhale-exhale of Mr. Nath's heavy breathing.
Dev turned to the father, concern coloring his face. "Mr. Nath. There's one more thing I have to ask. I just want to apologize in advance. It's a difficult question to ask and even more difficult to answer, but I do have to."
Mr. Nath stared at Dev, eyes narrowing as he tried to fathom what the question would be. At last his eyebrows moved and he seemed to come to some decision because he gave a small nod and averted his gaze.
