by Cassandra
Chapter Twenty
During the entire drive back to the church, Jessica was forced to endure endless praise. Everyone was very impressed with her performance during the exorcism.
“You do know this is a big deal, right?” The young man was more excited than she was. “Do you realize how frightened the demon was of you? And this was your first time assisting with an exorcism.”
“I’m absolutely sure I was more afraid of it than it was of me,” she countered.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“Right,” one of the women joined in. “Didn’t you see how it reacted when you tossed your holy water on it?”
“I was scared out of my mind.”
“And so was it. It probably sensed that Libbons blood running through you.”
By the time they reached the church and said their goodbyes, Jessica was in a considerably better mood. While she was still certain they were all exaggerating, she liked the fact that the little team had been so impressed and supportive.
Wow. I witnessed and helped perform an exorcism, she thought as she walked back to her Jeep. She sat behind the wheel and thought it over. Of course, it had been terrifying. But at the end of the day, it had been nothing short of awesome. She grinned to herself as she cranked her Jeep engine.
She made her way back to Grandma Ethel’s house and wondered if a job well done in the witch world always felt so satisfying. If so, then perhaps she could get used to this lifestyle after all.
The space in front of her grandmother’s house was taken so she parked her Jeep across the street. When she hopped out and headed toward the house, there was a spring in her step. By the time she made it through the door she was beaming and couldn’t help it.
“Oh, hi,” she said cheerfully when she saw Chad and Todd in the living room. In hindsight, she realized it was Chad’s car out front. Obviously, her elation had obscured even his unmistakable wheels. “How’s it going, guys?”
“Good.” Chad looked strangely at her.
Jessica noted the way he stared at her. “What?”
“What are you so happy about?”
“Who said I’m happy?” She couldn’t even voice the question without breaking out into a wide grin. It really was dumb, and she wanted to press her hands to her cheeks and literally squash the incriminating smile off her face.
Now Todd and Grandma Ethel stared curiously at her, too.
What could she tell them? She had a feeling Pastor Norman didn’t want her to advertise the fact that he had invited her along to witness an exorcism. Although he had not said it was a secret, she felt like it wasn’t supposed to be common knowledge.
She turned her back abruptly and pretended that she suddenly needed to look out the window for some reason. Frantically, she tried to think of something to say. “Um. So. Do you think it’s okay for me to leave my Jeep across the street like that? In front of—what are their names? The couple across the street? I parked in front of their house when I saw Chad’s car. Even though I didn’t realize it was Chad’s car at first. So, Chad. What are you guys up to today? You know, you’ve missed a lot in school.”
“Oh, enough with this nonsense rambling.” Grandma Ethel cut her off. “Turn around and look at me.”
Jessica swallowed She knew she couldn’t ignore a direct order from her grandmother like that. It was very unlikely that she’d passed the age where Ethel took a belt to her backside. Heck, she didn’t think anyone was old enough to avoid that if the old lady felt it was warranted.
Reluctantly, she complied. She pressed her lips together in the hope that it would keep herself from smiling but she really didn’t succeed. Chad stared at her suspiciously. Todd looked amused and Grandma Ethel folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes.
“I see.” Ethel’s eyes bored into hers. “Where have you been, darling?”
“At school,” she answered quickly. It wasn’t a lie, but she still put her hands behind her back and crossed her fingers for good measure. She realized too late that the gesture only made her look even more suspicious.
“And?”
Jessica tried to make her expression as innocent as possible. “And what?”
Chad laughed. “Well. Now we know one ability you clearly don’t possess. You have a terrible poker face. You’ve been up to something and it’s written all over your face. Do yourself a favor and avoid joining covens that involve too much secrecy.”
“Oh, whatever.” She rolled her eyes.
“Were you with that boy? Kacey?” Grandma Ethel asked.
“Ohh.” Todd shifted. He cast an uncomfortable look at Chad. “I think this might be our cue to leave.”
“No way,” Chad said and obviously relished the drama. He looked ready to kick his feet up and grab a bowl of popcorn. “We’re basically family now. I want to see this.”
“No!” Jessica protested and some of her cheerfulness immediately dissipated.
Grandma Ethel raised a single eyebrow. “Oh? Then what has you walking on cloud nine? You should have seen yourself, the way you strolled in here. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you skipped school for a real date with this Kacey boy.”
“No and no,” Jessica insisted. “I did not skip school, and I was not with Kacey.” As she spoke, her mood started to dip. The topic turning unexpectedly to Kacey made her remember that he had never responded to her text. She wanted to pull her phone out to make sure but didn’t feel comfortable doing so with the other three all scrutinizing her every move.
She hoped Kacey wasn’t upset with her, even though deep down, she knew he had every reason to be. It had to be jarring for him that she had left him in such a hurry on the day of their outing. She knew that and even understood it. Plus, she was overtly aware, now that calling a pastor in the middle of a date was just plain weird. She was sure that it was probably within the top ten things to never do on a first date.
Jessica grimaced. There seemed little doubt that she would top the list of worst first dates ever, as far as Kacey was concerned. With her luck, he’d probably told all his friends how bizarre going out with her had been and she would never get a date again. At least not during the remainder of her time in high school. Which was basically forever, no matter how often older people claimed it would be over in the blink of an eye.
Maybe I should stop by his house tomorrow to check on him, she thought to herself. And apologize, if necessary. I don’t want him to feel that he has to avoid me forever. We should still be friends.
“Girl, what the devil is going through your mind? Your eyes are darting here and there, following your thoughts like flies on stink.”
She blinked. “What?”
Grandma Ethel waved a dismissive hand. “If you weren’t with Kacey, then where were you, Jessica? It’s too late for you to be coming from school. I don’t care how old I get, I’ll never be stupid. And I’ll never fall for a teenager trying to pull a fast one on me.”
As if to make her feel even more guilty, Grace the cat joined the crowd. She perched herself on the armrest of the couch and swished her fluffy tail. Once she’d settled comfortably, she joined the rest of them in staring at her as they all waited for an explanation regarding her whereabouts.
Jessica sighed, resigned to the fact that she clearly wouldn’t be able to walk away from this. The only thing that would get her out of the situation was the truth. “I was with Pastor Norman.” She lowered her gaze to the floor and fiddled with her fingernails. “I’m not sure if he wanted the rest of you to know this, so if he gets angry, it’s your fault.”
“I’ll handle Pastor Norman,” Ethel assured her.
“He asked me to meet him at the church after I got out of school today.”
“For what?” Chad and Ethel asked at the same time.
“For a task. One to…uh, test life as a demon hunter, I suppose.”
“A task such as?” Ethel asked impatiently.
Jessica sighed and gave herself a pep-talk. You are
a young witch-in-training. You are almost an adult. Own up to your decisions. “He took me to an exorcism.”
“What?” Chad cried.
Ethel swore.
Todd let out a low whistle that carried simultaneous notes of shock and awe.
“It went well,” Jessica added quickly. Thinking back on it, some of her prior excitement returned to her. “A group of us who went to this woman’s house. She had been possessed by a demon. It was insane! But we saved her and she’s all better now. Pastor Norman read some Bible verses and we were all armed with hand-held crosses and holy water. And there was chalk and salt. Two women made a circle around the bed.”
“Pastor Norman is way too sneaky for a man of God,” Chad interjected. With a frown, he looked at Ethel. “Do you hear this?”
“Oh, yeah. I hear it all right. It sounds like the good ol’ pastor already has his claws in you, Jessica. He’s trying to convince you to join the church’s demon hunters. It looks like he did a good job of it too. You sound awfully impressed.”
Jessica fell silent and wondered if her grandmother was right. Had Pastor Norman truly needed her help, or had he merely tried to prematurely sway her opinion?
She weighed the odds of whether she had actually fallen for some kind of trap. In silence, she looked from her grandmother to Grace, then to Todd, and lastly, to Chad. Judging from their expressions, that’s precisely what they all thought.
Todd nudged Chad. “Two can play that game, right?”
Chad nodded. “Darn straight.” He folded his arms. “Jessica, how would you like to visit the Academy of Advanced Witchcraft tomorrow after school?”
Her eyes widened. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious. Is that a yes?” He looked at Ethel. “I mean if it’s all right with you.”
Her grandmother shrugged. “Why not? Her mom said she can see it all.”
Chad grinned.
Jessica jumped up and down, almost embarrassed by how excited she felt. “Yes. I’d love to go.”
Chad gave a single nod. “Well, consider yourself officially invited. I’ll pick you up here tomorrow and we’ll head over.”
Todd grinned. “Just wait until word gets out that Ethel’s granddaughter is visiting the school.”
Grandma Ethel cleared her throat warningly. “Ahem. Perhaps that particular word had better not get out.” She narrowed her eyes. “I would appreciate it if so much pressure and expectation were not immediately thrust upon her. It would be different if she grew up in this world, but she didn’t. Remember, she’s still new to all of this.”
He nodded sheepishly. “Right. Sorry.” But the smile returned to his face. “It should still be exciting.”
Jessica grinned broadly.
Chad and Todd left after making plans with Jessica to visit the academy the following day. She helped Ethel feed the cats and fix dinner while she recounted the whole exorcism to her grandma. After dinner, she sat at the dining room table doing homework while Ethel watched her soaps. When it was time to turn in, Jessica hoped she would be able to sleep. She was already thinking about what the next day would bring.
When she stepped into her room, she startled. The television was on, although she knew she hadn’t left it that way. Soon enough, she spotted Frank lying in her bed with his feet crossed, eating cheese puffs that were as big as his head. Dismayed, she noticed his cheesy little fingerprints all over her comforter.
“Seriously, Frank?”
His eyes were wide and innocent. “What?”
“You’ve made a mess, that’s what.”
He popped another cheese puff into his mouth. “You nearly kill me and now that I’m recovering, you still find things to complain about? You have no compassion, I swear.”
“All right, all right. Whatever. Eat your cheese puffs if they make you feel better.” With a sigh, she flopped on the bed beside him and took a handful of cheese puffs for herself. “You’re still watching this?” The TV was tuned to Keeping Up with the Kardashians again.
He shrugged. “What can I say? It’s addictive. It’s fascinating what makes people famous. From what I’ve gathered, these girls’ claim to fame is their buttocks?” He rolled and twisted himself into a few awkward angles in an attempt to get a better look at his own butt.
“Cut it out, Frank. That’s gross.”
“I’m only trying to see if my butt is big enough to make me famous. What do you think?”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you keep eating cheese puffs as big as your head, you’ll get there.”
“Hmm.” He flipped onto his back and took another cheese puff. “You really don’t enjoy this show? I think it’s my favorite.”
She huffed but refrained from answering the question. If she was honest, she would have to admit it was something of a guilty pleasure for her as well. When the imp realized she wouldn’t answer, he resumed watching in silence. The two of them continued to munch the cheese puffs. She was ashamed to admit it, but she somehow grew thoroughly invested in Kardashian antics.
“I go to the witch’s academy tomorrow,” she told Frank during a commercial break.
“Oh, really?”
“Yep. Chad and Todd are taking me after regular school.”
“Good for you. At your age, it’s long past time that you stepped foot in a witch’s school.”
“Ha, ha.” Jessica paused. “I wondered…do you want to join me? Tomorrow? I know Chad works there, and Todd will probably be busy. I don’t know what Roger is up to these days. I could use someone to chat with and keep me company while I’m there.”
Frank gasped and put a hand to his chest.
“What?” she asked. She thought he might have choked on a cheese puff.
“Why, Jessica, are you asking for my company in public?”
She rolled her eyes but cracked a smile. “If I’ll be stuck with you as my familiar, I might as well get used to it. What do you say?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Frank.”
“What? I need to check my schedule first. You’ve sprung this on me at the last minute.” He dusted his hands and sprayed the bed with crumbs. The imp reached for the remote control and pressed the guide-button to scroll through the television programming for the next day. “Ahh, no Kardashians tomorrow. I’m free, then. I can go to the academy with you.”
Jessica laughed. “Why, thank you, Frank. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I am truly humbled.”
“Yeah, yeah. But please, don’t let anyone try to kill me. I know how you people are.”
“In the meantime, try not to get too into this show. I don’t want to have to force you to go cold turkey once you are fully addicted. It’s called ‘reality TV’ for a reason, you know.”
Frank frowned, confused. He pointed to the screen as the show came back from commercial break. “You mean because that’s reality?”
“No, because people get so obsessed it becomes your whole reality.”
“No, it’s ‘reality TV’ because it’s Kim’s real life.”
“Nope. Sorry. That’s a big lie used for marketing. The show is aimed at people who like to gossip. It gives them something to gossip about. And it somehow makes them feel better about themselves. It’s all a sham, honestly.” She sighed. “Still, people fall for it.”
“Like we do?” he questioned.
Jessica laughed. “Well, I guess if you’re calling a spade a spade, then yes.”
“Come again?”
“Never mind. Watch the show, Frank.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Jessica had initially planned to pay Kacey a visit after school, but she decided it could wait. There was always tomorrow. For now, she had other plans. She rushed home from school, hardly able to contain her excitement. She and Chad agreed that he would pick her up at Grandma Ethel’s house rather than straight from school.
“You know, so I can avoid being seen by any teachers who want to question me about my poor attendance,”
Chad had explained.
She didn’t object. To meet at Ethel’s house would be better for everyone, especially since she wanted Frank to come along. By no means did she want any of her classmates or teachers to accidentally see an imp. She would have a hard time explaining that. If someone saw him, she might be tempted to cast a memory-altering spell, and she didn’t want to risk that. Especially not with all the rumors about hypnosis that currently swirled around her.
“He’s here!” she yelled as she looked out the window.
Grandma Ethel shuffled across the living room in her house-slippers. “All right. Don’t wet yourself.”
“Come on, Frank.” Jessica held her backpack open for him and he hopped inside.
The imp immediately complained. “Would it have killed you to put a pillow in here? To spruce the place up a little bit for me?”
“If you wanted a pillow, you should have said so. This was your idea in the first place.”
“My idea?”
“Traveling in the backpack, I mean,” she clarified.
While they had the details, Frank had decided that he didn’t want to waltz into a witch’s academy out in the open where everyone could see him. “Most witches are just like you and would try to kill me right on sight.” He decided he would prefer Jessica to carry him inside her backpack where he’d be safely out of view.
“Here.” Ethel waved her hand, wiggled her fingers, and magically produced a miniature pillow and blanket. They were exactly the right size for an imp.
He bowed in Ethel’s direction. “Thank you kindly.”
Chad beeped his car horn.
“Gotta go.” Jessica snatched her backpack up and tossed it over her shoulder. Frank yelped from inside of it. “Sorry.” She waved to her grandmother as she ran out the door.
“You be careful and stay close to Chad!” the old lady called from the doorway as Jessica raced down the porch steps.