Keeley Thomson (Book 2): Keelzebub

by P. S. Power

  Well, her idea, so that sounded fair.

  Keeley had an idea too, just to actually try and get the numbers up a bit. Why not?

  “It’s by percentage of the student body, so get everyone to come. Make a point of getting the shy kids and the nerds, and you’ll have it in the bag no problem. Most of the schools ignore those kids, and they probably wouldn’t normally even go to the game. You’re what, the team captain? Get your buddies to chat those kids up and a lot of them will come.” It was probably true. Someone asking them to show up at a party could do that, as long as the football team wasn’t made up solely of self-obsessed morons.

  The guy in front of her smirked and looked overconfident. Cocky. Then, he probably was.

  “Cool. I don’t suppose I could get a private show right now, just to, you know, make sure you aren’t just saying things? My reputation is on the line if I do this.”

  Darla smiled a bit but didn’t move. Keeley shrugged, made herself not feel anything and started unbuttoning her blouse, slowly.

  She’d only gotten three buttons undone before the front door started to open, which she took as a sign to drop her hands.

  “Maybe tomorrow? If it’s earned I mean? Remember, everyone wins if the numbers are high enough.”

  A woman spoke from the door.

  “Daryl? Who are your friends?” The woman sounded a little nervous, then with a son like this, she had every reason to be. Especially around women.

  “Um, I’d better go. Step mom. She’s cool, but might not… well, later? That sounds good. After the dance, at Hendricks park? Like, eleven or so?”

  “Starting earlier if anyone just wants to skip the dance, about nine.” Keeley had already included that in the plans. That way they might get some kids that wouldn’t go to the dance itself, but wanted to do something. It had been Glen’s idea. He’d had several good ones.

  “I’ll be there and try to bring some friends then. Yeah.”

  He gave them another smarmy look as he headed for the door.

  Keeley was just glad she hadn’t had to touch him.

  Now all they had to do was get Eve and make it away without being seen.

  Easy.

  Because honestly she was just going to leave that part to her sister. Eve was hers after all. In the moment that meant the girl was her mess to handle, didn’t it?

  Chapter six

  Darla gave just the smallest wave, not to Keeley, but toward the bushes, then hissed softly.

  “Eve, wait for us to drive away, we’ll meet you down the block. Five minutes.” Then she climbed in the little red car, waited for Keeley to get in and made sure her seat belt was on, then drove away as if going home for the night.

  It really had that specific feel to it somehow. It was in the deliberate way she drove, defined and clear, not particular looking around other than for safety concerns. It set the mood well. It was like that was all Darla was even thinking about. She had a destination and that was all that mattered to her at the moment. Something for Keeley to do to, she tried for a minute and actually felt shocked when Darla pulled over, even if it had been the plan.

  Down the street they waited blocked from view by the neighbor’s house and some low bushes. Foliage that Eve came through about six minutes later. She hopped into the back, panting.

  “Drive. Drive!” Her voice was rough, angry, but also a little relieved. She probably hadn’t wanted to really become a murderer, even if she was angry.

  They took off at a sedate speed, moving along like they belonged there, instead of squealing away like morons. No one said anything for several minutes, waiting for Eve to share with them, instead.

  “He did it. I know he killed Rob. No one will do anything about it, so I’m going to. I was about to.” She didn’t say that she was going to shoot, but her voice sounded angry, and scared. Keeley didn’t know if she would have pointed the gun, but she was fairly certain Eve wouldn’t have pulled the trigger. Not without more evidence at least.

  Darla kept looking straight forward.

  “Different plan. First we need proof. Then, if our new best friend Daryl here is guilty, we need to find out who helped him. Once that’s done, we hire the work done and make sure they die in a way that won’t have you locked up for the rest of your life. I’m very disappointed in you Eve.” Darla didn’t sound it. Her tone was even and almost sweet.

  “I would have hoped you’d realize that this wasn’t just being left alone. In case you didn’t hear, we just set up an event that should have the entire student body of Wilson High attending, at least those most likely to know who might have harmed out friend. If we play this correctly we should be able to learn a lot. Don’t you think Keeley?”

  Keeley nodded. She really did think.

  “The other schools too. Telling the boys that naked girls will be there should get a few of them to bother coming. Even if it’s just hinted at. We’ll just get Darla to go topless and it won’t even be a lie.” She grinned when she said it, but Darla just nodded.

  Right. Four hundred plus year old Demon. Probably didn’t care a lot if people saw her naked.

  For that matter Keeley really didn’t care right now either. She’d left her emotions shut down. That would take a lot of the embarrassment out of the idea, if she had to do it too.

  “Oh? It looked to me like Keels here was about to throw down the goods on that freaks front porch.” Eve chuckled. “What would you have done if his mother hadn’t come out?”

  “To get my friend free of a bad situation? A lot. Though it would have been a pain getting my bra off quickly. How do you do that anyway, flash with a bra on? Just, I don’t know, lift it up?” That should work, in case it ever came up again.

  Darla smiled, but it wasn’t an overly happy thing.

  “That works. We’ll have to dress more appropriately for the party however. You too Eve. We’ll grab Hally and make a circuit of all the parks. Keeley’s in charge of it, so she has to anyway, and really, as her friends we’d help out, right?”

  Eve grunted.

  “Seriously? I was just going to shoot that guy, innocent little Keeley was ready to strip on his doorstep to distract him, so I could get away… and we’re all just going to ignore all that? I have a gun on me, and really… just nothing from you two on the topic? If I didn’t know better I’d think you really were planning to have those guys killed and weren’t just saying that to placate me.” The girl, wiped her forehead, short, sporty looking black hair being brushed aside. She didn’t have dark skin, but was clearly part Hispanic. It was a good look, Keeley decided.

  Probably enough to get her into a good school, if her grades were high enough. Or, well, if they could be faked to look that way. They’d have to make sure she sent a picture along with her applications. People might like to pretend looks didn’t matter, but that was a lie. They mattered a lot.

  Luckily that was something that could be controlled for though.

  Wear the right clothes, hold your body correctly, smooth out skin tone with make-up. Yeah, a five could be a nine, no problem. Two weeks before Keeley had never thought about it, but having watched her new sister over that time, it was starting to sink in how it could be done. How it really was done, most of the time. Reassuring in a way.

  Even if you weren’t born with the looks, you could get them anyway. If you were willing to do the work and could see what was needed. It was her plan for the next day, she decided. Especially the early part. When she had to get to all the other schools and drum up interest.

  That and illegally plant booze in some cars.

  “Hey, Darla, do you know how to break into locked cars?”

  Eve sat up, almost eagerly for some reason.

  “Ohh. I get it, we’re going to steal their things? Dump them in the river? I’m sure they’re big enough punks that they deserve it, even if they aren’t responsible for Rob. That guy though, Daryl, he’s just… wrong. I heard that he kind of raped a girl at a party. She got drunk and passed out, and h
e said that she wasn’t when they started, but still. He has to be in on it. He’s… gross.” The girl struggled, trying to articulate what Keeley had noticed too. It was hard for her, attuned as she was to watch for potential predators, the girl didn’t have the words for actual evil.

  Eve had been abused as a child, Keeley knew. It was worse than that, a lot of it was flat out rape, by anyone’s definition. A string of guys that gave her mom drugs, then did things to her while she was off getting high.

  Why her father had never done anything about it Keeley hadn’t found out yet. She was curious, but it probably wasn’t her business, so she decided to let it go. For a while.

  Now if she found the men that had done that to her friend, they’d die. The worst one already had. Balthias had done it. She should take him some cake or something. Did Lesser Demons even eat? She should find out. It could be a real point.

  Just as they pulled in to a drive through, a Taco Bell, Darla decided to speak.

  “I do indeed know how to break into cars.”

  “Good. It may come up.”

  Or it might not. Keeley would have to play that by ear. They ordered a lot more food than seemed natural for three girls, the slightly chubby girl in the window goggled a little at them. She looked young enough to be in school, even working at nearly eight on a week day.

  “Hey, do you go to school around here?” She said it as if the girl was someone she recognized from the halls. She didn’t, but that was alright, it was just about starting a conversation.

  Darla spoke before the girl with her funny visor could say anything.

  “Oh, sure she does, Keeley, this is Becky Hoader. She does most of the props for the school plays. Really nice work too. I loved what you did for Macbeth. I had to actually go and touch some of those fake boulders, to see if you’d just had them carted in. Real talent there.” This got said to Becky, with enough eye contact that it seemed like Darla was hitting on the poor thing, who blushed a scarlet red.

  Keeley asked if she was going to the dance, talked up the party a bit and handed over her credit card, one that Darla paid for, to settle up the bill.

  “So, Becky, when do you want to be picked up?” Keeley said as if there had been some agreement and the girl was definitely going to the party.

  “I have to work several of the events myself, but we can get you a ride if you want? And you can hang out with us when we’re at the Raintree party. I mean, if you want. It might end up just being us and a bonfire, but, what the hey, right? Everything is a risk and I don’t know that many people at school yet. Kind of new still.”

  Eve sat up in the back seat.

  “That would be cool. We’ve never really hung out. I figured it was, you know, you being one of the arts crowd and, well, I’m just a cheerleader… It could be fun though.”

  Becky looked baffled and sounded a little scared, which Keeley thought she understood. What would a group of hot cheerleaders want with her? Except that they wanted what everyone did. Friends. Or in this case, being a little more mercenary, bodies at a party. The nice safe one that would have police standing by to keep trouble down.

  “Oh, God… Duh.” Keeley held her forehead in her right hand for a second, a real gesture even, not something contrived.

  “Guys, don’t let me forget, we should invite Maria too, she really liked Rob and she shouldn’t be alone, if she doesn’t already have other plans.”

  Becky passed the second large bag to Darla. Who handed them both to Keeley. It smelled really good. For a half second she almost tore into the bag without waiting to get her card back.

  Becky’s mouth opened just a bit, not shocked as much as just as if she was thinking something new.

  “Wait, Maria Gonzales? She’s a friend of mine. I mean, we’ve worked together on props, and sit together at lunch sometimes. I didn’t know she liked Rob. She didn’t mention it to me. No wonder she’s been so down this last week. She’s really sweet too, it’s horrible to watch.”

  That seemed to decide the girl, knowing someone in common who was nice, and she agreed to go, though she could drive herself, possibly pick up Maria too, maybe a few other people, if they wanted to go.

  Keeley cheered inside her head. If it worked out that was one, maybe even two, whole people that would be showing up. It was possibly a two hundred percent increase.

  “Everyone is welcome. Actually, if you could make a point of letting people know, that would be incredible. Oh, tell the guys that if our party numbers beat Wilson High’s we’re sending girls around to flash the crowd. Hot ones too. Darla already said she would and Eve just might. So, that might get a few more people to show up.

  “Really?” Becky looked very skeptical, but Darla nodded.

  “Yes. See what levels Keeley makes me stoop to? Hardly fair, but there you have it, she promised to organize a party and it seems nothing is going to stand in her way, not even having me branded the school slut. Sigh. It’s almost enough to make me hope one of the other schools win. Then I’ll at least only have to worry about the pictures being seen on the Internet.”

  She shook her head sadly, but then grinned and winked at the girl who blushed again.

  “Say, are you in too? All four of us could do it, then we’re just being wild and adventurous, not worthy of scorn.”

  Becky laughed and sent them on their way, but seemed happy enough about having been asked. So there was that if nothing else.

  After that Darla took Eve home and told her to hide the handgun, referring to it as a nine millimeter specifically, under the trailer she and her mother lived in. It would be harder for her drugged addled mom to find that way. The woman wasn’t evil or anything, from what Eve said, but Keeley knew for a fact that she was a horrible person. Not mean, true, but if she hadn’t known that her little daughter was being repeatedly raped by her “boyfriends”, Keeley would give up eating for a week. The only good thing about the whole situation was that Eve’s mom was probably going to die inside the next ten years and her friend would be out of there inside two.

  Even if she had to join the army or something to do it.

  It was part of her current plan to make sure she got away. No matter what.

  They couldn’t wait, since they had to get Keeley home before nine, or her father would have a problem. He might already. She was with Darla, who he both wanted to have sex with and secretly thought Keeley already was. It would have goaded her into some kind of teen rebellion, but really, she didn’t have time for it right now. Maybe in a couple hundred years?

  They hurried and she ate the whole time they drove, fairly stuffing food into her mouth. It was gross, unladylike and got sour cream and refried beans all over her hands, but she finished it all before they got in the driveway. Darla slid her little car in right next to Frieda and sighed mightily. It was a put upon thing and she shook her head, almost imperceptibly, which got Keeley to look for herself.

  There was a huge scratch all the way down the left side of it. One that obviously had involved a nice, bright yellow car, probably something older and American. Like a taxi in color, except all those in the area were white and red checkers, or a light blue.

  Keeley pointed.

  “Crud. I’m sorry Darla. She’s normally a good driver. Not perfect but…”

  This got waved away casually, “just a thing, Keels, besides you can get it fixed, I’ll get you the information for my body shop, they know the right color paint for her. This wasn’t an accident though. Look at the line, how it scrapes along the side like this? Someone side swiped her. Then they turned into her near the front, see how the dent gets bigger? It was poorly executed, so an amateur. They should have turned into the tail end, its lighter, making it easier to move. On a front wheel drive force on the back wheels is harder to correct for too.” She pointed at a second line, perceptible even in the dim light coming from over the garage.

  “This is where your mom floored it. Frieda probably outran them easily once she knew to run. People tend not to reac
t correctly at first to attacks, not knowing they’re real. I need to check on your mother and make sure she’s alright.”

  They jogged into the house, to find Sherry being held by Charles on the sofa, being rocked gently.

  “Mom! Are you OK? We were looking at Frieda. What happened, are you hurt?” Running to her, Keeley put her arms out, which was unusual enough that her dad backed away slightly so that she could hug her mother.

  After being hit with the whole story, along with the rest of her life again, including the information that Sherry, did indeed, know all about Keeley’s strange heritage, though she didn’t know that Keeley knew any of it for herself. Finias had told her what she was, but not that their daughter knew about it.

  Interesting.

  After a few moments Darla walked over, which got Sherry to bite her lip. “Ah, it was a hit and run. I don’t know if the insurance will cover it or not.” She sounded extremely worried about it.

  “No big thing if they don’t Mrs. Thomson. Keeley is going to get it into the shop in the morning and we’ll get her fixed up good as new. It’s mainly just cosmetic anyway. I’ll see if I can get Grandma to rent a car for tomorrow, Keels, or maybe lend you a company car. I know there are some. Possibly not as nice as Frieda, but it’s only for a few days.”

  That led to Charles asking why his daughter needed a car at all, and Darla chattering merrily on about how busy the day would really be.

  “Which means missing two days of school in a row. I can’t like that.” Keeley knew she sounded sad and meant it. She kind of liked school. The work was a little easy, but she made up for that by watching all the interesting goings on and trying to understand the social web of the place. That and making sure she had as close to an “A+” average as possible. Not that it would make a difference later, but it was nice to know she was doing well.

  Then her father did something totally unlike him, and shrugged.

  “Well, don’t worry about it. You get good grades and two days won’t really make that go away. Plus, spending your day going from school to school has to count. In spirit if nothing else. Get your homework though, I don’t want you fretting all weekend because you forgot.” He smiled and tried to actually look supportive.