The Demon's Game

by Oxford, Rain

  “No… I just scared him a little.”

  I pulled a cherry Jolly Crunch out of my pocket and held it out for Xul. “Good demon,” I praised as he took it hesitantly. “What name did you give the school board?”

  “Zeb Carter. I’ve been using the name since I arrived on Earth.”

  “You took Dad’s old last name?”

  “I couldn’t use his current name.”

  “Why did you choose the name Zeb?” Hail asked.

  Xul’s eyes were sad, but before he could answer, the bell rang. “Ask me another time. Hail, get out of my class. Ron, aren’t you supposed to be in shorts?”

  I growled. Luckily for him, Xul was smart enough not to make us run. Instead we played basketball, which I was surprisingly good at. At one point, I was too far away so I used magic to make the basket, after which Xul discretely smacked me in the back of the head. Since nobody had ever been so bold or insolent, I was about to go off on him.

  “You can’t risk exposing your family like that,” he warned. “Do you want people hunting your brother down because you showed off?”

  My fury drained as I realized Xul was concerned for my brother. “I wasn’t trying to show off, I just wanted to win. Hail is athletic; I want to have something in common with him.”

  “You’re like your dad, whereas Hail is like Mordon. It’s okay to be different. Hail would kill a rock to protect you and it’s not because of your hobbies. If you wanted to sew kittens on pillows for a living, I’m pretty sure he would be right beside you, cheering you on. Actually, I think your father should pick that up as a hobby. The point is, when you try to be someone you’re not, that’s when things go wrong. Just be you and you’ll both do fine.”

  The bell rang and I ran to get dressed. I felt Hail’s presence closing in, but I thought he would wait for me outside the locker room, so I didn’t rush. I was trying to clean myself with a washcloth so I didn’t have to put clean clothes on a dirty body when Hail hugged me from behind. He was all sweaty.

  “Hail! Now I have to wash again!” I screeched.

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want to stink!”

  The joy on his face vanished and there was heartbreak in his eyes. “Are you saying I stink?”

  “Um… of course not,” I backtracked. “I meant that I smell bad. I think girls don’t like the way I smell and I don’t want them to think I stink.”

  Now he glared. “Are you talking about a specific girl?” His fist clinched. “Why have I not been told you have a girlfriend? Does Dad know? Where is she and what is she allergic to? She better be---”

  “Cut it out! I don’t have a girlfriend. Why did you run in here all excited?”

  “I saw you playing basketball. You did good.”

  “Well,” I corrected instinctively. Everything Xul said went right out the window. I would join wrestling if Hail wanted me to. But, seriously gross. I mean, I would do it if he asked me to, but I would complain a lot.

  Once I dressed, Hail walked me to math. The tardy bell rang as we entered, but the teacher wasn’t there. Hail shrugged when I warned him that he was tardy, and didn’t put one inch of space between us. As the students all talked to each other, Hail’s expression grew more and more suspicious.

  “Did your teacher tell you where he went?” Hail asked in his most authoritative voice. Everyone instantly stopped talking and turned to him.

  “He wasn’t in here when we came in,” one of the boys in the back said.

  After five minutes, the teacher was still missing. Hail grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me out of the room. “You’re coming to my class today.”

  “Shouldn’t we try to find Mr. Cardigan? He could be hurt.”

  “He’ll be fine. I’m sure he just forgot about his class,” Hail said. We reached his classroom only to find the science teacher missing as well. Another teacher was trying to watch hers and the science teacher’s classes. “Let’s go find Zeb; I don’t like this.”

  Because we could be overheard, it would be a bad idea to say Xul’s name aloud, since that would give power over him to anyone who knew how to use it. As if we summoned him, the demon came striding towards us. He stopped in front of the classroom doorway instead of acknowledging us,

  “All students of Mrs. Sevenstar’s class are to go immediately to the gym. Sit on the bleachers and stay out of the way of the basketball players. Seriously now, those eighth graders will stampede you.” He turned to us. “Get going, Samhail,” he barked.

  Hail glared at the demon and squeezed my hand before joining the crowd heading to the gym.

  Xul ignored him. “Take me to Mr. Cardigan’s classroom.”

  “My math teacher didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “No, I believe he’s a victim in this. He was attacked and hospitalized last night. I’m afraid the one responsible is trying to get to you.”

  “Then why do you want me to take you to his classroom?”

  “Because you’re annoying and would make wonderful bait.”

  “I am the balance. You will obey---”

  He slapped his hand over my mouth. “Be very careful what you say. Half of the teachers in this school are demons and any one of them could turn on you.”

  “They are compelled to obey me.”

  “They are compelled to obey the balance, which you don’t yet understand how to use to your advantage. And I promise before you had a chance to figure it out, you would be dead. Demons don’t like to be made to kneel. They are afraid of your father, but that fear does not extend to you and your brother; you have to make them fear you.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “Act like your father.” He opened the door to Mr. Cardigan’s class. There was a woman there who I instantly got a very bad feeling about. “Mrs. Rose? There has been a mix-up in the office. They reassigned you to substitute for Mrs. Sevenstar’s class. The students are all in the gym on the bleachers.”

  She looked startled and a bit peeved, but there wasn’t anything she could do. She frowned at me as she walked out.

  “Get in your seat, Ron. Okay, let’s discuss string theory.”

  “Yay!” I yelled, plopping down in my seat.

  “Just kidding. We’ll discuss… fractions I guess.”

  “No…” I moaned, putting my head down. Here I had an Ancient at my disposal and I still had to contend with fractions. Evil, boring fractions. Stupid fractions couldn’t even be whole numbers…

  * * *

  During FACS, the intercom interrupted to tell us that Hail and I needed to ride the bus because Drake was being taken home early. Covered in cookie batter and chocolate smeared on my face like war paint, I growled in frustration. Hail and I were supposed to protect him. How many demon teachers have hurt him?

  “What’s your problem?” a student asked.

  I examined the boy for a minute. “I don’t know you.”

  “No, this is my first day,” he said.

  “Then don’t assume you can speak to me.”

  “That’s not a very nice thing to say, Ron,” a girl said. I looked at her and tried to remember her name. She was a little taller than me with dark blond hair and big blue eyes.

  “I’m not nice. I don’t try to be nice.” I gave up on trying to remember her name. I only bothered with this class because Hail liked my food; this class was in no way helpful in getting me into seventh grade the next year.

  FACS let out early so I walked to Hail’s class. My cookies weren’t done and I had nothing to give my brother, so I was focused on coming up with a plan distract him. I sensed danger right before I was pushed from behind. I hit the soft dirt, luckily, as I had taken the shortcut to Hail’s class, which was through the archery field. Unfortunately, that meant I was alone with my opponent and Hail didn’t get out for another five minutes. If I used magic, I would be risking the safety of my family, but I really couldn’t fight any other way.

  It was the boy from FACS. He stood with his fists raised. “You w
ant to talk shit in front of everyone, let’s see how you put up now.”

  I dusted dirt from my shirt and recalled everything my uncle and granddad had taught me. Unfortunately, that was Hail’s thing. I outsmarted our enemy, and he pounded them into pulp. I liked our system. Why did this fool have to mess that up?

  I will not expose my family.

  The boy threw a punch at me, which I narrowly dodged.

  I will not expose my family.

  He kicked this time and caught me in the upper leg. It hurt, but not enough to knock me down.

  I will not expose my family.

  I resorted to the best method of fighting I could. When he tried to punch me again, I grabbed his arm, bit him, and would not led go no matter how hard he screamed or hit me. Then his eyes glowed yellow and I released him. He created a fireball in his fist, aimed, and…

  I will not expose my family.

  His fire shot out and struck an invisible shield in front of me. Xul, suddenly beside him, grabbed the demon roughly by the arms. “Big mistake, kid. That was a big mistake.” Xul and his captive vanished.

  I was waiting calmly by the door when Hail walked out of his classroom. He saw me and his face lit up. “You came to walk me to lunch!””

  “Of course I did. How was your morning?”

  “Boring! Yours?”

  “The same. Nothing interesting. Hey.” I stopped him and turned to him with my best “forgive me, love me, I’m innocent” expression.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I didn’t get your cookies done in time for lunch. Don’t be mad.”

  He pulled me into his arms for a hug and kissed my forehead. “I couldn’t be mad at you for that. You don’t have to make me sweets every day for lunch.” He let me go. “You can make me dessert at home instead.” He walked off towards the cafeteria. I sighed, happy that I hadn’t ruined his morning.

  * * *

  After school, Hail and I chose to walk home instead of taking the bus. We probably should have waited for Xul, but I didn’t want the demon to go with us. Hail was extremely excited about going swimming, though we decided we were going to check on Drake first. The only thing that possibly could have distracted me from going straight to Drake’s house was a crime scene, and since there would never be a crime scene in such a small town…

  I was shocked to come across yellow police tape sectioning off the yard of a small house. Hail shrugged when I looked at him. “Let’s see what the problem is,” I said.

  Hail opened the door and a police officer was instantly there. “You can’t come in here, boys.”

  “I am Holmes, Detective Sherlock Holmes, and this is my assistant, Watson.” I flashed my badge, which Dad gave me for my birthday, and he sputtered. “Junior division, thank you very much. Now, what can you tell me about the situation?” I pushed past him to survey the room.

  “I don’t---”

  “Watson, get this down; the suspect is a woman,” I interrupted. Hail instantly had a little notepad and pen out and started writing.

  “Hang on, Sherlock---” the officer started.

  “Watson, get this down; Sherlock Holmes disguise only works on worlds other than Earth.”

  “You’re going too fast,” Hail said, scribbling on his pad.

  “Shorthand, Watson, shorthand! This is a crime scene, not a tea party.” I turned to the officer. “I have all the information I need. I will call you in the morning with my full report. Thank you for your cooperation.” He was sputtering as I left.

  “So what happened?” Hail asked.

  “A little girl was kidnapped by a demon.”

  “How do we save her?” he asked.

  My brother would never question me or my methods. “A demon kidnapped the girl, so let’s find the only demon we know.”

  “Did Zeb do this?”

  “Of course not. He’s Dad’s demon. He wouldn’t do anything wrong like that,” I opened the door to the apartment to find Xul on the couch and Dylan yelling at him. “Um… bad time, Daddy?” I asked.

  He glared at me and thunder cracked outside. Hail pushed me behind him. “It was my fault! Whatever it was, Ron didn’t do it!”

  “You were out there alone without telling anyone where you were.” Dad’s quiet voice caused Hail to back up until he was pushing me back out the door. Lightning crackled in the sky.

  “But Xul could have---”

  “You were out there alone without telling anyone where you were! Go to your room!” Hail grabbed my hand and took off, keeping us as far out of Dad’s reach as possible. Our mom was a god. Our dad was scary as hell.

  We sat in our room and did homework. When we were done with that, we turned the page and did more work. The house was absolutely silent until Mom got home, and apparently she picked up on the mood pretty quickly.

  At about six, Mordon walked in with two bowls of cereal. “We seem to be missing a lot to food, so this is the best I could manage.”

  “Is Daddy gonna be mad at us forever?” I asked. Mordon sat on my bed between my brother and me.

  “No, buddy. He’s not really mad at you; he just doesn’t know how to deal with what he feels. The principal called him at work to tell him you two didn’t get on the bus. He came home and found Xul, and Xul didn’t know where you were, either. You two were kidnapped yesterday. He was so scared that the only way he could express it was with anger.”

  “Dad is never afraid. Even the gods listen to him,” Hail argued.

  “If either of you ever got hurt, your dad’s heart would die. He wouldn’t be able to stand the pain. Your father is the strongest man I know, never forget that, but he is strongest in his love for his family. The fear of losing you two could kill him.”

  “We didn’t know we weren’t supposed to be out alone!” Hail cried.

  “I know. Earth isn’t like Duran, and especially Shomodii. On Duran, you have magic, Hobble, and Shinobu. If you go anywhere here, you have to let someone know. If not for your own safety then for Xul’s.”

  “Xul?” I asked.

  Mordon nodded. “Your dad was about to kill him very painfully.” He stood. “I now know why he keeps corncob holders in the house. Rojan and I learned a few things today.” Mordon left and we went to bed soon after.

  * * *

  Once again, I saw my uncle covered in blood with his claws and teeth shifted. This time was different though, because he had a sword and because he was facing me instead of my father. It was cold, but I looked down when heat spread across my chest. My heartbeat pounded faster and faster as blood pooled at my feet.

  I tried to reach for my uncle, to cry for his help.

  * * *

  I woke to Hail screaming something unintelligible. Something about a staff. I ran to his bed and hugged him. “It’s okay. Everything is okay.”

  “I saw Dad die. I saw him die. That is not okay!” He tried to scramble out of bed, but got tangled in sheets.

  I untwisted the sheets until he could spring from the bed and out the door before I could even figure out what he was talking about. I followed him and reached the hallway just as he nearly busted our parents’ door open. Drawn by the commotion, Mordon opened his door and stared down the hallway in confusion, still half asleep. By the time I made it to our parents’ room with Mordon right behind me, Hail was under the covers between Mom and Dad and both of them were hugging him.

  “What happened?” Dad asked.

  “I had a bad dream,” Hail whispered instead of the truth. I joined him on the bed.

  “Got this handled?” Mordon asked. Dad nodded and Mordon walked back to his room.

  * * *

  There was a terribly annoying chirping sound. I reached towards the sound in order to hit it and felt something soft.

  “Ow!” Dad yelped. “Watch it, sweetheart. I got it.” The dreadful chirping stopped.

  Mom laughed. “He’s so your son. How many times have I been abused for that damn alarm clock?”

  “Sorry, love.” He leaned o
ver me to kiss Mom and I gagged.

  “That’s my cue to leave.” I grabbed Hail by the foot and pulled, but he was too heavy and too deeply asleep. I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen. Xul was reading a book at the table, the coffee was brewing, and all the ingredients were laid out for me to make breakfast. “Whatcha reading?” I asked.

  He gave me a suspicious look and lowered the book so I couldn’t see the cover. “A slasher/gore story.”

  “Oh. Dad said we should never watch the news. I didn’t know they made a book about it.” He laughed and I was clueless as to why. “Why are you staying with us instead of just jumping in to save us when you need to?”

  “I don’t know. I just like this town for some reason; it seems like as good a place as any for me to settle down in. Besides, your dad put me on babysitting duty.”

  “So, there’s a crime scene on Fourth Street that---”

  “Nope. You are grounded. I’m not taking another lashing from your father. You will not leave my sight for a hot second if I have to take over each and every damn one of your classes. Don’t try to barter sympathy either. That man is a lunatic when it comes to protecting you and I’m not getting yelled at for you again. You’re to go from school to home with me breathing down your neck the entire way.”

  “What about Hail?”

  “Hail won’t do anything unless he’s following your lead. You are grounded. He can go to his classes without me.”

  “You can’t ground me!”

  “I damn well can, kid. I don’t care if you call me your baby-sitter, your warden, or the wart on your butt; I’m not letting you out of spitting distance. I’ll bust your butt if I have to.”

  “You can’t!” I screeched.

  “Ronez Yatunus, you will lower your voice.” My father’s growl consumed the room and made me feel even smaller than I was.

  “Sorry, Daddy.”

  He approached me slowly. “I don’t want ‘sorry,’ I want a ‘yes, sir.’ You will not leave Xul’s sight without permission, you will mind him, and you will be home right after school or so help me, you’ll wish you were being kidnapped again. Do I make myself clear?”