“Best idea ever. Plus, I have something to show you. You’re not going to believe what I found.”
“So what’s the big emergency?” Reese let the metal door slam behind her as she stepped out into the parking lot.
“Hey.” Quinn took a step forward.
“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the gym or still in your pajamas or something?” Reese replied, her eyes straying to the ground.
“I thought I would surprise you.” Quinn shrugged and held out her arms. “Surprise?” she squeaked.
“I don’t like surprises.”
An awkward silence stretched between them, Quinn chewed on her lip while Reese tapped her foot on the floor.
Marcus elbowed Reese. “Aren’t you going to welcome her back?”
“Why? I wasn’t expecting her today. Actually, I wasn’t expecting her ever,” Reese said, arms crossed over her chest. “She sent you a text, not me. What kind of friend does that?”
“Of course I sent him a text. You haven’t replied to any of my messages since the memorial.” It was hard not to sound defensive, but Quinn couldn’t help it. They both had played a part in the unraveling of their friendship. “The phone works both ways, you know.”
“Yeah, Quinn, it does. How about finding out from Ami that you’re dating some guy that works at the gym? She seems to think you make a cute couple and keeps asking me about it. How would I know? You don’t tell me anything anymore. Is that why you’ve been ditching school? Ditching me? For some guy?”
“I’m not dating anybody. He’s just a friend.”
“Come on, girls. Can you two hug it out now? All this fighting is making me hungry.” Marcus grinned. “Or maybe kiss it out? Go ahead, I’ll watch.”
Reese tried to hide her smile, but Quinn saw the gleam in her eye. “God, Marcus, you really know how to ruin a good BFF fight, don’t you?” She sighed. “I’m tired of being angry at you. And I’m sorry I haven’t returned your calls. I have missed you, but the whole thing with Aaron at the cemetery freaked me the hell out. You freaked me out.” Reese embraced Quinn in a tight hug.
“I’m sorry I freaked you out.” Hugging Reese was like coming home. “You have no idea how much I missed you. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Caleb, but there was nothing to tell, really.”
“Now that we’re all friends again, want to grab some pizza with us?” Marcus asked. “We’ve decided to take a half day.”
“I really shouldn’t. I’ve got an economics quiz.” Reese glanced back at the side door of Westland High.
“Please, Reese, I can’t go back in there.” Quinn bit her bottom lip. “My hand kind of ran into Kerstin’s face.”
“What?” Marcus and Reese said in unison.
“She said Aaron was dead because of me. I snapped.” Quinn left out the part about Kerstin being possessed by a demon. “If people thought I was psycho before, today will be the nail in my coffin. Besides, you’re already late.” Quinn bumped her hip on Reese’s. “Please?”
Reese put her arm around Quinn and squeezed. “Fine. One slice, but I want to be back before physics. We’re making special glasses for Thursday’s solar eclipse.”
“Oh, I forgot about that. Be sure to make one for me too, okay?” Marcus winked. “And can you add X-ray vision to mine? You know, to help me with human anatomy?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“If you mean girl anatomy, I think you know enough.” Reese punched him on the arm and grinned. “And no, I won’t do your homework for you.”
“So you’re just going to let me go blind staring straight into the sun without that paper box thing?”
“You won’t go blind. You’ll just damage your retina beyond repair. It doesn’t hurt or anything, you’ll just get afterimages that look like flocks of crows in your vision. You would know that if you had been paying attention in class last Friday instead of passing me drawings of Mr. Navarro in awkward situations.”
“Hey, those drawings might be worth something someday. I think I’ve got some real talent.” Marcus opened the car door for Reese.
“I think you better come back for physics with me if you know what’s good for you.” Reese patted his cheek.
“Hey, do you guys mind if I invite Caleb to join us?” Quinn pulled her phone from her purse and replied to his latest text. “He gets off work in ten minutes. I think you both will really like him.”
“We would love to meet your new friend.” Marcus mimed quotation marks with his fingers when he said the word friend. “Right, Reese?”
“Yeah, I guess. At least maybe Ami will stop asking me about him if we do.” Reese hopped into the passenger seat. “Well, come on, let’s go.”
***
Tony’s was practically empty. Quinn guessed that not many people ate pizza before noon. Quinn slid into the booth beside Reese and across from Marcus. Putting her arm around her friend, Quinn sensed how happy Reese was that they were finally doing something normal, but if she could see Azrael standing just outside the window, she would know that life for Quinn was anything but.
“Before Caleb gets here, I have something I want to show you.” Quinn placed Aaron’s journal on the table.
Marcus picked up the notebook and held it reverently in his hands. “It’s his song book, all right. Josh and I looked all over his room for it. Where did you find it?”
“In his locker.”
Marcus sat up straight in his seat. “No way. I walked past it on my way to class this morning. I always pat it with my hand. My way of saying I haven’t forgotten him. It was totally closed. The padlock was locked.”
Quinn traced an invisible pattern on the cover with a finger, avoiding eye contact. “Someone must have unlocked it.”
“Weird. I should have known that’s where it would be.” Marcus skimmed through the pages. “Did you read through it yet?”
Quinn nodded. “Here, September sixteenth.” She flipped to the final entry.
Marcus read through the entry and grinned. “I knew it.”
“Let me see that.” Reese grabbed Aaron’s notebook and started reading herself, flipping pages and shaking her head. “This is getting too weird.” Reese sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. “Lockers that open by themselves, messages from beyond the grave, it’s like some low-budget movie on the SyFy channel. Next you’re going to tell me you have some special powers.” Reese snorted at her own joke, and Quinn winced.
The perfect opportunity to come clean had presented itself. Quinn opened her mouth, ready to spill.
“What can I get you?” The waitress approached the table and slammed three glasses in front of them, water spilling over the sides and pooling in a ring around them. Quinn slumped, the moment shattered. Too much too soon. Maybe it was a sign that it wasn’t time just yet.
“Want to hear the specials?” The waitress cocked her head and grinned at Marcus.
“No need. I’ll take one extra-large meat feast with extra meat, two diet sodas, and a chocolate milkshake. What do you girls want?” Marcus grinned back at the waitress, his eyes wandering over her tight white T-shirt and short red shorts.
“Ignore him,” Reese said to the waitress. “That’s what everyone else does.”
“A couple of extra plates will be fine,” Quinn added and thanked her.
“Coming right up.” The waitress scribbled on the notepad then tucked her pen in the pocket of her shorts.
Reese waited for her to leave the table and then leaned over to pop Marcus on the ear.
“Ouch!”
“You can wipe the drool from your chin now.”
“I was staring because I can’t believe how ugly she is. Did you see the gap between her front teeth?” Marcus lowered his voice and looked at the waitress with a sidelong glance.
“She doesn’t smile with her chest, Marcus. Don’t think I didn’t see exactly what gap you were looking at, and it wasn’t anywhere near her teeth.”
>
“Busted, but her legs and butt aren’t nearly as nice as yours.” Marcus took Reese’s hand in his. “Picturing you in that cheerleading skirt makes me want to skip lunch and go right for dessert.”
Reese thumped his ear again, and Marcus raised his hands in defense. “All right, woman, I get the hint. You can lay off now.” Marcus placed an elbow on the counter and cupped his chin in his hand. “I miss Aaron. There’s too much estrogen in my life without him here.”
“I know I’m no Aaron, but maybe I can help even out the hormones for today, at least.”
“Hey, Meathead.” Quinn stood and gave Caleb a hug. “Glad you could make it.”
“Hey, Blondie. Thanks for the invite.” Caleb held out a hand. “You must be Marcus.”
“Nice to meet you.” Marcus shook his hand, then moved over and offered him a seat. “Want a Coke or something?”
“Iced tea would be great.” Caleb took a seat next to Marcus, leaving a few inches between them.
“One iced tea for my new friend, Caleb.” Marcus motioned to the waitress and clapped Caleb awkwardly on the back. Caleb tried to hide a flinch, and Quinn wondered if this had been a bad idea. Too late now. She couldn’t very well uninvite him. Besides, she wanted him here. Quinn looked from Reese to Caleb and back to Reese again.
“Oh, right. I’m Teresa, but everyone calls me Reese for short.”
“I know. Quinn never stops talking about you.” Caleb smiled, and Reese cocked her head at Quinn.
“Funny,” Reese said. “She never mentions you.”
Quinn poked her in the ribs with her elbow. “Be nice.”
“I’m always nice.” Reese put on her best smile. “Glad you’re here, Caleb.”
Marcus tapped his fingers on the Formica, Reese stared out the window, and Quinn could feel Caleb’s leg bouncing beneath the table. New friendships take time. Once they got to know each other, they would all be best buds, right?
“So, we were just talking about Aaron,” Quinn explained. “Remember what I told you about the journal?”
“Wait, you told him about that?” Reese asked. “Exactly how much time have you been spending with him?”
“Well, I had to talk to someone, since my best friend didn’t believe me. Not to mention the fact you wouldn’t answer my texts.” Quinn tore her paper napkin into long strips.
“Now you see why I need another guy in the group,” Marcus whispered to Caleb. “Can we get back to Aaron, now?”
“So, what do you think?” Quinn asked.
“I think he’s definitely trying to contact you, and we should stop waiting around for him and contact him ourselves.” Marcus looked at Reese,
“And how are we going to do that?” Reese swirled her Diet Coke around with a straw.
“A spirit board,” Marcus said.
“A what?” Reese asked.
“One of those boards that mediums use to contact spirits,” Caleb explained.
“Marcus, you’re a genius.” Maybe she could use the board to enhance their connection somehow. It was worth a try.
“Nobody’s ever called me that before.”
“There’s a reason for that,” Reese quipped. “So where do we get one?” Quinn bounced her leg. They were really going to help her contact Aaron. This could work.
“My little sister has one of those Ouija games, she and her friends mess around with it when they have slumber parties. Sometimes I flash the lights and stuff to scare them. You should hear them squeal.”
“See, even Marcus admits it’s just a silly party trick. Everyone knows whoever is touching the planchette is controlling the board.” Reese’s voice oozed with skepticism. “Remember when we had the spirits tell Ami she was going to marry Horace Wheeler?” Reese chuckled. “Talk about looking horrified.”
“I think it’s the only time I’ve ever seen her speechless.” Quinn grinned. “But this will be different, Reese. We’re not nine anymore, and I doubt any of us would fake communication with Aaron. What harm can it do?”
“Spirit boards are dangerous. You might contact a demon, or something worse.” Caleb stressed the word demon and kicked Quinn’s leg under the table, but Quinn ignored him.
“You’re supposed to be on my side.” Quinn kicked Caleb back, and he scowled.
“I’m with Caleb on this. I think it’s a bad idea.” Reese shook her head.
“Thank you, Reese. At least someone’s making sense around here.” Caleb sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Come on, Reese. Don’t you want to help your best friend and ridiculously hot boyfriend find closure?” Marcus cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like we’re going to ask inane schoolgirl questions. We know who we want to contact. If nothing happens, we’ve spent an hour hanging out with each other, but if something does happen, maybe we can get some real answers.”
Reese impatiently stirred her drink with her straw. “If I do this and it doesn’t work, which it won’t, will you finally let go?”
Quinn placed her hand over her heart. “If it doesn’t work, I won’t mention it again.” That didn’t mean she would give up, but she would let Reese go on with her life and get answers on her own. “Are you in, Caleb?”
“Yeah, I’m in, Blondie, but I still think it’s a bad idea.”
“Thanks, Meathead.”
The words “Breaking News” caught Quinn’s attention as they flashed across the television screen mounted to the wall above the counter. Quinn sat up straight to see over Marcus’ head. A dark-haired reporter stood in front of a familiar row of houses surrounded by cop cars and an ambulance. A body bag lay on the concrete.
“Hey, can you turn that up, please?” Quinn asked. The waitress stood on her tiptoes and adjusted the volume.
“…the street on Valley Road when the altercation turned physical.”
Marcus and Caleb turned in their booth.
“Isn’t that Jeff’s neighborhood?” Marcus asked Quinn.
Quinn nodded, her guts twisting into tight knots as Reese squeezed her hand.
“Neighbors called the emergency services when the shouting started. One witness said the girl became violent after her boyfriend threatened to leave her and their unborn child, launching herself at him and digging into his skin with her nails. Another witness claimed the girl acted like a rabid animal, wrestling him to the ground. Witnesses from a nearby house caught the entire altercation on video.”
The story cut to a grainy video of a couple standing in the street, obviously filmed on a cell phone from a neighbor’s window. The witnesses recorded the spectacle from the safety of their own house, unwilling to put themselves in the middle of a domestic dispute but not too proud to film it. Kerstin’s red hair clung to her pale face as she paced, agitated. Jeff stood by the open door of his truck. The sound was almost non-existent, but Quinn didn’t need sound to see the truth.
Gaaperi, a demon known to intensify both love and hatred, slid between the couple and faced Jeff. Bigger than Kerstin’s own demon, the beast’s name and purpose came to Quinn as it materialized on screen and solidified into a black mass so dense it looked like a CGI image. Smoke writhed around its legs as it stood a head higher than Jeff. Dreadlocks of mist shrouded its face, and its shoulders and neck were as thick as a bull’s. Jeff couldn’t see its long fingers reaching for him, drawing him closer, but Quinn could.
She sucked in a breath as the demon’s fingers transformed into five razor-sharp needles. Her stomach twisted as the demon dug its hand through Jeff’s shirt and into his belly, injecting its essence into his body. She wanted to scream at him to run, but it was too late. The demon grew smaller and smaller as it pushed itself into the chosen vessel until not one speck of the eerie fog remained visible. Nausea rocked Quinn as Jeff grabbed Kerstin by the arm and twisted it until she doubled over.
“Oh, my God!” Reese screamed and covered her mouth. “Please, Jeff, let her go. Just let her go.”
&
nbsp; Marcus grabbed Reese’s hand. Quinn’s friends were oblivious to what was really happening. Caleb turned his brown eyes on her, grabbed her hand, and gave her a knowing look.
“Did you see that?” Quinn asked, and Caleb nodded. Quinn gulped. She wasn’t the only one who could see what crossed the veil. They both saw the real horror as it unfolded.
Kerstin’s own demon, Eudmhox, had returned in full force. Dark tears stained her face like streams of ink, her eyes flickering from blue to jet black as the demon bent her will to its own. Then her face changed, twisting, morphing into that of a beast. She snarled and launched at Jeff. He flew backward, hitting his head on the frame of the open door and falling half in, half out of the truck. As he lay dazed and vulnerable, she pinned him to the passenger seat and wrapped her hands around his throat.
“Make them turn it off,” Reese whimpered and buried her head in Marcus’s chest, but Quinn couldn’t tear her eyes away. She could see the dark beings absorbing Jeff’s fear.
Jeff’s eyes bulged, and his face turned red and then blue from lack of air. His legs thumped and flailed against the concrete, but Kerstin held him firm and fed on his pain, sucking the life from his body and pulling it into her own. One hand clawed at Kerstin’s face while the other fumbled for the glove box. Something silver flashed in the sunlight.
“Dear God.” The witness holding the camera dropped it as a gunshot echoed through the neighborhood.
Quinn’s hand flew to her mouth, and she heard Marcus and Reese gasp.
“Did he just … ” Marcus stammered.
“After shooting his pregnant girlfriend, the unidentified boy ran into his home and began boarding up the windows.” The reporter droned on, unfeeling, uncaring. “As police arrived on the scene, witnesses reported hearing several more gunshots coming from the house. Upon entering, they found the young man dead, having committed suicide. Some are calling it self-defense while others are crying murder. We will be here with live coverage … ” The television flicked to black as the waitress turned it off.
Pretty Dark Sacrifice Page 12