Monster

by Yolanda Olson

  “I can see inside of you,” he said glancing at me quickly. “I know that you are a good person, and what you did was to protect Finnegan. That’s not a bad or evil quality. That’s very admirable actually. You always put yourself in harm’s way or at death’s door to keep her safe. You’re a good being Cody. Don’t let this one set back bother you. It’s not worth it.”

  Finally he admitted the mind reading thing, I thought triumphantly to myself.

  “Yeah?” Cody asked putting an arm around me.

  “Yes!” The three of us said at once.

  “Thank God,” he said relieved. “As it stands you guys are the only family I have left and I don’t want to alienate you guys. I think that would make me crazy.”

  “Crazier,” I corrected poking him in the chest and evoking a laugh.

  “I don’t think I’m that crazy,” he said with his trademark mischievous grin.

  “Eccentric then maybe?” Kae asked with a sly smile.

  “We’ll go with that,” he responded with a laugh.

  “Can I just ask you one question?”

  “Of course, dolly.”

  “Why exactly couldn’t he cross the state line?”

  Cody chuckled. “Well, you know all that fiction about how vampires have to be invited into someone’s home or something like that? It actually applies to demons.

  Only since demons are pure concentrated evil, they can’t cross without a direct invite,” he explained with a sly grin.

  “So that’s why you kept me on the other side,” I mused to myself.

  “Yeah I didn’t know if I would be able to focus and keep you safe if you were in striking range,” he said scratching his chin. “I still hate that I had to do that.”

  “Well, that’s one down,” Kaeden said cheerfully.

  “How is it that it bothered you when that Chase kid died, but not this one?”

  Cody asked him curiously.

  “Hm? Oh. It didn’t. I was just putting on a show to see if I could get a reaction. Not from you two of course since I trust you both. Charlie you weren’t there, so it’s not a stab at you or my trust for you as well,” he said with a glance at her. “It was to see who didn’t act surprised. That would be the person that I would’ve figured to be the spy that you were looking for.”

  “Makes sense,” Cody said thoughtfully. “I still can’t figure out who it is though.”

  “Oh come off it,” I said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s Phoebe! I know you don’t want to believe it, but she killed Chase. I know she did. Why else would she have been smiling? Now she’s showing people how to possess themselves, hello? Shane was still broken up over his family at the shop and Ava used to hang out there. Ava tried to get you and Skiles to help her. Do I have to draw you a picture?”

  “All signs point to Ava then,” he said dropping his arm from around me.

  I put my face in my palm and took a deep breath. I knew he didn’t want to believe the worst about his sister, but if Ava was wrong for making vampires then

  Phoebe was wrong by showing others how to use devils to their advantage.

  “Never mind,” I said curtly.

  He sighed. He knew he I was upset but he didn’t want to push the issue. I turned to look at Charlie.

  “Why’d you blow his ashes away like that?”

  “He wanted me to do it. He said he wanted something pretty about his death,” she said quietly.

  “Oh.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence. Cody was looking back at the cemetery, Charlie was looking in the direction the ashes had scattered and Kaeden was standing about ten feet away from us. Curious, I walked over to him.

  “Are you alright?” I asked putting a hand on his back.

  “Hm? Oh. Yes. I’ve never been to this state before. Something is very odd about it. And this Tower on this sign? Is that here?”

  “Nope. That’s in Wyoming. That’s actually where I found out that Billie and Phoebe were best pals.”

  “That girl is such a nuisance. I wish he’d realize that,” he muttered glancing at Cody.

  “That’s his sister though. I understand why he doesn’t want to kill her. Probably for the same reason you won’t kill Ava.”

  He glanced down at me sharply. “I have no problem killing Ava. I just need the opportunity to present itself correctly.”

  “You’ll never have it in your heart to kill her, Kae,” I said softly. “So please don’t fault Cody for not wanting to kill his sister.”

  He ran his hand irritably through his hair. I could tell he was upset, but he wouldn’t push the issue. Not now. Finally he took a couple of deep breaths to compose himself, then smiled at me. He held out his arm for me to take like a gentleman and I did. Soon we were walking briskly through the state of Montana as the sun started to go down.

  Behind us I could hear the footsteps of Charlie and Cody following us. I glanced back at Cody and saw that he and Charlie were having an animated conversation. I saw his arms go up into the air like he was mimicking an enormous explosion and I giggled to myself. Apparently he was telling her the story of Vesuvius.

  I turned back around and continued walking with Kaeden by my side. The people of this state were a lot more accepting of us for some reason than Devils Lake. It’s not because they knew what we were, because they didn’t, but no one gawked at my face. No one thought Charlie was dressed oddly; no one seemed to care about Cody’s white hair and shocking blue eyes, or Kaeden’s staggering height.

  In fact, we only got a few glances and they were from the smallest children who had that natural curiosity that shines in their eyes.

  “Look,” Charlie said suddenly pointing. “We’re in Alzada.”

  “Wonder if she’s still at that farmhouse,” I muttered to myself.

  “What was that?” Kaeden asked looking down at me.

  “Nothing. Just thinking out loud.”

  Cody came up behind me, sliding his arms around my waist, and giving me a soft enough of a tug to get Kaeden to release me.

  “What’s wrong with this place? Don’t try to hide it from me either, just because you were whispering doesn’t mean that I can’t feel it on you,” he quietly whispered into my ear.

  “Billie.”

  I felt him tense up and relax just as quickly.

  “You know what? You haven’t written in your journal in a while. Why is that?’

  I shrugged. Truth be told I almost forgot about that book. It was pretty weird considering that I used to be so adamant about writing in it every night. But lately with all the attacks and garbage that had been happening to my friends and me I didn’t have the time to sit down and pour out my feelings onto paper.

  “I think you should do it soon. You’ve been really tense lately,” he said putting his head on my shoulder.

  “I will,” I responded noncommittally.

  He scoffed and looked over at Kaeden, “So what's the next move?”

  Kaeden stood in thoughtful silence for a minute. “I'd like to go back to Devils Lake. I never did get to go see Ryker and I still must speak with him about something. We'll return to Alzada soon enough.”

  I looked at him curiously. What could he possibly need to discuss with Ryker? The two really didn't seem to get along and seemed to be pretending for my sake.

  And why did he think we'd be coming back to Alzada soon?

  The next few hours told me why I should never ask myself so many questions.

  19. The Quiet Place

  (Dusk of Day 22)

  Long time no see.

  Not much to tell really.

  Well, that's a lie.

  There's too much to tell and not enough time to tell it in.

  I've only got a little less than eight days left before I meet Skiles again.

  I've got to find some way to ditch everyone so that I can face him alone.

  I love everyone that's been with me so far, but this is something I have to do alone.

>   With the flick of my wrist I snapped my journal shut. I rubbed my face violently with my hands and screamed into them. That's much better, I thought. I laid my head down on the pillow and glanced out the window. I saw that the sun should be going down in a few hours.

  Downstairs I could hear Cody, Kaeden, Charlie, and Remy laughing and talking. They had invited me down to the music room, but I didn't feel much like being social.

  I smiled at the sound of their animated chatter, though. I knew that normally this wouldn't be a group to exactly get along. Some kind of unwritten monster law; stick with your own kind. I would've had no problem with that if 'my own kind' didn't consist of Skiles and Paige. And who would Charlie exactly hang out with?

  The humans?

  Hm. Maybe.

  My next thought was interrupted by the paper airplane that was suddenly floating through my room. It landed on my chest and I stared at it. Anyone I trusted was a floor beneath me and throwing a paper plane just wasn't their style.

  I eyed it. I didn't move. I was sure that I wasn't even breathing. For some reason I just had visions of me shifting slightly and this thing exploding and taking me with it.

  Outside I heard a giggle. I rolled my eyes, still careful not to move. I knew this was a trap of some sort. I wondered who had the time and patience to make this stupid thing and toss it through the window. Who could even reach this high? I was up on the second floor. The giggle came again, only a little closer this time. It actually reminded me of the vamp in the Hall of Mirrors that crawled on the ceiling.

  Casually, I swatted the plane off my chest. I sat up quickly, pulling my legs to my chest and I stared at it. There was a tap at the window. I jumped but didn't look.

  Whoever it was, was obviously going for some kind of shock factor and I didn't want to give them the pleasure of knowing that they had me for a moment.

  The tapping came again, more insistent this time. I found myself laughing. I mean I couldn’t help it. Things this crazy don’t happen to ‘normal’ people.

  I thought about yelling for Cody. I remembered what he had done to that vamp in the Hall to gain my trust. I remember the fear on her face and the grin that he flashed me. I wondered if he’d want to do it again to whatever it was that was lurking outside my window.

  At this point, the tapping had turned into pounding. A pounding so hard that the window was shaking. Relenting, I leaned my head on my knees and glanced in the direction of the window.

  Ugh. I knew it.

  It wasn’t a vampire. But it was just as bad. Paige stood there banging at the window next to the one that the airplane had sailed through. I wondered why she didn’t come in through the open window. Maybe she was heightening the suspense?

  “Finnegan, won’t you invite me in?”

  Her voice sounded haunted.

  Her words were drawn out into a makeshift song. My body started to shake involuntarily. I knew that something was horribly wrong, but I wasn’t going to be completely sure until I got closer to the window she was clinging to. I knew it was dangerous because she could reach through the other window and yank me out.

  I put my face up against the window and we stared into each other in the eyes. That’s what the problem was. Her eyes were possessed.

  I rested my forehead against the window and she whispered my name through the pane. I closed my eyes and felt the tears well up. Tears of anger and fear. Anger that Phoebe was wasting no time with demonic possessions, and fear that Kendall might be secretly suffering the same fate. I punched the glass violently causing a spider web of cracks.

  Downstairs, I heard sudden silence. I heard a muffled voice say something, then the sound of numerous footsteps as they pounded up the stairs.

  There was a knock at my door, but I refused to answer it. I opened my eyes and looked at Paige who was staring at me with wide, vacant, demonic eyes.

  “Where’s Kendall?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

  A slow smile spread across her pretty face. I saw a shadow of who she once was in that smile. I thought of how I treated her like such a burden and how badly I wanted to rid myself of her. Now I was stuck in the predicament of actually needing her help.

  “Where’s Kendall?” I asked her again.

  The knock at the door was more insistent this time. Before I had lain in bed, I had locked the door and shoved the dresser against the door, in case Cody wanted to come in and nap with me. With as much as I liked just lying there with him, I wouldn’t be able to clear my mind with another person in the room.

  “Finn?”

  Charlie.

  “I’ll ask you one more time, then I’ll tear your head from your neck. Where is Kendall?”

  “In a quiet place,” she replied.

  I racked my brain. That sounded so familiar. When Kendall and I were younger we would always go somewhere that we referred to as “the quiet place”. I couldn’t remember. Cody’s words came flooding back to me about how the acid was eating away my unwanted human memories. I wondered, self-consciously, if Kendall was a memory that I didn’t want but was forced to endure because of what was happening.

  “Finnegan!”

  Kaeden. He’s going to bust through the door.

  “Look, we don’t have much time before someone comes barreling through that door and goes straight for you. And truth be told, there’s no way in hell I’d stop them. So stop with the cryptic and tell me where my sister is,” I said in a low seething tone.

  “I already told you. She’s in a quiet place,” she responded. I watched as she deliberately tilted her head slowly to the side with each word.

  “Come on, Finn, open the door!”

  Remy. One more to go and Cody will probably set the house on fire to get to me.

  “Paige, we don’t have time ...”

  Her eyes suddenly bulged with fear and she was ripped violently away from the window. I heard the thud of her body as she smacked the ground two stories below. I half flung myself out of the opened window and leaned out to see if she was still alive.

  “Dolly, you’ve really got to stop attracting the bad guys,” Cody said grinning at me.

  Screaming, I fell back and landed on the floor. He laughed, then hoisted himself up into the room through the window and went over to the door.

  “What’s this about?” he asked pointing at the drawer.

  I shrugged and got to my feet. I ran back over to the window and looked down. Paige looked dead. Her body was twisted at an unreasonable angle and her head was almost completely turned around on her neck.

  But I knew better.

  I knew that something that was already dead couldn’t die. Especially not when fueled by demons.

  I judged the distance between the window and the tree in front of me. I wondered if I could reach it. I turned slightly and saw that Cody was still working on unlatching all the locks on the door and I knew that I’d have to be quick.

  Swinging my feet over the side, I took a deep breath and leaned myself over the edge as far as I could without actually falling. Then I placed my feet into position right below the window and prepared myself.

  “What the hell?”

  Code’s mad. That’s my cue.

  With everything I had I shoved myself with a cry off of the window and managed to land squarely on the thick tree branch. Crouching on it, I turned my head around to face the window. Everyone looked impressed with what I had just done, except for Code. He looked absolutely furious.

  “I have to do this alone,” I said to him pleadingly.

  “No way,” he replied.

  Helplessly I watched as he put on leg out the window and start to edge his body out. Then I saw the look of surprise on his face as his body was jerked back into the house.

  “Take care of business, Finn. We can hold him,” Charlie said with a grin.

  “Thanks!”

  She nodded and pulled the window down. I watched for a moment as she ripped some wood off of one of the night stands in the room and fash
ioned it over the window I had almost punched through.

  I heard his angry struggle from inside the house and knew that I’d have to act fast. I quickly made my way over to the tree and slid down the trunk. When I reached the ground, Paige was already standing there with a curious expression on her face.

  “Huh. I didn’t die,” she mused to herself.

  “Yeah, great,” I said pushing the hood impatiently away from my face. “Listen, we don't have the time to mess around. Where is the quiet place?”

  I was starting to sound desperate and I knew it, but if there were any way to get Kendall away from the entire situation then I would be able to focus on the original task at hand.

  “Finnegan Sloane can't remember The Quiet Place,” she mocked. Then she started to laugh.

  I felt the anger rising in me. I hadn't felt this in a while so I wasn't so sure I'd be able to control it. I closed my eyes and clenched my fists at my sides. I grit my teeth together and tried to force it back down. I focused on the memory of Kennie and me at the Quarry and found myself calming down.

  “Finnegan Sloane with the dead green eyes. What would your sister say if she could see you now? So defeated and so sad and alone?”

  Paige was taunting me. I had to focus on Kennie. I had to keep her face in my mind's eye. If I killed Paige, I wouldn't be any closer to finding Kennie and that would kill me. Even though I didn't care for her the way I used too, that would just kill me.

  “Finn, hurry up!”

  I heard Charlie shouting through the open window. I looked up. She had a frantic look on her face. I assumed that Cody had gotten away from them and was on his way out.

  I heard the front door burst open and the sound of his angry footsteps as he ran around to the side of the house. When he came around the corner we locked eyes. I felt the tears of defeat sliding down my face. In an instant his eyes would be devilish and my only hope of remembering the quiet place would be gone.

  Just as I feared, when he reached us, he wrapped an arm around her neck and bent her backwards.

  “Give me a reason to let you live,” he said in a deadly whisper.

  “Because Finnegan needs my help,” she said in a sing song voice.