Dance For The Devil

by S. Kodejs

  Goat-man began to speak again, this time soothingly, but Amy found herself blotting out the words. This was wrong. Not like last time. Last time felt good. Last time was fun. This was... just... evil. She wanted to go but was afraid to leave.

  Suddenly, she felt Jason nudging her, pushing her to her feet. Thank God, she was going to leave.

  But instead of going to the back she was pushed to the front. All alone. No, not quite. Two others slowly made their way to the front. From their posture she could tell they were as hesitant as she. Like a tiny twig in the tide, she felt herself drawn forward until she reached the altar. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.

  Goat-man raised his arm and Amy felt herself flinch. Was going to strike her? Instead, he reached for the person standing closest to him and drew his arm to his body, guiding his hand to his midsection, to his pants... to his newly exposed penis. He wrapped the person’s hand around it, then reached for Amy, guiding her hand. She felt herself recoil, but his hand was firm, unrelenting. She felt the pulsating member in her hand, her fingers overlapping with the others, even more so when a third hand was added.

  “Welcome to the Temple of Seth,” he stated, his voice low and gravelly. Amy stared at the blood and bits of flesh clinging to his chest. “You are our newest members and we welcome you.” The crowd started chanting. “The punishment you just witnessed is both unfortunate and unusual. Rarely must we employ the ultimate discipline.”

  Goat-man reached forward and procured a goblet, indicating they must drink. Amy took her turn, grimacing. It tasted like piss. She kept her hand steady on his penis, too afraid to remove it. “Our rules are few,” Goat-man continued. “Man’s true nature is one of lust and wilfulness. Like our brother the lion, we are kings of the jungle! We embrace hedonism. We welcome pride, indulgence, gratification...” He gestured at his swollen penis. “We celebrate our flesh! We have superior intellect. We are Gods! Vengeance is ours and we curse those who threaten to take it away.” A cheer swept the room, the chanting started anew, with increased vigor. Amy felt dizzy, felt herself sway.

  “You belong to us now, and that makes you more than mortal. Human laws no longer apply. Feel the freedom to do as you wish, whenever you wish, with whomever you wish. Your only allegiance is with Seth, and to him you must remain true or suffer the consequences. Do you agree?”

  Mesmerized, Amy found herself nodding. Pretty potent piss, she thought idly.

  Goat-man flashed a razor blade, and with snake-like precision, deftly carved a star into her arm. No, not a star, exactly. Looked like a star, only different. She felt no pain and watched in amazement as thin streaks of blood beaded up. Goat-man let her go abruptly, turning his attention to the other two, performing the same star-like incision. Only then did he dismiss them. The meeting was apparently over, and everyone rushed forward, clapping them on their backs. Jason was there, pushing her away from the others, and when they had made enough distance from the throng, he swept her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Then he withdrew a small pocket knife from under his robe and deftly sliced an incision on the underside of his wrist. Although the wound was shallow, the blood ran freely. Jason took Amy’s arm and pressed his cut against hers, allowing their blood to mix. “Now you’re one of us, Amy, and a part of me. See? We’re joined by blood.” He kissed her again. “I’m so happy now you’re truly mine. Oh, Amy, I love you so much.”

  **

  “Hi, Dad.”

  “Hey, Skeet. How’s it going, buddy?”

  “Carmen made some chocolate chip cookies. Want some?”

  “Yeah, buddy, I do. Thanks.”

  “How come you’re home so early? Are you sick?”

  “No, not exactly, Son.”

  “Oh. Fight with your boss?”

  Jake squinted at his son. It always amazed him how perceptive kids were. “Sort of.”

  “Did you punch him in the nose?”

  “No. Grownups try to resolve problems without resorting to physical violence.”

  “Oh.” They munched cookies for a few moments in silence.

  “I’ll tell you a secret. I felt like punching him.”

  Skeeter smiled. “It’s tough being an adult, isn’t it?”

  Jake sighed. “Yeah, Son, it is.”

  “Feel like talking about it? Sometimes that helps me.”

  “Oh, and when did you get so wise?”

  “I learned it from this old guy I know. You.”

  “Ha ha, smarty pants. Well, it’s like this. I made a new game and my boss changed it, behind my back. He thinks his version is better.”

  “Is it?”

  “Maybe. It’ll probably sell better. But I think he ruined it.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He added a bunch of fighting stuff to it, and I was trying to make it different from all the other fighting games. I was trying to make it special. Plus, it makes me angry that he did it on the sly. I think he should have been more up front.”

  Skeeter thought for a moment. “Keep your next idea secret. Don’t let him see until it’s finished.”

  “Hmmm.” Jake reached for another cookie. “Not a bad idea. But he’s the boss – he’s supposed to see my work.”

  “Keep part secret and show him the other stuff.”

  “Think so?”

  “Yeah. Dad? Are you going to quit?”

  “No, probably not. Quitting’s no way to solve a problem. Speaking of problems, I think I heard your sister come in.”

  “Yeah, sounds like her slam.”

  “I need to talk to her for a bit – alone. Could you ask Amy to come in here? Thanks, oh... and here, take the cookies with you.”

  “Sure, Dad.”

  “Thanks, Skeet, for the advice, you’ve been a big help.”

  Skeeter turned around and smiled broadly. “No problem. If it doesn’t work, then try punching him in the nose.” Jake smiled as he watched Skeeter stuff another cookie in his mouth.

  “Uh, Dad? Skeeter said you wanted to see me.”

  She had the grace to look bashful, Jake noticed. Definitely guilty-looking. Yet, undeniably pale. Maybe she really was sick.

  “How come you’re home this early? You’re never home this early.”

  Trust Amy to put the blame on him right off the bat. That’s his girl – come out shooting. He tapped his fingers against his desk, studying her. “Let’s talk about you. Where were you this afternoon?”

  “Ummm... I had cramps so I skipped gym class. I got permission from the teacher.”

  “I see. Anything else?”

  “No. Not really. I feel better now.”

  Several derisive quips sprung to mind, but he bit them down. “You also told your gym teacher you were coming home. Which you didn’t. Mind telling me where you spent your afternoon?”

  “Ummm. The library? I have a big geography report due on Friday, so I thought I’d get some work done.”

  “I see. Care to show me?”

  Her face fell. “No.”

  Jake uttered an explosive sigh. “Don’t lie to me, Amy. I’m not stupid, and I can easily phone the library to verify your story. We’ve established you weren’t at school, you weren’t at the library, and you obviously weren’t home, so where the hell were you?”

  She began to cry. “With some friends, okay?”

  “Who?”

  She remained tight-lipped, silent.

  He reached forward and grabbed her arm, intending to shake her, but stopped when he saw the flash of pain across her face. She pulled away, holding her hand protectively over her forearm. “What’s the matter? Are you hurt?”

  “No, it’s nothing.”

  “Let me see.”

  “No, I’m okay, really, Daddy.”

  He reached over quickly and grabbed her hand, pushing up her sleeve. “My God, Amy! What is this? Who did this to you?”

  “It’s nothing. We were just joking around. All the kids are doing it. It’s a fad right now.”

  He looked at her
incredulously. “It’s a fad to carve your arm with a razor blade?”

  She nodded, her face blanching.

  “That’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard! It’s dangerous, Amy. Haven’t you heard of hepatitis or AIDS? You shouldn’t let people monkey around with your blood! Did you use a clean blade, at least? Christ, Amy! Tell me you used a clean blade.”

  She was sobbing freely now, tears falling with amazing speed. Jake was too incensed to care. He continued to grip her wrist firmly. “What is it? A star? No, a pentagram? My God, Amy, it’s a pentagram! That’s the symbol of the Devil. What kind of people are you hanging out with?”

  “I...w-w-want Mommm!”

  “Gee,” he said sarcastically. “How unusual. Every time you get in trouble, you start crying and asking for her. Well it’s not going to work this time, Amy. This time it’s just me and you, and this time I’m not caving in because I feel guilty about your Mom running off. She’s gone. She’s not coming back. It was her decision, not yours and not mine. The sooner we deal with it, the sooner we start being a family again. Okay?”

  No response, but then, he didn’t expect one. Jake took a deep breath, striving for calmness. “You’re grounded, Amy, for three weeks. One week for skipping school, another for lying about it, the third for carving that hideous thing into your arm. No leaving this house except for school and family events. No television, no video games, no telephone calls. Three weeks, got it?”

  She turned away haughtily, and Jake struggled to keep his voice level. “Amy, you are going to have to start behaving and start being a viable member of this family or I’m going to send you away to an all-girls school.” He rummaged in his desk. “See this brochure? It’s for a school called The Elizabethan House. It’s an excellent school and they specialize in difficult teenage girls. I don’t want to send you there, Amy, but if you continue to do crazy things like skipping school and lying and carving things in your arm, then I have no choice.”

  “I hate you,” she screamed, contempt dripping from her narrowed eyes. “I hate your guts. Got that?” Then she ran from the room, slamming the door behind her. He could hear the pounding footsteps through the house, ending with the slamming of her bedroom door. He knew from experience he wouldn’t be seeing her again that day, not even for dinner. He crumpled the brochure and tossed it in the garbage. It had been a bluff. Gil had given him the brochure weeks ago, saying he tried this strategy on Jason with brilliant results. Jake had sworn he wouldn’t resort to something so deceitful, yet he’d hung onto the brochure and, in desperation, used it. Such a school didn’t even exist – Elizabethan House was a retirement home. But it looked appropriately spooky.

  He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. He had acted as immature as Amy, and he regretted it. For the millionth time he wondered why being a parent was so goddamned hard.

  **

  Gil greeted him as though nothing untoward had happened. Jake tossed his briefcase on his desk, loosened his tie, and sat back in his chair, eyeing his boss. After his battle with Amy last night, this should be a piece of cake.

  He prepared his attack. “About those changes...”

  “Oh, yeah,” Gil said, “I wanted to talk to you about that. I’ve been doing some thinking, and you are absolutely right. The new changes make the game too violent.”

  Jake’s eyebrows shot up. Gil continued, “The nuclear explosion was a bit much. Nuclear’s dead, anyway. The Cold War is over; kids today don’t care about atom bombs. Also, I checked with legal and the graphics would earn us a Restricted rating, which cuts our market potential in half. Too much gore, so we’re eliminating some of that.”

  “Some?”

  “We’ll keep some of the changes, of course. Here’s a revised version. Harris Bentall stayed up all night modifying the alterations. Tell me what you think.”

  It was a bone, albeit a small one. This was Gil’s effort at reconciliation, however meager. Jake weighed his options quickly, then nodded abruptly, his face remaining impassive. Gil flashed a charismatic, handsome smile, turning to leave. “Oh, one other thing,” he mentioned. “We’re throwing a shindig on Halloween at the homestead. No costumes, thank God. Same old crowd, but I invited some potential buyers from Hong Kong. Kids can come, of course, the Asians love families. Say, around seven-ish?”

  “I’m not sure I can make it.”

  “Come on, Jake, don’t play sour grapes. It’s unbecoming.”

  “Thanks for the tip, but it’s not that.”

  “Then what? Come on, buddy, getting info out of you is like pulling teeth.”

  Jake hesitated. He was still furious with Gil and he didn’t feel like sharing tidbits of his personal life.

  “Is it Amy?” Gil questioned. “Come on, tell Uncle Gilly what she’s done.”

  “She’s being... difficult. I grounded her.”

  “Oh, is that all? Hellish being a father isn’t it? What did she do? Get caught stealing? Smoking dope?”

  “No, of course not. She... she skipped school yesterday, lied about it and came home with a pentagram carved in her arm.”

  “Oh, that,” Gil said, waving his arm dismissively. “That’s nothing, all the kids are doing it right now. It’s a teen thing, you know, peer pressure, they do it to be cool. Jason’s done it himself a few times. As for the other...” Gil shrugged. “Kids have been cutting school ever since it began. I’ll wager you missed a few classes yourself, right? Then fibbed a bit to cover your tracks?”

  Jake frowned. Gil’s words rang uncomfortably true.

  “Don’t come down on her too hard, buddy. She’s just being a kid.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Righty-o. See you on Halloween. Oh, and Jake, the guys need you down in development. Dick Lendall has a new idea he wants to pitch to you. Hear him out, it sounds pretty good. But, of course, the ball is in your court.”

  Yeah, sure, Jake thought. As long as I bounce it in the direction you want.

  **

  “Hey, babe! How’s it going?” Jason greeted Amy with a kiss that sent a wave of envious giggles along the school corridor.

  “Not so good,” she said breathlessly. “I got busted big time. My dad flipped out yesterday and I’m grounded for three weeks.”

  “Shit. How severe is it?”

  “Maximum. I can’t do anything, no TV, no phone. I’m not even allowed to walk to school alone – guess he’s scared I’ll skip again. The only time I’ll be able to see you is in school. He even said he might send me to a private school.”

  “Shit. My dad used that line on me, too, last year. It’s just a threat, they never mean it.” He kissed her again. “What about Halloween? You’ve got to come, it’s the best time of the year. I know a great club, really awesome. It’ll be wild.”

  Amy bit her lip. “I don’t know, Jason. Yesterday...”

  “Yeah, bizarre, huh? Totally out of control. Don’t worry, that kind of stuff never happens. It gave me bad dreams all night.”

  “Me too.” She thought about her nightmares of that poor man being beaten to death. And this carving on her arm... it ached. Her dad really scared her last night with that AIDS thing. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go with Jason. She really liked him... but... yesterday frightened her. She definitely didn’t want to go to anymore meetings, no matter how much fun the first one had been. Jason was smiling at her persuasively. He was so handsome, the best looking guy in school. All the girls were envious of her. She was suddenly popular. Everyone wanted to be her friend, and she knew she owed it to Jason. “Come on, babe,” he whispered, stroking her arm. “I want to be with you.” Amy hesitated. Maybe he was right, maybe that kind of thing would never happen again. If they were just going to a nightclub... “Tell me exactly what kind of wild things you’re planning to do?”

  “Lots of dancing. Good food, and I scored a bottle of tequila. This club is unbelievable... definitely the hotspot in town. There will be a lineup a mile long to get in, but I’ve got connections.”

/>   “Is it costume? I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll throw something in my trunk. My mom has loads of old costumes, really great stuff. Feel like going as a medieval princess? I’ll be your knight.”

  “That sounds nice,” she said, shyly.

  “And I promise,” he whispered, running his fingers softly over her lips, “you’ll have a good time. I mean, a really good time.”

  Amy felt a tiny thrill course through her. She felt unsure... torn. “Life is so unfair,” she sighed. “I really hate my dad. He’s a total Neanderthal. I wish he was cool like your father.”

  “Parents are like puppies, you’ve got to train him. Be really nice for a few days, do everything he wants, even before he asks for it. He’ll let you off the hook.”

  She shook her head doubtfully. “I don’t think so. Halloween’s only a few days away. He’ll never cave by then.”

  “Sneak out, then. I do it all the time. What the old farts don’t know won’t hurt them.”

  “I don’t know...” But she was wavering. He made it sound so easy.

  “Come on, Amy. Alex and Elise are coming, it’ll be a blast, and I can’t go without a date. If you won’t be my date, I’ll have to find some other girl. What’ll people think?”

  The bell rang. “Promise me, Amy,” he urged.

  “Jason...”

  “Please!”

  “I – I’ll try.”

  “Good girl.” He kissed her again. “Bye. See you at lunch.”

  **

  Jake nodded, apparently listening to Dick Lendall, but his thoughts wandered to the bookstore on Pandora Avenue. Blessed Be. Funny name for a bookstore.

  In the last twenty-four hours, he meets a charming woman who openly admits she’s a witch, then a few hours later finds his daughter with a pentagram carved into her arm. And now Dick Lendall is pitching him a game idea that revolves around a coven of witches. Coincidence?

  What did Cari Valentine say? There is no such thing as coincidence. Just all part of a greater design.

  Like hell.

  He frowned, and Dick Lendall paused. “What’s the matter? Don’t you like this? I know it’s still premature, but if you can grasp the concept –”