I grabbed a soda from the cooler and Mr. Murphy brought us each some hotdogs he'd been cooking on the grill. “Thank you,” we told him appreciatively. “How’s the spring cleanup going?”
“Oh, it’s coming along,” he told me with a smile. “I got some of the boys out there now trimming up the branches and keeping things in order. We got about seventy-five new saplings that need to go in the ground by the end of the week.”
“Glad to hear it.”
He just smiled and went back to flipping burgers. “Have fun, kids.”
“So Wynn, do you have any plans for prom?” Lacey asked me out of the blue. Ryan's ears perked up at her line of questioning while he waited for my response.
I laughed nervously, “Um, not really.”
“You don't have a date?” she pressed me a little further.
I shrugged. “No, if I go it'll be stag. That way I can wear a big red sign across my chest that says 'loser' on it.”
Ryan’s aura faltered slightly, but Lacey just laughed, “You could always go with us, it’s just going to be a group of friends. We'd love to have you.”
“Who's your date?” I asked curiously.
“Phillip.” She tried to say it nonchalantly but I could see her slight blush and remembered her aura around him when we were setting up the lights.
“That's nice,” I told her pleasantly. “What about you, Ryan. Have you asked anyone?”
He cleared his throat and wiped his hands off on his swim trunks, not meeting my eyes. “Actually, I'm taking Monica.”
Lacey and I both stared at him. “Monica?” I asked in both shock and disbelief. “Monica Nichols from the show?”
He nodded and ran his fingers through his mussed up hair and shied away from me, knowing my wrath would come swiftly. “She asked me about it the other day. I didn't have a date yet, so why not?” he asked rhetorically.
I still answered, “She's tormented us since we were in kindergarten!”
“No, she's tormented you. Monica's always been nice to me. Apparently, she's always had a crush on me and thought you were in the way.”
Lacey was still staring at him open-mouthed.
“I don't … what … argh! I've got to go,” I told him angrily.
I threw my plate and napkin in the trash and stormed back across the lawn to where my towel was. “Wynn, wait up!” Lacey called after me. I was striding at an angry pace and had to slow down for her to catch up.
“Augh! I can't believe him,” I vented furiously. “Of all the girls in school he could choose to date, he had to go after Monica!?”
“That's rough,” Lacey agreed. “I'm as shocked as you are. She’s a jerk.”
I flopped down on my navy blue towel and hung my head between my knees. “I shouldn't be taking it personally, but I am.”
She sat down next to me and sighed. “Let's take a breather then. How do you feel about sunbathing?”
“Only if I have 500 SPF. I'm still a ginger, remember?”
“Oh … right.”
“It's cool, let’s just drag our towels over to the shade.”
She followed my lead and we moved over to a quiet area on the edge of the lawn where no one else was congregating. “This is nice,” she sighed, laying back against the grass.
“Yeah,” I agreed, closing my eyes for a moment, trying to relax. I couldn’t stay mad at him forever, but I’d allow myself the afternoon to pout. He had a certain Gene Kelly charm about him, someone was bound to snatch him up sooner or later, especially now that he understood why we could never ever be an item. But why did it have to be her?
Ryan knew how I felt about her, so I couldn’t help but feel like it was his secret way of punishing me. I was so angry at his superficial betrayal, yet exhausted from lack of sleep, that I actually dozed off in the warm afternoon shade.
~ * ~
I woke up a few hours later with a stiff, burning sensation all across my body — the typical start to any sunburn. The sun had moved throughout the course of my nap and the branches left me unshielded from its rays. Ugh, perfect. I let out a tired yawn and stood up blearily on the grass.
It would be evening soon and the fireflies were coming out. Ryan’s dad was busily trying to light the fire pit on the side of the house and I went in search of Lacey. I spotted her on the porch swing, lazily pushing herself back and forth, so I hobbled over to where she was and took a seat beside her. “Hey there,” she greeted happily.
“Hey.”
I rested my head against her shoulder and watched as the fire eventually took hold. The amber flames licked up the wooden pyre as a few of our classmates started dancing to the music pouring out from inside. With a tired sigh I brought the porch swing to a halt and slid off the wooden seat. “I'm going to get a drink,” I told her conversationally. “Do you want me to get you anything?”
She shook her head. “Nah, I'm good.”
I walked around the corner of the porch and stepped into the brightly lit kitchen, grabbing a Solo cup off the counter and helping myself to a drink from a punch bowl. “Be careful with that,” Courtney warned me from the doorway. “I think it may be spiked.”
I glanced up at her in surprise while ladling it into my cup. “Really? Okay, thanks for the warning, I guess. I’ll make sure to take it slow.”
She smiled at me and threw some chips onto a plate before grabbing another hot dog and walking back outside. I filled up my plate with an assortment of junk food and sipped the drink in front of me.
“Yuuck … I can’t believe people actually drink this stuff,” I cringed into the cup.
When I made it back outside, Lacey was dancing around the fire pit with the rest of them. I finished my food and went to join them, allowing myself to get lost in the rhythm of the music.
As the alcohol took effect, the auras of my friends began to glisten in the firelight and I started feeling tipsy. My blood pressure rose with the tempo of the music as we continued dancing. The auras were primal and overpowering my senses and the drink had transformed them into something tangible and … edible. I’d never thought of tasting them before, but this was a different kind of hunger, like an itch that needed to be scratched.
I resisted it at first, but soon the allure of them was just too much for me and I decided to give it a try. When Travis came dancing next to me, I felt a tug inside my gut that sucked in a tiny sample of his aura. It didn't come from my lungs or any muscle I had ever used before. I didn't even know how it happened, but the reflex pulled and I drank in his flavor slightly. I'd tasted excellent food before, my mother was a four-star chef, but I had never tasted anything quite like this.
It was like a hit of some powerful drug that released all the endorphins in my brain. My limbs and face tingled with delight as I sucked in the delicious essence. It fed a hunger I never knew existed before and it nourished me too. No, nourish wasn’t right. Rather, it filled me with a sense of power, almost palpable, ready to be unleashed and used.
Travis, on the other hand, looked like he was about to fall over, his limbs were going weak. “Have a bit too much to drink?” Ryan teased him from beside me.
Travis laughed, “Yeah, I guess. I'm gonna have a seat.”
Courtney walked with him over to the picnic table and helped him sit down on the bench. Lacey was dancing provocatively next to Chris Wright from my British Literature class, but neither of them looked very appealing. Instead, my eyes rested on Jasmine from the show, her aura was a particularly inviting shade of orange and I decided to take another little taste.
As inconspicuously as possible, I made my way around the fire next to her. “Where's Monica?” I asked.
Jasmine looked at me in surprise. “Uh, she went to Panama City with some kids from chorus.”
“That's too bad you weren't invited,” I told her simply.
Her eyes narrowed. “I was invited, but Marc couldn't go so we decided to stay in town.”
“Well, I'm glad you're here.”
Jasmine smile
d weakly, not looking entirely convinced. I grinned and leaned in close to open that inscrutable psychic jaw and her aura fell in like from an overflowing cup. I drank deeply, thinking I'd never be full. It was nothing short of heaven.
Jasmine didn't even scream, she just fell back against Ryan’s shoulder and closed her eyes in sleep. He was able to catch her before she fell, and glanced up at me confused. “Looks like we've got a bunch of lushes around here!” he teased with a crooked smile.
As he carried her inside, I looked around and continued dancing. Every now and then I would take a sip of one of my companions. I was careful not to take too much because I didn't want to look suspicious, but I also didn’t want to stop. I couldn’t help myself, the feeling was too euphoric.
A few minutes later I was about to move on to another one, when I saw two pairs of glistening teeth shimmer through the darkness. I stopped dancing immediately and felt a mild knot form in my stomach. When I walked towards them, a giant fleshy body coalesced into place with two heads on top of it — the ogre from my trial.
He wore a grease-stained t-shirt and suspenders, which were the only thing that could hold up the enormous pair of jeans. Both of his mouths had thick layers of tomato sauce smeared around his lips, dribbling off his chin … at least I hoped it was tomato sauce, the alternative was far too gruesome.
He placed his hands behind his back and started walking around in a circle, looking me over from head to foot. Belphegor licked his lips disgustingly and his nostrils flared. “Delicious aren’t they? A real treat to feed off a human’s life force. You must be the Earthwalker child that's got everyone in an uproar,” he addressed me casually. “I don't see what all the fuss is about, you don't look very impressive to me.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” I responded dryly. “You must be the Lord of Gluttony. Are you here to deliver my test?”
The two-headed ogre paused in his predatory circling and looked me over carefully. “Indeed, I am Belphegor, the Demon Lord,” he confirmed. “And whether you realize it or not, you have entered my domain. It seems you and I must duel.”
I gulped nervously when he licked his lips again and summoned all my courage to take a step towards him. “Then I suppose I am obliged to accept your challenge. My name is Wynonna Hendricks, and though I may have 'entered your domain' as you so claim, I do not belong to it. My place is here in the Mortal Realm, so if you want to take me with you then I will go down fighting.”
“Well that was a nice little speech,” Belphegor scoffed, “But your ignorance is showing. Your place here in the ‘Mortal Realm’? Heh heh. As is mine. What do you think Gluttony is? The Kingdoms of Hell are not quite the place to satisfy the palette. No, this,” he spread his arms open wide taking in the sight of the auras. “This is where my domain lies.”
He walked toward me, his mass wobbling and bouncing as he moved, with blistered tongues licking his lips greedily as he looked at me.
“Gluttony is not just about feeding, girl, it’s about absolute consumption, an inordinate desire to always have more. Never being satisfied with what you have. You entered my domain when the hunger for more growing within your belly engulfs you, until all reason leaves and starvation drives you to do the unthinkable … such as feasting on the souls of your friends? You see, we demons can feed on a mortal’s negative energy — most of the time that comes from witches or other subordinates, but every once in a while it’s nice to have a quick snack. Over time, a human's aura may become seasoned through strength of personality and circumstances they are able to overcome. I think when the time comes, yours will be particularly tasty. I can almost smell the flavors rolling off you.”
“What are you going to do with me?” I hissed at him.
“I want you to eat. Gluttony is about indulgence.”
“I already ate,” I spat at him.
“You didn't find it pleasing?” he asked me skeptically. “The taste and aroma didn't overwhelm your senses and leave your mouth watering for more? Couldn’t you feel the power swelling inside you? If you eat long enough, you can feel their heart flutter as life slips away.”
I could feel my own heartbeat pulsing in my ears, as if I were falling into a trance. I looked around at my classmates and saw only the clouds of color surrounding them, a buffet of delicacies before me. I struggled to maintain control, but it was like fighting against a current pulling me down and away from reason — there was only hunger and an appetite that could not be sated. Belphegor had frozen everyone in place, so there was no risk of getting caught. As the drool pooled in my mouth, I lunged at one of the yellow auras and began drinking to my heart’s content. I flitted from person to person, drinking in their essences and feeling the power grow within me.
“Yes! FEED!” Belphegor urged me from a distance.
It wasn’t long before Belphegor joined me, drinking heavily from the auras of the inebriated guests. He was faster than I imagined, considering his size. Unlike my slow and languished thirst where I relished in the strange new flavors, his appetite was less controlled — he drank more freely and deeply than a black hole and we filled ourselves to the very brink. I looked at Belphegor, at how little he cared about what he was doing as long as he was eating. I searched through the miasma of color to try and find the face of the victim I had been draining. My heart dropped when I saw that it was Ryan — my Ryan — who still came back to me after knowing I was a demon. I was mortified at myself for endangering him like this. All those feelings of awkwardness, of avoiding him out of some embarrassment seemed so silly and short-sighted now that I felt the possibility of actually losing him. That sobered me up immediately and I glanced over at Belphegor, realizing he was feeding on Courtney’s aura.
Dropping Ryan instantly, I Blinked over to where he was and pushed the gluttonous demon off her. “Alright, we’re done!”
He looked at me amused and wiped some slobber off his jowls before proceeding. “I am never finished, that’s the point! You have some nerve stepping between me and my meal. I’ll let that slide as long as you do not interfere again.”
“No, this is exactly where I belong — between you and them! These are my friends! I’m not your drinking buddy and we’re not going to feed on them anymore.”
“If you don’t feed then you'll grow weak,” the ogre argued. “There’s no better way to build up your strength and fight back then to indulge in a little harmless appetizer.”
My anger flared. “No! Who are you to tell me what makes me weak? I've had enough, you're going to leave here now. I may not be strong yet, but that won’t stop me from protecting them.”
“Or what?” he asked me condescendingly.
“Or this.”
I conjured a fire ball in my hands and launched it at him. Belphegor dodged it easily, apparently as quick fighting as he was retrieving food. I threw a few more fireballs at him, all completely fruitless. “Is that all you have? A few balls of fire? Haha, that’s adorable,” he laughed from across the field.
He was just too strong to take on and too nimble to shoot. Then something Aidan said to me popped into my head — think outside the box.
I dissipated the ball of fire in my hand and decided to go directly for the target. We’d been working on conjuring our last session and a wicked thought came to me. I wasn’t sure if it would work, I’d never conjured anything quite this scale, but as long as I was able to maintain concentration, it should work. I closed my eyes, focusing my entire being on the image in my mind: a muscled, coiling mass of flesh. Instead of releasing the image in front of me, however, I looked up at the Demon Lord sneering at me.
Focus, I commanded myself sternly while glaring hard at him. He laughed at me and my apparent failure to summon any more attacks upon him, but then a curious wrinkle came to his eye. His face twisted into an unnatural and uncomfortable grimace. “What are you — doing?” He clutched at his belly, which was visibly bloated now.
“You’re the one who told me to eat, don’t you want to fill your own belly
?” I mocked, more callous now. “I thought you’d find it satisfying.”
His visible discomfort only encouraged me as I continued visualizing what was happening inside, using everything I had to keep up the summoning charm. Below his fingers, the skin started pulsating and bulging as something stretched and pushed from the inside of his gut. He groaned at the pressure and discomfort of an alien presence adulterating his very being. If he was trying to stop me or attack, I couldn’t tell — my heart and blood were pumping so hard. His moans turned into wails and shrieks as his clutching fingers could not contain the writhing snakes that suddenly exploded from his body, dragging with them the oversized and redundant viscera that remained firmly entangled within their twisted throes.
I hardly had time to savor the wet, sizzling flops of roiling snake and entrails hitting the ground before the demon vanished with a final screech. I stooped, panting and seeing red, as I collapsed on the ground from expending so much energy. He had been right, the auras had made me stronger. I don’t think I could have summoned that on my own. My eyes drifted in and out of focus, but then the indistinct light before me coalesced into Caleb standing there in all his angelic glory. The way he was looking at me didn’t have the usual tenderness though, and I actually shrank from the harsh anger burning in his eyes. “You mind telling me what in the world that was?” he demanded.
“I … what?”
“I saw you,” he growled angrily. “You were feeding on them! How could you do such an awful thing?”
“Ummm…” I had no answer for him. “Can we talk about this later?” I asked nervously, not meeting his eye.
“No. Belphegor would not have come unless you did something to invite him.”
All I could manage was a shallow, disapproving growl of exasperation before spinning around on my heel and stomping off towards the patio. “I have no control over when the Demon Lords decide to test me,” I reminded him furiously. “And frankly, I thought it went swimmingly! I WON! What exactly is your problem anyways?”
Dealing with the Devil (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 1) Page 26