February 17 | Monday #8
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m sorry.” Oscar pulled back abruptly. “I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry I disappointed you,” was all he said before hastily leaving the classroom.
Will was disappointed, yes. Disappointed and confused, because today he had seen a side of Oscar he had never known before.
He should have been crushed by the rejection, but he was simply uneasy. When he got home, Will analyzed what he had heard for a long time. Eventually, he even began to wonder if it was true. He didn’t suspect Oscar of resorting to such stories to get rid of a persistent admirer, but who knew?
Firing up his laptop, Will started searching. He figured that the disappearance of a young boy couldn’t have gone unnoticed, and he wasn’t wrong. Soon enough, he found news reports from just under two years ago.
Bradley Foster had disappeared at just sixteen. Reportedly, one sunny morning, he had left his house in a red t-shirt and brown shorts, with twenty dollars in his pocket. He was heading to a nearby store, but he never made it there.
It must have been a big case, because he came across many articles describing the actions of both the police and the community.
Will felt awful, unable to even imagine what Oscar must have gone through. But on the other hand… If Oscar still cared about Brad—and he clearly did…
He was treating Will as a distraction.
And nothing more.
These grim thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone.
“Hello?” Will answered.
“Guess what!” Norma exclaimed.
“I don’t think I can,” Will muttered, moving the phone slightly away from his ear.
“Boo! You’re no fun! Tomorrow is your big day.”
“Meaning?”
“We’re going on a mission! You, me, and Abby!”
“That’s great.”
“I was expecting more enthusiasm, but yes. We’re meeting at my place at noon. Sound good?”
“Sure. What exactly are we going to be doing?”
“Demon hunting.”
January 11 | Saturday
“So, what’s the deal with these demons?”
It was a frosty afternoon. Will was with Norma and Abby, walking down Baker Street.
“You’ll see,” Norma replied, grinning broadly.
“You said the same thing yesterday!” Will huffed in frustration. He had tried to get more out of her, but she just kept offering mysterious comments.
“Why would I spoil the surprise?”
“So I could prepare? A little better than just this?” Will grumbled, digging a chain out from under his scarf and showing his companions the cross hanging from it.
“Are you religious?”
“No.”
“Well, turns out demons aren’t either, so that won’t help you much. But if you threw on some black clothes and some killer makeup, you’d be the perfect goth. You’ve got the complexion for it.”
Will rolled his eyes.
“Are you going to tell me?” he grumbled impatiently.
“There’s this girl… Christine Ellis. We suspect she’s possessed.”
“Why?”
“Abby… Lecture on demons, please!” Norma ordered energetically.
Abby gave her a vacant look, not rushing to answer. It was no surprise; she hadn’t said a word since Will arrived. Will got the impression that his presence annoyed her.
“Okay, fine, don’t.” Norma didn’t seem particularly fazed. “Demons are parasitic beings from the spirit world. They possess all sorts of living things, most often humans, and draw energy from them.”
“How does that happen?” Will asked. The very idea of meeting a demon filled him with dread, but he was intrigued at the same time.
“Various ways. Dabbling in black magic, cursed objects, being in the wrong place at the wrong time…”
“How often does it happen?”
“Possessions? More often than seventeen-year-olds going through an Awakening,” Norma replied with amusement. “But not very often, especially in towns like Black Hollow. Demons tend to avoid tight-knit paranormal communities. It’s harder for them to get a foothold.”
“And this girl… Christine… are you sure she’s possessed?”
“I said we suspect.”
“Based on what?”
“She’s been acting strange—she’s become distant, has isolated herself from her friends, and has stopped taking care of herself.”
“That sounds like symptoms of depression. Or even just a temporary rough patch.”
“And that’s the problem; demons aren’t easy to detect. We’ve been wrong before. But I think we’re on to something with Christine. She was always the life of the party, and lately, she’s become different, literally overnight. Her friends heard her talking to herself. They suspect she’s on drugs.”
“They could be right.”
“They could. But either way, we have to check it out. A demon’s presence always means trouble.”
“So… are we going to perform an exorcism?” Will asked. This was the part that interested him most.
“In a way. If it’s necessary.”
“What other way is there to get a demon out?”
“By persuading it to leave.”
Will burst out laughing.
“But seriously?”
“That was serious,” Norma stated, to his surprise. “It’s the simplest and safest way. You can force it out, but then it’s easy for things to get out of control. It can hurt or kill the host. It’s better if it leaves of its own accord.”
“And you can convince it with rational arguments?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Demons are more sensitive to power fluctuations.”
Will grimaced at the answer and gave Norma a pointed look. How the hell was he supposed to know what a power fluctuation was?
Norma chuckled at his expression.
“You see, Will… I told you that magic is based on nature, and nature is always changing. Witches have more power during certain periods, like a full moon. With demons, it’s much more fluid.
One moment you could be dealing with a being that couldn’t put up a fight, and the next you’re facing a true weapon of destruction. I’d rather we run into the first kind.”
Will would rather that, too. Definitely.
“What if it possesses one of us?” he asked fearfully.
“Don’t worry, demons aren’t fond of witches. Besides, Abby’s spells are protecting us.”
Will sent a grateful glance toward the other girl, but she continued to ignore him.
“So… what am I actually supposed to do?”
“Just watch, okay?” Norma suggested, and Will nodded. He could do that. “And be ready to provide support, just in case.”
Okay. He couldn’t do that.
“You know I still don’t have a handle on my abilities, right?
” he reminded her reluctantly. Will hated this topic.
It made him feel so pathetic and helpless.
In the paranormal world, he felt like the equivalent of a seventeen-year-old just learning to write his first words and still having huge problems with it.
“You can definitely do something already,” Norma stated with full conviction.
Will fell silent.
“No? Seriously? But you got away from that murderer.”
“Yeah, but… That wasn’t me,” Will admitted in a low voice.
“What?”
“I mean… I didn’t do it consciously. I think I reacted based on my emotions.”
“Great,” Norma said, seemingly completely satisfied with that answer. “If you could do it then, you can do it under normal conditions too. You just have to try harder and gain some confidence.”
Uh-huh.
A sarcastic thanks for the tip almost escaped Will’s lips, but he held it back.
He’d heard similar things many times before.
That it takes time, that he has to learn, that he needs to feel more confident, that eventually it will just come to him…
It wasn’t coming. That was the point. And comments like that didn’t boost his positive attitude; on the contrary, they made him feel incompetent.
“Why are you guys the ones dealing with this?” He finally asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time, but there had never been a good moment to bring it up. “It seems a little dangerous. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it to the adults?”
“We’re almost adults.”
“You know what I mean.”
“There are many others who also keep order. Well, maybe not many, but enough,” Norma assured him with a smile.
“As for us… It started with Blake. He probably wants to follow in his father’s footsteps or is following his orders.
Abby and Liam get involved because of him.
Especially Liam. You know how interested he is in this world.
And me… Well. I’m naturally curious. I got mixed up in a few situations and just became part of the team. ”
“So Blake’s father is…”
He didn’t quite know how to phrase the question.
“…the unofficial leader of Black Hollow’s paranormal community,” Norma quickly helped out. “Unofficial, because many wouldn’t call him that. He’s not particularly liked, but he can get a lot of things done, and he has a direct line to the Agency.”
“He has time for that, running a company?”
Norma started to laugh.
“His company is a front, Will. The phone number on the business cards is a hotline for local paranormals. You have Blake’s number, so it amounts to the same thing.”
A few minutes later, they arrived at the right address, and Will focused on the situation at hand. They knocked on the door of a charming white house standing on the very corner of the street.
After a long moment, a girl their age opened the door. She had pale skin, long black hair, green eyes with dark circles under them, and heavy makeup that was uneven and smudged in places. She looked like she’d gone to sleep fully dressed and had just woken up.
“What?” she snapped, eyeing the three of them with an unpleasant glare.
“Hi, Christie,” Norma said with a cheerful smile. “You know me? We have math and chemistry together.”
“I don’t,” Christine ground out through her teeth. “What is it?”
“Can we come in?”
Christine looked at Norma as if she’d lost her mind.
“Why?”
“I got your report card.” Norma pulled a piece of paper from her purse and waved it in the girl’s face. “I wanted to give it to you.”
Christine didn’t move from the doorway, just held out her hand.
“Oh my God…” Norma said suddenly. “What a beautiful lamp!”
…and then, as if it were nothing, she pushed past the girl and barged into her entryway.
“What are you doing?” Christine exclaimed, chasing after her.
Abby entered the house and signaled for Will to do the same.
“A lamp? Seriously?” Will hissed under his breath.
Abigail sighed softly, closing the door.