Chapter 9
nine
. . .
Present Day
This has to be a joke.
Darkness surrounds me, meaning, I’m back in the void.
I was free. I had control of my body, but Kit had gotten me too wasted to do anything besides get myself to bed.
I knew I needed to be researching ways to exorcise him.
I wish I would have had the forethought to Uber myself to a priest rather than my apartment.
I force myself to my feet, blood rushing to my head. I titter where I stand, wishing I had a wall to lean against. Ughh. Why do I still feel drunk? I did not drink anything last night.
Kit’s voice rings out louder than usual, “Morning, sunshine.” He sounds a hell of a lot perkier than he should be. Though, I don’t know why I’m surprised. It’s not like he’s human.
“You could have killed me last night,” I grumble. I tug on the old T-shirt I’m wearing. I’m glad I bothered to dress myself before I went to sleep last night, otherwise I’d be naked in here. Which I’m sure Kit would love.
“Nah, with me inside of you, we can out-drink even the most hardcore frat bros.”
I glare, hoping he can see or sense it. “I meant with the vodka ocean you created in my void. I thought I was going to drown.”
“Vodka ocean?”
“Yeah, man. Do you not remember me yelling? I was pleading with you to stop drinking. That was literally the worst.”
“Oh. I couldn’t hear you over the music.” He pauses. “Are you all right?”
“Peachy,” I snap.
I don’t feel like looking out the window today. I sit back down, wishing I had a bed to curl up in.
One appears.
Same as the chair, it’s the most basic of basic beds.
The wooden frame and navy-blue mattress remind me of the twin bed I had in my freshman college dorm.
Now all it needs is sheets and pillows. I squeeze my eyes shut and focus.
Apparently, I’m thinking too hard about my college dorm now, because the pillows and sheets that appear are from that.
The gray and white comforter and purple furry pillow are things I have not seen or thought about in years, but right now, they look so comfortable.
I crawl into the bed, shoving my arm under the pillow.
The illusion of comfort will have to be enough—I can’t feel myself sinking into the mattress or appreciate the weight of the blanket over me.
Though I still can’t help but ask, “So, what’s the deal with your extra strength and lack of urination?”
He snorts, responding promptly—like he was waiting for me to speak.
“When I’m in control, your body takes on my physical strength and everything else sort of pauses.
Like, we don’t sleep or need to eat or, uh, urinate—unless I intake a lot of liquid, like last night.
It’s not a perfect system, though. You can still get hurt. ”
“How does that all work?”
“Magic?”
“I hate that that’s an acceptable enough answer.” I flip on my back. “What are your plans for today, then? Do some more petty crimes? Litter? Disobey traffic laws? Download illegal music?”
Kit ponders this. “Possibly yes to the traffic laws, but I promise to not steal another car. Today. But download illegal music? I’ve never thought about that. Do you want to do that? We can do that.”
“It’s not 2004, and I have Spotify Premium. There’s no need to use LimeWire anymore.”
Kit chuckles. “Right. I remember LimeWire.”
I perk up at this, sitting up in bed. “From your time as a human?” I prod.
To avoid discussion of his former human life—if he had one—he changes the subject. “You’ve gotten a lot of angry texts from someone named Meggie. Should we be concerned?”
I forgot about Meggie. I cannot believe we saw her last night. Hurt rattles in my chest as I remember that she left me alone and drunk in a club.
Meggie is five years older than me and on a completely different life path.
Single and childless by design, runs her own start-up, owns her own home, is happy with the way things have turned out, has what she wants in life, and isn’t desperate for more.
Despite that, we’re closer in adulthood than we were in childhood.
And before last night, she never would have ditched me like that.
Sullenly, I say, “Yes, we should be concerned. That’s my sister.”
“Ah, well, she’s pissed. What did you do to her? You texted her sorry last night.”
“What did I do to her? Kit, you met her last night, or were you too far gone to remember?”
He sucks his teeth. “Was she the woman trying to make us leave?”
“Yes, and if you would have actually listened to me last night, you would already know this.”
“Well, that’s not good. I didn’t realize that was your sister. I showed her my eyes.”
“What does that mean?” I demand.
“Uh, well, I’ll show you. Come to your little porthole.”
I throw the covers off of myself and trudge to my window. “Okay,” I say when I see myself gazing back at me in my bathroom mirror.
“I’ll see if I can do it with one eye.” He closes his right eye, and when he reopens it, it’s as empty and dark as my void.
On the right side of my head, a sharp horn now protrudes to match the eye, misty and blurred.
I flinch backward before pressing my face to the glass.
I already didn’t think my eyes looked like mine with him in here, but… but this is another level. Pure evil.
“Shit, Kit. You showed my sister that? That’s terrifying.”
He blinks again, returning my iris to its normal brown, the horn blinking away as well. “It’s worse with both eyes, but I don’t think you can see out your window when I set both eyes black.”
“I’d rather not see that again.” I chew my lip. “What did Meggie say?”
Kit picks up my phone and begins to read the texts aloud in my voice.
“‘Are you on drugs? Lace, seriously, are you on drugs? You were such a bitch. I know you’re always sort of a bitch, but this was another level. You were drunk, but that’s not an excuse.
You were scary. I think you need to go to therapy.
You have not been right since everything with August. And that’s okay, but it’s also okay to admit you need help.
If you’re on drugs I’m seriously going to kill you.
How reckless are you? Call me. Right now. Seriously. Call me.’”
Well, that tracks. My feelings are hurt, but she’s the one who’s pissed. I shake my head. Anger is how Meggie shows her love. And I know she was scared. No wonder she left.
He clears his throat then says in the void, “Speaking of August, you texted her, too. Told her you were possessed. That wasn’t cool.”
“She won’t respond,” I say quietly.
“Why not?”
“Because she won’t. My sister is the issue here.” August is none of his business.
“And how are we going to fix the issue?”
I suggest sharply, “By you un-possessing me.”
“I told you, not an option. I could ignore her.”
“Ha, if you ignore her, she’ll show up here.”
Even though all I want is for her to come rescue me, she can’t. If she shows up here, Kit might hurt her. It’s not like I have any concept of what he is capable of. I can’t have her hurt. I groan and drag my hands down my face. I have to protect her.
“All right. We’re going to call her, and you are going to repeat after me, understand? No adlibbing. Word for word. Got it?”
Kit snorts in his voice. “Sure, babe. But how are you going to explain the eyes?”
“I’ll say it was a trick of the light and that I was on drugs, and my pupils were extremely dilated.”
“Pupils don’t get that dilated. What about the horns?”
“Another trick of the light. Call her,” I order. “Now. And do not speak unless I speak.”
I watch his eyes roll in the mirror as he hits call.
Meggie answers on the second ring. “What the fuck, Lace?”
My heart lurches at the sound of her voice. “Sorry,” I say, and Kit repeats me word for word as I go on. “I was so drunk last night. It was a bad night. And I have to be honest, I did do drugs.” I pray she doesn’t ask for specifics because my narcotics knowledge is limited.
She scoffs sharply. “Jesus. You were so fucked up. How often are you on drugs, huh?”
“Not often,” I say. “I promise. It was a one-night thing. I was on a date, he ditched me, I ran into an acquaintance in the bathroom, and, well, that was that. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Kit repeats me word for word again. I hate how easy it is to lie to her.
“You should have let me take you home.”
“You shouldn’t have left me,” I spit. Kit repeats that in a less aggressive tone.
Meggie is quiet on her end of the line. She takes a deep inhale. “You’re right. I’m glad you got home safe. I should not have left you. Bad sister move.”
“Correct.” I internally scold myself. I don’t need to be yelling at her.
“You just…you freaked me out, Lace. Your eyes…”
I purse my lips and decide to play ignorant. “What about my eyes?”
“They…they were empty.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what I said. There was nothing in them.”
Something heavy settles in the pit of my stomach with that description.
It may not be much longer before that’s actually true.
But she can’t know the truth, and it’s best if I don’t let on to Kit how terrified I am.
I respond how I normally would to a comment like that.
“I know it was unwise to do drugs, but I’m not brainless. ”
She scoffs. “That’s not what I’m saying. But also, if you’re doing drugs offered to you by strangers in clubs, you are brainless. No. They were black. Pitch black.”
I snort, even though my entire being is numb, and Kit follows suit.
“They were dilated. I’m sure it was a trick of the light.
” I play with the hem of my T-shirt. “Megs, listen, I’m sorry, okay?
I should have called you when my date ditched me and found you before I did the drugs.
I made a mistake, but I’m fine. Okay? I’m all right. ”
I wish her and I had some sort of secret code.
A signal that I could give her to let her know that I’m not okay, but while we do have words for that, there is nothing to communicate what is actually wrong with me.
How am I supposed to let her know I’m possessed by a demon and she needs to exorcise Kit without letting Kit on to it?
There’s no way, so I repeat, “I’m all right.”
“I’m still unbelievably mad at you.”
“I believe you.”
“Just…don’t let men get to you like that, okay? They’re not worth it. None of them are.”
“Well…” Kit starts to say in my voice, but I cut him off.
“You are correct. Men suck.” Kit repeats me but grumbles it.
Kit takes over and says, “I have to go. I need to get ready for work. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Fine. Have a nice day. Stop doing drugs.” She hangs up, and I let out a huge breath.
“She bought it,” I say emotionlessly.
Kit responds in the void, “You’re a terrific liar.”
“Gee, what a great and honorable skill.” My stomach churns. “I’m going back to bed.” I shuffle back to my bed and lie down under the covers again, squeezing my eyes shut like I can actually fall asleep in here.