A Demon Made Me Do It(38)

We both take off racing down the trails, leaving nothing but dust and rubble in our wake.





Chapter 8. Liora


Oh, my God…what the…?

A thousand angry butcher knives stab mercilessly through my head. Moaning, I roll over in bed. I try to swallow but can’t; my mouth feels like it’s filled with cotton. There’s an old glass of water on my nightstand and I eagerly chug it down, but it’s like drinking fire. As soon as the liquid hits my queasy stomach, my body spasms and I vomit on the floor beside the bed.

Oh, God. I’m dying. Lucky finally got us killed. I fall back on the bed, unable to sit up; my head is spinning out of control.

But I’m at home. If Lucky had gotten hurt or poisoned, wouldn’t I still be out in the woods somewhere?

“Tattie,” I call out weakly, “Tat, I need help…”

Within moments she glides into my room carrying a tray with a small loaf of bread, some oatmeal, a banana, and a pink-tinted water concoction.

“There, there, don’t worry. This will pass. You just didn’t have enough time to metabolize.” She places the tray beside my bed and disappears into the bathroom.

I cover my face with a pillow, the sight of food bringing me to the brink of upheaving again. “She did this on purpose,” I moan.

“Now, now, dear…I don’t think she was being malicious,” Tatiana returns from the bathroom with a wet wash cloth and gently wipes my forehead. The cool sensation eases my dizziness a bit, but I still feel like I’m dying. I wish I was dead.

“She had a rough night last night. Her emotions were overcharged, and she was weak. You know what that can do to her body.”

“She did it on purpose. This is payback for the dumpster, I know it is. She hates me.”

“She wasn’t pleased, but I believe she understood the necessity. Just as you will now.” She pushes the tray of food closer, and I make a sour face. “Drink this first,” she instructs, holding the glass of mystery liquid, “…then eat a little bit, but do it slowly. Your body will re-adjust faster. Otherwise it may take several hours for you to recover.”

I moan and roll over again, wishing Tatiana would leave me to die in peace. But then I remember yesterday; more specifically, I remember Kieron. Even though my brain hurts too much to form any real thoughts, I know I have to see him.

Tentatively, I sit up and force myself to sip some of Tatiana’s drink. As I do, I realize I’m still wearing Lucky’s dress from last night. That’s odd. Normally I wake up naked, as Lucky never wants me anywhere near her clothes. If she didn’t even have enough time to change, then I suppose I’m just fortunate she managed to make it home at all. Once, she’d left me in the middle of the forest. Man, was Tatiana pissed off about that. I really wish I could’ve witnessed the ass-chewing she gave Lucky that night. Whatever she said obviously worked, as I’ve never since woken up anywhere other than my own bed, albeit it usually nude, and always cold.

Tatiana’s potion must be kicking in because I’m actually able to keep down a slice of the bread and some of the oatmeal. After a few minutes I feel almost close to normal. But even if I still felt like death, nothing is keeping me from school today.

I have to see him.

Tatiana returns with a fresh, damp cloth and sits beside me. “Better?”

I nod. “I need to get ready,” I say getting out of bed.

“I don’t know if it’s wise for you to go to school today,” Tatiana says, a concerned look on her face.

“Why? I feel much better. Great, even. You should sell that little hangover potion of yours, you’d make a killing—”

“That’s not it,” she says with a frown. “There is a stain of darkness there; a cloud hangs most menacingly…I feel something terrible has passed, or will soon.”

“Well, duh, I could’ve told you that. I refer to it as P.E. class,” I mutter.

She shakes her head again, but I’m already halfway to the shower. “I’ll be fine, Tat. It’s school. You know if anything really terrible happens Lucky will show up. It’s in her best interest to keep me safe too, right?”





I weave through the woods at a brisk pace, and actually catch myself humming a happy tune. I’m not thinking about how awful I felt when I woke up or Tatiana’s cryptic warning.

I’m thinking about him.

Spending yesterday with Kieron was the best time I’d had in years. After recovering from my initial shock at his chosen locale—I mean really, who studies in a cemetery?—Kieron explained to me why he’d brought me there, and why that place was so special to him. He’d stumbled across it soon after coming to town, and its quiet, haunting sadness had deeply affected him.