The Devil's Prey (The Demon Within) (19 page)

I made sure no one had
followed me before I called Michel’s name.

‘W
hy, hello, friend. Long time no see.’ He was grinning at me.

‘W
hy, yes, it has been a long time. How were your holidays? Mine were such a bore,’ I said in a posh accent.

‘S
ame here, Miss Burns. I heard your plane trip back was delightful.’ We were both being silly, speaking in posh accents.

‘W
hy, yes, kind sir. My plane trip was very pleasant, indeed. No people snoring. In fact, it was only me in a row of three.’ I walked around Michel.

‘T
hat is very good to hear, miss. Did I tell you that I had a very good holiday myself, with a friend up in Italy? Why, yes. It was a great time. What a shame she is back in Italy.’ We were both trying hard not to laugh at how ridiculous we sounded.

‘W
hy, she sounds like a handful, but who ever said she stayed back in Italy?’ That’s when we both burst into laughter.

‘D
ude, you sounded ridiculous. We can clearly see you will never do rich,’ I said with a smile.

‘I could say the same about you
.’ We were both laughing again.

‘Summer
, where are you?’ It was Amanda’s voice.

‘Y
ou have to go.’

With a wink and a grin, he was gone
.

‘T
here you are. I heard you talking to someone, and then I heard laughing, and I was worried because…well, I couldn’t read your thoughts, so I came over.’ She was looking around for the other person.

‘N
ope, just me. I was told by Liam that I need to role play to, well…umm…’ I really couldn’t explain, but Liam did say role playing would help me, so I wasn’t exactly lying.

‘O
k then, but we have serious stuff to talk about. For example, these two pictures. One before you went to the club, and the one after.’ She was showing me the pictures on her phone. I could also hear Michel laughing up in the trees.

‘O
k, let’s go inside. I am starting to get cold.’

‘O
k, Summer. For starters, what were you even thinking? Going clubbing in what you were wearing, and going by yourself?’ The bomb hit the moment we stepped into the bedroom. Amanda was at me like a tiger that had been waiting for the kill.

‘I went with someone from where I was staying
. He was really nice, come to think of it. He was cute as well.’ I was staring out the window at the thin layer of snow outside.

‘O
h, that makes it so much better. And then you got drunk! What were you thinking?’

‘I
t was experimenting. Someone told me that fairies can only get drunk after, what, I think about fifty drinks. I was testing.’ I knew the moment the words left my lips that it would backfire.

‘Fifty
drinks? How many did you have the first night? And please don’t tell me you did it again after that!’ She was irritated with me, but not exactly mad, and I was starting to think that she might have been jealous that she wasn’t there with me.

‘U
mm, the first night…twenty-five before I was out. Then the best I got to was around thirty drinks, I think.’ I shrugged my shoulders.

‘D
on’t shrug your shoulders at me! Thirty drinks is heaps!’ She kept going on and on about me and the club, but I began zoning out when I heard a whisper of voices, saying my name over and over.

‘Summer
, are you even listening to me?’ Amanda was right up in my face.

‘
Shhh,’ I said, and put my finger to my lips. I listened to the sound and tried to follow it.

‘
Summer, Summer, Summer, Summer, Summer…’
It was all they kept saying. I tilted my head so I could hear the voices. ‘What do you want?’ I asked out loud.

‘Summer
, who are you talking to?’

‘
Summer, Summer, Summer, Summer…’

‘S
top, please! Why now?’ I looked around, but all I could see was a very puzzled Amanda.

‘Summer
, what is going on?’ The voices had stopped, and it was so quiet you could hear the crickets.

‘I thought I heard something
.’ I heard a knock on my door.

‘Amanda
, Lauren wants you.’ Ethan came into the room.

‘F
ine, but Summer, this is not over!’ Amanda pointed her finger at me.

‘W
hatever.’ I threw up my hands and flopped down onto my bed.

‘S
ummer, wakey, wakey. Time for school,’ someone annoying was whispering. I didn’t even remember going to sleep, but I must have been so tired that I didn’t even go see Lauren when she sent Ethan to get me. She was going to be pissed off. ‘I am up,’ I said, with my eyes still closed.

‘N
ot until I see you up, ok? So get up.’ The voice was getting louder.

‘A
lright, I get the point.’ I sat up in my bed, and let my eyes adjust.

‘O
h, Ethan, it’s you.’ I was surprised. We hadn’t said much since I got back. In fact, outside of what he said to me at the airport, he hadn’t really spoken to me in months.

‘I was told to wake you
. We are going to be late.’ For the first time in a long time, he used the word
we
.

‘S
o I am allowed to catch a ride with you, then?’ I asked, jumping out of bed.

‘I guess so
.’ And he walked right out of my room. I got dressed for school in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. When I walked outside, people from the house were welcoming me back, but I could hear a couple of girls gossiping, too.

‘D
id you hear? Apparently she had a mental breakdown in Italy.’

‘W
ell, I heard that she only went there to go to a crazy camp.’

I walked straight past them.

‘Good morning, Summer. Are you glad to be home?’ Lauren asked, giving me a look of concern.

‘Y
ep, sure am. I can’t wait to get to school to see everyone.’ I knew I shouldn’t have said that, since- well, I get the feeling that Lauren doesn’t approve of me mingling with my old friends.

‘T
hat’s nice. Oh, Summer, you are late.’ She smiled and went back to whatever she was doing. I looked at the clock to see that I was really late. I rushed out the door and into Ethan’s car.

When we we
re at school, most of the volleyball team was waiting for me. ‘I will be right back.’ I gave a hug to Amanda, and I could see the hurt in Ethan’s eyes. Good, because the rift between us was his fault.

‘H
ey, guys! How was your holiday?’ I asked them. After we talked for a while, they left to go inside while I waited in the car park for a bit, hoping to see Michel.

‘Well, look who it is.’

I groan
ed when I heard  Amber’s voice. ‘Hi, Amber. I suppose you had a good holiday, banging every boy you saw.’ I gave her a fake smile, and started to walk away when I was stopped by one of her friends. Great. First day back, and I was already catching hell.

‘N
o, not really. Only those I find pretty.’ She flicked back her hair. ‘But enough about me. We have some unfinished business from before you left. Thought you could run away from your problems, did you?’ Amber and her friends had blocked my path into the school.

‘Y
ou know, Amber, I am sick of you and all this, ok? So just drop it already. This has been going on for far too long, over what- lunch, when we were in year one? We don’t need to hold a grudge forever.’ I brushed past her and into the school.

‘S
ummer, wait up! You’re right.’ And she did the one thing I never thought would happen- she gave me a huge hug. I stood, amazed, for a bit, until she punched me right where my scar was, the one weakness I had. I fell to the ground, and could hear something crack. ‘That is for everything, ok?’ Then she started hitting herself in the eye.

‘What do you think you are doing?’ I spa
t at her.

‘G
etting you out of this school. Freak people like you don’t deserve to be here! You don’t deserve a boyfriend or friends! What you deserve is a mental home! That’s where you belong!’ She kept hitting herself in the eye. I could see it bruising already.

‘Amber
, stop! You are hurting yourself!’ I moved to stop her and try to heal the damage, but her friend pinned me down.

‘Y
ou see, Summer, once you are gone from this school, Ethan can be mine. What do you think happened when you went away? Why do you think he never answered when you called? Because he was hooking up with me!’ Her words were spiteful, but for some reason, that didn’t bother me. Maybe because Ethan and I hadn’t spoken more than a sentence to each other in months. So why would I care who he was banging over the holidays?

‘C
ome on, ladies, what is going on here?’ The voice took them all by surprise, because there stood Michel, with his hands in his pockets.

‘L
ook what she did to me! She attacked me for no reason!’ Amber started bawling her eyes out, and ran into Michel’s arms. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

‘Y
ou know, Amber, you should become an actor. You would be great at that. You would  have the audience believe whatever you throw at them, and you’re spoiled and bitchy like all stars are, so you would fit in just fine.’ I smiled, but I felt someone’s foot kick me in the side.

‘T
hat is for her face, which you ruined yet again,’ Amber’s friend said.

‘Look at me
, look what she did!’ Amber looked up into Michel’s face.

He touched her eye and said, ‘W
hat am I looking at? I see nothing.’ He took a step back.

Amber quickly pulled
out a mirror to look at her face. ‘But I swear I hit myself enough,’ she grumbled to herself, then turned to where Michel was standing. ‘You know, if you ever want to go out, here’s my number.’ She tried to give it to Michel, but he pushed her hand away.

‘S
orry, not interested. And I would hurry up if I were you. I heard your teacher is handing out detentions today.’ That sent the girls running to class, because a detention meant no cheerleading.

Michel walked
over to me and gave me a hand up. ‘You ok?’ he asked when I was steady on my feet.

‘S
ure, nothing new there. Thanks, by the way.’ I brushed myself off and grabbed my bag. ‘See you later, then. I am already late as it is.’ I gave Michel a hug before I headed into the school, and saw Amanda waiting for me at the door. I was pretty sure she had just seen Michel.

‘S
ummer, what just happened?’ She looked into the distance, but found no trace of Michel.

‘N
othing, just Amber being Amber. I am fine.’ I looked around to make sure no one was watching, then placed my hand on my wounds and healed them. ‘See? All better.’ I twirled around. The bell hadn’t gone off yet, but people were all inside, as it was cold outside.

‘W
ho was that you were with?’ We headed inside together.

‘T
hat was no one,’ I said, and grabbed my books from my locker.

‘D
idn’t look like no one.’ She gave me the look that told me she was not buying it.

‘I don’t know
, but I thought I would hug him because he helped me.’ That sounded good enough for Amanda to buy. ‘Ok, let’s go.’

When I was in roll call, Mr. Timberwood was waiting at his desk. When I walked in, that’s when I felt it- the strong emotions came at me like a tidal wave. Happiness, boredom, excitement, love, and more. I knew where it was coming from. I looked at the desk where Mr. Timberwood was sitting. I knew now why I recognized him. He was a fairy. When I was in Italy, I was taught that some fairies hide the warm feeling, but they can never hide their mark of fairy, and I did not know how to read until Liam taught me. I was getting the reading of Mr. Timberwood- his fairy’s mark. ‘Summer, let’s go.’ Amanda was nudging me into the room. I took my place, but I couldn’t take my eyes off our teacher. He was a fairy. When the bell rang for the first class, I stayed behind. I walk up to his desk, and he looked up, seemingly surprised to see me.

‘W
hat can I do for you, Summer?’ he asked as he packed up for his next class.

I lean
ed closer to him and whispered, ‘I know what you are.’ I smiled at him and backed away from the desk. He looked very surprised that I figured it out.

‘W
hat gave it away?’ He looked worried that someone else might pick up on his secret.

‘N
othing, sir, but your mark- I felt it when I came in. Only those that know how to read it can tell.’ I started to walk away, but he stopped me.

‘It is a great honor
to meet you at last, when I don’t have to hide, Summer.’

I nod
ded my head at him, and walked out of the class, feeling like I had won a million dollars.