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“I know. I feel powerless too,” I say. “But there’s nothing you can say to convince her that things aren’t the way she wants to see them right now. And honestly, if you were her, wouldn’t you be tired, too?”
“Yeah, I’m exhausted just thinking about it,” he replies. “It must be terrible. I don’t think she wants to talk about it, though. “
“You’re right,” I say. “I wish there was something we could say that would change her mind.”
He narrows his eyes, looking up at the popcorn ceiling. This is a fancy hotel, but it’s been around for a while, and some of the decor has aged poorly. There used to be a fan where two ceiling lamps hang from, right above our heads.
“Maybe there is nothing we can say, but maybe what we can do is show her.”
“What do you mean?”
“So when Mal got to Aura’s house, he was holding a head in his hands,” he tells me. “He was apologetic, but I expect it wasn’t a miscalculation. He probably did it on purpose, to prove that he was who he said he was. He’s been in her head, he knows how she feels. So we need to do something that’ll prove to her just how bad the situation will be.”
I nod, sitting up as I look at him. “I don’t think decapitating someone will go as well for us as it did for him.”
“I’m not talking about that,” he says, his eyes darkening. “Maybe what we need to do is show her what happened to Malon before…”
“Before he turned into a demon?” I ask.
He shrugs. “It might be helpful,” he says. “If she won’t take us telling her what this will do to her, maybe she’ll believe some evidence.”
“It might just hurt her.”
“Yes, but that’s a might,” he says. “If we don’t do anything, then the possession willdefinitelyhurt her. Waiting to see what will happen isn’t the best course of action here.”
“Okay. So you’re suggesting…”
“That we look into him, that’s all,” he answers. “Before he became a demon or whatever. You know that once the demon is done with that guy, then he’s going to die for sure.”
“We’re all going to die.”
“Yes, thank you for the platitude,” he says, rolling his eyes. “You know what I mean. If Trine is worried about the body…”
“Yeah,” I say when he trails off. “She might be more open to it. And she might realize what’s going to happen to her. That might be helpful.”
“Alright. So you’re in?”
“Yes,” I tell him. “I’m in.”
TRINE
Iwake up in the middle of the night.
It takes me a few seconds to figure out where I am. It’s been so long since I’ve spent the night at my own apartment that it’s become slightly unfamiliar. It’s only the blinking fairy lights above my window that clue me in to the fact that this is my room and this is where I’m supposed to feel the most safe.
I don’t feel safe at all, but at least I haven’t woken up from a nightmare. And there’s some cold comfort in being in my own home. I know where most things are here, at least.
I get out of bed slowly. Rei and Mal are sleeping on the floor. They’re breathing deeply and I don’t want to wake either one of them up, despite the fact that they’re both in my way.
My bedroom is pretty small. I try to maneuver as quietly as possible, but it’s difficult, especially considering that the dim glow of the stars on the ceiling above, interrupted by the constantly whirring fan, are the only illumination in the room.
Still, I pad toward the bathroom as slowly as I can, stopping a few times when I feel them stir. I don’t want to talk to either of them. I don’t want to see the way they look at me, the pity in their eyes.
For just a few moments, I want to pretend that everything is okay. I think I wake them up when I push the door open, but neither one of them says anything. They both just act like they’re asleep, which I’m immediately grateful for. I walk toward the bathroom.
I turn the light on and watch as Dee Dee slinks in next to me and jumps to the counter.
“Get off,” I say.
