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“Promise to behave yourself when I let you go?” Percy eyed Kevin warily. “No feathery little Batman tricks?”
“I promise. A deal’s a deal, and I just wanna go home.” Kevin sagged. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’m willing to bet you have two very nice scars up on your back. Say, one over either of your shoulder blades.” Percy nodded, and his hold on Kevin dropped.
Kevin crumbled to the floor with a grunt, and he saw Percy’s offered hand to help him up. He ignored it, pulling himself to his feet. “Whatever.” He stepped up to the mirror and shrugged off the thick robe, turning so his back would be visible in the reflection.
He couldn’t look.
He couldn’t bring himself to do it. As sure as he was, doubt had taken seed from Percy’s insane accusations, and now he didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t.
Kevin glanced at the mirror, and he froze when he saw Percy in it.
Percy’s skin was a rich shade of crimson, his ears were pointed, and there were tall, twisted black horns sprouting out of his forehead. His fingers had dark claws, and he had a long swishing tail that looked like a whip.
A demon.
Percy was an actualdemon.
Kevin whirled around to stare at Percy, but he only saw him as a regular human outside of the mirror’s reflection.
“Veritas,” Percy said with a somber smile. “It shows the truth, remember?” He gestured to the mirror.
“Holy shit.” Kevin couldn’t see any trace of Percy’s demonic form, but knowing it was there lurking beneath his handsome face sent shivers down his spine. He was even more terrified to look in the mirror at his own back, and yet…
Somehow, he already knew what he would see.
Cringing, Kevin turned back to the mirror.
There they were.
Two thick ropes of scarred tissue ran along each of his shoulder blades, just as Percy had said. They were purple, knotted, and he reached around to touch one of them. He couldfeelthe raised tissue, and a few tears ran down his cheeks. “No, no. You saw them earlier. You knew they’d be there. This… This is some kinda trick!”
“No, sug.” Percy took a cautious step forward. “You know I’m right. There must be holes in your memories, right? Probably can’t remember the mascot of your high school or your mother’s middle name?”
“No! It’s… It was…” Kevin scrunched up his face as he tried to recall the elusive information. “I went to high school in Georgia and then here. I lived with my uncle, and… and… What fucking kid knows his mom’s middle name? The puns! My mom made up all the puns for our menu! I know she did! And I had a boyfriend. His name was… Ohfuck. His name wasRobin.” His tears continued to fall. “This is insane. Angels aren’t real.”
Percy suddenly had a handkerchief in his hand, and he offered it out to Kevin. “Care to explain how I’m doing all this then?
“You’re a fucking magician, asshole.” Kevin snatched the handkerchief away.
“I sold my soul over four hundred years ago and rose through the ranks to be reborn as a demon. I was quite good at it too. I filled my soul quota faster than any other demon in the history of hell and had just recently retired, thank you.”
“Yeah, sure.” Kevin wiped off his face. “Fine. You’re a fucking demon. And you’re still an asshole.” The more he tried to remember his parents, the more the fragments of memories slipped away. Now he wondered if they’d ever been real memories at all or something he’d conjured up to fill that void in his chest.
He thought…
It didn’t matter.
“I’m very…sorry… that this is happening.” Percy nearly choked on the apology. “I do believe you, if that’s any consolation. That you don’t remember who you are.”
“I’m…” Kevin staggered toward the bed, collapsing on the floor beside it. He sank into a heap and smothered his face into the handkerchief for a long moment. “I can’t believe this…”
He combed through his memories of singing with his mother, but he couldn’t name a single song they’d sung together. He didn’t know what color her eyes were or what her wedding ring looked like if she ever wore one. His mind was unraveling, and terror seized his heart as he came to the horrifying conclusion that none of it was real.
None of it was real.
“Trust me. I’m having a bit of difficulty believing it myself, sug.” Percy snapped his fingers, and a new glass of scotch appeared next to Kevin. He sat down on the edge of the bed a few feet away from Kevin. “What about this uncle? Do you remember anything about him? Are you sure he’s still alive?”
