Evil - Chapter 8
Before I left for school the next day, Carl made sure I had both the home phone number and the one for Junebug’s shop, and Lizzie made me memorize the bus number so I wouldn’t be confused again.
This is a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.
It's not easy being the Antichrist.
Anjelica’s mother never told her that she was a demon. Now, all she wants is her old life back, but that’s not possible for her. Not after what she’s seen.
Anjelica used to be a popular cheerleader with an awesome life, but that was before an evil cult of demons tried to use her blood to open a portal to Hell and start the Apocalypse.
She was rescued from that fate, barely, and because of the imminent threat to her life, her saviors ripped her from Los Angeles and brought her to a safe house in the middle of nowhere.
They said it was for her own good, but she would rather be dead than stuck in boring, old Bronard, Missouri. She was from the big city, so a sleepy, rural life wasn’t for her.
She longed for excitement.
So, when she met a young witch with a mysterious past who promised to show her everything she knew about opening portals and traveling between distant lands, they bonded immediately
I mean, what’s the worst that could happen, right?
It’s not like they would open an intergalactic gateway to another planet and get thrown into a brand, new world with no way to get back to Earth, right?
Join Anjelica in her own solo adventure and find out what happened to her immediately after the events in Magic.
Before I left for school the next day, Carl made sure I had both the home phone number and the one for Junebug’s shop, and Lizzie made me memorize the bus number so I wouldn’t be confused again.
“Hey,” I said before I walked out the door, “do you think I can use the truck after school today?”
Carl narrowed his eyes. “Can you drive?”
“I’m from Los Angeles. It’s a driving city. Even the babies can drive there.”
“Do you have a license?” Junebug said. “A real one? Not one forged by Kimberly’s friends?”
I nodded. “Yup, I passed the test and everything.” I took a short pause. “I want to check in on that girl Margaret from last night. Please. I won’t be able to calm down until I know she’s really okay.”
I had been thinking about it all night. When I did shut my eyes, the weirdness of it all kept running through my head, from the moment I got off the bus to the moment I slammed the door to Margaret’s van. It was better than my dream about disembodied hands strangling me, but not by enough.
“Ask your mother,” Carl said as if it wasn’t super weird, but I just went with it. “She usually needs the car ever—”
“It’s okay,” Junebug said from the kitchen. “Patty’s driving into town today, and then we’re playing bridge later.” She poked her head in. “You’ll be home for dinner?”
“I promise,” I replied. “Please.”
“Guess I’ll drive you out there, then,” Carl said. “I’m not quite ready to give you the car, and I don’t think it’s right to reward you for skipping out at night when we punish Lizzie for it.”
“I didn’t skip out. I got lost.”
“Same result. Different name.”
I knew when to stop pushing. “All right. You’re right. You barely know me. I don’t want to cause you trouble.”
“Girl,” Carl said. “Causing trouble’s exactly what you did by stepping through that door. I don’t begrudge it, but it’s trouble all the same.”
He was right, and it bummed me out. I didn’t want to keep talking about it, though, so I simply smiled and made my way to the bus with Lizzie. The early morning chill was nearly unbearable to somebody born on the coast with thin blood.
“He likes you, ya know,” Lizzie said. “That’s just his way.”
“And how about you?” I said. “Do you like me?”
“You’re a lot of trouble, that’s for sure. Got in a heap of trouble for not making sure you got home yesterday, like a lost puppy.”
“What did you think when I didn’t show up on the bus?”
“Honestly?” she asked, looking over at me.
“I would prefer it to lying.”
“I didn’t think about it. That sounds crappy, but it’s true. I completely forgot you existed.”
“I wish I could forget I existed sometimes.” I sighed. “I get it. You had a life before this.”
“Got that right, and I didn’t sign up to be a babysitter. I could call a friend, though, if you need one. I know some people.”
“Was that…a joke?”
She smiled. “Only if it was funny.”
“I think I liked it.” The bus appeared in the distance. “I know this can’t be easy.”
“I’m used to it. Mama’s brought in a bunch of strays before. Usually, it’s only for a night or two.” She eyed her old bookbag and coat that I’d inherited. “They usually don’t go to school with me.”
“I’ll try real hard to stay out of your way. I just want you to know, though…I’m cool.”
The bus stopped, and Lizzie walked toward it. “Nobody cool has ever had to say they are.”
“Until now.”
“Was that a joke?” Lizzie asked.
“Only if it was funny.”
I kept my distance from her on the way to school. She deserved her space. No matter how much I desperately wanted an anchor to rely on, it wasn’t fair to make it her. She was just a kid, after all, and frankly, having to hang on to my younger “sister” made me feel like a little too much of a loser. No, I had to forge my own friendships, somehow.
I was at my locker between second and third period, studying my schedule to bring the right books, when Chrissy walked up to me. She was in a knee-length skirt and long leggings, with a thick, white sweater stitched with a black cat.
“We had a meeting last night,” she said. “The girls and I. We’ve been down a flier since Teagan broke her leg. You look the right size for it. Are you interested in being a Catgirl?”
I nodded. “I was totally a flier on my old team.”
“Great. Then we set up a try-out for you at lunch if you’re game.”
“Oh, I’m totally game. Just one question. How did Teagan break her leg? It wasn’t—”
“Car accident,” Chrissy said. “We’re very careful, Anjelica.” She stepped forward, as menacingly as a little blonde girl can be. “You’ll learn that about me.” Then, she stepped back and waved at me. “Gym, at lunch. Be there or be square.”
So lame, but I kind of loved it. I had pep in my step for the rest of the morning and walked into the gym at lunch with the first feeling of glee that I’d had in a long time. A long table was set up at the far end of the gym under a basketball hoop, with three girls seated behind it. Chrissy was in the center. On the left of her, a black-haired girl with her hair pulled back in a ponytail scanned me like she was looking for any sign of weakness. I didn’t blame her. I did the same with new recruits. The girl on Chrissy’s right was chubbier than the other two, with acne on her face and braces. She wore a bow in her hair. All three wore the same hideous cat sweaters, and looking up to the rafters, I saw that it was the school's mascot, the Black Cats. Cute.
“This is Ella,” Chrissy said, pointing to the hard-faced girl. “This is Harriet.” She pointed to the girl with braces. “We’re the decision committee for the squad. If we like what we see today, we’ll bring you into a practice with the whole team where you’ll show us how you fly.”
“Tell me,” Ella said, her voice dry, “do you have spirit?”
I nodded. “Yes, I do. I have spirit. How about you?”
“I have spirit, yes I do!” Harriet clapped giddily. “Lovely. Can you show us a cheer from your old school?”
I hadn’t done a cheer in a couple of weeks, and it felt like a couple of years, but I knew enough to rely on muscle memory and clasped both my hands together before doing the same with my heels.
“Ready? Okay!” I shouted. I clapped my hands together twice and extended them into a Y. “S-C-O-R-E!” I jumped my legs out until I looked like an X. “We want more!” I brought my legs and hands back together and then pumped my left hand over my head. “Let’s score!”
Chrissy cocked her head to the left. “Good. A little simple, but I like it. How about you, Harriet?”
“Oh yes, very nice.”
“Hrm,” Ella said. “I agree with you, Chrissy. Adequately pedestrian.”
“I can do another one,” I offered. I was barely winded.
“Oh, goodie,” Ella said. “How fun. Let’s see it, then.”
I clapped my hands together again, shimmying my hips. “Steal it, swipe it, take that ball.” I leaped up into the air and landed in a K with my feet together, my left hand high in the air, and my right hand down by my waist. “All that way—” I spun to the other side, keeping the same position. “Down the floor!” I leaped again into the air, clapping my hands together. “Go, Black Cats, go!”
Chrissy smiled. “I liked that one, too. And it is basketball season.”
“For us too, back home.”
“Nicely done,” Harriet said with a smile. I liked her. “You’re going to make a great Catgirl.”
Ella, on the other hand, looked at me with malice in her eyes. “It was fine.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked, stepping forward.
Her eyes narrowed. “Wow me.”
“How?” I asked.
“If I knew that, then it wouldn’t be much of a wow factor, would it?”
I growled. As a flier, I was quite nimble and agile, and while I hadn’t stretched in a couple of days, I was very sure that I could “wow” one catty, little jerk. I pulled my hands above my head and stretched from one side to the other. I looked back behind me and stepped forward to get more space between me and the bleachers.
“Okay.” I smiled. “I can do that.”
I crouched down and then flew into a back handspring. I continued backward for not one, not two, but three flips before leaping into the air for a double backward tuck, coming to a stop on my feet with my hands in the air. And I did it all without breaking my neck.
I saw a small smile rise on Ella’s face, but I wanted her to flip out with excitement, so I ran forward and did three more front flips before tucking into a forward roll and sliding to the ground with my hand holding the left side of my head.
“How was that?” I asked.
Harriet was on her feet, and Chrissy clapped as well. “Just so good.”
I knew I didn’t need to impress those two. My eyes were trained on Ella. Her small smile grew into a big one, and she gave me two claps. “Slightly better than adequate. I think I’ve seen enough.”
“Me too,” Harriet said.
“Then, let’s vote. All those in favor of giving Anjelica a try-out with the whole Catgirl squad, raise your hand?”
All three hands went up enthusiastically, and I smiled as I pushed up to my feet. Maybe this new school wouldn’t be so bad.
This is a portal fantasy series with mythological roots and action-adventure tendencies. You can search through all my work on my website.