“So, you’re saying that you’re…?” Skye stutters out, her big blue eyes taking us all in as she grasps Salem’s hand squeezing it until her knuckles blanch.
“Possessed?” Garrison completes the sentence for her with a maniacal grin.
She gulps… “Possessed.”
The air in the room thins as the weight of our secret settles.
Welcome to the fucking party princesses.
ChapterTen
SKYE
SONG: GODS AND MONSTERS- FROM “AMERICAN HORROR STORY” BY JESSICA LANGE
I’m sitting in a room full of possessed men, next to my best friend who’s just found out she might be a witch. This is fine. Demons, witches, and who knows what else are all real. Okay. I have no idea what to do with that information and can feel my pulse begin to race, as I attempt to appear like they just told me their favorite color and not that they’re possessed by demons.
“Wait, so does that mean when we were together, I was sleeping with demons?” Salem shrieks as she turns on Walker. My mouth drops open as my eyes find Lukas, who catches my gaze and proceeds to drop his eyes to the floor guiltily.
Oh my God, I slept with a demon. This was not on my bingo card for the year. Or ever.
“And each of you has a demon?” I ask, my voice sounding tight as I form words I never thought I would ever ask.
The guys look around at each other while Salem and I process this world-shattering news.
We were living with demons. Sleeping with demons. I suddenly had the desire to douse myself in holy water or pray or do something that would help with this panic that was seizing me. I feel sweat gathering at the top of my brow as my stomach clenches in on itself.
“So, the seven deadly sins, are living in each of you?” Salem asks, still looking at Walker.
He nods, “I have Wrath living inside of me. Sloan has Sloth.” He says pointing a cut up finger in his direction. “Lukas has Lust.” I look at Lukas and the truth clicks in my mind. “Graham has Gluttony, Garrison has Greed.”
“And Pierce and Emmet? Pride and Envy?” Salem says with a frown. “Why in the world do your names start with the same demon that you have?”
Walker’s mouth drops open. “You know, I’ve never stopped to think about that.” He lets out a low humorless chuckle, “Honestly, I’ve been focused on trying to control it. Sometimes it takes everything I have to keep it at bay, and sometimes the demon wins out.”
The other guys seem to have the same reaction of shock, like they never considered the weird coincidence.
“What happens when the demon wins?” Salem asks, searching his face.
Walker’s jaw twitches as his face hardens.Oh God ... is that him or the demon? How are we supposed to know the difference?
“So, who gave you those chalices to drink from?” I ask, wondering who inflicted them to a life shackled with a literal demon and attempting a subject change to keep Wrath, who lived inside of Walker, at bay.
“The headmaster.” Lukas answers, speaking to me for the first time since he told me to leave his hospital room. I don’t even know when he was released from the hospital, since he certainly hasn’t been back to the room we share. I don’t want to think about where the fuck he’s been, but I also know he must be in immense pain after losing his twin. I wish he would let me be there for him, even if he’s possessed by a freaking demon, he’s still the same Lukas to me that I knew even before this information was dumped on us.
“So, the headmaster makes sure the seven of you become possessed with the seven deadly sins, why? For what?” Salem asks.
“The same reason he kidnapped you.” Walker says, putting his hand on Salem’s bare knee. “To open the veil. The headmaster was also possessed by a demon that somehow escaped the sealing of the veil back in the 1800’s. From what Lukas told me about the day you were kidnapped, the headmaster needed you because your family was somehow involved.”
I swallow hard around a lump in my throat, looking at the mix of horror and disgust painting my friend’s face. “And what happens to the demon once the host dies?” She asks, her face is painted in grief as she pulls at the edges of the jersey.
“I don’t know.” Walker says.
“Well, I think we ought to find out.” Salem gets up, her green eyes welling with tears and storms off to her room. Walker is hot on her heels, calling after her and leaving the rest of us in this awkward limbo.
I attempt to make eye contact with Lukas, but he stares pointedly at the design of the carpet. Fine, if that’s how it’s going to be, I can pretend that we mean absolutely nothing to each other too. I can pretend that I’m completely fine.
I stomp off to my room to let this news settle in my brain. I don’t know how to feel. I don’t know what to think or what to even do. I’m sharing a house that’s full of paranormal beings, and if watching reruns ofThe Vampire Diarieshas taught me anything, it was that my life as a mortal would be put in peril for just being in their vicinity. I gnaw at my bottom lip, pacing the length of my room. It had taken everything to get me into this school, I couldn’t just give all that up, but could I manage to ride out the rest of my time at Kildale residing with witches and demons?
