“Finding something cool and unique for your submission. Who else has a demon on their side? I am the authority on weird, interesting, and freaky paranormal activity.”
I don’t trust this offer. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I should even bother entering—my cameras are shit, so I feel like they’ll scoff at the quality.”
“I can steal you a high-quality camera.”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Seriously, though. I want to help.”
I chew on my lip. “Really? You’d help?”
“Of course. I figure it will be a good way to repay you for letting me crash.”
I chuckle involuntarily. “Sure. Thank you.”
“What are friends for?”
My lips pinch to conceal a smile.
Okay. It’s official: My sanity is gone. He says we’re friends and, even though I hate to, I have to agree. I have made friends with a real, legitimate demon who has possessed me. This is absolute madness.
Kit is puttingmy hair into a French braid. Though this is far from an advanced hairstyle, I appreciate the effort he puts into it every day. My hair can drive me up the wall, but I love it. I miss the constant battle with it.
“Any plans today?” I ask.
Kit smiles at the sound of my voice. “Nothing nefarious. Anything you want to do?”
I shrug. “I usually use my free time to edit my videos or research new locations to investigate.”
He weighs his head, then I watch as an idea sparks in his eyes. “Well, I said I’d help with your ghost hunt. There’s a place we could check out. The Voyager’s Mansion.”
I rack my brain for that name, but come up with nothing. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“You wouldn’t have. It’s not really on any haunted radar, but there is definitely some activity going on in there—it had a big fire back in the ’40s where a lot of people died. We can wait until nightfall, or we can head over now while it’s light just to check it out?”
I’m far from busy. And checking out a haunted house sounds normal—for me. I’m dying to do something normal. “Sure. Let’s go now.”
Kit smiles even wider. “Okay.”
He exits the bathroom, snatches the keys for my car off the hook by the door, and practically runs down the steps. We drive until we reach a large grassy field, and Kit pulls to the side of the road. I don’t see any signs of life, let alone afterlife.
“Are we in the right place?”
“Yeah, it’s just a bit of a trek. I figured you wouldn’t want your car left by the actual entrance.”
I cock my head. “Wow. That is correct.”
He trudges up a pretty steep hill, and that’s when I spot it in the distance—a large white brick mansion that looks like a speck from where we stand.
“You weren’t kidding about the trek.”
“It’s a good thing your legs won’t get tired.”
We walk through fields of purple wildflowers. Kit bends down and plucks one, twirling it in between his fingers. “You like wildflowers?” he asks.
“Sure. They’re pretty,” I say, breathing in deeply through my nose. If I think really hard, I can almost smell them.
He puts the flower he plucked behind his ear. “You’d look beautiful with them braided into your hair. Or with a crown weaved of them on your head. More beautiful, if that’s possible.”
