Another tear drops from my cheek as a shockwave of grief passes through my body. If there’s a demon, that means the devil also exists. But where is God in this chaos? Where is He when this evil festers? My chest aches at the thought of Him not being present in the midst of all of this.
Don’t get me wrong, I found myself drifting further and further from Him, from the actions of His church, but there was a tiny piece of me hoping He did hear my cries. I reach out to Milly, touching her cheek, instantly reminding me that I am present and I am here.
She nods when she sees me breathing slowly again and continues. “His actions have granted him a sort of eternal life, so long as the sacrifices continue. His vanity blinds him. He no longer sees the signs that this surely is not God. His heart has been hardened to the truth, his vision blinded. He is utterly consumed by the notion of eternity through God, and the authority his role affords him.”
She shimmers again as her corporeal form flickers in and out, as if the intense emotion of the situation is making her lose control over her spectral form. “But why you, Milly? Did he know you liked women, too? Liked me?”
She looks down at her hands as she fidgets, as if she should be ashamed of what she’s going to say next. “He discovered us once. We were sharing a kiss under the weeping willow tree on the outskirts of the campus grounds. From that moment, we were marked. We became his next sin to erase.”
Her form flickers out into a soft hue of cloudy matter. The light in her eyes dims in recollection of her terrible fate. “I made every effort to escape, truly I did, but my body failed me, and they were far too numerous. You were taken from me, gone before I could breathe your name again. I did not know yet that my fate trailed closely behind. Itwasn’t until death claimed me that I finally saw the truth of what happened.”
The tears scatter across her cheeks, falling onto her lap into a puddle of nothingness. I watch her pain radiate and find my own eyes filling with unshed tears at her loss. I never had to mourn her, but she had to mournme.
In that moment, I find myself committing my life to hers—to freeing her from this torture. She doesn’t deserve any of this. She shouldn’t have had to experience all of this alone for so long. But, where was I? Why can I not remember anything about the invisible thread that connects me to her?
I look at her, placing my fingers under her chin as they pass through slightly, but she glances up at me. “There will never be the right words to offer you, Milly. But I’ll start with an apology you are desperately owed from the very world that turned its back on you.
If God exists, He couldn’t have wanted this terrible fate for you. Being in your presence has given me a glimpse of Heaven. The darkness that has encompassed this school gives me every reason to believe in evil. But I question whether our Father is really in Heaven. If He hears us at all.” She pauses and sighs, but then allows me to continue.
“Let my actions speak the words I lack. I will avenge your spirit, Mildred. I will show Warren Brown that he is the very demon he warns the congregation of. I will exorcise the demon inside of him. I will bring ruination on his soul that he finds himself damned in the brightest of flames in Hell for his actions. If I lose my life again in an attempt to end his reign, then that is the story that I will live with. At least I tried in your name.”
Chapter 20
Grace
September 14th
We hold one another for what feels like hours. Well, holding one another in the best way we can. When her emotion settled, her body faded back into a spectral form. Her skin continues to flicker in and out, but just having her on my lap and her head resting on my shoulder has alleviated the anxiety flowing through my body. I’ve kept my hands resting on my thighs, eagerly waiting for the moments her skin comes alive so I can stroke her affectionately and remind myself that she truly exists and is inmyarms.
At some point, I feel my legs fall asleep from holding the same position too long and shift slightly. Milly immediately rises up and sits across the room on my desk.
“Forgive me, I forgot that remaining so still can leave the limbs feeling quite lifeless.”
I chuckle at the irony and slowly stand up as the blood rushes to my feet. I straighten both legs and awkwardly take small steps as the pins and needles scatter through my limbs. “Oof,” I grunt, moving through the sharp pain. I open my mini fridge and pull out a water bottle and glance over my shoulder, “Would you like something to eat?”
She grins brightly and leans over her legs as she seductively purrs, “I must admit, Shadow, I do possess quite the appetite. Regrettably, what I truly long to devour must wait…at least until I am fully corporeal once more.” A heat rushes between my thighs, and I squeeze them together, seeking friction. But the movement doesn’t pass Milly.
Her eyes flick quickly to my apex as they darken, a mischievous smirk tugging on the corners of her mouth. She stands up and slowlyprowls to me as I step backwards. My legs bang into the side of the bed as she stands in front of me, staring down into my eyes with a hunger that has me letting out a soft whimper at her closeness.
Her rosy nipples beneath her nightgown perk to attention, begging to be worshipped with my tongue. “Tell me, Shadow. How easily do my words leave you dripping in anticipation? And if it were not merely words, but my mouth upon you…just how drenched might you become?” Her fingers solidify as she traces my jaw line, caressing my skin with such delicacy that I begin to crave her intensity.
Suddenly, she leans forward and licks along my neck. My eyes roll into the back of my head as she makes it up to my ear to whisper, “A cup of warm tea would suit me just fine.” And just like that, she's gone. She reappears on my bed, flipping through my textbook of music theory.
I clear my throat, left in a pile of anticipation and lust. I shake my head and make my way to the kitchen, being sure I close the door behind me. Within a matter of seconds, I was completely consumed by her. All she had to do was speak to me, and I was putty in her hands. She will be my undoing in every life.
The same heartbeat in my clit thrums throughout my body as I heat up my old teapot on the stove. I press my hands against the counter as I wait and close my eyes, remembering the way her fingers felt inside me too long ago. What I would give to completely submit to her again, to let her manipulate my body in any way that pleases her. I would let her utterly humiliate me if it meant she would smile. She could spank me, choke me, and bite me…and I would beg her for more. Whatever she’d give me, I’d greedily take.
I get lost in the thoughts of her touch when the whistle of the kettle startles me. I quickly rid my mind of the thoughts and grab two teabags, prepping tea for both of us. I carefully balance the two mugs in one hand as I approach my bedroom door.
I halt for a second, anxiety coursing through me at the realizationthat Milly has notoriously disappeared each time I’ve looked away from her in a lull of conversation or stress. I’ve been gone for minutes.
I rush the door open to the room and find it empty, my heart breaking instantly. I shut it behind me when she suddenly appears in the same position on my bed, kicking her feet behind her.
“While I hold an appreciation for music, I must confess—this particular topic leaves much to be desired.” Closing the book, she glances over at me when I don't respond right away. She must see the relief on my face because she stands up, her hands solidifying as she grabs the mug and takes a sip, the warm liquid evaporating as she swallows.
“Forgive me if you believed I might have left you again. I’m afraid you’re quite stuck with me now.” She takes a free hand and pokes my nose. She giggles as she turns away and climbs back onto the bed, sipping the tea.
I place my mug on the bedside table and pick up my laptop from the desk. I climb onto the bed next to Milly and pull open a new browser. She sips and watches me with curiosity as I start typing in different topics.How to exorcise a demon?Howto kill a demon?Even the topic that brings me anxiety:How to free a trapped spirit?
