Page 80 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“You see, Will… I told you that magic is based on nature, and nature is always changing. Witches have more power during certain periods, like a full moon. With demons, it’s much more fluid. One moment you could be dealing with a being that couldn’t put up a fight, and the next you’re facing a true weapon of destruction. I’d rather we run into the first kind.”

Will would rather that, too. Definitely.

“What if it possesses one of us?” he asked fearfully.

“Don’t worry, demons aren’t fond of witches. Besides, Abby’s spells are protecting us.”

Will sent a grateful glance toward the other girl, but she continued to ignore him.

“So… what am I actually supposed to do?”

“Just watch, okay?” Norma suggested, and Will nodded. He could do that. “And be ready to provide support, just in case.”

Okay. He couldn’t do that.

“You know I still don’t have a handle on my abilities, right?” he reminded her reluctantly. Will hated this topic. It made him feel so pathetic and helpless. In the paranormal world, he felt like the equivalent of a seventeen-year-old just learning to write his first words and still having huge problems with it.

“You can definitely do something already,” Norma stated with full conviction.

Will fell silent.

“No? Seriously? But you got away from that murderer.”

“Yeah, but… That wasn’t me,” Will admitted in a low voice.

“What?”

“I mean… I didn’t do it consciously. I think I reacted based on my emotions.”

“Great,” Norma said, seemingly completely satisfied with that answer. “If you could do it then, you can do it under normal conditions too. You just have to try harder and gain some confidence.”

Uh-huh.

A sarcastic thanks for the tip almost escaped Will’s lips, but he held it back. He’d heard similar things many times before. That it takes time, that he has to learn, that he needs to feel more confident, that eventually it will just come to him… It wasn’t coming. That was the point. And comments like that didn’t boost his positive attitude; on the contrary, they made him feel incompetent.

“Why are you guys the ones dealing with this?” He finally asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time, but there had never been a good moment to bring it up. “It seems a little dangerous. Wouldn’t it be better to leave it to the adults?”

“We’re almost adults.”

“You know what I mean.”

“There are many others who also keep order. Well, maybe not many, but enough,” Norma assured him with a smile. “As for us… It started with Blake. He probably wants to follow in his father’s footsteps or is following his orders. Abby and Liam get involved because of him. Especially Liam. You know how interested he is in this world. And me… Well. I’m naturally curious. I got mixed up in a few situations and just became part of the team.”

“So Blake’s father is…”

He didn’t quite know how to phrase the question.

“…the unofficial leader of Black Hollow’s paranormal community,” Norma quickly helped out. “Unofficial, because many wouldn’t call him that. He’s not particularly liked, but he can get a lot of things done, and he has a direct line to the Agency.”

“He has time for that, running a company?”

Norma started to laugh.

“His company is a front, Will. The phone number on the business cards is a hotline for local paranormals. You have Blake’s number, so it amounts to the same thing.”

A few minutes later, they arrived at the right address, and Will focused on the situation at hand. They knocked on the door of a charming white house standing on the very corner of the street.

After a long moment, a girl their age opened the door. She had pale skin, long black hair, green eyes with dark circles under them, and heavy makeup that was uneven and smudged in places. She looked like she’d gone to sleep fully dressed and had just woken up.