The Demon Side Read Free

one in Etta. No face, no hand, nothing but emptiness. Quickly, Etta turned her thoughts to the Potomac River. I had photos of the river in newspapers, but now I observed the water move through Etta’s eyes.
    “Get out! Get out!” Etta screamed as she hit herself in the chest with her fists.
    Her father came running out of one of the rooms with the speed of a bullet. Her mother simply lollygagged her way to Etta. The woman scowled and rolled her eyes. I popped back out to watch the interaction between the three. I found it odd that they were uncomfortable around each other earlier, but now Etta wanted her father’s arms. Family dynamics always confused me. The whole love/hate relationship made no sense. Like I said, the only thing I have ever felt was boredom and a little irritation.
    “Baby, are you okay?” Mr. Divad tried desperately to catch his breath and composure.
    “Yeah, is the baby okay?” her mother said with disgust in her voice, as she turned back toward the bedroom.
    “I’m fine. Sorry.” Etta spoke sheepishly.
    “Did you take your meds today?” her father asked.
    “No, sorry, Dad. With the excitement of the move, I must have forgotten.”
    “I’ll go get them. Want a Pepsi to take them with?”
    “Pepsi would be great.” Etta gave her father a weak smile as he walked down the stairs to the kitchen.
    “Don’t you ever do that again, do you hear me?” Etta turned back to me, picked up her guitar case, and stormed off to our room.
    So, I now knew my new roommate took medication. Probably from the suicide attempt I witnessed, which was caused by the abuse she endured. The girl was damaged from the inside out. But none of that information proved useful to me right now. She knew too much about me, or at least my kind. Her knowledge of what I could do, what I would do, was unexpected. Etta also knew how to block her thoughts, which is frustrating for any Demon. These aren’t skills you just pick up on or learn online. I needed to learn more. I came to be truly excited.

Chapter Three
     
     
    I flashed to our room. It felt so strange thinking of it as “our” room, as if we were college buddies. Etta emptied the box she’d been carrying earlier. Inside were nine thick books. She carefully removed each one and placed them on the white wicker vanity that the previous girl had picked out for her sweet sixteen. Ugh—there’d been nothing sweet about that girl. More guys snuck through her window than people served at a McDonald’s drive-thru. Etta would be a welcome change from the walking STD that was the previous occupant. After carefully resting her guitar against the side of the desk, Etta plopped down on her twin size, white wicker bed and stared off into space.
    I walked over to the desk to see just what a damaged girl would read. I half expected to find a copy of Thorin’s Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing . She could be a Goth girl, like the last few emotionally damaged kids that lived here. I didn’t find Thorin’s work or any other emo-oriented items on her desk. But I had seen her books before. A lot of the psychics I’d met through the years used them for their babble. Demonology for Dummies, Spiritual Cleansing, Exorcising Demons , the Holy Bible , Dante’s Inferno, The Complete Book of Devils and Demons, Angels and Demons, Dispelling Poltergeists , and my personal favorite, So Your House is Haunted . None of those books ever worked against me. Hell, I’ve even used the books against the tarts, who believed in their false practices. What are the chances that a girl who reads this garbage moves into a house with an actual Demon?
    “Here you go, baby.” Mr. Divad’s voice cracked as he handed Etta two yellow pills and a Pepsi. Etta’s episode seemed to have shaken him up. Surprising, considering he seemed to be a hardcore Marine who had probably seen and done as many horrible things as I have. Maybe I didn’t do a good enough walkthrough on him. I’d have to dig deeper into