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Shadow Purger
Chapter 9 - Fine, Let's Talk

Chapter 9 - Fine, Let's Talk

Sitting in the passenger side of his car, I rested my head back against the vinyl seat and stared out the front window with my arms crossed. I couldn’t wait to hear more of his lame excuses.

“You’re going to be like this the whole day, huh?” he asked. He placed his hand on my knee, and you can bet I jerked my leg away. “So much for wanting me here.”

“Yes, Lucas, I want you here. With me. I’m trying to protect you. Why can’t you trust my instincts?”

“Alright, answer me this: was there a demon controlling Robyn last night?”

He couldn’t be serious. Was he still questioning me and trying to find holes in my reasoning to keep this chick?

“No, but I’m telling you, she’s dangerous. Demons might start manipulating her, and who knows what sort of sinful desires she has.”

“Look, Ali, I know I said I was cool with you still helping people and fighting evil spirits, but after seeing you put your life in danger last night, I don’t know if I can handle it. You always make it sound so easy when you go out and do that stuff, but last night, you could’ve been killed.”

Ugh, he was right. Something was definitely off with me last night. But it didn’t matter. He needed to leave Robyn alone for good and let me continue doing what I do best.

“I had it under control,” I mumbled. “Okay, fine, something’s different about me since I came out the hospital, but I’ll get back on track. I don’t want people to die like my brother ‘cause of some demon, and I don’t want what happened to Val to ever happen to anyone else. So that’s why I have to keep fighting, Lucas.”

He groaned and slouched back in his seat. “Okay, can I ask you a question? Do you honestly think Val would want you fighting monsters from hell like you’re a damn superhero? No. She would want you either by my side, cheering me on, or finding an actual career path after graduation.”

Wow. He went there.

“Oh, an actual career path? You mean like the one you’re chasing after with the fake lifestyle and fake fans who pretend to be real friends until your ten seconds of fame are up? No thanks. Making it big is your dream, not mine. That’s why you won’t kick that hoe off the band, isn’t it? You want her so damn bad ‘cause you think she can help you achieve your unrealistic dream of being somebody important in the music industry. That’s it, am I right?”

“No, it’s not. My life has been hard since you’ve been gone, but all you wanna do is fight invisible creatures and accuse people of being corrupted with sin. Not once did you ask me how I was doing when I visited. Other than that one time you were worried about Tyler, not once did you ask how any of the other band members were handling Val’s death. No, you just came out the hospital the exact way you went in: self-centered.”

All rational thoughts left my mind as I reacted in anger by smacking him with as much force as I could muster. His face snapped to the side, my actions leaving a red print on his cheek. I covered my mouth in disbelief.

“Lucas, I’m sorry, I—”

“It’s alright. We can just sit here and say nothing.”

I faced the front of the window, speechless, depressed, and angry with myself. It was as if my beliefs were wrong and unjust. That everything I tried to stand for was pointless.

I was hesitant to look back at him. Seeing the mark that I created on his face was almost too much to handle, but after a few minutes of silence, I couldn’t help but lean over and rest my head on his arm. “I’m sorry, Lucas. I don’t know what came over me, I… I’m sorry for hitting you. For making everything so toxic. I don’t know what to do anymore, and I feel so lonely.”

“You’re not alone. I’m sorry for pushing you away, Ali. I’ll try harder to understand you. I just want us to live comfortably and be happy, that’s all. I’m doing something that makes me happy, and I wanna take it to the next level so I can be in a position to take care of you and get my life in order.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

I lifted my head to kiss his bottom lip while gazing into his eyes. “Okay. I wanna be happy with you too. That’s all I ever wanted. To live in a peaceful world and be with the one I love the most.”

We leaned in for a heartfelt kiss, our hands caressing each other as the passionate moment turned into a steamy occasion. I was happy to push away the negative thoughts and share the moment with him.

***

After Lucas drove away, I walked to the front door of my house and was ready to turn the knob before sensing an alarming presence. My body turned quickly to catch a man with a faded beard and blond quiff staring at me from across the street. His attire consisted of a navy-blue suit with a black tie that matched his dress shoes.

Surprisingly, he walked across the street to greet me. “Aliyah Dawn. Just the person I was looking for.”

“Who are you?”

He flashed a badge in his wallet. “I’m Agent Grant. I was assigned to investigate the incident that occurred at Ravenvale High School. Now that you’ve recovered from your condition, I would like to ask you some questions.”

I slid my fingers into my pocket and took out my house key. “I don’t remember anything that happened. Sorry.”

“You’re lying.”

And he’d know that, how?

“Um, can you leave me alone? Seriously.”

“For now. But answer me this: where were you yesterday evening around nine o’clock? I had stopped by, but you weren’t home.”

What an annoying asshole.

“Uh, at a party. What does that have to do with anything?”

“A party, you say? Interesting, because the body of a young man was found last night just a few blocks away from a party in Morris Park.”

My heart thumped in my chest. I even dropped the house key and had to pick it up off the ground before inserting it into the lock. “I didn’t know that. Have a good day, sir.”

“You too, Aliyah. You too.”

Opening the door, I scurried inside to the unnerving sounds of my parents arguing in the kitchen.

“Mom, Dad, what’s going on?”

“The problem is that I’m upset with your father for registering you for school so quickly. You’re moving too fast in your recovery.”

“Diana, you shouldn’t prevent Aliyah from having a life outside of her family. She’s a big girl. She can handle it.”

“Mom, I—”

“And that’s not all,” she interrupted me with a solemn tone. “We know you’re still suffering from Valeria’s suicide attempt. And is Lucas cheating on you?”

Whoa, that question came out of nowhere.

“Uh, what are you talking about?”

“You might think this is a little extreme, but your father and I decided to place audio recorders in your room as a means of listening to you in case there was something you wouldn’t tell us.”

I could feel my forehead wrinkle at my mother’s confession. My jaw dropped and my body stiffened with tension. “You did what? Am I on suicide watch now? Or do you think I actually tried to kill my best friend?”

“No, it’s to make sure you’re alright and not suffering from any aftereffects,” my dad told me. “And while you were outside with Lucas, we listened to the recording from last night. Aliyah, we’re worried about you.”

“You can’t invade my privacy like that,” I shouted at him. “This is so damn unfair.”

“Watch your tone and your words, young lady,” my mom demanded. “Tomorrow, you’ll go to school and come straight home. No other activities. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” I replied before walking upstairs. Outside of her room was my sister tying up her black hair with a frown.

“Hey, Mya. Mom and Dad are being so annoying. Love the braids, by the way. How’d Mom do’em so fast?”

“I don’t really care to talk about my hair, okay? But it would be a change of conversation from talking about you for the past month and a half.” Her words disheartened me. “That’s all this family ever did while you were gone. Fight about you.”

The animosity in her voice was clear. Had I known she was feeling this way, I would’ve gone in her room last night and spoken with her.

“Mya, trust me, I’m not trying to be the center of attention.”

“You sure about that? ‘Cause it seems to me like you’re so special and everyone cares about what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. Mom and Dad missed my play at school and my art showcase because they were either visiting you in the hospital or too busy shopping for supplies for your luxurious bedroom—one that you took upon yourself to move into after Noel died, might I add. Do you wanna see mine in comparison? Mine doesn’t look that fancy. And did you know Dad works later at the office since Noel died? Probably because he hates coming home and not seeing his son. Our brother. But you don’t care about any of that because everything is all about you.”

Her glassy eyes made me step toward her in hopes of consolation. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“Well, I do,” she retorted, neglecting my advance and stepping into her room. I stood in the hallway as she continued. “It’s always been like this. When Noel was alive, he was the favorite. And now that you’re back, all the attention in the house goes to you. My freshmen year is ruined because of you. Everyone in the school only talks to me about what happened to you on the roof that day. That’s it. They don’t care about me, and all you care about is your damn self.”

Wincing at the sound of Mya’s door slamming shut, I started to believe everyone was right: I was selfish. I mean, I had to be, right? Everyone seemed to be telling me that, and unfortunately for me, a familiar demon was waiting inside my room to convince me I was.