As we entered my apartment building, it was Bree at the security desk. Her pale skin emphasized her shiny red wig and obnoxiously long fake eyelashes. She had a wide, well—everything, and her uniform didn’t do her any favors.

She wasn’t my biggest fan on account of my being a huge inconvenience to her. An effort on her part was required to dissuade my unwanted guests from disturbing my neighbors. You’d think she’d enjoy using a stun gun on religious zealots from time to time.

She stood as my entourage and I approached carrying two unconscious people. When she saw me, she made an oh-its-you-again face and reached for the phone on her desk. Al ignored her as she did most people, I gave her a placating smile, and Leah shrugged.

“It’s a sex thing,” Dale said in response to the woman’s conflicted expression. Leah stared daggers back at him. As we made it into the elevator, I heard three clacks of Bree’s obnoxiously long fingernails on her desk phone. I sighed.

We were once more in my destroyed apartment. I plopped Shawn onto the floor, unfortunately missing the couch. He woke up at the impact and unsteadily climbed onto the cushions then watched us blearily. I couldn’t be sure whether he stayed conscious. Al dragged a kitchen chair into the living room and sat Car-ascia on it.

My mentor slapped the teenager across the face. The girl looked around groggily, then almost toppled out of the chair when Al smacked her again. Our captive’s eyes shot open, and she grabbed her face pouting.

She quickly assessed the room, then desperately grasped at Al’s arm. Remembering what I’d experienced, I reached out to stop the motion, but I had no need to worry. With lightning speed, Al knocked the hand away in disgust, then her face smoothed and feigned pleasantness.

“I have some questions for you,” she said.

The demon continued to pout, staring deeply into her attacker’s eyes, who stared back menacingly. That’s when I also remembered Jascia’s hypnotic influence when she’d grabbed me, so I punched her in the face to get in on the action. Al gave me a disapproving glare which I countered with a less impressive one. Our attention off her, Jascia tried to get up, but before getting anywhere, Al pushed her back down without looking.

“If I answer your questions, will you let me go?” Jascia hissed.

“No,” Al said. “But if you do, I won’t have to torture you.” Her head eerily turned back to the captive with an evil grin. Leah’s lips pursed at the threat, staring at Al. I, even though Jascia was controlling the body, felt a tinge of guilt at the look of fear and desperation on Cara’s face. She swallowed hard.

“W-what do you want to know?”

“First, where do your kind come from?” Al asked. Jascia sneered.

“Your feeble human minds wouldn’t be able to comprehend the concept,” she spat. Al responded by flicking her in the forehead. It was a small gesture, but it was enough to make the chair tip back on two legs. Jascia’s arms flailed to maintain balance, then she clutched her forehead while Al smiled down at her. It said a lot about Al’s confidence that she didn’t even bother to tie up the demon.

“Fine,” Jascia growled then sighed. “We live in the same place as this one, everything’s just—shifted slightly.”

“What does that mean?”

“I told you, you wouldn’t be able to—” She caught her tongue; Al had a finger cocked back, hovering in front of Jascia’s forehead. “Everything’s the same, but I don’t know—” Her eyes rolled around, desperately searching for the words to prevent another strike. “They overlap. Cara describes it as another plane.” We all gave her a confused look.

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“Did you talk to her?” Al asked.

“No,” Jascia said, as if it were obvious. “Her brain is part of my body, I have all her memories. Why do you think I can speak your language?” Jascia explained. Al nodded contemplatively.

“And what do you mean by another plane?” Al continued. Jascia considered how to answer, then brightened.

“Well… our two worlds are the same, but our kinds are concealed from one another by a veil. It’s not a physical thing. Your language doesn’t have sufficient words to describe what it is. I guess you can think of it as a boundary between our people, and neither us nor your kind can sense one another through it. But sometimes the veil thins, and we can see or feel each other. You describe us as ghosts, demons, or monsters. I take offense to that by the way.” We all rolled our eyes, but nodded, following along. “Your plane consists of matter, but once again, your language can’t convey what our side is made of, the closest word is—spirit maybe?” Jascia paused for a long time thinking. “Your words are too restrictive. Let me convey the concepts directly into your souls.” She reached a hand out.

“No,” I said coldly. I looked at the others. “That’s how her power works. She imprisons your soul and you become brainwashed into serving her.”

“That’s not how it works and c’mon, I’d never do that to all of you. I promise,” she said with an innocent quality to her voice, but I gave her a flat, unyielding look. She smiled wryly. “You’re no fun.”

“Continue,” Al said impatiently. The demon pouted.

“When the boundary is thin enough, something happens to us, but Cara doesn’t know a word for the combination of can be seen/exists/crosses, plus a few other states, on both sides. Nor does she know how to describe that we make up, are, are of, and are in the veil. Do you understand?” Al nodded; Dale, Leah, and I all shook our heads; and Shawn’s eyes lazily drifted around between us.

“Well, that’s the best I can do. Anyway, death is the process of our souls reverting to energy. When energy coalesces, it becomes a soul and can either create our kind or yours. Energy is also used to cross through the veil. Since matter is required to exist in your world, I entered this body.”

“I see,” I said with realization. “So, what you’re saying is, when I gave Cara her second chance, excess energy leaked out allowing you to cross into our world and you hopped into her body?”

“I guess,” Jascia replied. “Energy was flying around with purpose, and I went to investigate. When I arrived, the veil was being pulled tight and I could see you and Cara. A—I don’t know what you’d call them—veil blob, I guess?—was consuming the energy you were putting into Cara’s body. I realized it was my chance to cross through the veil and entered the creature before it could contain Cara’s soul energy.”

“I don’t get it,” I said. “What is a veil blob?”

“That’s what I’m telling you!” Jascia replied, exasperated. “Your words are insufficient to convey the concepts.”

“Is that the only way to cross over? It seems like your kind is able to use other means to get through.” Al interjected.

“Hey, she didn’t answer my question,” I complained. Jascia looked between us with a smirk then chose to answer Al.

“Energy is the only way to cross the veil,” Jascia said. “Most commonly, we come across because we’re invited. One of the ways humans secrete energy is through desire. To us, that energy is like blood in the ocean for sharks.” And the way she grinned reminded me of a shark. “If a human’s desire is strong enough, we can use it to touch a human’s soul and if they give us permission, we can use them as fuel to cross into your world and reside in their body.”

Al looked perplexed. As she paced, she used her presence to warn Jascia not to get up from the chair, then met each of our eyes and nodded to the dining table. We all started to walk in that direction, except Shawn who looked weary and perhaps a little nauseated. I went to join the gathering but was forced to stop when I heard a voice.

“I can feel the darkness in you.” It was an eerie, echoing whisper and judging from no one else’s reaction, I was the only one that heard it. “You’re full of longing and loneliness.” I realized the ethereal voice was Jascia’s and I turned to look at her. She had a sad expression on her face. “They’re not like you. I understand your pain,” she continued. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

Jascia’s eyes and words were comforting, and there was a beckoning quality to them. The closest thing I could compare it to was cuddling up with a blanket in front of a fireplace on a chilly night. I was only a couple feet from her. When had I gotten so close? A knowing, mischievous grin spread on her face. With sudden realization, I tried to turn away, but before I could escape, she grabbed my arm.

For the second time that day, I was pulled into the deep dark void of Jascia’s eyes.