I found Clare in a lounge
chair next to the large, crystal blue pool.
I was shocked at how beautiful the place was. Usually resorts like this were cheesy, but
this place even managed to the pool look like a work of art. The pool itself was a wide oval, with a beach
style entrance, and volcanic rock lining the far end. Tucked away, hidden behind a rock wall, was a
waterfall that splashed down in a hidden lagoon. There was no music at the pool, just the
relaxing sound of the waterfall crashing into the pool below.
I sat down in the chair
next to Clare, the hot plastic of the lounge chair stinging the back of my
exposed calves.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” I
shielded my eyes from the sun, watching as the well toned and tanned guests of
the hotel swam across the mirror like pool of water. Suddenly I felt very grateful to still have
my shirt on.
“Yep.” Clare turned her head. “It feels off, though. This whole place does.”
I hated to admit it, but
she was right. It wasn’t anything
obvious, and I would hardly call it sinister, but there was something in the
air that just felt strange. Maybe I was just
being too sensitive. I mean, everywhere
I went strange things happened. It could
be that I was just looking for something that wasn’t there.
“You need to find out a
way to turn that off, Clare.” I leaned
back, letting the shade of an over sized beach umbrella block the sun from my
eyes. “We all do. For once we just have to let ourselves not be
on high alert all the time.”
“It’s when you turn it
off that something happens.” Clare
sighed. “Damn it, you’re right. It’s not just that, though. I just…”
“You feel bad that you’re
here, enjoying a tropical paradise, after witnessing the brutal death of one of
your co-workers, who just so happened to be one of your friends? Yeah, I know that feeling, too.” I glanced at her. “Putting your life on hold won’t bring
Brittany back. Anything short of a black
mass and a blood sacrifice won’t bring her back.”
“I wonder what happens to
demons after they die.” Clare sat up,
reaching into her back and pulling out a bottle of sunscreen. “Do you ever think about that? How many demons have we killed? Were do they go after we’ve violently evicted
them from our realm? Back to their own
worlds?”
“I… I don’t know. I guess it makes sense that they would return
to their original realm.” I honestly hadn’t thought about it that much, and
even trying to wrap my head around the idea of a demonic afterlife made my
brain ache.
“I wonder if Ashtyn has
anything in her databases.” Clare looked
out over the pool as she started putting sunscreen on her arms. “I’ll have to ask her when we get back to
Chicago.”
“Hey,” I could already
tell where Clare’s mind was going. “No
messing around with that stuff. Black
magic is a bad idea. You’ve seen what
that shit can bring down on people, and what it does to the person who calls on
it.”
“I’m just curious.” She shrugged.
“It’s not like I would actually try any rituals or anything. I’m not dumb.”
No, I thought to myself,
you’re just desperate to undo the one thing that you had no real control
over.
“Just focus on the here
and now, okay? Focus on the fact that
you are currently in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, and the
person who brought you here is incredibly handsome, and most likely head over
heels in love with you.”
At the mention of love,
Clare blushed. “Yeah…”
“What was that?” I reached out, gently poking her reddening
cheek. “Are you… Oh my God! I don’t think I have ever seen you blush. So I take it the love crazy is reciprocated?”
Clare just nodded.
“Did you tell him?” I couldn’t help but prod her a little. This subject was much more location
appropriate than possible black magic rights to raise the dead.
“Yeah.” Clare laughed. “I didn’t mean to. It just kind of, slipped out. I’m glad I did, though.”
“How long?”
“Huh?”
“How long have you known
that you love him?”
She put down the bottle
of sunscreen and sat back. “A couple of
months, I guess?”
“I predict wedding
bells!” I was actually getting
giddy. I hadn’t felt like this in a long
time. Hunting demons tends to take the
levity out of life.
“You first!” She laughed,
smacking my leg.
“Eh.” I shrugged.
“Eh?” Clare looked
confused.
“Don’t get me wrong! If he asked, I’d say yes in a heartbeat, and
obviously, the legal part of it is mucho important, but I don’t need some
ceremony to prove to Kurt how much I love him.”
“And what makes you think
that I’m going to be rushing into some legally binding, archaic contract?” She
cocked her finger at me like she was shooting a gun, as if to fire a bullet
through my prediction.
“It’s not so much you, as
him.” I sat up. “He strikes me as the old fashioned
type. Don’t ask me why, but he
does. So, if he asked…”
“Oh God, please change
the subject.” Clare covered her face with her hands.
“Fine.” I giggled. “So, you think any tentacle creatures live on
this island? I mean, we are right next
to the ocean. Seems kind of perfect for
them.”
Clare glared at me. “Tentacles?
Really?”
We both started
laughing. We laughed so hard that our
sides hurt. It felt absolutely
amazing.
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