Shadow Demons (6 page)

The next morning, I should have been extremely tired. We’d stayed up until nearly three in the morning talking about the attack and trying to figure out who might have been responsible. Between the attack itself and the lack of sleep, I expected to be yelling at my seven o’clock alarm. Instead, I woke up refreshed and ready for the cheerleading competition.

In the back of my mind, I was scared of being attacked again, but at the same time, I felt that as long as I stayed away from dark forests for a while, I would be okay.

I got dressed quickly and asked Ella Mae if she could take me up to the school a little early. I wanted to change into my cheerleading uniform and run through my steps a few times before the rest of the squad showed up. I also wanted a chance to talk to Mrs. King before everyone got there and things got busy.

When I walked into the locker room, I was surprised to hear the angry voice of a woman who was obviously not Mrs. King.

“I don’t understand why she’s suddenly the center of attention. Harper Madison does not have the same loyalty to this squad that my daughter has.”

I stepped into the shadows and leaned against the back of a locker.

Mrs. King laughed nervously. “Brooke has plenty of opportunities to shine in the new routine,” she said. “I think you are just overreacting. The changes I’ve made are not that dramatic.”

My body tensed. Brooke’s mother had come to complain about me?

“She was supposed to be the number one girl this year,” Brooke’s mom said, a snarl in her voice. “Brooke has dedicated herself to this squad for four years. I don’t understand why Harper, who is only a sophomore, is getting more captain duties than my daughter. It’s unacceptable.”

“Laura, you know as well as I do why Harper is being given responsibilities that would normally fall to a captain,” Mrs. King said in a low voice. “She’s the future Prima of this town and if she had grown up in Peachville, she would have been in that role all along. She’s a leader now, and we all have to get used to having that structure in place again.”

I cringed. I didn’t like the idea of being a leader in this town. I was much more comfortable here in the shadows.

“But why this year?” Brooke’s mom said. “She’s still learning. Half the time she’s an embarrassment to the squad out there. She’s so stiff. Brooke says she’s messed up several times at practice and that she actually fell off the top of the pyramid? How does that even happen with the spells that are put in place?”

There was no answer from Mrs. King right away, and I had to press my back against the cool metal of the locker to keep from stepping in and giving the woman a piece of my mind. Those mistakes at practice were not my fault! Why didn’t Mrs. King stand up for me and tell her that my shoes had been sabotaged?

“Besides, she doesn’t always smile,” Mrs. Harris continued. “She looks like a rookie. She’s just not ready to be taking such a prominent role in the routines.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s doing a terrific job.”

“Do you even think it’s safe for Harper to be in the spotlight right now? I mean, after everything that’s happened since she moved here, don’t you think it would be better for the Order to keep Harper in the background? By putting her front and center, it’s like advertising that she’s our most important girl. No one needs to know who she is until she’s officially our Prima. If you ask me, it’s downright dangerous.”

“I didn’t ask you,” Mrs. King said, her tone suddenly hard. “And I don’t appreciate you coming into my locker room and telling me how to run this squad.”

“I wasn’t…” Brooke’s mom grew quiet for a moment, then sighed. “Angela, you know I would never tell you what to do. I just want you to think about the consequences.”

“What consequences?”

“Every decision has its own consequences,” she said. “If the cheerleading routines continue to spotlight Harper, there’s no telling what might happen in this town. Or to Harper.”

“What exactly are you trying to say, Laura?”

“I’m saying that these are very dangerous times,” Brooke’s mom said in a half-whisper. “If something were to happen to that girl, we’d all be gone. Just like that. It seems irresponsible to put her front and center like she was some show piece for the Order. I’m thinking it might be time for some changes around here.”

An eerie chill ran down my spine. Was there some new reason for her to think something might happen to me? It seemed like danger was surrounding me these days.

“Until the council says otherwise, I’m the one in charge of this squad,” Mrs. King said. “I appreciate your concern, but I think I can handle these decisions just fine on my own. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the girls should be here any minute.”

Brooke’s mother walked away, her heels clicking on the cement floor. I slipped down the side of the locker and sat down on the stiff wooden bench, dread pooling in my stomach. Something very bad was on the horizon. I could feel it in my bones.

“Nervous?” Lark turned the combination on her locker and yanked it open.

I shrugged. “A little,” I said. I hadn’t been able to get Mrs. Harris’ conversation with Mrs. King out of my mind. “There’s been so much going on lately, I haven’t really been focused on the competition. Are there usually a lot of people watching?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Lark said. “There’s the other teams for one thing. Then all their parents and friends and boyfriends. It’s already getting crowded out there and the first team doesn’t even go on for another hour.”

“Great,” I mumbled. Right now, a crowded gym was the last place I wanted to be. It was bad enough that some evil witch had come after me last night, but somehow hearing Brooke’s mom bash me in front of my teacher was worse. I wasn’t at all what the Order had been hoping for when they thought about their future Prima. I would have gladly surrendered the role to someone else if it didn’t mean also losing my life.

Brooke and Allison came into the room just as I was pulling on my uniform. They were laughing and whispering to each other like they didn’t have a care in the world. Well, Brooke may not think I’m good enough at cheering to be at the top of the pyramid, but I wondered how well she would be handling things if she had been the one dealing with witch attacks and crows and murder accusations. I figured surviving took priority over perfect spirit fingers.

I was surprised when Brooke walked right up to me, a big smile plastered on her face.

“Hey Harper,” she said.

I gave her a tentative smile. “Hey.”

I wanted to call her a traitor and tell her to get out of my face. How dare she tell her mother I’d been messing up in practice?

“I just wanted to tell you good luck today,” she said. “You might want to double check and make sure you have the right shoes. You wouldn’t want to fall again. Not in front of everyone like this.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. What did she have up her sleeve? We both knew she was the one who messed with my cheerleading sneakers a few weeks ago. I might not have been able to prove it, but I knew it was her. She wanted to make me look like an idiot so she could get her spot back at the top of the pyramid.

I looked down at my shoes. “I don’t leave my shoes here overnight anymore,” I said. “You never know what kind of person might have access to the lockers.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” she said.

She turned and walked toward the opposite side of the locker room. When she and Allison sat down on the long wooden bench, they exploded in giggles.

A knot in my stomach twisted.

Something felt wrong. I took my shoes off and walked down into the secret training room below the gym. Mrs. King was down there, hunched over a book. I was struck again by how pretty she always looked with her glossy black hair. She looked like she was young enough to still be on the squad instead of leading it.

She looked up when I came down the stairs.

“Oh hi, Harper.” She paused, took one look at the frazzled expression on my face and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

I put my shoes on the table in front of her. “Can you just double check my shoes? I want to make sure the spell is right and they aren’t programmed to make me fall or anything.”

“Are you still worried about that incident a couple of weeks ago?” She took my shoes in her hands. “I told you I didn’t think Mary Anne’s family had done that. Besides, I don’t think they’ll show their faces around here anytime soon.”

“It’s not Mary Anne’s family I’m worried about.” I sat down on the stone bench. “It’s someone on the squad.”

Mrs. King shook her head. “You can’t still think Brooke had something to do with your fall that day?”

“Can you just check them, please? If it’s not too much trouble.”

Mrs. King pursed her lips and stared at me for a long moment. She sighed and closed her eyes, running through the routine in her mind and checking the spell on the shoes. I knew I was acting like a paranoid freak, but I just wanted to make sure no one was out to sabotage me today.

“Everything is exactly in place,” she said.

I stared down at the shoes. The routine was fine. I was probably reading way too much into Brooke’s strange behavior. She was just trying to rattle me.

The trouble was, it was working.

“The routine looks completely normal. Are you sure that’s really what’s bothering you?”

I paused. No, that wasn’t all that was bothering me. I thought about telling her I’d been attacked, but how could I trust her not to mention it to the council? Especially after what Brooke’s mother said today about me always being in danger. If they found out there was another attack on my life, who knows what drastic steps they might take.

Besides, Zara would be arriving tomorrow to take over as my official trainer. Between her and Jackson and the girls at Shadowford, maybe everything would be alright.

“I’m fine,” I said. “Just a little bit nervous about the crowd.”

She smiled, her face softening. “You’ll be fine. Come on, let’s get up there. A bunch of the teams have probably already registered by now. I bet the gym’s getting packed.”

I nodded. “Okay, but can I ask you a quick question first?”

“Sure.” She looked at me expectantly.

“The girls were talking about the Halloween Ball the other day at dinner,” I said. “I was wondering if that was mandatory, or what?”

Mrs. King closed her eyes and let her head fall back slightly. “Oh my goodness,” she said. “I can’t believe I haven’t talk to you about this before. I keep forgetting you haven’t been around Peachville for very long. Harper, the Halloween Ball is a big deal for the Order. You’ll definitely need to be there. You’re the Prima Futura. You’ll be the guest of honor this year.”

Great. I sighed. “I was afraid you would say that.”

“Is something wrong?” she asked. “You seem tense.”

I needed to get better at hiding my emotions. It seemed everyone was picking up on the fact that I wasn’t exactly happy-go-lucky these days. “I’m fine,” I said with a smile. “And about the Halloween Ball. Can I bring anyone I want as a date?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “I don’t know if it’s really the most appropriate place for Jackson.”

My heart sank. I really didn’t want to face that party alone.

Mrs. King put her arm around my shoulder. “Maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal,” she said. “I doubt they’d kick him out if he showed up, you know?”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

“Come on,” she said. “Let’s go win our first regional competition.”

There were at least two hundred people already filling the bleachers and a line of people waiting to get in and find a seat. Everyone was talking and laughing and the noise was deafening. My stomach flipped over.

“You’ll do fine,” Lark whispered. We were sitting near the bottom row of bleachers in a spot that had been sectioned off for Peachville. “Don’t let Brooke psych you out. She’s just insanely jealous.”

How jealous? Jealous enough to do something stupid? Jealous enough to try to hurt me again? I felt sick to my stomach. Thank goodness Courtney had been there last night to give me a recharge or I would have been in some serious trouble today.

“Do you think I’m too stiff?” I asked, thinking about Mrs. Harris’ words.

Lark giggled. “No way, you look great out there. A real natural.”

I rolled my eyes. Now I knew she was lying. I just hoped I didn’t look as uncomfortable out there as I felt most of the time.

The noise in the gym seemed to muffle for a moment, as if I had gone underwater. The skin on my arm tingled, and I smiled. Jackson was here.

Lately, I’d been able to feel his presence in a whole new way. Like we were tuned into each other. I turned my head and peered toward the door, but there were so many people, I couldn’t find him at first.

I crinkled my nose, disappointed.

“Who are you looking for?” Lark asked, following my gaze.

I gave her a look and she smacked herself on the forehead. “Oh, duh. I didn’t know he was coming today.” Her eyes grew wide and she tugged my arm. “Oh my god, I totally forgot to ask about your date last night!”

“Shhh.” I looked around to make sure no one from the Order was sitting beside us. I didn’t want to be lectured again about how Jackson and I could never have a future together and how I’d be better off with a guy like Drake.

Lark leaned toward me, laughing. “Sorry,” she said, whispering this time. “How was it? Was he such a gentleman? I mean, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to date someone who was like, over a hundred years old. Is it creepy? Or was it just normal?”

I shook my head. She was hopeless. Of course, Lark would be the one to bring up the technical age difference. “It was normal,” I said, thinking about our conversation in the boat and how romantic it had been when he told me about his life growing up in the shadow world. “Well, as normal as something in my life could be at this point.”

My breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of him walking into the gym. No matter how much time I spent with him, I never got used to the way it made me feel when he was close to me. I knew part of it was that being near him gave my power a boost, but that wasn’t all of it. What I felt for him went much deeper than that.

“Earth to Harper,” Lark said. She waved her hand in front of my face and giggled. “Man, you’ve got it bad, huh?”

I blushed and pulled my gaze away from Jackson’s face. “Sorry,” I said. “I can’t help it. He’s…”

Magnetic.
That was the word I was thinking of. I felt my body pull toward him when he was near, and anytime we were apart, I felt his absence like a crack in my soul. My whole life, I’d never let myself rely on another human being. I’d never let myself really even care for anyone, because I was certain they would eventually leave me. But with Jackson, even though I knew how badly the whole thing might end, I couldn’t help myself. I was falling hard, and no matter how scared I was to let down these walls around my heart, the thought of closing myself off from him was worse.

Next to me, Lark sighed. “I wish I had someone I could feel that way about,” she said.

“What about Andrew?” I said. “I thought you adored him.”

She leaned her head back and groaned. “I did. Until we went out this past weekend and all he could talk about was playing Xbox live and how many achievements he’d racked up on Left For Dead two. Believe me, it was one of the most boring nights of my life.”

I cut my eyes back toward Jackson. He took a seat at the very top of the bleachers where it was less crowded. I smiled. Watching a cheerleading competition was probably the last thing he wanted to do on a Saturday afternoon, but he was here to make sure I was safe. It was sweet.

He must have sensed me staring at him, because just then he turned toward me and lifted his head in a nod of hello. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as our eyes met across the crowded gymnasium. An invisible thread connected us.

“Are you bringing him to the Halloween Ball?” Lark asked, bringing me back to our conversation.

I thought about our conversation last night. He didn’t want to go, but after what happened in the woods, I knew he wouldn’t want to let me out of his sight. Especially not during an official party given by the Order.

“That’s the plan,” I said.

I had no idea how the higher-ups in the Order would react when they saw Jackson at their annual party. In fifty years, he’d never been. But they couldn’t really argue against it, right? Not if he showed up as my guest? I mean, weren’t they telling me I should step up and take on more of a leadership role? Well, as their future leader, if I wanted to bring a demon to a party, I was going to do it.

Lark giggled and shook her head. “You’re definitely going to rattle some cages with that one.”

I smiled. I’d always been more of a rebel at heart. I figured this town could use a little rattling. I couldn’t wait to see the expression on all those old ladies’ faces next weekend.