Malia Read online

Finally, at nearly mid-night, Carlos stood up. It was sudden and hadn’t been announced in any way. The man just moved. Everyone else did it as well. As if they were tied together in some unknown and strange fashion.

  “There isn’t a lot we can do at this point, I’m afraid. On the good side, I doubt that we actually need to. This actually sounds pretty harmless. I’m more concerned with those flashbacks than anything else, to tell the truth. Then, I always have been. That isn’t normal. Not even for someone who’d been taken over at one point, like that. My best guess is that, as with most things, this will blow over in a few weeks. Maybe a couple of months. Keep us up to date on that?” He looked, not at Jessica, but her parents, one by one.

  Then, shaking hands and hugging again, everyone left.

  Having done almost nothing at all. They’d just sat around and talked, without even one person suggesting a useful plan of action.

  A thing which was, more or less, fine. Jessica still didn’t think any of it was real, after all, even if these people seemed to know a bit about something going on. The kind of things that only made sense if they were correct in at least part of what they were thinking.

  When they were gone, she glared toward her parents.

  “Your friends are kind of lame. You know that, right? Oh, sure, entities and summonings… That sounds like it should be cool, on the surface… But this whole thing still felt like a meeting of the PTO.” She forced a grin, since being mean about people who had, at least in theory, come to help her, wasn’t a good idea. Only a jerk would do that.

  Her father winked at her then, a smile at the edge of his lips.

  “There’s some truth to that. Even with the rest of the group around, it’s a little stuffy at times. Still, I do like having the feedback on this one. We should just wait and see what, if anything, happens. The real trick had been seeing if any of the four that came tonight were the ones sending things at you. I know we were teasing you about… Was it Nick?” He glanced at Megan then, who wrinkled her nose.

  “That’s the one. Nick Walsh. Agreed though, no teen boy, working alone is sending an entity after anyone. It would be too much work just to spy on you.” She shrugged then. “Though it could have been there to influence you. A love spell, or compulsion? Probably not though. Again, it would be easier to just win you over with chocolates and flowers. Much so. Plus, it wouldn’t have let itself be seen in that case. It wouldn’t have to actually be present, most likely, to make that work.”

  She could see part of that, in that she did like a nice box of assorted candies, if it were an option. No one had ever given her one, other than her parents and even they only did that at Easter. Even if they weren’t religious, their family still did Christmas trees, Easter baskets and that kind of thing. Like almost everyone else. They also did Halloween. Not in an over the top way, but they put out yard junk and handed out the cool candy bars. Big ones that kind of spoke of them being rich.

  Yawning, having not really slept the night before, Jessica stood up. Her parents looked concerned, like she might be getting ready to flee the house, instead of just go off to rest.

  “I’m off to bed, then. Um, I have a date, tomorrow night. With Nick? I’ll ask if he’s been casting spells at me, like you suggested. Just in case. If not, I’ll let him know about your candy and flowers trick. That really sounds like it could work.” At least with her.

  Her mother perked up then.

  “You have a date? That’s incredible, Honey! What are you doing?”

  She thought for a moment, then, not caring what people thought about her all that much, just told the truth. It was a trifle raw, given they were her parents, but she was a bit strange, so did things like that. Told the truth, when people probably didn’t want to hear it.

  “King’s Burgers, then back to his apartment, so we can pretend to watch a movie while he tries to get me into bed. The jokes on him though, since I have no clue how to do any of that kind of thing. Still, that’s the plan. Should I take condoms, do you think? I can get something in the morning.” She was being mean on purpose and her father actually turned red. It was embarrassment, instead of anger, at least.

  Her mother just nodded.

  “That’s always a good plan, even if you’re on birth control already. You can’t tell who has a venereal disease just by looking at someone and if they’re willing to have sex with you, that means they’re willing to do it with other people, so keep that in mind. Even if you’re on the pill.”

  Jessica screwed her face up.

  “Which I’m not. I’m also not really planning on doing anything. Not on the first date. I have to have standards. At least I’ve heard that’s a thing some girls do. You know, the snooty ones that the boys don’t like? I think that’s what I heard, at least. Something like that.”

  Her mother snorted then.

  “Oh, you… yes though. I’ve heard something like that myself a few times. Still, think of it like having a first aid kit. Condoms, extra tampons, a toothbrush and some mouthwash. Little things you can keep in your purse. Things can come up, after all.”

  Reid stuck his fingers in his ears then, and started humming. It looked incredibly stupid, but she grinned at him. Her parents were weird, but not bad people. Even if they did have truck with evil spirits and demons, then tried to pass it off as normal to her.

  She decided not to buy the whole thing. Not just yet. Waiting and watching seemed like a good plan. So did a little kit for her purse, now that it was mentioned. She’d never needed condoms for anything but having extra tampons was a thing that had actually come up. Even she had been asked a few times by other women and girls if she had something like that on her. During her time of the month, she did. The rest of the time not so much. She was pretty regular that way, so didn’t need an emergency backup too often.

  Going to the store in the morning made sense. They didn’t have much in Elroy, but they did have a nice pharmacy that sold that kind of thing. Chocolates as well, now that she thought about it. She was half tempted to get some for Nick, then to eat half of them, after it was opened.

  Taking about ten minutes to change, then get ready for bed, she decided not to let the idea of someone watching her disrupt her too much. After all, she kind of needed to sleep, regardless of what else might be going on. So, she did, curling up under her pink comforter, the four-poster bed seeming familiar to her, if not safe, really. After all, it wasn’t as if the hanging cloud-like pink lace was going to protect her from demons or whatever the entities actually were.

  With that comforting thought on board, she drifted off. Not waking up until she felt something touching her. She was used to that sort of thing to an extent. Bits of fluff of bed sheet wrinkles touching her on the leg or foot. On the head, hands and arms as well. It was normal enough and while she kicked when it happened, or shifted suddenly, in case it was an insect or mouse, which it never was, she was used to that kind of thing.

  What didn’t happen too often was a hand groping her between the thighs. There was no subtlety to it, at the moment, either. She’d never been touched there, not by anyone who wasn’t a doctor or herself. It felt like that though, without the gentle caress of a medical professional armed with a speculum. As if something was trying to force its way into her, just going for it, not even bothering to push her rather insubstantial panties to the side.

  That was a thing that probably wouldn’t have made sense to anyone else. She didn’t date, and no one saw her underclothing most of the time, unless she bent over to pick something up, but she nearly always wore a thong. They weren’t comfortable, at first, but once she’d gotten used to the idea, they were actually nice enough that she hadn’t really thought about it.

  Now she was, since they weren’t affording her much protection at all.

  It felt real enough that she was shocked when she snapped her eyes open… To find that no one was physically there, trying to get a finger inside of her panties.

  Over her, like a body on top of her, she coul
d feel something. It was warm. Slimy. Breathing a putrid stench out that didn’t belong in any sane world. It wasn’t familiar at all, either. If it had been the scent of death, she would have understood it for what it was. Jess had been around dead animals at times and some of them weren’t exactly wearing the best perfume possible. This just triggered something inside of her. Terror. An urge to flee, or even to close her eyes and pretend nothing was taking place.

  It didn’t help that what was happening was pretty close to her worst personal fear. Not exactly so, which let her struggle for breath, attempting not to freeze.

  She nearly screamed and did slap at herself there, between the legs, trying to make contact with whatever was trying to invade her. To grab it and pull it away. Jessica moved back at the same time. Sending bed sheets and comforter flying, thanks to the rapid kicking motions of her thin legs. After a second, she felt something go inside of her. It wasn’t big, thankfully. Something more like a finger than a penis. A thing that crawled and moved on its own, whatever it was.

  It didn’t get in too deep, thankfully. What it did was probe though and didn’t stop. Exploring her most secret regions without her permission. Without end. Not until she got all the way to her feet, running across the room, to the light switch. Then, as she made light happen, the situation changed. She glanced over her shoulder, trying to see what was there. Nothing really was. Except a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Like the creature from the window, the night before. They were right there, no more than a foot from her head.

  She was pushed into the wall, hard. It felt like a hand on her back. Forcing her forward, so she couldn’t move or even really struggle properly.

  “No!” She got one word out, then a second hand felt like it went over her mouth. There was no one in the room with her. Nothing. Not even a floating werewolf creature. Then she felt a third hand. Because that made sense.

  That one was a bit more physical in what it was doing, since it reached under her short gray night shirt and in one move, ripped her panties off. They weren’t the strongest things in the world, but the fabric cut into her skin before they broke.

  Then, the air being pushed from her lungs, she felt it. The whole of the creature’s body, forcing her forward, into the wall. It was hot against her back and stank on a level that she wouldn’t be able to forget, she feared. Panic set in, as something that was both soft and hard found her ass. It rubbed over the surface, even as she pushed back, fighting. Gasping for air. Twisting in a way that seemed to do nothing at all.

  She threw elbows back, then tried to hit it with the back of her head. The strong hand on her back moved her closer to the wall. Then it was there, at her sphincter. Pushing against her. Feeling wet and slimy. The whole thing, the entire being, seemed like that.

  Damp and like its skin was oozing.

  There was pain then, as it went inside of her. Forcing her against the wall, grunting in pain with each thrust of the monster. It didn’t burn, but she certainly didn’t enjoy it. Then, she was terrified on an existential level. This very thing was exactly what she’d always feared most. That some freak would jump her and rape her ass, without her being able to get ready for it or consent at all.

  She felt like gibbering, but managed not to.

  “Close your eyes Mildred, and think of England.” She tried that, having nothing else left. It seemed like she was being sodomized for hours then. The monster pounded her into the wall. Leaving her moaning and groaning. Calling out for help.

  Nothing came.

  Finally, she blacked out. Figuring she might just die from what was happening.

  Except that, when she came to, she was simply lying in her bed. The thing seeming totally normal, as well. Her heart was racing and she was covered in sweat, sure, that was going on. Her panties were on though and not ripped to shreds at all as she reached down to check and a moment later, thinking about it, she realized that her ass didn’t hurt.

  There was a bit of discomfort, but that was probably from her clenching it for hours, not having been abused like it had seemed. The whole thing had seemed so real though. Only now it wasn’t. She blinked, her reality falling away a bit, trying to catch her breath.

  “Okay, so not raped by a demon. Just a nightmare. That… Fucking sucked. Seriously, deodorant, mouthwash and some freaking chocolates first, next time, got it asshole?”

  She didn’t know who she was talking to. Part of her wanted to claim it was her own subconscious mind, and that was actually possible. After all, Nick had flirted with her about sex, the day before. Trying to actually set that kind of thing up with her. It was natural that she’d be nervous about it. Anal rape was a thing that she feared too. Not anal sex, in and of itself. She didn’t really think about that and doubted it would be fun or interesting, but it was the rape portion that left her scared when she thought about it. No one had ever even hinted that doing that kind of thing to her, either. Not that she hadn’t heard about how likely it was to happen to girls, her entire life.

  After Nick’s flirting though, which had put the idea of sex into her head, there had been a let up though. They’d made a date, but she wasn’t opposed to the idea of having regular sex or even doing other things in the bedroom. Even anal was on the table, eventually, if she loved a guy, she supposed. It had been anyway. Now she wasn’t nearly as certain about that as she had been before.

  Then she’d spent the evening with her parents’ weird friends, talking about entities. No one had mentioned them sending dreams in particular. Just that hallucinations, things that seemed real but weren’t, might be a thing. On the other hand, they also hadn’t mentioned that they’d bother to fix her clothing up for her after a spot of butt rape. So, whatever was going on had likely come from inside of her. A dream, most likely, as screwed up as that meant her mind was. It was still pretty messed up. After all, anal was fourth base now, so any boyfriend she had might well expect her to do things like that. Not on the first date though, she was nearly certain of that.

  Nick seemed okay, but she hadn’t really even been thinking of kissing, much less something that advanced. Not at the moment.

  “This isn’t going to help.” Except, she realized, it actually might. She was used to trauma and things going wrong in her life. Even when she got the win, she was still the strange girl. She had been for most of her life. Maybe all of it.

  Now, as long as Nick didn’t slam her against the wall and take her ass by force for a few hours, he was almost certainly going to be doing better than her own mind had managed that night.

  It took a while to fall back to sleep and she didn’t rest well when she did. There were other dreams after all. Disturbing things, that weren’t as filled with pain and helplessness. Thankfully. After a few hours of fitful sleep, she heard a voice. That was inside of her head, but still seemed familiar.

  Very much so.

  “Jessica? You need to wake up, Jessica.” Her eyes jerked open, the light of day breaking through her window already.

  Then she sat up, when the voice spoke again. It sounded young, but oddly not all that innocent.

  “I don’t have much time. He’s about to wake up. When that happens I won’t be able to speak to you. Not without it being known.”

  Jess didn’t get to ask who he was. Then, she didn’t think of it anyway. Because there, at the foot of her bed, was her old imaginary friend. Actually bothering to speak to her finally, instead of just haunting her mirror.

  Jess smiled.

  “Malia. Still rocking the blue velvet, I see? I like the bow.” That was red, instead of the black that it had been before.

  The pale little girl touched it. The move seemed physically real, instead of like something from a dream. Then Mal always had, to her.

  “Thank you. I put it on just for you. You always were very kind to me. My best friend. I need for you to listen to me, Jessica. This is important. You can’t trust anyone. Do you understand me? Not now. There are dark things coming for you. Everything you see, hear or are told
, from this point onward, will be a lie. You have to remember that.” She shook her head then. “You think that you dreamed all night. That isn’t the entire truth. We, my people, aren’t demons, but some… Well your legends about that come from a real place. Those fools, your parents and their cohorts, have raised things that do not belong in this place and time. They make deals with them and force them into slavery, using rules that are not of this place. You are in great danger. You can’t even run. Trust no one. Do you understand me?”

  The kid was cute enough, in a slightly anemic looking way. Her dark hair was perfect, and in curly ringlets, which were very similar to what Jessica had going on, herself.

  Rather than ask where she’d been, since she knew part of the answer, she started at a different place.

  “Not even you?”

  The little girl, or the being shaped like one, shrugged.

  “Of course you can trust me. I’m your best friend. We promised to be that forever and ever, if you recall that? I mean everyone else. Don’t trust them. It will seem like you can’t trust me for a time as well, since I have things to do that will protect you. I’m not allowed to tell you everything you need to know. Keep that in mind. Not everything I do from now on will be to my own wishes.”

  Then, in a blink, the kid was gone from the room.

  Sitting there, on her pink bed, which had a nice wooden headboard fit for a princess, Jessica nodded.

  “So, I was butt raped? That’s less than fun. At least it was in that alternate world thing that was talked about. Not just a dream though…” She sounded too glib over it, which she wouldn’t have if the whole thing hadn’t seemed as dreamlike as it did. She wasn’t in pain and while she didn’t want to even have the same dream or hallucination again, it didn’t feel real to her now. Thankfully.

  It was one thing to pretend to be tough. Another thing to have to actually live it when your life turned into a horror show. She could go for whole weeks without her cozy sleep time being interrupted like her life was a bad prison movie.