Demon Breathing Down My Neck

Chapter Twelve: Neighborhood Management

The musical voice streams out of Alexander like a river of light, "I see that this idiot finally got up the guts to call me when he realized he wasn't getting out of this!"

When his eyes flashed, he called his boss! I knew it! "You're possessing him from a distance!"

"You clever little thing! However did you figure that out? Maybe the voice shift? Hmm?"

"So that means you must be Atha-? Care to finish your name?!"

"Don't think you can interrogate me!"

I circle slowly around and around, scanning the sky, the houses, the street. "What happens now?! You send an army of fallen angels to destroy me?!"

"Ha-ha, you're funny."

"Funny?!"

Alexander's lips quirk in a feminine, unnatural way. "Why should I care enough to?"

"What do you mean?"

"You enjoyed messing around with my little Alexander, didn't you?"

My eyes scorch the sky, but I see nothing. She's trying to distract me and catch me off guard. "You're really not sending anyone to get me?!"

"Get you? Eavesdropping on your pitiful attempt at an interrogation was an amusing distraction from work!" Alexander winks at me. "I should be thanking you for the laughs."

"You won't be laughing when the Starfall Institute hears about your Brightwing base in the sky!"

"Ha-ha, go ahead and tell them what they've already heard!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

I continue to turn around and around, watching the gray sky and road like a hawk. "When are you going to stop running your mouth and launch a surprise attack?! Get it over with!"

"You still think I'm trying to trick you?"

"Why else would you be so chatty?"

"Because I like talking! Why else?"

I morph my rainbow claws into gloves and grip Alexander's body by the throat. "Why did you show me your base?!"

Alexander begins laughing like a little girl so hard he chokes. "Hee-hee-hee-uuaach! Ach! You-you seriously think I can feel you choking me?!"

"Answer my question!"

"Hee-hee-hee-hee, I told you that you can't interrogate me!"

I can tell that Alexander's boss is exaggerating her laughs just to irritate me. "You actually have to get to the point of whatever you want with me! Or you can keep giggling like a baby!"

"Hee-hee-hee-heeee! Heeeee!"

I constantly circle around every few seconds, glancing everywhere, then back at Alexander's face, glancing everywhere, then back at his face again. "I'm starting to get the impression you don't think that much of the Starfall Institute. That's a big mistake."

"So, you think I'm a baby? Then, come up here and prove it!" She pauses. "You can't, can you? You don't even know where I am."

"I will certainly come up there!" I narrow my eyes. "But you won't see me coming."

"Ooooh, so spooky! I absolutely adore you! Too bad we aren't coworkers. I'm sure we'd get along quite nicely!"

I gaze up at the empty sky. Maybe they aren't really coming? Do they not consider the Starfalls a threat? But why go to the trouble of protecting their information with that curse, then?