Bitter Demons

5. I Only Had To Think It

Once Drake pulled away, I ran back down the front steps and made my way around to the back of the house. I knew there was a slim chance Jackson was still in the barn an hour later, but it was worth a shot. I'd been dying to talk to him all day. Plus, I wanted to see what he knew about the confirmation ritual I'd just gone through. How close did that put me to being Prima? I knew the council couldn't be trusted to tell me the truth.

The barn door was stuck tight. I yanked it as hard as I could and finally slipped inside. The darkness inside consumed my vision. I couldn't so much as see the hand in front of my face. Rain water trickled down my back, and I shivered.

"Jackson?"

No response.

I lifted my palm and summoned an orb of dim light. Usually, the orb of light took a decent amount of energy, but tonight, I only had to think it and the orb appeared. It happened so fast, it hardly took any effort at all. I laughed. If this is what it felt like to be one step closer to Prima, I wondered what it would feel like to actually combine with Peachville's demon. I shook the thought from my head. I would never allow that to happen. No matter how much fun that kind of power might be, it wasn't worth it.

I held the orb up and looked around. Disappointed, I was just about to turn and walk out when a piece of paper caught my eye. It was stuck to the wall near the door. Jackson's scratchy handwriting brought a smile to my face.

"Missed you," the note read. "Meet me in the parking lot tomorrow after practice. I have a surprise for you."

I held my hand to my heart. My whole body smiled. Jackson had a surprise for me.