Succubus

Chapter 23: Tara MIA

News of Tara's disappearance had crossed the street from high school to middle school. The high schoolers had realized something was wrong when Tara failed to show up without calling in sick. By lunch time a thousand different rumors tried to explain her not being in school. Some claimed she had accepted a modeling job and moved into the city. Others said she'd been kidnapped and sold to a foreign oligarch. It wasn't long until middle schoolers were also weighing in. The fifth graders thought she'd been abducted by aliens, while the eighth graders said she was hiding from jealous ex-boyfriends.

Charles was not happy. He hadn't seen Tara since he made the deal with Erlik. He thought the big reveal would be on Monday, but she had called out sick. Now it was Tuesday and she might be on the other side of the world.

Plenty of other girls were more than willing to listen to Charles's problems. Five of them sat around him at lunch and told him that they were there for him if she didn't reappear. Two of the girls were teachers.

After school Charles put his hands in his pocket and started toward home. Across the street was a girl napping on a picnic bench. Charles crossed the street and shook her shoulder.

"You okay Barb?" he asked.

Barb opened one eye and yawned. "Hey Charles, yeah, I'm fine. Just super tired since the weekend."

"You want to head home?"

Barb nodded and let herself be led along by Charles. He'd realized that dream over the weekend had done something to her, but he'd had two dreams since then and didn't know how to make it stop. He wished he could ask Erlik, but the demon just seemed panicky as of late.

"I had a weird dream about you," Barb mumbled as they walked home.

"Oh yeah?" Charles said. He was worried that it might draw some suspicion toward him if he kept appearing in the dreams of local girls. "What was it about?"

"There was a rollercoaster or something. It made me decide to have the big dance decorated as a carnival. Won't that be fun?"

"Yeah, wish I was in highschool so I could go."

"You can go," Barb muttered. "Be my plus one."

Charles blinked. He felt the way a deer must when a car slams into them. "You're inviting me?"

"Yeah, we've been friends for a while. Plus you're so cute now, all the other girls will be jealous." Barb was half-conscious.

"Alright, I'll do it." Charles said. He hoped Barb couldn't feel how fast his heart was beating through his fingertips.

"Cool, pick me up at seven. Can you drive yet?"

"I have a bike."

"My dad will give us a ride."

They arrived at Barb's house. She pulled him into a hug that he returned once his surprise wore off. As her door shut, part of him realized that it was only because of Erlik.

Charles was about to go home and sulk, but he realized there might be someone who probably felt worse than he did. A few blocks away he came to a rancher with a broken fence. The paint was chipping off and big patches of the lawn were dead.

Charles knocked on the door. It took awhile for anyone to answer, to the point that Charles almost decided to leave. At last the door swung open. A brown haired woman stared back at Charles. Her eyes were red from crying.

"Yeah?" she said with a raspy voice.

"Mrs. Wentworth?" Charles asked.

"That's right."