Succubus

Chapter 27: The Preparation

June watched as Barb zoomed from one end of the gym to the other. The girl might have had a serious career in basketball if she hadn't gone into school politics. Barb barked orders to students up on ladders as they nailed flags on the walls. Dozens of folding tables were arranged and given checkerboard tablecloths. Barb seemed to be everywhere at once.

There wasn't much for June to do as the faculty advisor. So she sat and wondered how Paimon's children were being fed. Barb wasn't the only student with energy to spare. A few other girls who had been sleep walking for days were now fully awake and dedicated to decorating.

"Barb, can we take a break?" a boy on a ladder asked.

"No, I slacked off for days so we're way behind schedule. This is the first day I don't feel exhausted, so we're making up for lost time. Now move that streamer higher."

June wondered if Erlik's host had succeeded. Charles hadn't been present at middle school this morning. On top of that, Tara was still missing. The longer she was gone the more certain June became that she was Paimon's missing daughter. If Charles had found her then she must still be in Bridgeton somewhere. It would have been much harder for a middle schooler to travel out of town on his own.

"Miss Kim, the nail for the streamer isn't sticking," the ladder boy said.

"Let me take a look," June said.

He came down wearing a look of defeat. A man never wants to ask for help with matters concerning tools.

June went up the ladder two rungs at a time. She balanced at the top with the streamer in one hand and the nail in the other. The boy had left a hammer up there for her, but June just pushed the nail into the wall with her thumb. A tidy knot kept the streamer in place.

Back at the bottom of the ladder the boy stared at her. He wasn't completely sure, but he didn't remember hearing hammer sounds. June winked at him and moved to the other side of the gym.

The chaos slowly began to form into a halfway decent carnival. Many of the students had questioned Barb's judgment when she sleepily announced the dance's theme, but actually seeing it proved it wasn't that bad an idea. There were a lot of colors, and the clubs all got to design their own stands. The students were so busy that they didn't notice June slowly walking along the wall of the gym, nor did they notice the trail of salt she was leaving behind her.

Just being near the stuff made June uneasy, like standing too close to an electric fence. Inside her chest she felt Paimon's eternal calm. The demon never seemed uneasy or overly excited. Even when she'd spotted her son there wasn't a flicker of warmth or anger, just a push telling June that it was time to act. Paimon felt like a general standing in the middle of artillery fire, never flinching no matter how close the explosions were.

The trail of salt was almost complete. The only gap was in front of the metal doors that led in and out of the gymnasium.

One by one the students found excuses and headed home. Naturally, Barb was the last to leave. She was still hard at work setting up the place where the DJ would have his equipment.

"Good work today Barb, the gym looks great," June said.

Barb jumped. June's feet hadn't made a sound across the hardwood floor.

"Thanks Miss. Kim. Thanks again for watching us."

"That reminds me, do you have a chaperone for the actual night of the dance? Someone from the faculty needs to be on the premises."

Barb's expression fell. She'd forgotten.

"Don't worry, I'm free that night."

"Would you? It would be a huge help on top of everything you've already done."

"I wouldn't mind at all." June looked out the window where the sunlight was beginning to dim. "You better get home, it'll be dark soon."

"You're right. Thanks again Miss. Kim. I'll make sure you get the first choice for pizza when it gets delivered."

June smiled and waved as Barb ran off. Once the girl was gone she locked the gym doors.

Set along the wall were fold out tables where the refreshments would go. June went up to the punch bowl and emptied a bottle of water into it.

The water began to swirl like a plug had been pulled at the bottom of the bowl. When it stopped swirling Paimon was staring back at June.

"You've been doing well," the demon said.

"Was it alright to let Charles go? I could have gotten him down from that tree if I'd really tried."

"Erlik is less of a priority. He's been to the realm of mortals many times, and he was here to try and save his sister. It was admirable, if misguided. Vine is our most important target."

"But no one knows where Tara is. Bridgeton isn't big, but there are a lot of places for a person to hide."

"She must have managed to get food if she's lasted this long. So we need to make her situation unbearable if she's going to come out."

June thought about it. She looked around the sides of the gym where the salt had been laid.

"What else are demons weak against?" June asked.