Demon Within

Chapter 21

Weeks passed, and Kailee had become more accustomed to Will, now that he knew her secret.

Christmas Break wasn't over yet, and today was New Years Eve! Kailee, never  being told or ever knowing about this, was clueless to Miss Mona and the children's preparations for something.

"Hey, Slide?" Kailee asked a boy around her age, tapping on his shoulder.

"Yeah?" He responded, turning around with streamers draped and clutched in his hands, a deflated balloon hanging out of his mouth.

"Uh, why are you guys putting up decorations?" Kailee asked, sheepish because she figured it was just another thing she didn't know about.

"For New Years Eve, of course!" He laughed, the balloon dropping from his mouth as he hurried to catch it before it hit the floor. He caught it and put it in his mouth, blowing it up.

"....What's New Years Eve?" Kailee blinked, oblivious.

Slide's mouth dropped open and the now, fully blown balloon went flying out and disposed of the air as it zig-zagged through the room.

"What?" His reply was utter confusion and shock. It was a deep tone and it was a calm one, but she knew it was just the calm before the storm.

"What's New Years Eve?" Kailee repeated.

"What's that supposed to mean? Don't tell me you don't know what New Years Eve is! First Christmas and now this!" He bellowed.

Kailee blushed, and muttered profanities under her breath when she realized Carrie must have spread the incident that happened days ago.

"Don't give me that look!" She huffed. "It's not my fault! I just had a very sheltered childhood!" That was a lie.

"And apparently very lousy parents." Slide observed in a serious tone, but it was meant to be a joke.

"I didn't have my parents for too long after they adopted me. I was always sent back after a week or less." She informed the boy.

"Why? You don't seem all that bad to me." Slide joked, a smile slipping on to his face.

'I was bad. I killed them.' She thought, but kept that thought to herself for obvious reasons.

"Why are you even asking?" Kailee got defensive. "I thought Miss Mona informed you guys of my past."

"Not really. You're a mystery in our eyes." Slide said, referring to him and the other children. "All we know is that you were homeless when Miss Mona took you in. We don't even know why, how long, or when."

"Long story short, my parents always ended up dying in the first week I was adopted, I ended up running away from child services, I met Demon while on the streets, and him and I lived like that for six years. It's nothing big, okay? So don't ridicule me for it." The girl practically radiated annoyance and anger.

"Wow, okay." Slide said, obviously shocked. "New Years Eve is the last day of the year. When it turns to midnight, signaling the first day of the next year, in this case 2016, we all yell 'Happy New Years!' It's American tradition. We have parties for it every year. We drink sparkling water, have piñatas, and a balloon drop. It's a lot of fun."

"Oh." Kailee realized. "That does sound like fun! I have to go inform Demon! He'll love this!"

"You know something? You always act like your dog can understand you." Slide laughed.

"He can!" Kailee argued. "Dogs are smarter than most people give them credit for."

'Even if they aren't demons.' Kailee added mentally.