The Unfortunate Story of Roddy Mayhem by Julie Steimle (e ink manga reader .TXT) 📕

“After we returned home, our town priest said I was possessed, and that was how I got sent here,” she said. “To be cured.”

We all looked about her. I didn’t detect any signs of another being that could have possessed her. No death angels at least. But we also knew that not all magic could be detected by imp eyes—especially elvish magic. It was of a different nature than our gifts and messed with our senses like any human being.

“I have been resisting her calls to hurt people,” she murmured darkly.

We listened more intently. Lorelei’s imps were still starved. And none of them had horns.

“And people get hurt when they are around me too long,” Lorelei explained.

We exchanged looks. None of us ever noticed that. Was she just being paranoid? There were lots of paranoid kids at Gulinger. Our school psychiatrists had their hands full most of the time.

“But Leah—” I said, knowing those girls were manipulating her and they didn’t seem to be affected by any curse like that.

Lorelei nodded, seeing what I was thinking. “Is part demon, so she’s not scared of me.”

We blinked at that. Leah was part demon. I had forgotten. I had just seen her as a big jerk who had switched from her ‘nature attacks’ to natural female cattiness, which was more effective.

“And Kendra?” Piranha asked, really curious.

Lorelei shrugged admittedly. “The Lorelei does not like fire. For some reason it keeps her away.”

We shared more looks. It was becoming more like Lorelei was just messed up in the head than really cursed.

“And Moyra?” I asked, just to make sure.

Lorelei cringed. “She wants to use me. She is part demon and a witch.”

We all shared looks. This was actually plausible. Moyra was the queen bee of that group. And honestly, she freaked me out.

“I had hoped a half-imp would be impervious,” Lorelei said, thinking of Wispy. But then she closed her eyes, sniffling. “I was wrong.”

Exchanging yet more looks, I nodded to the others. If Lorelei really was cursed then we had to help her deal with it. If it was so, maybe the evil Lorelei needed to be exorcised or something. We could probably find someone to do it, right? Or—and we really considered this—to maybe help Lorelei use the curse as her weapon of choice. My horns itched, though, when I thought it.

“You all believe me?” Lorelei said, eyes widening.

I shrugged. “I have no clue whether it is true or not. I just know you didn’t mean to hurt Wispy.”

“And for some stupid reason, she likes you,” Piranha added.

Spastic rubbed Lorelei on the head, laughing.

She cheered up almost instantly. But I think that was because she was feeling Spastic’s natural mirth.

However, I had to spoil it.

“Did you know about Dr. Folger?” I finally asked her, after we had soaked got up most of the honey and feathers.

Lorelei paled, shaking her head. “No. But he always kept his distance from me. The guy’s a former priest and he knows a lot about demons and exorcism. I think I freak him out. I think the Lorelei is too powerful for him.”

We exchanged looks. I had sort of known he had done some monster hunting, exorcism stuff, but this whole former priest thing gave me the creeps. He was probably one of those dirty pedophile priests. It just never got found out. And to be honest, his imps were kind of on the wiry end—not exactly starved, but ferocious. It was like they had been tamed for only special jobs, like the guy had long mastered his impulses and just planned things. I wondered if he had targeted anyone else besides Wispy. It was, after all, a dangerous business messing with the supernatural.

“So, an exorcist who could not exorcise your demon,” Piranha murmured. She shook her head. With an eye on Lorelei, she said, “Maybe you should have a conversation with that demon.”

However, Lorelei’s eyes widened. She gravely shook her head. “No way. I am keeping her asleep. And I hear her thoughts plenty enough. I know if I ever let her loose, she’d kill and she would not care who.”

We took that into consideration, all three of us nodding.

“Ok,” I said in a tiny voice. Scratch that plan.

Seventeen

Kendra was taken from Gulinger that very day to go back to her family. Moyra and Leah, however, were another matter.

“We want them,” the representative from West End Prep said.

“Not happening,” Officer Mason bit back, her hand not on her gun, but her red crystal. I wondered why.

The representative from West End Prep narrowed his eyes on her. “By what authority do you have any say in this matter? You’re just a cop.”

Crooking up her smile, Jessica’s eyes went steely on the man as she drew out her wallet. She showed him an ID. “By the authority of the Holy Seven. It is our job to make sure dangerous beings do not wreak havoc on the world. And those two girls are two rather powerful pieces of havoc who should not be rewarded for their misbehavior.”

The man’s eyes widened on Officer Mason, eyeing the ID, then her face. He seemed blown for words, actually. Then he said, “You? One of the Seven?”

Officer Mason nodded. “As you can see.” She put away her ID.

“I don’t believe it,” he said.

Piranha and I watched from around the corner, honestly hoping to see the cop do something really cool to whup that man’s butt.

The lady cop just gazed back at him as if he were an idiot.

Around then, in sauntered a fancy dressed woman practically out of the cover of Vogue whose imps were smirking at everyone as if they were ready for some fun. Her clothes, I swear, were straight from some fashion magazine or something. Expensive and not for normal people. Her face was that kind of face too—full lips, makeup in the current style, and kind of like a movie star. That’s when I realized I didn’t like those kinds of women at all. Piranha’s makeup had always been a statement about her mood. And Wispy wore no makeup at all. As for the lady cop, though she wore makeup, it was understated. This new woman before us was a siren, built to lure men to their deaths. Officer Mason smiled when she saw her.

Gazing once on Officer Mason with familiarity, the woman from Vogue said, “Ok, so what did you all want me here for? I’ve got a date.” Her voice carried something like an itch, different from that of imps. Like a singsong in a way. A different kind of tempting. She gazed out at us all, catching sight of me and Piranha especially. She smirked at us almost as if to sarcastically say ‘Great. There are more of them.’

“Selena,” the lady cop said, a degree of annoyance in her tone. “We need a substitute teacher here for a while.”

“What class?” that Selena lady asked with almost weary boredom. Her eyes remained superiority bored.

I noticed all the guys within the sound of her voice lifted their heads and turned toward the sound. I heard it too, but it did not have that kind of effect on me. It was too itchy. But even the West End Prep man looked likely to fall over and lick her feet.

“History, I think,” Jessica said with a wave to the general hallway. “Go talk to Mr. Wilderman.”

Selena merely nodded, then looked around for a wall sign to get direction. Her eyes rested on us again and she said to us, “Do either of you know the way?”

Piranha and I exchanged looks. We weren’t done listening to the lady cop and the West End Prep guy. And they were now staring at us.

“Roddy….” Officer Mason rolled her eyes then gestured for me to come forward. “Really? Listening in?”

I shrugged, stepping forward.

“You could at least do it so I can’t easily see you,” Officer Mason said, her smile going a little crooked.

Piranha grinned. I could tell she liked the cop.

Selena sighed at us then looked to the nearest boy instead, seeing we weren’t cooperative. “Can you show me to Mr. Wilderman’s office?”

The boy eagerly nodded, looking likely to tip over himself to do anything she wanted. That, to me, seemed dangerous. More dangerous than us. I wondered if Lorelei’s cursed gift was like that.

The lady trotted behind the boy on her heels as he led the way.

“Now, where were we?” Officer Mason said to the West End guy.

But he was gazing at Piranha. Ignoring the cop, he said to Piranha, “What about you? You have to decide now.”

“I’m not going to West End if that Moyra and Leah go there,” Piranha replied, chin lifted. “Because if I do, I will kill them.”

The lady cop blinked at her. Then, with an assessing nod, she gazed back at the man as if to say, ‘That is that.’ It blew my mind that Officer Mason didn’t argue more about who was more right or more righteous rather than doing this ‘you are digging your own grave’ sort of deal. But she just let natural consequences happen, that cop.

“Are you really a cop?” Piranha voiced what I was thinking, cocking her hips with one hand rested there. She stared at Officer Mason as if she had sprung out of nowhere like a—I dunno—miracle, but not exactly in that way. I could not figure it.

Grinning, Officer Mason replied, “Yes. But it is only my day job.”

The man from West End Prep rolled his eyes.

Piranha grinned. She reached out to shake Officer Mason’s hand.

“Jessica!” A woman’s voice came from the entrance hall as the cop gripped Piranhas hand in hers. Piranha seemed to flinch as if Jessica’s hand was hot to touch. She pulled back and looked at her palm. We all looked to the voice.

This time a twenty-something woman with thick dark hair and heavy eye makeup stood there, pulling off a blind fold while Dan stood behind her looking smart in a long coat. She was in a polka dot dress and stiletto heels. She was in fact like a caricature from a comic book—beautiful, but kind of scary. Almost femme fatale like. Her eyes raked over Piranha and myself, though she was saying, “Was all this blindfolding necessary?”

“Sure it was,” Dan replied with a chuckle in his voice. “We don’t need you to be tempted to change your mind about leaving the coven—not with this huge temptation before you.”

The woman shot Dan a dirty look. It was familiar, like she was used to having these kinds of snarky exchanges with him. “Danny boy, so help me…”

“I’m sorry Silva, but it was necessary.” Officer Mason approached her like a wary friend. “We need your help to wrangle someone adept at witchcraft.”

Silvia rolled her eyes. “You could do that.”

Officer Mason grinned. “I know, but she needs a talking to from you.”

“Oh…” Silva then nodded knowingly. Her expression lightened. “I see. You mean from a former witch.”

With a confirming nod, Officer Mason proceeded to escort Silvia toward Mr. Wilderman’s office, leaving the West End