Thursday 28th, 2017 6:13 pm





Donny pulled himself up and met my eyes. He stared blankly, but his behavior up to this point made me think there was tons of shit going on inside his head. Calculating. Trying to get my angle. I would oblige. At least that way, he can't say I didn't try. Always have to keep a solid paper trail with boys that had no sense.





“You seemed kinda hung up on the man who just rung the doorbell,” I said, testing. Had to get this right if I wanted this intel. “I just wanted to see what that was all about.”





He paused, then licked his lips. He paused for a few heartbeats before starting again.





“I'm just pissed that my Dad won't let me set up our shit in the living room.” He mumbled. He took a quick glance to his right. “Dad didn't tell me that someone was coming over until 3 pm. And I didn’t have a way to tell you because you don't have a phone or the Internet.”





I took a moment to breathe. Not until three, he says. Could it be a coincidence? If not, then how did he find out that I would be present here of all places. I doubt his father would be throwing my name around to his buddies. I settled on plausible deniability and continued my line of questioning.





“You don't seem to like the guy very much,” I said gently. Doup. I've got to walk lightly around any potential Daddy issues. I'm not the boy’s therapist. I cut in just before he could open his mouth to speak. “Your Dad's friend, I mean.” There. Perfect.





He gave me a wicked side eye. Venom. Step lightly or he might just bite. He composed himself.





“The guy rubs me the wrong way on a number of different levels,” he said. This time more forward than before. “I mean…he's never hurt me or anything, but he feels wrong. Like, my skin crawls whenever I'm near him.” He relaxed his back and clutched his knees. He seemed lost in thought.





That fit the textbook description of an evil monster/mortal interaction perfectly. Some men were just unpleasant to be around. The myst was mighty powerful, but it couldn’t hide bad character traits.





I couldn't end my investigation just yet. I had to keep pressing deeper. If I was going to be successful, I needed the whole truth, not what’s passable.





“Do you happen to know when this man began to interact with your father?” I pressed.





“The first time I had seen him it was at a county fair just outside of Wayne about midsummer. He, my Dad, and a few of his other friends had hit it off, so they decided to get some drinks later that same week. They've been in almost constant contact with one another. Every other day, really. But this is the first time he's come over our house.”





Wayne. Interesting.





He paused waiting for a response. I hesitated. Stunned really. I hadn't expected him to be so forthright with this information. It was too easy. What happened to all the weird quips and awful manners. Perhaps this was a serious enough situation for me to take him into my custody.





And by custody, I meant my Mother.





For his own good, of course. It's not like I'm going to have him thrown into one of my Mother's pots or something. I just want to get him out of the house. The monster's aura of darkness could be partially muted by the myst, but that didn't stop its effects completely. Continued exposure to such intense negativity would fuck up just about anybody.





A detox, of sorts. Only for a day or two while I-.





“Ummm,” Donny hummed. “Are you ok-”





“I'm fine.” I spat out, annoyed with myself. Lost in thought with no concern for my audience. Fucking Christ.





“Chill, dude. I'm j-just asking.” He said, peeved. I wanted to bite back, but I stopped myself.





I was supposed to be the strong one. Come to think of it, maybe I've been a bit hard on the boy. The stress from the monster's presence was bringing out the worst aspects in him. And I was letting the same happen to me. I could solve so many of my problems if I just got this right. I composed myself.





“...I'm...sorry,” I relented. “I need to chill out for a bit. How about we head out of the house and hang out in the Little City.”





An olive branch, if only from my point of view. It was worth a try.





His jaw dropped slightly. Lips curving in a slight smile. Eyes wide. Hope.





“Uh, sure. Why not?” He said quietly. He moved to get his things in order.





I stared after him when a thought hit me like a truck.





My grimoire.





I rushed over to my backpack and ripped it open. I needed my grimoire. If that book was not in my hands when I went downstairs, I had a feeling I would be in a world of trouble.





There. Right between my laptop and my notebook. I reached down and pulled it out. It was good to feel the power thrumming in my hands. I cupped it in my right palm.





Safe.





“Okay, I'm ready.” I heard. Donny seemed a bit more upbeat. Good.





“Shall we take your car?” I asked. I did not feel like waiting for the bus this late in the proceedings.





“That was not my car,” he said. “It was my Dad’s.”





“Fuck!” I half-shouted.





Ding-Dong.





He smirked. “Don't worry. David has a car.”





I smiled. This might not be that bad after all.