The Devil's Tail - The Devil Chronicles Book One - ROUGH DRAFT

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Sneaking her way past teachers and chaperones, Marty hugged the wall of the building and darted behind the stairway where a red curtain hung. There were piles of boxes filled with light equipment and tech stuff. She bumped into one storage box and stubbed her toe, yielding it in her hand and yelping.

Fire truck lights bounced off the glass windows and the carpeted interior.

She pulled herself closer into the dark alcove, feeling like Harry Potter, hidden under a cupboard.

A hand clasped over her mouth.
"Quiet or we'll get caught," his voice was low and airy, causing hair to stand up on the back of her neck. Leviathan.

He lowered his head and glared beyond the curtain to the firefighters entering the building. But then his eyes traced back down to Marty's wrist and he held a breath. "I'm sorry," he whispered with his lips closed.

"What?"

He poked his head out from the curtain and listened carefully to the fire crew. He removed his hand from her lips but kept her within arm's reach in front of him. Though she shot him a quizzical look, he ignored any line of questioning that could come from her mouth. Much less would he clarify what he had said just moments before that warranted her incredulous, "What?"

He straightened himself and gazed into her eyes that were still shooting daggers. "You need to get out of here."

"But you're still in here. What are you planning?"

Levi moved away to sit on a container.

She stepped forward, bending down to his eyes. "Are you safe?"

His eyes watered as they met her's. Silence encroached between them. Then he stood, sighing. "Let's go," and grabbed her hand, leading them deeper past the curtain and into a second stairwell.

*

Up to the roof, the two swayed against the upcoming wind blushing their cheeks.

Further up they went, distancing themself from the fire's smoke on the ground of the ballroom and rising into the mist of the night sky.

Shkeesha leaned over the roof hatch and lent a hand to Levi. "There you are," she hissed. "And you brought a guest."

At the ledge of the roof, Lily stood, her eyes fixated in the distance. The wind picking up around her in a flurry. Michael was an ant next to her, cowering in the corner. The wind did not touch him.

"You're not a Devil. You should have made the choice not to involve yourself."

Around the other four corner borders on the roof, sat others.

Abe and Eba, the gaia wielding twins who kidnapped her at the convention.

Hosana, the quiet yet stoic soothsayer who roamed the halls, looking for an opportunity to strike.

Luke, the bubbly friend that Levi hesitated to trust.

They were all gathered. Except for Daniel.

Marty looked over her shoulder and scanned the horizon where the parking lot was in view and street lamps glistened the roads.

Daniel.

"Why are we at a high school prom? I'm not complaining but it's not how I pictured it." Hosana stepped forward, grasping her evening gown. "I even got dressed for the occasion when I heard it was the case."

Lily stifled a laugh. "Well, there seems to be some Evians medled in the mix."

Marty felt eyes piercing into her.