Inner Demons

6. Are We Ready For A Great Pep Rally?

Time seemed to fly by. I studied my magic every afternoon, then went home and practiced some more. I kept my door closed and my curtains shut tight so that no one could see what I was up to.

Sometimes I got a headache from too much magic usage, but it seemed to be getting better with time. It was fascinating to finally understand how to control this power inside of me.

When I was a little girl, my powers were terrifying. Every time I got upset or angry, I lost control. I didn't understand it, but I blamed myself when my adoptive father, Heath, was killed. It was my fault. To me, that meant my powers were bad. Evil. Dirty.

I never knew they could be used for something so beautiful as creating a shimmering orb of light or healing a wound. Of course, I'd learned through training that some shadow witches have special abilities. Mrs. King was primarily a healer. She couldn't bring someone back to life, but she could heal even the most horrible wounds if she reached the person in time. Not every shadow witch could do that.

Of course, healing was a top level ability. Mrs. King told us it would be dangerous for someone at our low levels to try such a powerful spell. Instead, we started small. Like with the lights. Most of our training focused on physical objects. Moving water from one glass to another or writing on the chalkboard without using our hands. It was definitely fun, but I was anxious to move on to deeper tasks. I knew there was so much more to it than simple telekinesis.

As a result of my practicing, I wasn't spending as much time with Drake. He didn't complain about it or anything, but I could tell he was feeling left out. I promised him that I'd make some time for him after the first game. So far, I'd managed to avoid the topic of Homecoming.

When the day of my first game finally arrived, I couldn't believe how much time had flown by. Nearly two weeks of training was over in the blink of an eye. Soon, I was lacing up my sneakers, putting on my Demons uniform, and getting ready for my first school pep rally.

"Here," Allison said in the locker room. "Stand still."

She pulled the backing off of a temporary tattoo and pressed it to the side of my face with a wet paper towel. My stomach turned as I thought about the first time I'd gone to a Demons game. Agnes had worn a Demon tattoo on her face and wanted me to wear one too. She was the ultimate fan girl.

That was also the night she murdered Tori.

I swallowed hard. Hopefully there would be no more deaths. I wasn't sure my sanity could survive it.

"There. Now you look like a cheerleader."

I forced a smile onto my face. "Thanks."

"Oh, but you need to take your necklace off," she said.

I shook my head. "I don't ever take my necklace off."

Allison rolled her eyes. "Fine, then, but you'd better at least hide it under your uniform."

I tucked it inside the top of my uniform and headed out into the gym.

Mrs. King had pulled us out of class half an hour earlier for a quick practice. I was even more nervous than I thought I would be. My toes kept tapping against the floor.

Lark had been right about the shoes. The second I slipped them onto my feet, the cheers and routines slipped into my memory as well. I knew them as if I had been practicing them every day for weeks. Unfortunately, that didn't mean I was exempt from screwing up. The shoes held the knowledge and muscle memory of the routine, but they didn't completely take over our bodies and make us perfect.

It wasn't the routines that were making me nervous, anyway. It was the thought of putting myself out there in front of the entire school. I was more comfortable being the girl dressed in black and sitting on the top row in the back corner.

"Don't look so nervous, Harper," Mrs. King said with a laugh. "You'll be fine."

I smiled, but I really felt like throwing up. The sensation only got worse as soon as the rest of the student body started rolling into the gym. I had always thought of Peachville High as a small school. Where did all these students come from?

I looked around at the other girls and Brooke caught my eye. She smiled and mouthed, "You'll be fine."

Lark reached over and squeezed my hand and Allison kicked her foot against my white sneaker. I took a deep breath. Wasn't this the whole reason I wanted to be a part of the squad? In the end, it wasn't about pyramids and cheering on the team. It was about being part of a group. Having friendships that mattered. Belonging to something real for the first time in my life. These girls were just like me. So what if I didn't think I was the cheering type? So what if I had to put aside my black boots for white sneakers and my holey jeans for a short skirt and bloomers? This was my chance to learn more about who I really was. Cheering in front of the school was a small price to pay, even if I did end up embarrassing myself.

"All right, Demon fans," the principal said into the mic. Everyone cheered and she held a poster high in the air. I couldn't see what it said. "Are we ready for a great pep rally?"

I plastered my best cheer smile across my face and did one more sweep of the gym to look for Drake and the other football players. That's when Jackson Hunt caught my eye. My stomach flipped over and I felt lightheaded. What was it about that guy?

He was nothing like Drake. Drake was tall and muscular and popular. He got good grades and was the star quarterback of the team. Everyone loved Drake. But Jackson? He was mysterious. Aloof. Unpredictable.

Why was I always seeking him out in the crowd? No matter when or where, if he was in the room, my eyes found him. Today, he was wearing black jeans and a blue t-shirt with some band name that I didn't recognize written on it. My breath caught in my chest as he turned toward me. His green eyes were his most charming accessory.

I met his eyes for a moment, then looked away. When I felt him turn away again, my eyes gravitated back to him. He was with a girl I didn't know. I'd seen her around school before, though. I was pretty sure she was friends with Mary Anne, but I'd never actually met her.

She had shoulder-length black hair with bright red streaks going through it like veins, and her tattered clothes looked like hand-me downs. Actually, her long black skirt and white tank top looked like something I would normally wear. Well, pre-cheerleading squad anyway. At my previous schools, she would have been exactly the kind of girl I'd have been friends with. Now, however, I felt a twinge of jealousy for the way Jackson was looking at her. His eyes were focused on her like what she was saying was the most important thing anyone had ever said before.

They both looked at me, and I jumped and turned away. Oh God. They knew I was staring at them. I shook my head and tried to concentrate on what the principal was saying into the microphone, but it was no use. I glanced over to see if they were still looking my way, but they were locked in deep conversation. In fact, it looked like they were arguing.

"Here we go," Allison whispered behind me.

I threw one final look toward Jackson and the black-haired girl. They were definitely arguing, but about what? Me? Why had they both turned to look at me like that? Before I had time to question it further, Principal Tate was calling the cheerleaders to the front. When I looked over again a few minutes later, Jackson was gone.