Devil's Plaything

Samantha's Night In

Panic rose in Mira's throat and a wave of nausea rendered her speechless. But she forced herself to take steps forward, trying to block Noah's view of Marci. He was standing at the edge of the bathroom, trying to get a glimpse of her from his obscured standpoint. Marci hovered by the front door, her face pensive as she sensed there was something clearly wrong.

Keep her from stepping into this room, Mira's thoughts echoed, the only words she could coherently understand swarming in her brain. If Noah was able to clearly see Marci, would he have the ability to track her down afterwards based solely on that? The dread that had been continuously spiraling all day made Mira have to battle another wave of dizziness. It was a miracle she hadn't passed out yet.

No, not a miracle. She steeled herself and stood up straight. She was strong, that's why she had done what she had to in order to save her friends. She wasn't stupid and she wasn't a victim because she still had the opportunity to choose to be otherwise.

"You need to leave," she warned Marci, an unrecognizable authority in her tone. Marci seemed startled by it.

"Who is that, Mira?" Her foot inched forward. Noah stayed silent but Mira saw his body shake with silent laughter out of the corner of her eye.

Mira raised a hand and Marci stilled. "Do you remember what I told you the other day?" Marci shook her head, but her hands had started shaking almost imperceptibly.

"The devil isn't real, Mira." There was no humor in her voice. None of the belittling sarcasm which usually dominated her expressions. She took another step forward, then another. "Who are you?" she asked Noah, her eyes desperately trying to catch a glimpse of him. "Why are you fucking with my friend?"

Mira walked quickly to Marci and grabbed a hold of her arm. "Please, can we talk about this later?" Marci stared down at her, her height dwarfing Mira in a way Mira had never noticed before. "Just listen to me." She kept her eyes wide, staring at her friend with all the earnestness she could muster.

"Okay," Marci whispered. She took a step back. "Okay," she repeated, holding her hands up as if surrendering. Mira's ability to breathe returned to her. Moments of silence passed and Sam and Charlie appeared in the doorway, both short of breath. Mira felt so relieved that she walked over to her bed and sat on the edge of it. She glanced up at Noah, who watched her thoughtfully.

"Who are you?" Marci asked her friends, who were staring at her with equal curiosity.

"Their names are Sam and Charlie. Don't say your name aloud though, okay?" Mira warned, maintaining eye contact with Noah. It was a miracle he hadn't spoken to Marci yet. "Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?" she asked Marci, keeping her gaze on him.

"She can stay with me," Charlie spoke up quickly. Marci's eyes moved to examine Charlie. They moved over her quickly, assessing her in the way they did every newcomer. But Mira suspected that they lingered a little longer. "I mean—you both. You both can stay with me." Charlie said awkwardly. It was the first time Mira had heard her stumble over her words. "You and Mira." She looked at Sam. "But not you." Sam gave her an annoyed look. "It's a girl's dorm," she whispered conspicuously.

"Thanks, Samantha, but I'm going to stay in my own apartment tonight." Marci gave Mira a pointed look. "Once Mira kicks whomever that is out of our place."

Sam raised his hand. "I'm actually Samantha—I mean Sam. Samuel." His blush returned in full.

Marci didn't even give Sam a glance. She remained staring at Mira, waiting for at least an explanation. Mira shook her head. She tried to think of something to say that would convince her to leave. Something that would highlight the danger Marci could be in if she stuck around. Perhaps she should lie so that Marci would believe her.