Page 98 of Death is My BFF
The power came back on with a hum. The figure was gone.
The doorbell sounded.
“Ah, shoot.”
Skittles’s charm around her neck rattled as she skirted from the room. Breathing hard, I grabbed my old softball bat on the way out of my bedroom and crept down the hallway. I was fully aware that this was a scene straight out of a horror movie, but I was so tired of being afraid and helpless.
I held my palm out in front of my face, picturing the light, and curled my fingers into a fist. I would not go down without a fight.
Boom!I jumped a little at another crash of thunder and banged my hip into the corner of the kitchen counter with a wince. Okay, maybe cowering under the covers was a better option.
In my peripheral, the automatic porch light flicked on. Heavy, calculated footsteps creaked the old wooden boards of the front porch.Death. With my heart in my throat, I slinked closer to the door, peeking through the privacy window at the porch. Empty.
I’ve had enough of this. Clenching my teeth, I mustered up the courage to unbolt the lock, preparing to rip open the door and swing like a madwoman.
“Faith?” Dad asked.
The kitchen lights flicked on, and I sprang straight out of my skin for the umpteenth time that night.
Both of my parents stood behind me with their pajamas on.
Mom held an unlit candle and wore an overnight face mask that made her look like a serial killer.
“Oh my God,” I said, clutching my chest. “I almost peed my pants, bro!”
“Did someone really ring the doorbell this late?” Dad asked with a yawn and shut the front door. “And during a storm, nonetheless?”
“Maybe a Jehovah’s Witness. They’re relentless.” Mom set down her candle and opened a kitchen drawer near me, probably to find a flashlight in case the power went out again. Looking up at me, she did a double take at the weapon in my hands. “Why do you have your softball bat, honey?”
“Raccoon,” I said quickly. “Really big raccoon. I saw it eating one of the pumpkins on the porch steps, so I scared it off.”
The doorbell went off again. I whirled toward the door, my fingers clutching the bat tighter.
“What’s going on?” Dad didn’t have his glasses on and squinted at me. “Who keeps ringing the doorbell? You better not be hiding anything from us, young lady.”
“Nothing’s going on, I swear.” If Death was here, he was pissed, and I didn’t want my parents to get in the middle of it. I dropped the bat to my side. “You guys should go back to sleep. You have to get up early for work.”
Not buying it, Dad moved past me and peered through the peephole. When he pulled back, he was furious. “Doesn’t look likenothing.” He heaved the door open, and I stopped breathing.
David Star stood on my porch, untouched by the rain. Mom let out a small gasp over my shoulder. His athletic frame was illuminated like an angel under the halo of the porch light. He wore the same outfit he’d worn hours before at Manuel’s: a Gucci suit with a black leather jacket. He had his hands clasped politely behind his back. I saw flashes of Alexandru in the arena, drenched in blood, transforming into that soul-eating monster.
“You must be Faith’s father,” David said. I noticed he didn’t reach out his hand. “It’s great to meet you, sir.”
“I bet it is.” Dad stood taller than usual and spoke in a deeper voice, as he often did to prove his authority. “It’s late, starboy. If you’re trying to sneak in a hookup with my daughter, think again.”
Get him, Dad!Kick him to the curb!
“I can assure you, I have the utmost respect for your daughter,”
David said. He slid his eyes to me and there wasn’t even a splinter of hostility in them. His expression remained blank, vacant of any emotion. “We’re just friends.” To my mother, he added charismatically,
“And you must be Faith’s . . . slightly older sister?”
Mom burst into giggles and snorts. “Oh, stop it!” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and fluttered her eyelashes in a way that left me horrified and cringing.
“I’m sorry to disturb your family at such a late hour,” David said,
“but Faith wasn’t replying to my texts. I wanted to make sure she got home safe.”