Chapter 20

Birds chirped outside the window, enjoying the morning light as it slowly filled the sky. A soft breeze passed through the autumn leaves, shaking some of them loose before they fell to the ground. Inside, a phone prepared to sound its alarm, but was silenced before it had the chance.

Vee had recently started rising with the sun, and only set her alarm out of habit. She slid out of bed, her nimble feet sinking into the plush carpet as she started her stretches. Her back cracked in a few places, and her hips were a little tight from the lack of activity the last few weeks, but that was the worst of it.

The nightmares had stopped shortly after Halloween. Or perhaps they’d stopped before? She honestly couldn’t remember, so much had blurred together in the week leading up to that fateful night. With her dreams no longer haunted by visions of demonic incursions, she was finally able to sleep again, and for that she was thankful.

As she finished her more mundane stretches, she sat on the ground and crossed her legs. With a short prayer, she connected with the divine power inside her, and asked it to continue aiding her recovery. Its power traveled through her body, dispelling her aches and pains, drawing on her own natural energy to try and keep her healthy. Not only was it a fairly simple exercise, but it also prevented her powers from diminishing while she wasn’t actively pushing her own limits.

Of course, it can’t heal everything...

Vee touched her temple, wincing slightly as her fingers traced over the gap in her brow. Her divine magic hadn’t been able to restore it, and she suspected it was due to the hellfire that had burst forth from the Demon’s fists when she’d been struck.

No, not “The Demon.” Amara.

She thought back to Halloween, her feelings a tangled mess. For all the time she’d spent reflecting on what had happened, she was more confused than ever.

A knock on her door startled her, and her mom peeked inside. “Morning hun! Whenever you’re finished with your morning prayers, breakfast is ready!” The older woman’s eyes lingered for a moment, captivated by the magic that pulsed just underneath Vee’s skin.

She smiled back, used to her mom being awestruck by her divine abilities. “Of course, mom, I’ll be down in a minute.”

Vee checked the time on her phone, it was almost seven already. As she looked at her lock screen, she also saw a single push notification; unread messages from Amara. She couldn’t bring herself to open them, but every time she tried to dismiss the notification, she hesitated. She stared at the most recent message for longer than she intended, then shook her head.

It only took a few minutes for Vee to get properly dressed. She didn’t have much of a wardrobe to pick from, as most of her clothes were still at school, but she still found something cute. Downstairs, she hugged both her parents, giving each a kiss on the cheek before sitting down for breakfast.

“Are you sure you’re feeling up to going back?” her dad asked. “If you want to wait another week, you know we won’t mind.”

“I have to go back eventually; it might as well be now.” Vee piled her plate with bacon and eggs before taking a seat. “Besides, it’s a nice day, the drive will be easy.”

Her mom came closer, cupping the side of Vee’s face as she looked down in concern. “We have nothing but faith in you, love, but that doesn’t stop us from worrying. I just wish you could tell us what happened.”

“You know I can’t, mom.”

“Oh, I know. ‘Official Church business’ and all that. You’d think they could make an exception for your parents, that’s all I’m saying!” her mom huffed.

The breakfast was delicious, as expected, but soon enough it was time to leave. Vee grabbed a light coat, said goodbye to her parents, and started the drive back to Aurelius University.

It was hardly a long drive; even in bad traffic it never took more than two hours. She kept the radio off, preferring the silence of her own thoughts. She focused on the road, on the clouds racing just over the horizon as she drew closer and closer to school.

She had no idea what to expect. The events of that night had replayed in her head thousands of times, and she still didn’t understand exactly what had happened. For some reason, Amara had let her live, and she didn’t know what that meant. Was it a trick? Was it genuine? Even if it was, it didn’t change the fact that she’d burnt down the building during their fight. She still blocked off the exits, preventing Vee from deescalating the situation by leaving.

But when we got out, she’d seemed so worried about me, horrified at what she’d done...

She shook her head. Regardless of everything else, she needed to finish school, and she was trying to focus on doing that one step at a time. Step one was getting back to campus, step two would be to contact all her teachers and ask for the homework she’d missed. Anything past that didn’t feel worth thinking about.

Before she knew it, she was back. She parked outside her apartment and walked inside for the first time in weeks.

Nothing had changed. In the corner sat an empty pile of large water jugs, and a few spare rosaries were still on her kitchen counter. She set down her backpack, nervously walking around the apartment, feeling as if she were talking with some past version of herself. In her bedroom, her wall still had several dents in it, and her sheets were still a crumpled mess.

Vee sighed.

She took a few hours to clean up, start some laundry, and move the water jugs to the recycling. She appreciated having busy work, thankful that it gave her a distraction from her thoughts.

After she finished, she heard her stomach grumbling. Unfortunately, nothing in her fridge was good anymore, so there was only one choice. Grabbing her keys, she left the apartment and headed for the cafeteria. The weather had stayed nice, thankfully, but she was nervous about the crowds she could see heading towards the center of campus. She didn’t know if she had the stomach to face anyone today.

As she drew close, her fear manifested when she saw Tania walking towards her. The same girl that had been harassing her over Derek’s false claims, who’d even crashed her date with Nick. Vee clenched her fists, doing her best to steel herself for what was coming.

No doubt she’s going to blame me for the Palace. She already thinks I’m an arsonist.

As Tania drew close, with several of her friends in tow, Vee spoke up. “What is it now, Tania? I’m really not in the mood.”

To Vee’s surprise, Tania said nothing, instead pulling her in for a tight hug. They stayed like this for a moment before she finally spoke. “I’m so sorry, Vee, I had no idea. I can’t believe what that must have been like for you!”

“Um ... thanks? What are you talking about?” Vee didn’t know what to say, and looked at Tania’s friends in confusion as she half-heartedly hugged Tania back.

“You haven’t heard?! It’s all anyone can talk about!” Vee continued saying nothing, and in response, Tania pulled out her phone. “Derek confessed to everything! He made a huge post, even turned himself in to the police!”

“He what?!” Vee gasped, hardly able to believe her ears.

“Yeah! He admitted to attacking you, and he admitted that his injuries were his own fault, but it’s so much more than that! He’s confessed to years of awful behavior, and he’s been apologizing to dozens of girls that he’s hurt. Apparently, he also got someone killed back in High School? He was driving drunk and crashed his car, and his girlfriend didn’t survive.”

Vee froze in shock. This didn’t sound like Derek at all, but when Tania showed Vee her phone, she saw that all of it was true.

“I ... but why?”

“Who knows? Maybe he had a change of heart, maybe the guilt was driving him mad, beats me. A whole bunch of girls have started speaking up, it’s like the Me Too thing all over again.” Tania placed a hand on Vee’s shoulder, “Anyways, Vee, I’m really so sorry about everything. If there’s ever anything I can do to help, to make this up to you, please just ask, okay? I can’t imagine what you’re going through, with the attack, and then getting caught in that fire...”

Tania pulled away from their hug, her eyes glancing to Vee’s eyebrow, then the rest of her friends apologized as well. Soon enough, Vee was on her own again, more confused than ever.

When she made it to the cafeteria, she spent all of lunch combing through news outlets. Every major site in the area was covering Derek’s shocking confessions, even a couple national papers. As she scrolled through everything, she finally got around to checking her own social media feeds as well. She found hundreds of messages and posts, all from people wanting to talk to her and express their sympathy. Some were apologizing for their actions, some were applauding her for her strength, she even had a sizeable amount of random donations.

Even now, in the cafeteria, a few casual acquaintances approached her with their regards. She’d gotten used to the icy stares of people who thought she’d attacked Derek, and this complete reversal was incredibly baffling. Before long, it proved to be a little overwhelming, and she gathered up her things to head back to her apartment.

She walked quickly, eager to make it home without any more awkward conversations, but something caught her eye as she left the cafeteria. Towards the center of campus, on the edge of the quad, a crowd had gathered. Curiosity got the better of her, and when she drew close, she was thankful to see this crowd had nothing to do with Derek or his confession. It looked like some volunteers had set up a fundraising campaign for the Jade Palace, and something had everyone particularly excited today.

I might as well make a contribution, right? In a weird way, I’m at least a little responsible for that fire.

She took a deep breath, and decided she would brave the crowds to make a donation.

Amara had spent all morning finishing her edits on her latest photoshoot. Most of the previous day had been spent taking pictures; experimenting with new angles, playing with the lighting, and switching outfits occasionally. She’d never had so much pressure for a photoshoot to go well, but with Brandon’s threat hanging over her head, she knew she couldn’t afford any mistakes.

When she finished, she had three sets of photos she was really happy with. She’d contacted Chloé late last night, asking if she could borrow the charity’s portable table to set up a new fundraising effort on the quad, and she’d been more than eager to help.

After setting up the table, Amara had integrated her photos with Chloé’s app, which ensured that most of the money spent would go to the charity. Once they’d finished, she quickly called Nick to explain her plan, and it only took him a few minutes before he’d joined all the girls on the quad. Once they were together, and the lunch rush was about to start, Amara started posting about her new project.

It was, predictably, somewhat of a slow start. She knew she was making a huge gamble, and she had taken to nervously pacing behind the table as she waited for the first sales to start coming in. Thankfully, once the crowds appeared, she was able to channel her apprehension into extroversion as she tried to sell her photos.

Amara had never been the most popular person, but she certainly wasn’t a hermit. She’d been offering her photography services for a while, and through her friends she had access to an impressive cross section of the student body. According to Tessa, her recent debut as a party girl had also bolstered her reputation. Her Halloween “costume” had apparently garnered quite a bit of attention, though she’d been unaware of that until recently, given her actions after the party.

All this meant that, despite her hesitations, her photoshoot was a huge hit. Not only were there plenty of students on campus eager to buy them up, she also had a surprising amount of engagement from various online communities that had nothing to do with the school.

When she wasn’t talking with friends and casual acquaintances at the charity table, she was checking her socials to see another wave of donations and support. Everyone seemed to love the photos, they were impressed by her editing skills, and most of all, excited that the money was going to a good cause. For a moment, the attention even reminded her of the high she’d felt at the Halloween party, but with Nick’s help she was able to avoid a downward spiral.

Of course, the other thing propping up her good mood was Derek’s big announcement. She’d initially missed it, as she spent most of yesterday working on her photoshoot, but Tessa and Nick had blown up her phone in excitement. It was a surreal experience; after so many months living in fear of Derek, the tables had finally turned. He’d confessed to absolutely everything, not just the incident with Stephany, and there was a faint air of celebration on campus as she talked with everyone that approached the table.

She was in the middle of a conversation with several friends she hadn’t seen since Halloween when the moment she’d been dreading finally appeared. From across the quad, she saw Brandon drawing near, his insufferable smirk clearly directed at her. From the look of things, he didn’t know what she was up to, and she was itching to wipe that smile off his face.

As he approached, Nick began corralling the crowds to give her some space. Once Brandon closed the distance, he leaned up against the table and pulled out his phone. “Well, Amara, I’m nothing if not a man of my word. It’s been a week, and you have yet to give me an answer. Did you think I was bluffing?”

“Oh, I believe you. I just don’t care,” Amara said.

“I’ve got it pulled up on my phone right now, one click and you’re through!” Brandon was clearly frustrated, his face already turning red.

“But Brandon,” Amara said, a smile growing on her face, “don’t you want to contribute to our charity first? I’m selling some of my portfolio to raise money!”

“This isn’t a joke, Amara. I’m going to ruin you.” Brandon was furious now, though he was doing his best to hide his temperament from the nearby crowd. He began typing on his phone, likely setting up what he thought was the final nail in Amara’s coffin.

Before he could finish, Amara saw one of Nick’s friends approach the table in curiosity. She grabbed his arm and pulled him close, eagerly talking a little bit louder to put on a show for her blackmailer. “Oh my gosh, Alex, did you hear the big news? I’m a succubus!”

Brandon froze, looking up from his phone in shock at Amara’s words.

“Wait, I don’t get it, you’re a what?” Alex asked.

“A succubus, a demon, whatever you want to call it.” As she spoke, Amara scanned a QR code on the table. She angled herself so that Alex and Brandon could see her screen and continued. “I’m raising money for the charity, and since the fire happened on Halloween, I figured I’d do a sexy photoshoot in my costume!”

Amara started scrolling through the photos she’d taken, eagerly watching as Brandon realized what was happening; in every single photo she’d taken the last two days, she’d been wearing nothing but her sexiest lingerie, and her demonic aspects were front and center. Some photos highlighted her horns, some her tail, and her wings had appeared in roughly half of the shots. In one photo she was straddling her tail while moaning, in another she licked its tip while winking at the camera, and each set had dozens more. She’d made the pictures as sultry as possible, and had surprised herself at how willing she was to flaunt her body online.

Finally, she showed Alex a picture she’d taken at the Halloween party, one where her tail looked like it was attached with the belt Nick had made. “See, I took all the pictures in that costume, and then edited them to look real!”

In actuality, a vast majority of her photo editing had been to create the illusion that editing had happened at all. She’d subtly altered tiny details to make it look like there had originally been a belt around her waist, or glue residue on her horns. Just like she’d done with her actual costume, the goal was to seed just enough doubt to make people think her true form was nothing but the magic of photoshop.

“Of course, these aren’t all of them. The sexiest photos you can only see if you buy the sets, but I’ll let you in on a little secret, Alex ... I’m naked in some of them!”