had seen the end result.
“How do you feel now?” I was afraid to ask, but I needed to know. I needed to get a feel for how much internal damage had been done.
Seth stared at the ceiling again. “I feel…tired. And stupid. I can’t believe myself because that isn’t something I would ever plan to do. But I can’t deny it made perfect sense then. If I was right back there, I might make the exact same decision again. It felt so obvious.” He looked at me. His eyes broke my heart. They shone with so much pain and torment that I felt my soul twist. “Why is that, Luna? Why would I do that?”
“Do you really want to know?”
He sighed. Hesitated. Then he said, “I don’t know. Do I?”
I took his hand again. “Seth, listen to me. Sparkles has a demon attached to her. Or perhaps she’s attached to it; I’m not really sure at this point. But either way, they’re together. Sparkles was mean to begin with, but now she is crueler and has a depth that would have seemed impossible before.”
“Luna,” Seth said. His voice had that familiar warning note. It almost made me smile.
“ You said yourself that it seemed like the right thing to do, even though it obviously wasn’t. It goes against everything you believe in, and still, you tried to kill yourself. Kill yourself. We’re not talking about doing something little that is slightly naughty. We’re talking about the big Kahuna. Death. Forever and ever.”
“I get the picture .”
“And ever. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“But wait, there’s more.”
“Oh goody.”
“I had done that little spell. Seal. Thing, whatever it was called, that kept the demons out, right?”
“Supposing you’re not crazy .”
“Yeah, suppose.”
“Then yeah, I remember.”
I grinn ed at him. What a good brother. “Well, it kept everything demonic out. Until the seal was broken.”
He played along. “All right. So how was the seal broken?”
“You invited Sparkles inside.”
He didn’t say anything. I hurried on.
“When I went over later with Reed Taylor and that mouthy demon, the house was absolutely full—“
He interrupted me. “You’re saying you honestly, truly, one hundred percent believe my soon-to-be ex-wife is possessed by a demon?”
“I do.”
“A really bad demon. A demon I invited into the house, which effectively broke the protection on the house that my kid sister had put on it.”
“Right.”
“And then the demon did something so I felt bad about myself…” He looked at me for help. I was happy to step in and tell him what I know.
“You invited them in, and left the house and yourself wide open. You were too strong for the demon to possess straight out, or else you wouldn’t remember a thing. And you wouldn’t have nearly died, you would have totally died. Demons can be quite thorough, you know.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“But she had enough influence that she could suggest things for you to do. Suggest your unworthiness and…what?” I caught the look in his eyes. It wasn’t pretty.
“Why would she have this influence? I’m like, super weak or something? My mind isn’t strong enough to keep the demon out?”
Dad again. Losing his mind. Again. Seth’s worst fear kept popping up in his face over and over and over. Now that I had his attention it was time to set the record straight.
“ It doesn’t have anything to do with your mind. Not really. Mind and willpower are just kind of, I don’t know. They help, I guess, but not much more than that. It’s all about heart. Spirit and feelings. And no matter how awful Sparkles was, she was still your wife, and Lydia’s mom. She knows your weaknesses, and your weakness is your daughter.”
“She used Lydia to make me feel like a total loser?”
“Well, wouldn’t you say so?”
He struggled to sit up in the hospital bed. I wanted to help him, but I leaned back and watched him do it by himself. When he finally sat upright, his hair was damp with sweat and his face
“How do you feel now?” I was afraid to ask, but I needed to know. I needed to get a feel for how much internal damage had been done.
Seth stared at the ceiling again. “I feel…tired. And stupid. I can’t believe myself because that isn’t something I would ever plan to do. But I can’t deny it made perfect sense then. If I was right back there, I might make the exact same decision again. It felt so obvious.” He looked at me. His eyes broke my heart. They shone with so much pain and torment that I felt my soul twist. “Why is that, Luna? Why would I do that?”
“Do you really want to know?”
He sighed. Hesitated. Then he said, “I don’t know. Do I?”
I took his hand again. “Seth, listen to me. Sparkles has a demon attached to her. Or perhaps she’s attached to it; I’m not really sure at this point. But either way, they’re together. Sparkles was mean to begin with, but now she is crueler and has a depth that would have seemed impossible before.”
“Luna,” Seth said. His voice had that familiar warning note. It almost made me smile.
“ You said yourself that it seemed like the right thing to do, even though it obviously wasn’t. It goes against everything you believe in, and still, you tried to kill yourself. Kill yourself. We’re not talking about doing something little that is slightly naughty. We’re talking about the big Kahuna. Death. Forever and ever.”
“I get the picture .”
“And ever. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“But wait, there’s more.”
“Oh goody.”
“I had done that little spell. Seal. Thing, whatever it was called, that kept the demons out, right?”
“Supposing you’re not crazy .”
“Yeah, suppose.”
“Then yeah, I remember.”
I grinn ed at him. What a good brother. “Well, it kept everything demonic out. Until the seal was broken.”
He played along. “All right. So how was the seal broken?”
“You invited Sparkles inside.”
He didn’t say anything. I hurried on.
“When I went over later with Reed Taylor and that mouthy demon, the house was absolutely full—“
He interrupted me. “You’re saying you honestly, truly, one hundred percent believe my soon-to-be ex-wife is possessed by a demon?”
“I do.”
“A really bad demon. A demon I invited into the house, which effectively broke the protection on the house that my kid sister had put on it.”
“Right.”
“And then the demon did something so I felt bad about myself…” He looked at me for help. I was happy to step in and tell him what I know.
“You invited them in, and left the house and yourself wide open. You were too strong for the demon to possess straight out, or else you wouldn’t remember a thing. And you wouldn’t have nearly died, you would have totally died. Demons can be quite thorough, you know.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“But she had enough influence that she could suggest things for you to do. Suggest your unworthiness and…what?” I caught the look in his eyes. It wasn’t pretty.
“Why would she have this influence? I’m like, super weak or something? My mind isn’t strong enough to keep the demon out?”
Dad again. Losing his mind. Again. Seth’s worst fear kept popping up in his face over and over and over. Now that I had his attention it was time to set the record straight.
“ It doesn’t have anything to do with your mind. Not really. Mind and willpower are just kind of, I don’t know. They help, I guess, but not much more than that. It’s all about heart. Spirit and feelings. And no matter how awful Sparkles was, she was still your wife, and Lydia’s mom. She knows your weaknesses, and your weakness is your daughter.”
“She used Lydia to make me feel like a total loser?”
“Well, wouldn’t you say so?”
He struggled to sit up in the hospital bed. I wanted to help him, but I leaned back and watched him do it by himself. When he finally sat upright, his hair was damp with sweat and his face
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