The third was smaller, made of rolled-up magazines. Different colored beer bottles had been placed on top, and I was told not to touch the magazines.
Tree number four was perched in the kitchen and made out of beer cans, with a smattering of red Solo cups as decorations. There was also a bra hanging from the top, instead of a star or an angel.
“Doesn’t it look pretty?” Crowman nodded to himself, a beer in one hand and the other rubbing over his stomach.
His eyes widened as a scream came from the other room.
I knew that was bad, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, so I doubly knew it was bad.
I was turning away from Crowman, already reaching out to Kellan in my head, when I saw the demon.
Or—I thought it was a demon.
It was black mist, not fully formed to make a person, but definitely evil, and it was moving through the house as if it were in a race. It floated down the stairs, around the living room, and more screams rang out.
I was having déjà vu.
There were shouts, some laughs.
“Oh, cool!” someone yelled. “How are they doing that?”
“Wrong holiday, dudes. It’s not Halloween,” someone else chimed in. “Yo! Whatever you are.”
The black mist stopped in midair, and the top half tilted to the side as if, as if pausing to listen.
The guy raised his beer in the air. “Turn into a Christmas elf!”
“Or Santa!”
“Rudolph.”
The black mist didn’t do anything for a beat, then it began to spin around. It transformed into the Grinch. A cheer went up from the guys in the living room, and another burst of energy roared down the stairs.
That one was Kellan.
“What’s going on?” I asked him.
“It’s me.”
“What is?”
“The prophecy.”
I frowned. “What prophecy?”
“The one that said you were going to be killed.”
“The what that says my sister is going to be killed?” Damien roared.
I could feel Kellan’s instant irritation, but I couldn’t focus there because the first black mist had zipped outside the house. Kellan tore after him, blasting through the front door with enough force that the wood exploded.
“Fuck!”
“What was that?”
Damien came into the room, pushing his way through the crowd to my side. “What’s going on?”
I opened my mouth to tell him what I knew, when we heard, “Uh…”
We turned.
Crowman was still there, still holding his beer, his eyes skirting from Damien to me. His shoulders lifted up and down on a deep sigh, and a look of resignation came over him. “You guys are doing your thing again, aren’t you?”
Damien frowned, his eyebrows pulling together. “Um...”
Crowman shook his head, handing his beer to Damien. “Here, dude. You need this more than me. I’m out of here. Call me when it’s safe for us humans.”
Damien took the beer, and Crowman left, not rushing. There was a defeated look to him, his shoulders hunched as he moved through the stampede.
Damien turned back. “Did he just—”
Then Kellan yelled in our heads, “SHAY!”
Damien and I both jumped. We’d forgotten for a brief second.
“Kellan, where are you?” I asked.
“In the back.”
We took off.
The house was still emptying, and people ran in every direction, including the backyard. A crowd had formed when we got there, and we pushed through.
At the front I could see two floating black veils of mist trading blows. Kellan was still non-corporeal.
“What are you doing?” I asked him.
“How do you kill it?” Damien added.
“I can’t.”
“What? Why not?” I demanded.
The thinner black mist swerved, and the larger black mist countered. They weren’t forming hands, just bunches of black mist as they hit each other.
“What is that?” Damien shrieked.
I could feel Kellan’s reluctance, but I was losing patience. “Kellan!”
He sighed. “It’s me.”
“What?” Damien squawked out loud before flushing, rolling his eyes, and asking in our heads, “What?”
“My father lied to me. He got me to cross the boundary to the Underworld so a part of my darkness could separate from me.”
My mouth dropped. “Wha…”
Damien said, “Okay. What can we do now?”
“I have no idea.” Kellan struck again.
The black mist dodged but then stopped and turned. I felt its attention, and it shrieked in all of our heads. “YOU!”
“Oh, fuck.” Damien mumbled.
The black mist lunged for me, zipping in a flash.
I stepped back as Kellan roared, “NO!”
From there, three things happened at once.
There was a giant BOOM.
Kellan lunged forward, toward himself.
And I threw up my hands, not knowing what to do.
Blinding light erupted from me.
I felt it leaving my body—soul, hands, arms, and every inch of me. I closed my eyes as it happened.
Then there was silence.
Sweet, blissful silence, and I cracked an eye open…not seeing anything at first. Blinding white light spread all around. I felt like I was inside a cloud.
“Kellan?”
Silence.
“Damien?”
Silence.
Oh no.
“Welcome.”
I didn’t know who said that, but I felt a strange sense of familiarity. Out of the white mist, a form came forward.