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I’d texted Jude early this morning with a demand to know the “rules.” This was how the conversation went.
Me: Explain the rules. Please.
Jude: High and lower demons cannot possess a human host (or Vessel) on holy days, including the three days before Easter and that Sunday, Jewish Passover, Yom Kippur, and the Sabbath.
Me: What happened to Christmas?
Jude: That’s not truly the day of Christ’s birth. December 25th was originally a pagan holiday celebrating the winter solstice.
Me: Oh.
Jude: Demons are forbidden from entering sacred ground, including churches, synagogues, graveyards, and other places that are blessed.
Me: What about holy water?
Jude: What about it?
Me: Does it burn them or something if you throw some on them?
Jude: There is no such thing as vampires.
Me: I know, but we’re talking about demons.
At this point, there was a long pause where I could hear the heavy sigh through cyberspace.
Jude: No. Holy water does not affect them. Nor do crucifixes or other sacred objects.
Me: Well, that sucks. Is that all?
Jude: Those are the basics. Other rules pertaining specifically to Flamma I’ll explain as we go along.
Me: Cool. Have a nice day! ?
Pause. Pause. Pause.
Jude: ?
I almost lost it! Jude sent me a smiley face. With my newfound knowledge, I looked forward to a day of normalcy. I wanted to relax like I did before all this began. Even more, I wanted to do something without my babysitter/guardian tagging along.
So, I took a quick shower, noting how quickly and smoothly the wound on my abdomen was healing. I twisted my hair into a messy bun, put on my favorite jeans and the sunny yellow Victorian-tailored blouse that made me feel pretty and sweet, then headed to Dad’s as I did every weekend. Without informing Jude.
Dad was grilling burgers on the deck. Erik stood next to him, sipping a Bud Light. Even in casual clothes, he appeared tailored. I swear, he probably ironed his jeans and T-shirts.
Erik had moved here from Ohio a long time ago as a researcher for the National Wetlands Research Center. My dad had sort of adopted him when he started working nights at the dojo, so he was always around.
“Hey, guys!”
“There she is. You hungry?”
“Starving.”
Dad gave me a one-armed bear hug with a spatula in the other hand.
“How’d that hot date go?” I asked Erik with a smile.
Dad placed the patties on a plate on the grill sideboard. “What hot date?”
Erik blushed all the way down his neck. I laughed.
