Page 130 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“And can people like that discover… powers within themselves?”

“Well, no. I mean, they wouldn’t be their powers. But demons have their own abilities and can use them.”

“Oh,” Will whispered weakly.

“You don’t think you’re possessed, do you? Because, first of all, I’ve never in my life met a demon that shoots electricity. And second, no demon, not even a hiding one, is so clever that it wouldn’t betray itself sooner or later. I barely knew Christine, and even I figured it out. I spend way more time with you, so believe me, I would have definitely noticed.”

Will didn’t want to openly question her, but not long ago, she’d been claiming that the demon that had almost killed him was practically harmless and nothing to worry about. So Will wasn’t about to treat her as an authority.

“Of course not,” he said, forcing a light tone. “I have to go. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Will.”

The conclusion he reached was terrifying.

June 10 | Tuesday

Will found it hard to get any sleep, and even harder to focus on his exams, but he’d been functioning like that for several days, not daring to tell anyone about his conclusion. Because his conclusion was a terrible one. If he really was possessed, and he no longer had a shadow of a doubt, his place in this group would be in question. In fact, there would be no question—they would simply isolate him. They’d perform an exorcism or make a deal with the demon, and then they’d probably wipe his memory. Even if Will managed to convince them not to, things would never be the same.

Will remembered the many times he’d wished he didn’t have any powers and could just lead a normal life, but now that the prospect seemed to be right within his grasp, he felt a sense of panic. Because he’d finally realized that Liam, Norma, and even Abigail and Blake were, at this point, the only people in all of Black Hollow who cared about him in some way. People he could talk to honestly, just be with, and feel like a piece of the puzzle that actually fits.

Now he felt like an impostor.

It wasn’t until the end of the exam period that he decided to bring up the subject in the most subtle way he could.

“I haven’t seen Christine around,” he said to Norma as they walked down the school hallway. He’d been looking for the once-possessed girl lately. He wanted to see how she was doing; he’d even considered asking her a few questions, though that probably wasn’t a good idea. He wanted to know how a person felt after going through something like that. “Is she okay?”

“Uhh… Yeah.” Norma’s hesitant reply surprised Will. “She’s not back at school yet.”

“Why not?”

“You need some time to get back on your feet after something like that.”

“I know. It’s been a few months.”

“Well, yeah, but… It’s more complicated.”

“In what way?”

“Everything’s fine, Will. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“And don’t you brush me off, okay?” Will snapped. The whole situation was making him more and more uneasy. “I think I have a right to know.”

Norma was silent for a long moment, as if considering something, before finally replying:

“She’s not coming back to this school.”

“Because?”

A long silence fell.

“I told you it was complicated,” Norma finally muttered, clearly trying to dodge the question.

“And I told you not to brush me off. Just tell me.”

Norma sighed heavily. The last traces of her smile vanished from her face.

“Christine’s parents are dead,” she admitted slowly. “The demon killed them.” Will felt an unpleasant chill. He hadn’t expected to hear something like that. “Because of that, we had to hand the case over to the Agency. First, because yes, Christine probably won’t remember much, but certain events have a tendency to leave permanent marks on the mind. Especially ones that traumatic. And second, either way, it’s a huge problem. She wakes up, and then what? She suddenly discovers her parents have disappeared and she has a hole in her memory? What does she do? Go to the police? What if they start an investigation and find evidence that points to her guilt? Or what if they stumble upon something more… troublesome? Something that could lead them to us? In any case, it’s not a simple situation.”