Chiara Marino, Excerpt #3: Stay Safe



Excerpt #3: Stay Safe
As she approached the school doors, she saw a group of popular sophomore girls huddled and giggling on the steps. A demon occupied each girl’s shoulder.
Another sophomore girl walked by with poor posture, an ill-fitted uniform, and a bag decorated for an obscure science fiction show.
One of the demons swirled, planting a thought into its host’s ear.
“Why doesn’t she just kill herself?” the sophomore said loud enough for the other girl to hear.
The gaggle laughed boisterously and the demon hopped over and attached itself to the girl with the sci-fi backpack. Her shoulders drooped even lower.
Chiara glared at the monster. This was a fight she could take on. She caught up to the girl just inside the school doors.
“Morning,” Chiara greeted with a warm smile. “You don’t know me, but I was wondering where you got that bag. I love Cowboys in Space.”
The girl’s shoulders relaxed. “It’s one of my favorites,” she said with a shrug. “Too bad they cancelled it after just one season, right?”
“They always cancel the best shows,” Chiara agreed. “I’m Chiara, by the way. It’s always nice to have another nerdy friend.”
The girl smiled at Chiara with a gleam of hope in her eyes. Then the demon leapt from the girl’s back and darted through the crowd.
Chiara froze. Whenever she went too far, and if she were too successful, the demons would retaliate. Over the years, she had survived strange coincidental accidents, falling objects, and trips caused by the push of invisible hands.
Today – yet again – she had earned punishment.
“Have a good day,” Chiara smiled politely though her heart was racing.
She tore away, weaving through the crowd, and watching her periphery. If she saw the attack coming, she might be able to defend herself. As she searched for the demon, she bumped straight into a stranger’s chest with an, “Ooph!”
“Excuse me,” he said before Chiara could offer her own apology.
She had bumped into many shoulders on her way, but no one had paused to even acknowledge her apologies.
She looked up to find a boy she had never seen before. He had short brown hair, light skin, and freckles. But she was instantly fixated on his brown eyes. There, she saw a glimmer of blue light shining from behind his pupils. She had never seen anything like it before.
“No, excuse me,” she said, staring at the glow.
“Hey, as long as I have you, do you, uh, know where the office is?”
She smiled. “Yep,” she said as she nodded at the door next to them. “Right there.”
He laughed, revealing dimples in the centers of his cheeks. “Ah. So it is. Thanks.” He walked backwards as he added, “And, hey, stay safe.”
Chiara watched him walk through the office door and pondered what his glowing eyes could mean. She also wondered about his unusual choice of words.
“’Stay safe’?” she repeated.
CRASH!
She jumped. Nearby, a ceiling light had fallen and shattered into a million pieces. She caught a glimpse of the demon as it fled and realized that if she hadn’t stopped to talk to the boy, she would’ve been under the light.
She looked at him through the office door. He had turned while the receptionist called the janitor. The boy – whose eyes were now only an ordinary brown – caught Chiara’s gaze and waved.
She let her fingers answer the wave as she thought, Is he like me?


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