Free Shadow Demons by Sarra Cannon

was safe. It was sweet.
    He must have sensed me staring at him, because just then he turned toward me and lifted his head in a nod of hello. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as our eyes met across the crowded gymnasium. An invisible thread connected us.
    “Are you bringing him to the Halloween Ball?” Lark asked, bringing me back to our conversation.
    I thought about our conversation last night. He didn’t want to go, but after what happened in the woods, I knew he wouldn’t want to let me out of his sight. Especially not during an official party given by the Order.
    “That’s the plan,” I said.
    I had no idea how the higher-ups in the Order would react when they saw Jackson at their annual party. In fifty years, he’d never been. But they couldn’t really argue against it, right? Not if he showed up as my guest? I mean, weren’t they telling me I should step up and take on more of a leadership role? Well, as their future leader, if I wanted to bring a demon to a party, I was going to do it.
    Lark giggled and shook her head. “You’re definitely going to rattle some cages with that one.”
    I smiled. I’d always been more of a rebel at heart. I figured this town could use a little rattling. I couldn’t wait to see the expression on all those old ladies’ faces next weekend.

Who Knew Being A Cheerleader Could Be So Stressful?
     
    Finally, it was our turn to perform. For my team, I tried to clear my mind of worries and concentrate on the five minute routine we’d been working on for the past couple of weeks. The magic in the sneakers was awesome and gave us a huge advantage, but when it came to all of the throws and acrobatics in this routine, there was still a chance one of us could mess up big time.
    My heart was beating like crazy when we finally took our places on the gym floor. The bleachers were completely packed with people. The judges sat right up front at a long table, their pencils ready. One younger judge on the end caught my eye and gave me a big, encouraging smile. I smiled back, my hands trembling at my sides.
    The music started and my body took over. We’d practiced this so many times in the past week alone, I knew the moves backward and forward. Before I started cheering, I never realized just how athletic you had to be. There was so much more to it than cheering on the field on Friday nights. Our newest routine was extremely difficult. For us, timing was everything.
    We had a few individual tumbling passes, and if one person started even a second or two behind, it could cause a serious crash. When my tumbling part came, I kept my mind on the music and trusted my feet to know when to start moving. After that terrible practice when I fell and my shoes were tampered with, I’d had a hard time being super confident in my shoes. That was probably exactly what Brooke wanted me to feel. I tried to ignore the rush of fear that nagged at my brain. What if Brooke somehow tampered with my routine again? What if I started tumbling and crash into someone in front of all these people?
    I kept a count of the beats in my head and started out. Two round-offs, a back hand spring, and a back tuck. I flew across the floor, feeling the pounding of the bass vibrate against my hands when I touched the ground. When I made it to the other side safely, a huge smile broke out across my face.
    Confident, I ran to my next spot. Our final difficult element was a three tiered pyramid with me at the very top. When I dismounted, I was supposed to fly into the air and do a twist down into the arms of three of the girls at the bottom. This was the same spot where I’d fallen and gotten hurt in practice. My eyes flicked toward Brooke. She was smiling and getting into place, and I somehow felt relieved that she wasn’t watching me.
    In front of me, Allison laced her fingers together. I stepped into her hand and she lifted me up high into the air. For a second, I fought for my balance, then confidently climbed higher,