Free A Demon Made Me Do It by Penelope King Page B

truth. “You mean to tell me that every single
month for the past thirty-seven years you celebrate the day you met
and got married, and you bring her her favorite
flowers?”
    “ It is also the day our son
was born,” he reminds me. “I missed one month because I was in the
hospital. But then it was she who brought the flowers to
me.”
    My curiosity piqued, I lean
forward. This man’s story intrigues me. I knew that some Sapies
stayed together for long periods of time, but I didn’t think they
actually liked it.
    “ Tell me, do you love your
wife as much as you did when you were first married?”
    The man stares straight ahead in a
zombie-like trance. “No,” he replies.
    I slump back in my
seat. Yup. That’s what I
thought .
    “ I love her much, much
more,” he finishes.
    A strange, achy emptiness spreads over
my chest. “Have you ever loved another?” I ask.
    “ That would be
impossible.”
    “ Have you ever wanted to be
with another woman?”
    “ Not for one
second.”
    A sense of bewilderment fills me.
Surely this wasn’t possible… “Have you ever cheated on her?” I ask,
somewhat desperately.
    “ I would rather cut off my
own hand than touch another woman with it the way I touch my
wife.”
    I slink down lower in my seat. “Would
you die for her?” I whisper.
    “ Happily. A million times
over.”
    Suddenly, I feel very sad.
And very alone.
    “ Pull over,” I demand even
though we’re still several miles away from the club. The man
immediately obeys and screeches the car to a halt. As I get out, I
give them one final order. “You never saw me, I was never here. You
took a wrong turn, but now you are on your way home.”
    The couple drives off, and
I walk the rest of the way to the club. What is wrong with me? Why
am I having such an emotional reaction to that man’s story? This is
the kind of stuff she loves …she’s always reading sappy
romance novels. I just saw one in real life.
    So why do I feel so sad? Why can I
feel Liora’s heart breaking inside of me?
    I don’t like the answer that fills my
mind, but I cannot deny what I know to be true.
    I shake my head, trying to force the
thought away, but it creeps back into my gut.
    I’m sad because this will never, ever,
happen for me.
    Or for her.
    We are destined to live without ever
experiencing that kind of love.
    This is our ultimate curse.
     
     

Chapter 5.
Liora
    Normally I dread the mile
and a half trek through the woods to Dove Creek High. Not the walk
itself— that part I
enjoy—but the fact that I have a long day of misery ahead of
me.
    But not today.
    Today, I feel more alive
than any day in recent memory—as if all the mixed-up pieces inside
me had miraculously rearranged and lined up in proper order. For
the first time, I’m actually looking forward to school. Just knowing he’ll
be there, nearby, makes me feel I can endure almost
anything.
    I know I’m setting myself up for a
dangerous disappointment. I know nothing can ever happen between
Kieron and me, just as I know he’s only talking to me so I can help
him with his studies. Guys like him go for sexy girls like
Drusilla, or gentle southern sweethearts like Samantha Morgan. He’s
new, so he hasn’t figured out how the social system works yet. But
he will soon enough, and then he’ll want nothing to do with me. I’m
sure of it.
    The closer I get to campus, the faster
my heart pounds. Once there, I scan the parking lot for his truck
but don’t see it. I linger by the front entrance and casually look
through my backpack. Maybe when he arrives, he’ll see me here and
come talk to me again. Maybe he’ll want to walk to English class
together. One can hope.
    Two minutes later I zip up my bag,
disgusted with myself. Why am I going all stalker on some new guy?
Pathetic much? I head down the crowded breezeway and spot Corinne
waiting by my locker.
    “ What’s wrong? You look
awful,” I say when I reach her.
    “ I didn’t get much sleep
last night. Mom’s got