Free Jeremy Chikalto and the Demon Trace (Book III of The Hazy Souls) by T.S. DeBrosse Page B

Company
     
     
    Jeremy's friends and family spent the rest
of the day celebrating the reunion. Jeremy kept a safe distance
from Maren, but was pleasant enough and laughed freely. They sat in
a garden for a time, and Wantoro regaled the party's adventures;
only a minor hail storm derailed their fun for a few moments, but
there'd been many hail storms in Jeremy's absence and people had
come to accept them.
    That night, after Jeremy's parents and Mateo
had retired, Jeremy invited his friends back to his room, which was
plenty spacious and accommodating for a crowd. The best feature was
the cozy balcony. Jeremy waved Ren aside. “Ren, come out here.”
Jeremy slid open the glass door to the balcony. The air was damp
and heavy. Jeremy took a deep breath and let the cold fill his
lungs. He turned to Ren and gestured to the bottles kept on a small
round table. “I'm glad this is here because I no longer plan to be
just a casual drinker.” He handed Ren a glass and poured him some
scotch. “To miraculous reunions.”
    The two clinked glasses.
    “So Maren discussed everything with you?”
asked Ren. “We're good then, right?” He smiled and took a small sip
of scotch.
    “No.” Jeremy stood up and Tina came out on
the balcony, bumping into Jeremy with her hips. “I want to drink
with you guys, too!” She began hopping up and down.
    “I'll take something,” said Frisky, poking
her head outside. “But can we close the door? It's getting
drafty.”
    With the door to the balcony once again
shut, Jeremy and Maren's room was a warm and inviting space. It was
a large room, but the way the furniture was arranged made it seem
intimate. Jeremy dimmed the lights beside the nightstand, pulled
back the curtains to the balcony, and allowed a soft moonlight to
filter in. Then he stood up on his bed and waved the bottle of
scotch.
    “I'm so happy to be back.
It's great we're all here together. And so
strange — I only
felt like I was gone for a second, but three weeks?” He whistled.
“Wow, so much can change. Including the people you think you know
best.” Jeremy tipped the bottle back and took a long swig. Tina
cheered.
    “Can you finally tell us where you've been?”
asked Maren. She smiled sweetly up at him.
    “Where have I been,” repeated Jeremy. “Sure,
I can pull the blankets back and reveal my little secret.” He
winked at her, then took another swig. “I went to Hell.”
    Everyone quieted.
    “Are you okay?” asked Tina, breaking the
silence.
    “I guess.” He laughed. “I
followed my demons. Came this close to eternal damnation,” he
pinched his thumb and pointer finger together. “Escaped with my
life — dignity in
tact, until, of course, I came back to a hell of a surprise.”
Jeremy wagged his tongue crudely at his friends.
    “Jeremy, you need to start drinking water.”
Maren reached up to him and grabbed his hand to lead him down. He
recoiled from her.
    “Oh, let him get wasted,
Maren!” Tina gave Maren a gentle nudge. “Promise we'll all forgive
him for his drunken shenanigans. He earned this!”
    “I did, I think,” said Jeremy. “Let's
dance!” Jeremy sang like David Bowie.
    Jeremy put on a Frank Sinatra record while
Tina went out to find more alcohol. He held his hand out to Maren,
and she accepted. Then he whipped her about for a minute, at last
flinging her onto the bed.
    “Like that?” he asked. Tina returned and
Jeremy grabbed a bottle of gin from her stash. He removed the lid
and took a swig, his eyes trained on Maren. “Bitch,” he whispered
between gulps.
    Maren sighed and got off the bed. She walked
over to Tina, who was dancing seductively for anybody who would
watch. Jeremy disappeared onto the balcony with his gin.
    Frisky and Ren sat in the back of the room
on bright yellow benches positioned around a small marble table,
taking in the music.
    “I miss my dog the most,” lamented Frisky.
“It's a crazy world out there now. He ran off when I first left my
place. Got