Free Almost Alive by Christina Barr Page B

let myself be tricked by it.  “He said I shouldn’t talk to you, and I don’t want to talk to you.”
                  I kept walking up the stairs, and the demon made way for me, but followed me toward my room.  I made sure to slam the door behind me to keep it out, and the door should have hit its face if the demon were real.  “I’m not your enemy.”
                  I should have taken Julian’s advice, but I was enraged and opened the door back up to confront it.  “You’re eating my soul and trying to steal my body!”
                  It threw its hands up defensively.  “Hey, I was chilling in hell, and then you brought me up here to the surface.  I don’t have a physical body, and I’m not the float around type, thanks to whatever you did when you pulled me back up with you.  I need a host.  I’m stuck in you, and it’s your fault.”
                  “My fault?” I shrieked.  “You think I want you in me?”
                  “No, but you’re the one who killed yourself.  We like to play with new souls when they arrive, and when yours was recalled to the land of the living, I was drawn to it like a beacon.”  It crossed its arms stubbornly.  “It’s simply not my fault, so it has to be yours.”
                  “Don’t try to act like you miss hell, and this isn’t exactly what you wanted.”
                  “I didn’t plan this if that’s what you’re thinking.  But I’d be an idiot not to take advantage of this situation.”  It walked over to my bed and sat down on it like the demon owned the place!  I hated the smile on its face—my face!  Why couldn’t it project a little demon with horns and a tail?  Why me?  It made me sick!
                  “Get out of me!”
                  “I understand that you’re mad.  I’m cramped in here too, but we can strike a bargain.”
                  “Strike a bargain?” I asked hysterically.
                  “I don’t have to take over your body or eat your soul.  You ditch Julian, let me live in here, and I’ll make all your wildest dreams come true.”  It smiled as if it expected me to be that stupid.
                  “Like I believe that!”
                  “You should.  I can absolutely deliver! You can have the hot guy, more friends than you could ever care about, and I can put your parents back together for real.”
                  I can’t say that I wasn’t tempted and, unfortunately, the demon knew that I was.  I did want to be with Michael, despite making me a fool in front of everyone.  Those feelings for him probably weren’t even real.  The demon probably produced them.  I didn’t care about having a lot of friends as long as a few were genuine, but it would have been nice for tons of people to have your back.  If a demon could control my emotions, I had to suspect that it could control others.  If not for the fact that it promised my parents happiness with each other, I maybe could have fallen for it.  “You’re lying.”
                  The demon looked a bit irritated but kept a fake smile on its face.  “Why would I lie to you?  Why would I bother offering you anything if I didn’t want to help?  I can take your body.  I don’t need your permission.”
                  I was a little intimidated, but it couldn’t be true.  Julian would have told me if the demon could just completely take control.  The demon had to be lying!  “No, you need me to mess up enough times.  I won’t screw up anymore.  I’ll beat you.”
                  “I was afraid you might think that.”  The demon sighed and stood up until it was right in front of me.  I tried to back away from it, but I honestly couldn’t move.  “I guess I have to demonstrate my