Straight To Heaven. Michelle Scott

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СКАЧАТЬ you know. They only eat frogs and snails there.” But, by that time, Grace had already left the house.

      Ariel looked up at me, her eyes flat as the backside of a mirror. She was hardening herself so that she wouldn’t dissolve into tears. I didn’t need my demon to tell me this, either, since it was exactly how I felt myself.

       Chapter Three

      To boost our spirits, I told Ariel she could pick out whatever she wanted for dinner. Ordinarily, I did all the cooking, making everything from scratch using nothing but fresh, organic produce and whole grains. I was a wonderful cook, and could teach Martha Stewart a thing or two. That night, however, I was too disheartened to fire up the grill let alone bully Ariel into eating the salad niçoise that I had been planning to make.

      “I know what I want,” Ariel said, “but we have to go to the grocery store to get it.”

      “How about pizza?” I asked. I didn’t care much for it, but my succubus had an addiction to meat-lovers’ pizza with extra bacon.

      Ariel folded her arms over her chest. “I want to go to the grocery store. You promised.”

      I groaned inwardly. I hated being out in public with Ariel when she was in a bad mood. Even when she’s in a good mood, she draws uneasy looks. It’s the severely-cut, dyed-black hair, the ghoulish makeup, and the heavy silver necklaces. Not to mention the expression that says, “I’d kill you, but you’re not worth the trouble.” These things scare people. Tommy Lefevre, my stepsister’s ex-boyfriend, once said that my niece’s appearance was a reflection of how broken she was on the inside. While I valued Tommy’s opinion above that of anyone else, there were still times when I wanted to wear a T-shirt that read: I swear this is not my kid.

      “I think the Chinese place down the road delivers,” I said.

      “You promised. And a promise is a promise.” Ariel fetched my purse from the kitchen table and offered it to me. “Besides, it’s not like I’m asking to go to France or anything.”

      She was right. She deserved something, even if it was only a trip to the grocery store. “Okay,” I said, taking my purse, “but I get to pick out my own dinner. Deal?”

      She smiled slightly. “Deal.”

      When we got to the store, Ariel moved like a guided missile while I lagged behind with the shopping cart. I was disgusted, but not surprised, by what she chose: a blue box of mac ‘n’ cheese, Banquet frozen chicken, two liters of Mountain Dew, and a package of Oreos. On the other hand, my succubus’s mouth was watering. Especially over the Mountain Dew and Oreos. I wondered which of my predecessors had gotten her addicted to those wretched foods.

      People were staring at us just as I feared they would. The skull-and-crossbones Ari had drawn on her face didn’t help. Neither did the way she loudly cracked her knuckles whenever we got close to someone. I was about to tell her to knock it off when I realized that we were being followed.

      Lagging about a dozen steps behind us was a thin boy about Ari’s age with colorless hair, and skin so pale it nearly glowed. His unblinking eyes were startlingly blue, and his gaze was fixed on Ariel. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar; although, I was certain I’d never seen him before.

      “You have an admirer,” I said.

      “Where?!” Ari whirled around, ready to strike. When she saw the boy, she relaxed. “Oh, him.”

      “You know that kid?” I’d never seen Ari make a friend much less a boyfriend. “Does he go to your school?”

      She shrugged. “I don’t think so. I just see him around sometimes.” She picked a jar of sweet pickles from the shelf and put it into the cart. “I want these, too.”

      Her nonchalance stunned me. I’d expected her to wave her arms and shout to chase the boy away. I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe my niece wasn’t a sociopath after all. “So he’s a friend of yours?”

      “Don’t get carried away,” she muttered.

      I wanted to keep pestering her with questions, but as we rounded a corner, my cart collided with another shopper’s. Both of us opened our mouths to begin swearing, but then we recognized each other. It was Casey Scarsdale. The very same Casey that Vickie had been gossiping about a few hours before. The one with the new boy toy.

      I smiled through gritted teeth as we air kissed. Yes, I know how stupid that is, but it was Casey’s habit, not mine.

      “Lilith! And this must be your niece. Andrea, right? The one who started the fire?”

      Ariel glared at her and turned towards the magazines.

      “Such an angry child,” Casey stage-whispered. “She’s so lucky to have an aunt like you. Speaking of which…you’re back in the neighborhood? I had no idea your house was livable again!”

      Yeah, right. More than once, I’d spied Ms. I-Had-No-Idea-Your-House-Was-Livable at her window with a phone in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other. Casey is the kind of person who thinks ‘neighborhood watch’ is an Olympic sport.

      My smile tightened even more. “You didn’t see the builders working? Or the moving vans? Or notice Grace riding her bike down the sidewalk?”

      She laughed and tucked a peroxided lock of hair behind her ear. “You know I don’t have time to keep track of every little detail. But look at you. You’re amazing!” She took me in, top to bottom, missing nothing. “I bet Ted’s so jealous. The silly boy should have never divorced you.”

      I wanted to strangle her with her own diamond pendant. “I divorced him remember?”

      “That’s not what he says.” Then she lightly tapped my arm. “Just kidding, of course. How is the ex, by the way? Mooning over you, I hope.” She increased the wattage on her smile. “And what about you? Any new boyfriends?”

      I was about to answer when Ariel shrieked, “Hey! Watch out!” Then she toppled headlong into a large display of carefully-stacked cereal boxes, sending it crashing to the ground. The boxes skidded across the center aisle of the store, causing an instant shopping cart pile-up.

      The boy who’d been following Ariel ran past me, his wake kicking up an otherworldly tingle. It was another angel! No wonder he’d seemed familiar.

      The manager charged over, his hands fisted at his sides. He had hated Ariel ever since he’d caught her hiding packages of steak behind the canisters of coffee. I’d offered to pay for the damage, but it hadn’t cooled his temper.

      Ari picked herself up from a pile of crushed cereal boxes. “It was an accident. I was pushed.” She glared at the manager, but at the same time, I detected an undercurrent of fear. It was a look that I recognized. It meant that my niece had been doing something wrong and was worried she’d be caught.

      I scanned the accident site for clues, and sure enough, I spotted nearly a half-a-dozen things that didn’t belong in that aisle. A can of spray cheese, three candy bars, a bag of marshmallows, and a box of fruit snacks.

      I cursed myself for not watching my niece more carefully. That’s because Ariel was a really good thief. The girl could steal the underwear off СКАЧАТЬ