Daniel Taylor and the Dark Legacy (12 page)

When he turned around, Marla had disappeared, which made him happy. He could scarcely wait to fall into his bed and give in to his own private fantasies …

The next morning, the blood was still pounding in Vanessa’s ears.
We actually kissed, I can’t believe it! Too bad Coll is away until tonight — I have to tell her!
The previous night had confused Vanessa in so many ways: first the corpse, and then the kiss. She had barely slept at all, but she didn’t feel tired; she was far too exhilarated. She had to talk with Danny about how they could alert the police to the whereabouts of Joe’s body. At least that gave her an excuse to go over to his house.
I’ve imagined so often what it would be like to kiss him, and when it actually happened, I panicked
, she realized as she thought back to the intimate moment.

She pulled the front door shut behind her and walked across her yard. Her knees were shaking.

It was a lovely morning. There was a light fog in the air, but the sun would soon break through it. In truth, as deeply lost in her thoughts as she was, there was no way Vanessa was going to be observing the weather.

Why was she obsessing like this? Had it been so exciting with Mike as well? She couldn’t remember anymore. Was Danny really hers now — were they actually a couple?

Upon reaching his house, she bravely pressed the doorbell. Danny’s mother opened the door.

“Nessa, nice to see you.” With the thick paintbrush in her hand, Anne Taylor motioned for her to come in. She pushed a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Watch out, don’t trip. I’m making some renovations.”

Why is she grinning at me so strangely? Does she suspect something?
Nessa asked herself.
Can she tell just by looking at me?
Her blood went hot and cold at the same time. She had always imagined it would be exciting to kiss a boy she was really in love with, but Danny had surpassed her wildest dreams. She had almost not dared to come over to his house, she was such a mess. It was only nine-thirty — maybe he was still asleep. Maybe she should just leave …

Daniel was rudely awakened. “Mom, it’s Sunday,” he muttered, trying to grab back the blanket that had been pulled away from him.

“Mom?” He heard a crazed giggle.

Daniel tore his eyes open. “What …” Marla was standing in his room, and another young woman was bouncing on his bed, her red hair flowing over her shoulders in shimmering waves.

This second woman had evidently pulled the sheets off of him down to his boxer shorts. “Hello, lover!” She was wearing a strange green trouser dress, and when he tried to sit up, she drew a long fingernail across his naked chest, giving him goosebumps. “I’m Sirina, your fu …”

“Knock it off!” Marla pushed the red-haired woman’s hand aside.

Daniel reached for his blanket, tucked it tightly under his arms, and sat up in his bed. His heart was racing. “So, now there’s two of you pests. Why don’t you just leave me alone?”

“No!” the two women said simultaneously, giggling.

Daniel pulled his fingers through his mussed-up hair. “That’s what I was afraid of.” He felt an unpleasant pressure from his bladder, but he suspected that the women wouldn’t even leave him alone to take a piss.

“Big things await you, Silvan,” Marla told him, sitting down on his bed.

Daniel knew he would probably have to endure a long speech. “Could I go to the bathroom before you start in on your tirade?” He slid off of the bed, squeezing between the two women, but kept the blanket wrapped around him. To his surprise, they both let him leave, although Sirina shot him a look that left him feeling completely exposed.

Daniel locked himself in the bathroom, relieved himself, and splashed some water in his face. When he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, he shook his head. Just a few weeks ago, his life had been completely normal, and now he was talking to demons.
Demonesses
, he corrected himself — he had yet to meet a male of the species.
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the underworld is governed by women.
The thought made him smile, but he immediately thought of Nessa and felt a little ashamed of himself.
She’s so intelligent, she would certainly make a good president.

Nessa … He had kissed her yesterday.
No, actually, she kissed me. Had she kissed a lot of boys?
Mike the pharaoh suddenly popped into his head, as well as all the other things that had happened the previous night. They had found Joe! Daniel would have liked to go next door to see Vanessa right away. He had to find out how she was doing. She had looked so terrified when they discovered old Mr. Adams in the freezer.

But first he had to get rid of Marla and this Sirina.

Daniel brushed his teeth and combed his hair before returning to his bedroom.

Sirina was standing by his stereo, inserting a Beastie Boys CD. Daniel felt almost naked in his underwear, so he slipped quickly back into bed. He crossed his arms behind his head and said as coolly as possible, “So, girls, what is it that’s so important that you have to disrupt my beauty sleep so early on a Sunday morning?” Dear God, how could he stay so calm? Daniel was surprised at himself. He had probably gone completely crazy.

But when Marla set about trying to convince him that he was the future ruler of the underworld — it was his by birthright — he could no longer maintain his composure. “What?!”

The best was yet to come: Sirina, this red-haired witch, the one who was devouring him with her eyes, purred, “And I’ll be your wife.”

Daniel sat up straight. “You can’t be serious!” He took this to be a bad joke, although he vaguely remembered Marla trying to tell him about something like this. “Why have you only just now appeared? If I’m really a demon, why don’t I live in the underworld? Are my parents also demons? This is ridiculous — I don’t believe a word of it!” Daniel pushed the revelation that he could see particularly well in the dark into the furthest corner of his mind. He also tried to ignore his catlike reflexes and telepathic abilities — but there was more than just that, and it frightened him.

The earthquake in the classroom and Toby’s sudden coughing fit … No, those were just coincidences! He wasn’t a demon, and certainly no demon Overlord.
These women are nuts; Marla’s just trying to pair me off with this red-haired hag!

But deep within him, he knew that it was the truth. Daniel had always known he was different.

After taking a deep breath, he pointed a finger at Sirina. “I’m certainly never going to marry
her
!”

“We’ll see about that,” responded Sirina tartly, crossing her arms over her ample bosom and swaying to the rhythm of the music.

Marla was about to launch into an explanation when he was again hit by one of his terrible headaches. He flung his arms upward and pressed the palms of his hands against his temples.

Marla pulled his hands away while the other demon turned up the volume on the stereo. “They’re looking for you, Silvan. Let them into your head so that they can connect you to the network.”

“I’m not a machine!” He resolutely fought back. It felt like someone was trying to drill into his skull, and the harsh noises coming from his stereo increased his agony.

“I was speaking figuratively, so that you could understand what I mean. Normally, we’re all mentally connected to one another from birth — or rather, when our minds are ready for it, which can take a few years. However, in your case, this connection was cut after your demonic side was suppressed. Let them in, welcome them, and it won’t hurt anymore!”

“You have to open your mind so that the transformation can take place, lover.” Sirina pushed him backward until he was lying flat on his back. “All our consciousnesses are connected; it’s something like your Internet. We can summon others of our kind or send them messages. As soon as you open yourself to us, we can teach you everything you need to know about being a demon and how to use your powers.”

“But what if I don’t want to?” What powers was she talking about? That piqued his curiosity a little.

Sirina’s eyes sparkled, and there was a sly smile on her lips. “You
have
to; this is your destiny.”

No, this is a nightmare!
Daniel tried to shut out the invaders, even though the pain was unbearable. He was afraid of what the demons might do to him if he allowed them access to his mind.

Vanessa followed Daniel’s mother into the foyer, where cardboard boxes were everywhere. If she didn’t know better, Vanessa might think that the Taylors were moving out.

They went into the kitchen, where the floor was covered in painter’s tarps. The room was completely empty except for the appliances, and one wall had just been painted a friendly sunflower yellow.

“Don’t be shocked, I’m just turning my life upside down. I need this right now,” Anne explained as she took a glass out of the cupboard and offered Vanessa some lemonade. Anne didn’t need to say anything more; Nessa knew exactly what she meant. Anne needed a change of scenery after her husband had run off with a much younger woman. That was no secret in Little Peak. Peter and Anne Taylor had always been considered a perfect couple, so the divorce came as a real surprise to everyone.

Anne was in her mid-forties and not very tall — Daniel was at least a head taller than his mother — but she had a very good figure for her age. Her honey-gold hair was tied back, and she was wearing a white shirt that was speckled with paint. Anne’s blue eyes no longer sparkled quite as merrily as they once did. Nessa suspected that Daniel’s mother was still suffering from the shock of the divorce. She had lost several pounds this year, that much was clear.

“I’m worried about Danny,” Anne said suddenly.

Vanessa liked that about Mrs. Taylor — she came right to the point.

I’m worried, too
, thought Nessa. She asked, “Is it about school? Daniel said something about needing a tutor. I’d be happy to help.”

Anne’s face lit up immediately. “Would that be possible? That’d be great!” But then her expression darkened again. “I think the problem isn’t really school. It goes much deeper than that. He’s been behaving so oddly recently. He’s become so … dark.” She sighed. “It must be awful for Danny, his father not wanting anything to do with him. Peter took off with this new woman practically overnight. It’s been so hard on me, but what must it be doing to Danny?” Anne sniffled and went on bitterly, “Peter could at least contact his son now and then, but it seems like he’s lost all interest in him.” Anne wiped a tear away with the back of her hand. “Could you try to talk to Danny about it? He won’t let me near him. He holes up all day in his room or sneaks away to hide outside somewhere.”

Vanessa didn’t know how to respond. It was terrible for her to see Danny’s mother so sad. “Of course I’ll talk to him,” she said hastily.

Anne blew her nose noisily into a crumpled handkerchief. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t burden you with these adult problems, but I just don’t know what I should do anymore.”

“That’s okay.” Vanessa smiled gently. It was a little embarrassing to hear details about Anne’s private life. She changed the subject. “Is Daniel even awake?” Vanessa had stared intently through her window, but she hadn’t caught sight of him. Either he was lying in his bed, which she couldn’t see, or he wasn’t at home. It was more likely that he was still asleep. On Sundays, he usually emerged from bed around noon, since he stayed up so late playing his computer games. Perhaps after the party — after their kiss — he couldn’t fall asleep, either?