Inbetween

Chapter Seven

Willow had the various theories about what her parents would be told by Aspen about this visit. Even with nothing concrete to go on, she had a feeling she would be having a long phone conversation with her mother before too much time passed. She found herself wishing she could disappear off the grid for a few years until this mess blew over. She just wanted everyone to leave her alone and stop pressuring her to be with a guy just because of his proximity to her. That was not how a good relationship got started. It would not be healthy. It would almost be Stockholm syndrome or maybe some sort of perverse cabin fever. Whatever it was it would not be a relationship based on mutual interests and affection. It would be something based on just being physically close to that person for so long that they started to seem like a good alternative to being alone all the time.

She did not know why she was thinking like this. She was not lonely. She reminded herself that she was not lonely all the time. She was perfectly happy with her life the way it was and having a guy around for a little while was not going to change that. She did not need someone in her bed. She did not need someone to be there when she came home from work. She was perfectly fine on her own and that was the way it should be.

She was torn out of her reverie when she noticed Yuri watching her. She could not read the expression on his face. He looked amused and confused and overall far too conflicted for her liking. She had a feeling they were going to have a talk.

"What can you tell me about these demons you exorcise?"

"Not much," she admitted with a shrug.

"Tell me what you do know then."

"Well, I'm not even sure what I do know is true. I mean, until you fell into my life I was pretty well convinced that there was just this world and humans were the only creatures going around thinking and talking and, well, looking the way we do. Now you're here and I can just tell that you're not human, but you're something close to a human, but from another world and if I think about it too hard I give myself a headache, but you being here has made me rethink everything I thought I knew and I realize I don't know much of anything at all."

"Okay. Explain it to me from the perspective of someone who actually believes in this sort of thing and isn't going through some sort of existential crisis."

"Hey, I resemble that remark." She paused for a moment to sulk before taking a deep breath and continuing. "I wish I had a better explanation for you. I've never seen one of the demons that we exorcise. I'm supposed to be really good at it. People all say I'm the best this area has had in two generations, but I've never seen a demon. As far as I know these people are just upset because things keep going wrong in their lives and they want to blame it on something. Then they pay us to come in, throw around some salt and sage, say the magic words and then everything is just somehow supposed to be better for them. I don't get it. I don't think I ever will get it. It's just a bunch of superstitious people wanting to have something to blame their bad luck on."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I'm not sure about much of anything anymore."

"What if there really are demons. What are you doing to them when you do an exorcism?"

"I guess I'm sending them back to where they came from."

Yuri jumped up from his seat and hurried over to scoop Willow up in a hug that lifted her feet off the ground. Caught off guard, she just stayed frozen in place and let him do this.

"What was that for?"

"You should exorcise me."

"What? I can't do that!"