The Demon Inheritance

TWO

"Yes ma'am." I tilted my head up towards the ceiling, inhaling the mouthwatering scent of bacon. Soon, food, I shall devour you! "You've contacted his parents to make sure they aren't allergic to eggs or any ingredients you use, right?" Although I was dreading this confrontation with Oliver and his family, I kind of had everyone's best interests in mind. More for my mom than anyone else. Couldn't let her get sued.

She nodded. A bubble of grease popped near her hand, and she went over to run cold water on it. Then, she checked on the biscuits. "Your father is helping them move in. You should go help, too."

Panic liquified itself to run through my blood. A slow, dragging ache pierced my heart and made me slump in my chair. Of course, I didn't mind helping out, but Oliver was too odd, too eerie. Especially after the frighteningly real dream I had just left. I wouldn't mind eating with him for a meal, as was planned, but I didn't want to spend more time with him than necessary. "Mom, I'm glad to help out, but Oliver is weird, and I'm obviously going to have to spend time with him if I have to help him move into his house!"

Mother shot me a glare. She knew I was more judgemental than her. The fact was, I wasn't trying to judge Oliver, but I could sum him up in one word: creepy. I often caught the new kid staring in my direction, he stuck to my side like a tick, and he seemed to know more about me than he let on. Not to mention, after he appeared in the odd dream of the library, I hadn't dreamed any more since then. It was not his fault, but it still added to his eeriness. "Now, Emma, you're friends with a lot of people different from you." That was a lie. The hell, what friends are you talking about, Mom? "However, just because they are different does not mean they are bad or weird, it just means you're being narrow-minded. Girl, I raised you better than this."

"That's not what I-" I was cut off by Mom crinkling her brow in disappointment. I sighed and said, "I'm going to get dressed first." My mother was a perfect kind of woman; lovable, open-minded, friendly, outgoing, and my favorite person besides Dad and Mary. There was no use in disappointing her. Still, even if I continued attesting to hanging out with Oliver, she would still make me do it.

Mom grinned. "Good girl. It's hot this morning; you should wear some shorts." With that, she turned back to the stove and turned the notch down, stained apron hanging off of her lanky body.

I nodded numbly and went back to my room. I tossed my sheets back onto the bed, grabbed my phone, and dialed Mary. Setting the phone on speaker, I walked over to my closet to scan it for a shirt.

"Geez, Sis, it's nine in the morning!" Mary complained immediately. "I know that's a little late, but school is really stressful and they make us wake up while it's still freaking black outside!" She sighed, and the line crackled. "Sorry, Em. I'm just stressed... Good morning."

I unconsciously pulled out a purple spaghetti-strap shirt before going over to my pants drawer. "Good morning, Sis. What are you doing today? Got any plans?"

"No. I mean, my Mom has a job interview..."

"Awesome. Tell her I congratulate her, if she gets the job." I pulled out a pair of black shorts that went down to my knees. "I have to help Oliver move in next door."

"Oh, he's your neighbor? That's cool."

"He's creepy," I furthered the bit of information. "He's probably got a pair of binoculars he'll use so he can watch me and stuff..."

Mary gave a static-filled laugh. "Emma, you're a pretty girl. Geez, okay, so he checks you out. So what? I know romantic attention irritates you, but you can't ignore that you're pretty. Maybe you're his type. He doesn't know how grouchy you can be towards people who check you out, but when he does, I'm sure he'll stop."