Page 41 of Demon Apathy: Sunderverse
At 7 AM, Demonology was our first class of the day, but I’d already been up since 3 AM, cramming. Who would’ve thought?
I rubbed my eyes, stood up, and stretched. “I’m going to go take a shower.”
“A shower?!” Jenna exclaimed as if I were talking about shaving my eyebrows.
“Yeah, a shower. You know when you use soap and water to make sure you don’t stink.”
“Meh, just skip and make sure you knowallthe stuff.”
“I skipped yesterday,” I mumbled, feeling embarrassed about my declining hygienic habits. No way I was skipping again. Besides, if I didn’t shower, I would probably fall asleep mid-presentation.
I took some clothes and my shower caddy out of the closet and headed out. A smile stretched my lips as I found myself feeling content despite my nerves over the presentation and my lack of sleep. I was finally living the college experience, and I even had friends. Jenna, Sage, Benjamin, and I had been studying together, slowly getting to know each other better.
I’d learned a few new things about all of them, including Sage, who seemed the least willing to share. It seemed he had a complicated relationship with his father and older brother. They were both demon hunters with great quelling records, and Sage seemed bent on proving he could be just as good as them. His parents had divorced when he was five because his mother felt second place to demon hunting. Sage hadn’t seen her since. I sensed he had mommy issues, but who was I to judge? We all had our demons… I even had a literal one I had to put up with.
Benjamin had his own family drama. His dad was a Wall Street lawyer, and his mother, a neurosurgeon, graduated from Yale. Since Benjamin was born, the plan had been for him to follow in their footsteps with a similar degree, so they made sure he went to the best schools and got the best tutors money could buy. I could only imagine their shock when their son announced he wanted to be a demon hunter. What I couldn’t imagine was shy, mild-spoken Benjamin gathering up the courage to break the news to them.
Jenna seemed to be the one with the tamest family life. Her parents were still married and deeply in love, according to Jenna. She had a little brother whom she adored and visited them almost every weekend. Whenever she talked about them, I really missed home, but most of all, I missed Dad.
Thirty minutes later, I was standing in front of a smart board, trying to remember all I could about demon types and levels, but I was drawing a huge blank and panicking.
“Well, we’re waiting,” Professor Wong said, arms crossed over his chest as he stood off to the side.
“I know this. I know this,” I murmured under my breath, the digital pen held tightly between my fingers.
“Do you, really?” Professor Wong asked skeptically.
Somebody snickered behind me. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know who it was.
Her name was Regina Becker, and she was a total bitch, also with a capital “B”. According to Jenna, Regina had a thing for Sage—which she’d been working on since I left—so, the moment I reappeared, I became enemy number one.
I wanted to tell her that my interest in the male population veered toward the macabre and that a normal guy like Sage wouldn’t do, not after the time I’d spent with Drevan. I needed someone forbidden, dangerous, and so hot it could literally be on fire without getting hurt. The problem was Regina didn’t seem too open to conversation—not to mention that Jenna said Regina was a Drude, a creature capable of giving someone the most horrible nightmares by lying her hand over their eyes while they slept. I didn’t need to mess with her, not when I kept falling asleep all over the place.
“This is quite disappointing, though not surprising,” Professor Wong said, startling me back into the moment. “Sit, Ms. Sunder.”
My shoulders slumped. But then, out of the blue, the details about Megaera demons poured into my brain as if someone had opened the Demonology floodgates. So instead of walking back to my desk, I continued with my presentation.
“Next are Megaera demons. Their specialty is making women irrationally jealous. Queen Isabella of France was possessed by such a demon. Admittedly, she didn’t have the best marriage with King Edward II of England. He cheated on her repeatedly. She left him and returned to France, where she raised an army. She headed back to England wearing widow’s black. The rebellion was a success and Edward was forced to abdicate and was soon after killed. After that Isabella and her lover ruled as regents to her son, Edward III.”
Several of my classmates laughed, finding the story amusing. My confidence growing, I went on. As I offered more details about Megaera demons, I used additional knowledge I’d gotten from the last edition ofDemons Decoded. This tome hadn’t been part of the assigned reading, so all the additional info meant bonus points for me. After I finished with that, I talked about Megaera and Minos demons, sounding like a regular old nerd. All the information was truly fascinating, and to my surprise, I was enjoying sharing it with everyone.
When I was done, Professor Wong nodded in approval, looking reluctantly impressed. Regina gave me a look so dirty I almost needed a bath, while Jenna gave me a thumbs up and a huge grin.
After demonology, we went to ourHistory of Demon Huntingclass, where the teacher lectured on the influence demons had on Genghis Khan and the rise of the Mongol Empire.
By the time lunch rolled around, I was starving. I’d taken too long in the shower and never had time to eat breakfast, so as I walked through the line, I filled my tray to the brim. I had a Philly steak sandwich, fries, a salad drenched in a creamy vinaigrette dressing, a bowl of chicken noodle soup, a slice of apple pie, and a tall energy drink to help me stay awake.
“Wow!” Benjamin exclaimed. “You must have a monster appetite. Where’s Jenna?” he asked as he joined me at our regular table and craned his neck, looking for her. He was wearing dark slack, a button-up white shirt, and a sweater over it—an outfit I’d come to identify as his uniform.
“She just went to the bathroom. She’s coming.”
“And Sage.”
I took a bite of my sandwich and mumbled, “Dunno.”
Benjamin looked relieved.
The scoop about the two of them was that even though Jenna had noticed his attention, he hadn’t worked up the courage to ask her out. He was very timid and, apparently, had never had a girlfriend. But with all the studying his parents had forced him to do, it wasn’t surprising he never had time to date.
