Page 135 of Inbetweeners
“Where’s Greyson?” Nix asked.
“We don’t know.”
“Why didn’t you just walk through the door?”
“We tried. We couldn’t,” Harry said.
“Try now.”
Harry tried to move through the open door and failed. Nix sighed. He kicked at the line of salt to break it. “Try now.”
Harry stepped onto the landing. Rashid followed him.
“Emmett is downstairs in the shop with Sophie. Go down. I’m just going to see what’s in this final room.”
After he’d opened the door, he wished he hadn’t. The walls and ceiling were painted black. He fumbled for a light switch and three sconces cast a faint illumination over the floor. The window had been blocked out with board, also painted black. In the middle of the floor was a pentagram outlined in gold. Nix wished he had a way of destroying it, but he wasn’t sure how.
Cat slid into the room, hissed loudly, then walked around the pentagram but never stepped into it.
“So you don’t like it either.”
Cat ran back to him and jumped up at his pocket. When he dropped back to the floor, he jumped up again.
“Holy water? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Nix took it out and squirted some of it at the diagram. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to happen, but he jumped back when it began to smoke. No flame just smoke. Cat moved out of the room and he followed, closing the door. Maybe he’d not done much harm, but the holy water had done something.
Harry and Rashid were with Emmett and Sophie. Cat jumped into Harry’s arms and was fussed over by both him and Rashid.
“Okay?” Emmett asked.
“All clear. I did find a five-sided figure on the floor.” He held up the bottle of water in front of Sophie and shook it. “It reacted in a very interesting way with holy water.”
“What did you do?” she gasped.
“Do you have my phone?” Emmett asked Harry.
“It’s in my pocket.” Harry handed it over.
“That reminds me…” Nix picked up Sophie’s phone from the counter, pressed a button, and held it in front of her face. “Smile!”
“Get lost.”
“How I love Face ID.”
She pressed her lips together. Nix scrolled through her messages. Most were from Greyson.
“Where is he?” Nix asked.
She smiled. “Nowhere you can find him.”
“Who’s behind all this? What’s behind it? Does it have anything to do with your sister?” Emmett asked.
“You’re making a mistake, interfering,” Sophie said.
“You were right,” Harry said. “They do want us as hosts for demons. They were supposed to have thirteen inbetweeners, but they only have us.”
Nix leaned over her. “What was your reward? Alice coming back?”
