The Demon Side by Heaven Liegh Eldeen Page B

the right time. Now ask him!” I exclaimed with an exhausted sigh.
    “Okay. Dad, you did something really bad. You hurt innocent people. What exactly did you do?” Etta demanded an answer from her father.
    “You know what I’ve done, Etta. I was a grunt. What do you think I did over there? Sipped tea and played cards? War isn’t pretty and polite. It’s all really bad. I’m done having this conversation. Just go upstairs right now and take your meds because nothing you’re saying is making any sense. I’ll come talk to you after I get René situated.”
    Etta stormed off upstairs, giving her door one heck of slam. The yelling between René and John resumed. René convinced herself that every wrongdoing, every misfortune fell on Etta’s shoulders, and John tried to defend Etta without hurting his marriage. I felt for the guy, really. He seemed to be trying his hardest to keep his family together. The way they both treated Etta gave me the urge to pop up in front of John and René to show him we Demons did exist and give them one hell of scare, but I didn’t have the energy. It would have to wait for now. Etta needed me, and I needed a break.

Chapter Eleven
     
     
    I slowly pushed the bedroom door open to find Etta sitting on the floor playing her guitar with her headphones on. She closed her eyes as she lost herself in the music she created. She strummed the same notes over and over. Whatever song she was playing, it was one that she knew well. I sat on the bed and watched for an hour as she replayed the song over and over again until she finally felt the comfort she needed from it.
    “Oh crap! You scared me. I didn’t know you were there,” Etta exclaimed as I removed her headphones and pushed her guitar to the side. I needed to know if any feelings she had for me had changed since I got her sent to her room. My interference in her family meeting might have been enough to crack the crush she had on me and bring her to reality.
    “You seemed peaceful so I didn’t want to disturb you, but I couldn’t wait any longer.” I kissed her, searching for any differences from the kisses we’d shared in the attic. I prepared for her to shy away and tell me no, but the “no” never came. Etta put her hand on my cheek. I got the answer I was looking for, but I wasn’t completely sure it was the answer I truly wanted. Pulling away from her before it got too intense again, I asked, “You really didn’t know I was there?” I hoped the question would keep the topic off of our physical activities.
    “Yeah, I kind of zone out on the guitar when I’m really tense or stressed out.”
    “Everything will work out. Your father will see the truth, eventually.” I stroked her back with my twisted claws.
    “Yeah, I hope so. It just sucks for right now. I wish my mom was still around sometimes.” Etta had such sadness in her voice as she spoke.
    “I thought René was your mother.”
    “Hell no! My real mom died when I was ten,” Etta said as a tear ran down her cheek.
    “So how did your dad meet up with a winner like René?” I asked, wiping her tear away.
    “My mom was killed by a drunk driver on her way home from work one night. René was my mom’s best friend. She took care of me when my dad got deployed to Afghanistan for eighteen months. He would call to check in on me when he had the chance. He’d talk to René for hours about how I was doing, if we needed anything. I guess that’s when their relationship developed, because six months after he came home, they got married.”
    “So that blue dress belonged to your real mother?” I felt horrible now for having ripped it. Though I still believed it to be a hideous dress, I could understand why Etta would want to wear it, making it seem all the more beautiful.
    “Yeah, she wore it to her graduation dinner so I thought since she couldn’t be there at mine, I would bring a piece of her with me.” Etta sniffed the snot running down her nose as she tried to