Chapter 7

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏

°. ⋆༺♱༻⋆. °

“Dad, I swear…” I followed him down the corridor.

“No, Lils, look,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I’m not saying that I don’t believe you. But you need to listen to me carefully.” He grabbed me by my shoulders and gave me a very strict look that was unlike him. “Jennifer… Well, it is understandable that after everything she went through she is not in a good mental state.”

“Where are you going with this?” my eyes narrowed suspiciously. I did not appreciate his tone.

My dad put his hands up in defeat. “Look, Lilith, all I’m saying is that her behaviour can be erratic.”

“And you know this how exactly? Oh, right, I forgot that the two of you are buddies,” I shot back sarcastically.

“I’m serious, Lils,” his expression turned grave again. “Ask anyone in Devil’s Kettle if you don’t believe me. They say that Jennifer was always moody and unstable. Her parents are rarely home, they work their assess off for that shitty home they live in, and she never really had anyone to raise her. Also…” my dad bit his lip hesitantly.

“Yes?” I asked firmly. I could tell he was hiding something big. I did not like it. It seemed that everyone kept me in the dark. First Jennifer and now my dad. Great.

“I didn’t want to tell you this, Lils, because I saw how close you and Jennifer are. You were so worried about her this morning… I could not burst your bubble.”

“Burst my bubble? How?”

“Well, Lilith… Rumor has it… And you know I hate rumors but everyone seemed to think this so I took it into serious consideration. Well…”

“For devil’s sake, dad, just spit it out already!” I cried out in exasperation.

“People believe that Jennifer was behind the murders and that she framed Anita.”

°. ⋆༺♱༻⋆. °

I did not go to school the next day. I barely spoke to my dad after his shocking revelation. I only allowed him to explain that various witnesses could have sworn that they saw Jennifer lure one of the victims into the woods and invite another to her home. Moreover, everyone seemed fully convinced that Anita could not have been behind the murders, due to her sweet nature.

Not like Jennifer, who apparently was always harsh and ruthless and erratic.

And there were these other rumors… My dad did not tell me himself but I could tell from the fear in his eyes that there was something else he was keeping from me.

So I decided to take advantage of my free day and look Jennifer up on the Internet. I did a lot of research and I came by an article that linked her name to the word ‘demon.’

I was not apprehensive, I was simply curious to see what the article could be about.

It talked about how Jennifer Check, upon being interviewed by the police after having been attacked by Needy —apparently she was the one who called the cops on Needy and had her arrested—, revealed her love for her best friend with what sounded like guilt. Very odd for someone who had nearly been killed by that same person.

The article went on to describe how Jennifer had appeared ‘murderously infuriated and almost bloodthirsty’ after the interviewer had referred to Needy as a ‘lunatic who needed to be locked up for the rest of her miserable life’. Her reaction had raised questions. Why was she so defensive of her attacker? Why did she look as if she wanted to pounce on the interviewer? And most importantly… Why did, for a split second, her eyes turn yellow and lethal and her face contort into a hideously devilish scowl?

Most said it was just a trick from the lighting. But some, like the author of the article, seemed to believe that a sinister force had taken over Jennifer’s body. That the girl was not at all innocent.

She was a demon.

°. ⋆༺♱༻⋆. °

My research went on for hours. I read every article on Jennifer I could find, as well as everything related to Anita Lesnicki, last year’s killing spree and Devil’s Kettle itself.

I did not find anything as crazy as the demon stuff I had previously read.

I wanted to convince myself that it was all a ridiculous lie, a way to spin the story into something horrifying so that the author could get attention.

But my mind was restless. I had seen it too, after all… Jennifer’s creepy eyes, the way she scowled sometimes, so uglily that for a moment she was nothing like the jaw-dropping girl who took my breath away.

Not to mention, that hunger of hers that had possessed her to crawl into my window. That was not normal behaviour. And I had omitted the scenario where her hunger meant sex. No, that was clearly something more.

I had not dared to admit it to myself but her hunger had looked nearly… animalistic. As though she wanted to devour me whole, and definitely not in a sensual way.

I decided to look it up. Her dark yellow eyes, her hideous scowl, the way she had left my home mysteriously —a fall that, mind you, was not at all harmless and would have definitely injured her. Add that to the list of suspicious things I had to look up— and, most importantly, her hunger.

This research took even longer than the previous one. Soon, it was dark outside. My dad came in to wish me good night, still rattled from the previous night’s events. He had not reacted very enthusiastically when I told him that I wanted to skip school that day, but he accepted it because he did not want to worsen my state any further.

A stupid part of me almost expected Jennifer to crawl into my window for the second time. I wanted to see her, to check up on her, to hear her sweet voice. Surely she had logical explanations.

Then again, she always evaded my questions. I did not need any more trouble. It would give me a migraine.

Finally, after a couple of very long hours, I found a site that seemed detailed and accurate enough.

A succubus is a demonic creature that feeds on the sexual energy of its victims. While typically attractive, if they do not feed their beauty will fade and they will appear rather ghoulish. Common elements often include yellow eyes, fangs and a snake-like hiss that they make when they feed. Succubi need to feed at least once a month to maintain their appearance, but most of them devour their victims for sport. They are creatures that enjoy the hunt and seduce their victims before feeding on them. The only way to defeat a succubus is by stabbing the monster directly into its heart. Remember this —while the monster might appear as your friend, in reality it is a demon trapped into the person’s body. Therefore, your friend has been possessed and is no longer themselves. Do not let your feelings take over. Succubi are ruthless demons and they won’t hesitate to kill you.

Read also: Are succubi connected to vampires? What do I do if my child wants to be a wizard? Love potions that will make your beloved fall in love immediately!

I shut my laptop. I felt nauseous. I ran to the bathroom and heaved into the toilet. I took deep breaths, trying to regain my composure.

You have no evidence, I told myself, it is not like you have seen Jennifer feed on someone. Relax. Are you seriously going to believe some fake-ass ghost story?

I wiped my mouth and got up, sighing. It is true that Jennifer loved to toy with boys. She had told me so herself. The way she had described them as something to be used and discarded was a bit alarming, I will admit, but not she-is-a-demon-who-eats-boys-and-tosses-their-bodies-into-Devil’s-Kettle-creepy-waterfall-that-swallows-everything-whole alarming.

However… Could it be?

Could Jennifer Check be a succubus?