Shadowman Chapter XI

Iblis appeared in an instant. She saw a black streak whiz toward her from one of the stalls at an incredible speed. The next moment the Shadowman was floating in front of Jade, only inches from her tear-stained face.
“I’m here, Jade. Hey, this isn’t your bedroom. Where are we?”
“The girls’ bathroom at my school.”
“Girls’ bathroom? Oh, what a lovely place to summon me. What shall it be next time? The local garbage dump? Or how about the sewer?”
Jade ignored the Shadowman’s sarcasm. “Nevermind where we are, Iblis. I need you.”
“Apologies, m’lady. What can I do for you?”
“I need you to make Adam love me.”
“Jade, we talked about this.”
“Do something, Iblis,” interjected Maya. “This girl’s falling apart. It’s really pathetic.”
The shadowman turned around to face the little ghost girl. His red eyes stared directly into the spectral remnants of what once were the living Maya’s eyes. “Maya, I’m going to say this nicely. Go away.”
“Fuck you, Iblis! This is my bathroom. I can stay if I want!”
“And I’m in with the man upstairs. Get lost!”
Maya stuck out what used to be her tongue and gave the Shadowman a raspberry. She then turned and floated away, a hurt look on her astral memory of a face.
“I warned you not to hang yourself!” he shouted after her. He turned back to face Jade. “God, I hate that little dead girl.” Iblis winced as he said this. He looked almost in pain. “Sorry Lord,” he said, looking at the ceiling,” I didn’t mean it. I don’t hate anyone. I just really dislike her.”
“You know her?” asked Jade, more than a little confused about the whole interchange between Maya and Iblis.
“You’ll find that I know a lot of people, both dead and alive.”
“Whatever. Can you help me?”
“Yes! I can help you best by saying ‘no.’”
A look of hurt shone in Jade’s eyes. They started to water up again. “Please.” She said it quietly and simply, but Iblis knew she was begging him.
The Shadowman sighed. “Will this make you happy?”
“Yes. Yes, it will. You have no idea, Iblis, how happy this would make me. I swear I’ll never ask you for anything else ever again, just please, please do me this one last favor. Please.” She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.
“I’ve heard that before. And puppy dog eyes don’t work on me.”
Jade lowered her head and started to cry again.
“Nor do tears.”
Jade was undeterred. She did not look back up. This was no act.
“If this will make you happy…I’ll do it.”
Jade looked up suddenly. “You will?!” Iblis nodded. “Oh, Iblis I could kiss you!”
“Can’t. Your lips would go right through me.”
“Well, know that I want to.” She smiled and wiped away her tears. “I love you, Iblis. You’re my best friend.”
“To see you happy is all I ever wanted.” He lowered his head in defeat. Then he looked up, his glowing eyes starting directly into Jade’s. “Tomorrow morning he will have eyes only for you.”

“But why do I have to wait?” Jade had asked.
“You Americans are all alike. You want it now. You wanted it yesterday. Patience, child.”
Jade sat on the bus, reliving the conversation in her head.
“Some of my magic works instantly,” he had explained. “And some of it takes time. Anyway, it’s only tomorrow morning. It’s not like I’m asking you to wait a week. Not even a day. Hours. Hours is all I ask. FedEx can’t even match that.”
As she sat and stared out the window, Jade had to admit Iblis was right. She was being an entitled little brat to expect instantaneous results. She should be grateful to Iblis for agreeing to help at all, and so quickly. Less than 24 hours was really not all that long. Besides, she thought, ‘I’ve waited this long for Adam. Surely I can wait just a little longer.’
The bus arrived at Jade’s stop, waking her from her daydream. When she got home she found the front door already unlocked. Confused, she poked her head in and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place. She crossed the threshold with caution and closed the door quietly.
“Hello?” she yelled out to the air.
“I’m in the kitchen, Jade.” Her mother was home.
“Shit,” she muttered under her breath.
She walked into the kitchen and beheld a shocking sight. Her mother was leaning over the sink pouring out the entire contents of a bottle of vodka.
She turned ‘round to regard her daughter. “You wanna help me with this?”
Jade noticed the liquor cabinet. It was standing wide open. It looked almost bare. On the counter were several already empty bottles. Jade’s mother added a new one to the collection. Jade just stood staring open-mouthed at something she never thought she’d live to see.
“So, you wanna grab a bottle?”
Jade hesitated.
“You need these things gone as much as I do.”
Jade nodded.
“Go grab two more. We’ll pour together.”
Once she got into it, Jade found emptying whole bottles of alcohol down the drain rather fun. She poured them slowly, imagining they were little waterfalls. She then started varying the speed at which she let the vodka come out, studying how it changed the appearance of the alcohol stream. She watched it go from a thin, tiny little spindle of liquid to a raging Niagara Falls in miniature then back again. At one point, she started to show her age with some rather immature behavior.
“Ahhh!” she said as she poured out another bottle. “I really had to go, mom.”
Jade’s mother let out a laugh. “Alright, quit pissing around. Let’s finish this.”
But Jade was having fun now. She grabbed another bottle and emptied it about halfway. She then stuck then bottle under her arm and held it in place, only the neck sticking out. She leaned forward over the sink and let the liquid slowly pour out.
“Look, mom! Vodka comes out of my nipples. Boys’ll love me.”
“Will you give me that!” she grabbed the bottle out from under Jade’s arm. “Grow up.”
“I was just joking.”
Jade’s mother ignored her daughter’s defense. She looked over the liquor cabinet. “One left.”
Jade eyed the bottle, then looked up at her mother. “We should do it together.”
Mother and daughter each had a hand on the final bottle, as though they needed the other’s assistance to complete the task. The liquid poured out quickly. Suddenly, Jade’s mother pulled the bottle upright again. “Wait,” she said.
“What?”
She opened a cabinet and took out two tiny shot glasses. There was just enough vodka left to fill them both up. She gave one to Jade, who looked up with astonishment.
“You’re serving me a drink.”
“Our last one ever. After this, we don’t drink anymore. Agreed?”
Jade nodded. “Yes.”
“Bottoms up.”

Jade and her mother had a wonderful evening together. After dinner they went out for ice cream, just like when she was little. She even got her mother to watch Spongebob, who was surprised to find herself enjoying it. Later, they rented a movie and made some popcorn. It was perfect but for one thing. Jade found herself wishing her father were there, too. It would have added to the good night with her mom. It would have made her feel like she was part of a family again.
As Jade climbed into bed, she realized she had forgotten all about Adam. As she thought of him, she became excited and had trouble falling to sleep. She felt like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning. Finally, the busy day caught up with her and Jade fell into a blissful sleep.

“Are you nervous, Jade?” asked Amber as she, Jade, and Crystal waited for their school day to begin.
“No, Why?”
“You’re twirling your hair.”
“Oh.” She let go of the lock of hair she had started on. “Sorry. You were saying?”
The two continued their conversation. Jade spoke of her great day with her mother while Amber and Crystal listened intently. Then it happened.
Crystal was the first to notice him. Hi, Adam.”
Jade turned her head so quick at the mention of his name she almost gave herself whiplash.
“Hi, Jade. Can I talk to you a moment?”
In that moment, Jade found her mouth would not work so she simply nodded. Amber rolled her eyes while Crystal just flashed Jade her usual happy-go-lucky grin. Adam boldly took Jade by her hand and led her away from her peers. Jade felt her knees go so weak she feared she might just lose her balance and fall over. Remaining on her feet, Adam escorted her to an area out of earshot of her friends.
“Sorry to drag you away from your friends. I wanted to ask you something in private.”
Again, Jade just nodded. She still could not bring herself to speak. She could feel her heart beating in her throat and her mouth had gone dry.
“I want to apologize for how I responded the other day, and take you up on your offer for a coffee date. I would love to go out with you.”
The words were like music to Jade’s ears. She had imagined this moment since she first saw him. There was a gleam in his eyes that she hadn’t noticed before. His smile seemed to extend into his soul and though her visions of auras had faded she could tell he was positively glowing. Iblis had surely kept his word. Finally, Jade found her voice.
“Okay. Me, too. I mean, I would…love to go out with you. Also.” She flashed an awkward smile to cover up her anxiety. He returned it with one of his own. He looked like the Viagra man with the toothy, plastic-looking grin that was supposed to represent the joy of an eternal erection. The boy looked like Jade had just agreed to an all-night sex romp with her and two other girls instead of just a first date.
The gate went up and the crowd of still-sleepy teenagers walked zombie-like down the hallway. Adam stuck to Jade like a lost puppy nipping at her heels until the very last moment when finally he had to part ways to get to his own home room. As he shuffled slowly away he looked back with longing, like Lot’s wife at Sodom, but did not turn into a pillar of salt. God had long since stopped doing such things, and the boy went to class unharmed.

Jade was normally shy. She excelled at being “the quiet one.” Around her friends she was never expected keep up a conversation. Amber, Ruby, and Crystal just assumed they would do most of the talking and Jade would listen. That strategy was not working right now. She and Adam sat at a table at Starbucks in the mall. The two sipped lattes while they talked, while Jade talked. She was finding that getting Adam to say more than a sentence or two at a time was a bit like trying to get a politician to give a straight answer to a question.
“So, what do you like to do?” asked Jade.
“Whatever you like to do.”
Jade smiled insincerely. “Okay, um, do you like music?”
“Yes.”
“Great!” Now she was getting somewhere. “What’s your favorite kind?”
“Whatever your favorite kind is.” He said this with a goofy grin and a spaced-out look in his eyes. It was almost as if Iblis had hypnotized the boy. He looked like he was under a spell, or the influence of a love potion or a witch doctor. Jade felt like she was in some cheesy fantasy/romantic-comedy.
Jade sighed. This was going to be difficult, and it was. Finally, Jade got him to actually start talking when she asked about his family. Here, the real Adam seemed to come out for a while. He went on and on about his “crazy family” whom he really seemed to love a lot. She asked about his religion, and he opened up with stories of synagogue, Yom Kippur and Rosh Shoshanna. He spent a good twenty minutes recalling his bar mitzvah. Jade smiled and asked lots of questions. Finally, she was having a conversation with Adam. It was a dream come true.
After coffee, the two walked around the mall together. At first, they kept to their personal space, but it wasn’t long before Adam reached for her hand. She let him take it without hesitation. A pleasant tingling sensation shot throughout her body. It was as if his touch was electric. Jade’s heart picked up its pace. The combination of caffeine and Phenyethylamine made her feel happy and energetic. She soon forgot about how disturbed she felt when she thought that Adam was under a magic spell. Jade herself was now under a spell, but it had nothing to do with Iblis.

The next day saw a complete reversal of the previous status quo. Adam was now sneaking quick glances at Jade in class instead of the other way around. Jade smiled and looked back at Adam. Embarrassed, she blushed and turned the other way. Amber rolled her eyes.

The day after that, Jade rewarded her friend yet again with another stomach-churning display of public affection. Under the willow tree of which Jade used to spend time alone, she made out with Adam until a teacher noticed and made them separate.
Similar events happened all week. The two seemed joined at the hip. It was like a soap opera. Making out in the halls. Holding hands. Secret texting to each other in class. Adam had even joined Jade’s peer group. He now sat with her and Amber and Crystal at lunch, and talked with them every morning while waiting to go to home room. Jade was now closer to Adam than she was to either Amber or Crystal. And Ruby? Ruby seemed a distant memory. The sudden transformation was so complete that it was obvious to everyone.

“So, what do you wanna do?” asked Adam. The two were sitting next to each other on Jade’s bed.
Jade looked over at her new boyfriend. “My mom won’t be home for hours.”
“That’s good to know.” Adam seemed to be examining the floor boards.
“Are you admiring the hard-wood floor?”
Adam looked up and turned to stare into Jade’s blue eyes. Jade stared into his brown eyes. She licked her lips suggestively.
“So…you wanna…um…”
“Are you gonna kiss me or what?”
Adam was taken aback by Jade’s boldness but got the hint. He immediately leaned in for the kiss. The two locked lips. Jade grabbed Adam by his shirt and pulled him closer. His hands reached out and found Jade’s hips. A few seconds later, Adam broke the kiss and asked, “Are we moving too fast?” Jade answered by pushing him hard down onto the bad. She straddled his waist then bent over to continue kissing him as aggressively as she could. Soon she had helped Adam out of his shirt. He was about to do the same to Jade, when she suddenly stopped and sat up.
“Wait a second.” She dismounted and walked over to the door. Adam looked up in confusion. Jade poked her head out the door and looked left, then right. Finally, she said out loud to the air, “If anyone is here that shouldn’t be, I would implore you to leave. You know who you are.”
“What the hell is that all about?” asked Adam.
“Sorry. I have weird superstitions. Where were we?”
Jade shut the door behind her.

Nice chapter! Your humor in this is really perfect, and dialogue runs smoothly. I only noticed a few errors like misplaced quotations marks, and the spelling of bed "bad". I really liked the end twist where Jade demands any ghosts or paranormal beings to leave. That was great.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

-Ace