Bitter Demons Read Online Free PDF Page A

they already changed me enough? Where would I start to draw the line?
    And when would it be too late to turn back?

Just Do It
     
    “Today, we’re going to be changing into our gym clothes and sneakers,” Mrs. King announced as soon as we walked into after-school cheerleading practice.
    Everyone groaned. Usually, we spent our time working on our magic. It was just as easy to create an orb of light in jeans as it was in shorts and a sports bra.
    “Why?” Lark asked, voicing the one question on all our minds.
    “We’re going to practice,” Mrs. King said with a smile.
    “Cheers?” Allison said, pushing her eyebrows together.
    “Yes, cheers,” Brooke said, stepping up beside Mrs. King. “And a new dance routine. We have the most important game of the year coming up against Cypress. Another special town, just like Peachville. We want to look our best.”
    “Plus, we have our regional cheerleading competition coming up in just a few weeks,” Mrs. King added. “We’ve come in second place every year for the past three years. I think this year could be our chance to finally win regionals and move on to state.”
    “Who keeps beating us?” I whispered to Lark.
    “Cypress,” she said. “They’re the closest demon gate to Peachville and have kind of been our rival team for a long time. Their squad is amazing.”
    “Do we really have a shot at beating them this year?”
    She shrugged and headed into the locker room.
    Changing into gym clothes presented a unique problem for me. I had no idea if my clothes would change back to their old, holey selves as soon as I took them off or not. The amount of concentration I’d expended on keeping up my appearance all day was minimal, but I needed a little extra juice in order to make sure the glamour stayed put even when I took the clothes off.
    I stood in front of my locker and took a deep, calming breath. I blocked the sound of the girls chattering around me and the sound of their shoes squeaking on the floor. I pulled into myself and tapped into that deep well that ran below the surface of my consciousness. When I felt that I was connected to my own power, I quickly pulled off my clothes and stuffed them into my gym bag. Thankfully, they didn’t change back while they were still in view. It would be a miracle if they stayed the same all the way through practice, though, so I figured I might have to find a quiet place to re-do my entire glamour before I met with Jackson.
    Jackson. Just thinking about him made my stomach flutter. I hadn’t seen him around all day even though I looked for him in the halls. I knew he was at school, because I’d seen his bike in the parking lot. I hoped practice wouldn’t run late today. With my new seven o’clock curfew, I wouldn’t have much time at all.
    “Earth to Harper.” Brooke snapped her fingers, and I looked up. She tossed my sneakers at me hard. “There’s no time for daydreams. Everyone’s waiting.”
    I looked around. She was right. I guess I’d missed everyone heading back into the gym. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
    I carried my sneakers with me into the gym and sat down on the bleachers while Mrs. King explained what we were going to do. As soon as I put them on, I realized I had a much bigger part to play in the next routine than anything we’d ever done in the past. I bit my lip. Was I really ready for this?
    The way the sneakers worked, it put the memory of the routines into both our minds and our bodies, as if we’d been practicing them for weeks. Unfortunately, wearing the sneakers did not rule out the possibility of messing up. The same way a cheerleader could practice a routine for months, then choke when it came time to perform, a girl wearing the magic sneakers could mess up too. I didn’t like the thought of messing up when I was going to be soaring through the air.
    I raised my hand. “Um, Mrs. King?”
    “Yes, Harper?”
    “I think I might have been given the wrong shoes,” I said. “I thought Brooke