Star Eater
Chapter Thirty-Eight

Before he left, Mason told Kai what he’d done to Link. He also told Kai that Homeland had verified Link’s story and essentially moved on to another target.

“Yeah,” Kai said. “Me.”

“They don’t know your name yet,” Mason said, then made his goodbyes. He blinked out of reality right in front of Kai, who was impressed. It was a very neat trick.

“We can walk through walls,” Akuma said.

“Oh come on,” Kai said. “That was pretty cool.” 

The demon grumbled irritably.

“I feel like we should go see Link,” Kai said.

“I am okay with you telling him,” Akuma said to Kai’s unspoken request.

It took him half an hour to get to Link’s by a combination of bus and walking. It was almost midnight by the time he arrived. He scouted the place, but there was no car in the driveway. Mason had said Link’s dad was out and also the security was tight. Kai lifted his shirt far back in the yard away from the motion detectors and unzipped the bio-suit down to his navel. This wasn’t a science yet, but he didn't want to take out the whole block, just Link’s house. Then he put his shirt back on and moved closer.

We’re going to have to replace a better way of doing this, Kai thought.

The demon grunted and it felt like a hiccup. Saying a small prayer, Kai approached the house. The motion detector lights stayed off. The kitchen light flickered as Kai phased through the wall. Kai kept his bio-suit undone. No sense in taking chances, and he was used to the dark.

As he moved up the stairs, Kai heard Link swearing and then Link opened the door. Kai could see fairly well, his eyes already adjusted to the dark, but Link hadn’t gotten there yet. Still, as Kai climbed closer, one of the stairs creaked. In that moment, Link realized he wasn’t alone and froze.

“Who’s there?”

“Uh, your friendly neighborhood stalker,” Kai said.

“Jesus Christ, Kai,” Link said, “You scared the hell out of me. I’ve already dealt with one intruder tonight. Oh shit—the security system.”

Link brushed passed Kai to a hallway closet. He flung it open and peered in. Kai came to stand next to him. All the equipment was dead.

“Yeah, I turned off the power to your house,” he said.

“How?” Link asked. “The breakers are in the basement.”

“Uh,” Kai was glad it was dark and Link couldn't see his face or his blush. “So I’m sort of possessed.”

Link went quiet. “Are you fucking with me?” he asked finally.

“No,” Kai said. “No, I am not. I have a demon in my belly, along with a fallen star. His power messes with electronics and I can walk through walls. No big deal.”

Another long moment of quiet. Suddenly, the darkness sucked. Kai desperately wanted to see Link’s face. He fidgeted until finally Link exhaled loudly.

“I’m thirsty,” he said and walked down the stairs.

Mystified, Kai followed. They came out into the kitchen and Link opened the refrigerator door. No light blinked on to greet him.

“Damnit, Kai, you’re going to ruin all the food.”

“Here, I can fix it,” Kai said. He pulled his shirt up and zipped up the bio-suit. A long minute later the electronics started coming back online, first the lights, then the fridge and other appliances. Finally, Link heard the central air reboot itself. The microwave remained off.

“You might have to check the breakers,” Kai said. “Not all of them turn back on when I do this. And you’re going to have to manually restart your phone.”

Now that the lights were on, Link could see Kai. He was serious. Link took out his phone and, sure enough, it was off. He restarted it and the phone lit back up. This was too much. He turned back to the fridge and considered his options.

“You want anything?” he asked.

“Soda,” Kai said. Link grabbed two cans and handed one to Kai.

They sat on stools at the kitchen island. Neither talked as Kai searched for a way to broach the subject once more. Link wondered if his friend was crazy or what he’d seen with Mason earlier could be real. And then Akuma flooded into Kai’s shadow.

For a second, Link didn't notice. Then it became impossible to ignore as the shadow filled up like an inky, black balloon. Suddenly, there was a double of Kai sitting next to him, except Akuma was an ebony doppelgänger. His edges seemed to move in tiny ripples but his interior was like a black hole, sucking all the light in.

“What are you, Peter Pan?” Link asked, standing and backing up.

Kai had never really thought about it. “I can’t fly,” he said. “At least, not that I know of.”

“But we can do other things,” Akuma said.

To Kai, Akuma’s voice always sounded warm and avuncular but he realized to another it might sound threatening. He watched the color drain out of Link’s face. Both he and Akuma reached out to steady him, but Link put a hand up to stop them.

“Don’t pass out,” Kai said.

“Agreed, this floor is not soft,” Akuma said.

“What the actual fu—?” Before he could finish, Link did in fact pass out against all requests not to.

Kai didn't so much as catch Link as slow his pace to the ground. With a grunt, he cradled Link’s upper half, ignoring his legs as they slid off the stool and onto the floor. Finally, Kai got him down with Akuma hovering anxiously.

“That went well,” Kai muttered.

Less than a minute later, Link stirred.

“Maybe you should disappear again,” Kai said to Akuma.

“Why? It won’t change reality,” the demon observed. Kai sighed. Some things he simply couldn't explain.

After his eyes fluttered open, Link stared at the ceiling and then Kai. Eventually, his gaze moved to Akuma. His entire body shuddered.

“Akuma, go inside,” Kai said sharply.

“You have a name for it?” Link asked weakly, closing his eyes. “You talk to it?”

“I am right here,” Akuma said plaintively. Link shuddered again, keeping one hand pressed against his eyes like he could blot out the sight of the demon permanently.

“Do you want us to leave?” Kai asked.

“Depends on whether or not you and Mason are conspiring to kill me,” Link said.

Kai told him no and then explained that Mason had found him and told him what happened.

“Wouldn’t have been so bad if his eyes didn't turn orange,” Link said, finally removing his hand. “So is that it? Are you both demons? Are you like demon family?”

“Actually, different kinds,” Kai said.

Link covered his eyes again. “Awesome,” he muttered. “And here I was worried he was going to beat you up or something.” He uncovered his eyes and sat up. “You know I called and texted you like a million times after he left. I can’t leave the house.”

“Yeah, my phone has been off,” Kai said. “I’m avoiding my parents. Sorry. I just have a burner and I forgot to text you my number.”

“You want to explain this,” he pointed at Akuma, “first.”

Kai nodded and helped Link back onto his feet. He could feel Link’s body temperature had dropped, probably from the stress and the fainting. The other boy was shaken so Kai moved with care and silently instructed Akuma to do the same. He waited until Link had taken a few sips of soda, hoping the sugar would help. Some color returned to Link’s cheeks. Small steps.

Kai waited until Link gave a signal that he was ready and when he did he searched for where to begin. Once he started telling the tale, it all came out in a rush. He also told Link about the theft of the hydrogen and his role in Link’s arrest. The other boy’s face grew darker, then.

“I wanted to warn you but I didn't have the suit yet and I couldn't get my phone to work,” Kai said.

“It’s okay,” Link said. “I mean I’m grounded for life but things with my dad haven’t been as bad. He protected me. We kind of reached a middle ground. So what did Mason want? He said it was life or death.”

At this, Kai left the details sketchy—mostly because he didn't want to put Link in danger. He told him about the daemons, what little he knew. He said the father and uncle were abusive, and left it at that. He explained about Mason’s uncle wanting Kai’s help to destroy evidence as payment for the bio-suit.

“So that’s why Mason had such a hard-on for you,” Link said. “L.A. is so much crazier than I ever thought it could be.”

Kai snorted. “This is crazy for me, too, okay. I thought Akuma was the worst of it.”

“Are you going to do it?” Link asked. “I mean for Mason’s uncle?”

“I don’t know,” Kai lied. He didn't want to tell Link his plan. Despite his bravado in front of Mason, both he and Akuma doubted that failure was an option. Kai was hoping for the opportunity to get Joseph arrested. Right now, he didn't want Link to know too many details in case he got questioned again.

“Just call me, please,” Link said. “Shit, my dad took away my phone again.”

“Here,” Kai said. “This is a burner. Take it, and I’ll get another one.”

Link hesitated. “Are you sure?”

Kai nodded. “Don't tell anyone you have it okay? I’ll text you my new number and you can respond with Mason’s number, all right? It’s programmed in there. I’m gonna need it.”

“Okay,” Link said. “Be careful. You’re my only friend in this insane city, and I’d hate to have to replace you.” He tried to make it a joke, but he was serious.

“I will,” Kai said, smiling weakly. “Good luck with your dad.”

“Good luck with everything,” Link said.