Demi had always been strange; but Julie was about to find out just how strange she actually was. Julie and Demi were fourteen years old and were in the same class. Their entire class was separates into groups of four for their geography project ad Julie had ended up with Jensen, Celine and much to her despair, Demi. She had nothing, of course, against making new friends. After all, that was what teenagers were supposed to do. But Demi was not just any teenager. From the first day of class, Julie had been very wary of Demi, not because she thought Demi was out to get her, but because she was just so afraid of her.
Demi always seemed to be lost in her own world, and yet very aware of what was going on. She could be staring at her nails for an entire hour and when the teacher asked her something about what was going on, she would look up and give the teacher the entire analysis of the lesson. She was very intelligent and yet very withdrawn. In every class, she would sit alone at the back with her bag as her sole companion. When they were thirteen, there was something about Demi's eyes. They had been very defined and very penetrating. Her lashes were thick and dark and her eyebrows always seemed to be arched in question or condescension. A teacher had once called her up in front of the class and told her to take off her eyeliner. She had told her that she was not wearing any. The same teacher had come back up two periods later with make up remover and cotton from the monitors room and found out that she had been telling the truth. Some people thought that she was eccentric and some people thought that she was just plain crazy, silly. Julie however, had no opinion about her; she just did not want anything to do with Demi.
Besides the fact that she was weird, many people had commented about how hard she was to work with. The project was due in one and a half weeks and they got together in the canteen that day. Jenson, despite the fact that he was the only guy, had the nicest handwriting of the three and was writing everything down. Julie was planning the format of their write up and Celine was dictating things to Jenson. The three of them wrote or read furiously because they were hoping to finish this early and be done with it so they could have extra time to spare. Demi just sat there, pushing back her cuticles with her thumbnail and occasionally adjusting the hair-bun on her head. After about an hour, she suddenly looked up and glared at the three of them. 'Can we go home now? I have better things to do than sit here with you all.' They were taken aback and all stared at her in disbelief. Jenson and Celine opened their mouths to speak but closed them when they realized that they had nothing to say. Julie on the other hand had been getting increasingly irritated with her for the past hour and had been noticing her blatant attitude towards the whole project. She had not so much as lifted a finger except to look on. It did not look like she was going to be doing anything anytime soon.
'Maybe if you started helping us instead of living in your little alternate reality for a minute, we would get all this done much faster.' The minute the words came out, Julie wished she could have swallowed them. She looked at Demi's face. It became a shade darker and her eyes were ablaze with anger. Quickly, Julie tried applying damage control and tried to take back her words. 'Okay, okay. Forget it. You go back; we'll stay here.' Demi stood up and took a step towards her. Seeing this, Julie took a step back. 'Do you have a problem with me?' 'I said for...get... it. Just go home, okay?' Julie sighed. Demi opened her mouth, as if to speak but thought twice about it. She smiled a mysterious smile at Julie and turned towards the exit. 'You'll be sorry,' they could hear her say as she left.
In the minutes after she had left, all three let out a sigh of relief. 'We have only two more days, and the whole thing is far from complete!' Celine uttered in despair. They were seated together during recess, in order to discuss the project. Celine and Jenson were eating, but Julie had her head against the tabletop. Her stomach was twisting painfully, and that killed any appetite she had. She had been to the doctor twice, but nothing he prescribed helped. It felt as if knives were twisting through her guts. Another jolt of pain shot through her and Julie bent over the side of the bench, groaning. 'Sorry,' was all she could managed as Celine laid her hands on her back. 'This is ridiculous,' said Celine. 'How are we going to finish without her? We all live so far apart, whereas her home is right across the street from school. The least she can do is provide her house for us to finish up today and tomorrow. Not to mention that Julie has been sick for so long.'
'Do you really think Demi would let us into her house? Julie laughed weakly. 'We have no choice. The school gates shut at five and we will have to do it elsewhere,' Jenson added. 'Yeah, I'd guessed we hove no choice,' the two girls replied. Julie and Celine were looking at Jenson intently. He knew their intention and sighed. Getting up from the bench, he walked over to Demi who was sitting alone at another table. Five minutes later, he returned, with a rather surprised look on his face. He told them that she had agreed quite readily, but made it very clear that she did not want to be bothered at all. They all considered that reasonable, considering the circumstances and agreed. Jenson added that she did not actually want to do anything; they were only going there to use the house. Celine groaned and Julie rolled her eyes but they knew they had no other choice. They were in Demi's living room that evening, sticking things on a piece of vanguard and typing on the computer outside. They had stopped to take a break after they all thought they would suffer from burnout and just sat and talked for a little while. They looked around the living room and commented about how normal everything looked. Jenson shook his head and asked whether any of them had a red marker. They shook their heads in turn and Jenson opened his mouth to shout at Demi who was in her room, but thought better of it.
Demi had left her bag in her living room; or rather she had just dumped it there after locking the door and then stalked off to her room. Julie took her bag and opened it, looking for her pencil case. She searched for awhile and then found something cylindrical and round. She thought that maybe it was a whiteboard marker and fished it out of the bag. It was only when she took it out and looked at it that she realized what it was. She looked at the smooth white candle over and wondered what it was doing in her back. She turned it around and found part of their class photo pinned to it. She squinted and to her horror she realized that the part of the photo that had been cut out was that of her face. Her face had been pinned to the top of the candle and the vague outline of a body carved out, perhaps with an ink-less pen, beneath it.
She looked at it and quickly zipped the bag. She stood up with it in her pocket, checked whether Demi's door was closed and then showed it to the others who were as speechless as her. Jenson opened his mouth to speak. 'So you think it is, you know, one of those voodoo things?' Julie shook her head as he passed it to Celine and said how voodoo usually involved pins. 'Besides, why would she do that to me? It's not like I did,' she faltered. 'That day I shouted at her.' 'Julie, take a look carefully at this.' She handed the candle to Julie who looked at where her finger was pointing. She squinted and looked at the tiny spot around the belly. She ran her finger over it and realized that there was a pit in the candle surface. A pin was inserted into the candle. The pit was just so deep that she had not seen it. She could not see a way to take it out without digging her nails into the wax and peeling a bit of it off. She slipped the horrid thing back into her pocket and stood up, wondering what to do.
'I'll help you. Give the thing to me.' They turned around and were shocked. Demi was sitting on the armchair. How on earth she had entered the room without being noticed is still a mystery. Within minutes, Julie was cured. No one ever talked about it or Demi, ever.
In the minutes after she had left, all three let out a sigh of relief. 'We have only two more days, and the whole thing is far from complete!' Celine uttered in despair. They were seated together during recess, in order to discuss the project. Celine and Jenson were eating, but Julie had her head against the tabletop. Her stomach was twisting painfully, and that killed any appetite she had. She had been to the doctor twice, but nothing he prescribed helped. It felt as if knives were twisting through her guts. Another jolt of pain shot through her and Julie bent over the side of the bench, groaning. 'Sorry,' was all she could managed as Celine laid her hands on her back. 'This is ridiculous,' said Celine. 'How are we going to finish without her? We all live so far apart, whereas her home is right across the street from school. The least she can do is provide her house for us to finish up today and tomorrow. Not to mention that Julie has been sick for so long.'
'Do you really think Demi would let us into her house? Julie laughed weakly. 'We have no choice. The school gates shut at five and we will have to do it elsewhere,' Jenson added. 'Yeah, I'd guessed we hove no choice,' the two girls replied. Julie and Celine were looking at Jenson intently. He knew their intention and sighed. Getting up from the bench, he walked over to Demi who was sitting alone at another table. Five minutes later, he returned, with a rather surprised look on his face. He told them that she had agreed quite readily, but made it very clear that she did not want to be bothered at all. They all considered that reasonable, considering the circumstances and agreed. Jenson added that she did not actually want to do anything; they were only going there to use the house. Celine groaned and Julie rolled her eyes but they knew they had no other choice. They were in Demi's living room that evening, sticking things on a piece of vanguard and typing on the computer outside. They had stopped to take a break after they all thought they would suffer from burnout and just sat and talked for a little while. They looked around the living room and commented about how normal everything looked. Jenson shook his head and asked whether any of them had a red marker. They shook their heads in turn and Jenson opened his mouth to shout at Demi who was in her room, but thought better of it.
Demi had left her bag in her living room; or rather she had just dumped it there after locking the door and then stalked off to her room. Julie took her bag and opened it, looking for her pencil case. She searched for awhile and then found something cylindrical and round. She thought that maybe it was a whiteboard marker and fished it out of the bag. It was only when she took it out and looked at it that she realized what it was. She looked at the smooth white candle over and wondered what it was doing in her back. She turned it around and found part of their class photo pinned to it. She squinted and to her horror she realized that the part of the photo that had been cut out was that of her face. Her face had been pinned to the top of the candle and the vague outline of a body carved out, perhaps with an ink-less pen, beneath it.
She looked at it and quickly zipped the bag. She stood up with it in her pocket, checked whether Demi's door was closed and then showed it to the others who were as speechless as her. Jenson opened his mouth to speak. 'So you think it is, you know, one of those voodoo things?' Julie shook her head as he passed it to Celine and said how voodoo usually involved pins. 'Besides, why would she do that to me? It's not like I did,' she faltered. 'That day I shouted at her.' 'Julie, take a look carefully at this.' She handed the candle to Julie who looked at where her finger was pointing. She squinted and looked at the tiny spot around the belly. She ran her finger over it and realized that there was a pit in the candle surface. A pin was inserted into the candle. The pit was just so deep that she had not seen it. She could not see a way to take it out without digging her nails into the wax and peeling a bit of it off. She slipped the horrid thing back into her pocket and stood up, wondering what to do.
'I'll help you. Give the thing to me.' They turned around and were shocked. Demi was sitting on the armchair. How on earth she had entered the room without being noticed is still a mystery. Within minutes, Julie was cured. No one ever talked about it or Demi, ever.
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