Dance For The Devil by S. Kodejs Read Free Book Online Page B

life. I regret things ended as they did, and I am not unwilling to shoulder my share of the blame. It is my greatest wish that we remain, if nothing else, on friendly terms.
    Best Regards,
    Jake

CHAPTER THREE
     
    Two weeks before Halloween, Jason invited his friends to a secret meeting. “Autumn is a special time for us,” he explained. “Tonight’s meeting will be pretty low key. Halloween is when the real action will happen.”
    “Like a party?” Amy asked. “Do we wear costumes?”
    “Yes, but nothing too fancy, just dark capes. I’ll take care of getting them, okay? So tonight, just observe, and be careful not to draw attention to yourself.”
    “How come?” Alex wanted to know.
    “Just because. Your behavior reflects on me. Since I sponsored you, I’m responsible for making sure you know all the rules.”
    “You sound like my parents,” Elise said.
    Jason laughed. “Yeah, I do, don’t I? Don’t sweat it, but remember one thing: no matter what happens, it’s all in fun. If you see something... well, unusual, keep in mind that’s part of it. The whole idea of this group is to be different.... special. That’s why I invited you guys, because you’re special too. I think you’ll fit in really well.”
    Amy felt a thrill of apprehension. “Will th e meeting go on quite late? My dad’s strict about my curfew. He waits up for me.”
    “Why don’t you see if you can get your curfew extended tonight, say to one o’clock? All the good stuff always happens around midnight.”
    “I don’t think he’ll go for it.”
    “Try him. It’s a Saturday night, so maybe he’ll let you. Okay, I’ll pick up Elise first, then Alex, and then you, Amy. Try not to keep me waiting; we don’t want to miss any of the fun.”
    **
    Amy knocked softly on Jake’s study. He was slouched in front of his computer, playing a game. “Ah ha!” he said triumphantly. “I think I finally found the tricky little bugger.”
    “Dad?”
    “Oh, Amy. Sorry. I’ve been looking for a design error on this game for weeks now, and I finally figured out what the problem is. Take a look at this.” His fingers flew over the keyboard.
    Amy smiled in spite of herself. “You’re the only parent I know who gets paid to play games for a living.”
    “Not just any game... Pluto’s Playground. Ta da! Just wait until I tell Gil about this – his blood pressure has been so high everyone’s afraid he’ll keel over with a stroke. This was supposed to be fixed weeks ago but we couldn’t find the problem. Gil had some Japanese buyers to see it, and he lied like the Devil himself. It was amazing to see how glib he was, smooth as silk.” Jake chuckled. “Anyway, Gil was starting to think we’d never find the problem. In fact, only this morning he suggested making major program changes to compensate, but I told him, no, I’d find it... though to tell you the truth, even I had my doubts. But here it is, and where you’d least expect it –”
    “Uh, that’s great, Dad. Listen, I need to ask a favor.”
    “Sure.” But his attention was on the screen, not her. Amy fought the urge to scream.
    “Jason Vandercamp asked me out tonight, to go to a teen’s group he belongs to. Sort of a church thing. Alex and Elise are going too... Dad? Are you listening?”
    “Uh huh. Go on.”
    “The only problem is, the meeting goes until midnight and it would be embarrassing to leave early. Would you consider extending my curfew until one o’clock?”
    “Mmmm.”
    “Dad! This is important.”
    He finally looked up, and she could tell he hadn’t been paying full attention. Amy repeated her request, trying to stay calm.
    “You look really nice, Amy.” And she did. Long blond hair brushed neatly, hanging untethered. She wore a soft pink sweater and a denim skirt, with the ubiquitous Doc Martens on her feet. She waited.
    “All right,” Jake said, finally. “I’ll extend your curfew because I’m impressed with the way you’ve asked me, instead