Chapter Sixteen: Game Plan:

The next few minutes were kind of awkward due to the fact that I was only going to be alive for three more days, and that my ended life would impact the others that were in the room with me right now, staring at me with expressions of doubt and fear.

Sadness was another one as was depression.

But the feeling that stood out to me the most, was revenge.

And that was what all of us were feeling, including me. I had to get out of this situation, but how?

The only thing that crossed my mind was to kill the demon myself, but wouldn't that kill me? Would my very emotions get the best of me? Would my love for Damion overpower any kind of curse that was planted on me like the one that the demon did?

Well, we had to think of something together, but I just didn't know how to do that without getting the others involved into my mess. Or killed along with me.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by a waving hand in my face, "Hello? Earth to Serenity. Are you in there?"

Amber put her hand down as soon as I came to the real world with everyone staring at me with concern flooding their eyes.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"Well, you were lost i thought for about ten minutes. Are you sure that you weren't possessed or something?"

I laughed, "No. That is not what possession looks like. Possession looks like you are about to kill someone with a single look. And plus, I highly doubt that I looked like that. Did I ?"

The silence that followed was my answer.

I did.

I didn't know what to think of that, but I surely didn't want to feel like that for the rest of my days. All three of them in fact.

Just the very thought of that made me want to throw up.

But I am so glad that I did not. Because that would have been a lot of mess to clean up. And I think that I would have died of shame.

And just that thought of the thought made me gag.

Everyone backed up, but as soon as that one gag had passed, Damion asked me if he needed to get a bucket.

I shook my head and said, "No, I'm okay now. I just got a little stressed out."

Amber retorted, "Well, if that is just a little stressed out, then I don't want to see really stressed out."

"Yeah, I know right", I said, laughing a breath.

Damion and Jai gave a look that told me that they didn't quite tell me something. And I could tell that it was either something that was really good that will not be anymore, or it was something bad that has now turned to worse.

I didn't care about the bad or the good.

Or the ugly.

And that is the way things were starting to look for me.

First, I was going to be dead.

Second, my death would bring many new problems that would arise that only I could handle. And I don't even want to know if Damion would eventually move on from me.

I sure hope that would not be the case, but that may be the case once I am gone. But that may never even happen because of what my sister said next, "Well, there might be a different way to do this, but you would still need to be momentarily dead. And then when he sees that you are, we will carry your body away, letting it think that we are going to bury you, and then I will do a spell that will be the hardest thing that I will ever have to do. And it would be the only way to save your life, but end another's."

I said slowly, with worry in my voice, "It doesn't have to be someone that I love, does it?"

Olivia shook her head, "No, but it does have to be someone that you knew for a very long time. You don't have to love the person, but you have to care about them. Or at least you at one point cared about them very much. But to answer your question, no, it does not have to be love. So Damion would not have to be the one to go."

I let out a long breath with relief, "Well, that's good news, but, who would be the right person to end a life? I mean, do I have to choose right now who I want to die in my place?"

My sister answered with a grim frown, "No. You have to choose who you want most to die out of mercy. Someone who is in so much pain, so much agony, that they would be willing to die for you. And that is not going to be very easy."

I said, "Well, I guess that we better get to thinking. I mean, I hope that you all are happy with what I am about to say, but I think I already know who I want to take my place."

Not even the crickets chirped.

I answered with great honesty, "I think that I want my childhood friend to take my place, because the only way to free him is to kill the demon that is killing him from the inside out already."

The expressions that they all gave me told it all. They were all on board.

"Well then", Jai said, " I think that it is settled."

I said, "So, what is the game plan, you know, now that we are going to have to kill a man possessed by a freaking demon? But the question now is, how on earth are we going to kill a demon. Once it is out, it can possess any of us. Including me."

Just the thought of what I had just said made Damion's color in his face fade.

"Are you alright?", I asked.

He said nothing for a few moments and then when he did speak, it seemed like he was worlds away.

"What if this pan doesn't work? What if I lose you forever? I don't think that I could live with myself if I lost you."

I took a step closer to him, shortening the space between us. I spoke the most honest truth I could think of, and with a tone that gave me his full attention, I said, "You will only lose me if you don't love me anymore. Until then, this is the game plan."