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  “Hey, Emma, have you not woken up yet or are you tired from a hot night of steamy sex with a new boyfriend?” joked Maddie as she walked up to her.

  “Hey, Ms. Stewart.” She waved to her friend and colleague. “Door Number One, please. Late night, couldn’t sleep, so I read ‘til God knows when.” The lie was as good as it was going to get with fatigue keeping her at her breaking point. Since the divorce, lying had become an automatic reflex. She felt a bit guilty but was too exhausted to care.

  “So, no real sex for the Mama. Well then, the novel had better have been hot and steamy at the very least,” she chided.

  “For heaven’s sake, girl! Sometimes you can be so brazen!” Emma giggled. Whether she knew it or not, Maddie always had a way of putting a smile on her face, and she sent a silent blessing while she turned and opened her classroom door. “See you at lunch, my friend.”

  “Later, gator! Hey, one more day until summer vacation! Wahoo!” Maddie shouted as she flitted down the hall to her classroom.

  Emma shook her head and sighed. As long as she’d lived here, there had never been the hint of a man around her to stoke the flames of gossip. That’s the way she liked it. Everyone knowing your business…she was still getting used to that. Plus, the small town limited one’s options where love was concerned. Now Maddie, she hooked a keeper before she moved to Prophet’s Point. But Emma had arrived with a baby in her arms and a tan line where a wedding ring used to be. Don’t go there. Not today.

  She unlocked her door and began her daily routine of turning on the Computer Lab’s computers and printers, checking the servers, and looking over her lesson plans for the day.

  Emma noticed her computer was booting up slower than usual. She looked around the room at the other computers and found they were taking longer as well. Suddenly, a horrifying image of a creature’s face appeared on all of the screens; bubbling skin all mottled red and black, eyes that glowed with fire, teeth that looked as though they were made from needle-like shards of glass, and a mouth that was dripping with blood. She jumped back and cracked her elbows against her filing cabinet.

  “Ow! Oh my freakin’ God!” she cried out. “What the hell is that?”

  It was speaking and oddly enough, she could understand it. She inched her way back to the computer, morbid curiosity getting the better of her, to get a better listen.

  “Hello, Emma. Why, you get more beautiful the more tired you are. I love the way the dark circles play on your face. I’m coming for you, lovey. I’ll see you in your dreams tonight, my precious.”

  Her eyes widened and she grabbed the back of her chair for purchase.

  “You look puzzled, frightened even. Don’t you know who I am? Why, I’m Agremon, my precious, Hannah’s friend, and now the suitor of your dreams. Until tonight.” The computer screens went black, and so did the lights, on Emma.

  Chapter Four

  Blackness slowly faded into light. Why was she lying down? She blinked her eyes a few times and realized she was on the floor of her classroom. There was someone with her, by her side, urging her to wake up.

  “Come on, Emma, wake up. Wake up, please.” Michael D’Angelo was gently whisking her waist-length, ebony curtain of hair away from her face when she slowly stirred. “There you go. That’s it. Wake up now. Emma, do you know who I am?”

  “Yes, I know who you are. You’re my principal. Oh God! Did I faint or something?” She struggled to sit up, but he put a firm yet gentle hand on her shoulder that held her in place.

  “It seems like it. Now don’t get up yet. Just relax while I get you some water.” He hopped up, took a bottle of water from her mini-fridge and returned to hand it to her. “Now sit up slowly, that’s it. Lean up against your desk here. Take a sip, not too much.”

  Emma felt embarrassed as all hell, but obliged the man who looked like he’d lost ten years off his life. And then she remembered what led up to her fainting. She trembled as the memories flooded back to her, and she dropped the bottle.

  He immediately knelt down next to her and enclosed her hands in his. “Whoa, whoa there, Em. What’s got you all in a fright? What the hell happened here?”

  “I-I-I think someone’s gotten to the computers to play a terrible trick on me, or my imagination’s getting the better of me. I’m not sure which. Would-would you please check the computers and tell me what you see, Michael?”

  He glanced around. “Well, it looks like the computers are all booted up, ready for your first class. What did you think I’d see?”

  “You know what? It was nothing. A silly prank, really, I’m sure of it. Class is going to start soon, and I need to be ready for the kids. So, if you’d help me up, I’ll get on with my day, and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t say anything about this to anyone. It’s rather embarrassing, you know? Me fainting, and you, well…you know the rest.” Jesus! She was so undone she was rambling on and on, making a bigger ass out of herself than she already felt.

  “You know, I don’t like this one bit. The school has an alarm system. It never went off between yesterday and today, and you’re saying someone tampered with your computers enough to make you faint. I’m going to have someone from the district office come over and check things out. For now, the computers are off limits.”

  “Now wait a minute. You’re overreacting. Let me check things out on my own first before you call in the technology cavalry. Besides, what the heck do you expect me to do if you close this room down? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs all day?” There was no way Emma was going to have her routine changed in any way. She couldn’t handle it. This was all she could cling to for sanity’s sake.

  “Okay. Then at least cancel your first couple of periods today so you can look things over. I don’t want any surprises when it comes to the kids’ safety.” With his hands firmly supporting her elbows, Michael helped her to her feet and watched as she tried to hide the extreme effort it took to make herself appear reasonably stable.

  “I agree, and thanks for everything. Hello?” she joked, knocking on his forehead. Why is he staring at me with that goofy look on his face? “Are you in there?”

  “What? Oh,” his voice cracked, “you’re welcome. Listen, how about I come by after school and you can give me an update on this computer thing you got going on here? I won’t be free until then, what with all the closeout procedures and final meetings I’ve got scheduled. You can put Hannah in the After School program, no charge.”

  “Sounds like a plan. See you later, then.” And with that, Emma walked her fearless leader to the door. He narrowed his eyes and gave her one lingering glance that she met boldly with a show of confidence she didn’t nearly possess, and closed the door. When her heart stopped pounding and her knees stopped feeling like jelly, she planned on finding out exactly what the hell was going on around here.

  But first, she gave herself permission to freak out.

  Wasn’t Agremon the name of the scary man Hannah had spoken about from her nightmares? If it was one and the same, no wonder she had been having such a horrible time of it lately. That man or creature was downright gruesome. And why did he appear on the school’s computers? How could something from her imagination show up like this and be so threatening to Emma as well? It didn’t seem possible.

  A thorough scan of the computers showed nothing irregular at all. No one had tampered or hacked into the system. Maybe it was her imagination working on overdrive, since last night’s episode was so different from all the others.

  The bell rang, ushering in a swarm of students to the building. Their buzzing voices felt like jackhammers drilling holes in her head. She decided to take her first two periods off, like Michael had wanted her to do in the first place. The kids’ homeroom teachers wouldn’t mind keeping them. They could use the extra help preparing the classrooms for the summer. She took a couple of aspirin and tried to calm herself down. She looked out the window. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Why let a little techno-horror get in the way, right?
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  No further incidents occurred except, of course, for the inevitable visit she got from Hannah an hour before the ending bell was to ring. And what was more, she had come bearing pictures she’d drawn today during her art rotation; disturbing pictures of demons and devils crudely drawn, but clearly identifiable. Emma knew it was time to share this whole ordeal with someone, and that someone, she felt was definitely Michael D’Angelo. She couldn’t put her finger on the why of it, but after this morning, she felt a curious and unexpected magnetic pull towards him. Imagine, opening up to a man again. After all these years. She shook her head, nonplussed. Could she truly trust him enough to share such a private and painful piece of herself? And would he be able to do anything to help?

  Prayers did get answered, didn’t they?

  Chapter Five

  It wasn’t until an hour after school let out that her principal showed up at Emma’s door. But that was okay with her. She’d needed that time to build up her courage. Luckily, Hannah went without a fuss over to the Aftercare Program. With that concern out of the way, she now prayed Michael wouldn’t think she was nuts and reconsider continuing her contract for next year. He wouldn’t let this interfere, would he? She’d known him for six years now. They had a great professional relationship. He’d always been kind to anyone having a problem and was always willing to help in any way he could. But this, this wasn’t your average “run of the mill, hey, can-you-help-change-a-flat-tire problem.”

  She was taking a huge risk now. This was definitely an issue that crossed over the line from professional to personal. Emma shook her head and rested her forehead on her desk, confidence deflated. What exactly did she expect him to do about her beleaguered daughter’s nightmares that anyone else hadn’t already tried? He could listen, she reminded herself. Just listen. Wasn’t that what she needed right now? Someone to listen to her fears and frustrations about her daughter’s well being.

  As if on cue, she heard a light rap on her door, and in he walked. Regret and concern furrowed his brow.

  “I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to get to you. We had some bus issues that needed immediate attention. So, what’d you find out about your computers?”

  He leaned casually against her filing cabinet looking, well, absolutely scrumptious, like a model for Ralph Lauren. He was a giant, she’d always thought, at six-foot-four or five. He dwarfed her five-foot-two petite frame. Broad shoulders and a narrow waist made him appear like a Greek god. With the relaxed, bohemian nature Prophet’s Point was known for, he tended to wear jeans that always hugged perfectly in all the right places and polo shirts that accentuated the fact that he must work out on his time off. With a touch of salt sprinkled through his wavy, shoulder-length black hair, it begged to have hands—her hands—run through it. And his face, well, she mused, it could have rivaled Michelangelo’s David. She studied his strong jaw line and high cheekbones, his straight nose and perfectly bowed lips. Six years had done very nice things to Mr. D’Angelo. If only she had the courage to show him she was interested. If only she didn’t carry this burden right now. Suddenly, she was aware that he had finished speaking and he’d caught her gazing at him. She blushed from head to toe. His drop-dead smile had her reddening even more.

  “Oh, um, I haven’t found out much, I’m afraid. But that’s actually good news. It means that nobody’s tampered with anything here. The bad news is I’m going crazy,” Emma quipped, knowing how true those words had become. Her nerves were getting the best of her.

  “Hey, no secret there. We’ve known you were crazy for years.” His eyes sparkled as he teased her.

  “Ha ha, very funny. Listen, I wanted to thank you for everything you did for me this morning.”

  Emma hadn’t noticed till now how stunning his eyes were. In fact, they were a spectacular blue, azure to be precise, with gold around the rims. How unusual, how distracting.

  It was now or never. If she didn’t ask him, she’d spend another day with no one to understand what it had been like for her these past six months. “Why don’t you come over for some dinner tonight? I make a mean chicken stir-fry. Hannah would be thrilled to see that you exist outside of the school building. You know, even though I teach here, she thinks everyone else evaporates into thin air when school’s out for the day. So, what do you say?”

  She nibbled nervously at her lower lip. God! What was wrong with her? Why did Michael suddenly have such a strange affect on her? She really didn’t need this kind of emotional complication right now. She needed someone to talk to, that’s all.

  “You know what? I’d like that, actually. Thanks for the invitation.”

  “Perfect. Well, I’d better shut the computer lab down and head on out ahead of you. You know, to tidy up the place.” Emma turned to her desktop computer to initiate the shutdown process. Agremon’s face popped into view for the briefest of moments, his arrogant gaze threatening his intent. She nearly jumped into Michael’s arms with a shriek.

  “Oh, my God! Did you see him? Did you see him?” she cried out, grabbing a fistful of Michael’s shirt in the process. He immediately wrapped his powerful arms like a cage around her trembling body and rubbed her back reassuringly.

  “Yeah, I did. I did, damn it,” he muttered angrily. “We need to talk, Emma. Your invitation to dinner is perfectly timed.”

  Something had changed about him in those few moments. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but something had definitely changed. There was a tension she could feel rippling through his arms that concerned her. But they also felt right around her, and were the only things keeping her standing. So for now, she threw concern out the window. God, but his body feels so good, so solid, so strong!

  “We’ve got to get your daughter right now and go straight to your house. You’re in no condition to drive, so let me, and I can pick you up in the morning for work.”

  “I’m going to take you up on that offer. Thanks, again.” There was awkwardness as he released her from his arms, but they both left it unspoken.

  Once she was steady on her feet and the computers were shut down, they picked Hannah up from the After School program. Michael locked his office, and they were ready to go.

  “Wow!” Hannah bubbled, bouncing up and down on the back seat. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done, Mama. Why are we riding in Mr. D’Angelo’s car?” Emma laughed at how such a little thing, like a car ride from a principal, could make her little girl so excited.

  “It’s because the truck is having engine trouble, sweetie. Right, Mr. D’Angelo?” She gave him a warning glance. “Now buckle up.” One little white lie won’t hurt. Emma made a concerted effort during the ride home to act normal, and thanked God her principal had followed her lead.

  As they pulled up the long driveway to the house, she saw a polite, quiet child transform into a fidgety, argumentative one right before her eyes. Every suggestion she had for her daughter to do or eat for snack was met with whines and complaints, so she gave up. Of course Emma knew why she was being so oppositional, but Michael didn’t, and if he was perplexed, he kept quiet about it.

  The ranch house, inherited from Emma’s parents, was small but sat on six acres of prime real estate with mature palm trees lining the drive and desert landscaping around the perimeter. The rest of the lot was left in nature’s hands. The view was spectacular with vistas of the mountains nearly everywhere you turned. She always enjoyed the quiet serenity surrounding her home. As she opened the door and entered the house, though, it was a completely different story. Recently, she had been feeling anything but serene inside. Maybe she was sleep-deprived and imagining things, however, she felt as though all the good vibes that used to be there had been sucked out.

  Michael walked in and quickly retreated, bumping into Hannah. “Oof! Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I must have tripped on the threshold here.”

  “Oh, I’m okay, Mr. D’Angelo. Don’t worry.” She ran past him to the playroom. Emma went directly to the kitchen, washed up, and put on
an apron. She returned to the foyer a moment later with a glass in her hand and stared. There Michael stood, like a statue in the doorway.

  Geez, what’s up with him? Has he changed his mind about dinner? Or is he feeling the same shroud of negative energy in here as I have for months?

  “It’ll be easier to have dinner with us if you come on in, Michael,” Emma joked. “Why don’t you take a load off and have something cool to drink while I get it started?”

  “Right, yes, that sounds good, thanks,” he stammered, and took the glass of iced tea she offered. Their fingertips touched, sending an unexpected bolt of energy between them. Their eyes immediately connected in surprise and puzzlement.

  “Wow! The air must be very dry in here.”

  “Of course,” Michael agreed a little too quickly. “Happens all the time at my house. It’s the carpeting.” He sat down at the kitchen table and silently watched while she cooked dinner. And as they sat for their meal, they stared at Hannah as she pushed the various morsels of food around her plate, with little actually making it to her mouth.

  Emma tried small talk, but Michael appeared preoccupied. He did however offer his compliments to the chef. So she gave up on prying any more conversation out of him and turned to Hannah instead to ask what she’d done in school that day. The perennial, “Nothing,” was her reply, and she asked to be excused from the table. There was an hour left before her bedtime, so Emma let her go play in the playroom. She wouldn’t dare go into her bedroom until she absolutely had to.

  Emma was a little concerned. She knew what she wanted to talk about, but what on earth did Michael have to say? He’d been so different since he’d seen Agremon on the computer screen. His mood had darkened. There was a quiet ferocity brewing that cast a vibrating aura over him. It unsettled her. This was definitely a side of him she’d never seen before. But then again, nothing these days was as it had been before.