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"Ooo, the Sis her food Thank you, Tracy"

"You’re welcome, Simi"

Simi pulled out a handful of cash and handed it over "You keep the change and have fun with it"

By Tracy’s expression, it was obvious Simi had seriously overtipped her "You sure about that?"

"Absolutely" Sinets with her hot sauce

"Thank you" Tracy went to wait on another table

Nekoda cringed as Siain, Si"

Simi wiped at the powder on her face "Okay, but Nekoda-Akra needs to know so evil done come to town and set up shot … no, shop That’s the word the Simi needs"

"What kind of evil?"

Simi licked her lips before she answered "Akri not sure Can you not feel it?"

Nekoda snorted "In this town? There’s all kinds of spirits here, and quite a few of them are hostile"

"True, which is why the Simi likes to come here I eat the evil, and akri all happy There’s no ‘no, Si that preys on people The Simi can eat all that she wants to"

Yeah, the Si

"Do you think this evil is Nick?"

Si him"

CHAPTER 7

Nick paused outside the Mediterranean Greek Café on Decatur to catch his breath At least the ih his head and he had soht

Not much, but better than it’d been when he’d left the Café Du Monde At least now the people around him looked normal

Man, how had the hippies in the sixties ever survived drug binges? What idiot would do this to hih when it happened by accident Who would want to live like this if they could stop it?

Nick rubbed his eyes and took a deep, fortifying breath

All of a sudden, he heard a bell sound as the door to the restaurant opened and out caht he was still hallucinating as Casey Woods, one of the cheerleaders from his school, stopped in front of him Up until Nekoda had joined their class, Casey had been the only wo dark hair was always brushed until it shone, and her curves were killer in street clothes, but in her cheerleader uniforends He’d spent reat life would be with her as a girlfriend Unlike the Neanderthals she ith, he’d actually treat her right and dote on her

Unfortunately, she hadn’t even noticed he was alive An iht beside and in front of her in several classes over the years But hey, Casey was Casey, and a girl that popular couldn’t be bothered to notice the poor, aard scholarship student who’d invaded their ranks For thatother than a target to be kicked and bullied He was used to that

Dressed in a lacy blue top and a pair of jeans, she sht of him "Hey, Nick You okay?"

Oh yeah, he had to be a co The last tiued with her best friend that she had no idea who he was

"Uh, all good"

She frowned at hi to hurl?"

"I hope not" ’Cause that was all he’d need for this day to be even better Barf all over their hoet hiraduated

To his complete shock, she reached out and touched his forehead "You don’t have a fever" She held her bottle of water out toward him "Here, sip sohtened "Are you all right?"

"Of course Why would you ask that?"

’Cause she had never been this nice to hi?

Was this Death in disguise screith hily foul reason why Ms Hottie-Snotty was talking to hi out"

She s with Tad, it’s okay"

Ah, that explained it Tad Addams was one of the cool, rich kids The older brother of Nick’s friend, Brynna, he’d taken him to school with Casey the other day

Man, she was shallow Most people didn’t adive her credit that at least she was honest

He shrugged the water away "I’ot to ood now"

"Oh, okay" She pulled the water back and cradled it against her breasts--second thought, he should have taken it "By the way, have you heard the latest gossip?"

"That we have a new coach?"

She blinked at him with a vacuous expression "We have a new coach?"

Obviously not the gossip she’d heard "Uh, yeah Caleb told me about him"

"Oh, I hadn’t heard that Good I know Stone and Rick orried about usit to State this year with the team down and the coach arrested"

Stone …

It took all Nick’s willpower not to curl his lip at the ht that Stone was a shape-shifting ho was a pig in both incarnations

Not wanting to think about Stone and his running crew of iinal discussion "What did you hear?"

"Oh, there’s been a rash of thefts at school Tanya went in to get her ho fro about it A bunch of lockers were broken into, and so?"

"She said it was a bad scene Hope you had nothing in your locker worth stealing"