This was supposed to be their first and best party, and the atmosphere is so thick that there is nothing to breathe. Veronica is dancing in Kevin's embrace the whole time, and she doesn't control the fact that her gaze periodically finds Lucas, who accompanies Vanessa and Miranda. It seems to her that the two girls are fighting with each other, trying to make the best impression on him. He is having a great time, ignoring the presence of his best friend. He is angry with her and that night he does not intend to reconcile.
The redhead smiles at her boyfriend when she notices that he has been looking at her with concern in his eyes for a long time.
- Talk to him if it's hard on your heart. I know what it's like when there's a misunderstanding between best friends.
She shakes her head in response.
- I'm not going to ask him for forgiveness. I didn't do anything wrong, it's him who got in over his head. He never behaved like this, so he should be the one to reach out first.
To cheer the girl up, he circles her and pulls her close, causing her to land in his arms. She laughs as he leans over her face.
- Apparently, my kisses make a person fall into a state of euphoria. - He muscles her lips, which does not escape Lucas' attention. The boy clenches his fists to control his jealousy and forces a smile as Vanessa embraces him around the waist. The girl lifts her face and looks at him with loving eyes.
Miranda, who is standing next to him, looks displeased. She crosses her arms over her chest and puffs out her lips, looking like an overbearing child.
- Do you have a hankering for my buddy? It has come to my attention that he saved your life during the vacations. Did you fall in love with him at first sight? - Eric speaks up, leaning over her ear.
The 16-year-old turns to face him, piercing him with her eyes.
- Get away from me, ignore me, pretend I'm air.
- I can't, since you have so much highlighter on your face that I can spot you from the other end of the building.
The girl has had enough of his taunts. She regrets agreeing to a pretend relationship, since everyone at school will soon know her secret anyway. If she hadn't started the arrangement with this psychopath, at least she would have had a holy peace from him.
- It's apparent that you lead an unhappy life, but you don't need to transfer that to others. - Her words are so strong that she slaps the boy in the face with them.
Eric forces a sour smile. The people next to them are dancing and they are the only ones standing in the middle of the dance floor, piercing each other with their eyes.
- Don't pretend to feel otherwise. You too lead an unhappy life, although you hide your feelings behind the mask of a rich lady. I'm not going to be the only suffering person in Horace Mann, so I'm going to tear that mask off you to join me.
Miranda can't stand it. She hysterically jumps on him and slaps him across the chest with her hands. He grabs her wrists, being irritated by her behavior.
- Let me go," she says in a warning voice, looking at him from under her bangs with angry eyes.
- I won't let you go until you end up in hell with me. - He sounds like a madman, which worries her even more.
- Why me? Why are you picking on me? - asks Miranda in a hysterical, even crying voice.
- Because you are sweet, and sweet people are the weakest.
The colored lights fall on their faces as they continue to stand in the middle of the dance floor, looking into each other's eyes.
- So destroy me, and I promise to repay you handsomely.
- I'm looking forward to it with longing," he announces, swatting her with a frantic gaze. - Our new arrangement may be more interesting than the previous one....
*
Veronica rushes into the bathroom and leans with her hands against the sink. She looks at her reflection in the mirror. Her red hair and the red lipstick on her lips stand out particularly ghastly against her pale complexion. She feels sick and struggles to hold back the vomiting reflex within her.
She is alone in the bathroom, the loud music ringing in her ears, making her feel even worse.
She closes her eyelids and lowers her face, and then someone brushes her hair away from her face. She feels a cold, unpleasant breath on her neck.
- What's wrong, friend? Are you feeling bad? - The demon standing by her side smiles sinisterly, looking at her with red eyes.
- What do you want?
- That you should suffer.... For you to writh in pain in solitude.
The girl watches the apparition in the mirror, and chills run through her body.
- Please reveal to me why you hate my family so much? Why do you take revenge on all the members, bringing suffering?
- This is revenge for the harm your ancestor did to me....
- My ancestor? What did he do to you that we are cursed? - The demon grabs the seventeen-year-old by the neck and crushes her against the wall, lifting her up.
The door to the bathroom is locked. Women are banging on it, unable to get inside.
- Your suffering is nothing compared to what I went through when I was alive.... - Veronica chokes, believing her legs in the air, unable to catch her breath. - I went through a real hell, and now you will feel a part of my pain!
The phantom disappears. The teenager falls to the floor, coughing and trying to recover. The door unlocks and Nicki runs inside.
- What's wrong with you! - Panicked, she crouches in front of her friend, looking at her with terrified eyes. - Veronica, look at me!
The redhead comes to her senses and looks at the blonde with broken eyes. Her neck is blue, as if someone tried to strangle her.
- My god, what happened to you? - She nervously looks around the bathroom, as if looking for the culprit. - Who did this to you!
- It's not a person," she grunts in response, getting the impression that half her life has escaped her. - It's a demon. The curse of my family.
The women standing above them look at Veronica with terrified eyes. They gossip among themselves, wondering what happened to the girl.
Nicki intends to call the emergency room, but her friend forbids her to do so.
- You can't. We'll all be in trouble since we're underage. Let the others know and let's just go from there.
The blonde hesitates for a moment, but as requested by her friend, she calls Vanessa to inform her of the situation. She helps Veronica get up and together they leave the bathroom, still watched by the other women.
*
- You've been attacked! You should go to the hospital and report it to the police! - Kevin is unable to calm down. He, his sister, Henry and Miranda think it was a man who assaulted Veronica in the bathroom. Only Eric, Lucas, and now Nicki, who still hasn't fully grasped that demons exist, realize that she was attacked by a supernatural force.
Eric is sitting on a wall with his head down. His eyelids are closed and he is absent-minded until Kevin's words bring him out of his thoughts.
- If you don't have a clue about anything, then shut your mouth, because you're driving me crazy! - he shouts, piercing the older boy with his eyes.
- Count your words, shithead. - Threatens him with the finger of an eighteen-year-old.
- Veronica hasn't even confessed to you what she's been facing for many years, so don't play the good boy. You have no idea what she's going through," Lucas speaks up as he sits down next to his friend and lets her lay her head on his shoulder.
- After all, I saw that something was wrong! We were dancing and she suddenly ran to the bathroom, so I asked Nicki to follow her. I had a bad feeling and indeed, something happened! - Kevin is furious that Veronica won't confess the truth to him. - Why are you covering for the perpetrator! - he turns to her, to which she closes her eyelids, not knowing how to explain to them that her family is in contact with a demon. - We may have just started dating, but we have been friends for several months, so you can trust me!
A cool breeze brushes their faces as they sit on a wall in the park, trying to squeeze the truth out of the 17-year-old.
- And do you believe in demons? - Eric steps down from the wall and faces Kevin. The eighteen-year-old snorts under his breath and shakes his head. - Well, that's right, so don't resent the fact that my sister won't tell you the truth.
Henry stands between them, fearing that a fight will eventually break out between them.
- Our family is cursed," Veronica speaks up uncertainly, looking at her boyfriend with sad eyes. - This has been going on for many years, from generation to generation. This demon first made our mother's life miserable for many years, bringing her pain and misfortune, then it became fixated on my brother, now on me, and will not rest until we overcome it. My mother succeeded in overcoming him, but for a short while, since he became entangled with us after we were born.
- Is this a joke? - Standing with her arms crossed on her chest, Miranda looks at her older colleague with fear in her eyes.
- And do I look like I'm joking?
The 16-year-old shakes her head uncertainly.
- It just seemed to me that such situations only happen in horror movies, that it doesn't happen in the real world.
- And possession? - interjects Lucas, trying to convince the others that his friend is not telling tales. - Maybe a quarter of these people actually have mental problems, but three quarters face real demons that choose them as their victims.
Vanessa is sent shivers through her body. She is horrified to learn that her friend's family has been dealing with a demon for many years.
- Why didn't you take the help of an exorcist? - Henry gets a kick out of Nicki.
- She's not possessed, you idiot! Can't you hear what she's saying? The demon is making her family miserable, not sitting inside her!
Veronica glances at her brother, who forces a sour smile.
- When I was a child it often took over my body. Apparently, I haven't been myself lately either.
Miranda starts screaming as she puts her hands to her face.
- This is terrible! I got chills at the thought that most of the time I was not with you, but with a demon!
- Well... you mentioned to me that I kissed you in the cafeteria, and I don't remember that," Eric tries to frighten her to death and succeeds, as the pretty girl faints in Henry's arms.
The 16-year-old snorts under his breath at this sight.
- That would explain why you grew up to be such an asshole," mutters Kevin, not taking his eyes off his girlfriend, who hugs Lucas and is not about to let him go. - Such attacks have happened before, was today the first time? - he asks her a question, through which she finally shifts her gaze from the ground to him.
- This was the first time he attacked me so beastly. For sixteen years he tormented Eric, pretending to be my friend. Because of this I did not get along with my brother, a conflict arose between us. I did not believe him that Julie was an evil spirit. I believed only recently, and this angered the demon and now he has picked up on me. We are both in danger.
- Sounds like a great book for teenagers," Henry speaks up, content to hold an unconscious Miranda in his embrace.
Nicki throws him a disdainful look.
- Knock yourself twice in the head before you say something, imbecile.
Lucas strokes Veronica's shoulder reassuringly, which does not escape Kevin's attention. The 18-year-old does not look happy that his girlfriend feels safer in his friend's arms than in his.
- I think the time has come when you and Eric should have a frank talk with your parents. I believe that they will help you find a way to get rid of this vengeful spirit, since they have also had dealings with him in the past. You must tell them the truth, don't pretend in front of them that everything is fine.
Veronica nods at Lucas' words.
- You're right, we should probably do it eventually.
- Wow. - Eric claps his hands. - So you're finally going to admit that you're also haunted and I won't be the only one wronged in the house?
His sister doesn't have the strength to argue with him, so she just ignores his words.
- Let it go, she still hasn't recovered," Lucas chastises him.
- It's just a shame that no one helped me when I was going through a worse hell than she was. Now you all are ready to give your lives for her. The wonderful Veronica is in danger," he says arrogantly, then snorts under his breath. - I'm going back to school. I don't need your fake key. At least in climbing walls I'm better," she says as she walks away.
The redhead closes her eyelids. She believes her friends will understand their situation and help them get rid of this demon - once and for all.