Word Vomit

When the end bell of sixth period rang, Aru could barely stop herself from jumping onto her desk. She wasn’t the only one who was excited. It was the day when school got out for winter break.

Even though Atlanta was just cold instead of snowy, the whole world felt like almost-Christmas. Which was the best. Fairy lights and paper snowflakes covered the ceilings. The Christmas songs that had been playing since November hadn’t started to drive her crazy yet, either. And in that day’s chemistry class, their teacher had taught them how to make fake snow with baking soda and water, so most of the tables were covered with tiny snowmen.

Aru started to pack up her things. Her lab partner, Arielle, smiled at Aru, but it was a slightly wary are-you-a-witch? grin.

“So…where are you going for Christmas?” Arielle asked.

As usual, Aru lied. But this time, it had a far different purpose. “Nowhere,” she said. “You?”

“Maldives,” said Arielle. “We’ve got a timeshare on a private island.”

“I hope you have fun.”

Arielle looked a bit surprised at that. But then she smiled more genuinely. “Thanks. Um, by the way, my parents are throwing a New Year’s party at the Fox Theatre downtown. I don’t know if you got the invite already, but you and your mom are invited if you want.”

“Thanks!” said Aru. This time she didn’t lie. “But we’ve got family plans.”

She’d never said the words family plans before, and she didn’t think she’d ever get tired of saying it.

“Oh. Well, have fun.”

“I’ll try!” called Aru. “Have a good break!”

And with that, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and stepped into the cold. While most of her classmates were on their way to their private jets or chauffeurs, Aru was on her way to her training session in the Otherworld.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for three hours, Aru and Mini learned war strategy from Hanuman, dancing and etiquette from Urvashi, and folklore from Boo. They were supposed to get more teachers starting next week, and even join the other Otherworldly kids who were training (although none of them were the offspring of gods).

“Other kids? Like us?” Mini had asked.

“Yup,” said Aru. “Maybe that snake boy from Costco will be there.”

“I don’t think he’d remember me….”

“You walked into a telephone pole, Mini. I’d say that’s pretty memorable.”

Mini thwacked her on the head with Dee Dee.

But before they could join the other students, their parents had wanted to make sure they had mastered the basics and caught up. It was essentially, said Boo, “remedial classes for divine dunces.” Rude.

Aru wasn’t thrilled about having to take Dance, but as Urvashi had explained, “When Arjuna was cursed to lose his manhood for one year, he became a wonderful dance instructor, and it made him that much more graceful in combat. I should know—I’m the one who cursed him, after all.”

“When are we going to get to the stabby stuff?” Aru had asked last Wednesday.

Vajra, who had decided to become a glowing pen instead of a lightning bolt for that day, burned brighter at her question.

Boo’s gaze had narrowed. “One should not want to rush toward violence.”

Today, as she walked home, she thought about the last message she’d received from Mini. Aru still didn’t have a phone, so they couldn’t text, but that’s where the stone elephant came in handy. When she’d checked the elephant’s mouth this morning, Mini’s letter was simple:

Aru laughed, remembering it. But the laugh quickly died in her throat when she saw who was walking just a few feet in front of her on the sidewalk.

The new boy at school.

Aiden Acharya had enrolled just last week, which seemed really impractical, considering that winter break was just about to start. But according to the school’s best gossip (Poppy), his family had been very convincing (read: they were superrich). He was having a pretty easy time adjusting at school, which made sense considering he looked like…that.

Until recently, Aru hadn’t given much thought to what made a boy good-looking. Just the basic standards of not sounding like a braying donkey and not smelling like a pair of cursed sneakers ruled out half the guys in her class. Aiden, on the other hand, had dimples and curly black hair. And he smelled nice. Not like soap or deodorant, but like clean laundry. Plus, his eyes were really dark and framed by even darker lashes.

She hadn’t spoken to him yet. What would she say? All she knew was that he and his mom had moved into the large house right across from the museum. Yesterday, his mom and her mom had started talking on the street. Indian people did that all the time. (Oh, you’re Indian? Me too! How ’bout that?)

Aiden had been standing with his mom. At one point, it looked like he had seen Aru watching them from the museum window. Aru had flashed her most attractive smile (she even sucked in her nose) before remembering that she was wearing a pair of metal horns. Boo had insisted that she wear them whenever she was at home. (What if you need to wear a helmet while fighting demons? Your neck needs to be strong!)

Aru had panicked, walked straight into the fridge, and fallen flat on her face. She’d then continued to lie on the kitchen floor for another hour.

She still wanted to strangle Boo.

Now Aru was squeezing her eyes shut in embarrassment over Aiden possibly having seen her in horns when she banged her nose into something. His backpack. She looked up. Aiden looked down. He was at least a foot taller than her. In the afternoon light, his skin looked golden.

“Hi,” he said.

Aru opened her mouth. Closed it. Come on, Aru. You walked through the Kingdom of Death. You can talk to a—

He smiled. “Don’t I know you?”

“I…” She choked.

Why did her voice suddenly seem so deep, out of nowhere? She sounded like the weatherman. She made a fist and hit her throat. Which only made her cough. Say something! But the only thing her brain could come up with was: How you doin’? No! thought Aru. Definitely do not say that. This was what she got for marathoning Friends. Aru smiled. And then she opened her mouth. “I know where you live!”

Aiden stared at her. She stared at him.

“You what?”

“I…um…demons. Good-bye.”

She had never run home so fast in her life.