Spenser looked around him. Shimmering was a lot of fun. And it was a lot faster than walking wherever he wanted to go. Besides, by shimmering he could go places that he normally couldn't get to. Like where he was standing right now.
The building was a nondescript structure that most people wouldn't give a second thought to. What it had once been Spenser could only guess at. And it had taken him several days to finally locate it. Cartrack had told them about it but hadn't mentioned where it was. But from the description this had to be the place.
"Who are you?" asked a voice behind him.
Spenser turned around to see who had spoken. Three men stood about twenty feet from him. They all appeared to be human but Spenser knew their looks were deceiving. They all appeared to be in their early to mid twenties.
"My name is Biltok," he said. "I've been looking for you."
"We use human names here," said the foremost figure. "Why are you looking for us? Whenever we have new arrivals we're always told in advance. And someone always brings them. We haven't been told of any new arrivals."
"That's because Cartrack doesn't know I'm here," said Spenser. "My human name is Carson Spenser. And I'm like you. Half human, half demon."
"What do you want?" asked another of the figures.
"To join you," said Spenser. "I don't belong in the underworld. And recently I learned I may not belong in the mortal world either. I met Belthazor. He told me that everything Cartrack was teaching me was wrong. I'm not sure what to believe any more."
"Belthazor?" questioned the first figure. "We heard he had been vanquished."
"Those rumors are wrong," said Spenser. "I didn't want to stay in the underworld any longer. I didn't know where else to go. Cartrack told me about this place. I figured it was a good place to come to."
"I'm John," said the first figure. "This is Carl and Reggie. I'm surprised Cartrack said anything about this place. If the hierarchy learns of it we could all be in trouble."
"Don't worry," said Spenser. "He only told me. And he only told me because he said my powers hadn't manifested themselves yet. He said if I didn't get any powers soon the Source would probably want me terminated. So he told me about this place and said if that happened I'd be sent here."
"Cartrack is a softy," said Reggie. "He gets real attached to his charges. When he's told to terminate one he can't bring himself to do it. So he sends them to us. Here they can live out their lives without fear of reprisal from the demonic hierarchy."
"So," said John, "you're like us. No powers, huh?"
"Actually," said Spenser, "I do have a power. I'm something called an absorber. Cartrack told me a little about it but I don't really understand all of it."
"An absorber?" questioned Carl. "They're rare. And all are conjured."
"Cartrack said one of my ancestors must have been an absorber," said Spenser. "Like I said, I wasn't sure where to go. I thought I could stay here with you guys. So no one will bother me."
"Well," said John, looking at the other two, "we never turn someone away. The rules are simple. You pull your own weight. Which means you'll have to do your share of chores. When you're old enough you'll be expected to get work and help out with the expenses."
"Okay," said Spenser. "Anything else?'
"Yeah," said Reggie. "You never tell anyone about this place. We're all supposed to be dead, remember? If you tell anyone about this place you'll put us all at risk. The Source may be vanquished but there are plenty of high level demons that would like nothing better than to kill all of us."
"Okay, I understand," said Spenser. "Anyone ever come here?"
"Just a couple of Cartrack's underlings that bring new members," said Carl. "They don't stay long. They just drop off the kids and then leave. And don't worry. They'll never know you're here so Cartrack will never find out."
"Thanks," said Spenser. "I appreciate it. I got a lot of thinking to do."
"About whether you're human or demon?" John questioned, smiling. "We've all been there, kid. We're part of each and don't really belong in either world. Come on. Let's get you some place to sleep and we can have a talk. Maybe we can help you decide exactly where you belong."
Spenser followed the three toward the back of the building. His entire life he had been groomed to take his place in a world he never was sure he had belonged in. Now he was with others of his own kind. Others who had gone through what he had gone through. Who understood what he was feeling. He felt he could finally relax and learn who, and what, he really was.
The End
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