Ranicki was the leader, Leaf was second in command, and the rest of us just followed them. It wasn’t like a gang; Ranicki had some really interesting ideas and Leaf had a way of keeping us all together to do them. We were the original rebels.

It wasn’t like we exactly doing anything criminal, right? We just went against the system. The six of us thrown together were trouble, the ultimate cool. Nobody talked to us because they feared to be seen with us. We were the elite.

“Hey guys, how about we go pay a visit to Mr.Wiles?” Ranicki said, flinging her long braid back from her face.

“Why?” Leaf asked, looking bored as he gazed at his palm.

Niley, who was hanging upside down from the monkey bars at the playground we were at giggled. “Because we can!” she snickered and then came down from the bars.

I wasn’t so sure. Mr.Wiles was pretty creepy and I knew for one that we shouldn’t be seeing him. My mom would freak if she found out. But as always Ralf and Mary sided with Ranicki and Niley, and Leaf was, once again, neutral. I couldn’t vote against them. After all, they were my best friends. So as always we went up to the black house and pounded on the door. A voice told us to come in, and we entered.

It was way too dark inside there for a sunny day. The place looked like a fortune teller had taken it over, with all the creepy idols and tarot cards lying around. Mr.Wiles grinned immensely when he saw us. “Ah, my daughters and sons. It’s great to see you again.”

“We’re back for more fun Gregor.” Ranicki sat down and the rest of us followed. Ranicki was the only one daring enough to call adults by their first name. He didn’t seem to mind.

The old man smiled with yellow teeth. “I have just the thing.” He went into a back room and I fidgeted. If I was alone I would have fled out of there, but as it was I kept quiet. The last time we had come here he had taught us how to levitate a person, Niley in particular. The words they had used to raise her a couple inches off the table weren’t right, and it made me feel terrible saying them.

“Here we are,” He brought out an Ouija board and my heart sunk. We weren’t going to try and borrow a demon’s power this time; instead we were going to talk to them.

He brought it out and set it up, a maniac look on his face. Ranicki looked the same, as well as Ralf and Niley. Even Leaf looked interested. Only Mary and I glanced at each other warily before they began.

I wouldn’t touch that thing. For a second I thought that nothing was going to happen. After all, how many times had we come here and played with voodoo dolls and practiced levitation? What would make this any different?

That was when the window flew open. I considered that a warning and a voice in my head kept on telling me to get out. But I stayed there, immobile. The window opening by itself didn’t scare the others; it only made them more excited. They continued, calling demon’s names and saying incantations.

Then the mirror on the wall broke. Items started flying around the room. Mary let out a scream but Leaf laughed. Suddenly Mr. Wiles was blown backwards and there was an insane wailing as them, dozens, flew out of his body. They went straight for Ranicki and three entered her. Two went for Leaf, and four for Niley. Mary and Ralf got one each. The demons turned to possess me and I backed against the wall, terrified.

Suddenly they all halted and looked at me in disgust. My eyes widened dramatically and my mouth dropped wide open in terror. They were aimed at my throat, gnashing in horrible fury. I glanced down and noticed the cross my mother had given me for my birthday hanging delicately from my throat. The silver chain hung down, supporting the silver crucifix that was studded in sapphire. They seemed to be repelled by it, even afraid of it. I wasted no time jumping out the door and rushing home.

I was going to scream in terror and glanced back several times. I felt for sure they were chasing me. No one followed. The keys fell out of my hand twice before I finally fit them in the lock with fumbling fingers. I turned the lock and opened the door, bolting it with all the locks we had before going straight to the phone. Swallowing with difficulty I scanned the phone book for all the churches I knew. I needed someone who could perform exorcisms.

A beam of sunshine hit the cross that was dangling. Behind me it cast a prism of rainbow reflections on the darkening wall.