“The devil plays tricks,” her aunt stated simply.

“Do you feel the devil, right now? Do you feel any darkness within me?” Vera peered at her earnestly.

She may not be as gifted as her sister, but Aunt Tilda had an extra sense.

“No.” Her aunt shook her head. “I don’t.”

“Neither do I. Maxwell said the demon was wrong today, about his feelings for Chloe. And I think it’s wrong about my dreams. That’s the trick. These dreams, these feelings, are real, and it wants me to believe otherwise.” Vera’s throat grew thick, tears collecting one on top of the other. “Aunt Tilda, Seth Durand wasn’t a bad man. He wasn’t evil, not before that day. He killed all those people as some sort of offering. How could he do that?”

Vera sniffled, unsure why she was crying. For him, because of him, for everyone who died? She reached for a Kleenex from the box on the nightstand. Seth Durand said he would do anything, just like Maxwell’s mother did. Vera balled the tissue in her fist, squeezing out her fears, her throbbing head, her dark visions—she wanted it all out.

“He made a choice,” her aunt replied. “People aren’t born evil. Lucifer wasn’t always the devil. He was once the morning star, God’s second-in-command. Then he chose pride and was sent to Hell.”

“Clearly, he didn’t stay there.” Vera huffed.

Aunt Tilda nodded in agreement. “We’ve seen a lot of evil in this house, and we keep saying you have to invite it in, but maybe invite is the wrong word. The line that separates good and bad, it doesn’t exist out there somewhere in need of an invitation.” She twirled her veiny hand in the air. “It’s inside you, but not like cancer, not like something you can’t control. It’s a choice. People know right from wrong. They know not to cross the street until the light says Walk, but sometimes they cross anyway; they think the rules don’t apply to them, and they don’t care who gets hurt. The man who caused the explosion, he made a choice; it was unthinkable, and we all got hurt.”

“But he saved his son.”

“And killed seventeen others, not to mention the permanently injured and the families he destroyed. All to do a demon’s bidding. And now the son he saved is leading a cult.”

“But the Sunshine people think the group is helping them, that they’re learning empowerment and getting grief counseling.” Vera considered Samantha and her mom. They were good people, smart people. How could they not see what was happening? If this group could get to them, it could get to anyone.

Aunt Tilda shook her head like it wasn’t that simple. “Yes, when they bought that book, they were seeking something to bring them peace of mind. But at some point, they let that man’s words replace their own. They abandoned all logic and reason and agreed that he alone had all the answers. He told them death was better than living, and they agreed. Blindly.” She handed Vera another tissue, the good kind with lotion. “He could probably stand in the town square and commit mass murder, and they’d somehow find it justified. Why? Because he said he could solve their problems, take away their pain, and that somehow gave them the right to inflict pain on others. The devil’s in that.”