Casting Bones

Chapter 12 - Part 2

"I guess I can understand why owls are associated with creepy shit like the underworld and demons though." Desi finished the second donut then laid back on Casper's bed when a silence hung between them momentarily. His stomach was already protesting to the subpar breakfast once he swallowed the last bite, so he covered the growl with more musing. "Wanna hear something sick? Owls don't even really chew or break apart their prey. They just swallow it whole. Fucking savage animals."

"You really do know a stupid amount about owls." Casper snorted, shaking his head as if he was going to leave it there, but followed up with another question. "What about the fur and bones?"

Desi sat up again, too excited with the answer to contain himself. "That's the sickest part! All the shit it can't digest, it just throws it back up. It comes out as this little ball of bones and flesh and teeth and shit. They can't even have another meal until they get rid of it. It's like a predator bird thing, I guess. It's called a casting."

"That's disgusting." His tone sounded less like repulsion and more like intrigue though. Not surprising, Desi thought, from a kid who liked to draw skeletons and do blood magic.

Desi wrecked his brain for more interesting factoids, but before he could come up with one, his phone buzzed. When he checked the screen he groaned, garnering a questioning hum from Casper. "It's Wyatt."

"He's persistent."

"Like a loyal dog." Desi had to give him that, at least.

"He's not the one you're mad at," Casper reminded, a carefulness to his words that felt almost out of character. He negated it by keeping his eyes glued to his computer screen and sipping at his coffee.

"Yeah. I guess. It's kind of a package deal thing with those two though." Desi dwelled on that point, something bitter about it sticking in his throat. That's what he used to say about himself and Nic, but as the words left his mouth, Desi realized that it had been a while since him and his best friend were glued at the hips like in junior high. What had happened the last few years? Where had they started drifting apart enough for betrayal and secrets to work their way between them?

"You should probably talk to them. They're your friends after all, right?" For how apathetic Casper could come off, he certainly was good at saying what he knew was expected. He was also good at those subtle reminders. They were Desi's friends; he wasn't. Desi was playing his toes dangerously close to the line in the sand Casper had previously drawn, forgetting momentarily that this kindness Casper was affording him was intended to be temporary. "Besides, they probably know best of anyone what you're going through right now."

Desi knew Casper was just trying to be encouraging, but something about it left a bad taste in his mouth. He was right, and yet Desi stared up at the ceiling and picked the point apart, poked holes, stabbed and cut it until it barely resembled logic anymore.

After all, how much better could they possibly know him? Casper seemed to do a perfectly fine job diagnosing Desi's shit the night before, enough to mix him up a joint that sedated his particular brand of disfunction for long enough to catch up on some much needed sleep. Desi and Casper weren't friends, but Casper effortlessly understood something about Desi's current state of mind that he wasn't entire sure his "friends" would get so easily.

Maybe Nic would. They'd had that once; that wordlessness between them. Something as close to telepathy as normal, unextraordinary humans could get. But Desi couldn't bring himself to consider that far. Every time he thought of Nic, he thought of other things; ravenous, demon thoughts that ate up the rest of his logic.

Did he even feel guilty? Had he ever wanted to tell Desi what they were doing behind his back? Or was it never even an option? Did he regret it now, that it was too late? Now that she was probably a corpse and Desi was as good as a ghost? Did he really think Desi could have done something to her, or was he just dealing with the disbelief and deny with anger and accusations?