Read The Boy Who Could See Demons for Free Online

my granny said my dad should go to Hell for what he did.’
    He quickly drew a hand to his mouth as if he had revealed something of himself that he didn’t wish to.
    ‘It’s OK,’ I reassured him. ‘You can say that, I’m not here to punish you.’
    He nodded and fidgeted in his seat.
    ‘I run,’ I said, to break the tension. ‘Running makes me happy.’ I laughed, but Alex’s face dropped.
    ‘I don’t want to,’ he said tensely.
    I cocked my head. ‘What?’
    He glanced at the corner, as if someone was there. Then he took a deep sigh. ‘OK,’ he said resolutely. I waited for him to continue. Finally, he broke into a wary smile and said: ‘Ruen wants me to say hi.’
    I stared at him. ‘Ruin?’
    ‘Ruen’s my friend,’ Alex said, with a hint of confusion in his voice, as if he already expected me to know. ‘My best friend.’
    ‘Ruin,’ I repeated. ‘Well, thank you. Hello back to Ruin. Can you tell me who Ruin is, though?’
    Alex chewed his lip, his eyes dropping to his feet.
    ‘Ruin’s an unusual name,’ I said. Then, after a long pause: ‘Is Ruin an animal?’
    He shook his head, his eyes focused beyond me. ‘Some of them are, but Ruen’s not. He’s … we’re just friends.’
    ‘Some of them?’ I asked. He nodded but said no more. Imaginary friends , I thought.
    ‘Can you tell me a little bit about him?’
    Alex looked up, thinking. ‘He likes my granddad’s piano. And he loves Mozart.’
    ‘Mozart?’
    Alex nodded. ‘But Ruen can’t play the piano.’ A pause. ‘He says you do, though.’
    ‘Yes,’ I said, my smile withering. ‘I’ve played the piano since I was a little girl. Mozart’s not my favourite composer, though. My very favourite is Ra—’
    ‘Ravel,’ Alex said, matter-of-factly finishing my sentence. ‘Ruen says Ravel was like a Swiss watchmaker.’
    ‘A Swiss watchmaker?’ His accuracy shocked me. Ravel had been my favourite composer for decades. I set down my pen and folded my arms. This kid was full of surprises.
    Alex leaned sideways, as if he was listening to something. Then he straightened up and stared at me. ‘He means Ravel wrote his music like he was making a really expensive watch.’ He lifted his hands and twisted imaginary dials. ‘Like all the cogs fitted.’
    It wasn’t out of the question that he might know about Ravel, though still fairly astonishing. I was intrigued. ‘And how does Ruin know all this?’
    Alex didn’t blink. ‘Ruen is over nine thousand years old. He knows lots of stuff, though most of it is really boring .’
    ‘Does he tell jokes, too?’
    Alex raised his eyebrows and started to laugh, his head arched right back. When he recovered himself he said, ‘No way, Ruen thinks my jokes are stupid . He’s more serious than the Terminator.’
    I must have looked puzzled, because Alex read my face and told me, ‘You know, the film? With Arnie?’ He put on a surprisingly decent Arnold Schwarzenegger voice: ‘It’s in your nature to destroy yourselves .’
    I gave a sufficiently generous chuckle though I note his interest in films older than he is as unusual. ‘Does Ruin look like Arnie, too?’
    ‘No, he …’ His eyes searched the room. ‘He says you are delectable.’
    Alex’s voice had a tone of surprise to it, and he pronounced ‘delectable’ in a lowered tone and slightly English accent.
    ‘Do you know what that word means, Alex?’
    He searched his mind. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I skipped most of D.’ He started to reach for his collar again. ‘Can we talk about something else now, please?’
    I nodded, but when I looked up I realised it wasn’t me he was asking. He was still addressing the empty space in the corner.
    ‘We can talk about anything you like,’ I said, but he was starting to shake his head furiously. ‘Stop it!’ he shouted. I felt Michael rise to his feet behind me, and I raised my hand to prevent him from intervening.
    ‘Take it easy, Alex,’ I said calmly. His face was pale, his eyes