'Someone's watching you,' she finally said. 'She's right next to you. Beautiful, but black. Evil. Have you tried to get rid of her?'
This wasn't so good for a laugh. This was less funny by the moment. 'Who is it?' I asked.
'It's not a who,' Maria answered. 'It's a what. A demon. I see her; she has long black hair and pointy teeth.'
'Are you sure she's a demon?'
Maria nodded. 'No one else has a black aura like that. So you haven't tried to get rid of it?'
I shook my head. 'I didn't know.'
'You really didn't know what that was?' Maria asked. Her voice was suspicious. I had a sick nervous feeling as she looked at me; it reminded me of being in school without having done my homework. I felt like I had been caught at something naughty.
'No,' I told her. 'How was I supposed to know?'