Mrs. Moran allowed Lorraine to go with Ed to a little soda shop not far from the theater. Lorraine didn't have many friends of the opposite sex, and she'd never went out with a boy by herself, yet Mrs. Moran had confidence that the area was well populated and that the two would have no opportunity to create any sort of mischief.

   They walked to the restaurant from school on a warm Wednesday evening. Ed had dressed in a suit, and Lorraine was embarrassed that she'd dressed rather casually. He teased her about it for a short period, then let up, understanding that she was serious about her appearance.

   The soda shop was connected to a strip of stores that sat across from the museum. These included a vinyl and radio store called by the name of Don's, a dress shop called, "Laney's Dress and Shoes," and a discount market where women could go to buy cheap, easily-cooked meals.

   As they took the crosswalk to the opposite side of the street, Lorraine couldn't help but remember Carla's continuous chatter about her new dress. She could go on all day talking about the new accessories, the clairvoyant mused.

   "I saw what you did at the bake sale yesterday," Ed started. Her thoughts were interrupted by the squeak of the chair as he pulled it away from the table, allowing his companion to sit.

   "Thank you," she chimed, blushing. "You mean, with Susie?" she asked, picking up the paper menu.

   "Yeah. That was really sweet of you. Everyone knows her family's been going through a rough time; heck, we all have. It just felt right to see someone reach out to them and give them something, even if it was just a cookie."

   Lorraine grinned, unsure of how to react to his praise. Still, something inside her was unsatisfied. "I know the Church is going through it, too, but I wish there was something better we could do for Mrs. Wilkins, and the rest of the families, for that matter."

   "Lorraine Moran, the girl who tried to help everyone," Ed muttered at one point.

   They ordered two cheeseburgers, a small batch of fries, and chocolate milkshakes. Lorraine was as graceful as ever, and was doing her best not to smear ketchup all over her face. Ed also tried to maintain a similar grace to that of his new friend; he failed miserably and squirted mayonnaise out of his burger on the first bite.

   Lorraine giggled. "Someone's on target this afternoon," she teased, pointing out where the contiment had landed on the table in a white splat.

   He swallowed and uttered an apology. Miss Moran merely cleaned the spot from the table, trying not to blush in the process.

   "You're crazy, Ed Warren," she'd said, taking a sip of her milkshake. She watched every move he made, suddenly feeling that she could see into the depths of his soul. The young clairvoyant wasn't sure why he'd made friends with her; she supposed that only God could know that.

   It wasn't long before the two had finished their meal. Ed stood, excusing himself to the men's room nervously, pondering the current situation. Sweat poured down the young man's face. The thought of her soft brunette hair was making his heart thump. Was this what it felt like to be in love? Ed could only imagine a cartoon character with his heart literally pumping out of his chest; three years from now he would use this analogy to describe his love for Lorraine.

   Meanwhile, dearest Lorraine Moran was glancing down at her folded hands. She was always catching herself picking at her fingernails...Cut it out, Lorraine, you're in public, her mother would've told her.

   Unfortunately for the two lovestruck teens, they'd picked the same diner that Bobby Murdock and Ricky Mahoney frequented on the weekdays. The two juvenile delinquents had a habit of picking on the other teenagers, often for the mere adrenaline of fighting until one of them was knocked bloody and taken to the courthouse.

   No one could have been sure of anything that went on between the boy's brains, or even if they had any brains at all. In a single second, something had possessed ole' Bobby Murdock and he'd decided that it would be a pleasant idea to tease Lorraine Warren.

   "Look at that, Bobby," Rick had said, pointing rudely at Lorraine. "That's fair game, right there," he was speaking for all to hear; if the adults noticed, they ignored him.

   "Aw, Rick, you know you can't have that one," he said, slapping the other boy's hand. "She's the kook o' the town, remember?" he asked, keying Ricky in on the joke.

   "Aw, yeah, she's the one that sees angels. I've even heard the other girls say that she sees the future," he gawked, "like a walking time machine!"

   "Hey, lady, can you tell me my future? Read my palm?" he asked, extending a hand to her.

   She huffed. "I'm not a time machine. I can't always see the future, and I've no clue how to read palms," she replied, crossing her arms. Their presence was making her uncomfortable, though, and she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to hide it for long. C'mon, Ed, where are you?

   Bobby didn't take kindly to the clairvoyant's refusal to acknowledge him, and jerked her up by the hand. She yelped, pulling away from him, before Ed flung himself at the other boy, grabbing him by the throat.

   His grasp on Lorraine loosened. "Ed, let him go!"

   Ed was still holding on. His nails bored into skin of Bobby Murdock's neck, the boy sputtered but couldn't speak.

   "Ed! Drop him. He's not worth it," she ordered, and Ed's eyes came back into focus. He dropped ole' Murdock on the floor; the boy gasped for air before whining about how Ed Warren had almost killed him.

   "I want you outta my diner, now," someone demanded, presumably the one called Joe.

   "But, sir, he-"

   "I don't want excuses, I just want you all outta this diner before I have to call your parents for you."

   Ed and Lorraine paid and left. Both the teens wanted to get as far away from the boys as possible, even if Ed did almost choke him to death.

   "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Lorraine," he'd told her, with all the sincerety in the world.

   "It's okay. It's not Bobby's fault, anyways. The war is taking a tole on everyone, even him."

   "How- how do you know that?"

   "I- I don't want to talk about it."

   There was a long, awkward pause before Ed continued. "I don't understand fighting. War is horrible. I would never want to be the one to start it, so I can't imagine what goes on in their minds."

   Silence pursued them again.

   "Ed, do you believe in demons?"

   "Yeah, I do."

   "Sometimes I think demons are used to wage war on this earth...sometimes...I believe that it's through no fault of their own that any human being starts a war."

   The two were silent as he walked her home. Later, as he stood on her mother's porch, he told her that he wanted to keep seeing her, if it was okay with her.

   "Yeah," she said, "I'd like that."