Aphelion

I think this one would have benefited from a subtler touch . . . the 'something's wrong' clues were too obvious, and confusing in their isolation from the day-to-day backdrop. Then, her students suddenly turn into sincere learners, again without a hint as to why.

Sure, all the pieces of the puzzle come together -- just not that gracefully. And then there's that battle -- too in-your-face, and over too quickly, and then Suzi relaxes too soon afterward.

For a little while after the battle scene, when Mike was acting strangely, I thought maybe the demon had entered him. Might have made for an interesting twist.

The best thing about this story is that the Bad Guy won a round.