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demon/angel story
Prologue
He was flying, flying fast. He pushed himself harder as he passed a flock of birds, and flew straight through a cloud, soaking him. He had been flying for two hours straight, and his wings were starting to ache.
“Have...to...keep...going,” he gasped. “Have...to find...her.” He pushed himself harder, but he was starting to lose altitude. Finally, he had to stop, rest, and get something to eat, otherwise he would be no help.
He landed in a clump of bushes, and transformed back to normal. He put his shoes on, and walked across the street to a small diner, called “Angel’s Diner.” He heard a bell tinkle as he entered, and ordered two large burger meals. The waitress looked at him funny, and gave him the same look when she returned with his food. He ate it fast, knowing that he was losing precious time, and asked for the check when he saw the waitress again. She stared at him, and went through a small door in the wall. She returned with a small woman in tow, whispering excitedly in her ear. She seemed very angry, and stopped right in front of the table.
“Young man, may I see you in my office for a moment?” she asked in a polite tone. She was suspicious looking, and every fiber in his body was telling him to run. However, he slowly followed her through the door, down a hall, and into a large office. “You seem to have this sort of negative energy around you. I have been notified by the...” she paused, “authorities, that if anyone like you were to come around, then I would notify them immediately, so they could come and collect you.”
He was stunned. Finally, after holding his breath since he entered the office, he took a small whiff. He was attacked by the smell of Half-Angel everywhere, and he immediately looked around for an escape route.
“No, there is no way out,” she said, smiling politely. “You are the demon they are looking for, and you will be taken, and destroyed.” She smiled sweetly, and then her face grew furious. “To think, you were about to kiss an angel.” She spat upon the ground. “Demons are not meant for angels. We are pure creatures, the essence of light itself, and you would dare to taint that by kissing one of our kind?” Wings shot from her back, speckled brown and yellow. “And to think, she was going along with it.” She spat again, before drawing a sword from somewhere. “I should kill you right now,” she said, taking a step forwards.
“But you won’t,” he said, smiling. “You won’t even get a chance to.”
“And why not?” she snarled, taking another step closer.
“Because,” he snarled back, changing instantaneously. She stepped back in shock as he unfurled his huge wings. “Nothing can stop me from saving her, not even death. And besides,” he chuckled. “You left your skylight open.”
“No ” she screamed, swiping at him. She struck empty air, for he had already launched himself up and out, into the cool night air. He could smell Angels nearby, both Pure and Half, so he flew faster. He had always been very fast, and was now exceeding even that speed as he was helped by the wind at his back. He could hear screams behind him as chase was given, but they quickly died out.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “You will be safe. I promise. I will not let them kill you, just for whom you choose.” He approached an airfield, and flew straight over it, startling a couple of workers. “You will be safe.” He crossed the border between Canada and the U.S., and used his anger to fuel his wings, concentrating on nothing but the up and down motion they made.
Chapter 1
He was wandering in the store, looking for something to occupy his time on the way back. He passed up the big stores, looking for one of the little stands that held puzzles, and little trinkets. Finally, after traversing almost the entire store, he found one. It was very small, and had all sorts of little wooden objects covering it. He didn’t see anyone, so he walked up and began looking at the items for sale.
“May I help you?” a voice said. He was startled, and turned around quickly to find himself facing an ancient looking lady, with iron-gray hair and dark glasses on.
“Yes, actually. I was hoping to find some sort of little doo-dad, like a puzzle or something, to fiddle around with. Do you carry any puzzles, really challenging ones?”
She looked right at him, assessing him for a few moments. Finally she said, “Yes, I believe I have something you might like.” She walked around him, and reached deep into the cart to pull out a leather bag that clinked as it moved.
“This is many puzzles in one. It was used by an ancient people as a game to test the problem solving abilities of its children, and can be reconstructed into many different shapes. However, it is said to have a curse upon it. Whoever uses it will gain abilities beyond the normal human, and may become non-human in time.” Her voice lost its creepy quality, and returned to a normal tone. “This is my last one, and since you are my first customer today, you can have it for the small price of fifteen dollars.”
“Done,” the kid said, and handed over the money. He turned to go, but was grabbed by the old lady with a grip as strong as a young mans.
“Just remember, a curse is only a curse if you use it that way. Go, but beware, for your life will soon be turned upside down.” She let go, and wheeled her cart away.
“Crazy superstitious old lady,” he muttered, and ran through the crowd toward the bus he was supposed to be on at that very moment.
“John ” yelled a voice as he ran onto the bus. “Where were you? Your late by five minutes.”
“Sorry, Jules, but I had to pick up something new to occupy myself.” John pulled the bag out of his pocket, and when he had finally sat down, dumped it out into his hand. “I found a little old lady selling things, and I bought this puzzle she says is cursed.” He smirked, showing how little belief he put into it.
“Wow, looks confusing,” Julia said. She took a piece, and looked at it closer. “Hmm, looks almost like gold, but it’s too light to be gold. Maybe bronze?” she asked, putting it back in the pile in John’s lap.
“I don’t know. All I know is that this thing had better last me the rest of the trip, or I’m going to want a refund.” He smiled, and went back to work. Julia pulled out her I-pod, and without a word handed one of the ear-buds to John. He inserted it into his ear, and concentrated on nothing but the puzzle in his hand for the next hour.
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John worked on the puzzle non-stop for the rest of the trip. On the bus, backstage, and in restaurants. He carried it with him everywhere, never letting go of it. He didn’t even sleep, he was so absorbed in trying to put together the little pieces. Finally, they were on the way home from their trip when he solved it.
“Yes, I finally solved it ” he exclaimed. He had big bags under his eyes, and he looked like a zombie. “Well, at least it lasted most of the trip.” Julia looked away from her conversation with Kourtney to examine it. “It’s a perfect circle,” she said, taking it from his hands. “It also looks like there’s writing here,” she murmured, pulling it into the light. “It says, ‘At midnight, you shall be turned into a creature that is both terrible, and great.’ Hmm, wonder what that means.”
“Probably that curse the lady warned me about. Who knows, maybe it will give me wings and turn me into a giant bat.” John laughed, but Julia kept staring at the puzzle.
“Could it really be possible?” she muttered, too low for anyone to hear.
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That night, John was having one of those nightmares that you only get when you have a high fever. He woke up, startled, and wandered outside for some fresh air. His family was fast asleep, so he was sure no one would notice him outside. The cool night air calmed him down, and allowed him to think about what he had just seen. He had been having dreams on and off over the past few years, and he noticed that if he tried hard enough after certain ones, he could remember them. These dreams seemed too real, and it wasn’t until he started living through them that he realized they must be some sort of prediction of the future. This one had been one of them, and he closed his eyes as he concentrated.
He saw himself, sitting on the steps where he was now, but doubled over in pain. He saw his face changing slightly, elongating, and his teeth lengthening into huge, black fangs. He saw his legs and arms also elongating, but his legs grew an extra joint, along with what looked like short claws. His entire body grew more muscular, and his hands grew claws, also. The dream image John rolled onto his side, and looked up at the sky. His face was sweaty, and veins were standing out. His eyes grew larger, and morphed into eyes that were similar to a cat’s. He blinked, but the eyelids came from the sides as well as from the top and bottom. He whimpered in pain, and fell off the steps, onto his stomach. Two sharp tips protruded from his back, and they exploded outward, turning into dark, scaly wings, wings almost seventeen feet from tip to tip. His skin turned scaly, horns grew from the top of his head, and a large, black tail appeared, that had sharp ridges on it, and was at least six feet long, from what he could see of it. He finally stopped shuddering, and his wings folded up against his back very gently.
And then the clock struck midnight.
He felt a shuddering coming from his stomach, and he didn’t need to see what was happening. He had already witnessed it in his own head. He doubled over in pain, and felt his face changing shape. He was unable to move his mouth, but he was screaming inside of his own head. Every time he felt a new stab of pain, he saw the dream play in his mind again, like someone was hitting rewind and play constantly. Finally, after only a minute, he just stayed on the ground, breathing heavily, trying not to move for fear of setting off more pain. He slowly curled into a tight ball, whimpering, and his mind shut itself down. The last conscious thought he had was, The old lady was right.
****************************************************************************** He woke up next day to find himself in his bed, in his room, and looking normal. He felt up and down his body, trying to see if anything was different.
“It was just a dream,” he whispered, and then laughed nervously. “Wow, I have got to stop eating cold pizza right before bed.” He laughed, and then got up to get ready. As he was getting ready, he stopped in the bathroom, and glanced at the mirror. He did a double-take, and his eyes bugged out.
He saw himself exactly as he had in his dream last night. He had scaly skin, claws, muscles, wings, fangs, and everything else. He closed his eyes and rubbed them, hoping he was just delirious, but was met with the same image after he looked back up. He shuddered, and skipped breakfast, suddenly not hungry. He waited for his mom to get ready herself, so she could drive him to school, but was jittery the entire time. The image disturbed him, and he shuddered every time it popped into his head.
He walked into school, trying to calm himself down. It’s nothing, he thought. So you saw a monster in the mirror? Big whoop. Maybe it was some of that food you had in D.C., or maybe it was the lack of sleep. Just don’t worry about it. You have bigger problems, like those projects. Worry about them.
It wasn’t working. His thoughts only increased his nervousness, and he had a hard time opening his locker. He was trying, unsuccessfully, to look normal, when Julia sneaked up on him.
“Boo ” she whispered in his ear. Her hair rubbed against his ear, making him jump and whirl around in shock. His hand was on his heart, and he was breathing heavily. “Wow, you’re jumpy. And you’re never jumpy. Is something wrong?” she asked him, still giggling after the scare.
“No, nothing’s wrong, everything is fine,” he said, still quite startled. She stared at him, waiting for him to relax.
“John, something is wrong. You’re very tense, and jittery. Now tell me.”
“I told you, nothing. I’m just...tired, that’s all.” He went back to his locker, and she continued to stand there for a moment, debating about whether to torture the info out of him, or believe him.
“Hey, Julia,” a voice said behind her. She turned around, and saw Mary standing there.
“Hi, Mary. Hey, listen,” she bent in close to her ear. “Does John looked jumpier than normal today?” Mary glanced at him, and managed to see him jump again as a coat brushed his back.
“Yeah, he does. He seems incredibly jumpy, almost like he’s scared of something. What do you think is wrong?” she asked. Julia pondered this for a moment, but couldn’t make anything of it.
“I really don’t know. He was fine when we got off the bus last night, so I don’t really know what it could be. Maybe something happened...?” she trailed off, pondering it. Mary let her be for a moment, but it was unusual for Julia to stay still for so long.
“Julia? You okay?” she asked, waving a hand in front of her face. Julia blinked once, and shook her head. “Did you think of anything?”
“No, nothing,” she said. “I wish I had, though. It would make everything a lot easier.” She shrugged, and went off to class. ******************************************************************************
John had gone to bed about an hour ago, and just couldn’t get to sleep. He tossed and he turned, but was unable to find a comfortable position. He decided to go outside and calm down, and maybe think about taking a walk.
He had been sitting on the steps for a few minutes when he started thinking about last night, and his transformation. Instantly, he felt a strange lurch in his gut. It almost felt like what had happened last night, but this had no pain, and the transformation was over in a few seconds. He looked down at his scaly, clawed hands, not understanding how this happened. He didn’t know if it was a good thing, or a bad thing.
“Wait a minute,” he mumbled. “Good or bad? Why does that sound familiar?” He racked his brain, searching for anything that had been said to him. After a few minutes, he gave up, unable to find anything. He groaned in frustration as he put his head in his hands.
He rose to go back to bed, but his nose encountered an unfamiliar, yet delicious smell. He took a deep whiff, and noticed all the smells his normal human nose had been too weak to pick up. He took a deep whiff, and followed the scent until it took off, up into the air. He looked up, wondering how to get up there, when he remembered his wings. He extended them, amazed at how large they were, and practiced flapping them. Each time, he felt the strong gust of air. He moved back a few feet, and decided to try and get airborne with a running start. He ran, and with his wings out, jumped off of a huge stump, flapping his wings fast, trying to get up. He managed to get up over the trees when he suddenly shot up into the sky. It was an updraft, and he rode through it. He could feel the different temperatures of different parts, and could feel a slight breeze behind him, all through his wings. He tilted his wings slightly, and started circling, trying to gain altitude. He made the mistake of looking down, but didn’t have any fear, surprisingly. It was almost like he was unafraid of falling hundreds of feet towards certain death. It was almost like he didn’t fear death.
He positioned himself directly in the path of the fragrance, taking a deep breath of it. It smelled so familiar, like he had been around it for a long time, and only now could actually smell it in its full potential.
He followed it, flying very fast for a few minutes, when it changed direction. He followed it towards the ground, and landed in a large oak tree, folding his wings against his back. The scent was still there, but it seemed to go around in circles, almost like it was confused.
“Hmm, why would something do this. Are they confused? Or are they doing it on purpose?” John muttered. The scent seemed to be fresher closer to the trunk, so he carefully wandered over to investigate. The scent doubled back towards the end of the limb, and John was starting to get suspicious. It seemed too perfectly placed to be just confusion.
“If it’s not confusion, then what...” he trailed off, before suddenly being smacked into the tree. He hit it hard, and all the breath was knocked out of him. His forehead was bleeding, and so was the back of his head. He tried to stand, but was stopped by the feeling of cold steel against his neck.
“Do not move, demon,” a muffled voice said. The voice seemed familiar, but it was muffled, almost like the person was speaking through one of their hands, but still familiar. He didn’t move, for fear of being hurt, but the blade just kept pressing into his neck. When it began to break the skin, he decided that he had had enough. His tail was able to move freely, so he whipped it up, knocking the sword away. He quickly turned, and was met with a surprising sight.
He saw a teenage girl about his own age. She was standing there in armor, and her face was covered by a large cloth, which was what was interfering with her speech. Her arms were very muscular, and she was also carrying a large array of weapons, ranging from a large sword to a small dagger. Her hair was a very dark brown, almost black in the moonlight, and had red dyed into the front part of it. However, that wasn’t what he couldn’t tear his eyes away from.
She had large wings, maybe twelve feet from tip to tip. They were pure white, and had feathers, like a bird, unlike his leathery bat-like ones.
“I said don’t move, demon,” she spat. He had never heard anyone speak with so much malice before, and he moved against the trunk as she drew another sword.
“Wait, please, you don’t understand,” he said. The sword swung towards his stomach, and narrowly missed cutting him open like a fish. Immediately he felt a strange lurching in his gut, but unlike the one that changed him, this made him leap towards the person. He hit her head on, and knocked her off the tree. Her sword was pinned against her side by his arms, so she was unable to swing it, but he was still getting beaten up from her kicking him.
“Let me go ” she screamed in anger. The ground was rapidly approaching, so he spread his wings, landing softly on the ground. The girl was incredibly strong, but his new muscles came into play, helping him to hold her down. He sat on her legs, and after removing he sword, he held down her arms.
“Please, let me speak,” he said. She calmed down slightly, and with a hard look in her eye, shut her mouth.
“I am going to let you up now, okay?” She didn’t say anything, so he continued. “Please, don’t hurt me or run away. I just want a few explanations. Okay?” She stared at him with an angry set to her mouth, but her eyes lost some of their fire, and softened a little as she slowly nodded. He gently stood up, and released both arms. He then extended a hand to help her up, which she took after a short moment.
“See? I didn’t hurt you. Now please, can you tell me a few things?” The girl looked at him for a moment, and bent down to retrieve her swords where they had fallen.
“Yes,” she said hesitantly. “Follow me,” she said, and ran forward, taking off. John followed her, and they both landed in a tree. She sat against the tree trunk, and placed a sword in her lap. She regarded him with wary eyes.
“You are a strange demon,” she said, looking him up and down. “Even though you are clearly a new demon, your instincts should be normal.” She blew some air towards me, and I was hit again by that wonderful smell. I sucked it in greedily. “But, you don’t seem to dislike the way I smell. You seem to enjoy it.” She took a sniff, and her eyes grew wide. “You don’t smell bad either. It’s almost like you are not a pure demon.”
It was silent for a few minutes before John got up the nerve to question her.
“What are you?” he asked.
“You don’t know what I am, either. Very curious,” she mumbled, probably to herself. “You really don’t know?” she asked. He shook his head. “I am a Half-Angel. We are produced when an angel inhabits a human body, and during conception, some of the angel’s genes are transferred to us.”
“What did you call me? A demon?”
She looked confused. “Don’t you know what you are?” He shook his head, and she looked curious again. “Hmm, you are strange. Well, for starters, you are a demon. I am not precisely sure what kind of demon, but you are clearly a new one, probably born only a few days ago, at most.”
John’s face betrayed the horror he felt. He was a demon, a creature known to all societies as evil. He knew this creature was a monster, but a demon? The thought had never crossed his mind.
“I-I cant be a d-demon. I’m human How am I a demon?” John was starting to lose control. It was all too much, too fast for him.
“Wait a minute,” the girl abruptly said. “You’re a human?” John nodded, and she looked at him with curiosity. “Well, did you recently acquire anything really old, probably used by ancient civilizations? A puzzle, maybe?”
John looked surprised. “Yeah, I did. Why?”
“Sometimes, old puzzles or artifacts hold demons inside of them. Usually it is a really powerful demon, and takes over the host body completely. Sometimes, however, there is a curse on the item. They usually say something along the lines of, ‘You are now cursed to be a monster until you do this and that.’ It is really quite common.”
“Well, I did recently buy a puzzle. The lady selling it to me told me it was cursed, but I didn’t believe her until I solved it, and it changed me at midnight the very night I solved it. It was,” he shuddered, “excruciatingly painful.”
“Hmm, yes, most demon transformations are.” She looked closer at John, paying specific attention to his face. “You know, I have the strangest feeling that we have met before. But you are a new demon. How is this possible?”
“Maybe you dream of the future, and saw me? I don’t know,” John mumbled. His watch beeped, and he noticed the time. “Midnight Oh, damn. I need to get home.” He looked up at the girl, and asked, “Can we meet here tomorrow? So I can ask some more questions?”
“Yes, I believe we can. At least, if I don’t have anything else to do.”
“Great.” He turned to go, but spun back around. “Oh, one last question. Well, two, actually. Will you not tell anyone about me?”
“Only if you don’t tell anyone about me,” she smiled. It was a small smile, but the small amount of trust he had gained was there.
“Okay. Tell me, will my sharpened senses work when I am human?”
She sat there for a moment before responding. “I’m not sure. They might, but probably not as good. Your senses will probably be better than a normal humans, now that they have finally started, but they won’t be as good as they are right now.”
“Okay. And thank you, so much,” he said, before launching off, into the night.
He was home before he bothered to think about her name.
“I can’t believe I didn’t ask her what her name was,” John groaned. “Well, I can ask her tomorrow night. Although, there was something familiar about her that I just can’t seem to place,” he said, before shrugging. He stopped with his hand on the doorknob, unsure as how to change back to normal. “Well, I thought about this, and I became it, so let’s see if it works the other way around,” he mumbled. He closed his eyes, and as soon as he pictured his normal self, he felt the strange lurch in his stomach. He felt himself growing shorter, and everything going back. He opened his eyes to find himself almost normal. His senses seemed to be heightened, just like the girl had said, and he also had more muscle than before. “Oh well,” he sighed. “It’s not that bad. It might actually be good,” he said, thinking about it. He shook his head, and then went inside.
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John woke up next day, feeling much better. He knew what he was now, but it was really the fact that he could see that was even better. He didn’t need his glasses, so he went to school without them, for the first time since he had started wearing them.
“Hey, John, did you get contacts?” was the first thing Jack asked him as he got into school. He hadn’t thought about that, and he wasn’t prepared.
“Yeah, I did,” he said.
“They look like cat’s eyes,” Jack said, looking closer.
“Really?” he said, looking in a broken cd on the ground. Indeed, they were. “Hmm, I asked for orange. Oh well, I like this, too.” He collected his books, and proceeded to his locker. He saw Mary and Ben walking in the door, and he saw Julia walking by, probably on her way to Jack. What he wasn’t prepared for was how delicious, and familiar, Julia smelled.
Chapter 2
It was all John could do to try and be normal for the rest of that day. He was nervous, hoping that he wouldn’t give myself away to Julia, yet what people seemed to notice more was the smile that must have been plastered on his face. Everyone kept asking if he was okay.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” They would always just shake their heads, shrug their shoulders, and walk away, glancing back. He eventually ignored their glances, but he could not ignore the way Julia was looking at him curiously. He never let her look directly at him, just in case she might see something in his eyes, betraying the truth, but he tried to be as normal as possible–tried to talk to her like he always did, tried to laugh with her, and tried as hard as possible not to breath in her heady scent (which would normally make his eyes water, and his head spin).
It was a relief when the bell finally rang at the end of the day. He rushed out, and was antsy throughout the rest of the day. His parents noticed, but he lied and told them about a test he had that he was nervous about, but he conveniently forgot to mention that the test wasn’t for another week. When he finally went to bed, he was afraid that he would keep his brother up with all of his tossing and turning, but his brother had had a hard day at baseball, and fell asleep rather fast. He waited an extra hour, just to be sure that everyone was really asleep, and then slipped outside, grabbing a jacket on his way, because it was an unseasonably cool night.
As he was running, he morphed, changing instantly, and his wings erupted out of the holes he had cut in his jacket, propelling himself high into the air. He flew fast and hard, and was amazed to find the same tree they had been on the night before in one shot. He thought he would have to retrace his steps (or wing-strokes, rather) to find it again, but it seemed that he had some sort of natural G.P.S. in his system, telling him exactly how to go where he was going. He saw a figure sitting on a branch, and recognized the wings long before he got close.
He landed on the edge of the branch, well out of reach of the sword sitting in her lap. She had her eyes closed, and the moonlight gave the small part of her face an eerie glow.
“Welcome back,” was all she said. “What would you like to know tonight?”
He had been prepared to blurt out her name, but he decided to bite his tongue. Let her tell me herself, when she’s ready, he thought. “I wish to know more about...what I have become, if you don’t mind,” he replied, slowly extending his wings just a little from his back, to make himself more comfortable. She opened her eyes, and turned around to face him.
“In order to know what you are, and what you are capable of, I must first tell you about the Beginning.” She pulled a small book out of a pouch on her belt, and flipped it open to a page near the middle.
“In the Beginning,” she began to read, “Chaos was the one ruler, and the one being. Eventually, out of Chaos came two creatures. One, the angel, was created in order for the later creatures to live in purity and harmony. The second was a hideous creature, a demon, born to tempt others on to dark and horrid roads. And so was born the eternal battle between light and shadow.” She finished, and then put the book away in her pouch. “This was written down by the very first angel, even as the demon was trying to rip out her throat. It explains of the births of both of us, out of one being, called Chaos.”
“Who, or what, was Chaos?” John asked.
“Chaos was the ruler of everything. He was the creator, and sired his children to populate the world he created. Greek and Roman mythologies recognize Chaos, but that is where the similarities end. He still reigns supreme, acting as the all powerful being to large religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, and others.”
“Alright,” John said. “What abilities do I have as a demon?”
She hesitated a moment before speaking. “I don’t know if I should tell you anything, actually. Even though you do seem clueless, the instinct to kill angels runs too deep inside demons.”
“I swear I won’t hurt you,” he said quietly, almost too low to hear. She hesitated a moment more, and then pulled a small glowing inkwell and quill from her pouch, along with a scrap of paper.
“The only way I can be sure of that is for you to swear and sign this paper, using ichor, the blood of Chaos.” She handed him the items, and he quickly signed, swearing it under his breath. His signature glowed for a moment, before turning a bright yellow color. “The color of truth...” she mumbled, examining it closer. She regarded him with wary eyes, but he just sat there, waiting. She collected her things, and then put her sword away, relaxing a bit.
“You are a brand-new demon, only a few days old. You only have a limited amount of abilities that you would have if you were a fully grown demon.”
“How old are fully grown demons?” he blurted out. She seemed surprised by his sudden outburst, and raised her eyebrows. “Sorry, I’m just curious,” he mumbled, putting his head down. She sat still for another moment, and then pulled out a different book.
“Demons normally reach maturity within ten years of being created,” she said, opening to a page near the end. John didn’t show it, but he was disappointed. He knew that it would be something like that, yet he couldn’t help but be let down.
“First you should know more about demons,” she said. They sat there for hours, with her explaining the different forms of demons, physical characteristics that could be used to identify humans who were either possessed or half-demon, and the different abilities demons had at their disposal.
“All demons, young or old, have superhuman strength, speed, and senses. If they are half demon, then they retain some of these abilities as a human. All demons also have wings, although some can not fly with them.”
“What are they used for then?” John asked.
“They have a very hard scale on them, and these demons use them as shields from all but the strongest or sharpest blades. Now, as you mature, you will gain new abilities, and your older ones will get stronger. Most demons become fire-proof as they get older, and some develop the ability to change their skin color, like a chameleon. All gain the power to make their skin soft or hard, and some demons have been recorded to have skin harder than diamonds.”
“What else?”
“Well, the book says that some can also use shadows to hide themselves, and one rare type can actually use shadows as portals from one place to another.”
John sat absorbing this while she sat reading some more from the book. Finally he asked, “What kind of demon am I?”
She seemed surprised by this question, and said, “I’m not sure really. I checked another of my books about demon classification, and you seem to be a strange one. My book is a more modern one, and I’m trying to obtain an older version, because you don’t appear in mine. I’ve checked with some other angels, and they’re trying to find out also. You are indeed an interesting one, I’ll give you that much.”
John wasn’t sure whether he wanted to know what he was or not, but he did want to know what he was capable of. He happened to glance at his watch, and noticed that it was very early in the morning.
“I’ve got to go,” he said, standing up. “Will I see you tomorrow night?” Despite having lost a few nights sleep, he didn’t want to not meet her, and learn.
She hesitated a moment before answering. “No, I’m sorry. I’m going to go looking for that book I mentioned, and I may be a few days.”
“Well, when will you be back?” He was disappointed that she wouldn’t be back for a while, but he knew that it was for an important reason.
“I don’t know. How about I come to your place when I get back? I’m pretty sure I can follow your smell.” She took a deep whiff, and her eyes closed for a moment. “Mmm, something pleasant, almost like a fruit...something citrus-y...” she said, trailing off. She opened her eyes, and said, “Yes, I’ll be able to find you.”
“Alright,” John replied. He turned around to take off, but was stopped by her arm.
“Wait just a moment,” she said, before jumping at what she had done. She quickly removed her hand, and then looked at it incredulously. “No burns. Curious.” In response to his questioning eyes, she said, “Demons all have extremely high body temperatures. If we touch them without something protecting us,” she held up a glove from her pocket, “then we get burned. You seem to have a normal temperature though,” she said, placing her hand once more on his arm.
“Um, you wanted me to wait for a moment?” he asked. She started, and then backed off.
“Yes. I have one question. Are you half-human?”
He hesitated a moment, and then said, “Yes, I am. Why?”
“Well...humans who become part demon normally tell at least one human whom they trust above all others, in order to help them in times of need. So, I suggest you tell at least one human what you are. Make sure they don’t tell anyone else, okay?” He nodded. “Good. I will see you in a few days then,” and she turned away.
“Wait, what’s your name?” he yelled out. She had already flew off, but she yelled back before she disappeared.
“Julia ” and continued off into the sky, her pearly-white wings visible for a long time. He watched until the sky was dark again, and then he launched himself in the opposite direction, already formulating new ideas, new plans, and new questions. He had to quickly get inside, because his parents were starting to get up, and he was anxious for the end of school.
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He knew that she wouldn’t be there, but he still hoped anyway. Julia wasn’t in school, but he needed that in order to act out his plan. She told him to tell another human about what he was. Technically, she was only part human, but he wasn’t being picky. He got into school early, and rushed to slip his note inside of her locker. Students were already hovering around the lockers, so he waited impatiently for the end of the day. When the bell finally rang, he waited for the school to empty, and then shoved it into the side of her locker door, making sure it went all the way in. Since he had to walk home, and his mom was working, he planned one flying home, so he rushed outside, making sure he had everything he needed.
As soon as he was out of sight, a figure stepped carefully out from behind a door where he had been standing moments before. His nose was curled in distaste at some smell too faint for human senses, and he put his ear to the lock in order to crack it. Within ten seconds, he had the locker open, and was reading the note:
Julia, I am a demon. I am the one you have been meeting these past few nights. I wasn’t planning on telling you until you said I should tell someone. You’re the someone. –John
Chapter 3
John had a lot of free time on his hands during the days after Julia left, so he spent that time practicing flying, and working on all of his other abilities. During the time he spent as a human, he practiced identifying smells, sights, and sounds. He was surprised at how strong his senses really were, and with only a few days, he was listening in on lots of conversations, some even bringing spots of chagrin to his face.
He had found a colony of bats hiding in a broken attic of an abandoned house down the road, that had been condemned a few months ago. During the nights, when he wasn’t flying, he would spend time there. He enjoyed hanging upside-down, and the bats seemed to accept him. With his advanced hearing, he could hear the bats echolocation: it was constantly noisy, and he loved it. He tried to mimic them, and ended up with a passable imitation of their echolocation, so he could locate objects in the dark, when even his superior night vision was useless.
He was just setting out from his house, having circled for a few minutes, enjoying the thermal, when he spotted white wings in the distance. His heart gave a cry of joy, and he flew at top speed toward it. As he got nearer, he noticed something strange. There seemed to be four wings, not just two. He halted abruptly as he processed this. Did she bring someone with her? If she did, then why? To examine me? Or to get rid of me? He vaguely recalled that she had said nothing about not hurting him. He shook his head, dispelling these thoughts. He knew that she wouldn’t hurt him, and he was positive that this new person couldn’t be that bad if she had brought him or her to see him. Julia knew that he wouldn’t harm her, and with that last thought, he flew toward the rapidly approaching specks, flying at a slightly slower speed.
As he approached, he could pick up words from their conversation. He listened harder, and then dove quickly out of sight. He sat on a branch, breathing hard, and listened again.
“I’m telling you, he’s not dangerous. He’s actually nice, and friendly, and he can’t be more than a few months old at most–”
“Exactly. Demons this young, no matter what kind, are unstable. Only one kind of demon would be like this, and I’m having a hard time believing you found an actual Hell Demon. They haven’t been seen for thousands of years, not since your father, Gabriel, captured the last of them in those Mayan puzzles.”
“I thought all of them were destroyed?”
“Well...that’s what we are told. But, if you’re right, then obviously one, or more, was missed. This could be bad. Only one good Hell Demon was ever known to exist, and his puzzle was the first one destroyed.”
They flew overhead, and John, started flying through the trees after them.
“Where is he? I know I saw him around here somewhere. Where could he be?” Julia said, sounding slightly frustrated.
“He probably heard us. Hell Demons have incredible hearing, better than Pure angels or even Pure demons. I think he may have heard me, and dove for cover. He may be following us right now, actually...” he trailed off, looking down at the trees, but in vain. John was wearing all black, and he blended in so well, even the bats were having a hard time seeing him with their echolocation.
“No, I must have just imagined it. And I really wanted to talk to him...” she sounded so disappointed, that he nearly flew up to her, but the ivory wings of the other angel above reminded him that they would be with someone he didn’t know.
“Well, you have tomorrow, you know. Anyway, I should probably find someplace to rest. I’m not used to flying such distances.” He laughed, and John got a good look at his face as the cloth covering it slipped a little. He seemed to be young, maybe twelve, but his eyes were intelligent, insanely so, and they seemed to conceal something in their sea-blue depths. He had a sharp face, and it looked like he was constantly smiling due to a scar pulling up part of his mouth.
“Come over my place. My mom is used to strange people bunking there for the night. Just stay in the house until I get back after school tomorrow. I intend to get John to my house, one way...” she let the thought sink in for a moment, before continuing, “or another. I’ll even knock him out and fly him there if I have to.”
“My, you are devious. No wonder the others are scared of you,” he said in mock horror, and then laughed out loud. John flew off in the other direction as they continued on, and sped back to his house, eager to get to school tomorrow and surprise Julia.
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“Hey, John,” Julia greeted him as she got off the bus the next morning. He flashed her a smile that seemed to confuse her, and continued on.
“Wait up,” she said, running after him. “You seem to be in a much better mood today. What’s happened?”
“Oh, the usual. Parents, school, friends, life, ancient Mayan puzzles,” he said. She stopped walking, and all of the color on her face leaked out. She started to open her mouth, but he stopped it with a finger. “I was listening last night. Just open your locker, and read the note.” He walked away, and he saw her running in the direction of her locker faster than he had ever seen her run. She had been gone for only a minute when she returned, shaking with rage. He had never seen her like this, but he knew that she wouldn’t be able to do anything, not in such a public place. He ignored her, and walked to his first class, feeling the heat rolling off of her as he went. He opened the door to his first period class, which was empty of anyone, and she followed him inside, shutting the door behind her. She whirled on him, but stepped back in shock.
“See?” John said in his demon form. “I am the one you have been meeting these past few nights. And I can’t harm you, can I?” Julia just shook her head. She just slid down the wall, resting her head in her hands at the base. John changed back, and stepped slowly towards her. “So why are you so mad at me?”
“Why am I mad at you?” she sobbed. Her angry face was tear-stained when she lifted up her head, and she pulled the note out of her pocket. “This is why I’m mad,” she said, thrusting it at him. He took it, and as he read it, his eyes widened.
Julia, I am a demon. I am the one you have been meeting these past few nights. I wasn’t planning on telling you until you said I should tell someone. You’re the someone. I’m sorry, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. Your smell is so mouth-watering, and the instinct is so strong, that it’s hard for me not to...
He couldn’t read anymore. He let the note slip from his fingers, and watched it drift to the floor. “I only wrote the first four sentences, but it looks like it was me who wrote the rest,” he said, more to himself than to Julia. She just sobbed into her hands. She had known that there was something familiar about the demon, but the fact that it was John just made her sad that he had been sucked into this. As for the note, she knew something had been funny with it. She knew something was wrong with it, that it couldn’t have come from John, but she still thought it had. But now that she knew better, it meant that someone had broken into her locker (besides John) and forged the rest of the note. Which meant that someone wanted John out of her life, whether for a good or a bad, she didn’t know yet. She was just messed up, and she didn’t know what to do, especially with what she was certain was going to happen in the near future...
“Julia, what’s wrong? Please, tell me,” John said in a soothing voice. She just shook her head, unable to understand why anyone would want to do something like that. When she continued to shake her head, John did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around her, and she cried into his shoulder. This went on for a few minutes, until she finally seemed to have her tears under control. She pulled away, and wiped her eyes.
“Sorry,” she said, her voice still reflecting her pent up emotions.
“What is going on? What’s wrong?” John asked in a quiet voice.
“I don’t know. Someone–” she was interrupted as a bell rang, signaling five minutes until class started. She wiped her eyes again, and stood up. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Will you be okay?”
She laughed very quietly. “Yeah, I should be fine. It’s just...too much to take in, all at once.” She hugged him tightly, and then left. John was left standing, looking confused. The note was still on the ground, so he picked it up, and put it in his pocket. He was still none the wiser about what was going on with the note, and he intended to find out from Julia, before nightfall.
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“John? How is this possible?” she asked. “How did you turn into...wait, how do I know this isn’t some kind of trick?”
“Come on, Julia, you have to believe me. Ask me anything, and I will tell you the truth,” he said, shuddering as the blade pressed against his neck again.
“Okay. Hmm...how did you become a demon?”
“I solved a cursed puzzle. It turned me into this...demon...and you were there when I solved it, remember? It said, ‘At midnight, you shall be turned into a creature that is both terrible, and great.’ Do you remember?”
The sword was removed from his neck, but was not put away. “Yes. I remember, John.” She sat down, cross-legged, and removed the cloth from her face. “Sorry, but you can’t be too careful. I caught your scent, and decided to leave a trail, hoping to destroy a bad demon, or to find you.” She smiled sheepishly. “Guess I found you. Sorry about the neck, by the way. You didn’t smell like a normal demon, but I wasn’t taking any chances.”
“That’s alright,” he said, as he rubbed his neck. “How did you know I was a...demon?” he said, struggling with the last word.
“When you first showed me that puzzle, I felt some kind of energy coming from it. I wasn’t sure what it was, but when I read what it said, I knew something like this was going to happen. A lot of those puzzles exist, and most of them are not good. Most hold terrible entities, and when solved, they take over your body, transforming it to their own preferences, and most of the time, not human. Yours apparently did change you, but held no evil entity. So, I decided to check up on you now and again. Well, I went to your house earlier, and it smelled like demons, but not like a normal demon. This was more like a fresh demon, one that could go good or bad. So, just to be safe, I left a trail so I could get a look at it.”
“Oh, that smell was you? I thought it was familiar,” John said. “It smelled really good, like cinnamon or something.”
Julia looked surprised. “I smelled good? Hmm, you are no normal demon.” John looked at her with a questioning look and she sighed. “I guess you don’t know too much, do you? Well, I can teach you, starting with the basics. Now, this will be long and hard, and will require a lot of time. You might get killed in the process.” John gulped, and nodded. “Alright. Well, I need to start getting home, but I can tell you this much tonight. You are a demon. I’m not sure what kind, but you are a new one, and will learn things about yourself you don’t want to know. I, am an angel. Well, half-angel. True angels often inhabit the bodies of humans, just to know what it’s like, and sometimes they produce us. We have many characteristics of true angels, but the human in us is very powerful, and overrides many traits, like the ability to bend light into solid objects, like a weapon. So, to make do, we all learn from a teacher how to live among normal people without giving ourselves away.”
She went into a fantastic history, but trailed off after a minute, announcing she had to leave. She waved goodbye, and we both flew our separate ways, to meet again tomorrow.
 jayhkayjr · Mon Oct 27, 2008 @ 09:44pm · 0 Comments |
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