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Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Massachusetts
Gender: Female
Posts: 3
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Just wanna see...
This is the first chapter in a new story I'm playing with. It's by no means complete and I'm not married to it yet. I know it needs revisions, but I'd like to see what people think of the concept.
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My mother was having tea with a demon.
I knew vaguely that in a day or so, I would be able to laugh at this moment. I mean, a demon was drinking orange pekoe and carrying on a conversation about the weather with my mother in the same place that I eat my Cheerios every morning. Not only was this image disconcerting, it was downright annoying.
The demon smiled at me; one of those creepy, big smiles that takes up the entire face and makes the person look, well, demonic.
I suppose any normal person couldn’t tell what he was just by looking at him. Maybe his skin was a bit paler than it should be. Maybe his eyes were just a touch too dark to be blue. Maybe his teeth were just a little too sharp and his muscles were just a bit too defined. But then you look at his cartoon tee-shirt, his tight jeans, the black and white converse, the lip ring, and the black hair over one eye and you think, “He’s not a demon. He’s just emo.”
Yeah, not so much.
When I look at him, or at any demon really, I can see his real form, the other form. It’s not a pretty sight. This demon had horns that curved like a ram, a long, skinny tail with a pointed leaf shape at the end, dark curved claws, and the completely black eyes. His wings, as far as I could tell, were folded up, which made him look like he had a black feathered hump on his back. His completely black skin sucked the light out of the room like a black hole. Scars from past fights and battle tattoos inked into his skin in red covered every inch of his skin.
He smiled again, showing me his sharp white teeth. His long red tongue snaked out between his lips.
He freaked me the fuck out.
But, then I blinked, and the image was gone, and in his place was the emo human. Actually, I think the emo freaked me out even more, since it was less expected.
“Dani,” my mother said. She stood next to the demon and poured some more tea into his uplifted cup. “Look who dropped by.”
The son of Satan?
The demon winked at me and saluted me with his cup. “Hey, gorgeous,” he said. I put my hands on my hips and scowled. That was better than what I wanted to do: turn my tail and run.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped.
My mother spilled tea as she filled her own cup. “Dani, be nice to our guest,” she scolded. She got a sponge from the sink in order to mop up the spilt tea.
I threw my hands in the air. “Ma, Ssince when are we nice to demons?, Mother?” I asked.
The demon laughed before my mother could retaliate. “Don’t worry, Miranda,” he said. “She’s just trying to protect you.”
Protect her? Of course I was trying to protect her! We’re talking about a demon, a half-breed between a devil and a human. One of Tthe most powerful creatures allowed on this plain. Why wouldn’t I try to protect her?
“Dani,” my mother sighed. She stood from the kitchen table, which would have been more in style in the 50s, with it’s white and silver speckled linoleum top, and went to the light wood cupboardcabinet, where she pulled out a white tea cup with roses and lavender painted on them. “Have a cup of tea with us,” she ordered.
“No,” I said.
My mother glared her special momMom-look Look at me. It’s the look that’s kept me in line for twenty-one years. “Danielle Maria Dallas, have a cup of tea with your mother and your friend.”
I pointed at the demon. “That thing is not my friend.”
The demon laughed. “Danielle, I’ve been a friend of your family’s for centuries. I was there when you were born.”
I took a step into the kitchen, my hand automatically reaching to my belt for the silver knife I kept for protection. Never mind that he was a demon. I was fae, I was allowed to participate in confrontation. I would protect my mother, if need be. She may have fallen from grace when she became pregnant with me, but her peacefulness from the higher plane stayed.
She was, for all intensive purposes, still an angel, a thronos, to be exact, and she took her sacred duty seriously. As a thronos, she would not provoke a fight. She would end it, though.
“I’m well aware of that, demon,” I said. “That doesn’t mean I have to like you.”
My mother sighed. “We’ve been through this so many times, I don’t think I shall bother again. Nathan, would you like another scone?”
I jumped at his name. You’re not supposed to say the name of a demon. Everyone knows this. That’s what makes them keep coming back. Which makes sense, now that I think about it. That’s why this one will not go away.
“Yes please, Miranda,” he said, looking directly at me, smug like a three year old who got his way.
“They’ll just let anyone on this plane nowadays,” I mumbled.
My mother, suddenly angry, stood up and started picking up the tea set. “Danielle, watch your manners. Nathan’s here to speak with you about something important.”
The demon stood up. I glared at him harder with each step he took. The closer he came to me, the more my skin crawled.
“Come with me,” he said, holding out his hand. I stared at it like it were was a snake. He rolled his eyes, obviously fed up with me. He was obviously not used to not getting his way. I mean, he’s been spoiled for like five hundred years, so when someone says no to him, he’s not very happy. “Dani, come on. It’s important.”
When I didn’t move, he grabbed my hand himself. I tried to pull away, but he had a very tight grip. Stupid demons and their strength. He pulled me through the kitchen, past the table, and out to the backyard. I struggled the entire way.
“Dani, Dani, Dani,” he scolded, shaking his head. “What am I going to do with you?”
I didn’t really understand why he was so upset, when I was the one being dragged away from my house by a demon who wanted to do who knows what to me.
“Will you let go of my hand, you stupid half-breed?” I asked, trying to pry each finger off my wrist.
He stopped suddenly, so that I ran into his back. I jumped back as far as his grip would allow. He turned back towards me. I stopped moving. His eyes were dangerously dark.
Oops.
“Someone’s calling the kettle black,” he said, voice low and deep.
He let go of my wrist.
I folded my arms. “That’s different,” I said.
He just rose an eyebrow; the silver ring glinted in the pink light of sunset.
I decided to give in, if only to end this agony. “Fine, what’s this thing that’s so important thing you had to show up and talk to me about and ruin a completely perfect day?”
He crossed his arms, which made his muscles strain against the black tea shirt. Not that his muscles were huge; more like his tee-shirt was too small.
Again, why would a demon become emo?
“There’s a slight problem we could use your specific talents for,” he said.
I frowned. “Define ‘we.’” I was so not helping out his demon buddies.
“The Coalition.”
I snorted. The Coalition for Unity Between Species: a sad attempt at trying to tie humans, demons, fae, and lycanthropes together to try to make this world a peaceful one.
You know, despite the fact that devils and angels have been using this world at their chessboard since the beginning of time, thus making peace not only improbable, but very much impossible.
“What could the Coalition possibly need me for?” I asked, more out of curiosity than caring.
The demon looked around the yard, then walked to the rope hammock tied to two tall pine trees about five yards away. That’s the other trouble with demons: they don’t like answering questions. They like to do things in their own time.
Well, at least this demon.
He poked at the hammock, then gracefully lay laid down in it. He put his hands behind his head and looked up at the orange and pink sky. His tee shirt rose up a bit, showing a thick strip of belly. I forced myself to tear my eyes from his obvious six- pack.
This was going to take a while. So I walked over to the lawn chairs and dragged one near him. I plopped down in it and looked up, trying to see what was so interesting about this particular sunset.
About one agonizingly long minute later, he finally said, “I assume you have heard about the trouble with the rise in Zeus’s lately.” Statement, not question.
I glanced at him. That was not what I expected. “Um… yeah, I’ve heard a few whispers over the celestial plane,” I said. “as well as the news. Kurt and I have been trying to research into the phenomenon, but have found little information. Why?”
Zeus, the slang term for when a devil disguises himself as a human in order to copulate with a woman, is how all the demons on earth are born. Female devils cannot procreate with human men. I’m not even sure how devils are created, actually. Or, actually, were created, because I have read that new devils stopped appearing after the Middle Ages.
Which makes one wonder: do our thoughts give devils form? I mean, in the Middle Ages, sure, people where more religious than ever, but they did talk about devils. Well, the devil; that certain devil whose name I refuse to speak, since I seriously do think he might be listening for me to call him.
Anyway, ignoring my philosophical thoughts for the day, I leaned forward. “What does this have to do with me?”
His eyebrows rose and he whistled. “As a product of a Zeus, I would think you wouldn’t like this.”
I growled. “That wasn’t a Zeus. That was a complete mind fuck. My so-called father tricked my mother down from grace, then left her high and dry with a baby in her womb.” I pointed at him. “You are the product of a Zeus.”
He looked over at me, squinting. “Despite what you think, Dani, I am not evil.” He sat up, impressively well for being on a hammock. “Well,” he considered. “Not completely anyway. I’m part of the balance, just like you.”
I waved my hand, cutting him off. “Hey, don’t compare me to yourself,” I said. “We’re nothing alike.”
He shook his head and laid back down. “We’re more alike than you want to admit, Danielle. You may deny it, but you’re not just a fae, my dear.” He looked over at me again. “In fact, your family tree is more fucked up than mine. But at least I don’t deny who I am.”
I glared at him, wishing I could destroy him with one thought. That would make my life so much easier. Ok, maybe a bit less exciting, but easier nonetheless. “I’m not denying anything.”
He laughed, which prickled my skin. “Very well, Dani. But back on topic…” He sat up again, a quick motion I barely saw. He then stood up and sat in the lawn chair next to mine. “Yes, I am worried about the sudden rise of demons. It’s not only upsetting the balance, it’s causing quite a stir in the Coalition.” He ran his fingers through his hair, not out of nervousness, but to smooth it out and make sure it draped perfectly over one eye.
Again, a demon is emo. Can we just think about that for a second and all ask the question: “Why?”
“So you guys want my help?” I asked. I laughed a bit and shook my head. “I’m just a paranormal research student at a third-rate university.”
He gave a look that basically let me know he thought I was an idiot. “A paranormal research student who happens to be half-fae, half-demon, whose mentor is the most powerful fae on earth, and whose own psychic abilities are matched by pretty much no one else from this plane?”
Coming from anyone else, that would have been compliment enough to make me blush. I didn’t say anything, however.
He sighed. “Come on, Dani. Stop playing games. We just want to find out what’s going on. Not just the Coalition is worried, but so is everyone else. Especially the balance. This is tipping the scales in a very not good way.”
I bit my lower lip.
“And by the way,” he said. “You may be the best when it comes to keeping people out of your mind, but I am the best at breaking mental walls.” He bent down and plucked a blade of grass. “And so I can sometimes read what you are thinking.” Dear god, I thought. He looked straight into my eyes. I couldn’t move my eyes away. “I have a name. You can call me by it.” Was that…? Did he…? Did he look… hurt?
I tried not to fidget under his stare. “So what do you want me to do about this situation?”
He looked away. “Feel around the ether. See what you can find.”
I pursed my lips. “And open myself up to that chaos? No thanks.” I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose, where a tense headache began to form. “I will, however, see what I can find in the prophesies, in the histories, etc. That’s the best I can commit to doing.”
He appeared suddenly in front of me, bent in front of me with his hands on both of my wrists. The pressure made my arms dig into the plastic of the chair. “That’s not the best,” he whispered, angry. He stared at me and I almost fell into his gaze, but I managed to pull back at the last minute. No one wants to be caught by a demon.
“But I guess it’s something,” he said. He let go suddenly and disappeared.
“For now.”
The words echoed in my head.
Stupid demon.
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