hair.
"If you kill me," I said, "whoever sent you here will find out about it and about me. How are you going to explain you lied to them?" That was pure speculation based on what he'd said earlier about risking his life to keep my ability to see demons hidden from the others. I knew nothing about the demon world, but it seemed like he had superiors he had to answer to in Hell. Was I of any value to them? It was hard to tell.
"Maybe I should simply contact them and tell them everything. Let them take you to Hell and torture you." He trailed a finger gently down my face. I swallowed. Now was a perfect time for a vision or memory stealing, so I squeezed his arm as hard as I could. My mind didn't get caught up in some dreamlike story, but Devin hissed in pain, pulling away from me. Did I really have a grip that strong?
"Don't touch me," he sneered. His eyes were sky blue again and there was something in them that I couldn't quite identify. Hurt? Sadness? No, there was absolutely no way for me to tell for sure.
"Funny, I was just about to say the same," I said, feeling brave. If all demons were so easily hurt, then I didn't have to worry. Somehow I doubted it was like that. Had getting from Hell to here and excessive use of magic weaken him? If so, then I might be able to do something.
"Just give me your number, or I'll have to find a different way to contact you. I'm sure you won't like it." He ran a hand through his black hair, trying to get a few unruly strands out of his eyes. Could he pop up out of nowhere during a family lunch or interrupt my sleep? Nope, I didn't want to find out.
"Ok, I'll give you my number." I let the tone of my voice show him how unhappy and reluctant I was about doing it. He nearly dropped the device twice but managed to get my number into his phonebook; I actually checked. I thought about warning him to delete my number if he returned the cell phone, but decided against it. The poor owner of the cell wasn't going to see her baby ever again.
A soft click of the door told me I was free to go, so I took my backpack and got out of the classroom before Devin changed his mind. I had a good plan how to solve the demon problem, but I needed to act fast.
I knocked once on the door of my sister's room, waiting for her to yell it was ok for me to come inside. She'd just gotten home from school, and I didn't want to barge in while she was changing. Silence was the only thing I got in response. I knocked again, much harder this time. No response. I opened the door, feeling my throat tighten and my pulse speed up.
Christina was sitting on the bed, her back turned to me. Her long brown hair was neatly lifted up in a ponytail, fastened with a beautiful velvet ribbon.
"Hey," I said softly and walked over to her. There were tears in her green eyes as she looked up at me.
"What is wrong with me?" She hiccuped, lifting her left hand towards me and opening her empty palm. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about or trying to show me. Then I saw a pair of scissors lying on the bed next to her, still glistening with blood. Oh my God, it was her blood! I panicked, taking her hands and inspecting her for wounds. But there was nothing, not even a tear in her pink sweater or in her blue jeans.
"What happened?" I inquired. "Are you ok?"
She nodded, wiping away her tears with her sleeve. Then she threw herself into my arms, and I just held her tightly, unsure what to think.
"Christina, hey," I whispered into her ear, caressing her soft hair that smelled like lilies, "it's ok. Everything will be fine. I promise."
"I cut myself," she choked out. "I know I did. But it's gone. The cut is gone, Ariel! How can it be?"
"It doesn't matter. You're ok, and that's the only thing that counts." I slowly moved away from her so we could sit down on the bed and talk. She calmed a bit and I picked up the scissors, inspecting them carefully. I ran my finger lightly across the clean sharp edge and felt a sting of pain.
"If you kill me," I said, "whoever sent you here will find out about it and about me. How are you going to explain you lied to them?" That was pure speculation based on what he'd said earlier about risking his life to keep my ability to see demons hidden from the others. I knew nothing about the demon world, but it seemed like he had superiors he had to answer to in Hell. Was I of any value to them? It was hard to tell.
"Maybe I should simply contact them and tell them everything. Let them take you to Hell and torture you." He trailed a finger gently down my face. I swallowed. Now was a perfect time for a vision or memory stealing, so I squeezed his arm as hard as I could. My mind didn't get caught up in some dreamlike story, but Devin hissed in pain, pulling away from me. Did I really have a grip that strong?
"Don't touch me," he sneered. His eyes were sky blue again and there was something in them that I couldn't quite identify. Hurt? Sadness? No, there was absolutely no way for me to tell for sure.
"Funny, I was just about to say the same," I said, feeling brave. If all demons were so easily hurt, then I didn't have to worry. Somehow I doubted it was like that. Had getting from Hell to here and excessive use of magic weaken him? If so, then I might be able to do something.
"Just give me your number, or I'll have to find a different way to contact you. I'm sure you won't like it." He ran a hand through his black hair, trying to get a few unruly strands out of his eyes. Could he pop up out of nowhere during a family lunch or interrupt my sleep? Nope, I didn't want to find out.
"Ok, I'll give you my number." I let the tone of my voice show him how unhappy and reluctant I was about doing it. He nearly dropped the device twice but managed to get my number into his phonebook; I actually checked. I thought about warning him to delete my number if he returned the cell phone, but decided against it. The poor owner of the cell wasn't going to see her baby ever again.
A soft click of the door told me I was free to go, so I took my backpack and got out of the classroom before Devin changed his mind. I had a good plan how to solve the demon problem, but I needed to act fast.
I knocked once on the door of my sister's room, waiting for her to yell it was ok for me to come inside. She'd just gotten home from school, and I didn't want to barge in while she was changing. Silence was the only thing I got in response. I knocked again, much harder this time. No response. I opened the door, feeling my throat tighten and my pulse speed up.
Christina was sitting on the bed, her back turned to me. Her long brown hair was neatly lifted up in a ponytail, fastened with a beautiful velvet ribbon.
"Hey," I said softly and walked over to her. There were tears in her green eyes as she looked up at me.
"What is wrong with me?" She hiccuped, lifting her left hand towards me and opening her empty palm. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about or trying to show me. Then I saw a pair of scissors lying on the bed next to her, still glistening with blood. Oh my God, it was her blood! I panicked, taking her hands and inspecting her for wounds. But there was nothing, not even a tear in her pink sweater or in her blue jeans.
"What happened?" I inquired. "Are you ok?"
She nodded, wiping away her tears with her sleeve. Then she threw herself into my arms, and I just held her tightly, unsure what to think.
"Christina, hey," I whispered into her ear, caressing her soft hair that smelled like lilies, "it's ok. Everything will be fine. I promise."
"I cut myself," she choked out. "I know I did. But it's gone. The cut is gone, Ariel! How can it be?"
"It doesn't matter. You're ok, and that's the only thing that counts." I slowly moved away from her so we could sit down on the bed and talk. She calmed a bit and I picked up the scissors, inspecting them carefully. I ran my finger lightly across the clean sharp edge and felt a sting of pain.
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