"Welcome to Hell. Enjoy your stay, however long that is, newbie." He was a pleasant dude, huh.
"At least the welcome is warm, Casper," I responded hoping my sarcasm showed through before I tucked the device back into my pocket, only for it to chime again.
"If you say so, Blondie." He replied.
I looked up and around, seeing no one around me. He must have seen me at some point. I shrugged and tucked the phone back into my pocket and wandered until I found the dining room. I peered in and saw Mr. Graves and Damion already sitting down at the table, heads bent together as they talked quietly. I walked in and looked around. Only seeing three more plates.
"Does it matter where I sit?" I asked, the two finally looking up from their conversation.
"Nope, sit wherever. First come first serve and all that." Mr. Graves told me and I nodded taking the seat farthest from everyone. He just nodded at my choice and we sat there in silence for a moment before Mr. Graves cleared his throat.
"So, of course, I noticed that you had a violin case, do you play much?" he asked me
I nodded. "Yeah, I have been playing for a long as I can remember. I play every day." It was the only thing that made me feel, but I wasn't going to tell him that part. It was too personal. Just listening to music sometimes did the trick, but for the most part, I needed to play it to get those pesky feelings to surface. I'd never admit how much I enjoyed those times. Not to anyone.
"Do you have a favorite composer or a favorite style at least?" he asked me.
"Not really." I told him with a shake of my head "Most known music is already written; the notes never made much sense to me, so I never developed a favorite composer, if I like it, I like it. I tend to play from memory, or I make it up as I go. Drove my teacher nuts, but it was how I learned to play. The styles tend to blend into one if you try to listen too closely. Music is emotion." I shrugged. I guess what I said would have more impact if there was an emotion to attach to it, but it didn't come out, just a statement of facts.
They didn't falter by the cool tone of my words or my lack of passion for the subject, they just nodded and moved on with their conversation. Including me on occasion, but it seemed to go on too long before the other two finally came from the kitchen to join us. The was bulkier and taller than anyone I had ever seen, making me wonder if steroids were a thing here. He had longer shaggy blonde hair that curled around his ears. He was pale, like me, but looked like he spent more time outside than I did, judging by the slight tint on his cheeks and arms. His eyes were an odd shade of solid amber. He looked me up and down for a moment, just as I did him before he smirked.
"Hey, newbie, I'm Cade." He introduced himself. Taking a seat next to Mr. Graves.
I looked over the second and he looked similar enough to Cade to be his brother, but he was dark headed, it looked brown but with a reddish tint to it, with grey-blue eyes. He had a warm smile on his face, that looked like it belonged there, like he was always smiling about something. Judging by his matching bulk I was seriously thinking that steroids were a thing, there's no way someone could be that massive.
"Cole." He offered me his name as he slid into the seat next to me. When he moved, I got a whiff of his scent, it smelled like earth and…. oddly enough, it smelled like fur. Was he a shifter? I looked him over. That would explain his size. I must have gotten too close, the magic and scent of him made my nose tickle to the point where I sneezed. I had to bite back a comment about shifter magic. It made me sneeze if it was potent enough. I peered up at him and he was doing as Damion had done, leaning into my bubble and smelling my neck.
"Is this a family trait? Just freaking being in people's bubbles?" I asked, moving away from him and venturing onto the other side of the table, taking my plate with me. "Personal space, it's a thing I promise you." I scolded him as I sat down in my new chair. It only gained me barely contained laughter around the table from the boys.
"Something you want to share?" Mr. Graves asked, Damion, Silencing the snickers.
"She knows we aren't human, she isn't either. Though, I still don't know what you are." He directed the last part to me.
"I don't know what you are either. I know he" I said pointing to Cole "is a shifter. That's just because his magic is leaking off him." I said, wrinkling my nose. It wasn't really unpleasant, just, made me feel off. "I learned to pull my magic in as far as it would go, so I mostly smell human, unless you go into the personal bubble and really pay attention," I told them with a grimace.
"Interesting." Mr. Graves told me, looking me over again like he hadn't seen me before. "That takes some serious skill. Just how much do you pull in?" he asked me, obviously curious about my power level.
This brought a sick grin to my face. "All of it," I said simply before I let it flow out of me about halfway. I knew what would happen and sure enough, they all seemed to start a bit, being hit with my magic is, from what I understand, overwhelming in different ways. It also depends on my intent. My first major act was to bring a big bad demon to his knees when I was around 10 so I could get a piggyback ride after he had attempted to kidnap me before I learned how to control the magic. He wasn't happy about it at all at the time. I made him take me all the way home and then sent him on his way after, having somehow made him forget me.
Poor Cole looked a little green and I frowned, pulling it back into me as quickly as I let it out.
"Sorry, thankfully I didn't go full out." I shrugged and looked around the table. Cade was glaring at me, Mr. Graves looked fascinated and Damion looked…well awestruck.
"A demon, really?" Cade spoke with disdain.
"Half." I corrected him. "Dunno what the other half is. I was raised by humans. Everything, before I was with them, is gone from memory and documentation."
"You lived with humans? How many ended up dead before you got here?" Cade asks me and I looked him over for a moment before I answered him.
"Four," I said simply, keeping my mask on.
He hopped up from his seat so fast his chair toppled over. "You killed four innocents?" he asked me incredulously at the idea.
I shook my head. I had been here before. This is why most other creatures liked to kill demons, they assume we are all evil and I'm sure there's a part of me that is capable of being Evil, but I generally choose not to be. I slowly stood up, carefully pushing my chair back into its position before I sped to his side of the table, being in one place then the other in a blink. I grabbed his face with my hands and forced the images into his head. Each kill, from the start to finish. I tried not to flinch reliving each and every one. Each of the dirty old men who would sneak into my room at night, the old woman who beat me with a belt when I tried to eat and the one time I hadn't meant to, the little boy from the group home that had cancer. He had been so sick. I felt so bad for him. I wanted his pain to be over. I showed Cade his face, remembering every detail of his pale and gaunt face. His once shiny green eyes that were dull with pain, the smile he used to wear that was turned into a frown from the sickening feeling from the drugs. I showed him how I held onto his hand until he fell asleep before I quietly and quickly took his pain. I had been seven years old at the time, not fully ready for my magic, but I knew that I could help him.
"Only one," I said to him when his eyes focused on my face again and I left the room, my shoulder knocking his hand as I passed him. I made my way back the way I came, up the stairs and to my new room, shutting the door behind me. This terrible fire burned through my body. I was shaking and I couldn't wrap my head around the feeling for a moment.
Rage. It finally clicked and my eyes closed, and I tried to pull back the feeling, tried to will it to die within me, but it wouldn't. I opened my eyes and looked over the case and I knew I needed to play. I needed to let it out. I popped it open and I pulled out the violin, its age wearing it down a bit, but it played just as well as it had the day, I got it. It was beautiful, the blackened stained wood, worn smooth from use. I put it under my chin, placed my fingers and began to slide my bow across the strings. My eyes slid closed again.
The music that came from me was angry and it sounded deep and twisted, feeling like it might burn the violin up with it. I pushed out the anger into the bow, making each slide across it burn into the music. It sounded too much like a deep ache from a cello, but I didn't care, the rage I was feeling felt too dark. Judgment and resentment didn't sit well with me apparently. It didn't slow for a long while, but I kept playing until I felt the rage start to quiet from my body, until it felt like it had been spent. I breathed out a sigh of relief before a second feeling resounded in my chest. Remorse. I grieved that little boy. The next song was for him, the mournful tune pulling it out of me. Tears fell hot down my cheeks, dropping onto the instrument and my chest but I kept playing, one song flowing into another and another. I kept playing. I kept that feeling and I held it in me until I could finally feel it start to fade out too, till there was nothing left weighing on my chest. I rarely felt guilty for my actions, but there were some things that I felt remorse over. Maybe if I had let the boy live, he would have been okay in the end, but I would never know. I wore the black mark from his death on my heart and it would forever stay, and I was okay with that. Guilty or not, I had eased his pain, even if it wasn't the best way to do it.
The last song I chose was one I had heard by a popular violinist called Lindsey Stirling, she was talented with her work and I loved how she had modernized the violin and made people love it again. I might have lied when I said I didn't have a favorite, she might be it, if I had to choose one. I played a variation of her piece Elements, without all the computerized additions it was beautiful and with it, it was a wonderful blend. I played it, my body moving with the music, and more tears slid down my face, though these were happy tears, a genuine smile crossing my face. I let the music take over, feeling the flow of it around me like magic. I danced and decided to play it again, tilting the style to more of my own and it made me smile widen as the notes flowed from my strings. I put my heart into it, the whole shriveled and cold thing, even as the music warmed it. I think this feeling is love. That's the only thing I have ever come close to understanding is like what I was feeling. Or maybe it was passion, who the hell knew. Right then I was smiling and freely moving with my music, so it was a good feeling. I knew that much at least.
When the final note drifted off the strings I finally opened my eyes and I let out a huff of air and moved to sit the violin down in its case. I ran my fingers over the wood and placed my bow in, closing it shut. Once it was out of sight the familiar chill of numbness filtered back in and I shuddered, taking the case and moving it over to the small desk in my room. I sat it down on top of it, carefully before I moved to grab out a few items of clothing. I wasn't going to unpack yet, there was no point seeing as I might be moving back out the next day. I pulled out some sleep clothes, which was essentially just old shorts and a too big t-shirt. It worked though and I tugged them on before releasing my hair from its slightly messy bun, it tumbled down obediently in gentle waves. I looked at the mirror on the closet door for a moment, looking at my face, seeing the tear tracks still there. I wiped them away, schooling my features to not show any remnants of my emotion. I was pulling down the covers of my, for now, bed when a knock came to my door. I waited a moment before I moved over to pull it open. It was none other than Cade, he held a trey in his hands with food on it.
"I'm not hungry," I told him simply before slamming the door shut in his face.
I heard him let out a sigh on the other side of the door, and it sounded like he left the tray outside of the door. He must be quieter than his bulky frame makes him look because I never heard his footsteps retreat. I planned on letting the damn tray sit there but a rumble in my stomach after a good hour of glaring at the door let me know I should probably eat. I huffed out a sigh and opened the door, though the tray wasn't alone, Cade was sitting next to my door. I looked over at him, half bent down to get the tray.
"You're still here?" I asked him.
He nodded back. "Yeah, I felt like an uber dick so I thought I would apologize. You'd have to come out eventually, even if it was just to use the bathroom." He gave me a smile. "I'm not usually so…judgmental. Just… bad blood between me and the demons. I shouldn't have assumed."
I crouched down so I was eye level with him, I smelled him, since I was now in his vicinity. I said screw it and I leaned in and obviously smelled him. He smelled exactly like Cole, and just like with Cole, it made me sneeze.
"Cole's brother?" I asked him, rubbing my nose.
"Yep, well half, same dad, different moms." he shrugged.
I looked him over for a long moment as he did the same, assessing the other person. He boldly reached out and grabbed the ends of my hair, looking over the red there and then putting the strands to his nose. "Once you get past the demon smell there is something else there, it's stronger than the demon smell now, more than it was at dinner. I wonder what it is."
I shrugged. "I Dunno, I wasn't exactly welcome anywhere to ask. I tried when I was younger but, people just kept turning me away or trying to kill me. I gave up trying after that. I assumed you guys knew who and what I was when I got the super special invite." I gave him a small smirk.
"Truthfully, it's not fully decided by us. We just get a folder sometimes with a name in it and we try to get that person in here. We assumed you were something, just didn't know what." He said with a shrug.
I stood up and grabbed the tray and made my way to my bed with it. I left the door open so if he wanted to continue to chat he could, but I wasn't going to ask him. After a few minutes, he did get up and walk in, looking around before he pulled out the desk chair and sat in it backward, his arms draped over the back of it. My phone pinged and I scowled down at it before I plucked it off the bed and looked at it. It was from Samuel again.
"Guess you would know all about hell huh, demoness?"
"I'm sure you will see it in time, Stalker, we can compare notes" I typed back and tossed it back on the mattress.
"Samuel?" Cade asked me with a knowing smirk. He already knew.
"Yeah, Casper the Friendly Stalker Ghost"
"You must be special, it took him a whole six months before he would message me, and even then it was one or two words," Cade told her, making her eyebrows raise in surprise.
"How does he stay up to date on so much stuff? I haven't even seen him." My phone pinged
"Stalking requires intent to pursue, don't flatter yourself, Goldie." That had me rolling my eyes.
"You seem to be taking a lot of interest in me, not the other way around, who is flattering themselves now, Ghost? Maybe I should take up more interest in the name of fairness, see what secrets you have lurking about? Hmmm?"
I hit send and watched the little dots on the screen pop up, go away, pop up and go away again. I grin and put the phone down. "That's what I thought." I murmur and I go back to my food.
"Alright, spill, what's the cliff notes version of Ghostly?"
Cade snorted and he shook his head, standing up from the chair. "Oh no, I won't get into all that. He would have my ass if I did, you want info, go find it on your own."
"and where would I locate such information if I was so inclined?" I asked him.
"Damion might tell you more, but I doubt it. You want the info you have to go to the source. He's in the attic, good luck though, there's no way up there if he doesn't let you."
"Yeah, cause that's not creepy at all or anything," I mutter and finish off my food, collecting my tray my phone goes off again, but I ignore this message and take the tray out into the hall and make my way downstairs to look for the kitchen. Cade only follows me out to the hallway, where he went after that I have no idea. I made it and sat my tray on the counter, unloading my plate into the sink. I barely heard the scuffle of feet behind me before an arm wrapped around me. The smell was all wrong for anyone I had smelt in the house. A knife was pressed to my neck and held there. The person was trying to drag me to the nearest doorway but my elbow found their ribs.
I grabbed the arm holding the knife, as it started to slice deeply into the skin, pulling the person around me and into the nearest counter. In a blink, I had a rather awful smelling creature pin against it by the neck. I held on tightly, gripping, missing the knife moving towards my stomach. The searing pain hit my stomach twice and then my chest, going straight for my heart. My hold on my attacker didn't waver, I gripped the arm wielding the knife again and this time pulled and twisted it back making the familiar sickening crunch of the bone snapping in half and the knife fell to the ground. I looked up at the creature.
"This is my favorite fucking shirt. Who the hell are you?"
"The council sends their love, demon half breed, Shadow."
I flinch, the only person who called me that was…
"Where's Cherry? Where is she?" I gripped harder, the creature's face turning purple.
He was ugly, his face marred with scars and what looked like pockmarks, deep gouges in the skin.
He laughed or tried to before sneering. "Dead, dead, DEAD!" He was sounding like he was fading, so I let up just a little on my hold, my fist going through the hard muscle of his stomach into his abdominal cavity and up into his chest cavity.
"I don't believe you! WHERE. IS. CHERRY?" I screamed in his face. I could feel his magic trying to heal him, trying to close the would where my arm was inside of his body. I realize this should be disturbing but, well, she was the closest thing to a friend I had ever gotten. I was going to find out what happened to her. My heartbeat thundered in my ears with rage the more I thought about anyone hurting her. Okay, so maybe I do care. Or whatever something similar at whatever capacity I could.
I adjusted my grip to his jaw, and I started to squeeze. He wasn't talking anyway. He didn't need that jaw, I waited until I felt it snap between my fingers. He screamed and I watched his face, seeing the blood start to pour down his face between us. He had one more trick up his sleeve and he pulled another knife from his waistband and he started stabbing at my ribs weakly, though his final thrust made it through my rib cage and punctured a lung. I dropped him then as the air seemed to be sucked right out of that lung.
"Fucking…bastard…" I mutter, looking down at the knife there and I groaned, the toll of my body trying to heal the other wounds plus this one made me drop to my knees. The guy dropped with me and tried to scramble to his feet but I grabbed his leg and pulled him towards me and I grinned down at him despite my panting and the fact that I was seeing double, my arm went back into his chest, gripping his heart and ripping it from him as his knife came up one more time and hit me in the neck. I fell back onto my ass then with a thud, and I grunted, though it came out as more of a gurgle due to my lung and the knife in my throat. I pulled it out and I felt the room shift, there was magic here that I hadn't seen. Damn I was getting rusty or cocky, or both.
There was a thunder of steps from behind me and a few skidded stops.
"Holy shit." I think it was Damion who muttered it, but I can't be sure before the steps moved over to me and I fell back against the counter with a grunt. I reached up and felt where the knife was, seeing it wasn't in my jugular I pulled the damn thing out and threw it into the dead man's body. I could hear them shouting around me, hands touching me and even shaking me, but my body was shutting down. I could feel my heart beat slow and my breathing became shallow. Damn, I was dying, it had been a while. The sensations burned and they hurt her body all over. That feeling you get when your lungs burn when you are holding your breath, yeah, that's a lot like what this feels like, except it's my whole body. I forced my eyes to open and I saw Damion in front of me, two wolves behind him and a very angry looking Mr. Graves, shouting at someone on the other side of the counter.
"Dying" I croaked out. Damion paled and I just grinned. "Be. Back. Soon." I gritted out, or at least I hoped so, cause the world went black then.