The three of us turned around to see a red-haired girl, standing right behind me and Caiden, with her hands resting on her hips.
My mouth fell open.
It's her.
I had no idea what was going on. I was just standing there, staring at those people who were fighting a silent war and I felt trapped inside of it. I wanted to run. But something from their expression told me I wouldn't have made it too far.
"I've never seen a Rakshasa in flesh and bones." The girl said, coming closer to Caiden and the weird guy. "You guys are so like us!"
The guy's nose wrinkled. "We're nothing like you, filthy low-beings."
She smiled, exposing her white teeth. "Guess we'll never find out, right?" Her voice was sweet and calm, but also threatening.
The guy stared at them for a few seconds longer and then began taking a few steps back. "This is not done. We know what you're doing. And we'll stop it."
"Sure you'll do, honey!" The girl yelled after him, grinning.
After the guy left, going back into the mall, I exhaled sharply, lowering my body and resting my elbows on my knees. That was intense. And scary.
And it was finally over.
"Why didn't you come sooner?" Caiden said, and I looked up at him. He turned around to face the red-haired girl. She just shrugged.
"I was in the middle of eating. And it had a good effect, as you can see. He backed off immediately when he sensed me." She grinned like she just made an inside joke with Caiden.
I frowned my eyebrows.
Caiden knew this girl? Since when he started following me and Emily? She was his spy? He followed Emily and this girl kept an eye on me? Since when did he start all of this?
But I couldn't ask him anything, cause, out of nowhere, a pair of blue eyes appeared right in front of me, making me almost lose my balance and fall on my back. She grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to her. Our faces were at an inch apart.
"Well, hello to you too, Ivy. It's been a while."
I drew a quick breath, trying to ignore her irresistible smell and the fact that I was extremely nervous because of her sudden approach. "I didn't know you are related to this guy." I said, trying to keep it in the mood.
She grimaced and grabbed my hand, getting me to my feet. "Anyway, now you're in danger. If you don't want your parents involved, stay away from home for the time being."
I widened my eyes, looking at her like she spoke another language. "What do you mean?" I said, my voice becoming high-pitched.
She shrugged. "They'll have an eye on you. They will try to get information and they don't care how many bodies are left behind. I gave you a piece of friendly advice."
Oh my God. I gulped, trying to think a solution. What was I supposed to do? I had no other options. I couldn't go to Emily's; I didn't want her involved.
This is just because you were stubborn and didn't leave when he told you so. You did it with your own hand.
I knew that already. But what could I do at that moment? The confrontation happened. They, whoever they were, noticed me. There was no turning back now.
And I was the one at fault.
"Where can I go? What can I do?" I asked, even though I didn't expect to get an answer.
"You can stay with us. Our flat is protected. This fox knows what to do." The red-haired girl said, crossing her arms over her big chest. She grinned at me, like this was exactly her plan: to get me closer to them. My brows furrowed.
Was she telling the truth? Can I trust her?
Caiden sighed, putting back his glasses. "Guess there's nothing we can do. You're too stupid for a human; you can't take care of yourself and now you got yourself in something way bigger than anything else in this world."
"And, also, you need her, right?"
Caiden threw her a deadly gaze, which made her raise her hands, backing off. "Just sayin'. You're soft, but not that soft to let a human enter your cave."
"Goddamn, Xsilia. You have no idea when you should open your mouth."
"It's Jessica, actually." She whispered, winking at me.
"But what should I do with my mom? This... impossible! I can't just leave my home!"
"Do you want demons crawling around your house? I don't think so. Think about something. I don't care what. It's your problem. I'm helping you enough offering you shelter and protection." He snapped and turned his back. He began walking down the street and... Jessica followed him. She started walking backwards, with her face towards me. "Go home and tell your parents. We're waiting for you at Caiden's. Don't tell anyone the exact location of his flat, okay?"
I nodded, looking through them as they continued walking.
What just happened?
I blinked slowly, trying to think about how I got involved in this huge problem. Demons crawling around my place? I couldn't let that happen. Even the thought made my heart pound faster, as it wanted to break out of my chest. My hands became sweaty and I noticed how one of my nails was broken. I couldn't care less about that nail. But I was staring at it like it was something important for me and I realized it now when I lost it. I sighed.
I sensed tears falling down on my cheeks but I wiped them with a quick hand movement. I didn't have time to cry. I had to solve the problem, I had to think.
I had to be strong. I had to get through it.
There was no time to be a crybaby.
***
I opened the door and mom came right away to see me. I took off my shoes, as she tapped her foot in front of me and folded her arms. I sighed.
It was an impossible mission. I couldn't talk with her about that matter. She couldn't be relaxed with me leaving the house for a few hours, but for God knows how much time? It was clearly impossible.
"Everything fine?" She asked, and I rose my body, facing her. "Is Emily fine?"
Sometimes, I used to get angry because she kept asking about other people, and never about me. She never asked me if I was fine. If I was holding in all the pain. If I needed comfort from her. She never did and that hurt me. But, after a few years, I got used to it, even though the real anger was still hidden in my heart. "Yea. She's fine. But I'm not."
She rose her eyebrows, shocked. Her mouth fell open and she rose her arms towards me. I jerked away from her touch. "Has something happened to you? Are you hurt? Tell me, Ivy, are you hurt?"
I drew a deep breath. "Not physically. But my mind is not right, mom. I want to leave the house. I want to go to the hospital. Or anywhere else. I can't stay with you. I don't want to hurt you."
Tears filled my eyes but I fought against them. Show no weakness. Stay strong.
She was staring at me, not believing I said those things to her. I shrugged. "God knows how lucky you are if my problem didn't come after you as well. You know I'm right. It's better for me to be alone."
"Ivy..."
She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to tell me because I was right. Definitely, she thought about that possibility. That my bad luck might've come after them. But she was my mom after all. She couldn't push me away. Why didn't I think of that before? I should've told her this thing a long time ago. I should've tried to live by myself, to not involve anyone else.
Well... better now than never, right?
Tears shimmered in her eyes and she reached again for me. This time, I let her get a grip of my shoulders. "You know I want you to stay with us. You don't have to go anywhere. We've been fine until now."
"Until now." I said, my voice becoming dangerously shaky. Don't cry, Ivy. Be strong.
"It's going to be fine, honey. You don't have to go anywhere. We don't have the money and you can't even take care of yourself!" She insisted, shaking me a bit, trying to wake me up.
I shook my head. "I'll stay at a friend's. The friend who gave me this charm. He knows what this is about. He can help me."
"Ivy... He's a fraud! Do you know how many times I fell for those lies? A thousand times! It never worked! Young lady, don't you dare go to that... that friend!"
"You don't even know him!" I yelled at her, taking a step back, making her lose her grip.
"There is no cure for what you have! I tried everything! A necklace can't help you, Ivy, wake up!"
I gasped. "I can't know until I tr-"
I saw it right before it broke the window. A huge, black shadow, crawling on the window, outside the house. I widened my eyes, freezing for a few seconds. Mom continued yelling at me, but I couldn't hear her.
"Mom, Ivy? What's going on?"
"Stay there!" I screamed at Mike, who was coming downstairs. I shoved mom out of my way, but it was too late. The huge shadow rose to its feet, and with a huge arm grabbed Mike by his collar. Mike gasped, his mouth falling open. He didn't even have time to scream.
"No!" I yelled, running towards them, but the disgusting sound of broken bones made me tremble uncontrollably. The... shadow was holding Mike like he was a puppet. Mike was staring at me with a blank expression, right before he rolled his eyes and passed out. The huge thing turned its head to look at me and... exposed its sharp and long teeth. I winced. It looked like... a wolf.
Mom began screaming and the shadow turned slowly its head towards her, ignoring me. It threw Mike on the floor like he was a broken toy, losing its interest in him. The shadow lowered its body, crawling slowly towards us on its four feet. I grabbed mom by her arm and shoved her behind my back.
"Stay still." I told her, bending my knees and spreading my arms wide.
I didn't know what I was doing. Maybe I was trying to not appear aggressive towards the monster who hurt Mike. A huge mistake.
Because it didn't care if I tried to fight it or not. It just wanted to kill us all. A powerful growl got out of its throat, making my knees tremble. Sweat trickled down my face and my heavy breathing made me conscious about how loud I inhaled and exhaled. I was trying to not get noticed by it. But it didn't work.
The windows behind the creature exploded. And no, it wasn't our salvation. It was our doom. The shadow called its friends. Smaller than it, they crawled inside our house, coming slowly but on a steady rhythm towards me and mom. My chest was going up and down with increased speed like it was going to explode as well. I was completely terrified.
A loud sound coming from my back made me start crying in an instant and scream at the top of my lungs. I turned around to see my mom on the floor, unconscious.
"Mom?" I sobbed, falling on my knees, next to her.
No answer.
A hoard of growls made me turn my head. The shadows were approaching us as the lion does with the gazelle. Right before the attack. Their huge tails moved around their back, excited because the food was ready to be eaten. Another growl made the house spin around and my vision became blurred. Maybe because of the tears, the stubborn tears coming out of my eyes like I was a fountain. Or maybe because I was so terrified I didn't even want to see what was going to happen next.
The big shadow lowered its body even more, ready to attack. I squeezed my eyes shut, ready for the impact.
But it never came.
I heard some noises. A gasp. Something breaking. Something torn apart. And a human voice yelling: "Stay outside!"
I opened my eyes.
Caiden was there. He was dancing with the shadows. He had a fan in his left hand, unopened. He was using it as a weapon, poking the shadows quickly as the wind. The shadows began wincing and flinching around like they couldn't keep the pace with Caiden. One even started backing off, jumping back on the window. Jessica was outside, waiting for him. As soon as it came out, she took out two knives, rotating them in her hands and grinning like a maniac. The shadow stopped like it was too terrified to move at all. Her lips moved, but I couldn't hear what she said. The next thing I knew, black blood covered the shattered window and the shadow was gone. Jessica cleaned her black cheeks with her wrist and wrinkled her nose.
In my living, Caiden was still fighting the other ones. One of the shadows found a breach in Caiden's defensive position and attacked. Caiden cried out in pain as the creature dug its claws in his arm. "Freaking low-being!" He yelled, staring in the shadow's eyes. "You have no idea what's happening if I'm angry!"
As soon as he said that, his eyes turned to their weird, snowy white. His hair began moving, colouring itself, becoming silver. For a moment, I thought my vision was blurry again. But it wasn't because of my eyes. There was a strange outline behind him. It looked like... a tail. I widened my eyes, staring at him. His nails grew, bit by bit, becoming claws. The outline started disappearing and a white, fluffy and huge tail appeared in front of my eyes. His canines got longer, reminding me of a vampire.
The shadow removed its claws and Caiden, with a painful gasp, grabbed his arm and chuckled. "Scared, low-being? You have no idea what's coming!"
He rose to his feet and threw away his fan. He pulled out something small, which I couldn't clearly see, and then a light appeared. Out of his hand, something long grew and I blinked twice, realizing what it was. A sword. A samurai sword. Caiden got a firm grip on it and charged it towards the shadow. With a quick, elegant movement, Caiden was in the other part of the living room, across my coffee table. I blinked slowly. It looked like he teleported.
And the shadow was gone, black blood being the only hint it even existed.
The third shadow tried to run as well. Jessica with her knives took it down in a few seconds. When she finished it off, she jumped inside my house through the window and picked up the dirt from her hair. "Always a messy job. How can I attract humans looking like this?!" She wrinkled her nose and sighed, throwing her fuzzy hair over her shoulder.
But no answer came. Caiden, panting, fell on his knees, supporting his hands on the sword, which was stuck in my living room's floor. Blood began trickling down his face. After a closer look, I realized the blood's source.
His eyes. He was crying with blood.
"Stupid fox. You're overdoing yourself! What's wrong with you?!" Jessica snapped, running to him and lowering her body, one knee on the floor. She took the sword, and put it down, next to him. "Ugh, I need to go home. The blood is there." She muttered under her breath and then jerked her head in my direction. "Ivy, come here!"
I winced, glancing over my mom and Mike, both of them lying on the ground. "Your family is fine. The small guy might be a little shattered, to be honest, but he's gonna be fine, trust me. Caiden can heal them. But to do that, he needs to be alive."
I drew a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Relax, Ivy. The worst has passed.
"Come, now!" She yelled at me, making me get to my feet.
She was right. There was no time for crying or getting terrified. I had to help my family and I had to help Caiden. So, as fast as I could, I ran towards them, laying down near Jessica. She was holding Caiden by his shoulders, keeping him in a vertical position. "You don't have enough strength to keep him like this, do you?" I nodded and she sighed. "Go over there. Lay his head over your chest. Keep him talking. I'll come as fast as I can."
I obeyed her commands and moved over, resting his head on my chest. I raised my head and she was gone. I exhaled sharply. Caiden coughed, his whole body spasming. I frowned my eyebrows, staring at his shredded arm. His blood was black.
"I told you to make it quick." He whispered, coughing again.
"I'm sorry." I said, with a shaky voice. Tears filled my eyes and my vision became foggy once again.
I really was sorry. He was a stranger. And yet, he came back after me. He saved me and my family. And it almost cost him his life. I didn't know how to express my gratitude. I had no words big enough to describe what I was feeling. I put my hands around him and I squeezed him to my chest, resting my chin on his shoulder. "Thank you, Caiden. Thank you."
He coughed again. I sensed him relaxing in my arms and I got panicked. "Don't sleep!" I said, my voice becoming high-pitched.
He chuckled. "I won't."
I drew a deep breath, trying to find something I could say. But there was nothing in my mind. It was completely empty. The only thing I could think about was Mike, laying down on the floor, moveless. I kept my eyes on Caiden's white hair, distracting myself. I had to hold in my tears. Jessica said he could help him. That he just needed... the thing she went after and then Mike will be healed.
"What is your favourite colour?"
His voice was so low that I almost didn't catch what he said. I blinked slowly and cleared my throat. "Black."
"That was predictable. Can you guess which is mine?" He said and I realized he was trying to keep himself awake because I was too stupid to find myself a topic.
"Red?"
He chuckled. And coughed, making me frowning. "Why would you say that?" He continued, truly curious.
I shrugged, even though I knew he couldn't see me. "You're a demon. I thought red represents you. Hell and stuff."
He snorted and exhaled sharply. His body tensed and I remained short of breath for a few seconds. After he relaxed, I let myself breath normally. "The hell is not like that. It's hard to explain. But, anyway, my favourite colour is white."
I rose my eyebrows. "White? Why?"
He began to move his shoulders but the pain didn't let him finish the movement. He coughed again and sighed. "Besides the fact that it's my transformation colour... or non-colour, I suppose, white is everything I'm not. And reminds me every day what I should be."
"What do you mean?" I asked coming even closer to him. His voice was so low I couldn't hear it properly.
"Pure. Truthful. Noble."
His voice seemed off like he was drunk. I shook him a bit and he began whining. "Let me sleep, human!"
"You can't!" I yelled at him, scared he might've actually done it.
"Just a few seconds until Xsilia is back. I'm sensing her. She'll be here in a minute..."
His head turned to the right. I turned my head towards the door and Jessica opened it, coming in the house with a bottle in her left hand. It was a transparent bottle and the liquid inside of it had a disturbing red colour.
"I told you to not let him sleep!" She snapped, her nostrils flaring. Her eyes were red and her expression was deadly. I got goosebumps all over my body and froze.
"H-h-he talked.... U-u-until now..." I blabbered but she ignored me, kneeling next to him and opening the strange bottle.
"Open your mouth you stupid ass fox. Open it!"
Caiden coughed again and she stuck the bottle in his mouth, making sure he was drinking it. "What's that?" I asked, keeping Caiden vertically as she threw the red liquid down his throat.
She gave me a quick puzzled glance and said nothing for a few seconds. "Angel blood."
I blinked slowly, trying to understand what she just told me. "Angel... blood?"
"Yea. Angel blood is the cure for us. The demon blood is poison. Mom's nature rules, that bitch." She said, looking only at Caiden's face.
For a moment, I thought it didn't work. He wasn't moving at all. I wasn't even sure if he drank it or just kept it inside his mouth. But then, something changed. Steam appeared in front of my face and I suddenly felt really hot. Searching for the source, I noticed his arm: the steam came from there. His arm was healing so fast that it produced steam.
Caiden coughed and jerked away from me and Jessica. I remained still on the floor, looking at him. He covered his mouth with his hand, exposing his long nails, and coughed again. "Did you just feed me with the whole angel blood I gathered?"
Jessica, still sitting near me, shrugged and smiled. "I thought you were dead. It's your fault, foxy fox."
"Don't you ever call me like that again. Especially in front of humans."
I exhaled, relieved. He was fine. His eyes were sparkling like all the energy he lost these days came back just in seconds.
Mike.
"Caiden!" I said, making him turn his head towards me. "My... my brother..."
He sighed. "Indeed. I shall do it now."
He got to his feet and his tail disappeared, leaving only steam behind like it wasn't even there before. His nails went back to normal, but his eyes and hair remained the same. He passed by me and Jessica and kneeled in front of Mike. "A few broken ribs. Internal bleeding. His estimated death would be in two hours."
"How... how can you tell?" I asked him, rising from the floor and going to him and Mike. He turned his head towards me. His weird, colour-moving eyes were boring into mine, making me nervous and my heart beating faster.
"Why don't you think he didn't change his eyes? He can read chakra and shit." Jessica explained, standing on her feet next to us.
Caiden ignored us and turned Mike on his back. Mike growled but didn't open his eyes. Caiden frowned and touched gently Mike's forehead, which instantly became smoother like he was sleeping without being in any pain. "Step back. It might hurt you if you're too close." Caiden said softly and put an arm in front of me. I got to my feet and sat next to Jessica, feeling like the anxiety clenched my heart, not allowing it to beat anymore.
Caiden got even closer to Mike, his upper body bending over Mike's chest. He looked like he was listening to his pulse. After a few quiet seconds, he pulled back and rose his hand in the air, palm upwards. "Xsilia, give me your knife."
Jessica obeyed his command and took off her knife from her boot and placed it in his other hand. He cut his palm, black blood trickling down his arm, then clenched his fist, letting the blood leak on Mike's chest. Like a chemical reaction, the moment his blood touched Mike's T-shirt, steam appeared in the air, making me choke, because of its density. Jessica got a grip of my shoulders and gave me a napkin. I covered my mouth with it, still watching them. The steam disappeared after a minute and I drew a deep breath and coughed. I wanted to put the napkin in my pocket but Jessica snatched it and placed it in her own pocket. My brows furrowed. She shrugged. "It's energy there. You never know when you need an extra." She said and grinned at me with her sharp teeth and red eyes.
"Are you a vampire?" I asked her, feeling like I was in a horror movie.
"Well, you can say that. An energy vampire, to be exact. Succubus." She winked at me and stuck her tongue out. "If you want an affair just ask me. Your boyfriend over there will never know."
I hugged myself, feeling chilly, suddenly. I shook my head. "He's not my boyfriend."
She sighed and said nothing.
Caiden got to his feet and dusted his hands off. "Your brother is healed."
The relief made my knees weak and I almost fell on the floor. "Thank you. Thank you so much!" I said, tears filling my eyes.
I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself. It was over. That nightmare was over. Everyone was safe. I squeezed my eyes shut for a few seconds and felt a few tears trickling down my cheeks.
"Is she okay? Or she playin' dead?" Jessica asked and I jerked my head towards her only to see her boot poking my mom's inert body. I sighed.
"She passed out because of the shock. It happens sometimes. She'll be fine. Stop touching her with your dirty boots!" I said angrily and she rose her hands in front of her chest, backing off, with an amused expression plastered on her pale face.
The revelation came to my mind almost making me fell on the floor. "Oh my God. How am I going to explain what happened to them?!" I pressed my hair with my hands, sighing.
I was doomed. When she'll wake up, she will freak out, probably locking me in my room. She definitely will think that everything happened because of my bad luck. I would be grounded for life.
Besides that... she would realize that the dark figures in the night exist. That demons are real. Or ghosts. Or God knows what she'll think about. And she'll never speak again. She'll be so scared that she won't even leave the house. Her life would've changed completely.
And it was only and only my fault.
"Ivy. I know what you're thinking about."
I rose my eyes only to see Caiden standing in front of me, staring at me with a weird intensity. "You want them to forget, right?"
"Yes." I nodded, biting my lips and scratching my arms. "I want them to forget everything. Make them think we've been robbed. Can you do that?"
He said nothing and continued staring at me. I returned his gaze, boring into those white, bizarre eyes. His mouth became a thin line and his eyebrows frowned. "I can. But I think there's something else I should remove from their memories."
I frowned. "What?"
"You."