"You have 3 days to run, Niall. But of course, you know that it's pointless. She'll find you...and she'll give you what you deserve..."
Sora and Eaden were hand in hand, both looking down at Niall like he were the scum of the earth. But much to everyone's shock, Niall's expression started to become less fearful, gradually slipping into a state of somberness.
"Yeah, whatever. It's not like I care or anything..."
What did he just say?
"Seriously...I mean..." He groaned, rubbing his temples as he clumsily rose to his feet. "Why am I even trying anymore...? Let her come. What's the worst that could happen? She'll kill me? Nah...death is probably the best thing that could happen."
I could hardly trust my own ears at this point. These words...didn't even sound like they were his own. It was as though Niall was being controlled by his inner voice, which was feeding off all of his negative emotions. If this kept up, there was no telling how far he'd sink.
"Niall, what has gotten into you?" Judging by the distressed look on Jeremy's face, my guess was that he felt equally concerned with the demon's sudden change in behavior.
"THREE DAYS, YOU SAY!?!" Niall shouted at the top of his lungs, shaking his fist furiously at the air. "WHY NOT COME NOW, HUH?? WHY NOT...c-...come now..."
His voice was growing softer.
"I..."
"Save your breath, Niall," I whispered, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Whether or not this gesture triggered it, a fountain of tears overflowed from within my friend, and he clung desperately to me, then began sobbing uncontrollably.
"I can't take it anymore this pressure...these expectations..." I noticed him reach his hand up and wipe a tear from his eye. "This'll be blood soon."
"What?" I pulled away and shot him a frantic look. "What are you talking about?"
Niall didn't respond. He just stared at the ground, his eyes full of unspeakable pain and sorrow.
"Niall-...?"
"When a demon is dying, a trail of blood will stream down from their eye," said Sora. "It can even occur if their death is to happen in the near future. And of course, Niall can predict his..."
Eaden giggled as she clasped her brother's hand tighter. "That's right," she said. "I'll bet he can predict the exact moment when he'll die. Right down to the last second. Isn't that right, Niall?"
"...."
"You coward..." Sora grimaced. The dark haired boy threw his hand in the air and formed a fist, and soon after it became enveloped in a cloud of darkness. "I could destroy this whole town in a single minute. Give me one reason why I shouldn't." For some reason, he then narrowed his gaze at me.
And Morgan began to panic on my behalf.
"B-b-because Christmas is coming!" He blurted. "How could you do such a thing on Christmas?!"
Morgan, you idiot...
"Christmas, eh?" Sora scoffed. "Is it some sort of happy time for you? I grew up in a family of coldhearted demons who treated Christmas as any other day: a day to hide in isolated darkness under the earth...waiting for a boy that Death himself couldn't keep under control. And here he is...standing side by side with a disgusting orange haired freak." He released Eaden's hand and let out a deep, sorrowful sigh. "I bet it's nice...to have such high spirits for such a hopeless, forgotten cause."
"It's not hopeless!!" Morgan protested, his face now a deep shade of red. "I'm sorry if you've never had the chance to enjoy Christmas as much as others do, but that doesn't mean you should take this away from them!"
"Yeah, what the pretty boy said."
General Adams seemed to come out of nowhere, wielding a two-edged sword in one hand—where she had gotten it, I didn't know. Her eyes narrowed intimidatingly at the young-looking demons standing side by side. "To be frank, I've had enough of people like you," she said bitterly. "You disgust me to no end. The words that come out of your mouths are just...wrong. But I guess, to tell you the truth, I've never been one for celebrating Christmas either. It didn't seem worthwhile to me. But now..." She walked over to Niall and grabbed the back of his shirt collar, then gave him a little shove, as if to show him off to Sora and Eaden. "...I've got someone I need to look after."
"Yeah..." Jeremy whispered, and before I knew it, he had done the same thing to me as Suri did to Niall. "Me too."
Jeremy...
I grabbed Morgan's collar and gave it a tug. "Same here."
Our heartfelt actions only seemed to further anger Sora and Eaden. "You all are pathetic," the boy spat. "It'll be fun crushing your bodies into the ground..."
"Eaden? S-Sora?"
A timid voice entered the conversation without warning, and soon, a little girl poked her head through a crack in a door just to the left of the younger demons. Sora and Eaden turned their heads in the direction of the voice. The little girl opened the door further and took small steps, tiptoeing across the rough, uneven ground in her bare feet, until she reached them. She couldn't have been older than seven. Wearing a flower printed shirt, a long, black skirt, and a pink bow in her blonde hair, this girl seemed intent on speaking to the demons who were hardly taller than her.
"Emily, what are you doing?" Sora asked her. "You're not even wearing a coat. Go back inside. I don't want you catching a cold."
"Why are you acting this way, Sora?" Emily asked. "These people are right. Iz Christmas!" She threw her hands in the air, then captured Sora in a tight, compassionate hug. "Iz Christmas. Christmas is a happy time. Please don't fight with them. Instead, how 'bout you come 'n'side and have tea with mommy and me? That will make you feel all better and happy. Promise it will."
I seriously thought Sora and Eaden both were about to burst into tears. It seemed as though, just by hearing this little girl's voice and her kind, loving words, their evil intention and negative thoughts had drifted away with the winds.
"Okay, we'll come have tea with you and Mrs. Lockwood," said Sora, a smile appearing in his face. "That sounds really nice, actually."
"Great!" Emily laughed with delight and spun around, then ran towards her house, leaving the door open just a crack. Faintly, I heard her shout, "Don't take too long! Tea'll be ready soooon!!"
Sora's smile faded. His gaze fixed on a single stone which lay in front of his foot on the ground. "Christmas..." He whispered, his expression seeming to take in the sound of the word and expand on the thought of it. "Maybe...is it possible...? Can demons enjoy themselves on Christmas with the people they care about?"
"Yes."
Sora and Eaden both looked at me questioningly. "Is that what you plan on doing, Shadow Keeper?" asked Eaden. "Are these the people you wanted to spend Christmas with?"
"Yes," I said again. "It's been a while since I've been able to be happy this time of year. But this year...I was hoping things would change. Maybe they can change for you, too. Tell me, Sora. How much does Emily mean to you?"
"Everything." He said this wholeheartedly, and without hesitation. The look in his eyes told me all I needed to know.
"Then go," I said to him. "Go and enjoy her presence while you still have the chance. Humans don't last forever, you know."
To my surprise, Sora nodded. He placed his beret back on his head and adjusted it, then took Eaden's hand in his own. The two made their way toward Emily's house and entered it without even saying a word. I did, however, see Emily wave at me through the window and, if I wasn't mistaken, saw her mouth the words 'thank you.'
"You're amazing, Hanako."
Morgan gazed at me with sincere admiration, his bright eyes sparkling.
"H-huh? Me? No, I didn't do anything. I just-..."
"This Christmas will be different," he said hopefully. "It'll be special. I know it will. It's gonna be a memorable one...one that you'll never forget...so you can just forget about all those other times you insisted on spending it alone." My best friend threw his arms around my neck and hugged me as tightly as he could, without mercy.
One I'll never forget, huh? Well that's something to think about. I couldn't help but smile, but at the same time, I was worrying about something else.
Three days wake.
Reiha's return.
Niall's death.
No...no, that can't be right. It was all just a joke right? Just a...joke...
"Niall? W-where are you going?"
My blue haired friend had begun to walk slowly and silently away, and just as I had asked this question, he froze.
"I've got three days to live...so I want to make them mean something."
"Niall, what are y-"
"Hanako, lets celebrate your birthday, okay?"
"What are you talking about, Niall?"
"Please."
Niall uttered this with such seriousness, it was almost frightening. I found it nearly impossible to find the right words to say—or any words, for that matter.
My birthday is tomorrow...I almost forgot.