“Stop!” Ariana yelled and the two boys left themselves, standing up as they dusted their bodies.
“Why are you here? Do you desperately want to kill me? Do you hate me that much?” She choked on a sob as tears dropped from her eyes.
“Ariana I.. i..”
“And you, I told you never to come back. You betrayed your brother and now me. What would you gain? You couldn’t resist telling him. You are both bunches of assholes. I regret ever knowing you guys”. She sobbed, furiously wiping tears from her eyes.
“Ariana, I came in search of my mom. She came to search for you” Austin replied.
“Find me? Please don’t give me crap, your nice mom would never do such. This is your excuse for finding me. I won’t be surprised if tomorrow your uncle comes to kill me” Ariana lashed.
Austin stares at her with different thoughts in his mind. He was happy to see her but sad that she hated him. “I’ll just leave” He muttered with slumped shoulder and left.
“You should also leave” She mumbled and walked away.
She got to the cave, sat on the floor and hugged her knees as she wailed. “He looked sad, does it mean he still loves me?” She thought.
Lucile stretched a candy bar to her, she raised her head, collecting it with a sad smile. “My life is a complete mess right? Wonder if anything good will come out of it?” She inquired with a distant smile.
“Lots of people would do anything just to have your life” He replied.
“Don’t try to comfort me, it won’t work because I’ve accepted my fate and now I’m ready to train” She let out, standing up.
“Try to float” He instructed.
With determination and focus, she blocked all thoughts from her head as she tried to feel something inside her. Her legs began to leave the ground and she put her hand in her ears, trying to block out all sounds she shut her eyes tightly.
A force surged with her as she felt her blood flow faster. Something inside her began to mutter some words and with a loud shout shifted to her demon form.
She opened her eyes and saw Lucile smiling at her. She smiled back. She was afloat as her powers pulsed in her veins. She felt ecstatic.
“Move around, don’t just stand there” Lucile urged and she pushed her body sideways and yelled with joy as she moved freely, her body feeling very light.
“Wow! I feel so… so… I can’t describe how happy I feel right now, I feel like I’m on top of the world” She panted with joy.
“Do you wish to continue training now?” Lucile requested.
“What training? Isn’t this the training?” She asked with confusion.
“Do you know how to fight with a sword?” He questioned and she shook her head.
“We have a very long way to go. Wait here” He muttered and vanished. He appeared a few minutes later, holding two swords.
She stared at him and wondered what he wanted to use them for. He handed one to her and she groaned at how heavy it was. “Attack me” He ordered and she stared at him with surprise.
“Why should I attack you and how would I do that because this sword is too heavy. Can I get something light and probably small?” She complained and he sighed, using his hand to touch his forehead.
“You stretch your hand forward, your leg behind to give you balance” He replied, holding in her hand as he made demonstrations.
“Then your sword pointing straight, your head raised slightly and your eyes studying your opponent sharply. Do not get distracted, all your senses must be focused. Use your eyes to notice even the slightest movement, your nose to scent any nearby scent to know if you have an enemy behind and your ears to listen to the faintest of voices” He instructed and she nodded.
“Now try to notice where my hand will be” He said and moved his hand swiftly to her cheek and she looked at him dazzled.
“I said be focused!” He frowned, hitting her head.
He teleported to the cave, took twenty candy bars and returned to the field.
She stared at him, licking her lips as he poured the candy bars on the ground. “You can eat as many as you want if you can catch them. Get ready!” He ordered and sadly she licked her lips as she positioned herself.
One after the other, he threw each candy bar at her and she struggled to catch them. She smiled triumphantly as she looked at him, panting with a candy bar in her hand.
“That’s the last bar, you missed the rest” He let out, bursting her bubble.
“Let go to the cave, we’ll continue tomorrow” He declared putting the candy bars into his bag and she stared at him with sad eyes.
Austin went home and confronted his uncle. “Your mom would be back soon, she said she would also try to search for her demon friend” Harry lied.
“Why didn’t you tell me that first, I went to see Ari…”
“You found Ariana?” Harry inquired and Austin shook his head.
“No, I searched for her but I couldn’t find her” Austin replied and left.
“Would I be able to resist going there?” Austin thought as he entered his room. His heart swelled with joy at the fact that she was safe but couldn’t decide if he should go back after she asked him not to come back.
“I’ll have to go back, there’s nothing I can do” He thought as he lay on his bed to sleep.
“Wake up” Lucile called twice, shaking her body. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and stood up with a frown. She slapped her hand in her mouth as she ran out and puked.
He brought water to her and smiled. She wondered what was funny about throwing up. “Go have your bath, your clothes are at that side”. He instructed, pointing at a pile of clothes.
She took the new soap and sponge she got, her heart in her mouth as she floated slowly.
She returned after ten minutes in black pants and a blue top. She saw him stirring soup and sniffed as a sweet aroma filled her nostril.
“Hmmm. How come you cook so well yet you’re not a chef in the city” She joked as she watched him add rings of onions. He continued stirring for 5 minutes and brought the pot down. He quenched the fire and used a spoon to serve it on two plates.
She wondered where he got the utensils. “Fish soup, yummy, you’re such a great cook. You could get a job easily” She mumbled as she hungrily took scoops of the soup like she hadn’t finished one large bucket of ice cream last night.
“Can I have more, please?” She pleaded, giving him her best smile and puppy eyes and he gave her what was left on his plate. Happily, she devoured his food and kept the plate to a side then left for the field.
He had insisted that she remain in her demon form. She took the sword and stretched her hand forward and took slow strides, moving one foot after the other.
“You’re doing it all wrong. Don’t you watch movies at all” He complained and she grumbled.
“Watch me closely” He instructed and took his sword, making demonstrations. He swung his hand forward and moved very fast while she stared at him with awe and wondered how he was able to move swiftly.
He beckoned to her and she took her heavy sword, slowly she began demonstrating. He flashed her a smile when she demonstrated what he had done much slower.
He took his sword. “Try to stop my sword from touching your body” He mandated and accelerated his sword. She squatted to the ground in fear, using her hand to cover her head.
“Stand up!” He ordered with frustration in his voice. Slowly, she stood up and held her sword.
He swung his sword again and she bent, dodging it.
“That’s better, either you block it or dodge it” He notified.
He attacked slowly and she raised her sword to block it. He attacked severally and either blocked it or dodged it. He smiled at her.
“Now this time, try to be fast. Let your demon be in charge. Allow it to move freely” He advised as he launched his sword very fast, startled, she fell to the ground and he helped her up. They continued training as she improved.
“Gosh, I’m so exhausted. , won’t we have lunch?”She inquired, sweating as she fell gently.
“Let’s train for a few hours then have lunch” Lucile replied and she shook her head.
“No, I’m too weak to continue. I need good food and good rest. I’m very tired” She replied, gasping for air.
“Here, I brought some fruits” She heard and turned to see Austin, holding a basket.
“Leave now!” She replied, getting angry but her tummy grumbled and she so much hungered for fruits.
“I’ll leave you two for some time” Lucile asserted and walked away.
Austin walked close to her and dropped the basket on the floor. He brought out a cloth and spread it on the floor. He opened the basket and brought out some oranges, apples, watermelon and peaches.
He sliced it inside two plates and handed one plate to her. Unwillingly, she collected it, stared at it for some time then put a piece in her mouth and munched on it slowly.
“Charlotte misses you a lot, she’s kinda lonely, plays with her pets always” Austin briefed, looking at her, he had so much he wanted to say to her but refrained himself from talking.
She turned to face him and a tear rolled down her cheek. He looked terrible, had spots around his eyes and his face wrinkled a bit. She put her hand on his face, gracing some lines without uttering a word and he smiled at her.
His smile caused her heart to race, she remembered his face vividly and he seemed to have gotten more handsome. “Don’t cry, I hate to see you cry” He whispered, wiping her tears with his palm.
He stared at her and noticed she looked thinner and cuter. Slowly, he moved his face and their Tips touched, her body burned with desire, longing and need.
She drew him closer as their lips mingled. slowly, he held her back as he brought her to the ground. Austin’s hand ignited hot frames of arousal wherever it touched.
“You should leave” She replied, avoiding his gaze as she pushed him away.
“I missed you so much” He whispered and she shut her eyes tightly.
“Just go please!” She pleaded weakly.
“Why should I? But I love you” He protested, holding her face and she shook her head.
“Just stop it, you never loved me. You only pretended to just because you wanted to kill me. Brooklyn was right about you” Ariana cried out, removing his hand from hers, a look of pain flashed in his eyes and his face turned cold.
“Pretend? Why would I plan to have kids with you? Why would I be mated to you?” He retorted, anger and sadness masked in his voice.
“I don’t know, you could make up things. You could tell me things and the gullible me would believe you” She replied.
“I thought you loved me, you made a promise to me that nothing would come between us but now I’ve realised those were empty words. I’ll never show up here again” He replied coldly and left without taking the basket and she stared at space, her eyes teary.
“I’m confused. Don’t know what to believe” She cried out with pain as images of Austin’s sad eyes flashed in her head.
With tears, she brought out a fruit and munched on it, crying and smiling at the same time, the hurt, pain and anger in her too much.