“They asked me to keep her busy for a while and since she always begged me to go to the haunted house, I decided to take her there.” I never expected it to be a dangerous place.
“We casually walked through the house, talking and having a really good time.” A sad smile crosses my face and my voice dips.
“I remember her asking me about ghosts. If we might actually see one.” My voice cracks and Mel grips my hand in hers. As if magic I feel how a calm warm wave spreads from her to me.
“The floor of the staircase gave in as we stepped on it and we got crushed under some concrete pieces of the broken floor. I was stuck, a piece of iron pierced my hip.” I suddenly feel sick.
“Half her body was under a giant slab. Blood oozed from holes in her body … her head … and pooled around her. I could reach her hand. She was lying just next to me, bleeding out, dying … and I couldn’t do a fucking thing to help her.” That helplessness … watching a person you love die … I never want to experience anything like that again.
“I just kept on talking to her, telling her how much I loved her, that everything was going to be okay, knowing it was a lie.”
It feels as if a shadow of guilt is moving over me and I feel the demons reaching for me. Clawing and scraping to get out.
I take a deep breath.
“She chanted her famous saying – sniff pixie dust and soar … the last thing she said.” Words I will never forget for as long as I live.
“That was the first time I fell into despair.” My first demon. “You know, I can’t seem to remember her face when she was still alive, but I just can’t forget her expression while she was lying there on the ground. Her eyes were staring at me, pleading with me and I saw the life and light leaving those icy blue eyes.” Tears well into mine. “A single tear ran down her cheek and a small smile formed on her lips.” The smile stayed there even after she was gone.
I start breathing rapidly, trying to push the monsters back into the darkness. I’ve never told anybody that last part, not ever.
“I managed to phone 911, but when they arrived it was already too late.”
“Your first demon.” Her voice is soft and sad, but there’s no hint of pity in it. She kisses me on my shoulder and holds onto me, trying to soothe my pain somehow. And like some kind of miracle, it’s working. My arms pull her in tighter and I place my lips on her head, breathing in her scent.
“How many more are there?” I don’t know.
“I’ve never counted. At least three.” She sweeps a hand over my chest and moves it down.
“Is this where the iron penetrated you?” She traces her fingers over the tattoo covering the scar on my hip. It’s two laurel branches that look like angel wings – a symbol for her name – Lori.
“Yep.” I relax under her smoothing strokes.
“You know, the day I met you at the haunted house was her 9th birthday, the first one after she died.” She huffs in a lungful.
“I went there to talk to her, hoping to see a ghost, maybe hers … but instead I saw you. And suddenly the day was not so dark anymore.” I trace up and down her arm with my hand. “It was as if you were glowing. I truly believed you were an angel, my angel, and I was right.”
She doesn’t say a word, just holds onto me a bit more, and I appreciate the silence. Being with Melaena like this is just perfect, but I’m still scared that something is going to happen to break us apart. But for now, at least, I’m enjoying my little piece of heaven.
Her breathing gets rhythmical and I just lay there and watch her sleep until it’s time for me to go. It could have been minutes … or hours … I really can’t say.
I trace her cheek softly with my finger, careful not to wake her, and press a kiss on her head. She needs the rest to get over that bug. Now that we’ve established that it actually is a virus and not a baby.
A light coming from under Kiara’s door draws my attention. She must be back. I knock softly and on her command open the door, finding her on her bed with a book.
“Hey, so you two sorted things out then?”
“Yes, I think.”
“You don’t sound too convincing,” Kiara eyes me while putting a bookmark on the page she was reading.
“Well, I’m just scared that I’ll screw up.”
“Then don’t!” Easier said than done.
Date = 26 December
Place = San Francisco (Mel’s house)
POV – Melaena
“You want some ice cream?” I jump on Kiara’s bed suddenly craving a delicious snack and needing some TLC from my best friend.
“I’ll be with you in two secs!” she says.
I scoop a large serving of ice cream into two bowls, take out the jar of pickles, and throw some on top of one, before covering it with peanut butter, jam, and chocolate sauce. This is weird, even for me, but something is making me want this nearly as bad as I crave sex.
I take my phone and sit on the sofa eating my new favorite snack. Kiara slides over the back of the sofa and takes a huge bite of her plain ice cream, moaning softly.
“Mm, this IS good!”
Doom tries to steal some of my bowl of weirdness and I shoe him off by tapping on his nose with my finger.
“What the frick are you eating?” Kiara stares at my bowl with a face that looks as if she’s going to puke.
“Ice cream with pickles and peanut butter, jam, and chocolate sauce!!! It tastes much better than it looks.”
“OMG … you pregnant or something? Yuk!” She pulls a sour face and gives a little snort.
“No, the test was negative.” I pile another spoon into my watering mouth, glad I’m not throwing up for once. Maybe Damion was right about that injection.
“What?” Kiara burbs up some ice cream, pulling an are-you-fucking-with-me face.
“Damion made me do a test, but it was negative. He thought the bug might be a baby.” I think Ilkay also had the same thought – hence the pill question.
“As long as you don’t mess up your pills, you’ll be okay.” I know what she means. My ADHD makes me forget lots of times to drink my pills, but I’ve been trying to keep up since I started having sex with Damion.
“I’m much better at it, promise.” I take another bite.