Human Page 4

  A pair of black obsidian eyes stared from the mirror, which was surrounded by a red mist. I didn't dare to move as those creepy eyes turned to me.

  "Is her mind frozen in time?" a deep masculine voice asked.

  "Yes," Devin said. I'd seen movies and read about demons communicating through mirrors, but that definitely hadn't made me ready for this. It was harder and harder to stay calm and unmoving. Not to mention Devin was a demon and a liar. What if he planned to sacrifice me or let this other demon possess my body?

  "Did you fix the mistake?" the voice said, black eyes now focused on Devin.

  "Yes. She only got late to school, so the magic didn't work. But it's all fine now."

  "Any sightings of the angel girl?"

  "Not yet. But she goes to school here. I'm sure of that." Devin looked a bit nervous, almost like he wanted this conversation to end immediately.

  "Try to find her," the voice sighed, "and be careful. The angels know you're here."

  "I will." The mist started retracting, and the black eyes were gone. I let out a breath I hadn't even known I'd been holding. The mirror looked normal again, without any trace of the demon mojo. But it wasn't the time to relax because another demon was standing nearby. Just because he came in a pretty, human-looking package didn't mean he was harmless. In fact, it was most likely the opposite.

  "Did you see that?" Devin asked, startling me. Was that a trick question? Should I pretend I hadn't seen anything?

  "It was hard not to," I finally said, hoping it was the right answer.

  "Are you a demon?" That question sounded so odd coming from Devin's mouth. His face lit up with wonder. "Only demons can see through the demon magic and be unaffected by mind spells. But why aren't your eyes changing?"

  I gaped at him, my mind trying to process the information he had just given me. So according to him, I was a demon. Now that was just plain ridiculous. I had to force myself not to burst out laughing because that might piss him off.

  "I'm not…" And what if I was? It was true I could see demons and had these weird visions, but that was all because of Devin. Besides, he could be lying about it all, only I couldn't figure it out what would he get by convincing me I was one of his kind. Except if I belonged to the other side.

  "You have to be," Devin said excitedly.

  "I don't believe you." The demons were looking for some girl who was also an angel. Maybe I was… No. What was wrong with me? How could I even for a second consider that? Me being an angel? Yeah, not likely. Demon was more plausible, but I didn't consider myself evil. Nah, I was just a human with a bad reaction to demons.

  "Then what are you?" Devin's face was serious, his body suddenly rigid and ready for a fight.

  "Human." As far as I knew.

  "No, you're not," he said confidently. "I know you're not."

  "Look, I was just a normal girl until you showed up." I crossed my arms in front of me. "And it doesn't really matter whether I'm human, demon or a damn vampire. All I want to know is who you are and what do you want."

  "What's a vampire?" he asked, confused. Oh, so there were angels and demons, but no vampires? No mysterious, super hot bloodsuckers who would love you forever? Now that was totally unfair.

  "Never mind." I sighed. "How old are you anyway?"

  "I'm 17."

  "Umm, is it like 17 forever or something?"

  "No." He frowned. "I don't think that's possible."

  But forever 25 or 30 probably was, unless they continued counting their years no matter what. However, I was dealing with an inexperienced demon, and that was good for me. The only problem was that I knew nothing about demons. I highly doubted my Religion classes would be of any help.

  "What is Hell like?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Damn my curiosity.

  "You've never been there?" He eyed me suspiciously. Yeah, I went to Hell every summer for holidays.

  "Of course not." I scowled. "I'm not a demon, no matter what you think."

  "Maybe you're a half-demon." He shrugged. "But you're not human."

  "And what do we do now?" I said, not convinced. No matter what he said, there was no way I was going to believe him. I believed my parents more than some demon. Unless my grandmother had meant literally when she'd said I was acting like a little demon when I was a child.

  "Admit you're a demon," Devin said darkly. "Or I'll have to kill you."

  "What do you get from me admitting that?" I stared at him incredulously.

  "I'll know I didn't make a mistake when I risked my life to hide the truth about you."

  I opened my mouth, then closed it. What do you say to something like that? And what did he mean by risking his life? Wasn't he, like, immortal?

  "I guess I'll have to ask my parents," I finally said, trying to buy some time before I decided what to do.

  "If you really know nothing, then they probably won't be able to tell you," Devin said. "The demons who want to hide their children in the human world can easily do so by replacing the real children. The parents will never know because the demons carefully choose those of similar features. Even a blood test won't show anything suspicious because there's a spell for it."

  "What happens to the real children?" I was in shock, wondering how many demons were hiding in our world. It was a creepy thought. And I might be one of them. Oh God. Wait, could I even think about God? Wouldn't I burst into flames or something?

  He didn't answer me, which was probably a sign I didn't want to know the truth.

  "What do you want from me?" I asked for who knows what time.

  "Your help," he said, and I gaped at him like a fish. A demon needed my help? Ah, awesome. What could I actually do that he couldn't?

  "How could I help you?" I searched his face for any indication that he wasn't telling me the truth, but I wasn't a lying detector.

  "You know this world, and I don't have to hide who I am in front of you. You can show me things,…" His face darkened a bit. "But if you tell anyone about me, I'm going to tell the other demons about you, and then you'll see what Hell looks like."

  I shuddered because there was something in his cerulean eyes that told me he was serious and that I wouldn't like Hell at all, even if I was actually a demon.

  "All right," I found myself saying, "I'll help you."

  The bell rang, announcing the end of our short break, and I wondered how no one had walked in here and interrupted us. Devin must have been using his demon powers to keep everyone away because I couldn't imagine girls not coming to check on their make-up or hair.

  Devin was already at the door and held it open for me. I was still a little bit shaken by everything that had happened that I didn't even think how awkward it would be to walk out of the girls' restroom with a boy. Brenda's angry face greeted me as soon as I stepped outside. She opened her mouth to yell at me for locking myself inside, but then her emerald eyes widened as she saw Devin behind my back. I could only guess what she thought we'd been doing and I felt myself grinning at her. She abruptly turned around, her curly dark brown hair fluttering behind her as she hurried back to the class.

  "Why did she stare at us like that?" Devin whispered as we neared the classroom. The hall was mostly empty, but I still looked around before answering. There was a good chance Brenda was jealous and wouldn't tell anyone what she had witnessed. We didn't need anyone else to find out.

  "She thinks we've been making out."

  "In the restroom?" He looked puzzled. So the making out part made perfect sense to him and the restroom was a problem? Oook.

  "Yeah, people do that sometimes."

  He didn't say anything because we reached the classroom. A few students gave us strange looks but probably assumed we had run into each other at the door. Brenda's lips were pressed in a tight line and she clearly wished me to drop dead. No matter how much I enjoyed pissing her off, I didn't want her to become my enemy. Maybe I should have asked Devin what he'd put in her mind. I just hoped he hadn't made her think he was her ex or
something.

  Italia's dark brown eyes regarded me curiously as I sat down. I knew she probably had tons of questions for me, beginning with my hasty leaving without a word to her, but that could wait until the end of the class.

  Chapter 04

  A dark-haired woman appears in front of me out of nowhere, her black eyes flash to cerulean blue as she extends her pale arms towards me. I gasp, taking a step back, but the distance between us doesn't change.

  "Who are you?" I whisper, trying to figure it out is this a vision or a dream. But I can't see anything except the darkness and her beautiful, inviting face.

  "You know who I am," she says, and something clicks together in my mind, which seems to be in some sort of a haze.

  "Melissa," I say and she nods.

  "You have to save him." Her cerulean eyes seem sad and worried. I know those eyes, but I can't quite remember how.

  "Save who?"

  "My son." She absently pats her flat stomach. I don't understand what she wants from me. Isn't she supposed to be dead? Isn't her son dead too?

  "Are you a ghost?" I ask before I can stop myself. I don't know why am I trying to rationalize a dream. Because it is a dream, right? But why can't I wake up then?

  A shadow of a smile stretches her lips, and she shakes her head.

  "What are you then?" Could she have survived being stabbed in the heart? If she's a demon, maybe yes.

  "Only a shadow of what I used to be," she says, her huge red wings fluttering open behind her slim figure. Once again, I try to back away, but nothing happens.

  "Help my son," she repeats, staring intently at me like that is going to make me do whatever she wants.

  "How?" I pinch myself hard, but I don't wake up. Yet I know this is a dream.

  "Kill him." Her sweet voice fills my head, resonates through my mind like some old chant. It's suddenly hard to breathe, and I cover my ears in a futile attempt to stop hearing her.

  I found myself staring at the ceiling of my room, wide awake. Melissa's words were still fresh in my mind, but at least I could think clearly. These dreams or visions were really starting to get on my nerves, just like the inability to come out of them when I wanted. I had no idea was there a way to control that.

  Glancing at my clock, I realized it was the middle of the night. Great, how was I supposed to go back to sleep after this? Now I had too many things to think about and sort out. Unfortunately, I knew I wasn't going to figure out much without Devin's help. Only I couldn't really tell him a woman who was probably his dead mother wanted me to kill him, could I? And what if it all had been just a dream? A horrible, very vivid and realistic dream, but a dream nevertheless? Surely a demon woman, even a desperate one, wouldn't ask me to kill someone. Was it my subconscious trying to tell me Devin was dangerous? Yeah, like I didn't know that one already.

  I closed my eyes but was afraid to go to sleep. I definitely didn't need any more dreams about demons or angels, so I turned on the lights and went over to the mirror. My reflection startled me so much that I gasped. There were dark bags under my eyes, almost like I had smeared my make-up or turned into a raccoon. Without any more sleep, I was going to look like a zombie in the morning.

  My cell phone vibrated on the nightstand, making me jump. I stared at it wide eyed because I was sure I'd turned it off before going to bed. Not even daring to blink, I went over to the nightstand. The screen of my cell phone was glowing white, a message symbol in the middle of it. Who could be sending me messages this late?

  I slowly picked it up, my heart beating like crazy. Could demons control cell phones? Once again, I was clueless. I didn't recognize the number of the sender, but when I read the message, it chilled me to the bone.

  I saw the lights, so I know you must be awake. Need to talk to you. Look outside.

  There was no signature, but somehow I knew someone was really standing in front of my house. Should I go wake up my parents? Call the police? The only problem was that whoever was outside probably wasn't human and would be gone before I managed to do anything, leaving me alone to deal with the consequences of a false alarm.

  Taking a deep breath to calm my speeding pulse, I took a step towards the window and peeked outside. Everything was wet from the melting snow, and the sky had some weird reddish hue to it. The street lamp in front of my house wasn't working, which only scared me more. My breath got stuck in my throat when I saw a dark silhouette just across the street, near one of the huge oak trees. It was a man; that much I could tell from his posture and height.

  He seemed to lift his head and look straight at me, then he waved. I gasped, stepping away from the window. Who was the freak who was standing in front of my house in the middle of the night despite the cold? If he really thought I was going to go out of the safety and warmth of my home to meet him, he was insane.

  Just as I was about to pull down the shades, something I didn't really enjoy doing as I liked that little bit of light that was coming from the street, I heard a flutter of wings. I should have assumed supernatural creatures would find their way to get to me, even when I didn't want it. But when I looked up at the face observing me through the window, I thought I was dreaming. Amadeo knocked on the glass, flashing me one of his best, friendly smiles.

  I took a deep breath and opened the window, shivering as the chilly night air touched my skin through my thin purple pajamas. Amadeo stepped inside, leaving mud and snow on my red carpet. At some point, his huge blue wings had disappeared behind his back. He closed the window and I sat down on my bed, too annoyed to do anything else.

  "And what exactly are you?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew the answer.

  "I'm an angel." He took a step towards me, and I raised my hand to stop him from coming any closer.

  "Why is this whole supernatural thing raining down on me right now?" I looked into his brown eyes. "Why not before? I've been here for 17 years, you know."

  "We need your help."

  I snorted. Ah great, now everyone needed my help, and I didn't quite believe it. Amadeo looked around curiously, and I suddenly became aware of how messy my room was. My bed was rumpled, there were books and notebooks everywhere, my blue sweater was lying discarded on the floor,… Even I looked like a mess. Great, now there was no way Amadeo would ever like me.

  "I can't help you," I said, crossing my arms defensively in front of me.

  "Yes, you can."

  "Maybe I don't want to," I said, and he frowned for a second. Clearly he hadn't expected me to say that.

  "You talked to that demon." He licked his lips nervously and fixed his intent gaze on me. God, he was so gorgeous, and now I knew why. Both demons and angels seemed to possess otherworldly beauty.

  "Whatever he told you is a lie," Amadeo said. "You have to stay away from him. He's dangerous."

  "And you're not?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

  "Why would you think I was dangerous?" He almost smiled but thought better of it. I didn't see anything funny in my question.

  "Where do I start? You were watching my house and came into my room in the middle of the night! Not to mention you almost scared me to death." I sighed. "I even considered calling the police."

  "You can still call them." He chuckled.

  "Yeah, like you wouldn't just jump out of my window and fly away."

  "I'm sorry for coming to you like this," he said, his voice sincere. "I should have waited for a better moment. I can go if you don't want…"

  "No," I said. "You can't just leave me wondering what was this all about, so take a seat and explain how I could possibly help you."

  He hesitated for a moment, but then settled in the chair in the corner of the room, opposite to me. His black leather pants squeaked as he tried to get comfortable, and I got a bit distracted by the way his black sweater hugged his body. He must have been performing somewhere earlier tonight.

  "What did the demon tell you?" There was an edge to his voice that he was trying to cover up, but it didn't really work. I
wasn't surprised that he didn't like demons; he belonged to the other side after all. Just where did I belong in all of this?

  "That's between me and him." If I agreed not to tell anyone, then I certainly wasn't going to go back on my promise. Amadeo's frown deepened, and he pressed his lips together in disapproval.

  "He looks good, doesn't he?"

  "So do you," I said before I could stop myself. Almost instantly, I felt heat coming into my cheeks and looked away.

  "Thanks." He grinned at me. Well, I was glad I could improve his mood so easily, but I needed some answers. Possibly before the dawn.

  "Will you finally tell me what do you want from me?"

  "There's something you need to know about your sister," he said. That got my attention.

  "What about my sister?" I must have looked worried because he got up and started walking towards me.

  "She's an angel, and that demon came for her," he said. "I felt your sister's powers last week for the first time. She must be nearing sixteen because that is when an angel's powers fully develop. I felt it when that demon showed up, but I couldn't tell where he was. Then you hinted that you had fainted because of that Devin guy and couldn't remember something about him, so I checked with Italia and realized her mind had been messed with. When I finally got to see your sister, I knew she was the one with the angel power in her."

  Amadeo sat down on the bed next to me, his hand reaching for mine, but I didn't let him touch me. I'd seen Christina's eyes flash to violet, and she was very pretty and charming, so there was a big chance what Amadeo was telling me was really the truth.