Illumine (2 page)

focus. One quick look at the floor showed me standing in the

middle of a chalk-drawn circle surrounded by symbols. Four smal

dishes marked each pole, al filed with different items. The one

directly in front of me sat empty.

"What do you think, Essalie? Cassie thinks it's a perfect

night, don't you?" Chase caled from across the room, hovering

over another pile of candles with a lighter. A second face came into

view next to him, the peak of sequins glimmering against the candle

light.

"Cassie?" I tried to breathe against the sandpaper sensation

in my throat.

"Don't take it personaly, Essalie. We've been doing this

for years." She came to the edge of the circle drawn on the floor.

"I'd chalk it up to bad luck. Normaly we'd just pluck someone

from a bar or shelter and use them, but once Chase found out

what-"

"No." Chase stood in front of her. "You do not tel her."

Cassie narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. "Fine."

Leaning over just enough, she added. "Let's just say, your blood is

worth its weight in gold."

As they both started to sprinkle salt around the circle, I

wasn't sure what to do. My boyfriend and best friend had both

gone mad in thinking that not only was magic real, but that I would

stick around and play into their little game. Nothing was holding me

into place, not a strip of duct tape or string of rope. I took two

steps to the edge of the circle as fire leapt up the edges, closing me

inside.

"Should have told her she couldn't leave," Cassie said.

"Should have told her she couldn't leave," Cassie said.

"I wanted to see if she'd try," Chase mused, setting down

the last of the salt from his hands and moving over to a smal table

holding multiple volumes. "Remember that girl in the '50s who tried

to leave? Kept saying it was just a dream and burning herself."

"Nothing quite beats the smel of charred flesh and fear.

You think we could bottle it for future memories?" Cassie closed

her eyes and heaved a wistful sigh, opening them back up to

exchange dark smiles.

"You're sick!" I screamed as loud as I could. Fire began to

filter into the circle, wicked yelow flames rising higher as it slowly

inched closer to the hem of my dress. "Someone wil see the

smoke and report it to the fire department!"

Chase roled his eyes skyward then fixed his gaze on me.

One of his eyes didn't return to center. "At which time you'l be

choking on more than your misery and fear." His fingers grasped a

tome from the table into the crook of his arm, his free hand waving

over the cover. The book burst open, pages fluttering left and right

until they settled. He began to chant, repeating the same phrase

over and over. Nausea pressed my stomach like a steamroler to

pavement, bile touching the back of my lips as I crouched down

toward the ground, pleading.

Please don't let me die, not like here, not like this.

Al at once, the sound escaped the room leaving but the

unsettling quiet left for the dead. Every candle in the room blinked

out. Ice began to crystalize any surface, stopping just short of the

flames surrounding me. Something slithered over my shoulder,

passing through the fire with no restraint.

passing through the fire with no restraint.

"Yet again you cal. More time, I presume?" the voice

asked with a slow whisper.

"I propose a trade. An exchange of power," Chase calmly

replied. His eyes flashed a passing of light among the dark. "The

girl for eternal life. No more sacrifices."

"And what," the voice began. "Does this meager bag of

flesh have the others have not?"

"Observe," he said. I heard Chase pul something from a

pocket. Against the faint light from the fire a smal vial filed with

dark liquid shined. With a slip of the hand the vial crashed and

burst apart on the floor, the liquid igniting into bright blue flames

that spiraled and danced every which way.

"
Agreed.
" the voice sounded pleased. "It is done."

The wind in the room shifted, blowing with force against

my face. The fire parted as a tal, slender figure stepped inside.

Color began to bleed into his features, giving him an icy white skin

base and long flowing blonde hair against sharp blue eyes. For a

fickle moment I felt a pul towards him and his human disguise.

"Just breathe, and it'l al be over before you know it," he

tried to soothe. Between his needle-shaped teeth smile and flick of

a forked tongue, I felt al but calm. Long, spindling swirls of smoke

coiled up to my face, lingering just centimeters from my cheek. I

held my breath as the smoke reached further and touched my skin.

Light flashed within the room instantly. Each candle burst

to life with a new flame, changing between red to yelow to blue.

Across the room, Chase's face stared back at me with a

triumphant grin.

triumphant grin.

Fire of the brightest blue flames engulfed the smoke,

blazing the room. Sounds of shattered glass and screams filed my

ears. Chase's face now looked horror-struck, caught in a mask of

shock.

From the fiery smoke a face materialized, tan skin matched

black pearl eyes. Inside the eyes existed a world of fire and

brimstone. Hel.

His mouth spiled open, hundreds of screams filing the

room. I dropped to the floor, covering my ears and screaming for it

al to stop.

Above me the smoke coiled back. It seeped down toward

the ground taking the form of a human dressed in regular street

clothing. Its eyes burned into mine as it watched me against the

shadows.

"You are mine, now, mortal," he said, each word crawling

over my skin and itching my ears. "Why do you not let me touch

you?"

He was kidding, right? Why wasn't I letting the creepy

death-demon thing touch me? I shook from head to toe as I

struggled to speak. "You- you're asking me why I'm n-not drinking

the Kool-Aid?"

The demon looked puzzled. "What is Kool-Aid?"

"Oh for Pete's sake," I heard Chase snap. He pushed past

the podium he stood behind, knocking over books as he went.

Somehow in the few minutes it had taken to cast the spel he had

aged. Salt and pepper hair covered most of his head as age lines

aged. Salt and pepper hair covered most of his head as age lines

on his face deepened, thinning his face to that of a gaunt homeless-

looking man. "Take her! I fucking offered her to you and you play

with her instead?"

The demon stared at me, narrowing his eyes to paper cut-

thin slits. He reached out again for me. The minute his hand came in

contact with my skin blue fire raced up his arm, engulfing him

instantly. He howled, exploding into smoke and dispersing through

the room before returning to human form. Sweat sat on his temples

and cheekbones, an irritated expression crossing his face.

He turned to Chase. "You gave me what I cannot touch.

Fool me once, shame on me."

"If you leave I'l only summon you again," Chase spat,

licking his lips and crossing his arms. "So what happens when I fool

you twice?"

The demon plunged a hand into Chase's chest and

removed his stil-beating heart in a single move. Licking the organ

with his thin forked tongue, a Cheshire grin spread from ear to ear.

"This."

Chase's body colapsed to the floor, but I was stil focused

on the demon. His tongue had wrapped around the heart like a

whip around a pole and swalowed it whole, leaving him time to

suck each finger clean. Giving me a quick glance, he winked.

Cassie screamed. Caught between wanting to hug the

remains of Chase or save her own skin she bolted for the door,

flinging herself out into the halway as blood clung to her skin and

matted in her hair.

The demon continued, unfazed. "Want to see what I do to

The demon continued, unfazed. "Want to see what I do to

those who annoy me?" He didn't wait for my answer. Bending his

body to unnatural angles he got on al fours and tore into the fresh

corpse. Horrified, I was unable to move, watching as each limb

was ripped off, every rib broken, every organ consumed. Blood

spatter hit my face and clothes, and it took everything I had not to

pass out.

When he finished with Chase he sat Indian style on the

floor, hands on his knees. Blood had smeared across most of his

forehead, and a bit of flesh rested on his shoulder. He continued to

watch me as I remained immobilized by my fear. Seconds felt like

lifetimes as he stared back at me until he finaly spoke.

"Don't worry, Essalie. When it's your turn I'l make sure

you're awake for al of it," he whispered. He slowly began to

disperse into thin air until there was nothing left.

Long after he left, I finaly moved. Sirens began to wail in

the background as the sound of screaming picked up again. It

wouldn't be until the police arrived that I'd realize it was me who

was screaming.

T W O

Five months later.

"Looks like you're drawing that Japanese cartoon stuff."

I looked up from my sketchbook on the desk, pencil stil in

mid-stride. Local Belfast hottie footbal runner Leonard 'Leo'

Skripper was leaning over my end of the table. His head was tilted

to the side, looking thoughtful at my sketch.

I took a double take around the room. Kids were slowly

shuffling into the Bio classroom, some stil stuffing breakfast down.

And his girlfriend was missing.

"Is it supposed to be just an eye?" He looked at me.

"Umm, yeah. It's actualy the only part I can realy draw."

"Stil," he said. "It's pretty cool. I'm sure you're not al that

bad at the rest of it."

I fought back a snort. "It's a little odd to start talking to your

neighbor after six weeks of stone cold silence."

"Happened in that vampire book."

I was impressed he even knew what a book was, much

less a popular novel. "That was because he wanted her blood. You

just want me to move seats."

"Actualy I was trying to politely invite you to my house

party I'm having tonight."

I blinked. Part of me wondered if he had actualy just said

I blinked. Part of me wondered if he had actualy just said

that or if I had halucinated it. Turning back to my sketch I focused

on shading the inside of the eye. "Sorry. Not realy the people-

person type."

Out of the corner of my eye I watched him run his hand

through his hair and frown. "We're having this big bonfire in my

new backyard. S'mores and music. You sure?"

He's trying to be nice, and I knew inwardly I should have

accepted his invite and just decided not to show. But my bitter

attitude was spreading like a germ. "I'l pass. Why come into the

contact of alcohol and drunken handsy-horny boys when I can stay

chaste and sober at home?" I turned my gaze to him and gave my

best screw-off smile.

Leo opened his mouth to talk when Mr. Whitley threw

open the classroom door. He carried in a large brown box which

he quickly dropped onto the nearest front table.

"Alright, wake-up, shape-up, let's go. Mark stop texting

and Leo if you keep that mouth open long enough a bird wil make

a nest in it. Or I'l make a nest for it and keep you outside in the

courtyard." He shuffled behind his desk and after a quick role cal

went back to his box.

"As you al know," he began. "This is Bio II. And unlike

most of your teachers here, I aim to actualy teach you something

you wil take with you into the big bad world out there. And today,

we learn anatomy."

I roled my eyes. Anyone who thought a sixteen year old

didn't know what humans had, anatomicaly speaking, was an idiot.

I flipped open my sketchbook and went back to work.

I flipped open my sketchbook and went back to work.

Mr. Whitley continued, "Over here in my pretty little

cardboard box wil be your projects for the day." He rustled inside

the box and puled something out in plastic. The girls in the front

row squealed. "By dissecting a cat we can learn so much more of

what rests inside of the corpse."

My pencil broke.

"When I give you your cat, it's going to come in a bag like

this. You're going to open it at the top, pul out the cat, and using

the tool sets in the back cabinets, you'l slice open the chest cavity

to view al the major organs."

The room began to spin. Flashes of torn flesh and smeared

blood blotted out the classroom and the smel filed my nose.