Illumine (7 page)

turned from smal trails to a black mass, bubbling and growing,

devouring al of the white light sanctuary left behind until nothing

remained. It concentrated to one of my sides as the shape of a man

stood beside me.

"This was al meant to be, Essalie," the smoke crooned as

the two smal flecks of light serving as eyes blinked with fluttered

lashes. "Don't fight it. You were created for this." The smoke

transformed into vines, sharp with thorns, and laced themselves

around my ankles and legs, securing my wrists. It rushed over my

around my ankles and legs, securing my wrists. It rushed over my

skin in a thin cocoon until I was sealed off from the air. It pressed

on my chest, forcing what was left of my air supply out until I had

nothing.

I fought to move and scream, but my shalow attempt at a

screech was lost under the folds of the dark matter. Fear ripped

my insides as I thought of the possibility of dying. If you died in

your sleep, did you die in real life?

Demons don't need to breathe, you see. What about

you, Essallie? Do you need to breathe?

If I'd had any breath left I would have laughed. I had

stopped moving and relaxed, letting the vines slice into my skin as

they constricted tighter over my body. Heat flushed under my skin,

fire curling inside my chest, a tiger waiting to strike. With the flip of

a switch the fire spread like liquid lava through my skin, burning

through my veins. I did nothing to hold it back as every pinprick

with fresh blood ignited in a bright blue blaze, searing the vines off

as if they were tissue paper.

The smoke-demon recoiled, bursts of red smoke

exploding inside his chest and abdomen like a lightning storm in a

summer sky. Horns spread from every inch of his body as he took

solid shape, scales rippling his body. He lunged for me with

outstretched hands coated in a shiny yelow liquid.

I dodged to the side just in time for him to scrape his hands

on the ground. It instantly dissolved with a hiss and I knew it was

acid. If it touched me I could kiss one of my limbs goodbye. I ran

for the smoke, taking off into the darkness as far as I could run. An

endless black stretched on every side, a satin curtain I couldn't find

endless black stretched on every side, a satin curtain I couldn't find

the end to. At some point I had to find a mark, a place to stop and

hide. I was in the demon's playground now.

Laughter rippled through the darkness, echoing off every

which way. I stopped, frantic, looking around for something,

anything. But even the once grass below my feet had turned to a

dul patch of dirt encrusted in dirty frost, leaving my feet frozen.

A wind picked up inside the dark, the force knocking me

down onto my feet. Something charged for me as screams

stretched into the black, and without thinking I threw out my hand.

The dazzling flame ignited over it, iluminating everything around

me. Hundreds, thousands of demons of the twisted smoke lingered

above me, reaching for me, their fingers covered in the same

yelow liquid.

The fire reacted before I could, shooting twisted bolts at

the demons, instantly incinerating them. The smoke dissipated into

thin air, showing me I where I was. The sky and ground were the

same muddy brown color, the only separating factor being the frost

covering the ground. Lightning struck the sky, a jet black arc

spiraling for me. At the front of the lighting was the first demon I

had seen, his face melting into the smoke with a final laugh.

The arc blew through my chest, knocking me to the ground

as the fire in my hand died. Pain rattled my bones as I felt

everything inside of me dying one by one. My body stopped

moving, eyes shutting. I watched in horror as the demon came

forward and leaned over, the long grin on his face revealing an

endless supply of flesh-ripping teeth.

"And so it begins," he said just as he plunged his hand into

"And so it begins," he said just as he plunged his hand into

my chest.

I woke up in a jolt, screaming as loud as I could.

Everything around me was dark, too dark for comfort. I scrambled

out of bed and smacked into my end table as I flipped on my

bedroom light. Nothing but my own four wals, smal assortment of

sketch books and piles of dirty laundry. A pounding on the door

made me jump and hit my end table again.

"Essalie, you okay? What the hel was that?" I opened the

door to find Jayson standing there in a t-shirt, pajama pants, and a

basebal bat in one hand. He looked flabbergasted when I started

laughing.

"So, were you planning on using that at al?" I managed

between laughs.

He did his best not to glare. "You never know, some of the

boys in this town are rowdy as hel."

I put my hands to my ears and shook my head hard. "Oh

no, nuh-uh, you are not saying this stuff in front of me. Goodnight

Jayson." I pushed him towards the door but he stopped me. His

face was puled down into a sharp frown.

"What is that?" He pointed to my bed. I turned to where he

had pointed and dropped my hands when I saw it. There were

burnt marks on my sheets and comforter. I felt myself turn to ice.

My mind spun and I sputtered the first lie that popped into my

head.

"Oh, whoops. My crayons for art class must have gotten

on there the other night while I was sketching." I pushed him back

outside the door. "Don't worry about it, I'l do the laundry

tomorrow."

"But-"

"Goodnight, Jayson," I said and shut the door in his face.

As soon as I was sure he wasn't standing in front of my door did

the hysterical breathing begin. Great, I was now conjuring fire in

my sleep.

I pressed my back against the door and tried to even my

breathing as I thought. It couldn't have been me, there was no

physical way a human could create fire without matches, with

gasoline, sticks, stones, whatever. You didn't just snap your fingers

and create a mini bal of flame in your hands.

Raising a shaking arm out in front of me, I held my hand

out and snapped my fingers. Twisted blue flame instantly ran over

my fingers and hand until the whole thing was engulfed. I shook my

hand and put the fire out, fighting not to scream or cry. The mirror

across my room showed me, only what looked back didn't look

like a scared little girl anymore. It looked like a person hiding an

ugly truth. A person who wasn't human.

S E V E N

The week folowing my bizarre nightmare and setting the

sheets on fire, my patience had been growing thin. Kayden had

resorted to escorting me to every class, the same bitterly-twisted

smile on his face that reminded me of the winter wonderland that

was forming outside. Snow had been faling on and off for days,

but the predictions had said in less than a week we'd be hit with a

blizzard beyond al blizzards, caling for over five feet of pure

sparkling white fluff.

Sitting at the lunch table and talking to Abigail, I caught a

glimpse of flurries melting against the large pane window.

"So they said Jessica's stil in Portland?" I had asked

Abigail. A forkful of lettuce sat on top a plate filed with the leafy

greens mostly abandoned. Sadly, it was the only thing I could

stomach these days.

Between mouthfuls of chicken parmesan, she nodded.

"Tests said she has a tumor, but it's weird. One day it's there, the

next it's not. They've been re-running the same tests over and over

to confirm it realy is there before they do surgery."

I shook my head. How insane. I went to speak when

Kayden interrupted. "Sounds like a flickering miracle. Maybe she

could use a little help." He pointedly turned to face me. His eyes

were different today, a shining chocolate brown that reminded me

of my favorite candy bar commercial.

"Maybe a fundraiser?" Emily suggested, but Kayden shook

"Maybe a fundraiser?" Emily suggested, but Kayden shook

his head.

"Essalie would know how," he said.

"Sorry, I'm busy curing Diabetes this week," I roled my

eyes and leaned back in my chair for a moment before standing

and grabbing my things. "Excuse me."

"You forgot your tray," Abigail pointed out.

"Let Kayden get it, since he thinks he knows everything

about me, he might as wel just take my place." I left the table

before anyone could catch up to me, getting to my classroom in

record time. The door was locked, the inside dark with empty

desks. No one would be back for an easy ten minutes.

Behind me there was a guttural noise. A deep throated cough

that sounded a lot like-

I sighed. "How nice of you to join me."

"I'm only trying to help."

Spinning sharp on my feet I came face to face with

Kayden. The white t-shirt he wore was covered in spirals of

varying colors that left me dizzy if I stared at it too long. Between

here and the Cafeteria his eyes had changed to a liquid blue that

danced with every move of his face. Al of him was a charm today,

no doubt meant to make me give into his little game. I was furious.

Who was he to think that by looking appealing I'd simply give into

his whim? Rage blossomed in my chest like a flower in ful bloom,

the heat instantly extending to my fingertips and palms.

"Help? You're trying to help? Let me tel you just what you

can do to
help
," I hissed. I pressed a hand into his chest, blue fire

automaticaly jumping from my skin and racing over his clothes.

automaticaly jumping from my skin and racing over his clothes.

The fire wrapped around his frame like rope binding a body to a

tree.

His eyes bled back to the shining black onyx I had seen the

first night we met. "It's eating you alive, you're drowning in the

power."

Every hair on my body rose. The veins in my arms pulsed

faster and faster as a warming rush of adrenaline spiled over my

body. "To help me, you can leave. Or I wil make you. Make your

choice, demon. Fire or life."

The fire was growing, spreading past the bands that held

him in place. Tiny rivulets raced over his face and burned into his

cheeks and hair. "It wil kil you, you know," he hissed under the

burn of the fire. "If you don't get help in time there wil be nothing

left. You'l burn from the inside out. Your own blood betraying

you."

My grasp on the fire weakened, the flames flickering and

receding. He was bluffing, he had to be. Kayden burst outward

into black smoke, returning to his human shape across the hal,

away from my grasp.

The fire crackled inside my palms, slowly duling to

nothing. As soon as the flames died my knees gave out. My entire

body shook and I struggled to breathe. Sweat coated every inch of

my skin, leaving me feel like I had just dipped into a bucket of ice

water.

Kayden came closer but stil hung back. His expression

was guarded. "It's already burning you out. Don't you feel it? Like

was guarded. "It's already burning you out. Don't you feel it? Like

the air wil never return to your lungs?"

Slowly I slid down the lockers until I was sitting against

them, gasping for breath. The room was spinning into one giant pile

of color. I shook my head and blinked, trying to re-set my eyes

before I passed out, or worse, threw up from the spinning

sensation. "I don't need your help."

Amidst the colors came a laugh. "Of course you don't."

"Just because I'm passing out on the floor doesn't mean I

can't stil detect sarcasm you twit."

My eyes started to re-focus, the blurry image of Kayden

kneeling before me came into view first. "You need help. Before

you lose control and hurt someone."

"Like you?" I snapped. I tried to stand but slipped back

down to the floor from jely legs. "I don't know what this, this thing

is, but I'm not going to let it ruin my life. You've already done

enough of that for me." Another attempt to stand failed and I found

myself back on the floor shaking. With one final push I stood tal,

staring down Kayden as he continued to kneel.

"Stay there, I like you better when you're bowing at my

feet," I whispered as a throng of students came up into the halway.

Our teacher came down the hal and opened the door for class.

English was one of the few subjects I had no problem

tuning into and focusing in. Kayden was seated out of my sight,

Abigail right next to me, and anything the teacher liked to dish was