Inside the Fire Book One in the Warden's Series (34 page)

With all the crap still circling my mind
about Wesley, I would have to face the music. I had claimed Aaron,
and he had reciprocated making him my human. I had to accept it.
Until he betrayed me in some way I was bound to him as if I really
was his girlfriend.

I had this instant feeling of dread in my
stomach like something would happen today. I woke my mom up with a
smile telling her that she needed to get home. I left the house one
last time and got in my car driving the whole five minutes to
school. I couldn’t shake the dreaded feeling and when I saw Aaron
waiting for me in the parking lot the feeling just got stronger. He
opened my car door for me and took my bag from my hand throwing it
over his shoulder twining his fingers with mine. He was beaming,
like this was the proudest day of his life. It was one of the worst
of mine after finding out what I had done.

“You ready for this?” He asked me as we got
to the front of the building. I gave him a reassuring smile and
nodded.

He opened the doors and in we walked hand in
hand. Yeah some of the heads turned, people looked at us shocked,
and there were even quite a few smiles and nods in our direction.
Those that chose to ignore my existence were continuing their game
by not even looking in our direction. I wonder if Aaron knows he
will become invisible too as long as he is with me.

He walked me to my first period English
class and gave me a kiss at the door. It wasn’t the same as
Wesley’s, it didn’t leave me with the same longing and when I
walked in and noticed that back desk empty my heart stopped
beating. He was really gone.

I sat down at my desk and pulled out my
notebook, absentmindedly I had doodled Wesley’s name all over it
like a love struck teenager. I flipped to an open page and waited
for class to begin. The dread didn’t leave me first period nor did
it leave me second period. I had this feeling that something was
about to happen. Something that would cause a twist or finally end
my miserable existence.

He had told me that she was coming for me
next. Maybe my mood was playing on the idea that she was indeed
doing just that. I didn’t know what to expect and what played out
next tore my invisible world to shreds.

Demon Invasion & Fire
Power

It was third period when all Hell broke
loose. 

First, you could hear the windows shattering
in the computer lab down the hall, followed by the terrified
screams of students as men screamed for them to get down on the
ground and cover their faces.  A cold fear washed through my
body. 

You hear about these
things on the News you don’t think that you will ever live them
yourself.  You don’t think when you wake up in the morning
that you are going to go to school and get shot.  The blood
drained out of my teachers face and she instantly looked panicked.
She froze staring at all of us like she didn't know what to do. A
sort of determination passed over her face and she finally
reacted. Running to the door and locking it while pulling the
blinds down over the window so nobody could see
in.
 

"Everyone get in the back corner, sit close
together!"  She ordered pointing towards the corner of the
room. 

Thankfully we were only a
class of ten and fit into the corner rather easily as she made a
barricade of desks around us.  Last I checked though bullets
can shoot straight through open spaces, but she was doing her best
to keep us safe.
 
I felt so much fear surging through my body I didn't even
notice the familiar warm prickle at my wrists meaning I was
charged.  The boys held onto the other girl’s shielding them,
soothing them, telling them to be quiet so that we would not be
heard. 

I could stop this whole thing I could be the
hero.

But at what
cost
? 

There were several rounds of gunfire shot
outside our window and I could hear the angry screams of the
gunmen. 

"Where is she?" One demanded anger in his
voice.

I just sat there glancing at the other nine
behind me.  Nobody even made an attempt to comfort me, to
coddle me. Instead they were concerned about all the other girls,
the other girls that were not me. 

Who are they looking
for?
 

Suddenly, the window slit
in the classroom door burst, shatters of glass splaying all over
our teacher who was sitting against the door.  I don't know
what she thought she was doing. I think she thought her tiny little
frame could save us.  
 

The door flew open with a supernatural
force. A human would not be able to kick a heavy door that easily
and send it flying across the room.  My teacher was
instantaneously folded in half by the collision, half a scream
escaped her lips before she was silent, and when her body unfolded
her lifeless eyes looked back at me. 

The other students started
screaming and the only thing I kept wishing for was the strength to
just stand up. What were their parents going to do when they were
told their children didn't make it? Even when the teacher tried so
hard to preserve our lives to give us a future?  She had
sacrificed herself for the ten of us, nobody would do that. 
Nobody would put themselves before ten kids they did not know
outside of the classroom.
 

When I managed to finally
stand up it seemed everything moved in slow motion.  The way
they looked at me with their evil smirks plastered to their hidden
faces, the way they snarled when they realized that it was me,
actually me.  I had been the one they were looking for all
along wasn't I?  These beings were not human they were demon.
I could smell the sulfur penetrating the air tearing at my lungs.
No doubt about it, they were Hell bent on killing every last
student in this school until they found me.
 

My senses were heightened
I could feel their fear I could taste their evil and when I lifted
my hands before me aiming for the two men standing in front of us,
the only thing that I could think of was protecting the nine behind
me.  Those nine were going to grow old have families and die
in their own beds at a ripe age.  I was giving them their
future.  I was protecting those that in any other situation
would never have stepped up to protect me.
 

My wrists gave way, and the flames erupted
from my fingertips hitting the men in front of me.  The light
that shot from me was a bright white. I smiled to myself. I had
summoned the power of my mother.  Instead of the wrath of a
demon they were receiving the wrath of an angel and they were going
to burn. 

The demons crumpled to the
ground screaming, their evil essence expelled from the two bodies
that lay before me.  I turned to look behind me at the nine.
They were shocked in awe and staring at me as if I was someone
else.
 

"If you can get in the
closet and shut the door." I pointed towards the tiny closet in the
back of the classroom. There was no way that it would fit all ten
of us but it might just fit nine, if they didn't mind being
scrunched together.  I could hear more gunfire and screams
outside in the halls and I rushed out of the classroom as the nine
of them stumbled to get into the closet and shut the
door.
 

I walked with confidence. I walked with a
strength that I had never felt before and as each assailant made
his attempt to lunge for me I stopped him with my blaze of
white.    I did not fear what would happen to me.
Right now I could walk through fire unscathed, which is pretty much
what I was doing. The white flames were all around me my hair
floating behind my head in black waves.

These demons were not going to take anymore
away from me or the people of this town.  These students were
innocents; they were in no way connected to the tiny secret that I
had to protect.  However, what was I protecting now? 
Those nine would tell nine more and soon it will get around the
school. I didn’t care though, I had a feeling once the rumors
started I would get my wish of an online education.

I heard a scream echo from
the gym and a piercing pain shot through my temple, someone had
Aaron. I took off into a run thrusting the doors open and stepping
confidently inside. I was not prepared for the sight that I
saw.
 
Standing in the center was the man of my nightmares. His hair
looked freshly gelled and his eyes were as evil as ever. His
complexion however, seemed to be clearing, he was looking less
pale.  On the ground at his feet was Aaron. He wasn’t moving,
he wasn’t breathing but John was holding me back, he wouldn’t let
me come any closer.  John’s black eyes penetrated my soul and
made me feel terror.  My blood was freezing my heart was
pounding but my powers were failing.
 
I could see the white flames depleting as I stood in front of
him.

“Learning a bit of Mommy’s
tricks are we?” He asked me his words dripping with
hate.
 

“What did you do to him?”
I demanded. The fire was pulsating at my wrist but refused to go
into my fingers.
 

“Oh nothing, he’s just
fine, a little lump on the head probably but he will wake up from
this with no memory if you just do as I say.”  John stepped
over Aaron’s body and walked right up to me. Towering over me like
this alone would terrify me more than I already
was.  
 

“What do you want?” I
asked dryly. I could feel his hands in my hair, on my face, and my
neck.  I stood there frozen my heart pounding, but I refused
to show that I was afraid.
 He took a
whiff of me and groaned.

“Have I not made myself
obvious enough?” He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back so he
could look me in the eyes.  “Your eyes are so beautiful why
ruin it with all that white?” He hissed at me.
 

“What do you want?” I
repeated. Oh how nice it would be if the prickle would just obey me
right now.
 

"I want you." He laughed. "Oh wait I already
had you!" There was a pause where he put his hands together like he
was praying. "Let me put it to you this way. I want to own you, to
rule you. I want to lay down with you at dawn to wake up to you at
night."

"That's rather disturbing." I blurted out
feeling the creeps crawl up my spine.

"Do you ever find it odd how your powers
fail you when you are near me?" He asked running his fingers down a
strand of my hair.

I flinched.

"I thought so." He continued. "I make you
neutral. The powers are there but you just won't get the charge."
He smiled. "Sadly that is how you should know I'm around, your
powers fail you. Like the night with the vampire, the club where I
took you, even Daddy had to give you a power boost to put you in
the flames at your house." He leaned in and put his lips to mine
and I instantly pushed him away disgusted.

"How do you affect me and not my father?" I
asked coldly trying to rub the feeling of his kiss from my
face.

"Your Daddy isn't a half breed. You are far
easier to manipulate than him." He pointed out.

"So you're saying because I am weaker than
my father you cancel me out?" I asked.

"Something like that when Lilly made me she
didn't know what she would get. For some reason during the creation
process her DNA gets all muddy. While a majority of her progeny
were vampire, a handful of them still maintained human appearances
but had the ability to possess demon like attributes. So when I
died and fell to Hell she saved me." He smiled at me. "When I came
back to Earth I had far greater powers than I could ever imagine. I
don't need blood to sustain myself. I need souls."

"She should have let you fall." I bit at
him.

"Maybe, maybe, but then I wouldn't be here
with you today." Another smile. "She never loved me though. I was
only meant to be a companion until she found the one. She found him
alright, and who would have thought one boy would land two demon
half-bloods in a lifetime!" He applauded. "I mean really most men
are lucky if they can even see one in person, this one has slept
with two." I know he meant it to sting and boy did it.

“Why are you telling me this?” I
demanded.

“Well, Lilly got Wesley in
the long run, such a pathetic couple they will make.” He cooed in
my ear.  “Since I’m being set free, replaced by that winey
prick. My consolation prize is you.” He laughed.  “You see,
Lilly can’t have you coming around trying to make a mess of all her
hard work. It was really a bargain you see, she gets him I get you
and we part ways.  So if you want your boyfriend here to live
I suggest you come willingly.” He pointed at Aaron. “Time is
ticking Dawn, give your soul to me.”
 

How did I get to this part of existence?

I’m standing in front of a horrifying
monster that took every shred of innocence that I had left and
exploited it for his own worthless reasons. I’m terrified of him,
he haunts my dreams. I cannot have a single moment where he is not
hidden in the crevices of my mind, stalking me. The boy I love is
with a demon-vampire hybrid doing lord knows what. The human I
accidently claimed in a moment of weakness is crumpled at the heels
of my nightmare.

So how did I get here?

That’s right there are mass murdering demons
running amuck in my high school right now shooting innocent
students. This is happening because the monster before me thinks
that by killing every last person I have apparently seen is going
to get me to agree to just hand my soul over. How incredibly
diluted he is.