Keely can feel every eye in the room on her. Feel the weight of their stares. “I don’t think I’m here to lead anyone. You see, when we were in the Demon realm, someone found a book. A Demon Grimoire. I was able to read it. My real father made sure he had daughters. He did this because he knew he needed his daughter to fulfill a prophecy.” She tries very hard not to fidget. “I’m here to bring Heaven and Hell to Earth. But I don’t want to do that. I saw what it looks like. I saw what will happen. It’s the most horrible thing you can ever imagine. I have people here that I love very much.” Tears fill Keely’s eyes. “I don’t want to hurt them.”
“Princess, are you claiming you have no alliance with the Demon King?” Nick’s dad asks.
Keely feels as if he is steering her in a specific direction. Feels as if she should follow. “Yes, sir. I have no alliance with my father. I do not want an alliance with him ever.”
“You’ve been very forthcoming. The prophecy does not help your case,” the man in charge says.
“Yes, I know, but I can’t do this on my own. I need your help. How can the Hierarchy help me if they don’t know what I need help with?”
The man smiles. “Indeed.”
“How do we know this isn’t a trick? Some plan you and your father devised to earn our trust?” Principal questions.
“I’m not that clever. Or that crazy. And honestly, I could have gone and hidden in a Demon realm. I could have kept this information from you. Or I could have just fulfilled the prophecy,” Keely says curtly. “I came here. I asked for your help. That should be proof enough.”
“I’d like to hear more about this prophecy,” Coach announces.
Twenty-Eight:
She watches him sleep. He snores peacefully. No sign of pain. No sign of anger. Not one spec of guilt found anywhere on his face. His sweet face she loves so much. Tears swell in her eyes until he blurs out of her vision.
Lila moves closer to his bed silently. Part of her wants to wake Dustin up. Beg him to tell her it isn’t true. That he didn’t do the things he’s accused of, but she knows it would be a lie. Knows in her heart that he did it. All of it. How has she been so blinded? How could she, of all people, not know he was insincere every time he told her he loved her? Every time he kissed her, hugged her, touched her. It was all lies. The lips, the arms, the hands of a traitor.
The repulsion rolls in her stomach. She fights the urge to vomit. Fights the overwhelming urge to smother him. It would be so easy. He’d never see it coming. Just like she never saw his betrayal coming. Kill him as he has killed her.
Dustin shifts. Opens his eye enough to see Lila. To recognize the expression on her face. He tries to see past the murkiness clouding his vision. He’s certain it’s the vision. Lila looks murderous. Looks like she does when she’s facing a Demon. Not how she looks at him.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice thick with sleep.
Lila doesn’t answer. Can’t speak. The tears spill over. Drop from her chin.
“Lila?” Dustin sits up awkwardly. “What happened? What’s the matter?”
“You’ve been branded by the Hierarchy. Branded for treason.” She turns to leave. Dustin grips her wrist trying to stop her. She whirls on him, yanking her arm from his grasp. “Don’t touch me!” Her breathing is erratic. She pants, her chest rising and falling quickly. “Don’t ever touch me again.”
“Please, let me explain.”
“There is nothing to explain. Did you help Apophis? Did you give him Keely to murder?”
Dustin doesn’t say anything. He stays very still, afraid if he moves at all she will walk out of his room and out of his life. He can’t live without her. Doesn’t want a life without her.
“That’s what I thought. There is no justification for what you did.” She turns back to the door. Turns her back on Dustin.
“Please, Lila. I love you.”
She pauses. Wipes the tears from her cheeks. “Well I hate you,” she says just loud enough for him to hear and walks out the door.
***
Keely changes into a shorts and tank top pajama set. Pulls her hair into a sloppy pony tail and gathers the pencils from her bed. Sprawls out on her stomach and leafs through page after page of Asmoday. She blows out a big breath and tosses the sketchpad on her nightstand. Today was an exhausting day. She’s had quite a few of those lately. When things settle down—if things settle down, she’s staying in bed for a week.
Keely wonders how far she is falling behind in school and if she is able to attend the Academy, if it will matter. She just wants to graduate this year.
The cord vibrates in her heart and Keely sits up expectantly. She hadn’t realized it, but now knows she had been waiting for him.
“How did you fare today?” Asmoday asks immediately.
“Fare?” Keely smiles at his sometimes strange terminology. Like he came from another time, not just another place. “It was all right, I guess. I have to go back tomorrow to find out whether or not they want to kill me.”
He rubs his lips together and nods. “They like to stretch these things out.”
“Apparently. I just want to know where I stand. I hate feeling like I don’t belong anywhere.”
“You belong with me.” He says this as if he were talking about the sky being blue. As if it is a widely known and accepted fact.
Keely hugs her pillow to her chest. She smells his sunny, summery scent on it. “You’ve been coming by a lot.”
He nods and picks up her sketch pad. Examines the first picture of himself. “I think you draw me better than I am.”
“I think it’s a very accurate rendering of you,” she says a little defensively.
“Yes, but you give me more depth in my eyes than I truly have.” He turns the pad so she can see.
She stares at the drawing then looks up into his eyes. Too many seconds go by before she looks away. “It’s accurate.”
“I am a handsome man then,” Asmoday says with a grin.
“You know you are.”
“So you agree?” His smile turns wicked and Keely sighs.
“I guess so. You’re very… symmetrical. I like to draw you.”
Asmoday kicks off his shoes and lies on Keely’s bed beside her. “It’s very relaxing for me when you draw.” His eyes graze over her. “You’re calm. I like that.”
“You know what I like?” Keely asks, folding her arms over her chest. She doesn’t wait for an answer. “I like how you make yourself at home in my bedroom.”
“I like that too.”
“I was being sarcastic.”
“I like that as well. You are quite good at it.”
“You bring out the best in me,” she says with a tight smile.
“Yes, there it is again. You’re in a mood this evening.” He sits up and leans on his elbow.
“I’m tired. And I’m stressed.”
Asmoday touches her cheek gently. “You’re scared.”
Keely stares at him. Takes a shaky breath. “That too.”
“May I hug you?” he asks softly. “This is something brothers and sisters do, correct?”
“Yes, it is. But it wouldn’t feel like a hug from my brother. You’ll turn it into something else and make me feel uncomfortable and I’ll just feel even worse than I already do.”
Asmoday winces at how true her words are. “It will only be a hug. You need one.”
Keely nods her head. She does need one. She leans into Asmoday and he wraps his arms around her. Sometimes she holds things inside too long. So long that a simple hug breaks all her resolve. Opens the flood gates. This is one of those times. She bursts into tears and Asmoday holds her tighter. He doesn’t say a word. Just allows her to cry. They stay this way until her tears finally dry.
“I always wanted a brother,” she says as she wipes her face. She sniffles. “Not the way I imagined it, but you’re not so bad.”
“Mmm. I think you paid me a compliment,” he says, though he doesn’t sound happy about it.
r />
“Simmer down. Don’t let it go to your head or anything.”
“May I sleep with you?”
Keely goes very still. Feels as if she is made of stone. Her stomach dips like she took the plunge on a roller coaster. That came out of nowhere. “Ugh, what?”
“May I sleep here tonight? I slept so well this morning and I believe you will sleep better with me here as well.” He glances at her and smiles devilishly. “You thought I was asking to have sex.” He laughs. It’s such a wonderful noise to Keely’s ears. “I thought we were not allowed to do that?”
Keely pushes herself off the bed. “We’re not.”
“Yet, that is the first place your mind ventured. I find that fascinating.” He stares at her, his expression one of amusement.
“Don’t, you’re a total perv most of the time. It’s not such a leap.” She digs out her old boy band sleeping bag from under the bed. Unrolls it and sways her hand Price is Right style. You just won a night on the floor.
He eyes it with disgust. Raises a brow. “I cannot fit in that…what is that?”
“That is your bed. Take it or leave it.”
“May I have a pillow?” He stands beside the bed and looks at her with sad dark eyes, but she feels happy and content inside. Knows he does as well. Big faker.
“I only have the one. Sorry.” Keely pulls back her bedspread and snuggles into her bed. Smiles at Asmoday’s struggle to get comfortable on the floor. She set his bed up in such a way that they have no trouble seeing each other. She hadn’t meant to do it. At least not consciously. She sighs and throws the pillow at him. He needs it more than she does.
Asmoday looks at the pillow like it’s a brand new car. As if she has given him an amazing gift. “But you only have the one.” He looks up at her, his expression unreadable. She tries to capture his feelings through the cord, but they are changing too rapidly to get a fix on them.
“I’ll be fine. I have a soft bed,” she says.
“You are going without so I can be more comfortable.”
“O.k., don’t make a big thing about it. I just thought you could use it more than I could.” She lies back and closes her eyes.
“Thank you, Keely.”
“You’re welcome. Good night.”
“Yes. Good night,” he whispers.
***
Kimberly fumbles the plaid suitcase from her closet and heaves it on the bed. Begins to fill it with the necessities. A few family photos, a couple changes of clothing, toiletries.
Kevin joins his wife and hands her the envelope of cash. She shoves it inside the inner pocket of the suitcase.
“Did you pick up the hair dye?”
Kevin nods. “Three bottles.” He pulls out a bag from the top drawer of the night stand. “Two black and a red.”
Kimberly stands up straight and brushes the hair out of her face. “I always wanted to be a red head.”
“She’s never going to agree to this,” Kevin sighs. “She’ll hate us.”
“Maybe at first, but I can live with that. It’s better than the alternative.”
“They may decide to help her. That woman said she was special. A leader.”
“What our daughter can do… She is too powerful. They can’t take the chance that she could one day turn against them. They will never allow someone with this much control to live.”
Kevin looks out the window, unable to look at his wife. “I hate what you’ve done to this family.”
Kimberly stares at his back. The way his head sags. “I’m trying to fix it.”
“No, you’re not. You’re dictating it. Just like before.”
“Do you want her to die?”
Kevin curls his hands into fists. It takes everything inside of him not to scream. He punches the wall once as hard as he can. Glares at his wife as she flinches at his outburst. “What the hell is wrong with you? How can those words leave your mouth? I love her. I almost wonder if I love her more than you do. I want what is best for her. And I’m struggling with this. I don’t know if running is best. What if they were going to help her, but we leave? What if that Demon gets to her? Or that Demon King? You and I alone can’t protect her! And not one time through this have you stopped to ask me what I thought. What I want. What Keely wants. Well, I can guarantee you this, darling, she doesn’t want to leave her friends and run away with you.” He waits several seconds for her to respond.
Kimberly turns back to the suitcase and continues filling it. Pretends as though he never spoke a word. Kevin walks out of the room slamming the door behind him.
***
Asmoday watches Keely sleep as he listens to her parents’ argument. She has no idea how vulnerable she is. So small. So soft. She is potentially the most powerful person he has ever known. Even more so than the Demon King. Yet she lies here, delicately sleeping like a child. He could take her right now. Hide her from everyone in another realm. She wouldn’t know for hours. It could take an eternity for anyone to find them. She could be his.
He tries out his newly learned empathy. It’s his favorite trick. He knows he doesn’t do it correctly. He is supposed to place himself in her position, imagine these things are happening to him. But when he does, he just doesn’t care. His whole life has been someone else making his decisions. Someone else telling him what to do. When to do it. How to do it. Telling him what he should think. Where his loyalty lies. This is nothing new to him. So instead, Asmoday imagines what Keely’s reaction would be. How it would make her feel. It is almost always the opposite of what he would do.
She is purely and simply good. He has never known anyone like her. He believes this is how his mother must have been. The Demon King has always spoken of how weak she was for her kindness and humanity. Asmoday doesn’t see it as a weakness. It has taken him more strength to do right than it ever did to do wrong.
And wrong may be fun at times, but good, it does something inside of him. A feeling more pleasurable than any other. And the more time he spends with Keely, the more the feeling consumes him. She is his addiction. She has no idea what she is doing to him. Has no clue that if this had been three days ago, it would have been the worst choice of her life to allow him into her room. The fact that he can control himself now for fear of harming her is proof of how powerful she is. No one must ever hurt her. Especially not him.
So he watches her and he thinks. What will Keely do when her mother steals her away in the middle of the night? When she takes her from her home. From her friends. From Nick. She will fight. She will cry. She will be scared and lonely. He knows scared. He knows loneliness. How far can she go before the tie that binds them breaks? He couldn’t bare that again. Neither could she, he’s sure.
It pains him to know who she will turn to when he wakes her. Because he must wake her. He cannot hide her. Not without her permission. And she will never give it. She will go to Nick. He will be her hero. Never him. Never. Him.
Asmoday runs his hand over her cheek moving the soft hair covering her face. Smoothes his fingers over her jaw line. He struggles against the desire to kiss her. She doesn’t want that yet, though sometimes he believes she is fooling herself. But he must respect what she says.
“Keely, you must wake.” He shakes her shoulder gently.
She mumbles something incoherent and turns on her side. Asmoday pulls the covers off of her and shakes her again. “You must awaken.” He sits beside her on the bed. This would be humorous if he knew how much time they had before her mother comes barging in. He nudges her arm. “Keely.”
Disoriented and still half asleep, Keely stretches and tries to focus on Asmoday. “What are you doing?”
“Your mother wants to take you away. Tonight. I thought you would not like to go.”
Keely props herself up. “What the—she can’t make me go. What’s she going to do? Carry me?” She rubs her face. “Who does she think she is? I am an adult. How do you know this anyway?”
“I heard her. She thinks the Hierarchy is going to kill you
. She is your mother and she needs to protect you. And yes, I do think she will carry you if it comes to that.”
“It won’t. I won’t be here.” Keely gets up. Puts on a pair of jean shorts over her pajamas. Grabs a tee shirt and hoodie. Slips on her shoes. “Can you, you know? Poof me out of here?”
“Where to?” He holds out his hand for her to take though he doesn’t need physical contact to travel with her.
She grips his fingers. “Anywhere but here.”
Twenty-Nine:
He takes her to the field. Holds onto her until the disorientation wears off. Watches her as she puts on her tee shirt and hoodie.
“I need to think,” Keely says. She is still too tired. Her brain is fuzzy and working slowly. “When she goes to my room and I’m not there she’s going to freak. I don’t want them to think something happened to me. That’s the worst feeling ever. Well, almost.” Her eyes meet his as she tugs her hair trying to concentrate. “I need to call my mom. Let her know that I’m all right.” She looks at Asmoday. He’s standing very still, watching her with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “I need a phone. Can you take me to Nick’s?”
It took longer than he expected. He inclines his head in a bow though he knows she doesn’t like this. He isn’t exactly sure why he does it. To provoke her? To do something, even as childish and petty as it may be, just to irritate her? Because she hurt him. He is fully aware she doesn’t know. She doesn’t mean to. But yet, here he is wishing just once, she would choose him. “Yes, Princess.”
Keely’s eyebrows pucker. “What’s your problem, Asmoday?”
“No problem, Princess.” He holds out his hand. “Your chariot awaits.”