Human (12 page)

"A gift? But it's not my birthday or anything." I didn't like to owe anything to anyone, and gifts meant that I had to buy something in return. I even felt bad that Devin had paid for the movie tickets, but he'd insisted. Today everyone was being generous with me. Weird.

"Don't worry about it," Italia said. "Just don't break my brother's heart."

I winced. If I actually managed to get to his heart, I didn't think I would be the one breaking anything. Besides, falling in love with an angel when you could be a demon didn't sound promising. Even if I was only a human with magic placed upon me, it was still wrong. Or maybe it wasn't.

"Well, I have to go now," Italia said, giving me a tight hug. "See you at school tomorrow."

Christina winked at me as she went for the door. "Now I know why you don't want me to talk to him."

I opened my mouth to tell her it wasn't like that, but I knew I'd never convince her. Besides, she was partly right. She might be too young to be Amadeo's love interest, but what did I know about what was appropriate in the angel world.

Blood. All I can smell and see is blood. It's on my hands, on my pants, on my shirt
... everywhere. A body of a man lies on the floor, not far away from me. I stare at his blank obsidian eyes, trying to fight the nausea. Someone laughs, and I look up. A man smiles at me from the corner of the room, his hands in the pockets of his black pants. He leans against the wall, his black eyes sparkling with amusement.

"You'll be just like me, Devin. Maybe even worse." He chuckles. "I didn't name you Devin for nothing. It's only one letter away from
the Devil." He starts walking towards me. "Maybe you'd know what that meant if your mother had managed to get you to the human world."

I look away and feel a smile stretching my lips.

"With that pretty face you will be able to fool anyone. Humans can't tell if you're lying. Once you make them trust you, they won't believe you crossed them even if you try to choke them to death. They're stupid."

I woke up, my heart racing. I knew who the demon from my vision was. It was the same demon who had killed Melissa. And he was Devin's father. Sitting up in the bed, I turned on the lights and glanced at my alarm clock. It was almost morning. So whatever Devin had done to make me like him was a part of his father's lessons. All this time he'd been trying to fool me. And he'd succeed. Almost.

I got up and hurried to get to my backpack. My demon killing kit was in there, and I felt a weird urge to touch it, even though I knew there were still a few hours left before school started. My blood was boiling with anger, and I really wanted to at least spill the holy water all over Devin's beautiful face.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. I could still feel Devin's smile on my lips. It had been a cruel, twisted smile that chilled me to the bone. He had killed that demon and enjoyed it. My fingers found the bottle and the crucifix right where I had left them, and the tension drained away from my shoulders. I went to the bathroom, trying to wash away the stickiness of blood that I could still picture on my hands. Looking up at the mirror, I saw a stranger glaring back at me.

I splashed some water on my face, hoping the coldness of it would pull me out of this sleepy haze my mind seemed to be in. The only thing I knew was that the demon was going to die, or get sent back to where he belonged.

Waiting for the bell to ring was the hardest thing ever. Devin was sitting only a few desks away from me, completely oblivious to what I had planned for him. The bottle of the holy water was on my desk, ready for use and disguised as the normal water students usually carried around. The knife was strapped to my back so I could easily reach for it. I had actually found an old sheath for it, which I had managed to securely tie to myself. The crucifix was hidden in my shawl, which rested on my backpack.

My plan to kill Devin wasn't perfect, but I hoped it would work. I'd only have to pretend like nothing odd was going on and get myself ready as if I were going home. I'd hold the bottle in my hand, the shawl tucked in the pocket of my coat, and the knife would have to wait. I'd get Devin aside, and when we got to a place where no one could see us, I'd
accidentally
spill the holy water on him and shove the crucifix into his face. I hoped that would give me enough time to slide my backpack off my back and grab the knife while Devin tried to get his face to stop burning. I knew it would have been better if I could just set him on real fire, but that was complicated to achieve.

The bell rang, and I felt my hands shake a little. I could do this. Nothing bad was going to happen. I glanced at Devin and saw him going for the door, but there was no need for me to hurry after him because I had already texted him earlier and told him I had to talk to him. He was probably going to be waiting for me outside.

"So, will you be wearing the dress tomorrow?" Italia turned to me, smiling.

"Yeah," I said. "But I expect you to come in a dress too because I don't want to stand out."

"Oh, please. I know at least five people who will come in miniskirts. You don't have to worry. Besides, it will be too dark to see."

"Then why are we trying to look good if no one's going to see?" I frowned.

"Because we're going to see my brother in the backstage, which means more light." She bit her lip lightly as she smiled at me. "Brian will be there."

"Aaah, the drummer," I said. "Hasn't Amadeo introduced him to you already?"

"No." Italia sighed. "Brian wasn't there the last time."

"Well, I'm sure you'll knock him right off his feet." I laughed and hoped she wouldn't notice a nervous undertone in my voice. My bottle in my hand and shawl in its place, I went for the door. When I was sure Italia couldn't see me in the crowd, I hid behind the wall and waited. The hall was empty in a minute, everyone obviously in a hurry to get as far away from school as they could. I was glad that we seemed to be the only class to have seven periods today.

The door of the men's restroom was slightly ajar, so I headed in that direction. Surely enough, Devin was waiting for me inside, casually leaning on the wall next to the sinks. I swallowed, his posture reminding me a lot of his father from my vision. Putting on a neutral expression on my face, I took a few steps towards him.

"Hey," I said, stopping to look at myself in the mirror. "I'm glad you came. I really need to ask you something."

"Ask me what?" There was a hint of suspicion and curiosity in his voice. He probably wondered what was it about that I couldn't ask him over the phone. I put my backpack on the floor, as I realized that would be easier to do before I tried anything.

"I would have asked you before, but..." I glanced at him, then focused my attention back to the mirror. "Can other demons see you if you stand in front of a mirror? Is that why you're standing over there?"

"No, they can't. Not unless I'm communicating with them," he said and came to stand next to me. Oh, yeah, that was exactly what I'd been hoping for. I opened the bottle like I was going to drink from it.

"I was wondering..." I turned towards him as fast as I could, spilling the water all over his neck and shirt. "Oh God, I'm so sorry."

He looked down at his shirt, slightly annoyed, but he wasn't burning. Actually, it was like I had sprayed him with the tap water. Oops. I placed the bottle on the sink, trying to get to the paper towels, and knocked my shawl to the ground in the process. The crucifix hit the tiles with a loud clang, the shawl no longer covering it. Devin frowned and reached for it. I held my breath, my heart thudding in my chest, as he picked it up like it was a piece of junk.

"Umm, according to beliefs, it should have burned your skin or something." I shrugged, hoping the quivering of my voice wouldn't betray me. "It's supposed to be a weapon against demons, so I assumed it would burn me if I was one... I wanted to ask you before I unwrapped it. My grandma gave it to me."

"Well, it's harmless," he said, his cerulean eyes boring into mine. "I can't believe you're still trying to fool yourself about who you are."

"Is it so weird that I want to keep my life as it is?"

"I guess not. This is far better than living in Hell," he said. "Mostly."

"So, what can actually hurt a demon?" I asked, trying to appear innocent, as I tucked the bottle and the crucifix into my backpack. He didn't answer me. Instead, he came to stand behind my back.

"So you can use it against me?" he whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "I don't think so."

Then he simply walked out of the restroom. I ran my hand through my hair, wondering what to do next. I still had the knife, but I doubted that would do me any good if I couldn't incapacitate him. Maybe I just needed to catch him off guard. Yeah, that was it. I could wait. He hadn't found my sister yet, so that gave me some time to think. I'd come up with something.

"I look ridiculous! I can't believe you made me to this!" I said to Italia as we walked from my dad's car to the bar, my teeth chattering. My long black coat wasn't enough to provide the warmth I needed, and the way Italia styled my hair wasn't helping either. After playing with my hair for two hours, she had finally decided to lift it up and tie it into a tight bun, with only one curl loose.

"Oh, stop whining already!" Italia shook her head. She wore a white fake fur coat on top of a short silver dress, which glittered in the light. She'd curled her black hair and put a large silver hair slide to keep the curls away from her face.

The smell of alcohol, sweat and smoke hit us as soon as we put a foot inside, immediately surrounded by at least a hundred of warm bodies. Still shivering, I shrugged off my coat and left it hidden in the corner under all other people's coats. I was hiding something sharp inside it and didn't want anyone to accidentally find it. The feeling in my fingers returned as Italia and I pushed through the crowd. It was so dark that I could barely recognize the faces around us.

The only light was coming from the stage where Amadeo stood, his beautiful voice spreading through the room like a melody straight from Heaven. He looked simply devastating in his tight black leather pants and unbuttoned black shirt, which exposed his perfectly shaped abs. His dark brown hair was flying around his face as he moved across the stage, and he ran his hand through it to get it out of his eyes. The girls in the front row screamed in delight as he came closer. Some of them tried to reach him, but just as it seemed his fingers were going to brush theirs, he pulled away.

What was I thinking? Why would someone as hot as him even glance my way? Maybe I should have stayed at home. I wasn't even babysitting Christina tonight. She'd come this morning and announced she'd be going with her date, and my mom had agreed. When I'd asked who her date was, she'd just said I'd see tonight. Of course, mom had told me to keep an eye on her, but I wasn't even sure how was I supposed to find her with all these people here. My attention returned to Amadeo as Italia kept pulling me closer and closer to the stage. He truly was any girl's dream.

When she realized we couldn't go any further, Italia found a spot where we could dance and still see her brother on the stage. She kept pointing at the guy she fancied, but honestly, I didn't even care for the rest of the band. Surely enough, they weren't bad looking at all, but none of them possessed such beauty as Amadeo. Were all angels that hot? I only hoped I wasn't banned from Heaven for eternity.

All of a sudden, I started to feel lightheaded and my vision was getting blurry. I had to yell into Italia's ear to tell her I'd be right back. She just nodded and her attention was again focused on the stage. As I slowly made progress towards the restroom, I wondered where my sister was. But it was still early, and I doubted she'd show up before midnight. Amadeo's band didn't have any appeal to her and there was another band coming right after, so there was no need to hurry.

I stumbled into the restroom, slightly repulsed by the smell. Someone must have vomited not long ago. The door shut behind me with a strange click only a second after I wished no one would disturb me. It surprised me that no one was inside, but I wasn't about to complain. My reflection in the mirror looked weird, almost like the glass had been broken...

I'm still looking at the mirror, but it's more like I'm looking through it, but from the other side. I see a bathroom with black tiles, the torches on the wall the only source of light. The door I haven't even noticed before opens and Devin walks inside.
His black short-sleeved shirt is torn and wet in various places, his fingers covered in blood. He leans on the sink with both hands like he's going to crumple to the ground at any minute.

He looks up straight at me, but his obsidian eyes are looking through me. I realize he sees a mirror and not me hidden behind somehow. He lets go of the sink and lifts up his shirt, revealing his bruised and bloodied chest. I stare at him, completely aghast. What happened to him? There's a huge gash in his side, and he pulls a piece of something sharp out of the wound, grinding his teeth together.
He turns on the water, wincing as he tries to straighten himself.

The door open
s again and Leonard strolls inside, his lips set in a tight line, his long blond hair almost glowing in the darkness of everything that surrounds him. Devin glances up and continues washing his hands. Leonard's black eyes look worried, his shoulders tense, as he comes to stand in front of the other sink, right next to Devin. It seems like he's going to say something, but he doesn't.

"I need more money," Devin says, turning off the faucet and facing Leonard. "Please."