Demonspawn (28 page)

“Alex? You can see me?”

Right then, I knew what was going on. I felt
a pain in my chest.

“Aww, Grandma. No.”

She smiled and nodded her head. “I'm afraid
so, dear. You know, I always knew there was something special about
you.”

I shook my head. “This can't be. I mean, how?
Just a few hours ago you were shoving me into a pool.”

“It's just my time, I guess. Believe me, it's
strange to wake up in the middle of the night, stand up, and look
down at yourself.”

She died peacefully in her sleep. I know you
can't ask for much more than that. But that didn't ease the
pain.

I didn't say anything. I gripped the back of
the couch and hunched over. I felt a few tears stream down my
face.

“Oh, Alex, honey, don't be sad.” She walked
through the couch and put a hand on my shoulder. She was surprised
that she could actually do so. “I'm eighty years old, and I knew
this was coming. I'm so glad you and Cindy turned out like you did.
Tell her I love her, and you take good care of her. I know she
loves you.”

“I will, Grandma.”

“I have to visit a few more people. So give
me a hug.”

I hugged her, and she was solid to me. I
could feel her breathing. Then my arms went through her, and she
was gone.

I was numb. I collapsed in the chair, leaned
on my knees, and cried quietly.

“Alex?”

Cindy was looking at me. She rubbed her eyes
and sat up. When she saw my face I could see her concern.

“What's wrong?”

I could barely talk. “Grandma.”

“What about her?”

That was all I could say. But that's all I
needed to. I could see the sadness touch Cindy's face.

“Is she-?”

I nodded.

It hit Cindy much worse than me. She cried
hard. I went over to her and we held each other and cried for I
don't know how long.

It was a crazy two weeks after Grandma died.
I half expected to see her at her own funeral, but she wasn't
there. We tried to be happy and talk about the good times, but
everyone cried. I admit, when I passed by pictures of her in my
apartment, I'd tear up. Cindy took it real hard. I didn't see her
much for a while. She worked late, my guess was on purpose. I'd
hear her come home, but left her alone. She knew I would be there
for her in a second if she needed me.

I spent those two weeks learning how to
fly.

As soon as I got home from work I went right
to the woods. It didn't take long at all to get used to my wings. I
could move them however I wanted. They were amazing. I'm guessing
each one was six feet long. They absolutely dwarfed me. Yet when I
folded them in, you couldn't tell at all. They let me do some
pretty wild things. I could climb a tree in seconds. I gripped the
sides with my wings, and climbed up like a squirrel. I could walk
across branches, using the wings to help me keep balance. And
leaping from tree to tree, using them to either glide or actually
flap them to take a short flight, was nothing short of
breathtaking.

Extended, actual flight, though, was
something I hadn't tried yet.

I'd come home everyday, leap from tree to
tree like an ape, but I never went above the treetops. Every day
I'd walk in the woods and look up to the sky, telling myself that
“Today is the day”. But I never tried it. I'd just do my normal
thing, then go home and study bats and birds on the Internet. Hell,
I studied how birds and bats flew so much I shouldn't have a single
problem when I finally took to the sky.

I was simply afraid.

I was afraid that once I flew through the
air, I was leaving a part of myself behind on the ground. I know it
sounds dumb. But once I soared through the air, I really wouldn't
be human anymore. Aunt Beth and Victoria made it quite clear that I
wasn't human at all anyway. But still, I
felt
human, even
with all the weird things I could do. But that feeling would be
gone once my wings truly carried me into the air.

I had ended another tree climbing and hopping
session in the woods. I was in the apartment for maybe ten minutes,
making some iced tea in the kitchen, when I heard the front door
open.

“Alex? You in here?”

Cindy. I hadn't seen her since Grandma's
funeral. She was still in her work dress, looking quite nice.

“Hey, Cindy,” I said. “Where you been? How's
it going?”

She closed the door behind her. “Just
working.”

That was all she said. I only guessed she was
still down about her Grandma.

“Hungry?” I turned to the fridge. “I can
throw something together.”

“Nah, thanks. Actually, I need your
help.”

“With what?”

“I got a date tonight.”

It's a good thing my back was to her. I can
only imagine the look on my face.

“Oh really? Well, that's good, right? What do
you need from me?”

“Just some advice. I haven't done this in two
years. What should I wear? How should I act? God, I feel so
stupid.”

The woman I was in love with had a date. I
took a deep breath and buried everything deep down. My chest ached,
but I shoved that aside. It was time to be her best friend, not the
guy secretly wanting more.

I closed the fridge and turned around with
the biggest smile on my face.

“Okay, the love doctor is in.”

She smirked. “Please. I'm only asking you
cause I'm desperate and nervous.”

“Not a problem. Where is the date?”

“We're supposed to meet at Applebee's. Then
we're hitting a movie.”

I frowned. “Dinner and a movie? Probably a
little early for that, but whatever. Dinner first?”

“Yeah.”

“Bad idea. I know you. Your nerves will get
shot and you'll hit the bathroom halfway through the movie.
Remember Alicia's sixteenth birthday party?”

She was embarrassed at the memory. About
eight of us went to a movie. She was dating a guy at the time. She
got so sick she spent most of the movie in the bathroom.

“Okay. Movie first. How should I dress?”

“Hell, dinner and a movie, wear a nightgown
for all I care.” I looked her up and down. “Cover that chest of
yours up for the night. Wear shorts instead. If you catch him
looking at your legs, you'll know he thinks you're hot.”

She smiled. “I've caught
you
looking
at my legs.”

I was embarrassed, but nodded. “And I think
you're hot. See how the trap works? And if you guys come back
here-”

“Hey. We're not coming back here on a first
date.”

“Yeah, well. If you do, sit on the couch and
curl your legs. That is the sexiest thing in the world.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

She was surprised. “Wow. I only do that cause
I hate my feet on the floor.”

“Well, whatever the reason. Do that.”

She laughed. “I'll remember that. I'm gonna
take a shower. Wish me luck.”

I shook my head. “Don't need luck.”

She turned to leave. Then she turned back
around and approached me. She surprised me with a hug.

“I've missed you. Thanks. Thanks for being my
best friend.”

There was that magic word again. Friend.

“Same to you.”

She gave me a final wave and left the
apartment.

My knees actually felt weak. I leaned against
the wall. I never thought I had a chance with Cindy, so you'd think
the pain wouldn't be that bad. I was wrong.

I thought of Alicia, constantly telling me to
go for it. All I had to do was tell her how I felt. What's the
worst that could happen?

I could lose her as a friend forever.

But was the risk worth the reward?

I went to the bathroom to splash my face with
water. I leaned on the sink and tried to calm down. My head was
spinning with the same basic question.

Should I tell her?

I hadn't yet made a decision when I looked at
my reflection in the mirror.

I almost gasped.

My eyes were blood red, nearly like
Victoria's when I saw her snap a few weeks ago. My face was stone
white with the exception of my forehead, which was a brownish
color. At first I thought I was imagining it. I closed my eyes for
a second. I still looked the same when I opened them.

I looked like a monster. Actually, more like
a demon, like one I saw in the demon world.

That's what Cindy's old boyfriend saw in high
school. That's what those two men who killed George McEllen saw
when they looked at me. They saw a monster.

I
am
a monster.

I closed my eyes hard and tried my best to
will my demon features to go away. They did, and I was thankful.
But the damage had been done. The truth set in. There was no way in
hell Cindy could ever go for me. Hell,
no one
could go for
me.

I am not human.

I felt the sadness creeping over me. I was a
half demon freak that was changing all the time. Cindy deserved
much better.

I left the apartment and went right back to
the woods. I was an emotional wreck. I did all kinds of crazy
things. I jumped from the top of trees and thrust out my wings
right before I hit the ground, gliding just inches above the dirt.
I weaved my way in and out of trees at high speed, even pushing off
them with my feet to go faster. I had all sorts of air tricks
mastered. I could fly whenever I wanted to.

After a good while of practicing, and trying
to get Cindy out of my mind, I looked to the sky once again.

“This is the night,” I said out loud to
myself. “What have I got to lose now?”

Before I could convince myself to actually
fly, I noticed Cindy's car parking in front of the apartment
through the trees. Strange. I knew I was in the woods a while, but
not nearly long enough for dinner and a movie.

I went back to the apartment and opened her
door just a crack.

“Yo Cindy? You decent in here?”

Through the crack in the door I saw a purse
hit the couch. I opened the door all the way to see Cindy taking
her sandals off. She didn't look happy. She looked at me as I
stepped in.

“Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Everything's perfect.”

She stepped out from behind the couch and
stormed into the kitchen. She took my advice. She wore a baggy
tee-shirt and a pair of shorts that looked great. Very casual, but
Cindy is so hot, anything looks good on her. But I got the hint the
date didn't go well.

“What happened? Fill me in. You guys hit
dinner and a movie?”

“We saw a movie. That's it.”

“He was a jerk?”

She came out of the kitchen with a soda.
“Nope. He was fine. A nice, good looking guy. And I caught him
staring at my legs.”

I smiled, just because I was right. “Okay. He
was in to you then. So what happened?”

“Look, Alex, I don't want to talk about this
right now. I just want to be left alone, alright?”

There was danger in her voice. I hadn't seen
her this angry in a while. I realized as she looked at me that
I
was the one she was angry at.

“You pissed at
me
?” I asked.

She didn't answer, which meant yes. “Can we
talk about this later? I'm not in the mood right now.”

“Cindy, I'm really sorry if I messed up your
date somehow.”

She finished her soda and turned to toss it
in the trashcan. I heard her mumble under her breath. “You ruin
every
fuckin' date.”

“What the hell is going on?”

She raised her voice. “I don't want to talk
about it! That's the third time! Am I speaking Chinese here?”

Cindy and her temper. I'd experienced it a
few times before, and I'd seen her unleash it on others. We had
fights before. Sometimes they were my fault, sometimes hers. But
honestly, this time, I had no idea why she was mad at me.

I shrugged. “Cool.”

I left without looking back. I actually paced
in my apartment for a while. I kept trying to think about what I
could have done. As much as I wanted Cindy, I wouldn't sabotage a
date of hers on purpose. Hell, she said he was nice and my leg
trick worked. What the hell was she mad at me for?

I stopped thinking about it after a while.
All I had to do was leave Cindy alone and she'd eventually calm
down enough to tell me what was bothering her.

But I was restless. I didn't want to sit in
my apartment after Cindy gave me a hard time.

I would have called Alicia, but I knew she
was out with her friends, which I was thankful for. I wanted her to
get her mind off her recent guy problems, or what she thought were
guy problems.

I saw Victoria's business card, still sitting
on my coffee table.

I got in my truck and drove toward the city.
I couldn't believe I was driving to her mansion. I just wanted to
do two things. Get out of the apartment and talk to someone.

I didn't think she'd be home. I expected to
get to her place, see she wasn't there, then drive back home. So I
was surprised when I rang the buzzer at the front gate and heard
her voice after a few seconds.

“Alex? Is that you out there?”

“Yeah.” Suddenly, I felt foolish. I didn't
call or anything. Kind of rude, actually. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't
just drop by.”

“Hey, no problem. Hell, I'm surprised the
buzzer works. Hold on one sec.”

She met me at the front door with a smile.
Her clothes surprised me. She wore a pair of tight sweatpants and a
sweater. Her red hair was pulled in a ponytail. She looked great,
but hardly like a seductive vampire.

“This is a surprise. Come on in.”

I followed her through the empty first
floor.

“How come there's nothing up here?” I
asked.

“Too many windows. Can't let the sunlight in.
So I'm always downstairs.”

I felt a little awkward as we walked down her
basement stairs. It dawned on me I didn't really know what to call
her.

“Should I call you Vickie? Do you go by
Victoria?”