Darkness Awakens

by Kari Chaplin

  “Why don’t we start here?” he whispered as he nibbled on my ear. I could swear this man was put on Earth just to drive me crazy in every way possible.

  He placed his hands-on top of my hands, leading our entanglement into the water. There was something extremely erotic about the way his hands slowly covered mine, sliding our entwined fingers into the warmness of the sudsy liquid. I could feel my body giving way to his every movement. I let out a whispered moan. I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t care if anyone heard which was completely out of character. I’m usually much more careful. In a small town, word travels quicker than the speed of light.

  “Okay,” I whimpered as his irresistible lips found their way to my neck. I lost the little self-control I had left. My body shook without my permission. “Mmm.”

  “Your neck is still your weakness, is it not?” I loved the sensations as he purred the words, tickling my neck. Every part of me vibrated, sending shock waves of pleasure.

  “Mmm hmm,” I managed in a breathless moan.

  His sultry lips ventured ever so slowly down my neck to my shoulders. My body jerked to the trail of heated explosions his lips left behind. I pressed myself harder against him, unable to take any more teasing. I needed more. I had to have all of him right then… right there.

  As if reading my mind, he spun me around in a quick, smooth motion and pressed his lips to mine. The heat from his breath quickly spread through my entire body, igniting fire through my frame. He pressed me tightly against the sink. He tasted like cinnamon and honey, sweet and spicy, just like before… Just like always. Demien’s tongue all but exploded with passion and longing, yet maintained just the right amount of control.

  In one smooth move, he lifted all my one hundred and fifteen pounds onto the top of the counter with one arm tucked under my skirt, his hands beginning to explore. I pulled him closer to me in need of more. A growl of desire escaped from deep in his chest, creating trembles and convulsions through my frame from our pent-up, intoxicating passion. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pushing myself closer against his muscular frame. Our kiss deepened as our entwined bodies drew together.

  “Guys, we’re getting busy. I need five pitchers, three Buds, one Bud light and five Coronas.” I barely heard Brad yell back to us.

  Demien moaned in frustration. “Coming up.” He turned back to me and whispered, “We will continue this later on.” He softly kissed my forehead.

  I nodded in desperate yearning.

  “Okay, Ves, our next lesson. As a bar back, you grab the beers when we’re busy.” Demien spoke as he grabbed the beer bottles out of the cooler. Do you remember everything we’ve discussed thus far?” He winked at me.

  I nodded my head again. I didn’t know what he was talking about. We didn’t discuss anything. I tried to fathom what just took place and how he was acting like nothing happened at all. It was like a spell had been cast upon me, leaving me powerless over my body or its actions. I was left hanging in the balance of… well, I wasn’t sure what that was. Not to mention how embarrassed I was at that moment. I was in a public setting which happened to be at my place of work, and here I was, acting like I had no self-control. I couldn’t fathom why I had done that at all. I just kept nodding, unsure of what to do. I stood in front of him, rigid. I bit my bottom lip in lieu of having an anxiety attack.

  He stopped and kissed my earlobe. “Relax, Zanj.” The vibrations of his words reignited all of the pleasure he provoked inside me. I stumbled over nothing as I took a step forward. He handed the beers to Brad.

  Not sure how to respond, I nodded.

  “Okay, let’s go over this again.” Demien went over the job duties as a bar back, completely relaxed as if nothing had just happened.

  My knees, on the other hand, were uncontrollably shaking. “Go over what?”

  “Take a break. Here, sit.” He pointed to the empty bar stool right in front of us. “I’ll fix you a soda, and you can relax. Hey, Brad, Vessi is going to take a short break.”

  “Yeah, sure,” Brad replied.

  I did as I was told, not uttering a single word.

  “Dr. Pepper with extra cherries, Love,” Demien said as he dropped off my soda and moved on to his next task.

  “Is she okay?” Brad asked Demien.

  “Oh, yeah, just a little overwhelmed. You know Ves, she’ll be just fine.” His words were completely relaxed, showing no sign of emotion after what happened in the sink area.

  I glanced around to see everyone carrying on as normal. No one seemed to have noticed a thing. I knew if Myra had witnessed our show, she would have been at my side demanding details by now. Her tables would just have had to wait. She was serving her tables as usual. Had I imagined it or lost myself in a daydream? It had to be real. It felt so real. I sipped on my soda, trying to find my sanity, which was cracking at the seams.

  Healthy people could decipher reality and fantasy. I no longer could.

  “Hey, let’s hurry and get out of here,” I whispered to Myra as the meeting came to order. Myra stood to my right, and Demien was nowhere to be seen.

  “Sure,” she replied in a disinterested tone.

  After the meeting was dismissed, I grabbed Myra’s shirt sleeve and dragged her out to the car.

  “What’s up, Ves? You have been acting strange all night.”

  “Did you not notice?” My voice was shaky.

  “Notice what particularly? I noticed you and Demien awfully close at the dish station. I noticed your body collapses a little every time he gets close to you, which, may I add, is a lot.” Her tone was playfully serious. “At this point, I’m not sure how you stay stable when he’s within a hundred feet.”

  “Whatever, Myra,” I rudely replied. I guess it was all in my head. I needed to get a grip on myself.

  “I’m freakin’ serious. Do you not see it? You almost faint or go into shock or something every time he is near you. I should pull out my phone next time and record your reaction to him. I think he’s put a spell on you.” She laughed.

  “You are being ridiculous.” I rolled my eyes as I turned on to Main Street.

  “You guys just need to do it already or at least have a really hot make-out session.”

  I ignored her last comment. Had I really imagined it? My imagination had never been so real and detailed as it had been lately. I just didn’t know anymore. I cringed at the realization that I may have been insane, just like my sister.

  Eighteen

  We arrived home to find my car in my parking space.

  “Looks like your car is fixed. I’ll come get you tomorrow for work anyways, okay? We seem to have much to talk about after tonight.”

  “Yeah, sure, thanks. See you tomorrow.” I climbed out of the passenger seat. My eyes concentrated on Demien, leaning against my car.

  “How? Did you do that?” I asked as I approached him.

  “I told you I would fix it. I am a man who keeps his promises. It runs like new again.” He patted the hood where his hand had been resting.

  I didn’t bother asking what was wrong with it. I knew nothing about cars. “Thank you. It’s cleaner than when I was forcibly removed from it,” I whispered.

  “Of course, I cleaned it for you. What kind of mechanic would I be if I returned it less than perfect?”

  I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. Not many mechanics would willingly clean the car before returning it. I simply smiled. I didn’t want to risk saying anything less than intelligent.

  “Let’s get you inside.” He led me to the door where I pulled out my house keys and unlocked the door. It dawned on me that he didn’t have keys to my car; yet, there it was, sitting in the driveway. I looked up at him. His eyes tightened. “Zanj, just go inside,” he said cryptically, as if he could read my mind. The expression in his black eyes was advising me that I didn’t want to know the answer. I took that unspoken advice even though I was aching to know the unknown. I had to remember that I was the “cat” and he was “curiosity.”
>
  “Want some hot tea or somethin’?” I asked as I headed to the kitchen.

  “Sure, sounds nice. I’ll help.” He followed me to the kitchen.

  “Thanks,” I replied.

  “When will your sister be home?” Demien asked.

  “Um, not sure. I don’t think she’ll be home until tomorrow morning. Why?”

  “No reason, just asking.”

  I filled the kettle with water from the tap and placed it on the stove to boil. I turned around and Demien had the tea bags and a couple mugs out on the table.

  I eyed him suspiciously. “How did you know where to find the mugs?”

  “I got lucky,” he said as he scratched his eyebrow with his thumbnail. His answer sounded more like a question than a statement.

  After we sat down in front of our mugs full of delicious hot white peony tea, Demien placed a black velvet box in front of me.

  “What’s this?” I asked in bewilderment.

  “Don’t open it now.”

  “I can’t open it?”

  “Put it away until later,” he whispered.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I’m hoping one day you will understand. Only then will it be right for you to open the box. You will know when to open it. If you aren’t the right one, it will not open for you.”

  We drank our tea in silence.

  Finally, I broke the silence. “Are you hungry?”

  “Not particularly. Are you?”

  “No,” I replied. “Do you have plans for what’s left of the night?”

  “Err, I have some…” he paused, musingly, “homework to do,” he finished, avoiding eye contact.

  “Oh, does that mean you have to leave soon? I didn’t realize you are taking classes.” I was disappointed and unsure as to why I was so upset that he hadn’t shared this information with me. It wasn’t like he’d ever offered me so much information.

  “I have some time.” He stared into my eyes with a fear-provoking glint in his.

  “Oh, okay.” I attempted to sound like I didn’t care either way. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t make it in Hollywood. “So, who is Demien… um…?” I thought for a second. He hadn’t told me his last name. “What is your last name? Where do you come from?” I was hoping to get him talking more. I was eager to get a glimpse into his life.

  “Now, that, you need to figure out,” he said, flirtatiously.

  I let out a nervous, half-giggle. “I don’t get it.” I didn’t know any other way to respond.

  “It’s complicated. First answer that question yourself.”

  “Here. I was born and raised in this very house. My last name is Scanlon,” I replied. I didn’t see why that question was hard to answer.

  “That’s what I thought. You were born and raised here. Easy. My past is not quite that simple. Let’s just say I’ve moved around a lot.” His eyes faded from black into light amber.

  It really didn’t seem that hard to explain. “What are your parents like?”

  “I do not have parents,” he said, matter-of-fact.

  “Of course, you have parents. Everyone has parents,” I urged. “Oh…” My voice squeaked. “Your parents are,” I gulped, “like my parents.” I shouldn’t have asked that question.

  He shook his head and said, “Not everything is as it seems.”

  Like usual, he wasn’t answering any of my questions and instead spoke in code. Well, I shouldn’t say he wasn’t answering my questions. He was answering my questions in a way that he wasn’t really answering them but giving a mysteriously generic answer. Instead of continuing the rant in my head, I contemplated for a few seconds to come up with a question I thought he would answer. “What brought you to this town?” I already knew the answer to that question… Me.

  His eyes bore into mine, reading the answer on my face. He turned his mouth upward into an amused, dark smile.

  My heart skipped a beat as I fought back anxiety. “Why?” I asked, hoping he would explain this to me at least.

  “No more questions,” he demanded.

  “Just one more?” I begged.

  He simply stared at me, without responding.

  “Please? Just one, I promise.”

  “Fine, but I’m not promising an answer.” My eyes were large as I stared at him in fear. Something told me that I didn’t want to know the answer, namely his frightful black eyes. His smile grew sinister. I gulped. “Go ahead. What’s your question?”

  “Why me?” My voice cracked.

  He glanced down at the floor and shook his head disapprovingly. He raised his eye to me and asked, “You still don’t know?” His eyes grew intense and pitch black. Fear took hold.

  “No, should I?” I asked, stumbling through the words.

  The air thickened as each second ticked by waiting for him to speak.

  “It’s a question full of conflict. I can’t explain that one.”

  “If you told me, you’d have to kill me?” I joked.

  He looked at me with those black eyes and a dead serious expression on his face. “Something like that,” he spoke the words through gritted teeth.

  I didn’t like the new candidness. I wished he would answer questions like a normal person. Fear quickly cinched my toes as fire ignited my head, filling every inch of my body like a dark liquid racing through me. I hoped I didn’t show it. I let out a forced laugh. “Yeah, right.”

  I began to stand up. I was planning to make an excuse about being tired so I didn’t feel rude asking him to leave. He stood with me. We locked eyes and stood motionless for a while.

  He inched closer to me; as if a gravitational pull took control over me, I found myself close to him, closer than I had intended. He held me tight. Our lips met with determined longing. I no longer could think of anything else, just him and me.

  Demien reached around to the back of my skirt and tucked his hand under me, gently lifting me onto the island, his lips never leaving mine. We were both breathing hard as we broke from the entanglement.

  His face showed the same message as I had seen many times since I laid eyes on him. I had seen this expression in my dreams. It was a look of desire and desperate hunger. It was a strong note of great sadness, yet an expression of pure zeal and fairy tale love. It was my look. I knew he reserved those eyes only for me. No one else had ever seen this part of him. It drove me excitedly crazy. That look made me want him more; I wanted every part of him. As I started to pull him close, he exhaled and pulled away.

  “Please, give me a sign. Just one sign of confirmation is all I ask,” he murmured under his breath. I didn’t think I was supposed to hear his plea.

  “What does that mean? What are you looking for?” I asked.

  “Your sister’s home,” he said.

  I turned to glance toward the front door. “Really? I didn’t hear her car.”

  When I turned back around, he was gone. “Demien?” I called out, but there was no answer. I grabbed the box off the table, put the cups in the sink and then headed for the door.

  Shannon and Jake came through the door just before I reached the entryway. “Hey, sis, how’s it going?”

  “You’re back early,” I replied.

  “Yeah, there’s a storm coming in so we decided we better go on and head back. Never good to be camping with a tornado on the horizon,” she said.

  “Okay, well, I’m going to bed. I’m beat.” I started up the stairs. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” they both replied.

  When I reached my room, I placed the black box in the drawer of my nightstand, in the same place where Damien’s note had been until it was stolen. At least, I thought it had been stolen. Maybe it was never real. I didn’t know what to think about anything anymore. I decided that I was too exhausted to think about it any longer, so I went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. As I started to brush my teeth, I couldn’t help but think about his visit. First, our conversation was very strange, even a little disturbing. Second, we had an encounter of
the seductive type, even after our weird conversation. Then, he just disappeared into thin air. I didn’t get him. After finishing in the bathroom, I headed to my room.

  Finding Demien leaning against the back corner of my bedroom wall, I jumped.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” he offered, his voice soft.

  “I didn’t expect to see you since you disappeared on me earlier,” I disdainfully replied.

  He pushed himself off the wall and headed toward me. His hands were behind his back; his eyes were midnight black, just like in my nightmare. I slowly backed out of my room.

  He inched closer to me. “I won’t bite,” he purred. His eyes turned demonic, like he was possessed.

  The nightmare was playing out in front of me, but I was wide awake. “Shannon, Shannon.” I kept backing out of my room, my body stiffened from fear. I found myself faltering.

  “There, there, Vanessa, calm down. What’s wrong?” Jake had caught me just as I had missed the top step.

  “Mmm-my-my nightmare…” I was so scared I couldn’t get the words out. “He's here,” I yelped.

  “Shannon, take Vanessa downstairs. I’ll check out her room and the rest of the house.” Jake put me into my sister’s arms.

  “I’m okay. I can walk.” I was shaking everywhere.

  After we made it downstairs to the couch, Jake came running down the stairs. “Let me check down here. Be right back.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Shannon offered.

  “Not really.” We sat quietly on the couch until Jake returned.

  I didn’t even know what to tell her. I wasn’t even sure what was going on. The line between reality and nightmares was extremely sheer at best.

  “I checked inside and outside. Everything is locked up and undisturbed. I think we’re safe,”said Jake.

  I stayed up for a few hours fighting the exhaustion, which finally took over.

  Deciding to go to my room, I noticed on top of my dresser sat a frosted white vase holding a single night orchid that had not bloomed and a deep purple azalea. I went to ask Jake if he had seen it when he checked my room; he hadn’t. I scoured my room for a note or something relating to the flowers. I couldn’t figure out what the flowers meant. I knew Demien had to have left them. Did I overreact? Were the flowers what he had behind his back? Unfortunately, with Demien, it was hard to tell what was real or safe for that matter. I was too exhausted to think anymore, so to sleep I fell.