by Dahlia Lu
“Your actions puzzle me.”
“There is a lot you don’t understand, Lucifer!” she snapped at him, her eyes glow fiercely. “It doesn’t matter how long you have lived or how much knowledge you possess, you are a fool if you cannot see what is in front of you!”
She shook the thought from her head. She had not meant to say that. Or rather, she would have never had the courage to say that.
Lucifer caught her wrist. “You have no control over your instinct. That is very dangerous.”
She snatched her wrist back. “That’s no longer your concern! You said that when demons fall into deep despair, their instincts feed on their souls until there is nothing left of them. So what if that is the case? What does it matter to you?”
“You are right,” he admitted. “It is not my concern.”
She grabbed what clothes she could quickly find and dressed. Without another word, she left.
Trent watched her rush out of the room.
“What were you trying to do?” Lucifer asked. He didn’t need to see Trent to know he was there. Trent only gave him a quick glance then followed Kali as she left the building.
†††††
She stood by the stop sign, waiting for the light to permit her to cross. There were two middle-aged women standing behind her. Their eyes were judging her because of the way she looked. She couldn’t blame them. She was nowhere near decently dressed. She could hear them whispering very clearly to each other. She felt like a whore who had just gotten laid, paid, and kicked out. Their remarks were just feathers landing on the ton of weight on her mind.
She felt a jacket being placed around her shoulders and looked back. When she saw him, she wiped the tears away with her palm. The two women were speechless as they gazed at Trent.
“This isn’t how I imaged our reunion,” she said in broken words. “You’ve grown.”
“I need to ask for your permission before telling him,” he said. “I need to know what you want me to do.”
“What will happen after you tell him?” she asked in a bitter tone. She didn’t mean for it to sound so harsh. “If he can’t tell who I am right now, in this body, then what difference does it make? His heart was never with me! If he is content with that woman, what difference does it make if he knows?”
He wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer. “I’m sorry I brought you here. I didn’t have a better option when time was running out.”
†††††
When she turned on the light to the apartment, she discovered Chevalier sitting on the sofa. He appeared to be deep in thought. He stared at her for a long moment before he spoke.
“You didn’t come home last night,” he said. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” she replied sadly. “Everything is fine.”
She didn’t look fine. “Go take a shower and go to sleep. I’ll have Bi whip up something for you when you wake up.”
“Thank you,” she mumbled as she headed toward her bedroom.
“And Kali, do you need to go to work today?”
“No, today I -” Her eyes widened.
“You answered when I called you Kali.” He didn’t know what else to say next, and neither did she.
“How did you…” It was supposed to be a joyful thing that he recognized her. At this point it was a cruel joke. She laughed amidst her tears. She laughed bitterly until all she could do was cry.
“What happened?” He came to her and held her by her arms. “Tell me what happened.”
“I- I don’t even know. One minute I was at the park with you and Trent, and the next I was in the Castle in Hell. I looked into the mirror and saw another woman’s reflection. He kept me prisoner until he decided to let me go. This cur-”
She yelled out in pain.
“Kali? Kali, what’s wrong?” He could see the pain apparent on her face.
“I can’t tell anyone…Lucifer, he…” She lowered her eyes at the mention of him, “That woman, she…”
He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. “Shhh…it’s okay. You don’t need to tell me, I can guess.”
He ran his fingers through her hair. “Hush. Don’t be such a crybaby.”
There was a tight squeeze on his heart that suffocated him. He knew it was her.
Chapter 11: Broken
Lucifer poured the rest of the bottle of wine down the sink. At the thought of her, the empty bottle shattered in his hand. The potion was strong, but not strong enough to take over his mind completely. It was the spell that made him impulsively kissed her, but it shouldn’t have done more. The taste of the tears on her lips made him pine for more. He brought his hand to his lips and touched them with the tip of his fingers. He remembered how she tasted.
“The wine. Was it you?” Lucifer asked when Trent entered the kitchen.
“If it were me, Father,” Trent locked eyes with him, “what is the purpose to me bringing that female demon here?”
“It couldn’t have been you,” Lucifer concluded. “But you did dilute it.”
“Guilty.”
“Is there something you are not telling me?”
“Some things don’t need to be told. You just need to feel it.”
†††††
Grant entered the apartment when no one answered his knock. He headed straight for Kali’s room, knowing where it was. He pushed the door back a little to peek inside and make sure she was not changing. He was surprised to found her sitting on the floor. He opened the door all the way and entered the room. She didn’t seem to notice his presence. There was a hollow look in her eyes.
“Fey,” He shook her gently to get her attention. “Fey, are you alright?” He shook her harder when she was unresponsive. “Fey, what’s wrong? Can’t you hear me?”
She slowly looked up at him. There was a dim glow in her eyes. With her little hands, she pushed him onto the ground.
His eyes widened with surprise. She was on top of him. The nails on her fingers grew very sharp very quickly. She held her hand overhead, positioning it to strike. He pushed her back before she could and she fell to the ground.
“Fey?” he called out to her.
He gulped when she looked up at him. There was a bloodthirsty smirk on her face. She launched herself at him so fast that he didn’t have the chance to dodge. Her razor sharp nails slashed across his chest. He looked down at the deep cuts and instantly realized that she would not hesitate to take his life. When she jumped at him again, he was able to catch her wrists. They struggled until they both tumbled onto the ground.
“Fey, it’s me!” he said through gritted teeth. He knew he couldn’t hold her down for long. Her strength was imposing even to a man his size. “Fey!”
The glow in her eyes began to fade. She gasped, confused as to what was happening. When he saw that she had calmed down, he let go of her and leaned against the wall for support. She scanned her surrounding and then her eyes fixated on him. His chest was covered in blood. She looked down when she felt warm liquid on her hands. They were stained in blood. His blood.
“No…” She shook her head in disbelief. “It wasn’t me.” She panicked and rushed out of the room. “It wasn’t me!”
“Fey…”
He got up with whatever strength he had left and chased after her. When he caught up to her in the hallway, he grabbed her so she would not escape. “It’s alright, Fey,” he said quickly. “It’s alright. I know it wasn’t your fault.”
She raised her hands up to eye level. “It was me! I did-”
“No!” he cut her off. “No, it wasn’t you! It’s something inside of you. You need help, Fey. I will help you, but you need to tell me what’s wrong so I can help you.”
“I’m a monster!”
“Listen to me!” He grunted from the overwhelming pain on his chest, “Listen, you need to tell me what’s wrong.”
He waited several minutes for her to come back to her senses. He knew she was scared to death.
“Com
e back inside.”
She swung his arm over her shoulders and helped him walk back into the apartment. She walked him to the sofa and then ran into the bathroom. He heard objects falling to the floor before she returned with bandages and some other items in her hands. He was struggling to take off his shirt, so she helped him.
She winced when she saw how deep the cuts were. They were exposing his flesh. She ran into the bathroom again and came out with a bucket of water. She dipped a large ball of cotton into the water and then wiped the blood from his wounds. He grabbed tight to the fabric of the sofa to reduce the pain. She clumsily applied a fine powder into the cuts.
“This will stop the bleeding,” she told him as she opened the new package of bandages. He helped her hold on to one end while she wrapped it around his body several times.
“I’ll call for an ambulance.”
“I’m fine,” he insisted. She knew it was a lie.
“I’m so sorry, Grant.”
“What the hell was that all about?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Tell me,” he said. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“I did this to you and you still want to help me?”
“It wasn’t you,” he assured her. “You are far too gentle to do something like this. I’ve heard of many cases of demonic possession.”
“Please stay away from me,” she requested. “I don’t know if I could control myself the next time it happens. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He laughed. “You’re asking me to stay away from you? What about the people you live with? It’s okay for them to be around you?”
She lowered her eyes.
“What are you?” The question finally came.
“I wasn’t born like this,” she shook her head. “I have parents. I was made of flesh and blood. I was human.”
He caught her hand. “Was?”
“I was normal like any other girl. I would have lived a normal life and grown old. If it weren’t for him, everything would have been…very different.”
“Him?”
“I fell in love with a man I shouldn’t have loved. I knew that by being with him, I would have to live with pain and heartache. I knew that from the beginning. The moment he fed me his blood, I knew I could no longer escape him. We are now bound to each other. Even if he leaves me, even if he refused me, I would always belong to him. That is my destiny.”
Grant didn’t seem to understand what she was saying.
“You see, I fell in love with the mighty Lucifer,” she smiled, “I am-”
Chevalier covered her mouth from behind. He hadn’t been home long, but he could tell what was going on. He saw how the pain came over her when she wanted to reveal her identity.
She pulled his hand down. “I am Ka-” she gasped.
“No Kali, don’t!” Chevalier pleaded.
“I am Kal-!” She let out an anguish scream and dropped down to the floor.
Chevalier placed a hand over her mouth again. “Oh God, Kali. Please stop this!”
“What’s going on?” Grant was frustrated.
“Kali, no! Don’t do this to yourself! Don’t do this to me!” Chevalier begged. “Don’t try to kill yourself!”
She used all of her strength to pull his hand from her mouth. “I am Ka -” The scream in her voice became excruciating to hear.
Chevalier wrestled with her, placing his hand back to her mouth and refusing to let go. “For the love of God, stop this!”
†††††
Lucifer fell to his knees. The sudden pain raged through his body. His heart felt an intense crushing, and his hand grabbed tight to his chest. It was a throbbing and tormented pain, unlike any he had ever felt before.
“Kali!” he yelled out. Something must have happened to her. “Kali!”
“Lord Lucifer!” Adria appeared. “What is wrong? Where are you hurt?”
“Kali!” he gasped. “Where is Kali?”
“She’s upstairs,” Adria helped him get up. “She’s safe,” she assured him.
“This pain…” he grunted. “Where is it coming from?”
†††††
Chevalier stirred his coffee before he drank it. It had been a long struggle before he managed to put her to rest. He had taken the liberty to tie and gag her so that she wouldn’t try that stunt again. It wasn’t necessary, he knew that, but at least now he could leave her alone with some peace of mind. He returned to the room to check on her one last time before he headed to his own bed.
She lay quietly on her side. Even though she knew he was standing at the door, she did not turn to face him. Besides the overwhelming despair, she felt guilty having to do that in front of him. She knew how important she was to him, yet she still made him witness it. It was cruel of her. It was very cruel.
Chevalier grabbed the end of the blanket and pulled it over her body. He released her mouth so she could breathe easier.
“That man…Grant…”
“Don’t hurt him.”
“Are you sure?”
“I know you want to protect me, Chevalier, but I’ve done enough to him. I feel guilty enough already. Besides, I can’t imagine you doing something like that.”
“I will do what must be done if the situation calls for it.” He tucked the sheet neatly under her chin before he headed out. “Alright, try to sleep.”
Chapter 12: Vision of Violets
Grant leaned back with his hands in his pants’ pockets. There was a satisfied look on his face when he looked up at the lavender poster above the city center. Kali stepped up to stand next to him. He didn't start running and screaming, which was a good sign. She tried to accommodate his need for silence. After some time had gone by, Kali felt the need to say something, but he beat her to it.
“It was more than I had hoped,” He was referring to the photograph he took of her. “The intensity of your eyes was captured perfectly. You are extraordinarily beautiful, Fey.”
“She is beautiful,” Kali agreed.
Grant found it strange that Fey addressed herself in third person. “They will fall in love with you. Soon you’ll be so busy I won’t be able to see you,” he said, and laughed lightheartedly. He saw passerby turning to stare at them. Their eyes were switching back and forth between Fey the person and Fey the poster.
"Aren't you going to ask me anything?"
"Ask you about what?" Grant said without looking at her.
"Who I am, what I am.”
"Why do I need to ask those questions? You are you.”
"Aren't you even a little bit curious?"
He chuckled. "Of course I'm curious, but who or what you are doesn't change anything about my view of you. Besides, we don’t want another episode of what happened last night.”
"Aren’t you afraid of me?"
He turned to her. "If I were, don’t you think I would have run for the door the moment you walk into the studio this morning?"
She smiled. "How is your injury?"
"It’s nothing to worry about,” he replied. When she only responded with another smile, he added. "I know some really good priests who can help.”
"I'm not possessed, Grant.”
She looked even sadder than she had this morning, and she clearly didn’t want his help. Grant pulled his hand from his pocket and waved over the driver parked across the street. At the signal, the driver cautiously reversed out of the parallel spot and drove off. He returned several minutes later to where the two were standing. He was about to unbuckle his seatbelt when Grant opened the back door and invited her in. The driver stayed in his seat until the passengers secured their seat belts.
“We need to be at the studio,” Grant said to the driver.
“Yes, sir,” the driver replied.
“Why are we going to the studio?” Kali asked. “I thought we’re done now that you got the photos you wanted.”
“I’m a greedy man, Fey,” he smirked. He reached into his
front pocket and pulled out a white letter. He handed it to her.
“It’s your paycheck,” he clarified when she stared at it. She accepted the envelope and curiously looked inside. It was more than she had expected.
“It’s too much,” she said simply.
“Are you complaining?”
“This can’t be right,” she looked at him with confusion in her eyes. “You’re paying me this much just to put on some clothes and look at your camera? This is more than three months of honest work.”
He leaned back and searched for a drink in the small built-in refrigerator. He offered her a bottle of lemonade, but she declined. “That should be more than enough to cover your rent and buy pretty clothes, or whatever.”
“Sadly, what I want can’t be bought.”
“And what is that?” he asked curiously.
“I want my family back. I want to be a wife and mother again.”
He nearly choked on his water. Honestly, the girl could not pass for a day over eighteen. Married was one thing, but motherhood was a little too far-fetched. He took a moment to analyze her again. She was truly a beauty. That was probably the first thing that jumped into his head when he first saw her in that hospital gown. That drab thing couldn’t conceal her exquisite features. He couldn’t blame any guy for wanting to marry her before she was snatched up by another.
“You were married young?”
“A day before I turned sixteen. I guessed it can’t really be called a marriage, though, if you need a paper and a wedding for proof.”
“He never officially married you?”
She shook her head. “We did live like husband and wife.”
“Was it consensual?” he asked.
“I…” She looked down to her fingers. “I was beguiled, but I did come to love him. I probably shouldn’t have.”
“You have a baby?”
“I have a son,” she corrected him.
“Where is he now?”
She lowered her eyes. “He’s with his father. He’s grown so much I couldn’t even believe my eyes. He has his father now. I doubt he even needs me, anymore.”