Demonspawn

by Glenn Bullion

  I know how to deal with my sister. Just had to gently but firmly press on.

  “Come on. I know something's bothering you.”

  She sighed. “I'm lonely. I'll be graduating this year. And I've never really had a boyfriend.”

  “You've dated plenty of guys.”

  “Yeah. Dated. But I don't really stand out. No one in school ever really looks at me for more than a week at a time.”

  I couldn't believe my ears. Blond hair, blue eyes, very pretty, very sweet, and she didn't stand out? Was she on drugs?

  “Are you kidding me? You worry too much, sis. You can have any guy in school you want. Look, don't stress about it. Hell, I'm twenty-three, and can't find a woman.”

  “You've got one right there,” she said, and pointed at Cindy on the patio.

  “Don't point at her. Look, all I can tell you is you'll be fine. You'll find your guy. Now it might not be in high school, but you will.”

  She smirked. “Spoken like a true older brother.”

  “Hey. What would you do without me?”

  “I don't know. I'm glad you're here, though.”

  I gave her a smile and nod before someone dove head first into the water not too far from us. Cindy stood up and slicked her hair back.

  “Hey guys! Come on in! Everyone's heading inside to watch a movie. We've got the pool to ourselves.”

  She went under the water. Alicia smiled and looked at me. “I'm gonna head home. You know, you're eventually gonna have to tell her.”

  “Maybe. Not today, though.”

  She shook her head and stood up. Cindy broke the surface on the other side.

  “Cindy, I'm outta here. Getting tired. I'll call you tomorrow.”

  “Aw. Okay, Leese. See ya.”

  Alicia disappeared around the side of the house. I made a mental note to call her tomorrow. I'd never seen her down like that before.

  “Alex, get in here with me.”

  I dropped from the side into the water. I still wore my shorts, while my swimming trunks were ten feet away. No sense in changing now.

  Cindy started swimming toward me. Before I could figure out what she was doing she leaped up and dunked me under. I swallowed a nice mouthful of water. I came up to hear her laughing.

  “When was the last time it was just me and you in the pool?”

  I had to think. “Man, eighth grade?”

  “Remember Rob, my ex-boyfriend? He used to hate it that you and I swam together all the time.”

  “Can you blame him? I mean, look at this,” I said, teasing while flexing my arms.

  “I can't argue that.”

  I gave her a look. That caught me off guard.

  I wanted to believe she found me attractive. But I was afraid to. I don't know why.

  “So, what's up with you and Red Hot?” she asked. “She's not gonna freak out that we're friends, is she?”

  I shook my head. “There's nothing going on, Cindy. It's a long story, but me leaving the club last night had nothing to do with gettin' it on.”

  “What was it then?”

  I lowered my voice. “More demon stuff. I'll tell you later. I've got a question for you.”

  “What's that?”

  “Why have you been single since college?”

  She shrugged. “You know why, Alex. I don't keep anything from you.”

  “Yeah. I know you wanted to focus on school. But that's done now. So what's up?”

  “I just can't find my guy.”

  “And who's that exactly?”

  She paused, and gave me a bright smile. “Are you auditioning?”

  I tried to search her face. Was she serious? Joking?

  “What would I have to do?”

  “Stand up straight.”

  I hesitated, then did so. The water came up to about my chest. She made her way over and looked me up and down. She circled around me, like she was evaluating me. She stood behind me and gently grabbed my shoulders. Then she jumped up and dunked me again.

  “Damn. You keep falling for it,” she said through fits of laughter.

  “Hey! What are you kids doing out there?”

  It was Grandma, shouting from the patio. I pointed at Cindy. “She started it!”

  “I did not, Grandma!”

  “Don't make me separate you two! I can still do it!”

  “Don't worry. I'll keep her in line.”

  “What!”

  Cindy tried to dunk me again. This time I managed to turn around and wrap my arms around her waist to stop her, creating an awkward, and nice, moment. I quickly got my revenge by dunking her.

  It was nighttime when we decided to leave. Grandma, Larry, and Chandra were inside watching a movie. We gave everyone hugs goodbye.

  “I love seeing you again,” Grandma told me. “Stop by more often. And take care of my granddaughter for me.”

  “Please,” Cindy said. “It's more like me taking care of him.”

  “Cindy, you're lucky to have Alex here.”

  She gave me a playful punch in the shoulder. “Oh I know.”

  “You drive home safe,” Chandra said.

  “We will. Thanks for having me over.”

  “You're family. You know that.”

  It was a quick drive home. As we got near our apartment doors Cindy stopped near hers.

  “You want to watch a movie?” she asked.

  I actually didn't. I wanted to get to the woods behind the apartment and practice with my wings. “I don't know. You haven't had enough of me for one day?”

  “Who can ever get enough of you? What if I look all pretty and say please?”

  “Give it a shot.”

  She leaned her back against the door and stretched an arm over her head, like a model pose. Then she curled a leg and rubbed it against the other.

  Damn.

  “Please?”

  The wings could wait.

  “I guess so.”

  She smiled and straightened up. “Great. Your apartment. I'll make popcorn.”

  It was a fun end to the night. We put on Resident Evil and munched on some snacks. Cindy curled her legs under her on the couch, my kryptonite. So I know I missed half the movie. She still wore her shorts that she had on earlier. I was half tempted to ask her to wear sweatpants, but didn't want to seem too obvious as to how much she distracted me. Not to mention, it was indeed a nice distraction.

  She sat on the other end of the couch, towards the TV. So I could look at her without her knowing. As I watched her I kept wondering. What if? I knew what made her sad. I knew what made her happy. I knew when she needed a hug. I knew when I needed to give her space. Hell, with my demonic senses, I knew when she was in trouble.

  Could I be a good boyfriend for her?

  We both fell asleep somewhere in the middle of the movie. When I woke up, the DVD had already stopped. Cindy was leaning back on the couch. It had to be sometime after midnight.

  I smiled. She was beautiful when she slept. She was beautiful all the time.

  I got up, stretched, and went to the hall closet. I grabbed her favorite blanket and pillow. I scooped her up easily in my arms. I laid her out on the couch and covered her up. I stayed there for a moment, just staring at her face. I brushed a loose strand of hair from her eyes, and my finger lingered on her cheek.

  “Love sucks,” I said.

  She moaned quietly and spoke from deep within her dream. “Yeah. Tell me about it.”

  I laughed and turned the lamp off above her. Darkness filled the room, but only for a moment for me, as my night vision took over. Strange, as I hadn't practiced using it. I could already control it easily. I hoped it was like that with my wings.

  I fell into bed. I thought I'd sleep soundly, since I was still going off of a few hours sleep. I was wrong this time, too.

  A bathroom trip woke me up. I didn't have any hand towels, so I had to use paper towels from the kitchen.

  I walked down the hall and was ready to turn by the fridge when I stopped. />
  Cindy and I weren't alone.

  I turned the light on next to the weight-bench to see someone standing over Cindy. I had to rub my eyes for a second, but recognized who it was.

  “Grandma?”

  She looked up at me. I was confused. She was wearing a pink nightgown, and ran a hand through Cindy's hair. She looked surprised to see me, when I was the one who should have been surprised. I didn't hear her knock on the door or anything. And why did she drive over in a pink nightgown?

  “What's going on?” I asked her. “Everything okay?”

  “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.

  Chapter 22

  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.
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  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.