by Ash Night
Yes, I knew it was dangerous. I knew Eli had killed another girl with words he had said in a fit of anger. I knew I was playing with fire.
But, just for a moment, that didn't matter.
Chapter 10
Last night, had it all been a dream? I asked myself that as I got out of bed. It was unnatural for me to be so happy outside of a dream. But as I cooked Zoey breakfast, only imagining the ingredients, put it all on a tray, and entered her room, I knew it wasn't a dream. The blue rose I had picked for her after our dance was still nestled in her hair. We'd sat on the stone altar while I had gently woven the stem into her blond curls. She'd kissed my cheek. Thinking about it now made the spot on my cheek tingle with warmth. I hadn't been dreaming. The happiness had been real. I'd never been happier to be alive. Zoey made my life mean something.
I loved her. I was absolutely certain of that. I'd loved Elena, but that didn't compare to how I felt about Zoey. Zoey was everything to me. She was the angel I needed to bring me out of the darkness. She'd succeeded. The sun was shining today for the first time in a while.
"Eli? Is that for me?" Zoey asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes. She smiled. "You are so sweet, making me breakfast in bed."
I grinned. "I'm glad you see that I have food and am not in your room for other reasons."
"What? Oh my God! No! Gross, Eli!" Zoey threw her pillow at me. I simply sidestepped it and sat on the edge of her bed, balancing the tray on my knee.
"I figured I'd ought to make you breakfast in bed since you made me breakfast."
Zoey laughed. "You weren't in bed. You were asleep at your piano with your cheek pressed against the keys. I'm surprised the sound of it didn't wake you up."
I chuckled and grinned. "Well, what were the chances I'd ever find you in the same position?"
"I love you, too."
"What?"
Zoey curled up next to me, resting her chin on my shoulder. "I love you, too. I never said that last night."
"I'm glad you love me." I said, setting the tray on the table beside her bed and hugging her.
"I'm glad you love me. It'd be kind of weird if I felt feelings for you that you didn't return after knowing you for so long."
"A prince always loves his princess," I replied.
"Alexis didn't love Ari, not in your new play." She said. "I'm sorry. I saw it on your desk the other day and I kind of..well...read it. I'm sorry. I tried not to, but I was too tempted. You're such a master with words and I love the characters Ari and Alexis... Please don't be mad."
I wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'm not. I love you. You can read any of my work."
"That's good. I didn't want to make you mad."
She's afraid of you, Eli. Of what you might do. Afraid you'll snap.
No, I thought angrily. She isn't! She loves me and she isn't afraid of me. I hated not being able to yell out loud at the voice. It scared me I wouldn't be able to tell it apart from my own mental voice and I'd lose myself more than I already had. As if sensing my inner turmoil, Zoey placed her hand over mine, tethering me to reality. With her, I was grounded. With her, I was a better person. With her, I was me. I wasn't crazy. I wasn't dangerous. I was just Eli. Zoey was good for me. She was my angel.
"Can you mail another letter to Jake, please?"
My angel with a boyfriend.
"Sure," I said, placing the envelope in my pocket. I'd sent the other one in a new envelope and planned to do the same for this one. I hated invading Zoey's privacy, but I needed to know. I needed to know if she wanted to stay. If she wanted to go home, she had a right to. I didn't reserve the right to keep her here. I still hoped I'd be willing to take her home. It wasn't going to be easy, especially after last night. I'd never forget last night. It was burned into my brain forever. It was like a first date. At least I thought of it that way. I sort of hoped Zoey felt the same way. I doubt she did. The fact that she'd just given me a letter to give to her boyfriend was strong proof of that. That was bad. She wasn’t forgetting the real world like I’d hoped.
“Would you like to see a room?” I asked, happily changing the subject.
Zoey nodded eagerly. I grabbed her hand, feeling the familiar tingle of warmth of her hand in mine as I had last night. Her pulse quickened. "What room?" She asked.
"You'll see," I grinned at her, knowing that it did crazy things to her heartbeat. Her heartbeat. The symbol that signified she was alive. Despite her only having been in AngelRose a week, I was as attuned to her heartbeat as I was my own. Her heart and mine were one in the same. If hers stopped, mine would follow. I would make sure she was never alone.
"Eli, you're so secretive all the time." Zoey teased.
"All the more to dazzle you with, my sweet."
"Should I be worried you're going to eat me?"
"Do I look like the big, bad wolf to you?"
"Well..."
I laughed. "My whole life is a fairytale, Zoey. And you are the biggest part of it, my princess Alexis."
Zoey blushed. "Ari, you flirt."
I sped up, sweeping her into my arms as I ran full speed to the last door at the end of the hall. "You were too slow," I said in response to her shocked expression.
She smiled. "Am I slow or are you just a freak of nature?"
"Probably both," I shrugged, setting her down. Opening the door slowly, I waited for her usual gasp of amazement that accompanied just about anything I showed her.
"It's me," she said in quiet awe. She was looking at the thousands of portraits I'd painted of her hanging all around the art studio.
I led her inside, hugging her shoulders. "Well, of course, you're my biggest source of inspiration, Zoe. For the longest time, going inside your head, silently seeing what you see, it was the only way to feel close to you."
"That's not creepy at all, Eli."
I looked her in the eyes deeply, sweeping a strand of blond hair from her face. "It really isn't, Zoey. It's actually quite intimate. AngelRose gives you the power to see the world for what it truly is. Here, I don't have to pretend to be someone else to impress anyone. Acting gives me that luxury without having to keep up the facade 24/7 like most people in your world assume they need to do. AngelRose may be its own personal brand of Hell, but the beauty lies just beneath the surface. I'm finally beginning to realize I never really wanted to leave in the first place. All I really wanted was you to share it with me. AngelRose is my home."
Zoey stared at me. "Eli, you just sent shivers down my spine. You are truly an artist in every sense of the word. Is there anything you can't do?"
I raised my eyebrow. "I'm not much of a cook."
She giggled. "That breakfast was good."
"Yeah, good. If it was so good, why can't you say it with a straight face?" I grinned.
"It's just...just something in the air. I think this room is filled wi-with laughing gas." She struggled to get the sentence out as she continued to giggle harder.
"Oh, really?" I began tickling her. She squealed with laughter. "Laughing gas, huh?"
"Eli, stop! Stop it! I can't breathe! You're not playing fair!" She gasped.
I grinned, letting her catch her breath."And how am I not playing fair? You're the one who lied about my cooking. That's not very lady-like, princess Alexis."
"But prince Ari, you are a young boy and a thousand times stronger than me. I was defenseless."
"Young boy? I am clearly a man."
"Not much of a Peter Pan, are you?"
"I told you, my whole life is a fairytale. I will never grow old. You are just the icing on the cake."
"How very fattening," Zoey giggled.
I chuckled. "Zoey, you are crazy. You can't weigh more than ninety pounds."
"Uh, try one hundred and four,"
I laughed and spun her around. "I love you, princess Zoey."
"I love you, Prince Eli."
Tensing, I held Zoey close to me. "Something's wrong," The hairs on the back of my neck were standing up like soldiers ready for a figh
t.
"What is it, Eli?" Zoey's voice was high with fear.
Blobs, dark, formless Shadows, burst through the window, shattering the glass though having barely touched it. Zoey screamed, her scream cut short by the sudden lack of air in the room. I expanded my small scope of power outward so it included her as well. She gasped, too terrified to speak.
I smiled mischievously at her. "Ready for some fun?" She shook her head adamantly, still unable to speak, her blue eyes wide with horror. I set her down. "Run." Zoey looked at me as if I were crazy to allow her to run, allow her to leave me alone with these things she still didn't fully understand. "Run, Zoey! Get to your room and lock the door! Do not open it for anyone, do you understand?"
"Yes," Zoey said weakly and bolted for the door. The two Shadows lunged for her. I grabbed one around what I assumed to be its waist, the dark stuff that served as its body squirming like grape jelly beneath my fingers as it screamed at me in strange guttural tones that made me think of a cat yowling. Whatever it was made of, it was burning my hands almost as if I were placing my hands on a hot paved driveway. I didn't dare let go. My hands were going numb now but that was the least of my problems.
The other, sensing that it was useless to wait for its friend, was heading toward the door with the motion of a faster-than-average snail. I whipped the Shadow I had a hold of into the wall with all my strength. It crashed, the stone on the other side the only thing preventing the Shadow from breaking through the wall. A heartbeat later, I was on top of the other Shadow. This Shadow had a bit more fight in it and reared back, making the same yowling sound the other one had.
I hissed as the burning began fresh in my hands. This time, the pain made me let go. Thrown from the bucking Shadow, I landed hard on my back. Knocking the breath from me for a split second was enough for the Shadow to turn around and attack. It roared, giving me a clear view of its black hole of a mouth, its teeth, a shade darker than its body, were like rows of sharp daggers. I got the strange feeling that each of those teeth wanted to pierce my heart. I couldn't move. I couldn't look away. It had me in a trance.
It roared again, breaking the spell, and I was once again alert. I jumped to my feet and turned my back on the creature, trying to run farther away from the door. It was too close. Too close to getting Zoey. I had to get it away from the door.
The Shadow lunged forward, its shadow blanketing me. I turned back, prepared to dodge, but I wasn't quick enough. I felt one of its teeth rip into my shoulder. I screamed in pain. Seeing stars, I fought to stay on my feet.
The Shadow disappeared, thinking it had killed me. The one I'd defeated had turned to sludge, leaving a purple stain on the floor. I slumped against the wall, holding my shoulder. Blood was streaming from the hole where the tooth had punctured it. It burned, a searing pain ripping up and down my forearm.
I hissed as I used my good arm to push up to a standing position. My hands were badly blistered as well. I walked over to the drying rack where I hung clean white hand towels used to wash my hands of paint. I tied one around my shoulder, using my teeth to pull it tight. My bad arm flinched in response. I cursed loudly. I was getting dizzy. I needed to lie down.
But first I had to check on Zoey. I put on my jacket to disguise the towel, thankful it didn't show, and walked stiffly down the hall. "Zoey, are you okay? Zoey!"
"In here, Eli." Zoey called weakly from her bedroom. I walked in and saw Zoey lying in her bed, the red king-sized blanket pulled up to her chin. Sky was sitting on her chest like a guard. I rushed to her bedside. She coughed. "Eli, are you okay? Those things didn't hurt you, did they?" Her throat sounded scratchy, but the worry in her tone was evident. I imagined a glass of ice-cold water and gave it to her. She drank it like she hadn't had anything to drink in days. I gave her another and she drank that just as fast.
"Me? Nah, nothing can hurt me. I'm invincible, Zoe. You know that."
Zoey tried to laugh. "I'll worry about you as much as I please, Mr. Eli."
I moved my eyebrows up and down. "Mr. Eli? I like it. Got a nice ring to it. Growin’ up might be fun if I call myself that."
"Happy birthday, Peter Pan,"
I hugged her shoulders. "You're gonna be okay, right?"
"Of course! If you're invincible, that must mean I'm twice as invincible. That's just how it works," Zoey smirked.
"Really?" I grinned.
"Yes, really. It may baffle you, Mr. Eli, but girls can be just as strong as boys, if not stronger." She coughed and yawned.
I kissed her forehead, surprised at the burning sensation beneath my lips. "Sleep tight, my little soldier."
Chapter 11
Eli was dying. He was standing amid scattered paper, an odd look on his face, the look of a crazy person. He was holding a lighter. I tried calling out to him. I got this weird sensation of not having a body like I was a ghost. I shouted Eli's name, but he didn't seem to hear it. Smoke filled my lungs and I choked. Tears stung my eyes.
"It's okay, Zoey. I'll be with you soon. I promise. We'll be together forever." Eli was suddenly holding me in his arms. He seemed to be muttering more to himself. Once again, my voice failed me. My vocal chords felt paralyzed. I couldn't move.
Eli! I shouted inside my head. Look! My eyes are open! I'm awake! Help me! No, Eli! What are you doing?! Eli! NO!
Eli looked at me, tears spilling from his beautiful violet eyes as he poured dirt into his grave.
On top of me.
Chapter 12
Zoey was gone. I'd gone into the kitchen to make her dinner and now she was gone. She'd been burning with fever. Where the hell could she possibly be? My heartbeat quickened as I couldn't help but think of Elena.
"Stop it, Eli. You didn't say anything to upset Zoey. She's fine. She probably just got up to go to the bathroom." I reasoned to calm myself.
And since when has anyone in AngelRose ever had to use the bathroom, Eli? That urge doesn't seem to exist here as I recall. The voice said.
"Shut up! You're just trying to scare me!" I shouted.
The voice chuckled. That's the beauty of it, Eli. I don't have to scare you. You scare yourself. Your mere existence is a danger to Zoey, and now that she's here, that scares the hell out of you.
"She is not like Elena! She'll know I never meant to hurt her! She'll understand! I would never hurt her on purpose!"
The monster inside you doesn't see it that way. It wants to kill, Eli. It screams for blood.
"Then it shall have my own before it ever touches her!" I declared.
Now, now Elijah, don't be so hasty. You've said that before and it didn't matter then.
I froze. It had been so long since someone had used my full name. It sounded so foreign, so ancient. Yet it fit the monster within me perfectly. That was why I went by Eli. I was not the monster.
I tried hard to ignore the voice and concentrate on finding Zoey. Sky meowed loudly and I rushed to her. "What is it, buddy?" Sky ran down the hall to the front entrance. I followed at her heels. The castle door was wide open. Outside was a blizzard.
“Zoey!” I shouted into the wind. The unforgiving snowstorm made it difficult to breathe as I trudged outside. Zoey had to be alive. If she were dead, I would know.
Everything was covered in snow and, the air was so thick with it, I could barely see, but I still knew where I was going. I knew AngelRose backward, forward, and sideways. It was a part of me. I fought my way through the wind. Why the hell was there so much snow?
Your concern for her is like a snowstorm. The voice told me in a poetic tone.
It may just be from lack of air, but I don’t sense your usual distain for me. I said in my head. Are you growing soft?
Stop worrying about her. Your worrying about her is literally suffocating you.
Easier said than done.
Fine, if all you want to do is die, leave Zoey to die, and leave your cat to starve, then by all means.
Sky knows how to imagine cat food! I growled. I was starting to get light-headed. Pull
ing my coat collar all the way up and tight against my face, I created a small pocket of air. I gasped and coughed, my lungs burning from the raw sting of the wind. I moved on through the glue-like snow. I finally came to the ravine after what seemed like years and looked down. Zoey was face-down at the bottom of the ravine in the snow as if she’d fallen. She reminded me so much of the last time I’d seen Elena I stumbled backwards, hyperventilating. The wind stopped as soon as I calmed down, but the air around me froze. My lungs seemed to be trapped in an icy fire every time I took a breath.
“Zoey!” I yelled down to her. My throat felt like I had been gargling sandpaper. Coughing only made it worse and I’d gone into a fit.
“Eli?” I heard her reply weakly. She stirred slightly as if checking to see if everything worked right. My heart jumped at every little twitch. Zoey was alive!
“Are you okay?” I sounded like a frog with my now very sore throat. I was still trying to convince myself she was actually alive, that it wasn’t a dream.
She yelped in pain. A knife went through my heart. “My ankle’s twisted.”
“Hang on, I’ll be right down.” I assured her.
She looked at me, horrified. “Eli! It’s at least a forty-foot drop!”
“You made it,” I grinned. Zoey wasn’t very impressed with my joke. I jumped off the side and landed safely beside her on my feet, nimble as a cat. Zoey was in shock.
“How the hell did you do that?”
“Basic training for demons,” I teased. I scooped her up, one arm supporting her back, the other under her legs. She put her arms around my neck.
“You’re not a demon,” she said.
“Not what my tombstone says,”
“You’re eighteen! You shouldn’t even have a tombstone!”
I looked down at my feet. “I’m not a normal eighteen year old.”
“I don’t think you could call any teenager ‘normal’, Eli. No one really is. That would be boring.”