*}*Ariana and Christian*{*
After Puck’s little episode the group spent the next four-five hours exorcising ghosts. The 14 year old priestess smiled when she thought of Aisling’s compliment. Of course, she exorcised that many ghosts because she and Christian located the areas with the most number of ghosts. She frowned, still not sure who the mysterious ‘magician’ was.
“I’m exhausted,” Aisling sighed later on, “can we call it a night?”
Ryuu said something and they both looked at Emiko.
A foreboding feeling slowly came over Ariana. Sharply inhaling, a terrible feeling went inside her.
“How about we all crash at my place for the night?” he looked at the girl and her demon butler, “You two are welcome to come too.”
Honestly, Christian wanted to decline. They had been up all night and Ariana needed her sleep. It won’t be good when they get back to the shrine.
His mistress, on the other hand, wanted to go to Ryuu’s house. Never had she been invited to someone’s house for a reason that wasn’t paranormal. Okay, so maybe the circumstances were paranormal, but still. The foreboding feeling still niggled at her, but she chose to ignore it for now.
Christian saw the look she had in her eye and realized that they were going to Ryuu’s house whether they wanted to or not. They accepted the invitation.
After the car ride everyone walked into the house and Ryuu stood aside to let them in. Ariana absently observed the antics of the ever-playful Puck as Nyoko, Ryuu’s youngest sister, walked in.
“Do you want to sit down?” Emiko asked gesturing to a chair.
“Thank you,” Ariana smiled and took a seat while Aisling went to the bathroom to scold her fairy friend. She had been accepted, however strangely, into their group. Best of all, they had ties to the paranormal, which eased a number of things for her. I can’t believe I’m close to making friends…All my years of loneliness and sadness, could they be coming to an end?
Christian looked at his mistress with pride. He had been her butler for a year and from what he knew making friends was next to impossible because of her curse. But since these people weren’t normal, there was a better chance she could fit in.
A few minutes later, they all heard a booming sound from the aforementioned room.
Ariana gaped as a very good-looking boy strode into the room a few minutes later carrying Aisling, who looked like she was about to faint. She blushed and abruptly looked at Christian, “Who’s that?”
In the hubbub that followed, it came to light that the boy was Puck who had somehow transformed into a human.
“Ryuu and I are going to take his sister to a friend’s house,” Emiko announced walking into the living room where everyone was crowding around Puck and Aisling. Ariana heard the door close as she left.
The young priestess made as if to also go over and offer her assistance when an evil little thought walked into her mind: But I’ve never had friends my whole life, so what makes me think I can have them now?
Something terrible passed over Ariana, filling her body with a wicked, evil, and terrifying feeling; the foreboding feeling returned, pressing into her. She stiffened. “Uhh…” putting a hand on the side of her face she tipped forward, almost meeting the floor before being caught by Christian.
Christian sensed it immediately. “Lady Ariana?”
“Something’s here,” she whispered in a panicky voice, “the demonic pressure…uhhh.” She writhed out of Christian’s grip and fell to the floor.
“Ariana?”
No! She thought desperately, Please, not here, not now. A fleeting sheet of blackness came, passing over her and then leaving. I’m begging you, whatever’s making my curse happen, please LEAVE!
Christian watched as Ariana’s eyes turned from dark honey gold to blood red for a brief second, then transformed back to gold. “Ah!” she shouted as she hunched over again.
The incredibly handsome demon scanned the house, grimly uncovering the reason behind the young priestess’s behavior. A group of high ranking demons lurked in the house, and combined with her rising self-doubt there could be terrible consequences.
Ariana looked up for a brief moment and saw the others looking at her; locking eyes with Puck he saw the raw panic in her eyes. Help me, she mouthed before dropping her head again.
The blackness passed over her eyes again and she covered her face with her hands. It was like she was drowning, drowning in a sea of emotions and demonic energy. The demonic aura was starting to surge through her. I have to fight, I have to. She let out another painful cry. I can’t…
Eyes switching from dark honey gold to blood red, Ariana looked at Puck from the spaces between her hands and said in a strangled voice as the blackness passed over her eyes, “Run.”
*{*Christian*{*
Christian watched Ariana’s long dark purple hair that fell to end of her back as it started to turn raven black; her forehead started to shine.
Puck took Ariana’s advice and ran to the kitchen after setting down Aisling to grab a frying pan. He had no idea what they were going up against.
A final shudder rippled through Ariana’s body and she lay still, hunched forward on the floor.
“A-Ariana?” Puck asked in a whisper about two octaves higher than his usual tone, which he would never admit.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the girl stood up, unfolding her body like a puppet being pulled up by a string. When she lifted her head bolts of fear raced through faces in the room, but what raced over Christian’s face was a look that said, “Here we go”.
“What happened to her?” Puck demanded an answer from Christian.
They both felt the demonic energy radiating from her. Raven black hair gently swayed with her head’s movement, blood red eyes gleamed as she stared at them with malice. But while those features were eerie enough, what held Puck’s horrified gaze was a dark purple demonic pentagram that shimmered with wicked light in the middle of her forehead.
“I’ll leave you to figure it out for yourself,” Christian murmured.
This new Ariana stared at each of them for a full minute and smirked. She opened her mouth, “An Earth Guardian (fainted apparently), a wannabe shaman, and the son of a demon, both of whom are now gone,” her voice sounded like poison honey. “I commend them for managing to not kill each other—yet.” She tipped her head back and laughed an evil, eerie laugh that sent chills down everyone’s spine.
“If you harm Aisling I’ll hit you with my frying pan!” Puck lifted the frying pan and waved it around.
She sneered, “Nosy sprite.” As the angered fairy ran toward her like an enraged bee she flicked her hand, making the frying pan quiver and jump out of Puck’s hands.
Puck watched as the pan hovered in mid air and slowly turned to face him. “Aaaaw maaaaan…”
Whack! Puck stumbled backward and fell.
Ariana grinned and raised her arms up high, the pentagram glowing on her forehead. “Let’s have some fun shall we? Demons,” she shouted, “to me!”
Glowing light and sparkles radiated from underneath her as a copy of the pentagram on her forehead appeared on the ground under her. An unseen wind blew her hair around, blood red eyes glittering with wicked power.
Demons were summoned to the house, rising out of black holes, appearing out of thin air. They were a grotesque crew of gargoyles, like the ones they had faced on their first night at the school. The group of high ranking demons also found themselves there, appearing out of swirls of black. Grouped around Ariana, their bat wings beat the air around them, creating gusts of wind that made Aisling and Puck’s hair flutter around. Their twisted faces leered enjoying the fear of the Page of Wands.
Ariana extended her arm, “Go!”
Launching themselves at Puck the demons let out screeches and chased after him.
“Whoa!” Puck jumped back and stumbled again, still not used to this human body he was in. Whipping out his wand he created jets of wind to curl around the demons and send them flying into one another. One demon lunged behind him and tore at his shoulder. Nimbly leaping away he snatched his quivering frying pan out of the air and hit the demon full in the face.
During all this Ariana watched the scene from where she stood, the pentagrams glowing, and a twisted grin on her face. Puck was fighting all alone and doing a good job of it too—the only problem was that whenever he defeated one, another would instantly arrive to take its place.
Aisling blinked and slowly woke up, beholding the scene before her. She saw Puck battling demons and gasped with fright. The room was being torn apart by demons. She was about to call to Ariana for help when with a wave of horror she saw the demonic energy swirling around the priestess and saw the gleaming pentagrams.
“Miss Ariana!” standing up and jumping into the air Aisling flew at her with her angel wings flapping furiously. “I don’t know what happened to you, but I’m not going to let you hurt my friend!” she had a determined expression on her face.
Ariana turned around and hit her with a blast of her blood red eyes. She smirked, “You won’t, nice try though.” Holding out her hand she summoned another gargoyle and told it to fly into her, enjoying both shouts of pain.
Chaos roared around her in the living room. It was a wonder none of the other residents had come downstairs to see what was happening. Or maybe they weren’t home, which was even better. Chaos, lovely chaos…
Watching the battles Christian was left alone by the demons, seeing as he was one himself. He saw Aisling struggling to fend off the demon that had crashed into her and Puck narrowly avoiding being cut into strands of skin. The incredibly handsome young man’s visage slid into a business-like look. It was time to end this.
Smoothly gliding in between the fighters he made it to Ariana whose back was to him. “Lady Ariana, it’s time to return.”
“What the hell are you talking about you—?” as she turned Christian gripped her shoulders firmly, looked into those blood red eyes, and kissed her.
Right after he kissed her there was a shuddering beat of silence accompanied by a ‘whooo’ sound in everyone’s minds. It was like the reverse ripple effect. The demons started vanishing and the pentagram started fading; as though all the evil was being sucked away.
Aisling, and Puck watched shocked as the sensation continued like that for a good minute.
Christian pulled away and licked his lips appreciatively; that was a good meal. He looked down at Ariana. Her eyes were dazed and back to dark honey gold; her hair returned to dark purple.
She looked at him, breathed, “Ch-Christian?” and then she dropped to the ground.
*}*Ariana*}*
There was blackness, utter and complete blackness. I saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing, smelled nothing, and tasted nothing. It was like I was without my senses, out of my own body, and that’s a terrible sensation to have. That’s the feeling I always have when my curse awakens.
I don’t know how long the blackness was there; when I came out of it the first thing I saw was Christian, my demon butler, “Ch-Christian?” I breathed. And then I dropped to the ground.
*}*~~~~~~~~~~~~*{*
When I came to I braced my hands against the floor and stumbled to my feet, swaying uncoordinatedly. I fell forwards but Christian caught me and righted me again. My head hurt a lot; I put my hand on the side of head.
“What happened?” I asked in confusion. My head spun in disorientation as I looked at Aisling and Puck who were staring at me in utter disbelief.
“What are you?” Aisling asked stupefied.
“I’m a girl, just like you.” I stepped toward her and Aisling hastily took a step back.
Feeling as if I was lost on an island I stood there dumbly for a good minute, staring at the people who I thought were my friends. Emotions streamed into me like a tidal wave. How could I’ve been so hopeful for such a lost cause? Why did I even think that I was able to make friends with these people? I’ve never had friends before, so what makes me think I can have them now? I felt my heart break slowly.
“You know,” I hung my head, dark purple hair covering my face; “I thought that you guys could actually be my friends.” I suddenly broke into a run and ran out of Ryuu’s house into the early morning. I flew past a car where Ryuu and Emiko were making out without looking back. I didn’t want to look back. Tears flew away from my face as I ran, desperately wanting to escape.
I didn’t stop running through my tears until I reached my home.
*{*Christian*{*
“Lady Ariana!” the demon butler called out as his mistress fled the ruined living room. Standing there with a pointlessly extended arm he watched her tearful and hasty retreat.
He slowly turned around until he faced Aisling and Puck. “You know,” he said with barely controlled calmness, “Lady Ariana has never had friends. And finally, when she has found people she could be friends with, you alienate her.”
“But she—”
“Quiet Puck,” his turquoise eyes glowed angrily, “you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Pivoting on his heel he blew out of the house at demonic speed while Emiko and Ryuu were walking towards the house. Blazing through the town while the sun started to rise routes of the town spiraled through his brain as he focused on his destination. He knew where his mistress went.
*}*Ariana*}*
I burst through the front door of my house, not caring if my parents were home or not. I knew they weren’t; they had been out on a case for two days and still hadn’t returned. I’m not allowed to go on extremely demonic cases.
I tripped and fell onto the floor before the stairs, lying in a pitiful heap. It was too much. Curling into a ball I lay there crying as helplessness and loneliness roared through me, broken sobs carrying through the house. I’m all alone in my sorrow, because who has any idea of what one goes through when he’s cursed?
I didn’t know how long I was there but suddenly a pair of strong arms lifted me up and carried me upstairs. Opening my eyes I saw through my tears two turquoise blue orbs—Christian. He lay me down on my bed and softly stroked my hair. “Sleep Lady Ariana,” he said soothingly, “I am here, you are not alone.”
I cried myself to sleep as the sun came up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wanted to do 1st person to see how I liked it. Maybe I’ll do it again sometime. Whew! This was a lot of work. I left off at the part where Emiko and Ryuu were walking to the house.
Continue?
