Chapter 5: Not Expected

 

It was Marcus Varick’s last year of high school, his last year to search freely for the devil’s daughter. A short while ago, he was offered to skip grades and enter college, but he refused and that had only bought him a few years. He still didn’t know her face or her name, leaving him having to sense her.

This time, he was close, but he didn’t know how close he really was. Her presence was all over his new school, upstairs and downstairs. He couldn’t sense where exactly she was, and he figured he wasn’t going to get his chance his first day there.

The school helper led him into the principal’s office, where the principle sat waiting with a female student standing behind a chair as she waited as well. Her back to him, the girl’s poise and respectful demeanor instantly caught his attention, aside from the unusual color of her hair too. Coming next to the thin figured female, the helper motioned to the girl as she stated to him, “This will be your helper your first day here. She is a freshman, but she knows this school the best.”

The girl turned halfway around to glance at him and smiled. She took a step towards him, offering him her hand as she said, “Hello. I’m Raye Smith.”

Before taking a hold of her hand, he replied, “I’m Marcus Varick. It’s nice to meet you.”

Suddenly, as their hands touched, two different energies passed through them. Raye felt a jolt of positive energy, while Marcus felt a jolt of negative energy. Both of them stared in disbelief at their locked hands. Not once before had Raye ever felt such endless happiness, whereas Marcus had never felt such deep-rooted anger and malice either.

“Raye, Marcus, are you two alright?”

Instantly brought back to reality, the two pulled away from each other as if the other disgusted them. Before Marcus could repair the situation though, Raye smiled and stated, “Well, we can’t keep dawdling here, now can we? Let’s go, Marcus! -Bye, Mr. Frank, Mrs. Slyer.”

Marcus was stunned as he subconsciously waved goodbye and Raye pulled him out of the office with his hand in a tight grip. The halls were barren and the classrooms were empty. It was a special day for the school clubs, transfer students, and the student body council. Once they reached the hall, Raye immediately let go of his hand and gave him a look that implored him to follow.

“Raye, are-?”

“Here, I have your schedule. I’ll lead you to your classes and show you where everything is on the way.”

“Raye, you’re-?”

“Your first class is English with Mr. Drake. He’s right down here.”

“”Raye, can you-?”

“There are two grand halls. That’s where the students eat. The student body is too big to have only one.”

“Raye, please-.”

“If you ask me, there should be three. It’s too crowded as is, but then, that’s my opinion. Oh yeah, your lunch depends on your third and fourth period classes. We go by the coordinated odd and even schedules here.”

“Raye-.”

“Oh, you don’t have a second period. I guess you have late start and hey. You have Ms. Milbourn for fourth. That means you go straight to lunch when you get here, if you don’t have advisories. I wish I-.”

“Raye!”

Shocked, Raye stopped mid step and listened as her name echoed off the walls of the large school. Slowly turning to face Marcus, her shock was as clear and open on her face like the words of an open book. Falling under her stare, Marcus mentally drew back at how much his voice was echoing her name so loudly throughout the school.

Strangely enough, Raye’s silence coaxed Marcus into a quick apology and for the first time in his life, he actually rambled.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Smith. I shouldn’t have called out your name so loudly, especially your first name. We’ve just met. I have no right to call on you with such familiarity as to call you by your first name. Forgive me.”

Taken aback by his sudden apology, Raye spontaneously started chuckling and clutched at her sides. It was so unexpected, and taking into consideration his innocent and naturally impassive facial expressions, she found it impossible to keep herself from bursting out. Marcus stared at her blankly, merely watching her without any confusion, anger, joy, anything.

“Why are you laughing?”

Trying as best as she could to restrain herself, she choked out in reply, “Why did you apologize?!”

Marcus opened his mouth to answer, but a sound reached his ears first. All of a sudden, he had heard the pattering of racing feet. Looking up the hall, a boy about Raye’s age came running up to them and started to take up-close pictures of Raye. Faking a scream, Raye choked out through her laughter, “Paparazzi, paparazzi! Ahh! Paparazzi! Ahahahahahahahaha!!”

Smiling, the so-called paparazzi cried out in good humor, “Oh-my-god! Raye Smith, the Raye Smith, is laughing her guts out. She’s bawling in laughter! Oh, this is spectacular. This is amazing!! I dare say we will Never-See-this again.”

Stopping to see Raye laughing even harder, the paparazzi boy turned his light blue eyes and freckled face to Marcus Varick, noticing instantly that Marcus was neither solemn nor cheery, just plain neutral. Intrigued, the boy took up his camera and was suddenly, literally, right in Marcus’ face. Marcus was so surprised that he missed the boy’s immediate withdrawal and commentary, distracted by the stars in his vision.

“Ah yes, and this is the man to make our dear Dreardale beloved sweetheart laugh like a maniacal madman. He’s so thin, so beautiful, so…divine!”

Just then, the boy was at Marcus’ back and made motions like a witch who wanted to touch, but contented herself by running her hands in the air as if to admire her manicure at the same time; hands quickly out, pulled down and back, and repeat. His voice was a funny, slightly high pitch tone produced from the throat with a completely made up accent that didn’t really resemble anything, “Oh, oh, he’s so hand-some, so mysteeeerrrrriiiooouuuusss. Of course! This-would be the man-to make out beloved Raye…LAUGH! Ha ha!”

Raye burst out in laughter, catching the boy’s attention and diverting it. Marcus, on the other hand, was so freaked out, he was speechless. The boy popped up at Raye’s side in a squatted position and said, “Hm, so I make you laugh tooooo…? Heeee, then maybe…there should be a picture of meeeeee!”

Just then, the boy popped up beside Marcus and jumped into Marcus’ reflexive arms, tossing one of his arms over Marcus’ shoulder. Marcus was so startled that he was caught wide-eyed by the flash of the boy’s camera. Suddenly, his arms were empty and the boy was on his back, leaning one elbow on his shoulder as he said, “Well, it’s been a blast. Tata, me fluppies!”

And he was gone, running down the hall in the direction opposite of which he came. In that instant, Marcus finally realized, “That was no ordinary boy…that was a demon!”

Fighting to gain back her composure, Raye asked happily as she restrained her giggles, “Isn’t he funny? Oh well, you might not get the inside jokes there, but you’ll find out soon. Anyway, he makes everyone laugh.”

Hearing the word “everyone”, Marcus stared at Raye’s trembling form, not bothering to hide his surprise. Realizing that he was staring at her, Raye looked up to meet his gaze and inquired, “What’s wrong?”

Avoiding her gaze, Marcus looked away, causing a few tendrils of thick golden brown hair to mask the left side of his face, a few inches past his cheek bone and reaching to his jaw.

This one movement caused Raye to notice his appearance at last. He had basically straight hair, except for a few natural curls here and there. Pale white skin, light brown eyes like clear glass, a tall thin stature like her brother’s, and try as she might, no obvious flaws. The only flaw she could find, if it could be counted was that he didn’t have the wings of an angel.

A bit irritated, Raye drew closer to him and asked, “And what’s wrong?”

Realizing how close she was, Marcus took three steps back and Raye watched each step, mentally counting, “1…2…3…”

For some reason, Raye got a bad feeling and said, “I’m sorry, I-I need to get some fresh air.”

Raye ran off, not realizing that Marcus was following after her. She burst through the doors of another hallway, going out into the school’s first courtyard. Silently, Marcus caught the door, noticing that she paid no attention to him whatsoever.

Running to a secluded area, engulfed by trees on every side, Raye collapsed onto a stone bench. Nearby, Marcus kept his distance behind a tree as he watched her from the shadows. God saw what he saw and sensing suspicion, they conversed by the safety of Marcus’ mind.

Marcus, do you suspect this girl?

Do not be judgmental father.

I am not. You are surprised as well.

Indeed, but I cannot deny that I had felt it from her.

Very well. Let us see.

Right at that moment, Marcus’ attention was diverted. A dark energy was gathering around Raye. There wasn’t any happiness in her features from it, rather there was sadness and fear. Gathering, a dark figure of sinister shadow appeared before her. Its power was so big, so dark, Marcus felt himself chilled on the bone and scorched by the flesh. This figure standing before Raye was Lucifer, the devil in the flesh.

Upon the full arrival of Lucifer, Raye snapped out of it and cried. She jumped into his outstretched arms, embracing him. Holding her just as tightly, Lucifer rocked her back and forth as he coaxed her into telling him what happened. To help him coax her, demons of an enormous magnitude gathered around them and embraced Raye as well, engulfing her in a large concentration of malice and darkness.

All of a sudden, the demons dispersed, moaning and screaming with such anger, Marcus had never felt the like. When the demons no longer blocked the sight of Raye and Lucifer, Raye was unconscious and Lucifer was fuming with unbridled rage. In Marcus’ eyes, Raye looked just like an innocent angel in the clutches of a wretched demon. From the sight, a thought from his childhood instantly jumped back into his mind.

Father, Lucifer was once an angel, was he not?

He was an angel…You see the girl as an angel. Is that why you ask?

Yes father…as Lucifer, he is the devil in the flesh, the fallen angel. As Satan, he is the demon of anger and sin. As the devil, he is the father and lord of all demons, the trickster of unrivaled deception. If that is so, then why is his daughter in the likeness of an angel?

That, my son, is a question I cannot answer. The only one who would know is her creator, her father.

To make her, he would have to ask a soul of you in order to complete her. Did you really give him that soul?

Yes and he did ask, but he had asked before his act of treachery against me.

Could you not have taken her back? Mortal man woman is your creation.

No, Lucifer’s creation was made of demons flesh, of pure malice and hate…no angel, man, or beast had a part in her creation.

How could he do so?

The soul I gave him was kept with the seven sins of man. It is how he tampered with man’s creation.

If he asked you for a soul before his rebellion, then did he create her soon after the rebellion?

No. He did not wish to risk his creation’s chance of completion, rather he waited for the time to finally complete her, flesh, mind, and soul.

When did he make her?

At three upon the morning of your crucifixion.

The demonic witching hour.