Chapter 3: Safe

Our demons always come out at night

Chapter 3: Safe

“Uncle? Uncle! I’m home” Sebastian called as he swept into the apartment and slammed the door behind him. He’d just had the strangest morning and it was made stranger by his uncle’s yelling from the kitchen.

“Damn it Mitch, I don’t care if Fairless has a hundred, no two hundred spies in that school, just save the girl damn it! I won’t lose another one! If you don’t save her consider yourself on probation!” his uncle was on the phone bellowing at the poor guy on the other end.

Daniel ran an undercover organization whose goal was to save young Elementals from the Peacemakers. Unfortunately, it was getting harder to stop the overwhelming power that was the Peacemakers from getting what they wanted.

“Sebastian! Where have you been?” his uncle turned his attention to his nephew as Sebastian walked in. His hair was bedraggled and it looked like he had just rolled out of bed and into the kitchen. Sebastian thought it wise not to mention this to Daniel in case it made him angrier.

“I was out uncle, I didn’t go far and I think I’ve found someone, an Elemental who goes to my school” if the news surprised Daniel he didn’t show it instead turning away from Sebastian.

“Sebastian…” the word was exhaled in a sigh and Sebastian noticed his uncle running his hands through his thin hair, a sign that he was uncomfortable with the situation.

“I want you to stay away from that girl Sebastian, she’s dangerous” Sebastian tightened his grip on the kitchen counter. He hadn’t even told his uncle that the Elemental was a girl. Which meant he knew who Sebastian was talking about and hadn’t told Sebastian on purpose.

“So what? I’m dangerous, so are you, what harm could she do?” Sebastian’s remark seemed to make his uncle even more agitated. He threw his hands up in the air and the earth shook beneath their apartment. Sebastian stepped back suddenly fearful that the floor beneath his feet might not hold.

“For once Sebastian, I want you to do what I say without asking why, You're to stay away from her and that’s the last I want to hear of it!” Sebastian was used to his uncle’s temper but usually would have argued. The rumbling that was still happening below them however, was enough to make Sebastian hold his tongue.

"You know Sebastian, you know what they would do to us if they found us, you know what their leader can do. So trust me, and stay in the house!" Sebastian just nodded not wanting to make his uncle angrier.

His uncle took a deep breath and left the room headed for his bedroom which Sebastian was never ever to enter unless there was an emergency, and even then he was not to touch anything.

The ground settled and apart from the occasional grumble was just as it had been when Sebastian woke up. He hoped that the Peacemakers were too busy chasing young Elementals to notice the unusual number of Earthquakes that happened in their neighbourhood.

Sebastian stood in the kitchen and rubbed his face, he should apologize for bringing up the subject and making his uncle angry, it was the right thing to do even if Sebastian really wanted to find out more about Gabrielle. 

Daniel was right of course, if the Peacemakers were scary, their leader was enough to make you wet your pants in fear. He was an Elemental, a fire one, and he was just about the most heartless being on the planet. Killing his own kind for who knows what reason.

His name was Eric Fairless, a completely ordinary name for a man who struck fear in even the strongest of Elementals.

His uncle had gone into his bedroom and that meant that Sebastian would have to wait until he came out to apologize. In the meantime, there was a fairly depressing white wall in his room he could stare at, maybe today wasn’t going to be that different from normal after all.

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Daniel was standing behind his closed door listening as Sebastian made him way up the stairs and into his room. Damn boy didn’t know when to leave things alone but at least he followed Daniel’s rules. Especially the one about never, ever, entering Daniel’s bedroom.

A wave of fatigue washed over Daniel so suddenly he almost collapsed and had to use the desk to hold himself off the floor. He’d spent the morning trying to save yet another target from Eric and he wasn’t as young as he used to be.

He stumbled towards his bed, he would have preferred green sheets to the white he had on but was too paranoid that he would bring the Peacemakers down on top of them. It was the kind of thing you had to worry about after spending more than half your life running. No wonder he was so tired.

Daniel didn’t bother undressing since he hadn’t gotten dressed in the first place, he simply lay down on top of his covers and sank into sleep.

“You shouldn’t have trusted me Danny!” the red eyed face of his ex friend and sworn enemy rose ghoul like until it was inches from his face. Everything was dark around him but he swore he could feel the molten licks of flame on his body.

“Let me go Eric! I don’t have anything you want!” Daniel cried as he thrashed against the power he felt slowly burning him. He was of the earth; he could not stand against fire.

“This isn’t about what you have Danny, this is about what I want, and what I want is for you and that boy of yours to burn!” red eyes bore into his and he heard the screams of his nephew in pain. He tried to reach for his power… Tried to crush Fairless to little pieces… and woke up.

He jerked awake and fell to the floor, where he froze hoping that he hadn’t cried out in his sleep and woken Sebastian. Dreams had been the bane of his existence since he had broken ties with Eric. This one was reminiscent of the fight that had led to the end of their friendship. A fight that both of them could easily have died in.

Daniel staggered to his feet and ran a shaking hand through his thinning hair, they had both been trying to kill each other, but Eric had slipped through his fingers like the slippery man he was and tortured Daniel with his fire until he passed out. When he had woken Eric had disappeared and the war between them had been ignited.

Ah but he had never expected the lonely street boy he had befriended as a child to become an evil mad man. Sure Eric as a child had been powerful and a bit of a bully but he had a good heart. Or at least, Daniel had seen goodness in him. Whether there was any now, he wasn’t sure.

Perhaps he’d been a bit harsh on Sebastian, but he’d never expected the young man to come home and announce he’d met Gabrielle and that he knew what she was. He hadn’t told the boy why he was to stay away from her, and perhaps he should have.

After all even Sebastian wouldn’t want to know the girl if he found out who her father was. Eric had always been handsome, and his daughter was very beautiful. He didn’t want Sebastian close to her, it could spell the end for both of them if Eric had any kind of relationship with her.

Daniel sat back on his bed, he might as well plan how he was going to apologize in the morning, there was no point trying to sleep with fire and lightning on his mind.

Author's Note

I created a Page Break, I am hoping that it doesn't ruin the immersion, but there will likely be a few of those in place throughout my novel.