4. Shadow

The longest chap. I've ever written! :D

I didn't wake up in the hospital, as I might have expected. No bright, white floresent lights beamed down on me. Quietly, I causiously looked around the unfamiliar room.

 

I didn't see anyone. There was no one gathered around me. I was alone. Frightfully, I blinked rapidly. The unfamiliar surroundings instantly became familiar. I realized I was laying in my purple sheeted bed in my room.

 

Anxiously, I looked down at my fingernails. They were normal sized, and the black nailpolish was just chipping off my nail again. In the mirror on my wall, I looked in and noticed that my eyes reflected just plain brown like they regularly were. And when I consentrated really hard on the cell phone that lay untouched on my drawing desk, it didn't explode or shatter into a million pieces, like the phone did when my sister Jillian tried to call 911.

 

Could it have been possible that it had all been a dream? Could I have just dreampt it all? Then, I remembered. The scar. The scar Mr. Mason had given me when he flung me next to Jillian. When he froze me in mid air. Mr. Mason. I shuddered. The sometimes teacher.

 

I pulled back my sleve. There it was. The long line of red dominated my forearm as if a line of rebelling soldiers, shoulder to shoulder, all wearing red. My lips pulled back in an unneeded gasp.

 

It had not been a dream. It had, in fact, been very, very real. I really had become a rampaging Demon. Jillian really did catch partly on fire. Josh and Mrs. Dyle really were knocked unconcious by my demonic self. I really had had my " revenge". Mr. Mason, the sometimes teacher, had really knocked me out. He really was a "sometimes teacher". Somehow, none of the facts or information my memory had just supplied me was comforting.

 

 

School was not fun. Everyone was staring at me half the time. I think they were waiting for me to transform into some kind of monster. I guess our little Guidance incident had spread as either a rumor or a "gossip story" around the school.

 

I dreaded last period. English. With Mr. Mason; the sometime teacher.

 

I didn't see Jill at all during the day. Mom said she was lying helplessly in a hospital bed at St. Jellr's, hospitalized. Mrs. Dyle too; only I think Mrs. Dyle was at Dystantce Memorial Hospital, not St. Jellr's. Josh Bellahdrole, my maybe-boyfriend? No way. He watched over me through the enitre day, almost like a stalker, or an eagle in the bushes, preying on a feild mouse.

 

I began to bottle up my anger again. I didn't want to realise it and have "demonic sister" happen again.

 

Finally, just before last period, the one I dreaded, I went to my locker. Josh somehow reasoned with himself that I would allow him to accompany me there. Angrily, I whipped on him. His reasoning was unfortuntely, wrong. Although, I do not know why I got so angry, I looked him straight in the eye, then inside I saw fear. Of whom I did not know.

 

"I thank you for not letting me kill my sister, or the teachers, or you, or anyone else, but you don't need to follow me around like some...some derranged stalker!" I screamed. "I'm okay now. I promise, OK? I'm not going to morph into some mega demonic creature and kill everyone in the school? Please, for the LOVE of GOD, leave me alone!"

 

I could tell my words hurt him, but he showed no signs of it. Instead, he managed a grimace.

 

I didn't wait for a pained answer from him. I didn't really care, to be truthfull. I slammed my locker shut and headed for the last period door. Josh didn't follow me, like I had half expected him to. His last period was different from mine. Finally, I had rid myself of him. But as I entered the English room, I wondered if I had made a good choice.

 

I entered. Then, just as I feared, Mr. Mason stood almost proudly in front of the chalk board. He looked calm enough, but when he spotted me, his eyes widened and the breath seemed to catch in his throat.

 

"Ms. Candell!" Mr. Mason blocked the way to my seat. He was thin enough for me to bypass him, but I wanted to see what he wanted. "You've been moved to," he pointed. "That seat."

 

A lone seat sat alone in the very, dusty and lonely back of the classroom, as far away from Mr. Mason was it could possibly get.

 

Sighing, I took my seat in the back of the classroom.

 

He practally ran out of my way. Strangely, I could tell he was scared. Scared of me. Scared of himself. Scared of us. Scared of what we could do. Quite frankly, I was scared too.

 

I looked irritatedly up at the board.

 

Mr. Mason didn't bother to yell during class so that I could hear what he was talking about. He was quite quiet, actually. Anyone, even a dumb, stupid idiot, could see that he was trying to torture me.

 

Agrivated, I glared at the word-covered chalkboard and consentrated, hoping it would blow. It did not. Angrily, I slumped back in my seat. It was like missing English. The teacher was scared of me. I was scared of the sometimes teacher. The kids were scared of the sometimes teacher because of the "rumor". The kids were scared of me for the same reason. I was scared of me! It didn't work out in anyone's favors, even the demon that rested peacefully inside me. The thought of just that made me squirm in my seat.

 

Then, I came up with an evil scheme. I would ask Mr. Mason if I could stay after so that he could reteach what we learned today and more. And if he declined, out of the two of us, only I would be faultless.

 

Then, almost disipointedly, the Office speaker came on.

 

"Mr. Mason?"

 

"Yes?" he hollared.

 

"Could you please be so kind and send Ms. Candell up to the Office for a moment?" the speaker knew what kind of week he had had apparently.

 

Fear entered the sometimes teacher's eyes had the sound of my name echoing in his ears. "Yes," he finally answered. "Yes, of course." he motioned that I go up and see what the problem was. Probably my Mom, trying to get me to go to the hospital with her to see Jillian, I thought. And I would go. Anything is better than being here.

 

I walked past the class, ignore the the "ooh"'s that floated continuously and constantly around the room, obviously pointed at me. Mr. Mason was obvilous.

 

I reached the Office sooner than I had expected. In a bored, fluid motion, the secratery at the desk pointed to Jillian. Behind her stood Mr. Johnson, with one hand on hand on her shoulder. He smiled evilly. Then I noticed what was different about him.

 

His eyes were bloodred.

 

Jillian was trembling, no, spasming in his grasp. I noticed her shadow. It was flipping and dancing in place, almost like a professional snake charmer. Or a sudden wind and clasped her.

 

"Yes?" I murmured, my question hanging in the air. I appeared to be nonpussed.

 

"Can you come closer?"

 

Maybe I was not a demon after all. Maybe there was a demon floating around the school, inhabiting students and teachers' bodies. First, it had inhabited mine. Then, Mr. Mason's. Now, Mr. Johnson's.

 

"May I ask why?" I was scared now, but tried not to appear so.

 

"I'd like to peer at you're delicious...nightmares."

 

His answer devistatingly unsettled me.

 

"Hm," he grinned, like Mrs. Dyle, when I didn't answer. Maybe Mrs. Dyle was a demon was well. "Do you know what I am?"

 

"Demon," I breathed.

 

"Correct." he laughed, then transformed.

 

Mr. Johnson's human form melted away in the form of a thick, gooey substance that reminded me much of blood. It had the same, grosque rusted color with a seeming touch of clorihne. Now, his skin darkened until it was death black, an inky tattoo that covered his entire body, and his hand became shinier until they were knife-like claws. His bloodred eyes narrowed so that they were now fearfully scary. He reminded me of a death black verison of Harry Potter's Voldemort. The principal still had a human body, but stained with demonic features, including claws, dagger-like teeth, and a quite frightening smile.

 

I took at least three steps back. Mr. Johnson was really a full blown demon! If he was, then I... must be too.

 

I noticed that Jill was biting back a few screams. I didn't blame her. The poor girl's eyes were wide with fear, like Mr. Mason's, and she was still spasming, but now harder than ever. Strangely, the rest of the secratery did not seem bothered by this bloody creature that gripped my sister. I thought too late.

 

Mr. Johnson, or Mr. JohnDemon, as I now refered to him as, nodded to the teachers. They went through the same, frightening transfomation as he did, only less scarier.

 

Was the whole freaking school made of sometimes teacher demons?

 

"Lauren," I heard Jill whisper my name for the first time in a few days.

 

"How'd you know?" she inquired fearfully. 

 

"Know what?"

 

She pointed. "Mr. JohnDemon." apparently, she thought the same way I did.

 

I bit back a laugh. "English."

 

Jillian pointed to the phone. "Call 911. Please."

 

"Doesn't work with Demons," I said softly, recalling my first experience as a full blown demon. "He can easily destroy it."

 

"Destroy what?" the lead demon, Mr. JohnDemon, questioned in the form of a snake's hiss. He threw Jillian aside and leapt towards me at incredible speed. He was infront of me before I could react. 

 

The sometimes teacher demon caught me in the throat, like I had done with Jillian all those days ago. 

 

I screamed, hoping my scream would reach Mr. Mason downstairs. The bell rung, competeing with my scream, so they cancelled each other out. Mr. JohnDemon smiled. As my screamed faded through the air, the demonic sometimes teachers seemed to be smelling the air. They must be smelling the fear the Jillian and I were emitting; another demonic lesson I'd learned from my demonic experience. 

 

To my suprise, my scream idea had worked. Mr. Mason entered the Office, obviously looking for me. He looked just as suprised as I was. His mouth opened, gaping at the sight he witnessed. 

 

"Who...What...are you?" Mr. Mason's voice broke in midsentence.

 

"Ah, Mr. Grace! Nice of you to join us!"

 

"Mr. Grace"? Who, or most likely, what, was a Mr. Grace? And had Mr. JohnDemon called Mr. Mason the sometimes teacher Mr. Grace?

 

"W...What?" Mr. Mason was, once again, just as suprised as I was.

 

"Casdel!" Mr. JohnDemon smiled, outstretching an arm towards him. "It's been a long time." he grnned. "Oh, wait," he paused suddenly. "It hasnt." he burst out laughing at his "joke" in a menical, uncontrollable laughter. 

 

Was Mr. Mason the sometimes teacher's real name Casdel Grace? Or was Mr. JohnDemon delusional (;D)? My thousands of questions swirled in my head, in a hurricane like motion. And if Mr. Mason was NOT  Casdel Grace, who was? Where'd Mr. JohnDemon get the name from? Who was Casdel Grace really? More truthfully, WHAT was a Casdel Grace? My head hurt insanely.

 

Jill let out the scream she'd been holding. Mr. JohnDemon dropped me, allowing me to breathed again. The demonic sometimes teachers, drop Mr. Mason, attacked me maliciously. I wanted my demonic side to come out and protect me, Jillian, and Mr. Mason. I NEEDED it to. If  it didn't, we would all most likely die a horrible, bloody death.

 

Suddenly, and almost thankfully, I felt that numb coldness claim my senses. The warmness that followed it was welcoming, and I eased into it. I felt my systems relaxing, making myself happier. More relaxed. I closed my eyes briefly. My fingers curled into a palm, then I consentrated on one of the sometimes teacher demons. In  a firey ball of flames, it exploded.

 

The goodness of my new, demonic self and senses felt great. I felt more relaxed and content then usual. I smelled the air, copying the the demonic sometimes teachers before me. I breathed in the intoxicating smells of fear, dropping my own. I felt so relieved and happy all of a sudden I laughed hysterically, grinning uncontrollably. Mr. JohnDemon had been so confident he had had me beat.The sometimes teachers back away, true terror glowing in their eyes.

 

I sighed and involuntarily held out a single palm. A ball of blue flames emitted from it, setting all the demonic sometimes teachers on fire. I guess that killed them off, becuase they disappeared completely.

 

Unexpectedly, Mr. JohnDemon whipped a dagger out of his coatpocket. He shoved it under Jillian's chin, just in front of her heavily breathing throat, threatening to kill her.

 

"If you do not reform, she will die."

 

I laughed, suprised with even myself. "Go ahead." My demonic self turned to Mr. Mason. "It's HIM I want."

 

Mr. Mason gawked.

 

"He's mine!" Mr. JohnDemon shrieked, droppin Jillian at inhuman speed, leaping towards me. Luckily, I was faster, so my claws extended into him beofre his extended into me. He burst into a torrent of icy flames before his claws could touch me. A wailing screech echoed through the room, obviouslym made by him, long after this life had been cut short, and he had passed between this life and the next.

 

I grinned, nonpussed. The random death of the sometimes teacher demon I knew only as Mr. JohnDemon hadn't seemed to bother me. Evilly, I turned to Mr. Mason.

 

"You haven't far to run, Casdel." I said in my demonic voice. I wasn't controlling what I was saying. I wasn't even controlling my actions anymore. This myserious demonic side of mine had comepletely taken over me. "Lysik isn't dead."

 

"Ms....Candell?" he asked quietly, as if he wasn't sure it was really me talking to him. "Lauren?"

 

"Lauren is only my human vessel, Casdel." my demonic side hissed, reviling the truth. I wasnt was demon after all! Demons inhabited bodies, like mine, for a vessel. And I supposed that Casdel Grace was inhabiting Mr. Mason's body as a vessel, and Mr. JohnDemon's as well. "I need your vessel, Casdel. Mine is weak, conpaired to my powers. Yours can preform your powers outside your form."

 

Jillian screamed.

 

Mt. Mason's eyes suddenly widened. They turned bloodred, and a voice came from his mouth that was not his own, though very similar to it. More like he was speaking through a voice changer to sound dark like Voldemort. Every demon quality reminded me of Voldemort, I realized.

 

"Lysik hasn't far to run as well." Casdel Grace said calmly. "Neither have you. Or I, as well. The bounty hunters will find him. All of us. They will be here soon enough. In this realm. This weakling realm. Then, there will be no where to hide. They sense us by the smell of our power." he twitched. "There may ever be traitors among us now."

 

My demon was unsettled. "Impossible."

 

"Surely not. Lysik is running. He must find another vessel before it is too late."

 

My demon laughed. "I have a feeling his next vessel will be one of mine."

 

"Has his previous one died?" Casdel Grace was interested in the well being of Mr. Johnson.

 

"Yes," My demon answered gravely. "And his next will be..."

 

"...Joshua Bellahdrole." Jillian's eyes widened as well. I realized that a demon was inhabiting her body as well. Her eyes turned bloodred, shinning scarily.

 

"Krilling." Mr. Mason's demon chuckled, suprised. That was why Jill screamed, I realized. A demon was inhabiting her body at that very moment.

 

Jillian, rather Krilling, grinned. "All of our vessels are related in some way." she laughed. "This may be an advantage against the Hunters."

 

"Or is it not?" Casdel Grace questioned the obvious.

 

"Why question?" my demon asked. "If we break the emotional barrier between them, we will be unstoppable."

 

Casdel Grace smiled, almost sweetly. "My apologizes." he said. "But if you agree, and if I am correct, it would make our vessels unstoppable, and that would only benefit the Hunters."

 

"Casdel," Krilling's infuriated glace thta was directed at Casdel Grace would have made me squirm if I had controll over my body still. "You may mostly be incorrect."

 

Mr. Mason's demon cracked a superior smile. "Just as Lysik has."

 

Krilling looked ready to strangle Casdel Grace, but my demon held her back. Then, the room was slient.

 

Then, quite out of the blue, I felt the invisible barrier between my demon and I snap, and supposedly did the rest of them's. I felt free to move, catching my breath. My voice returned to me after all that had happened. Demons. Hunters. Vessels. Josh. The air caught in my throat, and I tried desperately to breath heavily in and out. The demons were gone. My form returned to it's normal state, and so did the other's. Causiously, I looked up. Seeing we were alone, I stood, facing Jillian and Mr. Mason with a stagnent glare.

 

"What," I said. "Was that?"

 

  

Author's Note

;D hope you enjoy!!

Reviews

[Kira]

I'm still not sure how this is science fiction =D.

[Donovan "Grey Wolf" Go..]

wow this book is really good and ur a very good writer