Chapter 16: Flower

"Mother," I said flatly. My mother ran over to me and hugged me tightly.

            "Thank God your alright," She whispered into my ear. I didn't return as much affection.

            "I'll leave you two alone. I'll be right outside my office." Williams announced and left to give us privacy. Mom guided me to a seat. Her water was half gone.

            "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked quietly as I sat.

            "Told you what?" she asked dumbly as she picked up her glass.

            "That I'm different."

            "You're not different sweetie-"

            "Yes I am!" I shouted. I dug my nails into the fabric of the chair. "I'm not like anyone here. I don't change into something, I control something." I explained harshly. I stared at my mother, waiting for an answer.

            "Sweetie, Emily has missed you so dearly! She called me-"

            "I don't care about Emily right now. I want answers." I seethed. My mother looked at me blankly.  "I did some research about me. About the changers. There has never been someone who could control anything in centuries and yet I can. A normal changer would have learned about its change around age 13."

            "Sweetie," She began.

            "Don't call me that." I spat.

            My mother looked gloomy. "Flora, I'm sorry. I was going to tell you, but you were so busy with activities that I couldn't find the time."

            "Then explain who I am."

            She took a shaky breath, "You're different because I am not a changer. I do have the sight though.  Your father was a changer and right before you were born, he turned demon." She stopped and pulled a folded photo. I took it and stared blankly at the man she called my father; dark chocolate brown hair with almond eyes. He smiled as he stood next to my pregnant mother. She continued, "When he went demon, he tried to turn me as well, but there wasn't enough demon venom to turn me since he was a new demon.  The bite healed and I went into labor. The doctors said you'd be one hundred percent human, but I didn't think so.

            "As you grew older, I wanted to tell you about your demon father, but you kept wanting to do more plays and you were barely home.  Every time I would try to talk to you, you would run off with Emily or someone.  When you were 8, your father came back to me, wanting to see you. You were lucky that you were at school because he was going to turn us both. I was also lucky I had met Roy."

            "Roy was a shape shifter," I thought out loud.

            "Yes. He protected us from demons.  He killed your father to protect us from him."

            "So my father is dead."

            "But he was a demon!" My mother complained, "He would have turned you and if that happened then everything would be screwed up."

            "What do you mean?" I snarled. "Stop telling me riddles and crap. Give me straight answers from now long!"

            My mother swallowed, "If you had gone demon, you would have been the most powerful demon ever. You have demon blood in you, just not enough to turn you all the way. I'm telling you, you cannot go demon or you will destroy the balance between good and evil."

            "Thanks for the pressure." I said sarcasticly. "So why are you here?"

            "I'm transferring you. This academy is not safe and doesn't fit your needs. You need to learn how to use your…gift properly."

            "So what if it doesn't fit my needs? I have friends here! I even have a boyfriend!"

            Mom smiled sadly, "I guess you were on a date," She pointed to my clothes. "You might as well break it off, long distance relationships end badly."

            "No." I stood my ground. "I am not leaving." I stood up and turned to walk out.

            "Young lady!" Mom stood up and grabbed my arm. "You will be coming with me tonight, whether you come willingly or not."

            "Bullshit." I shouted, "This is my home. I will not leave." My mother's grasp tightened.

            "You don't have a choice." She said through clenched teeth.

            "Yes, I do." I hissed.  I ripped my arm out of her grasp, leaving a large scratch and walked out of the office.  Ethan had moved from outside, to the lobby. He was talking to Williams as I slammed through.  They looked up and Ethan ran to my aid. Mom tailed me.

            "Are you ok?" Ethan whispered softly. I shook my head.

            "You must be my daughter's boyfriend." Ethan looked up to face my mom. She outstretched her hand. "I'm Lidia Robins."

            "Ethan," he replied coolly, not reaching to shake hands. He held me in his arms.

            Mom placed a hand on her hip, "Well, if you won't break it off Flora, then Ethan might as well."

            "Excuse me?" He snarled.

            "My daughter is transferring to a different academy. I told her she needs to end this relationship, but apparently she is being stubborn. So Ethan, do her a favor and let her go now. Long distance relationships just don't last."

            "I told you I'm not coming," I called but not making eye contact. Mom bristled with anger.

            "I've heard enough from you young lady." Mother seethed. I turned around, breaking away from Ethan's embrace as I flexed my hands to get my power pumping.

            "I said, I'm not leaving," I felt the power of vines slithering into the room.  Ethan and Williams looked toward the doors with horror. It was too late to turn back now. I needed to show her what I could do.

            "What are you doing?" mom demanded.       

            "Showing what I can do." The vines crept silently around me and tangled themselves around my mother's ankles. She shrieked with fear.

            "Flora! Stop!"

            "Mom," I said icily. "I told you I'm not leaving."  By now more vines had wrapped around her wrists. I let my hands fall as the vines pulled my mother to her knees. She tried to wriggle free, but the vines were too small. 

            "Ok!" She begged, "Ok! You can stay!" My eyelids closed with relief. I let the adrenaline subside as the power died from my fingertips.  I breathed deeply, letting air rush in and out of my lungs. I opened my eyes and saw the vines untangling themselves and slithering back under the doors.  Suddenly, a spasam hit my body as my back arched. I feel to my knees as people rushed to my aid. Their voices sounded muffled.

            "Your mother shouldn't have told you about me. It has only awakened me fully in you." a hissy voice slithered around my head. I stifled a scream.  I felt a faint touch to my arm. I tried to look to see who it was, but my head would not turn.  Pain shot through my body as my hands went into autopilot. Power coursed through my veins as plants grew through the flooring. 

            "You shall awaken me darling." The voice sounded again. "When you face the father, you will awaken me so we can be together."

            "No!" I shouted. "I will not awaken you!" Blindly I scrambled up and searched the room for something, anything.

            "You don't have a choice!" the voice replied acidly. I toppled onto Jan's desk and using whatever feeling I had in my hand, I felt around for something. I found Jan's pencil basket and pulled a letter opener.

            "Yes I do!" I screetched as I plunged the letter opener into my stomach. Blood spilled onto the floor. I heard a scream as I looked down at what I had done, finally regaining my senses.

            "Flora!" Ethan yelled as he scrambled over to me. His nose was bleeding, as if I had kicked him or something. Williams was on the floor, fumbling with his cellphone calling for the doctor to come imedietly. Mother stood up in shock, her neck looked red as if I had tried to strangle her. Ethan took the letter opener and pulled. I screamed in agony. What had I done? The voice was gone, the grip that was on me had disappeared. 

            Within minutes, Doctor Winter and a nurse broke into the office. I gasped for breath.  Pain spread through my stomach and down my body.

            "Back away boy," Doctor Winter ordered. Ethan had no choice as he sat me down gently and backed away. The nurse looked over his bloody nose as the Doctor looked at my wound I had created.

            "She's going to need surgery right now." The Doctor announced. He scooped me up, telling the nurse to call another doctor I didn't catch the name of. I was wisked out of the building and into the infirmary. By then, I had lost conscience.

                                   ***

            I was in a black room, sprawled on the floor that was black too. I couldn't see anything, just myself.

            "You damn girl." A voice snarled; the voice from my head. I sat up as the man from the picture I was shown earlier glided across the missing floor. His dark chocolate hair was tossled to one side. He wore jeans and a bloody teeshirt. His eyes were rimmed with red. "You cannot defy the demon blood I graciously gave you."

            "I didn't ask for this demon blood." I snapped, "I didn't ask for any of this."

            "Yet you are the most powerful changer there is; more powerful than your friends. One friend has had a dark past while another has a dark future."

            "You're my father."

            "And you are my daughter," he finished, "Now let your father help you. You should make your father proud."

            "By doing what?"

            "Becoming demon." He answered, "If you become demon, you would be the most powerful demon, as well as changer there ever was; even more powerful than the father himself."

            "Who is this father?"

            The demon shook his head, rubbing his temples as if he had a headache, "Too many questions. The thing you need to know is that the father wants you dead. He also wants his daughter as well. She has a destiny that you don't."

            I stood up, "What happens if I chose not to become demon?"

            My father laughed harshly, "You will die then and I will have to hang around here, controlling you. I'd rather rise again."

            "I don't think so." I growled. Father sprinted swiftly towards me. He grabbed my wrist and twisted. The bone cracked. I stifled a cry. I rubbed it for a second.

            "If you don't want me here," Father hissed into my ear. "Then kick me out." Using his fist, he lashed out at me, breaking my nose, bruising my stomach. I staggered back, coughing up blood.  I tried using my good hand to muster some power up, but none coursed through my veins.

            My father laughed bitterly, "You cannot use your power here. It’s a neutral zone." I cursed myself inside for even thinking it would work. I urged myself to stand up and face my demon father. I clenched my good fist and plowed it against his cheek.  He barely flinched. He grabbed my hand and pushed me back, knocking me down onto the ground. I struggled to get up as he strided over, laughing.

            "I thought they taught you how to fight." I glared at him. Using the power in my legs, I rammed him in the chest with my shoulder and knocked him on the ground. Startled by my strength he clambered to get back up, but I was ready for it. I kicked him in the stomach hard, making him lose his breath. I kicked him in the nose to repay him for my broken one. I kicked him in the mouth so he could lose some teeth. He spat a tooth out in frustration. I grimiced as I kicked him in the shin. This time, he was ready. He grabbed my foot and dragged me down onto the floor with him. I struggled out of his strong grasp around my ankle, but he wouldn't let go.  He dug his nails my ankle, breaking the skin and making the marks bleed.

            He grinned evily as I squirmed in pain. He was winning and I may die fighting him to get out of my head. Using my other foot, I scrapped his hand off and dragged myself as far as I could away from him to regroup. My demon father stood up shakily and limped over to me.

            "If you won't go demon, then I'll make you one myself unwillingly." Drawing a dagger from his back pocket he knelled down in front of my heaving, bleeding body and centered it. He drew it down Just as I rolled out of the way. I stood up quickly and tackled him as he scrambled to get his dagger out of the unseen floor. He skidded a foot. The dagger was still in the floor, unmoved. I put both hands on it and yanked it, screaming with pain from my wrist as I did the action.

            "NO!" Father screamed. I put the dagger in my right hand, which was the injured hand and stalked over to his splayed body.

            "Get out of my head." I hissed as I drove the dagger through his chest. He gasped in shock as he looked at the blood spewing from the wound. He looked up and before he could say anything his body turned to dust. I shifted the dust around in case demons could rematerialize from their dust.  Then, I backed away and collapsed on the floor, letting the darkness cradle me.

                                   ***

            "She's awaking!" Betty's voice said excitedly. My eyelids fluttered open as Rhett, Whitney, Betty, Jane, Ethan and Derek all crowded around my bed.  I looked around the room to see I was in the infirmary. Ethan sat beside me, holding my hand, his face beaming brightly.

            "Wha-What happened?" I croaked out. My throat was as dry as sandpaper and I felt so weak.

            "You were in a comma for two weeks." Ethan explained. "After you stabbed yourself with that letter opener, you were taken into surgery for hours, patching up the damage. After the surgery, they figured out that you were battling a demon in your head, someone close to you they thought."

            "My father," I interrupted.

            "Doctor Winter and Doctor Hamilton told us that in order to break free from the demon that was inside you, you had to kill it.  So you were in a comma for two weeks, collecting wounds as you fought."

            "You broke your wrist, bruised your stitched up stomach, broke your nose and also got some very strange nail marks on your ankle." Whitney butted in. "You screamed a lot too. They had you in a special room where we couldn't go in, but we could watch from a window. It was an awful sight to watch."        

            "Eventually, you won and they patched you up the best they could and then transferred here." Derek finished. He was leaning against the wall.  He looked so tired and worried.  Raven was not present among the group.

            "We were all worried for you." Betty breathed. "This has never happened to anyone here, being controlled by a demon."

            "Because no one else has demon blood running through their veins." I replied softly. Everyone looked at me crazily. I explained how my father had gone demon before I was born and he had tried to demonize both my mother and I, but it had failed because he couldn't produce enough venom to infect both mother and child.

            "The demons are getting ahead of us." Derek mumbled.  "They're figuring out new ways to colonize and we aren't ready."

            "Where's Raven," I asked.

            "We don't know," Betty answered. "She still hasn't come back and Williams hasn't sent anyone out to find her."

            "I know where she is." Derek's voice rang out. We all looked at him. He cleared his throat and then continued, "She's at Jacobson's house, laying low. My father wants her dead because he's convinced that she killed Leo. We all know that is not true."

            "Then who did?" Rhett said the question we were all thinking.

            "I don't know yet," Derek admitted, "My father hasn't let me see the autopsy. He doesn’t trust me as much anymore." Derek stopped for a second, "I want to join your group. Raven's in it, so why not I? I am her boyfriend after all." Everyone except myself stared at him with shock. I laughed inside.  "You can't tell anyone though!" He looked distraught. "No one knows about it."  We all swore that we wouldn't breathe a word about it.  

            "I need to call Raven and check in on her, I'll be-" A loud scream came from outside. Everyone got up to check it out.

            "I'll carry you," Ethan whispered as he scooped me into his arms and carried me outside. The air was colder and I shivered. We all hustled until we found where the scream had came from.  A girl with ginger hair laid on the ground, mutilated with claw marks all along her body. Her clothes were scratched up and in threads.

            "It's Bailey." Derek confirmed.

            "Get out of my way!" Principal Williams pushed his way through thick crowd of students until he saw the grisly sight. He stared at in in dismay.

            "Dad," Derek called toward him. "Raven is not here. She didn't do this."

            "What day is it?" I whispered into Ethan's ear, trying to disturb the soap opera between Father and Son.

            "Its October 31st. Happy Halloween."

Author's Note

ignore grammar