The Demon's Angel

Chapter 18

Author's note:
I would like to apologize in advance if there is any sudden shift in the quality of this story. For several previous parts, I've been trying to fix and edit the chapters enough so that I can publish something that I am proud of. So far, I have not succeeded. Therefore, due to my desire to write other things on Wattpad, as well as my utter lack of motivation to work on this story any longer, I will be posting the unedited versions of the chapters.
I feel that it's unfair to those who enjoy the story to just leave it where it is on here. That's why I am posting these chapters. Honestly, the story has been complete for years, so any attempt to change it drastically would require me to rewrite the whole thing. I'm sorry for the drop in quality, but I hope that you can still enjoy.

Kurt
Everything had gone beautifully numb. For a moment, I was relieved, until a thought entered my mind. 'Am I dead?' No, that didn't make sense. I was trapped in a void of darkness, which is not what heaven or even hell is described as. It didn't quite make sense that it was purgatory. That meant I was probably unconscious. Hopefully. 'I need to wake up,' I thought. 'Wake up! WAKE UP!' I waited a moment, before inwardly sighing. This was not working well. I came up with a new plan. 'Concentrate. Concentrate on everyone you love. You need to live for them, Kurt. Wake up for them.' Elizabeth's face came to mind. 'I won't be another person to leave her. Wake up! Come on! Work, you stupid, useless...."

The world flooded with light, and with it came the pain. I groaned and forced my eyes open. Through all of the aching everywhere, I felt something warm curled against me. I looked over. Elizabeth slept soundly against me, one of her wings draped over me like a blanket. I smiled. Seeming to sense that something was different, she opened her eyes to look at me. I blinked when I saw the tears begin to pour down her cheeks as she leapt up. "Kurt! You're awake!" She jumped away from me, her eyes widening. Shaking her head rapidly, as if trying to push down a thought, she ran from the room. "Margali! Amanda! He's awake!"

I gave a small chuckle, but was quickly cut off by a horrible ache in my chest. I winced, but forced my smile back when Margali came rushing in, Amanda and Lance following right after. I sat up carefully, but even the small movement left me dizzy. "Hi," I croaked, giving my family a small smile. Of all the people in the room, I was surprised to see that it was Margali that burst into tears. "Kurt!" She rushed over. "Oh, my little Nightcrawler...... I was so worried!" She hugged me tightly, and I did my best to hide my grimace as pain blossomed in my arm and chest.

She pulled away and lifted my chin, examining my face, the bandages, or both. Her face hardened. "If you weren't hurt, I would slap you so hard.... How could you be so stupid!? How could I be so stupid, letting you go out in the first place!?" She caressed my cheek gently. "My only son...." I sniffed, blinking away my own tears. "I'm ok, Mutti. Please, don't cry." I lifted my good arm to wipe away the ones lingering on her cheeks. I paused for a moment, studying the bandages that covered both arms, chest, and even my face, but I my arm drop daily quickly.

I glanced at Amanda and Lance. They were standing a bit awkwardly in the background. "Calm down, guys. I'm still Kurt," I said irritably. Lance came forward. "I'm not going to lie. You look like a mummy," he laughed. I stuck out my tongue at him. "Shut up!" I muttered good-naturedly. He grinned. Amanda ran forward and hugged me gently. "I'm glad you're ok, Kurt," she whispered. I smiled widely at both of them.

My eyes searched out and found who I was looking for. Elizabeth's eyes met mine. She flinched and shrank away. "Lizzie? Are you ok?" I asked. My tail's tip twitched anxiously. I winced as a sharp pain vibrated upwards. I forced it to stop. She shook her head. "I.... I need to go," she muttered. I stared after her. 'Did I do something wrong?'

Two days. That was how long I had spent asleep, and it wasn't until two days after that that I had enough energy to walk. Elizabeth avoided me, but I didn't understand why. Had I made her angry with me? I avoided being alone. Whenever I was left by myself for even a moment, the voices of those for teenagers whispered in my head. Their words haunted my nightmares (which of course were a daily thing at this point). The bandages itched and annoyed me to no end, but Margali refused to risk removing the them until a couple of weeks had passed since the ordeal. "I can take the bandages off now," she said happily after breakfast one morning. "I can do it myself," I insisted. "I know I have a broken arm, but I'm tired of being coddled like a newborn." Margali smiled. "Just be careful not to reopen any of the cuts or rip open any stitches," she warned. I nodded, before going into the restroom.

Carefully, I peeled each bandage off starting with my tail, and working my way up. After ten minutes of unwrapping, I made it to my face. However, I didn't expect what I found underneath. I gasped as I stared at the mirror above the sink. Symbols swirled across my skin, covering every bare inch. I looked down at my chest and not bandaged arm. It was the same. Even my tail was covered. I obviously hadn't been paying attention enough to notice them before. I jumped backwards, hitting my head against the door. It was immediately flung open by Margali, causing me to tumble into her. I winced as the fall jostled my arm.

"What are these?!" I cried, turning to face her. Margali's own eyes widened. She traced one on my cheek. "An ancient language," she breathed. "Unused for centuries and forgotten by most. The only reason I know of it is because of a book that has been passed through my family...." Her eyes filled with tears. "It is said the language was written by the angels themselves, but the words carved into your skin are not the words of love for which this language was intended." I gulped. "Then... What do they mean?" Margali eyes burned with an anger I had never before seen in her. "False accusations. Sins you have never committed or would ever think to commit," she growled. She touched each as she spoke. "Murder. Witchcraft. Participating in satanic arts. These are just a few..." She quickly shook her head, silencing herself. My eyes widened at the horror of that realization. "Will they go away?" I asked desperately. Margali shook her head sadly, eyes filling with tears. "They're deep. They will leave noticeable scars." I touched my face and closed my eyes, letting my fingers run over the ridges. They were actually quite beautiful, but they hid an ugly message. When I opened my eyes, I turned to look at Margali. "It's ok." I smiled. "They didn't understand. They were afraid of what they could not understand, and that is all." Margali clasped my hands in hers. "You're such a sweet boy, too kind for a world full of hate..." she murmured. I gave her my best smile, despite my aching heart. "Thank you, Mutti." As I hugged her, I let my smile fade and bit my lip to stop the tears.

I hid in the trailer for the rest I the day. When Amanda or Elizabeth walked in, I would hide under my covers and pretend to sleep. Thankfully, no one bothered me. When they left, I would sit up and look at myself, study my body as if it was my first time seeing it. Suddenly, my three fingers seemed freakishly deformed, and my tail kept getting in the way. My eyes became empty, emotionless pits of yellow, and my skin's sharp contrast with everyone else's became all the more evident. The shadows became my friend, as they hid me from the world, a world that I was starting to agree with. Maybe I was a demon. An evil creature. I certainly looked like one.

That night, when everyone was asleep, I slipped out of bed and searched Margali's bookshelf, until I found the book I was looking for. It was dusty and bound in leather, but it was much more extraordinary than it seemed. Snatching a knife out of a drawer, I ran into the bathroom and closed the door as quietly as I could. Tears blurred my vision. Words kept echoing through my head. Monster. Freak. Demon. My shoulders shook as I sobbed silently. I took deep breaths and steadied my hand. They wanted my sins on display for all to see? Fine. I would let the world see them. I opened the book, took a deep breath, and pressed down.