Death's Deal

Elizabeth, or just Beth for short, was the type of girl you could bring home to momma. Beth loved just about everything a good girl should love: reading, music, horses and the occasional swim in her gated community’s pool. The initial reason a monster like Adien was attracted to Beth was completely discasqued and led to so many horrible things that I will not speak of the actions until later. But, the reason Adien was attracted to such a fine, Sunday going, daddy loving, crystal clear girl, is because he believed he saw something dark hidden behind her warm chocolate eyes. Adien believed he saw an animal raging to be released, an angel ready to pivot down to earth as she’s kicked from heaven. Now, I wont deny there was something wicked hiding behind such a beautiful face, but it was not the type of evil Adien believed he found. You see, Beth is what you would call…hmm, how do you humans phrase this? Beth is a loony.

But that isn’t important right now- We need to go back to Adien at the moment.

Adien followed the girl into the library, about five paces behind so she wouldn’t notice his presence and try to run from him.... again. He just knew there was something about her, knew there was some reason why he was so attractive to her. Adien loved to think he didn’t have a lick of racism in him, but to be honest he was never attracted to black girls. Something about them repelled him, made him feel like they would use him, perhaps steal something from him, or even try and stab him….perhaps this reaction was from watching too many episodes of cops. Regardless, he didn’t get that vibe from Beth. The only vibe he got from his fallen angel was that she needed him, she needed to be saved. She was trapped behind her mask, locked inside a cage.

A cage Adien knew he had the key to.

Adien watched with calculating eyes as the girl proceeded to walk behind the front desk counter, a smile on her thick pink lips as she murmured a good morning to the librarian on duty, Misses Jude. She’s faking, Adien told himself as he watched her converse pleasantly with the old widow for a few. She doesn’t actually enjoy talking to that old hag!

I should save her, he thought with a smile dancing in his eyes.

With confidence only someone like Adien could muster, he strode over to the desk and looked directly into Beth’s eyes. When she didn’t look away he just knew, just knew that this is what she wanted from him all along. She wanted him to save her from having to pretend. She wanted him to come and take her away from all the lies. Adien felt proud of himself, he was doing his girl a favor.

“Hello Beth”, he said, leaning against the counter. He looked over at the old woman, who had a look one could only describe as anger on her face. She clearly didn’t like the boy, though I don’t know if it was due to the overdue books he had yet to pay for or the evil aura that vibrated away from him and slapped her sensitive light like shock waves. “Hello Misses Jude.”

The old woman couldn’t describe the exhaustion that suddenly over swept her. Perhaps if humans knew of their own aura she would have known hers didn’t mesh at all with Adien’s, and he was slowly seeping into her, so close to her skin I thought she’d be overtaken. “Adien”, she managed to choke out, before she scurried away in the back. The moment she shut the door between them the pain and exhaustion died and she was able to regain her strength. With a sigh she leaned against a desk, hoping the girl would be fine on her own.

“Hello Adien”, Beth said, a pleasant smile on her face, though her eyes showed the worry she tried to conceal. “How are you today?”

Adien leaned as close to her over the counter as he could without falling and smiled, his perfectly straight teeth, thanks to three years of braces, gleaming menacingly at her. “I’m quite good. How about you?”

“You mean well”, she said without meaning to.. In fact, the moment it left her mouth she cringed away from him. Beth didn’t know why, but she always got this feeling that Adien wanted to strike her.

Clearly confused, Adien stared at her. “Uhh. I’m sorry, what?”

“You mean ‘I’m quiet well’, not good.”

Adien wanted to roll his eyes and tell her it wasn’t important, but this was his true love he was talking to. If grammar was important to her he wasn’t going to try and tell her to shut the hell up. Plus, he wanted to get to know her before he trained her personality. “I’m sorry. Yes, I meant I am well. You never told me how you are?”

Despite herself Beth smiled at the attentions, which she rarely received. “I’m really happy right now, though I don’t know why.”

I have that effect on people, he thought with a smirk.

“I think I’m going to go to the back and look at some books but I need some assistance. Do you suppose you could help me?” Adien feigned ignorance, batting his eyes innocently and laughing when she agreed to help with a laugh of her own.

I have to give it to the boy- he is quite the charmer.

Adien moved with her towards a random shelf, not exactly sure what he was looking for, but enjoying the way her eyes danced to and fro between him and the area he was walking. Adien loved the way she bit her lip when she was hesitant, her white teeth pulling in her bottom one with just the right amount of force to leave a print but never enough to draw blood. He could see himself biting her, but biting hard enough to break skin and taste her wonderfully metallic blood.

In time, he assured his racing heart. All, in time.

“So”, Beth said as she came to stop in front of the mystery book shelf. “What exactly were you looking for?”

Adien feigned interest in a random book title before smiling widely at the girl. “What do you like to do in your free time?”

Beth couldn’t even hide the shock that appeared on her face. People rarely cared about what she did or how she did it. “Well”, she said after a moments hesitation. “I like to volunteer at the old folks home. And umm..” With long elegant fingers she tapped her lip thoughtfully. “I like to sing to them and read them stories, and sometimes we play games.”

Even I could tell the boy was disgusted. He was so utterly disgusted by how she spent her free time that he had to turn away to compose his rigid face. When he finally turned back to her a kind gentle look was in his eyes. “That sounds so giving. I wish I could do something like that.”

Beth smiled at him before turning away to scan the nearly empty library. Though he gave her the heebee jeebes, there was something about him. Something dark, something lurking…but something that drew him to her.

“Well”.. She brushed a slivery of hair from her face, a useless distraction from her nervousness. “You could always sign up. We’re always looking for volunteers and I think it would be great to work beside you.” If her skin were light enough to blush she would be doing that very thing.

If I had a sense of humor I would have laughed at the look on the boys face. Never, and do I mean never, did I see him look so confused as to what to do. He’s a fast thinker, Adien, but he took a mighty long time to finally decide.

“I’d love to work with you.”