Her Shadow, Watching.

~*'Two'*~

    Delilah was confused. It seemed like sometimes her friend would help her... Catching her before she fell, whispering answers to her worksheets, helping her on the monkey bars. But sometimes he'd just stare into space with a small smile on his face, hovering over her boredly.

    She's talking to him today. She was going to finally do it. Normally he never tried to interact with her, or try to be friends, but Delilah was determined to make a friend out of him. She sat in her chair, scribbling a picture of him. A dark figure with pure white eyes. He lingered behind her, watching her draw with a grim expression. For some reason, Naomi could sense his unhappiness with her drawing him. It was a tingling in her fingers, but she simply ignored it. He's never answered her questions, and she had tons. She's been waiting until she could talk. Now she's five years old and ready to learn! With a smile, she turned to face the smoky figure.

   "What's your name?" She asked and the shadow froze, his white eyes wide. He chuckled, showing off his many rows of pearly teeth. She wasn't intimidated by this at all; for some reason, the figure never frightened her.

   "Jaifianuhn." His answer was blunt to avoid any more questions, she crinkled her little nose and moved her short brown hair out of her eyes to look him up and down.

   "Jaisif.." She tried to pronounce it. He repeated it for her. She tried again, her eyes dimmed as she tried to think about how to pronounce it again. They brightened as she smiled, showing off her little pearly teeth. "Jasper! May I call you Jasper?"

   Jasper laughed out loud, a happy sound that perked Delilah up. He patted her head endearingly, "As you wish, Miss Delilah." She grabbed her picture and held it out to him, offering it to him.

   "D-Do you like it?" He grabbed it gingerly, looking at it. A little girl with a sunshine yellow dress, holding hands with an all black figure with white eyes. Her Grandmother walked in, and he disappeared swiftly. The paper fluttered to the floor.

   "Who were you talking to, Delly?" Her grandmother smiled at the picture on the floor, then picked it up. "Is this you and-"

   "That's Jasper! Jasper, say hi to Gramm-" She looked around, her smile disappeared fast. "Where did he go?" She was saddened by this. Grammy had scared him off! Delilah heard his smooth voice echo in her head.

   ''Do not fear, I am still with you.''

  "So, this is what Jasper looks like, Delly?" She cringed at the messy drawing, Delilah smiled, oblivious to show creepy he might look to other people. She admired her own drawing. Her color dress was pretty, though she spilled some red juice on it and her Grandmother wouldn't let her wear it because of it.

   "Hmm-hmm!" Delilah nodded, "He has big teeth, and he smiles a lot! He also has big, big claws. But he'd never hurt ANYONE!" Jaspers default smile faltered slightly.

   "Sure thing, Lilah. I just wanted to tell you dinner was ready soon, so go wash up!' Her grandmother left with a sunny smile, and Delilah pouted. To her right now, hygiene was simply a tedious task. 

   "Your Grandmother said to wash up, Miss Delilah." Jasper appeared. Delilah crossed her little arms defiantly, "Go on now, you might get Fuma." He chuckled, she held out a hand to him. He hesitated and looked away, refusing to touch her anymore then he had already.

     Delilah stomped off to the bathroom and turned the water on, she struggled to reach the handsoap. He passed it to her and she lathered her hands in it and washed her hands, drying them off with a clean towel he held out for her.

    "Go eat. I'll be with you." Jasper patted her shoulder, Delilah skipped off to eat her favorite meal, spaghetti. Then it was off to bed for her. She tossed and turned, staring at the darkness where Jasper hid. She had questions laying on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't want to disturb him.

    "What is it, Miss Delilah?" Her eyes widened, how did he know? "I can sense it, my dear. And you're wiggling like bugs are crawling on you." She squirmed at the thought of bugs crawling all over her and their icky little claws digging into her skin.

   "Why are you a shadow?"

   "I don't have a form, Dear."

   "Uhm. Why does Grandma think you're fake?"

   "Some people simply don't believe in demons." He answered coolly.

   "Aren't demons from.." She hesitated, "H-E double hockey sticks?" Jasper narrowed his beam-like eyes.

   "What?"

   "H-Hell?" She murmured, he sighed.

   "Oh. Yes, indeed. Most Demons are from the Void, I've forgotten you humans call it 'Hell!'" He chuckled, pulling a chair close to her bed, his shadow form sat on it and he happily answered her questions.

   "So.. You're from... The.. Void?" Delilah rolled the word on her tongue. 'The Void.' It made a shiver run down her spine as she added it to her mental word bank. For some reason, there was something about that word that wasn't... Right.

   "Yes. Now, hush, child. Go to sleep."

   "I can't."

   "Yes, you can." He contradicted her. Quite rudely she must say.

   "No, I can't!" She whined, "Tell me a story?" He sighed, his shining teeth glinted in the moonlight wafting through her window. 

   "Fine." He thought for a second, "Long ago... Me and another being, not sure of the fellows' name.. We both spread and created a sickness long ago. The Humans called it; The Black death." He went on and on about it, how the village slowly turned to chaos as it spread on and on. He didn't even realize Delilah was taking in every dark word he's said. She was young, after all.

    Every day he was around her, that he touched her, her soul was darkening. Slowly, not even Jasper noticed. Her soul flickered brightly in her chest, little beads of darkness floated in it. His eyes widened once she fell asleep, and her soul glowed brilliantly once she fell asleep.

    "Oh, my." He put a shadowy hand to his mouth as his eery grin disappeared into a horrified gasp. Many feelings he hasn't felt since. Well, Many years ago. He cared for Delilah. Jasper shook his head in disbelief and confusion. Why was he caring? This was a pathetic human soul, he could crush it easily. A simple snap of the neck would do the trick. He reached over, his talons glinting.

    Delilah opened her eyes and looked at him, her eyes drooping tiredly. "Jasper?" She murmured, then wrapped her hand around his. His form felt Like you were touching a thing of steam, but solid in the strangest way. "Goodnight Jasper!"

    Oh, no. Jasper thought.