Where My Demons Hide

Chapter 22

   "So, did you guys kiss or something?" Saniya asked, amusement filling her eyes as I blushed.

    My face felt hot and I looked away, embarrassed. We hadn't. We hadn't done much yesterday, but yet it was an unforgettable day. Just like any other day with Haiden, it was permanently stitched into my mind.

     "No, we didn't," I said, bringing my knees to my chest and hugging them. "We just had... a really nice day together. Well, it was really nice to me."

     "It was to Haiden, too," Saniya said, surprising me. "He seemed so happy today and... Seeing you two is a nice sight. Don't let Lydia get you down, okay?"

    With the mention of Lydia, my heart dropped. Even if I did love Haiden and could bring him back to the good side, I realized I still had another problem. Lydia was Haiden's girlfriend and I knew there was no changing that. For some insane reason Haiden seemed to be into her, which meant I stood no chance.

    "Do you love him?" Saniya asked gently. "Did you figure it out?"

    "Yes," I said, surprising myself with my honest answer. "I do love him and honestly Saniya, I can't help but let Lydia get me down. She's dating Haiden, which makes him unattainable."

    "But he could be attainable. If he knew you were interested, I know he'd choose to be with you rather than Lydia."

    Her words didn't cheer me up, but they were nice to hear. I would like to think I was someone Haiden would choose, but deep down I knew Haiden didn't feel the same way about me. Even when we were younger, I knew Haiden had only thought of me as a friend.

    "Haiden seriously deserves someone as kind as you. Someone as loyal and loving, too," Saniya said. "He's been through so much and he deserves to finally have someone who will remain in his life forever."

    Suddenly curious, I wondered what she meant by that. I didn't know much about Haiden and he never told me he lost anyone, so I wondered what she was talking about. So even though I was supposed to wait until he was ready to talk about his life, I decided to ask and finally be able to understand Haiden better.

   "What has he been through?" I asked. "Did he lose someone?"

    Saniya seemed surprised by my questions. Her eyes flew wide and she stared at me for a moment, seeming stunned. I began to frown at that, wondering why she looked like I had told her my deepest darkest secret.

    "Wait... Haiden didn't tell you about his parents?" Saniya asked, still looking surprised.

    "No." My eyebrows furrowed as I began to feel confused. "Why?"

    Haiden used to always talk about his family. He was the only child with two loving parents and he used to tell me about the good times they shared together. But he never told me anything shocking about them. He never told me anything that could hint they were gone, which led to my heart freezing as a realization dawned on me.

    "His parents were killed," Saniya said, her eyes hardening. "They were murdered and that was the worst day of Haiden's life. It was on June 6, 2011."

    My heart froze at those words and I paled. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that was what Haiden had to go through. And most of all, everything began to make sense as I realized June 6 was the day before Haiden disappeared from my life.

    It hurt. It hurt to think of what Haiden lost and my mouth felt dry as I became speechless. Looking at Saniya, I saw sympathy written across her face and I wondered why it was for me. So shaking my head, I decided to learn more about the situation rather than fall apart.

    "Who killed them?" I asked. "Why would anyone want to kill Haiden's parents."

    "The demon hunters," Saniya answered, tensing. "They killed them because... Well, they're demon hunters. They go around killing anyone they think they should, and one day they thought killing Haiden's entire village was a smart thing to do."

    Oh my god. The demon hunters didn't just kill his family, but they killed everyone Haiden must've grown up with. It was so unbelievable and rage consumed me because how could anyone do that to someone. How could someone be so cruel? It was so horrible and I felt sick and upset, knowing my guardians were demon hunters themselves.

    "That's horrible," I said, shooting up. "I have to do something. I have to stay at Haiden's side. Thank god I constantly chose protecting him over the demon hunters."

    "Luna... Wait," Saniya said, eyes widening as I began to leave the living room.

    With what I learned, there was something I had to do. So looking for Haiden and everyone else, I stormed outside and began to search wildly for him. I couldn't believe that was what he went through. I couldn't believe he never told me. It hurt, but yet I understood. What he had been through was scarring and it had to be hard to talk about.