Aquarina(mermaid graphic done by Jihan B. Jackson)

Chapter 19- Part 2 You guys probably hate me, but I hope you like this.

After Aidan had passed out, I called my dad in a panic. I had been freaking out, as anyone could imagine. He had us quickly but cautiously place him in the back seat before speeding off to the house to clean him up. Mom and Pearl went to see a movie about an hour ago and haven't come back yet. Apparently, Pearl convinced Mom somehow to go see a movie on a Thursday night. Don't ask me how she did it.

Now, we cleared out the dining room table and placed him on it. With all the blood cleaned up, he is laying there, unconscious.

"So? Do you know of anything like that? Or at least have a book or something that might explain this?" I asked my father, who had been pacing quietly for the last few minutes.

Realizing what I said, I stood up from my seat, "Wait, the black book." I ran to the bookshelf. When I couldn't find it right away, I muttered, "Ugh, where is it?" My father came up behind me, "Where is what?"

"Here it is!" I exclaimed, finding the small black book wedged in between two large books. I lifted it, showing to Dad. He rose an eyebrow; we both shared that unique trait. "How did you know about that book? We haven't showed you that book yet." He must've seen the look on my face. "Or at least I haven't taught you about what's in the book." He said.

"Well, you didn't know about the situation." I said, giving him a sheepish smile. He sighed, "Very well."

I opened the book, but paused, remembering something. "Hey Dad, there's something else I need to tell you." He gave me a look, "Does your mother know of this?" I shook my head. He leaned in closer, more serious than before and he asked me, "What is it?"

I took a deep breath and started spilling everything about my eyes changing color and the new ability I discovered tonight. Dad pondered this new information a few moments before questioning me. "When did your eyes first change?" He asked me, slowly pacing back and forth. I thought about it. "Like two days ago, why?" I answered.

"And how were you feeling? Was there a strong emotion you were feeling?" He slowed his pace and continued to speak, "But this doesn't make sense. I've only heard of werewolves, with other exceptions, changing eye color when they feel a strong emotion." I froze. "What if that person was in pain?" I asked, thinking back to Aidan's gold eyes. He nodded, "The person could feel scared or frightened. There are many emotions one could feel when in pain." Feeling nauseous, I took a seat on the small table close to the sofa. "His eyes were yellow. Gold." As my eyes met his, the realization settled in. My dad broke the silence, "He's a..."

"Werewolf", I finished for him. We both looked at Aidan. He was still in the same position he was in when we put him there. I sat there, my mind searching for any alternative answers.

My thoughts were interrupted when my phone started buzzing in my pocket. I looked at the caller ID. Adrian. I answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Aqua, I'm outside." Adrian's smooth voice came from the other end of the call. I grinned, and spoke, "Great. I'll go open the door." I hung up and made my way to the door.

I had called Adrian after we had got Aidan cleaned up, telling him to come over as soon as possible. This situation is after all, an emergency. Then I remembered Aidan was asleep, so I just told Adrian to call me when he got to my house.

I opened the door to see Adrian standing there with a concerned expression. "Is everything alright? Are you hurt?" His eyes scanned me for any injuries. My heart warmed when I saw how much he cared for my well being. I set aside my internal swooning and got back to what really matters. "Not me. I think you should see this."

I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the dining room. He slowed down, "Is that..."

"Aidan? Yeah, and you won't believe how and where I found him." He looked at me with a confused face and furrowed eyebrows. "What do you mean you found him? What is he doing here?"

We sat down I explained what happened after my tennis training and told him the theory about the werewolves.

I had just finished explaining my new ability when Dad walked in, reading something from the black book. "Hey Adrian, Aqua. Look at this. I don't think your little friend here is a werewolf.", he said, offering the book to us.

I took hold of the book. The page said fire demon at the top and below it had a picture of the creature. I almost dropped the book. The picture showed a creature that looked like a mix between bear and an owl. It was four-legged and had feathers instead of fur with a long cat-like tail. The animal had long claws like a bear with a small black nose and a mouthful of sharp teeth. It had pointed ears as a lot of owls do. It was the creature's eyes that got me freaked out. It was sporting bright golden eyes that held an eerie fire in them. They just had a sinister glow to them. These eyes are the ones that have haunted me from my nightmares. This is the creature that is after Adrian and I.

My eyes traveled downwards to read the information about this creature. "The fire demon is a creature made in the Underworld, relative to the famous hellhound. With sharp claws and teeth, it was designed for instantly killing its prey with a quick swipe of its paw. Its name, fire demon, comes from its unmistakable golden eyes. Unlike a fairytale dragon, this creature does not breath fire. It does, however, become engulfed in flames at times when the creature is at an extreme frustration or anger. All fire demons are fireproof." I read aloud. Turning the page, I continued to read from the passage. "The fire demons are very few, only 500 were created. Like a phoenix, these creatures need to die in order to be reborn again. Their birth and death will always be on a full moon. On the 500th birthday, it will become completely immersed in a black fog and disappear. Their death is a process. Like some modern day animals, they receive their senses(sight, smell, etc.) a few days after their birth. Their senses will be taken away days before their death. Its the same as their birth, but reverse. Werewolves have a second conscious, which is their wolf. Fire demons also have a second conscious in their head. Their wolf...or creature per say can't always be controlled. As the human part of the fire demon loses its senses, it also loses control of the creature within. It will start to do things, not knowing if it's right or wrong. Like the senses being taken away, it will die in reverse to the way it was created. It is created like any masterpiece or drawing; the artist creates the mold, then adds all the details. First the body, then comes all the organs, skin, muscles, senses, etc. Finally the soul is put in the body and it comes to life. The soul will be the last thing that leaves the body before it is engulfed into darkness. Of course, without a normal functioning system, the process will be very painful. It is common for the demon to cough up blood while in human form. Fainting from the pain will become frequent. The only way for the fire demon to outlive the 500 years is to find a mate. The mate does not have to be a fire demon. In fact, it is very rare that two fire demons are mated. Fire demons do not reproduce and create offspring. It is possible for the death to be prevented for an unmated fire demon. Sources say some type of liquid, very powerful, perhaps the blood of a werewolf/mermaid hybrid or another strong combination would have to be inserted into the fire demon's system. Although this is possible, it is highly improbable."

It was all coming together. As I finished reading, everything became so clear. All the questions surrounding Aidan flew away. Why I found his eyes so familiar, the phone call, Jordan's attack, everything. Now we know. Adrian's parents were both supernatural, not just one. Aidan is a fire demon. He thought our(Adrian and I) blood was the key to staying alive. He still hasn't found his mate. All these revelations kept coming and then I realized. "When is the next full moon?" I asked, standing up. I walked around the corner towards the kitchen. "Where are you going?" I heard Adrian ask behind me. "There should be a calendar on top of the fridge.", I answered. I stopped when I reached the dining room. I heard both Adrian and Dad stop behind me. One of them cursed under their breath. Aidan was gone.