Chapter Nine: Dig Your Talons Into Him And Make Fire Breathing Demon Babies
•••
My heart is slamming against my ribcage and I fear it is going to break free and jump right out of my chest. Tiffany is smiling her smug smile at me and my lips part, the gears in my head turning as I struggle to come up with a response.
"How fascinating," I finally manage to spit out. "You have been screwed one too many times, your brain cells are coming unscrewed. What in the name of cinnamon bun covered in strawberry jam are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me! Trix said –"
"Yes, I heard you the first time and I am still trying to un-hear you. Please, for the sake of your freedom, don't go about telling people that lest they lock you up in an asylum for good, and let me tell you, you won't be missed."
She sneers at me, her nose wrinkling in distaste while I struggle to keep my breathing in check, so as not to give away the fact that Sam really is the Devil.
Come to think about it, why exactly am I even trying to protect his secret? What is Trixie going to do? Walk around school yelling to everyone that I am friends with the Devil? No one will believe that.
"Moreover, let me agree he is the Devil, what will he gain from socializing with me?" I continue, still somehow feeling the urge to protect his identity.
Worst case scenario, Trixie is going to start spreading gossip about him and encourage bullying him and I don't think Sam will take being bullied lightly.
Yes, for the sake of every teenager here, I really have to keep his identity a secret.
"You're right," Tiffany agrees, eyeing me up. "What exactly will the Devil gain from socializing with a pathetic loser like you?"
I shrug in response and she looks like she is about to say another thing belittling, but is interrupted by Natalie who walks towards us, a frown on her face as she stares at Tiffany.
Immediately Tiffany sees her, she straightens herself, moving away from me as though I have an incurable illness. I furrow my brows as I watch Tiffany scratch the back of her neck nervously, her eyes darting everywhere but Nat.
"What have I told you about harassing my friends?" Nat calmly states, taking another step towards her.
"I'm sorry! It – it's just that Trix – Trixie said that –"
"Sweetie, I don't care about Trixie or what she said!" Nat snaps, taking another step towards Tiffany which she matches with a step backward.
I find it rather amusing that Tiffany is afraid of Nat. Sure, Nat looks stern and like she beats people up for sports, but to think one of the high school queens will actually accept being afraid of someone is just to be laughed at.
Yet here Tiffany is, flustered as Hell, all confidence she was displaying gone in a split second.
"If I catch you harassing my friend again, you will pay for it. Are we clear?" Nat calmly states and Tiffany fervently nods before scurrying away.
I watch her retreating figure, a glimmer of a smile on my lips.
"Well, that was cool. Thanks," I say to Nat and she waves her hand dismissively.
"That was nothing. She's not a bad kid, Tiff, she just happens to be gullible and hangs around the wrong people."
Despite not believing the 'she's not a bad kid' part of Nat's statement, I decide not to push it.
"Hey, Bells. Where's the cute new student?"
I am startled by Audrey's voice. Turning around, I catch her with Cherry walking up to me. She has a dreamy look on her face while Cherry has a slight frown, not seeming pleased with the fact that one of her friends is infatuated with the new kid.
"He just disappeared," I answer, shaking my head, though I'm sure they don't know I meant that quite literally.
I think back to what could have possibly made him hurry off the way he did. The way he looked behind me like there was someone there that he really didn't want to have an encounter with.
Suddenly, I remember him telling me how he and my Guardian Angel don't get along fine, so my guess is whoever this Guardian Angel is, the Devil really doesn't want to interact with him.
Now, which Angel does the Devil have the most reason to hate or be wary of?
"How do you know him?" Cherry asks, clutching her books closer to her chest. "I'm just curious. He seems to have just come to town, and you both are already friends. There's just something about him that makes my skin crawl."
"What do you mean? He seems perfect!" Audrey states dreamily and Cherry nods, agreeing with her.
"Exactly! Too perfect!"
Before I can tell them the funny edited version of the way Sam and I met, the bell is heard, signifying the beginning of class.
We bid each other goodbye and hurry towards our respective classrooms, trying to get there before the teachers can decide they want to give us detention for ignoring the warning bell and coming late.
The next class is biology, one of my favourite classes and unfortunately a class I share with Trixie.
The moment I get settled, staring at the slides and the microscopes before me, I feel her presence beside me as she takes her seat in the vacant spot, deciding for some reason to be my partner.
I don't usually get partners, and I have never really minded it either. Working with people will most likely slow me down. Also, due to my reputation in school, most people went out of their way to avoid socializing with me so they don't get the wrath of Ben and Trixie.
"Hey there, Bells," Trixie greets coldly and I sigh, knowing I am in no way going to enjoy this exchange.
Our biology teacher, a Latino with an accent people seem to like making fun of, writes instructions on the board, totally oblivious to the pest that wants to ruin my favourite class.
"Yes, yes, I got the drill. You seem to be of the opinion that Sam is a malevolent spiritual entity said to prowl the earth, seeking the destruction of mankind, and for some reason, you find this fascinating and want me to stay away from him so you can dig your talons into him and make fire breathing demon babies."
"Don't act all high and mighty, Bells, because you know I cannot do anything while the teacher is watching. There are plenty of ways for me to make you suffer, and you know this," she whispers.
The teacher turns to face the class and she fiddles with the microscope, trying to look busy and not suspicious at all.
The man sees I have a partner and he smiles, nodding at me and I force a smile in return, though I want nothing more than to tell him the partnership is very unwanted and is most likely going to make me fail my science project.
He looks around the class, and seeing that people are following his written down instructions, already having an idea of what to do due to his lengthy explanation at the last class, he turns back to the board and continues writing.
"Now, you're going to be a doll and you'll stay away from Sam –"
"Why don't you tell him to stay away from me instead? Who knows, I may have already sold my soul to him in exchange for your death and he's hovering around me, waiting for the perfect moment to strike."
Trixie visibly flinches, a look of horror crossing her features before she regains composure and sneers at me, inconspicuously grabbing lumps of my hair and yanking it downwards so I have to bite my tongue to stop from shouting in pain.
"Your wit isn't appreciated, Anabelle and you should do well to shut up if you don't want anything happening to your dear new friends," the threatens and I inhale deeply, trying to keep myself from dripping my usual sarcasm.
That again is another reason I never really wanted friends. I could take anything they threw at me, but threatening to hurt someone else because of me is just something I cannot bear to handle.
"Good girl!"
'You know, whenever I hear the words 'good girl', I cannot help but think Fifty Shades of Grey kinkiness,' I want to say, but I choose not to.
"Now, you will stay away from Sam Light. He's mine!" She states, though how she knows he's the Devil and what she wants to do with him is beyond me.
Perhaps she is one of those freaks who fantasize having affairs with people they really shouldn't be fantasizing having affairs with.
Seriously, of all the boys in school, she wants the Devil. If that isn't crazy, I really don't know what is.
At least she doesn't want Asher anymore.
"And you will also stay away from Asher Reid."
I spoke too soon.
'Are you that insatiable that you're are searching for a threesome in order to quench your carnal desire?' I want to say, but once again, I bite back the words, thinking about my new friends.
Cherry is the sweetest person I have met and she really doesn't deserve to be punished by a baby sociopath who just wants to make my life miserable. Audrey and Nat also seem nice and they shouldn't be caught in the middle either.
"Am I making myself clear?" She asks and I nod once.
'Clear as the contents of your brain. Oh very clear.'
"Crystal clear," I reply instead and she grins widely at me, letting go of my hair so I breathe in a sigh of relief, rubbing at my throbbing scalp.
"Perfect! Now, complete the work, I don't want to fail," she says, gesturing to the microscope and the slides.