V A L E R I A
"Everybody, on the bus - and Aaron, if you do that spell that turns the tires into pigs again you'll be suspended!" a teacher calls out to us.
There were multiple different buses. I got on with Hazel, Cristella, and Aaron. I sat with Aaron, Cristella and Hazel beside us. Hazel smiled, "I'm so excited. I can't wait to see the mountains."
We were heading up north to the mountains, it was to learn about history, demons had hidden out in these mountains before being banished from Heaven. All species were involved, the rocks are filled with claw marks from wolves, angel and demon blood still stains the rock, and stone walls fallen from spells.
As we drive along the road, and Aaron annoyingly hums beside me, I notice that Adonis has gotten on this bus. Near the front, I could see him sitting with Stella. She smiled. Laughed.
"I'm most excited about drinking," Cristella whispered. "We'll have what we need to make alcohol up there."
I wasn't a big drinker. So I just nodded. Adonis barely speaks to anybody, I wondered what Stella could be laughing so hard about.
I took out Wuthering Heights from my bag and flipped to where I had left off. My eyebrows lower. As I flip the page, I see a sentence highlighted, "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." I looked up at the back of Adonis' black hair, wondering if it was he who highlighted it.
I wanted to see the land in which angels fought off the demons. Where some died in the process. I had a bad feeling history may be repeating itself. It's been keeping me up at night.
The bus came to a stop. The teacher stood up and yelled, "Girls stay on the right, and boys on the left!"
We all got off the bus and started walking right. A teacher grabbed Aaron by the shoulder and said, "Nu-uh. Other building, Aaron."
He swore under his breath and said goodbye to us. Hazel, Cristella, and I walked into the building with many beds since we were staying a night, and we tossed our belongings onto three beds beside each other.
Stella glared at me the entire time I put my stuff down. I pretended like I didn't see her, but I saw her trying to kill me with her eyes.
We went outside after, following our teachers up to the rocks. They told the story to us, "Hundreds of years ago, the first demon was created when their soul turned to darkness. Originally an angel, they became corrupt as they started siding with dark witches, using spells to make them more powerful. When this was found out, all of those who had turned evil were banished from Heaven to these grounds on Earth. But the demons wanted revenge. A long battle ensued until the angels were able to curse all of the demons to Hell."
We stopped at the rocks. They were just how I had imagined. I could see the claws, the ancient blood where angels and demons had died.
"Now, demons are stuck in the underworld, and angels hide out somewhere on Earth," they say. "A demon did manage to escape the underworld and slaughtered over 200 angels. But...they do say the demon that did this will get their karma."
My eyebrows lowered. I had never heard of that. I question, "Karma?"
The teacher smiles. They nod, "Yes, karma. Angels would do anything to protect their people. Perhaps something was done in their final moments. It's just a theory, of course, as none are here to speak."
My eyebrows lowered. The teachers continued showing us around and explaining things.
"If a demon ever did come here, I'd kick their ass," a guy said in the crowd, making people laugh.
"Be careful what you say, Nicolas," the teacher says. "Demons don't like to be talked about like that."
The guy just rolled his eyes, clearly not caring.
After a few hours, we started walking down the hill, back to the building. I thought I was walking alone until Adonis said from behind me, "Walking alone, can't say I'm surprised."
"Not anymore," I say. "Although I'd argue it was better alone."
Adonis is a lot taller than me. I need to look up to see his face. His cheeks and chin had dark stubble on them and his black hair had gel in it. He asks, "Have you been practicing? Your defense."
"No," I say. "I've been busy."
"Busy with what?" he asks me. He then tilts his head toward Aaron. "Him?"
"Maybe," I say. He doesn't say anything.
"Did I hear my name?" Aaron asks as he comes up beside me. Adonis nearly rolls his eyes. "I think I can take walking with Valeria duty now."
"Valeria is perfectly capable of telling me to fuck off herself," Adonis says. "You don't need to do it for her, little guy."
Aaron opens his mouth to say something back, but Adonis leaves, walking over to Stella. Aaron shakes his head, "Little guy? I'm six foot."
"In heels maybe," I shrug.
Aaron looks offended, but I laugh as we reach the building.
𓆩♡𓆪
It was nighttime, all the girls had been up drinking, so they were now passed out. I didn't have a single sip. The alcohol witches brew is stronger than the kinds you can buy.
After putting a jacket on, I quietly leave the room. I wanted to see the ruins one more time. It made me feel close to them, knowing it's the blood of those I may have been related to.
It's a little windy. My hair blows around as I walk up the trail, surrounded by trees. I walk upwards, but pause when I hear something behind me. I turn, looking into the darkness, my eyes unable to see anything out of the ordinary.
I turn and continue walking. As I walk up, my shoes stepping on the stones, I hear something again. With another glance over my shoulder, I once again see nothing, but trip over a large rock I was not looking at.
I let out a hiss as my knee bent weirdly. I landed on my butt, placing my hand over my sore knee. A shadow covered my body from the light of the moon.
I look up and see Adonis.
"You're such a stalker," I say. I try and move my knee and pain covers my face. "I see you more than my own reflection."
His dark eyes look at my face. He says, "You should consider that a blessing."
"Asshole," I say. I go to try and stand up but can't.
With his hands in his black pockets, he keeps looking down at me. He shakes his head and says, "You're helpless, Valeria."
He kneels in front of me and places his veiny hand over my knee. He takes the pain away, and I let out a sound of relief. He holds his hand out for me to take and helps me to my feet.
He asks me while I dust off my pants, "Where were you going in the middle of the night? It's not safe to be out at this hour."
"I could say the same to you," I say.
"We're different."
"How?"
"For starters, I'm not as annoying as you are," he says, making me roll my eyes. "Second of all I'm not as weak. I could take down anybody that lurks in the forest. You, however?"
He looks me up and down and my jaw drops, offendedly. I say, "I'm not as weak as you think I am, Adonis."
And it was true. I held back my strength to hide the truth about myself.
"Right," is all he says.
I glance toward the stones I wanted to visit, knowing I couldn't anymore. Something inside my stomach sunk. Like darkness was near. It was as if I had a vision in my head of history repeating itself, but being more deadly this time. The sky falling, darkness bending time and space, Heaven and Hell colliding as the stars watched.
"You seem afraid," he observes. "Why?"
'You cannot trust anybody,' Gabriel's words echo in my head. I want to confide in somebody. Tell them what I am, what I've been seeing, what I've been feeling. I look at Adonis, a vampire, I question who he is. I question what people say about him.
"People say you are darker than darkness," I tell him. Something in his eyes shifts. He takes a step toward me, but I don't move.
"Are you saying you're afraid of me?"
I swallow. I shake my head and say, "No. People say such terrible stuff about you, and yet here you are again, helping me."
I think his jaw clenches for a moment. I'm not sure why. I think my words may have bothered him.
I wish I could hate the man in front of me as much as everybody else does. But I can't. I'm not capable of it. Angels are not capable of hate - they find anything redeemable within a person and that is all they see. Even if everything they touch turns black.
As I look into his eyes, I wish I could see a monster that everybody else does. But I don't. I see him helping me, over and over again, angels are victims to a spell of clouded judgment. It's a curse.
"Stop doing that," he says. "Looking for good qualities in me. Something redeemable."
When people look at him, they see an endless dark abyss, but as an angel, I'm doomed to overlook it.
"If you try and look for redemption in me, Valeria, it will only destroy you," he says. I believe him. They say he's the strongest vampire, the darkest, the most ruthless, one that nobody dares to cross.
Yet as he turned and walked away under the moonlight, I had remained unharmed by him once again.
Word Count: 1650