"When I woke up I was 17, you kissed my lips in a bad bad dream. Showed me things aren't what they appear to be. Called me angel and set me free." – Melissa Etheridge
I woke up exhilarated between the silky sheets of my lumpy bed. I haven't had a good night's sleep for ages. Usually, my old lumpy bed would give me a backache but as I stared at the ivory ceiling, I couldn't help but stretch my legs and smile to greet the new morning. The lacy amber curtains on my window were opened letting the sun warm my cheeks and brighten my cramped room. Everything was perfect except for the bizarre dream I had last night about meeting a handsome devil and his declaration that my soul belonged to him. My hand unconsciously touched where the supposed mark from my dream was situated.
I froze when I raised my left forearm for viewing. The black ink of his mark glared at me with its alluring patterns of roses and snakes. The design appeared to be done by a talented artist. I knew better. My heart sped up and I started to hyperventilate as the gravity of my situation weighed on me.
Daemon was real.
What he told me last night was real.
And the dark mark on my skin confirmed my worst fears.
A tentative knock caused my body to tense and I quickly hid the tattoo from the intruder by wrapping my left arm with the blankets. My Mom flashed me a smile and set a tray on my bed. The delicious aroma of bacon, eggs, buttery French toast and coffee wafted in my bedroom.
"You made breakfast." I beamed.
"Of course, I missed making you breakfast." She kissed me on the forehead.
The aching feeling in my heart throbbed. I missed her so much. My mother and I had a very close relationship until she and my father began working graveyard shifts as nurses in the hospital to save enough money for my college tuition. Many people claimed I look like her, but I knew they were wrong. Her silky brown hair and emerald eyes was no match for my tousled waist length chestnut hair and simple brown eyes. I thought I looked more like my father.
"Where's Dad?" I asked her.
"He's sleeping. We had a rough night with ten people in a major car accident and burned victims last night in the emergency room." She replied tiredly.
I nodded in understanding. We chatted the whole time of the things we've missed from each other. I caught her up to date with my friends' drama. Angelo is still the golden boy out of all of us, Brittany can be a bitch, but she has a good heart, Ted is still secretly in love with Summer, and Daniel might be on some weed. She listened patiently while I chattered nonstop about work and drama before winter break began. I told her everything except the past few days that occurred with Daemon.
My mother knew I haven't told her everything.
"Was there anything else that happened?" she asked me.
Daemon happened, I thought.
Instead I replied with, "Nope, that's about it."
Guilt slowly ate its way into my stomach. I didn't like lying to my mother. I used to tell her everything. However, I knew she didn't deserve to know about Daemon because it would add to her worries. I ate my breakfast using my right hand using the blanket to cover the mark from her wandering gaze.
My mother tilted her head to the side, her suspicion radiating from her. I smiled at her and complimented on her cooking causing her suspicion to dissipate.
I gazed at the clock behind me and immediately jolted out of bed. I have an hour before my shift starts at Bel Cibo, an Italian restaurant in downtown Los Angeles.
"I have to get ready for work." I told my Mom sadly. She understood and left my room with my breakfast tray before giving me a kiss on my forehead. I opened the old brass knob to my bathroom and hopped in the shower. After, I tossed my wet hair into a bun and applied mascara and some lip gloss. I wore the uniform I was required to wear at work with a black button up with rolled up sleeves, tight black slacks, and black high heeled pumps. I slipped on my leather jacket; I was ready in thirty minutes.
I ran outside the door to catch the bus as my six inch heels tapped against the uneven pavements. The bus pulled away from its stop and I had to scream from the top of my lungs for the bus driver to stop. Luckily, they did.
"Thank you." I wheezed. Sweat beaded my forehead and I wondered whether I wore deodorant this morning. Fortunately, I brought my fragrance mist with me just in case.
Sadly, there weren't any seats left so I was left standing which was fine with me due to a better view of the LA streets. I lived in one of the poorest neighborhoods. Luckily, my neighbors are kind and welcoming to me and my family despite our differences in race and religion. The apartment buildings were worn down and are in dire need of reconstruction, yet everyone in the block were willing to help one another with any repairs or issues.
The bus made a few turns and the modern city of Los Angeles came into view. Palm trees decorated the city while the rich shopped in name brand boutiques with their sunglasses and phones in hand. Beautiful men and women showed off their appealing bodies and faces modified by the best plastic surgeons. The sun was high in the clear azure sky as I pulled the cord above the bus window and wobbled out of the bus.
I can never get used to wearing heels.
Note to self: bring flats.
I arrived at the restaurant with a minute left to spare before my actual shift began. The minute I clocked in, I was handed trays overflowing with exquisite food to deliver to customers. I soon forgot about the nightmares that haunted me last night as I weaved my way past sleek polished tables with trays and water pitchers. Work was therapeutic. I loved every minute of it regardless of the rude customers that frequently dine here. The customers I serve come from all walks of life, from Hollywood movie stars to the homeless. Bel Cibo is a five star restaurant in the heart of LA known for its delicious food, great customer service, and philanthropy.
When the lunch rush gradually slowed down, I finally had my long deserving break. I limped my way to the kitchen to grab some food and sat down on one of the chairs available next to the break room. I sighed in relief as I immediately took off the torturous heels I had to wear.
I felt a hand pat my back, "Busy?" my manager Maria asked as she counted the money the restaurant made during lunch.
"Yes. There were lines all the way out to the door and my feet are killing me." I complained. One of my coworkers, Laura, suddenly burst into the break room fuming.
"I forgot to drink my medicine." She groaned.
"What medicine?" I asked.
"Five milligrams of 'Don't choke them hoes'!" she exclaimed.
"Rude customer?" I asked. She nodded.
I spent the first half hour of my break gossiping with my coworkers of Hollywood's new "It" couple dining in our restaurant and the new crowd that rose to Hollywood's headlines. Lately, the crime rates in LA have risen as the amount of the newly famous increase. Some wondered what these people have to relinquish for fame.
When my break was finally over, Maria asked if I could work a ten hour shift on Saturday and I gladly accepted. Although working more than eight hours a day is illegal for minors, I needed the money to help my parents pay off debts we owe while saving for my college tuition. The recollection of my mother poring over the piles of bills on the dinner table became my incentive to work harder.
I plastered a smile on my face and fixed my makeup before I left the break room. I pushed past the swinging doors and came face to face with Angelo's worried expression with Brittany, Summer, Ted, and Daniel standing behind him.
"We need to talk." Angelo uttered.
My friends and I assembled in a booth in the corner of the restaurant. My feet were still killing me so I took off my heels as we began to converse.
"It's Daemon." Angelo continued.
My friends looked at each other uneasily and I knew something was wrong. Summer was close to tears, Brittany had a scowl that marred her made up face, and Ted looks pale and sick while Daniel's bloodshot eyes stared into mine creepily.
"He visited each of us last night, claiming that our souls belong to him. Who is he?" Summer whimpered.
"What else did he say?" I urged them to tell me more.
"That he'll be back or something." Daniel drawled.
I placed my palm on my forehead. I was hoping only I would be affected with Daemon's wrongdoings and that my friends would be safe from him. A soft throb in my temples began to form.
"What are we going to do, Celeste?" Ted asked.
"It was because of that stupid fruit." Brittany growled.
"I'm sorry I dragged you into this, guys. I didn't know what the fruit meant for us." I said sadly.
Angelo reached across the table and took my cold hands into his warm ones. Immediately, the anxiety and exhaustion vanished replacing with a tingling sensation where his hands touched mine. "The best thing for us to do now is to stick together, just in case he comes back."
"Tomorrow is Christmas; I thought you guys would want to spend it with your family." I said quietly.
Brittany rolled her eyes, "My parents are in Milan partying away."
"Dad is spending most of his time in Brazil dealing with the family 'business'." Daniel said lazily.
Basically, most of their families had abandoned them in the holidays. Only Angelo was spending time with his parents. An idea appeared in my mind.
"We can all spend Christmas at my house, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind." I suggested.
When we arrived in my decrepit apartment, my mother's face was a look of pure shock. Five teenagers stood before her with duffel bags and sleeping bags in tow. "They don't have anywhere to stay." My mother welcomed my friends with open arms as she opened the door wider letting all of us in.
As soon as we entered, Brittany and Ted began to bicker while Ted and Summer ran to the fridge for food. I immediately hugged my Mom and apologized. "I'm so sorry this is so last minute." I said, my voice muffled on her shirt. "Their families aren't able to spend Christmas with them."
She patted my head and sighed. "I know. It's okay."
Daniel, Ted, Summer, and Brittany are the daughters and sons of LA's famous directors and movie stars. Only Daniel's family business involved drug trafficking. Neglected and surrounded by bodyguards to babysit them and the newest gadgets, they used to spend their leisure time getting drunk and partying to attain attention from their parents. I met all of them in school when their parents decided to send them to a public school to teach them a lesson. We became the best of friends ever since.
As the night passed, we opened presents and Mom and Dad ended up shedding a tear over the simple gift I got for each of them. My friends were having the time of their lives. They put up with some of the silly family traditions my small family had. Brittany was less of a bitch, Summer was all smiles, Daniel was sober for once, and Ted was stuffing his face with cake. The only person that wasn't here was Angelo. His missing presence created a void in my heart. It seems as if he's been avoiding me lately. Perhaps it was that awkward moment in the kitchen a few days before that caused him to stay away.
As we settled for bed, I miraculously crammed all of my friends in my small room. Brittany slept on my bed while I slept on the floor because she had back problems. I settled next to Summer who liked to move around in her sleep. Ted and Daniel were snoring away causing Brittany to tell them to shut up throughout the night. Despite the situation we were in, we supported each other through thick and thin and I smiled contently as my eyes closed and I succumbed to sleep.
It felt as if only a few minutes have passed before a hand shook me violently to wake me up. I slowly opened my eyes, my vision a blur. As it cleared, I sat up immediately. The place I see before me wasn't my room. Was I kidnapped? It couldn't be.
I found myself lying on soft fur near a gigantic fireplace in a dimly lit Victorian style parlor. Summer stared at me with her doe like eyes her usually sleek blonde hair a mess.
"He's here." She whispered.
"Who?" I asked.
"Daemon."
Hearing his name turned my blood cold. The sound of movement behind us caused us to huddle in fear of the unknown and I hated it. I stood up from my place and began to look around the room. I took one step behind when my back crashed into a warm solid chest.
"No need to search for me, I'm here." A voice purred in my ear.
Hello guys! I'm so sorry it took awhile for me to post a new chapter, Winter break turned out to be really busy with Christmas and the New Year coming up. I found a song that has my MC's name guys! It's called "Celeste" by Ezra Vine, it definitely matches the overall mood of this chapter :)
Also, thank you for getting this story to more than a 100 views! I'm in awe of the support here on Wattpad and your comments have encouraged me to write more :) Here's another chapter of Enamored! This is just a filler chapter, Daemon will show up on the next chapter with plenty of unpleasant surprises for Celeste and the rest of her friends :o if you haven't yet, please don't forget to comment, vote, or add this story to your library for more! :)
-Angelique <3