"Through me you pass into the city of woe:
Through me you pass into eternal pain:
Through me among the people lost for aye.
Justice the founder of my fabric moved:
To rear me was the task of power divine,
Supremest wisdom, and primeval love.
Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I shall endure.
All hope abandon, ye who enter here."
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
Many days and nights passed that I haven't heard nor seen Daemon. I slept peacefully without the haunting dreams of shadows clutching my feet, pulling me down to a dark abyss. No more incoherent seductive whispers at night that begged me to say three words. No more waking up in the dead of night clutching my sheets in dread of the tattooed men and the darkness that surround my room. Or so I thought. My mundane life continued as it was regardless of the burn of the tattoo Daemon imprinted on my skin each time I'm near Angelo or a church.
I tried my best to retain the normalcy of my mundane life. Since the events that followed from my stupidity of taking the apples from the devil himself, I saw the world I lived in through different lenses. Los Angeles was no longer the City of Angels. The name was just a misnomer; an illusion. I have turned a blind eye that I realized the unfairness of the world I lived in.
The restaurant I worked at maintained its popularity leaving me and my coworkers drawn out and exhausted. Most of them complained that they do not get paid enough to work at a five star restaurant compared to other restaurants. I agreed, but I kept quiet. After all, beggars can't be choosers.
School started once more and it became my distraction and my wake up call that halted my brooding thoughts on Daemon and the tattooed men I saw. For a moment, I forgot that I had responsibilities of saving up for college and helping my parents with the bills. How could I be so selfish to only think about myself?
I haven't heard from Brittany after our fight back at my apartment while Ted, Daniel, and Summer went home leaving me and Angelo by ourselves. Angelo kept true to his word. Although I have this nagging feeling that he doesn't believe anything that happened between Daemon and our friends, we hung out after school frequently. My parents continued to work their graveyard shifts while I attempted to focus on school work and fighting senioritis.
Overall, today was another long day at school and work. The night air was refreshing as I got off the bus and walked home with my work heels in hand. The full moon was high in the sky casting an ethereal glow over LA. I finally got home and I fumbled with my keys when I felt a presence behind me.
"Working late again, Celeste?" a hoarse voice asked behind me. Turning, I waited for the owner of the voice to reveal themselves.
Like a snake, my neighbor Ramon slowly stepped out of the shadows, his hands behind his back. The moon accentuated the mischievous glint in his cobalt eyes giving him the look of a predator. It irked me that he reminded me of Daemon.
I inserted the key into the door and struggled to get the door to open as always. Ramon was making me uncomfortable with his staring and I heaved my shoulder into the door to open it. Ramon continued to speak.
"My offer still stands. I could always use some help selling 'candies' to my clients." He said, tilting his head to the side.
"Thanks, but no thanks." I grunted as the door opened. Finally.
"You'll earn twice than your regular wage." He offered.
I stepped inside the apartment and before I closed the door to his face I replied, "Really Ramon, thank you for the offer, but I don't think I'll be taking it anytime soon." I quickly slammed the door shut before he could speak.
My body felt sluggish and heavy. Although my stomach growled, I opted to go to bed instead. I washed off my makeup, and then settling into bed, I waited for another dreamless sleep to take me.
Tossing and turning, I couldn't sleep. The wind whistled its somber tune while the birds' wings flapped against my window. Shivering, I pulled my blanket over my shoulder as goose bumps made its way across my skin. I must have forgotten to close my window. Laying on my back, I debated whether I should stand up and close it. My exhaustion won as I remained still on my cold hard bed.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite player." His cool familiar voice taunted me.
My eyes opened in shock as a wave of panic surged through me.
"Daemon." I whispered.
I sat up and I found that I was no longer on my bed or my room. Instead, I was lying on a smooth polished floor that reminded me of a sea of shadow. Swallowing the scream that threatened to leave my lips, I forced myself to speak. "I guess the game has begun."
My heart was in my chest and my stomach dropped. I'm scared and I don't want him to know if I'm not prepared.
A familiar voice shrieked in annoyance. "Where the hell am I! Ugh, what am I even wearing?"
Brittany's face came into view. Her face crunched into a frown when she saw me.
"You!" she yelled in accusation.
She sauntered towards me before an invisible wall halted her steps.
I looked around. Daemon disappeared. Figures.
Suddenly, his voice rang throughout the room.
"My dear Celeste, I never lose. I'll enjoy seeing you and your friends play in this little game of ours." Daemon smirked, his eyes flashing in amusement.
"We'll prove you wrong. Just make sure you hold up to the rules of the game." I yelled.
"Of course, winner takes all." He replied softly.
Silence fell before us. Brittany was fuming and pacing around the room. As she fumed, I examined the room before me. Were we in Chinvat? I was not entirely sure. I turned the knob of the mahogany door before me. It opened slightly. I pushed it open and was met with a dark empty hallway. It was dimly lit, with candles lighting our path. It reminded me of the hallways in horror movies.
"Where the hell are you going?" Brittany asked as she grabbed my shoulder roughly to face her.
"I'm trying to get out of here." I sniffed as I pulled my shoulder away from her.
I didn't need her attitude at this moment. I was exhausted, hungry, and annoyed. It was not a good combination.
This game was based on fear. I thought to myself. What is Brittany most afraid of? I thought about everything I know about Brittany, especially the day when I first met her.
It was another day at school. My freshman year with Angelo. We have our own group of friends but I was not close with them like I was with Angelo. It was a normal November day, chilly in the morning, and freezing in the afternoon. In my first period of Geometry Honors class, a beautiful girl sat next to me. I later found out her name was Brittany Reed. She had the proud look painted on her face along with her Tory Burch flats and designer clothes that I've never even heard of since I couldn't afford to buy that stuff.
No one liked her immediately. She claimed to be the daughter of the famous movies stars, Graham and Alexandria Reed. Another attention seeker in Infernaluz High School. Who does she think she is? Of course, I didn't want to be friends with her until I saw her cornered in the girls' bathroom. I wondered, if her parents were so famous, wouldn't she have her own bodyguard?
What was Brittany most afraid of?
She's fearless. She kept her head up when rumors and gossip swirled around her and followed her like a shadow. It was her power and her aura. She didn't care what anyone thinks, so how will she ever be afraid of anything?
"What are you afraid of?" I asked her.
She looked away, her doll like face hardening when she clenched her jaw.
"It's none of your business."
I sighed. "Knowing will help us win this game."
After wandering in silence for hours, we turned and saw Angelo. He looked rugged and exhausted. His once tamed blonde curls stood up in wild abandon.
"Celeste." He said exasperatedly.
"Angelo." I replied. My head rested on his chest while I hugged him tightly. It was so good to see him.
"I was so worried about you." He murmured into my hair.
A cough interrupted our moment. Angelo and I turned to Brittany.
"You guys can get a room after we get the hell out of here."
We continued our journey down the winding hallways. Questions swam inside my head. How did Angelo get here? He didn't eat the apple. Brittany crossed her arms the entire time in silence. I couldn't get an answer out of her. I stared at Angelo. As if reading my mind, he said, "I was at home sleeping and the next thing I know, I woke up here and I just happened to find you guys."
Something about his answer didn't sit so well with me. It was so vague and it sounds as if he was hiding something from me.
A door the color of mahogany stood before us. We all looked at each other.
"Should we open the door?" Brittany asked.
I shrugged. "We've been wandering for a long time. This might be our chance of escaping."
Hesitantly, Brittany walked towards the door and turned the knob. Light crept from the door and hope rejuvenated in me until Brittany opened the door wide open and was sucked into the light closing the door before us.
Fear and anxiety flowed through my veins like a drug. I clutched the golden knob only to be burned by it. Angelo pounded on the door like a madman.
"Brittany!" We both screamed.
Suddenly, the hallway we stood on faded into a well lighted room. When my eyes finally adjusted Brittany stood a few feet from us and her face was marred in horror. I walked towards her and turned her to face me.
"Brittany?" I asked.
"Are you okay?"
She gazed back at me with empty eyes.
"Mom and Dad," she whispered.
I looked back at Angelo for answers and then at her confused.
"What about them?"
Her brown eyes stared at me, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
"Behind you." She whispered.
I barely missed the axe that almost hit me if it wasn't for Angelo's interference. It was Brittany's father who held the axe, Graham Reed. He had a crazed look in his eyes. Angelo struggled to keep the axe from hitting Brittany and I.
"Run!" he yelled at us.
I grabbed Brittany's arm and we both sprinted across the room trying to escape her crazed father. I soon realized it was pointless because there were no doors.
We were trapped.
I racked my brain for answers why Brittany's parents were involved in this game. A memory popped in my mind. "My parents will kill me." This was Brittany's favorite line to say. And then that's when I realized her fear. Brittany feared she will not be perfect in the eyes of her parents. She yearned for their attention especially the media's attention. Yet she remained hidden in the tabloids. Few people know that Graham and Alexandria Reed had a daughter.
Mr. Reed hit Angelo causing him to fall on the floor. What do I do? I needed to get Brittany out of this fear. She was the only one who can get us out of here. I shook her out of her reverie.
"Brittany, you need to get us out of here." I said.
No reply came from her. She laid her head against the mahogany wall breathing hard.
I tried again, frantic laced in my words. "Please, only you can face this fear."
She nodded blankly.
"I don't know what to do." She whispered.
Mr. and Mrs. Reed sauntered their way towards us, a creepy smile plastered on their faces. They reminded me of the faces from the movie The Purge. Brittany stood in front of them, her chin up. Her hands were shaking.
As Brittany's parents raised the axe to hurt her, I screamed her name and rushed towards her. A flash of light blinded me knocking me over. When I opened my eyes again, Brittany was on her knees, her hands shaking. I walked over to Brittany tears washing off her makeup.
"I've always feared that they would do it someday." She murmured.
Angelo and I hugged her tightly. A door materialized on one side of the room and I motioned my friends to go open it. We turned the knob and we were back to where we started.
Daemon stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his feet shoulder width apart. His dark glossy hair was pushed back revealing the sharpness of his features and the devious glint in his wintry blue eyes.
"Well, I see you've won this level of the game." He smirked at Brittany.
His heated gaze then moved to Angelo.
"With my brother's help of course."
Thank you so much @emblyn_rose for making the lovely banner above! I apologize if this chapter took me awhile to write (my issue all the time) >.< As always, school and work hasn't been easy and family issues has also prevented me from writing a lot. Thank you so much for your patience, I truly appreciate it! What did you guys think about this chapter? What did you think of Brittany's fear? What will happen to Angelo, Brittany, and Celeste next? Is Angelo really Daemon's brother? Some of these questions will be answered next chapter ;)
Also, thank you so much for the 2k+ views! I loved seeing your lovely comments and your thoughts on my book :) I never expected many people to actually read my book :) It's really nice to know that there are readers who know my story exists.
If you guys haven't seen the new trailer for Enamored yet, you guys can check it out on the external link below or the very first chapter of this book :) Please don't forget to comment, vote, add this story to your reading lists, and follow me for updates! :D
-Angelique <3