Chapter 20
Without You I Would Be Nothing
“Funny, you’re the broken one, but I’m the only one who needed saving.”
~Rihanna ~
Margery could not help but gaze at Anise’s small form, walking in front of her. They had left her house for reasons only Anise knew and now they ventured into the forest. The young witch wanted to show her something, but she suspected that the something may not even be worth seeing.
Anise was off; Margery hadn’t seen her in so many years, but she still knew her well enough to know that something was not right.
A soft wind caressed her face and somehow, Margery found it hard to stare at the girl.
‘When did it come to this?’ Her heart was already stricken with sadness of the memories from her son, so it was not hard to succumb to more painful thoughts. However, these recollections were of Anise instead of Conan, and it was affecting her as much as the photos had before. It was just too bear in one night.
At some point, Margery’s stare fell to the grass as she watched her feet move after Anise. She unwantedly started to remember.
Anise was just a child when she first activated her ability to summon otherworldly animals, and unfortunately, she used it against her parents. Margery knew what the poor child had gone through, but she still failed to comprehend from which side Anise got her Wiccan ancestry. She assumed it must have been a latent bloodline passed down from a distant relative. Nevertheless, she remembered it well. She had a received a complaint from one of Anise’s neighbors and it was the first job she had as a social worker. Of course at the time, she didn’t reside in Oakhurst, nor did she know that it would soon become her home.
Margery sighed and looked up at the moon that twinkled bright overhead, as if watching them. ‘I wonder if Exsavior is alright.’
Her mind wandered back to the wolf she grew used to taking care of; Exsavior wasn’t the easiest immortal to deal with, but he wasn’t the hardest. That’s what Margery believed as her sight went back to Anise. Back then, she was a tortured child, but only because she desperately needed someone to love her. Margery knew this the instant she had arrived at that address so many years back. The front door had been open and sounds that were not of a healthy household had flooded her ears. She could never forget that fear-stricken face of the young girl, who passed out after watching the horrid scene. Because of this, she found it easy to care for Anise, and after losing Conan, Margery became a childless mother. So, she smothered Anise and tried her best, but Ezekias had come between them. Much like with everything in her life. She did not know exactly what happened back then; only that Ezekias had gotten to Anise.
Suddenly, she came to a stop and Margery stood a good distance away from the witch. Anise turned to face her with Midnight in her arms.
“What did you want to show me?” Margery asked, quietly.
Anise remained silent as she summoned a black crow; the gesture made Margery’s suspicion intensify.
“Go, and wait for the right moment.” She spoke to the bird, causing it to squawk and fly off.
“What was that about?” Margery asked, but Anise ignored the question.
“Did you ever wonder why I left with Ezekias?” It was as if she was reading Margery’s mind.
She remained silent, refusing to answer and Anise simply continued. “I had a vision. Ezekias was going to end you just as he ended your son.”
Margery’s face turned pale, but she tried to contain her composure. It was true that Conan was her child, but he was also that old witch’s son. There was a time when Margery loved Ezekias, so much that she bore him a son, Conan. The boy was an odd species. He was neither shapeshifter nor witch, but he possessed the same mental instability that male witches did. Ultimately, it led him to his early demise. Ezekias exploited him in desperation to unravel the mystery behind the child.
A lone tear threatened to escape her, but she fought it back. “So you’re telling me you left for my benefit? Then why are you still with that witch after all this time?”
Anise’s dead stare never wavered as she proceeded in answering. “The vision has yet to pass. It will happen during the second Black Night, resulting in numerous casualties.” Anise paused to see Margery’s reaction.
She digested her words, but did not voice her doubts. Could it truly be that Anise was carrying a burden for so long?
“Your death was imminent, as well as mine and my sisters. Ezekias was going to prevail and in the vision there is no way around it. That wolf and his comrades will suffer.”
“You’re lying!” It was working; she was getting under her skin.
“Believe what you like, but I will not let it come to pass. He will not have it so easily.”
This time, Margery was not silent because she did not want to speak, but rather because she was speechless. What was Anise planning? How could she defy the actions to come? Margery was no fool; visions were a witch’s inherent clairvoyance. It allowed them to see events that were to occur, unlike premonitions that showed the viewer past events. They were undoubtedly the path that will be taken—they were a glimmer into fate.
“How—” She began but Anise interrupted, when she let Midnight fly.
The cat jumped out of her arms and Anise spoke. “Summundre Bakeneko.”
Margery barely had any time to react when a ghostly fireball blasted from the cat that was now around fifteen feet tall. The giant cat’s eyes flashed between red and its ordinary blue hue, every time it manifested an ectoplasm-type fireball.
As swiftly and nimbly as possible, Margery stretched her arms to latch onto a tree trunk. She hugged the bark and crawled up it like a lizard would do when frightened. When she reached a branch that stood overhead the enormous black cat, Margery instantly morphed into a huge eagle and soared towards the monster feline.
The screeching sound of the eagle pierced the night, but Anise was calm and unmoved. It was obvious to Margery that the witch believed that she could end her with just the cat.
In an offensive manner, Margery’s talons searched ardently for the cat’s eyes. She knew that it was the source of its power. Midnight’s towering form did not help in avoiding the attacks, but as the eagle swooped in and attempted a strike, she clawed at it, while manifesting more flames.
Margery’s flight was hasty and efficient in dodging the flames—allowing her time to watch her target for an opening. Once the fire died, Margery flew behind the cat’s neck and morphed one of her wings into a fat long tentacle. It wrapped itself around Midnight’s neck, and she used all her strength to strangle the life out of the cat. The wails of the beast made it thrash about, but Anise did not allow it to go on further.
“Summundre Kerberos.”
The instant she heard the words, Margery’s heart sank. Anise was serious; there was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to disrupt the vision one way or another.
‘So this is your way of doing this? You kill me now…?’ Margery thought, as an even bigger and ghastlier beast manifested before her. It was an enormous three headed dog, and as soon as it made its appearance, it lopped off Margery’s tentacle. The dog’s clawed paw had ripped apart her flesh when it collided with the octopus-like ligament, as if a knife passing through butter. Red blood spewed out it her torn flesh, forcing her to fall back in a scream of agony.
Margery morphed back into her human form. Her left arm was gone and bleeding profusely, but as she stood in pain, she forced herself to regenerate the ligament. The strain caused her mind to focus hard on that particular part of her body, and before long, her left deltoid grew out the missing bicep, followed by the rest of her arm. It was an odd sight, as the absent carnage was renewed with the present tissue that had been shredded.
“Have you gone insane?” Margery yelled, completely naked and angry as she stared down the young girl.
Anise did not say a word. Her unmoving eyes remained as stale as her expression.
“Killing me now will not solve anything!” She screamed, but Margery’s statements went ignored as the giant dog and cat teamed up against her.
Midnight created more flames that scorched the grass she stood on, and unfortunately for Margery, Kerberos did the same. She managed to dodge the first storm of flames by slithering away in the form of a garden snake. The heat damaged her body, but she positioned herself under Kerberos. Swiftly, she wrapped herself on one of its legs and crawled up to its heads. The dog thrashed and moved about, and Midnight refrained from attacking, realizing where their target was.
Margery made her way into one of its ears, and without any moment’s hesitation, she buried herself deep within. The dog whimpered in pain when the middle head attempted to bite off the affected one. Anise watched in curiosity, unable to understand what exactly Margery was planning, until it happened.
Kerberos whined, loudly before a stream of blood poured out of one of its eyes, causing the head to fall limp on its side. The rest of the dog became groggy as it laid its body down. A lone porcupine crawled out of the gaping hole that was the eyeball and landed on the ground next to the passed out beast. In an instant, it morphed back to Margery who was drenched in blood. Her expression was deadly stern, unlike Anise, who had shock riddled eyes for the first time after a long while. The mahogany haired girl stood there helplessly, watching how Margery ended her beloved Kerberos.
Turning to the now two headed dog, Margery shifted into the giant eagle from before. In a rapid flight, she soared in the direction of the dog’s middle head. Her pointed beak would drill right through its eyes.
‘I will end this creature’s life so that it won’t cause anymore havoc.’
With ease, the razor-sharp bill pierced through the meat of what Margery believed to be the dog, but when she realized what she stabbed, her heart stopped. Anise had flown to aid her dog, which allowed Margery to run her shoulder right through.
The blood gushed out and flowed all over her beak, and Anise trembled in pain. She weakly tried to grab the bird’s mouth, but found it too painful to move her arms. Anise was never a girl with good stamina.
“Anise!” Margery shrieked in utter dread but her worry was short-lived.
Anise coughed in agony, causing Midnight to hiss in fury. The ghostly fireballs manifested once more and erupted on Margery’s feathered back. Her wings were singed to nothing, forcing one last strident cry to fill the night.
The feeling was odd at first; it made her mind numb and caused nothing but oblivion. Like falling into a never-ending abyss, where the darkness paralyzed her limbs. She knew better though, it was the force of the attack that rendered her immobile. A stream of glistening tears trailed behind her plummeting body as she morphed back to the woman that failed to kill the girl. But she was glad to be that woman. Otherwise, she would have never reached peace if she had taken Anise’s life. In a weak attempt before her conscious gave out, Margery tried to reach for Anise. The witch lost her steady flight and was now falling alongside her own wounded body.
‘I can…if I try hard enough…I can’t let you fall…’ During her last thoughts, the only thing that made sense to her was Anise’s safety. She could care less about her own wellbeing.
‘Anise…’ A large shadow was cast over her, destroying any shred of reaching Anise. The blackness seeped into her with ease, engulfing her body and purging it of her soul and before she knew it, Midnight’s giant paw stomped her to the ground.
‘Anise…please…be alright…’ As long as Anise was alive, she would find peace.
Slowly, the witch landed with a hard thud on the ground right after Midnight lifted her paw, revealing Margery’s beaten body.
Kerberos dissipated slowly, like the withering of a dandelion, in glowing pink lights. They vanished in specs of beautiful glittering dust that adorned the dark thick air. Midnight’s eyes cast themselves down on the two people that were on the ground and meowed softly. It cried out for its master, which made it return to its normal size. Another eerie cry, another horrid battle it had waged for her…
The Persian cat found its way to Anise, allowing its fur to caress her arm. It stirred her awake.
“Mid…night…” She petted her beloved animal as she sat herself up. The night sky remained still and not even the sound of crickets accompanied her. Everything seemed so normal—so together—almost as if nothing had occurred.
This was not much of a life; to the humans, she was only fourteen years of age, but in reality, she had seen so many seasons come and go. Sixty years of age…sixty long years of pain and misery. Days filled with horrible agony—no love and no sympathy. She knew not what compassion was—until Margery.
Not able to bear it any longer, her gaze fell on her—on Margery, her mother, her friend—the only person that had loved her. Anise crawled towards her body, and she sobbed. For the first time since she had met Margery, she sobbed hard. Not even Midnight could take away her pain—she would not let it. No, she would feel this; she owed it to Margery.
The cries rattled her body as she cradled Margery’s head on her lap and hugged her tight. She didn’t know if she could actually kill her, which is why she sent Midnight to attack. There was brief moment when she believed that Margery would win, and during that time, her mind screamed at her. It screamed to stop and to embrace her. All she wanted was to face Ezekias and free her, but she would not allow that old man to have the satisfaction of killing them both.
No, this was her plight to endure alone.
Midnight meowed and rubbed itself against her leg again, but it did nothing. Her cries shattered the night air and silenced everything around. No crickets, no wind—just the moon and her despair.
What had she done?
~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~******
“Paladin Wyatt, I found Lynn while scouting the extremities of the city. Fortuitously, she made it out alive.” Claire said the last part of her sentence with some hesitance.
Lynn’s eyes remained fierce, as she eyed her surroundings. The city had taken more damage than what she had anticipated.
‘There must have been countless causalities…’ She felt a pang in her heart for failing to avoid it, but she quickly put it aside when her stare fell back to Darius’s Patron that had been summoned.
“Made it out alive? Where were you, Lynn?” Wyatt asked, his lazy grey eyes showing a change in emotions.
Lynn did not react to his concern and because of this, he approached her. Wyatt grabbed her arm tenderly and inspected it.
“You’re hurt. What happened?” He spoke, exigently and similarly to an angered boyfriend. Lynn played with the idea of Wyatt seeking out her revenge on Ezekias, but once again, those thoughts were unacceptable.
During all this, Darius scoffed a couple times, before he interrupted completely. “Lynn’s a strong babe, Wyatt. I’m sure she can handle herself.” The comment made Wyatt forget about Lynn and turn to his comrade.
They stared each other down, making the air tense. Another scoff filled the short silence as Claire nudged Lynn to speak. “I honestly don’t know why they fight for you, but don’t just stand there.”
“Guys, I’m fine. Thanks for the concern, but don’t avoid the subject. What’s going on? Why is Freyja and Freyr here?” She asked reassessing the situation.
Saffron, who had been quiet, decided to speak. “Even low-level Templars such as yourselves can understand that there is no way around this situation.”
The comment made Claire glower at him, but he remained unaffected. However, contrary to Claire, Lynn felt her heart drop.
“You can’t!” She almost yelled, while closing the gap between her and Wyatt. She grabbed his arm and pleaded his her angry eyes. His bored and lazy pupils stared at the red head in contemplation.
“You can’t just purge the city so quickly!” She said.
Wyatt sighed and Darius chuckled. He made his way towards Lynn and pet her head, as he brought her body to his chest. The gesture separated her from Wyatt, unnerving him.
“Don’t worry, babe, we ain’t purging the city just yet. We’re makin’ a complete Reverso.” The words made her breakaway from his forced embrace. Tentatively, she moved back and eyed both men.
“That will cause you to be inactive for at least a week or so. You’re really ok with that?” Lynn couldn’t believe just how considerate the proposal sounded, which is why she questioned.
“Of course we are! The minute I heard about what had happened, I appealed to the Judges of the Covenant and took the option of purging the city off the table.” Wyatt said in a boasting type of manner; though, his demeanor quickly softened when he continued. “I did it because I knew this is your city, Lynn. I would never let anything happen to you or Mia.” Lynn watched how his grey eyes went from bored to intense; he wasn’t lying.
“Hey! I’m the one who’s gonna be inactive for the week! If anything, I should be gettin’ all the credit. You just used your pretty boy charm, not much of an accomplishment if ya ask me.” After hearing everything Wyatt had said, Darius felt indignant. It was true that they all could perform an ultimate Reverso, but his was the most efficient.
“That is true. You are a hero, Darius. Why don’t you perform the Reverso and Lynn and I will go get a bite to eat while you do that.” The comment infuriated Darius, making Saffron and Claire scoff.
“I’m going to continue patrolling the area just in case.” Saffron said.
“I will as well. You Paladins are nothing but horny idiots.” Claire spoke audaciously, causing Saffron to address her.
“You will do well to bite your tongue, lowlife.”
“Sorry cue-ball, but my mouth speaks only the truth.” And before long, she morphed into the hummingbird she accustomed in turning into and flew off.
“What a repulsive being.” Saffron muttered to himself, before vanishing off with the Rush ability.
Wyatt and Darius continued to argue with each other immaturely, leaving Lynn to handle both men. She was too exhausted, emotionally and physically, to deal with both Wyatt and Darius’s advances.
“Guys! Geez, can we please stop being stupid for at least a second and focus on the matter at hand? A lot of people died today…” The last part she said lowly, while unconsciously holding her own arms.
Both men stopped their arguing and looked at each other. They sighed in rendition, realizing that Lynn was right; now was not the time to be fighting over a girl.
“Right, I was just about ta be the bigger man,” Darius said, as he recomposed himself, making Wyatt snicker at the comment in disdain.
Paying no mind to his comrade, Darius returned his attention to the godly giants.
“Lord Freyr, Lady Freyja, lend me your powers and magnify my mana for this spell. I wish for its limit to be towards the horizon of the sun in the east, and it’s setting to the west.” Both giants looked in the direction that Darius had spoken, and it was obvious that because of their height, they could easily see the limits of the city. East, where Oaken-kami was located and west, where the Hillsides began.
“Your wish is our command,” both gods said in unison. It didn’t take long for another seal to appear, but this time, it was floating over Darius.
The seal was golden in color and when the giants dipped one of their fingers in its ethereal light, Darius was imbued with a similar looking aura.
“Reverso.” He spoke the words in the instant he felt the power wash over him and Lynn watched how an enormous wave of golden light emanated from his body. The light engulfed the city and Wyatt immediately went to her side and shielded her body with another incantation.
“Renuo.” Before she knew it, the golden flash blinded Lynn’s eyes and the last thing she saw was Wyatt’s body glowing white and repelling the light from touching her.
~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~******
The sun was starting to shine bright, and the birds were beginning the day with the morning melodies of their tune. It was as if nothing had happened—like everything could have been chalked up to a nightmare.
But it wasn’t the case.
Her eyes, through his, scanned the quiet playground from the branches of the tree. The beautiful rays of the sun superficially kissed the plants and flowers, making them glow with radiance. It was desolate, but inviting all the same, possibly because of all the memories the place held.
Nothing could ever make her feel uncomfortable there.
“Sam…?” Mia started, feeling more in control than before.
Sam remained silent, observing the streets from afar and noticing how the denizens of Oakhurst resurfaced from their homes—or what was left of them.
“Sam,” she tried again, more sure of herself this time.
“What?” He replied in a stern voice.
“Am I really an angel?” There was no way she would forget that word. So many times had she heard it from Sam, but never once did she realize that he was being literal.
Sam sighed, and jumped off the tree. Lightly, Mia’s feet touched the cushioned ground. He moved her body past the beautiful flowers, taking in their smell. There wasn’t much of him left to control Mia anymore, and he noticed when the little details, such as flowery fragrances, started to soothe him. Towards the streets he went, while absorbing the sight before him. The people were obviously confused and some searched for their ‘missing’ friends and family, but overall, they appeared very levelheaded. The golden light from before apparently sufficed.
“Answer me, Sam…or should I say Samhain?”
Sighing seemed to be the only best response. Nevertheless, upon hearing his true name, Samhain spoke, “Yes, you are an angel. How you do not know of your heritage, I cannot say.”
She assimilated his words, before continuing, “Why are you being so cooperative now?”
The words brought a smirk to Mia’s face. “Do you not remember? You asked me what I was. I simply showed you.”
The answer made her mind process everything that had happened before the scene. She remembered the question as clear as day. Never once did she imagine that it would have brought on so many more questions. However, those it did answer were a lot to digest.
‘Exsavior, Isa, Lynn and David…’ She learned so much and yet she still felt as if she knew so little.
“Why?” Mia could not word her inquiry correctly; there were just so many thoughts fighting to get out at once.
“Why? Why does a person answer a question indeed…? Are inquiries not meant to be answered, or do you simply regret knowing what you know now?” Sam answered her meek question with a barrage of his own.
“Of course not! It was inevitable to know…I’m just wondering why you would be so helpful after being—”
“After being such a demon…?” He finished for her, causing an awkward silence to befall them.
Mia did not speak, allowing him to continue, “Did you know that demons were once humans?” Still no response, but he could feel how uneasy she felt. It wasn’t fear nor was it hatred, rather more of a confliction. Why Mia was conflicted was beyond him.
“It is a the tales say. Humans that are evil die and go to the fiery pits of hell where they are tortured, scorched and remolded into a demon. It’s why we can materialize into a black smoke, the smoke being nothing but ash and sulfur.” He paused, as if debating the next thought. “Nothing but our burned soul…”
Sam cast Mia’s gaze down in his own dejection. He made her body return to the playground and sat her down on one of the sings they both knew all too well.
“You must have deserved it. Those who go to hell are sent there because of how evil they were on earth,” Mia said, acerbically but with a hint of shame. There was something that nagged her about Sam. Why was he being so emotional and calm?
He laughed at her comment, not the horrid laugh she was used to, but a normal laugh—a human laugh.
“That is true, but there is another way to become a demon. It’s more common than you think, and it’s how I turned into one.” Mia remained silent as she heard his words in curiosity.
“I had died a long time ago, during the Civil War. My soul couldn’t pass on—all because of her…” He smiled, a genuine one that adorned his emotion riddled eyes as he began to tell his tragic tale.
~~~Flashback~~~
“Come Sammy boy. Dontcha worry now, all will be ok.”
His dark brown eyes, burning red from the crying, stared up at her dark-skinned face and her soft black eyes.
She was beautiful; she was his savior, the only person left in his world.
Slowly, he sniffled and crawled towards her hand she had stretched out into the blackness that was his hiding spot. Auntie Jeanie was her name, or that’s what he called her back when she served her parents—back when they were still alive.
She was their slave, but was treated nothing like any other. Jeanie was given proper care, an education and a nice bed to sleep in. Never once was she abused or mistreated like the common slaves.
As Sam crawled out of the hole within the tree trunk, Jeanie was instantly approached by another black woman. She was frail and skinny with an intense worried expression that resembled a nervous animal.
“Mama Jeanie, we best get goin’ now. Them whites are coming fast, what with their ridin’ skills and their horses. There’s no tellin’ if we’d make it to the railroad now.” Jeanie simply scooped up Sam in her arms and pressed him against her old worn out dress.
Sam latched onto her as if his life depended on it.
“Don’t fret now Betsy, I was just gatherin’ up this young one.” She smiled the same beautiful crooked smile that always adorned her face, even when things looked bad between Sam’s parents.
Besty appeared to waver. “We can’t take him, Mama. Ms. Tubman might even drop ya if ya tried.”
Jeanie’s smile remained the same, and Sam’s pale frightened face darted from woman to woman.
Moving past Betsy, Jeanie spoke to her, “There ain’t no way I’ll leave a child behind, especially one that lost his papa and mama for our cause.”
“He’s a white, leave em be. There’s plenty of hope for him still.” She tried, but Jeanie nodded her head in refute.
Something apparently caught Betsy’s attention, as she turned to look over her shoulder. It was the sound of hooves coming their way, an obvious sign of the approaching Confederate soldiers.
“Then you best be on ya toes now. God be with you, Mama Jeanie.” With that said, Betsy held her long dress by the edges of her fingers, and ran.
“Auntie Jeanie, will Betsy be ok?” Sam asked innocently.
“Of course, child.” She knew that it was not Betsy to be worrying over.
Without much thought, Jeanie put down Sam and ran with him. She couldn’t go as fast as she needed while holding his hand, but she tried her best. Sam felt his heart race, and all he wanted to do was ask Jeanie what was going on. Nevertheless, he refrained from doing so; he did not want to burden her any more than he already had.
“Whoa, girl.” A horse neighed from behind them.
When they reached a fork in the dirt road, a manly voice called out from behind, urging his horse to calm down. Jeanie knew they were going the right way, and it was only a matter of choosing the right path to reach the safe house.
But fate had different plans.
“Negro, let the child be now.” The mounted white man smiled devilishly as he got off his horse. He was armed and the uniform was clear that he belonged to the Confederation.
Mama Jeanie instinctively held Sam closer, as she stared at the man.
“Don’t worry kid. We’ll send Ms. ‘Black’ further south; she’ll never see any means of escape where she’s going.”
Sam was paralyzed; the sight of the gun reminded him of everything. He saw it flash before his eyes again. The same scene, those mounted soldiers that killed his parents for helping the blacks escape.
Feeling the warmth of Mama Jeanie leave him, Sam could not help but tremble in fear. Mama Jeanie approached the white man valiantly.
“Tell me something, Mr. white man; if ya take that gun and shoot me down, what would my blood look like?” The soldier almost laughed at her question.
“Please, slaves are so stupid, red, of course!” Feeling content with his answer, Mama Jeanie moved closer to him and held out her wrists to be taken away.
“Then that would mean we have the same color blood Mr. white man. Do whatcha will with me but please take care of the young one.” Her eyes were fierce whereas the white man’s were a reflection of his anger.
His discontent made him raise his revolver. “You think you’re smarter than me, Negro trash?”
Mama Jeanie did nothing as she stood there, unafraid of the man. Her posture was still the same as she waited to be taken off and away from Sam. The slow click of the gun being cocked filled her ears, and instinctively she closed her eyes and prayed to her Lord.
The shot was fired but she felt nothing. In fright, her eyes opened and stared at the child lying unconscious in his bloody mess. Sam had tried to wrestle the gun out the man, resulting in his death.
~~~End of Flashback~~~
“I died that day and left Jeanie to bear the pain.” During his tale, Mia had become silent. Her emotions were killing her and she sympathized with Sam.
“Why tell me this?” She questioned.
“The demon that I became is not me, Mia. Your angelic body has suppressed him and after so long, I’m finally able to speak to you as me just like that day we met.” The traces of his hesitation were finally lifted, and Sam expressed everything he had wanted to for so long.
“You weren’t a demon when we met…,” she said, more to herself.
“No, I was not. I became one after I remained here to watch over Jeanie. She went on to become a slave again, but was eventually freed after the end of the Civil war.” He paused before continuing, “All I ever wanted was to take care of her. My greed for that got the better of me. It turned me into a demon of avarice. Spirits that remain here for a certain amount of time lose the privilege to pass onto heaven.”
When there was no answer from her, Sam pushed the swing harder and resumed his explanation, “Eventually, Mama Jeanie died and I was left alone. The greed in me that wanted to stay with her, that wanted so much her wellbeing, caught the attention of demons. They approached me and offered to change me into them.”
“And you accepted? Why Sam? Mama Jeanie would have never wanted that for you,” Mia said softly.
“I didn’t accept right away. I ran from them until I met you, right here in this park.”
The silence that formed once again let him know that she felt bad for what happened that day.
“You purging me was the best thing that had happened to me, Mia. It gave me a chance to reach heaven, but…,” he trailed off.
“What happened? I thought I had hurt you,” she said solemnly.
Sam shook his head, smiling faintly. “You almost saved me. The demons blocked my path and told me that heaven was not open to me. I was stuck. That’s when they said that if I possessed you, I would age and become strong enough to reach heaven.”
The wind caressed his face and shook Mia’s hair, as the voices of the people that were now on the streets became a soothing noise that filled in the background. It eased the discomforting silence that would form between them every now and then.
“I accepted, Mia. I was so foolish, but I had truly believed that I would be able to access your power without hurting you. The problem was that I didn’t know how to, so I remained by your side, selfishly hurting you without any control of it.”
A lone tear escaped his eye and it surprised him. Hesitantly, his fingers that were no longer clawed touched Mia’s cheek as he realized that it was she who was crying. It made him smile. She was strong enough to cry on her own again. The demon had ultimately failed at controlling her.
“You were just a child. You didn’t know any better,” she tried, but Sam was not convinced.
Before anything else was said, someone broke their moment of reflection.
“Mia, finally, I’m getting that demon out you now!”
The swing came to a full stop, and before Sam could digest the words, he was instantly attacked.
Author's Note:
Dedicated to Moon_Gazer for bumping me up to 200 votes!
Oh boy, long chapter. This one was really emotional for me to write; I felt myself immersed with Sam and Anise to a point where I almost lost it! In any case, hope you guys enjoyed it and I hope the feelings were understood. Lastly, if you guys feel this could be shorter, let me know!
Read, Rate, Review! Sirius-