Dumaine
"Do you have friends back home?" Emmeline asks. She's sitting much closer to me than I think she realizes. Our thighs are touching.
I'm still working on not breaking out in another fit of laughter over Emmeline's choice in music. I keep picturing her in big gold chains with gold teeth and a backward hat. Definitely not what I should be doing.
"Not really. There are people I know and people I was regularly in the same area as, but I don't have any friends. It's my dad who makes friends with everyone he meets... why?"
"Because you're my friend," she answers simply.
"Then tell me why Hans frightens you." I reason back.
"Because I'm frightened of my grandfather and the possibility that Hans could be just like him. Persistently stubborn, unwaveringly close-minded, unnecessarily powerful, overly defensive, unbelievably ignorant, and viciously racist. All old men discomfort me." She shrinks as she speaks, while somehow shifting closer to me... like she's hiding from the rest of the room.
"Emmeline, why are you so afraid? You have power over Demons! You have just as much power as Amistifer! But for some reason you are literally hiding behind me. When you got angry with those Demons that attacked me, you made them flee didn't you? Why don't you do things like that all the time? An old man should be nothing."
Her eyes widen. She sits up slowly, slower than I've ever seen her move before. "Flee...? I made them flee?" She's jumping up, her feet hitting the floor, her hands on her head. "Because you said I wasn't speaking English! You said it nearly killed you! Oh my, this is making so much more sense now! But wait!" She ducks down in front of me, placing my hat on my head. When'd she take it? "Humans are much harder to control than Demons. Only a few pride themselves on the amount of respect that corresponds with their name enough to make saying it aloud while speaking to them of disrespect harmful. Humans are able to ignore words. Humans are the ones to fear. Humans humans humans." She melts downward, but instead of sitting on the ground, she has decided to sit on my lap. On my lap. Why?
"You can't see the Demons, but they dance inches away from the humans, never touching them. They seem afraid. Why are they afraid now? They were not afraid in New Orleans. They were always unabashed when killing my friends. Never a fear of humans until now... why?" she whispers, lounging comfortably on my legs, her side facing me, and while she seems to weigh less than ninety pounds, it is most certainly not comfortable for me.
"Did humans have some part in killing all those Demons in the train station? Maybe it scared the others." I say, ignoring the slight pulse of energy I can feel coming from her.
"That was Illyvimsius. They were hanging from the ceiling with fishing wire. That's her style. So what's changed? What could frighten a De—"
"Amistifer. You said he was trying to slow us down. What's he doing that he needs us to stay away from?" I try.
"If he's striking fear into the Demons, why keep us distracted? I can't find the sense in that." She shrugs.
"I don't know. I barely know the reason for anything in my life. I was hoping you'd suddenly put it together." I admit. She turns and begins staring at me. Like, really staring at me. Not cool. I thought I was over this. Her doll lips and long black hair. Her excited facial expressions and animated way of talking. Her unwillingness to give up. How do I stop finding her attractive?
"Why are you sitting on me?" I hear myself ask. She tilts her head.
"Because I want to and the laws of physics are letting me."
"Oh." I can't think of anything to say to that.
We remain like this until the room falls silent and every dancer freezes. Each student sits where they have stopped and looks toward Hans, standing in the middle of his now slightly spooky audience. He begins to clap, and slowly, everyone in the room starts to applaud. Even I'm clapping.
"Very good job, all of you!" He is able to speak above the roaring cheers. "Class dismissed." He bows to his students. They rise and make their way to their belongings, scattered about the edges of the room.
"Looks like he's finished, let's go talk to him." I prepare to stand.
"Class is finished, but he most certainly isn't. He's still talking to some of them." She nods in his direction. He's bent down, speaking to one of the children.
"What about all the Demons? Where'd they go? Are they still here?"
"Yes, they're still here. They are actually sitting all around us, watching me, waiting for me to say something I think. Hello." She waves at a tight circle of invisible beings close enough for me to touch. Maybe she's sitting on me because there is nowhere else to sit. Not cool.
Hans
"Oh now my dear, why is your face saddened? Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened!" I tell the younger students as they leave with their parents, their faces glum until they hear my words.
"Teeth are always in style." I slyly whisper to the teenagers before they walk home, and as they turn to each other, one by one, they begin to grin.
"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." I quote for the adults, watching them hold themselves higher as they strut out the door, their thankful smiles free and joyful.
I find those that I know had an especially uplifting time and personally compliment them on how radiantly they were shining today. I call them "my dear" and "my sweet" because I have no idea what any of their names are. I know exactly who they all are, as if each one were my best friend, but I don't know a single student's name. They don't know, though.
Once everyone but Cecilia, Mr. O'neil and the two non-dancers are gone, I lay down, right in the middle of the floor, directly beneath the new chandelier. My, is it beautiful. Silver sparkling lights glittering everywhere. Absolutely grand.
"Sir? Are you alright?" The wide-eyed boy is asking, blocking my view of the chandelier.
"What're you looking at? What do you see?" The girl pulls him away so I may view the chandelier again.
"The most illuminating, bedazzelating, and fascinating chandelier anyone has ever seen," I answer.
"You were right," the boy admits to the girl. She obstructs my view completely.
"Will you please stand and talk to us." She does not smile. So I do. I sit up and invite them to join me upon the floor. The boy does. The girl spins in place, looking about the room.
"What's your name, my dear?" I ask the boy. His eyebrows twitch before he answers.
"Dumaine." He speaks the word but I know that it's only one truth. I'll ask him again when no other's are around.
"And yours, my sweet?" I look to the other. She becomes as frozen as a popsicle but her face reddens like fire. It takes her a moment, but she speaks. "Emmeline Jefferson."
"Hey." Dumaine reaches for her hand and gently pulls her down beside him. He whispers something that I don't try to hear. She nods, relaxing with us. I still want to ask Cecilia for some cantaloupe.
"We think you may be able to help us," Dumaine starts. "What we're trying to do may seem ridiculous and impossible, but I'm pretty sure with your help we could get much further."
"You can see things others don't, correct? Like the chandelier. Dumaine can't see it at all, and I see something else. A Demon. An eight-legged, dark maroon Demon, the size of a gorilla. And when you look around us right now, what do you see?" Emmeline doesn't look away from me as she gestures about the room. My eyes wander over the little ducklings sitting quietly around us, patiently watching nothing in particular. Some aren't even facing us.
"Fluffy little ducklings. Hello, duckies!" I wave to those who are looking.
"These aren't ducks you're waving to. These are bipedal Demons. Some look human, a few are penguin like, a couple are a bit like monkeys. They all look different but they all walk on two legs. I've noticed bipedal Demons tend to follow or imitate humans in their spare time. Every one of these Demons were taking part in your dance class and you didn't even notice. There are four other Demons in this room too. There are Demons all over the Earth, and no one knows it."
"That sounds beautiful! I would like to teach them all to dance! I—"
"I'm not finished yet." She interrupts my interruption. "They're not as similar to humans as you think. Respect is of the utmost importance to them. They all follow what I believe is their creator, the Reaper-Mother. Next in line are a select few Demons—"
"And Emmeline," Dumaine adds.
"Yes, and myself. But I... the Demons are able to forcibly possess me. They can be in complete control of my body for years at a time—"
"Except for when she's asleep but then they possess her the exact moment she wakes up so she can't really remember that bit," he adds again.
"I've shut my eyes to blink and opened them again to find years had passed. And Demons like to travel. I'll suddenly find myself in another state, wearing different clothes, doing something I've never done before. I need to figure out how to make them unable to possess me unless I agree to it. They've already taken eight years of my life."
"Golly gee! That was excellently honest! I thank you for sharing that with me. But there's just one problem with what you said, my sweet. How do you know they're Demons?" I wonder aloud. I really am impressed by this girl's honesty.
"Because they are. They're Demons who kill others and possess me." I can see her eyes watering. I think she may be afraid of something. I don't want that, I like her.
"But my darling, have they ever used that word before? Has a single one ever called themself a Demon? Ever even uttered the word 'Demon'?" I speak as politely as possible and I see Dumaine appreciates my effort.
Emmeline stares at her own shadow. Nothing she's said has surprised me besides her calling them Demons. It takes a true lie to surprise me. Dumaine watches Emmeline eye her shadow. And I watch Cecilia walking toward us.
"You wouldn't happen to have any cantaloupe would you?"
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