He laughed. I loved that sound, a slow rumbling deep in his chest. He flashed me a wide smile that crinkled the skin around his eyes like only a real smile can. And for a moment, time stood still and we weren’t in chemistry class. We weren’t fighting demi-demons or demons. We were just two people together. Normal. In love.
The teacher started class. We had a lab to work on. Since I didn’t do the homework assignment because I was home—falling down stairs, apparently—I relied on Chay’s notes. He bent his head close to mine, showing me the lab in the textbook… I breathed him in. He pointed out something in his notes… I stole glances as his profile. He explained the assignment… I watched his lips move and remembered how they felt against mine. When class was over, I had no idea what we did or even if I helped.
School lasted forever. When the last bell rang, I just wanted to get into the car with Chay and go home. My head pounded and my face throbbed. I wanted to crawl into a nice, warm bath and soak my aches and pains away.
“See ya in the gym.” Muriel walked past me in the hallway with a wave.
Ugh, swim practice. I’d forgotten it was Thursday. I wanted to duck out, but I’d missed so many practices that I was going to get kicked off the team if I missed any more.
“I get to see you in that sexy swim hat.” Chay waggled his eyebrows.
I groaned. Not only did I have to go to swim practice, the horrendous swimming cap would pull all my hair from my face and every ugly mark and bruise would show. At least with my hair down, it hid some of it. And I had a pimple on the side of my nose. It was like the cherry on top of everything else.
Can this day get any worse? I probably shouldn’t ask that. The answer is most definitely ‘yes.’
I dragged myself into the locker room and changed into my swimsuit. Picking up my swim cap, I sighed and bounced it in my hand a few times. Scrunching my nose at the ugly thing, I jammed it under the edge of the leg opening of my suit so it hung down my thigh, and left the locker room.
On my way to the pool, my coach walked by me. “Where’s your cap, Jackson?” Her voice echoed off the sickly green, ceramic-tiled walls, making my head pound even more.
“It’s so tight. It hurts to wear it. I was hoping I’d get some brownie points for looking like Frankenstein’s kid, but no go, huh?”
“If you’re swimming, you’re wearing the cap.”
“Fine,” I muttered. I looked around. Chay sat on the bleachers overlooking the pool.
Maybe I won’t look so bad from way up there.
I bent over, my hair hanging over my head. I grabbed it, twisted it into a knot, and shoved it all in the white swim cap before diving into the pool.
The water was cool and felt good against my bruised face. It muffled the sounds of the voices echoing in the pool area, making my head feel just the teensiest bit better. I stayed under water as long as I could, letting the air bubbles swirl around me. It wasn’t until I felt a poke in the ribs and saw Muriel jerk her thumb upwards that I surfaced.
She sighed. “We’re doing laps.”
Hefting my body out of the water, I walked to my lane. I waited for the buzzer and dove into the water, pushing myself to swim as hard and fast as I could. The physical exertion felt good. By the time swim practice was over, the endorphins had kicked in and I was in a much better mood.
***
I was right behind Muriel. We were walking out of the girls’ locker room after we’d showered and changed, and she was gossiping about something someone said during practice. I wasn’t really listening. I stopped for just a second to adjust my things when he stepped out in front of me, separating me from Muriel, who walked into the hall, still talking.
I sucked in a breath. “Move, Edward,” I said as forcefully as I could, trying to keep my voice firm. He wasn’t a demi-angel who’d switched sides. No, he had an evil aura around him that only a demi-demon could. I really wanted to scream out to Muriel, but something held me back. I still wasn’t completely convinced I could trust her.
Didn’t she see him when she walked by? She would’ve had to… right?
“I know this isn’t how you want to live, Milayna. I know you don’t like your powers, that you don’t like being a demi-angel.” He stepped closer to me.
“You don’t know anything about me.” I moved to the side and tried to brush past him. He pushed me back.
“Oh, I think I do. Things can be different. You just have to renounce what you are. Go to Azazel and join his legion. Things would be so different for you. You wouldn’t be plagued by those awful visions anymore.” A smile spread across Edward’s face. “Azazel will treat you like a princess. Fame, wealth, jewels. You’ll have anything you want and more.”
“Thanks, but no.”
“You’re just making it harder on yourself and those you love.”
I stilled. Harder on those I love? Mom and Dad. Oh! Benjamin. He’s so young. It’s not fair for them to touch him. Not one damn hair on his head. Wait…
“Ah, I see you’re thinking of the benefits of a life with us,” he murmured.