Chapter 2 – Friend or Foe
Falling. She was falling headfirst through a veil of light that seemed to stretch forever –a light that sheathed her form and threatened to devour her completely into an infinite vacuum. She had encountered this light before. It had been tame then, not the chaotic animal it was now.
Her screams could not compete with the deafening light. Like thunder, they pounded her ears with celestial decibels.
And then there was fire –invisible flames that burned like those in the pits of hell, engulfing her body, reaching into her sanity and tearing her mind into ambiguous fragments. She was burning, both on the inside and out. Not a single layer neglected by the torturous sensation that drove away her consciousness. Like fingers, they grabbed at her, licking, scratching, and eating away her essence.
Eventually she felt 'it'. Starting off small, the grip grew until it felt as if her body was being pulled from every possible direction. Something swelled up from within her chest, pushing outward against her bodily cage as if craving for release. The swelling expanded, forcing her body to arch fiercely as what resembled sparks emanated from her body.
In a sudden burst of blinding light, she was destroyed. There was no pain afterward, just a single crash that ushered in dark skies.
She felt empty. A hollow container.
Leah woke with a start. Her eyelids fluttered briefly before her vision cleared. The dream was not unfamiliar for it frequently revisited her at night with the same details; however, this time the senses were more vivid, the images more focused. She often wondered what the dream symbolized, if it symbolized anything at all. Nick once told her that dreams may present a subconscious emotion altered by the memory, but whether this was true in her case was not clear. For now, the only connection she could make with the dream was her accident two years ago when she got hit by a truck. She had suffered extensive brain injury and lost most of her memories. Even then, the sensation of falling did not seem to fit the picture…
With a soft groan Leah pushed herself up out of bed, but not before a rush of nausea hit her which prompted her to lie back down again. She then noticed the splitting headache she had, not to mention the soreness in her lower torso. What was wrong with her today?
"Ughhhhh!" she cried out, unaware that she wasn't alone.
"Good morning miss," a deep voice spoke, "I see you are finally awake."
"What the..?" The voice startled the girl out of bed immediately. In the process, her hands grabbed for the closest thing she could find to use as a weapon, in this case a rather harmless glasses case. Not realizing how ridiculous she looked wielding a glasses case, she planted herself in a defensive stance, ready to attack at any moment.
"Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my apartment?" Her eyes locked onto the stranger, who stood calmly at the foot of her bed. He looked somewhat familiar, however she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before.
The man watched her with an amused expression. "Now now, do you honestly think that's a reliable weapon?"
Somehow, the current rush of adrenalin had washed over her previous discomfort, and she managed to stature herself stably given her current condition.
"Don't turn the questions around!" shrieked Leah, still clutching the case. "Answer me, or I swear I'll scream. How did you get in here?"
His grin widened, almost to a sadistic fashion. "How do you intend to scream when you can't make a sound?"
In the blink of an eye, the man disappeared behind her and seized her frame against his in a suffocating grip. A cold hand clapped over her mouth, forcing her jaw closed this time so she could not bite him. Her screams came out as feeble muffles against his hand. Picking her up in this same position, he strode over to her dresser mirror so that they could look at each other from the reflective surface.
"Alright, now that you can't scream, let me say a few things."
Amber eyes met her blue ones, searching for acknowledgement. After he felt her body sigh in resignation, he continued.
"First off, I will be a gentleman and answer your questions. I am in your home because you were in no shape to return by yourself, and I was kind enough to bring you back safely. Oh, and I used your key to come in. That is the standard mode of entry through a locked door, is it not?"
He watched her expression go from confusion to annoyance while he spoke.
"And secondly, don't you recognize me from last night?" he smirked.
The glasses case she still clutched dropped to the floor with a clunk…
Leah's eyes widened as she stared into the mirror at him. She saw his eyes –red, almost radiant, and immediately identified him as the man who 'rescued' her from the other two assailants. The recognition was soon followed by the rest of the previous night's memories, which her mind had thus far chosen to suppress –the shadowy figure, the stabbing, the blood-drinking… The events all returned to her in an overwhelming wave of shock, and all she could do now was to continue staring horror-stricken at their reflections. Realizing her distressed state, the man released his grip on her but continued to stand close.
"You should be dead right now," he noted.
"I should be dead…"
"But you aren't."
"Why not?" Her voice was still meek, a symptom of her shock.
"Because you drank my blood," he explained. "It was able to heal you in time."
His explanation was followed by a brief silence.
"Are you a… a- vampire?" She didn't realize just how stupid her question sounded until she asked it.
The man's lips twitched as he stifled a laugh.
"No, I'm actually a demon."
"I beg your pardon?" she hardly expected such an answer.
"A demon. A servant of Hell. Spawn of Satan. Call it what you will."
"Right." Leah still believed the man was not completely right in the head, but decided to keep such comments to herself. For one, he did somehow miraculously heal her fatal wounds in one night, by blood or other means. And as much as she hated to accept, she was presently in his debt.
"Alright, let's say you truly are a… demon," she hesitated to repeat the word, "why on earth would you help me?"
"The better question is, why were those men trying to kill you?" he looked down at Leah, who turned around to return his gaze.
Leah opened her mouth to say something but reclosed them upon realizing she had no answer to that last question. An uncomfortable silence unfolded between the two, leaving her feeling slightly vulnerable under his steady gaze. She felt like a rare lab specimen being studied.
Eventually the silence broke.
"Go clean yourself up. We will talk afterward."
"Excuse me?" The young woman practically glared daggers at him. She wondered who he thought he was, ordering her around like a child like this.
Without softening his tone, he stated bluntly, "You need a shower." Eyes sweeping down her body, he added, "And a change of clothes."
For the first time since getting up, Leah realized that she was still wearing the clothes from last night. She glanced down and saw an absolute wreck. Her shirt and the top of her pants were splattered with dried blood, and there was a large open tear in the material over her stomach where she was stabbed from behind.
While her face reddened in embarrassment at her atrocious appearance, the demon had crept toward the door.
"In the meantime, I'll prepare some tea," he said, his voice disappearing along with him as he exited her bedroom toward the rest of her living quarter.
After he left, Leah hurriedly grabbed a change of clothes from her drawers and raced into the adjacent bathroom, locking the door behind her. In an instant, her bloodied clothes were shed into a ragged pile by the corner. The reflection that greeted her in the mirror was truly frightening: her hair was tousled and wild, barely being restrained by the hair band; a noticeable bruise marked her cheek where she had been punched; and her abdomen was splashed with bloody crusts. She resembled something out of a horror movie.
"My God…" she whispered, staring at herself, both shocked and sickened. She still could not believe all the events that had unfolded in the past twelve hours. It was an experience that the average girl would never have thought of; yet there she was, mentally and physically traumatized. The man was right, she definitely needed a nice long shower.
She slowly climbed into the tub and turned on the faucet. The moment the hot water hit her naked skin, she felt the tension in her body begin to diminish. She hadn't even realized just how tense she was up to this point.
For a good twenty minutes, she stood under the water scrubbing the remaining blood off her body, then shampooing and conditioning her hair. After finally being satisfied with her cleanliness, she stepped out and re-examined herself in the mirror. Her appearance had improved a vast amount. Most importantly, there was no more blood. Secondly, she noticed that below the dirt and grime, the wound across her cheek and stomach were actually less evident than initially perceived.
Sighing contently, Leah dried herself quickly and put on the t-shirt and jeans. She picked up last night's clothes and proceeded back to her bedroom where she threw them into a large bag along with her bloody sheets and tied it up, intending to dispose of it later.
A sweet aroma from outside reminded Leah that she still had a guest in her home. Suddenly, she felt odd confronting him again. She had a feeling that he knew more about what was going on, and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to relay this information to her.
Taking a deep breath, she strode timidly into the living room where a bizarre sight greeted her. The man, whose back was facing her, was wearing her pink piggy-patterned apron and pouring syrup over a generous stack of pancakes at the dining table. She didn't realize she had been staring until he turned around and addressed her presence.
"You look a lot better," he appraised, then gestured toward the food. "I thought you could use some nourishment after what happened last night."
"Oh," she acknowledged, "thank you for your consideration."
Leah walked awkwardly to the seat and sat down. She watched as the man removed the apron and sat opposite to her, waiting expectantly for something. Leah shifted nervously in her seat, peering up at him. Apart from his red eyes, nothing else about him was too far-fetched. He had straight black hair that was styled in a short trendy cut, and his skin was pale and unblemished. She had to admit, he was attractive, not in the handsome boyish manner, but rather in the dark predatorial sense.
The silence ensued until she was suddenly aware that she still did not know his name.
"I'm sorry. I don't think we have been properly introduced yet. I'm Leah."
"Pleased to meet you, Leah. My name is Sebastian Michaelis."
He offered a hand out over the table which Leah politely shook. She noticed that his nails were black, and there was an intricate circular design on the back of the hand that looked like a pentagram.
'Maybe he's part of a cult or something,' she thought.
He must have noticed her looking at the design for he grinned slightly, but did not pursue the subject. After all, his contractual work was not important right now. She was the primary focus.
"Well Sebastian," she said, "I'd like to thank you for saving me last night, however you did it. I know I was a bit… resistant earlier, but I really am grateful for your help."
The smile that met her was chilling. Regardless of whether he was trying to be congenial or not, it still made him look really creepy.
"It really was no problem," he responded. "It was in my best interest anyway since I needed you alive."
"What do you mean?"
"I hold a certain… interest in you."
Leah's heartbeat began to quicken. This man, no, this demon, who she has never seen in her life finds her interesting? She silently prayed that he wasn't one of those estranged serial killers who befriended their victims before torturing them later.
"Please don't get any wrong ideas," added Sebastian quickly. "I will explain more while you eat."
Noticing that he had not prepared any for himself, she asked, "Aren't you going to eat too?"
"No, I'm fine," he responded without elaboration.
"Alright then." Leah turned her attention to the waffles in front of her. A small cup of aromatic tea accompanied them, which she sniffed cautiously. After his statement about finding her interesting, she wouldn't be surprised if he slipped something in her drink.
He seemed to notice her hesitation and offered a teasing grin. "Don't worry, I didn't tamper with the food. If I wanted you unconscious, I would have easily managed that already."
"That's not very comforting to hear either," she said muttered, taking a few sips of the hot beverage before starting on the waffles.
"Hmm?"
Leah swallowed before explaining, "I guess…" she bit her lip lightly, trying to find the words, "I suppose what I mean is that I'm just kind of intimidated by you right now."
"Oh? Is that so?" Sebastian grinned amusedly. "Do continue."
"Don't play dumb with me."
"Whatever do you mean?"
Leah rubbed her temples. Talking to this guy was like discussing the meaning of life with a philosopher. You never got any tangible answers, just more vague questions that sent you in circles again.
"How do I put it?..." she began, now full on glaring him. "I'm what you would call a small town girl. Haven't seen much of the world; enclosed in my comfort zone all the time…" Her voice level began to rise. "…And then you and those thugs come along. I almost die. Then you perform some sick, twisted mojo to revive me. Inform me you're a demon. And now you tell me you can knock me out easily…" She was practically yelling at him now. "…So YES, I think I'm allowed to be traumatized and slightly intimidated by you right now!"
She hadn't planned on ranting like that, but somehow once the words started, they just couldn't stop. Sebastian, on the other hand, seemed to finally take her emotions seriously.
"You're right," he admitted quietly, "It is perfectly appropriate for you to be shocked right now; you are handling the situation better than I thought you would actually. But still, I apologize for not being more sensitive to your concerns."
He watched her stab another waffle chunk into her mouth before continuing, "I suppose I was merely curious as to how I intimidated you. If we are to work together on investigating this attack, I want to know that you will feel comfortable around me."
"I see…" Leah nodded slowly, trying to determine whether he had some ulterior motive. "And what makes you want to investigate this? I'm alive, and the culprits have escaped, and I doubt they would come back for a second attack after I report them to the cops."
"Actually, those two men are dead," he pointed out bluntly. Noticing her stunned look, he explained matter-of-factly, "I killed them before I came to you. And don't worry, I disposed of their bodies properly."
Leah blanched. This man seated across from her was a self-admitted murderer. A chill ran down her spine as she suddenly began to truly fear for her safety.
"To be honest, I should be the least of your worries right now." He continued, unaffected by her reaction. "I'm afraid these attacks are not the last we'll see."
"You mean," she gulped, "they'll come after me again?"
"Yes, and with greater intent I imagine, now that they know I'm here."
Noticing that she grew increasingly quiet while he was talking, Sebastian tried to dispel her momentary unease.
"We have time to discuss this later. In the meantime, do eat," he slipped in a teasing smile, "I would prefer you not to faint on me again."
"Right…" Leah eventually managed to detach her thoughts from the depressing news and continued with the waffles.
Sebastian stared at her while she ate, examining her features. Her long hair, though still wet, was clearly extremely blonde, almost glowing. Her skin too was pale, free of freckles, and seemed to radiate an eerie luminescence. What drew him in the most, however, were her eyes. Hidden under long lashes, her irises were enchantingly blue. Gazing into them, he felt as if his very conscience was beckoned by some unknown force. It was a supernatural sensation, and yet he could not detect a trace of mystical essence in her soul.
Overall, her frame and features projected the image of a fragile young woman –ordinary and unremarkable. This only perplexed him further as to why she had been victimized. What made her so special?
A/N:
Hi all, hope you're enjoying the story so far. For those who are still confused about the setting, it is set in modern day (year 2012), over a century after Ciel becomes a demon. And don't worry, Ciel lovers, many of the original -immortal- characters will be appearing as the story unfolds.
As for Leah, I planned out a pretty intense history for her, which will be revealed bit by bit.
Anyway, question for the readers: What was your favourite mental image of this chapter? (Personally, I enjoyed Sebastian in the pink piggy apron xD)
