Waking up brought with it anguish. My head ached as if it had been hit with a bat or a sledgehammer. My bones ached and my eyes were unresponsive. Her eyelids were so heavy that Clio had to make an effort just to look at her surroundings.
The girl didn't realise how she had found herself in her dorm room. The walls were the same beige, covered in posters. Except that something was not right.
Fully reconnecting with reality, Clio remembered what had happened to her. Demon. The witch noticed that everything around her was slightly blurry, as if it wasn't real. Clio tried to sit up, but suddenly realized that her hands were cuffed.
- Sweetheart, are you awake? How did you sleep, sweetheart? - The sarcasm oozed through every word the demon said. - It's time we got to know each other better, sister.
The demon stood at the very exit of the room. She was still an exact replica of Clio, except her appearance was different. The outfit was provocative, Clio had never allowed herself to wear such a thing.
- Oh, you like it? Your dorky style doesn't suit me at all. It's too simple. But for a gray mouse. - The demon looked around and straightened out the nonexistent creases in her leather miniskirt. - My name is Fass.
Clio tried to use force, to throw the demon back against the wall, but the witch failed. The demoness didn't even move.
- Is our little witch not doing well? - Fas walked over to Clio and patted her on the cheek, then kicked the girl in the stomach, causing her to catch her breath. Clio began to cough and gasp in pain.
When the young witch caught her breath, she noticed that she was already in a completely different place. And it was very familiar to her. The basement of the house that as a little girl Clio had been afraid to enter because she had once seen a ghost. The encounter with it lingered in Blackwood's memory, especially the long blue fingers that reached for the seven-year-old's throat.
- I thought your room was too nice for a cage. It's more cosy in the cellar, don't you think? - Fuss slapped Clio again, but now in the face. - You know, your face is too pretty. Just like your mother's. It's a pity she died early.
Clio felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder and clenched her teeth. A groan escaped her lips and tears streamed down her cheeks.
- How do you like my present? I can see how you feel. I don't need your hands. Witches use them to conjure. - Fas lifted Clio's chin and smiled devilishly. - Playing your sister is easy. I never had a sister. I thought your mother would be, but she was only interested in the deal. She was very ambitious and dreamed of powerful magic that would allow her to enter the Great Coven. In return, she promised the body of her unborn child to me. A demon. We haven't messed with your useless family in a long time, but when a foolish greedy witch offers a deal - why not accept, and even for a new young vessel that can sustain me.
- Why didn't you take over my body sooner?
- Granny Blackwood. Clever old woman. Locked me in the mirror after you were born. Except I'm a little stronger than a witch. Oh, yeah, you're trapped in your own mind now. Enjoy it, maybe some unwanted guests will drop by. Bye, bye!
The last thing Clio saw were long blue fingers reaching out to her from the darkness.
Kevin Monroe tightened the ropes tighter as the demon started pulling harder.
- Think you can hold me down, Grandpa? - the demon lifted the tips of her lips and looked at the old man defiantly. The demon was making it clear with her appearance that she was in charge here!
- Don't call me that, you wretch!
- How rude! Where are your manners?
Archie, with shadows under his eyes, held the coffee he'd never touched. He did not like the tart beverage. Mitchell eyed the new arrivals suspiciously. An odd trio. And there was something mysterious about them. Caroline Blackwood whirled around the guests as if they were some kind of message from heaven. The men sat opposite Archie in the next corner of the room. The blond man who introduced himself as Dean happily accepted yesterday's carrot cake from the witch's hands, probably a baking enthusiast. The taller one watched with pity and compassion in his eyes as Mr. Monroe pulled down the ropes. Archie couldn't remember his name, but the man was somehow trustworthy, unlike the third man with the strange name and no stranger demeanour.
- Who was that, Granny? Could it be the Winchesters? - The demon glared dismissively at the men and even tried to spit in their direction, but Kevin quickly gagged her with some sort of rag.
- I've already tried everything I know. - The old witch took a seat in her favorite chair and rested her head on its back. - There's nothing in the books either.
- I thought witches knew how to cast out demons. - Sam tore his gaze away from the demon and turned to Mrs. Blackwood.
- Not all of them. Only the strong ones. I, unfortunately, don't have much power to exorcise. And regular exorcisms don't work.
- Oh... (chuckles) I didn't know witches had it so easy with exorcisms. If it's true what you say, I'm powerless, too.
- Maybe Cass can help. - Dean turned toward the angel. - Right, buddy?
- Can't, unfortunately. There's something wrong with the demon. I'll try, but I can't promise.
Castiel got up from the couch and walked over to the demon, only to be met with a look of hate-filled scarlet eyes. She growled through the cloth as the angel brought his hand up to her body. Light streamed from beneath his palm as the angel placed it against the forehead of the girl's body. But nothing happened. Castiel looked regretfully at Dean and returned to his seat.
- Bloody hell! Who the hell are you!!! - Archie exclaimed, surprised by the magic the cloaked man was using.
- I'd be interested to know too, boys, who your friend is. - Caroline looked at the Winchesters expectantly.
- He is an angel.
- An angel?! Are you joking?
Archie had heard of the existence of angels. His great-grandmother, an ancient, trashy old woman, had told everyone that she'd once been introduced to an angel herself. According to her, angels rarely came to earth. Unless it's for an important reason.
- I've been entrusted to protect Cleo Blackwood. I'm her guardian angel now.
Kevin, who hadn't interfered with what was going on before, but had only been watching from the sidelines, said:
- You don't seem to be doing a very good job, feathery. My granddaughter is being held captive by a demon and you haven't even intervened. By the way, where are your wings? I thought you had a halo over your head.
- Human perceptions of us are false, though we do have wings.
A person is often trapped in his or her own thoughts. At night in bed, at work, on public transport - everywhere you are haunted by impulsive thoughts. Have you done the right thing? Shouldn't you have said so? How can I live off my paycheck? I'm not pretty. All these thoughts are but a small grain of sand in the vast desert of inner conflicts going on in a person's mind. But all this is contained in a small bone box, sixteen centimetres in diameter.
It is much scarier to find oneself imprisoned in one's own consciousness directly. To watch from the outside, how someone else controls your body and life, someone else kisses and hugs your relatives, goes to a job you do not like. Pretending to be you. It's even worse when it's someone else ruining your world, leaving only ruins.
Clio woke up in the same basement. Only her hands were no longer reaching for her. There was a woman standing in front of her now, and Clio knew who it was. Her own mind kept throwing up more and more disgusting and horrible memories from her seemingly joyful childhood.
The woman was dressed in a white linen dress with ornate patterns. Its beauty was outshone by its worn appearance and the lint in the sleeve area. Clio remembered them vividly. Or rather the hands hidden beneath them, which always gave only a gentle touch. Which made her sick and then made her blood run cold.
It was always the woman's crazy eyes that were to blame. Dark blue, like a raging ocean, they always had an unhealthy fire in them. The woman's name was Clarissa. She was Caroline's sister, only much younger than the head of the family.
Once upon a time, long ago, long before Clio was born, Clarissa had been an attractive girl, which made admirers follow her around, but one day disaster struck. She bumped into a group of young men she didn't know, after which Clarissa started having problems with her mind. Nine months later she gave birth to a daughter and nearly strangled her in a fit of madness. For a while she was admitted to a mental hospital for treatment and began to behave more or less normally.
When Clarissa was diagnosed with cancer - the woman returned to the family home to meet her death beside her sister. Clio, as a little girl, was very afraid of her great-aunt, whom even her own daughter thought was crazy.
Clio was about eight years old when she had to be left alone in the house with her crazy relative. Clarissa frightened the child with her scary lines about death and hopelessness.
- Hello, baby. It's been a long time. You've grown so much. Now it's time for you to die, too.
Clio moved as far away from the woman in front of her as possible, but Clarissa kept pulling her arms toward the girl.
- Don't be afraid! It's only your imagination. I can handle it.
- Talking to yourself? - Fass was standing in front of her, but the demon's look was not as happy as before. - You know, Granny's having visitors. I don't like them. The old woman is trying to get rid of me. But she won't succeed. Although maybe she doesn't feel sorry for her granddaughter - I'm willing to die for that..
Sem's duty came sooner than he had anticipated. It was late at night when his brother woke him up and sent him to the living room, while he sprawled out on the bed.
- Do you actually have your own room as well?
- Stop talking and let the redhead go.
- What's wrong with Archie? Forget it, we'll talk about it later.
It was gloomy in the living room. The dim light created a mysterious atmosphere. The only sign of life in the room was an old fireplace with embers smouldering in it. Archie was sitting next to it in an armchair, wrapped in a plaid and holding a cup of hot tea, probably brewed a few minutes ago as steam flowed over the cup. His red hair was a little disheveled and his shoulders hunched. Archie was tired, his eyes fixed on the fireplace, but he was staring into the void.
The demon was out, and the gag had been replaced by gray duct tape. Caroline had prepared a strong sleeping pill, which worked instantly on the body and made the demon temporarily disconnect from reality. Sam didn't like the idea, since they'd probably left Clio alone with the demon in his own mind.
- Archie, I've come to take over. - Sam said and put his palm on the lad's shoulder.
The redhead twitched in fright, but immediately calmed down when he saw the familiar face of one of the guests. Archie straightened in his chair and gestured to a nearby chair, hinting for Sam to take a seat there.
Winchester, without hesitation, complied with the boy's instruction and looked at him expectantly.
- I might know how to get Clio out of the trap. Without resorting to destroying the body. - Archie pointed out the last sentence on purpose and leaned towards Sam, who was already looking at the man in front of him with undisguised curiosity.
- I thought you were seeing this for the first time.
- No, of course not. I come from a family of psychics. And sometimes we see things we shouldn't and hear things that haven't happened yet. - Archie returned to his originally hunched over position, but didn't take his eyes off Winchester's face. - About ten years ago, when I was a teenager, my cousin and I happened to pick up my great-grandmother's old family book. There was a ritual that appealed to us. We decided to put it to the test - whether a person could be in a person's mind without their knowledge. It worked.
- Wait, you've taken over someone else's body? - Winchester made himself comfortable in the chair.
- Well, no, of course not. We were just visitors. Decided to look inside our grandmother's head. - Archie's face wrinkled in disgust. - I wish we hadn't done that. I'll never forget the scene of my father's conception. It's still before my eyes! But not the point. We succeeded, but we weren't there for more than a minute.
- And what do you mean by that.
- I think, in theory, it's possible to get into Clio's mind and rid her of the demon. Maybe Mrs. Blackwood can help me extend my time inside someone else's mind.
Kevin Monroe began his watch in the early morning hours, the dawn blaring outside the window and the chirping of birds through the ajar window. It didn't look like anything was about to go wrong.
Kevin brewed tart coffee with a hint of red wine and added a little milk. Everything was so ordinary that Monroe forgot the family tragedy for a moment and even smiled at the antics of the old cat, who flopped down next to him, hinting for food.
- Dopey, wait for your mistress, I can't feed you without her knowledge. She'll tear my head off.
The cat turned away from Kevin resentfully and headed for the far end of the kitchen. Suddenly the animal stopped and rushed abruptly out of the house through the special door for pets.
Monroe sensed something was wrong. On a subconscious level he knew trouble was coming, but hope was still in his heart.
It died when Kevin walked into the living room and saw that the chair to which the demon had been tied was empty.
- I told you I'd get out of your grip.
Kevin turned around at the sound, she was standing right behind him. Her red eyes glittered with devilish flame.
- How did you...
- Get out? - interrupted the demon. - You're too old, Grandpa, to be good with knots. Even your naval background won't help you now.
Kevin looked around the room for suitable items for protection, but nothing suitable caught his eye.
The demon gritted her teeth. Her thin, yet strong hands gripped Kevin's throat, causing him to gasp.
- You thought demons were weak. Oh, no! I'm full of energy in this body. But it's coming out of you now, Grandpa. - The demon pronounced the last word with such disdain, as if it were not a human but something worse, unworthy of Fas' attention.
Kevin stopped trying to wriggle out of the demon's grip as his mind blurred and black circles swam before his eyes.
Fas smiled victoriously and threw the breathless body back against the wall. After a few seconds there was no one in the room. Only the sound of a clock broke the sepulchral silence.