The next morning, he got up early and went out on the balcony to smoke a few cigarettes. Then he sat in an armchair and drank a cup of coffee. About two hours later, Elise came into the living room wearing a sleep shirt. He greeted her cheerfully:
"Hey there! Good morning, Elise."
" Good morning, Alex."
She smiled at him, and she sat down in a chair across from him.
" Can I get you some coffee or tea?"
She saw that he had a genuine little smile on his face and replied,
" Tea please."
He stood up and said:
" Come right up."
A few minutes later, he returned with her tea and another cup of coffee for himself. They sat in silence, enjoying their drinks for a while, until he said,
"I have to apologize. I was really rude to you yesterday, and I'm sorry."
She replied:
"No need, Alex. You just had a nightmare and were in a bad place."
" Still."
She looked into his eyes and asked:
" Alexander, while we're still waiting for Jules, can I ask you a few questions?"
He sighed deeply, for this was what he had expected, and said:
" Sure, as long as I can ask you questions too. If it's about heaven or hell, just know that I won't be able to answer every question. This is a hornet's nest with its own specific rules. And there are some things I absolutely don't want to talk about.
" That goes without saying. You are immortal, Alex; how old are you really?"
" Thirty and you?"
" Twenty-five. Have you ever been in a long-term relationship, kids?"
She I saw him get dark and slide back into that really bad mental place, immediately regretted asking the question. He took a sip of coffee and replied,
" I am the Antichrist, Elise. Who could I have a happy relationship with? An outsider? If she didn't already go crazy with the knowledge that heaven and hell really exist and that I am the son of the Devil, the Antichrist? With my constant family drama? This relationship would soon be in trouble and would not last long. Not to mention that she would most likely become a target. And not from the side that you, as a white witch, would think. My dad would never hurt an innocent, especially not one of Grams' proteges. It is the other side that is more dangerous and unpredictable. Not Grandpa, but some of his winged idiots, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate for a moment if the opportunity presented itself. With someone on your side? Yesterday was the first time a white witch made me feel welcome. Usually, the white side goes straight to attempted murder, or at least running away fast, very fast. It wouldn't be the first time I threw away a perfectly good suit after some idiot fired a few bullets at me. With someone from my father's side? They are all, without exception, despicable souls who belong in hell, so thanks but no thanks. Children... no. I am a Nephilim, so I cannot have children. If I were a normal man, would I want children? Absolutely, because I think they are the most precious thing in life."
He placed his cup on the table and asked:
"And you, Elise, what is your story? I only scanned you superficially so as not to invade your privacy. What I got was that something must have happened. Something to do with black magic."
" It has nothing to do with a relationship. Strangely enough, I've never really had a serious relationship or been deeply in love. We were already in deep agony because of that damn virus. We lost everything, and I would have grasped at any straw. Unfortunately, the one who offered the straw was absolutely wrong. He did not physically harm us; I think he was instructed not to. Although he did nothing physically, this does not mean that the experience was not mental and emotional torture. Unfortunately, I couldn't sense him either. because he doesn't have an ounce of black magic in him, but he definitely works for a black circle. He held us captive for quite some time. I have never been I am so happy to see someone addicted to alcohol and drugs. It finally allowed us to escape when he was unconscious. And, as you know, I have a beautiful daughter, Juliette or Jules, which she thinks is an absolutely beautiful nickname. "
She said a little sadly:
" But I feel that the perfect man exists for me.
" Where is Jules' father?"
" He's never been in her life. I was thirteen and he was fourteen when we had sex. Before I knew it, nine months later, I had my beautiful Jules. A very stupid thing to do at such a young age. But it is double. On the one hand, getting pregnant made me a pariah in my family. The only one I could count on was my mother. Everyone else hated it when I was around. Since it was known that I was pregnant, and to this day, my father has only exchanged a few dozen words with me at most. When my mom died a few years ago, that was the only excuse they needed to pretend I never existed and cut all ties. Maybe it's strange, but I don't mourn. They showed their true colors and that was enough for me. On the other hand, I never would have had Jules without it. When his parents found out I was pregnant, they packed their bags and disappeared north like thieves in the night. Jules' father never bothered to contact us. We are happy about that. We are happy with just the two of us. Jules always says that one day her real daddy will show up and we will be happy as a close family. As you may have noticed, she will also become a white witch. The powers is in our bloodline and they are clearly felt in her. So I think she will be more powerful than me, maybe much more powerful. For now, I just hope that she can put this misery behind her and become the firecracker that she once was."
He could see no sign in her eyes that the statement that she and her daughter would rather be rid of the father, was not true. She had looked into his eyes with longing, though, when he said he was single.
"What about you? Your father is the devil, and your grandparents are God and Goddess. I imagine that's pretty messed up."
He thought for a moment and said,
" The last ten years could be called fucked up, yes. The ten years before that were absolutely stressful. But the first ten years of my life could be called pretty normal, even mundane. Well, if you can call this kind of family life normal. My father lives in and rules Hell, my grandparents live in and rule Heaven. They are the creators of the universe, and my father hung the stars. But Grandpa and Grandma came to visit me and my mom very regularly and then behaved like typical grandparents who loved nothing more than to spoil the only grandson they had on Earth. In those days, my father could be compared to a traveling salesman, I guess. He was on the road during the week and at home with my mom and me on the weekends. I did not and do not see his two generals as the most powerful demons in hell. I see them as the fun uncles you can go crazy with. The antics were never far away, and I regularly got into trouble after hanging out with Bearus. After that, we had to swallow a speech from Dad together."
She saw that he looked into the past for a moment with a mischievous smile on his face. Elise was glad he was out of that bad place and asked amusedly:
"What kind of mischief, then?"
He got a smile around his mouth and a twinkle in his eyes. His whole face lit up and she suddenly got butterflies in her stomach because of this man.
" Oh, not much. I'm a history buff; I can't remember a time when I wasn't. I must have been ten, maybe eleven, when I read a book about dictators and their strange tics. In a chapter on Hitler, I learned that he had an extreme phobia of cats. I went like lightning to the throne room in hell. As Bearus said later, I must have been practically shaking on my feet. I dragged him with me into the Ninth Circle because my powers to manifest physical things were far from fully developed. I asked him to create a new cell with an infinite labyrinth. I could do the rest myself, for what I needed was really nothing more than a tangible hologram. So I created cats, large and small, scattered throughout the maze. As a bonus, I gave these cats a Star of David collar, just like the Jews were required to wear by the Nazis. Hitler was dragged out of his cell and thrown into his new hell. Now he can spend his eternity being chased by pissed off Jewish cats who are out to get him. Even my father could laugh about that."
With that, Elise laughed out loud and saw very well what kind of man was hiding beneath the surface.
Before either of them could say anything or ask another question, and Jules stumbled out of the bedroom. She immediately flew into her mother's arms, who said warmly,
" Good morning, my little Jules, did you sleep well?"
" Yes, Mommy, this bed is so comfortable and I slept and dreamed so well. My dream was so beautiful, everything was going to be so much better."
It It seemed like only now she saw Alexander and she flew to him and jumped on his lap. He stiffened again and Elise felt his shield rise immediately. The girl said:
" Good morning, Alex."
As she gave him a firm hug, and he reluctantly returned it.
" Good morning, Bwitch, Go take a shower and get dressed, I'll take care of breakfast. There is a lot to do today."
He wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible. His intention to use his powers, as little as possible, had obviously ended up in the trash can.
" Okay, Alex."
And off she went. Elise looked at her a little dreamily and said,
" When she is fully recovered, she will be a firecracker, just like before. Already you can see a change; there is hope again and that works wonders".
Alex laughed out loud:
" Yes, I had that feeling too. A tornado on two small legs. I'll order breakfast and have it brought upstairs."
Elise got up and went to her room to shower and get dressed. When she came back, she looked nice, he thought. A summer dress in soft colors that left little to the imagination. She wore her hair in a ponytail, just like the day before. There was something special about her. He couldn't put a name to it, nor did he see the point in trying. She sat back down. He asked:
" Have you been able to think about this campus, Saint Bernard?"
" I think it would be the best solution. Not too far from that house."
" I think you need to adjust your thinking, Elise. It's not THAT house. It's YOUR house because the contract is in YOUR name."
" You would just give us a $750,000 house without asking for anything in return?"
He snickered:
" The myth that the devil only makes a deal if he gets your soul at the end of your life is not true, Elise. It's just a fable, like so many others. What would my father gain from one more soul? You humans are very capable of working yourselves into hell. There is a never-ending traffic jam at the gates of hell. And it is getting longer and longer every day. I may be the Antichrist, but a soul is of no use to me. I have no idea what I would do with it. I do not even own an aquarium to put it in."
" I didn't mean it like that; I'm sorry."
" I know you didn't mean it. And to answer the unspoken part of your question, no, never. It is not my style to do something and ask for sex in return. Guys who do that, and unfortunately, there are far too many of them. As far as I'm concerned, they can talk to Dad about what's appropriate and what's not. He absolutely does not like that kind of shit and can get pretty pissed off about it. Especially when it comes to children. Believe me, their eternity in hell is a nightmare that will never end.
" Why then, Alex? Why help us? You could have just taken us and dumped us somewhere, like a homeless shelter."
" Yeah, like, you would be better off there than in the forest. The forest would be much safer than most of those places. I really have no idea why, Elise. I'm not going to delve into my thoughts, feelings, and motives. What I do know is that I will keep you safe and make sure that you land on your feet again without fear of the dark side. I have given you both a marker. If anyone tries anything with black magic, they will regret the day they were born. Their magic will automatically bounce back and hit them hard. I hate idiots who try such things, and if I can, I will make them feel it. Demons will walk around you in a very wide arc. They know all too well what happens when they piss me off."
Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. He went to open it and let in the waiter who was pushing a cart.
" Where do you want it Mr. Morningstar and shall I serve it?"
" Just put the cart by the dining table; we'll serve it ourselves."
When When the waiter finished, Alex pushed a hundred-dollar bill into his hand. Jules entered the room, her outfit pretty much mirroring Elise's. A light-colored sundress, sneakers, and white socks, and she had a hoodie in her hand. Before he knew it; the words were flying out of his mouth and he couldn't take them back even if he wanted to. He was starting to get pretty mad at himself for couldn't seem to keep the two of them at bay.
" You look beautiful, Bwitch. Join me for a moment, will you?"
She saw the brush and elastic appear and didn't know how fast she could get to him. She knew he would make another ponytail for her and she began to enjoy the routine. Her mother watched the scene with a gentle smile.
" And now, breakfast girl, we have a busy day ahead of us."
Alex served the sumptuous breakfast for three. Jules sat in her chair and looked at the variety of food and drink. Her shoulders slumped and she suddenly let her head hang. He asked:
" What's wrong, honey?"
Her head slowly came up and they saw two big tears running down her cheeks.
"It's been so long since we had a breakfast like this—a hot breakfast. With that evil man, we only got cold things to eat with water."
Before he could do or say anything Elise jumped up and sat down next to her daughter. Jules immediately crawled into her lap, burying her head between Elise's firm little breasts and letting her tears flow. Hellfire blazed in his eyes and Elise stared fearlessly into them, nodding softly. Elise was white and destined for heaven, so she saw only fire in his eyes. Not the fate that would have awaited her if she had been destined for hell after her death. That and the reason why his eyes were burning did not frighten her. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened his eyes, the fire was gone. Alexander snapped his fingers and the breakfast would stay at a certain temperature. This was a situation that did not need words. Jules needed to cry now; her mother was the one who could comfort her best. He pointed to his bedroom and whispered,
" Shower."
Elise nodded and continued to whisper soft words of comfort to the girl, kissing her on the head from time to time. Fifteen minutes later, Alex re-entered the room and saw that Jules had stopped crying and was now lying against Elise with her eyes closed. She was clinging to her mother as if she never wanted to let go. Elise looked at Alex and was pleasantly surprised. The day before, he had also been dressed neatly but casually. Today, a three-piece tailored suit, charcoal, a light gray shirt, and a light tie. The jacket was casually draped over his arm. He draped the jacket over his chair. He walked around the table, and again he could not explain why, but he gave the girl a kiss on the head. If he was honest with himself, he knew, of course, but he didn't want to; he couldn't think about it now without breaking down. Elise smiled softly and that seemed to be the moment when Jules opened her eyes.
" I'm so sorry, Da... Alex."
Alex had decided to just ignore the girl's near slip of the tongue and forget about it as quickly as possible.
" Why should you be sorry, baby witch?"
" Because the food must be cold now because of me."
He laughed softly:
" My little girl, it is not your fault that you had to cry. I am sure when you need to cry your mom will always be there for you. Besides, little one, I'm the Antichrist. If I want the breakfast to stay warm, it will stay warm. Just try."
She looked at what was on the table and indeed, the breakfast was as perfect as it should be. Elise and Jules began to eat, but he had lost his appetite and a blood lust had taken hold of him. Something he had to hide deep inside himself with all his strength. He did not want Elise and the little girl to see it. Later, he would find out who was responsible for the pain and misery inflicted on his little Bwitch, and then he would live up to his title as the Crown Prince of Hell. And he immediately noticed that he, too, had slipped up in his thoughts and cursed himself. Elise had used her powers to give Jules some extra comfort. He had felt it all the way to the bathroom. He asked Elise:
" So, Saint Bernard for Jules?"
" Yes, I think that would be best."
"It seems to be the best choice. In the shower, I took a quick look around the school. A pleasant atmosphere for the children. No nonsense about lowering the bar. Very good curriculum; no priests with grabbing hands or rigid nuns."
He pulled out his cell phone and looked up a few things. He was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a store near Lumiere, By the looks of it, a few doors down. He said accordingly:
" Looks like we can kill two birds with one stone. At Lumiere we can pick up another pile of clothes for you two, and a little further on, there is a store that specializes in school uniforms. especially St. Bernard's. Let's stop by Maggie's first; maybe she can give us some advice. It never hurts to ask. But first to the real estate agent, though: we have to pick up the purchase contract and keys."
After breakfast, he called the front desk and asked them to get his Demon ready. After they got in, the rest of the trip was spent in pleasant silence. At Mrs. Dekker's, they were ready in fifteen minutes. In the car, he handed Elise the contract and the keys. She began to cry. This was the first real sign that a new life could begin for her and Jules. Jules had seen this and asked:
" Mommy, what is it? Why are you crying?"
" These are tears of happiness, honey. We can live in a real house again and start living for real again, and be truly happy."
Now the girl also had to cry quietly for a moment. Elise spoke:
" Thank you Alex for everything you do for us.
" No thanks are necessary, Red. You're welcome."