I was so happy that Athen and everyone was coming back in the evening. They had been gone not even a day, and I missed them greatly. On a positive note, I was able to get everything done that I had planned in my condo, but I certainly felt like I was missing a piece of me. I think Matilda was even sad.
I had managed to sneak in a lunch with Karen who filled me in on the entire goings on back at the pub, for which I was certainly grateful. We never did get to that at her apartment. It was nice to hear how everyone was doing, and although at the time, I thought I would miss it if I left, I guiltily knew I missed it not at all. I did get an earful, because apparently there were a couple of new hires that did not work out, partied more than they worked, but that was a pretty common occurrence in Whistler, which was why I was treated so well. I was and am still dependable.
She also thanked me for bringing her back to reality. I knew exactly what she was referring to. I was relieved to hear those words. As I left, she told me nothing had happened, yet. I made a mental note to ask Arie if those sensations that came over me with Karen were the warnings for me. It seemed like I was learning everything in bits and pieces and by trial and error. I hadn’t told them the details surrounding my visions yet either. I didn’t want to send them all on a wild goose chase because I couldn’t separate fact from fiction.
I was tidying up the last of the living room when I heard the familiar knock on my front door. My heart started beating a little faster, and the excitement was building. I wasn’t expecting them for another couple hours, but maybe, they caught an earlier shuttle flight. I ran to the door, swinging it open to see Athen staring right back at me with shades on as he was leaning against the doorframe, smooth as ever. He picked me up before I saw it coming and spun me around. I was so happy he was here. I looked quickly behind him and saw that he was alone. The excitement was bubbling over. Maybe with his exuberance, we could finally get some long awaited alone time. I slithered down from Athen’s embrace, pulling him to the bedroom, hopeful as usual.
Before I had time to blink, Athen grabbed me, shoving me up the bedroom wall as he lifted my sweater. His hands roughly swiping at my skin as I wrapped my legs around him and heard the sound of my suede skirt splitting. My hands made their way through Athen’s hair, and he pulled away, which startled me. In this quick encounter, Athen hadn’t even tried to kiss me, and that was unheard of. Maybe, he was experimenting. We’d never gotten to this next level before anyway. His strength was beginning to overpower my every move. He removed his glasses, not letting me look into his eyes. I could feel his hand gravitating towards my thigh. I didn’t know what was going on. Things were suddenly not feeling right. None of the electricity was present that I usually had by being near Athen - let alone during this type of encounter.
Athen must have felt my body turn a little bit limp under his forcefulness, because I felt a repositioning. His eyes looking over my body as if he had never seen it before. I latched onto his hair this time, pulling his face towards me, when I suddenly realized that this was not Athen. The eyes staring back at me were lifeless, hollow. It was as if death was radiating from this imposter. I was looking into a creature from beyond, but how could this be? Where was my real Athen? Was he alive? All of these thoughts started running through me like a faucet that couldn’t be turned off. I scrambled to get away from this imposter, but with every kick and scrape, his grip became firmer. His nails were digging deeper and deeper into my skin. I looked down to see his repulsively long, pointy brown fingernails sliding up my arm. How could I not have caught these signs earlier?
Matilda was starting to move around in the living room, and I was hoping she would stay out of the bedroom. I couldn’t bear to have anything happen to her. She was too innocent and loyal for her to see what was about to take place. I knew there was nothing I could do against this creature. I had to keep reminding myself that this was not Athen. This creature was very possibly the demon who everyone had been trying to protect me from during this whole process.
I was looking for anything around my bedroom that might help me get away from this imposter, and as he was gazing around the room with me, it hit me that he might be able to read my mind, like Athen. To what degree, I didn’t know.
I tried to rack my brain about what my family said about the other worldlies, and how this creature could fit into that scenario. It couldn’t be a vampire or werewolf because they can’t morph into others. My entire body shuddered as the realization washed over me that what was standing before me was truly a demon, the very demon who had been stalking me since I began this process.
This had to be one of the demons that my family spoke about whose sole mission was to create havoc throughout humanity. His fingers kept crawling up and down my body, and I was attempting to reach into my newfound powers to try to feel what his motive was. I was trying to concentrate so hard that I didn’t even hear the front door open. The demon’s gaze turned towards the door, and my heart fell to the floor knowing that someone must have entered my condo.
“Please don’t,” I whispered into the Demon’s ear. “Just take me. Don’t hurt them. Do what you came to do but please, spare my family.”
“Your family?” The demon seethed in an almost snake-like pitch. “We don’t have families.”
“Some of us do. I’m begging you to leave mine alone.”
“Alright, my white demon. I’ll do as you say.”
So he was what I thought- a demon, and he knew what I was as well. I was terrified. He came here with a mission. The thought of this creature hurting my family gave me strength from within that I knew I could use to my benefit. Every part of my body strengthened with a stiffness ready for protection. I was ready for any attack he may have planned for me. I would do anything as long as it would save my family.
I didn’t know who had come in the front door, or where they were, or what the demon had planned to do to me, but all I could do was think about where Athen was, and if he was ok. I hoped with all of my heart that he was still on the plane with his sister. The demon pulled me away from the wall and threw me across the room with such speed that my skin stung with pain as the flesh was exposed to the comforter turned sandpaper as my body skidded across it.
A light that I recognized flashed from outside my window flashed. The prismatic colors told me that I was no longer alone. It was Athen’s prism. My family was here. I fought with everything to keep the thoughts out of my head so the demon wouldn’t pick them out. I didn’t understand why the demon was no longer interested in whoever it was that came into my house.
“Ana?” I heard Arie’s voice coming down the hall. “Are you down here?”
I looked up at the demon for guidance, and he shook his head.
“Um, hey, Arie. I’m in the bedroom.”
Arie rounded the corner and looked up at the demon and immediately started backtracking.
“Oh, my word, Ana! Why didn’t you say you and Athen were in here? This is utterly not right. Gross actually. I’m going to wait in the living room until you guys come out.”
My soul fell with a heavy realization that even Athen’s own sister didn’t recognize the imposter. I closed my eyes as tightly as I could, hoping that I could wish this entire encounter away, knowing this could only turn out horribly. The black mist creatures appeared in my thoughts. Could this be where I meet my demise, so soon? I did my best to shove those thoughts aside, but the images of the black creatures plowing through me and ripping me apart were getting harder to ignore.
I braced myself for whatever was going to happen next, hoping my soul could survive if nothing else did. I heard a guttural sound rumbling from the being standing over me. His hand anchoring my hair to the bed, I took in a deep breath feeling my lungs burn. Then my skirt began to be torn from my body. I fought with every ounce of strength to keep any thoughts from entering my head. I didn’t want to jeopardize my family anymore than I already
had. I wasn’t sure what would happen if we were all destroyed at the same time.
The wretched breath of the beast slowly surfaced up my thigh as he started pressing up against me. The tears in my eyes finally broke free, and each tear was like a blade penetrating my cheek. Those stinging tears would be nothing compared to the pain I was about to endure, but I did my best to focus. It finally sunk in that what this creature wanted from me was a child, a creation from his underworld.
I started thrashing with all of the strength I had. My nails became the sharpest claws imaginable. I tried with all of my power to defend myself from the impersonator. Matilda began barking, and within in a flash, my bedroom became full of light. A deafening crack came through the air almost paralyzing me.
I opened my eyes and saw both Athens standing in my room crouched as low as humanly possible, hovering as if the air between them was creating a wall between good and evil. The imposter was no longer holding me down. I stared intently at them both, attempting to raise myself from the bed. Arie grabbed my shoulders and lifted me quickly off of the bed as I caught a glimpse of Athen’s green eyes staring intently at the demon before him.
“Let me help him, Arie,” I screamed at her with all my might.
“No, Ana, he’s got this. It will be all right. You are a complete distraction right now. Come on, honey. I promise.”
Arie half dragged my kicking and screaming body as she firmly held onto me moving out of my bedroom. The cheery color in the hallway did nothing to help my mood. The despair was multiplying within me. All I could hear was the sound of light buzzing. I strained to get out of Arie’s grasp so I could see one more glimpse of Athen. I somehow managed to free myself and turned around in time to see Athen lunge toward the demon with such speed that it was a blur of color turning into a ball. A piercing noise jarred me as Arie grabbed me again. A black streak was darting around, and I didn’t understand what I was seeing. I was certain that the image before me was the same kind as in my nightmares.
“No, Arie, I’m far enough away. Please let me stay. I need to make sure Athen is ok.”
“Oh, that’s right your eyes haven’t completely developed yet.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, but not being able to take my eyes off the speeding mass that was literally destroying everything in my bedroom. I didn’t care if all the walls came down. I wanted this to be over and to embrace the real Athen, my Athen.
“Ana, sweetie, if your eyesight was completely developed you’d be able to see that your hero, Athen, is winning. He could end him now if he wanted, but because of what he did to you, he’s prolonging the torment for your sake. They feel pain like we do, if we are the ones to inflict it.”
My heart started to untwist a little bit as every syllable hit me. I still couldn’t believe it and wouldn’t until Athen flashed his smile at me. The force of the demon that I experienced didn’t seem like he would be as easily thrown down as Arie described, but I so desperately wanted to believe her. I still was in complete shock and horror over mistaking my boyfriend the way I did and what that creature was capable of. Cyril came bounding through the front door.
“What did I miss? Did Athen have his fun yet or can I still join in?”
In that instant, I recognized the same look that I had seen several times before since I had met Cyril. The first time being when we were all dog sledding, and they were tracking the so-called animal. The second time was at the bar when he met up with Athen, Karen, and myself when the weirdo was casing me. All of those times led to this creature. They were tracking this evil thing.
“Arie, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on! Is that one of the creatures who’s been following me? Is that the same one from the dog sledding and pub, or is it a different one? Has it been following me this whole time? Why are there so many? It’s turning into one of those beings from my nightmares. I don’t understand.”
Cyril leaped from the hallway and joined the chaos with Athen. I suddenly knew that everything was going to be fine for now. Arie grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
“It will be over soon. Keep watching.”
The images started to slow down to an almost normal human speed that I could recognize. I could finally distinguish between the two Athens and Cyril and saw that the imposter Athen was badly wounded. He looked like a shell of a human. Depleted in every sense of the word, his face sunken in. His skin was a light ashy grey, and there were scratch marks all over his body that revealed burned flesh underneath. As I got a good look, I saw the real Athen’s hand grab the imposter’s neck with one fluid motion. He squeezed the creature with one graceful gesture as Cyril stood back. In a mere second, the imposter went limp, and a black mist began swirling up to the ceiling. The imposter’s shell vanished. I thought I was doing fine, but as soon as Athen looked over at me, I slumped to the floor and began sobbing. Instantly, he was at my side holding me, gently brushing my hair from my face. He cradled me so quickly. A level of protection surrounded me that I never knew I craved. He truly was my hero in the greatest sense of the word.
“It’s ok, my love. He won’t hurt you. I’m here. I’ll always be here. You’ll be protected. We never went to Seattle.”
Hearing those words made me realize it was true. As long as he was with me, I would make it. I only hoped that I could offer him the same sense of protection someday. I couldn’t imagine ever living my life again without him. My sobbing turned to a softer whimper, trying hard to control myself. Looking up at Athen and his radiant green eyes, I ventured my first words.
It was hard to fathom that they never left town, and this was a setup. They were here this entire time waiting for this creature.
“I saw you finish him. I couldn’t see anything up until that point except a big blob of colors swirling around.”
“You saw that? I’m so sorry. I never wanted you to see that. I figured you couldn’t yet.”
“Well, I’m kind of glad I did. It makes me realize you weren’t kidding about being a bad ass. I only saw it at the end. It was a big blur right up until you grabbed him.”
Cyril, never one to miss a beat, yelled from the bedroom, “It wasn’t all him, kid.”
Athen helped me up, and we walked down the hallway to my living room. I was so happy to see everything in its place. I realized how tired I was from the attack and the fear of possibly losing Athen. My brown leather chair was calling me, I beelined for it sinking in to the cushion.
“Your room is pretty destroyed. How about if you hang out at our place for a few days while we get it taken care of?” Arie looked hopeful. I wondered what she had up her sleeve. With everything that had gone on over the last few weeks, I figured I would give in. It was probably for the best anyway.
“I think that sounds like a plan, but at the moment, I’m going to snuggle in my chair with Matilda.”
I was beginning to feel like a real wimp. The moment anything unusual occurred, I needed to sleep, hopefully trying to wake up to a sense of normalcy that may not longer exist.
“Great! I’m going to get you all packed up.” Arie darted down the hallway as I curled up with Matilda and fell fast asleep.
Unfortunately, once again, my mind was no longer my own. I was in for a long night of torment. I just didn’t know it yet.
CHAPTER 16