The Demons

Chapter 1

Roxie stepped off the school bus and slowly walked towards the huge school in front of her. Her first day at a new high school. She was dreading it, being thrown in at the deep end, half way through high school, and not knowing a soul.
She continued to walk towards the steps. She noticed the people around her, some were standing talking, not paying her any notice, groups of girls stood together talking over excitedly to each other in their high pitched voices. Groups of guys standing together, checking out the girls as they walked past. She reached the top of the steps and walked towards the doors.
She went inside and saw the sign for reception on her right. She didn’t have any idea where she would be going so she went to the reception window in the wall.
A middle aged woman sat behind a desk at the window, typing something on the computer in front of her.
Roxie rested her arms on the ledge and waited for a moment.
The woman finally looked up, her typing paused. ‘Yes?’ she questioned.
‘Hi, I’m new here, and I don’t know where I’m meant to be.’ Replied Roxie.
‘What’s your name?’ the woman asked.
‘Roxie Ramone.’ Roxie replied.
The woman looked back down at her computer and started typing again.
Roxie waited patiently.
The woman finally stopped typing and looked up at Roxie. ‘Yes, you are in Mr Weaver’s class, room 18.’
‘Thanks.’ Roxie said and turned around and began to walk away.
She walked quiet slowly, looking at all the numbers on the doors. 2, 4, 6... She wasn’t close yet. Lockers lined the walls each side of her, some had people at them, rummaging through them, and some people were just loitering around them.
She continued to walk, turning a few corners and finally came to the room she was meant to be in.
The door was open, so she went in.
The classroom was almost full, people already sat in their usual places.
Every pair of eyes in the room watched her as she walked to a row second from the back which had an empty desk. She felt unnerved, knowing that her every movement was being watched.
She finally reached the desk and sat down. She kept her head down for a moment, not daring to look up in case everyone was still starring at her.
A few more people entered the room, the chatter got louder, so they must have been some of the more popular people in the class, and then the teacher entered. He shut the door behind him, a couple of books in his hands, and then went to his desk and sat down. He placed the books in front of him and looked around the classroom.
The chatter was at a moderate level now, but the teacher wanted silence.
‘Ok class, settle down.’ He said.
The noise faded out rather quickly, leaving the teacher free to continue.
‘Now, we have a new arrival in our class, Roxie, she doesn’t know where anything is, so if you all would help her out, that would be appreciated. NOW. We are continuing with what we have been working on, and there will be a school trip at the end of the week.’
There was a groan from a few of the members of the class.
‘No excuses, you will be tested the day after.’
Even more groans.
‘Now, get to work.’
Roxie sat there for a moment, watching everyone open their books and begin to read, and scribble things down.
She looked at the book which had been on her desk when she had gotten in.
History. Something which she didn’t mind, depending what part of history it was. She opened the book and began to flick through it, but didn’t have a clue where she was supposed to be reading from.
‘Chapter 32, page 73.’ Came Mr Weaver’s voice from very close to her.
She looked up with a start. Mr Weaver was stood in front of her desk. ‘I don’t expect you to complete the entire test, so I will have a shorter one for you.’
Roxie nodded. ‘Okay.’ She said.
‘Just try your best.’ Mr Weaver said, and then turned and walked away.
Roxie flicked through the pages until she got to page 73. It was about the Second World War. She didn’t mind that really, she had seen many films about the war because her dad liked them. In fact, he had a whole collection of war films on DVD.
She began to read, still feeling slightly nervous about being the new kid......
*
Finally, dinner time arrived. She went to the canteen and bought her dinner, and then had the dreaded task of finding a table where she could sit. She hoped to find one empty somewhere, but it wasn’t looking that way.
She scanned the faces quickly, seeing if there were any who she thought would mind her presence at their table, but she was beginning to lose hope.
‘Roxie.’ Someone shouted.
Roxie turned to her left. Near the back of the room, a girl was standing up. Roxie slightly recognised her; it must have been someone from her class.
‘Roxie, come and sit with us.’ The girl called.
Roxie suddenly felt better, she walked across the room and joined the table of girls.
‘Hi, I’m Callie; this is Mandy, Teresa, Sally and Mindy.’
Roxie looked at the faces as Callie said them, each girl responding to their name.
‘Hi.’ Roxie said.
‘So where are you from?’ Mindy asked.
‘California.’ Roxie replied.
‘Wow, what made you come here?’ Mandy asked.
‘My dad, he got a new job here, so we had to move.’ Roxie replied.
‘I’d hate that.’ Teresa said. ‘Leaving all your friends behind must have been tough.’
‘Yeah it was.’ Replied Roxie.
‘Well, you’re making new friends already.’ Mindy said and smiled.
Roxie smiled back. ‘Thanks.’ She said. ‘I thought no one would talk to me.’
‘Of course they would, well, some wouldn’t.’ Began Mandy.
‘Yeah, like the cheerleaders, the jocks, maybe the nerds would, though I don’t think they would because they would just chicken out, but I think everyone else would.’ Said Mindy.
A slight smile touched Roxie’s face.
‘So where are you living now?’ Callie asked.
‘On Maple.’ Replied Roxie.
‘Maple?’ Mandy and Mindy chirped.
‘Yeah, why?’ Roxie asked bewildered.
‘Maple is like one of the richest streets around here.’ Replied Teresa. ‘Your dad must be loaded for you to live on there.’
‘I guess so.’ Said Roxie. She hadn’t really thought about that. The house was huge, the cars her dad drove were always brand new, she had never wanted for anything, he had bought everything she had every asked for, but it hadn’t changed her, she wasn’t one of the typical stuck up rich little daddy’s girls, she was down to earth, she didn’t flash the fact that her dad was rich, the money didn’t really interest her.
‘So did you leave anyone special behind?’ Sally asked.
‘No.’ Replied Roxie.
‘You didn’t have a boyfriend before you came here?’ Mandy asked.
‘No, there wasn’t anyone I was really interested in. I had a guy friend, but that’s as far as it went, we grew up together. It was kinda hard leaving him.’ Roxie replied. She thought about Ricky for a few moments. He was like a brother to her; they had grown up together, played together, and had their first day at school together. Luckily she had his number and e-mail address, so she could call or write to him whenever she wanted.
Roxie continued to eat as the others chatted amongst themselves, when suddenly she noticed a group of guys walk into the room.
There were three of them, and they looked tough. The one of the left hand side had a shaven head, but she could tell that if he had let his hair grow that it would be dark. He was wearing dark clothes, with a black leather coat. The one in the middle looked even tougher than him, he had dark hair too, but his hair was shaped in some sort of Mohawk, not too long, but long enough that she could see it. He had dark stubble and he looked like he was in a bad mood. The one on the right had short hair, his also dark; he had a goatee and also looked like he was in a bad mood.
Callie had noticed that Roxie was now staring at them.
‘Hey, you don’t wanna get involved with them.’ She said, quietly, as if she didn’t want the three to hear her, even though they were at the other side of the room.
Roxie continued to stare at them, but it wasn’t the group she was looking at, it was the guy in the middle. There was something about him. Something which she found attractive.
‘Roxie.’ Said Callie, a little louder.
Roxie turned her head and looked at Callie.
‘You don’t wanna get involved.’ Callie repeated.
‘What do you mean?’ Roxie asked.
‘We’ve heard stories about them.’ Mandy began.
‘Yeah, stories about them in graveyards and people disappearing after talking to them...’ Mindy paused.
‘Disappearing?’ Roxie asked. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Allegedly, someone decided to annoy them, taunting them, he even tried to beat one of them up, he didn’t manage to because they all joined in, no one dare start a fight with any of them, in their group or alone, anyway, a couple of days after that he disappeared, and he still hasn’t been found.’ Callie paused for a moment and looked up to see if the group were looking, they weren’t of course, they were at the canteen getting their dinners.
‘Just don’t go near them. They are dangerous.’
Roxie stole another look at the guy in the middle. She didn’t want to believe what Callie had just said. Surely if someone had disappeared and they were suspects then they would have been questioned by police or something...
She carried on looking for as long as she could, but put her head down and continued to eat as soon as they turned around.
*
It was her last lesson and Roxie couldn’t wait for it to be over. She was having a video chat with Ricky when she got home, and she was looking forward to it. She missed him, and was hoping that he would come to visit soon.
The lesson dragged right up until the bell rang. She grab her books, shoved them in the bag and left the room.
She walked down the long hall to the main door when she noticed the group of lads walking in front of her. The masses parted like the red sea as they walked down the halls. No one dared get in their way, even the jocks, (who she thought would have been cocky enough to say something to them) stepped back too, letting the three pass.
She followed them from a distance, not getting to close. She almost felt scared, seeing the reactions from everyone else, but she knew she had an easy walk out of the place since the way was already cleared for her.
She went out of the door and walked down the steps, still not getting too close to the three in front. They then turned off to the right, towards the park lot, and she continued to the bus. She didn’t look back as she went; she just got straight on the bus and sat down. She couldn’t help but look out of the window and look for them though. She saw them get into a car. The guy who always stood in the middle was the driver.
I wonder how old they are? She continued to watch as the car reversed out of its parking spot, its tires then screeched as it leapt forward through the parking lot to the road.
The bus began to pull away, and all she heard was the roar of the car as it sped past.

Chapter 2

Roxie finished her dinner and put her plate in the sink and then hurried upstairs to her computer. She took the laptop and sat on her bed, propped up by pillows and opened the lid. The laptop started up and she opened her video chat program.
She had a look at who was online, Ricky wasn’t there yet. She looked at the time. Almost seven, so not long now.
She waited a little longer, and then suddenly Ricky’s name appeared in the ONLINE box.
She clicked on it and waited for him to except.
Not even a second passes and Ricky’s face appeared on the screen.
‘Hey Roxie! How’s life?’ Ricky asked.
Roxie smiled, she was so happy to see a familiar face, even if he was a few hundred miles away.
‘Not too bad.’ She replied.
‘How was your first day?’ he asked. ‘Make any new friends?’
‘I got talking to some. I wouldn’t call them friends yet.’ Roxie replied.
‘Anyone catch your eye?’ Ricky asked.
Roxie was silent for a moment. The guy who stood in the middle of the three flashes into her mind. ‘Well, I’m not sure.’ She finally replied.
‘Not sure? So there’s someone who you might like?’ Ricky asked.
‘Maybe.’ Roxie replied.
‘So come on who is he?’ Ricky asked.
‘Well, I don’t know his name.’ Roxie replied. ‘But I’ve been told to stay away from him.’
‘Well maybe you should if other people have said that.’ Ricky said. ‘You don’t know anyone there, so take advice from them.’
‘Yeah I will.’ Said Roxie. But she knew that she couldn’t. Something about him intrigued her. She couldn’t get his face out of her mind, also knowing that she had been told to keep away, made her want to know him even more.
Roxie and Ricky continued their video chat for a good hour, and then finally said night to one another.
Roxie was about to shut down her laptop when she suddenly had a thought.
She began to type into a search engine:
Missing high school kid
And pressed enter.
Thousands of links for pages appeared. She began to slowly look down them, looking for anything which may have been the boy who had disappeared.
Finally, she saw something. She clicked on it and a page opened up.
There was a headline:
Local High School Boy Goes Missing
There was a picture of him too; it looked like a school type photo.
She then began to read:
Local boy, Justin Barton, 17, went missing late last night. The alarm was raised when his parents, Helen and Colin Barton, called the police after he didn’t return home. Police have searched the area, including woods, old disused buildings and rivers, but have found nothing. The search continues but without any leads.
Roxie paused. Could they have been telling the truth? Roxie closed the page and shut her laptop. If only she knew his name, maybe she could find out more about him...

The next day at school, and Roxie was sat in science class. She couldn’t stop thinking about what she had read, and also couldn’t get his face out of her mind. She looked up for a moment and looked around the classroom. Everyone else was working. She then wondered what class they were in.
The lessons leading up to dinner flew, and when the bell finally rang she went to the canteen. She got her dinner and was looking for a table again. She spotted Callie and the others and went and sat with them.
They were chatting amongst themselves when Roxie noticed the three walk into the room. She watched them as they went over to the canteen. They seemed to move differently from everyone else. It was more of a fluid motion, more smooth, but they still all looked intimidating.
Callie noticed her looking again. ‘There’s no point being interested.’ She said.
Roxie looked at her. ‘Who are they?’ she asked. ‘What are their names?’
‘Well, the one with the skin head is Dom, the one with the Mohawk thingy is Damon, and the other one is Kane.’
Roxie hadn’t taken her eyes from them. Damon. So that’s his name.
‘Don’t tell me you are interested.’ Callie said.
Roxie turned and looked at her. ‘Of course not, you already warned me about them.’ She lied. ‘I was just curious that’s all.’
‘Good.’ Said Callie.
They continued to eat.
Roxie watched them as they got their lunches and walked towards a table.
There were some cheerleaders sat at the table they were heading towards, and when they noticed the three coming, they grabbed their trays and left, very quickly.
The three sat down at the table and began to eat.
Roxie continued to stare at Damon, everything around her faded into a muffled blur, it was just him and her alone.
Suddenly, catching her off guard, the three all looked up at her simultaneously.
Roxie knew she had been caught, she suddenly felt a terrible burning feeling all over, she looked down at her food and began to eat again, but she knew she was being watched now.
She felt uneasy, knowing that her every movement was being watched, she just wanted to finish her dinner and get out of there.
*
She couldn’t concentrate through her next few lessons. The cold stare which she had been given stuck in her mind. What had they been thinking? She felt like she had done something wrong, even though she knew she hadn’t, but she couldn’t help but think she had just worsened things for herself. She had wanted to keep a low profile, but now she feared she may become the next target for them.

The end of school, and she rushed out, dodging between people to get past them, hurrying out of the doors and down the steps. She made it to the school bus and quickly took her seat. Her heart was beating fast, she knew it was silly, and she was probably worrying about nothing, but she was relieved that she was safe now.
She looked out of the window as the bus was beginning to set off and noticed the three stood by their car, and they were looking straight at her.
That terrible burning feeling came over her again. She quickly turned her head and looked forward towards the front of the bus. She had been seen again. Her heart, which had slowed, began beating fast again.
The bus pulled away, and she was beginning to feel slightly better again, knowing that she was away from them.
Suddenly the roar of their car made her jump as it raced past the bus.
She could see it speed off in front of the bus.
She couldn’t wait to get home.

Chapter 3

Finally, the weekend had arrived. Roxie was in her room when her dad knocked on the door.
‘Come in.’ she said.
The door opened and her dad stood there. ‘Hey Roxie.’ He said.
‘Hey dad.’ She said a smile on her face. She loved her father so much; he had done so much for her since her mother had died. She knew the reason for them moving was so that they could have a better life, and she was grateful of that.
‘I’m really sorry darling but I’ve got to go away for the weekend.’ He began. ‘It’s a few days, and it won’t happen for a long time after this.’
‘That’s ok dad, I can look after the place.’ Roxie said.
Her father came and sat on the end of her bed. ‘I’m leaving in a couple of hours, if there’s anything you need, tell me now and I’ll go and get it for you.’
‘No, that’s ok dad, I can go out later if I need anything.’ Roxie said.
‘You sure?’ he asked.
‘Yeah of course, I’m 18, I can look after myself.’
Her father smiled. ‘Thanks.’ He said.
‘For what?’ Roxie asked.
‘Being such a wonderful daughter.’ Her father replied.
‘Dad.’ Roxie said and stood up. She hugged her father. ‘Thank you for being the best dad ever.’
Her father hugged her back. ‘Well, I guess I better pack.’ He said.
Roxie let go and he stood up. ‘You have my number is you need me.’ He said.
‘Yeah.’ Roxie said.
Her father then left her room and disappeared down the hall.
Roxie sat back down on her bed. She had the house to herself for a few days. It wasn’t the first time she had been on her own for a few days, but this time it was in the new house. She felt happy about it though, knowing that her father trusted her enough to leave her to look after the place. She knew the code for the alarm, and the gates. The fridge had just been stocked so she wouldn’t have to go shopping. She smiled. Having independence made her feel good.

A couple of hours passed and she found her father at the front door with a small suitcase.
‘You know all the numbers don’t you?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’ Roxie replied. ‘All the codes, your number, the police.’ She smiled.
‘Good.’ Her father said. ‘I’ll call you when I know I’m coming back ok?’
‘Yeah ok.’ Roxie said.
‘Love you.’ Her father said.
‘Love you too.’ Roxie said and they hugged.
Her father then left, shutting the door behind him.
Roxie went into the living room, sat down and put the TV on. She began flicking through the channels, there wasn’t much on, even if they did have cable.
A few hours passed and she felt hungry, so she went to the fridge and had a look inside. There wasn’t anything that she really fancied, so she looked up at the time.
Almost five. She decided that she was going to treat herself, (as well as have a look around town), so she shut the fridge and went and got her coat. She put her shoes on and then went to the cookie jar in the kitchen. She opened it and looked inside.
It was full of notes. Dad. She took some out and then put them in her coat pocket. She left the house, putting the alarm on as she left.
It wasn’t far to the centre of town, but the walk was nice anyway. She had a chance to see the other streets.
She reached the town and began to walk down the main street, looking in through all the windows as she walked past them.
There were many different shops, toy shops, clothes shops, DIY shops, everything she could possibly imagine, but none of it caught her eye. She continued walking down the street until she saw a huge shopping centre. That was more her scene, so she crossed the road and went to it. She went in through the huge doors and began to window shop again. She wasn’t really looking for anything to buy herself, she was just curious to what they sold. She walked round for a bit until she came to the food court, where she was spoilt for choice.
After looking at each food counter she decided to have Italian. She ordered Linguini and then took a seat in the centre of the food court where all the tables were.
As she was eating she looking around at all the people milling about. There were parents with their kids, bags stuffed with toys, couples young and old walking hand in hand...
And then she saw them. She would never forget their faces. At the far end of the food court, the three sat together.
She suddenly felt uncomfortable, knowing that they were here too. Was it just coincidence that they were here, or had they somehow know that she would be there.
How could they know I’d be here? They aren’t psychic.
She continued eating, looking up now and then to see if they had noticed her. When she had almost finished her pasta, she glanced up and saw that they were staring at her. She quickly looked down. Shit. She suddenly didn’t feel that hungry anymore, she had eaten most of it, and didn’t feel too bad at leaving the rest. She stood up, trying not to look in their direction, and hurried away.
She headed to the doors, not taking the time to look in any shop windows this time.
She got outside, and was suddenly surprised that it was dark. How long was I in there? She continued walking fast, not looking back, heart racing.
This is almost silly. She crossed the road away from the shopping centre and began to walk down the main street again.
She walked past a group of lads that were loitering outside a closed shop. She paid their comments no attention as she continued to walk, trying to walk faster without it turning into running.
Suddenly someone jumped in front of her.
She stopped suddenly, but not quickly enough as she walked into him.
‘Hey baby, where you goin’?’ the lad in front of her asked. He didn’t look very friendly, he wore a baseball cap which was tattered and he stank of alcohol.
Roxie tried to step round him but he moved in front of her again.
‘Hey, I asked you something.’ He said and didn’t move.
Roxie was scared. ‘Please just let me by.’ She said.
‘Oh, so she does talk.’ Came a voice from behind her.
Roxie felt in a state of panic. She was alone, surrounded by a group of idiots, fearing what their intentions were, and she feared the worst.
‘Come on baby stay with us.’ Said the one in front of her.
‘Yeah, stay and have some fun with us.’ A voice from behind her.
‘Please, just let me past.’ Said Roxie, the fear showing in her voice.
The one in front of her put his hands on her shoulders. ‘You can party with us.’ He said.
Roxie pushed him away. ‘Get off of me!’ she shouted, her voice shaky but she managed to shout it clearly enough.
‘Hey, don’t be like that!’ said the one in front of her. ‘We’re just being friendly.’
‘Yeah, we’re just being friendly.’ A voice from behind her.
Suddenly the one in front of her grabbed her, along with some of the others, she wasn’t sure how many there were, and began to drag her down an alley which they were near.
She started screaming, but a hand was pressed over her mouth, muffling her screams.
Her heart raced, beating so heard her chest almost hurt. She was dragged to the bag of the alley, she had tried to kick, but they had taken hold of her legs, her arms were being held, and she just couldn’t move.
Oh my god, what are they going to do to me? Was all she could think.
They all stopped at the back of the alley.
‘Let’s start this party.’ Said the one who had been in front of her. He reached out.
Roxie’s eyes widened this is it. They’ll leave me for dead!
‘Hey.’ Came a deep strong voice from behind them all.
Roxie saw the one in front of her look up. His expression changed instantly.
Suddenly she was released. She stood still for a moment, daring not to move, her arms wrapped around her.
‘Leave.’ Came the deep strong voice.
The guys who had attacked her disappeared.
Roxie was still for a few more moments, daring not to move. She then slowly turned around, to thank her rescuer. She looked up and saw the three guys from school. She didn’t know whether to be glad or afraid. She knew she had to say something to them. ‘Thank you.’ She said, her voice shaky. Tears had made her mascara run down her face. Her hair was a mess and she was shaking.
‘You want a ride home?’ Damon asked.
Roxie thought about declining, but then thought that the guys who had attacked her may not have gone far... ‘Yes please.’ She replied quietly.
The three turned around and began to walk out of the alley. She followed them. Being this close to them, she knew there was something different about them, but she didn’t know what. There was something about the way they moved, the way they talked, their presence alone brought a strange atmosphere with it.
She followed them to the car which was parked on the street just outside the alley.
Damon got into the driver’s seat and Dom and Kane got into the back.
Roxie opened the passenger door and got in. She shut the door and Damon started the engine. The car roared into life. Damon then set off.
Roxie sat silently. She didn’t know what to say, and she wasn’t sure if they were going to say anything to her. A thought then occurred to her. She turned and looked at Damon. ‘How did you know where I was?’ she asked.
Without looking at her and without his expression changing, (which looked angry and moody) Damon replied. ‘We heard you.’
Roxie wasn’t sure what to say back to him. It was possible that they had heard her screams, but while they were in the car? And with how much noise the car made, she wasn’t sure if they would have heard her at all.
She suddenly realised that Damon was driving up her street. ‘Hey, how do you know where I live?’ she asked.
Damon still didn’t look at her. He slowed the car and stopped outside her house. ‘It’s a small town, people talk when someone new moves in.’
Roxie thought about it and it was a reasonable answer. These guys aren’t too bad.
‘That’s what you think.’ Damon said.
Roxie suddenly looked at him, frightened. Had he really heard what she had thought?
Damon still didn’t look at her, and the two in the back were silent.
‘How did you know what I was thinking?’ Roxie asked.
‘You don’t wanna know.’ Damon replied, still not looking at her.
‘Well, yes I do.’ Roxie began. ‘Can you hear everyone’s thoughts?’
‘Yes.’ Damon replied.
Roxie turned and looked at the two in the back. ‘Can you two?’ she asked.
They both nodded in sync.
Roxie then turned back to Damon. ‘So are you psychic as well?’
‘Yes.’ Damon replied.
‘How?’ Roxie asked.
‘If we told you, we’d have to kill you.’ Said Kane, his voice deep and strong as well.
Roxie suddenly felt uneasy again. She knew she would feel better once she got inside. She was still shaken from the attack though, and knew she would be worried if she was alone. She decided to take a risk. ‘You wanna come in for coffee?’ she asked.
Damon actually turned his head and looked at her now. His dark eyes showed no emotion, no mercy, his expression was unreadable, and he looked like he was ready to kill.
‘Thanks for the lift home.’ Roxie said and took the door handle.
‘Coffee would be good.’ Said Damon.
Roxie paused and looked at him.
He looked at her for a few moments, nothing changing in his expression, and then turned and opened his door.
Roxie opened hers and got out. She shut the door behind her. The others got out and shut their doors.
Roxie turned and began to walk up the drive, with the three following.
They reached the house and Roxie put her key in the door and turned it. She opened the door and stepped in. She went to the alarm and started putting the code in as the three stepped into the house. Kane shut the door behind them.
‘Coffee.’ Roxie said and went past them to the kitchen. The three followed.
She went to the kettle and checked how much water was in it. There was enough, so she flicked it on. She then opened the cupboard and took for cups out and put them on the kitchen counter. She then opened another cupboard and took the coffee out.
She turned and looked at the three as they stood there, in their formation, Damon in the middle, Dom on the left and Kane on the right.
‘How do you have it?’ she asked.
‘Black.’ All three replied at the same time.
Roxie turned back around and opened a draw. She took a spoon out and began to put a spoonful of coffee into each cup.
The kettle boiled and she poured the drinks. She then turned around with two cups in her hands. She put them down on the breakfast bar which was in the middle of the kitchen. She then took the other two, and put one with the others and kept one for herself.
‘You can sit down if you like.’ She said.
The three sat down.
Damon took his coffee and took a sip. The other two did the same.
‘That’s just been boiled, doesn’t it burn?’ Roxie asked.
‘No.’ Damon replied and took another sip.
‘So don’t you feel pain?’ Roxie asked.
‘No.’ Damon replied, his tone remaining the same.
Roxie put her cup on the breakfast bar. ‘People at school told me to stay away from you...’
‘Then maybe you should.’ Said Kane.
‘Why?’ Roxie asked.
There was silence from the three for a moment.
‘If people tell you to do something, maybe you should take their advice.’ Said Dom.
‘But why?’ Roxie asked. ‘You saved me earlier! You can’t be that bad.’
‘Saved you from one evil.’ Said Damon. ‘But who’s going to save you from us?’
Roxie didn’t know what to say back to that remark. They looked threatening, but in no way had they used any threatening behaviour. ‘There’s something different about you.’ Roxie began. ‘I knew it from the moment I saw you.’
‘Well aren’t you the smart one.’ Said Kane.
Roxie was beginning to get slightly annoyed. ‘Why won’t you answer any of my questions properly?’ she asked.
The three were silent.
‘I want answers!’ Roxie yelled.
‘Then you are looking in the wrong place.’ Came a voice from her left side.
Roxie turned and saw Dom standing next to her.
She jumped, a gasp escaping her throat. She turned and looked at Damon and Kane. ‘What are you?’ she asked.
‘Your worst nightmare.’ Suddenly Kane was in front of her.
Roxie gasped again and stepped back. Her heart beating fast in her chest.
‘Please.’ She said, tears coming to her eyes. ‘Don’t hurt me.’
‘Who said we were going to hurt you.’ Said Damon, still sat at the breakfast bar.
Roxie put her hands over her face and began to cry. It was all just too much for her, the attack, Kane and Dom suddenly appearing at her sides. She cried for a few minutes. Finally she slowed down and stopped. She sniffed a few times, wiped her eyes, and then opened them. She looked up. The breakfast bar was empty. She looked around the kitchen, which was empty too.
Where are they?
She left the kitchen and went to the living room. They had gone. The alarm hadn’t been tripped though. Did they know the code? But how could they?
Roxie felt a headache coming on, so she decided to go to bed.

Roxie laid in bed, her head pounding, trying to figure what had happened.
They had known she was in that alley; it wasn’t that they had heard her, and in the kitchen, what the hell was that? Could they teleport or just move really fast, faster than a human eye could see, and what had they meant about being saved from one evil, but who would save her from them? Were they admitting that they were evil by saying that? So much sped through her mind, so many thoughts, so many questions, and why had they disappeared when she had become upset? She needed to know more. She couldn’t sleep, and knew she wouldn’t with the headache she had, so she sat up. She switched on her bedside light and took her laptop from the floor by her bed. She opened it and opened the internet browser. She then began to type into the search engine. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but anything would be something.
She typed:
Evil read minds
She then pressed enter. Her eyes widened as she saw the search results.
Does Satan possess the ability to read minds?
Was the top answer. She daren’t click on it, but decided to. The page contained many explanations from various different people, all believing that Satan possessed the ability to read minds.
They couldn’t all be Satan, or maybe just Damon...
She continued to read, learning more, and after a while was beginning to think there was no way that Damon could be Satan, or could he?
She read more and eventually was too tired, so shut her laptop, put it on the floor and turned the light out to go to sleep.
Her dreams were disturbed. The attack replayed itself, and the three appeared to save her again, but this time when they went back to her place, they were different. They were all in the living room, and Damon was stood in front of her, looking into her eyes. His eyes were dark, almost black; he was so close that his face nearly touched hers. He put his hands on the side of her face, and she it all went black. When she opened her eyes, she was somewhere different. She was in a derelict building, no furniture, just bare walls and floors. A light fixture hung down with no bulb in it, the windows were boarded up with light shinning in through the cracks. She turned and saw a door, she opened in, and it was a battered wooden thing. She went through it and into another room. She stopped. Standing in a circle were the three. They all had their heads down, then slowly lifted them and looked at her.
Kane and Dom stepped back, leaving a place for her in the middle. She slowly walked to it, not taking her eyes off of Damon, who was staring straight back at her.
She was stood in front of Damon again. The other two stepped closer, trapping her in the circle.
Suddenly the room started to crumble and float away, even the floor from under her feet started to snap and pieces of floor board floated up past her, revealing stone.
She looked around, the room was gone, the entire building was gone, and she was stood on a huge rock, surrounded by what looked like a lake of lava.
‘Where am I?’ she asked.
‘Welcome to hell.’ Said Damon.
Roxie awoke with a start. She sat up, breathing fast.
It was just a dream.
She turned and looked at her alarm clock.
5:03am it read.
She lay back down again. The dream couldn’t have meant anything, it was just her mind going wild with everything which had happened and all the stuff she had read on the internet. She closed her eyes, and returned to sleep.

Chapter 4

Roxie got out of bed and got dressed, she then went down to the kitchen and went straight to the kettle. She flicked it on and opened the cupboard. She took a cup out and then closed the cupboard. She then stopped. She opened the cupboard. The cups she had used were back in there, as if they hadn’t been used. The coffee was back in the cupboard, and the spoon back in the draw.
She made her coffee and then sat at the breakfast bar. Had they actually come round last night? Surely she couldn’t have imagined that? Maybe she had, but then, she had been attacked, that was real, or was it? She took a sip of her coffee and then put it down. It had all happened, maybe they had just washed up, if they had, they did it very quickly without making a sound.
Roxie then stood up took her cup and went into the living room. She sat down on the sofa and put the TV on.
She wasn’t really watching the TV, she was thinking about last night. If they weren’t human, then all of it made sense, everything which they had done, the way they moved, the way they disappeared, but it they weren’t human, what were they? She thought about what she had read. Maybe Damon was Satan, but who were Kane and Dom? His side kicks? No, they didn’t seem like the side kick type, they had too much authority, so maybe they were all the same. Making them...
She couldn’t think. She started flicking through the channels, but there was nothing on, so she just left it on some morning chat show.

Roxie finished her coffee and went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. She opened the cupboards and had a look, and then opened the fridge. Nothing really took her fancy, so she decided to go out. She knew she would be safer during the day.
She got her coat and some money and left the house.
She walked into the town and went to the shopping centre again. She found a place which did breakfast rolls, so got one and a coffee and sat down.
She began to eat, noticing people milling around again. She looked around the food court, hoping to see Damon and his gang, but they weren’t there. She almost felt disappointed, but in the same sense felt relief.
She finished her breakfast and then decided to do a bit of window shopping. She looked at all the pretty clothes, not intending to buy anything; she would save that for another day, and then left the shopping centre.
As she was walking down the main street towards home, she heard the familiar roar of the car. She turned her head and saw it drive past her, the three in the car all looking at her.
That sent a chill down her spine. She continued walking, feeling unsafe again.
Suddenly the sound of the car was louder. She turned her head as it pulled up next to her. The passenger side door opened.
‘Get in.’ Said Damon without looking at her.
She wanted to refuse, but thought it best that she just obeyed, so she got in. She shut the door and the car sped off.
She noticed after a few minutes that they weren’t going towards her house.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘You’ll see.’ Replied Damon.
The car left the small town and sped down a long road. She was beginning to feel worried now. Where were they taking her? And what were they going to do when they got there?
The car’s tyres screeched as it turned a corner and went up a narrower road. She was taking in all the landscape so she knew where to go just in case she had to make an escape, which she was hoping she wouldn’t, because she had no idea what they were capable of.
The car pulled up in front of a huge house. It looked weather worn, but it also looked dark and uninviting.
Damon turned off the engine and they all got out.
Roxie got out and followed them up the steps to the door.
Damon pushed the door open and they all went in.
Inside, everything looked untouched. As if people had lived there before and just left suddenly. There were no pictures anywhere to confirm this, but that was the strange feeling she was getting. The place was dusty too, like it had been left for a long time.
‘Is this where you live?’ she asked.
‘If you want to call it that.’ Said Dom.
‘Why have you brought me here?’ Roxie asked.
Damon turned around and Roxie stopped so he was right in front of her.
‘You know too much.’ He said.
‘We know that you know about us.’ Added Kane.
Roxie looked around at them. ‘What do you mean?’ she questioned, panic beginning to show in her voice. ‘I don’t know anything.’
‘Yes, you do.’ Said Damon. ‘You’ve figured it out, but you’re wrong for part of it.’
Roxie didn’t say anything.
‘We aren’t Satan.’ Said Dom.
‘Sent by him, but not him.’ Added Kane.
Roxie looked at Damon, waiting for an answer.
‘We are Demons.’ Damon said. ‘Sent here to do the work for Satan.’
Roxie swallowed. ‘So you’re going to kill me?’ she asked.
‘No.’ Damon replied. ‘You may know about us, but we know you won’t tell anyone.’
Roxie nodded. ‘I won’t, I promise I won’t.’ She said.
‘Keep it that way.’ Said Dom.
‘Yeah, ‘cause if you do, you’re dead.’ Said Kane.
Roxie felt her eyes filling with tears, but didn’t let them flow.
‘You’re safe.’ Said Damon. He then looked away from Roxie and at Kane. ‘You can go and finish you’re work now.’
Kane nodded, him and Dom then disappeared out of the room.
Damon turned and sat down on the sofa.
Roxie stood for a moment, afraid.
‘Sit.’ Damon said, without looking at her.
Roxie walked to the sofa and sat down next to Damon.
‘When you said sent here, what did you mean?’ she asked.
‘Satan sent us here.’ Replied Damon. ‘We were in hell, we showed you.’
The dream flashed into Roxie’s mind. ‘You can get into my dreams?’ she asked.
‘There are many things we can do.’ Replied Damon. ‘But being good isn’t one of them.’
‘So why did you save me? That was good wasn’t it?’ Roxie asked.
Damon didn’t reply.
‘Or did you save me from them because you are the ones who want to hurt me?’ Roxie hoped that he wouldn’t answer again, fearing that he would just kill her right there where she sat.
‘I’m not going to kill you.’ Damon said.
‘But you have before?’ Roxie asked. ‘That boy who went missing?’
‘You do not challenge a power which is higher than your own.’ Said Damon.
‘So you did kill him?’ Roxie asked.
‘We just put him in his place.’ Replied Damon.
‘And where is that?’ Roxie asked.
Damon was silent for a moment. He then stood up.
Roxie looked up at him. He put his hands on the side of her face. Suddenly there as a flash of light, and they were stood in hell.
In front of them, in a stone room, with one wall as a window to see into it, was Justin, the boy who had disappeared a few years ago. He had shackles round his ankles, and he looked like he was starving, all of his bones poked through his skin, which was scarred and bloody from fresh cuts. He was cowering in a corner.
Roxie gasped.
‘He is in his own hell.’ Damon said.
Suddenly there was another flash and Roxie was sat back on the sofa. She jumped and moved away from Damon.
‘But why did you kill him?’ she asked. ‘He didn’t deserve to die.’
‘He challenged us, and he lost.’ Said Damon. ‘I’ll take you home now.’
Roxie stood up and followed him out of the house and to the car, they got in, Damon turned the engine on and they were soon speeding back towards the town.
Roxie wasn’t sure what to say anymore. She was in a car with a murder, a mind reader, someone who could put thoughts into her head, and after all that he was a demon. Normally these things never ended well. From all the films she had seen, how could a mere human, with no powers what so ever, be friends with a creature from hell, which had the ability to do God knows what?
It did intrigue her why he had sort of befriended her. Maybe because he had saved her, she wasn’t sure, but having people like him on her side surely wasn’t a bad thing, was it? Maybe they would continue to protect her. She didn’t know, and she wasn’t going to ask anything else, she knew that he could hear what she was thinking, and if he was going to respond he would have.
They finally reached her house and she opened the car door. ‘Thanks.’ She said and got out of the car. She shut the door and went into the house.

Chapter 5

Monday morning back at school and she was sat in Biology. She was reading the book they had been given when she glanced up for a moment. She noticed that some of the girls from across the other side of the room were staring at her. She looked at them for a moment, and then looked back down at her book and continued to read.
Why are they staring at me?
The lesson finished and she was heading for her next class when she saw Callie and Mandy.
‘Hey.’ She said as she neared them.
Callie turned around, but no smile reached her face.
Roxie’s smile dropped.
‘Everyone in the school is talking about you.’ Callie said.
‘Why?’ Roxie asked.
‘They saw you get into Damon’s car.’ Callie replied.
‘So?’ Roxie said, she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She was leaning more towards bad considering the reactions of the two girls in front of her.
‘So are you and him a thing now?’ Callie asked.
‘No.’ Replied Roxie. ‘Just, mates, I guess.’
Callie and Mandy looked surprised.
The bell rang.
‘Come on, into your classes.’ Shouted a teacher who was walking down the hall.
Everyone in the hall disappeared into their classrooms. Roxie went into hers and sat down at the front, (which was the only available seat), she had also noticed that everyone had been looking at her when she had walked into the room.
She felt uneasy now.
Damon, Kane and Dom were really feared by everyone, and now she had been talking to them, it seemed like she was going to become avoided just like they were.

Dinner time came, and she got her food and went over to the table where Callie and the others were sat.
‘Hey guys.’ She said.
But Callie and the others didn’t respond. They had watched as she had walked over to them and sat down, but now they didn’t speak.
Ok, just ignore me.
Roxie began to eat and the once chattering girls remained silent.
Suddenly they all go up, taking their trays, and moved from the table.
Roxie watched them go, wondering why they had disappeared so fast without a word, and then Damon and the others sat down at the table.
Oh, that’s why they went...
The three didn’t say anything for a while, and the tables which surrounded them had fallen silent.
Roxie didn’t like the atmosphere, it was too quiet for her liking. ‘I don’t think they are going to talk to me anymore.’ She said.
‘You don’t need them.’ Said Damon without looking up from his food.
‘I don’t think anyone will talk to me now.’ Roxie then added.
‘You don’t need any of them.’ Damon then said.
Roxie was silent then. She was glad of the protection from them, but she too felt like an outcast.

The end of school came as a relief after all the silent treatment she had received from everyone in the school, news had travelled fast, and she was completely ignored now.
Roxie was walking down the hall, headed for the door when a group of cheerleaders blocked her way.
Roxie stopped and looked at them.
‘So you’re the new freak who’s hanging around with those weird murderers.’ Said a blonde one, who was wearing way too much make up.
‘I’m not a freak.’ Roxie said.
‘Freak’s hang around with other freaks and weirdo’s.’ The blonde one said.
‘Yeah, are you gonna start murdering people too?’ asked a red head.
‘No.’ Said Roxie. She was beginning to become annoyed now.
‘We don’t need another freak in this school.’ Said the blonde one.
Roxie was beginning to feel hurt, why did it make her a freak just because she hung out with a group of people that everyone feared.
‘Just leave me alone.’ Roxie said and went to walk past them.
The blonde one stepped aside, but put her foot out in front of Roxie. Roxie didn’t see it and tripped over, landing flat on her face.
The girls started laughing, and then walked away.
Roxie got up, touching her nose, which hurt so badly. She looked at her finger tips, there was blood on them. Roxie covered her nose and then ran out of the school. She ran down the steps and to the school bus and got on it.
Once on the bus, she opened her bag and took a tissue out and put it to her noise. She had tears in her eyes now. How could they be so nasty to her just because the three guys had decided to sit with her that dinner time. She turned her head and looked out of the window, Damon and his two friends were stood by the car watching her. She looked at them for a few moments, and then the bus pulled away.
*
Roxie had finally got her nose to stop bleeding at home and sat in her room with a cup of coffee and a cereal bar. She had some music playing in the background, but wasn’t really listening to it. She didn’t want to return to school, but she knew she had no choice. She could have stayed away while her father was away, but she knew once he returned that he would have questioned her about it. She didn’t want to tell him that she was being bullied by people because of the group of people she hung around with; he would have asked her not to see them anymore.
Night time soon came, and Roxie fell asleep.
Her dreams again included the three guys again.
She was stood in their house, in the living room, but it was only Kane and Dom who were there.
‘Where’s Damon?’ Roxie asked.
‘Taking care of business.’ Kane replied.
Roxie turned around and looked towards the front door, expecting him to walk through it. She then walked to it and reached out for the handle.
Suddenly a hand appeared on her shoulder, stopping her from reaching out any further. She turned to see Dom behind her.
‘It’s best if you don’t see.’ He said.
Roxie put her arm back down. The door and then room began to fade out, and Roxie awoke. She looked across at her alarm clock, 2:09am it read.
She then turned over and fell back to sleep.

The next morning and she got up, got dressed, had her coffee and went to school. She was dreading getting into school, and on the school bus people had sat as far away from her as they could.
Great, if it’s like this now, what’s it gonna be like in there?
She finally arrived at school and got off the bus and walked up the steps and into the school. She walked down the hall, and noticed that people now moved for her, the way they had for Damon and his gang. Everyone fell silent as she walked past. She continued walking to her homeroom and sat down.
Everyone in the room fell silent and tried to avoid looking at her.
So this is how they feel.
The teacher arrived in the classroom, and was rather surprised that he didn’t have to tell them to be quiet. He went to his desk but remained stood up.
‘Now class, the Police will be coming in today to ask questions about Candice Mallory today. They just want to know if any of you have seen her, when you saw her last, and if you know where she could have disappeared to.’
Roxie was surprised. Candice? Was that the girl who had tripped her over?
‘Lessons will continue as usual today, but if you all will be speaking to the Police at some point over the day.’ The teacher then sat down. ‘Continue where we left off yesterday.’
Candice. I bet it was her. What have they done to her? She thought of the dream she had had last night. Dom hadn’t wanted her to see something and Damon hadn’t been there. Maybe he had killed her, and the others didn’t want her to see it. She had to find out, and she knew where to find them.
The school was quiet all day, no one really spoke, except to answer questions by the police, but they had no leads, no one had seen her after she had left school, no one had spoken to her.
Dinner time came and Roxie went to the canteen, got her food and sat on a table which was empty, waiting for Damon and the others, but they never came.
She sat alone for half an hour, leaving it as long as possible before she left, but time was ticking away, so she left.
The rest of the day all of her classes were silent. Everyone seemed to know something which they thought she didn’t, but she had a very good idea about what they were thinking. It was because of her, Candice had tripped her over yesterday, Damon had seen her rung to the school bus, her nose all bloody, enough people had seen it happen, and now Candice was missing.

The last school bell rang and Candice left the school and got onto the bus, again she was avoided and sat alone at the back of the bus.
The bus finally reached her street and she got off and went into her house, she noticed that her dad’s car was on the drive way, so sped up so that she could see him.
She got into the house and found him in the kitchen, drinking a coffee, the smell of food in the air.
‘Hey dad.’ She said with a smile and went to him and hugged him.
‘Hey Roxie, how was everything?’ he asked.
‘Great.’ Roxie lied.
‘I’m doing dinner, it should be read shortly.’ He said.
‘Thanks dad.’ Roxie said. She let go of him and then left the kitchen. She took her coat off and then returned to the kitchen to help with the rest of dinner.

After dinner, Roxie went up to her room again to see if Ricky was on video chat. She waited an hour, the laptop open and waiting, music playing in the back ground, but he didn’t appear.
She had given up all hope of him appearing so shut the laptop and just sat there while her music played.
She was thinking about Candice. The bitch got what was coming to her if she is dead.
‘Well you’ll be pleased then.’ Came the deep strong voice.
Roxie turned her head quickly. Standing in front of her bedroom window was Damon.
‘How did you get in?’ she asked.
‘I’m a Demon, I can do as I like.’ Damon replied. ‘She has been taken care of.’
‘So you killed her?’
‘Like you said, the bitch got what was coming to her.’ There was no remorse in Damon’s voice. She knew he had done this regularly, and to him it was nothing, like a job in an office, or a bus driver, they just did it without thinking about it, it was nothing special to them, the same with Damon and killing people.
‘Why?’ Roxie asked.
‘She hurt you.’ Damon replied.
Roxie couldn’t understand why Damon had suddenly decided to protect her, and she wanted to know. ‘Did you do this for me?’ she asked.
Damon didn’t respond.
‘Why are you protecting me?’ Roxie asked. ‘You’re a demon; I thought you would hurt everyone?’
Damon still didn’t respond.
Roxie stood up and walked over to him, stopping a few feet away and looked into his eyes. ‘It doesn’t make sense...’
Damon continued to stare at her, his expression not changing, no flicker of emotion in his dark eyes.
‘Do you, do you like me?’ Roxie asked. It was the only reasonable explanation she could think of. Why else would he protect her?
Damon still didn’t respond.
‘I wish I could read your mind.’ Roxie said. ‘Because you’re not going to tell me are you?’
‘I have to go.’ Was all that Damon said and began to turn towards the window.
‘Wait...’ Roxie reached out and grabbed his arm. She almost jumped at how cold he felt through his clothes, and how hard his arm felt.
Damon turned and looked at her.
She still held onto his arm. ‘Just answer me, don’t leave, please.’
‘It wouldn’t work.’ Was all Damon said, and then suddenly vanished.
Roxie’s arm fell to her side. Her heart beat faster. How does he do that? She went back to her bed and sat down. Did she really have a demon fancy her? Was that even allowed with them? She didn’t know, and she knew there was no point looking on the internet for answers, who else had a demon sent from hell which fancied them and protected them? She hated not getting a straight answer from them, but was determined to find out the truth.

Chapter 6

The next day at school, and Roxie was already prepared for how she would be treated at school. The masses parted for her just as they had for Damon and the others, silence fell when she walked past them, and strangely enough she found herself walking to another part of the school, where the older year groups had their home rooms.
She saw Damon and the others stood in the hall together and walked to them.
Damon turned his head and looked at her, his expression not changing.
She reached them and stopped. She admired the way people walked round them, as if there was some invisible force field around them.
‘We need to talk, later.’ She said.
‘Why later?’ Damon asked.
‘Because I have a class to get to.’ Roxie replied.
‘Fuck that.’ Said Dom. ‘Let’s go.’
The three began to walk away, and she followed.
‘Won’t I get into trouble?’ she asked.
‘Just stick with us.’ Replied Kane.
She followed them out of the school and they went to the car in the car park. Damon unlocked it and they all got in.
‘Where are we going?’ Roxie asked.
‘Back to the house.’ Damon replied and started the engine. The American Muscle roared into action and they pulled out of the car park.
‘People completely avoid me now.’ Roxie said. ‘Just like they do you.’
‘That’s what happens when you hang out with demons.’ Said Kane.
‘But they don’t know what you are do they?’ Roxie asked.
‘No.’ Kane replied. ‘But they know to stay away.’
‘Rumours spread quickly in a small town.’ Added Dom.
After a few more minutes they reached the house and all got out of the car. They all went into the house and Roxie followed Damon into the kitchen while Kane and Dom disappeared into the living room.
Damon stood at the kitchen unit and then turned around and faced her. ‘We have no coffee.’ He said.
‘Ok, no problem.’ Roxie said.
‘And we have no food.’ He added.
‘That’s not a problem.’ Roxie said. ‘So don’t you eat?’
‘We don’t need to.’ Damon replied.
‘But you do at school?’
‘Yes.’ Damon replied.
‘So why have you brought me here?’ Roxie asked.
‘I’m going to give you a chance.’ Damon replied.
‘Ok, I’m listening.’ Roxie said.
‘You can join us.’ Damon said. ‘You can become a demon like us.’
Roxie was speechless. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.
‘You know too much now, and I won’t take any pleasure in killing you.’ Damon didn’t take his eyes from her.
‘So why do I have to join you, can’t I just stay as I am?’
‘You could, but you would never see us again.’
‘Why?’ Roxie asked.
‘Like I said, you know too much. It would be easier if you join us.’
‘How do I do that though?’ Roxie asked.
‘You must come to hell with us.’ Damon replied.
Roxie suddenly felt scared. She had seen hell, (at least she thought she had) in her dream, and it didn’t look like a nice place. ‘What happens if I do become a demon?’ she asked.
‘You said you wished you could read my mind, you could. You could read everyone’s minds. You could kill and get away with it. You could help us continue our work.’
‘You do like me don’t you?’ Roxie asked. ‘But you won’t say because I’m a human.’
‘Like I said, it would be easier if you join us.’
Roxie felt excited and scared at the same time. Her mind raced with all the possibilities of becoming a demon with them. People would fear her, she would know what people were thinking of her, and she would never have to fear walking alone again. The other thing that she found very appealing was the thought of being with Damon. She had found him attractive the moment she had laid eyes on him, to her, he was perfect, his features, his hair, she hadn’t see his body but looking at what he wore, she imagined that he was perfectly toned and defined. She didn’t want to sound to giddy about the decision, but she knew she had no choice, school life for her wasn’t going to change now, whatever choice she made, but if they left, would she go back to being bullied, or would she still be avoided?
‘You don’t have to decide now.’ Damon said after she had thought everything. ‘I can wait.’
Roxie walked to him and stopped a few feet from him. She thought that he was uncomfortable, her being as close as she was, but she really couldn’t read him. ‘So if I do become a demon? What then?’ she asked and stepped closer yet again.
‘You will see.’ Damon replied.
They were very close now, and Roxie felt how tense the air was, but it was all coming from her, she found him extremely attractive, and she guessed that he did her, but he wasn’t going to make any sort of move, not for now, not while she was still human.
Damon’s stare never dropped from her. He was intimidated by no one, (even though she knew he wouldn’t feel threatened by her anyway, being a mere human) but she thought that he might have tried to move away from her, with her getting ever closer.
‘So is this you admitting that you are attracted to me?’ she asked a got a little closer, her body mere inches away from his.
Damon said nothing, his gaze fixed on her.
She knew that she should probably be afraid, she had a demon from hell standing in front of her who fancied her, and she was very quickly falling for him, but she didn’t want to be afraid, she wanted to embrace the moment, knowing that he could end her life in the blink of an eye, but also know that he was never going to do that.
‘What would happen if I kissed you?’ she asked.
Damon said nothing, he just continued to stare into her eyes.
She knew that he was searching her mind, but she didn’t know what for. Maybe he knew before she did, but he didn’t stop her as she got closer, her lips reaching his.
There was a flash and Roxie was transported into a world where fierce winds wiped her hair every which way, and she was surrounded by a dust cloud which she couldn’t see though. Damon stood before her, still, not moving. She stepped away from him.
The wind howled.
‘Where are we?’ she shouted, almost not hearing herself over the wind.
‘Home.’ Damon replied.
Roxie looked around, brushing her hair out of her face with her hands, the wind was calming down, and the dust was beginning to settle. They were in a desolate waste land, broken buildings were scattered throughout the desert wasteland. There were no trees, no sign of life...
Roxie turned back to Damon, who was still stood there.
‘Follow me.’ He said and turned around.
Roxie began to follow him, looking around at everything as they went past.
They began to walk through a part of the wasteland which had derelict buildings each side of it, they looked cold and uninviting, and they spooked her. She then saw a huge building in front of them; she jogged to catch up to Damon and walked next to him.
‘So is this where you live?’ she asked.
‘From time to time.’ Damon replied.
She knew by now that she would never get a proper explanation from him, but also knew that when she became a demon, she wouldn’t need one anyway.
They began to walk up a set of huge stone steps. Gargoyles lined the sides of the steps. She looked at them, they were scary.
Suddenly one slowly turned its head and watched her as she walked up the steps.
They reached the top and there were a set of huge doors, burning torches each side of them.
She followed Damon as he went to them and pushed them open.
Inside, torches lined the walls, lighting the area. She followed him down a stone hallway until they reach another door.
He pushed it open.
The heat from inside hit her and she stepped back slightly. She then continued into the room.
Fire burnt on each wall, there were stepping stones over lava to a huge stone in the middle of the room, where there was a throne, and sat on it, was Satan.
Roxie couldn’t believe it as she followed Damon over the stepping stones. She looked at the lava, it bubbled, and she feared that she would slip and fall into it, so she took her time walking over the steps.
They finally reached the huge stone in the middle and she stood next to Damon.
Satan sat on his throne and turned his head and looked down at her. He looked similar to the demons, but somehow he looked more evil, darker and more powerful.
‘So, this is Roxie Ramon, 18, currently living at 368 Maple Drive, father, Frank Ramone, Mother, Rita Ramone, deceased.’
By now it didn’t come as a surprise to Roxie that he knew so much about her.
‘You are the one who has been chosen?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’ Roxie replied.
‘So be it.’ Said Satan. He turned his head and looked at a gargoyle which was sat on his huge throne. Suddenly, the beast began to move into life, so did the one on the other side.
Roxie began to feel scared as they flew up into the air, they then began to fly round her.
Damon had stepped away as they flew round her.
They flew so fast that they had become a blur.
Suddenly they disappeared and stood in front of her was Satan.
She could feel the power radiating off of him like a heat. He was similar in features to Damon, but there was something different about him.
Satan then reached into his pocket in his trousers, (the only clothes he was wearing) and took out a small vile. He then outstretched his arm and offered it to Roxie.
She looked at the strange liquid in it which looked like a purple storm in a tube. She then took it. She took the small cork out and lifted it to her lips, her heart racing.
There’s no going back now
She closed her eyes and tipped the vile of liquid into her mouth and swallowed.
She opened them again and looked at Satan; he slowly stepped away from her. She turned and looked at Damon, but then everything began to fade out. She was hit by agonising pain in her stomach, which bent her over, clutching herself. She cried out as the pain grew, and then fell onto the floor, curled up in a ball. She screamed as the pain worsened, she felt like she was dying, her blood burned through her veins, her head felt like it was going to explode. She continued to scream until she passed out.

Chapter 7

Roxie opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, but soon rectified itself and she recognised what she was looking at. It was her bedroom ceiling. She sat up and looked around the room. She then looked down at herself. She was still dressed in the clothes that she had worn yesterday, so she decided to change. She then left her room and went downstairs. Her father had left for work already, and that’s when she looked at the time.
10.39
Shit, I’m late for school
She quickly grabbed her coat and bag and left the house. She knew she had missed the school bus so walked to school. As she walked down the street, she felt different. She saw a man carrying some shopping.
She’s late for school
Roxie heard him, but didn’t see his mouth move. He walked past her.
Damn kids, no wonder there’s so many delinquents
Roxie couldn’t believe it, she could hear people’s thoughts. She crossed a road and suddenly heard tyres screeching, and then a horn sounded.
She turned her head to see a car stopped just inches from her. She looked at the driver, who looked angry, but then suddenly lost all his anger, and his expression changed.
She left the middle of the road and continued walking.
The car which had stopped began moving again.

She reached the school and went up the steps. She got inside and the halls were empty.
The woman who was sat behind reception looked up at her and was about to say something when she stopped. She then looked back down at her computer and continued typing.
This is strange
She decided to go to her home room and looked in through the door. Everyone was working, but she decided not to go in, she wanted to find Damon, and somehow, she knew where they were.
She left the school and went round the back of it, behind the sports hall and found them.
‘How’s it feel being one of us?’ Kane asked.
‘It’s certainly different.’ Roxie said. ‘I think I’ll get used to it.’
‘We’re heading home.’ Dom said. ‘You coming?’
‘Sure.’ Replied Roxie. She followed them to the car and got in.

Back at their place, Dom and Kane had disappeared somewhere in the house, leaving Roxie and Damon in the living room, sitting in front of a TV which didn’t work, and hadn’t done for years.
‘Are you glad you made the choice?’ Damon asked.
‘Yes.’ Roxie replied. She moved closer to Damon. ‘You’ve given me so much power.’
Damon actually turned his head and looked at her. ‘And now we can be together.’ He said. He moved closer and his lips met hers.
Roxie kissed him back, and when she opened her eyes, she hadn’t been transported to hell, instead, they were in a bedroom, on a huge bed, draped in silk sheets, candles burned around the room.
Roxie looked up at Damon who was laid on top of her.
‘This is nice.’ She said.
‘Glad you like it.’ Damon said and began to kiss her again.
Roxie put her hand on the back of his head and enjoyed the kiss.

Damon dropped Roxie off at home and she knew before she got to the door that her father had questions for her.
‘Where have you been?’ he asked as she closed the door.
‘Out.’ She replied.
‘Out?’ Frank repeated. ‘Out where?’
‘With someone.’ Roxie replied.
‘Who?’ Frank asked.
Roxie understood why the Demon’s were so vague with their answers now, because she was doing it too. They were too used to reading minds, so they had no need for explanations.
‘With Damon.’ Roxie replied, knowing her father didn’t possess any ability to read her mind.
‘Who’s Damon?’ he asked, starting to sound protective.
‘My boyfriend.’ She replied.
‘How long have you been seeing him?’
‘A while now.’
‘You didn’t have him over while I was away did you?’
‘No.’
‘Because you know how I feel about you having boys round.’
Roxie suddenly felt angry and defensive. ‘I didn’t.’ She snapped, and walked past him and went up the stairs.
She slammed her bedroom door and sat on her bed.
He’s going to make it difficult
Frank knocked on her door, but she ignored it. He then knocked again, louder this time.
Roxie stood up and went to the window. She knew where they were, so she opened it and jumped out. She landed on her feet, and then began to run.
Frank knocked and knocked, still not getting a response, so opened the door to an empty room.
Roxie ran to the house, the world a blur. She stopped when she reached the steps to the house and began to walk towards them.
Damon appeared at the door.
She looked up at him as she reached the top of the steps, and he knew already.
‘We must leave.’ He said.
Roxie nodded. ‘Tonight.’
*
The car roared into action and sped off, away from the house.
‘So where are we headed?’ she asked, even though she could have easily read Damon’s mind.
‘Florida.’ Damon replied.
‘New school, new people to kill.’ Added Kane.
‘This should be fun.’ Dom said.
Roxie no longer found the thought of killing disturbing, she knew that she would probably be doing the same, and strangely enough, she was looking forward to it.

The End