>>Hazel
Valek wrapped his free arm around me and I hesitantly looked at him.
He was mad.
Like mad mad. I could see his vein popping and how hard he was clenching his jaw.
“Stop-” His voice was so heavy and sharp it could pierce, “-Assuming things on your own.” I felt like something bad was going to happen. Anyone could tell he was angry just by looking, “Hazel and I got married years ago. We had our reasons for separating but now that we’re together again, I will not tolerate anyone trying to harass my wife.” He brought me closer to him, “Because you will face the consequences.” There was so much anger in his tone even though he didn’t raise his voice.
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>>HazelA mad murderer?Huh?…The words just sort of got stuck in my head. I wonder how much of it is true? Maybe all of it? Maybe some of it. I know it’s not all bluff since he already told me he killed his mother. And if that’s true then there’s a high possibility he might be responsible for the deaths of people related to his mother.I turned my head to look at Valek who quietly sat next to the other window with his eyes closed and arms folded while Emilio took a nap on my lap.I’m really curious now.Why?Why did he do it
>>Hazel“Do you recognize the name?” I asked with curiosity. My heart skipped a beat as I looked at him in expectation.“No,” He shook his head, “I don’t,” He tilted his head as he thought about it, “But, I do feel like I’ve heard this name somewhere before.” He licked his lower lip, “But I might be mistaken.” He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, “Where?” He whispered to himself but in the end he couldn’t get the answer.“Ah…” I was sort of disappointed, “Oh well,” I looked at him, “We’re still trying another kindergarten right?”“Well,” Valek closed his eyes and
>>Hazel“Oh!” I shook her hand, “I’m Hazel. It’s nice to meet you Rosalie.”She stood by me and looked at her kids, “Leo and Theo are really mischievous but they’re also really friendly.”Leo huh… That name made me happy and sad at the same time. It was a name I was really fond of afterall. It belonged to someone special.“I hope they’ll get along with Emilio,” I said, “He’s a little shy. He’s only been homeschooled till now.” I smiled as I looked at the kids.“Don’t worry,” Rosalie assured me, “It’s their first ti
>>HazelPanic.Pure and utter confusion.There was so much going through my mind yet at the same time it felt like I was completely blank.This is just really happen?Did someone really just kidnap my son?But how?! This doesn’t make any sense.You can’t just take a child away like that! And why didn’t Emilio make a fuss? He should have called for us! I didn’t hear anything from him and it’s not because his voice got lost among the noise made by other kids. I would definitely have heard him if he had called or made any sound for help at all.
>>HazelI didn’t move from my place when I noticed it.Yep, that’s a camera alright.I looked down nervously. Now that I’m aware there’s a camera here I don’t know how to react or what to do.Do I dance now?Sheesh! Why not?I stood up and did a beautiful ‘kermit the frog’ dance but then in between my awesome display of moves I realized how stupid I was being and stopped.For a few seconds I stood still in the middle of the room looking like a clown and then went and sat down on the same couch I was sitting on before in utter despair
>>ValekI walked through the corridors knowing full well why the whole place was empty.Me and my men are not really treated as proper guests here and now Hazel is being treated the same way. I never really cared when it came to me but now that I’ve brought her along I feel a little anxious.I knew that the guest room would be empty and I’m sure no one is going to go and attend to her or offer Hazel even a glass of water so I best hurry.On top of everything else I really don’t want Emilio to be under grandmother’s influence in these circumstances.Having Hazel here has changed some things and I know grandmother is not taking that well.
>>HazelI stared at the man in front of me in disbelief.“Vincent?” My voice came out pretty soft and I guess at the same time it was very weak, “Vincenzo?” I didn’t shake his hand that he had stretched out for me and after a moment of silence and no actions from my side the smile on Vincent’s face faded and he withdrew his hand back to his side.“Sad…” He said, “My hands weren’t dirty or anything.” He pouted.I didn’t reply to him and just kept staring at his face.No doubt there’s a resemblance but what’s his relation to Valek? His brother? Perhaps his cousin?
>>ValekIn the silence of the room where I wanted to have a serious conversation, I couldn’t help but sigh.I turned my head and looked at the boy standing on the table that was right next to the door where I was standing.“Daddy!” Emilio whined, “You don’t turn around. You raise your hands!”I placed my hand on the gun, “Emilio, I think I’ve told you not to play with guns.”He pouted but didn’t lower the weapon, “But grandma said it was fine.” He kept his grip on it and I glared at him. The moment he saw that he immediately released his grip on the machine and let it go.
>>Roshni (4 years later) “You know.” I licked the ice cream from my ice cream cone as Emilio and I sat on the beach side at night, “I can tell you’ve been meaning to ask something for quite some time now.” He looked at me guiltily, “How long…?” He looked like a criminal who had got caught. “Honestly, for months at this point.” “Shit..” He looked defeated as buried his head in his free hand while the ice cream was melting in his other. “Finish that before it melts onto your hand,” I said and he raised his head to look at the starry sky. He sighed, “It’s nice,” He stared at something distant, “Isn’t it?” The soft sand was comfortable to sit on, the sound of ocean waves was extremely calming and the soft wind that followed just blew one's worries away. “Mmm,” I replied to affirm. Emilio quietly ate his ice cream as he kept looking at the clear black sky and I could tell there was something on his mind but I waited for him to say it first and ate my dessert quietly. The silence b
>>Roshni I knew I had to give him an answer. I couldn’t stall it anymore. Not for him, not for me. I knew it wasn’t possible. I knew the words of rejection won’t ever come out of my mouth since I’m madly in love with him too. The feelings that were exploding like a volcano in my heart would say only one thing now. Just looking at him and just thinking about him makes me happy. And perhaps, I should think about what makes me happy. I’m fretting over the world I lived in for centuries but never got to experience these feelings there. But here, it’s different. My life here has been short but I’ve loved every single day. I wish to stay here more than anything, I wish to stay with this person in front of me. “Fine,” I gripped his finger tightly as my own heart pounded violently in my chest, “I’ll stay with you.” I felt so shy it was hard to look at him, “I surrender.” I smiled, “To you.” “Really?” He couldn’t believe it at first. He was even bewildered and stared at me with his eyes
>>Roshni I ran back home. As soon as Lio was done singing, I dashed towards the exit, took the bus, and ran into the mansion, straight to my room Why? Because I was overwhelmed. I ran away because I felt like my feelings would explode. My heart felt so full I had no idea what to do. I crashed on my bed as the sound of my heart pounding drummed in my ears. God! What is this? I’m supposed to be a demon! My heart shouldn’t be trembling like this! I placed my hand on my chest. I guess I’m getting like this because he’s being straightforward now. Before he was avoiding the subject and didn’t respond that well but now, it’s like he’s taken the sword and is charging full speed ahead on the battlefield. My face was hot, my cheeks flushed, and my thoughts a mess. I want him. I want him so much but what about my life in the demon realm? Do I just abandon it? Do I just forsake centuries of life there? I picked the pillow from the bed and hugged it tightly but still the tightness in
>>Roshni A few days have passed and Lio didn’t come to visit me. We went to college separately too and to be honest. I had all the time to think for myself. The half of me that was here is already madly in love with him and now that we’ve combined into a whole again, those feelings are affecting me too. I wasn’t expecting I’d fall for this guy and so much that just the thought of him gets me all excited. Now that I think about it, he’s done everything to make me fall for him over the years. He’s fulfilled my wish of living as a human and experiencing all that I’ve ever wanted. He’s been the sweetest most caring person in my life. I rolled on my bed in my room and a soft flush appeared on my cheeks. I know I love him, I was only able to tackle his words that day because my two halves had combined and everything hadn’t merged completely but now, after a few days, everything is in order yet this human heart of mine is in agony. The agony of love. I thought the feeling would neutr
>>Roshni “You don’t love me,” I told him. “Oh!” He smiled, “But I do,” He seemed quite confident. “No, you don’t,” I shook my head at him “I most definitely do,” He stood his ground, “I always have.” “No,” I shook my head as I felt a little annoyed, “If you did, you would have loved me as Roshni too.” “What makes you think I don’t?” His immediate reply left me baffled. !!! “I- , What?” I shook my head, “You’ve never responded to anything I ever did!” I was feeling furious, “You never made a move.” “It’s because you don’t understand,” His voice got a little serious “I do,” I glared at him, “Your love, your confession of love, it's all fake.” My words made his expression turn grim yet he answered me in a normal voice. “No, you don’t,” He moved to close the space between us and I began to move back. He looked at me with so much longing in his eyes it made me feel things, weird things, “I’ve held myself back for years.” I stopped at the edge of the summoning circle and he close
>>Emilio (4 years old)“I want you.” I said, “Can’t you come with me?”“Hmmm~” The demon wasn’t sure what to say to me, “You want me?” It looked at me quite fondly, “Why?”“I like you,” I said but my confession alarmed it.“You like me?” It looked at me as if I had said the most unusual thing in the world, “You,” It pointed at me, “A human,” Then it pointed at myself, “Like me?” It looked like it didn’t believe me.I nodded at the question, “Yes.”
>>RoshniI didn’t notice it at first, but there were some weird markings there written in different places around the circle and the star. It was a language that felt awfully familiar but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it because I had never really seen it before.So why did it feel so familiar? I had no idea.I quietly made my way into the middle of the blood-red drawing and stood there in the center. My emotions and my thoughts were all mixed up.The sight on the scene was too hard to see but with Lio insisting on so much I just decided to through with it.I had an impending sense of danger around me. It made me feel like if I went th
>>Emilio“Thanks,” I took the box from Aries who came to visit me late at night.“Well,” He shook my hand, “I’m leaving for home now.” He smiled at me and I gave him one back in return, “Are you done with everything?”I nodded, “Yea, everything’s in place,” I looked at the box, “This is the last thing.”“Well,” He stepped back from the porch, “Good luck.” He smiled, “Hope no one dies.”I snickered, “Me too.” I waved at him, “I doubt we’ll be meeting anytime soon.”“Considering how we both live on two different sides of the country.” He shook his head, “No,” He then took a few other steps back, “And clean yourself up before you go to her.” He smirked.I snickered, “The bath’s already running.” I need to get the blood off of me.
>>RoshniEmilio has traveled a lot, to many places but each time he said he was going to look for something and it wasn’t for the sake of leisure.There’s always been something mysterious about him. It’s like he’s searching for something. I have seen it in his eyes, his passion and obsession towards a goal I’m unaware of.There have been times he brought back some weird things with him when he came back from overseas trips but most of the time, it was just weird ritual books. It was a weird hobby of his to read all that stuff but since it was just a reading hobby, no one said anything about it.It was a cloudy day, the atmosphere was dark and I stood outside the cafe looking