Apocalypse: Building the Bond ch 3

         I was back in the apartment. Grandma was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and Grandpa was reading the paper after a hard day’s work. I don’t know why he worked so hard. He should be retired by now, but whenever his boss brings it up he becomes defensive and refuses any such action. I suppose that is just how he is. He was taught from a young age to work for what you get, and get only what you work for. He is a good man. Someday, I would like to marry a man like my Grandpa.

         The food was nearly done. I could smell the spicy Wild West rice my Grandma was famous for, at least in our family, and the sizzling hamburger along with onions, garlic, chives, and something else. She must be experimenting with something new this time.

         I was sitting in my usual chair with a book in hand, a story about a vampire and a girl falling in love. It wasn’t really my thing, but it was on the reading list for school. Our teacher was really into this kind of thing. The whole star-crossed lovers never to be together, it made no sense. If they can’t truly be together, then how can they fall in love? I guess I would never know the answer. I have never been in love before. Don’t get me wrong, there are some pretty cute guys in school, but I wouldn’t call that love. Love is a bond made between two people, a connection that would last through all of time and continue on.  Like my grandparents. Even though they are old, grey, and sometimes a little senile, they act like newlyweds. It is awkward to walk into a room to find them making out or something, but I think it is wonderful that they care so much for one another that they can look past physical stuff.

“Clare, Bob, dinner is ready.” Grandma’s voice was so gentle. Like a cozy warm blanket on a chilly night, her beautiful voice comforts and cares for us.

         I stood up, setting my book on the coffee table and stretched. I had been sitting for some time. I rubbed my eyes, they were sore from reading in the dim light of the lamp. Gramps always said to read somewhere with better lighting, or my eyes would go bad. I am starting to think he may be on to something. I headed for the kitchen, but something wasn’t quite right. The room seemed to stretch longer the more I walked, like it was being pulled away from me. I started to run, but the faster I ran the farther my home grew. I started to yell for my grandparents. But I couldn’t hear any reply. I couldn’t see the kitchen any more. Now I drifted in a dark mist, hearing fuzzy disembodied voices around me. What were they saying? I couldn’t hear clearly. My head started to ache. My whole body started to ache. What was going on? Where am I?

“Isn’t there something you can do? She looks like she is in pain.”

“It is best to let her be for now.”

“Oh this girl, she will be the death of me I swear.”

“It wasn’t her fault.”

“Yes it was. If she had focused more in class, this never would have happened.”

“Now you two, take this outside. I don’t want you disturbing my patient. Out, out.”

         The voices stopped, and I could feel something taking hold of my mind. The pain was subsiding and I felt tingly and fuzzy all over. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were weighed down with a drowsy tickle. Slowly I crept towards sleep, until I could no longer refuse it.



         Again I could hear voices disturb my peaceful slumber. Only these were not the same as the ones before. One I could remember knowing from some place. The other was strange to me, yet somehow comforting despite its rough dark undertones.

“This has nothing to do with me.” The dark voice said, it sounded somewhat emotionally detached and proud. “She did this to herself.”

“You know very well what I mean, you egotistical buffoon.” A deep menacing growl followed this statement from the second more familiar voice.

“Don’t try me.” The first presence snarled this in such a way I reactively shivered where I lay.

“Shh, you will wake her. Honestly, don’t you have any sense of responsibility? You would think a demon of your rank would understand such things. A bond is a bond, you can’t ignore that.”

“If you are so concerned, why don’t you take care of her? I have more than enough understanding of rank and duty to know, these creatures are not worth our time.”

“You bonded with her!” The second being yelled with such a fiery hiss I jumped causing my body to thrum with discomfort.  Recoiling from my reaction it continued in a lower tone, “Did you or did you not come to her, isn’t that enough for you to understand.”

“I don’t know what happened, but I do know you are starting to get on my nerves.”

“You are a lowlife, scum...”

“Enough!” The command was powerful and deep, it felt as though my own person responded to it. My breath caught in my chest and my heart seemed to still as well. I trembled in my stupor, what was this that had such control over me? I couldn’t quite understand. But it seemed I was not the only one affected. The second person sounded winded and suffering as it made one final request.

“Just, treat her well. She is a good kid.”

         I regained control now and could feel my body responding as I wished it to. I turned my head from side to side as I became more and more awake. My eyes were difficult to manage, I couldn’t quite open them. The two voices noticed my movement it seemed, and the darker one quickly stated “I’m outa here.” Just before a slight crackle and whooshing sound was heard. I knew that sound. Demons traveled sometimes by appearing and disappearing. This was the sound they made when they traveled in this manner. I opened my eyes slowly. There was a dim light above my head, and a red-orange glow near my feet. I was laying on a bed in a room I couldn’t pinpoint.  Something moved toward the head of the bed then, it was what was glowing dimly. It was Pyralis, my homeroom teacher’s demon partner.

“How are you feeling?” His voice was calm and low, as it usually was, but it was also the voice that grew so upset with the dark deep voice. I have never heard Pyralis so upset before. Perhaps it wasn’t him after all. He was always so collected and composed.

“Where…” I tried to sit up, but my head split with a terrible jolt of agony. I groaned as Pyralis pushed me back to the bed.

“You rest now. I will fetch the nurse.” And he was gone with a whooshing crackle. Yes demons traveled that way, which means there was another demon in here just before I woke up. I am sure of it. A demon that upset Pyralis, a dark powerful demon, a demon that could force humans and demons alike to bend to its will. Again I shivered, but a little to drastically for it hurt my head. Such an influential demon must be dangerous. Why was it here? What did it want with me?

“I see you are awake.” A female voice drew my attention to the bedside. She turned on another light that opened a new room to my line of sight. “This is an infirmary room.” She said, “You’ve got quite the bump on the head.”

“What happened?” I asked as she removed bandages from my head. It stung a little but she was very careful.

“You had a little bit of a fall dear, but you will be fine.” She patted my head with a cool rag and rubbed some sort of jelly on the tender swollen goose egg on the left side of my head. I winced a couple times, but the jelly must have been a numbing agent because it took affect almost instantly.

“I would suggest you rest some more, but there are just too many people out there waiting to see that you are all right. Would you like to see them?

“Yes please.” I was slightly embarrassed that there were people waiting outside the room, but more so happy to know they were concerned. It is nice to know you are loved.

         She nodded and left the room. Moments later a group of people entered through the same door. Pyralis, Professor Burswood, Professor Farr, Angela, Devin, Katie my old roommate, Alex and Laurence Devin’s friends and workout buddies, Tracie, Steven, and many others. So many came in, I couldn’t see all of them. Angela rushed to my side and took my hand in hers saying, “Oh Clare, I’m so sorry. Are you in much pain? You poor thing, what a terrible experience you have been through.”

“For heaven’s sake Angela, stop that.” Burswood stepped forward near the end of the bed with a sickened expression. I wasn’t sure if it was my bandaged brain or Angel’s excessive flood of motherly worry that disgusted him, or perhaps it was both.

“How you feeling?” Devin asked me from the other side of the bed. He leaned close to me and I could feel my face turn red. “You look like you have a fever, let’s see.” He placed the back of his hand on my cheek. I felt awkward and uncomfortable lying there with so many eyes, and Devin so close to me touching my face so gently.

“N-no, I’m fine. Really.” I tried to pull away, but despite the numbing jelly my head protested fiercely.

“Just take it easy Clare.” Farr spoke now with a little smile on her knowing face. “We won’t be here long, Lisa, the nurse will see to that.” Lisa was the nurse’s name. I didn’t know. I would try to remember so I could thank her when she came back in.

“Clare, oh Clare, have you met him?”

“Who?”

“Your demon, of course.” Angela’s face brightened as she said this. I had a demon?

“He hasn’t been here with you?” Devin seemed concerned at this, but Pyralis then spoke. “Her demon did come; he just isn’t use to being bonded.”

“Well he better get used to it” Burswood said matter-of-factly as always.

“is it hard for demons to be bonded to humans?” Angela asked

“Not really, though some have a harder time adjusting to the limitations than others.”

“My demon is having a hard time adjusting?” I asked, curious from the conversation I had overheard. He sounded furious at the idea.

“In a way.” He obviously felt uncomfortable discussing these matters, so I dropped the subject for now.

“So, do you know what he is?” Again Angela seemed very excited for some unknown reason. “Would you like me to tell you?”

“No.” Farr and Burswood said this at the same time. Angela looked at them stunned and silent, her eyes wide and confused.

“He should be the one to tell her that.” Farr tried to bring a positive note to her words. “It would not be fair for you to take that enriching opportunity from him, would it?”

“I suppose not.” Angela’s voice sounded defeated.

“If you’d like, you can tell her about your new demons. All of you.”

“Yes, yes, me first.” She had recovered quickly, and began talking so fast it was hard to keep track. “My demon is a shape-shifter. Her name is Blodeuwedd. Her human form is so pretty. Her animal shape is an owl, and her demon shape is amazing. She had long spiral horns and the cutest wings.”

“She sounds wonderful.” I said, not all too interested, with my mind wondering toward my own demon’s plight.

“My demon is a girl too.” Devin said, “She is an elemental, she controls water. Her name is Undine. She doesn’t have wings, but she has a long whip like tail with spikes at the end.”

“My demon has long claws, and...”

         I drifted then, not sure if it was the medication, or just my mind losing interest. Focusing never was a strong point for me. I couldn’t help but think about my own demon. Having a demon means a bond must have been made during that mess of a ceremony. When did it happen though? I couldn’t remember much, only losing my barrier and getting it back, then the frenzy, and something else. What was that? Some sort of presence stopped the demons and took their wrath on itself. Could that be my demon? I remember how strong the force was when it came in the room. That’s right; it wasn’t there in the beginning. It came in later on. Whatever it was came at the last minute and saved my life. But where was it when the bonding began? It isn’t like demons can get lost. Or maybe they can. What if it didn’t want to come? Could that be why my demon is against being bonded? Or maybe it happened to be passing by and couldn’t let demons pick on a poor human girl? No, the voice that I heard earlier, the voice of my demon, said humans are not worth it for demons. He wouldn’t defend me out of pity. Why then? Why was he late to the bonding ceremony? Why did he come at all if he doesn’t want this? Why did he protect me?

“You’re not listening.” Angela tugged on my arm and giggled. I instantly came back to the room full of expectant faces. Someone had asked me a question and I was not all there to know what it was.

“I’m sorry, what was the question?” A giggle from Angela, a few disappointed moans, and a rather perturbed instructor told me I had missed quite a lot in my mental absence.

“No wonder you had such a hard bonding. You can’t concentrate worth anything.” It was obvious; Burswood had been the one to ask the question. He was terribly upset. I couldn’t help but feel terrible. I try to listen, but I just can’t seem to stay with it for very long.

         Just then Lisa the nurse came in the room. She was pushing a cart with bandages, medication and a new blanket. “Okay, visiting hours is over, come back tomorrow if you’d like.” Saved by the nurse, I will surely have to thank her for this. As well as taking such good care of me. As everyone was leaving they wished me well, and promised to visit me soon. I couldn’t help but feel touched.