Frost and Fire

Four

Juliana woke up in unfamiliar surroundings, with a throbbing headache and to the delicious smell of pancakes. It took a while for her eyes to fully open and when they did, she wasn't disappointed. She discovered that she lay in a large four-poster canopy bed in an even larger bedroom. A huge window beside the bed was covered by translucent curtains which let enough light infiltrate for her eyes to see. A chest of drawers stood tall in one corner, its five drawers polished a dark shade of brown. A spinning chair stood in front of a large writing desk and beside it was a door which, Juliana assumed, led to the bathroom. She wondered where her brother was. She also wondered why it was that she wasn't panicking - after everything she'd gone through yesterday, one would think she'd be crying her eyes out. But as she lay in the soft bed, she couldn't help but not care. It was as if a surreal calm had descended upon her and the panic that had been slowly bubbling in the pit of her stomach since yesterday, faded away. She stared at the dark canopy above her - wondering if Teivel had really rescued them or if this was Azazel's house. Although, she thought, if Azazel had been anywhere near her, it was doubtful that he'd let her sleep so peacefully. Perhaps yesterday had been a mere dream...

But then she remembered that horrible cold feeling, that agonizing torture and those black, black eyes looking at her, Teivel's gentle hand on her cheek and the pain slowly fading away. She flushed - she should be ashamed of herself - her father had died, her brother's and her lives could be in danger and there she was, thinking about a Shadow-Dweller's eyes. Beautiful though they were.

She shook her head slightly and got up, steadying herself as dizziness attacked her. She made her way to the chest of drawers, trying to ignore the hammering in her head. Opening the first one, she found a hairbrush, a black hairband and a packet of bobby pins. The second drawer contained two pairs of jeans - black and blue. The third drawer had shirts that were obviously meant for someone taller and broader - someone like Teivel, Juliana couldn't help thinking- in it. She would've liked to explore further, but the headache was becoming worse and the grumbling in her stomach reminded her of how long it had been since she'd last eaten. Her last meal had been with her father, when he'd been alive... There. She'd been wondering where the tears had gone to. She could feel them prickling at the corner of her eyes and she hastily rubbed her eyes, grabbing a pair of jeans and a plain blue t-shirt. She took a quick shower -the bathroom was huge- letting the wet hair fall loose around her shoulders.

Juliana opened the doors of the bedroom, venturing outside. She hesitated, not knowing where to go. In the end, she decided to just follow the smell of the pancakes. It wasn't very difficult - the house wasn't very big, but it was larger than her home. Or the house that had been her home. It was destroyed now. Along with her father. And Lane...where was Lane? For the first time since she'd woken up, Juliana panicked. Acid boiled in her stomach and she quickened her pace, not aring for the decorations and portraits in the hallways. She rounded the corner and stopped abruptly.

Teivel sat in a barstool in front of her - his hair wet and messy and his hand busy shovelling pancakes in his open mouth. Amusement took over her and the same surreal calm feeling washed over her, dulling the panic and the headache. She leaned against the door, crossing her arms and observing him quietly, undecided as to whether she should laugh or be disgusted at his eating habits. She let a smile curve her lips as he suddenly raised his head, his eyes meeting hers. The smile turned into a mischievous grin as he swallowed hastily and choked on his food. She uncrossed her arms. This would be fun.