Hell Upside Down

Chapter 29

Chapter 29 - I IV III 

Point of view Alena West

I watched as the sunset passed beyond the horizon. The music resonated onto the walls of the car. Ash drove us to the borders of the city. He drove us to the top of a hill where the view was breathtaking, and where the wind was stronger and made my hair go in every direction, making him laugh.

Ash parked in the empty parking lot where not a soul could be seen. He laid the jean jacket that he was wearing onto the grass for me to sit, as he himself lowered to sit on the grass without any remarks. I liked his subtle gesture; they made my heart melt.

"I grew up in this city. For a bit at least." Ashton said while in his thoughts. I laid my head on his shoulder as I listened to him speak. He had never talked about his childhood since I met him, so I sat silently waiting, hoping for him to go on.

I drew circles on his hands, while I heard him reflect on his earlier age. Ashton Rex was born, far away from Hellia University, in Barcelona. His mom was an avid traveler with her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Rex never intended to become pregnant and raise their children. Ashton doesn't remember much of his early childhood, but he never stayed in one place for long. The parents were simple humans. When things started to catch on fire, when people started hallucinating, Ashton's parents believed the baby was cursed.

"They were almost tempted to throw me away," Ashton says with tears forming in his eyes. "Dump me like trash." He swung his hand to create the movement of throwing trash away.

So, I held him closer to me; the way our skin boiled as we touched. I could smell his cologne which made my head spin. I tried to bring him back to reality, not wanting him to feel the pain of his past, but Ashton was eager to share his life with me, which filled me with joy; thrilled he wanted me to know that side of him. Knowing him did leave fear deep down in my bones at what Ashton Rex could do to the world around him but as he opened to me, my fear begins dissipating. He was not the evil that he was made out to be.

"When my parents were ready to give up completely, my grandmother stepped in. My saving grace." He explained with admiration.

Ash's grandmother, Cookie was an old woman by the time she had opened the doors to its first and only grandchild. The grandmother, nothing like Ash's mom. Cookie was warm and provided comfort to the young and unstable child. They moved to the city because the High School was better. Ash was always torn by making Cookie proud and by its desire to burn everything to the ground.

Cookie never questioned the supernatural acts that were happening all around her. She read books, and supernatural doctors that she found along the way were able to help. They provided guidance to the old grandmother they found trustworthy enough to share the secrets of the world of the supernatural.

However, Cookie was never destined to become a mother again at the age of 65 years old. Although she tried to hide as much as she could, she was becoming weaker, and Ash could see it. This started an enormous amount of uproar in the high schooler. The police would often bring Ash back home, or sometimes it was the school that kept calling but Cookie never answered. To her, her little boy was perfect. After all, she was the only person in this world who wanted him. Well, that, and all the girls that were fascinated with Ash. His beauty surpassed the ones of any humans in the city. But no one could get close enough, or they would get hurt or burn.

Ash barely made it to graduation, but when he did, he made his grandmother proud. Cookie was finally able to get her peace. She knew her grandson was destined to great things. With his poor notes, and tragic record, the only University that accepted Ash was Hellia University. No one at his high school had heard of it, and some girls were even disappointed they didn't get in solely at the purpose to follow the dead gorgeous boy they had gone to school with for the last few years.