Shazi and the Demons of the First Order (Book 1)

Sari

So... My boss didn't want to fire me. 

Instead, she wanted to talk alone with me in her office. I agreed, because, well, if I refused then that would mean the end of my job. 

I followed her the length of the hall and when we reached her office, she opened the door for me and waited for me to step inside. She closed the door behind her and walked over to her desk, which was so spick and span that anyone would've questioned the fact that she was a messy person. 

Like, from the last couple of years I've been working here, wasn't she messy? This office just cleaned up all on its own or what? 

"You seem troubled, Sari." Mrs. Deville said, and instead of sitting in her chair like she always did, sat on the edge of the desk in front of me. 

I gulped and looked up at her. 

"I, uh... I just didn't think you were the perfectionist type." I said, but then slapped a hand across my mouth when I realized how stereotypical that sounded. 

She chuckled, fished through her pocket for something, then pulled it out to reveal a cigarette box. I eyed her carefully as she took out a small cigarette and placed the box on the table, then grabbed the lighter that stuck out from the top of her boot and lit the cigarette. 

She inhaled for a couple of moments before exhaling, the smoke coming out of her lips like the finishing of a fire. She looked down and met my eye, and in that moment, I saw the devilish look in her eyes as she inhaled the smoke that came out of the end of the cigarette. 

"Want one?" she asked, and grinned. 

I shook my head, my hands holding onto the ends of my chair for dear life. 

Oh God, oh God, oh God. 

What game was she playing at? 

I left work Friday and then stayed home the entire weekend, and in that time my boss changed her personality like that? 

Something's wrong. 

I looked up at her slowly, seeing the way she sat up proud and regal in every way. 

Something's changed about her, that's for sure. 

Clearing my throat, I sat upright in my chair. 

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" I prompted. 

She met my eyes and grinned, the cigarette between her teeth. "Yes."

She slid off the table so gracefully any ice dancer would've turned red from envy, and rounded the table to take out a paper from somewhere in her desk's drawers. Hesitatingly, I reached for the paper and used the tips of my fingers to slide it towards me. 

The paper was a one-page photocopy of the front cover of a newspaper, the one that came out just this morning at five a.m. I looked up at her and saw the way she seemed to be admiring the photo on the paper. It was of a boy, who barely looked to be twenty, whose throat was ripped open.

 There was blood all over his face and clothes, and his eyes were widened slightly as if they were in the process of widening in fear. 

"What do you take from the photo, Sari?" my boss asked, and took a drag of her cigarette. 

I gulped and then met her eyes. 

"The victim was bitten by a savage animal." I suggested. 

Mrs. Deville cocked her head to the side, as if contemplating my response, then shook her head. 

"No, not good enough. They want you to think that it was a savage animal." she reasoned. 

"But why? What would be the point of that?" I asked, and motioned to the paper as if to prove my point. 

"Relax, Sari. The police are going to take care of it, but we'll be getting more recognition for reporting the happening than the cops could ever get. Or, more gratitude for that matter, for putting the news out to the world. After all, we are the press, and we deliver the news. The police just take care of the background business." she told me, then took a drag from her cigarette. 

I glanced behind me at the people walking about the long hall, and realized that they didn't seem to notice that their boss was smoking in a smoking-free building. I looked back at her, seeing that she was waiting for me to respond, judging by the prying look on her face. 

I gulped.

 "So, what is it you want me to do?" I asked, worriedly. 

Mrs. Deville rounded the desk, sat where she was before, and stared off into the distance, taking a drag from her cigarette when she paused in between sentences. 

"I heard about a priest, a few years ago, who summoned a demon from Hell. People say that he was attempting to speak to one of his deceased loved ones, but he never found comfort. The priest, realizing his error, called the police, who then apprehended the demon and took it to their headquarters. They locked it up in a cell, far away from all the other prisoners, and treated it like some animal in a cage, which is, if you think about it, what they thought it was." 

She met my gaze and stared deeply into my eyes. 

"The demon is no caged animal. It is a free breed of creature, one that isn't bound by the laws of anyone but its master, the Devil." she finished, then took a drag from her cigarette.

"You must be wondering why I sound so passionate about this." she said, and I couldn't help but nod because it was exactly what I was thinking. 

She smiled and adjusted her position on the edge of the desk so she could lean towards me without having to worry of tipping anything over. 

"I want you to interview this demon. I want you to tell its story. Do that, and you'll get the best promotion anyone has ever been offered in the history of man." she said. 

As I was staring into her eyes, I noticed a tint of red in her irises, whether from the early morning light outside or the red scarf I was wearing, I had no idea. 

But all I knew was that my boss was acting differently now. 

She wasn't all serious and stuff with me when we had private conversations in her office. She always joked and had fun with everything she said, and talked about her dog and how he chased his own tail in her backyard. 

But this new version of my boss, it made me wonder. 

What had changed over the weekend? What happened to her that had changed her entire personality so much beyond recognition of her original character?

 "Sari? Are you alright? You seem distracted." Mrs. Deville said, concern washing over the rest of her beautiful features. 

I shook my head lightly and sat more upright in my chair. 

"Sorry. I'm just tired, that's all. Had a really messy morning." I mumbled. 

She smiled, her lips splitting half of her cheeks' length span. 

"Well, I'll have you know that I always have a messy morning. But perfect nights are what I always look forward to." she said, and I nodded along with her, wanting her to not suspect me of running away from this assignment. 

"Well. I guess I'm heading off to the police station, then." I said, sheepishly, and laughed to myself before getting up from the chair. 

I could feel the deep stare of Mrs. Deville's eyes as they watched me head to the door. 

"Don't forget, Sari. The interview with the demon." she reminded me. 

I closed my eyes as my hand rested over the door handle. 

Well, at least it's better than an interview with a vampire.