Hawk Point *ON HOLD*

Chapter Nineteen: Dark Dreams

Hey Dustin...

"What do you want? I told you to leave me alone."

It's all your fault you know. You lead those demons straight to her.

"No..."

Don't deny it Dustin; you know it's true.

"I didn't mean to..."

Do you remember your promise to me, Dustin?

"Why do you keep calling me that? Why does everyone call me that?"

It's your name, isn't it?

"I..."

Do you remember your promise?

"I never forgot. But..."

But?

"I'm not going to do it. I have to break that promise."

Don't do this Dustin. If you fight me, things will only get worse for you.

"I can't do it."

If you can't do it, than you leave me no other choice...

~~~~~~~

The hallway is dark and ominous, the sound of crashing water rumbling through the air, the vibration of the waves traveling down the walls. With his arms crossed across his chest, Aven can think of nothing but the helpless look Cif gave him when he pushed her into the lake.

She looked fragile, just like every other human. Fragile like a porcelain doll on the edge of a high shelf, just waiting for gravity to take its toll. Cif is like every other human, Aven realizes with wide eyes, with a heart that can easily stop, a body and mind with limits. A human child, just like Joe before that incident.

The thought of the demon boy sends shivers racing through Aven's body, ice coating every nerve and vein.

"Hey Aven, didn't think I'd run into you here." Eustace's ghostly face pops into Aven's line of vision. The silvery boy pulls a wide grin, his hands running across his wrinkled white-sleeved sweater, "Life can be pretty unpredictable so I shouldn't be surprised," he says, then chuckles darkly, his youthful demenor melting away into something more viscious, "Even life after death can be really intetesting, you know?"

"I'm not dead." Aven states and pauses, a considering expression flickering across his features too quickly for Eustace to notice, "Not yet, at least."

Eustace sighs, his hands moving from his sweater to his hair. His fingers rake through silver stands, causing them to jump with static, "You're such a major buzzkill. You'll probobly end up as one of those cranky ghosts who yell at humans to get off your lawn. At least that Klinsey kid turned interesting after---"

"What are you even doing here?" Aven interrupts Eustace, dismissing his words with a wide waving of the hand. His tone is harsher than intended, as sharp as a blade.

Eustace looks at Aven with the look of someone who is not used to being interrupted. Something flashes behing his moonlight eyes, there and gone so quickly that it could have been a frigment of Aven's imagination.

"Oh you know," he says, his voice echoing eerily across the corridor, "Just scaring the crap out of fearies, doing ghost haunting stuff, just because I can."

Aven sighs exasperatedly, "And the real reason you're here?"

Eustace sighs and gives a lopsided grin, "Jen wants to discuss the recent demon attacks with me because they all started appearing from Christopher's house and I hang out there a lot."