Fluorescent Adolescent (On Hold)

Chapter 8

I strolled up to my house, my heart sinking at the thought of having to spend another night alone.

I fished for my keys and unlocked my door stepping over the threshold. I heard something crinkle under my foot and I quickly bent down to pick up a small pile of letters before shutting the door behind me.

Two of the letters were addressed to my mum and I tossed them onto the small teak dresser. I stopped for a moment and looked at the photo's on the dresser and smiled sadly.

There were several terrible school photographs and a few nice ones of me and my mum on holiday. I ran my fingers across the frames delicately. Tears began to well up in my eyes.

"No." I told myself crossly. "Stop crying. You're being so fucking stupid. Crying will not fix anything."

Oh God! Now I'm talking to myself. I sighed and wiped my eyes and scowled. Stop being so weak. You're so dependant on everybody. You don't need Eric to save you, and you don't need to go running to Amelia every time you get upset. Help for yourself for once. You don't need other people to look after you. You're sixteen. There are ten year olds in third world countries who are able to look after themselves, work and take care of their siblings as well. Stop being a pathetic snivelling baby.

I squared my shoulders and looked at myself in the mirror. I continued to frown, but I was no longer crying.

I walked into the kitchen and turned on the lights. I put my bag on the smooth marble counters and looked down at the letters in my hand.

There was one like the others which I had previously read from my mysterious stalker-killer guy. Fear began to rise in my throat and my mouth went dry.

I then began to feel angry. You're being pathetic, this letter will not hurt you. My hands were tense as I ripped open the letter. I tossed the envelope on the side and unfolded the sheet of A4. On the page a mobile number was written in pretty cursive handwriting, underneath the number was the name Dad.

Lucien had left me his number. I sighed in relief and punched the number into my phone and saved it.

I put my phone back in my bag and went to the fridge, hoping to find something I could make for my supper. I found a bag of salad which was still in date but nothing else substantial. I rifled through the cupboards and managed to find some Lincolnshire baking potatoes. I smiled at my victory and put a potato in the oven.

After my dinner, I was thinking about my father. Had he been sending the letters? Had he been trying to kill me?

Eric's POV

I sat in my cool dark basement, naked trying to fight back the demon. I had been at war for hours, trying to regain control, but he had been growing stronger and was ready to drop the bomb. He wanted nothing more than total chaos and misery, he wanted the darkest pits of Hell to seep into the world and burn it to a crisp. He wanted children's skulls hanging from a chandelier in his mansion made of the bones of the ones who had once inhabited the Earth. He wanted flames higher than the tallest skyscrapers to be where the oceans once were, demons running freely, feeding on the helpless. His wants and needs were so strong they were beginning to surface in my mind. I shook violently with the effort of locking him away.

I had burned all my clothes off when I erupted into flames after I leaving the hospital. I had been so furious and hurt. I felt betrayed. Ruby had betrayed me, and I wanted her to feel the same way.

No, no I didn't. I could never harm her.

Yes you could. He hissed in my mind, tempting me like the snake he is.