What Lies Between ✔

Fata Morgana

18

"You might as well obliterate me now," Marian spat at us, "I will not serve Demons."

"We are not Demons," I told her, but I didn't even sound convincing to myself.

"Demi-Demon, full-Demon, it does not matter! You are all wretched! You are all the same!" she cried, pushing herself up off the ground staggeringly. Her image flickered, and my stomach bottomed. She was going to obliterate too.

"I need to give you energy," I teetered to my own feet, then once reasonably steady, began taking slow baby steps toward her. "Give us a chance to explain ourselves, we're not evil," I assured.

"You destroyed a little girl! An innocent soul! You are vile, and you must pay for your sins!" she bellowed, and then, without warning, she launched herself at me.

A sudden buzzing sound whizzed through the air, and then something ripped through Marian just as she was closing the distance between us. Her form flickered and disappeared, only to reappear crumpled at my feet. I startled away at the suddenness of her appearance.

"Got ya," came Zuri's cool voice from the corridor of the cinema. I turned just in time to see her lower her rifle slightly that was aimed threateningly at the Ghost. She walked slowly over to us, briefly taking in the scene of me shaking like a leaf where I stood, and Ben emotionally unreachable on the ground. She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and thrusted it toward me. "Here," she said, keeping her eyes and aim on the Ghost.

I stared at her offering, not quite understanding what she wanted me to do with it.

When I didn't immediately accept the tissue, her eyes darted to mine with annoyance. "For your head. You're bleeding."

I reached up to the spot where the dry wall had been slammed into my skull, fingering at a damp stickiness. "Oh," I said, taking the tissue, "thank you."

"Why are you helping them?!" Marian roared at Zuri. "They will only take your soul as well!"

"They aren't Demons," I heard a lazy voice drift to us from behind Zuri. Justice walked in, hands in his pockets, like this was some friendly gathering. "Well, not all Demon anyway." His eyes flitted to me and I felt a rush of shame.

"More Psychics?" Marian whispered to herself. Her voice was sounding more distant, as if being spoken through water.

"Yes, except for Kairos there, we're all Psychics." Justice nodded toward me. "She's...something else."

"I know what you are," she sneered at him. "You are part of the Necro Proxy, one of those Demon worshipers hired by the soul-seller. And she is one of his fellow Demons!"

"Come again?" Justice raised his brows at her.

"Zabel Kenway." The name was malison through her teeth, her eyes brimming with hatred.

"No, not hired," Adrian's voice was sedating as his form broke through the air in front of us. I was so pleased to see him at that moment. If anyone could reason with a soul, it was Adrian Kenway. "Only of slight relation, speaking for myself." Berit and Kanoa trailed in behind him

"That energy," her eyes widened in horror. "His kin! The Demon's kin! If I could spit at your feet I would!" Marian bellowed at him, scrambling away from Adrian.

"Ah, I suppose slight is a rather loose description." He smiled warmly at her in a way only Adrian could before sauntering over to the disgruntled Ghost and kneeling down before her so that they were face to face, just as he had done to me back in the house Ben and I had crashed through.