The demon's curse

Chapter 7

I eat in silence, just like my parents. They don't say a word, neither do I.

Things got a bit uncomfortable since the murders at the campus... I wonder if they actually suspect me.

When I finish, I look down at the wooden table, fiddling with my sleeves.

"Is it okay if I go see Alex again? I wanna see how he's doing," I eventually ask, breaking the silence.

After a few seconds, my mother nods. "Sure. But you're starting to trust him too much. Remember how much he hurt you and brought you down, okay? I don't want him to do that again."

"Okay mom, I'll think about it." I nod slowly, still looking down.

I often wonder if my parents are right about him. Would he still hurt me even after everything we've been through? They always say people don't change, don't they? So does he?

It's silent again, the kind of silence you want to say something to break it, but you have no idea what. When everyone is finished, I stand up to go upstairs. I walk into the bathroom and undress to take a shower.

I close my eyes and sigh of relief once I feel the warm water run down my skin. The shower is one of the most relaxing places in my opinion, since I'm completely alone, only hearing the soothing sound of the water touching my skin and the ground.

I enjoy it for about a quarter before I come out and dress myself. Then I go to the washstand to brush my teeth, but when I look into the mirror, something curious catches my eye.

Right below my collarbone, there's some kind of tattoo. The color makes it look like a scar, and you can only see it vaguely. When I move, it's gone but when I stand like before, it's there again. I guess you can only see it when the light is on the right place.

"That's my sign." I suddenly hear next to me and I jump up, startled. When I look at where the sound came from, I see Ash.

"Could you not?!" I exclaim and punch him.

"Hey calm down, you're dressed, aren't you? No reason to be mad," he chuckles.

I roll my eyes, pretty annoyed. Why did I have to make a deal with this guy and not with a demon who actually takes things seriously?

I sigh deeply and shake my head. "Why is 'your sign' on my skin, douchebag?"

"Because we made a deal, remember?" He replies, grining and ignoring the insult.

Like I could forget about it.

"And this is part of the deal?" I question as I run a finger over the sign.

"Yes it is. Like this, other demons know you're my property."

"I'm not a thing," I growl, glaring at him.

"I know but still, you're my property." He shrugs. "Each demon has a different sign. This is mine, so if a demon who knows me and who knows he's weaker than me sees it, he won't do anything to you. Vice versa, if a demon who has a quarrel with me sees the sign, he can take revenge by doing something to you," he explains while staring at the sign.

"So I'm safe but at the same time I'm not?" I raise an eyebrow. "What a pain."

"A pain or not, it's there and it will be there forever," he chuckles, being just a bit too happy about it, if you ask me.

"I'm gonna hit you. Hard," I growl at him, but he just keeps chuckling.

"Whatever, hothead. Just continue making yourself ready to visit your boyfriend, okay?"