Leah Carstairs (Book #2)

Back To Catarina Loss

2008

Oskino initially harboured much infuriation upon being a demon and yet not having the ability to summon his kindred. But once he realised that there was another race of magical beings - namely, warlocks - who could summon demons, Oskino began on his quest to hunt for a suitable warlock who could summon him a demon from Edom.

There were actually many minor warlocks distributed all over New York, who summoned demons upon others' requests without questioning their motives. However, each one of them charged a fee - and Oskino, homeless and shrunken in poverty as he was, could not afford to pay these warlocks.

He had to look for someone who would do the job for him without charging him.

It was amazing that Oskino still remembered an address which had been told to him only once, during a time when he had been quite unwell. But then, as a Demon, Oskino had served the very purpose of remembering things that had happened centuries ago or will happen centuries later.

441 A, Charleswick, Brooklyn had a warm, elegant appearance - one that Oskino felt a tramp like himself did not deserve to enter. But he bravely knocked at the door anyway, dearly hoping Magnus or Tessa were not inside.

Thankfully, it was Catarina who answered the door. She stared at Oskino for one long second, and then swiftly fished out a 2 dollar bill and handed it to him.

"Oh no. Don't reduce me to that." Oskino smiled sadly, pushing back her blue hand and the bill.

Catarina instinctively pulled out a 5 dollar bill, but Oskino shook his head. "I'm not here for alms. I was . . . I was hoping you'd remember me."

The warlock inspected him for a longer time, and finally realisation shot into her. "Jack!"

"Er, what?"

"You are Jack! I found you in the alley outside my apartment! I brought you to my house and healed you!" Catarina exclaimed.

"Yes . . ." Oskino smiled, remembering the pseudonym he had given himself. "I am Jack."

"Oh, do come in." Catarina stepped back from the doorstep. "How are you doing? What happened to you Jack?"

"Well, I . . . would be lying if I said I was doing well in life." Oskino admitted. "I am homeless; unemployed; and my meals depend on the few bills I can earn by sitting on the pavement each day." He carefully did not mention the money he stole from better-off mundanes - not wishing to destroy his impression on Catarina.

"Oh God. Why didn't you come to me before?" The warlock genuinely seemed worried. "I suppose I should get you something to eat."

"No, there is no need for that." Oskino said firmly. "I'm not here to demand your sympathy. My poverty is not something I wish to brag about. I will be completely honest with you; I need your help Catarina. I really - really need your help."

Catarina calmly waited for him to put forward his demands. "Have you told anyone about me?" Oskino questioned carefully. She shook her head, and replied "I wasn't sure what to tell. Our encounter had been so . . . mysterious. I barely knew anything about you, except that you were very secretive and very disorientated."

Oskino appeared a little relieved. "I am still disorientated - but for a different reason. And I still intend on being secretive. I want to be honest with you, but . . . I'm afraid that if I tell you who I am, you will refuse to be near me. I don't expect you to understand me; I am guessing you are just as confused about me, as I am about myself. I only wish you would respect my privacy and not tell anybody about my existence. Anybody."

"Is that going to get me in any kind of trouble?"

"No. But it would be a great help to me. Catarina, there are people in this world I have hurt. I regret everything that I did; but there is no way I - or anyone else - can change what happened. They have to live the rest of their lives in loss, and I in guilt. It is irreversible, and in a way, I am suffering more than those I have inflicted pain upon. You do not know who I am, and I do not know who you are. We both have a chance to become something new in front of each other; you have given me the opportunity to become something I wish I had been instead. Don't . . . don't make me relive the part of me I want to forget."

Oskino's words were so earnest - so full of desperation and sadness - that Catarina couldn't bring herself to say no. She nodded. "I also need you to summon me a demon - preferably a minor demon -" Oskino started, but Catarina cut him off.

"First, go, wash up. I'll get you something to eat." She said in a firm authoritative voice. Out of all the things he had expected her to say, this had been the last. But Oskino couldn't protest.

Standing under a real shower after such a long time, felt good. He didn't even want to think how long it had been since he had last bathed. He only closed his eyes and felt his stress melt away as tiny water rivulets trickled down his body.

Oskino pondered briefly over the clean blue-coloured shirt and jeans that awaited him on the wall hanger outside the shower, trying to decide where had they come from, before he recalled that Catarina was a warlock and could probably teleport such objects from Target in seconds.

When Oskino exited the bathroom, feeling cleaner than he had felt in months, he was further greeted by the fresh, irresistible aroma of food. "You didn't have to do this." Oskino began, as he settled himself on a chair. "I don't want you to feel like I am using you for my profits, without being able to pay you back for your hospitality."

"If it makes you feel better, you are not the 1st or the only person. I do the same thing everyday; I am a nurse." Catarina replied.

"Do you always get paid back for your help?"

"Yes. But it is not always through cash or gifts. Sometimes it's just the satisfaction I get to see in my patients when I cure them. If my care satisfies you, I am satisfied." Oskino wordlessly took a bite of the turkey sandwich, and evidently liking it, took another bite.

Catarina humoured herself by watching him for some time, and then prepared herself for a more serious subject. "So, you wanted me to summon a demon for you?" Oskino nodded. "Which one?"

"Well, an Oni demon shouldn't be a problem, should it?" Catarina only smirked.