Demons

Chapter One: Astrid

"Astrid!" Angela snaps her fingers in front of my face. She sighs, "Oh you are so lost right now." She laughs and then rests her chin on her knuckles. "Yeah. I guess Houston is pretty cute."

"What?" That got my attention; I supposedly hate Houston, but Angela and I are actually best friends with him. Not only that, but she doesn't know I actually like Houston. A lot. Angela chuckles. "Sorry Ange. Rough day, I guess?" Her grin falters. She leans over and gives me a side hug. I laugh and hug her back. "Angela, I'm fine! It was just a bit hard. I mean, that math test today was crazy, am I right?" She giggles at that.

"You are so right. That was literally the worst test ever. Like, does Mrs. K want us to die?"

I snicker and playfully punch her in the arm. "Oh come on Ange! It wasn't THAT bad!" I argue.

"Wellll.... You're not me. I hate math and I don't understand it. You are the best at it! You're, like, Mrs. K's teacher's pet." she retorts. That shuts me up; I know better than to talk back to Angela. She always has an answer to everything (except math problems). The bus pulls up in front of my house. We stand up, and walk along the aisle. Angela leads the way off the bus and says good-bye and smiles at the bus driver, Joe.

I follow Ange and then thank Joe. He grabs my arm, his fingernails digging into the skin. Joe's eyes are wild and pitch-black, unlike his usual electric blue. He speaks and his voice is rough and scratchy. "Astrid. You are destined to be the Destroyer..." His eyes become unfocused and his eyelids droop down. Joe shakes his head and then opens his eyes, which are normal again. "Bye Astrid. Have a good night!" He says brightly. He waves his hand as I step off the bus, bewildered.

Angela stands there, waiting for me. I must look pretty befuddled, because she chuckles at me. "What happened to you? You look like Joe just turned into a demon." She laughs at her joke. When I don't say anything, her face pales even more than it already is. She laughs, but it's a nervous chuckle.

"I-I-I..." I stutter. I try to get full words out, but I can't. I physically can't. I can't, I can't breathe! I start to panic. Black spots dance in my vision. I look down at the ground, which rushes up to meet me.

"ASTRID!" Angela's worried cry is the last thing I hear. I see is Angela dropping down next to me, examining me to see if I'm okay. I feel her soft fingers delicately check my pulse. A sharp metallic taste floods my mouth. Then... Blackness...