Caged

Chapter 10

     The day went by just like any other day since I received my freedom, well that's what I thought until I walked in on a very private conversation between Alex, Abi, and Max. I'm certain that it's something I shouldn't have heard. 

     "Max, you need to get Abigor out of Athena's life one way or another. There's clearly a division of power and he's getting too close for comfort, this wasn't supposed to happen. You're meant to be her guardian remember? We can all feel the bond grow between them with each and every day." This is weird, Abi would usually tell me something that sounds this urgent. I know, curiosity killed the cat. But I'm not a cat, so I quietly nestle up against the wall listening intently to their conversation.

     "I don't understand, I thought it wasn't possible to have such a strong bond with a full-blooded demon." Alex finally spoke, he's a man of few words. 

     "I think she has more demon in her than we thought. It makes sense, I've never heard of or felt the immense power that radiates from within her. She could be a threat to not only us but the humans we were all created to protect." Abi spoke low, under her breath, like she was ashamed of the words that she was speaking. 

     "You can't be thinking that she..." Max's voice was uncertain, I haven't heard him like this since back when we were kids and he would ask for my tater tots during lunch at school.

     "She's the descendant of a full-blooded demon, we obviously don't know everything about the Abaddon family heritage." That's it, they've spoken about me long enough and I think it's time they actually tell me what the hell they're talking about. I step into the room, with my arms crossed. 

     "So, when were you guys planning to tell me this?" Anger seeps into the words coming out of my mouth, how dare they keep something like this from me. At this very moment, a fully clothed Abigor enters the room. He makes it seem smaller than it really was. With a hand on my shoulder, he smiles shyly. 

     "Athena, there's a lot that you don't know about yourself, or your family. But, your parents made sure to tell me everything they knew so I could pass it on to you. They loved you, so incredibly much. They gave up everything to make sure you had strong allies on your side." 

     "They gave up their lives for me?" My voice was trembling, I was trembling. Abigor pulled me into a tight hug, the foundation that I worked so hard to build began to crack. 

     "They wanted people to think that Mr. Moore killed them, but they looked him in the eyes and told him that they would get their daughter back one way or another as they took their own lives, which is how I acquired their souls. They really did everything they could Athena, and they wanted me to tell you not to be sad because they would've done it again in a heartbeat if it gave you a fighting chance." I shattered like glass. Everything is my fault, innocent lives were lost because of me and I thought they may have given up on me yet all this time they believed in me so strongly that they gave their lives to prove it. My legs gave out and his arms tightened around my small frame. 

     "You're the descendant of Leonard, the angel of death, he fell alongside Lucifer. You have more power in the palm of your hand than the three of them combined." He was pointing at Max, Alex and Abi. He's saying that I'm one of the strongest in this room, yet I can't even stand on my own. 

     "Honey, we all break sometimes and it's okay to scream, it's okay to cry, but what isn't okay is to give up. " I was a mess in his arms as he sat down on the floor cradling me. The sadness hit me harder than anything ever has and as it became too much for me to handle I screamed out, louder than I ever had. The loss, the hurt and the anger apparent in my voice. Abigor kept a tight grip on my trembling body, and in the midst of my screaming, I heard the shouting of Alex. 

     "Run! She's about to..." Every bone in my body shattered, the pain was unbearable but I still felt Abigor there with me. Don't fight it, honey, you'll be okay. I heard his voice in my head as my whole body felt like it was on fire. I opened my eyes and scanned my body, I was changing. My ivory skin turned to what looked like volcanic rock with lava peeking through the cracks. I touched my face and it felt like a rock hard surface. I tried to run my fingers through my hair, but I didn't feel any. 

     "It's fire." Abigor helped me stand up.

     "Huh?" 

     "Your hair turned into red flames, that's why you can't feel it." His clothes were burnt and when I was standing upright next to him my head touched the ceiling. The wood flooring was scorched and I ran my hands across my skin. 

     "You're beautiful, as always." He walked over to the door, closing it. A mirror hung on the other side and it revealed a stranger, my eyes were glowing red and my body looked practically bulletproof. My clothes were burnt off in the process so I felt a little insecure about standing naked in front of Abigor but it's not like you could see much because of how much my skin changed. My fingers grazed the black curved horns that framed my face, what am I? 

     "You're the fourth strongest demon in hell. Right after me of course. I know this because only the strongest demons are able to summon a body like that." He smiled. 

     "Wait, you look like this too?" 

     "Pretty much, my flames are just blue and I'm twice as big. Don't worry you'll learn to control it and I know you're scared of hurting people but that's why I'm here. The heat can't really hurt me, see?" He held my hand proving his point. 

     "If anybody else would've held you when you changed, they would have been nothing more than a pile of ashes on the floor right now." The three others slowly opened the door, concealing the mirror once again. They stepped into the room, Abi was gleaming with pride. 

     "I think it's safe to say that she will be just fine. I would hug you right now, but you know..." Abi began laughing. I smiled and felt a sharp set of teeth graze my tongue. Just as I was getting used to the power flowing throughout my body, it began draining from me. I was just wondering how long this would last. The dizziness set in and my legs were becoming weak again. 

     "Don't worry, I got her." Just as I heard his voice the room went dark, and my consciousness evaded me.