And All Things Come

Chapter Two: Sarah Lee

Adri was furious. The beautiful girl standing in front of her began to sob. She covered her face with sleeved hands. Adri pondered for several minutes on what she should do.

"Come inside child." Adri said in a cold tone. She opened the door and gestured for the girl to come in. A small smile hid in her lips.

"I'm not supposed to even be talking to you. My mom would kill me if she knew I was here." Sarah sounded as if she'd given up hope. The sobbing ceased for the most part, but tears still fell.

"If you know what I am, what's the harm I could cause? After all, I am helping you." Adri looked into the girls eyes again, looking for signs.
"Well..." She paused. "Okay, but I can't be here for long." She pushed herself through the door. Adri closed it behind her.

"Have a seat, Young One." Adri motioned for the bar counter. Sarah took her place at the second stool from the left. She marveled at the granite and resin countertop. Blue and grey swirls with small black specks.

"It reminds me of your eyes." Adri said whilst rummaging through the cabinets. She pulled out a jar labeled "Jif" then moved to the fridge to pull out a jar labeled "Smuckers". She pulled a spreading knife from a drawer, then two pieces of bread from a bread box that looked more like an oversized cheese plate.

Sarah watched Adri with fascination. She realized how beautiful she was.

"If you were to see my true form, you wouldn't think that, my dear." Adri said.
"What?" Sarah was confused.
"Your thoughts are quite loud, Young One."
"Oh! I'm so sorry. I just really like your... Form? I'm not sure what to call it. But you're beautiful." Sarah acted nervous. She fumbled with her hands and cursed herself in her thoughts.
"Well, thank you, Kind One." Adri turned to her with a just made peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a small plate. "Eat up, my dear. We have much to discuss." Adri smiled, revealing four long, sharp, white fangs. Sarah didn't flinch.
"Oh yeah..." She paused again,"how does this work? Do we make a deal? A plan? I've never made a deal with a de-" she stopped. "I'm sorry."
"For what? It's not offensive to call me what I am. Or what many others are." Adri looked at her with a forgiving smile. "However, to make a deal with me, you must open your desires to me." Adri looked into Sarah's eyes. The toxic green shifting to red and black. Again, Sarah didn't flinch.
"Hmm." Adri puzzled.
"My desires? How do I do that?" Sarah said past a mouthful. Adri turned to grab a cup from a cupboard and filled it with water, then handed it to Sarah.
"You simply let me look into the deepest reaches of your mind, and you let me read what you truly want." Adri looked down at the girl. She was wearing a white sweater with a red shirt with two mice on it. Both mice wearing clothes. One with overalls and the other a hair bow and a dress. She was wearing black jeans and red Converse sneakers. Her feet hung off the stool.

"You won't go anywhere I don't want you to yet..." She bit her lip and paused, "will you?"
"You plan to come to me often, then?" Adri caught her gaze. The red irises shifted.
"N-no, not often, but there's only a few things I need done and I want them done worst to better." Sarah looked at her legs and tucked her hands into the pockets of her sweater.
"I just can't do all of them alone." More tears fell from her eyes, but she didn't sob.

"Look into my eyes, Young One." Adri crouched to eye level with the girl. Sarah looked up with tears still streaming from her silver eyes. She looked into the seeming voids of the demons eyes.
"Show me all you wish to show to me, and I will fulfill your first wish." Adri's voice was soft, soothing, and trusting.
Sarah cleared her face, then focused on Adris.
"Promise you won't pry?"
"I give my demons oath."
With that, Sarah opened her minds walls.

Memories of her parents were there. They were fond memories. Then they got worse. Each one staring at age six was more angering than the other.
She was abused in every way. Slapped, thrown, kicked, stabbed, raped, sold, neglected, degraded, everything you could think of.

Adri withdrew. Angry, sad, and murderous.
"Show me the scar on your left shoulder." Adri closed her eyes and scowled.
"You.." she looked at Adri in disbelief, "you don't believe me?"
"I believe you, Young One. I just need visual proof in more than just memories." Adri opened her eyes. They were green.

Sarah stood from her seat, took off her sweater, and lifted her shirt. A long, pink, deep scar ran from the top of her shoulder to the middle of her back. A vertical slash from when her mother hit her with a broken glass shelf.

"She did this last month and didn't take me to the hospital. She just stapled it together at home." Sarah's voice broke, and she dropped her shirt. She turned back to face Adri, who looked at her with saddened eyes. She began to cry, then collapsed.

Adri moved to her side and took her true form again. She pulled the crying girl into her lap and held her as she cried. She willed the empty glass on the counter to be filled with water and appear on the floor next to them. Adri wrapped her wings around both of them. An hour passed before the young, broken girl stopped crying.

Adri dried her face and handed her the glass of water, which she drank slowly.

"I need to get home, if I don't I'll get worse than what I would get later." Sarah sniffled.

Adri was reluctant to let the girl go back home.
"Should you need me, Young One," she took the girls hand and drew a symbol and two numbers in the palm of her hand," prick your finger, draw these on a blank wall, and say 'Fear, no more.' I will be there." Adri took her human form again. She stood both of them up, Sarah hugged the demon and thanked her.

"Could you walk me home? They might go easy on me if I have a good excuse. I'm sure you could come up with one." Sarah asked shakily.

Adri looked down on the girl she held in her embrace and said
"I wasn't going to let you go alone, My Dear."
She brought her hand up and willed a glass rose to appear. It was black with shimmering gold lining each petal. A dark green stem with four leaves and small red thorns protruding from it held it up.

"The darker the petals, the more you have a risk of being hurt. When the whole flower is black, you must run. Summon me if you must. Always keep it with you. It will not break for as long as you live." Adri handed it to her.

Sarah daintily took it and wrapped it in her sweater.
"Thank you." She wiped one last tear from her eye. "We need to get going."
"Agreed. Let me get you a jacket." Adri moved to the hall closet and drew out a light, grey, wool coat to show to her.
"You can keep this." She looked at the girl meaningfully.
"Thank you, again." Sarah took it and put it on. It formed to her body and kept her warm.

They stepped outside and found it was dusk. The coat kept Sarah warm while she walked home, Adri close behind.
"Come here, child." Adri stopped. "We need to make you look as if you were attacked."
"Why?" Sarah turned to face her. "And how?"
Adri covered the girls face with her hands. When she removed them, Sarah's face was bruised and cut as if she'd gotten into a fight. None of it hurt, though.
"It's an excuse." Adri critiqued her work. When she found it to be fine, she explained that the excuse is Sarah was attacked by a random man and she stepped in before he could take her. So she took her home because she had been hit unconscious.

"You are creative, Adri." Sarah listened with awe.
"It should work, Young One." Adri took Sarah's arm into hers as if she were helping her keep steady as she walked.

When they reached Sarah's house, her mother came to greet them.

"Where the hell have you been young lady? And who is she?" She pointed to Adri with her eyes. They were full of anger. Adri told her the story. She seemed to buy it.

"You never told me who you are." She was calmer now.
"My name is Adriana. I live a few blocks away." Adri smiled to hide her hatred.
"Oh my. Sarah, go inside. Thank you Adriana."
Sarah shifted her feet and looked at Adri. Adri gave her a reassuring glance, then turned to walk back home.

"Please don't leave me..." Sarah pleaded in her thoughts.
"I will return, Young One." Adri knew she couldn't be heard, but Sarah stopped as if she did hear her.

Adri reached home and undressed. She drew a bath and rested for a while. Then went to bed.

She had never dreamed before.

But this night, she dreamed of Sarah Lee.