Shards of Blue Glass

Interview

Zak's POV

I awake when I hear knocking on the door downstairs.

    I look over at Saira, whose head rests on my chest and shoulder, and smile, my mind flitting back to last night. Another bout of knocking shakes me from my memories, though.

    Carefully, as to not wake Saira, I draw my arm from her side and head, then throw off the blankets. I quickly grab a pair of underwear and shorts as a third round of pounding hits my door. After walking downstairs quickly and quietly, I open the front door to reveal Alex standing there.

    He looks me up and down, then walks in when I step aside. Grace and Redwood trot over us as we sit on the couch, since they had somehow decided not to sleep alongside Saira and I like normal last night.

    I scratch Grace behind the ears as Alex pats Redwood's exposed belly. "Why are you here, bro?" I ask, looking over at my friend. He's already looking at me, a wondrous look on his face.

    "Where's Saira?" he asks instead. I smile, looking away for a second, thinking again of last night. "She's sleeping. She's very tired," I answer, and Grace barks and licks my hand. I pat her head, then look back at Alex. He's smiling as well, a knowing look in his eye.

    "So, why are you here?" I ask again, and this time Alex answers,"A TV show company just called me, and said they wanted to interview Saira. Today, actually. It's for the Ellen DeGeneres Show or something?"
   
    I nod, knowing what the show is. Then, an earsplitting shriek resounds through the house, coming from upstairs. I'm on my feet and running up the stairs before my mind can fully process the sound.
   
    When I reach the doorway to my room, I see Saira on the floor at the foot of the bed, glaring somewhere off towards the window. I pause to listen to her speak, then my stomach drops. Her lips form words, but her tongue forms sounds like crackling fire and hissing snakes. As I have a fear of snakes, the unearthly mimicry sends chills down my spine.

    I recognize this form of speech as Flame Talk, the language of demons and snakes, as Saira once said.

    I stay by the door, keeping quiet, as Saira continues to talk to the demon by the window. I notice that her ankles are bare from under the sheet she has wrapped around herself, and I remember the night a spirit pulled me from my bed by my ankles. This has an eerie similarity to that night.

    Suddenly, I see Saira's green eyes flash red, something I've only seen once before, at a diner months ago. She stops speaking, and simply stares at the window, completely silent. Her eyes fade back into the jade green that I fell in love with. 

    I clear my throat, and Saira's head whips around towards me. I see her body relax when she realizes it's me, and she struggles to her feet.

    "Demons are assholes," she says as she walks over to the dresser. I can see the scars lacing across her back through the thin sheet, and remember the feel of them under my fingers from last night. "Did it pull you out of bed?" I ask, watching her riffle through the clothes in a drawer.

    She nods, then turns around to face me. "By my ankles. Similar to you. Good thing is, I speak Flame Talk, so I told it off. It yelled at me, cursed a bit, warned me of doom, yada yada yada. I got tired of it, so I banished it. You know, normal morning. Though nothing about last night was normal."

    A smile curls her lips, and I laugh. I walk over to her, and kiss her, wrapping my arms around her slim waist. She smiles against my lips, and wraps her long arms around my neck. We stand there until I hear a throat clearing.

    I turn, and instantly move to block Saira from Alex's sights. As I'm bigger than her, this is cake, but Alex chuckles. "I'm not going to look at your girl, Zak. I'm nicer than that. Also, she'll probably kick my ass," he says, a smile plastered on his face. I laugh, and Saira says from behind me,"Yeah. You wouldn't be able to move after I'm done with you." We all laugh, and I make a shooing gesture at Alex. He rolls his eyes with a smile and turns around.

    I roll my eyes and turn around to face Saira. She's looking up at me, a thoughtful look on her face. "What?" I ask, and she shakes her head, not answering. She makes a shooing gesture at me, and I roll my eyes. "Seriously? After last night, you're telling me to buzz off? Apparently you haven't been in this situation enough to understand that that normally doesn't happen," I say.

    Saira shrugs, and pulls on her underwear with the sheet still wrapped around her body. "Until last night, I was a virgin, if you'll remember, so I've never been in this situation," she says, and I blink. Alex laughs, and I growl. Saira smiles, then makes the shooing gesture again. With an eye roll, I turn around, and wait for Saira to poke me in the shoulder.

    She does, and I turn back around. "Well? How do I look?" she asks, spreading her arms. I stifle a laugh, and her smiles grows. Her Star Wars t-shirt is big on her slim frame, and her baggy jeans that reach past her feet have holes everywhere. I smile, and say,"Great. But I thought you didn't like Star Wars." She shrugs, and says,"I don't. But the shirt's comfy. Also, Forest gave it to me on my twenty-second birthday."

    I blink, thinking about the boy she helped commit suicide six years ago. I'm shaken out of my thoughts by Saira walking past me, though. I shake my head, and follow her and Alex downstairs.

    "So, why are you here, Alex?" Saira asks as she pats Grace's head and scratches Redwood's ears as she walks over to the couch. Alex sits down next to her, and I lean against the back of the couch, behind Saira.

    "Well, I just got a call saying that the Ellen DeGeneres Show wants to interview you. It's today. I was wondering whether you'd want to do it," Alex says. Saira nods, a thoughtful look on her face. She absently pats Redwood's head while scratching Grace's ruff.

    "Alright. I'll do it. Let me go get dressed in presentable clothes, and then Zak and I'll head out. Unless you want to come as well, Alex," Saira says, looking at our friend with inquisitive eyes. He shakes his head with a smile, and says,"Naw, I'll skip this one, if that's okay. I got projects to work on." Saira nods, sadness clouding her eyes for a second before they brighten in excitement. "You still owe me a free project, Alex," she says.

    Alex groans and rolls his eyes. "I completely forgot that I promised you that. And how you can down seven vodkas without passing out still confuses me. Alright then. I'll get going. You guys might want to as well." Alex stands, brushes dog hair off his jeans, and shakes Saira's hand before mine.

    We watch him leave, then look at each other. "We can eat on the road," Saira says, standing. "I'm going to go get dressed. You might want to as well. I don't think Ellen will appreciate a shirtless celebrity in her studio. Though many of her assistants will probably faint," Saira jokes as she pats my shoulder as she walks past me.

    I laugh, and watch Saira walk upstairs. My thoughts idle, and I pat Grace's head as I walk into the kitchen. Mind swirling, I absentmindedly do the dishes, waiting for Saira to come down.

    I completely forget that Saira had banished a demon until a female voice whispers directly into my ear,"Your love is the Devil's weapon."