Demon

Night

When I woke up the next morning, Ashton was gone, and there was a note in his place.
Made you breakfast. See you at school -Ash
Curious, I quickly dressed in a pair of black leggings, a black spaghetti strap, and a black and dark blue plaid button-up.
Slipping some socks on my feet, I head downstairs and to the kitchen.
After letting Koda out the back, I stop in the kitchen and see a plate sitting on the counter.
Going over to the plate, I remove the tinfoil covering it to see an omelette with hash-browns and a side of fruit.
Smiling, I hop up onto the counter and eat the very yummy food Ashton had made me.
Once done, I finish getting ready for school, and leave.
I don't see Ashton until English and even then we don't speak.
I may have spoken to him yesterday, and I kind of plan on keep talking to him, but I'm not going to speak to him at school.
I still refuse.
At lunch, Ashton sits with me again, and once again steals my grapes...that is not ok.
Nothing eventful actually happened that day, until the sun set.
I'm sitting on my couch, flipping through the tv, trying to find something watch, when my phone notifies me that I have a text.
I raised an eyebrow.
Nobody actually had this number...
Who...
Come outside
Ummm...
I looked to see the number, but instead, I found a name: Ashton.
So that's what he did when he stole my phone.
That bastard!
I shake my head and reply.
How do I know you won't murder me?
I get a reply in seconds.
You don't, but please?!
I didn't even knew he had a phone, I've never seen him with one.
Sighing, I flicked my tv off and slipped some shoes on my feet.
Grabbing a light jacket from next to the door, I go out on the front steps.
Ashton's leaning against the railing on the bottom step.
Something was slightly different about him than earlier.
He was wearing a black bandana around his head-which I have to admit suits him quite well.
I cross my arms over my chest and raise an eyebrow at him.
"I want to show you something," He says.
I put a hand up to my chin, tapping it a couple times with my fingers to make it look like I'm thinking about it.
"Please?" He says holding his hand out for me to take.
Without a word, I take his hand, and let him lead me away from the safety of my house.
We walked in silence towards the woods surrounding the little town we live in.
It was a little unnerving to be outside while it was dark, considering what happened last night.
The warmth of Ashton's hand still around mine gave me this comfort that I couldn't explain.
Just like I couldn't explain why I always felt safe around him or explain why even he looks like he could kill with just a single look, that I'm still not afraid of him.
I couldn't explain why I felt different around him or why I felt...normal around him.
I couldn't even explain why I felt these butterflies in my stomach when he's close or why I warm and fuzzy when our skin touches.
I noticed that Ashton's fingers were intertwined with mine.
I can't tell if he notices or did it intentionally, but I didn't care.
I liked the comfort it brings and the way it just feels...right.
We get to the line of trees where the woods begin and Ashton stops.
"Did you take me away from the warmth and safety of my house just to show me the trees I literally see everyday?" I questioned.
His hazel eyes were shaded in the darkness of the night, but I could still easily see the intricate swirl of each color.
He flashed me a toothy grin and a low chuckle escaped his lips, filling the silence.
He took ahold of my other hand and started walking backwards down the path heading deeper into the trees.
He grinned mischievously at me.
"No, maybe I brought you out here just to murder you brutally after weeks, maybe months of torture," He said darkly.
My eyes widened and I dug the heels of my shoes into the soft earth, stopping us.
Ashton burst of out laughing.
"Calm down, Maes, I was only kidding," He said still laughing.
"That is not ok, Ash!" I half yelled slapping his arm.
Wait, did he just call me...Maes?
Sure my middle name is Mae, but how would he know that?
Why does it sound normal to me?
Nobody has ever called me Maes, why would he?
And why did it sound so natural coming from him.
It just so easily rolled off his tongue like he's said it many times before.
While I was contemplated my thoughts, Ashton must have been doing the same thing, because he soon paled.
His mouth opened and closed, trying to say something, but couldn't get any actual words out.
I felt tension start to thicken the air around us, but it wasn't coming from me.
I decided to brush it off and started bouncing on my toes.
"So, what did you want to show me?" I asked smiling.
That seemed to relax Ashton immediately.
He let go of one of my hands and continued to lead me down the path.
We stayed quiet as we walked down the quickly darkening path into thicker trees.
It was a comfortable silence.
The woods were loud with nocturnal creatures, but as we walked past, it would get quiet.
We came to an overly large oak and that's where Ashton took me off the path.
"Umm, Ashton?" I asked skeptically.
He shot me a reassuring smile.
"It's ok, I come here all the time," He told me.
I simply just nodded and continued to follow him.
Ashton made it look easy as he led me in-between the trees, holding branches back for me as I past, telling me where gopher holes were hiding, and anything else that could hurt me.
Ten minutes off the path we came to a smallish clearing full of beautiful flowers of all colors with a giant boulder sitting in the center.
We stopped along the edge of the tree line, not even in the clearing yet.
We stayed quiet, just as the world around us.
A tingling sensation ran through my body as I stood outside the clearing.
My eyes traveled around the clearing as if I was searching for something I knew wasn't there.
This place seemed oddly familiar, but I don't know how it could be.
I've never been this far into the woods.
Never came across any clearings, definitely not this one.
I dropped Ashton's hand and took. Single step into the clearing.
As soon as my foot landed on the soft earth in the long green grass, an electrical feeling shot up my leg and through my body.
The feeling made me feel alive.
Almost as if it was familiar grounds to me, like a home I don't remember but miss.
It just looks soooo familiar...
I continue taking small steps towards the giant boulder, the feeling increasing.
Why is it familiar?
I was so wound up in my thoughts and the area around me that I didn't notice Ashton at my side.
"What do you feel?" He asked facing me.
I didn't look at him, just stared at the boulder that was only a few feet in front of me.
It was just out of reach if I reached out to touch it.
"I can't explain it," I said in a soft voice.
My voice sounded like I was daydreaming, animated, dreamlike, like I wasn't paying attention, but I was still able to answer.
"A tingly sensation and then electrical?" Ashton offered.
At his words, I finally look over at him.
His eyes were startling bright, especially since it was dark out.
The only lighting coming from the half moon high in the sky.
His eyes seemed to be electrified, just like the blood coursing through my body.
"Where am I?" I asked him.
"It's a very special place," He answered. "It holds a huge secret and a bunch of smaller ones. Secrets that could get you killed. Secrets that could get you hurt. Secret that humans should never find out."
His voice seemed to resonate throughout the clearing, his words echoing, even though he was talking quietly.
"It's very special and very important," He added in an even quieter voice.
"How?" I asked.
He didn't answer me, just stared at me with his seemingly glowing eyes.
"Ahh, you decided to hand her over?" A scarily familiar voice spoke somewhere above us.