Black and Blue

17 - An Unfriendly Reminder

Despite everything that had happened, when I returned to the demon realm (much to Jack's dismay), everything and everyone seemed to be the same. Lessons picked up where they had left off, I was harassed a whopping two times by the same demon—Vickson, I remembered they were named—and prodded mostly just for being human. It was a nice change from all the other reasons people had picked on me in the past, but it got old very quickly. I knew training with Nyx wouldn't get me an outstanding grade in the more scientific, number-oriented classes; magic was more of a long-term solution, something I could carry in my back pocket until there came a right time to use it.

I stood in the room she'd picked out for me, her having been under the impression that I was staying here, ready to say goodbye for spring break. Not that there was much I could say goodbye to; the place was more like a solitary confinement cell with an easily unlatched door than anything. It was quiet, colorless, and desolate, just like everything else here. I was starting to see, just a little bit, how this place could be considered Hell with a capital H.

"Well...so long, I guess."

Nothing.

Wait, did I expect the room to talk back to me, or something? This really is solitary confinement. And I've probably spent a grand total of five minutes in here.

"You okay there?"

Jack's voice woke me up with a jolt, and I turned to see him leaning against the doorway, amused. He'd grown a bit more used to me coming here, which I thought he would never get over. He always seemed so concerned that I'd be turned into a mindless slave, or that Nyx would mistreat me, or worse. I can't say it wasn't nice to see him happy for a change.

"Yeah, I just...this room is torturing me. Psychologically. I think it's too gray."

He had to hold back a snort, eventually nodding towards something in the corner. "How 'bout that table over there? It's got some color in it yet."

"Eh. Still too dull. I'm going to have an aneurysm if I don't have neons thrown in my face, stat."

Jack raised an eyebrow and lightly shook his mask, which was hanging from a belt loop on his left. It wasn't exactly neon, but I would take it. I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead like a weak-willed Victorian dame.

"I'm saved."

"Glad to be of service. So I take it you're ready to go?" He hesitated a bit before asking as I walked briskly from the room, shutting the door behind me. I hadn't meant it to be that harsh of a gesture, I was just getting sick of looking at all that gray. I shrugged my messenger bag back onto my shoulder with a pensive glance at the walls surrounding us.

"I think so. Maybe say bye to Nyx first, she's kind of the only person I know here. It'd be a shame if she got all paranoid when I don't show up for another week..." I faltered at the look on Jack's face, wondering why it was hitting me like a brick wall. Nothing in particular had changed about it; I just knew that she was still a sore subject for him. He furrowed his brow.

"She treating you right?"

"I—yeah, why wouldn't she be?"

His eyelids narrowed and he nodded thoughtfully. "Good." The tone shifted faster than I could blink as he started picking at a dry tar droplet on his mask, gaze fixed on the floor. "You sure you don't want me to come with you? To your parents' place, just to make sure you're safe? Nobody has to see me, you won't even have to worry about how I get there—"

"I'm sure. Last time you decided to...'tag along,' you lost control and somebody died. I know it was because of your boss," I said, holding up a hand before he could protest, "but it still happened. I can take care of myself. Got my secret weapon at the ready." I threw a mysterious grin his way, causing him to cross his arms with half a smirk.