The Right Side

Chapter 9

I get changed for dinner and I am reading a book on the couch. Delaney is cleaning some dresser that doesn't need to be clean.

Delaney sighs and keeps cleaning. I continue reading my book. Sigh. I read the words of the novel and smile at the sentence. Sigh.

"Ugh Delaney. Is there something you mean to tell me?" I ask closing the book and putting it on my lap.

She turns swiftly to me. "Did she ask you?"

"Ask me what?" I question and Delaney sits down next to me.

"To the Demons Dance. It's a yearly thing. You take another person to the dance and you spend the whole night with each other dancing and laughing! It's great! Please tell me Ash asked you!" She says with a romantic sigh. Before I could answer the doors open. Ash, Zac, and Liam barge in.

"Ask you what?" Ash asks while laying down on the couch and laying her feet on my lap. I roll my eyes and take my book out from under her feet.

"I- uh- ask her-" Delaney try's but nothing comes out of her mouth.

"Ask me about what my side of the world was like." I answer for her.

"Oh." Ash says and Liam sits right on her stomach. "Get off of me you Angel!" Ash says and knocks Liam over the couch with a thud.

He stands up and gasps. "I don't know what offended me more. The fact that you don't let me sit down or the fact that you called me an Angel." He says and Delaney and I laugh.

Zac smiles at Delaney and she blushes. "Delaney you have a beautiful smile." He says shyly and Ash groans.

"Stop with all this tension! You obviously like each other. Ask her to the ball already." She says throwing her hands up then back down.

"Oh you're one to talk." Zac says and he smiles back at Delaney. "Want to go to the dance with me?" He asks and Delaney is beer red.

"Y-yes of course." She says with a smile and Zac smiles too.

"Ugh this is making me sick." Liam says fake gagging.

"Me too." Ash says with a sigh. She kicks her feet off on my lap and stands up. "I'm hungry let's go."

We all walk out. We all make jokes as we walk to the mess hall. We are stopped by two guards before we could enter.

"Satan would like to see you." He says and Ash points to all of us. "Yes. All 5 of you." Ash nods and we walk away with the Guard.

We make it to the throne room and Zac, Liam, and Delaney bow. I'm about to get on a knee to bow but Ash takes my arm to stop me.

"What do you want father?" Ash asked bitterly.

"Why such a harsh tone. Ash?" He ask from his throne.

"You and I aren't really in speaking terms." She says and I realize her hand is still gently holding my wrist.

"Fine. Stand." Satan says and the other three stand up. "I made a plan to get your boy back."

"I'm listening." Ash says taking a step forward. She keeps a hold on my wrist as if it is calming her down.

"Well we are about to have a meeting with Avery's father and his right hand men. You guys will be my right hand men and we will get Jacob back." He says with a nod. Ash clenches her jaw and nods.

"Okay. Let's do it."

***

Hades was sitting on his throne (hades, Satan, same thing alright!) Liam and Zac are on Either sides of the throne and Ash is leaning her back on the wall behind the throne but is still seen in the camera. I'm in a corner. Delaney is behind the camera watching everything.

"Okay sir you are on." A guard says and a huge screen appears on the wall.

"Hades..." my fathers loud voice rings. "Where is my daughter?!"

"Where is Jacob?" Hades asks calmly.

"I have him. Show me my daughter first." He says and I step out into the light l. His jaw drops in horror at my ripped jeans and loose tank top with my hair falling on my shoulders. "What did you do to her?!"

"Made her hot." Liam says laughing and Ash throws a pebble at his head. "Ow." He says rubbing his head.

"Show us Jacob." Hades says and my father moves the camera to show a bloody beaten up kid tied into a chair.

Ashs eyes flood with anger as she starts toward the screen. "I'm going to kill every last one of you!" I stand in front of her. Her tall toned body stops at a slight touch of my hand on her stomach. Her jaw clenches and she looks around. "Untie him right now. Avery is safe. There is no mark on her!" She says.

My Father nods at someone behind the camera. "Okay. You bring Avery here. We will make a trade. I want no army and no fighting. Peace is all I want."

Zac throws a knife at the screen. The knife just hits the wall by the screen. My father jumped a little.

"It's a deal. I will send my people in one week. That should give you enough time to clean my man up and make him healthy again." Hades says and my Father nods. He looks at me.

"Avery are you okay?" I am still standing with my back towards him and my hand on Ash's toned stomach. She is calmer.

"I'm perfect... they have fed me three times a day. Given me a room. Taught me how to defend myself and I'm happy here. You better fix Jacob. You better." I say turning and looking at the screen.

He is about to say something but Ash throws a knife at the screen and it hits him square in between the eyes. The screen goes black and Ash walks out of the room.

***

I am in my room alone thinking about Ash. She needs someone. No she is fine. No. No she isn't. But she.,. She needs someone.

I get up and walk over to her room. I walk up to the door and the guards let me in no hesitation. I walk in slowly. I see Ash in the corner punching a punching bag. She hears me and stops.

"Are you okay?" She asks with her back to me. She is in basketball shorts and a sports bra. I can see her amazing tattoos again. I was to draw them. I was to trace them.

"I'm... in amazing. I'm here for you." She turns to me as I speak. She is a little sweaty.

"I'm... no... they call us monsters and you can't even defend them because you know they do call us monsters but yet! They are the ones beating people and almost killing them." She says with water in her eyes.

"I couldn't even imagine doing that to a human. Let alone doing that to you!" She says and punch's the bag again. This time her hand goes inside of it. "Agh!" I rush over to her as she takes her taped hand out of the bag.

I take her hand and examine it. "Thank you." I whisper.

"What?"

"Thank you..." I in wrap her hand and look at it. It is a little bruised and scrapped. "For always being there. It was scary coming here. All the stories I've heard about people dyeing over here. But you showed me you guys are just dorky teddy bears." I say with a laugh.

She chuckles. I look at her hand.

"Nothing much we can do here except a get better kiss." I say and I lightly kiss her fist. I blush... "I uh I wow um I don't know why I did that..." I say blushing.

"Ya... we are the dorky teddy bears." She says laughing.

Wow that laugh.