SINIESTRO

Chapter One

The pencil glides along the paper, marking it with such grace and elegance as the wind runs though my hair. The day was as peaceful as a sanctuary and so very alive. Movement enters the corner of my eyes and I gaze upward, my eyes meeting a male who wore ebony hair and eyes the color of pearls found in the darkest pits of the sea. They flicker as they meet mine. The corner of my lip curls into a small smile and I raise my hand to wave at him. His eyes narrow,
"Wait. You, a mortal, can see me?"
His voice held a tone of absolute astonishment and confusion. My smile lessenes, was this man alright? He turns his head behind him then faces me yet again.
"You can see me?!"
He repeats himself as if my first response was just a coincidence. I nod a second time, he kneels down and examines my face, his bland yet ravishing eyes seemed to gaze into my soul. Panic envelopes in me as my face became warm and likely very red.
"You're not mortal are you?"
His eyes snapped a sharp glare at me, my heart skipped a beat as my fear spiked. Does he know? How could he? My heart was thumping loudly in my ears.
"H...How'd you know I was an angel...?"
His eyes sparked with wickedness. I took a few steps back from him, his expression unnerved me.
"No running from me!"
He tightly grips my cheek and I felt a wave of cold that spread around the area he touched, making it numb. As his next words escaped from his lips, I was filled with absolute terror.
"Three seconds to run. One."
My eyes widened as I stumbled backward, falling and doing my best to crawl away. His sinister grin on his face grew.
"Two."
I attempted to crawl away as tears brimmed in my eyes.
"Three."
Before I could even blink, he had me in a chokehold and slammed me to the ground.
"Immortality hurts, doesn't it? Agonizing pain without an end!"
I struggle as I do my best to get away, then trembling as the realization of failure dawned on me. He caressed my cheek softly as tears fell from my eyes.
"I want to feel you ichor running through my hands, I want to count the number of sins you've committed."
His tone made me flinch, causing my entire being to tense up. His hand grasped my arm firmly, it quickly ached and I stopped myself from crying out.
"W...What are you doing? Don't touch me!"
He let off a sinister smirk and I felt my heart drop into my shoes. I blink, when my eyes open I was met with a realm wrapped in frost and ice spikes sharp as needles. As I look around, dread fills me to the brim.
"W...What do you want from me?!"
His grin got worse as the seconds flew, then he dragged me to a vague trench that held golden and crimson tongues of scorching flames.
"W...What do you want from me?! N...No s-stop it! Don't do this to me!"
I gripped onto his shirt tightly as tears fell from my eyes. He doesn't answer me, instead, he yanks my arm and I dangle over the hellish pit of fire. He then let's go, and I plummet into the abyss. Agonizing pain blankets my skin and I howl in anguish. The fire mocking me, wrapping around my legs and climbing to my neck, searing every inch of my body. Tears falling down my cheeks and I cry out louder, yet no one helped me. No prayer answered. All I heard was his malicious laughs and I realized that my suffering was only but his amusement. I searched for his eyes and found them, they were inscribed with insanity. Was this his pastime?! What he calls fun?! My skin sloughs off and regrows, the smell of burning flesh fills my nostrils and the grief of my own freedom stung my heart.
..................................................................................
As the miserable hours passed, my screaming began to expire.
"Hey you! Why aren't you screaming?!"
I flinch as his tone rises and a whimper escapes my lips.
"It doesn't hurt that badly anymore..."
His brow raises then his expression shifts to a harsh glare and he snarls.
"What?!"
I flinch and hide my face in my arms. I felt the flames subside and peered up meeting his silver eyes yet again. I cowered and tried to back away from the man but he gripped my arm tightly causing me to yelp.
"What do you mean it doesn't hurt!?"
A lump forms in my throat and I turn my gaze downward at the ground of ebony coals, shaking.
"I...I said it didn't hurt anymore..."
He scoffs, then traveling the both of us under the tree from the park, the sun was lowering in the orange atmosphere. I hurry as I prepare to run off, when I looked up I saw him knelt down staring at me. I flinched and looked down at my hands clenching my bag.
"W...What do you"
He places a finger onto my lips, gesturing for me to shut up.
"I don't know how the hell you were able to withstand those flames...I'm keeping a close eye on you, you're not allowed to leave my sight."
"W...What....?"
My face went pale and I gazed up at him terrified.
"I said I'll be keeping a close watch on you, watch your every screw up so I can get the fun of tormenting you mentally"
I shiver in fear as I grab my bag, rose silently, and sprinted home as fast as my legs could carry me. I look back, he was following right behind me. I reach home and tackle Zen in a hug, tears fell from my eyes as I gripped his shirt.
"Z..Zen someone followed me home..."
"Who!?"
"I... I don't k... know...."
I watched Zen grab a shotgun from his room and walk down the stairs.
"Where is this person?"
I saw the silver eyed man leaned against the building with a smirk.
"Who the hell are you?!"
The silver eyed man gazed up at Zen in astonishment.
"How can this mortal see me?!"
I flinched and teared up cowering behind Zen.
"Don't yell at her!"
Zen held the shotgun to his chest and I watched as the man backed up.
"H... He got a ... blood transfusion... with me."
"Oh you idiot! Why would you do such a thing with divine blood!"
I whimpered and gripped the back of Zen's shirt in fear.
"H...He would've d... died if I didn't do so..."
"Naoko stay back... he could be dangerous..."
"He is dangerous Zen..."
I mumble under my breath.
"Who are you?!"
"No need to yell Zen."
The man said calmly with a smirk.
"The name is Damian Siniestro, I'm going to be keeping a close eye on this Naoko girl."
A shiver went down my spine when he said my name and panic enveloped in me.
"Z... Zen I... I don't like this guy..."
I buried my head in Zen's back and Zen shot Damian a sharp glare.
"You will not go near Naoko, you will not look or touch or breath in her direction."
"I can do as I please with the young girl, I'm more powerful than you both."
"Z...Zen... don't let him hurt me...."
I whimpered into his back and cried as Damian groaned.
"She's so dramatic god damn."
My hands tightened into fists and I walked up to the taller man and poked his chest.
"I...I'm sorry you tossing me into a fire brought back memories of my abusive father that killed me the exact same way! You remind me just like my father and I hate it! I can't believe people are horrible enough to become like him!"
I punched Damian's chest out of anger and took a deep breath. Damian stood there silently.
"Are you done with your tantrum?"
He gave me a cold glare that made me shiver.
"You wrinkled my favorite jacket, how am I supposed to look perfect now?"
I huffed and turned away from him.
"Answer. The. Question. Naoko."
His voice sounded stern and I whimpered in fear and felt him grip my shoulder.
"Don't you touch her!"
Zen swatted Damian's hand away and Damian shot him a glare. I looked in my bag and saw my sketchpad missing.
"C...Crap..."
"What is it Naoko?"
"I forgot my sketchpad at the park...I'll be back."
"I'll escort you Naoko."
"N..No! I don't need your help with anything, just leave me alone!"
"Hmmm nah."
I ran back outside, finding my way back to the park. There it lay under the tree, it's open as the wind breezes through the pages and I hear Damian chuckle.
"What's so funny?"
"You're already screwing up."
He laughs a second time mocking my mistake.
"Your art will never be perfect either."
"W... Well.. that's what practice is for... practice makes perfect."
"Pfft not as perfect I am."
"You say you're perfect but perfect people don't burn others in hell, sorry to break it to you."
He glared at me and slammed his hand against the tree behind me and I tensed up.
"Don't even think for a second I'm done with you, got it?!"
My lip quivered as I looked down at the remaining burns still left on my skin and slowly nodded.
"W...Why are you s...so mean to me... what did I do to you...?"
"You're an angel, I must kill all angels per Lucifer's request."
"B...But I wasn't trying to hurt anyone... I...I find it dumb that demons and angels still f...fight...I..I mean Lucifer was Gods friend once right? What happened to that..?"
"Then Michael, Lucifer's own brother, made him a fallen! His family member stabbed him in the back!"
I flinched and put my arms over my head for protection.
"C...Can I go home...?"
He huffed and moved his hand as rain trickles down onto my hair, causing the air to go chilly and damp. I placed my sketchpad under my shirt and jog home. Unlocking the door to the house I began to shiver as I set my sketchpad upon the counter top. A hot shower sounded lovely right about now. I briskly walk up the stairs and enter the bathroom, I undressed and stepped in the shower as the hot water ran down my face and shoulders. I looked down at my remaining burns and winced as the water touched them. I attempted to heal them the best I could until I got dizzy. I sat in the hot water as I began to dread getting out to see Damian's face. Yet not wanting to spike the water bill I turned the nozzle to the shower off and wrap myself in a warm towel. I sat on the edge of the tub and wrapped the burns I couldn't heal and walked downstairs silently. I instantly spot Damian flipping through my sketches, and my heart leaps out of my chest.
"N..No!"
I attempted to tackle him and retrieve it but he only held me back by my forehead like I was nothing but a feather.
"S..Stop it! G..Give it back!"
"My these sketches are quite impressive."
I looked up a thim shocked and lowered my hands.
"Really...?"
"Yeah."
He handed me my sketches back to me with a slight grin and walks upstairs with me. I place my sketch pad down at my desk and went to get dressed. I pulled on an old baggy shirt that I stole from Zen a while ago and some athletic shorts and walked into Zen's room.
"Do you want me to call the cops on this guy?"
"You can't, they can't see divines like we can, there would be no point... but... sleep well ok?"
"Yeah... you too... don't let that Damian guy in your room ok? Set up some sort of devil's trap."
"I...I forgot how to make one... and I'm not asking my mom..."
I shivered just saying her name and closed his door, walking back to my room and crawling into bed. I pulled the covers over myself and turned to face my wall, not even a few minutes after I finally relaxed I heard someone open my door and crawl into bed next to me.
"We never see art like yours in hell."
I shiver at his voice and move farther away from him, pulling my knees to my chest.
"Then.. stay in the mortal realm... I stayed here to get away from all the rules... guess you're my punishment for leaving..."
"Nah I don't belong here. Wait! What am I saying?! I'm supposed to be torturing you!"
I shiver and strain a smile as I turn to him.
"It's not nice to torture people."
He chuckles and I turn back around to my wall and move as far away from him as I can and try to relax, eventually I drifted off into a slumber.