Frost and Fire

Two

Juliana had never experienced this much pain before, both mental and physical. To see her own father killed right before her...it had robbed her of all her senses. She had just frozen all over, unable to lift even a finger against the monster called Azazel. She’d let him tie up both her and Lane. Lane hadn’t done much either, but at least he had tried fighting Azazel and at least he had done his best to resist him. Juliana on the other hand...she could practically feel the flush of embarrassment rising up in her cheeks, covered by the blood that decorated it.

Beside her, Lane tried to mutter comforting words to her, telling her it would be alright and ‘not to worry’. She bit her tongue, trying not to snap at him - how could things be right now? Even if they managed to escape -an impossible task- where would they go? They didn’t have a home anymore – heck, they didn’t even have any relatives any more. They’d only had Hilton after their mother’s death eleven years back. Her father had been her everything, and to have him taken away from her so cruelly...she really didn’t know how things would be alright. But she knew Lane was upset; the only thing keeping him sane right now, was probably her. So she bit her lip and kept her mouth shut.

When the door opened, her breath caught in her throat and even Lane fell silent. Her fear was so strong it overcame her hatred for the monster before her. Azazel didn’t look like a monster. No, if anything, he looked the complete opposite. With short black hair and those cold, cold black eyes, he was extremely handsome. But behind all that, she could see his equally black heart.

As Azazel entered the room, it was as if all the oxygen had been sucked out, making her throat constrict and her chest tighten. Next to her, Lane choked, and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw his eyes close and his head fall back. She too could feel her head spinning, making her feel faint.

“Juliana Rayburn,” the monster’s voice was far and vague; she felt as if she were underwater, unable to see or hear properly.  She saw him wave his hand and abruptly, everything came back into focus and she could breathe again. In her peripheral vision, she saw her twin brother's head lift up, as he looked around dazedly.

She jumped as a finger under her chin, lifted it. And she found herself staring into dark, empty tunnels.

“I’ve waited for this moment for years, Juliana,” and with that, the devil himself slashed his hand through the air.

She could feel the cold immediately surrounding her. The cut on her cheek seemed to freeze and her blood turned to ice, making her body tingle. That was when the pain started, she couldn’t even begin to describe it – it was as if her whole body was freezing and thawing at once, like her bones were being crushed and as if someone was sawing away at her blood vessels. From far away, she could hear screams. Bloodcurdling, heart-wrenching screams and the realization that it was her screaming like that only made it even more horrifying. Over her agonized shrieks, and through the heavy clouds of pain, she heard her brother shout out, his tormented scream only increasing her anguish.

All of a sudden, the pain stopped. It was as if she had never felt it all. But the blood pumping through her veins and the roaring in her ears and the tears of pain streaming down her face, told her otherwise. As she blinked, his face came into view – the smirking face of the devil himself. She could hear Lane's slight moan of pain calling her name. She turned her head to look at him, fighting back tears; it wouldn't do to cry right now. She wouldn't cry - it'd only please Azazel, the bastard. Lane had apparently reached to the same conclusion for he merely looked at her searchingly, his expression one of concern. 

“You should get used to it, little one, for there is more to come.” Juliana whipped her head around, ignoring the throbbing pain and glared at the Shadow-Dweller. For he was a Shadow-Dweller. Her father had told her stories about how the Shadow-Dwellers were cruel and how they could cause pain just by willing it. After experiencing the pain herself and taking in account the blue glow surrounding Azazel, she couldn’t deny the fact that he was indeed, a cruel and evil shadow-dweller.

She would have dearly liked to insult him with a few choice words, but he slashed his hand in the air again and her eyes glazed over as another scream ripped itself out of her, the pain returning with full force. When the pain stopped, she could hear her harsh, uneven breathing over the roaring of blood in her ears. The world spun around her as she tried to focus on the tall man looming over her. She felt completely drained and it took all of her remaining energy, which hadn’t been much to begin with, to stay conscious. 

She heard the door open and slowly turned her head, ignoring the dizziness that attacked her, and found her emerald eyes meeting glittering black marbles. She stared at the young man on the threshold, trying to distract herself. She didn't think she could survive another round of torture, and she knew that the newcomer would bring with him a welcome distraction. She tried to focus on him, but the world swam again and nausea attacked her. The young man suddenly looked away and that was when the pain started again. This time, when it ended, she couldn’t help the sobs that escaped, and soon, she was crying fully, hot tears running down her cheeks. Beside her, her twin was screaming profanities at the devil standing before her. A booming laugh interrupted her and gradually her sobs faded away. Her eyes cleared just in time to see Azazel vanish into the shadows.

Silence descended upon them. She looked towards the boy, only to catch him staring at her. His hair was as black as Azazel’s, if not blacker, and his eyes as cold as Azazel’s, if not colder. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and so, when the tall and lean Shadow-Dweller strode forward in their direction, she couldn’t help the whimper that escaped her. She immediately hated herself for it, but really, how much more pain could a girl take? He froze and slowly, his gaze rose until it rested upon her. She stared at him, almost...pleadingly. He looked conflicted, as if debating internally. That struggle visibly cleared as pain streaked through her head, making her forehead scrunch up and inciting a gasp from her. 

He immediately rushed by her side and raised his hand. It was pure instinct that made her flinch, but when his smooth and surprisingly gentle palm rested on her scarred cheek, it took all of her efforts to not lean into his touch. Her cheek tingled with a pleasantly cold sensation and she gasped. She could practically feel the cut closing up. She waited for the pain but none came. At Lane’s angry exclamation, the young Shadow-Dweller snatched his hand away and turned his very cold eyes on her brother. She felt his finger turn her head towards Lane and heard Lane’s gasp.

Now that the pain had gone away, Juliana could feel the darkness creeping in. with difficulty, she lifted her head to see the shadow-dweller on his knees beside Lane. With a dart of fear, she asked, “What are you doing?”

The young boy looked up, “I’m untying your very ungrateful brat of a brother.” She couldn’t help it, she laughed. The expression on Lane’s face was priceless.  

 The darkness was even closer now and she looked up at him, “What’s your name?”     

A slight smile graced his features, “I go by the name Teivel these days.”

She let a smile curve her lips too, “Well then, thank you… Teivel.”

And with that, she let the cool and blissful darkness overtake her.