Dance with the Devil

Chapter 4

A/N - not a fullupdate, only a partial. This is so I can read it on my other account and editit accordingly while I'm out and about. 

Enter the "Bad Boys"

She supposed she didn't quite mind spending an hour of her Friday afternoon in detention. The uncaring teacher in charge of them for the day had only walked in, checked the role then walked out after warning them that she would be back at the end to recheck everyone was still present. Two of the boys walked out as soon as she left. Julia didn't know what for, but she knew they would be back by the end of the hour to avoid being given another detention. A kid from her English class huddled herself in the corner, homework out and quietly scribbling on her page.

There were two other boys who had sat right behind her. They were friends with the two boys that had waltzed right out of the room and Julia was somewhat intrigued at their little group. One of the boys still present had purple hair and numerous piercings while the other had hair as black as night. It reminded Julia of her own and she looked at her own again, studying the light on its strands.

She wasn't sure what compelled her, but she pulled out her sketch book that she'd kept in there just in case and began doodling on a blank page. She started with the ever-present suit he wore and then the membranous wings that were usually tucked in at his back. And after she'd finished his hood she finished with the shadow that covered his face and the horns she'd only ever seen once. It hadn't taken very long and when she looked up, she saw that 45 minutes still remained.

She turned her face back to the book, flipped the page and began sketchy out something similar though, this time his wings had feathers and his hair was white like hers had once been. Beside the man, she sketched a female figure, almost as tall as he was. Her hair was black like Julia's was now and her eyes a solid red, crimson like the colour of blood. They were opposites.

Her mums face stared at hers and the hand she clasped with her husband seemed to tighten. Julia knew though, that this was in her head. Still, a feeling of relief flushed through her. She hadn't looked at any photos of them since the crash and for a little while now she thought she was forgetting them. But their faces on that page only showed her sha hadn't.

"Woah! That's amazing!" someone remarked from beside her. Julia, lost in her art jumped, startled from the boy. "Who are they?"

"My parents." She stated, not really bothering to think of something else.

"You look just like your mum."

"I used to look like my dad."

"Huh," The boy said, "Genetics am I right?"

"Nick, leave the girl alone." The black haired boy chided from his own desk. "It's almost time to go."

And sure enough, as Julia looked up at the clock hanging over the white-board, they only had five minutes. Behind her, Nick was talking to the black haired boy, arguing it seemed over whether or not he was annoying Julia. Nick won out and with a grin he turned his attention back to Julia who had flipped back to her drawing of Death and added a few more details here and there.

"That looks cool, who is it?"

"This is Death. He has horns and wings and while working, prefers a suit. He thinks it makes him look more imposing, more in charge."

"That's a pretty interesting take on death. Am I allowed to see the rest of your art?" he wasn't bad, Julia could tell. Just as she knew he didn't like her rendition of Death. She could have slid into his mind and found out why though years of abstaining from practice stopped her. instead, she slid her notebook across the table, giving him free reign of her sketch book. She didn't bother gauging his reactions, his 'ooing' and 'ahhing' plenty of indication and, began packing her things away.

The door swung open and with 2 minutes to spare, the last two members of Nick's friendship group swaggered in. When no one commented on their return the blonde did a double-take of the room to find Nick on his knees beside my desk, flipping through my almost full sketch book and the other boy using his an arm as a makeshift pillow.

"Yo! Bash! What's Nick doing? The boy, Bash, didn't even bother to move and look at the blonde as he responded.

"He saw her drawing and basically commandeered her sketch book.

"Woah, Julia draws?" His use of her name caught Julia's attention. It had been so long since she'd heard her name aloud and this boy was the second person she'd heard use her name as though it was normal. The fact that no one really seemed putout by her name made her muse that maybe this was normal. It was her name after all.

She waited and instead of the lurch she'd expected, the chair stilled. Julia opened her eyes not exactly sure when she closed them and looked up to see the green eyes of the fourth boy. He titled her chair forward until it stood on all four legs again.

"uh, thank you ~" she trailed off. "What's your name?"

The green-eyed boy blushed as his friends cackled at his predicament. Julia wasn't sure what, but something had her forgoing her typically silent, non-combatant demeanour to one that forced her protection on her saviour.

"I wouldn't laugh Nick and Bash, I didn't know your names until about 5 minutes ago." My reprimand of those two had blondie cackling even harder. "You shouldn't laugh either blondie."

"Blondie?"

"I don't know your name either nor do I feel inclined to ask after that little outburst of yours." He shut up. Bash and Nick did not. Their loud guffaws filled the room again and Julia felt a little involuntary tug at the corners of her mouth, pulled into the chemistry and flow of the boys' shared relationship.

She did want to smile it had just been so long she had smiled that she wasn't sure she should. She found herself biting the inside of her lip with the familiar taste of blood and copper sliding down her throat,

"Alexander." The black-haired boy uttered, and Julia looked right at him, a little startled. The boy, Alexander was looking right at her, his green eyes shining with amusement.

"Alexander." Julia said, testing how it felt on her tongue, "Thank you for saving me from that fall Alexander."

He nodded his answer and when she looked at the others and all looked at her with surprise. She looked back to Alexander and noted his quiet, almost silent aura. Looked at the small smile, not completely there. She looked back at Bash, Nick and Blondie, "What?"

Her question seemed do the trick at waking them from whatever daze that they were trapped in. Julia expected that blondie would have recovered first but it was Nick that spoke first, "It's nothing, it's just that Alex doesn't really~"

"Gentlemen and Miss Black, your conversation, scintillating as it may be, is preventing me from going home for the day so if you don't mind; LEAVE!" the teacher had returned and wanting to avoid another detention, they all scurried out of the room and out to the parking lot. Their conversation forgotten, they got in their cars and drove away, their small conversation changing something in Julia and what the future had once been.

***

"Did something good happen today? I thought you had a detention after school today." Death's voice erupted from the shadows. Long since accustomed to his sudden comings and goings she didn't even look his way as she responded to his question.

"Nothing in particular. Why do you ask?"

"No particular reason. Your silence just seems different, I guess. A bit lighter?" he mused to himself more than her. She shrugged off his comment and set to work making them some tea. Like a cat with a new toy he wandered into the kitchen. She handed him his tea soon after and of everything he could have predicted, her pulling our actual food from the fridge was not even on the list.

His eyes bulged out of his head and for once he was glad she couldn't see him