The Demon's Flower

Chapter One

Hi All! Doing a massive edit as I wasn't happy with how it was progressing. I hope you all continue to enjoy and vote!

The destruction of my soul began when I was eighteen years old; I was at University to study English Literature and at a point in my life where I should have been having fun with friends, going out to clubs, and pulling all-nighters in the library. 

The key word there was 'should.' 

I couldn't do these things not because Norfolk wasn't a social hotspot, but because I didn't actually have any friends to have fun with; I didn't attend any club nights or parties; and I had so much free time to complete my work I didn't need to pull all-nighters. 

However, I loved my classes. And, in one of those classes was Oscar Sinclair. I fell hard for him the moment he ran up to me, clutching my wallet which had tumbled out of my pocket. He soon became the centre of my imagined social life. I imagined him holding his strong arms out as I ran into his warm embrace where he would hold me close enough so our soft lips could touch; so I cansee the very soul dancing within his eyes, and so he can never let me go.

I remember him so clearly, he was beautiful: dark honey eyes sparkled likedistant lightening; strong hands which often combed through thick red wine hair; a deep piano tenor laugh which echoes throughout all the corridors as if he was standing in a concert hall rather than the depressing blank white halls of the academic building. He was always surrounded by adoring fans and each chattered like starlings to one and other,but he was always in the centre of the conversation. 

I also remember his girlfriend: Anna Davies.

I remember how much I hated her, how jealous I was of her, and how much my heart broke when I saw them together. But all of these feelings destroyed my goodness like a wildfire destroys a forest. They burned through my veins and placed a noose around my heart to the point where I was suffocating in a fiery sea of corrupting emotions.     

I stared at them whenever I could, even during my beloved classes. 

Looking back now I can see how vulnerable I was to the power of a demon. I was completely alone and spent all of my energy feeding my obsession for a man and my pure hatred for his girlfriend. My only excuse was that I didn't know such creatures existed. 

The demon invaded our class half way through the first year of my course. He appeared as a normal transfer student, but I noticed he never spoke to anyone. 

However, the fateful day that I believed sealed my fate was the day he spoke to me.

We had all just been let into the classroom and I was in my normal seat opposite Oscar so I could continue to watch him. I remember watching him handling his book and thinking how he looked even more handsome when he was holding a book. His lips puckered ashe thought and scribbled notes in the novel, and for once his eyes did notwatch his girlfriend. Wide hands caressed the spin, gripping with perfectpressure...

The teacher however, caught me: "Miss Jones? Are you joining us for classtoday, or would you prefer to try and burn a hole in poor Mr Sinclair's bookwith your eyes?"

I remember how awkward it was to be called out on my behaviour, but I revelled in the attention Oscar gave me when his eyes focused on me and only me. I craved that again. 

From the moment the teacher called me out the demon stared at me, Eugene was his human name, and as soon as the lesson was finished and I had all but run from the room he spoke to me. 

"Lillian wait," I had heard behind me. Itwas a deep and commanding tone, still is, and I remember stopping as if I was a dog on a lead.

"So...you have a bit of an obsession don't you?" he had asked, smirking at me for the first time.

"No!! I mean, its a crush and I'm allowed to look at people aren't I?" I had shot back, feeling stressed.

"A crush? Alright, if that's what you want to call it," his smirk hardly ever leaves his face, "and no need to sound so defensive I was only playing."

"Go annoy someone else, wasn't the teacher calling me out enough fun for one day?" I had asked, my shoulders tensing as usual. I had always hated people making fun of me.

"Well, now you just admitted to starring at him. Here I was thinking that you were admiring the artwork on his novel," he always bounces when he gets someone to admit to things they wanted to keep a secret.

I had scowled at him and snapped back with the hopes he would leave me alone, "Go away Eugene. I don't have to explain anything. My life, my business."

He began his allure: his sobered immediately and took a long step towards me. He looked down at me with a blank look on his chiselled face. He was so close that when he spoke his deep, smooth voice vibrated through my body, "I can help you get everything you want. I can help you get all of the attention."

When he stands too close and talks too deeply it becomes hypnotising and I makes you think only about what he wants. But when I imagined Eugene offering some sort of matchmaking service, which I couldn't imagine being one of his skills, it had brought me back to earth so I just hesitantly declined, "That won't be necessary but thanks. I'm sure I can manage by myself."

He continued to stare deep into my eyes, his pupils dilating like a drop of water invading a puddle, "Prove it," he challenged, "there's a party tonight, at Edge Court. Come with me and show me you can catch the attention of you obsession."

"Crush," I always insisted it was a crush when I was around Eugene.

"Doesn't matter. Show me that you don't need help talking to the opposite sex, the object of your every thought, and I'll leave you alone," he bargained, the smirk returning to his face as if he already knew I'd agree.

"Fine. We have a deal." I didn't really know why I agreed to this. I could have walked away, turned my back on him. But I didn't.

Because he was offering me a chance to gain my world. 

First edit done! Hopefully you all enjoy it! Please let me know in the comments :)