Fated Demons

Alicia

In Jonathan Creek, Kentucky, James, a tall redhead with beady, green eyes was very cocky and arrogant. Though we were complete opposites, he was my brother and we lived together. On the other side of the lake, Wyatt, a New Yorker was supposed to be at summer camp but had already gone on his first adventure.

“Wyatt, you can’t wander off like that!” said a short, brown haired man with a bushy beard. It was Jacob, Wyatt’s youth leader.

“I was only being adventurous. You told me to get out there.”

“Not like that, Wyatt. What if you ran into something?”

Meanwhile, James and I got into a dispute.

“James you’re overreacting!” I said.“Mom and Dad don’t have favorites!”

“Sounds like something a favorite would say,” snaps James who is now very frustrated with the amount of affection his younger sister was getting. James had often felt replaced and upstaged by, me, his younger sister. He felt that now was the time to get revenge.“You’ll see,” mumbled James,”soon they won’t have any choice but to love me.” He walked into his room and slammed the door.

I saw that his room was full of odd pictures and locations, but I thought that was typical James. I should have known better.

The next day early in the morning, Wyatt was ready for yet another adventure. He set off at about 8:00; at the same time, James was getting up.

“I’m sorry for being so rude to you yesterday, Alicia,” James said, almost meaningfully. “I got a surprise for you though!” He was now weirdly excited. “Follow me! I couldn’t get it inside because it might ruin the carpets.”

I looked at him wearily but after a while, followed. In the alley it was bitter, cold, and oddly quiet-except for the sound of a runner. I turned around and…

“Holy shit!” was the last thing I really understood as James beat me. He took a two by four and smashed it against me, over and over, my screams getting louder and louder until they finally stopped. There was a sudden quiet in my mind.

He left in a rush, I was cold and bleeding. I thought back on my life. I’d never even found love. It was quiet, so, so quiet. I could go peacefully, all I had to do was let go. It was so easy, but why didn’t I? I wouldn’t have to endure any pain. I would be alright after death.

As I laid there thinking, everything got louder, the runner was getting louder. Suddenly there was a tall medium brown haired boy with dark brown eyes standing in front of me, it was Wyatt. He took me in and helped me to his camp. And for three months we planned revenge. Only while I recovered did I think revenge was the way to go. I would lay there anger clouding the haze in my mind. All I could remember was the pain my own brother brought upon me. It wasn’t out of hatred that he did what he did. He was always so insecure. He may have seemed so cocky on the outside, but inside he was hurting, dying, losing his soul to endless days of depression. He was lost, my brother was lost, and he couldn’t find his way back home to our family’s love. Wyatt sat there and reveled in thoughts of revenge while I on the other hand thought about how James must have felt to try and kill me.

“How about we kill him the same way,” suggested my new best friend Wyatt.

“I don’t know,” I replied not completely sure I wanted to kill James, “I’ve been looking back and our memories aren’t all bad, I mean he is my brother.”

“What he did to you is wrong!”

“I know it’s just that killing him would be like killing apart of me, afterall he is my brother,” I inquired, still a bit confused.

By October we had the perfect plan. We would go to my house, and the plan would take place from there.

“Get up Alicia, it’s time,” Wyatt said with a certain urgency. It was 7:45 and we had to get going.”Nobody will ever hurt a friend of mine like this ever again. He will rue the day he did not do what was right, and forget his selfishness.”

As we approached the house I felt weird. I had been in this same alley just three month ago, beaten, bleeding, half dead, and dying, but I felt no hatred. It was 8:00. I stood on the back porch remembering all the good times James and I had.

“Algal come on! You don’t want to be a slacker do you?” I remembered eight year old James saying.

“No way! I wanna be like you!”

“No, be better than me, be yourself Algal,” James had smiled.

Another memory came into my mind. I was crying over my sprained ankle when I was six,” It hurts Jay!!!”

“I know, I know Al. Trust me. Take my hand, it’ll be alright,” James had said to me when he was nine years old. I took his hand, and we staggered back home where he took care of me.

It was only after James’s best friend died did he ever change from the caring brother I knew. I had to save my brother.

I walked in and looked right at James who had his back to me. Wyatt walked through the front. Wyatt had a smirk on his face.

“Wha-Wha-What are you doing here?” James said perplexed.

“Turn around and see,” Wyatt muttered.

James turned his eyes glistened with tears when he saw me,” Algal, I’m so, so sorry. I never should have…”

I cut him off, “I forgive you, James, I did months ago,” is all I could hear myself say. I felt all of all of the doubts that he hated me fall away, the chains broken. We collided he didn’t let go for what seemed like hours. After this long, unbearable time, I finally had my brother back.

When he let go he asked,” What do we tell Mom and Dad?”

“I tell them I never saw the attacker coming. You weren’t yourself. You haven’t been since Elliott died. You have to go to therapy though, I’m not having my brother commit suicide like his best friend did. Jay, you are smarter than most people, and you are worth more than gold. You couldn’t save Elliott. He was too far down that dark road, but you can and will save yourself,”

“I don’t know how,”

“Just talk to me, help me understand what you’ve went through since Elliott. You’ve kept it inside for so long. Let it out,”

James nodded,” Elliott was my whole world at school. He always knew how I felt. When he left it felt like no one understood me. It seemed like Mom and Dad blamed me for his death. That night they screamed at me, telling me I could have done something. I could have told someone, but it was just as much of a shock to me as it was to them. I believed them, I believed it was my fault. They started praising you, and I felt so... unwanted. It was easier to blame you than to blame my best friend. Al, it felt like I was alone, and yeah, I thought about joining Elliott, but I realized… I realized he didn’t commit suicide. Elliott… he was murdered,”

My eyes grew wide,” How do you know?”

“The gun was in his right hand. Elliott was left handed. When he held a gun one handed it was always in his left. Someone murdered my best friend!” James sobbed.

“Who would have done such a thing?”

“I don’t know Al, I don’t know,”

“Did you tell anyone?”

“The police, they didn’t want it all over the media, so they asked me not to tell anyone, including his parents,”

“It must have weighed you down,”

“Yeah, it did, but the burden’s been lifted... slightly,”

“I’m here for you James, and I always will be,”

“Thanks Alpal,”

“OKAY, hold up! You just forgave him!?” Wyatt yelled.

“Wy, you don’t know James like I do. He’s always been there for me. He lost someone close to him in cold blooded murder. That does damage to a person’s soul. It’s enough to make them turn dark, and my parents didn’t help him any. Instead of being there for him, they tore him down. Maybe they really do have favorites. I honestly think James and I need out of here. My parents never really cared about us. We get hurt at school, or if we got lost they never worried. They leave us for months at a time Wyatt. It’s time for me and James to move out. We don’t need to live here, I’m eighteen and James is twenty-one. We make our own decisions, and mine is to leave!”

“I understand now. I’ll help you pack,” Wyatt said. By the time we were done packing Mom and Dad were home.

“James, COME HERE!!!!” I heard Dad yell.

James looked over at me,” Stay here, you don’t want to see what happens next. It happens everytime you leave, and since you were ‘dead’ it has happened everyday,”

“What?”

“Trust me Al, you don’t wanna know,” his expression was solemn.

James left and I quietly followed after him my phone out of my pocket. I turned on the camera and recorded what happened next.

“COME HERE SON!!!!!”

“Father,” James didn’t meet his eyes. Dad smacked James upside the head, Dad’s face full of hatred.

“IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU WE DON’T HAVE A DECENT CHILD!!!!” he continuously beat James down until I couldn’t stand it.

“STOP IT!!!!” I screamed dropping my phone. No wonder James thought they played favorites, because they truly did. Dad was in such a rage he didn’t hear me, couldn’t hear me, and he never would, not like this. James coughed up blood, red on the white tile floor.

“Al, no!” and then his eyes rolled back into his head.

“FATHER!!!” I screamed in pure rage. I could see why James envied me. I was never treated like this!

Dad was still beating James down, killing him. I tackled my dad in a last attempt to save my brother. James was my life, and I would never stand for this! Dad struggled with me on his back, trying to throw me off him, but I was beyond mad and I would not be denied. Dad slammed me against the wall and I screamed,” STOP IT!!” I jammed my knee into his thigh, and he doubled over in pain,” FATHER LISTEN TO ME!!!!”

“GET OFF ME YOU FOOL! I’LL KILL YOU!!!!!!!!” He roared.

“Father, please, please stop!” I was sobbing as I slid down to my knees. My own father would hurt his children without a second thought. Tears fell, hot and fast. My own,” FATHER!!!” I screamed.

Dad froze as if he recognized the voice he was hearing,” Alicia?”

“How could you Father, how could you?” tears streamed down my face. I stood on shaky legs. James and I were alone in a world where even our parents segregated their own children,” James?” my voice wavered. I ran my hand through his bright red hair. My voice cracked,” Brother?” I began to panic, shaking him,” JAMES!!!!” I sobbed,” NO! NO! NO! NO!” I whirled around to my father,” YOU KILLED HIM!!!” My voice no longer my own. When I lost James, I lost everything. He was the only one to hold back my demons. Without him my demons were unleashed. Anger and unbearable hatred stormed within,” YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME, MY FREEDOM, MY LIFE, MY SOUL, MY FAMILY, EVERYTHING I’VE EVER KNOWN!!! GAAAAH!” the pain settled in unlike any other. It tore me from the inside out. I wasn’t possessed by a demon per say. I wasn’t a demon either. No, I was simply overtaken by a outside force. Since it came from the outside exorcisms wouldn’t work. The pain was undeniably horrid. I screamed and fell to my knees. Then she came out to play. My blonde hair went stark white, and I knew my blue eyes had gone red.

She gave a cruel smile, and all I could do was sit back and watch through my eyes, not even able to control my own actions. She had a name, but names are powerful,”Oh such fun! I haven’t been out in years. So much anger, stress, and fear. Such a good meal,” she laughed maniacally.

Father stood up,” Who are you?¨

¨Who? Me? I’m Katannasi, mistress of all evil,¨

¨Katannasi? What kind of name is Katannasi?¨

She just laughed,” Oh you insensitive fool, you must not know the more you do that, the more you feed me,” she looked him over,” you would make a nice pet,”

“I ain’t nobody’s pet!” Dad screamed.

With a wave of her hand Dad slammed into the back wall. A feral grin crept over her face, my face, our face,” What to do? What to do? Huuuh,” she sighed.

Then Wyatt walked in the room,” Alicia? Is that you?”

Then she winced,” I’m not her,”

“You kinda look like her,” Wyatt shrugged.

She looked him over,” Hmm, I could use one of you in my realm, so dreamy,” she batted her eyes.

His eyes went wide,” What have you done to Alicia!?”

Katannasi cringed,” STOP SAYING HER NAME!!!!”

“Who’s Alicia’s?” He was catching on. Each time my name was said, I felt more in control.

“STOP IT!!!” She screeched lunging at him. James struggled to his feet coming out of his involuntary slumber. He put his hand on our shoulder.

“Alicia, come back to me. Alicia, you can do it! You will do it! Alicia!”

She snarled at my brother,” DON’T SAY HER NAME!!!”

Wyatt and James repeated my name over and over, and I slowly gained control. My hair went back to its dusty blonde color. I was shaking all over as I did every time this happened. I blinked slowly,” He-ey,” my voice was once again my own. I shivered with a sudden cold.

Wyatt put his hand on my shoulder,” You cold?”

I shook my head denying I was frozen. I was chilled straight to the marrow. Each time she took over I could feel the differences in the atmosphere more drastically. As of this moment I only felt cold. I felt my brother wrap his arms around me, he knew I was cold even though I denied it. I used to complain about it through my tears when I was younger, a lot younger. James stood there with me while I tried to calm my heart. Cold, so cold. I didn’t notice when Wyatt left, all I knew was that he came back with a cup of black coffee. He handed it to me,” Drink this, it’ll help a bit,”

I nodded my thanks and took the drink. It was so hot that it burned my tongue, or maybe I was so cold that it only felt that way. I don’t know. I hated the side effects of being demon jacked. It left you too weak to fend for yourself, and sometimes it lasted days, even weeks on end. It was worse than lying in the parking lot, slowly dying from your wounds. It was way worse.

A single tear slid down my face. I was tired. I didn’t want to live like this, in fear of the demon that resides far away and yet still controls my soul. I wanted to heal, but it was as if Satan himself was allowing her passage into my heart, to strike fear into those I cared about most, to break me. I was done. I couldn’t live like this anymore. My voice trembled,” I-I d-don’t wanna be here anymore,”

James rubbed my arm as Wyatt spoke,” We’ll leave in the morning, much time has passed,”

“That’s not what I meant… I don’t want to be here, on Earth. I shouldn’t be here. I can’t be here. I should be burning in hell for what I’ve let inside me! I don’t feel human anymore just… cold,” I ended softly.

James whipped me around to see him,” Ally, don’t you fucking dare!”

I stared at the floor,” Why not? I don’t deserve to be alive,”

“Ally, look at me!” I looked up,” You are my sister! You are not dying! I won’t allow it, not anymore! I may have months ago, but it was a goddamned mistake! You are going to live so help me God!”

My hands were shaking,” James, this is hard enough, leaving the two of you behind,” I sniffled and wiped a tear from my cheek,” I have to do it! I deserve to die! My soul should be burning in hell! I shouldn’t be here!”

A cracking sound came from Wyatt. I turned to see his blonde hair and his brown eyes go black. His eyes were just pits of darkness, ready to drag me down and under. A snarl crept over his face,” Alicia, if you die, you will frickin’ regret it you two faced bitch!”

I staggered back and hit the glass coffee table,” Who are you!?”

“Javonni, master of evil, husband of Katannasi, and your worst nightmare!” He snarled.

“Wy, Wyatt! Are you in there!?”

His eyes briefly flashed brown and went back to black, whites and all,” Asshole!”

“Wyatt, please! Don’t leave me! Fight it please!”

“Never,” the evil grinned,” You can’t release me the same way. I’m not her,”

I fell to my knees,” Wyatt, Wy, gone… why him, why?” I sobbed, he was a part of me I couldn’t lose, not to this wretched demon. I rose with unknown confidence,” Wyatt, listen to me! You are not him, you can conquer his hold. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! Wyatt!” I grabbed his shoulders, shaking him,” Come back to me!... Please,” It was a soft broken whisper. Only the softest of calls could penetrate the field surrounding him. He coughed and slowly changed back.

He stared at me his eyes half closed. He blinked and he suddenly had me in his embrace, my feet a good six inches off the ground. He let out a broken sob, he was shattered before me, he had his demons and I had mine. We were one in the same, a used piece of crap. Used then cast to the side until we were needed again.

We.

Were.

Broken.

A/N: Credits go to Bryson Whitesides and Hunter Goben for helping start this back in eighth grade. Keep writing and dream big guys.