My Guardian Demon

"I swear to god Athena if you don't wake up for school right now, I'm going to grab a bucket of ice-cold water and throw it on you." One of my lovely brothers yelled in my ear making me roll over, landing straight onto the floor with a thud.

Aiden’s laughter erupted, filling the room with such intensity that I had to cover my ears and groan in response.

Not a morning person.

He does this every morning without fail, and I had hoped that, being my birthday, he might show a little generosity and wake me up more gently. But, of course, that wasn’t the case.

He's a prick like always.

My brother Aiden and I have a love-hate relationship. One minute we get along well, joking with each other all the time but other times we just fight or wind each other up to the point our older brother Austin has to intervene.

Austin has been our guardian ever since our parents died in a car crash eight years ago. It was a profoundly challenging time for all of us, but rather than walking away, our older brother chose to step up and raise us. He embraced the responsibility with remarkable dedication, and he’s done an outstanding job, particularly in guiding me.

No one can help Aiden, he's a lost cause.

"Get out of my room," I grumbled into the floor before lifting myself up and glaring over at my stupid ass brother.

"Well, I suppose I'll just eat the chocolate pancakes that Austin has made you." Then he ran out of my room with a whistle.

I jumped onto my feet and bolted out of my room, tripping over the thin air a few times and banging my elbow in the process.

Jumping down the last few steps I could see my brother reach for my pancakes, so I did the only thing I could think of.

“Aaaaaah!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, charging at him before he could react. As I jumped on top of him, we both tumbled to the floor. It would have been a hard fall if he hadn’t cushioned it with his body.

"What the hell Athena," I shot a sheepish smile his way before standing up, accidentally kneeing him in his private area. I took a plateful of pancakes, trying not to drool at the sight before looking down at my crippled brother.

"You were gonna eat my pancakes," I shrugged, walking over to a very amused Austin. I slumped down next to him, instantly stuffing the pancakes down my throat without taking a breath of air.

I heard a snicker next to me. "What?" I spoke with a mouthful of food.

"Your love for pancakes fascinates me, but anyway happy birthday little Rae," He placed a quick kiss on my cheek. "I have to go to work now but I'll give you your presents and card when I come back. Then you can choose what restaurant you want to eat at."

I nodded away before stuffing the last of my pancakes in my mouth as he left the kitchen. Aiden was giving me a disgusted look from across the table.

"So ladylike," I swallowed the rest as I ran my hand through my knotted long brown hair.

"Hey, you have something on your chin," He started rubbing his chin whilst I stood up to place my plate in the sink.

"Where?"

“No, not there—the third one down,” I snickered before darting back to my room to get ready for school. I slipped into a pair of black skinny jeans, paired with a striped off-the-shoulder jumper, and finished off the look with my favorite black Vans. After quickly curling my hair and taking care of my usual bathroom routine, I was finally ready to head out.

As I walked down the stairs, I spotted Aiden typing away on his phone by the door. Before I could reach the bottom, a flicker of light caught my eye, glowing behind him. I stopped in my tracks, staring intently at the mysterious light and then at him.

"Hello Athena, what the hell are you staring at? Come on I need to get you to school or I'll be late for College." He swung his car keys around his finger before opening the door and leaving me behind.

"Come on," He shouted making me snap out of my thoughts and rushing towards his car, not forgetting to lock the door this time.

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“Hello there, Athena. It’s so nice of you to finally grace us with your presence,” Miss Reynolds, my most dreaded teacher, said with a scowl. I shot her a mock salute before taking a seat at the back of the classroom next to one of my best friends, Lewis.

"She's going to kill you one day," He whispered into my ear before facing the class again.

"You're wrong, it's this maths class that's going to kill me," He quietly laughed behind his hand, trying not to get us both into trouble but we aren't that lucky.

Miss Reynolds glanced our way, crossing her arms over her chest. Her face reddened slightly as she asked, “Something funny?”

I just sat back in my chair, making a slight grunt noise under my breath. I would love to know what her problem is with me, even if someone else disrupts the class or messes about I still get the blame.

“Nothing, Miss,” I replied, trying to sound as innocent as possible. She continued to glare at me for a moment before turning back to write the day’s work on the board. Meanwhile, Lewis began pulling out his supplies from his bag, trying to avoid drawing any more attention.

He took out a card and a happy birthday bag.

"Happy birthday bestie," A huge grin spread across my face like a Chesire cat as I looked through the birthday bag.

There were my favourite chocolates, a little eighteen charm for my bracelet, and a new phone case with me him and Shannon on one of our movie nights. Then underneath all of that, there was a pack of condoms staring right at me.

I gasped quietly, hitting his shoulder, which made him chuckle softly. He grinned at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement, before turning his attention back to writing in his book.

“Just looking out for you, Rae. Don’t be such a prude. You can’t stay a virgin forever,” he whispered, causing me to scoff. I quickly tried to hide my bag from the teacher’s view, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Right, that's it Athena, detention after school." My teacher scolded me before walking my way to write it in my diary.

“I assume with all this talking, you’ve already done the work?” Miss Reynolds asked, her tone sharp.

“From all this complaining, I’m guessing you’re single?” I shot back with a smirk, hoping to deflect some of her frustration.

A few students started to laugh, but their laughter quickly died down under Miss Reynolds’ stern gaze. Her hand extended expectantly, waiting for me to hand over my diary, but I stubbornly refused.

"Give me your book."

"No, I didn't do anything wrong," I pointed out.

"I won't ask again, give me your book now."

“I didn’t hear a ‘please.’ My brother raised me to have manners, which evidently you lack,” I said. The entire class gasped, and I rolled my eyes, exasperated.

Now my teacher's face was a bright red, her eyebrows creased together and her wrinkly chapped lips turned into a tight line.

“Headteacher’s office, now. I hope you don’t have any plans for the next week,” she sneered, turning sharply and storming back to the front of the class. I glanced at Lewis, who gave me a sympathetic smile as I gathered my things, bracing myself for the inevitable trip to the headteacher’s office.

Another flickering glow appeared behind him, the same one I’d seen behind Aiden this morning, only to vanish just as quickly. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, and began gathering my things to pack into my bag. I must be seeing things, especially after bumping my head earlier.

Stupid Aiden.

"I'll see you later Lewis and thank you for my presents," I gave him a peck on his slightly stubbled cheek and began walking towards the door, noticing Miss Reynolds with a small smirk on her lips.

I turned the door handle and swung it wide open, letting it bang lightly against the wall. Before stepping out of the classroom, I flashed a saccharine smile at Miss Reynolds and waved. “Have a great day, Miss Reynolds. I learned so much,” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

I slammed the door behind me and gritted my teeth in frustration. The hallways were eerily empty, not a single student in sight. What a crappy birthday morning this was turning out to be. Dragging my feet across the floor, I ran my finger along the wall absentmindedly when I heard a faint mumble.

I looked around to see if anyone had appeared behind me, but the hallway remained empty and silent.

"Now I'm going mad," I whispered to myself as I set off walking again. I felt a slight breeze across my ear sending a shiver through my body.

I spun around again, but this time I wasn’t alone. “HOLY FUDGE!” I exclaimed, though my voice was more of a startled shout. In my panic, I tripped over the bag I had dropped, sending me sprawling onto the floor. As I landed flat on my bum, I looked up to see the tall figure still standing right in front of me, unmoved and silent.

My eyes trailed up his body until I reached his face. He was significantly taller than me, and his black top clung tightly to his upper body, showcasing well-defined muscles that made me blush a little. His light brown eyes contrasted with his tousled hair, giving him a rugged yet intriguing appearance.

He just looked down at me with a slightly sexy smirk on his lips.

“Where in God’s name did you come from? I almost had a heart attack, and I think I’ve broken my bum,” I muttered to myself, but he heard me.

"It's impossible to break your bum," The boy spoke, his voice was so deep and instantly made him ten times hotter.

"Well, I think I found a way," I stood up on my feet, giving my bum a slight rub before returning my attention to the mystery guy.

The hallway felt freezing now, and I could feel goosebumps spreading across my skin. I quickly wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing my hands up and down in an attempt to warm up.

Suddenly, his eyes transformed into a deep, pitch-black hue, with a flickering flame dancing in the centre where his pupils should be. Large, smoky black wings erupted from his back, causing me to shriek in terror.

One of his massive hands shot out to cover my mouth, muffling my screams into a panicked, inaudible noise.

This is it, I’m going to die.