Burn (Drift Book 3) (12 page)

“I’ve heard about enough of this vampire and demon stuff. That is utter and complete garbage. What we have here is a failure to communicate. It’s simple,” Sheriff Taylor scolded the parents for daring to believe such a ridiculous
notion. Then he scooted himself directly in front of me. “Either talk here, or talk with me at the police station. I promise you’ll regret not choosing option one. This is your last chance.”

I looked him in the eyes and smirked
. “You couldn’t hold me.”

He smirked back
. “A tough guy, eh? We have a way to make tough guys talk.”

“Leo…show him
,” Shade broke in, seeing I was getting agitated with the Sheriff.

Sam looked over to her and so did I.

“Show me what?” He looked at me, then her.

Shade raised her eyebrows at me, urging me to let my secret out of the bag
, but this could be the biggest mistake I ever made. I was boxed in a corner. Either way, it looked like I was going to have to complete Diccittidel while navigating around human authorities. Just to add, if I decided to prove to them all that I was a demon, there was no telling what kind of punishment was in store for me, not only from the human powers that be, but from Heaven and Hell…or both.

I looked him straight in the eyes without so much of a blink
. “You are meddling with things that you couldn’t possibly comprehend…something so much bigger than you that not even the earth as a whole can contain it. Too much knowledge about me, and what I know, could make you,
all
of you, disappear. Still want to know?” I warned.

“I think I’ll take my chances…speak
,” he ordered.

I remained quiet
, hesitating.

“Just do it, bro. This has gotten bigger than you now.
You can’t keep this among us anymore. Show them you’re in the right,” Scruffy urged me to press on.

I sat in silence for another few moments before I offered an ultimatum to the Sheriff.

“If I talk, if I decide to allow you to know what I know, it must be under these terms. No one…I mean no one else in this room can utter a single word about what I say and what I show you. You’ll have to take what I tell you and do your best to investigate without giving certain elements about me away while doing so. Shade, Scruffy, and Sandra’s knowledge has already put them in grave danger, as I am about to explain. Very soon, after I talk, your lives will all be at risk as well. Is this something that we can all agree to…do you think you can handle the consequences of possessing such knowledge?” I stared at them all.

“That depends on what you say
,” the Sheriff boasted.

I shook my head and scoffed at him
. “Hell with it, have it your way.”

I sighed and began opening up about my situation. I left out going back as far as the Darryl Kite incident because I didn’t want heads to start turning again about Shade having some
thing to do with his death; especially since she’s dating a demon. I just started out with what I was, what I was up to, and what had happened. I spoke about the vampires, what and why they did what they did the night of the disappearances, where and why Shade was held, and by whom. I left out nothing about who I was and what was going on.

The more I spoke, the more Sheriff Taylor
smiled cynically at me. I knew he wasn’t buying a word I was saying. When I looked at the parents of my friends though, I could see looks that reflected a will to believe in me and what I was saying, but the common sense to know better.

When I finished, Sheriff Taylor arched his back and placed his hands on his thighs.

“That is the most ludicrous, aggravating bag of bullcrap I have ever heard. I didn’t come down with the last drop of rain, Mr. Cutler. All of us in this room are dumber for having heard such nonsense. I was hoping we could do this with as little trouble as possible, but I can see you don’t want to cooperate…”

“It’s not nonsense…it’s the truth. You said you wanted the truth, so I gave it to you.”

He rolled his eyes. “I tell you what, son…” He raised up out of his seat and began walking around in front of us. “If you can prove to me…to us…that you are who you say you are, somehow, I’ll believe your story. Not only that, I’ll honor the terms of your ultimatum and will never speak a word of this to anyone outside of this room about what I know. I’ll investigate this case using the knowledge you’ve just given while keeping your demon issue a secret. I would also ask that the people in this room, right now, respect your terms as well. I won’t even get in your way so you can complete your…quest. Hell, I may even give you a job on my police force. Agreed?” He joked and chuckled as if there was no way for me to prove that I was who I said I was.

“This is
n’t a ruse? You’ll respect my wishes? You promise to keep quiet and stay out of my way?” I reconfirmed.

Sheriff Taylor threw out his hands in sarcasm
. “Sure…why not.”

I looked
at the watchful faces around me. “You all are witnesses to this agreement.” My friends nodded at me confidently while their parents just looked at me in confusion.

“Well
, then…I guess that’s that.” I stood up and Sheriff Taylor stepped out of my way.

I walked to
the center of the hall, right in front of the podium. I allowed myself enough room to the left and the right of me and turned to face everyone.

Sheriff Taylor just stood with his arms folded.

“Do your thing, bro,” Scruff encouraged me.

I smirked at him
, hunched a bit and thrust out my enormous charcoal colored wings.

Sheriff Taylor jumped back
. “Oh my God!”

“Far from
Him,” I joked.

“Guess we can start talking pay now, eh
, Sheriff?”

Chapter 12

PROOF

I looked at the parents, who were all staring at me in amazement, except for Anne. She smiled at me as if she knew it the whole time.

“This isn’t possible.” The Sheriff approached me from behind and looked me over.

“How can this be?” he asked as he ran his hand across the top of my wings where they connected to my back. “This has to be some Hollywood makeup job or something. No way is this real,” he added.

“It is
…It just is…and no, it isn’t,” I answered his questions in sequence.

“Mom…
Dad…meet my best friend, Leo ‘The Demon’ Cutler.” Scruffy stood up and announced me to his stunned parents like I was entering a boxing contest. They only stared at me, slack-jawed.

While the Sheriff continued to march around me
, investigating, I addressed the very worried parents of my friends.

“Look, I know this is hard to digest, but this is who I
truly am. I don’t have a home. I don’t have a mother or father, brother or sisters. Up until the past couple years, I never had a friend until I met these three. I don’t know who I once was, or how I became this way. I just am…this. I promise you I have, and will, do everything I can to make sure no harm will ever come to your children. I know that sounds odd coming from something like me, but my intentions are of good will. I mean, I know what happened to Shade, but I’ll do everything in my power to prevent anything like that from happening again. Just please, let me be allowed to keep them as my friends…and girlfriend…please. It’s all I have.”

Richard stood up, never taking his eyes off me. “I think I speak for all of us, Leo. We need…we
all
need, time to process what we’ve seen and heard here today. While I believe you when you say you mean no harm to us or our children, we still have to do what’s best for them as their guardians. We must take into consideration how much danger they’ve already been in and the potential for more just by being associated with you. Right now, I think the best thing to do is for us to go home, think things through thoroughly, and see where we go from there. I’m sorry, Leo, but at this time, I’d like to ask you to give Shade some space…please.”

All the parents nodded in agreement and got up from their chairs. I agreed to the terms that Mr. Lewis expressed
because it was the right thing to do and I really had no other choice. Although I was bummed out about not being able to see my girlfriend and friends, I completely understood. If I was never able to be with them again, at least as much as I had been, it would be something I’d have to deal with, for their greater good. I knew we’d find some ways to hang out, but I’d have to be prepared for it to be without the consent of the parents.

“Now folks
…” Sheriff Taylor stopped surveying me and raised his hands in the air. “What I’ve seen today is beyond understanding. While I know that you’re going to do what’s best for your kids, I would ask that you honor the agreement of secrecy made between us and Leo…”

“We have no choice…people will think we
’re nuts if we speak about this,” Scruffy’s mother interrupted.

“Granted. All the more reason to keep
this between us, there is still an investigation going on here. I’m still not sure about what I’ve seen and heard here today, all I know is…this appears to be real.” The Sheriff circled around in front of me and stuck out his hand. “I don’t know what to think of you yet, but I’m sorry, son. I didn’t realize…I mean…how could I have known…”

“It’s okay, sir
.” I shook his hand and smiled. “This is comic book stuff I know, but I assure you, this is
very
real…more real than you could ever possibly know.”

He grinned, still unsure, but gave me one last strong shake in understanding.

“Let’s go home, folks. I think we’ve gotten enough of what we’ve needed for the day. Again, just to reiterate, secrecy is of the utmost importance here. Okay?”

All the parents agreed. Scruff
y, Sandra, Shade, and Anne, being the only parent to do so, approached me directly, hugged me, and said goodbye. I walked them to the entrance as the Sheriff unlocked the doors. We watched them leave.

Sheriff Taylor and I stood side by side insi
de the building, staring out as they drove off.

“So…Heaven and Hell…it’s real.”

“Yes…it is.”

“What we do on this earth
truly matters.” He continued to stare calmly out the window to the parking lot.

“It does.”

He shook his head. “It’s crazy to believe that one day I could be out there somewhere after I leave this earth, still alive…still looking in on my loved ones. That’s comforting.”

I turned to him and glared
. “Or you could end up like me. Make smart choices, sir…while you’re here. Have a good day.” I pushed opened the doors and he stared at me with a look of pity.

I got a few steps out of the door and he followed
. “Leo, is Mountainside in further danger? Are you telling me everything I need to know?”

“If I succeed in what I need to do…then no, but if I fail, I guarantee nothing. That’s all I can tell you.”

Sheriff Taylor just nodded his head. “Do you need a ride home, son?”

“No, but thanks
. I’ll get myself home. Take care, Sheriff.”

“Take care, son.” He waved goodbye before
placing his hands on his hips.

I took my time
going home, walking the whole way. I thought about what just happened and what I must do next. So many times now in my journey here in Mountainside, I’ve been discovered for what I truly am. This was becoming commonplace now; people finding out that I was a demon. There was no sense in hiding it anymore. The fight that I was putting up to disguise myself from humans was almost as tough as my quest of Diccittidel. The only difference was I was losing the battle to hide who I really was.

When I got home a couple hours later, I knew I would have no visitors that night, and for that matter, for awhile. I didn’t feel like hanging around at my spot since I wasn’t going to be graced by the company of
even Shadow anymore. So, when dusk hit, I took to the skies.

I flew around for awhile before deciding to land at the highest point on the Eagle Peak Mountain Range. It was near the spot where I met up with all three council members for the first time and fought Darryl.
I could see it clearly from up here, along with pretty much everything else.

Shortly aft
er I landed I saw two white winged creatures soaring down from the heavens in my direction. Bright light surrounded them, and as usual, the light dimmed the closer they got. Just yards away, the two figures landed and eased into a stroll when they did so. I knew who it was.

“Argento…Elysia. Hello
,” I called out.

“Hello, Leo.” Argento spoke as the two of them lowered their white hoods and pulled out their very long blond hair out from under it.

“What brings the two of you here on this night…stalking me?” I greeted them with a joke.

“An order of congratulations, my dear boy, brings us here
,” Argento answered.

“Congratulations?”

“Of course. First you’ve taken out the Goyle Queen, Agrelia, now you’ve defeated one of the mightiest foes Heaven as ever seen in Shimmer. Well done.”

“Not without some help…in more ways than one
. I couldn’t have done it without you two…thank you.” I nodded to Elysia, who did the same in return to me with a smile.

“What does Heaven think about this…alliance with a Drift Demon?” I added.

“Alliance? There’s no alliance here.” Argento flashed a patronizing grin.

“So…it wasn’t you that brought down the lightning? Only angels can do something that powerful.”

This was something I was curious about, the source of the lightning that had helped me not once, but twice. I knew they had to be responsible.

The two of them looked to each other sharply before Argento spoke further
. “We don’t deny using earth’s elements in assistance of certain…needs, but we don’t dictate what happens after that.” They both continued to grin at me.

“I see. Well, anyway, thank you.”

Both of them bowed but never said “you’re welcome” verbally, but I knew what they meant.

“Is that all
? You’ve met up with me tonight just to exchange pleasantries?”

“You’re very wise, Le
o. No wonder you’re still alive.” Argento smiled and approached me. “I’m afraid, more counsel is in order.”

The last time Elysia counseled me, it served me very well against Shimmer. I would have surely met my end if it wasn’t for the angel
’s input, so needless to say, Argento instantly had my attention.

“
As you know, the time has come in your quest when you will be meeting a demon, more powerful than any foe you’ve ever met and twice as cunning. Of course I’m referring to your Demon Lord Christian.”

“He’s no longer
my Demon Lord.”

“My apologies
.” He grinned. “Elysia, if you would.” He extended his arm, directing his hand to step forward.

“As Argento was saying
, Leo, you know and have personally felt just how powerful Christian is, but like Shimmer, he too has secrets. Secrets that once exposed can only aid you in your endeavors.”

“I’m sure he does
,” I added.

Elysia smiled and continued.
“Christian possesses certain abilities that no other demon other than Bellock and Satan have…except for you.”

“What
abilities would those be?”

“Your ability to turn to shadow form being one of them
,” Argento chimed in.

“But…all Drift Demons are able to do this…aren’t they?” I questioned.

“No…they cannot. Only Christian, up to this point, could do this…until you. You share a power that only angels and the highest ranking demons like Christian possess,” Elysia added.

“I thought all of us could do that. I had no idea.”

“That’s what Christian wanted you to think. He’s known for quite some time that you both have similarities exclusive to only you two and the demons ranked above him.”

“Why wouldn’t he bring that up to me
, though? It’s not like it’s that big of a deal.”

“Because…it scares him
,” Argento said.

“…and it is significant
,” Elysia added.

“
Why
is it significant?”

“Because he
knows it’s a sign of
his
strength and power. He knows you are stronger than most of your kind, but not as strong as him…” Elysia was interrupted by Argento.

“Yet.” He smirked.

“Yet?” I urged them to continue talking.

“Do you have another ability
, Leo?” Argento raised an eyebrow.

“I guess…I’m not sure
. You tell me. I can see things.” The pair looked at each other in surprise as I continued. “I saw exactly how Scruffy got to me in the caverns. He confirmed it when I told him what I saw. I even heard you call to him. I saw Shade sitting in my tree once when I was nowhere near her, and now I see a vision of these two girls…never mind.” I stopped myself, trying not to go too in depth.

“Y
ou possess the gift of vision. Also a trait that only angels and high ranking demons have. This is how angels can keep up with multiple events unfolding on earth at one time. This is also how your Lord…excuse me, how Christian…is able to keep up with Drift Demons on earth. Just like how the other demons ranked above him keep tabs on him.”

“But I can’t control an
ything. The visions usually pop up without warning, mostly in times of stress. I mean, I can stop, slow down, even back up the visions, well, some of them, but I can’t really dictate what I see in them. They just…unfold. Sometimes faces, or words are blurry and muffled, but then they clear up.”

“It’s a mild form
of vision, but nonetheless, you have the ability…and that, Leo, is a very powerful thing as well,” Argento added.

“Why is it powerful?”

“It gives you eyes where you have none. It also tells you things that will be, and have been. Visions even can clue you in on past lives when you lived in the physical realm…if you’re lucky,” Elysia said.

“Like the lightning, you’re responsible for these…visions
, too?”

“As I said before, we use earth’s elements in an
assistive manner, we don’t dictate
how
they are used. As for your visions, this has nothing to do with us…in any way whatsoever. This isn’t something conjured up by the heavens, this is solely within you. My advice to you…listen to them…pay attention, visions always serve the greater benefit of the beholder. I would also tell you to keep this particular strength you have to yourself. I don’t believe Christian knows about this. The less he knows about you, the better. I’d do my best to keep it from the humans, too. I wouldn’t tell them anymore than you already have.” Argento finished.