The Mythos Unveiled (Demona series) (8 page)

Chapter 8

Missing Someone

Demona
had just finished her rations when her cell phone rang. She reached for her
phone quickly wondering who was calling. Felix. His name flashed across her
screen as it had done every day since their walk.

“Hello,”
Demona said.

“Hey.
How are you?” Felix asked.

“Good,
you?”
It is good to hear his voice again.

“Okay,”
Felix said. “Look I know that we had made arrangements to hang out this
weekend, but I was wondering if it was alright if I stop over tonight?”

“Sure,
I’ll be here.”

“Great,
see you soon.” Felix hung up.

Demona
screeched. She quickly fluffed the pillows on her sofa and threw her magazines
into a pile. She then kicked her pile of shoes into her bedroom and ran inside.
She began digging through her closet for something cute to throw on. After
changing she quickly ran to the bathroom, combed her hair, and brushed her
teeth. When she was done she stared into the mirror at herself.

What does he see
in me? If he knew my secret he would not want to be with me.

Before
she could figure it out a knock came from her door. Demona quietly leaped to
the door. She gained her composure. She looked through the peep hole to make
sure it was him, and swung the door open.

Felix
stood there casually with a half smirk across his face. His blue eye sparkled
at the sight of her. In his hand he held a single lush white rose. Felix handed
her the rose and she invited him inside.

Demona
took the rose and held it up to her nose. With her vampire senses the rose’s
sweet scent was magnified. She admired the soft tone and the way the petals
elegantly curved to form such a beautiful flower.

I don’t even
think I own a vase.
She
went to a cabinet to search for one. Finding none she took a glass out of the
cabinet, ran some cool water in it, and placed the rose stem inside. When she
was finished she turned her attention to Felix who waited patiently.

“Before
we say anything else I need to tell you something. Please, just hear me out,”
Felix said. “I don’t know what it is about you, but you are always on my mind.”

“I
feel the same,” Demona said.

“Wait,
let me finish. I got some bad news earlier today. My mom is in the hospital and
I need to go to Florida to make sure things are okay.”

Oh no!
“When will you
be back?”

“Indefinitely.
I don’t know how long she will be in the hospital, or if she will need me after
she is released. I need to be there for both of my parents, since my sister is
working full time. I’m a starving musician remember? And there are no gigs for
me right now. It’s better that I go and stay with them, until they can manage
on their own again.”

“I
understand. Your parents are lucky to have such a devoted son.”
Just when things were going so well.

“I
leave tomorrow morning, but I was wondering if I could spend the rest of the
evening with you, before I leave?”

“Of
course.”

It
was a bitter sweet feeling, as they sat on her sofa. Demona surfed through the
TV channels and found nothing good to watch, so she turned off the TV and put
some music on her laptop. She turned to face Felix, crossing her legs in a
comfortable position. Felix pivoted himself so that he sat across from her with
one foot planted on the floor and the other resting on the sofa. His elbow
rested on the back of the sofa and he leaned slightly towards her admiring her
beauty.

“I’m
glad you decided to come by tonight. I really like being with you. I feel like
we’ve known each other forever,” Demona said.

“I
am happy that we both feel the same. It gives me hope that I might have someone
waiting for me when I come back, but I know that it’s a selfish thought. I
can’t ask you to wait around when I don’t even know how long I’ll be gone. But,
for now I want to cherish every second I have with you,” Felix said.

Demona
looked down at her lap. Her long black hair cascaded down her back. A small
strand fell from behind her ear. Before Demona could stick it back behind her
ear she felt Felix’s hand brush it back for her.

His
hand lingered on her cheek and she looked up into his hypnotizing eyes. They
stared at each other for a while. Their faces slowly gravitated towards each
other. In the same moment their eyes closed and their lips parted slightly.
They met with a jolt of passion.

Felix
kissed her tenderly as his hand moved to rest just on the side of her jaw. The
feeling of his lips upon hers sent tingles all over Demona’s body. Demona
uncrossed her legs and positioned herself closer to Felix so she could get a
better grasp on him and pulled him closer to her. She ran her fingers through
his brown hair. He was intoxicating.

They
continued to kiss. It was like nothing Demona had ever experienced before. It
was not an overwhelming sensation, but gentle and comforting. If
telos
had found her in that moment,
Demona was certain she would be satisfied with her life up to then. They broke
apart, only to return to gazing in one another’s eyes.

Felix
shook his head and let out a deep sigh. “Man, I am going to miss that while I’m
gone.” He glanced at the clock. “I didn’t realize it got so late. I better go
so you can get some sleep for work.”

“I
guess you’re right,” Demona said. She wanted to feel his lips upon hers again. She
wanted to feel the soft strands of his hair between her fingers.

They
rose from the sofa and Demona walked him towards the door.

“I
promise to call as soon as I get a chance. I don’t know what I'm in for when I
get there, but I won’t forget to call,” Felix said.

“Take
your time; take care of your family. They’re most important,” Demona said.

“Thanks.
You are important too.” Felix once more smiled that smile as he turned towards
Demona just within the threshold of the door and gave her one last kiss on the
cheek. “I will talk to you later.”

“Okay,
be careful.” Demona to let go of him.

“I
will.”

After
closing the door Demona’s brain went on autopilot and took her to her bed where
she plopped down. She wrapped herself into her covers and tried to find sleep.
It did not come
.
She brushed her
fingers across her lips while she remembered the feeling of his lips there only
moments before.

Felix, oh Felix.
What have you done to me?

****

Demona
sat in the car beside Balen, as was their normal routine. He drove towards
their destination. They were doing some as any other day; checkups on different
species to make sure they were following the laws.

Don’t think
about Felix.
“How
did you get those scars?” Demona asked.

“I
got this one,” Balen pointed to the series of scars across his forearm, “from
our very own Lobo Blake.”

“Really?”
Demona asked, “How?”

“Lobo
had attacked a home outside of town, in an attempt to feed and turn a few more
wolves. My partner, at the time, and I were sent to intervene. When we arrived we
found Lobo had slaughtered the husband. He had turned the wife and two
children. Before entering I sensed we would have trouble bringing Lobo in… It
took both of us to bring him down, all while the mother and children watched
from the corner of the room. In the process I received this as Lobo viciously
fought to defend his new pack.

“What
I had not sensed was how dangerous the mother would be. TGHC had no idea that
Lobo had turned her previously. The two had arranged to kill her husband and
turn the children. After my partner and I subdued Lobo we went back for the
others. The mother viciously attacked us in an effort to keep us from
separating her from the children. My partner suffered fatal wounds,” Balen
said.

Don’t think
about Felix.
She
glanced out the window watching the suburban houses, the perfectly cut lawns,
and the minivan after minivan pass by.

“After
bringing the mother down, I was easily able to get the children under control.
By the time reinforcements arrived my partner was already gone
,
” Balen said. He cleared his throat and
his brows creased.

“I’m
really sorry,” Demona said. She placed her hand on his shoulder.

He
glanced at her through the corner of his eye. Their eyes met, in one of those
awkward moments.

“Salina
Bergfalk was my partner for a short time afterwards, until Foss was hired.
Then, Salina became his partner.”

After
a few moments of silence Balen spoke. “This one,” He pointed to the large scar
on his neck and shoulder, “is from a witch that thought it was a good idea to
throw a poisonous potion at me.”

“Ouch!
I hope she got what she deserved.”
He was
made for this job.

“Oh,
she did.”

“You
really are a dedicated agent. Maybe one day I will be just as good.”

****

A
few days later Demona received a call from Felix.

“Hey,
beautiful,” Felix said.

“Hey,
how are things?” Demona asked. She sat on the balcony staring at the evening
sunlight streaming through the clouds.

“Eh,
Mom is getting stronger. That’s the good news.”

“Uh-oh,
does that mean there is bad news?”

“Unfortunately,
yes. It looks like I am going to be here for awhile.”

“Oh.”
Demona rose to a sitting position. She fiddled with a loose string on her
shirt.

“How
are things with you?”

“You
know, the same old stuff, boring job, and all that.”

“Yeah,”
Felix said. “Hey, I have to go. The doctor just came in. I will talk to you
later.”

“Okay,
bye.”

“Bye,”
Felix said.

The
phone clicked and with that the conversation was over. Demona went to sit on
her balcony and stared over the town. Clouds passed slowly over the crescent moon.
A twinkling star peeked through the cloud cover as if winking at Demona.

I can’t expect
him to ditch his parents for me. What kind of person would I be if I asked that
of him? Oh, Felix. I don’t want to lose you!

Days
passed and Demona spoke with Felix on several occasions. Their conversations
never lasted more than a few moments. They were always cut short by the doctors
or nurses that needed to speak with Felix, or when his mother called for him.
Eventually, Felix’s mom went home, but both parents needed him full time with
their failing health. Felix’s calls grew fewer and farther between.

Maybe, he is
just too busy to spare me any thought.

Demona
lay on her bed for long hours every night lost in thought. She often cried
herself to sleep and other nights she suffered from insomnia. The loneliness
gripped at her harder than it had ever before.

Demona
had made a few attempts to call him. Usually she reached his voice mail or he
was too busy to talk. Demona walked through the weeks in a fog. She could barely
remember what happened in the days before.

Why can’t I
shake this feeling? He’s gone. I need to move on.

Demona
knocked on Hannah’s door. Hannah answered immediately and invited Demona
inside. Hannah’s colorful room was a shock to Demona’s eyes; she had been
spending every spare moment locked in her dark apartment.

“Hey
chick, how are you?” Hannah asked.

Demona
found Kaleb sitting at the kitchen island flipping through a surfer catalogue.

“Hey…
Look, I hate to bother you guys, but can we talk?” Demona asked. She looked
back and forth between them both.

“Sure,”
Kaleb said.

Demona
plopped herself down on a stool near Kaleb. “I don’t know what to do.”

“About
what?” Hannah asked.

“Felix.
Things were going great. We both admitted our feelings for each other before he
left. We were talking on the phone now and then.” Demona looked at her hands
placed in her lap. “Then he stopped answering my calls, or calling me back. I
haven’t heard from him in like two weeks.”

“I
know things were kind of crazy for him in the beginning. His mom is doing much
better now. Last I talked to him he wasn’t sure if he was coming back,” Kaleb
said.

“Did
he say anything about me?” Demona asked. A lump rose in her throat.

“No,”
Kaleb said. Kaleb stared in Hannah’s direction, their eyes locked.
    
“So, I guess it is over,” Demona said.

Nobody
responded. Hannah and Kaleb both were now watching her carefully. Demona could
not fight the tears any longer and stormed out of the apartment.