The crashing sound of grocery bags causes a can of tomatoes to roll at my feet. ‘Siara.’
My stomach lurches at the sound of my name.
Rye stands, just as stunned as we are, frozen on the sidewalk. An array of fruits roll through the space between us, the only movement in the standstill. Everyone is in varying degrees of shock, all for their own reasons. My mind spins, whirling at the chances that the one person I didn’t want to be here, is here. The demons stare, eyes wide, at the human boy whose memories are perfectly still intact. For a moment, I have hope. Maybe I introduced myself to him after the memory wipe; maybe he is just incredibly friendly to people he has just met. The thought seems incredibly impossible, but more impossible than Heret-Kau’s celestial magic failing? Unlikely.
But out of all of us, Rye’s eyes are the most shocked. I’m sure he thought he would never see me again, but where a simple stunned expression should sit, is a contorted expression of fear and horror. He is not looking at me. He is looking at the demons. The demons that humans cannot see. The held breath leaves my body, rushing out in a staggered huff. After a few seconds of dawning clarity, the demons start to react. The ice demon looks at me, some sort of not yet formed accusation burning in his ill-tempered gaze. Quickly, he looks back to the human boy, a plan no doubt clicking over in his mind. Xander’s response is more worrying. The boy’s skin starts to shine and his red eyes fill with a mix of fear and desperation. He is going to kill Rye. Here? In front of all these people?
‘Xander,’ I snap, diverting his attention. ‘Pick up the bags.’ I nod my head to the sprawled grocery bags on the path dropped by the stunned human and shove the canned tomatoes into his chest. Before he can even take hold of it properly, I’m reaching for Rye. Aggressively, I yank Rye’s arm and throw him around the corner to a secluded alley between cafes. Thankfully, there’s no staff out here smoking. If anyone saw us, they may think we’re two young people in love or alternatively, that I’m mugging him. Either way, it doesn’t matter what they think, because their assumptions aren’t going to be anywhere close to the truth.
‘S-Siara, what were t-those–’
‘What are you doing here?’ I almost shout.
Rye flinches, stepping back against the brick wall. The scent of his favourite aftershave wafting to my nose. He manages to stutter through a disjointed response about family but it’s clear from his pale complexion, beads of sweat, and shallow breathing that he is struggling to comprehend the situation. And to be honest, so am I.
‘You need to calm down. Follow my lead. I have this under control. Do you understand?’ I lock my eyes to his, conveying an unspoken warning.
He nods. It’s too late. They know – both Rye and the demons. Two worlds colliding in chaotic and spectacular fashion. My heart races faster than it ever has before. In just one small moment, everything is different. Now, it’s not just my life on the line. As the demons appear from around the corner, Xander surprisingly carrying the bags like I asked, one thing is abundantly clear.
I do not have this under control.
The sound of retching echoes through the lounge as Rye throws up in the bathroom. Apparently, even same-world portalling takes its toll on him. Some part of me wants to be there to comfort him but that part is overridden by the distrust I have of leaving the two demons alone. I can’t let them tell Heret-Kau. It’s just one person. One person who still knows I exist, nothing but a miniscule fragment compared to the overwhelming population of the earth. It means nothing. Yet to me, it means everything.
The three of us exist in silence, the old clock ticking in the far corner of the room. Unable to hold my tongue any longer, I break.
‘I don’t know why but the memory loss didn’t affect him,’ I whisper. Which is the truth, despite the demons’ sceptical glances. It’s not like I can’t understand their hesitancy; I haven’t particularly been transparent in the past. Then again, neither have they. It just so happens that I had more secrets than they did.
Xander has managed to calm himself down, now deciding to work through the problem instead of getting rid of it. A wise choice, I said, less loose ends to tie up than if he had killed Rye. He couldn’t argue with that, despite his enthusiasm to try. On the other hand, the ice demon stepped back, opinionless. More than likely willing to allow Rye to be killed. Although now, with no imminent violence in sight, he leans against the wall, arms crossed in an outward display of irritability. The air sits a little colder and in the absence of sound, a little thicker. Even the grotesque noises from the bathroom eventually come to an end.
‘I feel like this should have been included in your “things you should know” confession,’ William remarks, nodding to the door as Rye sways unbalanced through it. I can only respond with an awkward smile before putting myself in between the two unnerved parties.
Rye regains his pale complexion as his sight finds the demons lingering in the shadows. ‘Siara, are they real?’
I give the horrified human boy an apprehensive grimace. ‘Yeah’
‘Oh.’ Rye’s whole body begins to tense, backing a couple of steps. ‘I was hoping you wouldn’t say that. Is this where you have been? Are these your kidnappers?’
The demons both look at me, definitely realising that I spoke about my ordeal with Rye. ‘Well, more or less,’ I say. Kidnappers is probably not the word I would use, at least, not anymore. Rye nods slightly, biting his lower lip.
‘And you know them?’ he says. When I fail to reply, he puts the pieces together. ‘I guess that means the mystery is solved. I was starting to think a secret government organisation might be a little too far-fetched, but clearly it wasn’t far-fetched enough. Who’d have thought it was…’ He motions to the two demonic figures but realises he still doesn’t have his answer.
‘Demons,’ I say under my breath. ‘They’re demons.’ William raises his eyebrows, clearly surprised by the extent of my forthcoming.
‘Right, okay, demons.’ Rye’s breathing regains its shallow unsteadiness. ‘Wait. What?’ My hand grabs hold of his arm as I start to usher him forward. Time to go.
‘I think I’ll bring you home now. Does that sound good?’
‘They’re demons. Of course they’re demons…’ Rye mutters, his avoidance of passing the inhumane beings growing in intensity the closer we approach the front door. I manage to shuffle him between them. William ignores the boy’s existence with cold indifference, while Xander maintains intense eye contact, no doubt finding enjoyment in the human’s visible suffering.
‘How about I meet you outside?’ I say, practically shoving Rye through the door and jamming his bags of groceries in his hands. ‘I’ll just be a few moments.’
As the door closes, I spin on my heels. Xander’s mouth opens in protest.
‘Not a word to Heret-Kau,’ I say before he can. ‘Not. A. Single. God-damn. Word. Am I clear?’
The demons look away sheepishly.
‘I’ve got it under control. He won’t say anything and even if he did, who’s going to believe him anyway?’ I try not to think about how much I’m echoing their previous words to me.
William lets out a huffed breath, uncrossing his arms and stalking away. ‘Unbelievable.’
‘Okay. Well, that’s not a no,’ I call after him. He doesn’t answer. I look back to Xander, his face pouting.
‘I don’t like him, Siara.’
‘You don’t have to like him, Xander, you just have to not kill him.’
The demon looks down, avoiding my eyes.
‘By telling Heret-Kau, I don’t know what she will do. I just want to keep my friend safe.’
The small child clicks his tongue in defiance but ultimately concedes with a nod. ‘Fine, I won’t hurt your friend and I’ll keep it a secret.’
Without providing it much thought, I give the child a pat on the head. Maybe I do have a better grasp of this situation than I had originally thought. Opening the door, I’m surprised to see Rye still waiting there, groceries in hand. Honestly, I had half-expected him to bolt as soon as he got out the door. I take a deep breath and release.
‘Okay, I’m ready for your questions.’
