His baggy tank top swayed in the wind as he walked home, his feet slapping the pavement with a disinterested pace. His dull gray eyes lingered over the sidewalk ahead of him and he let loose a sigh, shifting his books from one arm to the other. His chestnut hair blew gently before his eyes, eventually being pushed away by persistent fingers as he journeyed down toward his home. He reached his house with no incident and slipped in silently, hoping his father wouldn’t know of his presence. No such luck.

“NOEL!” his father screamed and the boy backed up against the wall, waiting for his father to storm into the hall. Just as Noel had seen before, the tall man stomped angrily into the hall, pinning Noel’s thin shoulders painfully against the smooth, polished wood. “You told me you would be home before now! You know what this means?!”

“I ruined your daily worship, I know father, but guess what?” he asked, his tone ominous. “I…don’t…care.”

This was answered to with a hard slap to his left cheek, a bright red welt beginning to rise to the surface. He grimaced and his father took in a breath, fuming. “Noel, I want you in your robes, down here in five minutes you got that boy?!” he father told him, his face beginning to lose the once angry red color.

Noel just stared at him, but pushed away, storming up the stairs to his room. His parents were religious freaks, always making him participate in these stupid rituals for God…there was no God, his parents and all the rest of them were just crazy fanatics. There was no God and there was no Devil. How could anyone even THINK of believing such garbage?! He gently stripped off his shirt, throwing it over to the bed, putting on over his dark jeans, a plain white, cotton robe his parents made him to wear in the rituals. Afterwards he jumped down the stairs into the room they always liked to pray in, there was his mother, next to him father, their hands folded in front of them in prayer. Noel rolled his eyes and kneeled next to his mother.

He folded his hands out and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He thought of nothing, for tha was what God was…nothing. His parents just didn’t get it, didn’t see it for the big huge joke it was. How could this happen? All the horrible stuff in the world revolves somehow around religion. That was why Noel hated it…that was why Noel didn’t believe. Why should he? No one would care when he was dead, he would just be gone, rotting amongst the worms and dirt…that would be his end, that was what he believed.

“Noel,” he mother said softly, “Take my hand and tell God what you would like.”

He took her hand without opening his eyes and said gently, “Dear Lord,” oh how he despised those words, “I pray for you to show yourself to those who don’t believe in you, and help them in their times of need as well as us believers,” he shuddered slightly and felt his mother’s grip tighten, “Please Lord, save us poor sinners and bless us in your holy light…Amen.”

His mother’s hand loosened and he sighed, listening to her prayers and his father’s prayers. Afterward, she told him what a wonderful prayer it was but he knew the truth…it was just to get her to shut up…he knew the real Noel behind his gentle, loving nature. He knew the demon locked away in that secret room of his soul.

Author's Note: Well then, this is just a page of a story I shall perhaps never write in again, I posted it just for giggles and those who are waiting for Caramel, well this is what I was working on to stall updating Angel of the Crimson Halo, so...good luck getting enough reviews to keep that one alive, but if you guys like this more than that one...yeah, tell me, I'll keep this one going...for a bit I guess.