Martinsburg, West Virginia
Rosedale Cemetery
Tuesday, August 20, 1996
1:45 PM

The rain sounded loudly against the umbrella as Jennie stood under it while Rem held it up. The caskets were being lowered as the reverend spoke. “Can we go back to the car?” she asked as she looked to Rem who nodded. “I don’t want to see anymore.”
Both turned to head to the car, walking slowly across the large cemetery grounds. The heels of Jennie’s shoes were being sucked into the muddy ground while she tried her best to keep up with Rem. “Shit,” she muttered, losing her shoe while her foot slopped against the ground.
“You okay?” Rem asked, turning to look back at her. The rain had already soaked Jennie from the time she left the umbrella’s safety.
“My shoe...it’s caught in the mud,” she muttered, picking up the soggy shoe. “It’s pointless now.”
Pulling off her other shoe, she began walking beside Rem the car. “You seem really quiet.”
“I don’t like funerals,” he said.
“Who does?” she asked with a laugh.
“The only other one I’ve been to was my mother’s,” Rem stated as they approached the vehicle. “Now your folks, so it doesn’t really help me with the whole funeral scene. Maybe if it had been someone I could’ve cared less about.”
“With the way the preacher was talking, “ Jennie said while climbing up the hill behind Rem, “they’ll be there for another half hour.”
Halfway up the mound, her feet slipped out from under her as her whole body crashed into the ground and she slid. The sound of the umbrella hit the ground as she found a hand grasping her arm.
“Watch out,” Rem stated flatly as he pulled her to her feet. He gave her a look over as Jennie smirked, taking in his drenched appearance.
“You look like wet rat,” she said.
“And you look like you rolled in shit,” Rem announced.
Both stared at each other for a moment and cracked smiles. He turned abruptly, heading up the hill while dragging her behind him. Making their way to Nick’s car, both paused.
“Fuck,” Rem said as he opened the car door and waited for Jennie to get in. “I’m getting hungry, too.”
“Well,” Jennie said with a chuckle, “one good thing about funerals is there is normally a dinner afterward. Nick said he rented out a restaurant for dinner, so you’re in luck.”
“Yay,” Rem mumbled with a roll of his eyes.
Closing the door behind him, Rem leaned back against the seat while his hair hung in his eyes. Both sat quietly as Jennie peered out the window to the parking lot. Her eyes fell upon someone who was standing in the rain, leaning up against a motorcycle. Rubbing her hand over the fogged up window, she squinted her eyes to get a better look then reeled back.
Her back pressed against Rem as he gazed down at her with doubt. “You okay?”
“What’s he doing here?” she asked while calming down. Once she felt her heart settle down, she scooted back toward the door and opened it while stepping out. Her eyes fell upon Rowen as he stood with his hands deep inside the pockets of a pair of ripped up pants.
Jennie held her breath as she gazed at the upper portion of his body. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt that was fastened in the front by leather straps, leaving a good portion of his chest showing.
Likes to show off, doesn’t he?
“What the fuck?” Rem questioned as he got out of the car and looked to Rowen.
“Thought I would pay my respects,” Rowen stated. Pulling his hands out of his pockets, he pushed forward and started walking toward Jennie and Rem. An arrogant smirk was planted firmly on his face as weather caused his hair to cling slickly to his brow.
“What respects?” Rem questioned.
“Brought the Seraph a little gift,” Rowen said as he ignored Rem. He flicked his hand out as a shimmering object went sailing into the air toward Jennie.
Holding out her hands, Jennie caught the item and stared at it. Her breath caught in the back of her throat as her eyes widened.
“My mom’s ring?” she asked, staring at a golden band that contained an opened flower blossom with a diamond within. “How’d you get this?”
“That’s a good question,” Rowen said as he continued walking toward her. “Let’s think about that for a moment.”
Jennie gazed forlornly at the ring that laid in the palm of her hand as a shadow rushed through her. The hairs on her neck stood upright while goose bumps formed on her arms.
“Mom,” she whispered in an uncertain voice. Maybe it’s not hers. He has to be bluffing.
“It‘s easy to take shit from someone once they‘re dead,” Rowen said as he grinned, flashing her a toothy smirk. “And all she kept shouting was to leave her precious daughter alone. How sweet. And you…just stood there. Watching.”
Jennie’s eyes widened as it felt like she couldn‘t breath. The ring in her hand dropped from her grasp, hitting the ground with a slight clang. “What?”
“You don’t remember?” Rowen asked with a laugh as his attention turned to Rem who was stepping toward Jennie. “Stay back, Caspian. This is between the girl and me.”
“You‘re the one who killed my mom?” she asked, blinking. Her eyes burned as she turned to look away from the red-headed man. The rain soaked at her clothes, freezing her skin and causing her to shiver. “And I was there?”
“So it‘s true,” Rowen said with a roll of his eyes. “I remember reading in the reports that you erased everything that happened. No wonder you don’t remember me.” He pouted his lips like he was disappointed, but then laughed crudely.
“So sad,” he called out as the corners of his lips curled deviously, “how can a woman forget about me? I try my best not to let them.”
Long tendrils of soaked hair slide into her face as she stared at the ground to the ring that laid on the pavement. She closed her eyes as she tried to remember her birthday. “I was hungry...”
“Hey, Mom, what are we having for lunch?” Jennie asked as she entered into the kitchen.
Pausing in the kitchen, her eyes went across the room to the dining area where she found her mother standing beside a young man. Both appeared to be talking to each other.
For a brief moment, Jennie glanced to the stove to see a pot of water that was about to boil over. “The water is foaming.”
Catching the attention of Mrs. Schaffer, the older woman rushed back to the kitchen as she turned off the burner. “Sorry,” she said in a soft voice, “I wasn’t paying attention.”
Jennie’s attention was on the man who had taken a seat at the dining room table and was drinking a glass of water. “Who’s he?” she asked.
“Rowen Aramaki,” her mother said as Jennie nodded at the name. “He’s an...acquaintance.”
Jennie gazed at the man, taking in the blood red hair and the amber eyes. “He’s a little weird looking if you ask me,” she said to her mother as her mother chuckled.
“You’ll get used to it,” her mother replied as Jennie gave her a questioning gaze.
“Huh?”
“Lowri,” the man said, getting up from where he sat. “I can’t delay.” He tapped his finger to his watch and grinned as Jennie felt a shiver down her spine.
“Just leave Jennie alone,” Mrs. Schaffer replied as Jennie looked to her mother with bewilderment. Her mother’s arms went out to her sides, holding Jennie back.
“What’s going on?” Jennie asked frantically as she witnessed the man grab a knife from the counter. He eyed the blade for a moment then jut it through the open palm of the older woman’s hand, slamming the blade and her hand into the countertop.
“Run!” her mother yelled as Jennie blinked.
“What’s going on?!” Jennie screamed as she found the man’s yellow eyes gleaming into her own.
“Just wait your turn,” he said with a cruel smile.
With a twist of his body he grabbed another blade, slashing at the woman’s stomach. Her bowels sloshed to the ground as the man whipped the knife into the free hand then jabbing it into the other side of the counter.
“Run,” her mother cried out again as Jennie opened her mouth to protest. “He‘ll hurt you.”
“Aww, you got me all wrong,” the man said as he neared Mrs. Schaffer’s face. He grinned, licking the woman’s face. “It’s her birthday. I wouldn’t want to hurt her body just yet.” His inhuman eyes gazed to Jennie as he pressed his lips together then blew her a kiss.
Disgust filled her face as Jennie watched the man press her mother’s face into the burner that had been boiling the water. The man then pointed to his cheek and grinned. “Looks like you got a little on you.”
Turning her gaze to the mirrored refrigerator, Jennie saw what he was talking about. Some of her mother’s blood had been splashed against her cheek. Incoherent babblings came from her mouth as her eyes glassed over. Turning on her feet slowly, she left the kitchen and headed to her bedroom.
“You killed my mom,” Jennie said, “in front of my own eyes. And I walked away like nothing happened.”
Shock filled her eyes as she drew up her hands to her chest. “My dad?! Did you kill him, too?”
“Got to give credit where credit is due,” he said with a yawn. “Diver did your dad. That guy is one creative bastard.” One of his fangs protruded over his bottom lip as he smirked. “And your dog was a quickie.”
Jennie’s mouth opened as if to say something, but nothing could come out. Her world crashed all around her as she tried to hold onto any bit of remaining sanity she had. She found her parents dead on her sixteenth birthday and now she knew who killed them. It was the one who stood in front of her and yet she couldn’t do anything.
The rain fell and mingled with the tears that flowed down her cheeks. “Aww, don’t cry,” Rowen said as he reached out a hand to her face.
“Get away from me!” Jennie screamed as loudly as she could. She smacked his hand away and backed into Rem. She turned into her guardian and buried her face into his chest. “Kill him.”
Rem looked to Jennie as his arms went up to hold her securely then glared at Rowen as his amber eyes pierced into Rowen’s. Every nerve in Rem’s body tingled. And with a simple twist of his body he placed Jennie against the car, turning his undivided attention to the red head. His lips formed a smug smile as he cracked his knuckles.
“My pleasure,” he said.
“So you want to fight?” Rowen asked with his eyes narrowed. “It‘s been a while.”
The redhead looked down at his body while patting his hands across his chest. “Aww, looks like I forgot my Bloody Hell. Going to have to dirty my hands.”
“Whatever,” Rem mumbled. Reaching up his hand to his earlobe, he tugged off the silvery earring that constrained his powers. He flicked it to the ground as it landed in a puddle of water. “No need for that.”
“Good, show me what you got,” Rowen shouted arrogantly. “I want to know your tricks.”
Both stared at each other, not wanting to make the first move. They studied each other. It wasn’t going to be some small quarrel between friends. It was to be a brawl between bitter enemies and Jennie was fearing the worst. Built up frustration was going to be released on both sides and she would have to witness it all.
Standing quietly as the rain washed over her, her body seemed unwilling to move, but her eyes watched in terror as Rowen held out a hand. She could see the flesh of his palm easily enough as he aimed in the direction of Rem.
“What’s he doing?” she questioned.
Mumbling something to himself with closed eyes, Rowen smirked through his babbling then whipped his hand to the left as a burning, fiery line of red flames formed in front of him. He then held out both hands, pushing at the fire with his will. Enraged screams that resembled the cries of birds of prey filled the air, sending Jennie to her knees while covering her ears.
Doing a back flip and landing beside Jennie, Rem dodged one of the blazing, fire hawks then pushed Jennie with is hand abruptly to protect her from another one. While doing so, a third caught up with him and sent him crashing forcefully into Nick’s car. The back of Rem’s head ruptured the glass window, sending chunks of glass inside and outside the car. His body fell to the ground as he breathed heavily, trying to catch any remaining thoughts he had left.
Jennie’s eyes widened as she watched Rem pick himself off the ground. Glass pieces stuck in his hair until he gave his head a shake. “Go get my dad,” he said as a pulse in the air caused her body to be pushed further away from the fight.
With no hesitation, she got to her feet and started a desperate run to the funeral service. She flailed about on her hosed feet, slipping on mud and wet grass. Barely catching herself, she slid into a nearby headstone and swiftly pushed herself forward again.
“Nick!” came a silent scream in her mind as she saw the man. Latching hold of her right hand to Nick’s jacket, she pointed back to the parking lot as he followed with his eyes.
“Shit,” Nick muttered as he started running to the lot with Jennie close behind him.
Walking slowly to the fallen Rem, Rowen grabbed the boy by the hair and lifted him off the ground. “Thought you were suppose to kill me?” he asked through a snide smile.
“Shut up,” Rem cursed.
Thrusting out his hand, he pressed his palm into Rowen’s face. “Fuck off!”
Another pulse that was heavier than the previous sent Rowen crashing into another car as Rem’s eyes were wild. He slumped back to the ground while his eyes were still on Rowen’s movements.
“Stop!” Nick shouted, The pupils of his eyes turned into narrow slits as the air around everyone became still. The rain stopped falling and hovered in midair around them all. It was then that the ground beneath Rowen started to crack then collapsed, creating a circular pit while Rowen sat in the middle on his hands and knees. “Not now! Show some respect for the deceased.” His pupils went back to normal as he looked down to Jennie who clung to his jacket.
“Come on, old man!” Rowen growled. “Isn’t it about time you retired?”
“Die!” Rem screamed as he clenched his fists. A vibrating throb rumbled against the ground as Jennie peered at her feet to the ground that seemed to be swaying with the power that Rem was generating.
From where Rowen knelt forward on his hands, jagged spikes protruded from out of the ground and impaled him through the chest. Blood sprayed out from his wounds and dripped out of his mouth.
“Rem!” Nick shouted as his pupils thinned out. His son was forced to the ground in a bowing position as Jennie pressed her face into Nick’s back.
“Nick,” she whispered as the man looked over his shoulder to her. “Rowen killed my mom and dad.”
Rowen growled as he gripped one of the spikes with his hand and shattered it effortlessly. He stood up and glared at the holes in his chest that were repairing themselves. He fingered his leather shirt then snorted.
“Fucker,” he mumbled. “I paid good money for this.”
“If it was any other day,” Nick stated. “I‘d let Rem fight. But not when the Schaffers are being laid to rest.”
Peering around Nick, Jennie watched Rowen lick at his bottom lip as most of his wounds were healed. Her brown eyes trembled at the sight of the man. It was then that their eyes met. His eyes narrowed as he grinned devilishly.
Pulling his shoulders back to make himself appear taller, Rowen shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants then laughed. “Sure,” he replied. “I’ll leave.”
The half-demon began to head toward his motorcycle when he stopped and looked over his shoulder, eyeing Jennie for a moment. “I’m going to break in your little bitch. Fuck her up.”
“You’re not going to touch her,” Rem said, pushing himself off the ground. Nick looked to his son with wide eyes. “She’s my bitch.”
“He’s up?” Nick questioned as Jennie nudged him to explain. “He shouldn’t have been able to break my hold. That‘s not good.”
“What?” Jennie asked.
“Fuck!” Nick shouted as Jennie peered up at the man with curious eyes. The usually calm man seemed very shook up. “He‘s bleeding from the eyes again.”
Jennie shot her gaze to Rem as she saw the corners of his eyes bleeding as streams of blood flowed down his cheeks. “What’s happening?” she asked.
“The boy needs his earring and a second one,” Nick replied. “He broke a seal on his powers and his body can’t handle the strength of it.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” she asked.
“He’s going to get weaker until he collapses,” Nick said.
“Stop him,” Jennie stated as she grabbed a hold of Nick’s sleeve and yanked on it. “You can’t let him kill himself.”
“He won’t die,” Nick replied as he grunted. “And at least Rowen doesn’t have that weapon on him.”
Her heart burned as she watched Rem slam into Rowen’s body, sending them both to the ground. Her eyes followed their swift movements then she looked away, hating to see them fight. “Please make them stop,” she said. “I asked Rem to kill him, but it’s not worth it.”
Nick peered over his shoulder to the crying girl who seemed lost in her thoughts. “They’d fight no matter what you say,” he said calmly, placing a hand on her head. “They’re both hardheaded and unstable.”
“What’s going on?”
Jennie peered behind her as she found Riley walking onto the scene with his hands in the pockets of his slacks. His tie was undone while his shirt was half unbuttoned. He stopped beside Jennie and Nick, staring at the fighting boys.
“Again, huh?” he asked, sighing to himself.
“Shall I?” Riley looked to his father who gave a short nod. “So be it.”
“What’s he...” Everything went silent as Jennie blinked, realizing her voice had disappeared. She clasped her hands to her ears, noting that she could hear absolutely nothing. It was like the whole world had lost its sound.
Watching in dismay, she found Riley to be heading toward the fight. Rem and Rowen’s bodies were abruptly drawn apart as they hovered in midair. Riley stepped between the two and looked to his brother with quiet eyes. He looked then to Rowen and mouthed out something as Rowen’s body vanished from sight, leaving Jennie startled.
Rem dropped to the ground as an explosion of sound erupted through the area and Jennie let out a cry of agony at the sudden noise. “What happened?” she questioned.
“Riley’s power causes the sounds around him to vanish,” Nick whispered. “Much like Rem’s body hurts and my eyes change. We all have snags in our powers.”
“What did you say to Rowen?” Jennie asked as she moved slowly toward Riley. She reached out her hands, touching the man on the arm. Looking up into his amber eyes, she found him to be gazing at her with nonchalant eyes.
“Told him to go home,” Riley whispered, looking her over. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she said, turning her attention to Rem who was standing firmly. His hands were clenched while his eyes continued to bleed. “Rem, your eyes…”
Whirling around on her heels, she dropped to her knees and began scanning the ground. She fumbled her fingers over the pavement, feeling for the earring that Rem had tossed to the ground. Bumping against something smooth and cold, she held up her mother’s ring.
“Mom,” she whispered for a brief moment, placing the ring to her finger. Going back to searching, she glided her fingers over another metallic object and drew up his earring. “Rem!” Standing up abruptly, she headed over to the bleeding demon who was breathing heavily.
Fastening the earring to Rem’s earlobe, Jennie stepped back and looked at him. He stood silently as he closed his eyes. “Are you okay?” she questioned.
“Yeah,” he mumbled, growling. “Just wish I could’ve done a little more damage to the fucker.” He pushed past Jennie, heading to Riley and Nick. “Can we go home now?”