4. Evil Angel

Sol

Before captured I used to think I wanted to move out, to run away to a place exotic, away from everyone I care about. Now I wanted to be in my sweet bed, knowing that I'm safe. However, I made a deal with the demon, to protect my mom, my sister Lupe, my dad, Mathew, my friends, Holly, Cella, Christine, and my best friend Jenny.

I had no regrets of protecting them . . .

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady."

I continue to rock back and forth, then my eyes shot open, I was going insane. I know I am, but then I shook my head, biting my lower lip. I hummed, making a strange rhythm. In my head, I chanted the same words to keep up with the rhythm that I hummed.

I'm not mad. I'm not mad.

I kept repeating it for a long time, tears falling until I hiccupped, slowly I lay down the floor. It was cool, refreshing but dusty; the wood dismantled and rough, I even felt some nails that were out. I was still comfortable so I close my eyes and continue my chanting.

I'm not mad. I'm not mad.

"You're not...yet." A familiar smoky voice spoke; I open my eyes, finding my personal ghost floating on top of the candle, Eva. She came to me when Gabriel first had me. She has frightened me since, with her horrid visions and wounds. I'd only talk to her and see her when I'm asleep. Apparently, I haven't notice how tired I was. Eva was floating high in the air as though she was showing how superior she was.

Eva was in her dead appearance, always flashes in her two forms, the living and the corpse. A cold dead weight upon me each time she was here. Now, Eva was in her corpse appearance. Her hair was silvery white and long, it moves as though a wind was making it dance, but she was still a head shorter than I was. Her face bleached and sucked in, with thin dry lips wrapping on her teeth, she had no eyelids and her eyes were pale white.

"You can't really tell me if I'm insane...or not." I wince at the last word.

She floats closer to me, I flinch and my body went cold by her proximity and Eva laughs until she was face to face with me. I saw my own breath when I shivered.

"Ah, darling," she had malice in her voice. "Your fear of me is encouraging you to flee but you fight back. I admire your courage except I'll tell you it doesn't work like that."

"I know." I close my eyes avoiding her appearance. "I need to get out. I can't stay, the first part of my plan has completed though and he brought me back. All I've to do know is to escape."

"Don't you believe I know of all of this?" Her cold breath shook me. "I'm not that simple, or anything ignorant like you."

"I―"

"Yes, yes. I know...You repeated your same explanation every evening. You're always speaking your thoughts aloud. Nevertheless, you know how m- Gabriel does when he imprisons someone. You die as human or become damned."

"Aren't there chances to escape? You know...because of my power. He already offered me the chance to become like him. I refused, of course, to listen to anything he has to say to me."

"Yes, very good, but do you actually believe there will be a way to leave him? The others had tried various times but Gabriel isn't even human so easily tricked. What can you do that can make a difference than the others?" I finally feel her aura move back.

"You see I had thought of this before," I said calmly, "I was actually thinking that I could pretend to be friends with him― I don't know― get close to him and then I might escape―"

"NO! THAT WON'T HAPPEN!"

Eva shrieks but then she explains. "I heard all of this before, from the other prisoners, and they had failed. They had fallen in love with him and Gabriel had turned them into Vampires...your body is too precious. I can't let my plan be ruined."

"What plan?" I asked, but Eva noticed that she had spoken too much, she laughs coldly and didn't respond to me. I open my eyes to look at Eva, who flashed to her other form. Her human ghost form: long black hair plaited back, her face was soft and ivory, human, with full lips. She was beautiful. Her frosty blue eyes held mine. She was a very delicate young girl of twenty when she died in her wedding night. She haunted or "helped" people, who Gabriel has captured. My dreams, all about her, blocked so Gabriel won't know her, which I still don't understand, how can a devil get rid of a ghost?

I wasn't exactly a superstitious person but still I was catholic and I believe in God but after what he did for me and what I've been so far, well I've my doubts of God been good and all. Having a ghost for torture and a devil for annoyance, could be my punishment for not following much of the rules of been catholic, and then again that will be a miracle.

"Eva, tell me, how did the other prisoners decided to be like him?" Eva looks at me strangely, and then looks back at the ceiling, circling around the room like the earth orbiting the sun.

There must be a clue to all this, something that I'm missing.

"They died because they fell for him or they thought it was their way to escape by using his strength, I can't remember because they blocked their minds from me when they made their decision." She sounded distant. I wanted to know more, but I heard all of this before. I close my eyes for that moment Eva slowly changes.

"None of this makes sense." I said quietly.

Eva looks at me confused, but eager so I continue.

"He claims that he is protecting me with no mirrors in the room, no books, no television, nothing that I'm changing. I keep wondering time to time, does he mean that been a Witch-hunter is evil?"

"I don't know!" I heard her laugh, coldly but sadly. "You're the first that he hadn't seduced. He has been a charming young gentleman. Besides, I'm not telepathist!"

There was silence.

More silence.

"Eva, I'm sorry." I tried to sound sincere but my mind was with more questions. Why am I different? Did the devil know who I was before the deal? If so, did he make me feel curious to go into the abandoned building before? In order to find him so, he can capture me. What is he protecting me? Am I going to be a demon, too?

"He won't answer them." Eva says interrupting my outspoken thoughts and I blushed. It was hard not to speak my thoughts since I'm always alone.

"I know." I looked at the door.

Eva must made haste decision with her deadly curiosity for she mumbled, "Let me show you what happen to them."

Not the visions, please, no more!

I screamed as she touched her icy cold hands on my sides of my head. She was freezing my mind. I...couldn't...I...couldn't...think...

Flashes came to my mind. I screamed as cold ice pierced through my brain with heavy headaches that I started squirming. Making for a run, Eva caught me from my lose strain of long hair and yanks me back. I hit against the wall, my back and my head collided with the wall, and felt a great pain. I lost my nerves and yelled with all my might.

It would go away but it was spreading all over. Paralyzed, I felt pain again as Eva returned her hands back to sides of my head. I twist my body to get up, but I fell back, Eva laughter rang through my ears, as she got closer. The whole room was freezing, I saw her as a blur. My view was getting clearer as her hand touches deeper to my sides of my head.

"You're going to see this whether you like or not! You need to know, you have to know...to die."

To die, what is she talking about?

She finally lets me go.

Flashes ran through my body. Whispers told me I was going backwards, and I closed my eyes. I felt numb, I wanted to stop, probably many things I wanted but I couldn't remember. My mind went empty.

Time is going backwards. One of the voices spoke to me.

I was in a different place, no longer I was in a small dark room. There was an ancient white temple with pillars. There were rows of pointy trees. Almost blind, I only saw shadows and only darkness in the jungle. The thunder roaring above me, I looked at the sky it was purplish gray clouds, I smile and it was going to rain.

"Rain, rain go away, come again some other day." I laughed. I felt that I was free. Then I remembered Eva.

"Eva? Where are you?" I began to walk, I didn't know where I was heading but still I needed to go. My feet were getting dirty, but I couldn't stop smiling, the warm wind came again that I shiver. I stopped to look around, I was inside a big temple where torches lit, and casting shadows with the cemented, white pillars but the temple was vacant. Something began to move from behind me. The wooden doors pushed open.

"Eva?" I didn't hear any response.

I turned with fear in my chest. I thought it was Gabriel but it wasn't. A boy entered, a year younger than I was. He had set of golden curls of hair, with the longest eyelashes, with a pair of gray eyes as Gabriel's were. He's an inch shorter than I was, with well-built body but something was disturbing from this gorgeous angel. I see something resemblance to my devil, he had pale skin, his eyes were impassive, with a straight nose and high cheekbones, he was a devil too.

"Come out. Come out, wherever you are." He looked through me —as though I wasn't even here— and walked gracefully past me, searching. Then he went through me! I was a ghost! The boy didn't felt my presence. He was sniffing in the air, looking to the left. "There you are, Jammu, why are you hiding from me?" I hear someone wail, then a shadow trying to runaway.

"I'm tired." The boy said. "Come to me, Jammu."

"Michael." I whispered. For some reason his name came to me, and I watch him turn in response as if he heard me calling out to him. He turns back and my eyes automatically turn away to the man next to him. The man, in his mid-forties with dark brown skin and black hair with rich chocolate pair of eyes, came out and headed towards Michael. "There's a good lad." Michael says with an English accent, the man stops three feet away from the angel demon.

I blinked and saw the devil right behind the man with such speed that it shocked me. Raindrops began to fall; every tear was a kiss to me, making my body cold and wet as it pressuring my clothes to go heavier. I looked up and I saw that the temple had no roof.

What I saw next was horror.

I continue to stare as I got cold, not by the rain, but by the terror. I saw Michael's canine teeth grow. Michael roars as the man got control of his conscience, struggling to get out of Michael's grip but he was far too strong for Jammu. I saw Michael and his canine teeth pierced in the man's skin, Jammu screamed and squirmed more but Michael continue drinking, his cheeks slowly began to blush, and his eyes turn bright red like the blood that spilled. He moaned sweetly as he put his hand on his victim head and then I hear a crack, like the egg for breakfast. The cadaver fell, and Michael wiped the blood with the back of his hand.

"Exquisite." The vision shifted.

There was a boy about eighteen years old, he was different from Michael, he looked sick, delicate, alone, and tired with dark curves under his gray eyes. He had a messy blond hair, but he was handsome like the previous Vampire. I looked around, this was a different room but it was small and pale white.

"I want to live again. I'm so tired." He spoke with warily matured voice, he faced the wall and his eyes looked lost.

"Stop!" I recognize my devil's voice from anywhere, and for some reason I felt safe. It was difficult to say why, but I wanted him to see me. I couldn't see Gabriel, hidden in the shadows.

Please wake me up!

"No, I want to live again."

"Please, don't." Gabriel almost sounded as though he was pleading; I took a second look in the room and recognized it. This room was the place where Gabriel took me when I was sixteen. There was the window where I had sneaked in. I could see the buildings, some big and some small. It was the beginning of dawn.

"I WANT TO LIVE!" the boy roars. He takes out a pocketknife and cuts his both wrists, blood slowly comes out, I expect the boy to scream in pain but he didn't, the blood dripped on the floor as the boy extended his arms wide.

"No!" Gabriel cried, but his body stiffs when the boy made a cry in happiness.

The sun was beginning to rise through the cloudless red, orange sky. The boy headed closer to the window with his arms still open and blood falling from his wrists. The sun peak a little as the boy screams in agony. I screamed, feeling his pain, I heard Gabriel yell.

"Vincenzo!"

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" I yelled as I felt my skin burned. I was on fire.

I jumped from my bed panting and sweating, I was on my mattress again. My hands were bleeding as knifes rested on top of my flow hands, they ached in pain and as I moved fidgety, I winced.

Now you know. I heard Eva's voice faintly. I was still shaking about the whole vision. How Vincenzo and I weren't much different from each other was I a freak like him? Will I become a suicidal person like him? Will I even cut my veins? The only difference was that he couldn't stand been a Vampire, though this sounds strange, but why did he turned himself one?

Maybe the same reason you became a hunter. A small voice came to my mind. I was startled it reminded me of my birthday.

I was waiting for Jenny to show up. We were going to meet up with Christine and Cella to go to the cemetery, because Christine wanted to visit her grandparents' tombstone. I listen to the television when it played the music station of Sirius. My dad thought it was good idea if we had a TV in the kitchen, in his room, and in the living room. The TV was in its full volume but I heard someone knocked the door and I left the kitchen slowly to answer. Jenny was leaning against the wall with an impatient look on her face.

"Ready?" she says.

"Wait."

"Hurry up Sol. Cella said that she was going wait for us in Christine's house." Jenny whined a lot, but I didn't mind she wasn't a pushy person only persistent. However, today I wasn't in those moods to tolerate her.

"Stop whining, will you?" I growled. I went to my room and change my shirt, combing my hair to the usual high ponytail, then I went to the kitchen and grabbed my keys and back to the door, where Jenny continue to wait for me, as she listen to her iPod.

"So what's up?" I said my usual commentary.

"Nothing." That was Jenny's usual commentary.

"You don't want to go to the cemetery, do you?" It sounded more of a fact than a question but then again I knew Jenny for a while, since first grade to be exact. She was an inch shorter than I was, with her hair short and wavy, but it grew. People call her "emo," as a joke because of her black clothing, I wear black too but I was more aggressive than Jenny. Jenny was actually nice, that some people call her "Bubbles" or call her "Beans" but I don't, I call her "Jenny" or "Jen."

"No." she sighed loudly.

"Why?"

"Because the cemeteries frighten me, I don't like going over there. There are a lot of dead people!"

"Everything creep's you out, Jen, even the pregnant women." I chuckled.

"Shut up." She snaps.

"Heck, the Vampires hang around in the cemetery maybe you will find on your own." I mumbled. Jenny said nothing to my comment but I knew she didn't change her mind. I looked up as we were going down the street, passing the trees and then that house, whose dogs kept barking at us by the window. We passed it all, when I notice that Jen wasn't next to me.

"Jenny? Why are you so slow?"

I turned around as I cover my eyes due to the bright sun that was still rising. I saw her, still, before the road, which I stood halfway. Her eyes wide opened and pointed my right side. I turned and a car was driving crazily fast, towards me, in the wrong way.

Oh God, oh no, not like this.

Mathew's face flashed into my mind, my sister Lupe, this was nothing like the movies, no one will rescue me, and I wasn't going to escape since the car had me paralyze. The adrenaline rushing through my veins with such rapid fury, I grew anxious as my neck grew cold and palms sweated. I was going to die. I had probably thirty seconds left. My breathing went gone shallow, I close my eyes, and fought the tears in my eyes. The car squeaked, the driver kept honking, as if I was able to move away, it was going too fast.

"SOL!" Jenny cried from the distance. Everything around me just went deaf to my ears.

Then, all of the sudden, my body was full of electric energy. It was lighter and more flexible. It was weird, I felt this tingling emotion rushing down my veins, for a moment I felt as though time has stopped or at least attended to but the car was racing fast towards me.

I grew confident in this desperate situation.

I felt the need to jump, so I push my legs high as I could, I expected to be hit by the car either way. I imagine the car hitting me with its bumper or the window shield and then feel the bruises afterwards. My eyes went wide open as I stared the branches of the trees and the bright early morning sky, I felt the air breezing in through as my hair went icy wet. I was flipping in the air! I felt my body flipped once more as I fell back to the ground. The car skidded down without any stop. I let out a deep sigh that released all my emotions at once.

What the hell am I turning? I thought.

I was knelt down, looking at the ground, breathing desperately, thinking what just happen to me, and then I heard Jenny running up to me, with a worry but scared look.

"Are you okay?" she asked, as I looked straight to her large brown eyes.

"I don't know." For the first time I told the truth.

"What just happen back there?"

"I don't know." I repeated. Then regretted, Jenny was my friend, at least I could do is tell her something.

"That car didn't stop."

"Hell no, it didn't, Sol, but how the hell did you get to move like that!" she seemed to be out of her mind. "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know, it feel like an instinct like I knew how to avoid the car without been hit or jump to aside, and there was no time to think twice, obviously! So I just jumped as my body was moving all by itself." I blurted out without stopping. Jenny just kept staring at me without another word after that. She had a desperate look.

"I don't know." I repeated

I heard no begging or whine tone from her anymore. I just stared at Jenny and then grew conscious and stood up and grabbed Jenny's elbow and nudge her to walk forward. She did surprisingly without any complaining. I didn't notice that we crossed a big street or the cars crossing without a stop or the old house until I recognize where Christine lives, twenty minutes passed quickly. My mind, swarmed with mysterious explanations but none came to a reason, not even my catholic religion. I didn't have any good reasons. I looked at Jenny but her face was blanked she looks at the sky, the sun made her ivory skin look pale. I sighed.

Into what am I turning?

Maybe I was turning into those gymnastic girls like those Power Rangers, or maybe those anime shows where there are Witches or a mythological character that with the power comes with a responsibility. Probably spider bit me, or I was an alien, any scientific explanations. My mind was racing with crazy thoughts that I shook my head. I was been stupid, I looked at Jen again, to see if there has been life in her but it didn't. I was afraid maybe she was thinking what I turned into, I shuttered. Jenny finally looks at me.

"I'm sorry, Sol, but I've nothing to say to you, I'm still freaked out of what just happened." She says plainly but her voice was with fear. I touched her shoulder, she flinches and I felt my feelings hurt. I wanted to cry.

She's afraid of me. God, what's wrong with me?

I didn't say another word to her until we were close to Christine's house. I finally broke the silence. "We can't say another word to Cella or Christine, not even Holly, they will freak out if they knew or probably won't believe one word we say to them."

"Duh, of course they won't." Jenny had a cold tone but it never offended me, I was used to it.

We reached Christine's house and Cella ran towards me as I ran towards her, we squeaked and hugged, something I don't really like to do, but it was a habit of mine.

"Why did you guys take long?" she says with that same cute smile.

"Because we are freaking slow that's why! Got a problem?" I had a goofy grin, another habit besides the lie. I had a year of practice when Mathew began dating again. I let everything play the rest as the girls greeted Jenny. Then we headed towards the cemetery.

Later, I left the girls so I could go home before my mom notice I was gone longer than I said. She was going to visit my aunt two hours before four o'clock and by that time, I should be home. I was by the school after I was dropping off from the bus. It was four fifteen and it takes me more than fifteen minutes to get to my house.

My mom wasn't home yet and I sighed in relief, I was tired and sweaty due to the warmth of the sun. I took a long shower, before long, I grew tired. I jumped in my bed and slept. I had my first bizarre dream and it scares me than the nightmares.

That's when I wake up with bloodily hands and a pair of knifes resting on top. Pain rushes in, the pain that goes with my blood and muscles, like when I've cramps but worse. I felt tears automatically coming out, my breathes are short but hard, my head dizzy and drugged, my eyelids trying to close and sweat was all over my body and I kept thinking. I grew frighten, this was the strangest thing that is happening to me, I couldn't even think.

Then I hear my sister snoring lightly on top. It was night, my mom didn't wake up me when she came back, how long did I slept? Why didn't I even wake up when my sister's loud voice came in?

I sighed, this wasn't part of my sleeping pattern, I stood from my bed, I walked to the kitchen and luckily, the blood stopped, dried so no drop fell in the ground. There was a small cabinet room, where the refrigerator buzzing inside. I open the door carefully without having blood dirtying the handle; something grabbed my eye. It was white rounded with strawberries all in a circle, there were two candles were there. Once. It was my birthday cake. I didn't wake when my dad's booming voice sang my birthday in Spanish. Something was changing me.