Daemonophobia; The Fear of Demons

~||Time Lapse||~

One more week till winter break. I can make it through one more week. Right? I look around the art room, trying to make up my mind about the whole thing. So far we'd finished the dresses, a landscape, and a now we're working on a portrait. A portrait of another class member. Ms. Moon had assigned us partners and mediums. I was working in oil pastel, and girl who is my partner is working in pencil. Together, we have decided to work on one portrait a day, so today she was my model and tomorrow I would be hers.

This girl, who's name is Carrie, just can't. stop. talking.

"Gry, Gry, Gry... what an interesting name." She patters on like a babbling brook, "Does it mean anything, or did you pull letters from a hat?"

She giggles, thinking her joke is brilliant, and I try to fake a smile, but instead just manage to grimace impatiently. She stops laughing and starts to look at me expectantly. I just take the moment of her stillness to sketch in construction lines as quickly as possible before I realize she's waiting for my answer.

"Yeah, it means something." I grin at her, "It means my parents pulled letters from a hat."

She burst into an obnoxious fit of laughter that sends her toppling off the stool. The entire room turns to look at her, but I just stand by my easel. Carrie doesn't stop laughing, even as she stands back up. I don't see how it was so funny. But the falling off the stool bit, that was pretty good. Carrie sits back on the stool and resumes her pose.

I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and turn to see the girl with the Butterfly talking to Ms. Moon. Together, they look at me. They're talking about me. What are they talking about? A moment later, Ms. Moon walks over and talks to Carrie and I in a hushed tone, which in turn causing all the kids in the room to go quiet so they can hear.

"Carrie. Gry. Would you be willing to switch partners with George and Emma?" She asks. "Emma seems to be having some trouble and would like to work with you, Gry. If you don't mind?"

I nod and then grab my stuff and move to where Emma has her easel. She smiles softly at me and I smile back.

"Hi. Um... My name's Emma, but i guess ..." She sighs and gestures to the stool. "Wanna sit first?"

I nod and sit down, "Want me to pose a certain way?" I ask, letting the artist have her way. Emma suggests a few things, and the pose ends up with me writing in a journal and looking up at her. I think it's great, but the look on Emma's face looks unsure.

The black haze gathers on the edge of her easel as she starts painting; Her medium is watercolor. I sneer at it, but Emma catches me.

"What?" She looks hurt, "You hate the pose... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

"No, it's it that. . . it's that I have to sneeze, and I'm trying not to." Just as I finish my sentence, a rather hearty sneeze explodes out of me. "See?"

I try not to laugh, but I think it's so funny that I can't help giggling, and Emma even smiles and nods before going to back to painting. The little black haze smokes out and Emma works calmly for the rest of class.

"Class, thank you all for being patient with each other. Art is not a solitary thing, and no man is an island, and . . . some other fortune cookie stuff. Now go to lunch." Ms. Moon rolls her eyes and sends us out.

I turn and try to find Emma, but she's already half way down the hall. I furrow my brow, but shrug it off and go to the balcony. I run into Mikey on the way there. Literally.

"Hi to you too, Gry. Maybe a warning next time would be good." Mikey laughs and picks up his books. I smile and attack him into a hug, making him drop his books again.

I look up at his sea foam eyes, and remember what I heard him say to Danny and I drop my smile. I sigh and let go of him. Mikey looks at me and raises hes eyebrow.

"What's up, buttercup?" He smirks at his wit and looks at me. I involuntarily laugh at him, just because I can't help it.

"Nothing, Mikey." I walk beside him as he go to the balcony of the gym. I dig out my brown paper bag lunch.

I feel his arms wrap around my shoulders and he pulls me to a stop. I feel the heat of his body radiate into my back and I shiver.

"Gry. I know you're lying to me." Mikey whispers, his chin resting on my shoulder. "Tell me, at some point. Okay? . . . Please."

The last word, the 'please', breaks my heart. I bite my bottom lip and nod and Mikey squeezes my shoulders in a little hug before walking ahead of me. I stand there, looking at him and finally follow.

"HEY!!! GRY!!!"

I turn, startled by the loud scream, only to have Luna barrel into me. She hugs me close and it freaks me out. She pulls her face away and looks at me, a great big smile on her face, which is inches from mine.

"'Ello." She slurs in a British accent.

"Um. . . Hi?" I squeak out.

"Loony, release the poor girl." I look up at Danny as he wraps his arms around Luna's waist and pulls her off me. She just giggles and goes to sit next to Mikey, reading his book over his shoulder. Danny turns to me and looks me up and down.

"Are you OK?" He smirks in mock concern.

"I'm dying." I laugh and put my hand to my forehead.

Danny sweeps his arms around my waist, gently pulls me into him and my heart thuds against my ribs. I look up at his calm blue eyes, blinking a few times. He smirks and bends low over me, brushing his lips against my cheek softly.

"On second thought." I tilt my head to the side and look at him, "I think I'll be OK now."

"Good" Danny smirks and pulls away suddenly, leaving me all by my self and going to sit down with the others. I roll my eyes and go to join them.

We all eat and read in silence, then I remember Science. I mull over the dilemma in my head and then, finally voice my thoughts.

"Luna, do you know Mrs. Jones? The science teacher." I look up at her. I feel Danny watching me.

"Um. . She's the one with the Dragon, isn't she?" Luna looks up at me, "Why? . . . OH, right."

"Yeah. Help?"

"Get her talking, if you know the problem, then from there it gets easier. Do you know the problem?"

"I think. . . I think her husband. . ." I bite my bottom lip. I look up at everyone. Mikey is the only one who meets my eyes. "I think she is abused by her husband."

At that, both Danny and Luna look at me too, and exchange looks. This is insane. How can I fix this? I can't fix this. I drop my eyes to the sandwich in front of me and sigh heavily.

"Come on. Let's go early." My eyes snap up to Danny as he says it.

"What!?"

He looks at me with his calm blue eyes and smiles, "Come on." He holds out his hand for me and I reluctantly take it. He pulls me up and I look behind me, at Mikey, as we leave the balcony. Mikey just watches with his seemingly unreadable eyes.

We walk to science and open the door. I shiver, then I realize that one of the windows is open, letting in the snow bitten air. Standing next to it is Mrs. Jones, smoking quietly. I shiver again to see the Dragon Daemon sitting next to her on the shelves of a cabinet that's kept by the window.

It looks at me and glares, like cat awoken from a nap. It's even stronger than last time, the wings solid black and the wispy spikes along its black shiver aggressively.

"What are you kids doing here so soon?"

I snap my eyes away from the daemon and watch Mrs. Jones snuff out her cigarette. I feel Danny behind me, my skin crawls as he slides a hand around my waist. Mrs. Jones looks at me, and narrows her eyes.

"I said, What are you doing here?" She sounds mad now and I feel my face pale as the Daemon stands and leaps from the shelf to the ground and walks towards me. "Answer me, please. Or just go."

"Are you OK, Mrs Jones?" I spit out the question, terror squeezing at my throat as the Dragon comes to a stop at my feet. "Is there a reason you--"

I feel Danny tighten his grip, making me halt my words. Mrs. Jones straightens and turns away from me, staring out the window.

"Don't worry about it."
"Too late. Mrs. Jonas. . . please. Talk to me?"

My throat goes dry. The room is dead silent.

The Dragon, pads at the tip of my shoe. LEAVE ME ALONE!! I scream at it and it flinches back, but stays at my feet.

Mrs. Jones pulls out another cigarette, lights it and starts to blow puffs out the open window. Snow is falling outside, and occasionally drifts in. I shiver , but the room is still silent. I look over my shoulder at Danny, but he is focused on Mrs. Jonas.

"Why do you care, Ms. Willow?" Mrs. Jonas speaks, making my eyes flash back you her.

"I-I-I. . , um" I stutter, and look down. The Dragon looks up at me and opens it's flashing red mouth to sneer at me.

Then a series of events occurs in such a sudden and illogical sequence that my mind doesn't catch up till the end.

I sweep my bangs aside, so that my pale white-blue eye is exposed, flashing and glinting against the light coming in from the window. Mrs. Jones notices my eye and stares at it. Then the dragon daemon. . . vanishes.

"Ms. Willow, get out of my class room, or so help me, I'll end up telling you everything." Her voice pleads with me, but I stay put. Mostly because Danny is holding my waist.

We stare at each other, her and I, my pale eyes taking in details that it couldn't before, when it was hidden behind hair. I blink a few times, and tilt my head to the side, watching my science teacher. The dragon disappeared and I can't feel it in the air. So now my pale eye has something to do with this whole thing.

"Ms. Willow, Mr. Andrews. Please sit down." Mrs. Jones says, snuffing out the second cigarette.

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~||After School||~

Luna sits next to Mikey at the table and they are playing a game of checkers. I'm not keeping track of them, I'm too busy pacing in front of couch. Danny sits quietly, hands intertwined together and chin resting in his hands.

"Danny. . . . What do we do?" I ask, "Danny?"

I stop pacing and stand in front of him, arms crossed against my chest, clutching at some sort of normality. He flicks his eyes up at me. And shrugs.

"Thanks." I glare down at him and his non-helpfully-ness. I sit down beside him and look at the blank T.V. screen.

Danny unfolds his arms and coils them around me. I squirm as he buries his face into the crook of my neck.

"Danny! What are you doing?" I question him,

"Distracting you." He whispers into my ear, "So. . . Be distracted."

I laugh and scramble to get away from him, but his arms clasp around my waist and he holds me close to him. Finally I give up and just flop against him. I see him smirk and then pull out his mp3. We then listen to music for a good half hour or so till Mrs. Hale pushes open the door.

"Hello Danny!" She calls out, pushing the door shut with her foot, since she's carrying two grocery bags, "Ah! Hello to you too, Luna! Are you two able to say for dinner? You're welcome to."

"I can, Mrs. H!" Luna hops up from the table and bounds into the kitchen. If saxophone is Danny's hidden talent, then cooking is 100% Luna's.

I tilt my head up to look at Danny, and since my head is resting on his chest it's not hard. He flicks his eyes down to mine and smiles. I sorta see myself reflected by his calm blue eyes and it's startles me slightly to see myself in someone else's eyes.

A thought strikes me so hard I sit up straight. I leap off the couch and rush to Mickey. He catches me in his arms and looks at me with concern. I sweep my hair out of my eyes and look up at him.

"What do you see?"
"Huh?"
"My eye, my right eye, what do you see?"

He arches an eyebrow, but looks at me all the same. I don't know what I except, maybe a looks of surprise or shock, but I get nothing.

"He doesn't have a Daemon. So he can't see anything out of the ordinary."

I spin to face Danny on the couch. He stands up and walk over to us. I just stare at him as he puts his hands into his pockets and rocks back and forth on his heels.

"If he had a Daemon, he'd see it reflected out from your eye, and then be filled with the burning desire to tell you everything that he's been afraid to admit to himself."

He drops this bombshell on me like it's nothing, and I'm left standing here in the dining room like a frozen statue. That's what happened to him. That's how he knows.

Finally, Danny lifts his eyes up from the floor at looks at me with a smile that's frosted with a little bit of sadness. I leap at him, engulfing him into a hug.

"Thank you for telling me." I say, "It helps."

He smile, for real this time and hugs me back.