Daemonophobia; The Fear of Demons

Snow is everywhere. Frost is everywhere. I'm slightly positive that Hades has indeed frozen over. I walk up the stairs to my math class.

"I can't feel my fingers." I whisper to myself, "I've been inside five minutes and I can't feel my fingers."

I hear some one chuckle behind me; startling me so bad I almost hit the ceiling. I turn on my heels to stare at him and almost smack him for scaring me so badly.

"Danny, why must you sneak up on me?" I glare at him.

He only shrugs and takes my hand, walking us to math. I lean against his side and basically steal away his warmth. Happily steal, too.

"So, Gry, what's your plan of action?" He whispers into my ear, making me shiver.

"I guess I'll talk to her over lunch." I look up at him, "Alone."

He only nods and we go into math.

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Mrs. Moon lets us all out early and I go straight to the science room. The class is still in session, but when the bell rings the students flood out. I take a deep breath and plunge into the room.

"Ah, I had a feeling you would show up." Mrs. Jones gives me a half smile, which I return. I close the door behind me and slide a chair close to her desk.

"Is what you said the other day . . .? Is it true?" I ask, diving in.

"Yeah."
"How come you haven't gone to the police?"

She only shrugs. At that the black haze assembles onto her desk, sneering at me. I try not to stare at it. But its glaring red eyes drill hard into me.

"Mrs. Jones, if your husband is beating you, you should get out before he escalates." I'm not sure where I'm pulling this from, but it sounds like a bad soap opera quote. The Dragon shivers out its wings a little, making black wisps dance into the air.

"He says he loves me. It's won't happen again."

"Even as you say it, you don't believe it. Please..." I stop, realizing that I don't want to call her 'Mrs. Jones' anymore. However I have no name to call her by.

"Charlotte"

"Charlotte. Please."

She looks up at me and I see her eyes calling out to me. If eyes are the window to the soul, then I can see every curve and line of Charlotte. She is hurt and prideful, but a part of her is fighting back, gripping onto the hope she's fighting for.

The Daemon seethes. I flick my eyes over to it and watch it writhe. The spikes that have been forming all week break off violent, and the wings rip soundlessly away from the body.

It's weakening. She's breaking it apart. I feel no pride or loftiness. I won't celebrate till it's finished. It has to be casted before it's finished.

I have my hair pulled back, so I know Mrs. Jo-- Charlotte sees the demon. It reaches out for her, uncurling its black wisp claws and searching for a safe haven within her.

"Stop." Her voice is that of an impatient babysitter. She is talking to her daemon?!

My eyes widen. How does she know what it is? The dragon response to her, too. It backs away. A ravaging terror clutches my spine. It's hateful red eyes blaze as they turn to me.

There is a horrible, suspended moment where we stare at each other. Then it screams. Out right screams. Only it's not a remorseful, sad, painful scream like that of the Spider daemon. No, this one is simple.

This is Rage.

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The first thing I'm aware of it the pure fact that I've been unconscious and am now awake. The second thing is that my eyes are closed. Then a terrible, shrill beeping noise assaults my freshly found awareness.

Once the feeling of scratchy sheets and the smell of chemicals filter in, I open my eyes to the blinding blankness of the hospital room. I feel alone, laying here in bed, with no one around me. I also think it's silly that I accept someone to be asleep next to me, like in the next chapter of an old dime novel.

After some fumbling around, I manage to call a nurse. She comes in with a Black wisp on her shoulder. My spine clenches and the beeping speeds up as my heart races. The nurse gives me a blank look and goes through some tests.

The Wisp, I think it's a crow, perches on the windowsill. I can tell it's weak because of the way the haze spreads out around it, making it more like a puff of black smoke, than an actually Daemon. I look up at the nurse and smile. She looks at me blankly and continues to ask her questions.

I rearrange myself, sitting up straighter and sweep my bangs from my face. My pale eye surprises her, just like everyone else who notices it.

"How are you?" I ask, knowing exactly what I want from this encounter.

"I -I- I" She stutters and looks nervously at the Daemon, gasping a little. She looks at me and I look at her, trying to remain calm.

She pulls up a chair and sits in it. I watch her eyes dart around nervously and then she starts talking. She tells me how things have gotten really bad at home, and how the bills aren't getting paid on time. She says that she thought the hospital wouldn't notice if a few drugs went missing. She tells me she stole them.

I open my arms to her and tell her it's okay, and it's good that she's able to admit it. The Crow looks at me, its red eyes are sad and lonely. One of these days, I need to figure out what happens to you Daemons. . . But your place is not here. Leave, and never return. You may never torment this soul again. It shrieks and disappears.

Only of the overhead lights flickers and the nurse smiles and looks like her soul is lighter. An hour after gaining consciousness, I'd casted my second Daemon and it was from a stranger too. My heart soars a little, but the black haze from the hospital is choking. I hate hospitals. So full of death and deceptions. So many Daemons.

Within another hour, Mikey and Mrs. Hale burst into my room. They fawn over me and I smile and tell them I'm fine, just fine.

From his eyes, I can tell that Mikey is brooding over something. It's about why I'm here. That much is obvious. Finally, between the two of us, we get Mrs. Hale to go check on when I can come home.

"What Happened?!" Mikey almost looks like he's had the question crawling under his skin.

"She told the demon to leave her alone." I try to stretch my memory, "And It wheeled around and attacked me."

There is a jolt as my body and mind remember the feeling of the Dragon leaping into me. Into me. The gripping, icy, flashing white hot pain that had made me pass out. But I down play it, trying to be brave for Mikey. I look over at him and he has his hand laced together.

"What's the story?" I ask, knowing that 'attacked by Daemon' won't fly.

"You had a heart attack." He says, eyes unfocused as he stares forward, "Medically, your heart stopped beating long enough for you to pass out. Then it started up again."

"That's . . . ." I shrug, my mind almost floating overhead.

"How can you act like it's nothing!? You could have died! I could have lost you!!"

As he shoats at me, Mikey stand and hovers over me, clasping my face in his hands. I can feel his pulse in his fingertips. My eyes are forced to look at him and I see him fighting back tears. I truly see how it has affected him.

"I can't live without you Gry. I need you. Here. With me."

"GOOD NEWS!! We can go home tomorrow! They only want. one. . . . What's going on here, kids?"

Mrs. Hale bursting into the room makes Mikey let’s go of my face, and turn away from me. There is a dead, stale silence in the room now.

"Nothing." Both Mikey and I mumble.

I try to get Mikey's attention, but he only kisses me softly on the forehead and they leave, ghosting out the door as visiting hours vanish.

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I honestly think I'm the only one not freaking out, even if I'm faking it. When I get home, Danny and Luna are sitting on the front step, complete with flowers, candy, and guilt-ridden faces. Danny is probably taking this hard.

I step up to them and we hug. I notice how lightly they touch me, like I'll shatter and it'll be their fault.

"Guys, “I try not to sound insensitive, “We all know what it was. So there’s no reason to act like I'm really sick. So don't treat me like a fragile little figurine."

Silently, both Luna and Danny nod. But nothing changes. If anything, they seem more steadfast to protect me. Mikey steps close behind me and I know he's there to support me if I need it.

I roll my eyes and just accept another round of half hearted hugs. Luna is the first to speak, the smile returning to her face.

"Tomorrow is the first day of winter break!"

I smile and feel the air loosen as everyone exhales and breaths again.