Daemonophobia; The Fear of Demons

I open the door and Luna is standing there. She looks up at me and blinks once or twice. I wave her in and we sit on the couch. Mikey and Mrs. Hale are out shopping, and I stayed home.

"Gry. . . How come you're not frightened?" She asks, "Mikey has a point , ya know. You could have died."

"I. . . I . . ." I breakdown inside, the consuming reality of it finally breaks me, "Oh, Luna, I was so scared. It is like nothing ever. It's like falling, or burning alive. There is no way to scream. Luna, it's like every cell, every fiber is pulling and ripping apart."

Now, I'm sobbing. My fists clutch at her coat. My back prickles as her arms wrap around me.

"Why did you keep it to yourself?" Her voice sounds heavy, "Don't you trust us?"

I pull away softly and study her face; her mix-matches eyes glisten with tears. They reflect mine, Grass green to Forest green, Pale blue to deep brown, stealing glances at the others soul.

"How could I tell Danny this? How could I explain this to Mikey?" I use the back of my hand to wipe off my cheeks. "Please, Luna, I can't --"

I stop as her eyes flash to grip mine. In the green green depths I can see myself. I have to tell them. This can't be my burden to bare alone. This secret could kill me. Staring at her eyes, which are so much like mine, I realize how much I need her, and Danny, and Mikey if I'm going to survive.

After sitting with each other, she says see has to go. I wait in the house, wandering into the kitchen when I hear Mikey and Mrs. Hale pull up in the car.

"HONEY! I'M HOME!!" Mikey yells and I poke my head into the living room.

I walk over to him, pulling him close to me and burying my face in his neck.

"Gry?"
"Mikey, I lied to you."

I feel his fingers tighten, pressing into my waist. It's a moment or two before I speak again. He listens to the first sentence, then silences me and walking us upstairs.We curl into the purple bean bag, and for a little while we just wrap ourselves together. I then explain myself. Mikey takes it all in and holds me close.

I explain the pain of the Daemon jumping into my skin. Then I move to the issue of how keeping it a secret and deceiving him had opening myself up as a host. I tell him how much I trust him and how much I need him. As I talk I feel my self close off as a host. I hadn't notice my vulnerability until Luna had showed me.

"So, can you ever forgive me?" I whisper, still cowering in the crook of his neck.

"Already have." He says, softly tangling his fingers in my hair. I hear him sigh, a deep sigh. I feel the air tingle and I look up at him. His eyes are a sea foam storm.

I trail my finger tips along his jaw, the plane of his cheek, and the feathered ruffles of his eye lashes. My eyes devourer the sight of him.

"What have you always wanted to tell me?" I ask, my lips moving around the words, like they are foreign things.

But Mikey smiles softly, reassuring me that I had indeed spoken English. Then he takes my hand in his and lets his fingers slide and hover over my skin. He brings my hand close and delicately kisses each fingerprint, each knuckle, till the sensation shoots tremors up my arm and down my spine, chilling me to the marrow.

"One crisis at a time, Buttercup." He whispers into the webbing of my fingers. I see the goosebumps fly up my arm. Mikey then clasps my hand over his heart. The surging muscle pushes out against my fingers.

I rest my head down on Mikey's shoulder, the small flighty pulse in my fingers pitter-patters alongside his heart.

Mikey sighs again and his arm curl further around me and he whispers in my hair, "We'll make it, Gry. We'll be strong, together."

"Hm... Together." I breath out the words softly, and Mikey laces his fingers with mine tightly.