Daemonophobia; The Fear of Demons

"Well, I didn't see it" Danny tells me when I ask him about my eye changing colour. We're standing outside math and my ankle aches only a little from yesterday. "And it doesn't seem like anyone remembers or cares about what happened."

"Good. I'd rather not be known as the 'Freshman Freak-out'" I scoff, kicking out my snow-clad foot.

Danny chuckles and wraps me into his arms. His nose buries into the crook of my neck and we stand together outside math, listening to music .

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"Today, Class, we will make mosaics!" Mrs. Moon announces, "Now, GO! Let your frozen fingers be filled with creativity!"

I roll my eyes, along with the rest of the class, but gladly choose my pattern and tiles. I decide on a sparrow design, so I pick out several tiles that are the right colors I want.

The art studio is filled with the alternating sounds of silence and someone hammering the tiles to the right shape and size. Slightly jolting, but what do you expect when you hand small tile hammers over to teenagers?

Somehow I'd managed to become a table mate with Emma. I try not to watch her, but the Black smoke collects on the edge of a sky blue tile. I sigh and ignore it. Emma looks up at me.

"What does your name mean?" She asks, but then looks back down at her work quickly, like she hadn't wanted to even talk in the first place.

"I'm sure it means something." I smile softly.

She nods and goes back to work. Her mosaic grows quickly, coloured tiles spreading from one corner of the cork board to the others.

The black Butterfly shuffles around the tiles. Each time Emma reaches for one, the smoke daemon flutters up and lands on it. Emma then hesitant or picks up another tile.

I work on my own and watch this from the corner of my eye. So it really is about her confidence in art.

Silently, the black wisp smoke flutters around the room. Moving from person to person. The butterfly affects everyone, making many people stop and hesitant before continuing with their work. Watching it confirms to me that the Demon can affect people who aren't their hosts. Although the hospital visit should have clued me in on that.

The black hazy smoke flickers off of the Butterfly as it returns to our table. I glare at it as it staggers over to my side of the table. It looks up at me with sorrowful red insect eyes. Emma starts to work quickly and confidently. The Demon opens and closes its wings and black smoke brakes off and shimmers in the air.

"I can do this."

I barely hear Emma whisper to herself as she works. The Butterfly writhes in responds though, rapidly losing detail and black edges. Finally the red eyes shutter closed and the daemon disappears.

"What?!" I say, then quickly try to cover up my outburst by paying alarmingly close attention to my mosaic.That is too weird. Can someone cast their own Daemon?

I shake my head, clearing my mind, and brush my air out of my face. Light catches on my pale blue eye and it's forest green pair. Then I turn my focus to my art work for the last little bit of class.

"Class. Prepare. For the bell!"

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"Ha! I got the timing right." Mrs. Moon seems pleased as she collect the tile hammers.

I run into Mikey on the way through the halls and wrap him into a hug. He smiles and when we start walking again, he loops his arm around my waist.

"So what happened to you?" He asks, and I only raise my eyebrows.

"I have no idea, actually." I look up at him.

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"SPRING!!" Luna screams at the top of her lungs as school empties out for spring break.

The relentless snow has finally given way to endless mud and non-stop rain. It I'd thought that melted snow made hallways bad, the rivers of silty water had cured me from my delusions.

"At least it's warm." Mikey breaks into my thoughts like he's reading them. I nod in responds.

"Hey!" Luna shoats again as she bounds up to use, swinging her arms around our shoulders. "Let's do something over break. Like...Party!"

Danny walks over as we all get onto the bus together. All four of us take up the back of the bus and only once we are settles does Danny speak.

"No parties.
"But...but...parties are fun. And there hasn't been a single party all winter!" Luna protests.

"Parties attract Daemons." I point out in a low voice, looking out the window.

"Not all the time." Luna fires back, "Besides, de- they don't affect us. We can't be hosts.

"Luna." Mikey speaks up. In his voice is a reminder of my hospital visit, and a warning that this conversation is going to end.

"Oh. Right." Luna says softly as realization comes into her eyes. "Never mind then."

We lapse into silence. Well the four of us do; the bus is a torrent of nonstop chatter.

Then, two stops before ours, I notice a little black wisp Sparrow. It hovers in the aisle, flirting between two people as they talk. It finally alights next to its host, settling on his shoulder.

I raises my eyebrows when I see that it's the boy from History with brown hair and honey colored eyes. Oh wow... he's on my bus and I never even noticed.... Well, the Daemon has to go. No demons on my bus.

As the bus stops at the corner, I stand and walk down the aisle, brushing my hair behind my ear as I go. He has an empty place beside him, so there is room for me to slide into on the plastic seat.

"Hi. How are you?" I look at him, catching his reflection in my pale blue eye.

"Um.." He looks at me and his eyes widen as recognition and surprise come into his face.

The sparrow starts to fly in frantic circles around the bus, and the boy's honey eyes track it with a subtle horror. It's red glaring eyes settle, fixated, on me.

"How. Are. You?" I ask again and his attention snaps to me.

"There's a rumor about me, and something that happened a few weeks ago. Only it isn't true and no one believes me." He whispers harshly, his voice muffled by the roaring bus engine.

"If you didn't do it, then it doesn't matter what ignorant people say in their stupid rumor." I tell him. He looks at me doubtfully, and I meet his eyes, "Wanna tell me about it?"

He sighs heavily but goes on, "I was accused of dealing drugs. Some girl OD'ed and got taken to the hospital. Somehow I get tied into this but... I don't even do drug, much less deal and sell them."

"I believe you." I say honestly,

By now, the sparrow flaps its black wisp wings in a frenzied panic, shooting smoke everywhere. Get Away. Be gone from him, never to return. LEAVE!

I scream at it silently, and the smoke vanishes. The boy's eyes flicker and he turns to me. His eyes are clear, shimmering as the light hits them. I smile, glad that the demon is casted. At the next stop, I stand, planning to return to my seat, but strong fingers curl around my wrist.

I twist back around and look at him and he lets go of my wrist like he hadn't really meant to grab it. Some kids try to pass me to get off the bus so I end up seating back down.

"Sorry... um... What....What's your name?" He stammers
"Gry." I say looking over my shoulder at the back of the bus, then I look at him, "And you are...?"

"Fletcher." The boy with honey coloured eyes says back shyly, like he wishes he hadn't started this endeavor.

"Nice to meet you." I smile softly and he returns it, slowly gaining back his confidence. I look again over my shoulder to the back of the bus. Mikey has my messenger bag next to him, seemingly accepting of the fact that I scampered off. Danny and Luna are watching me, and I can see Luna giving details to Danny about what's going on that he can't see.

I turn back around and tuck my legs up, so my knees brace against the seat back and my feet dangle.

Fletcher looks at me and I flicker my eyes to meet his. He looks at me like a friend would look at another friend, not like a spectator looking at a circus freak.

"Do you do this often?"
"This being... what?"
"Go up to random people, ask them how they are, get them to tell you their most troubling secrets, then say just the right thing in just the right way to make them feel better about the whole thing."

"Ah...That." The bus makes its stop at the corner closest to my house. Luna, Danny and Mikey troop past. I stand and take my bag from Mikey as he walks past. Over my shoulder, I say to Fletcher, "Na, it's just a innocent past time."

He seems to laugh at my joke and I smile, hopping off the bus with my friends. Two of three others flop off and walk away, stepping in or over mud puddles to go home for spring break.

"We can't take you out in public, can we?" Luna says, turning to me with a smile on her face.

"I wanted to cast the demon." I explain, since it's only us still standing at the corner, I don't mind saying it out loud. "I don't want them on my bus, plus it was weak. Easier to cast them when they are new and weak like that."

"Good. Claiming what's yours and defending what's under your authority." Danny nods.

"I'm just glad you're safe." Mikey mumbles under his breath before walking off towards home.

With those two statements I know two things. One is that Mikey cares very much for me and is looking out for me, which isn't a real surprise, but at least now it's brought to attention. The next thing I realize is that Danny, although caring, has a heightened interest in the technical dealings with of Daemons.

Like a general scoping out a battle field. That's how he must see it. It's not that he's cold, he's just focused. I watch Danny, my boyfriend since almost the beginning of school, and try to feel like I didn't just accuse him of not caring about me and my well-being.

Then, I see something else. Luna looks at him, but not just looks at him. She looks at him. And there is a difference. I know I've seen that look before. Then it hits me, making my lungs pull in air almost in a hiss. I've seen it on Mikey's face, that unreadable expression that says everything

"Wow." I whisper under my breath so none of them hear me.

Things just got really really complicated.