“We kind of had to stick together,” Rosemary said. “We didn’t really have anyone else we could rely on. Our parents knew about us, of course, but they couldn’t help us with our emotional trauma. This was something we had to work through on our own.”
“I can’t believe you found us,” Suzanne said. “It feels like we used to hang out with each other all the time and then we lost touch. I kept thinking about you while we were in hiding and I wanted to meet up with you again. I wanted things to be like the old times. I wanted to be able to go out and run back to Tartarus Sanctum.”
“It’s been far too long,” Penny admitted. “I never thought I would see any of you again. After everyone else died, I thought everything was over. The demon slayers ended up winning and demons were outnumbered. Every day, I prayed that they wouldn’t find me. When there was no report of your bodies found, I began to hope that you were all right.”
“I’m sorry we never got back in touch with you,” Rosemary said. “It’s been very hard trying to move on by ourselves. We had to move back with our families and stay hidden from the public. If word got out that we were alive, who knows what would happen?”
“In any case, I’m glad that you are alive,” Penny said. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment all my life. Isn’t it great that we met up at Christmas time? I bought you some gifts that I know you’re going to appreciate. You’ll be able to use them in this fight between demon and mankind.” Then she paused for a second. “I do wonder about something though. I’m surprised that you’re mingling with humans after what happened.”
“They’re not bad humans,” Tiffany said. “They know bits and pieces of what happened and they don’t care that we’re demons.”
“They know you’re demons and they’re okay with that?”
“They were a little shocked at first, but they saw that we meant them no harm,” Suzanne explained. “We protected them when they were being attacked. I know a lot of men would have been embarrassed by this but they weren’t. They seemed to accept us as we were. Somehow, we are making all of this work and we’re going to share our first real Christmas with each other. I already have their presents picked out and everything!”
“Well, that’s fantastic. You can’t let them know too much though,” Penny lowered her eyes. “Humans aren’t to be trusted with our lives. We all found that out the hard way.”
“Tell me something we don’t know,” Debra sighed. “I kept hating myself for what happened. I always thought that if I stayed behind, maybe I might have been able to do something. Maybe I could have saved someone’s life. I should have tried to go back sooner.”
“There was nothing you could have done back then. You were only what, fourteen? Those demon slayers would have killed you on first sight and then we’d really have no hope left.”
“Everyone keeps saying that, but it doesn’t make me feel less guilty. Now I don’t know what I should do. I have no idea where to start.”
“Take it slow if you need to. I know it’s tough but you’ve got to hang on. Hang on for the sake of demons everywhere,” Penny said. “Now, I’m curious about those humans you’re hanging out with.”
“What about them?”
“Well, it’s so strange that you would trust humans again after what they have done to us,” Penny said. “Those demon slayers were humans as well. Humans started this war.”
“Not all humans are part of this war,” Rosemary said. “We can’t hate all of them if they had nothing to do with the massacre in the first place.”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong. Eventually, we’re all going to end up in this war. It doesn’t matter if we want to be a part of it or not. We’re all fighting and it’s not going to stop until one side surrenders. We have to make sure that it’s not our side that loses. We have to do it for the demons who died before us.”
Tiffany bit her bottom lip when she heard that. “I can assure you that these humans aren’t the types to do anything to demons. They’re just very good friends of ours and nothing more.”
Oh, it hurt to lie to Penny, but she didn’t want to lose anyone else. Penny had no idea just how deep this connection really was. On the outside, they all just pretended to be boyfriend and girlfriend. It was fooling the world. Still, Penny would only be around for another day. Once she gave them their gift, she was going home.
“You know, I keep thinking those humans are hiding something from you,” Penny said. “Yeah, they look nice on the outside but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re harboring some dark secrets.”
Suzanne swallowed when she heard that. “Dark secrets? What do you mean by dark secrets? You think they’re in a cult or something?”
“No, nothing like that. I just feel like they know something that you don’t. You better find out what it is before it’s too late.”
They all nodded even though they knew enough secrets already. There was no way they could tell Penny that these humans were also demon slayers. Penny would have ripped all of them to shreds and they would never be able to stop her. Fortunately, she was going to leave soon and they could get back to normal. They could focus on what they were really doing in the end. They could go to back to bringing humans and demons together again. They could rebuild the world. They had to do it for themselves, for the future of human and demons, and for the people and demons who were no longer in the world.
“Penny, can I ask you something?” Debra began, thinking about something she hadn’t thought of in a while. “You knew my master Sebastian before I did. What was he like when he was younger?”
“Oh, Sebastian,” Penny sighed. “If there was ever a perfect demon, it was him. Handsome, smart, athletic, and everything in between. I was so broken when he died, though he died fighting. It was a tragedy all around. He’d turned his life into something good at that point.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that he became a different demon. He became wiser, stronger, and kinder. He wanted you to grow up that way too,” Penny looked up at the sky. “If I had known that massacre was going to happen, I would have shown up sooner. I would have tried to save someone. I would have done so much.”
“It’s like they told us; you couldn’t have saved them all,” Tiffany said. “You would have died out there too.”
“I know but I would have died trying,” Penny wiped her eyes. “I know you feel the same way too. You want vengeance deep down but you can’t get it. You can’t take out the entire human race. So you have to go with the next best thing; fixing what they broke. That’s what my present is all about. It’s going to help fix all these problems.”
Debra nodded, but her mind went back to what Trip said. This was the first thing that Penny mentioned that made her a little suspicious. What could possibly fix all the problems? They hadn’t come up with anything yet so, could Penny?
She didn’t know why, but she had a bad feeling she wasn’t going to like this present.
V
Debra thought about what Penny had said earlier. It was possible that she had figured out the four guys were demon slayers underneath it all. They might not have said anything or done anything to prove it, but she could have sensed it. Demons were sharp in that way. One wrong move and they would be able to figure everything out. That was why she had called up Trip earlier to see if he was okay.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He told her. “We haven’t really gone anywhere today. I went to school to do some studying and I picked some stuff up from the store but that’s it. No one’s followed me or tried to fight me or anything. Why?”
“I was just curious, that’s all,” Debra said. “Will you be free tonight?”
“Um, I’m not sure. The boss wants to meet with us tonight and I think he’s got another job. I have to see how big it is before I can give you an answer. I doubt I’ll be able to do anything tonight, but maybe tomorrow.”
“All right, I think we can meet up tomor
row for lunch or something. I’m sure Penny will leave around that time and then we can hang out. Will that be okay?”
“I’ll have to check my schedule, but I think it will be fine. I’ll talk to you tonight.”
The phone conversation went on like normal and Debra didn’t sense anything odd in it. It sounded to her that Keane, his boss, wanted to meet up with the guys for another mission briefing. Those meetings usually took up a long time because Keane would be going into a lot of details and the guys would have a ton of questions. Then they would have to work together to come up with a plan. They never went into anything without planning for it.
As expected, the guys were not going to be able to come to dinner tonight so Debra decided to drop it and try again the next night. Penny would understand because she knew that some humans would work overnight. That was the excuse that she was going to give. She told the other three about it and they agreed not to reveal much to Penny at this time.
“Most demons aren’t like us,” Rosemary was saying. “They would never be able to understand the bond that we have with these humans. In fact, I’m still trying to figure out this bond. Everyone keeps calling us boyfriend and girlfriend but it doesn’t feel that way yet.”
“Is it ever supposed to feel that way?” Tiffany asked. “We’re only lovers in the eyes of people who don’t really know us. We were always told to keep our distance.”
“I know, but it’s getting harder and harder to do that. I feel like we should be much more than we are,” Rosemary shrugged. “I’m not sure what I feel anymore. I see couples on the sidewalks and hear all about mistletoe and wonder why I’m not getting kissed under it I just don’t want to kiss anyone either. Just Alex.”
“Have you told him that?” Suzanne asked.
“I want to, but I’m afraid how he’ll take it. I mean, we made a deal. We would leave them alone once all was said and done. If that’s the case, why do I feel this way? Humans and demons aren’t going to see eye to eye for long. We’re always going to fight even if this battle ends.”
Suzanne sighed and sat down. “I don’t know why you feel that. I understand it because I’m getting those same feelings too. I’ve been trying to figure out what Cole and I have. We enjoy each other’s company, but there’s something about him that makes me...well, it makes me blush. What is it about men?”
“The problem isn’t that they’re men. They’re humans,” Debra said. “To make the matter more complicated, they are demon slayers. I have no doubt in my mind they have killed demons that we know. We don’t know all the details to their lives prior to meeting them. I mean, we’re already taking a huge risk by mixing with them. Would it be smart to fall in love?”
“In love?” Rosemary repeated. “Is that you what you think we’re doing? We’re falling love?”
“That’s what it sounds like to me.”
“I hate to admit it, but I think Deb’s right,” Tiffany said. “The way you’re talking about this makes me think you are falling for Alex. The same goes with you, Suzanne. The same goes for me and my feelings about Dylan. I mean, it’s not unusual for women to fall in love. It’s just more complicated for us. We don’t have time to focus on love.”
“That doesn’t mean we’re not worthy of it. Does it?” Rosemary asked. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this. I know a man and woman can just be friends, but can a demon and human do the same? Like you said, we don’t know all the details of their past. Just bits and pieces. Likewise, they don’t know what we’ve done. I’m not sure if what I’m feeling is normal.”
Before anyone could answer her, Penny entered the room. “Good morning, everyone! I’m surprised to see that you’re all up so early!”
“Oh, we were just talking between ourselves. Then we’re going to get ready to do some Christmas shopping before the stores close,” Tiffany explained. “You’re welcome to come with us if you want.”
“Ah, your little boyfriends didn’t want to come today?”
“They’re not our boyfriends. We’re just really good friends,” Suzanne explained. “I know it’s hard to believe, but we just put up the lovers front for people. I’m afraid of what could happen if we did fall in love.”
“Is it because you are demons and they’re humans?”
“It’s exactly because of that. Not to mention, we’re going to be Grim Reapers one day. We’ll have to leave them behind. It’s better that we keep a healthy distance between us.”
“That’s what I think too, but I feel like there’s more between you than just friendship. I can see you blushing a little. All of you are turning red.”
“I’m not blushing!” Debra insisted. Still, she touched her face and noticed how hot it felt. She was turning red all right, but not because of Trip. She had told herself time and time again that she had no time for love. She was willing to help him if he was willing to help her. Once they were done, that was it. They could not be together like a normal couple. After all, she was a demon and he was a human. Once she became a Grim Reaper, she would be granted immortality while he would grow old one day and die. She didn’t want to spend eternity drowning in heartache. It was better to let them go than get deep into anything.
“The way you talk about them makes me think of the Lovers of Vale,” Penny sighed. “They did everything they could to deny that they were in love with each other too. They kept everything they had a secret from the world.”
“The Lovers of Vale?” Rosemary repeated.
“Yeah, I’ve heard of that story,” Tiffany nodded. “It’s been so long since anyone’s ever referred to it though. It happened around the time that I moved into Tartarus Sanctum. Master Fabian told it to me the first night that I was there.”
“Do you remember the whole thing?” Penny asked.
“There’s a story that demons used to tell each other a long time ago. My master told me about it when I first moved in. I was just starting to learn about everything there was to being a demon. I was still confused so he decided to tell me the story about the Lovers of Vale. A long time ago, a demon and a human fell in love with each other. It was a time when humans and demons mingled with each other, but no one ever fell in love. Because they were worried about how everyone was going to see this, they kept their romance a secret from the world. They would go see each other whenever they could and vowed they would never be apart. In the meantime, the world was starting to change. Humans and demons weren’t getting along like they used to. There were a lot of tensions on both sides. Make note that this was right before the massacre. It seemed like something was going to happen. No one knew what though.”
“So what happened?”
“Well, they kept seeing each other in secret until one day, the human was called to fight off a gang of demons. He didn’t want to go, but knew someone had to stop them. It turned out to be the biggest mistake he would make because he would be killed in the middle of that fight. The demon became so enraged when she learned what happened, that she began to fight and kill anyone that crossed her path. Demon, human, man, woman, child...they all tasted her wrath. It wasn’t until a demon slayer struck her down that everyone found out what happened. The last word she ever uttered was her lover’s name. They were then buried next to each other and were known as the Lovers of Vale, named after the street that they had both been killed on. Since that incident, demons have been very wary of mingling with humans.”
“It makes sense though,” Penny said. “Humans are frightened of us. They can’t deal with the fact that something stronger than them exists. On the flip side, demons are afraid of humans fighting back and winning. If they wanted to, they could wipe us out.”
“No human is stronger than us,” Rosemary said. “If anything comes our way, we’ll be able to take care of them.”
“Maybe not, but I’m sure you’ve seen all those movies where they’ve fought supernatural creatures before. Somehow, one human always ends up escaping and winni
ng in the end. They always end up killing the monsters. In their eyes, we are the monsters. We’re going to be monsters forever.”
“So that means we’re not worthy of love?”
“I don’t know if we’re not worthy. I just know that it will take a long time for demons to find someone to love them. Especially if they happen to fall for a human.” Penny cracked her knuckles. “What do you say? Let’s do some shopping! Don’t forget that I’m giving you the present tonight!”
That cheered them up a little and Tiffany clapped her hands. “Can you give us a little hint on what it is?”
“Well...” Penny thought for a second. “Tell you what. I’ll pick one of you and tell you what it is. I’ll reveal it to you tonight.”
“Only one of us?”
“Yeah, I have to keep the rest of you in the dark. And I think I’m going to pick...” She looked around the room and pointed to Debra. “You! More specifically, I choose Yuka.”
“Why Deb? I wanted to know!” Rosemary pouted.
“I can trust Debra to keep this a secret for the next few days. Besides, there are some things I want to tell her in private,” Penny exclaimed. “I’ll meet you tonight on top of the administrative building in downtown.”
“Why there?” Debra asked.
“It will be far from humans and I can show you what it truly is. As for the rest of you, you’ll have to find out Christmas morning.”
“You’re so cruel,” Suzanne shook her head. “I guess I can wait though. Don’t think I’m not going to ask Debra for all the details though.”
“Don’t worry, you guys. I’ll give you some hints,” Debra promised. “Don’t think I’ll spoil the whole thing though.”
She was chuckling, but was nervous deep down. Something big was going to happen. Something would happen and it was going to change everything forever. One way or another, she was going to change.
She just needed to accept that change.
Christmas in the City II Page 32
