Torn

by Ashley Stambaugh

  "Actually," she said, turning to face him, "I do feel a bit warm."

  "Do you want to turn the heat down in here or maybe open a window?"

  "That's not what I mean," said Melina. "The heat is radiating from within me, like when you have a fever."

  Dean gave her a concerned look. "Do you think you might be getting sick?"

  She raised her hand and touched the back of her palm to her forehead. "My skin doesn't feel warm. It's only an internal feeling."

  "Hmm." Dean scratched his chin.

  "Wait. It's gone now." Her eyebrows scrunched together as she looked over at him. "This is so weird. Why would the teleportation power not cause anything to happen? Well, besides the whole feeling warm inside thing, but I'm not sure that detail is even important."

  Dean's dark blue eyes narrowed. "Why wouldn't it be?"

  She shrugged.

  "Well," he said. "I still think you need to—"

  "Talk to Walter and Phinneas about it?" she said, finishing his thought. "I will. But not now. I don't—"

  "Like to bother them. I know." Dean smiled at her. "We can just have our whole conversation with our minds if you don't want to talk."

  She shook her head and let out a short laugh.

  "Well," said Dean as he grabbed his coat off of the couch and slid it back on. "As long as you think you're going to be okay, then I think I should be going now. You're supposed to be having a break from the pain, and my visit here didn't help that." He made his way over to the door with Melina following close behind.

  "It wasn't your fault, though," she said as she walked him down the stairs. "I was the one who wanted to compare our last two powers." When they reached the bottom step, she glanced over toward the bookstore and then back at him. "I would escort you to the front door, but I'm afraid the buzz in my head would only grow worse if I went through there."

  "I'll just go out this way," he said, gesturing to the back door.

  "Do you need to call a cab to come get you?"

  Dean shook his head. "I passed an interesting looking burger joint on the way here, and it's only a couple of blocks away. I thought I'd stop there for a late lunch and then call a cab."

  Melina nodded. "Yeah, Hartke's Burgers. They just opened a little over a month ago. I haven't been there yet, but I've heard good things. Enjoy your lunch."

  "I will. Oh, and I know you're going to be laying low over the next few days, but give me a call when Walter and Phinneas return."

  "Of course," she said. "What are you going to do until then?"

  "I thought I'd just relax some myself. Maybe do some sightseeing." He shrugged. "We'll see."

  "We're having a poetry reading here Friday night," she said. "It starts at seven. You should stop by if you're interested."

  "Okay," he said with a nod. "I think I will. But will I see much of you there?"

  "I'll make an appearance or two, but it's probably best that I stay up here for the majority of it. Tessa has taken it over for me, so you'll have her for a familiar face."

  "Sounds good," said Dean. "I'll see you Friday night then. At least for a little bit."

  She gave him a small smile and then opened the back door to let him leave. "See you then."

  He gave her a quick wave and then walked around the corner to the front of the building. Melina waited until he was gone and then closed the door before she turned to head back up the stairs. But just as she put her foot on the first step, she heard a soft knock on the back door's window. She jerked her head around to see who it was, but she couldn't see anyone from where she was standing.

  "Hmm…" She slowly walked back over to the door, and when she opened it, there stood Lee, his tawny hair a bit disheveled from the wind.

  "Lee," she said as her lips spread into a smile. "What a pleasant surprise."

  "I came by to see how you were doing and thought you'd be alone since Phinneas put you on lockdown." His eyes briefly glanced over to where Dean had walked off. "But I guess I was wrong."

  Melina's smile faded as she stared at him, unsure of how to react. Was he upset over seeing Dean leave? She tried to hear his thoughts but heard nothing, so she decided to just come right out and ask him. "Are you jealous?"

  He took in a deep breath and then let out a heavy sigh. "No, I'm not jealous. I'm just…" He looked to the ground as he shook his head and mumbled, "What's the use."

  "Lee," said Melina as she reached out and touched his arm. "Dean just showed up to see how I was doing. Same as you."

  He raised his head and gazed over at her. How do I tell her… His thought broke off midway as he briefly closed his eyes and shook his head.

  Melina's brow creased as she pulled her hand back. What was it that he was struggling to tell her? And was he consciously trying to stop her from hearing his thoughts?

  Lee cleared his throat and then looked back up at her. "I'm sorry," he said with a small smile. "May I come in?"

  "Of course," she said, stepping back to allow him in.

  She shut the door behind him then led him upstairs to her apartment. Once they were inside, he pulled her close to him and gently kissed her left temple. "How's your head?"

  "It hurt a little bit this morning," she said as she glanced up at him. "But I took some pain medicine, and now it's not too bad."

  "That's good." He smiled and then grabbed her hand and walked her over to the couch to take a seat. "So why doesn’t Phinneas want you to leave your apartment?"

  Melina took in a deep breath and then explained everything to him—why Phinneas wanted her to stay put, what his new idea was, where he and Walter went to investigate it further, and then finally what had happened when she and Dean had compared their last two powers.

  "You and Dean were comparing your powers?" Lee's grip on her hand loosened. "I thought you said he was only here to see how you were doing after your fall yesterday."

  "He was," said Melina. "But no one has even the slightest idea about what's happening to me, and the more we can narrow it down, the better. So I asked him to compare our last two powers. It was my idea."

  "I see," said Lee as he pulled his hand back into his lap. "So, why do you think the teleportation power isn't causing you any problems?"

  Melina hesitated. Why did he seem to be so bothered by the fact that Dean had been there? He said he wasn't jealous, but she couldn't think of any other reason why he was acting the way he was. She thought about asking him again, but it didn't yield any results the first time, so she reluctantly went ahead with his change of subject.

  "I'm not sure," she said. "At first I thought it was a fluke, so I teleported a second time, but nothing happened then either."

  He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Hmm. And you don't know when Walter and Phinneas will be back?"

  She shook her head. "Even if it doesn't take them long to find the demon, they still have to convince him to talk to them." She could see the confusion on his face, so she explained to him why they might have a difficult time getting the demon to talk.

  "Wow," Lee said. "In that case, it could end up being a week or more before they return. Maybe longer."

  "Yeah, I know." She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

  "And you're okay with not be able to leave here for that long?" Lee asked. "Do you have enough food?"

  Melina nodded. "I've agreed to stay here until Walter and Phinneas return. But if they don't have any answers for me, then I'm getting back out there. And I should have enough food. If not, Tessa won't mind to make a trip to the grocery store for me."

  "You don't think you'll get bored?"

  She let out a short laugh. "Oh, I'm sure I will, but you're more than welcome to come over to keep me company."

  "I think it's more important for you to get your rest," he said as he stood up from the couch. "Plus, the next few days are pretty busy for me. My sister's coming into town."

  "Oh, um, okay." Melina quickly stood to join him. "Well, there's the poetry reading Friday night. I'm g
oing to try to make an appearance at least once during the event, but do you think you could come by to spend the rest of the evening with me? It starts at seven."

  He nodded and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I can be here."

  "Good," she said, returning his smile.

  Lee held her gaze for a second longer and then started toward the door.

  "You're already leaving?" Melina asked as she followed after him.

  He stopped at the door and turned back to her. "You need your rest, and I'm only in the way of that." Another smile crossed his lips as he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you Friday."

  "See you Friday," she said as she watched him walk down the stairs and out through the back door.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Their first day in New York, Walter and Phinneas hadn't had much luck. After checking a few initial places, they'd given up and waited for nightfall. But when the darkness had come, it was still pretty uneventful for them, at least in regards to finding the demon. The New York night life, on the other hand, had been intriguing for them to watch.

  The following days yielded the same unsuccessful results. They had spotted a few demons here and there, but none of them were Noxin demons. But just when they were about to give up and move on to L.A., they finally had a breakthrough. It was Friday night, and Phinneas had caught sight of a Noxin demon.

  "You think it might be him?" Walter whispered as they followed him down a small alleyway.

  Phinneas shrugged. "They all look alike in their demonic forms, but hopefully we'll soon find out."

  As they rounded the corner of the tall brick building on their right, they came upon a small crowd of people standing outside of the smaller building behind it. The demon was nowhere in sight.

  "I don't see the demon anymore," said Phinneas. "But I can still sense him."

  Walter nodded. "Me too. He must've changed into his human form." He scanned the crowd, looking for a well-dressed yet unkempt man. "None of these guys seem to fit the usual description of a Noxin demon in his human form."

  "Well, it may not be the demon we're searching for, so it's possible that it could be a female Noxin demon."

  "That's true," said Walter. "I guess I've only encountered male Noxin demons, so I just assumed that's what it was. Do female Noxin demons have the same look to them in their human forms as the males do?"

  "Sort of," said Phinneas. "All Noxin demons seem to have a fetish with formal wear, so they're usually all well-dressed, but the female Noxin take a little more pride in their human appearance. They tend to be better groomed, and while they still have remnants of soot on them, it's not as noticeable, like they at least tried to wipe some of it off. They still have a dark, ominous look to them, though."

  Walter put his hand up to his chin as he rescanned the group of people and then gestured toward the crowd. "It's too dark to see if there's soot on any of those women, but dark and ominous-looking could fit any one of them."

  Phinneas let out a short laugh. "I'm afraid you're right. Let's go inside and see if we can sense him any stronger in there."

  "You don't think we'll look a little strange going inside… Oh, what is this place?" Walter squinted his eyes to try to read the sign above the front door. "It seems to be some sort of night club. I don't think we're the target audience for a night club."

  "What?" Phinneas asked. "Two old men wearing matching black trench coats? We may not fit in, but I don't think anyone will bother us."

  He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and started to walk toward the club's entrance. Walter followed.

  They both pushed their way through the crowd and up to the front door. Walter brushed his coat off and straightened his hat. "Those people were so obliging to allow us through so easily," he said with a sarcastic tone. "Why are they just standing out here anyway? It's cold out."

  Phinneas glanced at the crowd and then back to Walter. "Most of them are smoking, but they're not our concern. Let's go inside."

  As they opened the door, they were immediately greeted by blaring music. The place was packed with people—some were dancing, and the rest were either sitting in big lounging booths or standing around tall, circular tables while talking and drinking.

  "I can feel the demon's presence a lot stronger in here," said Walter as he gazed around the vast room. "Will you be able to spot him if this demon is him?"

  Phinneas nodded. "It may have been a while since the last time I saw him, but I still remember what he looks like."

  "Great," said Walter. "Can you describe him in his human form to me? That way I'm not just looking for a grungy man in a suit."

  "Well," Phinneas said, "just like any other male Noxin demon, he doesn't bother to shake the soot off of him after he morphs into his human form, and he's got the greasy hair, but it's short. Or shorter, I guess. He has black hair that doesn't go down past his chin. He also has a dragon tattoo that starts on the side of his neck and curves down to his upper chest."

  Walter nodded. "Shorter black hair, and a dragon tattoo that should be visible on his neck. Got it."

  They started to weave in and out of the people and tables, searching for the demon as they went. Walter saw a few men with chin-length black hair, but they didn't have any of the other telltale traits of a Noxin demon. Phinneas hadn't paused or taken a double look at anyone, so Walter figured he hadn't seen anything yet either. As they made their way to the end of one side of the room, Walter stopped Phinneas and pulled him aside.

  "You know," he said, shouting slightly to be heard over the music. "I've been trying to spot any Noxin demon in this crowd, not just the one you described, but I don't see anyone with the usual characteristics of one."

  Phinneas didn't look at him, but kept his gaze out on the mass of people. "I know, but we can't deny our senses. You and I both know there's a Noxin demon in here somewhere, and we're not leaving until we find him."

  "There's definitely a Noxin demon in here," said Walter as his eyes started to scan the room again. "But where, is the question."

  Phinneas shook his head. "Let's keep going and head over to the other side."

  Walter nodded. As he followed after Phinneas, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of a demon. They were walking closer to the back of the room, and with the amount of light growing less and less, it was getting harder to distinguish specific features on people. Walter thought he saw another man with short, black hair, but as he got closer and the person turned around, he saw that it was actually a woman. He smiled at her and then let out a frustrated sigh as they continued to make their way across the room.

  "The demon can sense us, too," he said to Phinneas. "Do you think he might be hiding from us?"

  Phinneas stopped as he turned back to Walter. "In most cases, demons just think we're trying to help someone and figure if they ignore us, we'll ignore them."

  "True," said Walter as he looked toward the back of the room. "I just…"

  His voice trailed off as he saw a man with short, black hair step out of a private room in the back. He squinted his eyes as he strained to make out more details. The man was staying in the shadows, but when he momentarily walked by a dim wall light, Walter was sure that he saw what appeared to be soot on the man's face. He grabbed Phinneas's arm.

  "I think I may have found him. Look," said Walter as he gestured to the man.

  Phinneas turned and gazed over in that direction. "It certainly looks like it could be him. Did you see any sign of a tattoo on his neck?"

  Walter shook his head. "It's too dark back there to see."

  Phinneas started toward him. "I don't want to lose him. Let's go."

  They took off in a brisk walk but suddenly changed to a slight run when the man opened an unseen door in the back and slipped outside. A few seconds later, Walter and Phinneas burst through the door and out into an empty alleyway.

  "He's gone," said Walter.

  Phinneas narrowed his eyes and slowly scanned the area. "No, he's not."
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  Walter's brow furrowed. "My sense of the demon is growing weaker. Maybe this man isn't a demon after all, and the real one is still back inside."

  Phinneas shook his head. "No, this guy is a Noxin demon. He's just gone into stealth mode. He's hiding from us."

  "Why would he be hiding from us?" asked Walter. "Why not just teleport away?"

  "Because it's him," said Phinneas. "The demon we've been looking for. He must've noticed me inside the club, and now he's trying to play it safe until he knows what we want."

  "Well I can't sense him at all anymore." Walter turned in a circle as he looked around. "How are we supposed to tell him what we want if we don't even know where he is?"

  "He didn't go too far, trust me." Phinneas turned his head from side to side and then spoke out loud. "We're not here for any trouble. We only want to talk. Do you remember who I am?" He paused for a moment and then continued. "I'm Phinneas, an elder guiding angel, and this," he said as he motioned to Walter, "is a fellow elder guiding angel named Walter. We know it's a risk for you to talk to us, but please, it won't take long."

  Walter and Phinneas both remained silent as they waited for the demon to respond. But after a minute or so had passed, they still saw no sign of him.

  "Do you think he's gone?" Walter asked.

  "No," said Phinneas. "He would have to come out of his stealth mode to teleport, which means, for a brief second, we would be able to sense him and maybe even see him." Phinneas turned in a semi-circle and then spoke out loud to the demon again. "Look, I know it's you, and I know you remember me. You've helped me out before, and now I'm asking for it again for a young woman named Melina. She's the first human who has survived after absorbing our powers, and just recently she's started to experience very angry and hate-filled emotions when she uses them. We don’t know why this is happening to her, but I thought you might know something. Can you help us? Please?"

  Once again, they didn't receive any response at first. Then suddenly they both saw a faint image start to materialize toward the back of the building. The demon was in his demonic form, his fiery red eyes glowing in the dark. He glanced back and forth between Walter and Phinneas and then slowly morphed into his human form. Several seconds later, a tall, built man with chin length black hair and the head of a dragon tattoo on the right side of his neck stood several feet away from them, hiding in the shadows.