Devouring love

by Serafina Daniel

  “I bet it would be that nurse. Chelsea, right?”

  I neither nod nor shook my head. I just took a seat on my chair and found a nice spot on the wall to stare.

  “Or maybe that girl from the Spring family. I bet she has stolen your attention, because she did that with me. I would do anything to see her in my bed. Her legs...”

  “Nick!” I said in an angry voice.

  “Well brother, finally someone stole your heart and it was done by a person who belongs to the Spring family. Bad luck, brother. So young, and so heartbroken,” he was mocking at me and he was doing that successfully. I was furious, wanting to teach him or at least close his mouth that his words couldn't hurt me.

  “Shut up!”

  “Make me,” he challenged me. “In your place brother, I would try to fight. That girl is really worth of that,” he smirked, took his things and walked out. He liked to do that, because he knew that it was impossible to talk with me when I was angry. The only thing which was wise to do, was to leave me with my own thoughts and emotions.

  But even he wasn't here anymore, I could hear his voice in my head, telling me that he was right and not Chelsea, who was around me all the time, but Melody ruled my thoughts. Really, what was happening with me.

  I turned my computer on and decided just to surf the Net and let myself forget what was happening around me and who I was. Most of the times the Internet let me do that, but this time not.

  Soon I found myself typing her name into the search program. Before I could even stop myself, I pushed the mouse button and many links appeared on my computer screen, just waiting for my attention.

  Really, I had from what I could choose, but only one article seemed interesting enough for me to read. It was about the car crash. Mrs. and Mr. Watts died in it. Since then Melody and Annabelle were alone. The Spring family became their new family.

  But not that information was attention grabbing. It was the fact that they both had the same injuries, although they sat in different sides and the impact had different strength. According to the article, the woman had to be alive.

  “Alive,” I said out loud and leaned back in my chair.

  I dropped the article and chose another one. This was about the day when Melody was found unconscious in the Spring home. It happened during the ball which was held for her. So, there were a few journalists

  Merdian came down alone and that was quite a surprise for everyone, because there were only few times when he wasn't on her side. But soon people forget about that. After all, it was Melody's ball and maybe she wanted to come down alone. But a few hours passed and she hadn't come down yet. The guests were puzzled. Soon Merdian was gone. After five more minutes, many doctors wearing uniform dashed through the door. No one understood what was happening until Mr. Spring announced that everyone must leave the building.

  Later that evening the hospital told journalists that Miss Melody was found unconscious on the ground. She was brought to the hospital where doctors tried to help her, but no one actually knew what to do, because nothing worked.

  Then the rumors started that Melody was cursed to sleep forever like the sleeping beauty from the fairy-tales.

  There were also some pictures of Melody before and after the event. Yes, she really reminded me of the sleeping beauty and I wanted to be that prince whose kiss could wake her up. But lucky for me, I was that prince, but not the kiss, but the power of science waked her up.

  “It's hard to not to stare at her,” I heard a man's voice.

  I jumped in my chair and turned to see a man in my cabinet. I didn't hear how he entered into the room or if he had even knocked at the door.

  The man looked somewhere around my age, his hair were two or three shades darker than mine. His brown eyes were studying me, trying to answer some questions in his head. He was wearing quite usual clothes for a young man: a dark jacket, shirt, jeans and shiny shoes. He didn't look like he was a wealthy person. But maybe he was just trying to create that impression to make himself save among people who wanted money.

  For some reason he seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him.

  “Good day,” I said quickly and stood up. “I am doctor Offman. How could I help you?”

  He smirked and sat over the table. He didn't shake my hand which was waiting for his. That was quite rude from his side, but I tried to forget his lack of manners and sat back n my chair.

  “I am Marcus Le Noir,” he introduced himself. “You know, I have almost forgotten about you. I had something else to do what was more interesting for me,” he started talking about something about what I didn't have any kind of clue.

  “I am sorry, but I don't understand you. Why are you here?” I tried to be polite.

  “You should have kept your distance from some people and maybe I would have forgotten you entirely and the debt which your father had to pay, would be only a forgotten story.”

  “What?” I opened my mouth widely.

  He grinned. He knew that I had an idea about what he was talking now.

  “I know that your father told you about his weak moment,” he talked casually. “After all, it had to, because his debt now is your debt. Your father decided to kick the bucket earlier.”

  “Who are you?” I asked feeling up coming danger. That person wasn't an average person, but I didn't want to believe in that. My father talked nonsense, because he was dieing.

  “I think you know who I am, Mr. Offman, but I doubt if you know how you became what you are now. Your father was forbidden to say that part of the story.”

  “Who are you?” I repeated my question. This time I wasn't polite.

  “Well, just say that I am your new best friend. I have to say thank you for bringing my angel back. I haven't thought that she could get stuck in her sleep. I thought that she would understand what she wanted sooner.”

  I frowned. No. My father's story was just a fairy-tale. Nothing more and nothing else. And this man in front of me was some kind of weirdo who thought it would be fun to irritated me. Yes, I was really annoyed and he should leave now before I would do something bad to him.

  “I can see you reluctance to believe me,” he said openly,” but that is the truth, my dear Caspar. Your father made a deal with a devil and I am the devil.”

  “I don't know who you are and what kind of purpose you really have by coming here and telling me your created stories. I am not a publishing house. Please leave my cabinet,” I said in a stern tone.

  Marcus shook his head, but he still stood up.

  “I suggest you to stay away from the Spring family and Miss Watts if you want to be alive. Even if you a shining start, it doesn't mean that you will be safe from my wrath. My offer to you, leave the city or maybe even the country.”

  “Leave,” I ordered him through my clenched teeth. I even lifted my hand and pointed it to the door that he could get a cleared sign that I wanted him out from my cabinet.

  “Do you really think that you can rid me so easily?” he lifted his eyebrows up and then shook his head a bit. “No, I won't leave you in peace until I get my payment or at least until I forget about you,” he took some steps to the door. I was relieved thinking that that was all and he would leave me alone in this room, but he suddenly stopped and turned around. “By the way, to prove that I am talking seriously, just remember those dead men,” and now he left me alone in my cabinet.

  My face dropped and I sunk into my chair. How did he know about those dead guards?

  “No,” I shook my head. I really didn't want to believe that my father's story could be real, that he actually made a deal with the devil.

  Melody

  I was sitting on my bed, waiting for Merdian to come and be with me. I had some questions to him, hoping that he would answer to them. It was my mess and I wanted to take care it myself.

  One hour passed, then another one. Nasty thoughts attacked my mind from every single corner. I was feeling worse and worse by every second. I needed Merdia
n to hug me and tell me that everything would be fine, that he would make sure that nothing could happen to me.

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, because if I don't be calm, my wings would appear behind my back. Right now I didn't need that to happen.

  Finally someone touched the door knob. I jumped on my feet, waiting for that someone to enter into the room. But for my luck, that someone didn't hurry to put his foot in my room.

  I put my hands against my chest and started gamboling in place with impatience. I was sick and tired to be in this uncertainty. I wanted to know what was happening.

  Finally the door opened and Merdian came into the room. He seemed exhausted but when our eyes met, he tried to put a big smile on his face. He didn't succeed. The smile looked like it belonged to a man who was in pain.

  “You should sleep,” he said to me.

  I shook my head.

  “Please, Melody,” he begged me. He didn't want to tell me anything what he had discussed with his father. He wanted to leave me aside while I didn't want that.

  “What will happen next?” I asked, my voice was trembling.

  He took my hand and lifted it to his warm lips. It wasn't a good sign. Most of the time he kissed my hand to show how lovely I look or when he was about to ask me to drop the topic.

  “No,” I said instantly. “I need to know. That devil... is after me. I haven't even known that they exist.”

  “They exist,” he didn't let go my hand,” but they hide in the corners, minding their own business. They don't care about us and we don't care about them. But how it seems this time, one of them decided not to ignore us anymore,” he didn't sound pleased with that.

  “What does he want?”

  He shrugged and stepped one step closer to me, hugging me.

  “I don't know, but I am intending to find that out. At least we know now that he was that one who killed our men in the hospital.”

  I closed my eyes. I knew deep inside me that maybe I should tell him the entire story, now, here. It would be only for the best if he knew what really was going one, but I just couldn't find enough strength in me to open my mouth and say those words to him, because I knew that they could hurt him and I didn't want to see pain in his eyes when I had already given him so much of it. Right now I wanted to make him happy. Only happy.

  “What will we do?”

  “Not we, but I with my father and his men,” he corrected me. “I don't want you in all this thing. I have just got you back. I don't want to lose you again.”

  “But he is after me,” I said. Tears started gathering in my eyes.

  “And I will make sure that he wouldn't,” he kissed my cheek. “Now, you need to take a nap. You seem tired.”

  “You too,” I said and put my free hand on his chest. His heart pounded calmly in his chest while mine was hammering like a scared animals.

  “Yes,” he agreed. “It was a hard day and we both should sleep,” he pulled my to the bed and without letting me argue with him, he took me into his arms and laid me on the bed. “Please, sleep. You need to rest,” he turned around and was about to leave me alone in the room, but I grabbed his hand, stopping him.

  “Please, stay with me,” I asked and he put a small smile on his face.

  “Okay,” he nodded and lay on the bed next to me. Soon I was in his arms, my head on his chest. It was so magical to be with him in one bed, hear his heartbeat and know that he loved me. Really, what should a girl want more?

  Caspar

  I was standing in front of my mother's home. I didn't hurry to knock and enter into that small flat. No. I just stood, staring at the dark green wooden door, trying to remember that day when my father told the story how he met a stranger in when he was walking down the street after he had met the doctor who told him that the medicine didn't help and the tumour was only growing in him.

  “Somehow he knew what was wrong with me,” my father said, his eyes were staring at the white ceiling. “He came closer to me and told that he could help me, but for his service I needed to give something to him.”

  I was sitting next to his bed then, staring with a pity at him and how much effort he was putting to tell me a story which was more likely to be a fairy tale than a true event which happened to him.

  “What did he want from you?” I asked only to show him that I was interesting, although I wasn't.

  “He didn't tell me. He said that when the time comes, he would come and take his payment.”

  “Did you accept his offer?”

  A tear escaped my father’s eyes and slowly ran on his cheek when he tried to move his head up and down.

  “Yes, and I am very ashamed of that. I told him what I wanted and we shook our hands. I felt electricity in my body when I touched his skin. His eyes for one second were red like blood. At that moment I didn't understand who he was and how he really could do what I had asked him.”

  “And what had you asked?”

  “He ordered me not to tell anyone about my wish. He only told me to tell this story to my son if something bad could happen to me. So, I am telling you this story.”

  He cough several time to his fist. I could see blood on his fingers. I turned my eyes away that he couldn't see how sad I was.

  “Did he do what you had asked?”

  “Yes,” he tried to nod. “Now I know that he was a devil, Caspar. They exist and he was one of them. Be careful, Caspar. He would come to you, because I will be dead.”

  “No, you won't die,” I said, although I didn't believe in my words myself.

  He tried to smile.

  “I will and I am sorry that was weak enough for him to use me. I am so sorry, son.”

  “I forgive you,” I told those words only because I wanted that he could die in peace, not because I truly thought that his story was true and some kind of devil would come after me.

  I sighed and looked at my shoes. Then, I took several deep breaths and knocked on the door. I knew that I wasn't ready to face my mother, but I doubted if I ever be. I promised her to come and help her with her flue.

  The door opened and Nick appeared in front of me. His mocking smile was working on his face.

  “Finally,” he said and moved aside, making some space for me to enter into the flat.

  “I am happy to see you too,” I said sarcastically.

  He didn't say anything, just rolled his eyes and closed the door behind me.

  “How is she?”

  He shrugged. He tried to look like he didn't care about our mother, but in his eyes I could see that he was a little concerned about her health.

  “I will leave you alone with her,” he quickly said, took his coat and walked out from the flat. That wasn't a new thing for me. He always loved to go our when I was at home.

  I found my mother in the living room, staring at the TV. Some kind of woman was talking about the celebrities and how interesting their lives were. She was sitting on out old sofa. She was wearing two sweaters to keep her warm. Her long gray hair was plaited.

  I quickly looked around. The wallpapers were faded and dirty. The ceiling was asking for someone to take care. And the floor...Well, the flat needed major repairs and right now I had money which I could assign to that.

  “Hi, mother,” I said as I took a seat on one of the armchairs.

  She slowly turned her eyes at me. They were red. I didn't like that. She was really sick.

  “Caspar,” she said slowly,” you are here.”

  I nodded and put a small smile on my face to hide my worries.

  “How do you feel?”

  She sighed.

  “Better, I guess.”

  Old people like to grumble how terrible their health is, how hard is to live for them and so on. My mother wasn't from those old people. She didn't like to complain and kept everything to herself. She knew that other people had their own troubles and give them yours would be inexcusable.

  “Don't lie,” I told her.

  She puckered up her brows. />
  “Terrible. Happy?”

  I rolled m eyes and started my work. I had brought some medicine with me and told her to take them. She said something more to herself than to me.

  “How are you doing, Caspar?” she asked as she put the boxes of medicine on the table. I noticed how her arms trembled. That view made me sad. She was old and that only meant that her last hour was coming. I wanted only hope that now, when I had money, I would be able to help her.

  “Fine.”

  “You don't sound like everything is fine,” she stated.

  I sneered.

  “I always sound to you like something isn't okay.”

  She nodded.

  “Because that is the truth. Maybe you finally found a girl?”

  I slammed my forehead. Nick started that topic only because he wanted to tease me. My mother started that topic because she was curious. My father liked to ask that, because he didn't know about what we really could talk.

  Right now it felt like my and Nick's conversation was repeating itself.

  “Why does everyone like to ask me about girls?” I grouched. It was getting really annoying.

  “Maybe because it's interesting,” she helped. “So, is there finally as girl in your life? You know, the clock is ticking. You need to find a girl and start a family.”

  “Yea, very,” I pouted. “I won't say a word,” I announced. Really, that all girl thing was getting on my nerves. There were so many topics which we could discuss, but no, they all wanted to know if someone was sleeping with me.

  “Are you gay or what?” that was Nick.

  I didn't even hear when he came back.

  Right now he was standing in the doorway, his shoulder against the wooden frame while his arms crossed over his chest, a smug face on his face.

  “I am not gay,” I snapped.

  “Yes, you are not. You just decided to enter into religion or decided to die being a virgin,” he burst out laughing.

  “And you decided to die from your brother's hand,” I barked.

  “Nick! Caspar!” mother raised her voice. “Stop that. If Caspar wants, he can die being a virgin, Nick. It isn't our business.”