Finally, with the failure of the last of the roots burrowed into the teacher's soul, and as quickly as we could, we shoved the Ebony Demon out of the house and onto the grass out front. I wasted no time following it and let fly a more sustained assault on the demon. Vic couldn't see at this point what was happening outside, but her priorities didn't rely on further action by myself.
After the demon yielded and retreated into a drain in the gutter, my body retracted from its previous shape and contortions and reverted back all the way to book form. This was a new experience for all of us and it was quickly realized that without Victoria’s faith in us we would never have known we were this capable. Nor would we have known something created in the land of the damned could be used for something other than inflicting pain and suffering. Not that we didn't enjoy beating that demon into a chunky, slimy puddle of sin and puss.
Victoria had retreated further back on Tina’s bed after the demon was separated. Tina’s father collapsed onto the floor in a heaving and sweaty mess. Unknown to all of us Tina had been outside the door for most of the time. She rushed in to try to help her father and Vic. Tina was so concerned about Vic she couldn’t bear to let herself go too far from the bedroom once her father had entered, and now he was crying loudly as her mother ran up the stairs and hesitantly peaked in to see what had happened. Vic slowly got to her feet and looked Tina’s mother in the eyes.
“You knew he was hurting children and you did nothing to stop it! You knew what he was doing to your own daughter and didn’t defy him or try to help her! Well it’s all done now. Your daughter knows what to do next and I seriously suggest you listen. You’ll follow her instructions to the letter or I will make sure you and your husband never see your daughter or daylight again!”
Then Victoria surprised me one more time this evening. Concealed in the schoolbooks she brought with her was a contract I did not know she had drawn up. She grabbed Tina’s father by his shirt collar and asked him to read it and sign it. In his sobbing he asked what it was and she simply replied it was protection against him ever hurting someone again. He read it and looked to Vic for a moment, and then slowly he reached out and Vic pricked his finger then handed him the quill. He took the quill, dipped it in his blood, and signed the contract, but there were two more lines to sign upon. Vic looked to Tina’s mom who didn't hesitate for once. She read the contract quickly, allowed Vic to pierce her fingertip, and then added her name in her own blood on the next line. Vic then refilled the quill with her own blood and added her name to the last line to bind the contract.
Vic looked to Tina and the two of them smiled slightly to one another, and then Victoria slowly gathered up her things and made her way out of the house. We were able to retake our mortal shape, leapt through the wall landing at Victoria’s side and walked home with her. She was sweaty and obviously weakened by the whole event. Her soul will need tonight and probably tomorrow to recuperate from the injury it sustained. I'll ask her about the contract when she's stronger.
Journal entry XXVI
I waited until the end of the weekend following Vic’s exorcism, of sorts, to inquire about the contract with Tina’s parents. The two of us really hadn’t spoken since that night at Tina’s house as I'm sure she understood how strange the situation was since this was her first contract since taking possession of the Sinful Seven. She simply retrieved the contract and handed it to me to read. I had never imagined a contract being written for such a purpose as was spelled out in this one.
Upon their deaths their souls were to spend a minimum of one hundred years wandering the Earth trying to help other children and young adults who were caught up in situations like their daughter had been in at their hands. After that time they're to make sure they could forgive themselves before trying to pass on to the next realm or they could continue working until they could forgive themselves, or take this disposition of their afterlife as an extended mission of their own choosing. The choice was theirs to make. It was a contract of contrition through helping others instead of a contract of acquisition for punishment and servitude.
Victoria is changing yet more rules. How long before someone else notices? Have they already? She has learned volumes in such a short period of time. Can she learn enough for when it will count the most?
Chapter Five
~
Law of Change
Journal entry XXVII
After the little incident with Vic’s high school teacher, school seemed to get rather quiet and routine fairly quickly. This was good since I had the notion this was going to be a very important time for Victoria in terms of her educations and social interactions. These high school years have been a great series of tests for her, but she seems as normal as any of the other young adults in her class. They have no clue the depths of darkness which she is privy to, and that is by her design.
Tina Marie’s father was able to keep his job at the school since after our intervention we all agreed to keep his secret as just that; a secret. Yes, there were other victims prior to our intervention, but turning in Tina’s father is their own choice, one that thus far no other has acted upon. That very night, weak and almost physically unable to stand after the removal of the demon, Tina’s father gathered himself, his wife, and his daughter and took all of them to a priest. They all sat before a man of God as Tina’s father confessed openly every single transgression he had committed against his wife, his daughter, and all of the other children and young adults from his classes over the years. He’ll never be able to say enough Our Father and Hail Mary, and he'll always have a great deal of his own darkness to carry with him. Provided previous students don’t come forward from his past, he should have a long and somewhat fruitful career ahead of him. But, if some of those from his past comes forward; even just one person who could start a shit avalanche he and his family will simply just have to deal with. Somewhere in his heart and soul he gave into the Ebony Demon, and there was never a point where he had to.
Everything is always a choice. Every choice leads to more choices.
Though I cannot say for sure if confessing to a man in a black suit with a cute little white collar did him more good than confessing to any bum off the street, I can say his coffer was somewhat lightened, and his renewed commitment to the students he teaches proves we had done something good that night. Vic and Tina Marie both have helped with tutoring other classmates, and Tina’s father has made sure to provide any extra materials he has to help out with the extra tutoring of many students who are in need of legitimate help, but he stays out of doing tutoring work personally now, even with the male students.
We are within a week of Victoria’s graduation and to say the least she has become a great over-achiever in her school. The Unity Command she placed on her body, mind, and soul has put her in the very unique position of not only being her school’s Valedictorian, but also being able to command the utmost respects and benefits from a variety of colleges across the United States and overseas. She has studied a great variety of subjects in school ranging from art and music to advanced mathematics, sciences, and theological history, though several of these studies fell more so into the realm of extracurricular after a certain point. Schools in this time are apparently only equipped with a finite amount of literature concerning angels, demons, Heaven and Hell. She has been a very dedicated student over these last four years to herself and her fellow students; far more so than her fellow students will ever know. So much so that she could’ve graduated one year early, maybe two, but chose not to so she could continue to be with other students who were in need of encouragement or academic assistance, or just friendship. Frequently I’ve told her she’s far too generous with the time she gives to these so-called less fortunate students, but it has always seemed that since she acquired the souls of the Sinful Seven she has been leery what lies deeper within the bullies and those with self-esteem issues. Instead she took to helping other young people to become better than their environments may have been allowing t
hem to be. I suppose I can understand her feelings about that sort of thing. We all can.
As I was saying; Victoria has been a model student for her school and very dedicated to both her own academics as well as to those of her fellow students. She has been undeterred save one distraction which came up during January of this, her senior year. A boy. Excuse me. She despises me when I refer to him as such. He’s a young man by any standard, and goes by the name of Vincent.
Vincent had moved here from a big city to the east; what they refer to as back east, which is apparently unrelated to the part of the world I spent most of previous mortal life in, which in these times is referred to as The Middle East. Anyway, Vincent’s parents were hired by Vic’s father to work for his company. The first time we saw Vic and Vincent laid eyes on one another we knew this was something more special than anything most other mortals would ever get to experience.
The relationship, which rapidly developed between these two, wasn’t merely love, nor was it like so many descriptions by romantics of soul mates, not by a long shot. The best way I can properly describe what transpired between Vic and Vin is to imagine somewhere in time they were madly in love and separated with a promise to one another that they'd find each other again; no matter how long it took and no matter how many lives they had to live to get to that point; they would reunite. No ifs, ands or buts about it, period. ‘Nuff said. Now here they are.
Perhaps when they were lovers previously they both found themselves in danger being pursued by someone wanting to harm them, or worse. They fled for safety and found themselves in a swiftly flowing river and going over a waterfall only to come out on opposite sides of the rapids. They yelled to one another where they'd meet back up, and that no matter what, in that life or the next, they'd find one another again. Tragically at least one of them never arrived at the agreed upon destination.
Or perhaps they were lovers in a time of war. He went out into the world to battle for his country and her love, promising his return, but died unceremoniously on a muddy battlefield instead, succumbing to a flurry of arrows numerous enough to block out the sun’s light.
Or the two of them were resistance fighters, two of a kind fighting for a lost cause and out on a suicide mission to capture that last fleeting hope for victory. Just before an explosion of their own devise they kissed and promised to find one another again.
Whatever that past circumstance which betrothed them throughout the passages of time, there they were on that cool January morning at school. Seemingly the clouds parted, the sun shined through, Heralds trumpeted their arrival into each other's lives, and the angels descended to sing of their finding one another as they stood there, staring deeply into each other's eyes, mouths slightly agape, and nearly drooling on themselves.
It's possible I over-romanticized this just a wee bit.
I know in every aspect of life there are those things which happen by nothing more than the virtue of chance, and then there are those things which happen because they must. Whether something happens by chance or because it had to, no one truly ever knows. These events can be as epic as the fall of the Roman Empire or as trivial as which shoe someone puts on first one morning. Nonetheless these events fall into one of these two categories. I hope we get to find out which narrative the coming together of these two young people falls under.
One against the other their aesthetic beauties are both complimentary and contrasting, but the contrasts are negligible; her raven-colored versus his chestnut-colored hair. She has icy-blue, nearly slate-gray eyes while Vin’s are most definitely a dark blue with speckles of hazel mixed in. Other than being male and female their other contrasts are trivial at best, but both are endowed with very powerful intelligence, though Vic has enhanced hers by using the knowledge within the book. The two of them are also within just a few days of each other in terms of time of birth, and were it not for the distance between their birth places and times, one could mistake them for being brother and sister. Even their interests and hobbies from the most trivial, such as the types of films they enjoy watching and the activities they enjoy partaking in, to the more significant passions such as their views of the world, politics, religion and life in general, are similar enough to mesh yet different enough to keep things interesting between the two of them. Don’t be mistaken by my description of them, these two have had at least two great, shall we say, debates, in the last six months. They are both quite passionate when a disagreement arises, but their passion for one another easily outweighs their disagreements.
I must confess that their parents are unaware of their children’s couplings. I must also confess that they have been unaware of my presence during several of the congresses the two of them have engaged in.
I know. We're horrible. How much can be expected of the Damned? Not like we get to partake in earthly pleasures anymore … well … Tom’s liquors did manage to settle in nicely. Otherwise vicarious adventures are as good as it gets. Truth be told it's not out of prurient or perverse interests when we're present during some of their lovemaking, nor do we intend any disrespect.
The greater concern is that Vin is a liability in Vic’s life more so than she will ever be in his. Emotions are all too often a greater force than logic and critical thought. We can only hope Vic is keeping at least some part of herself in check with the reality of her situation.
Earlier in my journal I scribed of the time we got caught up in a union between Victoria’s parents. We within the book felt a sweet release we had never dreamed possible because of the love, tenderness, and adventure shared between Thomas and Martha. This memory was easily eclipsed by the experiences we’ve secretly had at the expense of Vic and Vin, though it started with intentions completely separate from anything of a pleasurable intention, but more so of an inquisitive and educational exploration. Seriously.
The very first time Victoria and Vincent were together was an exchange of an awesome magnitude in terms of the power and electricity their souls released during that first union, and repeated unions since. Their movements were slow and deliberate, far from the clumsiness those within the book experienced during their first ventures into physical intimacies in their previous lives.
Only a few candles illuminated the room when Vic first explored Vin with slow, somewhat curious, and methodical movements …
… And suddenly we thought we heard something unfamiliar …
… Then Vic took to Vin’s flesh gently with her fingertips. She leaned closer to him and slowly filled her lungs with Vin’s scent thick with his own desire. Her fingertips confidently, yet gently, caressed his chest, belly, inner thighs, and finally his loose sack and pulsing inflexible. Goosebumps broke out all over Vin because of her touching him so privately and so slightly …
… And again we heard something unfamiliar, but could not identify it. Like whips of air suddenly changing direction and swirling about, but with an unfamiliar energy to them …
… Vic kissed Vin’s lips, and then his neck taking in his sweet and salty flavor; almost drinking him one could say. His lust became yet more powerful at the mercy of her fingertips …
… And another twisting current came, thrashed about and chased itself into the shadows …
… Vin mimicked Vic’s manner of using just his fingertips to explore, kissing her lips and skin sweetly but passionately. He drank in her sexual scent with every inhale and nourished himself on her beads of salty wetness with each kiss impressed upon her flesh …
… Suddenly a flash in the room. We weren't fast enough to turn to see it before it disappeared, and Vic and Vin were obviously oblivious. We simply couldn't get a good enough glimpse of what, or who was in the room with us …
… Vin’s fingertips encircled Vic’s breasts and he ever so lightly pressed the centers of his palms to the tip of each nipple, and then proceeded to slowly, gently, rub just the tips of her nipples against his palms. The sensations obviously shot through Vic as she suddenly gripped his unyielding rigidity for support
as her head fell back and she gasped quite audibly in a fit of pleasure …
… A burst of electrical current, but not bluish-white; it gave off a golden hue with a white core, and seemed to emanate from the shadows behind Vic, into her back and through to Vin. But they didn't seem affected …
… Vin’s hands move to Vic’s waist and hips. He tilts his head in and kisses her on the mouth as one hand moves to her supple bottom and the other between her thighs to her tender lips below. There his fingers are slicked by her flowing lust as his slight touching provides another wave of glory passing through her body …
… Another golden bolt of electricity appears but this time it's between the two of them. These disturbances are forming from their passion and pleasure. But why?
Vin was methodical and careful of his advancements across her body, and cared most of all about her comfort and willingness to continue. And continue they did!
They could not see the electricity their own souls were throwing off; like Tesla coils discharging through the air. The bolts moved more organically and threw off what I can only describe as spiritual slag, not throwing off but seemingly dripping off as if gravity was pulling from all directions, searing the parts of the world invisible to mortal eyes. What their souls were producing was an event in that tiny space between Life and what comes after. Little deaths on an epic scale. Even in this room, already warmed against the January cold, the windows fogged reflecting more candlelight, but softer. Their passion, literally the emotion of passion, was taking its form from within them. Just as the dark sun of rage illuminates Hell, their passion burned from within them casting a sunset spectrum of warm reds, oranges, and yellows dancing within their shared flesh and pouring outward from the core of each of their souls. Its warmth permeated the air all through their loving foreplay.
Legacy of Judas - Book One Page 16
