Demon World

by Balvir Bhullar

Rowanne nearly had the fright of her life, he was too quiet, and turning angrily towards him, she asked, ‘Are you some kind of jungle cat? Make a noise for the love of God, some indication that you are there,’ she clutched her heart.

  Leaning on the railing next to her, unfazed by the rain and cold, he looked out thoughtfully, and said, ‘I haven’t quite decided which view I prefer the best... It depends on the time of day, and of course the direction,’ he was relaxed.

  Rowanne studied his profile as the water dripped down his face and ran into his eyes, though it didn’t seem to bother him at all. His shirt had become soaked, she noted absently. He’ll catch a cold.

  ‘Rowanne, it’s rude to stare. And I could say the same for you!’ he added, in response to her concern for him, as he turned to her.

  Rowanne felt slightly stupid, soaking to death and freezing cold. It was November, what had she been thinking?

  ‘No doubt you were enamoured with how good I look in the rain...’ he replied archly.

  Rowanne was taken aback, and for a second stood mute before coming to her senses, and thanked God, that the darkness and rain hid her blushes. ‘Nǐ hěn mírén,’1 she replied mockingly, before haughtily turning away from him. She permitted herself a small smile, and was just about to step inside when his words stopped her in her tracks.

  Alexander smiled darkly, two could play this game, and he replied softly, ‘Nǐ hěn piàoliang.’2

  Rowanne’s eyes blazed - of course, he spoke Mandarin, was there anything he could not do? Water dripped all over the floor as she walked back inside. She felt the cold even through Alexander’s long coat, and felt guilty as she saw the label; it was an expensive coat.

  Alexander came in and stood before her, and said arrogantly, ‘No need to worry. I’ve got a dozen of those,’ and taking her hand, he led her.

  Rowanne found it absurd that he should be so presumptuous as to assume that he could do whatever he felt like. She was about to tell him so, when he interrupted.

  ‘Look, before you start, I would just like to point out that you were standing there like a statue, dripping water all over my floor. I thought the most expedient thing would be to direct you here,’ and opening the door, Rowanne realised that they had ended up at the bathroom.

  Pulling her hand out of his grasp, she stepped inside and, turning around with her hands on her hip, she said irritably, ‘I think I can take it from here,’ and slammed the door shut in his conceited face.

  Alexander was amused, She has everything she needs. Well, she won’t need me then, and went back into the living room.

  Rowanne’s teeth chattered as she locked the door. She was awed by the immense bathroom; her own was tiny in comparison. The high ceiling was cone like, echoing the exterior of the building. A chandelier hung from a beam that ran across. Beneath it sat a huge bathtub on ornamental legs.

  The floor was white marble with lashings of lightning shaped slashes interspersed. She spotted a Jacuzzi in the furthest corner, sitting in front of a floor to ceiling window. I bet the view from there is stunning.

  There were glass doors at the other end, and not being able to douse her curiosity, she went to explore. Opening them, she was met with the sight of an indoor pool, which had a glass ceiling above it.

  The room was exquisite, periodically lined with white marble columns: roses on vines were carved into them, and they seemed life-like, as if they had frozen in winter, yet retained their beauty ever to be immortalized. Rowanne was lost in her thoughts, and once more could smell the scent of lilies accompanied by a breeze that momentarily chilled her heart.

  She froze, locked into place as her eyes glazed over, and could not move even if she had wanted to. She tried calling out to Alexander, but could not seem to make her voice work.

  From across the pool a scene started to unfold before her. Mist gathered and formed into a human like shape, and the more that she focused, the more distinct it became until it took on the semblance of a woman hovering above the water.

  The woman appeared wraithlike and transparent, and was looking directly at Rowanne. She started to glide above the water towards her, and stepped onto the floor extending her arms out in greeting, perhaps. Rowanne wanted to step back and run, but her muscles were locked into place: adrenalin flooded her body, and worked against her this time.

  The woman’s mouth opened and closed, as if she were trying to say something, but no sound came out. Rowanne wanted to scream that she could not understand her, but they were both silent. The language of the dead; to speak silence and to be unheard and unseen.

  Each step the ghostly woman took towards Rowanne caused her necklace to glow brighter, so that the woman seemed to have a violet aura surrounding her. And finally, she stood before Rowanne.

  She was a young woman, maybe in her early twenties, possibly younger, and she had the most violet eyes that Rowanne had ever seen. They were beautiful and mesmerising. Rowanne stood transfixed, and observed the woman’s eyes darkening from deep purple to dark sapphire, and her face receded to be replaced by Alexander, who now stood before her with a curious look on his face.

  Rowanne had not noticed him gliding towards her. ‘You know, it’s rude to snoop around a person’s home,’ he said.

  She snapped out of her reverie, and looked at him blankly. ‘Where did you come from? I locked the door...’ Her mind was slowly waking up.

  Alexander indicated with an incline of his head that he had come from the opposite side. ‘This place has the good fortune of allowing you into rooms by numerous ways,’ he said enigmatically. ‘At any rate, I thought you might want these,’ and he passed her some of his clothes.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Rowanne, feeling slightly stupid; what did she think she was going to get changed into, once she took off her wet clothes.

  ‘By the way, there are fresh towels in there as well. And feel free to use anything else you might need, have a look in the cupboard adjacent to the bath.’

  Rowanne nodded her head at him, and turning on her heels walked back into the bathroom, and this time, drew the silk curtains closed over the glass doors, as well as locking both of them.

  Alexander worried that Rowanne might have gotten pneumonia, or maybe it was the shock of what happened in her apartment. How could he delicately approach the subject with her: ‘Rowanne, you know the supernatural event that occurred? Well, it was all you,’ No, definitely not the best idea that he’d ever had - he shelved it.

  He strongly suspected it to be the entity inside her. It had definitely become stronger each time that he had encountered it. Why did it behave unpredictably? What danger was she in? The entity knows I’d never hurt Rowanne... well, not intentionally, anyway.

  He was worried, and really needed to speak to his advisor soon. In the meantime, he’d keep watch, see if the entity became unstable and lost control - it could inadvertently end up hurting the very person it wanted to protect. He made a phone call.

  Rowanne didn’t trust herself to move. She slowed her breathing and her rapidly beating heart; she had remembered everything about the ghost girl. She had felt such relief on seeing Alexander, and had been frightened out of her wits, but strangely though she’d also felt a great sadness emanating from the ghost.

  Rowanne felt a connection to her that she could not name. And could it be that she actually missed her…? Stop it Rowanne. Do not think about it now, she told herself sternly. She shook her head and went to the bath, only to find it filled with hot water. She could have sworn that it had been empty just a moment ago...

  She found lavender bubble bath, poured a generous amount into the tub, and watched as the pearly liquid created swirls as it mixed in the water. She gratefully sunk into the deep tub, and holding her breath, immersed herself. She rested her head on the edge of the tub, finally being able to relax, but coloured fiercely as she realised that she was in Alexander’s home of all places, having a bath!

  After half an hour, she decided that she could not put it off any longer; sh
e’d have to go out there and face one hell of an awkward situation. Getting out of the tub, she reached for the big fluffy towel, and quickly got changed.

  Standing in front of his mirror, Rowanne scrutinised his choice of clothes: she was wearing jogging bottoms and a black t-shirt. She grabbed the bathrobe and put it on for warmth, noticing it had a distinct smell: slightly earthy and sweet. It reminded her of walking in a garden at night just after it rains, with the smell of jasmine permeating the air. In a roundabout way, it perfectly summed up the man whose robe it was. Alexander gave off the edge of danger, but at times he could be gentle; it was a heady mix, much like the deadly combination of his spices.

  However, it did not in any way make up for his lack of social skills and borderline madness. Feeling fortified in her good judgment, she opened the door, wet clothes in hand.

  Alexander was over by the trolley, no doubt brewing another cup of spice tea. He saw her and waved her over. ‘Where can I put these?’ she asked him.

  ‘Just leave them on the edge of the tub, and come here. I’ve got something for you.’

  She felt slightly guilty about leaving the clothes, but headed back out into the living room. Rowanne noticed that Alexander had gotten changed as well, but unlike her, he was not in anything that she’d consider as casual wear. I mean, does the man only wear designer, even at home, even on his day off! He was wearing black trousers and a black shirt with a silk tie; as well as being completely oblivious of her musings.

  Actually, he did own casual wear but liked to dress up occasionally. This was what he called comfort wear. All she ever did was reprimand him; it was ever her way, though. What do I do about a pain in the heart named Rowanne? The possibilities were endless...

  Rowanne sat on the edge of the sofa liking the distance; it afforded her the chance of not having to sit right next to him.

  Alexander, unperturbed by her lunatic ramblings, decided not to indulge her and sat smack bang in the centre of the sofa: not too close for comfort, but not on the other side of the world, either.

  Rowanne huffed in exasperation, but gratefully accepted the tea he was offering. Inhaling the scent, she realised it was camomile with a hint of ginger and honey; did he ever make regular tea?

  ‘That’s boring. Live a little by putting in the effort!’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ sputtered Rowanne, shocked.

  ‘I said, I hope you like the tea, it makes you feel alive.’

  Rowanne wisely accepted this as, these days, she could not differentiate between what she thought and what she said out loud. I’m slowly and methodically losing it...

  Alexander decided to have some fun as well as slowly opening her mind to other possibilities. ‘Be in my company and good graces long enough, and you most certainly will,’ he replied, wickedly.

  Rowanne was being proven right. Why had she never noticed... It is you! I need to get some distance, she thought.

  ‘Why is that, Rowanne?’ he asked, scooting closer.

  Rowanne decided to maintain a sedate appearance, whilst trying valiantly to ignore the fact that he was sitting shoulder to shoulder with her. She turned to him, and this brought her even closer to him, practically in his face. ‘Let’s have a look at this file then,’ she said, pointedly fixing her gaze to the laptop.

  Alexander smiled, and located it in under a second. Wow, he’s fast, thought Rowanne suspiciously. Why does he need my help...

  ‘Skim through it, and let me know what I can change, as well as what looks good.’

  Putting her mug down, she began the odious task of reading the damn thing. Newbies. Why me? I always get them, she lamented.

  This wiped the smirk of Alexander’s face, but Rowanne was too engrossed in her task to notice. Well, at least when she puts her mind to something, she does so with determination and dedication; he admired these attractive qualities.

  At long last, Rowanne finished. Stretching her arms above her head, she let out a yawn. ‘Sorry. I didn’t realise how tired I am.’ She noticed Alexander turned towards her. Had he been watching her all this time... For once, thankfully her cheeks did not let her down.

  Alexander had his arms crossed over, and casually lounged on the sofa.

  ‘You know that you really didn’t have to help,’ he said.

  ‘It was nothing, although... I must admit that there was a lot to edit.’ Rowanne studied him, wondering how on earth he’d ever gotten a job in this line of work. He had a long way to go, and the editors would have a field day with him; he was their worst nightmare realised in the flesh.

  Alexander’s eyebrow shot up in consternation, ‘Really? A lot to edit, was there?’ he asked acerbically.

  ‘Wait a minute. I didn’t mean to offend you,’ replied Rowanne, taking a sip of her now cold tea, and finished it in one go not wanting to insult her host any further. ‘Anyway, may I remind you that you were the one that asked me to check it. I don’t remember approaching you. So, you can get off your high horse, and accept constructive criticism. Especially as it was meant to help you.’

  She was pleased to see that he was stunned by her remark, and he looked like a goldfish, opening and closing his mouth.

  Alexander did not trust himself to speak, and slowly counted to ten. He could feel sparks shooting from his eyes.

  ‘So, sue me instead of incinerating me. I hope that was a joke, by the way,’ she looked daggers at him.

  ‘You... heard me?’ asked Alexander quietly.

  ‘Generally when a thing is said aloud, there is usually the possibility of it being heard.’ Rowanne noticed a mysterious green light within the depths of his eyes, and felt an uneasiness within her. It looked menacing, and she wondered how they could just change colour... She got up quickly, and looking down at an astonished Alexander, she said, ‘I’m leaving,’ and started to hastily gather her belongings, when she felt Alexander tap her on the shoulder.

  He turned her to face him, seeming genuinely apologetic. ‘Look, I’m sorry, Rowanne. I really didn’t mean it. What man doesn’t like to hear that they are incompetent, and as for the eyes, that’s genetic; everyone in my family has this condition,’ he answered smoothly. He had noticed the look of fear and confusion in her as his power had revealed itself. Thankfully, his eyes had now returned to their normal colour.

  Rowanne felt ashamed at her reaction. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she said, ‘I am sorry about... And you actually have great potential, just work on the piece a bit more. It was highly original, by the way. I can see you as one of the top elite in the future.’

  She began to walk towards the bathroom to grab her wet clothes, but Alexander got there ahead of her, and stood in the doorway blocking her access.

  ‘You do realise that it’s quite late. It’s after one in the morning.’

  ‘What?! Where has the time gone?’ she asked accusingly. She had not meant it to come out that way, and she saw Alexander looking regretful, as if he should never have wasted her time.

  ‘It’s ok, I’m going to call a taxi. I can see that you are in no condition to drive,’ said Rowanne.

  ‘Or, plan B... stay here tonight. I have many guest rooms, just pick one and make yourself at home,’ he said innocently, though his eyes were beguiling, telling another story.

  ‘I wouldn’t want to bother you,’ said Rowanne, trying to edge past him into the bathroom, but the man was like stone, there was no budging him. She had hoped that this would bring the conversation to a close so she could get back to her own comfortable cosy room.

  Alexander refused to accept her protestations. ‘Please, allow me to extend my courtesy to you, after everything you’ve done for me,’ he said sincerely.

  Not wanting him to be in her debt, she reluctantly accepted with a nod of her head. ‘I’ll leave early in the morning, so as not to disturb you. And the couch will do just fine.’ He had bloody well not put me on that uncomfortable sofa; it just gave the appearance of comfort without actually providing any.

  ‘Fantastic,’
said Alexander, and before she could open her mouth, he grabbed her hand and walked through a set of doors, then led her down a glass corridor that veered off into several rooms. They ended up at the last door in the centre. ‘For you, my lady,’ he said, opening the door, and standing aside to let her pass.

  Rowanne admired the room if a posh hotel room was what you were going for. It was a decent size, more like a master bedroom.

  Alexander interrupted her train of thought. ‘Well, if there’s nothing else... I’ll leave you to it.’

  ‘Wait,’ called Rowanne, to his retreating back and he turned back to face her. ‘Thank you, for letting me stay here tonight.’ He waved away her thanks, and left.

  I guess he must be tired. I know I am. She closed the door and placed her bag on the bed. Time to explore. She wandered around, going to the cupboard: it contained towels and a bathrobe. Opening the door adjacent to the bed led into a walk-in bathroom. Very nice, thought Rowanne. It was marble and had gilded mirrors, not to mention the beautiful tub.

  The interior of this apartment must have cost a lot; what else had she expected? She went to the sink and splashed water on her face. Looking back at her from the gold oval mirror was a tired looking woman with red rimmed eyes.

  She decided to leave the rest of the work until tomorrow. Getting under the duvet, she switched on the nightlight, shutting off the glaring bright chandelier.

  Her mind buzzed with the events of the last twenty four hours. Sometimes, it seemed to her that her life had been turned upside-down. She felt like Alice but not in a good way; hers was a land more of horror and less of wonder.

  She could not believe that detective Driskell had behaved so reasonably. On the contrary, she’d been expecting a complete and utter psycho, especially when being alone with him. But he’d behaved decently. Still, I wouldn’t let my guard down with him though.

  Then there was the moment that had overshadowed this, and she’d thought that nothing could: the supernatural. She’d never been one to believe in ghosts. And until recently, she’d never even seen one! Occasionally she’d watched those reality shows that searched for evidence of the paranormal. So maybe she was a little interested.