CHAPTER 3
WONDERING
“Lex. I know you didn’t
want to tell me before, and probably still don’t want to, but why do you hate
Angels so much that you can eradicate us whilst feeling nothing?”
“It
doesn’t really matter, does it?” Lex replied with a snarl.
“Of
course it does!” Anouke wailed indignantly.
“Because
I don’t want to be hurt again, okay?! So, stop bugging me about this,” he
admitted without realizing. “I’m scared, okay?” He whispered dejectedly and
covered his whole face with his slim hand.
Lex watched the searing fire. His eyes quivered as the shadows danced around the room, ignited from the flames. Caught in the moment, he narrowed his eyes as if gazing at a distant dream from the past. “I’m going to sleep,” Lex informed Anouke, lying down on the couch. Anouke got up from the floor, where he was sitting by and tending the fire, and sat on the chair so he could watch over Lex.
After
a few hours of watching, Anouke’s eyes began to feel heavy. He stood up from
the chair and walked to the window which Lex kept attempting to run away from. Night
had fallen upon the forest, faint and murky shadows cast across the
leaf-littered floor. The dilapidated branches from the shabby trees caused the
obscurity of the shadows to look like behemoths were crawling out from under
the ground. He looked over at Lex, watching with fascination as his chest
slowly rose and fell.
“I’ll change you, Lex. I have too…” He murmured, walking back over and sitting on the chair. Anouke wouldn’t sleep; he couldn’t. After all, he had a responsibility now. He sat on the chair and stared at the ceiling whilst recalling the events of what happened before Lex had fallen asleep.
“There
we go,” Anouke sighed with relief, finally getting the fire to settle
perfectly.
“I
had a friend – Dayle – before. When I was younger, I was determined to change
all demons for the better and he helped along with it until he got older and
his ideals changed. When he realized that only a small percentage of them was
changeable, he stopped--”
“Changeable?
What do you mean ‘changeable’? All Demons aren’t changeable? How do you know
which ones are?”
“Well,
you see… Look at your wings.” Anouke advised and he did.
“What
about them?” Lex questioned impatiently.
“See
how some scales are white, yeah? If Demons have those on their wings, it means
they’re changeable.”
“How
so?” Lex sat down on the disfigured couch.
“Ah,
so basically,” Anouke inhaled and puffed out air as if he was smoking a cigar,
“If their scales are detraining or white – maybe faded like some of yours -
then that means they’re just coming to their humane senses. In other words, your
wings are degrading. And that means you’re becoming either more humane or
Angelic.” He paused and pointed to Lex’s wings. “See the scales on your wings
near the very bottom? The white ones I mean. That shows you’re becoming more
Angelic.” Anouke rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You just need ‘a bit’ of a
nudging in the right direction if you get what I’m saying.” He sighed.
“Oh,
and if you’re becoming a human, their wings would be disappearing instead of
fading away or becoming white.”
“I
see.” Lex said and placed his cool palm on the bare nape of his neck, pressing
his fingertips into his skin like he was massaging it.
“Anyways,
back to my story about my friend. I vowed to change the changeable Demons. I
know I don’t really know anything about Demons, I- I still don’t. My brothers –
which you killed – had told me about others being murdered by the organization
known as ‘The Angels Antagonism.’” Anouke looked thoughtful and looked at Lex
with wide yet focused eyes. “I didn’t
believe them.”
“You’re
so naïve.” Lex interrupted by speaking his mind.
“I
hadn’t finished. As I was saying, ‘I didn’t believe them’ until I met you. You tried to kill me. So, I owe it
to my brothers to at least change one Demon.” He looked down at the floor.
Night was creeping through the day promptly. Lex didn’t say anything but just
looked at Anoukes hands. They were trembling.
Anouke
looked at the plain ceiling then back at Lex. He was so vulnerable right now.
He walked over to Lex and leaned over his body, observing his face.
“Even
a Demon lets their guard down, huh?” Anouke smiled. “I hope we can become
friends, Lex. For the time being at least.” He strolled back over to the chair
by the fireplace. The fire was still lit, the only source of light in the dull
house. The lights had been turned out and darkness was eating away at the
little amount of light left outside.
Thinking about it, Angels and Demons are similar to day and night. It’s like a battle for territory. Anouke thought to himself and touched the bottom of his chin ever so slightly with his index finger. I wish you heard what I said, Lex. You could be a good friend.
“Morning,
Lex,” Anouke beamed cheerfully. His face was tired though.
“Uh,
morning.”
“I
got no sleep last night! Was watching over you.”
“I
see.”
“Hungry?
Thirsty?” Anouke offered, holding out a mug which had written in a bold font ‘NUMER
ONE!’ Lex looked at it closely.
“I’ll
have whatever you’ve got to drink.”
“Gotcha.
Water fine with you?” Anouke asked as he pulled the tap lever and the water
squeaked out into the mug. “Fine with me, I suppose,” Lex murmured. Anouke flipped the mug around in his hand like a barista. His fingers gripped the tap lever and pulled it again, water dripping into the sink
until no more dropped from the tap’s mouth. “Oh. You haven’t got your wings
out, Lex!”
“They’re
in the way.”
“You
really aren’t much of a talker, huh?” Anouke said and Lex shrugged, silent.
“Hm.”
“Your wings getting in the way,
too? You never have them out.” Anouke strolled towards Lex and handed him the ‘NUMBER ONE!’ mug with tap water in.
“No,
not really. You’ve already seen my wings before - doubt you really actually saw them though since
you were so determined to kill me – but I just don’t usually have them out. I
suppose you could say it’s a habit of mine or something.”
“I
see.”
“Is
that all you say, Lex?” Anouke chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand,
covered by the robe which draped over his fingers. He shrugged again and
sighed.
“Maybe,”
Lex muttered.
“Aren’t
you hungry, Lex?”
"That
depends on what food you’ve got.”
“Well,
nothing cold. I have tinned food, though.”
“That
won’t suffice for me,” Lex huffed and folded his arms, looping his left leg
over his right and leant back on the sofa. “Then, what do you want to eat?”
Anouke frowned.
“I
think you know.” Lex murmured, looking at Anouke with a hostile glance.
“Sorry,
sorry.” Anouke turned away with a non-strained smile, feeling like he accomplished
something by ‘teasing’ him. “You’re really interesting, Lex.” Anouke said
aloud, standing on his tip-toes to reach the cupboards which were a little too
high for him. He leant against the kitchen counter, hand searching through the
cupboard for a tin.
They
were too far back. He grunted. Lex came forward and leant against the wall
whilst stifling a laugh at Anouke’s failure. “Struggling a bit?”
“I’ve
nearly got it!” Anouke cheered and tried to grab a tin which was just at his
fingertips. Whilst stretching his fingertips to touch it, he pushed it further
away. Anouke slumped down on the kitchen counter and sighed.
“Perhaps
I am struggling a little.”
“No
wonder you’re so boney, you can’t even reach your food,” Lex said, half joking
and half serious. He still leant against the kitchen wall, not stepping forward
to help.
“You
just gonna… stand there? Could you help me, Lex? You’re taller than me.”
“Why
would I help you?”
“Yeah,
good point. I don’t know what I was expecting from you.” Anouke turned around
to look at Lex. He took a peek at his wings which were now out. There were more
white scales. It bought a smile to his face.
“What’re
you smiling at, bastard?” Lex growled.
“Nothing,”
he snickered.
“Shut
up and tell me, prick!”
“Eh?
‘Shut up and tell me’? How can I shut up but tell you at the same--”
“Don’t
be an ass.”
“My,
if you didn’t have your wings out, I’d have thought you were becoming more demonic judging by your
personality, haha.”
“Stop
laughing, idiot!” Lex groaned.
Anouke
exhaled a snigger through his nose and put his weight against the kitchen
counter. He placed both his hands on the top of it and looked at Lex. “You’re
funny.”
“Shut up.” Lex responded, flustered. “The hell was you even laughing at
me for in the first place?”
“I
take it you haven’t had a look at your wings then.”
“Eh?”
Lex stared at the bottom of his wings – there were really more white scales and
some other faded ones. Shit. Lex
frowned. If I don’t start killing more
Angels, I’ll become one myself… No, no. No, I can’t let that happen! I can’t! “So that’s why you were
laughing.”
“Yup. It’s good news.”
“Maybe
for you,” Lex replied.
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