Chapter 35
“Are you going to tell them?”
It was a question that lingered in the minds of the gang since they reunited this morning. Once breakfast was done and table cleaned. The gang retreated to Hanna’s room. Gathered in a circle on the bedroom floor. Once again, going over the strange events of last night.
Hanna looked to her friends and frowned. She loved her friends, they were her family. She wanted to reassure them that they were safe. That this house maybe just bricks and wood, but it was a strong hold against the world, here they are safe. She wanted to tell them the Demon that called herself the Abyss wasn’t going to come back. She defeated her, the Demon wasn’t going to come after them.
Many things she wanted to say to them and she will say anything to set their heart at ease. To make them smile again, but she knew better. She knew deep in her heart this Demon will return and this house she called her home was just that, a house of memories made of brick.
If an Angel can get inside, why couldn’t the Demon.
Hanna shrugged “think I do, but where do I begin? I ran off in the middle of the night to summon a spirit and attracted the attention of a Demon who refers to herself as the Abyss” Hanna rambled. She sighed loudly, dropping back against the bed-frame. “How do I tell my parents I couldn’t stop this one Demon”
“Exactly that” Addams stated bluntly. “Tell them everything”
“Dude I know your mums are like badass women and all, I’m pretty sure they aren’t going to be mad you didn’t win against a literal Demon” Kit said.
Hanna sighed, not entirely convinced. “They can, my mums fight against armies of Demons on the regular basic and I couldn’t win a fight against one”
Persephone turned to her friend worriedly and reached out her hand. She grabbed her friend’s shoulder. Her friend looked to her through the corner of her eye. “Don’t believe that for a second, you know in your heart they don’t think that way about you”
As touched as Hanna felt by Persephone’s words, she couldn’t bring herself to look at her in the eye. So she tilted her head in Persephone’s direction. “maybe”
“Hey!” Persephone insisted.
Hanna looked up into her eyes.
Persephone’s smile soften. “last night, we would all have been dead if you weren’t there. We’re alive because of you”
“She’s right” Addams piped up, distraction the group to her. “You won the fight against a high ranking Demon with nothing more than a knife and your fist. No one else can say that”
“She’s right dude, it was stupid of you to fight the demon alone, but you did it” Kit said.
Hanna smiled for a moment as she replied “thanks”
“No sweat, what else are cousins here for other then telling each other how stupid the other is” Kit’s smile broke wide as she raised her foot and kicked Hanna’s legs. Pushing the girl back into the side of her bed.
Hanna laughed and kicked her back.
As the beginnings of a foot war started to break. Persephone scooted her legs away from the pair, curling up on herself away from the fighting pair. While Addams leaned back on her hands, deep in thought.
“What if the Demon was Lou Lou?” Addams wondered.
The fight stopped.
“What?” Hanna asked confused. “No, no, that wasn’t Lou Lou”
“And why not?”
“Cause..it isn’t her”
Addams pulled her hands back and leaned forward onto her knees. “Han, Lou Lou has never been seen in the real world, only in your dreams and talked through the Ouija board”
Hanna frowned confused. “and?”
“So why would a high ranking Demon like that, save our lives last night, only to hunt us down?”
Hanna frowned confused, but didn’t say a word. Eyes darting left and right, as she turned her gaze downward.
Addams huffed, scooting closer. “It’s more then just saving our souls, so she can feed on us…” Addams trailed off, shaking her head. “No, there’s some other angle this Demon is playing and I want to know what it is up to”
Hanna nodded, then suddenly shot up saying “you’re not the only one”
“Han?” Persephone whispered.
“I’m going to talk to them now, just..hang out, get a movie started” Hanna declared. She let go of Persephone’s hand and started walking backwards for the door. “I’ll be back soon” she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. She turned back to the group and her attention drifted to Persephone. Hanna starred at Persephone for longer then she should. She gave the worried girl a reassuring smile, before fleeing the room. Closing the door roughly behind her.
Addams and Kit turned to each other for support while Persephone stared at the door.
“That dude has bigger tits then me right now” Kit sighed. “they’re going to ground me for the year after I tell them”
Addams lips curled as she said “all the more reason to improve my sneaking in skills”
“you better!” Kit replied.
“Is it true?” Persephone piped up. She turned to the couple and clarified in a dreadful tone “Is Lou Lou a Demon and is after Hanna?”
Addams shrugged confused “I don’t know” she admitted. “If it’s not her, then why is she here?”
On the deck, Bea was prepping the BBQ while Ava did stock take on food and drinks.
“How much salad is there?” Bea asked, crouching beside the BBQ, checking on the gas.
Ava looked over and answered “Plenty, meats the problem, but Mum is coming over, so that won’t be an issue for too long”
Bea pulled away from the BBQ and huffed with content smile “remember when your mum kept trying to get our daughter on a carnivore only diet?”
Ava laughed, shaking her head. “Yeah, mum wouldn’t let any vegetables near her. Our freezers were full for week” she laughed. “It took us months to convince her peas won’t stop Hanna’s angel side from growing”
“So you haven’t notice Michelle always sneaking an extra steak on her plate?”
“Oh I have, while her back’s turn I sneak extra helpings of broccoli” Ava laughed.
Bea sighed, shaking her head. Before she could comment on the ridiculous nature, Hanna came storming onto the deck with determination in her stride. Bea turned to her daughter with a warm smile “hey, how’s the mini party going?” she greeted. Then frowned and walked forward a few steps. “what’s wrong?”
Ava joined her wife with a concerned look. “what’s wrong? The family are almost here”
“yeah before they come over, can we talk?” Hanna admitted worried.
“yeah for sure sweetpea”
“I uh…” she trailed off. “something…happened last night..involving a Demon”
“Demon?” they both questioned concerned. Their eyes sparkled with hints of white, like glitter. As the voices of their Tarask selves whispered in their heads. The couple sort each other’s hands and their daughter’s hands.
“yeah a demon” Hanna answered, too calmly for their liking. “big one, we didn’t mean to summon it. We’re not even sure we even summoned it in the first place. It just sort us out and I don’t know why, but she saved our lives…then tried to kill us”
Bea clenched her jaw as she spoke, as soft as she can manage “what did she want?”
“I don’t know”
Ava sighed. With a gentle nod she encouraged “Sweetpea, what did the Demon say to you?”
“Not much, but she did give a name”
“What’s the name?”
“The Abyss”
Bea frowned confused, mouthing out the name.
Ava stepped forward and ordered “Tell us everything”