Chapter 5: Hearing voices

I choked on my food and Dante let me go, instead clapping me on my back to help me survive. Reggie ignored me but Fay, Anna and Elyse looked at me with a question in their eyes.

 

Did I imagine his voice? Was he really inside my head? I questioned what was happening to me when the voice continued.

 

'I'm very protective of what is mine. Remember that.'

 

I froze again. My breath picked up and I tried to relax. I released my food and put my hands in my lap, which were starting to shake.

 

His voice was exactly the same as last night. Deep, dominating and terrifying. What if we actually fucked this up? What if we really were the reason for Mr. Stevenson's heart attack?

 

"You don't like the food?" Dante asked me and I shook my head. "No, it's delicious. I just...  I have a.. Headache. Yeah, I just feel a bit dizzy." I answered. I tried to suppress the shaking off my hands and tightly shut my eyes to release some pressure. When I opened my eyes again, Fay was looking at me with concern in her eyes. 'You okay?' She mouthed at me. I shook my head lightly and stared back at her with wide eyes. She signalled with her head in the direction of the school and I let out a slight nod. We got up at the same time and everybody stopped talking and snapped their heads up at us. "Bathroom break." Fay said and Elyse and Anna jumped up to attention.

 

"Seriously? Why is this still a thing? Going to the bathroom together?" Reggie asked with a sigh and Fay tapped his head in a childlike manner. "I'm sure you will survive, Reg, but you could always join us if you can't bear to be without us?" She asked in a baby voice. He hit her in her shoulder with a laugh whilst Dante grabbed my wrist to hold me back.

 

I jumped up at the sudden contact and Dante released me with shock. "Are you okay?" He asked me and I quickly nodded while taking a step back. "Yeah. Just dizzy. See you later?" I responded and his face fell a bit. "Okay. Let me know if I can do anything for you. I can make you dinner?" His words sounded hopeful and with a grateful nod to him, I left with my friends in tow. 

 

 

"What's going on?" Fay asked me after checking if there was anyone in the toilets. "I heard his voice. In my head." I explained. All three looked at me with confusion. "Are you okay?" Anna asked me. I rolled my eyes at her. "Guys. I'm not joking. He said something about breaking someone's hands and that he's very protective of what is his. It was him." I explained further. I got blank and confused expressions once again and I let out an internal sigh. "I'm serious. I'm not delusional." I added after a moment.

 

"Okay.  You know what? Here's what we do. We just wait if something else happens, like another favour that we asked for comes true. The only thing that has happened is that Mr. Stevenson got sick. That's hardly better grades. I'm sure there's nothing actually happening. Why don't you go back to our dorm, Elle?" Elyse said with a reassuring voice.

 

I shook my head in disbelief. I know what I heard. But on the other hand, what could I do about it?

 

They all waited for my response and with a sigh, I relented. "Yeah, okay, fine. It's just..  I don't know. I feel weird about this." I nervously said and I got pitiful glances. "I know, me too. But I don't know what to do. I think we have to roll with the punches here." Fay responded but we were quickly cut off when the door opened and a group of girls walked in with loud, cheery voices. "Do you think he will ask me to prom? God. Imagine not getting asked to prom. Embarrassing." One of the girls said and I heard Fay snorting in a laugh. I rolled my eyes and walked out to the outside world, where fresh air greeted me. 

 

The rest of the day passed by in a blur without any imaginary voices. But the name 'Adrian' passed through my head very frequently.  More frequent than I would like to admit. At the end of the day, I was a bundle of nerves and I rushed into our dorm like the rest of the university was on fire.

 

Elyse looked at me once and then got her laptop out. I cooked dinner while biting my nails and was on edge the entire time. Dante offered again to cook me food but I declined, not wanting to fake being totally fine. When I was cooking for the four of us, Elyse let out a gasp and beckoned us over while being transfixed on the screen in front of her.

 

"What's wrong?" Fay asked with her nose in a book, her arm hanging lazily over the couch. Anna was sipping her tea and was watching the TV with intent, not paying attention to us. I, on the other hand, turned to Elyse like she was on fire. I had a feeling this was about our... situation. She was still watching her screen with wide eyes, not answering Fay.

 

"What's wrong?!" I half shouted at Elyse and she snapped her head to me. "Our demon. He's... What was his name again?" She asked me. "Adrian?" I said. "Asmodeus, I believe." Anna answered louder, at the same time, her head whipped to Elyse and her TV series was forgotten. Elyse shook her head in disbelief.

 

"Fuck, I hoped I was wrong on the name. Asmodeus.. He's kind of like, uhm, one of the kings of demons?" Elyse said with a small voice.

 

"He's the what?" I asked in disbelief. The food that I was cooking was completely forgotten and Anna and Fay had turned around to face Elyse. Fay threw her book over the couch and stood up to watch over Elyse's shoulder at the screen. "He's not just the king of demons, it seems.. It says here he is the demon of lust." Fay read out with narrowed eyes. "The demon of lust?" Anna intercepted with interest. "Yeah, it says here that there are 7 sins. They're like... brothers." Elyse added in.

 

I stared at them with my mouth half open. "Maybe that wasn't his name?" I asked, not even believing myself. "Why would he lie about his name?" Anna asked with a raised eyebrow. "When he touched you, did you feel... lust? Like turned on or something?" Fay asked me and all three girls turned to me. My face changed into the colour of a beetroot and I struggled to find words. I blinked a few times and my mouth opened and closed again.

 

"I think that's our answer. Asmodeus, the king of demons, was in our home last night." Elyse said. The atmosphere changed into one of fear and shock and I dropped the spoon I was holding to the floor. In a daze, I stared at my friends who seemed to be in a daze themselves. Elyse looked terrified and Fay looked angry, while Anna bit her lip in deep thought.

 

What have we done?