A Friend to the Darkness. Katherine Rathbone

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СКАЧАТЬ have a feeling you might need that. You keep it.” She stood and pulled her top up, revealing rock hard abs. She removed a sheath from around her waist and handed it to me.

      “Damn, girl! That isn’t going to fit me! You’re as fit as…” I trailed off, realising I was about to say ‘Hell’ again.

      “Don’t be daft.” She sounded uncomfortable. “Of course it will fit.”

      I was surprised to find she was right, and I threw my arms around her in delight. “Thank you!” I exclaimed. She patted my back awkwardly, before gently pushing me away.

      “That’s ok. No need to, uh, hug about it.” She sounded embarrassed.

      “Oh, I’m sorry.” I stepped back. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”

      Sebastian waltzed over and gave me a quick squeeze. “You didn’t overstep. Sera just isn’t a hugger.” He smiled at me, and she shrugged.

      Seth smirked. “I’ll have a hug.” I flipped him the bird without looking at him, and asked if anyone else wanted a drink.

      And that was how most of our weekends went over the next couple of months. We fell into an easy routine of chatting and laughing together, down by the river. As the weather warmed, we often swam too. Demons love to swim, apparently. I found myself itching for the weekends, to discuss books with Seth, movies with Sebastian, and life in general.

      Three.

      I’d had a terrible day. Even though my outlook on life had brightened with friends to share my life with, the girls at my school were epic bitches. The boys, well, if I was lucky they mostly ignored me. Mum was working late that night, so when I got home I retrieved a family sized block of chocolate from the fridge, and headed to my room to nurse my sorrows in peace. I had my head stuck in a book, and didn’t bother to look up as I flung myself onto my bed.

      “Ooof.” My bed wasn’t empty. I leapt to my feet with a scream, fumbling for the knife Sera had given me, flinging my book and my chocolate at the creep in my bed. It was Seth. He raised his hands and yelled, “The fuck? Stop throwing shit at me! What are you doing?”

      “What the fuck are you doing?! That’s my bed!” I yelled right back.

      He sat up and smirked at me. “If I knew it was this easy to get you in bed with me, I would’ve done it ages ago.”

      “Tell me, does everyone who finds themselves in bed with you scream and throw shit?” I challenged. He laughed, and patted the spot beside him.

      “Seriously, what’s up?”

      “What do you mean what’s up? I’m just innocently trying to read my book and some weirdo is waiting for me on my bed!”

      He shrugged. “I figured you didn’t want me to appear at the exact moment you prayed, so I came here and waited for you. Don’t worry, your mum didn’t see me.”

      “Prayed? What the Hell are you talking about?” I was cranky. He’d interrupted my chocolate.

      He looked at me as if I was not too bright. “Earlier today. You prayed for me. Here I am.” He spread his hands.

      “I didn’t pray to you!” I was so confused.

      He sighed. “You pictured me in your head, and thought, ’I wish he was here.’ Well, here I am.”

      I felt the colour drain from my face, and I sat down heavily on the bed beside him. “You heard that?!”

      He shrugged. “It was a prayer addressed to me, so yeah, I heard it. To be perfectly honest, I do listen out for you. In case you need us.” He looked a bit uncomfortable.

      “Oh. My. God.”

      He laughed without humour. “God doesn’t have much to do with me.”

      “I can’t believe you heard that.” I was mortified.

      “Well, this is awkward. Sorry, I thought you wanted to talk.” Seth eyed me uncertainly.

      “I do! I did. Ugh. I appreciate the company?” I drew my legs up and sat cross legged, rubbing my face, before looking at him between my fingers.

      He smiled gently. “Hiya, Katie. How was your day?”

      I sighed. “Shit thanks, Seth. How was yours?” He didn’t answer me, just waited for me to keep talking. I rubbed my face again. “Ugh, so there’s this guy.”

      “Woah, woah woah. I don’t think I’m qualified for this conversation!” He looked panicked. “How about I go fetch Sera?”

      I raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? Sera?”

      “Ugh, ok, point taken. So this guy. Do you want me to kill him for you?”

      “Could you?” I was curious.

      “No, actually. We’re not allowed to kill humans. I was just trying to be supportive.” He looked worried. “Do you really want me to kill him?!”

      I sighed. “No, not really.” I rubbed my face again. “He seemed really sweet. He’s new. We’ve been chatting, and I guess I was kinda starting to… I dunno, like him, I guess.”

      “Is he prettier than me?” Seth teased.

      “Well, he’s not a creepy old man, so yeah.” I shot back.

      Seth rolled his eyes. “I keep telling you, I’m practically your age. So what’s with the past tense? What happened?”

      “I saw him at recess and said hi. He completely ignored me. I thought that was kinda weird, but went off to the library to read.”

      “You are such a badass.”

      “Fuck you.”

      “Promises, promises.” He smirked at me.

      I rolled my eyes. “Anyway, I went to sit with him at lunch time, and he got up and left. Just totally ignored me.”

      “Ouch.”

      “Yeah. But then Carmen came over.”

      “Oh, that bitch!” I’d complained about her to my friends before.

      “Mmm. Her. She was laughing at me, and she said, ‘you didn’t really believe someone like that could like someone like... you?’ She laughed again, and said, ‘it’s ok. I rescued him. I told him how much a slut you were.’”

      “Hang on, that made him not like you?” Seth sounded confused. I rolled my eyes at him. “No seriously, who cares who you sleep with?”

      I shook my head. “Humans.”

      “Man. Humans suck.”

      “Sure do. Anyway, that’s why my life sucks at school. No one talks to me because of that bitch.” In spite of myself, СКАЧАТЬ