Torn: Chapter 1 & 2
| Chapter One |
Jared Padalecki reluctantly opened his eyes and stared out of the large window of the science lab. He rested his head on the desk with his arms folded beneath him. He sighed as he watched the high school football team running a lap of the field, rather disgruntled that the coach’s yelled instructions had woken him up.
“Mr Padalecki?” A female voice cut into his thoughts from the front of the classroom.
Jared lifted his head from his arms and looked through glazed, hazel eyes at his teacher. He gave a sigh as he recognised the signs of being in trouble.
“The answer?” She looked at him sternly, a raised, neatly plucked eyebrow showing from beneath the rim of her spectacles.
“The answer?” He said and sat up straight, wiping at his mouth, fearing that perhaps he’d drooled, as his classmates turned around on their stools to look at him. “Right, the answer is…” He looked up at the board, his eyes skimming over the projected notes.
“DNA,” someone answered on his behalf. “The answer’s DNA, Miss Chapman.”
Miss Denise Chapman flicked a curled blonde lock over her shoulder and turned back to the board, the light of the projector bouncing off her floral patterned, silk shirt. “Thank you, Jensen,” she said and raised the extended pointer toward the board, a moment as she smoothed out the front of her skirt. “Jared, I will see you at three o’clock. We’ll discuss what you’ve missed then,” she said before swiftly moving back to her teaching.
Jared sighed, a hand pulled back through his dark, shaggy bangs as he briefly met the boy’s, Jensen’s, eyes. He frowned, the guy just dismissively turning back toward the front of the class. “Yes, Miss,” he said flatly, as the class returned to focus on the lesson. He sank in his seat, lowered his eyes, and looked out across the field, the football team now alternating between doing star jumps and press ups. He couldn’t wait until the lesson was over.
~*~
Chad Michael Murray spread himself out across the school bench; his arms wide as he leaned back against the hard wooden edge, and wearing a smirk on his face as he watched cheerleading practice. He chewed on his gum and tilted his head to one side, hoping to catch a glimpse of delicate panties beneath the splayed out skirts of the twirling girls. With a sigh, he looked around and raised a hand to play with the front of his hair. He was very particular about how it looked, each blonde spike having its own place.
“Jay-boy,” Chad said cheerfully, watching as the tall figure of Jared emerged from between the parked cars of the remaining teachers and students. The main bulk of the student body had left almost an hour ago, only cheerleaders and nerds hanging around for various clubs. “She chew you out?” He asked as he shuffled sideways to make room for Jared to sit down beside him.
Jared looked his friend up and down, before he sat down and shrugged. “No more than usual,” he sighed and watched the cheerleaders as they started to form a tower. He crossed his leg, a gentle shake of his sneakered foot as he tried not to laugh as one of the guy cheerleaders missed his footing, the tower crumbling into a muddle of limbs. Jared looked at Chad, impressed that he seemed to be wearing yet another new shirt, and jeans Jared swore he’d never seen before.
“You look like crap,” Chad suddenly pointed out, and scratched at the fair coating of stubble under his chin.
“Gee, thanks,” Jared huffed and leaned back his head, his eyes watching the dark clouds slowly moving overhead. “I think it might rain.”
Chad quirked an eyebrow and glanced up to the sky. “Uhuh.”
Jared sighed, rolled his head to one side, and met Chad’s curious blue eyes. “Never mind.”
“You really should get out more,” Chad decided, a smile as he had a thought. “You wanna come to Dixie’s tonight? There’s live music on.”
Jared shook his head and leaned forward. “You know I hate that country stuff.”
“Yeah, but you ever seen anyone asking for I.D?” Chad reminded him.
Jared grinned. “Fair point,” he laughed and lifted his hips, pulling his cell from his jeans’ pocket. He looked at the time. “I should head home. Grams will be expecting me. Maybe another night?” He suggested.
Chad nodded. “Sure. Maybe you should get some sleep, cos really dude…” He looked at Jared and sighed. “You look like you need it.”
Jared jerked his head, his hair falling away from his forehead as he considered Chad’s observation. “Not been sleeping too great lately.”
Chad pursed his lips. “I could always…”
“I don’t think so,” Jared told him. He didn’t need Chad getting him anything. Just because Chad enjoyed being stoned half the time, it didn’t mean he did too, despite them being friends.
“Don’t say I didn’t offer,” Chad grunted as he got to his feet. He looked down at his friend, dishevelled hair and creased jeans, a green shirt; the colour reflected in hazel eyes. “Later. Go get some fucking sleep.”
Jared sat on the bench and watched as Chad walked off towards his car, a sigh as his friend got into the large SUV. He tried not to be jealous, he really did. Chad had everything, the car, the clothes, the confident swagger, and the one thing Jared craved more than any other- parents. He turned back to watch the cheerleaders for a little while longer, their bright smiles and athletic legs entrancing him. Eventually he had to move, and pushed himself up off the bench. He got to his feet and straightened out the shirt he wore as best he could. With his hands pushed deep in his jeans pockets, he started the twenty minute walk home.
~*~
“That you, Pudding?” A voice called through from the back room as Jared pushed shut the front door to the single story house.
“Yes, Grams,” he called, his keys tossed onto the table in the hallway. Slowly he made his way through to the back of the house, his feet dragging over the well trodden red carpet. He sighed as he stuck his head around the kitchen door, a small smile as he found his grandma standing in her much loved ‘Kiss the cook’ apron, flour smudges on her brow. “Hey,” he said as he stepped into the kitchen and peered over her shoulder. “What you making?”
“Apple pie,” she said cheerfully, her flour covered hand coming up to gently touch her grandson’s cheek. “I was talking to that lovely young man who cleans next door’s pool again today. He said how my pies are the best he’s ever tasted.” She watched as Jared walked to the refrigerator, a can of soda taken from the door. “You look tired,” she noted as she started to roll out the pastry she’d made. “Maybe you should stay in tonight.”
“I can’t, Grams,” he said with a sigh, as he pulled out the chair from under the dining table and dropped down on the flattened blue cushion. “It’s still there, that feeling.”
His grandma lowered her rolling pin and turned around, leaning back against the edge of the wooden kitchen unit as she brushed a strand of her short, grey hair back into place. “I’d feel better if you stayed in and got some rest.” She looked at her grandson with concern. “You’ve been doing too much. No one expects you to-”
“I won’t dishonour her,” Jared insisted, his hand curling into a fist against the wooden table top.
“You wouldn’t be,” Grams told him.
“I just want her to be proud of me,” Jared said as he looked up and met the pale blue of his grandma’s eyes.
Grams stepped forward, a sigh as she looked down at her daughter’s son. “She would be proud, and not just because of that. You’ve grown into an amazing young man. You’re applying to college, and you have friends who look up to you. You’re good looking,” Grams added with a grin. “Your mom would never have wanted you to miss out on anything. You meant the world to her.”
Jared lowered his eyes. “I just wish…” He smiled as he felt warm arms around his neck, and smelt the scent that reminded him of home and safety.
“I know, baby. I miss her too.”
Jared closed his eyes and let his grandma hold him tight. Since his mother’s death, almost thirteen years ago, he’d lived with his grandmother. She was older than a lot of the other grandmas he’d met through his friends, although no one would think it. At almost eighty years old, Grams was one of the sprightliest old ladies Jared had ever seen. Even his friends thought so. She cooked, she cleaned, she flirted with next door’s pool boy, and she had the best backhand on Wii Sport Tennis in the neighbourhood.
“But she’d want you to be safe. There are others to take on her responsibilities.”
Jared shook his head. “Since I was a little kid it’s all I’ve wanted to do. To protect people.” He looked up at his grandma. “Because I couldn’t protect her. Not then.”
Grams leaned forward, a light kiss to Jared’s forehead. “You were just a baby.”
“But not anymore. They let me train. You let me train. You must have known what I wanted to do?” Jared looked up at her with big eyes.
Grams sighed and released her hold on Jared, her arms falling to her sides as she considered the question. “I knew,” she said, a sigh as she returned to her pastry. “Your mother killed her first demon when she was fourteen, younger than you are now. She was just like you, determined to prove herself, and prove that she was worthy to tread in the footsteps of her father; your grandfather.” She stopped as she picked up the rolling pin. “Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing.”
Jared watched as his grandma started to move the rolling pin gently over the pastry. “I wish I’d gotten to meet my father.”
Grams glanced over her shoulder, a soft sigh. “You’d have liked him, I think,” she said as she continued to flatten the pastry. “I only met him a handful of times. He was tall like you.” She smiled. “Maybe taller.”
Jared folded his arms on the table and rested his chin against his forearm. He sighed, a small smile as his breath tickled the hairs on his arm. He knew bits and pieces of his parents’ lives. Both of them had been members of The Lyend, a centuries old organisation entrusted with the power to banish the souls of demons back to the ether. “He freed demon souls too, right? Like Mom and me?”
“He did,” she said, and lowered the rolling pin to the flour coated counter top. “Your mom loved him in the short time they had together. She’d never let anyone in before him. She always thought being alone was for the best.” She carefully lifted the pastry and dropped it in the bottom of the heatproof dish. She gently pressed the pastry around the dish, a smile as she remembered her daughter. “But then she met your father, and soon after, you came along . She doted on you both.”
“What happened to him? You’ve always said it was a demon, but how?”
Grams sighed as she took the other ball of dough and pressed it against the counter surface. “It was something incredibly old. You know there are two kinds of demons? Those that were human once, angry souls trapped and deformed until they become one of those things.” She stopped rolling as she considered her words. “And then those that have always been there, horrid creatures that lure new souls into their dark world, and torment them until they lose everything that they were.”
Jared nodded. He’d heard many bedtime stories in the last thirteen years.
“They rarely make it through into our world, but sometimes, sometimes they find a tear large enough. They’re vicious things. Your mom was hunting one. She’d go on and on about this terrible presence she could feel.” Grams turned around to look at Jared. “Your father died protecting her.”
Jared lowered his eyes and stared at the dark, laminate, wooden floor. He hated how demons had stolen away both of his parents. “But Mom got it?”
Grams smiled. “Of course she did. She was the best.”
Jared met the comforting eyes of his grandma. He wasn’t sure what to say.
Grams sighed and turned back around. “Maybe you should take a nap. I’ll call you when supper’s ready.”
Jared gave a small nod and lifted his head from his arms. “Okay,” he gave in and got to his feet. He walked to his grandma’s side and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks,” he said, giving a smile as he wandered to the front of the house and his room.
~*~
Jared stood in the middle of the city park. He closed his eyes as he listened, the atmosphere silently surrounding him as he waited. He slowly opened his eyes as he heard voices, two men jogging through the park, i-Pods in their ears as they ran together. He walked over to one of the park benches and sat down, his eyes scanning the line of the park.
He’d been feeling the same presence for the last three days, but as of yet, the demon had eluded him. He sat and waited in the place where he knew it would eventually come; two mutilated bodies of local runners had already been found amongst the brush. He sighed and pushed his hands deep into his jacket pockets. He often wondered what it was that drew a demon to certain people; perhaps their strong spirit? He sank down on the bench, his skin prickling as he sensed something near.
He slowly pulled his hands out of his pockets, swallowing uncomfortably as he heard low sounds behind him. He spread his right hand wide, his skin starting to glow as he felt the energy he possessed soaring the length of his arm. A growl came from behind, and Jared sprang to his feet, his arm slashing behind him as he turned in the air. He landed on the ground, legs bent as he looked up at the space above the bench.
Jared narrowed his eyes and looked over the flickering outline of the beast before him, the demon wailing as a thick, dark substance sprayed out from its shoulder. Jared watched the beast stand, the bloody wound he’d inflicted glaring angrily back at him as the demon’s form became clear. Its giant horns reared into the air as the demon opened its jaw wide, and cried out.
Jared got to his feet and focused on the ripples of steam emanating from the hell hot body of the demon. He took a steadying breath, a moment’s concentration as the inherited energy pulsed down his arm, a shape forming as he wrapped his fingers around the warm hilt of the weapon he was able to create, a sword. He stood his ground, a flinch as the beast raised its uninjured arm, a curled fist slamming down to the ground, wood splintering as the bench crumpled under the heavy weight.
Jared curled his fingers tightly around the weapon he held in his hand; two foot of glowing silver protruding toward the night sky. It was a strange sensation, something he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to; the weapon an extension of himself, energy drawn from within and around him, and morphing together. He took a step back as the demon settled its blood red eyes on him. He waited, the beast dragging its heavy limbs forward, the ground complaining with a low rumble.
Jared raised his other hand and secured his hold on the sword. He took a breath and started to run, the weapon held high as he rushed towards the sneering demon. He held the beast’s icy gaze as he pushed himself into the air. With gritted teeth, he brought his sword down hard, a crackling sound as it slammed down against the creature’s reared head; the beast’s horn and Jared’s energy coming together.
The demon roared, its long snout open wide as it cried up to the orange tinted moon. It sensed its attacker land to its right, its head quickly down as it struck out. It snorted loudly as its horns cut through the air, successfully striking the young warrior of The Lyend hard in the ribs.
Jared fell forward, the wind knocked from his lungs as he crashed down onto his hands and knees. With the loss of concentration, he found himself suddenly defenceless, the sword crumbling and dissipating as its energy was absorbed into the earth. He rolled frantically onto his back, looking up into the wide, rage filled eyes of the demon. The demon stepped forward, its clawed feet digging into the soft dirt. Its stance was similar to that of a gorilla, knuckles dragging on the ground as it forced itself onward.
Jared scrambled to his feet, a dozen quick steps before he was able to compose himself. He turned around, and set his eyes on the approaching demon. He held out his arms, both his limbs out wide and held away from his body. He could feel a heat ripple over his skin, energy forcing its way out of him and forming into something solid, something like metal. He firmly gripped the two swords he now held and began to run, leaping and slicing both weapons through the air. He felt them make contact with the demon, this time the powerful blades cutting through leathery skin.
Jared landed on the ground and quickly turned around, a smile on his face as he looked at the wide expression on the demon’s face. With a gasp, the beast crumpled forward, severed limbs falling beside it. Jared watched cautiously, the demon writhing desperately on the ground. Slowly he moved closer, one sword raised and starting to glow with the renewed energy Jared was able to give it. “Be at peace.” He pulled back his arm and forced the weapon through the chest cavity of the downed demon. The air exploded with a tremendous cry, blood misting the atmosphere as Jared sank the blade deep into the demon’s body.
There was a sound, a strange whisper as the beast started to convulse, its chest tearing itself apart. Jared stepped back as the soul fought for its freedom. He lowered his weapons, a sense of becoming whole again as they began to fade away, the energy they possessed returning to him. He watched in amazement as the flesh surrounding the soul burned away, the demon’s body starting to turn to ash before him. Narrowing his eyes, he watched the bright light fade to nothing. He’d done his job, the job his mother had once had. The soul was free.
| Chapter Two |
Jared felt like his lungs were going to explode as he skidded around the corner of the school corridor. He could hear his sneakers squeal across the polished tiles as he slid to the floor. He grumbled as he scrambled to his feet. He was fifty minutes late for the double science lesson again! Miss Chapman was going to kill him.
Jared stopped outside the classroom door, a deep breath as he pushed it open. He looked sheepishly into the room as Miss Chapman and the class turned to look at him. He gave a small smile and said apologetically, “I’m late.”
Miss Chapman cleared her throat and focussed on the late boy. “Good afternoon, Mr Padalecki,” she huffed sarcastically as she folded her arms across her chest. “I suggest you get yourself to the Principal’s office. I’ll come and collect you when we take a break.”
“Yes, Miss,” Jared sighed, his eyes falling to some of his classmates.
“Well, run along,” she insisted.
Jared hitched his bag a little higher on his shoulder as he pulled the door closed, and stepped back into the hallway. “Crap,” he sighed.
~*~
Jared sat in the Principal’s office, his head down as he listened to a hundred and one reasons why tardiness was not the way to get into college.
“Well?” Principal Scott asked.
Jared raised his eyes and met the annoyed stare of Principal Scott. “What?” He asked, immediately regretting it as the giant of a man got to his feet.
Principal Ian Scott folded his arms across his large chest and looked down on the teenager sat in front of him. In his time he’d seen a great many students pissing away what could be a great future. “You think this is the way to make something of yourself, Jared? Think this will impress your rich friends?”
Jared frowned at what he knew was a reference to Chad. Yes, Chad had money, but it wasn’t the only thing that Chad was about.
“Because it isn’t,” Scott continued. “You’re a bright boy. Your scores show that, or did. You have to decide what’s important to you.”
Jared sighed. “I’m not trying to impress anybody,” he stated, knowing full well he should be staying quiet right now.
Principal Scott settled his deep brown eyes on Jared, a shake of his head as he then moved around his desk. “Perhaps not, but blatant disregard for the school rules and timings are surely not for your teachers’ benefits.”
“I just overslept,” Jared tried to explain. “I had a bad night and…” He stopped and let his eyes drift to the open window.
“This is the third time you’ve been sent to me in the last two weeks. If something is creating this problem, we have a school counsellor.”
Jared raised an eyebrow. “No, really, it’s nothing. You’re right. I’m just…” He shrugged.
“So, when colleges come looking for a reference, you’d like me to write what?”
Jared let his gaze wander around Principal Scott’s office, his eyes skipping over paperwork to the family photograph at the end of a large wooden desk. He hadn’t realised it, but he was staring.
“My wife and son,” Scott said, a hand raised to scratch at the nape of his neck, short dark hair touching the line of his collar.
Jared cleared his throat and looked back up at the Principal. “Can I go back to class now?” He asked.
Principal Scott sighed and perched himself on the edge of the desk. “Your teachers are growing concerned about you. You’re late to class, late with your assignments, and you’re going to start falling behind.”
“I just… I have this job. It’s important, and…”
“A lot of things are important at your age, Jared,” Scott assured him. “But is some lousy few bucks an hour job really worth risking your future over?”
Jared lowered his head. What was he supposed to say?
Principal Scott looked at the top of Jared’s head, a gentle sigh as he considered the student in front of him. “Look. Go to class, work hard, and please make sure you get here on time tomorrow.”
Jared nodded and got out of the cushioned chair. “Thank you, Sir.” He gave a small smile and headed back to class.
~*~
Jared smiled apologetically as he found himself sat opposite his new lab partner. “So, hi,” he said in an attempt to make conversation, and stared at the top of Jensen Ackles’ head. “You want a hand with that?” He watched as Jensen made notes from a large textbook.
Jensen sighed and raised his head, green eyes briefly meeting Jared’s. “No. Just sit there and stay quiet,” he told Jared, his head back down as he continued to make the notes he needed.
“We’re supposed to be partners,” Jared pointed out as he watched Jensen. “Together and all that.”
Jensen lowered his pen and looked over his shoulder to the front of the class; Miss Chapman was busy talking to a pair of girls. “What grade did you get on your last assignment?” Jensen asked as he looked at Jared, his eyes bright as he waited for an answer.
Jared shrugged. “The last one I handed in?”
Jensen sniffed a laugh. “Yeah. I think I’ve got this.”
“You’d do the whole thing?” He looked at Jensen curiously. He didn’t know much about the boy sat in front of him, other than his name was Jensen Ackles; dirty blond hair and shockingly bright green eyes. For some reason he found himself suddenly interested.
“Do you want an A?” Jensen asked as he turned over the page of the textbook.
Jared considered the question. He could get an A if he really wanted to. “Whatever.”
Jensen reached across the desk and picked up another textbook. “Here, page sixty-eight, the female reproductive system.” He threw it down in front of Jared. “Amuse yourself with that.”
Jared sighed and stared at the book. “Well, this is gonna be fun,” he muttered to himself.
~*~
“Yo, Jay,” Chad said cheerfully, as he jumped down from the white SUV and landed in front of his friend. “Dixie’s was awesome, man. You should have been there. Austin was off his fucking face.”
Jared waited as Chad locked up the car. “You didn’t make it in before lunch then?” He laughed as Chad fell in step with him and they both headed up to the school building.
“Nope. Just got here,” Chad said with a grin.
Jared sighed as he looked up at the old school building. “You could get away with murder,” he decided.
Chad smiled. “How do you know I haven’t already?” He laughed and nudged his elbow against Jared’s arm.
Jared couldn’t help but smile. He could always rely on Chad to make him feel better, no questions asked. “I was late, and Chapman kicked my ass to Scott’s office. He seems to think you’re a bad influence.”
Chad stopped and shrugged. “I am though, aren’t I?” He said with a grin.
“I didn’t see you keeping me up all night,” Jared sighed, and then raised an eyebrow. “That didn’t sound right, did it?”
Chad started laughing, a soft sigh as he looked his friend up and down. “You’re hot, but not that hot. Kiki Ludlow. Know what I mean?” Chad smirked.
“Oh, please tell me you didn’t touch that?”
“Hey, she’s very accommodating.”
“Uhuh. Pretty sure that’s what the last five guys said too,” Jared said with a grin, and shoved Chad in the arm. “I’d better get to class,” he suddenly realised, as he heard the bell ringing from inside the building.
“We could always head to the arcade,” Chad suggested. “I mean seriously, who here needs Social Studies? My social life is damn awesome.”
Jared laughed. “You do realise today’s topic is Crime and Delinquency, right?”
Chad smiled as they started walking again, and said, “Could be fun, I suppose.”
~*~
Jared sat awkwardly at the desk and looked at his study partner. He came to the conclusion that someone had it in for him today. “Erm, so…”
“Page 108, women’s rights movements.”
Jared picked up the reference book that was pushed towards him, and held it closed in front of him. “I could help,” he offered.
Jensen Ackles lifted his head. “I want an A. So I’ll work, you can read.” He gave a smirk. “You can read, right?”
“I usually just look at the pretty pictures,” Jared said drolly as he slid down in his seat.
Jensen nodded. “Uhuh,” he said as he lowered his head and started to plan out the assignment.
Jared flicked through the pages, a sudden thought occurring as he reached the page Jensen had pointed out. “Why do you keep telling me to look at stuff to do with women?”
Jensen took a deep breath and lowered his pen, his eyes drifting around the room until they settled on one of the other members of the class. “You’re his friend, right? Murray?” He nodded across the room.
Jared looked over his shoulder and caught sight of his friend, a sniffed laugh as he watched Chad trying his hardest to impress the pretty, little blonde he’d been paired with. “I am,” he said, and turned back to Jensen.
Jensen simply smiled.
“I don’t share his attitude towards the girls round here. I’m not like him,” Jared protested.
Jensen sighed as he looked down at the paper he was writing on. “Then perhaps page 175, gay rights.”
“Gay’s have rights?” Jared joked.
Jensen raised his head and met Jared’s eyes, a lingering look as he pursed his lips. “Yeah, we do,” he suddenly said, and raised his hand. “Mrs Nelson?” He called, a smile as he caught the teacher’s attention. “I have a dental appointment, remember? Can I go now?”
Mrs Nelson looked up at the clock on her violet coloured wall. “Sure. Have you and Jared agreed on the interviews for your assignment?”
Jensen looked at Jared, noticing how Jared had turned an awkward shade of red. He looked back to Mrs Nelson as he got to his feet, pen and notebook tidied quickly into his bag. “We’re done,” he said, and left.
~*~
Chad yawned as he stirred his straw in the glass and stared at the frothy, strawberry milkshake. “You could do your own project. Maybe hand it in before he does.”
Jared sat back in the red, leather covered booth and shrugged. “He really doesn’t like me.”
“And you care because?” Chad asked as he took a drink of his milkshake.
Jared frowned. “I don’t know.” He really didn’t. Jensen had only been attending Westlake High School for the last couple of months, a rather late addition to the twelfth grade. Jared had, up until now, never had anything to do with Jensen. Sure he was in some of the same classes, but they didn’t exactly move in the same social circles. To be honest, Jared wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Jensen in any circle.
“Er, Jared,” Chad said, as he watched the frown line on Jared’s forehead getting deeper.
Jared sighed and looked down at his own drink, a mint chocolate milkshake. “It’s weird.” He said as he ran his finger over the condensation that had collected on the outside of the glass. “I don’t even know him, yet it bugs me that he doesn’t seem to care.”
Chad chewed lightly on his straw as he rolled up the sleeves of his pale tan jacket. “You know what you need?” He said.
“What?” Jared looked curiously across the table at his friend.
“Dana Markley.” Chad grinned. “Yeah? You, her…” He raised his hand and motioned his curled fist towards his O-shaped mouth.
“Firstly, no,” Jared told him. “Secondly…” He leaned forward and smirked. “Definitely, no.”
“You know she would.”
“Because you told me she did,” Jared pointed out. “I don’t want your sloppy seconds.”
Chad laughed and sat back in the booth, a strange smile forming across his lips.
“What?” Jared asked as he followed Chad’s eyes. “You’re kidding me?”
“You should go order something,” Chad suggested. “Make conversation.”
Jared sat and watched as Jensen tied an apron around his waist, the boy obviously just starting his shift at the diner. “About what exactly?” Jared asked as he leaned a little further back into the booth.
“The weather?”
Jared narrowed his eyes.
“Oh, Jensen, I never realised you worked here?” Chad said in a mocking voice.
“I didn’t,” Jared insisted.
Chad sighed and rolled his eyes. “Hence the suggestion, idiot.”
Jared sat and looked across the diner, watching as Jensen crouched down behind the counter. He tapped his fingers on the still half full glass. “I should go talk to him,” he decided and got to his feet, trying to ignore Chad’s snorted laughter as he left the booth.
Jared slowly walked to the front of the diner, and slid onto one of the high stools as he waited for Jensen to emerge from behind the counter. “Hi,” he said cheerfully as Jensen stood up. Jensen looked at him, surprised. “So you work here?”
Jensen raised an eyebrow and looked Jared up and down. “Well done, Sherlock,” he said, and folded his arms across his chest as he studied Jared. He glanced to his left, the assistant manager lingering at the end of the counter. With a sigh, his face softened, and he leaned forward slightly and grinned. “Welcome to Jackson’s Diner. What can I get ya?” Jensen put on a cheerful voice and pulled a small notepad and pen from the back pocket of his jeans.
Jared rolled his eyes. “Why are you such an ass?” He asked.
“I’m not an ass,” Jensen disagreed. “I’m just rude.” He smiled. “So, did you want something?” He asked, his voice holding less hostility as he met Jared’s eyes, a small sound as he cleared his throat. “I assume you do want something?”
“Could I get a couple of chocolate muffins?” Jared said the first thing that caught his eye. “Warm? And ice cream? Vanilla?”
Jensen wrote down the order and gave a small nod. “Sure. Where are you sitting?”
Jared pointed towards the booth at the far end of the diner, where Chad sat with a wide grin on his face. “Over there.”
Jensen sniffed a laugh as he noticed Chad waiting in the booth, perfect hair and expensive clothes spread across the red seat. “I’ll bring them over in five minutes. Anything else?”
Jared shuffled his feet nervously. “Erm…”
Jensen sighed impatiently. “I’ll bring the muffins over,” he said dismissively, and motioned for the next customer to step forward.
~*~
“Hey, Pudding,” Grams called from the living room, the sound of the television loud as she watched her evening shows. “You eaten?” She asked, and gave a smile as Jared appeared in the room.
“I did, but I think I’ll grab a sandwich in a little while.” He stepped back into the hallway, only to hear his name.
“Jared,” Grams called, turning to look up at her grandson as he reappeared in the door. “What’s wrong?”
Jared shook his head insistently. “Nothing’s wrong,” he told her.
Grams narrowed her eyes; she knew very well when her kin was lying to her. “Has something happened?” She prompted.
Jared lowered his eyes and shrugged.
“Jared?”
“Just some stuff at school,” Jared told her. “Nothing to worry about. I promise, Grams.”
Grams sighed thoughtfully. “You’re such a bright boy, Jared. Maybe you should focus on school for a little while.”
Jared shook his head. “I can feel it, Grams. It’s killed already. I can’t ignore that.”
“The Lyend can arrange for another to take up your role here. Someone else.”
Jared leaned his head against the doorframe, a soft sigh as he told her, “It was her job, and now it’s my job too.”
“There were three others between you and her, you know that. I don’t want to see you hurt, or worse.” She looked at her grandson worriedly. “You could be anything you wanted to be. Why this?”
Jared lowered his head. “Because I feel them. Them, and the power I have. I have to do something with that. Maybe find…” He stopped. “I want to find the demon that killed her. That night, I sensed it. I’ve never sensed anything like that since. Something old, and very angry.”
Grams turned back to the TV. How could she argue with him? “Just be careful,” she managed. “Please?”
Jared nodded. “I always am.”
~*~
Jared curled his hand tightly around the sword he held. Something didn’t feel right. He’d been hunting a demon, its angry, trapped soul crying out to him through the darkness. The cries had been getting louder and louder, and then suddenly, nothing. He stood in the dark alley, where a trail of crimson liquid was illuminated by the flickering streetlamp. Slowly he followed the trail, a frown as he looked at the torn carcass of what had once been a demon.
Jared held his weapon tightly, his skin radiating an orange-yellow heat as he neared the desiccated corpse. He looked at the body, steam rising off the recently killed demon and dissipating into the cool night air. He crouched down and looked over each blow the beast had received. The body had been hacked open, bone and flesh blown apart. Although supernatural in their origin, demons could be killed, just like anything else that was made of flesh and blood. Inflict enough damage, and the beast would fall, a bloody mess for the human world to see.
Jared stood up and held out his sword, the blade’s tip running gently over the dark, scaly skin. This had been a young demon, new to the blood and flesh of its world. He let his sword rest over the demon’s chest and plunged his blade deep inside the demon. He waited, his blade slowly turning in the space he’d created. He lowered his head, the sword pulled from the empty carcass; there was nothing there, no soul, nothing.
Carefully Jared moved closer to the demon and held his arms out in front of him. He closed his eyes, and let the energy he contained ebb along his limbs. He couldn’t leave the creature here to be found. He concentrated, his skin crawling with a bright light as he placed his hands on the beast’s horned head and spine. He repeated two words over and over again. Exuro evanesce.
He opened his eyes, a yellow tint to the beautiful hazel shade, and watched the demon start to glow; a ripple of heat started to burn away its flesh. He focused on the corpse. Taking a deep breath, he pulled back his hands as the demon burst into flames, a strange howling sound as bone and flesh started to melt away. He stepped back as he watched the body burn to almost nothing; a scorched, dark mark was all that remained on the concrete ground. He looked thoughtfully up at the sky as he wondered who, or what, had slain the demon.
| Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 |