I was floating in water, under the surface. It was dark and cold.

Out in the distance was a light.

I struggled trying to get to the surface so I could get a breath but no matter what I did I remained in the exact same spot. The light neared. I tried to hold my breath but my lungs were bursting. I exhaled the air and sucked in the water.

I was drowning.

My body shook and jerked with each water filled breath. My went rigid and I was unable to move but I was still conscious, able to see and feel everything.

My mother appeared before me. She looked exactly same as the day she died. I reached out to touch her. If I could just reach her I could save her and this time I wouldn’t have to mourn the loss of her.

But she disappeared into the darkness of the water.

I screamed into the water, making no sound. The pain of losing her tore my heart into two halves..

Damien appeared in front of me. I was suspended in the water. Our eyes held.

He held his hand out to me. His fingers long and thin. I’d never really taken notice of them before.

I shook my head. I hated him, I didn’t want his help.

The pain he had fed off for years returned all at the same moment. Every frightened memory, every tear, every time I nearly gave in rushed through me. My body trembled.

His hand remained steady as he held it out for me.

Our eyes connected and I wavered.

Slowly, I lifted my hand and reached for his.

The moment our hands touched he held mine in his. His grip firm.

Light exploded from us and I was momentarily blinded.

The next moment, I was drenched at on the sand. Near the river bank. On my hands and knees I wrenched the water from my lungsZ over and over again.

When I could finally take a breath I collapsed on the sand before turning to lay on my back as I stared up to the sky.

Damien stood above me. “I hate you.” His voice cold.

“I hate you too,” I whispered through the
hoarseness in my throat.

I shot up in the bed. The only sound was my breathing as I put my hand to my head. I put my hand to my chest, my clothes were dry.

It had only been a dream.

Two red glowing eyes watched me from the corner of my room. Damien. He was unusually silent as he stared at me with an ominous expression.

I calmed my erratic breathing. “No snide remark?”

I wanted to bate him into some sort of response, any response was better than the silence I was getting. It was crazy. For so long I had craved his silence and now all I wanted was him to talk, even if he wasn’t saying anything nice.

“You know, this is driving me nuts,” I said, pulling the covers up to my waist as I held his stare.

“What?”

Finally, he said something.

“The silence. I don’t know what happened Damien but you’re different.” Physically he looked exactly the same but the change went deeper than skin.

“You’re imagining things.” His voice sharp.

He could say what he liked but it was the truth.

Trying to talk to him was like trying to draw blood from a stone.

“Well at least you’re going to make things easier for me,” I said as I settled back down and lay on my side. “A quiet demon will be much easier to ignore.”

I hoped antagonizing him would spark him back to his usual self but he remained silent.

That hadn’t worked how I had hoped.

For the rest of the night I tossed and turned. When the sun finally rose I got out of bed, yawning. At the rate I was going I wouldn’t be able to cope if I didn’t get a decent night’s sleep. But every time I closed my eyes all I could remember was the feeling of drowning and the fear attached to it.

Even now when I thought about it, it took my breath away, like the water in my lungs.

I had to keep my mind busy so I didn’t allow myself to think about it.

At school I went from class to class trying my best to keep myself focussed on what the teacher was saying even thought I was exhausted. Damien followed me around but he didn’t say much. It was starting to irritate me that he wasn’t his usual self. All I wanted was some normality, even if it had been annoying.

I caught a glimpse of Parker in between my classes. He waved. I waved back forcing a smile. His aura was darker than before, it was worrying if what I suspected was the case but there was no way to confirm it. The only person who could do that wasn’t talking much at the moment.

It also didn’t help when I missed my bus home after school. I kicked at stone in frustration. I could call my grandmother but she had a doctor’s appointment. It was just a checkup but I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt it.

I stood for a moment outside of the school trying to figure out the quickest way home on foot before I started to walk.

“I don’t suppose you know the quickest way home?” I asked, when we got outside the school gates and there was no one to hear me.

When he didn’t respond I stopped to look back. But he wasn’t looking at me. His focus was behind us.

I couldn’t see anything. “What are you doing?”

It looked like he was watching something, something I couldn’t see.

I frowned as I moved closer to him.

“What’s it Damien?”

He looked back at me before shrugging. “Nothing. Let’s get going.”

I stared after him as he began walking away down the street. There was something up but he still wouldn’t tell me what. The question was why.

I looked back over my shoulder once more before I followed behind him.

“You should call your grandmother to pick you up,” he said as I joined him.

The insurance company had given her a rental while they were sorting out the claim.

“Why?” I asked.

For someone who wanted me to suffer the was suggesting the strangest thing.

“Why do you always have to question everything I say?” He stopped to glare at me.

“How about you tell me why?” I said, putting my hands on my hips.

His jaw tensed as he glared at me. “You’re impossible.”

I put my finger up to him to stop him from saying another word. “I’m a reasonable person who requires a reasonable explanation Damien. What I can’t understand is why you won’t explain it? Does this have something to do with the accident?”

He couldn’t look me in the eye and I knew there was a connection even if I didn’t know why.

“I won’t explain myself to someone I want to take back to hell. You are nothing to me Tessa. Nothing.” Venom laced with his voice. His eyes filled with fury.

I was taken aback by the ferocity of his tone.

“If you’d said that same a couple of days ago I would have believed you but right now I don’t believe a word you just said.”

“I won’t waste another second on this irrelevant conversation.” He glared at me.

“You can say what you like Damien but I know different.” I searched his eyes, for something.

“No you don’t. I can’t stand the sight of you. Each breath, every word. I hate everything about you. Every. Little. Thing.”

I backed up as he leered over me. He had never spoken to me like that before. And it was difficult not to believe it.

Hurt that I had seen something that didn’t exist I faltered another step back.

The glare from his eyes sent me back another step.

It was the screech of the tires that pulled my attention from him.

Time seemed to slow down as I saw the oncoming car approach me.

I stood fixed to the spot. My mouth opened in a scream when I realized the car was going to hit me and there was nothing I could do.

It was too late.