][ XXIV ][

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Lorin and I finally made it out of the embrace of the trees and onto the street I had been on. The woman's shoes were still there, worn and old. Lorin let go of my arm and stepped away from me, looking down at the ground and running a hand through his already mussed hair. I wondered what he was so guilty about. The knife? Talking to a demon?

"What's the knife for?" I asked suddenly, no emotion laced in my voice. Lorin snapped his gaze up to me, his eyes flying wide but then almost immediately regaining their cool look. He wasn't as good at the poker face as I was.

"I - I keep it in case something like that," - he gestured towards the trees with a jerk of his thumb - "ever happened."

"Well, why didn't you use it then?" I pressed. "Even though it wouldn't have done much to help you."

"I was shocked." He replied shortly, looking away. "Do your eyes always do that. . .?" He asked me, looking up at me again.

"Do what?"

". . .Change?" He answered back. "I don't know how to explain it but they always change what shade of blue they want to be. Guess you have those changing mood colour things for eyeballs, huh?"

"No, I don't. I guess it just shows you what -"

"What your face doesn't?" Lorin cut me off, challenging me from the confident, steely look he suddenly gave me.

"I guess." I replied, my tone short and clipped. "Another dead giveaway of what I'm feeling and thinking might be what my hands are doing."

"They're clenched into fists." Lorin responded as he looked down at my hands which indeed were in fists by my side.

"Exactly." I gritted through my teeth. Lorin slowly raised his gaze from my hands to my eyes, which were narrowed and shooting venomous, stony glares at him.

"H - hey. . .why are you so pissed off all of a sudden?" He questioned as he took a step backward.

"Maybe it's the fact that you tried making a deal with a demon - and most likely would have if I hadn't interfered - and that you tried to pull a knife on me thinking you could somehow get away with it." I said, barely containing my anger. "What did you think would happen? Did you think that I wouldn't see right through your shït poker face? Why would you want to pull a knife on me anyway? I can't be harmed."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Lorin yelled as he held up his hands in surrender and backed away. "The deal was tempting but I wouldn't take it! I know what comes out of those deals and the stupid demons always win! Also, I wasn't going to pull a knife on you! Do you think I'm that stupid?"

"Yes." I replied through my gritted teeth. My hands were beginning to twitch at my sides, itching to hit Lorin across his falsely astonished and weary face.

"Okay. . .come on, Ezra. Calm down, please. I wouldn't ever want to hit you with a knife! That's - that's like trying to like a lion off with a stick!" Lorin yelled, throwing his hands up in a wide gesture. "That's crazy!"

"Then, explain." I said, my temper cooling just a bit. "Explain everything. And tell the truth because it's really easy for me to see through your weak disguise and blank face."

"Uh. . .like - like what? Why I was talking to the demon woman?" Lorin questioned, looking like a vulnerable animal.

"You can start from there." I replied, staring at him.

"Well, I wasn't talking to her - she started talking to me. I was walking away from Rachel's house after I saw you and her devouring each other, through her window, and then suddenly I come across a nasty, dead deer. I walk a few feet, and there she was, that demon lady." Lorin explained but he never looked at me. Except for the part where he caught me and Rachel.

"She started speaking to me, lurking and - and. . .seducing me into a deal! You know how demons are when they want to get their way!" Lorin seemed flustered and. . .suspicious still. "Then, we saw you, and then we left and the whole knife thing was because I was scared she was going to follow us! I would be ready with at least some sort of weapon of she did follow us, you know?" Lorin said, his breaths coming out heavily, his eyes wide and wild, and his hair sticking out every way.

"Okay, now you calm down, Lorin." I said. It was like dealing with a caged animal. Right now, it seemed to me that Lorins only choice was to fight instead flight. He was going to lash out or explode if I didn't stop excusing and investigating him. "Let's just drop it."

"Huh? O - okay. . ." He exhaled, blinking rapidly as if that would help him regain his sanity.

"Give me the knife though." I ordered and Lorin shot his gaze up to me. "I don't trust you with it right now. You seem. . .unstable." I added to reassure that I was not suspicious of him.

"Alright. . .makes sense, I guess." He replied as he handed me the knife. His hand shook slightly as he held out the long, sleek blade. It was slim and smooth; it was something that could slide right through your skin without you even feeling it. There were designs, and unfamiliar, unknown letters etched into the grey metal. Its handle was embroidered with one large red stone that was set into the ebony steel of the handle. It looked too mesmerizing to be something so lethal.

"Thank you. I'll return it as soon as I can see that you're. . .normal-er." I said, and took the knife. Without looking at it again, I slid it into the pocket of my green hoodie and turned away from Lorin.

"Just don't - just don't use it!" Lorin yelled after me.

"I have many other. . .things I can use to kill someone." I stopped walking and called over my shoulder. "You should know."

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