Enamored | ✓

7. The First Game

"Through me you pass into the city of woe:
Through me you pass into eternal pain:
Through me among the people lost for aye.
Justice the founder of my fabric moved:
To rear me was the task of power divine,
Supremest wisdom, and primeval love.
Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I shall endure.
All hope abandon, ye who enter here."
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

Many days and nights passed that I haven't heard nor seen Daemon. I slept peacefully without the haunting dreams of shadows clutching my feet, pulling me down to a dark abyss. No more incoherent seductive whispers at night that begged me to say three words. No more waking up in the dead of night clutching my sheets in dread of the tattooed men and the darkness that surround my room. Or so I thought. My mundane life continued as it was regardless of the burn of the tattoo Daemon imprinted on my skin each time I'm near Angelo or a church.

I tried my best to retain the normalcy of my mundane life. Since the events that followed from my stupidity of taking the apples from the devil himself, I saw the world I lived in through different lenses. Los Angeles was no longer the City of Angels. The name was just a misnomer; an illusion. I have turned a blind eye that I realized the unfairness of the world I lived in.

The restaurant I worked at maintained its popularity leaving me and my coworkers drawn out and exhausted. Most of them complained that they do not get paid enough to work at a five star restaurant compared to other restaurants. I agreed, but I kept quiet. After all, beggars can't be choosers.

School started once more and it became my distraction and my wake up call that halted my brooding thoughts on Daemon and the tattooed men I saw. For a moment, I forgot that I had responsibilities of saving up for college and helping my parents with the bills. How could I be so selfish to only think about myself?

I haven't heard from Brittany after our fight back at my apartment while Ted, Daniel, and Summer went home leaving me and Angelo by ourselves. Angelo kept true to his word. Although I have this nagging feeling that he doesn't believe anything that happened between Daemon and our friends, we hung out after school frequently. My parents continued to work their graveyard shifts while I attempted to focus on school work and fighting senioritis.

Overall, today was another long day at school and work. The night air was refreshing as I got off the bus and walked home with my work heels in hand. The full moon was high in the sky casting an ethereal glow over LA. I finally got home and I fumbled with my keys when I felt a presence behind me.

"Working late again, Celeste?" a hoarse voice asked behind me. Turning, I waited for the owner of the voice to reveal themselves.

Like a snake, my neighbor Ramon slowly stepped out of the shadows, his hands behind his back. The moon accentuated the mischievous glint in his cobalt eyes giving him the look of a predator. It irked me that he reminded me of Daemon.

I inserted the key into the door and struggled to get the door to open as always. Ramon was making me uncomfortable with his staring and I heaved my shoulder into the door to open it. Ramon continued to speak.

"My offer still stands. I could always use some help selling 'candies' to my clients." He said, tilting his head to the side.

"Thanks, but no thanks." I grunted as the door opened. Finally.

"You'll earn twice than your regular wage." He offered.

I stepped inside the apartment and before I closed the door to his face I replied, "Really Ramon, thank you for the offer, but I don't think I'll be taking it anytime soon." I quickly slammed the door shut before he could speak.