Where My Demons Hide

Chapter 18

    I woke up with a huge headache. My eyes fluttered open and immediately, I knew something was wrong. Since I was staring at a dingy, stone ceiling, I knew I was far from home.

    Sitting up, I looked around and realized I was in a cell when I saw bars. Looking around my jail room, I saw there was only a bed and toilet, which made me feel sick. It seemed like I was going to be living here.

    Memories of what happened yesterday were filling me. They weren't very clear due to my headache, but I remembered how Lydia and Dashawn attacked me and how they decided they would use me for a bargain between the demon hunters. Nausea rose up in me, knowing I was going to screw up everything my guardians seemed to be working hard on to stop.

    Standing up, I decided I couldn't let that happen. Maybe I didn't want any harm to come to The Demons - especially Haiden - but I didn't want the demon hunters to lose either. At the end of the day The Demons were the bad guys. My guardians and their team were the ones trying to protect the world, and I couldn't be the reason why they wouldn't be able to.

     Going over to the bars, I grabbed onto them and began to shout into the darkness I saw in front of me. I shouted help, save me, and anything that would bring possible help to me. It was futile to do that, knowing no one knew where to find The Demons, but it was better than doing nothing. It was better than being the damsel in distress.

    Suddenly, I heard heels clicking their way down what I believed were stairs. Hope fiiled me, but soon it was crushed when I saw Lydia and the Indian girl, Saniya, appearing out of the darkness. Lydia didn't look happy and I matched her unhappy look, wanting some answers. Glancing at Saniya, I saw she looked curious.

    "Why the hell are you yelling?" Lydia snapped. "You're waking the guys up and they're not pleasant when they're disturbed from their sleep."

    "Why am I here?" I asked, trying to remain calm. "Why me?"

    "You know why." Lydia glowered. "Shut up and leave us alone. Just wait for your guardians to come and rescue their precious adoptive child."

    Staring at Lydia, I found myself hating her. I never thought I could be capable of hate, but Lydia brought it out of me with her harsh attitude.

    "So you chose me to be your hostage because my guardians are one of the heads of the demon hunters?" I asked.

    "Shut up," Lydia said with finality.

    She turned around, leaving me panicking. Saniya shot me a sympathetic look and I ignored it, freaking out. If they left, I had a bad feeling they wouldn't come back.

    "I have more questions!" I shouted as Lydia and Saniya walked away. "What are you guys looking for!"

    They didn't look back. They didn't even hesitate as they disappeared into the darkness of the prison and I found myself taking deep breaths as I tried to remain calm. I couldn't believe the situation I had gotten myself into.

    Walking back to my bed, I told myself I needed to clear my mind. I needed to stop panicking and think of a way to escape. So curling into myself, I closed my eyes and tried to think back to the days Haiden and I were friends. Those days had calmed me then and they still calmed me now.

*****

    I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. No plan to escape had come to me so defeated, I found myself thoughtless as I stared at the dull ceiling. I felt helpless and scared and I was trying so hard not to show it.

    Suddenly, I heard pounding feet. Curious, I sat up in bed and wondered who was running downstairs. And before I knew it, Haiden was standing in front of my cell, looking freaked out.

    I shot up and walked over to him, thankful I could finally see a familiar face. Even though he looked worried and stressed, I found myself relaxing at the sight of him. Haiden had a way of making me feel at home, no matter where I was.

    "Hi," I said, standing by the bars and staring at him.

    "I never expected this," he said, surprising me. "I didn't think you'd become a key part of our mission. This is the last thing I wanted."

    Staring at him and seeing how unhappy he looked, something in me softened. My Haiden was there. The boy who used to care about me was right there in front of me. Despite the situation I was in, I found my heart growing light with happiness.

    "I'll be okay," I said, just like I did in the past when Haiden would worry. "Don't worry about me."

    "You know it's pointless saying that," Haiden said, his voice growing soft. "I'm so sorry Luna. You weren't supposed to be dragged into all this craziness."

    I didn't know what to say, so I just stared at Haiden. He stared back and I hoped my eyes conveyed how much I missed him during the time we didn't see each other. I hoped my eyes told him how happy I was that he would be around while I was locked up. I hoped he would finally realize he meant the world to me and that would never change, no matter how hard he tried to cut me out of his life.

    Suddenly another pair of feet pounded down the stairs and Lydia was soon by Haiden's side. Hate filled me at the sight of her, but she didn't look at me once. Lydia's eyes were all on Haiden and to my disappointment, Haiden's eyes were soon on Lydia. But staring at him, I realized he was angry.

    "What is she doing here?" Haiden asked flatly. "You guys never told me you took a hostage."

    "We couldn't find what we need," Lydia said, her voice soft for once. "We thought the smart thing to do was take that girl hostage and use her to bargain with the demon hunters. She's the leaders adoptive daughter."

    "You never asked me." Haiden's voice was rising. "We don't keep hostages. This could ruin our secret location."

    "They're not going to find us. Why are you so angry?"

    Lydia's eyes were wide and full of worry and Haiden's were hard. A small part of me felt happy they were arguing, but that made me feel bad. Couples fighting was never a good thing, so I averted my eyes for a moment, telling myself to calm down.

    "This wasn't smart," Haiden said, his voice flat. "Go bring her back."

    "No!" Lydia exclaimed. "You're not making any sense Haiden. Using her as a bargaining chip was the smartest idea Taylor had."

    "No it wasn't," he snapped.

    Lydia shrunk back at that and my eyes widened. Although Haiden wasn't the same sweet, innocent guy he was, I had never seen him shout. I'd never seen him so mad, which left me feeling guiltier than I already was. At this rate, I was ruining everyone's life.

    "I'm sorry," Haiden eventually said, sighing as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm just... Stressed and worried about everything."

    "I know. Being a leader isn't easy," Lydia said softly, putting a hand on Haiden's arm gently. "Let's go upstairs and sleep. I know you haven't been getting much sleep lately."

    Haiden hesitated for a second, but then he nodded, crushing me. Lydia took his hand and led him away, leaving me staring after them. My throat constricted as I realized Haiden had chosen Lydia over me.

    A tear slipped down my cheek and I felt hopeless. Everything was too much and I couldn't believe I ended up in a cell. All I wanted was my old best friend back, but things had gotten too complicated. I also knew Haiden may be my priority, but I wasn't his. It hurt a lot and crying, I dropped to my knees and broke down about everything.