A Fairy Tale

Chapter 4

Xander

    I adjust my tie, out of nervousness, in front of the intimidating doors fixed before me. The combination of knowing that my father is waiting on the other side, and my wings folded behind my back makes me feel enclosed and trapped. I shake them out a little only to have them swatted by Emma. I spin towards her and snarl as she continues to push them into place.

    "Will you quit looking at me like that?" She says and continues to fidget with my wings that are almost too heavy for her to move. I smirk as she struggles to lift them closer to my back. "I'm just making sure you look presentable," she huffs with the effort. After a few moments she gives up and moves in front of me, momentarily separating me from the massive doors. Her hands purposefully slide down the arms of my suit, smoothing out any creases; her foot sharply kicks mine which causes me to stumble a little before I regain my balance and stand up straight. I shoot her a warning look, to which she responds by taking a step back. "There! Much better," she smiles. I respond by giving her a scowl.

    Her smile slowly disappears, replaced with worry. "What's wrong?" I ask concerned. She quickly looks away, but not before I see pain twisted on her face. "Hey," I lean forward to meet her at eye level. "It's going to be okay. I'm gonna go in, talk to my father, and come back out okay. You'll see." I cringe at how empty and fake my words sound, even to me. She notices and covers her face with her hands, her body quivering a little. It catches me off guard to see her so unfocused. When we were younger she was always the favorite. Being a purple demon only added to her charisma. With her mouth always set in a determined hard line. You could always see the focused anger in her eyes, always balanced. As the top demon in her training classes she quickly moved up in strength to be constantly paired up with me. As a pure-blood, this is considered a high honor. All the other demons in training look up to her. As do I.

I reach my arms out and pull her towards me, shielding her with my broad body. Her head rests on my cheek as she leans into me. My grip tightens as I close my eyes, reaching out to her with my mind. I see a bright light before her memories hit me at full force. I gasp as I feel how strong her emotions are as they drag me down. Before they take me with her, I grab a light at random.

   My eyes open to see a desolate place. A dry wind blows across the dusty surface, ashes raining down from the sky. Un-owned shadows pass across the floor, moving. My arms are trapped behind my back uncomfortably trapped in shackles. I struggle to get out of them when I realise that my inhuman strength is proved useless and my wings are gone. I mutter in frustration when I hear a cry for help. I turn around to see multiple black figures holding young demons captive. Their faces are covered in black masks, leaving enough space for their ugly mouths full of fangs and tongues to show. They each hold a long spear made of cedar wood and moussaieff red diamond, each pointed at the young demons. They appear to be separating the purebloods from the unclean. I hear the cry once again, I walk forward looking through the masses to pinpoint the source. Separated from the rest is a girl in a ragged dress and torn wings struggling against two of the black figures. Her hands are clasped behind her back by a steel block, the bottom of her feet are painted in dirt, scratches cover her arm from where they hold her.

    She is looking at a boy around her age. His image almost identical to her own. His eyes are hauntingly closed. She tries to run towards him but her arms are being held in place by some unknown force, twisted painfully behind her back. She's screaming and crying at the same time, begging for them to let him go. His captors start to walk away, dragging him in the dirt. Painfully, his eyes open. I'm shocked to see green eyes looking back at me. His face softens slightly. His mouth moves as he speaks. A ghost of a smile. A small comfort for her. Then he's gone.

Quickly, I wrap my mind around hers like a blanket, covering her up in my warmth before I leave. Returning to my own body I hear her breathing more calmly. My hand reaches up to stroke her hair. "Emma?" She responds by mumbling into my suit. "Who was that boy?" She looks up.

"You don't know?" Her eyes are confused and there's something else, hurt? Maybe.

"No. Am I supposed to know?" She continues staring at me. Searching my eyes for some unknown answer. Her lips slightly part open.

"It was you Xander." My eyes widen. I search my mind for the same memory I saw in hers. But all I can recall is a fuzzy haze. I push harder. My mom. Salt in my mouth. Pain on my back. My mind becomes white again. It hurts. I press my fore and middle finger to my forehead, hoping to ease the pain with no luck.

"I don't understand." I look at her confused, begging for an explanation. She sighs and shakes her head.

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell you when you're ready." I give her a frustrated look as she pushes me towards the doors. "Hurry up and get in there before your dad gets mad." I trip forwards a little before I regain my balance and stand before the foreboding doors. I turn my head around to look at her. She gives me a weak smile and puts her thumbs up. I laugh nervously as I face forward and loosen the tie around my neck. My hands fall to my sides as I slowly breathe in and out again. I refuse to show any weakness in front of him. I step forward and push the doors open. Ready for what's about to come.

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A/N: Sorry about the late post. My phone has been broken for the last few months and I had no way of updating my story. I was able to finish a few chapters, just working on editing them and then I'll post them.

I hope you enjoy this one!