Our Love is Evergreen

Chapter 58: Little Lying Delilah

   Demetrius didn't loosened his hold on Mia, who had shed a few tears.

"Are you okay?" Demetrius asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine," Mia replied. "You still haven't told be your name."

"Destler. Demetrius Destler," he replied.

"So, Demetrius, what's your story? Do you have parents? Siblings? Family of any kind?"

"Yes, I have both of my parents. My father's name is Gustave and my mother's name is Bella. I have a sibling on the way. I also have a grandfather named Erik, a grandmother named Christine, two aunts named Catherine and Aphrodite, and an uncle named Apollo. Aphrodite and Apollo are twins. They're the same age as I am. We all live together."

"You all live together? In the same house? How big is your house?" The girl questioned in astonishment.

"I wouldn't call it a house exactly," Demetrius hesitated. "We...live underneath the opera house."

"You actually live underneath the opera house? That's so cool! Please take me with you!"

"Take you to the catacombs?"

"Yes. Take me to the catacombs."

"Are you sure you want that?"

"Yes. Definitely. I want to go with you and I want to meet your family," Mia said definitively.

"Okay. I can pick you up tomorrow at three-" he began.

"No. I want to go now," the girl insisted.

So, Demetrius took her down to the catacombs. As they descended, Mia hummed a familiar song.

"Sing once again with me," Demetrius sang.

"You know that song?" Mia asked in surprise.

"Of course. It was first sang by my grandparents when my grandfather brought my grandmother down here for the first time," Demetrius explained.

"No way. Your family sounds so cool."

"They are definitely something."

"So, you didn't tell me why you were sitting in a corner crying," Mia reminded.

"I was trying to make some friends when one of the kids pulled of my-" Demetrius suddenly paused as he felt the side of face, realizing he didn't have his mask. "My mask. Where's my mask?" He asked frantically.

"What mask?" Mia asked, confused.

"I had a mask."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did. I was with those jerks and they pulled off my mask and I..."

"You what?"

"I...oh my goodness. They have my mask. I need to go back and get it."

"No!" Mia exclaimed. "You promised you would bring me to the catacombs. Besides, what do you need a mask for?"

"Not for any mortal sin, but the wickedness of my abhorrent face," Demetrius replied, covering the distorted side of his face with his hand.

"You don't need a mask," The girl insisted, pulling Demetrius's hand away from his face.

"Curse you! You little lying Delilah!"

"My name is Mia. That's not even close to Delilah," Mia argued as she pushed Demetrius into to the light. It was the first time Mia had seen him out of the shadows. She still stuck to her previous statement about the boy not needing a mask. Even after clearly seeing his distorted face.

Demetrius began to realize that Mia was his friend. She wasn't looking to harm him, nor mock him, nor sell him to gypsies. She just wanted to be his friend.

"Demetrius, forget about your mask. Forget these wide eyed fears. I'm here. Nothing can harm you. Let me be your freedom. Let me dry your tears. You're safe. Your fears are far behind you," Mia continued.

"All I want is freedom and a world with no more light," Demetrius replied.

"No more light?"

"What? I like the dark. I lurk in the shadows for a reason."

Mia laughed and the pair continued down the winding staircase, leading them further into the catacombs.
Demetrius for once felt that he actually had a friend. While it is true that Apollo and Aphrodite were his friends, he felt like they were only his friends because he was their nephew. But now, he knew that he had a real friend. And who knows? Maybe one day they would be more. For now though, he was perfectly happy with having Mia as just a friend. For now.