Annalise
Annaslise would do what Annalise had done for the last six years, look to the positive and completely shove all negative feelings and trauma into a nice neat little box in the back of her mind. So she could ignore it, if she didn't think about the problem. Well, then there simply wasn't any problem.
Denial, denial, denial.
The weight of her final match against the other demon, hung in the back of her mind as she stared at the intricate white designs on the ceiling. How she had so cruelly pushed him down, and suffocated him to death. Of course he would revive in time, the only real way to kill a demon was decapitation. But her brain never really liked to follow logic.
Annalise turned around on her side, cuddling up in her duvet covers like a cocoon. It was behind her now, tomorrow she would be going back up-world. With Eiseth and Bael, she would be seeing Eugene once again. The anxiety and anticipation thrummed through her veins like a drum, jiggling her foot to try and shake some of it off.
She was at least thankful her two new friends would be coming with her. Bael had insisted, on the reason that he'd never once seen earth or real humans and not just their spirits. Eiseth, however, was more illusive, she claimed she wanted to go to be with her friends, but not once did she look Annalise in the eye while saying it.
Either way, they were going. In all honesty, this wasn't the first time since her year in hell began, that she had visited earth. Annalise had tried, whenever her auntie gave her the opportunity to visit. Which was once every other month. When she got to their house, however, no one was there. Everyone was gone.
But she still came, two months after. Annalise would sit inside the abandoned house and wait, the sinking feeling of being in limbo creeping in the longer she spent there. Stuck waiting for someone, once again. Just like when she was a ghost. It was definitely a surreal thought, but true nonetheless.
On the very last visit she could get, just before the Seven Trials of Hell, someone came back. She was sitting on the porch when it happened, basking in the evening sun. Annalise had been there since that morning, first she'd waited inside. But soon the memories from 5 years ago came back and she couldn't bear the silence anymore.
She'd vacated to the porch. In the near distance a figure appeared carrying a small cardboard box in his arms. Immediately Annalise shot up, a beaming grin on her face, her arms thrown wide.
"Cassius!" she'd shouted, rushing down the driveway to greet him. "Where have you been?! What are you doing?" She'd bombarded him, too eager in her excitement to notice the palor of his face and the dark bags under his eyes. He winced as she grabbed onto his arms a bit too tightly, and slowly she backed off to give him room to breathe.
"Annalise," Cassius replied, gently placing the box on the ground to take the sight of her in. Annalise was aware that she had changed, her human body had developed tighter muscles, the light in her eyes shone just that bit brighter and her teeth minutely sharper. All under the influence of the training she'd been under.
Cassius stole a glance behind her, looking at the abandoned house with something like regret before he drew her tightly into a hug. She froze for a minute. Cassius had hardly been very touchy within the months they had lived together. She'd learnt he avoided touch like the plague.
So something like a hug from the vampire was unheard of. Gently, as if reading her thoughts, Cassius began to withdraw but before he could completely she clutched him back with a tight squeeze. She let him go, taking a step back to fully look at him. He look tired. Not the normal kind, where you just didnt get enough rest. But the kind that settled into your bones like a parasite, draining you of everything you had.
"Where have you been?" Annalise repeated, her face screwed up in concern. Cassius scratched the back of his neck, looking toward the ground.
"We had to move temporarily. I can not tell you why completely. But its just clan politics," Cassius explained with a wave of his hand. He bent down, picking up the cardboard box, then looking back at her.
"Why? is everything okay?" Annalise questioned, biting her lip as watched him for anything that would give away what had changed. But Cassius was still as a stone, his face set carefully in his neutral 'nothing shall bother me' expression.
"I promised Eugene not to tell you until you were finished with hell. He wants to be sure that you will look after yourself first," Cassius said, doing nothing to settle the unease in her stomach. When she voiced this, he simply smiled, tucking back a stray brown hair behind her ear. Annalise frowned, but said nothing more.
"Why are you here, are you done with hell?" Cassius diverted, tilting his head. Annalise shook her head, willing to go on with his change of topic, just for the time being.
"No, I'm just visiting. Its actually the last time i can visit before i come back completely," she offered, "I've tried visiting several times already but no one was ever here?" Annalise couldn't hide the almost accusatory tone, it had hurt initially when she'd found no one there. Though it wasn't like she could complain.
"We moved soon after you left for hell. Though Eugene does still own the house," Cassius said, nodding his head towards the building in question. "I'll give you our new address, but you have to promise me Annalise, not to go there until you are finished in hell,"
The concern gave way to curiosity, and soon Annalise found herself nodding. Cassius gave her a firm nod back, before telling her where they now lived. They'd spent that afternoon catching up, with Cassius careful avoiding any personal questions. She went back to hell that night, anxiety curdling in her stomach.
What had happened that had forced them all to move? And why had Cassius been so shifty about it? Soon after she was shoved into the Seven Trials of Hell, too focused on surviving to really lull on their conversation any longer.
That led her to now. She stood outside a block building in the middle of London. The air was thick with smog, and it was far too cold for summer. It was typically british. Eiseth and Bael stood behind her, two opposing figures both looking around the area with wonder. This was where Eugene lived.
This was where he'd been for the past year. And now, finally. She could see him again, and this time. This time she would let him know her feelings.
She rose her hand, and knocked.
Authors Note:
Hey ya'll I hope you enjoyed this chapter! We're so close to finally seeing Annalise's and Eugene's reunion! What do you think will happen? Thank you for reading!
Once again,
Lots of love,
Sam.E
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The Vampire And The Demon
Romance[BOOK TWO OF The Vampire and The Ghost Series] Hell, it turns out, wasn't half as bad as it seemed. It wasn't half as bad as earth. As being human, Annalise would come to find out. Having been thrust down under, quite literally, by her new found Aun...
