For spring it’s unusually hot. Even though there’s a light breeze, I can still feel the sun burning the top of my head. For all I know my hair could be on fire, but at this moment I couldn’t careless. I can’t move my eyes off the two people walking the streets. It’s hard to focus on one thing, though. The green leaves from the trees have a sharp, punching color that hurts my eyes. I stay focused; as I watch my targets move to a bench and sit down. A small breeze comes by me, but this breeze is not drawn out by the wind. I spin in a binding motion, and swing my tightly held fist. In the same moment, something stops my hand in its path. In a matter of seconds I end up on my back, and a figure stands over me. I let out a small hiss, and pull my hand back up with my claws out and ready to kill my attacker. A small silver chain dangles down from his neck and when the sun reflects offs the chain, it hits me in the eyes. This distracts me and I steady myself. I focus in on who really has me pin to the ground.

“Liam?” I groan.

He bounces up and takes my hand, pulling me to my feet in the same motion. I relax my body, knowing that there is no need for fear.

“Pleasant welcome. Aren’t we a little jumpy today?” he teases.

I walk around him and go back to my post on the ledge of the building. They still sit there on that small bench talking to one another. I try to use my super sense of hearing to ease drop on their conversation when Liam grabs my arm, pulling me out of focus to face him.

“You can’t ignore me forever. You need my help.”

I pull my arm out of his grip. “I am doing just find on my own. Besides, it’s not like you were any help before.”

He stares at me and is ready to protest, when his eyes shift. I turn and look down to the bench that now sits empty. I whirl around, and I am about to question where they went when my answer appears. There stands across from us is the couple I had been stalking all day. The boy looks at me frightened and confused. The girl just stares at me with a blank expression. I stand in front of Liam, who has gone into defense mode. I can tell by his rigid body position that he is ready to jump. I put my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket, and I take two steps closer. Liam hisses in warning not to be an idiot. I stare back at the girl and I have to get her to talk.

“Liam, can you give me and my sister some time to chat?”

When I don’t hear him move, I turn to look at him. He hesitates and after a moment of thinking he doesn’t move. He keeps his eyes zoomed in on the girl.

“Liam.”

He rips his red eyes away from her then focuses on me. I nod my head to the right motioning for him to leave. He disappears in a blink of an eye, and I turn back to face my sister. She turns, looks at the boy and whispers something. When she is done, she faces me again, but I look at the boy who can’t help but look at me. I give a small smile and nod. He slowly looks down and then moves to door that leads to the stairwell.

I watch her in front of me. Her long blond hair moves as the wind blows by. Her blue eyes have a haunting look to them, and I only wish to see the life they once held. She moves now toward me. Her skin is so white, that I couldn’t tell she was wearing a white dress. Her movement is more elegant now than what it used to be.

“So, Annabelle, I couldn’t help but notice you have been stalking me on rooftops all day.”

I can hear the sarcasm roll off her tongue, and I oddly find that challenging. I take another step forward and then lean into my hip. She takes my stance in and realizes I’m not scared of her or her comments.

I smile and respond casually, “Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you steal my human.”

She laughs, and I almost stagger. I never have heard Stacey laugh before, and to actually hear it proves to me how oblivious I was to her when she was alive. Her laugh is like a little bell. It is light and breezy, but very distinct.

“Why are you here?” she questions, all sarcasm gone.

“Why did steal my friend?” I fire back.

She crosses her arms. “Friend? I didn’t think demons could have friends, especially if they are human.”

I try so hard to deny the truth in that sentence, but I can’t because everything she said was true. As a demon I can have no contact with my old life. No friends, no family, nothing at all. My memory goes back to the beginning of this month when I turned 16. I wake up to find my parents gone, and a small box on my table. I remember Liam showing me that the necklace, in the box, contained special powers only for a demon. I can almost feel the cold, dry air of the Underworld where Liam showed me where I lived now and how he was going to train me. All of this led up to this moment, with me facing my sister. I am not going to let her win this though. Two can play at this game.

“Don’t you have rules, too? I mean, being an angel and all.”

She giggles, “I am not an angel exactly.”

“Oh, right. You’re with the Flyers aren’t you?”

She looks at me with a terrifying look, and I can see the horror in her eyes.

“Your name is everywhere in the Underworld, along with your pals. I know what you do, and frankly I would never picture a suck up like you doing that.”

After she studies me for a minute, she goes back to her casual position with her arms crossed, “You’re lying. You said it yourself. Why would I become that kind of person?”

“I was hoping you could tell me that because a year ago you died in a car accident, and now you stand before me like a zombie from the dead.”

“Fine. You’re right. I am what they call a Flyer. That’s when someone dies and doesn’t full goes to the other side. I wanted a way to get my life back, and as I was to cross over some people offered me something more. So I just had to take it.”

“So you choose to kill people in order to live?”

“So do you,” she says in a matter of fact tone.

“I take the lives of bad people. That is completely different.”

“No, it’s not. No matter if they are good or bad people, you still steal their souls.”

“You’re wrong. What I do is for everyone else’s safety.”

“Oh don’t play the defense card. It may have worked on mom and dad, but it sure won’t work on me.”

My anger flares and a growl comes ripping from my chest. I can feel my eyes being clouded over with red film, and my instincts kick in telling me to kill. I breathe in and out, trying to focus on the human side of me. I remember the goodness in my sister and how she has a good soul, even if she does everything in the wrong matter. I blink a few times, and my eyes go back to normal. I no longer have the need to kill.

“I’m impressed; I have never seen a demon do that.”

“Just have to find the human side of me.”

“And how do you do that?”

“I remembered all the good things you did.”
She tenses a little, and I know I hit something in her. “Well, mom and dad never saw that.”

“Why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you haunt someone else?”

“When I died, I blamed you for my death. All I ever wanted was mom’s and dad’s approval. I wanted them to love me and be proud of me. I wanted to be their little angel. But they loved you more. Even though you hung out with the wrong people and did all the wrong things, they applauded you on it. They failed to see how perfect of a daughter I was and that’s their own fault.”
“That’s what this was about? You only wanted their love.”

Her eyes grow soft, and I know she has let her body go. My demon side screams; Attack now, while she is weak. My human side won’t let me, though. She is my sister, and at this moment she needs me more than anything.

“Stacey, you’re an amazing person, and if people can’t see that, then they don’t deserve to know you. Mom and dad were always focused on me because I was a lost child. They used their love and affection to put me back on the right path as a good person. Stacey, you were never a lost child, and I don’t think they wanted you to feel this way.”

She stares at me with a blank expression, and sadness fills her eyes. I smile, and I can see my real sister now. She was the girl who grew up with so much confidence in herself. She was brave and strong and had a true heart even if she didn’t want to admit it. We watch each other for what seems like hours on the roof. It seems we are at a standstill. I think I almost have my sister back when her eyes go cold.

“No, I am not listening to you. Don’t try to find anything redeeming within me because there’s nothing there. I am not who I used to be. I am not human, and neither are you. We are enemies now, and that’s all.”

She positions her body ready to fight, and I don’t move. I just watch her, and with sadness I realize by the way she is acting now that she is a lost child.

“I’m not fighting you, and I don’t even think you know how to. Just go back to your friends and stay away from my town, Stacey. Next time we cross paths, I won’t think twice about ripping your head off.”

She studies me and waits, seeing if I am serious about my decision. She frowns at me; then she moves to the edge of building and jumps. I listen for her impact, but I hear nothing. She left and now and is going back to what she called her “new family.” Another body appears next to me, and I turn to see Liam.

“She heard my threat. She won’t attack, but we should be ready.”

He looks at me, searching for something, but I don’t know what he’s looking for.

“Your human is downstairs waiting to talk to you.”

“Thanks,” I breathe, and I start to move past him when he grabs my arm again and makes me look into his eyes.

“Why didn’t you attack her when you had the chance? I could feel her energy, and she was weak.”

“Liam, every inch of my body wanted to jump at her and kill her. She’s my sister, though, and as much as I want to kill her, I just can’t find the heart to do it.”

“That’s what makes you weak, you know? You’re letting your human side make your decisions.”

“That wasn’t a human decision. It was instinct to let her go. She is my sister if I like it or not. And I know she knows that, too.”

I turn away from him and walk to the stairwell. I don’t want to hear him anymore. All he wants to tell me is how big of an idiot I am to let her walk away without even a scratch. I can’t worry about this right now; I just need to go back to the Underworld and finish my training so I can fight for everyone I care about. So I can fight to save my soul.