• PART 7

    Rayos landed softly on Celia’s bedroom windowsill and stepped in, reached back and placed Celia - who was now beaming – on the ground. Rayos retracted his wings into his body and Celia opened her mouth to say something, but then her eyes jerked wide open in realization. And she stared at Rayos.
    “Mum!” she cried, Rayos tilted his head.
    “I’m not your mum…if u hadn’t noticed, I’m not even a lady!”
    “No!’ Celia said, making her way over to the door. “Mum! It’s been like, what, eight hours? It’s past lunch time and I should be coming home from school soon!” Rayos paused and thought about this.
    “Ah…” he thought for a second, staring at the floor, then looked up. “Tell her that your back now.” Celia started at him.
    “Well what good will that do? Iv been away for eight hours, after her coming up and finding me not there, then she probably searched around the house a bit and finally came to the conclusion that id been kidnapped by - believe it or not - demons! And you want me to just go downstairs and say ‘oh sorry, I got kidnapped by these demons but I’m back now! You can call of the police search party now.’”
    Rayos sat on the side of her bead calmly and nodded.
    “Yep.” Celia sighed in exasperation “but-” he said “not that whole ‘sorry I got kidnapped’ stuff, just “I’m back now.””
    “Well how is that going to work?!”
    “Just say it.” Rayos said, propelling her towards the door and shoving her into the corridor. Celia stood there as Rayos shut the door the behind her then stalked to the staircase she paused for a moment then slowly made her way down. This was ridiculous! She couldn’t see how this was going to work. She got to the bottom and made her way to the kitchen, she peeped her head around the door. Her mum was sitting there at the kitchen table, her hands clasped on the surface, staring down. She looked up when Celia walked in and her eye widened.
    “Celia?” she said slowly, Celia nodded they stared at one another for a second then her mother jumped “were the hell have you been?!” she said, her voice increasing by the minuet “I’ve been worried sick! Were have you been? I went upstairs this morning and-”
    “I’m back now.” Celia nervously interrupted. Her mother paused and stared at her in bewilderment, Celia sighed, it wasn’t working, it was just going to make her madder and she would unleash all her anger and worry at full throttle straight at her and- her mothers eyes glided to the floor and she shook her head, she looked up and stared at Celia again, then a smile crossed her lips
    “Oh.” She said “hey Celia, did you have a nice day at school?” it was Celia’s turn to stare now and she stepped back a little
    “Uh…I…uh…” she tried to say something, speechless. “I…uh…ye…I…ye, I had a good…day today…thanks…”
    “Oh good. You hungry?” He mother said, briskly walking over to the stove. “Uh…not…really…”
    “ow, that’s a shame because I’m making your favourite, spaghetti and meatballs.” She took out some pans and spaghetti from the cupboard.
    “I…I think ill let you…get on with it…” Celia said backing away; her mother smiled warmly at her “alright, ill call you when it’s ready.” Celia nodded nervously then dashed up to her room and wiped open the door, were Rayos was sitting on the side of her bed. He looked up at her when she came striding in and smirked. Celia quietly closed the door and stared at Rayos “what the hell happened down there?” she demanded, as if he had been the one downstairs.
    “Oh, nothing.” He smiled.
    “That was not nothing! I said what you told me to say and she forgot what had happened completely!” he shrugged.
    “Told you it works.”
    “Well then, if I say “I’m back now” to everyone, will they just like completely forget what has happened to them in the last eight hours?!”
    “…Not exactly, well, not those words. anyway, it wouldn’t make sense if you were talking to your friends about a film and you had an argument an then u suddenly said “I’m back now” that wouldn’t make sense at all.”
    “So what do I have to say?”
    “Well I’m not going to tell you am I? It could be dangerous.”
    “…Fine.” There was silence for a bit. “You sure?” she asked.
    “Absolutely.” He replied quickly
    “But are you sure? I mean, I would be very ca-”
    “-Celia…” Celia paused.
    “…Fine.” she repeated. There was silence again, then- “so.” Celia said, sitting on the floor “this “master”, he’s trying to win the war?”
    “Yes he is.”
    “And you’ve been trying to stop him?”
    “Yes I have.”
    “And so far you’ve failed?” Rayos sagged.
    “…Yes.”
    “And what have you done to try and stop him?”
    “…Talked to him?”
    “…You’ve talked…to him? How is that going to help?” Rayos shrugged and they lapsed into silence once more.