Demon, Part 5

"Alright, so someone better give me some answers, now!" I snap as I cross my arms, leering at my parents sitting on the opposite end of the table, who exchange nervous glances back and forth. Gabby sits on the couch, listening to us while playing with Mr. Kittles.

My parents exchange one more nervous glance. "I suppose it's my turn to speak up for a change. I owe you all some answers," my dad pipes up before turning back to face me, as I raise an eyebrow at him. "Long story short, your mom and I met, and we fell in love very quickly, and later, got married and had you, Luis. Another two years passed, and we had Gabby. For three years, we tried to live as one big, happy family, but we couldn't ignore the overlying fact that I am a demon. I wanted to be human, to live as a human. And for a few years…I managed. But in the end, I couldn't. I became pent up from going so long without killing or consuming humans, centuries, in fact. The violent tendencies, the angry instincts, that I have from being a demon, matter how hard I tried…I couldn't escape them."

I nod. I understand my dad's predicament completely.

"And one day, in the middle of one of my demon freakouts, I drew my katana on your mother. I held her blade to her neck but, just in time, right before I killed her, I recollected myself and...I let her go. She didn't die. And that very same day I left. I explained to your mother that I didn't want to hurt her or our children, and she agreed that my best bet was to leave this family behind. To never contact them again," my explains.

"Wait…demon?!" Gabby cries as she jumps up. "You're a demon?!"

"I knew we should have sent Gabby to her room!" I snap.

"She deserves to know too!" My dad snaps back.

"Long story short, dear ol' daddy left because he's a demon, we're half demons, get used to it!" I snap as I turn to face Gabby. Gabby recoils.

"Don't snap at your sister!" My mom snaps. So much snapping.

"So does that mean I have cool powers?!" Gabby excitedly exclaims. Right. She's always longed for Cursed Power. Thank God I'm in this shitty position…and not her.

"No," my dad answers, causing Gabby to sulk. "There is only a fifty percent chance for a demon to pass on his powers to his offspring if he mates with a human. Lui is a half demon. You, Gabby, are human. I sensed it when you two were born."

"Speaking of which-" I continue, causing my dad to turn back to me again. "Whenever I get too emotional, I enter my half demon form and go berserk. What's up with that?" I ask.

"Same reason as me. It's impossible for our kind to suppress our demon instincts, no matter how hard we try," my dad answers. "The very second your demon powers awakened, Luis, I sensed it. I'd never forget the Cursed Power of my own son. I'm sure you know by now that -like Demon Kins- the power of a half demon awakens when they meet a powerful demon or fellow half demon. That's part of the reason I left. I was hoping that, by leaving, I'd allow you to have a normal life, a life as a human, but I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"I wish...you didn't leave…"I sob. "If you stayed, you could have explained what is happening in my body. And maybe...Nick would still be alive. Maybe I wouldn't have killed him!"

My mom's eyes widen. I haven't told anyone, even her, that I'm the reason Nick's dead. The real reason Nick's dead.

"I'm sorry. I know better than anyone that I can't makeup for these twelve lost years in a day of explanation, but I'm here now, and I'm going to help you," my dad says as he gets up and places a hand on my shoulder.

I wipe the tears from my eyes and turn up to face my dad. "How so?" I ask.

"I am going to train you, Luis," my dad answers, causing my eyes to widen. "I don't care if it takes months, years, or decades. I'm taking you back home with me, and you are not leaving until you have full control over your half demon form. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. If I was…I'm sure you wouldn't have killed this Nick person. Just like me, your demon powers cause you to lose control and harm the people you love. I'm not strong enough to suppress my own instincts but you're a half demon. With some training, you can get yours underwraps."

"Wait, what do you mean?!" My mom cries as she jumps out of her seat. "Luis just lost someone very important to him, and now you want to take him far away from home for years?"

My dad turns to my mom and flashes her a sad smile. "You had him for fifteen years. I need some time with my son, now," is all he says.

My mom is silent, tears begin welling up in her eyes.

"Luis...do you...have to go?" She sadly asks, causing me to sigh.

"Mom-" I begin to say as I walk over to my mom and squeeze her hand. "I keep putting the people I care about in danger. I vowed to my friends that I'll get strong. Strong enough that they don't have to worry about me but as of lately, I haven't been living up to my promise. So this is something that I need to do."

My mom squeezes her hand back. "I know but...I'm just so tired of you always being in danger. Time and time again, you're always forced to grow up too quickly!" My mom sobs. "Execution, kidnapping, assassination? No one person should go through any of that in a lifetime, much less before they're even an adult!"

I respond by grabbing my mom and pulling her into a tight hug. "I know mom, I know…" I whisper. The two of us stay there, hugging for a few minutes, until I eventually let go.

After a little more talking, I head to my room and begin to pack. I see my katana laying against the corner of my room. I haven't wielded it since I used it to kill Nick. I've been too scared to.

"I'm sorry, old friend," I say to my katana. "It's not your fault, it's mine." Without another word, I grab my katana and slide it into my belt, before heading back to the kitchen.

"Well mom, Gabby-" I say as I turn to my dad then peer back to my mom and sister, placing my hands on my hips. "I guess we're off! I'll see you two...in a while…" I 

"Byw, Luis! Don't come back until you're strong, okay?!" Gabby exclaims, wiping the tears from her eyes and waving me off. Poor girl. This is too much for her to process in one day. Meeting her dad, and having to say goodbye in the same day.

My mom wipes the tears out of her eyes and flashes me a sad smile. "Stay safe, Luis," she says. "I love you!"

I smile

"I love you too, mom!"

"I'll see you girls later. And don't worry. Our son is in safe hands," my dad says.

My mom nods, as she and Gabby say their goodbyes.

And then…my dad and I are off.

***

"Stop here" I order, and my dad pulls the car over.

"This is your Slayer dorm house?" My dad asks.

"Yeah," I answer as I unbuckle my seatbelt. But then I pause, and turn to face my dad. "How do you know about Slayer dorms?" I asked.

"I've been around for a while, I know a lot of things," my dad answers. I think nothing of it. I shrug and step out of the car.

I stare up at the house staging before me.

"I haven't been this nervous to enter this place since my first day on the job," I chuckle to myself.

I'm too afraid to go in. What if the others hate me? Understandably so, I'd hate myself too. There's no way they'd ever forgive me for killing Nick. Hell, I'd thought they'd hate me just for being a demon, but now, I've given them a reason! Oh well. I've already made up my mind to do this, with Nick as my witness, I can't chicken out now. None of these thoughts racing through my head now are any new.

I walk up the stairs towards a front door, staring at the door knob. I take a deep breath in…then out. And without another word, I fix a confident expression on my face, grab ahold of the doorknob, and step inside.

"Hey, Luis," Ella says to me with a sad smile as she gets off the coach and makes her way over to me. "How are you doing?" She sweetly asks. I stare at my feet. I can't bring myself to look at Ella, not after all I've done for her. But even still, I summon all of my courage. It must have been hard for my dad to face me after twelve years, but he still did it? So fuck it, I can face my friends after a couple of months. I take a deep breath in…then out, and then I look upwards, staring Ella straight in her uncovered right eye and gauze pad-covered left eye.