Demon Zephyr

In Seven's room...

He was done packing. After a really long bath, he dressed up in his long, casual black top and pants. With a face cap to match, he stood in front of the mirror adjusting it to hide his red highlights.

Everyone always thought he was some young rebellious teen seeing them. Nothing they'd call him that he hadn't heard before. But he still preferred to hide them...

If anything but for the fact that they were natural. Weird? You can say that. But he has his reasons. Genetics had nothing to do with it which means his guts were right.

The red streaks played a huge role in his identity. Even more so than the rest of his abnormal features and that was a lot.

He'd never got anything reasonable from his mother so till she's comfortable to say something, his red streaks remain low-key.

Static

The mirror moved and the next second, his reflection was replaced with that of Zephyr.

It was too sudden, too weird and his heart couldn't...

Jolting backward, he held his chest..."Jeez, Zeph!"

A creepy smile crept up his chin as he stepped through the mirror.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" They said simultaneously as Zephyr threw his head backward in laughter.

Seven just glared at him, finifindinghard to remain upset with him. He smiled, starting to find it funny too.

"I missed you too..." He said, going in for a hug.

"No, no, no..." Seven shrank in his arms as Zephyr shook him violently.

Dropping him on the floor as he staggered a little bit in his struggle to stand straight. He picked up his heart and winced inwardly at the thought of styling his hair again.

"Thank goodness you're back. I hope they're okay?

"Define okay..."

Seven's face darkened...

"Chill," Zephyr cut in.

Returning to the mirror as he ran his hand gently through his hair, he replaced it with the face cap and considered still pulling the hood of his top over his head.

"What took you so long?"

"Your brother, the claircognizant one. He was too nosy, I had a hard time keeping him off my trail. Guess there's not much he could do anyway... If he keeps on suspecting his family members, he'll eventually question his sanity..."

Seven turned, his expression seeking. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The last person he's going to suspect is his twin brother Soo..."

Seven grabbed a comb, his back turned towards Zephyr...

"What are you saying? You're talking about Manuel, right? How did he help, he's clueless?"

"Not anymore..." He whistles, speaking through his teeth in a high-pitched tone.

Turning slowly, Seven asked...

"What did you do?!"

"I possessed him..." He said swiftly like if he spoke fast enough, Seven wouldn't hear him.

Clack!

His plastic comb slipped and met the ground.

"You did what?!"

---

Possession in all of human history was never considered something good. No one on earth would want their consciousness subdued, their body nothing but a vessel used in carrying out another's will.

Personally, Seven could relate. And as a child, it was one of the few things that traumatized him to date.

His body shook, recalling his experience. How he had hurt his mother, his classmates, and anyone insane enough to get closer to him. The worst part of it was his awareness of it all and the helplessness to stop himself.

And the obnoxious ghost in front of him had the guts to tell him to his face that he had just done the same thing with his brother?

"What in the world is wrong with you Zephyr?!" He shouted, throwing up his hands in the air.

"In the world and beyond is wrong with me actually." The hooded boy replied with a smug expression on his face.

Seven stared at him for a couple of minutes, dumbfounded.

"It's really not that bad, I made sure of it!" He added, sensitive this time.

"You could have used some other way, Zephyr! Not Manuel. What were you thinking?"

"I don't know—let's try, getting the work done!"

"You possessed someone, Zeph; you're failing to understand the consequences.*

"W-What consequences?" He stuttered, avoiding making eye contact.

"Oh God! You can't crossover! Crap, we can't even be together now, are you not supposed to be corrupted or something???" Seven asked, finding it hard to express his panic.

He was sweating profusely, his reaction remaining subtle, which is why Zephyr wasn't taking him seriously. No one does.

It was suffocating.

"Can you take a breath, you're blue in the face?"

Pinching the ridge of his nose, he regulated his breathing.

'Why was everything trying his patience?!'

"It's no biggie for real. I can handle it."

"How Zeph? I'm so pissed right now!"

"What do you wish to hear? You won't believe it so just trust me"

"Bite me, Zeph. You tell me or I'm leaving without you!"

"Like I'm dying to go back?"

Seven spared him a glance, more like a glare.

"Just trust me. I'm incorruptible."

"Oh! Because you're from hell and you're corruption itself..." Seven lampooned.

Zephyr's face turned cold and he growled.

"Does it sound so presumptuous? After everything you've seen, you think I'm lying?"

"It's because it doesn't add up!" Seven said, his eyes pleading. There was nothing as scary as having a demon as a guardian helping with God's work. Makes you question the whole thing.

"Whatever rows your boat, demon Zeph, I'm going alone..."

"You're kidding right?"

"You didn't care a few seconds ago..."

Brushing his hand over his hair, Seven stomped off, "So please remain right here!"

Watching his retreating figure, Zephyr had a stoic expression on his face...

"Great, so much for just wanting to help. Isn't he getting a bit over himself..."

As his voice faded with his physical form, he muttered...

"Sorry, but there's no saving the world with that attitude!"

And soon there was just air where he was standing.

---

Swinging his backpack over his shoulder and pulling his suitcase from the boot of his Aunt's car, Seven turns around and looks at the house for a while.

The crack in its walls sure did have a lot of stories to tell over the years, but it was clear that the house had good foundations and was constructed nicely.

Removing his cap, his white hair with patches of red flowed in the gentle breeze and he only let down his face and stopped looking at the building once his neck started hurting.

With the front door facing him, he could already see his aunt's children—his cousins running to welcome her with a hug.

Dragging his suitcase over the tarred road, he approached the little family union and when his presence was noticed, everywhere became quiet.

He was used to having that kind of reaction from people because of his 'unique' appearance and probably his disposition that dangerously screamed: "Draw closer!"

I know, not what you were expecting but it's the truth...

They eventually adjusted their eyesight and adapted to seeing the lean teenage boy with white hair and eyes who had an all-black outfit on, seemingly contrasting his entire existence as it was.

With his pale complexion not paying him homage at all, he stood there indifferently like a monochrome image.

Undoubtedly, he wasn't bad-looking, but deep within, he knew that was not what attracted people to him.

He exuded an aura that acted like a magnet; it drew closer to him, not just to humans but otherworldly things. That was why it seemed like he was always getting in trouble.

With the youngest, Jacinta, placing her hands on his, which was placed firmly on his suitcase, she smiled softly, aiming to help him carry his suitcase.

He dragged it along with her ignoring the goosebumps that crawled his skin as he recalled his virion.

His Aunt Ann, walked through the door first, followed by the twin boys, Miguel and Manuel, who kept on ruffling each other.

Thankfully there was no tense air between him and Miguel. They casually greeted each other.

The third person to enter was the second oldest, Isabel who was just as introverted as him.

Leaving him and Jacinta...

And they got closer Seven was forced to stop. He stared at his hands as he noticed pressure applied on them by the little hand that was half his size.

Shifting his gaze towards Jacinta, he was greeted by an innocent smile that could brighten any room.

'...'

They maintained that position for a while which was strange.

Suddenly though...

Jacinta averted her gaze and turned to look at the door. Impulsively, Seven followed her gaze, and in the next second.

His jaw dropped.

---

The door was ajar and the staircase that led upstairs was in full view.

Seven's feet remained rooted into the floor as he saw a see-through woman dressed in a flowing white gown run down the staircase with a scared expression on her face.

'Wasn't it too early to start seeing ghosts?' he narrowed his gaze, noting the current vision had nothing to do with the one at the prison.

And no it wasn't too early testament to his first day in school.

He watched silently as the transparent woman grabbed onto the rail for support, swung herself forward, and turned toward the kitchen.

'I should have let Zephyr in on this...' he thought finally, feeling a slight headache coming up.