Hundreds of thoughts raced through Vee’s head, and she didn’t know which ones to listen to. She heard the voices of pastors, first telling her she was an angel. She rembered learning about her sacred duty, being taught the fundantal truths of the universe so that she might enforce them.
She also heard Amara, rembering the sound of her laughter the night of her first party. She rembered how nervous she'd been, and how much everyone had tried to comfort her. Nothing else had mattered that night, they were just four friends dancing their hearts out, and Vee had talked her into going. Of course, that night had been the start of Amara’s rebirth. There was so much she didn’t know, and it was ti to get so answers.
Vee sighed nervously, then knocked on the door in front of her. After her conversation with Tessa, she'd started enhancing her senses again, and she could hear footsteps approaching. The door opened soon after, bringing her face to face with the man she'd almost started dating last month. Nick’s eyes went wide with surprise, though he tried to stay calm. “Vee! I… wasn’t expecting you.”
“Well, I didn’t tell you I was coming, so that makes sense. Can I co in?” Nick nodded, moving out of the way to let Vee pass. As she entered his apartnt, she took a deep breath, wondering how present the sll of sulfur would be. Surprisingly, its presence was lighter than she expected.
“It’s good to see you back, Vee. I’m happy you’re doing well.” Nick said. When Vee turned to face him, she saw his eyes instinctually dart to the scars on her face, but he quickly averted them.
“We need to talk.” Vee sat down, her knees curled up underneath her in a corner of the couch, though her body was tense.
“I completely agree. I’m… look, I’m so sorry for everything, and if there’s anything I can do to help, I want to put things right. For everyone.” Nick pulled a chair closer, sitting opposite Vee before leaning in.
“You need to tell what happened, from the beginning. Tessa tells you were there when Amara… when she found out.”
“It's a bit of a long story, can I get you anything?” Vee didn't answer, instead staring daggers at Nick. With a heavy sigh, he began talking. “It all started at that party, the one everyone talked her into. It started fine, though she was definitely nervous. I checked in on her occasionally, but she wasn’t drinking, so I let myself cut loose a little. Eventually, she ca up to with this look on her face, like sothing was wrong. She pulled upstairs, and I could tell sothing was different. She’s normally a pretty timid person, but she was moving with this unnatural confidence, it was weird. Still, I was pretty drunk, and before I could ask any questions, she was on top of . We… slept together, and that was her first ti.”
“And you just went along with it? What happened to all the tis you two agreed to never date? That there was nothing between you two?”
“I don’t know, Vee, it all happened so fast. The next morning, I’m freaking out, I’m trying to figure out what this all ans, when she texts . She says she wants to talk, and we do. We agree we don’t want to date, but the whole ti we’re talking, she seems weirdly distracted. Out of nowhere, she jumps again, and we co to an understanding; maybe we can just be friends with benefits. She had this… I dunno, this odd intensity. So we hooked up again, and when she stands up, she suddenly has a tail. I point it out, she freaks, and I had to spend the entire day trying to calm her down. You’ve seen her panic attacks before, and this one was the worst of the worst.”
“That… seems like Amara.”
“Anyways, we have no idea what’s going on, and we agree to try and do so research to figure out what’s happening. She starts wearing really baggy sweaters to hide her tail, and I manage to find so leads.”
I rember those sweaters. That’s what they were for?
“The tail looked kinda devilish, and then I rembered that this all began after she started having sex. We had pretty little to go on, but succubus seed like our best guess.”
“But you kept sleeping with her? You didn’t bother worrying that she was stealing your soul?”
“Are you kidding? I was freaking out! I took a week off school and visited family, just to give myself so space. I’ve never been a very religious person, but suddenly I have definitive proof that it’s all real; Heaven, Hell, everything. What if she stole my soul accidentally? I spent that whole week looking for… I dunno, a sign? I wanted proof that I still had a soul, that I was still .”
“Not exactly sothing that's easy to prove, Nick.”
“Look, I’m not an angel, I don’t know how souls work. But, fiction tells that people without souls turn heartless, they stop feeling things, and push themselves further into depravity just to try and feel sothing again. I spent that whole week doing charity work, helping around the house, playing with the family dogs… and it felt good. I was happy, I felt proud to make a difference in my community. Nothing felt different, so I decided to trust Amara.”
“But she’s a demon! How are you okay with that?!” Vee hissed.
“I don’t know! I can’t explain it, Vee, but I’ve known her for years. We spend so much ti together, and the whole ti she was transforming, it never felt like she was changing. The only real difference was that she seed happier, like so veil had been lifted and she could finally see clearly. So, yeah, I was happy for her, and I pushed her into accepting what she was. I taught her how to use her tail, I convinced her to go as herself for Halloween.”
Vee went quiet, nervous to change the topic, but she knew she'd regret not asking. “And what about us? Did that an nothing?”
“Vee, no one was more excited about us getting together than Amara. When I asked you out, I talked with her, and we agreed that we would stop sleeping together if you and I started dating. Neither of us knew you were an angel, and we were just trying our best to find a new normal. I really like you, Vee, I… I still do, but everything is so confusing. After we kissed, you ran off, and I didn’t know why. Everything with Derek had just happened, sure, but you also seed so reluctant to talk about yourself. I assud you just weren't ready for anything yet.”
Silence fell in the room, neither person saying anything as they waited for Vee to think things through. She hated how reasonable he was being. There had to be more going on, right?
“And this cult? Do you trust that Amara’s telling the truth?”
“Without a doubt.”
Vee sighed. She’d been studying Nick's face this entire ti, looking for any clues that he might be under Amara's influence without realizing it. The entire ti he'd been talking, though, nothing had changed; he seed completely sincere.
It’s now or never, Vee. You either help, or you don’t.
After another awkward silence, Vee spoke up again. “I can… use magic to enhance my senses. That night, I ran because I could sll sulfur on you. I’d been hunting a succubus, and I thought that, whoever she was, she’d slept with you to send a ssage. I thought you’d beco her thrall, and were trying to trap for her.”
Nick stood up, moving closer before kneeling in front of Vee. “Vee, I'm just a human. You two are crazy strong, probably more than I know, but if I saw her try to hurt you? I wouldn't hesitate to stop her. I don’t know what she’s wrestling with, and I don’t know what happened on Halloween, but I have to believe that’s not who she is.” Nick tried to place a hand on Vee’s arm, but she flinched and pulled away from him.
Standing up, Vee pushed past Nick and started walking towards the door. “I… I’m sorry things didn’t work out between us, Nick.” Before he had a chance to answer, Vee ran out the front door. A tear fell down her cheek, and she wiped it off quickly. Her steps grew more determined, and she spent the rest of the night wandering campus, casting her tracking spell.
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