Demon Day by Penelope Fletcher (best novels in english .TXT) 📕

had to fight not to topple over from the force ofit. “Hai, Rae,” she said so softly my ears twitched and strained tohear her. “You call and I come.”

Dominating her flawless oval face sadeyes over-scored by thin eyebrows locked on me. The colorlesstumble of waves around her shoulders – the strands translucent –was wild and bristled. Her hair was the most animated thing abouther, everything else was stone still, unmoving. Her body was bareapart from some clever concealment with large green leaves andlashings of green vine. Her toes and fingers were encrusted withcrystal-clear ovals for nails. Her skin was immaculate, white likea stick of chalk and un-graced by a single imperfection, as ifsomeone had bleached all colour from her skin. When I said nothingshe stuck her sapphire tongue out and her lips pouted. Such lips.Plump and sharply dipping at the cupids bow, the cold blue wasstriking. On a human, it would be the blue of death. Water dropletsglistened on her exposed skin and adorned her hair like diamonds,though I knew this simply meant her body emitted no warmth so watersimply rested on her.

What freaked me is in fairy form Icould sense another demons consciousness, rather their auras,especially this close.

I got nothing from the being in frontof me, nothing, simply a blank space where my eyes told mesomething ought to be. My ears strained to hear her, a heartbeat,an intake of breath to speak, the sound of her limbs making a noisewhen they rubbed together in movement. There was nothing. She wasempty space encased by lifeless flesh.

She stepped forward, glided as if oninvisible wheels. I sucked in a series of gasps, but did not move,glued to the spot. She stopped and leaned over slowly, her eyeswatching me carefully, and pressed her lips to my cheek. I touchedthe spot in shock. She was so cold, colder than a vampire, and thatwas saying something.

“You won’t say hai to me?”she whispered and her eyes welled with blood. The intense color wasrich and vivid against the starkness of her colorless expression.Her face scrunched up oddly as she tried to stem the flow, butstreaks of red ran down her apple cheeks, contrasting with the bluerunes that prettily decorated her cheekbones. Those tattoos used tolook sky blue, but against her washed-out skin they lookedelectric.

“Alex?” I asked quietly,not trusting my voice. “Lex is that you?”

“Whom else you make azombie?” she replied quietly and laughed faintly, hiccupping halfway through as she controlled herself.

I was horrified, yet already a bubbleof happiness exploded in my chest, and had me choking back a sob ofjoy. “Oh my gods, it worked? I mean, it worked.”

Her lips twitched then pulled up intoa smile. “I was surprised too. The last thing I remembered wasdemons chanting then a pain at my throat.” Her hand wandered to thearea. A faded maroon colored scar marred her chalk-white skin.“Then it was dark and warm. Peaceful. But I … I jolted and fell forforever until I hit the floor.” She smacked her palms together andI flinched. “I opened my eyes and was me again,” she paused,looking lost, “but not me. I didn’t have a body to move anymore.”She shook and her face twisted with madness. “Then I swear, Rae, Ihave memories of things that I’ve seen and done. But, I couldn’thave because … I was dead, you feel me?” Her eyes glowed red,angry. “I don’t know what they are, but they aren’t mine, thesememories.”

Ro placed a hand on her cheek, on hershoulder to draw her away from me. He hushed her and whisperedcalming things in her ear. She relaxed against him and stoppedshaking.

“Lex I–”

“I woke up in a coffin ofdirt and leaves,” she said over me. “Demons were close, but I wasafraid. I did the only thing I could. I ran away and I … I answeredthe call.”

“What call?” I asked,confused.

She shrugged. “You called me. I wokeup, this time in my body, and clear as a bell in my head I hear youasking me to save you. I wasn’t sure what I was doing at first.”She frowned deeply, her face darkening. “Everything was confused,and I was tired. I wandered, avoided living things but I could notunderstand why. Then I came to the Wall and had no way around. Iclimbed over it–”

I spluttered, “You– Youclimbed….”

“That’s when I knew I bedead, and that I was zombie. My mama told me the only thing thatcould touch the Wall and not be harmed was the Trapped.”

Head spinning I struggled tounderstand. “But when you didn’t wake up I thought I’d failed. Ithought … Breandan thought he stopped me in time.”

In a fluid move that blurred shetrawled her fingers through her hair in agitation, her movementabruptly jerky and restless. “These memories … they are not mine.They be yours. And it’s not just memories, but feelings. When yousaid Breandan’s name, my heart just–” Her gaze flicked to Ro whosmiled broadly.

“This be the boy we sawoutside Demon Theory, yeah? Nice.”

I scowled at him.

Lex rolled her eyes, but spoke to me.“I think you had my soul, Rae. You carried it with you. And whenthe Sect caught you and started to … experiment … you released mesomehow.” She shrugged. “I woke up then followed your call. Maybeyou called other people too.”

I looked at Ro. “How did you getinvolved?”

He bumped his two fists togetherrepeatedly and frowned. “She was wandering around the Temple,looking for you. When I found her I didn’t know….” He shook hishead and made a funny noise, clucking his tongue to the roof of hismouth. “So many lies. I’m not who you think I am.” He looked me inthe eye and smiled half-heartedly. “I am Vodoun, and when I foundher I knew what she was, what she had become. I didn’t know who’ddone it to her … she wouldn’t talk to me at first. She just staredlike she was trying to work out why she wasn’t putting the hurt onme. I hid her in Northhouse basement, and was planning to take herback to the slums when night fell. Then the Clerics dragged you outin front of the Disciples.” He