Demonic Bonds by Claire M (best books to read for self improvement txt) 📕

I awoke to a feel of something damp and cold against the back of my head. I groaned and rested the back of my hand against my forehead. I kicked off the bed covers and sat up still holding a hand to my head. Wow...what a weird dream...

I turned back to my pillow to see a flannel with a faint stain of red. Picking it up, it seemed damp and cold. So that's what I could feel...But, who...?

I spun my head round to the left to see a guy on asleep on the floor next to the bed. I sort of sat and stared blankly at him for about a minute before screaming and hiding underneath the bed covers.

What the hell? Who is he? Wait...he couldn't be...but that was just a dream, right? A freaky nightmare? Maybe I'm still dreaming? No...

The bed covers suddenly pulled back and I closed my eyes. No! I don't wanna be eaten or killed or-

"Lexie? Everything okay?" That voice! Of course! It wasn't a dream! I caught myself giggling stupidly at myself and turned over to see a very confused Rufus.

"Rufus! Sorry, I forgot who you were for a second there...I thought it was all a dream!" I yawned and looked at the clock on the bedside table. 9:30 am. Thank God it's Saturday..."Uh, okay!" He grinned at me and sat back down on the floor. "Um, thanks for bringing me back to my room! I didn't mean to fall asleep, sorry!" I remembered looking round the room. "It's no problem!" Rufus smiled "I think I'll sleep in a little longer." I said, flopping back down on my bed, before the sound of a stomach growling reached my ears.

"Ah, sorry!" Rufus giggled. I sat back up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I could manage to see Rufus going red in the cheeks through all the hair. I giggled inside. Silly, Rufus... "What do you want to eat? I've got Ramen, Toast, Bacon, Cereal...How about you come down and see what you want?" His face lightened up and we went downstairs to the kitchen.

"Why didn't you just say if you were hungry? Or you could just help yourself." I said opening the fridge and cupboards for him to see. "I didn't want to wake you up!" He said. He took one look in the cupboard and I could see hearts in his eyes as they found the ramen.

I laughed. Another ramen fan huh? Well, I gotta say, it is the best food in my opinion. I took it out of the cupboard and after a few minutes it was ready for Rufus to eat. He finished it in a number of seconds. He must've been starving...

"Are you not having anything Lexie?" I snapped out of my daydreaming. "Nah, it's okay, I'll have something later. I'm going back to bed now, I still feel really tired."

"Okay. The ramen was delicious! You're the best cook ever! Thanks Lexie!" Rufus grinned and took the bowl out to the kitchen.

Aww, he's so sweet!

"Glad you liked it! Tell me if you're hungry again!" I headed upstairs to bed again, falling asleep

I woke up again a couple of hours later feeling pretty re-vitalised. I went for a shower, once again forgetting about having another person living here. I know. I'm such a good person to keep forgetting about Rufus like that.

Anyway, I was halfway through washing my hair when the door opened. I hid behind the shower curtain, a little shocked. Then I peeked round and saw Rufus. RUFUS? What the hell is he doing? I'm having a shower here!

He turned round and froze. My body was still hiding round the shower curtain so he could only see my face, which was now turning red with both anger and embaressment.

"O-oh, Lexie, it's you. I-I just wondered what the noise was since I thought you were in bed still..." Noise? Oh, the boiler and the shower. But who else would it be? I nodded. "Please could you get out so I can finish my shower? And please, don't come in again if you hear someone else in the bathroom?" I said coldly but as calm as I could. "I'm sorry!" Rufus said and slowly backed out through the door. I sighed and continued with my shower.

The day went by pretty quickly after that. It was a little awkward at first when I came downstairs after the shower, dressed. Rufus didn't look me in the eyes for some time. I think he was pretty embarrassed about the whole shower thing earlier, as was I.

"Um, Lexie? Are you awake?" A knock on my bedroom door distracted me from reading my book. "Uh-huh?" I shut it and put it on the bedside table beside me as Rufus walked in.

"You okay?" I asked and he came and sat beside me on the bed. "Yeah, could I sleep in here tonight?" He looked at the floor and seemed to be a little restless.

"Sure." I yawned and turned off the bedside lamp. "G'night!" I said and curled up in my bed. "Thanks!" I heard Rufus say before drifting off to sleep.

You may notice I sleep alot. I get tired alot. Maybe it's because I'm lazy person? I don't know. But I do spend most of my weekends and holidays sleeping when not with my friends. I should really get out of that habit.

I awoke sometime during the night to find Rufus next to me.

Wait, he was next to me? He'd climbed into bed while I was sleeping? That, that-Then I was whisked away. Rufus had just touched my hand in his sleep, and he'd sent me into a dream...No...Not a dream...a vision.

But a vision of what exactly?

Then my body fell softly to the floor.

I'd stopped flying through this timeline of memories. Rufus's memories.

I'd landed in an attic. Everything seemed so blurry at first, but it became clearer, it became familiar like I'd been in here so many times before.

But...This was my attic...

"No! Stop it! Leave me alone!" I spun round to see a small boy about 11 or 12 with long black messy hair wearing a t-shirt, shorts and no shoes or socks. I hid behind some stacked boxes so I wasn't spotted, but the boy came over to me and hid in the same place.

He went through me, as if I was a ghost.

I peeked over the top of the boxes to see a small girl with the same colour hair tied in high pigtails. She had a large grin on her face and her eyes were demonic-black and red cat-like pupils.

"I know you're here brother. I'll find you." She looked round the room with her beady eyes and stopped when she came to the stacked boxes me and the boy were hiding behind. I froze and her eyes narrowed.

I ducked my head down again, even though I knew she couldn't see me. The way she looked towards where I was with her eyes really creeped me out though. It was like she was looking exactly at...me...

Then I looked to my left to see the boy clenching his fists and shaking a little.

He jumped up and ran out from behind the boxes, right through me again. I shivered.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I'm sick of you always torturing me!" His eyes were the same as the girls, demonic and cat-like, but filled with tears. He reminded me alot of Rufus. The girl flew back out of the attic as he finished his sentence and I gasped. He'd been so mad and afraid he'd turned demonic and screamed at her, his power accidentally sending her flying out.

The boy dropped to his knees and sobbed. I ran over to him, knowing that he couldn't hear or see me, but I wanted to comfort him all the same.

Looking down the attic steps I saw the girl run away sobbing. The boy slammed down the door and the room got darker, only a little amount of light from the small window aiding my ability to see.

The boy was crying into his arms with his knees against his chest, his back against the wall.

"Hey..." I said, reaching out to his shoulder. It went right through it. Of course it did.

But his head shot up and his eyes searched the room.

Did he just...Hear me?

"RUFUS! Get down here immediately and explain why your sister is crying!" I gasped. So it was Rufus! I shouldn't be surprised, I mean, this was my attic, my house, and he looks exactly like him...

Rufus looked towards the door and I could see he was trembling. Oh Rufus...I wanted to comfort him. But I couldn't. I felt so sorry for him.

He slowly walked opened the attic door and jumped down the hole to his mother. He was so afraid.

Then all I could hear was shouting and crying, and I was sent flying through the timeline of his memories again.

I dropped to the floor once again. I was in the same place; my attic.

I sat up and coughed. Rufus was in the corner of the attic. He seemed older. Not too much, about 3 years or so.

He seemed to be asleep so I went to take a look at my house and how it used to be.

I didn't need to open the door; I just went straight through it. And I landed on my butt. Ow...How come I didn't go through the floor? Maybe it's just doors I can go through? I wondered, running my hand over the carpet.

The front door shut and the sound of a key turning made me jump up. I ran over to the landing window and looked out to see a couple of moving vans and a car both driving away and out of the driveway.

Then I looked around, running to each room in the house to find them all empty. Apart from the kitchen and bathroom, which of course had all the appliances still fitted.

Those...Those...Rufus's own family...They'd left him alone in the attic while they moved away to who knows where? I felt my anger rising. How could they do that?

I ran back to the attic. Rufus was just waking up. He stretched and reached out to open the door, but it was locked. What? So they'd locked him in the attic too as well as the actual house? Were they really trying to kill him?

He was panicking now. And so was I. I don't know why, I mean I know he gets out because I meet him in the future. But I went over to help him anyway, and this time, my hand didn't go through it.

We both pulled at the handle, putting all our strength into getting it open.

And after a while of tugging, the latch gave way and it opened, causing us to fall back. Rufus didn't know I'd helped him, but I didn't care. I wouldn't let