Among Demons : A Siren's Voice

Ch. 35 : Soothing Notes

Devin and Marcus arrived just as we were piling our dirty dishes in the sink. Alder stuck close to my side when they walked in, making me smile as Devin waved a key that I guessed to be a spare to Nick's front door.

“Good morning!” I chirped out, grinning like a moron when both Marcus and Devin froze by the door.

After the shock that had taken them over for a long second, we moved towards the living room to talk. Devin, while handing over a few bags with clothes for both Alder and I, hugged me excitedly and kept complimenting the sound of my voice. It was a little strange to hear, since I wasn’t all that used to it. Especially when both Nick and Alder agreed with her, making my face heat up even more than the original compliment had. But I smiled and thanked her nonetheless, feeling nothing but grateful to be able to speak again.

Once I had managed to calm down and their amused laughter faded, Nick relayed how he had succeeded in escaping with Alder. And completely unharmed at that. It made me smile a bit to think that the Hunters, in all their brilliant planning, had made so many mistakes after the ambush and losing their many child prisoners.

From all that Nick and even Alder could see after the fight, the Hunters had almost immediately sent out many small teams away from their little underground camp, leaving barely a handful behind. It made no sense to any of us when Nick relayed how big the place had been when he was running around looking for an exit. He had also noted that the place was dilapidated too, with withered wooden beams already bending in some places while others were losing the firm sandy supports of the walls that made up the cells. It had actually been how Nick managed to escape the earthen cell that both he and Alder were locked in. Digging through the wall that supported the metal door to their cell and making a hole large enough to escape without collapsing the entire wall and alerting the Hunters.

That had been one of the things that I had tried within the first few weeks of my own imprisonment, desperately trying to find a weak point to slip out of. But the underground hell-hole that I had been taken to was a much newer location, with stronger supports and thicker dirt walls. So I couldn’t fully dig my way out to freedom without calling attention to myself and risking something worse happening to me or Alder, who I believed to be right next to me.

After hearing Nick's tale, which ended with Arima finding him walking along the side of the road, Alder and I got up with the bags Devin brought and went off to change.

I wanted to thank Arima profusely for doing what she did, smiling as I closed the door to Nick's room. She had gone back out after sleeping in her hotel room immediately after returning, driving up and down the roads that lay closest to where the Hunters camp was. Arima, apparently being one of the best Enforcers and protectors working for the Matron had decided to at least try to check for herself and see if maybe Nick had miraculously escaped. And as luck would have it, found him with Alder in his arms after being out on the road for over three hours straight.

Looking through the bags that Devin and Marcus brought had a wave of gratitude hit me before I turned to show Alder and give him the chance to choose what to wear.

There were several sets of shirts, shorts, pants, socks and underpants, all in the right sizes for Alder to choose from, all brand new. Another, much larger bag held a few pairs of shoes as well, though this one held a couple different sizes. He grew excited looking through it all, commenting on a few things he liked after stripping out of his pajamas, aimlessly tossing them onto the bed before pulling on his new clothes. Then, once dressed, he insisted on trying out the shoes himself, finding two pairs that fit him perfectly before stepping into one of those and setting the other pair aside.

“Don’t forget to thank Devin and Marcus, ok?” I reminded him when he rushed towards the door after telling me he’d wait out there with the others for me. “They’re really kind and… great friends too.” He paused with his hand on the doorknob, staring at me with a smile that steadily grew as he looked at me.

“I will.” He nodded, slipping out of the room and slamming the door closed behind him.

I sighed, shaking my head as I stopped myself from calling out to him for slamming the door, turning my attention to the remaining bags meant for me. Inside I found two options for me, a cute pale blue wrap around dress that tied off around my waist and over my right shoulder. The other one was a cute flowing black skirt with sunflowers along the edge and a bright orange-yellow crop top with slightly long sleeves that stopped above my elbows. I went with the skirt and shirt, slipping on the slim black sneakers that sat beside some cute white flats in another bag. I then combed my hair out, groaning against the knots that had taken over while I slept before quickly braiding my blonde locks over my left shoulder.

“Beautiful.”

I jumped at the deep, husky voice that filled the room, turning to find Nick standing in the doorway of the now opened door. Blushing, I went over to him and climbed up to my tip-toes, planting a kiss on his cheek quickly before turning to walk out. He was a lot faster than me though, hugging me from behind and planting a heated kiss on my exposed neck, making me shiver.

“Later.” He promised, his lips grazing the shell of my ear before he let go. “You won’t be leaving this room once all of this is over.”

I chuckled, turning back to look at the lustful glow in his eyes while I walked away backwards. “You’ll have to find someone to watch Alder first… and he doesn’t like most people.”

He nodded, now looking thoughtful as he followed me back to the living room, wrapping an arm around my waist.

Rejoining the others, the gleeful atmosphere quickly shifted, our conversation now focused on the request that I made to both Devin and Marcus, the clear leaders of their little group of family-friends. I didn’t expect to get an immediate answer, so I stared blankly at them when they took a mere few seconds before nodding at me.

“If you don’t mind us being present.” Devin shrugged, her eyes deep in thought as she spoke. “There won’t be a problem… though some of their guardians might be against it.”

Those last few words hit me with sadness, telling me that those poor children had more than likely suffered through the same type of scenario that Alder and I had gone through. My hand absently rubbing at my chest as I thought of my power as a Siren, wanting to ease the pain and trauma that I was sure still clung to those poor kids. Children that had been targeted by those Hunters just like Alder and I. Demon younglings who probably suffered through the loss of the parents, older siblings or other caretakers that the Hunters eliminated in order to get to them.

“It’s fine.” I told her, turning to look at Alder who was staring into space with a sad frown on his face. “I won’t need to talk to all of them… just a few, if possible.”

We soon all piled into two separate cars, Devin climbing into her fiance's car while Alder and I climbed into Nicks.

I was growing more anxious as we drove towards the Village, my mind once again focused on what Alder had told me soon after waking up. My head and heart were split on what to think or believe, and though I hated that I still held onto such a tiny sliver of hope that I was wrong. I also felt a burning anger and sense of betrayal starting to simmer deep down inside, already accepting my theory as fact.

When we arrived in front of a large, boarding-school type building that was labeled as an orphanage, I swallowed my clashing thoughts and emotions and jumped out of the truck. Alder followed close behind me, taking my hand and looking around him with curiosity in his eyes. Devin, Marcus and Nick were already by the door, talking to an older Demon woman softly as we neared them.

I stopped right by the front of the truck though, focusing on Alder who turned to look at me when I stopped. I kneeled in front of him, smiling as I gently took both of his little hands in mine while he stared at me, confused.

“Before I help the others,” I started, speaking softly for his ears only. “I need to help you.”

“Help with what?” He muttered, blinking his eyes when I used my thumb to brush away a fallen eyelash from just under his eye.

“The sadness that’s stuck to you.” I moved my hand and lightly poked his chest, seeing him look down at where I touched. “Right here.” He looked up and barely held my gaze for a second before he looked away, wanting to hide the turbulent emotions that I caught rising in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Al… I should’ve done it sooner.” Softly, I used a finger against his chin to turn his little face, feeling the sting of tears in my own eyes when I caught a sniffle.

I closed my eyes the next second, placing both hands on his little shoulders and taking in a deep breath, calming my own chaotic Core. Once I opened them back up, feeling the hum of power tingling up my throat before my lips parted, I smiled at him reassuringly, wanting him to be at peace in his little heart now that he was safe. The music left me in soft, lilting notes that I could feel spread out into the air like an invisible balm aimed at Alder. The wordless tune that I sang was filled with my desperate need to help this precious little boy. To heal the emotional scars that I could now feel lay within him, each one soon surrounded by my Siren’s song, softly healing them over.

Alder’s eyes fluttered closed as I continued to sing to him, a deep shaky sigh leaving his body as his shoulder slumped forward, his whole body relaxing. A stray tear escaped his eye by the time that my song neared its end, my thumb coming up to wipe it away. And when the final note faded away from me, the thrum of my power confidently told me how those deep and tormenting scars that Alder carried were now nothing more than thin, faded lines.

I knew and long ago understood that emotional pains can’t fully disappear from anyone, no matter how shallow or deep they were. A faded ghost of the pain, ache and sadness that haunted them would always be there, but helping the brunt of the pain heal over, sealing those scars and trauma, allows a person the strength and time to move past it. I was already planning a few moments in which I would sit with Alder one-on-one and talk to him about it more in depth now that I knew he wouldn’t feel overwhelmed about it. He was still going to need a bit more help to fully push it away enough that it became nothing more than a faded memory. But now, thanks to my own power, those emotional scars weren’t going to overtake him, weigh him down or torment him anymore.

Without warning, he crashed into my chest and squeezed me tightly, burying his face into my neck and shoulder, nearly knocking me over.

“Thank you, Lo-Lo.” He mumbled, making me squeeze him back. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Alder.”

I got up after a few more seconds, smiling at him as he took my hand again and turned to face the others. They were all smiling at me, making me feel a little embarrassed as I moved towards them. It was clear that they understood now why I asked to speak to the children, but I still felt the need to explain myself as I drew nearer.

“Now that my voice is back… I wanted to help soothe the children, and ask a few questions… if that’s still ok.”

The older woman nodded along with Devin and Marcus, still smiling at me while Nick stepped closer, draping an arm over my shoulders and pulling me into him before kissing my temple.

“Of course it is, baby.” He said softly, beaming at me when I turned to look at him. “C’mon, let's go see them.”