DEVIL'S HIGH

CHAPTER 9

KIARA’S PONT OF VIEW

The breeze made my skin tingle through the sticky layer of clothing and I breathed through my mouth so that the intensity of the stench would reduce. Why did they have to be so cruel? What did I ever do to them? I wasn’t even born when the separation happened, so holding a grudge against me was pure stupidity.

“I know it is nothing compared to your home in heaven. But this was all I could arrange on such a short notice.”

Azazel told, while adjusting a slanted pot to sit straight and looked at me with a smile. I wasn’t able to return his gesture, but I nodded my head in understanding. Smiling means inhaling the unholy odor, and I would avoid any such situation until I am clean. He was right about my family’s house, though. We were surrounded by greenery and nothing could beat the pleasant atmosphere that heaven is bathed in. And yet, for some reason, I am having a pull towards this gloomy looking building. Maybe it’s because I am finally entering the adult stage with a private space I can call my own. There was no privacy in my home, with my brothers always barging in and I have even dreamed of a private space often after I hit adolescence.

The inside of the house was painted in a light cream color and sunlight reflected on it in a pleasant kind of way. There was a medium sized couch and two single sofas in the living room. A brown colored coffee table was placed in the centre with a plastic flower vase. I looked down to see the red droplets that were dripping from my dress, now staining the clean carpet. What a great day for housewarming.

“A common washroom is on the right of the dining room, the other one is in your bedroom. You can find towels and all other necessities in there. Here, take your suitcase with you.”

He extended my luggage to me and I took it uncomfortably as it kept slipping from my sticky hands. I didn’t thank him, instead just bent my neck to show him how much I appreciate his kindness and then practically ran to the cleaning space.

There was no mirror in heaven as we didn’t care about our appearance and beauty, but I was always curious about it. An object that could view your reflection. What kind of magic was that? So when I first saw the bloodied mess of a thing staring back at me, I screamed.

“What is it?”

Azazel rushed into the bathroom, breaking the lock in the process, and aggressively searched for the intruder.

“What is that?”

I shrieked, pointing at the monster, who did the exact same thing as me. This is so scary! Azazel stared at me as if I have grown two heads and awkwardly scratched his head.

“You screamed because of your own reflection in the mirror?”

He asked, ever so slowly, and I could see the traces of humor behind his serious gaze. So this was what a mirror looked like? Wait! So that bloody creature was me? I turned back to the magic wall, and it indeed copied my movements. I lifted my arm and slowly reached out for it, afraid that it would grab me and take me to another world.

The surface was smooth and solid, and it captured every minute thing that was present in my surrounding. Other than painting the ‘mirror’ red with my finger, nothing happened. In heaven, we are never conscious of how we look, or if we are ‘beautiful’ since we all valued the purity of our hearts than a clear face and the brightness of our aura than the fairness of our skin.

“Why do hell have this?”

I forgot about the stench as my curiosity piqued and to be honest, my nose has become accustomed to the smell.

“They say it’s because we created beauty standards. But for me, the mirror is the only thing that shows the man who is genuinely concerned about him. The rest is all fake.”

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Azazel banged the door shut on his way out as it resisted to close without a lock, but I was more interested in what he said. The only other individual who was genuinely concerned about me in this realm was just myself. But a demon admitting it was depressing. Did Azazel feel lonely here? Although I didn’t see the boy’s face, I could hear the hatred in his son’s voice. They didn’t have a normal father-child relation. I wonder if the underworld has ever known the value of love and family.

I stared at my reflection for a long time, studying my features at a slow pace. This was the first time I was seeing myself properly. My eyes, my nose, my body, it was all so fascinating. I didn’t look anything like my family, as all of us had different facial features and skin tones. Our hair colors were different too and Ezra told me that if we were in the human dimension, we would have been from different countries and there was no way for us to be siblings. How crazy is that?

I turned on the shower tap and warm water poured on to my body, which soon changed to red and made its way to the drain. I used three fourth of the pleasant smelling liquid that I assumed was body wash on my skin and scratched it with the rough sponge. I discarded my clothes in the waste basket and I plan to burn it instead of washing them. The memories are too hurtful and I would like to forget the incident by the time I get out of the shower. If I just hang on to the past, then there is no way I will be able to move on with my life here.

Now I know to what extent they will challenge me, and I will be prepared according to it. Everything is for better, Kiara.

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It took me more than two hours to be half satisfied with my body and all the products on the stand were over by the time I got out.

“I thought you were never coming back.”

I jumped a little on hearing Azazel’s voice as I expected him to leave by now. Did he wait for me for two hours? I entered the small yet luxuriously furnished kitchen in awe. The stench of blood still lingered in me but it was so much bearable than before. He was cooking something on the cooking range and it smelled appetizing. But I remembered what my brother told me and decided to decline the food politely. However, as I neared to the counter, I saw vegetables and fruits that were grown in our gardens and there was no way hell would have access to them. They were the purest of the purest. How did he get them?

Azazel saw me eyeing at the edibles and he took a leaf of lettuce before handing it to me.

“Your father sent them yesterday. He is thoughtful, like always.”

Tears drops fell from my eyes as I tenderly massaged the leaf, missing my father more than ever. I love you so much, father.

“Here, put on this lotion. It will reduce the blood stench and there are extra toiletries in that left cupboard if you need.”

I thanked him in a broken voice and squeezed out some of it to rub it on my palm. It smelled heavenly, and I smiled at him gratefully.

“You knew something like this would happen, right?”

I asked, already knowing the answer. I thought about it a lot while I was showering and it seemed like he was using me as a bait to check how far his students will go.

“Yes, but it went too far than what I calculated. They have proven their value as demons.”

He smirked and turned off the gas. Azazel was proud of his students, but for some reason, I didn’t hate him for that. I think I am getting accustomed to the thoughts of fallen angels and the only thing I could do was accept them.

“I am not siding with them, Kiara, and what they did was wrong. But now I know whom I should be careful of the most.”

I raised my right eyebrow in question, but he just took the pan and proceeded to walk out of the kitchen. I waited for a few seconds and then carried the plates and followed him. It was another small room that had a dining table and four chairs. There was a large window behind the furniture that looked out into the barren land, but it was considerably comforting. I could see a glimpse of the school building from here and it sent a shudder down my body.

“Asmodeus, Damien, Leviathan and Samael. My son is the third one and Lucifer’s is the last one. Be extremely careful of them. They will probably try to be your friend by putting you in danger, like today. I am sure you will know it because of their energy and stay away when it gets stronger. Luckily demons don’t have that ability, so you could make use of it.”

Azazel poured me a glass of water and asked me to help myself with the food.

“Aren’t you having any?”

He was just sipping on some wine and wet his lips while looking at the aromatic food.

“No, we are not supposed to eat food from heaven. Our body will be in extreme pain until the entire contents are out. But I still remember cooking it while I was above and I can vouch that nothing from hell can be compared to this.”

There was sadness in his words and I felt pity for him. I don’t know why Azazel was punished by God, but I am sure he regrets his actions. Only if there was a way to help him.

I munched on the mashed potatoes and bit down on the crunchy salad leaves.

“How do you plan to face them tomorrow?”

Azazel had curiosity in his eyes, and I just smiled at him.

“I realized that being a plain Angel will only let them harm me more and look down on me.”

“So?”

His smile told me that he already knew what I was thinking.

“So, I need your help for me to transform.”

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