Guardian Devil

Counselor Phillips held up his hand, "Just let me finish." He gave a grand smile as he sat on his desk, right where Wade's feet had just vacated. "You, my good man, are one of my favorite pupils. Or should I say, were? Yes, you, Wade, were one of my favorite pupils. A naturally despicable soul and one destined for eternal damnation." His countenance turned harsh as his once grand smile took on a scowl for which a devil would have been proud. "But then you went after my sister."

Counselor Phillips' appearance morphed drastically. Gone were his sparkling blue pupils. In their stead were a pair of piercing black eyes, menacing in nature. His blonde hair turned into a flowing mane of deep red, tied in the back into a ponytail, and a matching goatee grew from his hairless chin. What was once a toned frame became muscular and intimidating. His clothes seemed to conform to his new figure, but changed from bland beige pants and brown sweater vest to a black with red pinstripes suit, his tie disappearing, the top three buttons from the red dress shirt, unclasped, offering a view of red curly chest hair.

Wade was momentarily stunned before he screamed in terror. A second later, he was at the counselor's door, unable to open it.

"There is no escape and the room is sound proof." Counselor Phillips slid off his desk and glowered at the teen. "Did you know that once a soul reaches a point of no return, devils can take it whenever they want? Normally, however, we devils wouldn't take a soul such as yours so early. We would want, and, frankly, expect your wicked ways to rub off on others...or just simply make life miserable for the righteous. We actually help the likes of you... and I have. So many times I fanned the maternal bond in which your mother cares so deeply, so she would believe anything her precious son would say." His steps became like leaden thuds as they marched toward his prey.

Wade stared in fear at the counselor, his hands alternately pounding on the door, hoping for help, or vainly struggling with the door handle that seemed incapable of movement.

"I had such high hopes for you, but she is my little sister. You understand." Counselor Phillips cracked his fingers and then cracked a smile.

*

"You know, you're not so bad Mason," Iskra sighed comfortably as she sprawled out on his bed. "I'm surprised you don't have a girlfriend."

Mason raised an eyebrow, "Really?" It was said disbelievingly and full of sarcasm. "You don't understand why the tall, gawky, nerdy teenager doesn't have a girlfriend?" He then chuckled, "I almost forgot you aren't from around here. Yeah, girls my age aren't flocking to hang out with guys like me." He sat down at his computer, pushing the power button as he did.

"You shouldn't sell yourself short," Iskra smiled. "A lot of girls would love to have a good, caring, sweet guy."

"Name one." Mason's fingers became a blur as he typed in his password.

Iskra thought for a moment, not having researched the girls at Mason's school. She then shrugged her shoulders, "I would."

Mason laughed as he opened up a Microsoft Word file marked 'The French Revolution: The Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte', "Yeah but you're not a human, you're a devil."

"Yeah, that wouldn't work," Iskra inwardly sighed. "So, onto Kristen Petry. I hope you really like her because when I'm done with her, she'll love you," She finished with a mischievous grin.

Mason turned in his chair and saw Iskra splayed out on his bed. Her red hair fell angelically around her head, her black eyes dark, yet with a touch of caring, her smile, so warm and kind. She was beautiful. The vision before him caused a lapse in thought before he mentally shook his head and smiled. "Are you sure you should be doing this?"

Iskra laughed, "Why not? I am a devil, after all."

*

"We shouldn't do this today. It doesn't feel right." Mason let his backpack fall to the ground as he sat at his typical cafeteria table. "I mean Kristen just lost her boyfriend to an aneurism. I think we should wait."

"Yeah," Iskra chuckled as she pointed to a laughing and smiling Kristen gossiping with her clique at her lunch table, "She looks devastated."

Mason shook his head at Kristen's perceived lack of caring, "I see your point, but still, we should give it some time. She may be fine with it, but I'm not. It's not appropriate."

"Okay, whatever you say," Iskra shrugged her shoulders as she took a drink of her chocolate milk. "So, what now?"

"Let's get out of here." Mason stood with a smile.

"Where do you want to go?" Iskra raised an eyebrow as she stared up at him.

"I have some ideas, but I don't have a car to get there. So, I guess we're just going home."

"I may be able to help with the ride," Iskra snapped her fingers as she stood; now grinning like the Cheshire cat. "My, my, you never skipped school before; and now, you're doing it two straight days."

"I guess I just never had anyone to skip with. I mean, what would I do all day by myself?" Mason grabbed his backpack from the floor and slung it over his shoulder, "Besides, it's not like I have any tests in my final three classes today."

Iskra shook her head as she snickered, "You may be the only person who makes sure that when he skips, he isn't missing a big test."

*

"And the only one who skips and goes to a place where he may learn more there than at school," Iskra commented as she stared in wonder at Giovanni Francesco Barbieri's Assumption of the Virgin. "There really is a lot of art that portrays God and his family."

"Yeah," Mason chuckled. "He's kind of a big deal here on earth."

"But you see!" Iskra emphatically pointed at Henry Fuseli's The Nightmare, "My kind are always represented as dark and mean. This one has me sitting on someone's chest." She then huffed in annoyance at what she was witnessing. "So unfair."

Mason chuckled as he came behind Iskra, placing his hands comfortingly on her shoulders. He peered at the description plate. "It says it's a nightmare not a devil."

Iskra glanced over her shoulder at Mason. She was surprised at the closeness but relished it as well. Unconsciously, she pressed her body into his causing his hands to slide forward and down to her elbows, "So if I am dreamed about, it's a nightmare?"

Mason gulped. He had only meant to comfort his -- he wasn't sure what Iskra actually was to him -- not to actually embrace her. God, she looked beautiful. He held Iskra tight for the briefest of moments before breaking all contact and moving to the next painting. "I understand you're upset at how we humans perceive devils, but can you blame us?" He turned to face Iskra, his eyes staring intently into hers. They radiated a soft but serious gaze. "You yourself admitted you were only here to steal my soul."

Iskra met Mason's eyes, "Yes, but I didn't. Humans do have free will. We devils only tempt, we cannot force. People always want to blame others for their own misgivings. 'I only did it because...' or 'If this other person wouldn't have done this, I wouldn't have had to do...' They are all just... just..."

"Excuses," Mason finished for her.

"Exactly!" Iskra waved her finger in the air. "You still have your soul because you are a good person. You took responsibility." Her eyes then tilted toward the floor in a moment of reflection, her thoughts drifting to the souls that she felt didn't deserve to be in hell. They were echoed in her soft, barely above a whisper tone, "But I can see in some cases where what we do isn't right. And I personally haven't taken a single soul... not even sure I could."

It took Mason a minute to digest everything that was said. There was obviously more to the good/bad, God/Satan or whatever you wish to call the eternal afterlife than he realized. But he did realize, in front of him, was someone who was truly good natured, a gentle soul baring her feelings to him. She was trying to be strong, but yet she was so vulnerable. He felt a strong connection to the battered devil before him. "And your conscience is what makes you a good devil." He then nodded slightly his affirmation, "And I suppose you're right. People should take responsibility for their actions." He walked back over to Iskra and put his arm around her shoulder, glancing back at the painting. "I see what you mean. You are far more beautiful than that little black nightmare." He pulled her close until her shoulder bumped his and then released her before he started walking away. "C'mon, let's go get something to eat. I know this great place."

Iskra couldn't help her smile as she watched Mason. If only he were a devil. "You know, calling a devil 'good' isn't exactly a compliment." She sighed before hurrying her steps, then slowing down once she was next to him.

*

"This is a nice restaurant," Iskra glanced around at the crystal chandeliers, gold trim lining the walls, candles on the table's, ambiance that was Giovanni's restaurant, as they were being sat by Vito, the overweight, balding maître d' with a thin mustache.

"Yeah," Mason smiled as he pulled out Iskra's chair. "Mom always talks about how Dad surprised her one year for their anniversary by coming here." He then walked around, his smile still evident as he sat down opposite her. "She said the food was the best she's ever had." Mason's smile evaporated as he stared at the menu or more precisely at the dollar amounts next to each item. He ran a hand through his hair and he gave a nervous chuckle, "Wow. I didn't realize this place was so expensive."

"And this is just our lunch menu," Vito announced in his heavy Italian accent as he suspiciously eyed the teens.

Iskra laughed at Mason's expression, "Don't worry. I have plenty."

Vito glanced at Iskra with doubt, but left the couple after a monotone, "Your server will be right with you."

Mason waited until Vito was out of earshot, "I don't like you having to use your powers to treat me to dinner. We can go somewhere else."

"Why not?"

"First a Lamborghini Veneno and now dinner at this extremely expensive place? It's too much and with how you're doing it," Mason's head shied down and he subconsciously began twiddling his thumbs, "it doesn't feel right."

"Why?"

Mason took a deep breath and then met Iskra's stare. "It feels like stealing."

Iskra smiled but it quickly turned into a small laugh before she composed herself. But the smile still persisted. "I'm not stealing it...I'm conjuring it. No person or bank or ATM or anything is missing money; and as for the car, I picked it because I thought it would help in getting Kristen for you."

"Oh..." Upon hearing that revelation, Mason perked up a little. "I guess it's okay... if you're not stealing it."

At that moment, the waitress arrived and placed two water glasses in front of the couple, "Are you two prepared to order?"

Mason grabbed the glass of water and held it in the air, "To us, and the start of a great friendship."

Iskra giggled as she imitated Mason's actions. "To us and our..." she paused briefly as she resigned herself to the truth as to what her and Mason's relationship could only be..."friendship."

*

They arrived home late that night. Both were giggling as if they were drunk as they entered the door, although neither had had any alcohol. They were simply having a good time enjoying each other's company, each telling their horror stories of ridicule as they grew up while being social pariahs in their worlds.

"You think that's bad?" Mason chortled as he continued, "My freshman year I had P.E. last hour, and I was stuffed into a locker. And, by stuffed, I mean my arms and legs folded like a pretzel... And, because it was so late, everyone left the building without noticing. My Mom had to get them to open the school back up to find me!"

"Oh yeah," Iskra retorted, "When I was six, my sister, who is a year younger than me, mind you, said I wasn't a devil; and tried to send me to my own hell. She had waited till I was asleep, came into my room, and tied me down. She then set fire to the bed and tried to roast me by attempting to turn the bed like it was a rotisserie."

"There you two are!" Mason's dad, Gary, had an angry scowl as he spat those words at the teens. Diane was immediately behind him equally upset. "Do you know how worried we've been?"

Iskra quickly snapped her fingers, "We did call but no one answered. We even left a message... We were having a study session at the library."

Gary grabbed his phone and noticed he had a missed call and a voicemail, "Oh... okay," He scratched his head in confusion as he showed his wife. They peered at his phone, wondering how they missed the call, since they had been staring at it for the last two hours. Gary then chuckled, "I thought I was going to have to have your Mother call the superintendent of the school board again." He waved his hand as he left, his wife behind him, still a little confused about the phone; but not before calling out, "There's meatloaf in the fridge if you're hungry."

Iskra didn't miss a beat as they kept walking, "Morana was so mad when nothing happened to me. She was convinced I wasn't a devil, but the lack of burns from the fire proved to her otherwise."

"Well, I can't say that anyone has attempted to cook me," Mason sat on his bed and slid himself across the sheets until his back laid against the wall, "But I did have a girl in my home economics class dump a dozen eggs on me while I was tying my shoe. Then flour. And then the chocolate icing." He shook his head and rolled his eyes at the recollection, "She then had the gall to try to tell the teacher I was the chocolate cake she was supposed to be baking."

*

The sunlight peered into the window and through the blinds casting its morning hue upon Iskra's chin. As the sun rose in the east, the streak of sunshine moved ever so slowly...first her lips, then her nose, and finally upon her eyes. The slight warmth caused her to stir, but the rays of light pounding on her eyelids forced her to raise her arm to act as a shield.

It took a second for Iskra's consciousness to catch up with her. She could feel Mason not only lying behind her, but his arm wrapped around her, holding her tightly by her midriff. The best part was the stiffness that she felt nuzzled in her ass. She wanted so badly to just reach around and ensnare her prize. It was the first time her own desire for lust invaded her being, and it was nearly overwhelming. If she were her sister, it would be an easy choice. Morana would take it without a second thought, but Iskra knew she was incapable of such forcible acts. She had wanted her first time to be special and knew that, with Mason, it could be. A smile pursed her lips at the thought.

Iskra held still, savoring the moment, until she heard Diane in the distance. She pinched the bridge of her nose and then spread her fingers wide to wipe the sleep from her eyes. Carefully, she removed Mason's arm as she slipped from his grasp.

Iskra stood, taking precaution not to wake Mason. She was going to sneak out but found herself just staring at his form, wishing she could snuggle back up with him. Her ever present smile quickly changed to distress at the sound of Mason's alarm. She darted out of the room and back to her own. After a few relieved breaths, she sighed, unsure why she felt the need to run in the first place.

*

Mason awoke to the feeling of something gently itching his nose. His eyes creaked to allow only a slit of vision to be seen. The truth that was revealed caused his heart to race. He was in bed with Iskra. Not only that, but he was spooning with her, and a few tendrils of her hair were what was touching his nose. He inhaled deeply, enjoying her scent in his nostrils.

Mason felt the smoothness Iskra's stomach provided. On its own volition, his hand clenched tighter against her form. The thought of this foreign experience, even just a day ago, he would have deemed as a mere fantasy; but now it was occurring and he couldn't help the smile. Just to be with someone of the opposite sex was new, but the added benefit of her actually enjoying hanging out with him was almost too much. He wondered if it would be the same with Kristen...

A moment of panic then struck as Mason realized his morning erection was burrowed into Iskra's ass... What if Iskra got mad that he was holding her? His body tensed as she started to move and his eyes sealed shut in nervous anticipation. He felt the bed shift slightly. He heard the floorboard creak by his bed. And then... nothing. No more floor creaks came, meaning she was still there. His ears focused on every sound, just waiting for the resonance of snapping fingers. Suddenly there was a burst of noise from his alarm clock, followed quickly by the pitter-patter of her feet fleeing the room.

Mason opened his eyes to the stillness of his room. Iskra didn't kill him. She didn't even say anything. He smacked off the annoying nuisance of his alarm before curling up with his comforter, wishing for that feeling of holding someone again.

*

It took a week. Iskra prodded at Mason every day to ask Kristen on a date. Even over the weekend, she had offered to take Mason to the brunette teen's home, so he could begin his courtship. But, alas, Mason declined. Simply put, he declared that he, at least, wanted to wait until after Wade's funeral.

But for that week, the two outcasts were inseparable. They laughed, shared interests, and truly enjoyed each other's company. Iskra was more than pleased with Mason's 'thank you' gift for what he called, "future considerations", as he took her to a petting farm to fuel her love for animals. She especially loved the rabbits that, after a quick snap of her fingers, loved to just lie in her lap; and the birds who similarly contentedly perched on her shoulders; all the while, Mason was right next to her, sporting a peculiar grin, as he fondly watched how happy he made her.

*

"You finally ready?" Iskra was at their typical cafeteria table, sipping on her chocolate milk. She was staring at Mason... who was staring at Kristen. Although her look was of one of amusement, Mason's was more of a nerve wracking consternation.

Mason wiped his sweat-covered palms on his jeans. He sighed, "Okay, I'm ready." He took a deep breath before he started on his march toward the rest of his life.

Iskra could only snicker a quick, "Good luck." Anything more would have had her rolling around on the floor. As Mason drew near, however, her countenance changed; and she also gave a heavy sigh, knowing this was the end of her relationship with him. 'He would have Kristen now. What would he need me for?' She paused for a second longer before resigning herself to the reality of the situation...then...snapped her fingers.

Mason stood directly behind Kristen. He took one more deep breath before clearing his throat. That one action seemed to reverberate through the entire cafeteria. "Um, Kristen?" The words barely escaped his lips and his body felt like it was betraying him as it fidgeted, despite his desperately wanting to remain calm... to portray himself as the cool guy for once in his life. His head also shied slightly to the side, waiting for the same thunderous smack he had received a week prior.

Kristen turned in her chair and made a gasp in nervous shock. "Oh... Mason, um, hi." She quickly adjusted her ensemble and though disappointed she hadn't worn a more revealing outfit, she did her best to show off her assets. She pulled up her skirt and sat with her chest out, providing what she hoped was a much better view of her features, and to finish the look, she offered her best smile.

Mason shook his head in disbelief. He refocused on the girl of his dreams and his eyes narrowed. Though he trusted Iskra, probably more than anyone in his life and she's a devil, the change in Kristen's demeanor toward him was still surprising; and the surprise surfaced through one solitary, uncontrolled whispered word, "Wow." He shifted his weight in an attempt to just delay the words he knew he was supposed to ask.