Beauty and the Demon

[Paige Valentine]

The lab had been busy with white coats running around frantically, orders being called out, notes being made. A bright light was shining down on Ella making her hair shine but also hurting her eyes. A tall man with dark brown hair and dark eyes leaned over blocking the light to stare down into Ella's, she had learned to love and fear those eyes. " Daddy? Is this going to hurt again?" Ella said softly and quietly.


Her Father smiled what was meant to be a comforting, gentle smile but Ella knew this was the smile he got when he was hiding something from her. " No my dear, it will not hurt that badly. You only perceive it differently because your senses are so much better then other humans. Just close your eyes and relax my sweet little perfect child." He said stroking her hair gently. " It will be over before you know it."


" Daddy I'm scared, can we please do this tomorrow? I do not want to do anymore tests today." Ella felt herself shake against her restraints. She had spent all day in the lab, it was nice to be able to see her Father but there was always a catch.


His smile faded instantly now in its place was a cold stern look.. " What did I tell you about being a brat? Now be a good girl, stay quiet and do as Daddy tells you!" He screamed before turning around now ignoring her as she began to cry. Her Father walked up to a woman with black hair holding a syringe. " Do it now."


The woman did not hesitate as the little girl cried. Ella had come to hate the white coats, they were always the ones who ended up hurting her. The woman white coat came to her with the syringe that was holding some sort of red liquid inside of it and injected it into her arm. The needle itself was painful and the liquid burned as it went inside. Ella's world began to spin, slowly black dots started to form in front of her eyes before everything went completely black.


When the little red headed child woke up she was in her room, which felt more like a prison at times as the door was always locked from the outside. The room itself was very plain, white walls, white table with a white bookshelf beside it. Though the books inside of the bookshelf were not little children books it was all information, history books, science books all were for educational purposes. The door itself had a little window that could be opened and closed with a little platform underneath it, this was so someone could give her a plate of food. The only colour in the room was with her bed sheets, this was because she had begged her Father for blue bed sheets though she had gone through many experiments to be able to get them. The only other item in the room was a reading lamp. Ella opened her eyes trying to blink away the darkness but nothing she did would work. Scared she curled up onto her side and began to cry into her pillow holding it as tightly as she could.

 

[Shinohara]

Reizach stood in the room, hiding his precense with magic. He has been watching over Ella for all her life. He has never showed himself to her but just watched over her, seeing her suffering and lonelyness. He had many years behind him but even more still before him. As he watched Ella cry, he walked out of the corner still hidden. He stepped next to her bed and got down on his knees. He started to humm a melody which couldn't be heard but gave a strange feeling to anyone in the room.

 

[Paige Valentine]

Ella slowly stopped her crying but continued to sniffle. Slowly she opened her eyes again but could still not get rid of the darkness. Slowly she sat up in her bed hugging her pillow tightly.


"....H..hello?" She could not hear anyone or obviously see anyone but when this strange feeling came over her it was as if she was not alone. " Please.... is anyone there? " Ella whips her nose with her sleeve. " Please I can not see.... can you please help me? Daddy?" Her voice shook with fear, slowly she began to cry again not being able to contain her fear.


The window then opened and food slide through. " shut up and eat you brat!" The window was slammed shut.


Smelling the food the little girl's stomach began to growl, gently she placed the pillow beside her whipping her tears she slowly moved to the edge of the bed. She slid off the bed a little too fast and began to fall to the ground her head close to hitting the hard concrete floor.

 

[Shinohara]

Reizach quickly moved to stopp Ella from falling and placed her standing on the ground. "There you go..." He said but of course couldn't be heard. He smiled and lightly guided Ella towards the food. He liked to help those who didn't have it easy and play with those who had. Maybe it was what he did to have fun or maybe it was just how he felt he could atone.

 

[Paige Valentine]

Ella was confused when suddenly she regained her footing without even knowing how. It was as if an angel had picked her up and placed her on her feet. Carefully she stepped, like there was a presence guiding her even as she could see. Taking the plate she sat right down on the ground and began to eat her food with her hands. Once she was done she could see the outlining of the plate and her hands, this helped her to calm down a little. Ella looked around the room trying to see if there was anyone else there. She sometimes felt a presence like this around her that she could never explain, Ella told her Father once she had a guardian Angel and he yelled at her for believing in such nonsense.


"Um...Angel....are you there?" This was the first time she had ever tried to speak to it before. "..I...If you are... thank you. I-I do not deserve the kindness you show me.... Daddy says I am a bad girl and bad girls do not have guardian angels." Ella plays with the bottom of her shirt, feeling silly for talking to no one.

 

[Shinohara]

"It is true you don't have a guardian angel... but instead you have a guardian devil..." Reizach said so that he could be heard and for a brief moment he was visible, his long white hair hanging down in ponytail and his head eyes glowing in the dark. A red magic circle apeared under Reizach's feet and lifted up with him vanishing after it.

 

[Paige Valentine]

The little girl gasped a little jumping as she heard the voice. Even though she was talking to never expected anyone to answer her back. Ella rubbed her eyes, she could see shiny white hair and the glowing of his red eyes. Her vision not fully back yet she was not sure if her brain was playing tricks on her. "....a..d..devil? Devils....guard people? I thought that was a job for Angels...." Ella went onto her hands and knees, her red hair falling around her face she crawled towards him. Slowly she reached out, her hand slowly contacted with his leg and she pulled back quickly. "...y..your real...." She sat back on her legs looking up at Reizach with her big blue eyes, Ella slowly began to smile. Reizach had never seen her smile like this before. " I really do have a guardian then?! I was right?"

 

[Shinohara]

Right before his head vanished Reizach spoke. "Everything isn't always as you humans think. Let's meet again sometimes..." With that he vanished completly and the magic circel stayed still for a few seconds before shringking into nothingness. Reizach was now in the underworld, the home of demons and devils. He walked around a bit and once again a magic circle apeared at his feet. He was on his way into the humanworld to continue watching over Ella.

 

[Paige Valentine]

Ella sat there still as her guardian vanished, she could not help but smile knowing someone was looking out for her. She had sat there till more of her vision came before laying back in bed and falling soundly asleep.


When Reizach came back it had been a few months since she had seen him. Ella had her vision back and was at her desk studying. Everything seemed to be normal till he could see she was chained to her desk. The chain was long enough so she could flip through her pages and write but not long enough so she could actually stand. There was two stacks of books on the table, the smaller pile were books she had already read while the stack of ten was books she needed to finish. Reizach had seen her Father do this before when he felt as if she was disobeying him or getting stupid he would chain the poor girl to the desk and would not let her eat till she was done. Ella sighed a little. " ..... maybe I did dream it all up...... Daddy is usually never wrong but.... I swear.... I felt him." She looks at her right hand opening and closing it as if she could still feel him.

 

[Shinohara]

Reizach snapped his fingers and a magic circle apeared at the chain, silently cutting it in half. The chain which moved afterwards made some noice but not enough for it to be adible outside. A slight chuckle could be heard from the room but there was no noticable source for the sound.

 

[Paige Valentine]

Ella looked down at the chain and realized it was broken. She could not help but grin. " Thank you Mr. Guardian...." She stood up from the chair and began to stretch. " That is better." As she stands now though he can see all over the page she is writing are two red eyes all over it surrounded by a greyed out figure. " I missed you...... you were gone for so long." She looked around but could not see him. " Its okay....you do not have to show yourself I know you are shy." She smiles a little bit. " Daddy said though...if I was good he would let me paint my room. Isn't that nice of him?"


Even after everything her Father puts her through this little girl always saw him as a saint. " Maybe one day he will actually let me go outside by myself. I have always wanted to know what all the places in my book look like. They all look so pretty! I am sure you have been everywhere since you can teleport. I wish I could teleport! Maybe I could learn one day." The little girl started to giggle, Reizach had never heard her giggle before.

 

[Shinohara]

Reizach chuckled himself. "Maybe you will learn one day. It might not even be that impossible, but you will need help. And your father... I guess he will let you go when you are 18..." He said, the voice echoing through the room. "Try to hold out untill that, young one..." With that, he became silent again.