Wish Upon A Demon

35.

CHAPTER - THIRTY FIVE

Hiaven was beautiful, more beautiful since the last time I’d been here.

The last few times I was bought here, I was confined inside the palace grounds, but this time, I was allowed to roam free in the streets of Hiaven with Alexandria. This morning we were approached by a rather odd looking set of demon guards who just happened to be making themselves comfortable in my balcony, which recently had become the site of all paranormal activities. Alexandria and I had followed the guards – who barely spoke a word and preferred to keep their eyes up front and stay still and guarded like they were expecting an attack any moment – and were soon led to the demon kingdom which had been full of happy faces and joy. The royal palace was adorned with decorations, inside and out, and very chirpy Verona King – like she was any less before – and silent Orlando King greeted us.

Verona told how was impossible for me to see Friella without being figured out. The Royal Family of Friella, with the Queen being my grandmother’s sister weren’t let in on my presence and knowledge of the demon kingdom. I figured I would coax Zylen into taking me to view Friella once I introduced him to Cherry who happened to be his ex-fiancée posing as my father’s secretary. “Oh, honey, I’d love to stay and chat, but there is just so much more do right now!” Verona whines, clutching my hand. She’d taken an instant liking to Alexandria as well, and we’d spent a few minutes before she started to complain about how nothing ever happened on time. “The flowers need to be set up – hey, I ordered lilies! Roses are for the coronation room!” She screams to a worker, who looks like he could pee in his pants any second due to the Queen.

“I’m sorry, Faye and Alexandria, but these people just don’t understand. Zylen – actually, I – will be very disappointed if things don’t go right today. So excuse me.” She says and turns to her husband, who stands obediently by her side, speaking nothing but a small greeting he offered us in the beginning. “Orlando, get someone to send Zylen the suit he’s to wear. I swear I love my son, but he can be so annoying at times!” She says, hands strangling the air. She catches my eye and whispers, “I mean, this is the biggest day of his life – aside from the day he’ll be getting married to you – and yet, he didn’t wake up until I kicked him off the bed.” Verona shakes her head, and whispers something to her husband, before taking off.

Orlando leaves shortly after and I’m left frozen in my spot next to Alexa who’s still in awe at the surroundings. “I swear Faye, Pendalia is nothing in comparison to Hiaven. I love my kingdom but this place is marvelous.” She says, voice breathless and full of amazement. I can hear her voice but somehow can’t respond to it. “Faye? Faye, are you okay?” A hand is laid on my shoulder, making me gulp at Alexa’s concerned tone. “Alexa, did you hear that?” I ask, blinking. Marry me? Zylen and I were to marry? What in the – “About how Verona had to leave?” Alexa asks, unsure. “No, the part with the marriage,” I say and from the corner of my eye, I watch as she pulls a confused face before the expression changes into one of realization.

“You and Zylen are getting married? Why didn’t you tell me?” She asks. I cock an eyebrow at her. She laughs nervously. “I’m guessing even did know about that till today huh...” Rolling my eyes, I take a deep breath. I thought I’d made it clear to them the last time that Zylen and I were not getting married. At least not anytime soon. ”Okay, okay, it was probably just a slip of tongue,” I say to myself and Alexandria takes no time in nodding. “I mean she surely didn’t mean it, because after school I’m going to college. College. And then I’ll get a job. I mean, I won’t be getting married anytime soon, right. This is just silly.” I say and Alexa nods at my every word, preventing me from hyperventilating and helping me in remaining calm by showing that she agrees with me that it was nothing more than a ‘slip of tongue.’

“Okay, then, let’s – um...go ahead,” I say, swallowing and licking my lips that had gone dry. We both head outside the palace grounds since according to Verona there was still a lot more time for the coronation. Besides, I wasn’t ready to see Zylen a little because of what his mother said a few minutes ago and majorly because I couldn’t forget how I had kissed him and thrown him out. It was weird, really. Every time our lips touched, it was like I melted in his hands. It felt just so amazing that it would be difficult for me to stop. From the time we kissed for the first time, to the night he barged into my house only to have me withering underneath him and even last night when I’d made the move – it was the absolute same feeling.

Bliss.

Pleasure.

Desire.

“It’s so beautiful.” I hear Alexa say from beside me. I smile at her, letting go of the uneasiness. “It is,” I confirm as I watch happy children run across the street, a few mothers chasing after them. Some families are standing by their doors. I catch a woman’s eye and she bows down at me, clutching the hand of the girl next to her. Soon, the other woman bows as well. I smile back – not know why they bowed down. Along with the guards, Verona had sent both Alexa and I gowns for the ceremony which I didn’t waste time I putting on since they were fabulous. No branded dress could compare to the dresses that were given to me by Verona and the dresses in her closet, which I managed to view during one of my visits.

“Why are they bowing?” Alexandria asks, and I choose to not tell her anything. “I don’t know.” I say, ignoring the eyes of the demons as I walk faster, increasing my pace until we’re back in the palace grounds, strolling through the lush, green gardens before going back inside. “Ah, there you are Faye. Would you mind keeping this up in Zylen’s bedroom? I found this in his room today morning thinking of it as something else but turns out it isn’t. ” Verona rushes to me, teasing smile on her face as she hands me a sealed box. “You-” She points to Alexandria. “Please help me with the selections.” Alexandria nods as Verona grasps her hand.

“Which bedroom?” I ask Verona. The smirk-smile doesn’t drop from her face as she turns from Alexa to me. I knew that the room I would be given during my visits here wasn’t his actual bedroom even though he slept beside me, which is why I question Verona. “The one on the second floor, to the right.” She says and hurries off. I’ve passed by it many times during my visits but never went inside, fearing the outcome that was demon boy’s wrath. Besides, I knew he had a valid reason for keeping it locked and prohibiting my entry. Also, I didn’t want to invade his privacy since who knew what he kept in there.

The door’s slightly ajar as I walk towards it. There is no one in the room. Zylen’s must’ve gone down to speak with his mother or probably just somewhere around the palace. I place the box on the desk I find right beside the door and leave without prying only to knock over the sealed box. It falls down, opening up and spills its content onto the dark carpeted floor of Zylen’s room. I bend down immediately, tucking my hair behind my ear and began to scoop up what looks like many, many pictures back into the box. It was at the moment that I concentrated on one of the Polaroid’s only to freeze.

Me. The girl in the picture is me, taken on the one day in the summer I spent alone in the park while everybody vacationed. I rummage through the pile of pictures, flipping them over only to find that every single picture is of me. I’m laughing in some of them, listening to music in some, going to school in the others. I drop the few pictures in my hand to the ground. I knew that Zylen had been watching me since I was little and he’d made it clear that it was because I was descendant of Elvive. Demon boy always managed to control himself and show me the littlest of emotions enough for me to know he cared; that he liked me, and here I find so many pictures of me in his possession.

Why would have he have all these pictures if his motive was only to get me to accept the crown and marry him one day? Surely, if that were what he wanted then observing and keeping an eye on me would have been enough. Taking pictures of me and storing them probably in his room was totally unnecessary then. “What are you doing?” The voice comes from above me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look up and Zylen looking downwards at me. His eyes go to the pictures in front of me and I see those hazel eyes widen for only a fraction of a second before I’m pulled up by my arm and thrown out of the room. The door shuts close loudly behind me.

I don’t bang at the door demanding him to answer me, or I don’t wait by the door until he opens up. I simply pick the end of my gown that’s feeling too heavy at the moment and walk away downstairs without a word, collecting my thoughts and managing to compose myself along the way.

I watch demon boy.

His face holds a smile; so angelic and heavenly and different from any expression I’ve seen on his face before. I want to run over and hold him against me that second. “And with this, I proclaim my son – true heir of Hiaven – your King!” Orlando says, loudly, face holding booming proudness for his son. The crowd erupts in cheers as Zylen rises up, the crown on his head adding to his posture, making him feel so much more different than the sarcastic demon who showed up at my balcony whenever he felt like it. He looks like a King – true to his title and so very distant. Like he’s a different person. I wouldn’t expect anything else since this was the day he’d been waiting for his whole life.

The only difference is that when Zylen envisioned this day, it would have been a day when both the kingdoms, Friella and Hiaven, would come together with the both of being coronated and wedded in the same day. Except, today – in reality, here I was, watching him amidst the crowd, the spot beside him empty. I smile, turning away from the rejoicing crowd as I hurry back to the palace gardens, hoping to find comfort there. Alexandria’s lost in the crowd, probably interacting with other demons as I walk through the grass and sit by the fountain, one leg crossed over the other.

We’re so different. Yet there’s something that pushing us together. It took that stupid night for demon boy to come into my life and that stupid kiss on New Year’s to spark feelings within me. And then my heart was torn apart in confusion whether to go with my feelings or stay away and ultimately, I couldn’t stay away from him. I felt drawn to him like we were made for each other. As cliché and stupid as that sounded, I wanted to believe in it. Months ago, I didn’t know demons existed. And now, I was one. So maybe there was something like soul mates as well? What I felt for Zylen was beyond like or attraction. I was falling in love with him. Quickly.

“So, are you ready to tell me why you had all those pictures?” I ask as I sense Zylen take a seat next to me. “I got crowned king, became the ruler of a demon kingdom and this is what you have to say?” He asks in a teasing tone. I turn to him, eyes on him before drifting to his crown. I clap my hands three times, “Sorry. Congratulations on becoming King. Now, will you answer me?” I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes. “I didn’t think you’d ever find out...” He starts. “Obviously, you didn’t...” I mutter, taking a deep breath. Zylen shoots me a glare, “You know that I’ve always kept an eye on you since you were little...somewhere along that time, I found myself liking the little girl with the two ponytails as she grew up.” He stops.

“Wait, you liked me when I was little, doesn’t that like make you a pedo-” I get cut off by a growl. “Not like as in I want to kiss her, but like as in finding someone cute and being comfortable in their presence...” He clarifies, giving me a dirty look. “Oh, okay...” I nod. “Those pictures, they were a reminder of you. Every time I would be prevented from leaving the kingdom or every time I had a bad day, those pictures made me smile.” He says, bringing a smile from me. “So, you found me cute?” I ask. With red coating his cheeks, Zylen turns to me, “It’s not like that!” He whines. “Sure.” I laugh lightly. “I’m not even going to-” I cut him off, turning his blushing face towards mine.

“Zylen, I like you.”

What I said was a lie, because I felt much more than like for demon boy. But I settled for it anyway since that was better. His eyes widen. “Like?” It’s the first time I’ve heard him stammer, the first time I’ve seen him be confused. “What do you mean?” He says, finally, putting a bit of distance between us. I smile, finding new confidence. “What I mean is that I would love it if you took me to prom,” I say and Zylen blinks, looking unsatisfied as though he’d expected a love confession from me. “Come on, I don’t have a date and Alexandria is not going despite me forcing her. It seems she has to start packing.” I say.

I was sad that a good friend I’d made was leaving but we’d promised that we’d visit as frequently as possible. I tried many times into getting her to come to prom but considering how she refused every single time, I didn’t want to force her. “Let’s go, my mother is probably freaking out since I didn’t inform her I’d be here.” He grasps my hand and pulls me along with him. “So?” I say to him as we enter the crowd once more, in between Zylen’s people who are too happy after the coronation of their new king.

“So what?” He doesn’t turn to meet my eye, so I know that he knows what I’m referring to. “Will you take me to prom?” I ask once more. I see the heat crawling up his neck once more, and he whispers something that goes unheard due to the loud noise. “What? I didn’t hear you!” I yell.

He turns to me and gives me the faintest yet most beautiful smile ever before speaking, “Yes.”

I think it was at that moment that I realized that I wasn’t in the ‘falling in love’ process because I was already in love, unknowingly. Maybe some part of me knew that demon boy who was always clad in black and who loved tormenting me was the one to capture my heart. I had finally realized at that moment that we were meant to be together. We were always meant to be together.

Ever since I found him lounging on my balcony like it was his vacation home.