Demon
Chapter 10

Ron

Another Christmas Eve together with Brenda. This time, it isn’t fraught with all the anxiety that I felt last year, trying to get ready for the gathering with our friends while not really knowing how Brenda would feel about everything. This time, I know she is staying, I know she is happy to be here with me. It gives the entire day this wonderful glow for me. I’m so happy I can hardly believe it.

My family is in the kitchen, laughing and chatting while they make Christmas cookies. This was Natalie’s idea, of course. She’s always full of plans for how to make everyone happy. She told Brenda that if everybody is coming over, she’d like to have a bunch of decorated cookies to serve. So, they’ve got this huge production line going, mixing up batches of different kinds of cookies, trays going in and out of the oven, the table covered with frosting and sprinkles and platters with cookies in various stages of completion.

Laura and Timothy are in there too, joining in all the fun. Natalie invited them to come over early, before it’s time to set up the luminarias, so that they can help with the cookie assembly line. Timothy and Gabe are sitting at the table, trying to decorate some of the cookies with frosting, while Natalie giggles at their clumsy efforts. Apparently boys are nowhere near fastidious enough in their decoration techniques.

Brenda and Laura are chatting away, apparently having the time of their lives. I’m starting to get the paper bags and candles and sand ready to do the luminarias later.

I manage to catch Brenda’s eye from across the room, and blow her an air kiss, and she gives me a radiant smile. I chuckle and look down, figuring that I shouldn’t try to point out the smear of flour across her lovely cheek. She looks adorable.

Michael

Laura’s already over at Ron’s house with Timothy. I’m running some errands, glad that I have today off work. I haven’t managed to get her a Christmas present yet, and today’s the deadline, so I have to figure it out. I’m down at the mall, Fashion Valley, trying to figure out what she’d want. I don’t know. Like, a scarf or something maybe?

I wish I hadn’t put this off for so long. I hate shopping, but by delaying I’ve just made it much worse for myself. It would have been better at the mall if it wasn’t the day before Christmas. It is so crowded here. I’m brushing shoulders against other people, trying to get into the department store to replace something I can buy, so I can get out of here ASAP.

Here, there’s a display of scarves. I sort through them, looking for one to match the color of Laura’s blue eyes. There’s a nice yellow one with light blue flowers. I’m looking at it to make sure it is the right shade.

There’s a bang behind me. I whirl around, on high alert, bumping into the stand of scarves, ready for action. My heart rate skyrockets. My vision darkens. There’s a roaring in my ears. It’s happening. It’s an attack. I hear the shouts of the civilians. I crouch behind the barricade, taking cover, ready to engage. I feel somebody grab my shoulder. I shout and lunge to the side, swinging back around to confront my attacker.

A young sales girl shrinks back from me. I remember where I am. Not there. Not over there. Not Afghanistan. I’m here. Reality comes crashing down over me again. It’s just San Diego. Just a department store. The scarves are scattered on the floor around me. I realize that I must have knocked them over. The girl asks, her voice trembling, “Sir, are you all right?”

I feel a hot red blush of embarrassment flaming across my face.

“Sorry,” I mutter. “I guess I tripped.”

She stares at me, baffled. She knows I didn’t trip. “Can I help you with something?”

I realize I’m still holding the yellow and blue scarf in my hand. “Um, yeah, I want to buy this,” I say, lamely, mortified.

Another employee comes over and starts picking up the scarves, gawking at me apprehensively. Other customers pause as they pass, watching the scene.

“Yes, sir,” the sales girl says, eyes wide. “I can help you at register two.” I follow her over. I can’t wait to get out of here.

Michael’s

“My dearest, you are safe, there is no threat, there is no battle, all is well. Peace, my darling, try to stay calm. You are safe. You are fine.”

The incident is deeply disquieting to Michael, and to myself. My beloved imagined himself to be in the midst of battle, triggered by a noise made by something dropping nearby. His mind immediately invented a scenario in which he was under threat, had to be prepared to defend himself. There was no threat, but for a few moments it seemed utterly real to him.

The weeks that have passed since he returned home from his long deployment have not brought the peace that I had hoped. His nightmares continue, and now his visions of violence and harm have begun seeping into his waking hours as well.

The situation is deeply worrisome.

“Peace, my darling, replace calm, know yourself to be safe, those around you are safe. All is well, my dear. Peace. Calm.”

Brad

“Okay folks, time to head over to Ron’s house,” I tell them. Stefanie grabs the bag of gifts, and I hold the hot casserole dish. Jonathan gets up from the couch, where he had been sitting waiting, his shoes and jacket already on.

It’s been gradual, but in the week or two since the hospital, he seems to be getting closer to normal. He’s still quiet, but he is talking a little more, and taking more interest in doing things. I guess he was just really rattled by the whole thing. He seems okay now. Mostly.

It’s been interesting how much he’s hanging around with Gabe’s sister now. I thought at first that she really just wanted to play with the dog, since she loves him so much. And Socks seems to love her about as much as he loves Jonathan. Every time she shows up with her brother, which has been at least once a day now that their family is staying put at Ron’s house, Socks goes rushing over to her, panting and wagging and frantically excited.

I thought that she’d just play with Socks, while Gabe and Jonathan did their own thing. But I realized after the first couple of days that this wasn’t what was happening. Their dynamic has changed somehow. Natalie seems to want to spend time with Jonathan just as much as Gabe does. More, in fact. Every time I turn around, Natalie is reaching out to hold Jonathan’s hand, or touch his shoulder, or lean against his side. If they were a little older, I’d think something is going on between them. But they’re way too young for that. It’s more like Natalie is hovering over him like a little mother hen, trying to take care of him.

A month ago I think it would have annoyed the heck out of him. But now, he seems to accept it just fine. I never see him trying to move away from her, or tell her to leave him alone. He would have before. Now, things are just different, I guess. Gabe doesn’t seem to be at all bothered by his little sister tagging along.

I think whatever is going on is helping Jonathan, though. He has gone from totally lethargic when he first got back from the hospital, to acting closer to normal. Not rambunctious like he was before, but at least up and doing things.

I suppose it was just a phase he was going through. And that this is just another one.

Well, tonight should be fun, doing luminarias with Ron and his family again.

Jonathan actually gets out in front of us, leading the way to his friend’s house. Yeah, he’s getting better. Slowly but surely.

Natalie’s

The other Guardians and I continue to monitor the progress of Jonathan’s soul. For the past week, Natalie has determinedly followed a program of rehabilitation, spending as much time as possible with him, and particularly maintaining physical contact whenever she can. Jonathan has no idea that he is the subject of this effort, any more than he has been aware of any of the events since the Jonathan Project began.

After Timothy assigned us the task of watching and reporting any changes to Jonathan’s soul, we have observed an incremental improvement, each time that Natalie touches him.

The touch of the Seer, we have confirmed, is a significant factor in Jonathan’s recovery. Each time she touches him in any manner, his soul brightens. Feebly at first, and only temporarily. However, over the last few days, his soul appears to be better able to cling to the glow which her touches infuses in it. Now, when Natalie touches him, causing a flash in his soul to occur, a remnant of the flare remains even after the contact ceases. So over time, the brightness has slightly increased, day by day. Although his soul continues to be drastically diminished from the mighty beacon it had become, it at least has grown enough to more closely resemble that of other humans. It is still a fraction of what it should be, but it has clearly improved.

We have not observed his soul brightening through any of Jonathan’s own actions. It is only the touch of the Seer that brings any improvement. Further, there continues to be no sign at all of his Guardian. Demon is nowhere to be found. I had thought that perhaps with the brightening of his soul, Demon would replace a way to return, but that has not occurred. It is most perplexing.

Jonathan’s personality continues to be distinctly muted. Thankfully, his prior proclivity towards cruelty has shown no signs of manifesting once again. With his savage side apparently vanquished, he has become a quiet, sweet child. He tolerates Natalie’s attentions docilely, feeling the gentle warmth of her touch as it illuminates his soul.

She is both optimistic and troubled regarding his condition. She knows that he has drastically changed. It had always been her intention to encourage him to be kinder, but this is certainly not the mechanism she had intended. She wished for him to choose it deliberately, not to be forced into this meek disposition by the disappearance of his Guardian. She knows that it is only Demon’s absence that leaves Jonathan so pliable. She wishes for Demon’s return, despite the conflict that led to his disappearance, because without his Guardian Jonathan is incomplete.

Because she knows that her efforts have helped him, she intends to continue. She reports her progress regularly to Timothy, who tracks the progress of the experiment and makes frequent suggestions for additional activities designed to assist with the endeavor.

I, and the other Guardians, continue to watch the entire scenario unfold with a constant sense of astonishment. What will the Seer lead us to next? What new procedures can Timothy invent to uncover additional world altering facts? How will we all be changed?