Potent
Chapter 10: On the Edge of the Abyss

A black, ominous shape shot through the broken glass into the room. A demon. Gemini cried out again as it moved toward her.

“Master… let me devour the girl who has angered you,” it whispered. She stumbled backwards into the corner, panting. Her panicked gaze shifted from the demon to Valentine, who now stood next to her bed. No--please! He can’t… he wouldn’t… But Valentine only stared at her blankly, regarding her as if she were a puzzle to be solved. He was thinking, calculating what to do. She wanted to plead for him to spare her… but realized that he had no reason to. She had just refused his help and now she conveniently wanted it. So she pressed her lips together, praying she wouldn’t die today--not when her family needed her.

Faster than Gemini could blink, Valentine grabbed the demon, sinking his fingers into it. Threads of pure light poured out of his palm and spread throughout the it’s body. “Master! My Lord--please!” He ignored its pleas and cries of pain. It only spurred him to create more light that surrounded the demon.

The room got so bright, Gemini covered her eyes and looked away. With an awful noise like a building collapsing, the demon exploded into light. Gone. Valentine nonchalantly wiped his hand on his trousers.

“You--you just… You just… ” Gemini couldn’t say it.

“Destroyed a demon?”

“Yes! That’s--that’s im--”

“Possible? Yes and no.” Valentine started cracking his fingers, as if getting ready to fight.

“But… why?” Gemini inquired. He had every reason to let it kill me. Valentine tilted his head to the right, an incredulous expression on his face.

“Why?” He scoffed. “Because that’s what kills demons.”

“No, no, no--why did you kill it? You could’ve… ” She couldn’t say that either. His face morphed into a look of amusement and realization.

“Ah, I see. First, I didn’t kill it. Demons can’t be killed. Killing implies that one goes to an afterlife. Demons become nonexistent when exposed to too much light. So I destroyed the demon, I didn’t kill it. Second, answer me this, Gemini.” He crawled on her bed again, trapping her in the corner of her room.

Gemini pushed her back into the wall and curled her knees into herself in an effort to put distance between them. In the light, his pale green eyes made him look like a serpent. “Why would I let you die when the fun is just beginning?” She gripped her sheets, gathering them in her fists.

“Fun?” Her voice had somehow dropped to a whisper. Valentine smirked.

“Hasn’t this all been fun? You’ve only gotten a sample of what’s in store for you.”

“Please--”

“What?” He smiled his usually cruel smile.

“Please don’t do this,” Gemini pleaded. He can’t possibly want to…

“I must. You want to know why? Because I need you alive, little Gem.” With that, Valentine rolled off her bed, waltzed out her room, and magicked the door shut. Now she knew she would never sleep well in Nebel Manor.

You want to know why? Because I need you alive, little Gem. Those words bounced around her head like a toy ball Vera would play with. Gemini shuddered, trying to stop thinking about it but his words were so eerie and haunting. What on earth did he mean? Why did he need her? What for? Why alive of all things? She could be dead and he would still replace a use for her.

Hasn’t this all been fun? Gemini pulled her pillow over her head.

“Stop it, just sleep. Stop. Thinking,” she muttered to herself. She commanded her thoughts to be quiet and focus on something else. She had several more days of dancing lessons ahead of her. Then her mother’s soul would finally be free. The thought gave her hope. Perhaps some of the outcomes of this would be good.

As Gemini predicted, she had many more lessons with Valentine, each on a different dance. Her dream and last encounter with him gave her plenty of unease during those hours. She kept thinking of the things he said to her and wondered what he meant.

Finally, nearly a month after they had started, Valentine cocked his head and said--

“I think you’ve learned enough.” With a swirl of smoke, Nora’s jar appeared in his hand. Her eyes widened.

“I’m done?”

“With earning your mother’s soul. Shall we?”

Gemini nodded and Valentine waved his hand. A puff of black smoke surrounded them and whisked them away.

When the smoke cleared, they stood back in Gemini’s home. Gemini felt almost physically hurt at seeing her family members still half-dead.

Cornelius, who knelt by her mother’s bedside, jumped. Before he could say anything, Valentine snapped his fingers. Her father mouthed something. He panicked and clutched his throat, as if he was choking.

“What have you done?” Gemini cried out.

“He’s annoying when he talks,” Valentine explained, casually.

“Papa?” Gemini rushed to his side. Cornelius nodded, the lines of his face growing sharper and sharper. He wouldn’t take his eyes off Valentine. “Papa, he’s here to give Mama’s soul back, he’s not going to hurt us.”

Her father didn’t look convinced but he looked worriedly at her, as if asking a question. Oh! He wants know if I’m alright. “I’m not hurt. I’m fine.”

He shook his head and gestured to Valentine, who was opening Nora’s jar. Cornelius’ eyes were wide. “Papa, don’t worry, he won’t trick us. He has his end of the bargain to uphold.”

Cornelius jerked his head back, horrified.

What? He mouthed. Gemini cringed.

Wait, no! I shouldn’t have said anything! She yelled at herself.

“We… I mean, I… I made a deal with him in exchange for your souls being returned,” she said, eager to get it over with. Her father shook his head rapidly, squeezing his eyes shut.

Suddenly, he marched over to Valentine. “Papa, don’t!”

Valentine just finished draping Nora’s soul over her body. Just as it sunk back into her, Valentine whipped his hand back. Cornelius flew backwards, hitting the ground. Valentine smirked at him with a contemplating look.

“Hmmm, maybe I’ll take his limbs too.”

“No! My lord, please leave him alone.” Gemini tried help her father stand up but he pushed her hand away, rising on his own. The look on his face was one of murder.

“Don’t test me, Cornelius,” Valentine warned, as if he were scolding a child. Nora stirred in her bed.

“Please, trust me,” Gemini whispered to Cornelius. “Don’t anger him.” Her father looked back at her, asking with eyes what he couldn’t ask with his mouth: How did she know not to anger Valentine? Had he done something to her when he was angry? Gemini knew she could answer each of his questions in detail…

Before she could speak to any of that, her mother sat up, groaning. Cornelius flew to her side, temporarily ignoring Valentine, who had stepped back, eyeing them. Gemini put a hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Mama?”

Nora looked at both of them, then at Valentine.

“Gemini… Cornelius… what happened? Why is… he here?”

“He came to give your soul back,” Gemini answered.

“What?” Her mother gasped.

“Yes, yes, I’m sure your husband can explain it to you but Gem and I must be leaving.” Valentine yanked her away from her parents but Gemini desperately resisted.

“My lord, please… let me talk to them about this!” She tugged her arm, trying to get out of his hold.

“No,” Valentine replied, instantly.

“Please, I haven’t seen them in months. They deserve an explana--”

“No,” He said, more forcefully this time. Like a I-will-cut-your-spine-out-piece-by-piece kind of no. The worst part was, she knew he would--with absolutely no hesitation. Gemini wanted to plead one more time but the look on his face… She bit her tongue and blinked away unshed tears.

“Gem?” Nora’s voices wavered.

“She’ll be back for a visit, don’t worry.” Valentine smiled easily at her. He snapped his fingers.

“Gemini--” Her father started, finally able to talk. But Valentine waved his hand, shrouding himself and Gemini in black smoke.

Gemini felt like sinking through the floor as Valentine put Nora’s empty jar away. Thrice, had she been whisked away from her family and now her she was, back in Valentine’s office.

“How long are you planning on standing there? Minutes? Hours? Days?” Valentine asked, mockingly. She blinked, realizing that she’d zoned out in the middle of his office.

“I’m sorry, my lord, I just…” Gemini felt like all her energy had been sucked out of her. Tears piled up in her eyes, just on the edge of spilling over. “If you’ll excuse me…”

Valentine gave a nod, eyeing her suspiciously. Gemini calmly walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She fled to her room, seeking solace and a place to cry undisturbed.

“And by a visit, I assume you mean the next time you return a soul?” Gemini refrained from crossing her arms.

“Yes.”

Nothing frustrated Gemini more than a one-syllable answer. She clenched her teeth, wishing furiously that she could hit him again, physically or verbally. They stood in Valentine’s office, arguing once again. “Why don’t you take a little fresh air? It helps calm the mind.” Valentine smirked at her.

“I’m fine.” Gemini stood her ground. He was just trying to get under her skin… which was one reason why he didn’t let her talk to her parents. He knew she wanted to. So he didn’t let her. She couldn’t let him see how much that upset her. But she did take a deep breath. Move on. Change the subject. Quickly. “I would like to release Orion’s soul next.”

“Ah, him.” Valentine stroked Orion’s jar, as if petting a cat. “He gave me quite the fight.” Please, please, please don’t let it be something awful like the last one. “For that, his will cost something a little more from you.” Gemini had a mini-panic attack.

“Like what?” She said in a small voice. Valentine smirked and walked around his desk towards her. He daintily held her hand, pressing a kiss on her knuckles and grinning from ear to ear. Gemini flushed, either from anger or embarrassment. Probably both.

“Will you do me the honor of accompanying me to a ball?”