JESSIE
The night is still young, and I sit on one of the logs holding a red paper cup which has apple juice in it. It's a kids' event, so we can't afford to have alcohol around, which is weird to me because nytheris can't get drunk and alcohol won't do anything to these kids.
But anyway, it's all good. It's their rules.
I have said hi to a lot of people, kids as well. They're all so sweet. I remember my childhood being all cute and sweet for a while, but then I lost the sweetness that made me me when my father decided to change all of a sudden. It's painful to know that I didn't always grow up with an abusive father.
People can switch up at any time, that's why I put up so many walls. I trusted Sebby, but there were times when I was just ready for him to change his mind about me. Maybe that's why it was so easy for me to leave, because even though I knew he would always have my back, I had it at the back of my head that one day Sebby was going to switch up on me just like my father did.
That's why I thought Sebby had moved on from me when I left, but turns out he hasn't. he was holding on for hope that one day I would, in fact, return.
I stare at him as he talks to a child's parents. He has a kid sitting on his shoulders. In the past, I would think of what it would be like to be Sebby's boyfriend and not just friends with him.
I'd think of the romantic dates, the activities we'd do together, the touching, the kissing, the hugging, and the cuddling.
I have also thought of having sex with him a few times. And recently, I have been having dreams of having sex with him. I still don't get why, honestly.
It's a shame the only form of intimacy we've ever had was on my last day in this city. A memorable kiss shared by two people who were too chicken to just tell each other how they feel about each other.
Oh well, I guess I'll never know what it feels like to date Sebastian De La Rosa. Despite all those weird ass dreams, my heart belongs to someone else, and that's Jeremy. What Sebby and I had was all in the past; we're not about to go back to old habits.
We're friends, and we'll always be friends.
He gives the child to his parents, tells them goodbye and then walks away. He smiles at me while he sits down next to me.
We sit there quietly. And that's just what I want, for him to be quiet because every time I'm afraid of what's going to come out of his mouth.
He talks too much.
He lets out a loud sigh, which is a bad sign because it just means he's going to talk.
"This is nice," he says, and I nod my head in agreement. I actually like this. "I never thought you'd be here at all. This feels so surreal."
"I never thought Gods and Goddesses existed so…" I shrug.
"I don't blame you; the idea of magic and the supernatural is too complex for the human mind to actually grasp. Some people believe in all this, like the people of New Orleans, but some people know about what lurks in the dark, so they act like these things don't exist, and then we have people who think people like us do exist, and they want to reach out for the magic that they believe in."
I used to believe in magic. I'm a writer; most writers became writers because they believed in magic.
But seeing magic right now heals the inner child in me. I thought being back here, in New Orleans, would just bring back trauma and trigger my PTSD, but I'm staying longer because I am healing myself. I'm being the best version of myself that I can be.
"STOP STOP STOP! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Someone is shouting, and it's a distressed man with full dark hair tumbling on the ground; he looks drunk, but not on alcohol, but his tears.
"What's going on?" I ask in a whisper.
Then he turns to me, my heart skips a beat because he heard me, and he's looking at me like he's going to beat me up.
"What's going on? You all know exactly what's going on! How could you bring the kids out and tell stories and celebrate when there's a monster on the loose killing our kind!" Everyone stays still and watches the man, even the children. They're all scared, though.
"That beast took my daughter!" He cries
"Cole, Cole, I know you're upset. What happened to Kara was a tragedy, but trust me, you have to calm down." Sharaf says to him, and other parents try to console him. He backs away from them.
"Calm down? I cannot calm down because my daughter is dead. And we're all going to die if we don't kill this thing. We're all going to die!" he shouts.
"You were killed by that thing!" he points at me, and I move on the log uncomfortably. "You know what it's like to be killed by that monster. The difference is you were brought back to life, and God knows how you're not killing us right now," he vents, and I can tell he's pissed off. Super pissed.
"Or maybe you are the monster," he accuses me, and I'm taken aback by that accusation.
Sebby gets up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Cole, he's not the monster as we know; he was attacked by the monster again."
"But he didn't succeed, which means he must be working for the monster, because why else would he be sympathising with Veyraths? He probably sympathises with this monster too."
"Cole, please," Sharaf says to him, and Cole averts his vicious gaze from me and transfers it to Sharaf, but his eyes don't stay harsh for a long time. He relaxes his face, and his eyes are filled with sadness.
"She was all I had left, Sharaf," he cries.
"I know, I know." Sharaf hugs him, and Cole hugs back. I sit there not knowing what to do. I'm sad as hell. He doesn't deserve this. No one deserves to lose a loved one like that. Sharaf takes Cole away from the scene.
Everywhere's quiet. The mood has changed, and it feels like they're all going home now because they've all been reminded that there is a monster on the loose, not going after humans but after their kind.
"Are you okay?" Sebby asks me, and I nod my head. We should be more worried about Cole; he's depressed.
"Well, well… that was dramatic," Victor says, standing six feet tall, looking down at me. "It's a bit absurd that he'd accuse you of being involved with a monster. But you have to admit, people are confused about you."
Yeah, I sensed that. It doesn't take an empath to know this. The stares I got, I could tell they see me as an oddity that should not exist. Some find me fascinating, some find me threatening. Some look at me and think both, and they don't know which to pick.
If I were them, I would be feeling all types of emotions as well.
"But I am glad that you're eager to learn about us; you are a part of us now. You're going to start killing demons in no time."
"What about Sekmetra?" Sebby asks, obviously bored with this conversation. "What are we doing to stop this monster?"
"We, being the council, are handling it. We're doing more research on this monster. I suggest you all stay safe and always watch your back," he warns, but it seems like he's warning me specifically.
People have been telling me a lot of things tonight. I never thought I'd get that; that's because I was once an introvert who didn't like talking to people. But now I do. Because the nytheri are supposed to be social creatures. Maybe that's why it was so easy for Esteban to walk up to me.
"Anyways, I'm bored. I need my beauty rest. Good night, you two," and then he leaves us in that regal way he usually does.
I can't help but think about Cole and his late daughter. What I realised is that the dream I had didn't just reveal the name of the monster; that dream also revealed to me that there is a hero who is going to kill that monster. A valiant knight who is just as strong as the monster.
And I'm going to try my best to find him.