chapter thirty-two

Suspect

Xiumin was a demon like Alice, but he wasn’t an apprentice or something like that. Xiumin was a full-demon just like Alice’s mentor, Azazel. Somehow Alice noticed Xiumin’s calm aura, yet he was still a demon, a dangerous one too. Xiumin was one of the demons in Hell who preferred to stay on the shadows; he preferred not to cause any troubles towards angels, humans or other demons; he preferred spending his time with no stress, yet when he gets angry, the full-demon can be really dangerous to be with.

“It’s that a way to great me, Alice?” Xiumin joked, “Aish! You have no manners at all!”

Alice laughed. Xiumin tends to joke around pretty much. “I’m sorry, it’s just that is pretty surprising to see you here”

“I know,” he smirked, “I’m not allowed to come to Earth, but I did!”

Alice sighed in relief. Her shoulders loosened too. If the demon she was talking with wasn’t allow to come to Earth that means the Council’s problems haven’t settle yet.

“Be careful,” Xiumin’s tone was serious and his gaze got darker making Alice felt a bit scary from it, “I bet the Council is hiding something”

Hiding something? “What do you mean?”

Xiumin looked to the sides. There were many people passing by so he grabbed the female’s arm and lead her towards an empty alley. What was he going to tell her was really important.

“I don’t have so much time. Soon they´ll notice my absence,” the male demon whispered making Alice’s grew in curiosity and worry. Xiumin wanted to tell her something important. She knew it, but what could it possibly be?

“I’m not allowed to let you know this, even I’m not allow to know it, but you have to know,” he paused and sighed. It was really complicated to understand or explain but he’ll do his best.

“Do you remember Chen?” Alice nodded. “He’s part of the Council” The girl’s eyes grew wider as she agape. It was an unexpected knew.

Chen was a full-demon too. What Alice remembered about him was that he and Xiumin were friends and both have similar personalities. But what the girl didn’t expect that at all. Chen was part of the Council. He is part of the ones who decide which apprentices fit the demon’s perspective the best. The ones who decide about which apprentice’s essence are similar to a full one. The ones who decides which exams –specifically what apprentices must do in order to pass– they’d have to face.

“Did Chen tell you something regarding to the exam?” Alice bit her lower lip as she waited for a positive answer, but Xiumin just shook his head.

“We lost contact one month ago,” Xiumin took a deep breath and then exhaled, “They must be up to something. Never before I had heard the Council having troubles…This is the first time”

Alice nodded in agreement. From the selected books in Hell she had read, the ones that interested the most, neither of them ever stated the Council had problems before and decided to postpone the exam. Neither of them ever mentioned a single detail similar as what was happening now.

Everything had started making sense now. Maybe they are really up to something.

“Alice, be careful. If I manage to contact Chen, I’ll tell you,” Xiumin started walking out of the alley. Alice following him.

“Thank you, Xiumin,” Alice smiled softly.

“You should do that more often,” Xiumin turned to look at her and she welcomed him with a sincere smile. The times they were in Hell, Alice barely smiles.

Alice knew what he meant. Xiumin was aware that Alice portraits a different girl in Hell. She might look hostile and with a bad attitude for most demons, but she wasn’t anything like that. The demon she was talking with, Xiumin, and his friend, Chen, knew about the real her. The only two demons in Hell she could trust were them. Because she knew they were like her. They weren’t greedy, arrogant or cruel as most of the demons. And because someone she trusted introduced the two boys to the girl.

“By the way, Alice,” Xiumin smirked as his gaze turned towards a certain male who was standing at the main door, “That guy over there is your boyfriend or something?” Alice followed Xiumin’s gaze and blushed. Xiumin was pointing towards Lu Han. The latter haven’t even noticed that Alice’s aura was near. She and the demon were meters away yet.

From all the time both, Xiumin and Alice, were talking, the first noticed Lu Han’s presence from the beginning. Also the full demon caught Lu Han looking to their sides. Xiumin fastly got that Alice and Lu Han knew each other.

“H-He is n-not. Lu Han is just a friend”

A friend? Xiumin raised an eyebrow playfully. “Then why are you blushing?” the demon mocked at her.

“I’m not,” Alice her cheeks with her hands. She felt a bit warmer than usual. Alice was trying to cover her redden checks from the demon, who laughed at her cute and timid response.

“You like him, don’t you?” Alice’s hands felt to her sides and smiled as she looked at the ground. She nodded.

Xiumin patted her head. “Be careful, I don’t want either of you or that Lu Han boy to get hurt”

Alice smiled affectingly making the demon next to her grinned too.

Xiumin noticed something off on Alice’s energy all the time they were talking. He also noticed her face had gotten paler. He got aware the Alice was lacking of it: the energy that maintains her alive. And he wanted to do something for her before he disappeared. He took her face between his hands and caressed them, “What I’m going to do with you?” Alice was confused. She didn’t know what exactly Xiumin was referring to. Maybe that she had fallen for a human boy?

“You shouldn’t give your vital-energy that easily, stupid girl,” Alice smiled at the demon’s sentence. Xiumin got near enough just until their foreheads touched. Then Alice felt her energy increased. Xiumin was giving her the vital-energy she had been lacking off.

“Thank you,” Alice whispered as Xiumin’s touch disappeared.

“I’ll go now.” Alice nodded. Xiumin walked pass by Alice and disappeared into the crowd. The demon-boy was heading back to Hell.

Alice felt more alive now her energy was full.

She made her way back towards the hospital. The apprentice noticed Lu Han standing still, but his eyes were closed and his back resting on the wall next to the main door. “Lu Han?”

The mentioned boy’s eyes opened and his eyes looked serious. “Do you feel better now?”

Alice nodded softly and looked directly to his eyes.

Lu Han had seen everything. He noticed Alice talking with a guy, so he assumed was close with her. Lu Han, at first, waited until they finished talking to finally approach the girl, but the moment he saw Xiumin being so touchy with Alice he got angry. He was in fact jealous. Lu Han wanted to ask Alice what happened with that boy, who Lu Han assumed was a demon too, due to the similar aura the latter had to Alice’s, but he hasn’t had the guts to do so.

“I just met an old-friend, who is a demon,” Alice started. She wanted to tell Lu Han what happened because she trusted him and she can reliance on him with this topic. “He mentioned me that the possibilities the Council is up to something regarding to the apprentices are highs”

“You mean something bad and unexpected?” Alice nodded.

“He also gave you vital-energy, didn’t he?” Lu Han’s hands turned into fits as the scene where Xiumin’s forehead touched Alice’s started playing on his mind.

“Did you see that?!” Alice was indeed surprised that Lu Han saw them. She felt ashamed and her lips formed a thin line.

“Yes, I did,” Lu Han tried to calm himself. He couldn’t get resentful with Alice because they were nothing but friends, yet.

Alice bit her lower lip as her eyes felt towards the floor. She didn’t know what to say.

“Are you feeling better now that he gave you that energy?” Lu Han asked making Alice woke up from her thoughts and her gaze lifted towards his, which reflected nothing but worry. The girl mumbled an audible “Mhm” and Lu Han smiled a bit.

The boy started walking towards the entrance, Alice following him.

“Why you didn’t tell me that your vital-energy was low?” Lu Han asked as he walked. Alice stood next to him following his rhythm.

“Because if I did, you’d have offer to give me yours and that’d lead you to pass out,” Alice answered, “And I wouldn’t allow myself that to happen again”

Lu Han smirked at Alice’s answered. Once again Alice showed him the caring and devoted person she was for the others. And he loves her for doing that.