That night, she had a dream, about the blue man again. It started out the same, she was walking down a hallway, no sure where it would take her. When she finally gets to the end, there is a door, and the voice tells her to open it.
She stood at the door for a while, before it opened itself and the shadow hands that came out of nowhere grabbed her and threw her inside. The door shut tight.
The hands wouldn’t let go of her, no even losing their grip. She screamed for help, but she knew no one was going to come and find her. The world looked the same as before, dark and gray, everything dead.
Soon, the hands had brought her to the blue man again. He was looking over a cliff, staring at the world.
“The young Key. You of all people. What a poor choice the spirits had made.”
“Let me go, please,” Jade begged.
The man just laughed, “Be careful what you wish for, young one, then hands may just let you go over that cliff.”
The thing turned around, and got closer to her. He grabbed her face with his long hand. He took a good look. “Yellow eyes . . . how interesting. Must be your uncle,” he spat.
“Mr. Moon?”
“Oh, he told you, uh?” the thing asked. “What else has he told you.”
Jade was shaken by fear.
The blue thing frowned, and raised a hand. “I asked you a question.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“Did that pathetic lunatic tell you about me?”
Jade forced herself to look up. She wished she hadn’t see him, she wish she hadn’t seen his pure black eyes staring into hers.
The thing pointed a finger. “You tell Simon, Runin said hi,” he said, grabbing her by her shirt, and throwing her over the cliff.
Jade woke up, gasping for air. George was sent jumping up from the bed. He had been next to her all night, listening carefully to her. He cursed himself for dozing off. He turned into his human form. “Jade?” he asked sitting on her bed, grabbing her arms.
She was trying to cover herself, shield her from the danger that was no longer there. He was gone, that blue man was gone, but why did he feel like he was right behind her.
“His name . . . his name,” Jade was gasping.
George shook her shoulders a little, trying to make sense of whatever is was she was saying. “Whose name? Jade, what are you saying? Whose name?”
“Runin,” Jade cried. She couldn’t get air to her lungs. “The man in my dreams, his name is Runin.”
George didn’t think twice. He pulled her close to him, smoothing her hair. “He’s not here, he’s not here. You’re safe.”
Jade felt her breath coming back slowly. She even thought for a mere second that she was going to die. But she was safe, just like George had told her, she was safe. She knew she was.
“You’re here. You’re here,” George kept saying. Jade nodded, and pulled away from him.
“I know, I am okay.”
“Good,” George said, patting her head. “Now, you’re going to have to tell Mr. Moon about this, you know that right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you want to go to him now?”
“What time is it?”
“Three in the morning.”
Jade laughed. “Mr. Moon wouldn’t be up.”
“Maybe not, but he will get up for this,” George explained, turning back into a cat. Jade grabbed her coat and got out of bed.
She and him opened the door, looking around for her father. They snuck down the hallway, tiptoeing all the way to the living room. Jim had fell asleep on the couch once again. He was out cold, with paperwork being his blanket.
She snuck past him, and out the front door.
The Colorado night wasn’t kind. It was a lot colder, she thought she would turn to ice. George didn’t seem to mind the cold, he almost seemed to enjoy it. He turned into his human self once they got closer.
They walked to the front porch, and George let them in, closing the door behind them. To their surprise, Mr. Moon was sitting in the kitchen, with paint and a canvas in front of him. He was just as equality shocked to see them.
“What in the world are you two doing up at this time of night?” he asked.
George put a hand on his hip. “Could ask you the same, boss. Rough night?”
Mr. Moon waved him off. “Jade, what’s wrong? You look like you just seen a ghost.”
“A demon,” she whispered. “I saw Runin.”
Mr. Moon’s face dropped. Jade sat at the table, explaining the dream to him. He had slowly dropped his paintbrush, and stared at her with wide hallow eyes. He held onto every word. His blue eyes seemed almost lost.
“I don’t know why, but I don’t think these are dreams,” Jade finally said.
“You’re right. It’s a link. I don’t know how he did it, but he got linked with you.”
“Why?”
“Because, you’re a Key. He’s trying to get inside your head. Possibly get you to be on his side, to turn you, I’m not sure of his plans. Oh, Jade, I am so sorry.”
“Mr. Moon, I’m scared,” her voice cracked.
“I know, I am too,” he said, patting her hand. “No need though, fear is something we can use as fuel for ourselves.”
Jade nodded. He had ordered her to go back to bed, to try to rest her eyes. George took her back, leaving Mr. Moon at the table alone.
“That bastard,” he said to himself when he was finally around. “You couldn’t just stay quiet, could you?”
Horns, screams, fighting.
The battles.
The planning.
The fear.
The Great Demon War was all coming back to him. He tried to control his breathing the best he could. With every death he remembered, he put them into the strokes of his painting.
He needed to forget.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
