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Time: Noon (3 pm)
After the stop at the store, Skylar inserted his key into his apartment lock. He gave it a quick twist then pushed open the door, nudging his mother inside first. His other hand snatched the bag filled with shampoo, some pre-made sandwiches for later, and other mundane things. The day had been exhausting for him. From his recent change in schedule and pay cut to his mother’s fidgeting nature, it seemed nothing was destined to get better. As if to confirm the cosmos’ unwanted gift, his eyes spied the rental due notice among the growing mail pile inside his door.
Sighing, Skylar paused to pick up it up. His wallet peeked out of his back pocket and drew his mother’s attention, he figure edged closer. The thought never occurred to him that his mother might actually have picked up pickpocketing in her lifetime. With a surprisingly smooth motion, she leaned over beside him and helped to scoop up the papers. Meanwhile, her other hand gently pulled his wallet from its cozy home into her jacket. Skylar’s head jerked toward her direction as she smiled weakly, hiding her crime behind a mask.
“I just thought you needed some help, baby,” she cooed softly then gently pushed his bangs aside, straightening up.
Skylar chuckled,
“Thanks. I could use it after today.” His mother just kept smiling as he began to open the fridge, putting the sandwiches away. He snagged a coke then turned back to her.
“Would you like something to drink?” “No, I’m fine. Honestly, I think I’ve taken up too much of your day already. I should get going,” his mother began, edging back toward the still open door.
Lucifer was well aware of the changes that the Earth had undergone. The cars, the paved roads, the technological advancements. Salem was not untouched by this change. The concrete underneath his dress shoes felt strange. The last time he had been here, it had been grass and dirt underneath his bare feet. A car drove by on the paved road, so much different from the horse and carriage that used to travel the paths in this town. Houses and businesses stood where trees once had, more feet walked on the cement-covered grass, wheels rolled on pavement when wooden wheels had once rolled through dirt. Salem might not
look like it once had, but with the return of his children, it
felt like it once had.
He took his time walking around, taking the changes in, refamiliarizing himself with the town that gave and took away something dear to him. One building caught his interest as he walked by it; it seemed to be an apartment building. He felt a power coming from inside, a power that spoke to him. One of his children resided here. He breathed in, eyelids fluttering. Ah, yes, one of his children, indeed. He moved into the alleyway that was beside the building, following the source of power. It wasn’t terribly strong, but it was strong enough that he could track it.
An open window was above his head, the power curling outside the window pane and beckoning him inside. Lucifer gave in. His clothes rustled to the ground in a small pile near the brick wall of the alleyway, a black cat sitting atop them. The black cat lazily stretched, tail flicking, before hopping up onto the nearby dumpster. The cat jumped onto the window sill easily from there, its dark eyes peering inside.Two bodies were inside. It seemed they had just arrived back. An older woman and younger man. The young man, he had the power. The cat stayed low as he moved inside, landing on the floor with no sound, and staying hidden beside the kitchen counter. Another beautiful child. He wondered about the older woman. Who was she to this young warlock? Lucifer did not like her, for he had a bad feeling about her.
His feeling was not wrong, either. He watched as the woman expertly slipped the wallet from the young man’s back pocket, playing it off as an act of caring. His mother, perhaps. Lucifer did not care. He would let nobody take advantage of his children in such a fashion. They were younglings, who still had to learn of the hardships that the world carried for them. Yet, Lucifer felt something hot and protective cut through him. He had not seen his children in so many years, and to see one being mistreated- he growled, darting from the shadows, and getting in the open doorway. He puffed up, hissing towards the woman, before he attempted to jump at her jacket pocket, his intent to make the young warlock concentrate on it.
Ripley Reed’s eyes widened in surprised when the cat sprang from the kitchen. Her hands jerked out of her jacket causing Skylar’s wallet to drop to the ground, making a sound thump on the wooden floor. She back pedaled to distance herself as her jacket ripped loudly from the claws. A scream erupted from her lips while she held her arms in front, protecting her face from any possible attack. Skylar turned around in time to see the animal fling itself at his mother.
He hadn’t noticed his wallet yet when he dropped the mail on the coffee table and rushed to her aid. How a cat had gotten in here was a mystery to him, but he wasn’t about to let it harm his mother. Instinctively he tugged her behind him as he placed himself between her and the cat. His arms raised and body hunched down. He readied to pin the animal into the ground, hoping to immobilizing it.
“Whoa fellow, stop. Hey, where the hell did you come from?!?” “Is that thing yours, Skylar?” She asked in an accusing tone, her arms pressed tightly to her body and trying to make herself small as possible.
“No, mom. I don’t have a cat. I’m not sure where he came from, but give me a second.” “Skylar, don’t get scratch…” his mother said, her eyes casually scanned for his wallet.
Humans were such dramatic creatures. That certainly hadn't changed about them. The scream made Lucifer's ears pin back against his head, his tail flicking in annoyance. Through the young warlock's words, he discovered that, yes, this was his mother. The cat backed up some, in the threshold of the apartment, and watched the scene unfold. Lucifer found it amusing how the young warlock spoke to him. Humans were always talking to animals, as if they understood each word of English.
Lucifer wondered which children knew of their true origin, and which didn't. He was curious as to which knew they weren't the humans Lucifer looked upon with such disdain. He did not enjoy the thought that his children grew up among these humans, not able to properly flourish and practice their arts. He would be sure that changed, though. He eyed the young man, certainly not wanting to be touched. He let out a low meow towards the warlock, sitting down and batting his paw in the direction of the wallet. Lucifer wanted to make sure that before he left, the young warlock realized what had transpired.
Skylar hovered in place.
His hands were still high and ready to smack down the cat should it launch itself at him, his eyes studying its movements. When the aggression evaporated from the feline’s body, he found himself relaxing. Gradually his figure straightened up after he spied the familiar shape of his wallet. He reached a hand into his back pocket in order to check something nagging at him. It was empty save for his grimoire.
He couldn’t understand how it could’ve ended up there…unless- His eyes twirled on his mother. She recoiled under his shocked expression, his mind linking the answers to his question. His sorrow twisted its thorns deeper into his heart until it felt close to bleeding out.
As if realizing the ruse was up, his mother began to apologize, “Skylar, please… I couldn’t-”
“Get Out.” A coldness cut into her from his demand. She stood there, frozen in place by his reaction to her crime until he took a step toward her. Snapped out of it by the dangerous aura he emitted, her figure flipped about then fled out the open door. He slammed the door in her wake. The lock’s click echoed in the apartment as he twisted about, pressing his back against the wooden surface and gradually dropped to the floor.
For the moment, he appeared not to care about the wallet or the cat within his apartment. His eyes just stared ahead. It kept the pain at bay and from consuming him, remembering why he hated the real world more than his dreams.
Once the young warlock - Skylar, as his mother called him - told her to get out, Lucifer casually moved out of the doorway, watching the scene unfold. He
felt the power roll off of his child, caught by the wave of it washing over him. A slight purr came from the cat, eyes slipping closed, savouring the potential he could sense from this warlock, Skylar. He heard rather than saw the door slam shut. The cat slowly opened his eyes, seeking out Skylar. The cat tilted his head curiously as the young warlock sat on the floor. He could tell his child was in pain, but alas, that was the world they lived in. Pain was natural, though it didn't mean Lucifer had to like seeing any of his children distraught. But, it was something they had to learn to push through, or else they would never become as powerful as Lucifer will teach them to be.
The cat looked around the apartment. Unlike the child he visited before, this one had nothing emitting power sitting out. Lucifer wondered how Skylar practiced his spells without these objects. Perhaps they were simply hidden. The cat darted into the living room, attempting to sense the power of anything that would prove to him this child had been busy practicing his spells. There was a power coming from Skylar, himself, but that was normal. The cat was careful as he made his way through the apartment, being sure to not knock into anything, or to not be loud in his exploration.
Skylar’s eyelids gradually fell close. His head leaned forward, coming to rest upon his chest, as his consciousness slipped away. The familiar energy licked across his skin causing it to tingle rapidly. His legs folded into each other creating a comfortable Indian style posture. The flare of his nostrils twitched, inhaling in then out slowly. Gradually his shallow breath seemed to no longer exist when he felt pulled into his domain. To the outside world, he appeared to have fallen asleep upright at his door. However, the energy that swirled around him and filled the room screamed otherwise.
The cat was on his hind legs, sniffing at a closed cabinet door, when the feeling in the room shifted. The air seemed to come alive, sparking with energy that made the cat whirl around to look at the young warlock. Skylar appeared to be asleep, but Lucifer could feel the truth. He was not sleeping; he was
using his gifts. The cat took a few steps closer, peering at the young Skylar. The energy wrapped around Lucifer like a warm blanket. It had been so long since he had seen one of his children using their gifts. It was breathtaking. The cat sat down, dark eyes locked on Skylar. The cat became like a statue, unmoving, not even his tail sliding across the floor. Lucifer was completely taken by the energy hanging heavy in the air, weighing down on him, forcing him to stay and
watch.
He wished he could know what his child was doing. Skylar must have something on his person that was giving him the ability to do this. Perhaps that was why Lucifer felt such strong power from him before. Either way, the cat was locked in place, the only thing indicating the cat was real the soft purring sounds swirling alongside the energy in the apartment. Lucifer was no stranger to the passage of time. He had spent many years not paying it any mind, for it could drive any being mad. Because of that, when he came back to himself, almost an hour had passed without his noticing. The young warlock was still radiating energy, yet Lucifer knew he had other children to visit. Perhaps they were practicing their arts now just as Skylar was. The cat lingered for a moment more, breathing in the air, and letting out a soft mewl. The cat didn't glance back as he jumped onto the kitchen counter, and disappeared out of the kitchen window.
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