The Devil Wore My Name

VIII. LITTLE DEVIL.

"Y-You mean…"

"I mean exactly what you have understood," interrupted Crane, leaving no room for argument or useless questions.

"But how?" said Zeph after a moment of thought as his head rose from looking at his dirt-stained boots.

"Never forget that what we are dealing with is a commoner, Zeph," Crane breathed out. "He doesn't know the full extent of what he has in his hands. Anything can be sold at the right price."

Zeph felt the chills as he took in Lord Crane's smirk. If he hadn't witnessed what that bot boy could do beforehand, he would have pitied him. The mere reminder of him was horrific, the blood, the mess…the terror. He shrugged off the thought.

"How would you like us to get him?" Zeph puzzled, hating the fact that he would have to encounter the elf-like boy again after he beat him to a pulp.

"Escort him here without commotion," said Crane, intertwining his fingers beneath his chin. "We don't want my father to hear anything about this."

Zeph nodded, understanding Crane's worry about his father. Zeph didn't cross paths with him often – and he was thankful for that. If Crane was wicked then, his father was the Monarch. A second merely passed, and Zeph figured that that was the end of it as he saw Crane answer his phone that he didn't even notice was ringing. He bowed silently before turning on his heels, wanting nothing but a warm shower to wash the stink of that monster that he has encountered off his skin.

As his fingertips came in contact with the cold metal of the door handle, a call from Crane made him look over his shoulder.

"One more thing," he smirked as he hung up on the phone. Whoever he was talking to, Zeph wished that he talked to him more. "There are some preparations that you need to do in order to *properly* host our little devil."

Zeph blinked his amber eyes a couple of times before he turned and shifted his attention to Crane. "Preparations?" he quoted, testing the words in his own mouth.

"I heard that Frankensteins are causing our little devil some trouble," Crane smirked with parted lips. "Shall we invite them too?"

Zeph knew that Crane was stating facts, he gulped and nodded his head once more before finally exiting the office.

~~~~

"Why are you two so late!" Lorena exclaimed as she overwhelmed her children the moment they passed through the apartment door.

Joanna glanced over at Elfric for help. "Joanna wanted to take a walk after school," said Elfric with a faked smile. If Joanna hadn't witnessed everything, she would have believed him without a question.

"You should have called!" His mother protested as she pulled Joanna in for a deep hug almost cutting the air out of her lungs.

Elfric grinned for a split second before he felt the vibration in the pockets of his denim. He didn't hesitate to pick up as he saw the dialer's name.

"Hey, Chris," he picked up. "Sorry I…" he halted remembering that his mother was still next to him.

"Hold up," he interrupted his friend who was going on and on on the other side of the phone and moved a couple of steps away from his mother and sister.

"Hey Chris," he finally said. "Sorry man, I was in a panic I forgot that you were going to follow me."

He heard him sigh on the other side.

"Alright, I guess there was no helping it," Chris gave in. "Is your sister okay?"

Elfric figured that he was still outside from the background noise of the wind and car horns that muffled his voice up.

"Yeah, she is alright," he spared his sister a glance. His heart softened when he saw his mother and sister holding each other with that genuine smile on their face. He would do anything if it's to keep that smile on their faces forever, he thought. And with that thought came the crashing reminder of the events of this morning…

The bloody alley, the dead bodies…'I did it.' A voice inside him screamed in agony.

"Where are you?" Chris questioned, his voice bringing Elfric back from his trance. "I still got your bag."

"Right," Elfric stated quietly as he checked the time on the clock hanging on the wall. "It's almost time for my part-time, meet me there."

They both hung up and Elfric released the breath that he has been holding in as he slid his phone back into his pocket. He gazed over at his sister who was clearly feeling awkward that their mother was completely ignorant to what happened. But that was for the best.

"The doctor said never to stress her out," Elfric told her on the way home. He exhaled again as he silently approached the couch that was in front of the small T.V.

"I got to go, Mom," he murmured as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Instantly feeling the warmth that started spreading through his cold boy as his mother brought her hand on his.

"Already?" she whined with her eyebrows arched upwards. "You just got back."

"Duty calls," Elfric chuckled humorlessly, thankful that his mother didn't drag this any further. He ruffled his sister's hair before he went back outside in the chill of the dusk of the day.

The sky which should have been so beautiful at this time of the day was blurred by the smoke of the old city of London. Throughout his path to the subway, his mind never ceased to think about what the devil offered him.

What did he want? For his family to be happy. Then what? He looked around him.

Starvation.

Cruelty.

Discrimination, racism…the list of the things that he saw through his small journey to the subway could fill up books. But what has all this got to do with him? There is the black cross to protect them…that was the lie that they were fed every morning through the T.V, newspaper. To the point that it made him sick.

The so-called Black Cross who was the one responsible for the faith of the commoners were nobles themselves. Ironic isn't it? This was the kind of world that he lives in. If he could indeed fulfill his wish to keep his family safe in this hell hole…then what about all those people?

The question made him scan the interior of the subway from underneath his hood. The pain and suffering that these people go through every day were clear on their faces. He clenched his fists in his pockets feeling the fury as it took over him.

Why was he so angry?! He couldn't understand why, this isn't the first time that he has come through this way. In fact, he was here almost every day watching the same scene over and over. The typical view from the subway window, the typically tired faces. What was new?

Something in him was anew.

Something awakened inside him that night that made him start to question everything that went on around him. His every existence was a big question to him at this point. Was it Orathan? No, he was just a means. He felt the urge inside him that wanted to take Orathan's hand. Something about him that was so calm…

There was Lauxdale, the new city that was built over the countless bodies of commoners. The commoners that now live on the left…old London. Or what's left of it. Was that the reason that all the users had their heads held low? To avoid looking up at that sight that pinpoints their position in this world?

Was anything going to change?

With that final question, Elfric reached his destination as the doors slid open in front of him. People started flooding around him as he took his time to walk his way through the crowd.

"ELFRIC!"

He halted and looked back to see Chris rushing his way. "I thought that I would see you at the store," Rick stated as he took the backpack that Chris was handing out to him.

"I figured to meet you here instead of waiting," Chris confessed as he catches his breath, his expression wasn't the same bright full one as always.

"I've got something to take care of." He didn't even wait for Elfric to reply but went off on his way.

Leaving Elfric standing there staring at his back figure, wondering what's wrong with him. He shrugged off the thought, Chris was his friend but…he thought that he has enough to stress over for a long while now.

He dug his hands in the pockets of his sweater as he walked to his job. Hoping hard that this day would end with no further drama or murders, or dead-end alleys, or…

He didn't even get to finish the thought before a familiar figure blocked his way – a not-so-good figure.

Elfric raised her bi-colored eyes to look out at the same red-headed noble from this morning.

But unlike his ruined state when they parted, he was now looking more presentable like their first encounter.