Celestia POV

Florence and try out some of the rides, before sitting on a bench to rest and eat cotton candy. It melts in my mouth and tastes amazing. I didn't like the bumper cars, but I loved the one where we sat on a long bench with the rest of the people and the machine started raising us and lowering us at different speeds and angles. Still, I don't know what it's called, but it was amazing.

A prickling feeling started to make its way down my right arm. Immediately turning that way, I found that there was nothing there, except a young boy. He was maybe seven or eight years old with a red balloon tied to his wrist. I felt anger from him and frustration. That couldn't be right because what could a little boy be so angry about? It made my skin crawl even from this distance and I didn't have to focus on it too much to find out what it was.

While Florence was looking through her phone, I stood up and headed toward the boy. "Where are we going now? I thought we were resting, Aurora!" As I got closer to the boy, the anger I felt coming from him intensified, which shouldn't be possible. He was kicking a stuffed elephant and throwing it around the dirt. Without hesitating, I touched his shoulder and kneeled in the dirt next to the bear. He looked up at me startled, but didn't run away.

"What's wrong?" The boy crossed his arms in a defensive position and pouted looking at me with scorching eyes.

"I hate them! I don't want to leave and they're making me. I want them to disappear, so I can stay here FOREVER!"

I was confused, surely he didn't mean his parents. "Who?"

"My mom and dad. They always do everything for the new baby and never think of what I want. Can't they just disappear and never come back?" The boy continued to kick the elephant with his leg while fisting his hands on his sides. Everything in me told me that this wasn't natural, kids at that age don't develop anger issues like this, and even if they did this felt like something else. It reminded me of the creepy guy in the alley next to the coffee shop, while I was with Sydney Dallas and my brothers' friend and his possibly possessed father when they were at the house. Could this boy be under demonic influence?

"You don't really mean that, do you? Your parents love you. They brought you here, didn't they?"

"Yeah, it's my birthday. But they want to leave now because it's too hot for the baby and I don't want to leave.

"Happy Birthday! I'm not a parent, but I'm sure they aren't lying to you. If they say it's too hot for your sibling, then they aren't lying. It's a very hot day. I'm sure you love your sibling, don't you?" The boy looked up and nodded. "I love my brothers, too. If the heat was harming them, I would do anything to protect them from it, even though I'm the youngest sibling." I felt the anger and frustration coming off of the boy recede. Little by little, they were replaced by love.

"I love my little brother, but I can't wait for him to grow up a little, so we can play together. He can't do anything with me now and always needs someone to take care of him."

I smiled a little, "Well, that's what babies do, but once he grows up and starts talking to you, I'm sure you guys will be inseparable!" The boy unclenched his fist and his soul was filled with love and hope for the future, plus a little impatience, which was normal.

"Where is your family?" The boy looked around like he wasn't sure how he got here in the first place.

"They left me at the clown show and went to do something with my brother." I was curious now.

"Which clown show? Was it fun?"

He shrugged and answered "I didn't think they were funny. I'm a big boy now! And who names their clown family the Joybringers? It was a lame name. I didn't wait for them after it was over because I got so mad."

Florence and I shared a look. She suggested we look for a police officer or the carnival security because they were legally required to provide security staff for situations like this. Just as we arrived at the main security office for the amusement park, we saw a woman rush out of the room. "JUSTIN!" She knelt on the ground and the little boy ran straight to her arms.

The officers and the mother thanked us for bringing the boy here and we left. I was happy because as we were leaving, the darkness and anger surrounding the boy had disappeared. "What do you want to do now?" Florence asked me.

"Let's try the Gondola." It was this giant gondola-like attraction that swung back and forth like a pendulum. I was really afraid to try it when I first saw it. It didn't look safe at all.

"Are you kidding? I thought you were afraid of it?"

I didn't like lying, it made me sick, but I had to find out what made the little boy feel that way. Finding the Joybringer clowns was the first step and I couldn't take Florence with me. What if they were actually demons? I had to protect her, which meant we had to split up.

"I thought you'd be happy I want to face my fears Florence? Plus you love the ride so much, I am curious. Why don't you go get tickets for us, while I find the bathrooms and we'll meet by the ice cream parlor to cool ourselves with a scoop of deliciousness before we take on the Gondola monster."

She laughed at the name I chose to call it. "Ha! It's amazing and the adrenaline is going to be off the charts, but you won't fall, I promise. Here, take your phone with you, so you can text if anything goes wrong." Handing me my phone, she waved and headed toward the ticket booths. I kept the phone in her purse the whole day because I didn't have anything to keep it in. The only available space was my back pocket, but it didn't fit all the way. It was awkward and I hoped it didn't fall off while walking.

I started to look for the clown show the boy was speaking of, but as I weaved through the hordes of people in the park, I started to feel fear. What if it was an actual demon? The last time I even saw something possibly demonic I ran like a coward.

I don't know exactly which side of me was in control right now, but I doubt it was the human half. Angels were protectors of the innocent, warriors, who shined a light on the darkness. I wasn't a full-blooded angel, but something inside me was itching to stop the demonic influence I sensed here. It sure wasn't the human half of me. My hands were trembling, but the need to eradicate the evil that touched the boy was stronger.

What was I going to do once I found them? I hadn't thought that far in advance, which should have made me stop, but it didn't. It wasn't long before I saw the sign on the tent near the back fence of the carnival grounds. 'Joybringer Family! Clowning around since 1865.' A normal person would think it's a family business spanning centuries, but if they were actual demons...

Like a lightning bolt, I halted in front of the tent. What was I thinking? Going inside a demon's hunting ground without any protection or weapon. I needed to hide from all sides of the supernatural, not go looking for it. Shaking my head I swiftly turned around but couldn't an inch in the direction I came because a man with a giant belly was standing behind me.

"You can't be trespassing here if there isn't a show going on!" His face was painted white with red lines around his mouth and eyes. He had a giant red nose and was holding balloons in his hands.

I looked down and mumbled, "I'm sorry." But when I tried to leave he stopped me by putting a hand on my shoulder. 

"Not so fast! Did you steal something? I'm taking you to see the boss and if you're lucky he won't call the cops on you." Pulling me by the elbow inside the tent, the man shouted "Boss! We've got an uninvited guest lurking outside, do I take her to the cops on the carnival grounds?"

This was a smaller tent than the one they performed in, which was next door with signs directing viewers to the clown show. There was a trailer vehicle attached to the back, where I'm guessing they slept. Balloons were attached to the ceiling, making it seem like they were floating in the air. I am sure there was a string holding them. The temperature inside the tent was lower, which wouldn't have been so strange, but compared to the scorching sun outside, it was like walking into a refrigerator.

The trailer door opened and banged against the metal of the small mobile home. Suddenly, the noise from the carnival outside faded away as a man with a large red nose and clown makeup walked out. He was wearing regular clothes, but his painted face was still intact. I am guessing he didn't have time to clean himself properly after the show or was going to have another one today.

That wasn't what scared me, though. Bitter anger and resentment flooded me, coming from the man, who was climbing down the little climb ladder on the trailer. He was limping a little and his posture was unnatural, like he wasn't used to walking on a prosthetic leg. His piercing gaze felt like daggers lodging themselves in my body and staking me in place. So much darkness...

This wasn't like the person, who came to visit my family after I met them. It felt a hundred times more intense and this time the sickness wasn't slowly rising the more time I spent in the same room with him - it was hitting me all at once, like an odor making you sick to the point you want to bend over and puke your guts out to purge the feeling. Only I was paralyzed in place, stuck in a moment of pure terror, and my hands were shaking, showing this evil thing my weakness.

I was afraid and he knew it. He smiled sinisterly, some of his yellow teeth were missing and his maniacal laughter filled the small tent and made me feel even more trapped. "What do we have here?"

"The man that caught me outside explained "Like I said boss, a trespasser from the carnival. She looked shady. You want me to call security to deal with her?"

"No, I'll give her a talking to, you can wait outside to escort her to the main carnival grounds when we're done." With a nod, the man behind me let my arm go and left the tent leaving me and that thing alone. I can probably assume he is a higher-level demon of some kind since I had such a severe reaction to him and the circumstances that got me here in the first place. Again, I regretted coming here unprepared, but it was too late now.

The man circled me once and when he was behind me I felt him lift a strand of my hair and inhale a deep breath. Upon breathing out, I smelled his breath, which made me feel even more sick, but I was still frozen. "What is a pure and innocent girl like you doing here? I can practically smell the light on you. Too innocent for this world, and yet you're here facing me head-on. It's intriguing, but you're not as naive as my usual customers."

"I know you are using your shows to teach kids bad habits and make them stray from their parents and act out. It's wrong and I will make sure you are shut down." He was wrong because I was naive to think he wouldn't recognize me as another supernatural. I didn't choose my words carefully enough. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of my face with a smirk worthy enough to be in a horror movie.

"Last time I checked we aren't in a comic book and you aren't wearing a funny costume fighting crime. So, tell me why you really came here. You couldn't resist doing a good thing, right? Such a noble thought. Tell me, what are you exactly?" He took me by the shoulders and started hugging me while smelling my hair more intensely. "You smell divine. If I didn't know better I would say a Nephilim walks the Earth for the first time in centuries."

He abruptly stood back and smirked, while my heart was pounding with vigor. Lying might be a sin, but I would give anything to be good at it right now. I was sweating and the room was starting to spin, but I was still frozen in fear. I had no idea how my knees hadn't buckled by now. My silence only amplified the tension in the room and probably confirmed his guess.

Chuckling lowly, he continued with questions I couldn't answer verbally. But that probably didn't stop him from coming to conclusions he wasn't supposed to. "How did we not sense your birth, little angel? We always do! How are you still hiding your true nature?"

Taking steps back from me, he began circling me once more. Like a predator playing with its food. A snake circling a mouse right before squeezing it to death. Only, I don't think he intends to kill me. He was feeling victorious, calculating, and on the edge of snapping. Like a starved hunter in the dead of night waiting for his prey to step inside the trap and get caught.

"No matter, we will have plenty of time to learn everything. First, we need to find a realm with more privacy. I can't wait to break you to the point where all those morals and virtues of yours will fade away into nothingness. Taking my time is something I enjoy quite a lot. But after I'm done I will show you all the perks evil has to offer, and I'm sure you'll eagerly accept to join us."

The demon stepped back and sat on a chair next to the trailer. His posture was confident like he knew I couldn't move or escape him. "After all, the Nephilim that came before you all chose our side eventually." I was scared, but that didn't stop the shock from taking over for a second. He said the Nephilim that came before... Does that mean I'm not the first one?

"Of course, molding a half-breed's nature into its opposite is far easier when you do it from the beginning. Don't worry though, I will greatly enjoy peeling all those layers of goodness around you and burning them one by one until I find the center of your power and reshape it in my image. By the time I am done with you, whichever angel fathered you won't be able to recognize the spawn he created. Trust will be his undoing, though because you will be my weapon to deliver those righteous fuckers their deaths!"

His laugh was loud, but the ringing in my ears was louder. The demon wanted to use me to kill my angelic family. And if he was telling the truth, everyone like me that existed before turned evil. Is this why my uncle Michael looked at me that way? Because he knew there would be no way to fight the darkness and sooner or later I would be a threat to everything good in the world?

I didn't have time to ponder my thoughts any further before the tent opened and uniformed officers came inside. The demon scowled like someone ruined his day. "Is there a problem here? We were informed that one of the visitors ventured into the unauthorized personnel grounds."

Like a switch was flipped, the clown smiled at the officers and answered them. "No problem, gentlemen. Just a fan applauding our hard work in the clown show. It's not a big deal."

The dark-haired male officer answered first "Oh, so you won't need an escort to the front office?" The female next to him was wearing her colored blond hair in a ponytail. She scowled "Since we are already here, it's probably a good idea to head out together, Gary. You know the boss likes to see us working, not slacking."

I don't know how or why, but I felt my legs moving on their own to the tent door. The demon called after us "Don't be a stranger! We would love to teach you everything about the business! You would make a great clown one day, it's in your blood after all!"

The officers were confused by his parting words, but I got the message loud and clear. I didn't even notice when we arrived at the same office we dropped the little boy off. My thoughts were racing and I was still fighting with every breath not to bend down and empty my stomach. Now that the paralyzing fear was gone, or at least dwindled, the nauseous feeling came roaring back.

"Rory!" Looking up, I saw Wes standing by Florence, who looked concerned. My expression must have been dire because he spoke to my friend and in the next moment was running toward me. He hugged me and I felt his worry and love. That must have been a wake-up call of some kind because I finally found my voice. "I'm going to be sick. Take me to the bathroom, please."

Are we going to see that (possible) demon again?

What will Aurora do now to hide herself from the threat?

Question of the day: Do you have a favorite fast food meal?