"So Ben is a complete psychopath," said Nathaniel.
It was after Biology, a class where they'd learned about nature that apparently didn't even exist anymore, which was pointless. They were now heading to P.E., where Ewan would have to do some physical exertion that he didn't care for. They were playing rugby as well which, from what he'd heard, was a game of sweaty bodies colliding at every opportunity and shoving others to the ground with brute force.
Ewan wasn't particularly excited.
"He isn't," mumbled Ewan. "He... doesn't know how else to handle the liars."
At first, the offer for partnership had made Nathaniel skeptical. He'd asked why and Ewan had gone on a decently long and partly untrue rant about how he never even asked to be here, and if Ben was dead, he'd be able to go back to Hell and everything would be like it used to be and he would very much appreciate that.
Partly untrue. But also mostly just facts.
Nathaniel accepted the whole idea.
He then constructed a plan to kill Ben at his house. He said it'd be easy - just stun him then impale him. There was no back-up plan, and Ewan briefly thought there should have been, but there was no reason it wouldn't work.
And that was fine. Ewan planned to wear earbuds or something. Then he would get Nathaniel in a room alone and take the Enchantment off of him, sending him back to Hell. And Ben would never even know Charlie had been possessed.
The only problem, of course, was that Ewan had no idea where the Enchantment was. And he wasn't about to ask and risk putting the whole plan in jeopardy.
And the fact that it was beginning to seem like Nathaniel wanted something else from Ben - maybe a partnership - sent prickles of anxiety up Ewan's spine. Why else would he say they needed to be friends after figuring out Ben was 'a psychopath'?
It was no secret, at this point, that Nathaniel was a fairly new Overseer. He hadn't yet entirely adapted the personality that was the Ira - that was, killing demons on the spot when he was even remotely irritated and, sometimes, filling demons with such rage whenever he wanted that it would send the whole level into a fight.
He didn't think these sort of things through - the whole 'go against what I was instructed to do for my own personal gain.' The sort of things that could, quite possibly, get him killed for good.
"Ewan?"
He blinked absently, turning his gaze to the other. "What," Ewan muttered.
"I asked how you two are so connected," Nathaniel replied. "You know, how you just knew Ben was practically dying?"
Nathaniel had a proud tone. One that immediately said 'I'm better than you, just listen.' It irked Ewan and he found himself comparing the Overseer's voice to Ben's much softer, humbler, ever-irritated voice.
"I don't know anything," Ewan admitted. He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'd like to know, of course. It's very weird. But, um... no, I'm not quite sure why."
"How can he even use an Enchantment?"
"I don't know," Ewan repeated.
"Do you know anything about Ben at all?"
Ewan shifted his gaze to the other, tilting his chin up.
Why yes, he did.
He knew that Ben's eyes had three different colors in them and that he had very, very light freckles scattered like a shaken checkerboard along his cheeks.
He knew that Ben's lips were the color of lavender fields at night and that his eyes were always rimmed with red and even sometimes black because of his sleep schedule.
He knew that Ben didn't like the idea of being seen as good or bad - he was just there, doing what he thought was right, but he didn't want to be labeled.
He knew that Ben grinned whenever the two looked into each other's eyes for too long and when they were laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, he knew that Ben was thinking about all of the things he'd done wrong.
He even knew that the only thing Ben wanted more than his mother was someone who understood his soul.
And Ewan understood his soul.
But he didn't count because one day he'd leave.
"Not really," Ewan said, licking his lips.
They entered the changing room and Ewan slipped off his drawstring bag, taking off his glasses. The world blurred.
"I think he's a valuable asset," Nathaniel decided. "If he can control the weather, that's pretty great."
"I can control people's emotions," argued Ewan, raising an eyebrow. He took off his shirt, putting on a thin black one instead. It showed off nicely thick arms that Ewan only wished he had.
Nathaniel went quiet before stepping closer to Ewan, making him clench his fists. No matter how uncomfortable the other made him, he had to keep his ground. Act like they were on the same side.
"Ewan, I'm gonna be real with you." The Overseer took a deep breath. "I'm planning world domination," he said with a shrug.
It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn't even matter. It doesn't matter at all-
"And," the Overseer continued, "I can't dominate the world from Hell - which is where I live. Where we live, Ewan. And see, since I want to dominate the world, and since we have someone who can control the weather on the Surface, I'm thinking - just... get Ben to do it."
The whistle blew, and the two left the changing room and began doing laps around the gym. His legs felt like jelly.
"Like I said," Ewan replied, "I don't... I don't know Ben. But I don't think he'd agree to something like that. Besides, wasn't the plan to just kill him and go?"
"But then he had a panic attack," Nathaniel whispered, a giant grin on his lips. "Imagine ruling the entire Surface, Ewan. The entire Surface. Conducting the course of history from Hell."
Ewan exhaled shakily, redirecting his gaze. The absolute idiocy of Overseers. The boldness. The ego that came with being an Overseer.
It wouldn't hinder Ewan's plan. It would be just the same - get him in a room alone, take his Enchantment, send him to Hell.
He just had to find the Enchantment first.
Or, even easier, he could convince Nathaniel that the task was too hard. Explain how difficult it would be to change Ben's mind and then he'd decide against it.
"Well," Ewan began, "you'd have to kill everyone he's ever known or cared about to get him to consider it. And you know, that takes a lot of work, except it would be even more convincing to get Ben to do it, but we all know he'd never do that - er, well, I don't think he'd ever do that. I don't... I don't know him. Or anything."
Then he went quiet. And his eyes slid over to Nathaniel's to find a shit-eating grin on his lips.
Wow, Ewan. Very smart. Very smart.
The whistle blew again. "Alright, on the field, let's go! We're playing rugby, so get ready to lose some teeth."
Ewan sighed, running a hand through his hair as he headed to the field. Ezra was there as well and the demon briefly wondered just how he intended on playing such a physical sport. But this was the future. Maybe they had... special things.
"You guys wanna be on a team?" he asked.
This earned a sigh from Nathaniel. "There are plenty of other people to-"
"Sure," butted Ewan. "Sure."
Anything to avoid talking to Nathaniel about converting Ben. It was making his head spin.
"Hey!" called Ezra, raising his hands. "Give me a ball!"
"Ezra," a student replied flatly, "in case you forgot, you're blind."
This made Ezra narrow his eyes. "Hey," he repeated, "you want to give me the ball, okay?" His tone was sharp and made Ewan flinch back. Realization came upon the boy and he chuckled. "Please. Please... give me the ball. I can catch it, I swear."
He couldn't catch it. The ball whirled through the air directly towards Ezra but the boy only outstretched his arms, jaw clenched in concentration.
Ewan sighed through his nose. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he moved a finger so that the ball landed gracefully into Ezra's hands.
"What's wrong with him?" Nathaniel asked. "He seems strange."
"He's got... a lot going on."
Ben had told Ewan about the boy's mother - the surgery. And really, it couldn't be easy when a demon comes and takes your best friend.
Look at you, Ewan thought, having sympathy like a mortal.
It was reassuring.
"I'll see you at my place, then? At six?" asked Nathaniel. He stood by his car, door open, propped up against it. It was a very nice ride - very shiny, very red, very... rich-looking. "You better get home before Stirling's parents get worried. Charlie says his parents are pretty strict."
"Yeah, they might not let me g..." Ewan paused, phone out to call Jamie to get him to pick him up, but he looked at Nathaniel. "What did you say?"
"Charlie," Nathaniel repeated. "He says Stirling's parents are pretty strict."
"When did he tell you that?" Ewan asked, pocketing his phone. "Wh-When did you talk to him?" He took a step forward, eager to hear what the other had to say.
"All the time? Charlie's alive, remember?" Nathaniel tapped his head. "He still talks up here."
Ewan breathed out slowly. How did he not know that?
"Well, what's he saying?" Ewan asked, hands in his pockets. "What's he been saying?"
"Just some nonsense about Ezra, actually. How weird he is." Nathaniel shrugged. "We've gotten along frighteningly well. He's pretty strong-willed for a mortal."
"I know," Ewan mumbled. "I'm the one that killed him, remember? He was going to stab Ben. Well, he did stab Ben."
Nathaniel scoffed. "He did? Ben's been stabbed? And that boy's still alive... We really do need Ben, don't we?"
Ewan sighed, wishing he'd never said anything. He just nodded and took out his phone again, dialing Jamie. "I'll see you tonight, Nathaniel."
The other narrowed his eyes at the sound of his own name. Then he ducked into his car and drove off, leaving Ewan feeling stunned.
So it really was a good thing they hadn't killed Chester. The man he'd possessed would have known and seen everything, and he wouldn't have been able to help himself. That was the worst kind of death, Ewan figured. Knowing what was happening and being completely unable to do anything about it.
Jamie answered on the third ring.
"Stir?"
"Hey, Jamie," Ewan said into the phone, "school's over."
"I - yes. Yeah, I know. I'll be there in a minute... thank God you're coming home today."
Ewan suppressed a sigh. "I know... I'm sorry. Something came u-"
"But you're okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Everything's alright. Just please pick me up. Th - oh."
A red truck pulled up. Jamie's. Despite the fact that Jamie apparently spent his life working on it, it looked... bad.
"Get in," Jamie said, unlocking the door.
Ewan got in, sighing in frustration. "Why don't I have a driver's license?"
"You do, Stir. You're just too poor to buy a car - even a cheap one, like mine. This is a 2000 Land Rover Discovery and it was only 400 dollars."
There was probably something about inflation in money but that actually seemed expensive.
"Really," Ewan mused.
"Well, you're eighteen. You're supposed to have a job, Stirling. You're supposed to - you know, your family is supposed to know where you are. Do you know that? You aren't supposed to just... leave for a night. You come home with 'cosplay' on, then you're the one telling me I've had a fever dream. And then you act off for two days straight and you spend the night out - I - with who, Stir? Who were you with? Rain? Please say Rai-"
"I was with Ben," Ewan mumbled, looking to the side. "I was with Ben. He's... He's going through a tough time and he... he's been threatened."
"Like he couldn't take care of himself? You really think he needs help?"
"He's more fragile than you think," Ewan said, more quietly this time.
The world was too big for him sometimes and no one seemed to know that. No one seemed to know Ben at all.
"Mom's worried sick. Anna thinks you died. Dad..."
"Pissed?" Ewan asked flatly.
"No. He's actually been the one calming Mom down." He sighed through his nose. "He knew you'd be fine."
Ewan set his head back against the chair, closing his eyes. This was stressful. Maintaining a life for Stirling, even though he was dead. It was mostly for the family and yet he was screwing it all up for Ben.
"So where are you going tonight?" asked Jamie.
"Um..." He didn't know if he should tell Jamie. Especially after what he'd just said. Maybe it was a good idea to just make them think he was going to be home all day and then leave later.
"Stir," Jamie said, focusing on the road, "I know I can't control you. You're 18, and I... I mean, you're allowed to go out. Just tell people... Please?"
Ewan looked out the window. "Yeah."
Somehow he felt like a moody teen and he didn't understand. Maybe it was just the situation.
"Hey," said Jamie, drumming his fingers on the wheel, "it's clear things are going on with you. If going out tonight is going to help you, I want to vouch for you. They'll listen to me when I tell them you're okay. Just... Just be safe, alright?" He cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. "So where are we going?"
Ewan gazed at the other silently. "Ben's house."
"When did you guys even become friends?" Jamie scoffed, turning on his turning signal. "When? What changed?"
"I... he wasn't who I thought he was."
"Ben's the same person he was when he cut Charlie's face open. Does that... does that make sense? Ben hasn't changed. Someone like Ben can't change. On his own, that is." He glanced over to Ewan, looking him firm in the eyes once they reached a stop sign. "It's someone like you that'll help him. He needs you."
Ewan looked Jamie in the eyes. Something about this felt personal - in a different sense than the fact that Jamie was looking him square in the eyes. It was like Jamie was seeing through his soul into actually Ewan. The demon. Not Stirling.
The rest of the ride was silent, but soon Jamie parked the car in front of Ben's mansion.
He got out of the car, getting his drawstring bag. "Thanks," he said to Jamie, glancing up at the other.
"Yeah," Jamie said. He looked pale - nervous to let Ewan out of his sight. But soon he nodded, swallowing doubt. "Yeah."
And they parted ways.
Ewan walked to the house. Not bothering to knock, he opened the door and began heading up to Ben's room.
"Ben?" he called. He opened the door, revealing Ben sitting at his desk, pencil in hand. "What are you doing?"
The other lifted his head, turning in his chair and facing Ewan... with the cutest sight he'd ever seen.
"Oh, Great Hell," Ewan breathed. His heart was absolutely filled to the brim - his soul felt full and pure at the sight in front of him.
Ben Sawyer - the boy with the black eye and split lip, the boy with the curly black hair that was just in front of his eyes, the boy who still had bruised knuckles... was wearing glasses. Thin-rimmed, black glasses that highlighted his freckles and the redness around his eyes.
"What?" Ben asked. He reached up to take off his glasses, but Ewan took a quick stumble forward.
"No, no, no!" he cried. "Keep them on... please?"
Ben scoffed, hand on the rim. "I probably look like a dork."
And for some reason, Ewan got incredibly defensive at the sound of that comment. He narrowed his eyes. "You look like an adorable dork, Ben."
Blush rose to Ben's cheeks but gradually his hand came off the glasses, a small grin on his lips. "Thanks," he whispered under his breath. There was a hint of disbelief that laced his tone.
The accomplishment made him smile. Ewan took his shoes off at the door and sat on the bed. "So what are you doing? Fanfic for Fifty Shades?"
The other raised an eyebrow, looking at him quizzically for a second, before shaking his head. "Math homework, actually. Some of us have grades to keep up... Jennings doesn't like me as it is." He turned back to his homework for a moment before turning to Ewan again. "Did you knock?"
Ewan narrowed his eyes. "Of course I didn't." He glanced around. "Is Tiana back?"
Ben turned himself back to his work. "No," he mumbled. "She isn't."
"Shoot," said Ewan. He didn't know what else to say. Maybe he should change the subject, or... apologize. "Sorry. Uh, so... Are you going tonight, then? To Nnnn... Charlie's?"
"Nnnn - yes," mocked Ben, resuming his scribbling.
"I'm surprised."
"Me too," admitted Ben. He shrugged. "But Gabrielle and Ezra wanted to go. Did you?"
Ewan sighed through his nose. "As long as there's alcohol, I guess..."
"Why don't you want to go?"
"I didn't say I didn't..."
"You didn't have to." Ben sat up, going to take off his glasses but he clicked his tongue in thought and soon took his hands off of them. Then he turned to look at Ewan, raising an eyebrow. "What's up? You and Charlie seem to be getting along alright."
Ewan looked at the other. He could just tell Ben right now. It wouldn't change anything in the long run, but... he seemed happy right now. And Ewan didn't want to be the bearer of bad news.
"What do you plan on wearing?" asked Ewan, changing the topic.
Ben sighed at the sound of a dodged question. "I could ask you the same thing. You're not wearing my sweater, are you?"
"Uh..." Ewan glanced down at the clothes he was wearing. "No. No, I, uh... I'll probably be wearing... something... of Stirling's, definitely... something-"
"You can," Ben interrupted, leaning back. "You can wear my clothes."
"Thanks," said Ewan, sighing. The sweater smelled like Ben anyway - the gentle smell of natural roses. He didn't smell like cologne, and it wasn't like his house smelled like roses. It was only him.
"I'll probably wear a black sweater," offered Ben. "It's pretty col-"
"You're going to look like a - what did you call it? A douche," Ewan said.
"Why would I look like a douche?" Ben asked. He looked particularly amused, one eyebrow quirked up in interest.
"It's going to be a party."
"Yes."
"There are going to be people there."
"Generally, yeah."
"And you're going to be there."
"As is the plan."
"With a black sweater."
"Yes."
"A black sweater. Like you're only there to make fun of drunk girls, propped against a wall, waiting for someone to fall into your arms. All you'll need is sunglasses and, like... a wingman. Oh, no, wait - you'll have Ezra."
The other boy looked confused for a second. "How do you know anything about party culture?"
Ewan didn't. He let out a slow breath, shifting on the bed. "Am I right, though?"
Ben raised an eyebrow before snickering. "Sure." He grinned, looking to the side. "I'll wear white, is that better?"
That felt like a better choice than black. As if his clothing color would dictate how easy it would be to take down Nathaniel.
Ewan couldn't stop staring, though, at the grin on Ben's lips. The grin that he could stare at for hours and never get tired of the gentle color, never get tired of the way his nose scrunched up a little bit, never get tired of the crookedness of it.
"What?" Ben asked, now looking at Ewan again.
"You're... You're adorable, Ben." Ewan shrugged, unsure of how else to phrase it.
It took Ben off guard again. Less than last time, because this time his face didn't go red. But he did grin some more, bashfully, and he looked to the side. "Thanks," he mumbled sarcastically.
"Why don't you believe that?" asked Ewan, setting his back against the headrest.
"I didn't say that," Ben said, repeating what Ewan had said.
"You didn't have to," repeated Ewan, propping his chin on his palm, which he propped on his knee.
"I'm gonna ignore the question," said Ben, still grinning, "because that's what you did with me."
Ewan scoffed but eventually nodded. "Touche."
Really, Ben didn't deserve anything that would come to him. Anything bad, of course. He didn't deserve the dark side of Nathaniel's mind or the reality that Ewan would leave even if he wanted to stay. And he did.
But he didn't know if it was possible.
He still had to think about Aliyah. About leaving her in Hell. He couldn't communicate with her, couldn't even predict how much longer he'd be here. And he wanted to be with her, too. But he was on the Surface and she wasn't.
It took maybe two hours, but Ben finished all his homework. The two shared gentle conversation, and Ewan felt warm inside. As did the room, but that might have been because of Ben controlling the weather.
"Alright," Ewan said, getting up. He approached the other's closet and began rifling through it before finding a white sweater. He snatched it and smiled, turning around to show Ben. "White sweater, see? No douche vibes."
Ben got up, stretching. He then took off his orange sweater and reached for the white one in Ewan's hands, but Ewan held onto it a second longer, staring at the other's chest. A blush warmed both of their cheeks.
"You've been through a lot," said Ewan, gazing at the stab wound in the center of Ben's chest. There were other various scars, probably from other fights, other experiences. "I'm really surprised you can be in the same room as him. He... He did this to you."
Ben shrugged, gently taking the shirt from him and putting it on. "He's different now."
"Yeah," mumbled Ewan, putting his hands in his pockets.
Ben and Ewan pulled up to the sight of flashing lights and screaming.
Which could be considered good or bad, depending on what side of the law you were on, but for Ewan, it was bad because it meant there were more people than just the five of them. Nathaniel had invited absolutely everyone from the school to this party.
Which probably meant he was going through with the whole 'if Ben has no one he'll have no choice but to rule the world with me' plan.
Which was Ewan's idea.
Which meant, if people died, if anyone died, it was on him.
"I don't..." Ben sighed, taking off his helmet. He pocketed his keys and set his helmet on the handle of the bike, with Ewan following suit. "Why would he invite everyone?"
Ewan shrugged, but, of course, he knew.
Ben's face was pale. "I think we should g-"
But Ewan was cut off by Nathaniel, who exited the house grinning widely. "Ben!" he called. His arms were spread wide, his eyes lit with excitement. "I thought I heard your shit brakes. Come inside!"
The two shared a nervous gaze that Nathaniel quickly broke up, grabbing Ben's arm and lugging him inside. Ewan was quick to follow behind him.
The two were gone before he could get in. Ewan clenched his jaw and pushed through sweaty people, ignoring drinks being shoved in his face and hands being set upon his body.
He found them shoving through the wave of bodies.
"This is a lot of people that don't like me," Ben stated absently, and Nathaniel's answer got carried in the crowd. In the ten seconds Ewan hadn't been there, he'd already gotten a drink in his hand. Before he could take a sip, though, it was snatched out of his hand by someone in the crowd.
Thank Satan, thought Ewan.
He began to look Nathaniel over. The Enchantment wasn't in plain sight, which meant it was probably in his pockets. But which one? One wrong move could result in him knowing what Ewan was doing. Then he'd paralyze him and do his plan anyway.
There wasn't an indention in any of Charlie's pockets to indicate an Enchantment, though.
Where else could it be?
"Please don't tell me he swallowed it," he growled. His voice got carried away by the screaming and shouting of the other students. Distracted, he glanced around at all the people. They were dancing and the lights were flashing. His senses were going wild - his smelling, his sight, his hearing. It was difficult to concentrate on anything.
"Nathaniel," Ewan called, "can I talk-"
He turned to look at the other but they were both gone. Nathaniel and Ben had vanished, leaving Ewan in the middle of the chaos. Swears ran through his head and his heart began to pound, his eyes glancing around in an earnest attempt to find them but there was no indication of them.
Shit, shit, shit, shit...
After walking around for a good five minutes with nothing, he spotted Gabrielle. She looked bored, clad in a jean jacket over a purple shirt with skinny jeans, arms crossed. Her posture - shoulders squared, head up - told him it was Elizabeth.
"Hey," he said, grabbing her arm. "Is Gabrielle okay?"
She looked up at him with a defensive look at first, but once she saw who it was, she relaxed. "Yes. She's just anxious, and she doesn't know where Ben is."
"Me neither. I think N..." Did it matter anymore? If all of that was going down today, tonight, within the hour, did it matter? "Nathaniel took him."
"What do you mean?" she asked, shifting. Her gaze looked defensive again. "Who?"
"Charlie," Ewan said. "The guy with the buzzcut - he's possessed by Nathaniel, the Ira, the King of Wrath, the-"
The angel smacked his shoulder. "I know who he is," she seethed. "What's happening?"
Ewan sighed, wondering how best to put it into words. "Well, Nathaniel first wanted to, um... kill Ben, you know, and I didn't want to get Ben involved so I didn't tell him Charlie was possessed. I told Nathaniel that I'd help him kill Ben -"
"You what?!"
"I - I didn't mean it, Elizabeth, I didn't - I would never try to kill Ben! I just - anyway, so then once Ben had his panic attack and it turns out he can control the weather, Nathaniel decided he'd rather have Ben be, like... a tyrant on the Surface. A-And I might have given him a very effective plan in getting Ben to turn sides but it involves killing everyone here, and-"
"You what?!"
"I didn't mean to do it! I - but it's okay, because I'm - well, I don't have a plan anymore because I can't find them, but I was thinking-"
"What's happening right now, Ewan?" Elizabeth hissed, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to look her right in the eyes.
Satan, this was bad...
"He wants Ben to kill a lot of people right now. Probably... everyone here. I-"
"Oh, my God," Elizabeth mumbled.
"I planned on sending him back to Hell before he could but I lost him!"
"We need to find him and Ben," Elizabeth said firmly. She seemed to simmer in thought before scoffing, "Do none of the Overseers care about mortal life?"
"No," Ewan mumbled, "That's sort of their trademark."
She shook her head. "Well, go find Ben. I'll make sure everyone here stays safe."
"What do I do when I find them?" Ewan asked, scoffing. "It isn't like Ben will just decline the chance to beat another Overseer and Nathaniel isn't going to listen to me once he knows I've betrayed him."
"Ben stopped controlling the weather when you got to him. You just need to try, okay?" Without room for conversation, Elizabeth left, disappearing into the crowd.
Ewan sighed through his nose, rubbing his face. Then he began pushing through the students, grumbling in annoyance. They were in what looked to be a mansion, so there must have been plenty of other rooms. Different places that Nathaniel could have taken Ben to talk to him privately.
He just had to find which one very, very quickly.