June hadn't cared about the stares she'd received on her ten-minute walk back home. She didn't even care that a young boy had mistaken her for a dressed-up goddess and asked for a photo. She also hadn't minded the way her gown's hem was dyed brown from dirt by the time she let herself into her home.

Now, however, she did mind her appearance. She had barely rounded the lounge before her mother burst forward, clutching her phone in one hand and notepad in the other.

There was a split second of pure shock balancing in the air before her mother's hoarse voice interrupted June's impending interrogation.

"June," she hissed, her tone one of relief and anger. "Where have you been?" Iris' blue gaze trailed down to June's white outfit, and she heard her mother audibly swallow.

June wasn't sure what the correct answer was. She wasn't even sure how to even start. Was she to lie? Did Lee and Ivy expect her to keep their secret even from her own mother that may already know of their world?

June's pupils narrowed onto the nought imprinted on Iris' neck, and a sense of numbness flooded through her. She felt her knees tremble and her stomach roll. June had once questioned the Mark at a young age, and Iris had told her the tattoo was a symbol to her deceased son, the circle remaining a representation of the continuous treachery of life.

June, being seven, didn't understand what it meant. Now the Mark seemed like a lie, a beacon of curiosity.

"Your mark," June began, her voice shaky. "You have a pure soul."

Iris, stared, clearly shocked, although her eyes did not portray surprise. That was the turning point for June.

Her mother had known about Hendra. She had known and never told her.

Her mother who was always so transparent, had lied. For seventeen years. Without a flicker of remorse.

"June, I can explain—"

"No," June interrupted, her headache increasing as each second ticked by. "You shouldn't have to explain. I shouldn't be finding out this way."

Her mother stepped forward, letting the notepad and phone fall to the ground with a distant thud. "June, please, listen to me—"

June stared, taking a step away as her mother approached her. With her light eyes ringed with shadows and her hair jumbled into a ragged mess, she already looked like a stranger.

Iris was never serious. She would joke, make sarcastic comments and try to remain as mellow as possible in whatever situation June would get herself into over the years. She would always bring a smile to June's face, always embrace her in the early hours of the day and check on her during the night.

That was Iris.

But the woman in front of June, with day old clothes and cracked lips, that was not her mother.

"You lied to me," June whispered, but her voice was enough to halt her mother's advance. "You lied about them, about their world, about our blood." June felt heat rush through her, colouring her cheeks. Whether it was from exhaustion, shock or desperation, June couldn't tell.

Iris' face twisted with guilt, darkening her eyes. "I was protecting you. I've hid you from that world for a reason June. I didn't want any harm coming to you—"

"But it did Mum," June hissed, ignoring the way her throat seemed to close as if she were choking. "I nearly died and you had no clue. If I'd known what was out there, I could've done something, I could've—"

Iris was beginning to grow pale and June noticed the beginnings of tears brim in her mothers eyes. "June," Iris insisted. "You need to listen to me. Everything I did was for a reason. I will explain everything, but I need to know who attacked you."

Not who, June wanted to scream. But what.

She paused, trying to refrain from sobbing. This was all beginning to get too much, too overwhelming. She wanted to sleep in her own bed, shut the blinds and dwell in the shadows.

June swallowed the bile in the back of her throat, remembering the dancers webbed fingers and rowed teeth. "Eurodian demons," June said.

"How many?" Iris voice was straight, sharp. Serious. June hated it.

She knows what Eurodian demons are. The thought sent another tremble down June's spine.

June's voice shook like a leaf. "Four."

Iris's face fell, along with her questions. June saw the way her hands clenched into fists. Within the instant her mother shoved her way past June, reaching the front door to ram the lock across.

June stared at her in question, however Iris ignored her look to stride to the lounge room window, shutting the glass with a rattle.

"Mum, what's going on?" June questioned.

Iris hastily reached for the blinds, letting them slide shut with a noise that echoed around the silent house. "June, lock your bedroom window now." Iris didn't turn to June as she twisted the key in the laundry door and shoved it into the pocket of her jeans.

"I don't understand—" June began but was silenced as Iris turned to give her a long stare.

"Go upstairs and lock your bedroom window," her mother repeated with an icy tone. "Now."
June wanted to argue, but instead nodded obediently, too shaken to waste any more time. Iris turned away from her, reaching for the window above the lounge, knocking the cat as she did so.

June knew she needed to move, to breathe, to think. But the world seemed sluggish around her, as if she were moving in slow motion.

As fast as her unsteady trance could take her, she dragged herself up the stairs while the sound of slamming windows echoed, mingled with the sound of her mother cussing.

June rounded the stair railing, moving through the hallway. She didn't dare look at the family portraits of her and her mother along the walls. It was all too surreal.

When June burst through her bedroom door, her mind focused on her mother's instructions and nothing else. Her blurred gaze landed on a dark shape situated on her bed. Instantly June reached back for the door, stifling a scream.

But then her eyes locked with brown ones and the cease in adrenaline allowed her to breathe again.

"June," Sebastian said, his mouth falling open at the sight of her. "Where have you—" His gaze slid to her gown, settling on her like a feather. June hoped there wasn't enough sunlight in her room to allow for the material to go see through but by the way Sebastian's ears were rimming red, she started to doubt.

"Sebastian," hissed, recovering herself enough to slam the bedroom door shut, locking it. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sebastian stared visibly, his glasses reflecting the light that managed to filter through June's already pulled down blinds. "What are you wearing?"
June also stared, taking in Sebastian's ruffled hair and crinkled clothes. Dark rings under his eyes matched his mothers.

He hadn't slept, she realised.

Irritated he dodged her question but also relieved he was safe, June hastily moved to her window, slamming it shut as briskly as she could. She could feel Sebastian's eyes following her every move.

"I'll explain later," she managed to say, sliding another window shut with a bang. "But right now you need to leave."
She turned just as Sebastian rose from her bed. His face was pale despite the rosiness still colouring his ears. "Leave?" he repeated. "June I've been looking for you for a week and you turn up here in a silly white table cloth only to send me away like a stray dog."

June met his questioning gaze, struggling to meet the pure innocence in his eyes. She knew what it would look like to him. She knew he would be questioning everything, but she didn't physically have the time to answer them, let alone be given permission to tell the truth in the first place.

"I know Sebastian and I'm sorry," June retaliated, reaching past Sebastian's head to lock the last window. Sebastian stiffened, his eyes widening. He let out a rather shaky breath when June retracted from him. "I don't have the time right now. Please," June bit her lip, her tone wobbling, "you need to go."

Sebastian had an angry tilt to his lips June rarely saw. His eyes narrowed onto her, then onto her gown. "June, I need to know what's going on," he pressed, his words softening. "Are you in trouble? Did something bad happen?"
June began to shake her head when Sebastian advanced, taking her left hand ever so gently. He squeezed her index and middle finger, the way he used to when they were kids. It was a reassuring thing, back when June suffered from constant anxiousness after the death of Rhydian.

"I can help you," he said in a near whisper. "Just tell me what happened so I can understand—"

June let her hand drop, the absence of his warmth chilling the marrow in her bones. She shook her head again, letting her gaze drop to where Sebastian's arm fell limp. "I can't Sebastian. This doesn't concern you—"
His eyes flashed. "So something did happen."
June opened her mouth to argue but the stubborn, protective gleam had risen to spark the brown in his irises. "Was it at Willow's? Was that why you left me on that couch and didn't come back? It wasn't because of that girl was it? She literally disappeared two seconds after you. I thought it was because I'd said something mildly offensive, or maybe I gave her the wrong idea or something but she never came back even when she said she would so maybe she didn't like the joke I made but who wouldn't like a joke about The Avengers—"

June sighed in exasperation, impatience and fear causing her hands to tremble. "Sebastian, I don't care about that." His face fell, the spark dying in his eyes to leave nothing but an abyss. He seemed crestfallen despite the consequences, a confused frown touching his lips.

June, very conscious of the time, grabbed at his jumper discarded on her bed. She shoved it into his chest, pushing him a step backwards with the force. "You need to go. Now. Please." She met his eyes, those lovely brown eyes she had grown up with. Sebastian remained unnaturally silent, clutching at his jumper with white knuckles. He was looking at her as if he had never seen her, the same utterly dumbfounded expression plastered across his face.

"Sebastian," she pleaded. "If you truly care about me, you would go."

His eyebrows furrowed, and his pupils narrowed onto hers. He audibly swallowed, a silent message June couldn't comprehend passing across his gaze. His brown eyes trailed down to the hem of her dress then back up to her eyes, settling on them. Usually, she would feel a sense of warmth from his gaze but it was as if she had managed to extinguish it with nothing but words.

Sebastian, watching June with the look that was similar to betrayal, slowly nodded, then, in sudden thought, shook his head. "No," he said, his voice firm. "I'm not leaving. You can't expect me to just go after you disappeared for so long." He pressed the jumper closer to him. "I've been looking for you all over the city June. I haven't even shown up to school just so I could search every corner of Newtown to find you." His eyes were sincere. "I haven't slept in days." He glanced towards her bed. "I came back here because I thought you were dead June. Dead. Do you understand that? Not Captain America dead, Iron man dead. I'd thought some drugged up guy had taken you from Willow's and done something sinister to you."

June felt her mouth slacken, and her knuckles cracked loudly from clenching her fists. Sebastian's lips thinned as he pressed them together. "And then you just appear wearing whatever that is," he gestured towards her. "And throw me out."

June didn't know what to say, she wasn't even sure how to comprehend Sebastian's outburst. In her short stay at Hendra, she had only thought about him once, and it wasn't because she'd necessarily missed him.

The thought made her stomach drop. She hadn't cared about Sebastian. She'd just left him alone in the club and thought nothing of it. All this time she wanted to come home to see her mother, when really she should've wanted to see Sebastian, or at least wanted to check if he was alright.

Sebastian stared harder at her gown, his pupils thin slits. "What is that anyway? A costume?"

June sucked in a long breath. "Sebastian I—"

"You don't have time to explain I know," he interrupted defensively. "But I won't leave, and if you decide to disappear again, I'm coming with you."
June felt her heart skip a beat at this. She was sure her cheeks had paled. He couldn't possibly come with her anywhere, let alone stay with her. It would be too dangerous for him. Even now, June wasn't sure what her mother was so fearful about, but she knew Sebastian needed to leave as soon as possible. For his own benefit.

June moved towards Sebastian, offering him an apologetic look. "Sebastian, look things have gotten really complicated and its honestly better if you're not involved—"

June heard the glass window explode before she felt the razor tips slice into her arm. She barely had time to inhale a sharp breath before a hulking, dark shadow threw itself through the broken window, barrelling towards her with a shriek.

Sebastian swore, shouting something June couldn't hear before the demonic creature had latched onto her. June screamed, falling to the hard floor as its weight pressed down on her.

She felt her eyes widen, watering from the smell of it. Its skin was made from rotting flesh sewn with veinlike strings that throbbed and oozed puss. Maggots crawled under its skin, some falling out from its gaping mouth tipped with bones for teeth. Multiple glazed eyes were sewn randomly on its fleshy head.

Demon, June wanted to scream, however her teeth were pressing into her tongue as she clenched her jaw.

The demon let out another cackling screech, causing Sebastian to shout out for Iris. June could barely see him as he backed away into the corner of her room, the whites of his eyes shining with terror.

Suction like tentacles trailed from the demons fingers, sticking to June's arms as it hovered over her. Sharp jets of pain laced through her wherever it touched, and another horrified cry fell from her lips.

"Girl with pretty eyes. Found girl, this girl," the demon was saying in its crackly voice.

"Sebastian," June heaved, attempting to twist her head to stare up at him. He was gawking at the demon, his face ghostly pale. She could see the way his bottom lip trembled. "Sebastian," she shouted again. "Get help."

He blinked, finally turning to acknowledge her. In almost a trance he reached for the door, fumbling with it's lock.

"Pure souls. Rare, yummy, delicious," the demon drawled, great slithers of saliva falling from its curved lips. "Pure souls all mine. Mine, only for me."

June ignored the way the suction like tentacles began to crawl their way towards her neck, settling on her skin with a stinging kiss. She searched desperately for a weapon, her eyes falling on the shadows she could see under her bed.

"I'll steal your eyes. My eyes. I'll pluck them from your sockets. Blind girl now. Blind girl then dies." The demon drew closer, its many eyes all staring directly into her gaze. She could see her own reflection, her face a mask of terror.

She turned her head away, hearing the demon cackle. Whipping out the only hand that wasn't pinned against her from the demon, her fingers fumbled on unfamiliar objects under her bed.

The tentacles wrapped around her neck, injecting her, sending waves of heat through her. She felt a fingerlike tentacle reach for her eyes, brushing her brow line.

She distantly heard Sebastian open the door to soar down the stairs.

"My eyes now," the demon whispered before letting out a squeal of delight. She felt the demon reach for her eyes, just as her fingers wrapped around something wooden. Pulling it with a sharp jerk, she rounded it towards the demon, ramming it up into the demons outstretched jaws. It shrieked, howling with pain as the hockey stick splintered in its mouth.

It backtracked, reaching for its mouth with its many tentacles. June, sucking in a breath now that her lungs weren't crushed, yelled out for Sebastian. When he didn't reply, she began to crawl, attempting to round the demon while it scraped at the blood collecting in its black gums. One of its eyes whirled to her, slitting.

"Mine. All mine. Pretty eyes won't escape," it growled. Spitting out what was left of the hockey stick, it advanced towards her, its hulking great tentacles making the floorboards creak. June scrambled towards the ajar door, feeling the demon's hot breath against her neck. Her arms and neck burnt from where the suction cups had pulled at her skin, and her eyes continued to water from the rotting smell that coated her room.

"Die," the demon screamed. "Your flesh will be mine!"

"Sebastian!" June cried, just as the demon reached her, wrapping its thick, rotten fingers around her neck, yanking her backwards. Her breath was cut short as the demon closed her windpipe.

It laughed a horrid laugh, parting its great jaws in glee. June felt her brain scream for air, white bursting at the corners of her vision.

She weakly clawed at the demons' tentacles as it dangled her at its face.

It's going to kill me, June thought numbly.

"Precious pure soul," the demon whispered, bringing her up towards its rows of bone teeth.

The sound of wood cracking sounded from the door. There was a gust of wind, a howl of pain and then suddenly June could breathe again. She felt herself fall before she landed awkwardly on the floor, the wind leaving her lungs.

Dry heaving, June reached for her neck, feeling at her swollen skin. There was another shout and then a demon shriek.

June looked up, moving slowly to a crouch. She recognised the black shadow standing in the doorway to her room instantly.

Chase stood, sword in one hand and the other at the ready near his waist. His eyes were blazing with the fire of battle and his wicked grin was smeared across his face. His uniform was as black as night, allowing him to blend into the dimness of the room.

"Gee," he was saying, his lips arching into a smirk. "Did you do something with your hair? You look different. Maybe it's the eyes, I swore last time you only had two." June wasn't even vaguely sure if he was talking about her or the demon at this point, but she didn't have time to question him.

The demon roared, the sound vibrating the walls. June only just registered the wriggling tentacle on the floor, black blood like essence leaking from one of its ends.

Chase' lips curled. "Well that's not very nice is it." With a throaty chuckle, he bounced forward in a flash of colour, angling his sword down onto the demons other tentacle, slicing through it completely. The demon swung its massive head, launching towards him with its jaws agape. Chase dodged it easily, tapping his foot when the demon didn't have the time to swerve so it rammed straight into June's bed, snapping it completely.

June stared, clutching at her neck while it throbbed. The demon slowly rose from the crumbled bed, pulling a metal bed frame beam from its side that had struck into it.

Chase regarded her with an arched eyebrow, nodding towards where she held at her neck. "You don't have very good luck do you?"

He didn't wait for her answer as he moved towards the demon, ducking under a swinging tentacle to drive his sword into it's chest, slicing it. The demon hissed, managing to clasp its tentacle around Chase's ankle. He swore colourfully as it flung him into the opposite wall. He collapsed in a heap but rose again within the second.

Dusting off his uniform, then bending down to pick up his fallen sword, he tilted his head. June noticed his eyes had darkened drastically and his mouth was set in a cruel twist. He shook his head, his blonde hair ruffling.

He stared at the demon, wiping the back of his hand across his newly busted lip. "Now, I'm angry," Chase hissed.

The demon didn't pause before it galloped towards him. Chase held the hilt of his sword steadily in front of him, spreading his legs as he braced. Just as the demon reached him, Chase ducked, rising his sword to stab it up into what June thought was the demon's chest.

It let out a shrill squeal before collapsing into a twitching heap. Chase then rose his head to June, his pupils narrowing into her.
"We need to go."
June didn't think twice when she nodded, rising unsteadily. She stumbled, her world whirling around her. Through her blurring vision she could see the demon already struggling to rise to a stand, its torn chest forgotten.

Suddenly Chase was by her side, steadying her with a slight touch. She saw his golden eyes watch her in worry, his eyebrows drawn.

"June, are you alright?" he asked softly.

June nodded, at least she thought she nodded. But then her knees buckled and the only thing that stopped her from falling was Chase's hands around her.

He lifted her, cradling her against his chest. He swore again, sweat prickling his forehead.

The last thing June saw was the open sky as Chase balanced with her on the windowsill.

And then they were falling.