What is Normal?

Four Months Later

"This world we live in... one minute its beauty is captivating and alluring, the next is death and destruction. I want a normal life. Sigh ... What is normal?" Keliana held the pink crystal in her hand asking random questions not expecting an answer.

She played with the crystal in her hand for a few minutes more then placed it in her pocket. It was time to get back to school. Back to some form of normalcy, her mother had said. She had tried to find that bridge to her uncle of the underworld, but he didn't seem to want any family reunion. He just wanted more power and territory. "Maybe Uncle Mondola is too far down the rabbit hole to be saved and the only way to end this war was with his death," Keliana said as a dark shadow engulfed her room.

"You know, you don't have to hold the crystal for him to hear you," Dante said entering her room.

"Why doesn't he come anymore himself?" Keliana whined.

"You know why Keli. Just let him be. When he is ready to be with his family again he will," Dante advised.

"I don't want him to think he has to do this on his own. He has us and we want to help."

He sat beside her and took her hand in his.

"I know you love your brother and believe it or not he loves you too. This is his way of protecting you from the man he knows as his father all this time. He knows what Mondola has planned and he doesn't want you or the rest of his family to get caught up in the nightmare he plans for this world."

Keliana pulled him closer to sit beside her on her bed. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

"You're the closest thing to a sister I have and I don't want to lose you too. So I agree that keeping you guys out of the loop will be keeping you all safe."

"I don't need anyone to keep me safe. I have the same powers or more as you and I know I can help."

Dante rubbed his face and sighed deeply.

"Keliana please stay out of this. Once we take care of Mondola, you and your family can claim your throne again and rule the world as how you see fit..." Dante stood in front of her and tilted her chin to his and then kissed her lips gently. "For now just listen to what I am saying. Don't go looking for trouble, stay in school and keep your grades up. Go to a great university and learn to be who you were meant to be."

He then disappeared in his regular puff of smoke. Keliana touched her lips, she had never been kissed before. Was this even a kiss though? He had another girl in another world. What is going on? Was it a brotherly kiss or a kiss of I like you? God... guys are so confusing. Keliana thought as she struggled with more questions than answers.

Ring... Ring...

Keliana took out her mobile phone from her pocket and placed it to her ear.

Before Keliana could greet her friend. She moved the phone a few inches away from her ears as shouts emerged.

"Hey Keli if don't hurry and get your ass down here, I am going to leave you," Regan warned then hung up the phone. Shortly after a car horn was honked.

Placing the phone in her bag, she quickly got dressed and ran into the kitchen grabbed her lunch off the counter and kissed her mom on the cheeks before running out the door.

"See you later Mom," she yelled before closing the front door.

"Okay hun, have a great day," Michelle said to a closed door shaking her head.

***

"Thanks, Regan for picking me up today, Mom took two weeks from school so I would have to take the school bus or charter an Uber or something to get here in the mornings."

"That is okay. I don't mind, your house is on the way to school."

"Thanks, where is Joenell? I thought she came with you too," she asked.

"Yeah, but her mom needed her so she has to take care of her for now."

"What happened to her?" Keliana questioned.

"She got stage 4 cancer and now has to look after her. We tried everything and chemo didn't work. So not only do we have demons to fight, we got regular sickness and disease to contend with," Regan replied.

"Maybe there is something I can do to help her. I mean I can try but you have to keep it a secret. I don't want anyone to know anything," Keliana said excitedly. Her powers had evolved and she hadn't tried healing anyone. She did revive a dead cat. She hadn't tried it on humans and no one knew about that other than Drako since he was with her at the time.

"I don't know Keli... they are really private people. No one outside our family even knows she is sick. As far as people know or care to know is that she is on some weight loss program. Some people really don't care how you are really doing. They just want to know how much they can get from you or out of you."

"I don't have anything to gain but they do. If I am able to heal her, she won't have to worry about her mom and she can come to school. There are still good and caring people in this world you know."

"I would have to talk to her about it later. For now, just keep it to yourself. We can talk more at lunchtime," Regan said as they drove through their school gate and entered the student car park. They parked in a shaded area where the big trees overshadowed them. They grabbed their bags and exited the car.

Keliana looked around and

took a whiff of fresh air and coughed and fanned her nose. "I almost forgot what school smelt like. It still got that demon scent. We got some hunting to do when this is over. I know you wouldn't want to hunt without your cousin, so let's fix what is holding her back so we can get back to normal."

They smiled at each other and headed through the crowded quadrangle to their classes.

As the first-period bell rang, students rushed from here and there to their classes. Keliana and Regan walked casually to their first class.

The class was filled with students. Some students were laughing, some sat on the top of the desk making music as another sang and two others danced. It seemed like everyone was having fun chatting and just having a grand time without any teachers.

This went on for another hour, no teacher arrived at the first period. The second bell rang and they went to their next scheduled class.

The same thing happened, students, chatted, danced, played actual music with their boom boxes.

"Where are the teachers?" Keliana asked Regan.

"Something is off here," Regan walked to the back of the class and looked out the window to the other classrooms. A Student was standing on top of the teacher's desk. Her eyes then travelled to the upstairs class and there were students standing on top of their desks.

"Tell me something Keli, has your mom ever taken time off from school at the beginning of a new semester?"

"Now that I think about it. No... she normally takes a vacation near Christmas or Summer. This is neither. Do you think this is demonic?"

"I don't know, but never in our school history has this sort of freedom ever happened. Maybe for one class. And of course, the principal would sit in that class and teach whatever subject that teacher would have taught."

Regan looked at Keliana's right ankle which was now glowing red.

"I think we need to investigate what is going on here. Look at your ankle. This is not normal. This is something supernatural."