THE MONSTER INSIDE THE BOY AWOKE WITH A HOWL. Or what some might call a laugh. Some might've called it beautiful. All would know it to be deadly.

The deep song rung through the air, arousing alertness. All three teens previously tangled up in their high school drama came to a frozen halt.

Two of them were confused as to where exactly the deep ring of laughter erupted from but Gola strangely recognized it instantly. His laughter was the melodic theme song of both her nightmares and dreams.

She briskly turned around to face the shadow prince.

Beaumont had walked confidently with his head high for as long she had known him but the way he walked towards her now was pure arrogance. He floated regally like a king to bask in the praise of one of his lower subjects. Like a predator prowling, toying with its prey before devouring.

"Elenora." He sighed breathily in her ear. Or was that heaven sighing?

Gola gasped at the sensation of his oddly warm breath fanning her ear. Quickly taking a step back out of his reach. Although before she could get too far he tightly grabbed a hold of one of her wrist, bringing her hand to his lips.

His lips seemed to be composed of rose petals as he lightly brushed them against her goosebump laiden skin. Beaumont's now crimson eyes never left Gola's as he did so.

Gola wanted to storm the gods. The stars were certainly plotting her downfall. He would be her undoing.

"Let go of me!" she hissed, attempting to snatch back her hand. To no avail. "Let go of him!"

Beaumont or rather the demon inside of him had the audacity to look amused. He silently flipped over her hand in his, tracing the dark lines of her palm with a feathery finger. "Why, I thought you'd be pleased with my new costume. You seem to grow fond of the boy as of late."

Again. As always in these situations Gola needed a moment. She needed a moment to process that she was having a conversation with a demon inside of Beaumont's body. "We're just friends. And I don't have to explain myself to you, a monst—"

Gola stopped sentence as the shadow prince brought his lips down on her hand. Trailing deep kisses from her wrist to her fingertips. Lingering to allow each fingertip to caress his lips. Her head swarmed and her heart beat furiously with the sound of war in her ears.

What's wrong with me? Why can't I pull away? He's a shadow demon. A monster for goodness sake!

"The carcass was without use. Empty. No soul." The foul thing inside of Beaumont informed her cooly. His voice was gentle but cold. "And wouldn't it be lovely if the gentleman were actually dead?"

"No!" Gola snapped, snatching her hand away. And taking serval steps backward. As if snapping out of a trance.

A smile dawned on him. But it was as cruel as his crimson eyes.

"Oh but he will die, Elenora. A shadow demon has taken him to the sunless world. Where his soul with fade and decay until there is nothing left. By then his body will have crumbled into a pile of rot."

"How could you do this you heartless devil?"

"Oh I didn't but I'll surely have to generously award whoever did." He fumed. Although he'd do the exact opposite.

The shadow prince planned  to find which low shadow demon or goblin targeting Elenora, and they'd be made to suffer for the next a thousand years. He just wanted to make her feel even a pinch of ache that ruled the hole replacing his heart.

She was supposed to be his and only his forever.

A seething so fierce thrummed like liquid fire through her being. She burst into silent tears. "What do you want from me?!"

"I want my heart, beating in your chest." I wanted to see you. He meant to say.

Of course that's what he wanted. That's all shadow demons ever want. A big beating heart to stick their fangs in. Gola angrily thought. Why did I ever think that something about him was different. How could I ever think he wanted my heart for different reasons.

"And people in hell want ice water." She retorted with a scoff.

"Oh I'll have it, Elenora. Even if I have to rip it out of your chest." He chuckled darkly. And he meant it. Elenora had his heart. He needed it. His ruling of the sunless world depended on it.

If she would not give him her heart willingly out of love then he'd have to obtain it through other means.

"And when I have my heart back, my beloved. All the creatures of the sunless world will not sip water but rather your sweet blood."

Don't poke the bear. Gola's head warned her. But a fracture of her heart couldn't be swayed. "Oh puh-lease!"

He'd never hurt me.

He'd never hurt me.

He'd never hurt me.

And somehow of this she found herself certain. He could hurt her. But he wouldn't.

The shadow demons eyes softened at her expression. He knew what she was thinking. 'He wouldn't hurt me.' A small burst of relief washed over him. Deep down she knew he wouldn't hurt her. She remembered as much. Deep down she knew him.

Once.

She knew him.

Elenora knew nothing of just how monstrous he'd became since her death.

She knew him.

Once.

Gola shocked herself when she failed step back as he strode closer. The shadow princes eyes fluttered closed as he pressed a lengthy hard kiss to her forehead. She shocked herself even more by not only allowing it to happen. But savoring the kiss as well.

With one final pained expression the shadow prince was gone.

An unnatural wind, carrying an unnatural darkness passed. Beaumont's body collapsed limply onto the damped grass.

Nyx and Cole who'd be observing Beaumont's and Gola's conversation from a safe distant. Rushed forward when they'd seen him collapse.

"Did you tell him you were pregnant or something?" Nyx demanded, kneeling next to a once again sleeping Beaumont.

Gola shot her a death glare. "No!"

Cole placed a hand on Beaumont's forehead looking worried. "He doesn't have a temperature, in fact he's quite cold."

Gola flexed her fingers guiltily. That's because his body is empty. No soul. No sun. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Nyx arched a dark eye brow. "Try me." She dared.

Gola opened her mouth. And so did Beaumont.

"You can't go back to him! He'll kill you if come to the sunless world!" Beaumont's voice poured from his agape lips in a quake.

His voice was distant and staticky as if he were speaking through a far away phone. And his mouth was open in a constant silent scream. Unflinching.

I must. She thought. "He won't." She assured.

"What is this?" Nyx snapped with wide eyes. "Why is his mouth open like that?"

"Nyx?" Beaumont sounded relieved to hear her. "They haven't taken you yet. Thank god your ok."

His voice glitched. It sounded like a technical glitch in a radio scrolling through stations. Orchestra music, a man speaking in Latin and even a little girls sobbing exploded through his unmoving lips.

"Don't worry Beau, this will all be over soon."

"What are you talking about, Gola? I told you, he's going to kill you. You can't come back."

"If I don't you'll die." She mumbled. If I don't my sister will be taken. And I cannot allow that to happen. "And what about Prue? Should she have to sacrifice her life in vain for me too?"

Beaumont opened his mouth to say something else but it sounded like technical snow before a deadly silence gave way. The connection had been cut.

Cole took Beaumont's hand but said nothing.

Nyx looked like she had more than a little to say about her best friend and Beaumont dying for her. But that would all have to wait. Right now they needed to focus on the wailing little girl approaching them from beyond the woods.

"Miss?" She sobbed rubbing one of her eyes with a small balled fist, as she wobbled towards the academy.

Both Cole and Nyx blinked in confusion. Cole stepped forward to meet the little girl half way but Gola stopped him with her arm.

"No." She shook her head, her eyes wide. "That's not a little girl."

"Miss!" The little girl demanded, darting with impossible speed the remainder of the space separating them. It was if she'd vanished and reappeared right in front of Gola.

"Miss, Ella," She sniffled, "I think it's time for you come home now." And then she jumped up into Gola's arms. Latching her arms around her neck.

"Maybe I was wro—" Gola started to say. But her words slurred as the ground swayed under her feet and darkness consumed her sight. Maybe she was right the first time.

Without an ounce of shame or hesitation Nyx snatched the little leach of of Gola. Throwing her before she had the time to do any real damage.

"She's trying to kill you!" Nyx shouted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Swaying and seeing stars, Gola groaned in reply.

"She or they?" Cole asked warily, staring at the surrounding trees.

With great effort Gola followed Coles line of sight to see a whole army of weeping little girls rapidly wafting out of the woods. With final troubled groan she collapsed into herself.

Cole somehow managed to catch her before she hit the hard ground. "Correct me if I'm wrong," he chuckled, "but I think that this is the part where we run."

"MISS, NOW! RETURN HOME NOW!" One of what could've been hundreds of shadow clones of the weeping child demanded.

Nyx, who'd situated Beaumont around her shoulders seemed to think it fine idea. "The school." She panted.

"MISS YOU WON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN."

Cole replaced Beaumont on Nyx's shoulders with Gola. Darting ahead to put his best friend inside before going back to aid a barely conscience Gola. Not his finest decision making.

Nyx was small. Short and petite. She could not carry her own weight. She'd barely been holding up Beaumont. And had gotten absolutely no where doing so. Not to mention Gola and Nyx weren't exactly on the best terms.

These things seem awfully keen on taking her. Perhaps allowing them to do so will satisfy its appetite for a while. Nyx persuaded herself. Plus she just allowed Beaumont to be taken. What's the harm in just allowing her to be taken.

Nyx dropped the poor girl. And left her. Dashing to the safety of the secure school building.

"Where's Gola?" Cole demanded upon hearing Nyx slip through the door and sigh in relief.

Nyx shifted her weight around but said nothing.

Her silence pierced Coles heart. "For fücks sake, Nyx!" He growled, bursting back out into the night.

She could die. He could die trying to save her. Nyx scolded herself as her eyes followed Cole. How on earth could do something like this?

Cole had been gone for thirty seconds. It felt like three hours. Three hours of waiting. Three hours of not knowing. And every part of it felt like hēll.

What was taking him so long? Nyx didn't know. She slid down the wall into momentary despair. Rose to her feet in jittery anxiety and paced to and fro. A poor attempt to were a grove in time. It had only been a minute when she stepped outside to see for herself.

It would've been a peaceful night if not for the creatures hiding in it's shade. The stars twinkled in the sky. A light breeze carried to sent of pine from the woods. There wasn't a soul in sight.

Until...

Cole reeled around the corner, clutching a limping disoriented Gola Smith around his shoulders. "Open the door!" He bellowed, his eyes wide and wild as though he'd seen death himself.

On their tails followed at least twenty of little girl shadow clones. Their weeping becoming louder as they grew closer.

Nyx obeyed without hesitation. Rushing to pry the academy's back door open. "Why won't it open?" She whispered to herself, pulling restlessly at the door. "It won't open!"

Cole all but pushed her out of the way. Harshly tugging at the handle. Had any other unfortunate object been on the receiving end of Cole's tugging it would have split in half. Or yanked right from it's hinges had it been any other door. But this wasn't any other door. It was the door to Saints saltwater academy. School to the peculiar and elite.

"MISS, IT'S TIME TO SLEEP NOW!" One of the shadow girls thundered. Her voice was so impossibly deep that it sounded wrong for even a man. It was demonic.

Cole let out a string of curses. "Time must be up. The security could only remain down for so long." He sighed, exasperated or defeated. "I always knew Beaumont's crazy girlfriends would kill me sooner or later."