Lisa stopped in her tracks within sight of Albaer’s home. Every hair on her body stood on end. Tingles and chills ran up and down her spine like greyhounds on a racetrack. ‘That wasn’t Albaer, and if it wasn’t Albaer, what was it, who was it?’ She’d asked herself that so many times that she’d long ago lost count.

There was nobody she could ask, nobody she could speak to, nobody who could tell her anything, and anyone she thought to ask, ‘They’re more likely to throw me into a nuthouse than to be of any help. And what would I say anyway? My friend had different colored eyes so I think he was a different person?’

She snorted and shoved her hands into her pockets to at least slow the shaking in her fingers and dry the sweat from off of her palms.

Lisa took a long slow series of deep breaths, “Okay, whatever is going on, it can’t be that bad. But…” She muttered and glanced at the distant setting sun. “I wish I’d come first thing in the morning.”

The late hour was on her since she waited as long as she could, delaying the meeting as she had only prolonged the inevitable. She took her phone out of her pocket and then tried calling Albaer.

The telltale tone of a dead number began to grate in her ear and caused her to wince. [The number you have dialed is not in service, please try again later]. “Great.” Lisa groused, took yet another breath, and walked the rest of the way to his home.

The day was quiet, weekends usually were. With so little work to be had… in part due to Albaer’s father destroying their biggest employer, most people just stayed home. She knocked on the door and then leaned to the side to look through the window pane.

“Be right there!” Albaer’s voice carried from within his bedroom, and Lisa shouted back needlessly.

“Okay, take your time!”

“Are you sure you can do this?” Albaer whispered to the seated demoness.

“Yes, I can. And if I can’t, my sister can, you just have to trust us Albaer.” Raziel said and leaning forward, she patted his hand and then handed him the dark tinted glasses.

He lay down on the bed in a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a black t-shirt, then closed his eyes. Lialah stood over him. A string of syllables flew out of her lips, and she uttered the sleep spell. As if he were worn out after a very long day, his eyelids felt heavy and slowly closed in slumber.

Raziel climbed on the bed and straddled him, then pressed her forehead against his, and within moments she began to disappear as she occupied his body.

Raziel stood the body up, put the shades on over his eyes and gave the shirt a quick tug.

“Wait here.” Raziel told her quiet sister, and Lialah sat down, her fingers fidgeting with one another, the angel gave a tight nod.

“I know. This is my fault… just fix it, please.” Lialah pleaded, and Raziel left her alone, shutting the door behind her and then opening the front door.

Lisa took a step back when she saw that Albaer was wearing tinted sunglasses indoors. “Al-Albaer?” She asked, lowering her head a little. “Ah, I’m-I’m here like you asked.”

“Come on in.” Raziel said with the tranquility of a lake on a windless day.

“I’ll put some coffee on.” She said, and Lisa crossed the threshold of the apartment.

“Have a seat,” Raziel chirped up while she worked with the little black coffee maker, and placed the cheap white filter in while she said, “There’s a lot to talk about here, I know.” She cracked the bright red coffee can lid open and tossed it aside before she began scooping in the dark roasted grounds into the filter. “I’m sure you have questions, and I want you to be at ease.”

“Um, yeah… yeah I…” Lisa felt her blood run cold, Albaer’s motions were always steady, a constant rate that never really changed. But the person she watched through the open area between kitchen and living area wasn’t like that. That person made hard, fast gestures that gave the impression of decisiveness, even anger. “I do.” Lisa got out.

“While I’m getting the coffee ready, why don’t you start from the beginning, tell me what’s really bothering you… other than having turned on me the way you did.” Raziel said, and intending to or not, she gave Lisa a long look from behind the glasses which caused Lisa to look away almost immediately and to stay turned away until Raziel went back to making coffee. When Raziel held the pot in the sink and the slow trickle of water began to fill it, Lisa could speak again.

The fury which underlay the tone was another red flag. Albaer’s eyes, Lisa could never forget them. He hadn’t been angry when he looked up at her from down on the ground. ‘Sad. Unbelievably… sad.’ She recalled, “I’m sorry.” Lisa said with tears in her bright green eyes. She brushed a hand over the black eye she wore. “At least I confessed. And… I was punished.” She bit her lip, Albaer wasn’t looking at her, the young man was focused on the glass pot that still hadn’t filled.

“It was a bad decision in a moment of panic. If I could go back and undo it, I would.” She added.

“Everybody makes bad decisions.” Raziel said, “You, me, everybody. But even bad decisions we wish we didn’t make, they have consequences. You know that. You’re wearing the proof of it.” Raziel glared again with a look of ice.

Lisa flinched at the cold words and watched quietly while Albaer poured the water into the coffee maker, replaced the pot, and turned it on. It began with a click, and Albaer rested his hands on the counter and leaned forward a little. “So, now that we’ve figured out how useless ‘sorries’ are, spit it out, why are you really here?”

Lisa flinched. “That day… that day Albaer was out, you were out, it wasn’t really you… was it?” She searched the face of the boy she knew, his glasses obscured everything. “I’ve known Albaer since he was little, I know everything about you… him. The way he smells, the way he cries when he’s sad, the way he laughs, the way he gets wild with his hands and bounces in his seat like a happy baby in a high chair when he goes on about a subject he is passionate about. I know the way he moves, and that is why I know it wasn’t really him out there. Albaer has eyes as soft and brown as a doe. Those were blue, deep and beautiful as sapphires. But even without the different colored eyes, I would have known that wasn’t Albaer.”

Raziel watched as the little coffee maker finished its task. “With only two people in the house,” Albaer said, “this appliance is very useful. You can have enough for everybody in just a minute or two.” She said and brought the creamer out of the fridge and moved the sugar over to her little workspace.

Raziel listened as the girl went prattling on, and she did her best to ignore the feelings that the girl carried with every word. She reached up and took down two cream colored coffee mugs, set them down, and filled them both.

Raziel poured cream and sugar into a cup, stirred it, and left the other one for herself black. She set the cup down in front of Lisa and then sat opposite her and took a quiet sip.

Lisa shivered, “And that’s how I know you’re not Albaer either. Albaer has an even bigger sweet tooth than me, he’d never get just black coffee. And he would put away the creamer back in the fridge before coming to sit down.”

Lisa’s entire body shook with fear, the four walls, the shut door, they all closed in around her, a cream white prison of plaster, and an unknown in front of her that was glaring down at the cup of dark liquid as if it had said something rude.

“You’re not Albaer, and you’re not the one who I saw that day, are you?” Lisa asked, and her body began to shiver, “Did you kill him… did you kill Albaer… is he alright…?”

“Albaer was right, there’s something to you after all.” Raziel mumbled. “At least you’re not a total idiot, and you’re worried more about him than about yourself right now, which isn’t really unimpressive, I guess.” She said with reluctance while Lisa searched the blank face of the young man.

“Let me… let me see your face, all of it. Take those off.” Lisa tried to sound demanding, but with her skin tingling and body trembling, it was a plea more than anything.

“Fine.” Raziel replied, “I was going to show you after we talked, but maybe it is better this way.”

“Maybe what is?” Lisa’s voice dropped even quieter, ‘Did I make another huge mistake?!’ She screamed her doubts in her head.

“This.” Raziel said, looking down and closing Albaer’s eyes, she reached up and removed her sunglasses from off of his face.

She raised her head, and with the greatest possible slowness, she opened up her eyes to reveal the bloody and demonic red.

Lisa never got the chance to scream when she opened her mouth.