INNER DEMONS (edward cullen)

𝓯𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓽𝓮𝓮𝓷

A sweltering heat and darkness was the next thing Charlotte found herself in. She stumbled as she tried to find her balance, pushing herself to walk down a deserted alley. Charlotte James was no stranger to her surroundings; no light was around her and yet a visible darkness is always present and lighting her path. Hell...

'Emmett's gonna love hearing about this visit when I get back',  Charlotte thought to herself. Being sent back to Hell was always an unpredictable event and the amount of time she would be there for was always uncertain. Would she be back to Earth soon? Had she been summoned by him? Did her body require regeneration after the fight with James? Charlotte wouldn't know any of these answers until she spoke with him. Not many had ever seen the Devil himself; it was forbidden for a demon with such a low status to receive such a huge privilege. And Charlotte had heard many rumours. Rumours that people who are unworthy have burned from just the intensity of meeting his eyes. Rumours that any demon who didn't deliver would be disposed of, their existence classed as a waste of space. The Devil's eyes were said to be the purest of all the shades of black in the world, and skin to be as red as the brightest, hottest fire on the surface of Hell. But these were just rumours and Charlotte hoped that she would never find out the truth to them...

The alleyway was the same one that she had first found herself at on her very first visit to Hell. It always was. It was her set location, every demon had one. Charlotte's thoughts were on everything but where she was going as she wondered the abandoned alleyway: Edward Cullen - the bronze-haired boy that had left her with so many unanswered questions, Esme - finally a loving mother figure and friend, as well as Alice and Rosalie. Carlisle's compassionate nature and completely clean soul never failed to amaze her. In her many, many, many years, she had never come across such a thing. She missed them all dearly; Emmett, Jasper and even Bella. She hoped that Bella was okay and had made it out alive, at least. Charlotte could only hope that the reason she was back here would be quick and easy. In and out...

"Miss Charlotte James, welcome home my child. Your presence has been summoned by his Darkness." A tall man with pitch black eyes spoke down to her. His skin was a light red, similar to Charlotte's hair. Only very few members of Hell owned red skin and the darker the shade, the higher it was a sign of pure power. Anybody and everybody feared the red-skinned members - their powers were beyond explanation and this feature was not only a warning, but a telling fact that these members had seen and survived eye contact from his Darkness. The man towered over Charlotte, and she instantly recognised him, remembering that his name is Azazel.

Azazel had been the man who found her as a child, witnessed the destruction of the Witch that had placed the innocent child here, and helped her to develop and become a great attribute to the Soul Searchers. Azazel had shown her sympathy and had from then viewed Charlotte like his own child; but the pair hadn't seen each other in over a few hundred years, and the atmosphere was tense as they appreciated each others presence.

"How have you been Charlotte?" His voice was surprisingly smooth and relaxing to the girl. She smiled up at him, and took in his startling features with familiarity and warmth. "I have been well, Azazel. It has been a long time since I was last here, and I hope I have not been summoned for causing any problems..." Charlotte trailed off, her voice held a tone of question and she searched for the reason to her sudden visit. The man produce a guttural laugh and proceeded to lead the red-head into a dark forest. "Always one to seek for things she must not. My child, all will become clear soon. His Darkness has great plans for you..."

The forest was dense and surprisingly cold. The trees that sheltered so many with their spreading canopy of green and provided so much are now lifeless sticks of charcoal, no more vibrant than the old lamp-posts in the city. The unfettered light illuminates the scorched ground and still that smell of burning lingers despite the dampness surrounding it. Hell was always a different experience for everyone and luckily for Charlotte, joining at the young age she did, she was offered the chance to be a Soul Searcher. She had accepted the opportunity to walk the Earth again, even if she must provide her absence with the most tainted souls, the most atrocious acts possible for a human to commit.

Hell was not for ordinary sins. It was not for the parents who lost their tempers in frustration. It was not for the mentally ill or those who don't know right from wrong. Hell was reserved for those who knew their actions were wrong and did them regardless, enjoying the anguish of others and taking what was not rightfully theirs. And it was Charlotte's job to collect them...

As far as Charlotte James was concerned, Hell was really what sat behind the doors at the end of the forest. Two heavy, ancient wooden doors, with carvings in a language she couldn't interpret, grumbled in protest as they opened. The interior was revealed and it was everything Charlotte remembered from her first visit. The rooms were lit with fire, and a heavy smell of burning flesh filled her senses, making her stomach churn. The floors were a pure black and the walls an old stone, with a jagged surface. Azazel seemed completely at home as he strolled along the halls, dragging Charlotte behind him. Many onlookers stared at the new visitor; would this one make it out? They wondered how bad her crime against his Darkness had been to lead her to this place. They wondered what his Darkness had in store for the red-headed girl.

"Wait your turn. We will be with you sooner that you want." The voice of Azazel still wasn't enough to keep Charlotte from shivering at his words; the smile on his face did nothing to take the edge off as he walked away from her, leaving Charlotte in a deserted room that was identical to the others. And, there she sat, waiting for her turn and thinking about the life she had just started to finally build, slowly slipping away from her grasp...

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Word Count: 1111