I sat patiently leaning beside the tree, waiting for him. He was late. He was never this late. Then again, I’d only known of him for about two weeks now. I still didn’t know his name. He couldn’t know. I didn’t want to approach. I didn’t want him to start giving out commands. I wouldn’t be able to resist. And yet… I still found this desire to see him as he passed by my little campsite a quarter mile away. But he was running late, and I still needed to go into town and steal scraps for a meal. I just had to keep waiting.

  And waiting.

  And waiting.

  And…

  …and…

  I shook myself awake again. The hunger was starting to get to me, starting to make me tired. I couldn’t let myself sleep on an empty stomach, not when I hadn’t eaten anything yesterday. If it got too bad, I might turn back into that beast again. I shuddered at the thought. I was more myself than I’d ever been like that, and yet, it wasn’t me at all. It was pure emotion with no control. If that emotion was hunger, I knew exactly what would happen. No, I had to keep it under wraps, both for my own safety and for his.

  But by the gods, he was taking forever.

  Perhaps he’d gotten caught up in his job. I didn’t know what he did for work. All I knew is that he definitely worked. He wore that same stupid outfit every single day, an outfit that vaguely resembled the town guardsmen. Perhaps he was a guard himself? If he was, though, he was possibly the scrawniest guard in the entire system. There was also the chance that he only had the one outfit, or that it was the only outfit he liked wearing. I don’t think I ever saw him without a smile. There was a chance he was just… inept. From my experience, if people like that wanted to wear the exact same outfit every day, it was often best to just let them. Hopefully he washed it. Otherwise, I couldn’t imagine how terrible it’d have to smell.

  I took one more long, heavy breath, letting out a little puff of smoke from between my lips. It was freezing out here. I’d stolen the rags I was wearing the day after I’d clawed my way out of the Underworld, and they weren’t exactly the most premium quality. To call them rags was an insult to actual rags. It was quite literally just scraps I’d stolen from the waste bin in a sewing shop, draped over top of me and sewn together where it had to be. The fabric covered what it needed to—my torso and upper legs—but that was about it. It was patchy and itchy, incorporating wool, linen, and cashmere, with a small little patch of silk I’d found, ripped in half, and sewn into the shoulders of my crude dress. It was not comfortable in the slightest, and it’d already adjusted itself a handful of times from movement, but it sufficed for public decency. I had to thank the gods that the shop was so close to the border wall, or else I honestly had no idea how I was supposed to dress myself.

  I knew the name of the town by now—Theolia. Beyond the name, and that a king lived in the castle to the south, I had no real idea as to where I was. I knew I was in Europe somewhere, especially given the similarities to my parents’ native tongue and the bitter cold, but that was all I knew. I was a fish out of water. Normally demons would find themselves fairly close to where they’d come from, but occasionally they’d end up somewhere completely different. It didn’t help that I’d barely even learned the language of my ancestors, and as much as I was trying to learn, I couldn’t help but-

  The air fell still. My eyes locked onto my target. It was him. My first sight. I felt the tip of my tail curl and my body grow a little warmer as my blood coursed just that little bit faster. I couldn’t help it. I wasn’t sure if I needed to, really. So long as I stayed out of sight, so long as he never noticed me, I could just observe safely from a distance. Eventually, though, I’d have to move out. I couldn’t stay here, not if it meant stealing and freezing every night. South would be my best option. If I kept going south, I’d make it to the Mediterranean eventually. But for the moment, my eyes stayed glued on this stranger, this person I just so happened to happen upon first. I could’ve seen anyone first, really. But this was just how demons were. All of us were so instinctively gravitated to our first sights. The only way to be free of it was for them to declare us free or for one of us to die. That was it. Because of that, I’d probably always be eternally bound to this stranger, a stranger to which I could put no name.

  GRRRRRRRLL!

  The air fell silent again. The stranger stopped rather suddenly, then looked around as I ducked behind the nearest tree. Stupid stomach. Stupid hunger. Why would it grumble now?! Why, when I was trying to stay hidden?!

  I began to hear footsteps, the soft crunching of boots on frozen grass and snow growing closer and closer. I heard a little clicking sound as something metal slid out of something leather. A sword? A knife? A gun? Probably not the first or last one. I would’ve seen either holstered on his hip, even from a distance. It was probably a knife. He was going to attack me. If he did, I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t hurt him. My body wouldn’t let me. I could run. I might be able to get away before he could shout at me to halt or return. Beyond that, all I could do was wait.

  crunch

  crunch

  crunch

  Stupid stomach. An involuntary reaction to hunger was what would do me in.

  crunch

  crunch

  There was no afterlife for demons. If I died, it’d be all over. There’d be no returning home, there’d be no getting revenge on those horrible-

  “Hello?”

  My heart stopped. I glanced off to the side. My tail was whipping and curling out in the open beside the tree.

  Stupid tail.

  “I can see you hiding,” the stranger chuckled. “You can come out! I won’t hurt you.”

  I felt my legs slowly begin to move forward. I had to obey his command. With a heavy breath, I walked out from behind the tree, turning around to get a better look at this stranger.

  At first glance, I could see he was just barely taller than I was, though that was probably because he was wearing boots. He looked to be just shy of sixteen, only a little younger than myself, and was casually reholstering his knife on his belt. Afterward, he began to move a bit closer, sticking out his hand.

  “Good afternoon, miss…” he began, his tone indicating I should finish his sentence.

  “Vi-” I coughed, then took his hand and gripped it as tightly as my weakened hand could muster. “Vian.”

  The stranger smiled, shook my hand, and backed off just slightly. “I… noticed you watching me from the path,” he began. “Is everything alright? Are you lost?”

  The magic in my body compelled me to answer with the truth, but I fought it as best as I could.

  “You could say that.”

  That was technically not wrong. I was lost. I didn’t really know where I was. Then again, I also wasn’t looking for directions yet, either. At that moment, I noticed I was speaking his language perfectly, although I did note I still had my usual accent. Odd. Very odd.

  “Well, if you’d like, my house is only a short walk down the road,” he continued. “There’s a fire in the stove, and I’m sure I could spare something to eat.”

  There was nothing I could’ve possibly wanted more in that moment than to get out of the cold and to have something, literally anything, to eat. Frostbite had already taken a few of my toes, though, of course, my magic had regenerated them in only a few days’ time.

  “Alright,” I replied weakly.

  “Well, if that’s the case, follow me, I suppose,” he smiled. “My name is Timothy, by the way.”

  I nodded, and he turned, beginning to lead me to the road and toward his house. My legs almost seemed to move on their own, following behind like a loyal little lapdog. I couldn’t not. My body wouldn’t let me disobey his commands. I had no information on Timothy so far other than his name, but I had a sneaking suspicion he did not know how demons worked. That, or he was just being polite and didn’t realize he was my first sight. It wasn’t unreasonable to believe I’d seen someone else before. It wasn’t necessarily rare to see a demon out in the middle of the woods, but it was rare to see a fresh one. He probably figured I’d just come back from an “episode”. Yes, that was probably it. I decided right then that, if I could help it, I’d make sure he didn’t know he was my first sight.

  “Are you allergic to anything?” he asked. “Nuts, dairy, wheat…”

  “I don’t think so,” I replied with my raspy voice.

  “Good,” he replied cheerily. “I think I’ve got some hazelnut butter and some bread for a few sandwiches. That should hold you over until I can finish cooking.”

  “Cooking?” I coughed.

  “Mmm hmm!” he answered, reaching down to his hip and grabbing his satchel. “The butcher had some leftover chicken from this morning, so I picked it up on the way home! I was thinking of making a stew.”

  If I would’ve had any water in my body that wasn’t frozen or suspended in blood, my mouth would’ve immediately started watering.

  “I think I have some peas, too,” he continued. “And maybe some carrots, though they might not be all that good from the preservatives…"

  “That is… a lot of food,” I noted.

  “Well, it’s me, my brothers, and my mother,” he explained. “I was going to make a good amount of food anyway, so it’s really no hassle to prepare a bit more!”

  We took a few silent steps along the snowy path. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the sun slowly beginning its descent. It’d still be a couple of hours until nightfall, but I supposed that was the proper time to make dinner. As we walked, though, a pressing thought couldn’t help but enter my mind.

  “Timothy,” I began.

  “Yes?”

  “Why… are you helping me?”

  The boy turned around quickly, looking me up and down for a moment before turning around again.

  “You looked like you needed help,” he answered. “And… you don’t have a weapon on you.”

  “What if I turned?”

  “Well,” he chuckled. “I suppose if you did, I’d be in a pickle, wouldn’t I?”

  “You don’t think I will?”

  “I don’t see why you would,” he answered, turning around again. “You seem calm.”

  I stared at him for a moment, and he gave an even brighter smile before turning around again.

  “I’m… a stranger to you,” I noted.

  “No, you’re not!” he answered. “You’re Vian! You already gave me your name.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle a little at his answer. By the gods, this man was too innocent. He was actively helping a random demon in the woods and giving her free food and shelter. Not only that, but he seemed to be entirely sure that he was safe. What would his family think, though? Surely they wouldn’t be fine with me. I’d already had a moment to grapple with my new, unwanted form. I wished I was human, fully human, but I wasn’t. I was a demon. A vile creature that could no longer hold a truly free will. I was even less in control of my life than I’d ever been. Whether I liked it or not, I had to go along with whatever Timothy commanded.

  I could never let him know. His ignorance was the only thing letting me keep the little bit of freedom I had left.

  After only a minute or two more of walking, we made it to his house. It was a simple little thing, the lower half made of a mismatch of stone and brick, with the roof made of logs laid in rows in a simple triangular shape. As he pushed open the door for me, I immediately locked eyes with an older woman sitting in a simple wooden chair and holding a book in her hands.

  “Oh my!” the woman exclaimed. “Timothy, who is this?”

  “This is Vian,” he answered, stepping around me toward her. “She was lost in the woods just beside the path. I told her she could come in to warm up for a bit.”

  “So she’s not…”

  “No, mother,” Timothy groaned, leaning down to give her a kiss on the forehead. “I would’ve told you if I planned to bring someone over.”

  I felt a chilly breeze blow in from the outside. I immediately turned around and closed the door behind me.

  “Vian, did you want those sandwiches?” Timothy asked, beginning to wander toward the kitchen.

  “Sandwiches?” his mother asked.

  “Well, look at her, mother!” he exclaimed. “She could use a sandwich.”

  The woman turned her head, eyeing me up and down.

  “That, and maybe a new dress…”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  I tilted my head down a little, watching as Timothy’s mother set down her book and picked herself up out of her chair, then wandered over to me.

  “You can just call me Ma, dear,” she smiled.

  “Ma?” I asked softly, my voice still hoarse.

  “It’s what my sons call me,” she smiled. “Save for Tim, of course, since he wants to sound proper.”

  “If I don’t practice, I won’t move up at the castle!” he called in response.

  Ma chuckled a little.

  “I… apologize for the trouble,” I began, “I’ve been lost for a few days now. I… I don’t even know where I am…”

  “You're not from the capital?” she asked.

  “N-no,” I stuttered. “Like I said… I have no idea where we are.”

  Ma turned her head to the side, looking over at her son, then looking back at me.

  “Well,” she chuckled before lowering her voice. “A word of advice: be patient with him.”

  “Huh?”

  “You heard me,” she smiled. “I know he can be a lot. Just… be patient with him.”

  “I… I think you misunderstand, miss…”

  “Perhaps,” she smirked. “But it's good advice nonetheless.”

  “No, I…” I glanced over at Timothy, then back at her. “Miss-”

  “Ma.”

  “Ma,” I emphasized. “He’s… he’s telling the truth. I’ve been stuck out in the woods for about two weeks now.”

  “Really?” she answered. “And you didn’t think to ask for help?”

  “Well, I… didn’t know you’d be so hospitable,” I smiled. “There are people who’d… well… and I had no way of checking…”

  “I see,” she answered. “Well, the people of Theolia are more accepting of demons than most. That’s not to say we’re all fine with them, of course, but the king has outlawed demon hunters in our nation. If there are any, and if they’re caught, they’re tried for murder just like anyone else.”

  “I suppose that’s a bit reassuring,” I replied, letting out a soft sigh of relief. “Though, I imagine there are places that don’t follow that law…”

  “That’s anywhere, honey,” she smiled. “I’m sure you could find a law even the king himself is breaking.”

  “I hear that’s most of them,” I chuckled.

  “Not ours,” Ma answered, turning a bit and beginning to walk back to her seat. “King Jakob is good about that. He doesn’t write many laws, but the ones he has are ones even he follows. It’s probably why there aren’t all that many, honestly.”

  “Huh.”

  “Enough about him,” she smiled. “Come over here and sit with me.”

  I nodded, then began to wander over to the chair beside her, sitting down on the creaking wood slowly and cautiously.

  “You can lean back,” Ma chuckled. “It’s old, but it’s sturdy. Trust me, honey, you’re not too heavy.”

  As I let myself relax a little, I looked back over at Timothy. He’d prepared about a dozen little half-sandwiches already, though I noticed the bread was cut far thinner than I’d expected. He’d also already started boiling water on the stove, and I watched him open up his satchel and begin unwrapping the leftover pieces of chicken, dropping in each piece only after closely inspecting it.

  “By the gods, Timothy!” Ma exclaimed. “You really think she’ll eat that much?”

  “I figured James and John would want some, too,” he answered, turning his eyes to me. “They’re ready, by the way. I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.”

  “Timothy Darren Woodsman!” Ma exclaimed again. “Have some manners! You invite a woman into your house and you make her get the food herself?”

  Timothy sighed, beginning to move toward the plate. “Sorry, mother.”

  “Don’t say sorry to me! Say it to your guest!”

  He picked up the plate and looked at me. “Sorry, Vian.”

  “It’s… not a problem,” I said softly. “Really, I… you people don’t need to do any of this.”

  Timothy walked around his mother and set the plate of sandwiches on the coffee table between us, gently pushing her book out of the way.

  “It’s not an issue, Vian,” he smiled. “I was probably going to have leftover chicken, anyway. I wouldn’t want it to go to waste.”

  I smiled a little, then eyed up the sandwiches on the table. I took one in my hand and quickly put it to my lips, devouring it in a matter of seconds.

  “I told you she could use a sandwich,” Timothy remarked.

  “I suppose I should go look for something she can borrow,” Ma sighed, slowly lifting herself out of her seat.

  “Mno, it’s fine, Ma!” I said between sticky bites of bread and hazelnut butter. “Thmis dress is fine! Really!”

  The older woman chuckled a little. “I promise you, dear, you’ll feel much better in something a little less… worn out.”

  “Just let her, Vian,” Timothy sighed. “I don’t think you can stop her.”

  “Mokaay…” I sighed, stuffing my third sandwich into my mouth.

  After Ma left and I ate another sandwich, I noticed Timothy watching me out of the corner of his eye, a patient smile on his face. I turned my head away.

  “What are you looking at me for?” I asked.

  “Oh! Sorry,” he said suddenly, taking a little step away. “I’m just… a little tired, is all! That, and… I’m… just trying to get a read on you.”

  “A read on me?”

  “You’re… distant,” he noted. “I don’t want to pry, but… is there something on your mind?”

  I took a long, heavy breath.

  “I suppose.”

  Timothy smiled a little brighter.

  “Is it… something you’re willing to share?”

  I met his gaze again, then turned away.

  “I’d… rather not…”

  “Oh…” I noticed him mask his disappointment quickly. “My apologies! I’m sure it’s something very personal! F-forget I said anything!”

  I blinked a few times, then stared at him blankly for a moment.

  “Did you say something?” I asked.

  “Huh?!”

  “Did… did you say something?” I asked again. “I could’ve sworn you-”

  “No, I mean…” Timothy sighed, then laughed a little. “Alright, that’s… actually pretty funny.”

  “What?”

  “We were… wait. You’re… not joking? You… you actually just forgot?”

  “Forgot what?” I asked. “Did you say something?”

  “Yes!”

  “Oh,” I said softly. “I… must not have heard you, then.”

  “But you-!” Timothy took a deep breath, turned away, pinched the bridge of his nose, then released his breath. “Nevermind. This is… I don’t think this is worth the effort, honestly.”

  “If you say so,” I replied.

  “Sorry,” he sighed. “No, if you really want to know… I just asked you if there was something on your mind, you said you didn’t want to tell me about it, so I told you to forget I said anything.” He looked at me again. “So… did you just forget?”

  “I… suppose so,” I answered him sheepishly. “You did tell me to forget.”

  The boy looked at me blankly for a moment. As I looked into his eyes, I could’ve sworn I could see the gears turning behind them.

  “Oooooh,” he finally said at last. “Huh. Well, that explains that.”

  “W-what?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll just have to be more careful with my wording is all!” he smiled. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”

  “What?!”

  “Vian!” I heard Timothy’s mother call from the other room.

  “I think she wants you to go in there,” Timothy noted. “I’ll finish cooking dinner.”

  “Okay,” I replied, slowly standing up. “But I really want to know what you mean! What… did you realize?”

  “I’ll tell you later,” he smiled. “But you should probably just go into the bedroom. My mother is… very impatient sometimes.”

  I nodded, then watched as Timothy wandered off into the kitchen, grabbing a ladle as he checked up on the pot. As I turned my head away and looked over at the door Ma had entered earlier, I saw the woman peeking out around the doorframe.

  “Ma?” I asked.

  “You’re taking forever!” she complained. “Come on! I found a few things you might like.”

  “O-okay,” I chuckled, wandering over to the door.

  As I entered the room, I noticed a large bed with wrinkled sheets and a dense, woolly mattress taking up most of the space. Ma had wandered off to the wall to my left, where she’d laid a dress on the bedside.

  “Now, this might be a little small,” she noted. “But I’m not too upset about losing it, either. I know you’re a fresher demon, so…”

  “You can tell?” I asked.

  “Of course I can,” she chuckled. “Your hair hasn’t gotten used to your horns yet. That, and your tail keeps swinging around like you don’t know it’s there.”

  I turned around, noticing my tail sweeping back and forth, narrowly missing the bed and the wall on each swipe.

  “You’re… very observant,” I noted.

  “I have to be,” she smiled. “With how careless my boys can be, I’ve got to be the one to notice little things like that.”

  I chuckled a little. “Timothy, he… he’s a lot more observant than I thought, too.”

  “He is,” she replied, picking up the pale yellow dress and handing it to me. “He’s just a bit slower, is all.”

  “Faster than me,” I smiled.

  I took the dress in my hand and backed up a little, looking it over for a moment. It was a simple linen dress that had been dyed yellow at least a hundred washes ago. By now, though, it was running a little thin and starting to grey, a bit like the woman to whom it belonged. Turning my back to Ma, I set her dress down on the bed and grabbed hold of my own dress, slowly lifting it up and over my head, trying as hard as I could not to rip the loosely sewn together mess.

  “You’re not wearing anything underneath that?” Ma asked.

  “I… didn’t have anything else,” I answered her, setting my own dress aside.

  “Give me a moment,” she insisted.

  I sighed, listening to the sound of light rummaging behind me. After a moment, I felt her cold hand touch my shoulder, and I jolted at her touch.

  “Here,” she said softly, handing me a set of undergarments. “If these are too tight, we can go into town tomorrow and find you something.”

  “Into town?” I asked. “I… don’t have any money…”

  “Neither do I!” she laughed. “But my sons do. I’m sure they’d be willing to spare a few bits of siln.”

  “Siln?”

  “It’s our currency,” she explained. “Well, go on! As much as I admire your younger form, I think it’s best for the boys if you dress yourself.”

  I chuckled a little at her remark, then began putting on the clothes she gave me. The undergarments were, in fact, a little too tight, digging a bit into my waist and my shoulders, but the dress seemed to fit me rather well, flowing down comfortably past my knees and stopping halfway down my calves. It was a bit too short, but the chest and waist dimensions were just right for me. The only issue really was my tail, as there wasn’t a cutout for it in the back, but I could live with that. Being honest, having it wave around all the time only served to make me take up more space than I needed to. After adjusting it slightly to make it more comfortable, I turned around to look at Ma.

  “Perfect,” she smiled. “Do you like it?”

  I nodded.

  “Good.” She scooped up my old dress in her hands. “I suppose I can burn this, then.”

  “Burn it?”

  “You don’t need it anymore,” she chuckled. “We’re going shopping tomorrow, remember?”

  “I… I guess… You really don’t have to!”

  “Oh, deary,” she smirked. “It’s winter. Yellow won’t be in season for a few more months at the earliest.”

  I sighed a little. She was completely right. As comfortable as the dress was, at least compared to what I was wearing before, I really didn’t like the color. That, and wearing a dress really hampered my ability to move.

  “Now, as for footwear,” she continued, wandering over to her closet again. “You don’t really need anything at the moment save for some socks, but tomorrow you can just borrow a pair of the boys’ shoes. At least until you get something of your own.”

  “Ma, you-”

  “Hush!” she commanded, handing me a pair of white wool socks. “I’ve already made up my mind. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to brush out your hair. I’ll put it in a braid for you.”

  “A braid?” I asked.

  “I haven’t gotten to braid anyone’s hair in years,” she smiled. “I want to make sure I still can.”

  I smiled a little, and the older woman pulled herself up onto the bed. I sat down on the edge and pulled on the socks, then Ma took a few locks of my thick, black hair and began brushing it out.

  “Now, tell me,” she began. “Who were you before coming here?”

  I let out a little sigh, sagging my head a little. “I’d… rather not say…”

  “No backstory, no clothes,” she replied. “Tell.”

  I let my eyes fall to the floor. “I was… nobody, really. I still lived with my parents, my sister had already moved out years ago… I had a few friends, I guess, but once they started causing trouble I… had to step away.”

  “Mmm,” she answered. “Sounds lonely.”

  “It was,” I continued. “But then the temple was taken over, and… well, my old friends and I tried to revolt, but… it… didn’t work out.”

  “I see,” Ma said softly. “I can’t imagine what pain that day brought you.”

  “I just want to go home,” I answered her. “Home is the only thing I have left. I want to take it back. I want it to go back to how it was, how it was when I was little.”

  “Ah,” I could feel her gentleness in the way she spoke. “I don’t blame you there. Most people miss their youth, I imagine. Although, usually not while they’re still young…”

  “It’s not just that,” I resumed. “They killed my sister. I… I want my revenge.”

  The woman took a long, heavy breath.

  “You desire justice, not vengeance, dear,” she explained. “You shouldn’t leave until that wrathful spirit has left you.”

  “Respectfully, Ma,” I answered her. “There isn’t a spirit in here. That’s the problem.”

  “I know,” she replied. “I only tell you what you should do. I can’t control you. And I know my son will try his best not to, either.”

  I nodded slowly. “Thank you, Ma.”

  “Of course, dear,” she answered. “Anything for my future daughter-in-law.”

  I whipped my head around quickly, and Ma began to laugh. Feeling my face simmer a little, I turned back around, feeling far grumpier than before.

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Not yet,” she chuckled. “Give it a few days.”

  “No!” I exclaimed. “Trust me! I… I don’t feel anything like that.”

  “Mmm hmm,” she replied. “Now, do you want a single braid, or a double?”

  I sighed. “Single, please.”

  As Ma pulled a bit on my hair, I felt that redness in my cheeks begin to deepen. Such a ridiculous notion. Just because I was forced to obey him did not mean I was going to suddenly fall for him. If anything, it meant the opposite. Someone I was forced to listen to, someone I could never stop thinking about, someone who gave me all of these nice things for seemingly no reason… There had to be a reason. Nobody was this selfless. Perhaps he’d noticed me watching a while ago. Perhaps he and Ma had come up with this whole plan to woo me. Yes, maybe.

  Or maybe he really was just that selfless.