I told him I was going to think about it, but it was clear I'd already given my word.
All I needed to do was go with him, maybe get the answers I needed, then leave.
But I knew it wouldn't be as simple as I was telling myself.
Time passed quickly, and school closed.
I waited till almost everyone was gone before I quietly stepped out.
Everything else was a blur to me, and soon enough, I was sitting in an expensive car with Taylor.
It was a quiet trip to their house. After seeing the car, I didn't doubt for a second that they were rich.
But I never expected politician level rich when we arrived.
Their land was walled, and as the gates opened and we entered, the first thing that caught my eye was the fountain. It was purely marble, made of four cupids, all pointing their arrows in the four cardinal points.
In the center stood a woman who looked like an Amazon holding what looked like a spear and sword melded into one.
Hedges, flowers, and cleanly trimmed grass surrounded us.
I briefly glanced at them, not really interested.
A butler was waiting at the door when we reached it.
His hand was ready on the door handle, ready to open when we were close enough.
Taylor was first, and the door was opened for him to enter.
Once inside, the butler let go of the door and collected Taylor's coat. The door was left to close in my face, locking me out.
"Come in, Christopher," I hear the voice from inside.
Not what I expected...
I grabbed the curved handle and opened.
But... why did it still feel so cold??
I stepped in, but...
A knife
That was the first thing I felt—the cold edge pressed against my neck.
"Why are you here?"
She was pissed!
"Didn't think you'd be this excited to see him," Taylor said calmly.
I was conscious of the knife. It felt very cold but surprisingly blunt.
She turned to him, still holding the knife to my neck.
"Lily, put that aside."
Ignoring his command, she glared at me, already skinning me with that gaze. But for some reason, I didn't feel any panic.
It was as if I knew she wouldn't hurt me.
"Come, let's talk," he called after her, walking towards the nearest door.
She finally allowed my neck some freedom before following him.
I was allowed to 'make myself at home.'
So I observed the room quietly. What intrigued me the most was some paintings that seemed too real; it was almost as if the characters could walk out if they wished.
Before I knew it, I was standing next to the room they'd entered, eyes glued to a painting.
Their muffled voices drifted over.
"Why is it here?"
It.
So that's what I am now.
"He's not one of them," he replied.
I couldn't help but frown in confusion.
"I saw it, and I still see it. He's blank."
"..."
He ignored her. "He'll be staying here."
"I—"
"You wouldn't want HIM to know of this rebellion, Lily. Do as I tell you if you don't want me to send you there," he threatened.
Who's him?
"You can go ahead and suck him dry if you want!"
Suck him dry?
Nothing made any sense since I arrived.
The door suddenly burst open, and she stormed out.
I was unprepared, and the moment she appeared, she locked eyes with me.
"You were listening."
She just stated it, unsurprised. She didn't sound like she was accusing me of doing something wrong, almost as if she already knew this would happen.
I had so many questions, but I didn't know if they'd answer at all.
He walked out after a minute.
"Tell me, Christopher...do you believe in the supernatural?" He asked calmly.
I was startled by the sudden question, but quickly composed myself and replied. "That depends."
"Depends on what? Do you believe in Ghosts, demons, vampires, mermaids, and the like?"
"I've seen a demon before."
He smirked, then glanced at Lily.
"Well, you have your answer."
She nodded, then looked at me, stepping closer.
Too close.
This girl had no understanding of personal space.
"You're strange..."
Strange? The crooked mirror calls the straight line bent.
He checked the time, muttering something to himself.
"We're strong believers of the supernatural, Christopher."
"And we know what's real and what's not," Lily added, the hostility in her tone reduced drastically.
She had a clear line between enemies and harmless people. The answer I gave made her push me from enemy to harmless.
"I saw it myself, and they confirmed that it was a demon," I argued. That scene was forever ingrained in my brain, and I wasn't going to let some weird family tell me what I saw didn't exist.
"Demons aren't real in this plane," she stated.
Before I could retort, Taylor cut in. "You won't be able to see a demon, no matter what. Tell me, what did you see that confused you so much?"
I know what I saw, and I asked around before understanding it was a demon.
With that, I recounted what I saw that night.
It was a humanoid creature that stood about eight to ten feet tall with horns growing where eyes should have been.
Its back was hunched, and it had very long, slender arms that reached the ground.
With a hard, jagged body like an insect, it was extremely frightening.
What frightened me the most was its mouth.
It was a long, hard snout that split into a diagonal quad. Columns of needle-like teeth filled inside, a clear contrast to the black orifice.
I thought that was terrible till it closed its maw and it elongated into a two-foot-long proboscis. The teeth pierced through, lining its surface like hairs.
Even at the age of sixteen, I felt my heart thump with vigor as the memory resurfaced.
I couldn't believe that I trusted them enough to tell them all this. It was something I only spoke to my mother about.
Maybe it was the way they looked at me, listening seriously, or maybe the way he wrote notes down.
When I finished, Lily nodded. She just accepted it without asking any questions.
"That's an Adze, but why would it appear here? It's only native to the Auric Empire."
"What?" I couldn't hide my shock and got up.
They both shifted in their seats.
Lily frowned. "You don't believe us?"
"No, I..." I believe you because that's exactly where I saw it.
"You saw it in The Auric Empire."
Lily looked at Taylor, then turned to me, glancing at my dark skin. "That's where you're from?"
My breath caught.